Manifest Destiny Essays (661 words) - MexicoUnited States Relations

Manifest Destiny MANIFEST DESTINY The idea of Manifest Destiny was based on the idea that America had a divine providence. It had a future that was destined by God to expand its borders, with no limit to area or country. All the traveling and expansion were part of the spirit of Manifest Destiny, a belief that it was God's will that Americans spread over the entire continent, and to control and populate the country as they see fit. Many expansionists conceived God as having the power to sustain and guide human destiny. It was white man's burden to conquer and Christianize the land Though the idea was revolutionary for the US, it was nothing new for the world. The idea of conquering other lands in the name if Christ was easily seen in Europe with the Crusades. Thousands of natives died and many countries captured by people who claimed that this was the divine work of God. Anyone who did not convert or stood in their way was killed, much like the Americans did to Native Americans while conquering the west. Manifest Destiny was the reason for the great interest in territorial expansion. With a sense of a ?holy mission,? people were encouraged to travel because of the great amounts of untouched land lying just beyond the borders of the declared territories. There was also the growing desire to develop trade with Asia. Taking over the western lands would eventually open new trade routes with China and Japan who offered rare items such as silk and unique spices. (Quick note from the student: Spices? Isn't that what started the whole thing in the first place? I guess that there is always a hungry man in the history books!) There was also a fear that the land the United States would seek might be taken by foreign invaders. - Namely Russia who was rumored to be planning to take the area of that would later be California for itself. The easiest way to keep others from encroaching on the American's divinely ?Promised Land? was to conquer the land first. Manifest Destiny also created a brutal consequences from the eagerness of the land hungry Americans. While conquering the new and untouched lands, in the process the Native Americans were either moved to other territories so that they were not in the way, or killed. Their deaths were justified by the reasoning that it was their duty to Christianize the savages. (This was all in favor of the advancement of the white civilization.) With such a divine right from God, anything that stood in the way of their right was a threat that simply had to be ridded from on the earth. The government even put their supposed justification in writing with the Manifest Destiny Doctrine, where they intended to break up all tribal governments. Even in modern times, the idea of manifest destiny still flowed through the veins of American government. The most blatant example is the United States burning urge to have Hawaii as the 50 state and a military out post. This was a prime example of Manifest Destiny when in 1898 the US military went into Hawaii and quickly, and simply, took it. The task was completed in 1959 when Hawaii was still unwillingly made the 50th state of the US. Though the idea of manifest destiny in general had been around since the beginning of religion itself, American took it in whole-heartedly and so quickly went to claim their providence from God. Though many believed that it was the holy thing to do, most of their morals were shot to the ground when their greed for land took over. Whoever started the American Manifest Destiny probably had no idea what they had begun. He probably did not have the slightest intellect of how much land there was to conquer, nor how many there were to see slaughtered in the name of God. May all God's children rest in peace? History Essays

Beginners Guide to Declarative Sentences

Beginner's Guide to Declarative Sentences In English grammar, a declarative sentence is expressed in the form of a statement- true to its name, it declares something. Also known as a declarative clause, it is the most common type of sentence in the language.   Definition Declaratives express an active state of being in the present tense, in contrast to a command  (imperative), a question  (interrogative), or an exclamation  (exclamatory). In a declarative sentence, the subject normally precedes the verb, and it almost always ends with a period. Types of Declarative Sentences As with other types of sentences, a declarative can be either simple or compound. A simple declaratory sentence is the union of a subject and a predicate, as simple as a subject and verb in the present tense (She sings). A compound declarative joins two related phrases together with a conjunction and a comma. Simple declarative:  Lilly loves gardening. Compound declarative: Lilly loves gardening, but her husband hates weeding. Compound declaratives can also be joined with a semicolon and be equally effective. In the above sentence, you would change the comma to a semicolon and delete the conjunction. Declarative vs. Interrogative Sentences Declarative sentences usually end with a period, but they can also be phrased as a question. Unlike interrogative sentences, asked in order to obtain information, a declarative question is asked in order to clarify.   Interrogative: Did she leave a message? Declarative: She did leave a message? Note that the subject comes before the verb in a declarative sentence. Another easy way to tell the two sentences apart is to substitute the question mark for a period. A declarative sentence like the one above would still make sense, but the interrogative wont make sense with a period. Imperative and Exclamative Sentences It can be fairly easy to confuse a declarative sentence with an interrogative one. But if the sentence expresses a statement of fact, what looks like an exclamative could be declarative (though its a less common form). It all depends on the context. Imperative: Please come to dinner tonight. Exclamative: Come to dinner! my boss demanded. Declarative: Youre coming to dinner tonight! That makes me so happy! Its unlikely that youll come across an instance where an imperative is confused with a declarative. Modifying a Declarative Declaratives,  like other  types of sentences, can be expressed in either positive or negative form, depending on the verb. To distinguish them from imperatives, remember to look for a visible subject. Declarative:  You arent impolite. Interrogative:  Dont be impolite. If youre still having difficulty distinguishing the two types of sentences, try expressing both with a tag question added. A declarative sentence will still make sense; the imperative wont.

