The Evolution Of Inequality In The US free essay sample

The Evolution Of Inequality In The U.S. Legal System Essay, Research Paper In the United States, true equality has neer existed. From the Declaration of Independence to modern times, the U.S. legal system has failed in any effort at equality. The political orientation of # 8220 ; all [ work forces ] are equal but some [ work forces ] are more equal than others # 8221 ; has been present throughout the history of the U.S. ( Orwell ) . Inequality has ever existed in the United States legal system and continues to be today ; nevertheless, the inequality soon in the system is non every bit blazing as what it one time was, but the system has come to depend on inequality.Since the really beginning of a legal system in the United States, there has been inequality. The Declaration of Independence declared that # 8220 ; ? all work forces are created equal, that they are endowed by their Godhead with certain inalienable Rights? # 8221 ; ( Jefferson ) . We will write a custom essay sample on The Evolution Of Inequality In The US or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The world of the Declaration of Independence was that all free, white, landowning work forces are created equal. Slavery continued in the U.S. for about ninety old ages after the Declaration, and black Americans still experience the sting of inequality. Womans were besides left out of # 8220 ; ? all work forces are created equal? . # 8221 ; The implied significance of the gap lines of the Declaration of Independence is what the U.S. legal system has strived for and failed to hold on fully.After the constitution of independency in the United States, the development of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights ensued. The Bill of Rights was to set up the basic rights of every citizen of the United States, but failed to make so. The rights of white, male citizens were the lone rights that were ensured by the Bill of Rights. The rights of inkinesss and the underprivileged were non even considered. The Fifth Amendment provinces, # 8220 ; No individual shall be held to reply for a capita l, or otherwise ill-famed offense, unless on a notification or indictment of a expansive jury? , nor be deprived of life, autonomy, or belongings, without due procedure of jurisprudence ; nor shall private belongings be taken for public usage, without merely compensation # 8221 ; ( # 8221 ; Constitution # 8221 ; , Amendment V ) . These rights were frequently denied to those that were 2nd category citizens or those people that were non even considered to be people, such as slaves. The rights ensured by the first 10 amendments have been denied to some portion of the population at any given clip in American history. The denying of the basic rights established by the Bill of Rights is non limited to the any one amendment. Even today there are instances that cite the First Amendment, the Fourth Amendment, and the Fifth Amendment, as a footing for defence. The First Amendment right to freedom of address is likely the most challenged in today? s society. With the # 8220 ; Information A ge # 8221 ; upon us, the right to liberate address has been seeking out its bounds and future potency. Because of the extent of free address and peoples usage of it to talk out against the authorities, there is inequality presently in the system. Peoples who use their voices against the system are frequently caused a great trade of legal problems while those that use their voices to back up the system are free to make so at will. To return to America? s early history of inequality, one must look at the black codifications. The black codifications are defined as # 8220 ; Torahs [ that ] were designed to replace the societal controls of that had been removed by the Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution [ ( 1865 ) ] , and were therefore intended to guarantee continuation of white domination # 8221 ; ( # 8221 ; black codifications # 8221 ; ) . The Grandfather Clause and Jim Crow Laws were all portion of the black codifications of the South. # 8 220 ; [ The Grandfather Clause ] ? provided that those who had enjoyed the right to vote prior to 1866 or 1867, or their direct posterities, would be exempt from educational, belongings, or revenue enhancement demands for voting? [ T ] hese clauses worked efficaciously to except inkinesss from the ballot but assured the franchise to many destitute and illiterate Whites # 8221 ; ( # 8221 ; Grandfather Clause # 8221 ; ) . Jim Crow Laws were # 8220 ; any of the Torahs that enforced racial segregation in the U.S. South between the terminal ( 1877 ) of the formal Reconstruction period and the beginning of a strong civil-rights motion ( 1950s ) # 8221 ; ( # 8221 ; Jim Crow Laws # 8221 ; ) . Therefore, Jim Crow Laws were a big portion of black codes.Jim Crow Laws included the legislative act set by Plessy v. Ferguson, in 1896, of # 8220 ; separate, but equal # 8221 ; ( USSC, # 8220 ; Plessy # 8221 ; ) . With the subject of Plessy v. Ferguson being brought into the state of affai rs, one must look at segregation in America as a agency of the system reaffirming inequality. # 8220 ; In the Southern provinces of the United States? legal segregation in public installations was current from the late nineteenth century into the 1950s # 8221 ; ( # 8221 ; racial segregation # 8221 ; ) . Legal segregation in America established the fact that there was built-in inequality in the