Grow Your Own Multicolor Mineral Crystal Specimen

Grow Your Own Multicolor Mineral Crystal Specimen Natural minerals need millions of years to form, but you can make a homemade mineral in just a few days using inexpensive ingredients you can get at a home supply store. The chemicals grow different colors of crystals, which look like a geological specimen. The result is pretty enough to showcase at home or in the lab. Homemade Mineral Materials alum or chrome alumcopper sulfateborax or boric acidwaterfood coloring (optional)rock or other material for a base Regular white alum is sold as a kitchen spice. If you use this alum, youll want to add food coloring to grow colored crystals or you can stick with the natural clear crystals. Chrome alum (also known as chromium alum or potassium chromium sulfate) is available online and grows natural purple crystals. If you have both chemicals, you can mix them to produce natural lavender-colored crystals. Copper sulfate grows naturally blue crystals. It is sold either as a pure chemical online or as a root killer at a home supply store. Check the label to make sure copper sulfate is the ingredient. The product will look like a blue powder or granules. Boric acid is sold as an insecticide (roach killer) or disinfectant powder. Borax is sold as a laundry booster. The white powder of either chemical produces delicate white crystals. Procedure Growing a homemade mineral specimen is a multi-step process. Youll grow one layer of crystals on a rock, let the specimen dry, then grow another layer of a different chemical, let it dry, and grow the third layer to complete the project. First, find a rock and a container just large enough that you can add liquid to cover the rock completely. You dont want too big of a container or youll have to make up a lot of each crystal solution. Make up the crystal growing solutions one at a time, as you need them. In all cases, the procedure for preparing the solution is the same. Dissolve as much chemical as you can in boiling hot water. Add food coloring, if desired.Filter the solution through a paper towel or coffee filter to remove any sediment.Allow the solution to cool slightly so you dont burn yourself and dont accidentally dissolve any pre-existing crystals (for the second and third crystal sets).Place the rock or other substrate in a container. Pour the solution into the container until the rock is covered.Allow crystals to grow overnight or for a couple of days (until you are pleased with them). Then carefully remove the rock and place it on a paper towel to dry. Empty the container of solution and let it dry.When the rock is dry, return it to the empty container and add the next crystal solution. While you can grow the crystals in any order, my recommendation is to start with the alum, followed by the copper sulfate, and finally the borax. In any case, Id do borax last because the crystals are relatively fragile. Once the mineral specimen is complete, allow it to air dry. Once it is dry, you can display it. Over time, changes in the humidity of a room will alter the appearance of the crystals. If you wish to store the crystals, gently wrap them in paper to help keep the humidity stable. Alum Solution Recipe 5 tablespoons alum1 cup very hot water Copper Sulfate Recipe Copper sulfate saturation is highly dependent on water temperature. Determine how much water you need to fill your container. Heat it in a kettle or microwave until it boils. Keep stirring in copper sulfate until no more will dissolve. There will be undissolved material in the bottom of the container that you can filter out using a paper towel. Boric Acid or Borax Recipe Stir boric acid or borax into very hot tap water until no more will dissolve. Additional Crystals To Grow If three colors isnt enough for you, you can add delicate needle-like crystals of Epsom salts or red potassium ferricyanide crystals.

Sigmund Freud Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sigmund Freud Paper - Essay Example He laid the groundwork for much psychological theory to come and developed some of the most powerful theories in the history of the discipline. Freud’s ways of thinking influenced the culture at large and lead to a large body of art, poetry, and literature. Some suggest that much of surrealism can be traced from Freud’s work. However, all of his theories have been disproved today and he is no longer relevant to academic psychologists. This is an amazing shift in influence for someone who once seemed to be at the cornerstone of human thought. Freud's many theories were incredibly influential in his lifetime and in the decades after his death. He began as a young psychologist and eventually started publishing case studies based on the patients who treated. Some of them had incredible stories to tell. From these patients he began to create elaborate psychological theories. Many of his theories were named after classical Greek characters, lending them an air of historical c redibility. The Oedipus Complex was one wherein he suggested that affected boys want to kill their father and marry their mother. Another was the Electra Complex where a woman wanted to marry her father. These were elaborate theories that gained wide currency in the culture and society. Another of Freud's main concepts was that a person's personality and many of their later problems have a source in childhood experiences. Overall, Freud pointed contemporary psychologists in a correct direction, but many of his ideas also slowed down progress. He cut a larger than life figure, and was so comprehensive in his intelligence that it could be difficult to dispute his ideas. Nowadays, however, few if any people call themselves Freudians. There is a feeling that Freudians have an unnatural predilection to examine the sexual lives of people in order to explain every problem they have. That is in part of one of Freud's legacies: that sex and death dominate and drive all human beings. They may play a role, but few psychologists today believe that these two things can explain everything. Freud's theories are not considered to be relevant today by most theorists. They are fascinating historical artifacts that show us how the discipline of psychology began more than one hundred years ago, but they are not really cited in contemporary academic papers as authorities on any subjects. Freud had a limited amount of clinical data at his disposal and a great deal of his work involved the interpretation of dreams which is now seen to be as not at all scientific. His idea that sexual identity is a main component of a person's overall identity was influential at the time, but again has been pared back in recent years to some extent. It is useful to see Freud's work as a kind of pendulum. He opened the box to so many new ideas that people immediately adopted because they were so interesting and because there was perhaps a grain of truth to them. Over the years, though, people began to drop his ideas, and the pendulum has swung back again. The truth is that times have changed. Psychologists today have much more to work with than simply what their patient told them they dreamed last night or a story about a patient's relationship with his or her father. They can measure the levels of chemicals in peoples' brains and can determine how that influences their behavior. There is no doubt that traumatic experiences can change the way people

Inventory management at WAL-MART Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Inventory management at WAL-MART - Case Study Example It also succeeded due to its global strategies. It became the first private-sector company in the world to have employed over one million personnel. It provides large spacious, wide, neat, brightly-lit aisles and shelves stocked with area for people to look around and provide a variety of goods. The average size of a Wal-Mart store is 107,000 square feet (www.walmart.com). Each store employs about 225 people. The employees are called associates as they hold value for the company (Frat Files). The stores feature a variety of quality, value-priced general merchandise, including (www.walmart.com): Wal-Mart operates each store, from the products it stocks, to the front-end equipment that helps speed checkout, with the same philosophy: provide everyday low prices and superior customer service. Lower prices also eliminate the expense of frequent sales promotions and sales are more predictable. Wal-Mart has invested heavily in its unique cross-docking inventory system. Cross docking has enabled Wal-Mart to achieve economies of scale which reduce its costs of sales. With this system, goods are continuously delivered to stores within 48 hours and often without having to stock them. This allows Wal-Mart to replenish the shelves 4 times faster than its competition. Wal-Mart's ability to replenish theirs shelves four times faster than its competition is just another advantage they have over competition. Wal-Mart leverages its buying power through purchasing in bulks and distributing the goods on its own. Wal-Mart guarantees everyday low prices and considers them the one stop shop. INVENTORY MANAGEMENT at WAL-MART Just-in-time inventory (JIT) is the concept of only carrying as much inventory as needed to supply to customers or consumers. Many companies are using JIT to reduce inventory costs and increase gross profits (Damiano, 2005). It makes more sense for companies to use their dollars elsewhere, rather than tying them up in inventory that is just sitting in a warehouse. Wal-Mart's inventory philosophy focuses on getting the good out of the shelves and into the customers hand in the quickest and most cost efficient way as possible and Wal-Mart is a paragon of such efficiency. JIT (Just in Time) is an inventory management technique invented by the Japanese. The first users of this technique are said to be the Toyota people and to this day, this technique is being effectively used by them. The concept behind JIT is that it optimizes the production process byreducing waste and keeping negligible inventory (Epps, 1995). Inventory has a holding cost in terms of keeping the excess inventory in warehouses whose rent has to be paid thus increasing the cost of the inventory. As a retailer, Wal-Mart has been able to achieve respectable leadership by using this technique to reduce the holding costs and decreasing wastages. The most important factor in having a Just-In-Time inventory system is to have the best logistics system in place. This includes having clear transport routes,