system. Because of this, # 8220 ; the Civil Rights Movement was initiated by Southern inkinesss in the 1950s and # 8217 ; 60s to interrupt the prevalent form of racial segregation # 8221 ; ( # 8221 ; racial segregation # 8221 ; ) . As a consequence of this motion, Plessy v. Ferguson was overturned in the 1955 opinion of Brown v. Board of Education ( USSC, # 8220 ; Brown # 8221 ; ) . This did non set an terminal to legal segregation, but it laid a foundation for the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The Civil Rights Act was # 8220 ; comprehensive U.S. statute law intended to stop favoritism ba sed on race, coloring material, faith, or national beginning # 8221 ; ( # 8221 ; Civil Rights Act # 8221 ; ) . Though the purpose of the Civil Rights Act was good, it was non every bit effectual as it should hold been. It failed to stop inequality in the system.Inequality has evolved to suit the freshly reformed system. Not merely racial inequality adapted to the system, but besides inequality towards the indigent and towards adult females. After all, inequality is non limited to instances of race. Womans have been 2nd category citizens since the foundation of America. It wasn? T until the 19th Amendment passed in 1920 that adult females gained the right to vote ( # 8221 ; Constitution # 8221 ; , Amendment XIX ) . This was 15 old ages after the 15th Amendment provided that the right to vote would non be denied on the footing of race or coloring material ( Amendment XV ) . Yet, it wasn? T until the 24th Amendment in 1964 that canvass revenue enhancements where prohibited and vot ing became more accessible to the indigent ( Amendment XXIV ) . Even though these stairss were taken to extinguish inequalit y in most forms, inequality still occurs in the system.The modern legal system in the U.S. has come to not only accept and hide inequality, but also to depend on inequality to function. Perhaps David Cole said it best, â€Å"Absent race and class disparities, the privileged among us could not enjoy as much constitutional protection of our liberties as we do?† (5). The case of Gideon v. Wainwright can be used to illustrate this point. Cole summarizes the case:Clarence Earl Gideon, a penniless Florida man, down on his luck and charged with breaking and entering a poolroom, claims that although he can?t afford a layer, he has a constitutional right to have a lawyer appointed by the state to defend him. When the Florida trial court denies his request, [Gideon] represents himself, and is convicted. From prison, [Gideon] sends a hand-written note to the Supreme Court asking it to hear his case. ?Abe Fortas [is appointed] to argue Gideon?s case, and then [the Court] rules that the Sixth Amendment guarantees indigent defendants the assistance of a lawyer in all serious criminal trials. On retrial, with a lawyer paid for by the states, Gideon is acquitted. (63)The Gideon v. Wainwright may not appear to support the previous statement: â€Å"Absent race and class disparities, the privileged among us could not enjoy as much constitutional protection of our liberties as we do?† (Cole 5). The outcome of Gideon requires government to provide a lawyer to a defendant, â€Å"[b]ut as long as the state provides a warm body with a law degree and a bar admission, little else matters† (64). Even though the state provides indigent defense counsel, most are â€Å"underpaid, overworked, and given insufficient resources to conduct an adequate investigation and defense† (84). Cole states that in 1990, â€Å"[t]he national average per capita spending on local and state indigent defense was $5.37? (84). Cole also points out other facts about the ruling in Gid eon v. Wainwright:One of the most remarkable facts about the constitutional right declared in Gideon v. Wainwright is that it was not a constitutional right for the first 184 years of our Constitution. The Sixth Amendment guarantees that ?In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right?to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.? But for most of our history, this right applied only to the approximately 10 percent of criminal trials that take place in federal court, and even there is meant only that defendants who had the money to do so could hire and attorney to defend them. (65)What this establishes is the inequalities of defense in the legal system. Those defendants that cannot provide their own council are at a disadvantage since the council they are appointed is often inadequate. The legal system has come to rely on the disparities of defendants as means of producing convictions, and thus as a reason for perpetuating inequality in the system.The inequaliti es of the justice system can also be shown in the evolution of laws in more resent times. When laws begin to affect large numbers of white middle- and upper-class people, the laws begin to change. An example would involve the spread of marijuana use. Strict laws of the early and middle part of this century prohibiting the use of marijuana were imposed because the majority of users were lower-class minorities. But during the 1960s and 1970s, the use of marijuana spread though the youth of white middle- and upper-class America (Cole 152). This spurred changes in the judicial system to ease the laws affecting marijuana use. Cole summarizes the situation: â€Å"When the effects of a criminal law reach the sons and daughters of the white majority, our response is not to get tough, but rather to get lenient† (153).The American legal system has never been truly equal because it was founded on inequality and has always depended on inequality. The system could easily be changed to eli minate those inequalities, but that will not likely happen. â€Å"Challenges to measures that disadvantage blacks, other minorities, or women face an inordinate burden to prove purposeful action, and the tendency to ignore the appearance of discrimination or stereotyping?; and moral skepticism that doubts that white men discriminate anymore and questions the credibility and motives of challengers who claim otherwise† have lead to support of inequality (Kairys, par. 22).So long as there is a majority dependent on the disparities of a minority, the system will maintain its current sanctity. In doing so, the system will remain dependent on inequality and provide means for future inequalities. The American legal system will always adapt to allow for inequalities.Works Cited†Black codes†. Encyclopedia Britannica 1997-98. CD-ROM. Britannica. 1998.†Civil Rights Act† Encyclopedia Britannica 1997-98. CD-ROM. Britannica. 1998.Cole, David. No Equal Justice: Race and Class in the American Criminal Justice System. New York: The New Press, 1999.†Constitution of the United States of America†. Encyclopedia Britannica 1997-98. CD-ROM. Britannica. 1998.†Equality†. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition. CD-ROM. Microsoft. 1997.†Grandfather clause†. Encyclopedia Britannica 1997-98. CD-ROM. Britannica. 1998.Jefferson, Thomas. â€Å"Declaration of Independence†. Encyclopedia Britannica 1997-98. CD-ROM. Britannica. 1998.†Jim Crow Laws†. Encyclopedia Britannica 1997-98. CD-ROM. Britannica. 1998.Kairys, David. â€Å"Unexplained on Grounds Other Than Race†. American University Law Review. Volume 45, Book 3. 12 Dec. 1999. http://www.wcl.american.edu/pub/journals/lawrev/KAIRYS.HTMOrwell, George. Animal Farm in The Columbia Dictionary of Quotations. CD-ROM. Microsoft. 1997.†Racial segregation† Encyclopedia Britannica 1997-98. CD-ROM. Britannica. 1998.U nited States Supreme Court. â€Å"Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537 (1896).† Selected Historic Decisions of the US Supreme Court. Legal Information Institute, 1999. 12 Dec. 1999. http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/cases/historic.htm United States Supreme Court. â€Å"Brown v. Board of Education, 349 U.S. 294 (1955).† Selected Historic Decisions of the US Supreme Court. Legal Information Institute, 1999. 12 Dec. 1999. http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/cases/historic.htm

Coordination Number Definition in Chemistry

Coordination Number Definition in Chemistry The coordination number of an atom in a molecule is the number of atoms bonded to the atom. In chemistry and crystallography, the coordination number describes the number of neighbor atoms with respect to a central atom. The term was originally defined in 1893 by Swiss chemist Alfred Werner (1866–1919). The value of the coordination number is determined differently for crystals and molecules. The coordination number can vary from as low as 2 to as high as 16. The value depends on the relative sizes of the central atom and ligands and by the charge from the electronic configuration of an ion. The coordination number of an atom in a molecule or polyatomic ion is found by counting the number of atoms bound to it (note, not by counting the number of chemical bonds). Its more difficult to determine chemical bonding in solid-state crystals, so the coordination number in crystals is found by counting the number of neighboring atoms. Most commonly, the coordination number looks at an atom in the interior of a lattice, with neighbors extending in all directions. However, in certain contexts crystal surfaces are important (e.g., heterogeneous catalysis and material science), where the coordination number for an interior atom is the bulk coordination number and the value for a surface atom is the surface coordination number. In coordination complexes, only the first (sigma) bond between the central atom and ligands counts. Pi bonds to the ligands are not included in the calculation. Coordination Number Examples Carbon has a coordination number of 4 in a methane (CH4) molecule since it has four hydrogen atoms bonded to it.In ethylene (H2CCH2), the coordination number of each carbon is 3, where each C is bonded to 2H 1C for a total of 3 atoms.The coordination number of diamond is 4, as each carbon atom rests at the center of a regular tetrahedron formed by four carbon atoms. Calculating the Coordination Number Here are the steps for identifying the coordination number of a coordination compound. Identify the central atom in the chemical formula. Usually, this is a transition metal.Locate the atom, molecule, or ion nearest the central metal atom. To do this, find the molecule or ion directly beside the metal symbol in the chemical formula of the coordination compound. If the central atom is in the middle of the formula, there will be neighboring atoms/molecules/ions on both sides.Add the number of atoms of the nearest atom/molecule/ions. The central atom may only be bonded to one other element, but you still need to note the number of atoms of that element in the formula. If the central atom is in the middle of the formula, youll need to add up the atoms in the entire molecule.Find the total number of nearest atoms. If the metal has two bonded atoms, add together both numbers, Coordination Number Geometry There are multiple possible geometric configurations for most coordination numbers. Coordination Number 2- linearCoordination Number 3- trigonal planar (e.g., CO32-), trigonal pyramid, T-shapedCoordination Number 4- tetrahedral, square planarCoordination Number 5- square pyramid (e.g., oxovanadium salts, vanadyl VO2), trigonal bipyramid,  Coordination Number 6- hexagonal planar, trigonal prism, octahedralCoordination Number 7- capped octahedron, capped trigonal prism, pentagonal bipyramidCoordination Number 8- dodecahedron, cube, square antiprism, hexagonal bipyramidCoordination Number 9- three-face centered trigonal prismCoordination Number 10- bicapped square antiprismCoordination Number 11- all-faced capped trigonal prismCoordination Number 12- cuboctahedron (e.g., Ceric ammonium nitrate -(NH4)2Ce(NO3)6)