Teaching Strategy in the Classroom Essay Example for Free

Teaching Strategy in the Classroom Essay In a classroom, the teacher is the leader. As such, they must take into account which teaching methods would be best to develop their students learning abilities. During my observations at New Hyde Park Memorial High School, I was able to witness a wide array of teaching strategies. For this paper, I will choose specific methods, and discuss how certain teachers used them effectively within the classroom. First, I will discuss how the modeling process was used to enhance student’s abilities to learn. Modeling is a process of teaching through demonstration. Second, I will discuss how mapping, a learning strategy that helps students understand relationships between ideas, was effectively applied in the classroom. I will then discuss how reinforcement, the use of stimulus’s to increase frequency of a specific behavior, was used as a motivational factor. Lastly, I will discuss how gender and culture were or were not addressed in select classrooms. What I intend to show is how each of these strategies can be used to help create a positive classroom environment that promotes learning as a tool and goal. Modeling can be used very effectively if all four parts are consciously applied. The first part, attention, involves a teacher keeping his student’s focus, allowing them to absorb more information. The next component, retention, requires that a teacher utilize methods such as visual or verbal aids to help their students remember a lesson. The third part of modeling is reproduction, which occurs when a student practices what they’ve been taught. Practice allows for a better chance of translating information to long-term memory. The last step in the process of modeling is motivation, which is a teacher’s ability to give their students desire to work harder. All four of these steps, when used effectively, significantly increase student’s abilities to learn and retain information. In each classroom I observed, some components of modeling were applied. However, in three classrooms I was able to see all four steps of the process effectively applied. One example is Mr. John Ferrara’s Public speaking class, which consisted of multiple grades. In his lessons on creating â€Å"How To† posters, he kept attention through verbal directions and jokes. He drew diagrams and made his own poster to help retention. Reproduction was automatically included because the â€Å"How to† posters were the homework assignments. As for motivation, he offered plenty of reinforcement and positively critiqued each of his students in helping them learn what didn’t work and what to continue doing. (Observe class notes 1, 2, 3) Similarly, Ms. Katy Devine, for her twelfth grade advanced English class used modeling in lessons on poetry. She called on multiple students in the class to read the poems to keep attention. To help students retain and reproduce the lesson, she encouraged them to write their own poetry, assigning homework that kept them working with the central ideas of the lesson. She continually motivated her students by praising them for answering, whether correctly or not, and by telling them where this knowledge would get them in the future. Ms. Devine, like Mr. Ferrara, utilized each step of the modeling process effectively in her classroom. (Observe class notes 4, 5) The last classroom in which I observed modeling successfully practiced was in Mr. Laurence Mechanic’s tenth grade English class. In teaching a lesson on essays, he kept attention by consistently calling on various students. He drew diagrams on the board to help explain the â€Å"sandwich† form to an essay. He assigned homework which involved writing a thesis statement. These procedures promoted retention and reproduction. As for motivation, he told his students how rapidly they were improving, encouraging them that they would master the Regents Exams if they kept up their hard work. (Observe class note 6) I will now discuss how I observed mapping at work in the classroom. A concept map is a visual aid and graphic organizer that shows connections between separate ideas. Mapping allows students to organize thoughts and concepts in new ways. Additionally, graphic organizers have been proven to improve learning outcomes in many students. There are many different kinds of graphic organizers that can be used. For the purpose of this paper I will discuss the Venn diagram I observed in Mr. Mechanic’s classroom, and network trees that I observed in Mr. Scott Colvin and Ms. Abbe Katz’s classrooms. A Venn Diagram consist of two large circles with separate topics and an intersecting middle area where the relations between ideas are written. In Mr. Mechanic’s tenth grade English class the circles focused on literary elements contained in two poems. In the middle section, Mr. Mechanic had the students discuss the literary elements that were found in both of these works. The use of this Venn diagram helped the students better understand each individual section, as well as recognize the way certain elements can be used in multiple ways. (Observe class notes 6, 8) Both Mr. Colvin, in his eleventh grade English class, and Ms. Katz, in her ninth grade advanced English class, utilized network trees. In Mr. Colvin’s class, it was used to help examine characteristics of leadership. The tree was organized with a block in the middle, marked â€Å"Leadership,† and four spawned off circles that focused on individual aspects of leadership. Mr. Colvin then had the students answer follow up questions which further allowed them to identify the connections between their idea of a leader and those in the story they were reading in class. (Observe class note 7, Handout 1) Ms. Katz organized her network tree around William Shakespeare’s play, â€Å"Romeo and Juliet. † She assigned the first few scenes as homework, and then showed the first scene of the Baz Luhrmann 1997 movie version in class. She discussed the way the Capulets and Montagues were portrayed in the book and movie. Her students broke into two groups, one concentrating on the specifics of the play and the other on the movie. She led a discussion, putting the network tree on the board at the close of class time. As a result, the student’s better understood the use of family in Shakespeare’s work and were able to recognize differences and similarities between the portrayal of family in the written play and the movie. (Observe class note 9) As aforementioned, motivation is a crucial part of the modeling process. But even individually it is crucial to effective teaching and learning. Reinforcement is one major way to increase motivation. There are two kinds of reinforcement: positive, which occurs when a pleasant stimulus is presented, and negative, which occurs when an undesired stimulus is removed. The presentation and removal of these stimuli at proper times should lead to an increase in frequency of the desired behavior. I will further discuss the use of reinforcement in Mr. Ferrara and Mr. Mechanics classroom, and then discuss how I observed it in Mrs. Anna Carusos classroom as well. For the discussion of Mr. Ferraras public speaking class and Mr. Mechanics tenth grade English class, I will simply elaborate on the way they effectively used the last step of the modeling process. When Mr. Ferraras class had to finally give their How to presentations and Mr. Mechanics class had their thesis statements checked over, continuing motivation became crucial. Both of these teachers used praise and reinforcement excessively after their students presented their work. Mr. Ferrara took class time and cited out at least one positive aspect from each presentation. He told the students how they had cut down on the ums, uhs, likes, focused more on keeping their eyes on the class, and credited each student with doing a superb job. (Observe class notes 1, 2, 3) Similarly, Mr. Mechanic praised almost every students thesis statements. He reminded them how important a skillful opening paragraph is when writing an essay, explaining that a great thesis statement sets up an entire essay. He continued to boost the students confidence in their work, and closed the discussion by reminding each student how well they will do on the Regents by keeping up their hard work. (Observe class note 10) Mrs. Caruso, in her ninth grade English class, used reinforcement consistently to promote class participation. First, she introduced a reward system to the class by creating enlarged photocopied bills with her face in the center that could be used as extra credit on exams. She would positively reinforce participating students during her lectures by giving them a bill for paying attention and contributing to the class discussion. She also used negative reinforcement on one occasion that I observed in her classroom. At one point, when a student asked a question, the answer was on a recent hand out. A few of the students laughed at the stupidity of the question, with one even calling the student a derogatory name. Mrs. Caruso punished the misbehaving students; threatening to call their house next time they disrespected another student. This encouraged the original student to continue asking questions, showing him the disrespectful result would not recur. Like each aforementioned situation, this instance shows how reinforcement was used effectively in the classroom. In doing so, these teachers created a comfortable environment in which their students not only completed the required assignments, but were praised and rewarded for doing so. In each case, the students looked forward to earning more reinforcement by continuing to work hard. (Observe class notes 11, 12) When it comes to culture and diversity, each classroom at New Hyde Park Memorial High School appeared to divide up evenly. By and large, just over half the classroom was Caucasian, with just under half the total being Indian. To fill out the remaining percentage, there were a few Asian, Spanish or Black students. However, the bulk of the room was either Caucasian or Indian. Gender wise, the classes were divided evenly as well. There was usually a 50/50 split between male and female, with very few exceptions. One of these exceptions was in Ms. Devines twelfth grade advanced English class, in which there were only six males out of twenty-one students. However, half female, half male classes were most common. Culture and gender are two important issues to consider when running a classroom. Different backgrounds raise children in different ways, requiring that a certain focus or method may need to be adopted in a classroom. It is also understood that males and females have a tendency to succeed in separate fields of study. Lastly, it is very important, esteem wise, to understand the culture and gender of a student, because self-esteem also varies between sexes and races. However, for each of these classrooms, there was very little emphasis on either race or gender. Most teachers treated their class as though each student was the same sex and race. In some of these classes, this was an effective way to run the class, while in others there should have more focus on the specific situation of certain students. I will once again discuss Mr. Ferraras and Mr. Mechanics classes, as well as Ms. Devines eleventh grade English class for the first time in making my points for these topics. In Mr. Ferraras Public speaking class, there was a cultural breakdown of two-third Caucasian, one-third Indian, one African American and one Chinese student. The genders were evenly split. While the majority of the time there was no specific focus on either gender or culture, there was one occasion that I did observe when a student’s culture was emphasized. On this occasion, the lone African American student was giving her â€Å"How to† speech. In doing so, she used Ebonics. Upon completion of her presentation, Mr. Ferrara joked back to her using Ebonics. This could be a bad idea depending on the relationship between student and teacher. However, due to the environment Mr. Ferrara sustains in his classroom, one of respect and humor, this only invoked laughter from the class as well as the individual. In fact, the student felt more comfortable with the rest of the class afterwards. On this occasion, Mr. Ferrara made it a point to focus on a certain culture, and it worked very well due to the prior establishment of relationship and understanding in his class. Mr. Mechanics tenth grade English class broke down culture wise to about half Caucasian and half Indian, with three Spanish students. Gender wise, the breakdown was 50/50. In one of his classes, Mr. Mechanic attempted to explain and utilize the Socratic method of teaching, in which the class sits in a circle and discussion is openly led by whichever student decides to enter in. Mr. Mechanic called on students of different races and genders to begin the discussion, encouraging all the other students to chime in throughout. In setting up this type of class, he erases gender and culture differences, giving each student equal opportunity to participate in the classroom discussion. As a teacher, consciously disregarding culture and gender as learning components can make it difficult to still effectively run a classroom. However, this is one of the most successful ways to do so and still create and sustain a positive and efficient classroom environment. (Observe class note 13) In Ms. Devines eleventh grade English class, there was a cultural breakdown of half Caucasian students and half Indian students. Gender wise there was again a 50/50 breakdown. In this class, there was no specific focus on gender or culture. However, in this class Ms. Devine should have made more of a conscious effort to include the separate cultures in her class activities. For the reading of Macbeth, she chose certain students to act out each part. However, in doing so, she consistently chose the outgoing Caucasian students; male for male parts, female for female. I feel that this did not place the Indian or soft-spoken Caucasian students on the same plane as those chosen. There should never be a situation in which students of any culture or gender feel barred from classroom activities, but unfortunately in this class this became the case. Unlike the above teachers, Ms. Devine did not do a good job of making the students in her class equal participants, affecting the way certain students learned in her class. (Observe class note 14) In our Education class at Queens College, there were many different instructional activities that we participated in. There are three specific methods that we undertook in class that I observed in the classroom as effective teaching strategies. One of these activities was a Microsoft PowerPoint discussion on Moral Development. The use of PowerPoint allowed the lesson to be put on a larger screen for observation by the full class, helping both note taking ability and overall comprehension. The second activity we used in our class that was very effective was group work. This was at work in many of the classrooms I observed as well, and is successful because it allows diverse thoughts and ideas to come together. Lastly, the ungraded homework assignments were an effective classroom activity. They led to further understanding of the assigned topic and fed the class discussions pertaining to these topics. I saw the first two discussed activities at work in my observations. Computers with Powerpoint capabilities were actually one of the recent additions to every classroom at New Hyde Park Memorial. Ms. Katz, in her ninth grade advanced English class, used PowerPoint lectures for her Romeo and Juliet discussion, and students in Mr. Ferraras public speaking class utilized this feature for their How to presentations. Similarly, group work was involved in a majority of the classes I observed. Mr. Mechanic, Mr. Ferrara, Ms. Katz and Ms. Devine all used group work in the teaching of their lesson, just to name a few. The ungraded homework assignments were not included in any of the classes I observed. However, if applied in the class, ungraded homework would allow students that wish to expand and increase their knowledge to do so, while those who desire only to understand what is being taught in class can spend more time focusing on the work due for other classes. In conclusion, there are many ways to run a successful classroom. In my observations, I was able to see multiple teaching strategies and how they either worked or failed. The ones I decided to focus on for the purposes of this paper are the strategies that I found to be successful most often. I learned that modeling is a very effective teaching process, when each component is taking into account. I learned that mapping is a very effective tool that helps connect ideas and create relationships between previous unrelated ideas. I learned how gender and culture could be either taken into account, or consciously ignored in a classroom, but that one must be careful in choosing to do either. In the classrooms of Mr. John Ferrara, Ms. Katie Devine, Mr. Laurence Mechanic, Ms. Abbe Katz, Mrs. Anna Caruso and Mr. Scott Colvin, there were successful methods at work and very positive environments created as a result. While each teacher had their own unique methods to utilizing a strategy and teaching a lesson, they all did a superb job of making learning an enjoyable, universal, and crucial part of their classroom.