The Physics of a Car Collision

The Physics of a Car Collision During a car crash, energy is transferred from the vehicle to whatever it hits, be it another vehicle or a stationary object. This transfer of energy, depending on variables that alter states of motion, can cause injuries and damage cars and property. The object that was struck will either absorb the energy thrust upon it or possibly transfer that energy back to the vehicle that struck it. Focusing on the distinction between  force  and  energy  can help explain the physics involved. Force: Colliding With a Wall Car crashes are clear examples of how Newtons Laws of Motion work. His first law of motion, also referred to as the law of inertia, asserts that an object in motion will stay in motion unless an external force acts upon it. Conversely, if an object is at rest, it will remain at rest until an unbalanced force acts upon it.   Consider a situation in which car A collides with a static, unbreakable wall. The situation begins with car A traveling at a velocity (v) and, upon colliding with the wall, ending with a velocity of 0. The force of this situation is defined by Newtons second law of motion, which uses the equation of force equals mass times acceleration. In this case, the acceleration is (v - 0)/t, where t is whatever time it takes car A to come to a stop. The car exerts this force in the direction of the wall, but the wall, which is static and unbreakable, exerts an equal force back on the car, per Newtons third law of motion. This equal force is what causes cars to accordion up during collisions. Its important to note that this is an idealized model. In the case of car A, if it slams into the wall and comes to an immediate stop, that would be a perfectly inelastic collision. Since the wall doesnt break or move at all, the full force of the car into the wall has to go somewhere. Either the wall is so massive that it accelerates, or moves an imperceptible amount, or it doesnt move at all, in which case the force of the collision acts on the car and the entire planet, the latter of which is, obviously, so massive that the effects are negligible. Force: Colliding With a Car In a situation where car B collides with car C, we have different force considerations. Assuming that car B and car C are complete mirrors of each other (again, this is a highly idealized situation), they would collide with each other going at precisely the same speed but in opposite directions. From conservation of momentum, we know that they must both come to rest. The mass is the same, therefore, the force experienced by car B and car C is identical, and also identical to that acting on the car in case A in the previous example. This explains the force of the collision, but there is a second part of the question: the energy within the collision. Energy Force is a vector quantity while kinetic energy is a scalar quantity, calculated with the formula K 0.5mv2. In the second situation above, each car has kinetic energy K directly before the collision. At the end of the collision, both cars are at rest, and the total kinetic energy of the system is 0. Since these are inelastic collisions, the kinetic energy is not conserved, but total energy is always conserved, so the kinetic energy lost in the collision has to convert into some other form, such as heat, sound, etc. In the first example where only one car is moving, the energy released during the collision is K. In the second example, however, two are cars moving, so the total energy released during the collision is 2K. So the crash in case B is clearly more energetic than the case A crash. From Cars to Particles Consider the major differences between the two situations. At the quantum level of particles, energy and matter can basically swap between states. The physics of a car collision will never, no matter how energetic, emit a completely new car. The car would experience exactly the same force in both cases. The only force that acts on the car is the sudden deceleration from v to 0 velocity in a brief period of time, due to the collision with another object. However, when viewing the total system, the collision in the situation with two cars releases twice as much energy as the collision with a wall. Its louder, hotter, and likely messier. In all likelihood, the cars have fused into each other, pieces flying off in random directions. This is why physicists accelerate particles in a collider to study high-energy physics. The act of colliding two beams of particles is useful because in particle collisions you dont really care about the force of the particles (which you never really measure); you care instead about the energy of the particles. A particle accelerator speeds up particles but does so with a very real speed limitation dictated by the speed of light barrier from Einsteins theory of relativity. To squeeze some extra energy out of the collisions, instead of colliding a beam of near-light-speed particles with a stationary object, its better to collide it with another beam of near-light-speed particles going the opposite direction. From the particles standpoint, they dont so much shatter more, but when the two particles collide, more energy is released. In collisions of particles, this energy can take the form of other particles, and the more energy you pull out of the collision, the more exotic the particles are.

The Essence of Time Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Essence of Time Management - Essay Example I only had two days out of three months to complete the three projects. I was up and down, panicking as I rushed through my projects, I did not have enough time to conduct extensive research concerning critical details of the project. In addition, I also lacked some materials that could enable me to complete my project as well. I eventually got low marks on one of the projects it was because of the last minute rush. It is there advisable that one completes an assignment on time instead of waiting until the last minute The feeling of regret is what I experienced most. The feeling was not pleasing at all since I knew it was my entire fault considering that I had three months to complete the assignment but I did what was contrary. I experienced this feeling during the rush hour period and it demoralized me making me swerve from concentrating on my project. In addition, when the results of the project were out, I even regretted more upon realizing that I had underperformed in one of the three projects. I was affected more as I acknowledged the fact that I would have done better were it not for the procrastination. An article dwelling in procrastination and regrets claims that â€Å"†¦it is conclusive that in numerous studies, procrastination is shown to be associated with poor academic performance (Kuhnle, Hofer & Kilian 34)† and this explains my results. I had greater capabilities and I had failed to maximize them by choosing to do last minute rushes. Looking back, I agree that I made the wrong judgment when I assumed that the three months given to us was too long. This judgment was the root cause of everything as I ended up thinking that I still had more time to do the projects. It was a wrong judgment as I ended up failing in one of my projects since I did it without extensive research and without all necessary materials. It is a judgment I will not take again considering the effects it had on me.

Critical Thinking - Discussion Question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Critical Thinking - Discussion Question - Essay Example reative thinking tries to create a list of something or ideas that are new whereas critical thinking tries to make choices by assessing the validity or worth in something. In addition, creative thinking is often carried on by violating accepted rules because it requires inventiveness. This, therefore, implies that, in creative thinking, the mind is at liberty to wander about in search of new, varied, and unique ideas. Critical thinking, on the other hand, is often carried on by applying the accepted principles because it involves making choices. It is a mental activity that is associated with using the mind. Creative thinking is a process that assists in or contributes to fostering creativity. It is associated with tools and techniques such as problem-solving, brainstorming and lateral thinking (Lau, 2013). Conversely critical thinking means using mental processes like categorization, attention, selection, and judgment. For instance, creative thinking has helped team members to come up with an out of the box solution regarding a particular issue, however, a critical thinking has helped an employee relations specialist to conduct workplace investigatio ns on whether to terminate or suspend an employee who is alleged to have engaged in sexual harassment. Therefore, a person who thinks creatively is able to come up with new ideas regarding a particular thing whereas, a person who thinks critically is able to use skepticism as well as doubt usefully in analyzing anything before them thereby making a better and a more informed decision (Lau, 2013).   It is very crucial to develop critical thinking skills because creative thinking has numerous benefits to an individual. First, critical thinking results in a more focused reading. Myself, critical reading has enabled me to look up for the information I need more carefully (Cottrell, 2011). For instance, I was able to select the most economical washing machine in terms of power consumption from a variety of models for my

Standardized Testing Essay Example for Free