Homelessness is a Decision not a Condition Essays -- Papers Beggars St

Homelessness is a Decision not a Condition Homeless people are not always the victims that the media have portrayed them to be. The alarming fact is that many of the homeless are there by choice. Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to portray all homeless people as lazy people who dont want to take care of themselves. This couldn't be further from the truth. In my experience with the homeless they are usually either in bad health, addicted to drugs, mentally ill or a combination of any of these. To compound matters worse, they are usually without any type of legitimate income to support themselves. One day last winter, I was leaving work and I was approached by a street-person. Living in the city most of my life, I had grown accustomed to this type of solicitation. This particular gentleman gave me a well rehearsed monologue about how his car had broken down and he was just trying to get enough money up to catch a bus home. Needless to say, I have heard this particular story in every city I had ever been to, by other street people in cities far bigger than Dayton, Ohio. I like to always give people the benifit of the doubt, but this story was a little overused. I told him I would take him up to the Greyhound station and pay for his ticket if he wanted to get home. He refused my offer, telling me that there was other business that he would have to take care of first. I had called his bluff and he knew it. I then asked him what he was doing out on the streets at 4:30 in the morning. He told me that he was "making a living". After chatting with him for about twenty minutes, I was able to get him to reveal a few very important details about himself. He had been on the streets for about the past 6 y... ... no longer employed their. I was also told that Adrian was constantly begging other employees for money. It seemed like he just couldn't discriminate between his life on the street and his position in the workplace. Much later I would find out that I was just enabling Adrian. I would find that Adrian's biggest problem was his drug addiction. Judging by the the fresh needle marks on his arm, it was quite obvious that Adrian was shooting up some type of narcotic on a regular basis. He had been offered help before and refused to straighten his life out. Instead, he chose a life on the streets with no direction. A life with little to look forward to and little to lose. It was disheartening to see such human potential go to waste. It seemed that Adrian had gone past that point where we choose life over death. He made the choice to give up life long ago.

VA Information Security

In your opinion, how well developed are your organization’s information security policies? Describe policies and measures used by your organization to ensure confidentiality, availability and reliability of data and information. Describe how the organization could (or does) protect from the loss its data. What steps could (or do) they take to make sure that data remains accessible in the event of a catastrophic event such as a fire or other natural disaster? What things do you think your organization could do to further enhance information security? Name: University: Course: Tutor: Date: In your opinion, how well developed are your organization’s information security policies? Describe policies and measures used by your organization to ensure confidentiality, availability and reliability of data and information. Describe how the organization could (or does) protect from the loss its data. What steps could (or do) they take to make sure that data remains accessible in the event of a catastrophic event such as a fire or other natural disaster? What things do you think your organization could do to further enhance information security? Information security policies are measures taken by organizations to ensure the security and safety of information of an organization (Stallings, 1995). The policies of an organization pertaining to information and data are bench marks and core resource in any organization. This paper looks at the information security situation in the United States Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) with an aim of analyzing the organization’s information security policies, standards and measures used by the organization to ensure confidentiality of its information. VA has in the recent years been on the spotlight concerning its information security breach specifically it has been accused of being very vulnerable to information security breaches. VA lacks information control system which is vital in access to the organization’s information system. VA also lacks enough physical protection of computer facilities, something which leaves its information stored in computers very vulnerable to burglary. In terms of the human factor in information, security the organization data and vital information is easily accessible to a wide range of staff some of whom do not require access to the information. VA is currently facing the threat of information security in the areas of personal identification information, loss of data, accessibility of data to unauthorized persons, or misuse of information and should deal with the above issues in order to ensure maximum information security. The information security policies at VA include well laid out procedures for implementing and handling of day-to-day data and information, controlling the employees’ access to data and information, careful selection of security controls. VA has enacted steps aimed at protection its information systems, further it has safeguarded the nearby buildings by making sure that recommended fire protection as well as other hazards such as floods and wind. The equipment at VA is also safe guarded from any hazards such as , natural, environmental, as well as unauthorized access. In addition, access of data in VA is well safe guarded by use of not-easy-to-hack passwards. These are comprehensive and in compliance with ISO standards. At VA, such are updated very regularly. There is also a full pledged department for supporting the information system of the organization. Since human factor plays a very vital role in information security, alongside the technological issues are human oriented efforts such as awareness campaigns and seminars aimed at enhancing security in VA. Examples of technological based security measures adapted by VA include the installation of firewalls, installation and constant upgrading and updating of antivirus software, Alongside the above, VA ensures the security measures are controlled through use of security alarms, when there is impending danger as well as ensuring that all incoming emails are scanned. VA has invested in qualified staff and therefore, the quality of security management is guaranteed. In terms of physical security, VA has invested in security management. In terms of reacting to security breaches, VA has a clear reporting system which culminates in thorough investigations and appropriate course of actions once breaches are reported to the management Disasters can, and do strike when least expected and if no proper systems are in place for data recovery, massive damage and loss of information as well as equipment can be suffered. The cost is very high and sometimes it is irreparable. Any data protection measure must take into account the facilities, data, hardware and network safety (Summers, 1997). At VA, the data is invaluable and is crucial since it entails details of veterans’ information and if this was to be lost, it can not be regained. Perhaps the hardware, the facilities, and the networks can all be reconstructed. The data protection strategies at VA include, back ups; there exists hard copies of data stored in different locations. Such back ups also are available in online backups and disks. It will be wise though, for VA to include snapshots of disks to act as back ups in the event of data corruption as well as carrying out these back ups regularly. VA can significantly improve its information security by; training all staff on the information policies as well as standards and make sure such are comprehensive and updated (Neumann, 1995). This is necessary and relevant to VA because some of the information breaches reported there, in the past were related to lack of stringent policies. By ensuring that, evaluation of systems is done properly before system change over in order to avoid setbacks. By training employers on enhanced security measures such as use of passwords; ensuring commitment from top management to safeguard information. Virus attacks are common in computer networks; therefore it is highly commendable that, VA ensures installation of effective anti-virus software. There is a need to have secure and restricted areas for systems. Although data encryption is highly commended, access should be guaranteed to make sure that no an authorized person gains access to the back-ups. System hardening is highly recommended since data in VA system is potentially useful and of interest to hackers and therefore it is not unlikely that hostile networks may attempt to hack the information.

Letter to admissions

I would like to explain discrepancies that may have caught your attention on my application: my low grades during my first year of college.   At a young age I was diagnosed with a learning disability.   All throughout my early education I was provided special education.   This included being in a class room setting and separated from the general group of students.   This setting always made me feel different and not as smart as the other children. I must admit that I began to hate the stigma and teasing from other students associated with special education.   Upon entering college, I felt it was time to put that part of my life behind, and be a â€Å"normal student†.   My parents insisted that I let my college know of my learning disability; reluctantly, I decided to do so. However, I didn’t take advantage of the resources available to students like myself.   During my first year of college, my ignorance took a toll on my grades, because I didn’t use the resources available to me from the Learning disability service, my grades suffered tremendously. Deep down I knew why, and took it upon my self, to put behind my fears and not be ashamed of my disability.   During my second year of college, I began to use the resources that were made available to me such as the extra time during my exams and tutoring.   Once I did this, my grades began to improve, and my counselors helped me pick my classes so I would not be overwhelmed. I began to organize my time more efficiently as well.   If I have the chance to attend University at Buffalo, I will utilize services the Learning Disability offices, to the fullest. I no longer feel ashamed and realize that I just learn differently from others and because of that it doesn’t make less of student. I would also like to state that I have come to a point in life that many people have not.   I have made a firm decision to recommit myself to pursuing my dreams.   While there are those who believe that with an ounce of luck and a ton of persistence anything can be accomplished, I believe that there is no reason to expend so much energy and rely on luck.   I believe in taking hold of my destiny and carving out a future for myself based on the decisions that I make in life.   Life is simply too short and too precious to be left to luck alone. While I personally believe that â€Å"there is no such thing as a free lunch† and that everything a person has in life must come from hard work and perseverance, I also believe in charity.   I believe in helping others who do not have much in life.   I believe in helping people regardless of their nation, race or creed.   I believe in being a better person so I can best help myself and others around me.   I believe that (Insert Name of University) is the best place for me to turn these beliefs into realities. Related essay: â€Å"Co Curricular Activities Letter†

Simens Case Study Essay Example

Simens Case Study Essay Example Simens Case Study Essay Simens Case Study Essay Motivation within a creative environment A Siemens case study http://businesscasestudies. co. uk/siemens/motivation-within-a-creative-environment/introduction. html#axzz2OdbuuXae 3 theories: Frederick Taylor’s Scientific Management Theory Maslow’s Need Hierarchy Theory Herzberg’s Two-factor Theory (Satisfiers and dissatisfiers)This case study focuses upon three different theories of motivation which include Frederick Taylor’s Scientific Management Theory, Maslow’s Need Hierarchy Theory and Herzberg’s Two-factor Theory (Satisfiers and dissatisfiers) and uses these to illustrate how employees are motivated within an engineering environment at Siemens. Maslows hierarchy of needs was first articulated in 1943 by Abraham Maslow which is often portrayed in the shape of a pyramid with the largest, most fundamental levels of needs at the bottom and the need for self-actualization at the top.With reference to the Siemens’ case study, it can be seem that the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs can be used for recognition and developing people. One important element for self-esteem is recognition of accomplishments. Whenever you are recognized and praised for any accomplishment by someone whose opinion you hold in high regard, the self-esteem goes up, along with eagerness and enthusiasm to do even better on the job. Therefore, siemens runs schemes in which suggestions and projects for improvements are rewarded.Self-actualization is to develop or achieve employee’s full potential during working so that to make the ideal-self equals to actual-self. Self-actualization leads to better work and peak performance. For example, engineering staff training helps engineers to extend their capabilities which may lead to a progression up the career ladder as well as to meet the changing demands of the business global markets. * Frederick Herzberg proposed Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory in 1950s.It states that there are certain factors in the workplace that causes job satisfaction, while a separate set of factors cause dissatisfaction. * The first factor is Motivators that give positive satisfaction, arising from intrinsic conditions of the job itself and stimulate better performance such as * recognition of achievements, opportunities for growth and development. * Hygiene factors means the employee would be dissatisfied with the absent of * the factors.These are extrinsic to the work itself, and include aspects such as * salary, working conditions, company policies and interpersonal relations. It can be concluded from Herzberg’s theory that it is important for managers to achieve the balance of hygiene factors and motivators factors to stimulate higher levels of performance of employees. With reference to the Siemens case, Siemens strengthening motivations by raising awareness of issues with employees and encourage their involvement to reduce dissatisfactions as well as creative environment of the engineering industry creates recognition and growth.

Causes of Software Crisis

Causes of Software Crisis This paper justifies the symptoms and primary causes of software crisis. You will see that the writer made a comparison of software crisis in different countries. We took the information from different articles published in UK, USA and Canada. The findings and suggestions are described at the end to minimise the risk involved while planning and developing a software project. Introduction We begin with the symptoms of Software crisis. Evidence is provided by the documents produced by US military on software crisis. Furthermore, Charelle, (2005) has complied some more astounding failure statistics of software crisis. We have also discussed the major causes of the software crisis and the description of those causes. The major factor of causing failure in Software management projects is lack of coordination between the teams itself. In last two decades the technology trend is going upward and small and big organizations are adopting the latest technologies and techniques to improve thei r output productivity. This report reflects the major symptoms and causes of a software crisis along with their description. In the end of the report we conclude with the suggestions to improve the whole process to avoid software crisis. Symptoms of Software Crisis Many researchers agree software project failures occur more frequently than they should, some of them have tinted a crisis within the software industry (Conte et al, 1986; DeMarco, 1982). To assess the success or failure of the project express on cost, delivery time, and quality, Glass (1998) highlighted these three main aspects. Circumstantial evidence is used to highlight the symptoms and primary causes of project failure which creates serious concerns. Comparison of software crisis between different countries The other main cause of software crisis is that the machines have become more powerful, if we compare with the past we had a few computer programming with a minor problem in software. Now we have huge computer pro gramming with an equally huge problem in software. Some documents have been written to describe the failure of software project by US military and most of the software problem which had been identified in military area is the same in private sector. In this report the given table explain the major causes of software crisis, in 2001-2002 actual cost of National Insurance Recording System 2, Probation Service Crain, and Child Support Agency project increased for the reason of delays in project time, increase in actual costs and change of the system. Over cost of amount  £ 40.4 million increased in the project of (NIRS2) and same problem occurred in the project of (PSC) and an extra amount of  £ 50 million spent on the project of (CSA) to improve the system. Overall the causes of software crisis are linked to the complexity of hardware and software development process. Some other further evidence shows that in 2001, a planned project for Immigration and National Directorate was can celled since department analyzed that new system would be more complex and needs an amount of  £ 77million for the implementation of the project that is difficult for the department to pay such huge amount for this project. In the dates of 2001/2002, another new issue of fraud was highlighted in the software project of Individual Learning Accounts; it was a Flagship Training Scheme and an amount of  £ 66.9 million was fixed for its implementation. In the sequence of heavy budgeted costs a software project for Defence Logistics Organization in the year of 2002 was suspended on the reason of insufficient funds to start this heavy cost project of an amount of  £ 120 million. In the table shows that in the year 1999 a software project for Passport Agency a cost of  £ 12.6 million was suspended behind estimating high actual costs. In the prospect of high costs of software, in 1999 Home office scrapped the project that had been planned for improvement in prison services, estimated costs for this software project was about  £ 8 million. In the year 2002, a software project Libra for linkup the magistrates was under consideration and required an amount of  £ 134 million for implementation of this project. Overall in all above evidences, it shows that crisis of software apparent itself in several ways:

IT Strategy to open a new office store in Rio de Janeiro Essay

IT Strategy to open a new office store in Rio de Janeiro - Essay Example It aims to continue expanding its market from its regional Headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This information is the start off point in development of an Information Technology strategy that will enable the company to establish and operate at the regional office in Brazil. The technology strategy is a framework that helps in managing technology oriented businesses like Apple Inc. The Brazilian economy is reputed for better performances than that of other economies in the South American Countries. The economic stability of the country is improving in all aspects, having grown at the rate of 7.5% in 2010 (Baer 76). There is more investor confidence in the country and the sector of technology which fall under communication is also developing. The choice of Rio de Janeiro is attributed to the growth in the country economy and thus a growing market for Apples products. Rio is the second largest city in Brazil and it’s the capital of Brazil. With its population and its economi c viability, it is a perfect location for the new regional headquarters. The company’s customers will include the students, professionals and companies who are many in the country of Brazil. The country is also said to receive many visitors which will also ensure the company’s product has a larger market (Baer 78). ... It will conduct consumer education on its product on behalf of Apple in Brazil. It will also give the company, the feedback on its products and the market trends. The office will conduct research on the market in Brazil and provide a feedback to the main office. It will monitor the trends and respond accordingly when necessary. The regional office will work together with the management of the headquarters to discuss on how to improve the products with the results of the research conducted in the specific country. The regional office will also be charged with the responsibility of finding employees of the company The company’s mission, vision statement will also be in line with the company’s interest. It will also find ways to deal with the competitors in this specific market. The mission will be in line with the headquarters mission so as to ensure the retention of brand uniformity and identity. The mission statement will be to take innovation to a level that will incre ase the performance of human resource to improve on the system and structure stability. This particular mission statement is derived from the main mission statement mentioned in the company’s main office. The mission statement should be followed and executed to ensure the success of the company being developed. The regional office should also be reflected in the regional office in full. The vision statement refers to the aims of a company. It summarizes the goals of a company and it forms the basis of the establishment of the company and its continuity (Lynch 372). It is an illustration of the company’s commitment to provision of better products and services. The vision and mission statement shows the direction the company wants to take. By