Standardized Testing Essay Are you one of the many students who cram in hours upon hours of studying the night before an exam that has been stressing you out all week? You wake up the next morning nervous and full of anxiety, just to take the same test as everyone else, under the same conditions as everyone else. Sounds fair right? Well I don’t believe it is, and here’s why. Standardized tests were made to test the knowledge of a student over a particular course or subject. The ACT and SAT, for example, are composed of four multiple choice sections usually including math, english, science and reading. Well here’s the funny thing, everyone is different. Some students thrive at written tests where some students fail. Some students are better at presentations where other students are not. Because of the differences in student’s ability to learn and retain information caused by many different teaching methods and criteria covered, standardized testing has become an unreliable way to measure a student’s knowledge and should be replaced by other means such as using e-portfolios or performance based assessment. Some of the main problems with standardized tests such as the ACT or the SAT include trying to accurately measure a students knowledge over a particular set of subjects and a phenomenon involving teachers called â€Å"teaching the test†. In a 2013 speech to the American Educational Research Association, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said â€Å"State assessments in mathematics and English often fail to capture the full spectrum of what students know and can do,† he said. â€Å"Students, parents, and educators know there is much more to a sound education than picking the right answer on a multiple-choice question† (Evans). I completely agree with Arne Duncan on this matter. On a typical standardized test you have about a twenty five percent chance of getting the answer right. Potentially, you could have a student who does not know the material at all, but could guess right on more than half the answers and get credit for it. Being a student who has taken the ACT more than once, I can honestly say I feel like the ACT was a poor representation of my knowledge over the subjects tested on. Now with the phenomenon called â€Å"teaching the test† which is where teachers center their curricula around state tests, students become subject only to material that will be found on the test. This not only causes teachers to lack creativity within the teaching of the course, but also causes students to become limited to learning test taking skills. Even though standardized testing can be harmful to student’s creativity, there are some alternatives to this problem. One alternative to standardized testing, relating to the SAT and ACT, would be the use of electronic portfolios or e-portfolios. Terrel Rhodes, vice president for quality, curriculum, and assessment at the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC;U) says that â€Å"E-portfolios provide a means for collecting assigned work, as well as students accomplishments in non-classroom settings, so that faculty, internship supervisors, and others can assess it and aggregate or disaggregate the results, depending on the purposes of the assessment† (1). Basically e-portfolios would be a collection of student’s individual work throughout the year, organized into a folder that the teacher would have access to at all times. This folder would help the teacher view how each and every student learns and give an overview on how much each student took away from the course, what not to teach in the following years and what to cover more heavily. This alternative is more effective and personal than a standardized multiple choice test because it gives the teacher a chance to personally view how each individual student is progressing throughout the year. In terms of college admissions, if your portfolio was shared with the colleges of your choice, it would allow college admissions to see your progress throughout the year. So instead of just seeing an ACT test score that a student could have potentially guessed on for more than half the answers, they would be able to see a portfolio showing how well equipped and prepared for college the student is. It would be a great way of telling if the student would be a good fit for their program or not. Given the knowledge at hand, I believe e-portfolios would be a great alternative to standardized testing. Another alternative to standardized testing is performance based assessment. â€Å"Performance assessments measure skills such as the ability to integrate knowledge across disciplines, contribute to the work of a group, and develop a plan of action when confronted with a new situation† (Brudali). This differs from standardized testing in the fact that teachers focus more on the process of learning, where standardized testing focuses on the product. Instead of using tests that are multiple choice that require a student to choose the one correct answer, performance based assessment often times uses group projects, hands-on projects, essays and verbal presentations to determine a student’s knowledge and skills over a particular set of subjects. Another advantage to performance assessment is that â€Å"Performance assessments provide teachers with more information about the learning needs of their students and enable them to modify their methods to meet these needs† (Wren). Teachers actually try to assess each and every students learning process and direct the class accordingly, letting students take away more from lectures. Having this type of assessment in high school would benefit students tremendously in college. Having experience with verbal presentations and hands on projects will provide the student a head start with skills you need for college. These skills would be used for interviews, group projects in labs and speeches given throughout the years. Performance based assessment would tremendously benefit and prepare students for college and would be a great alternative to standardized testing. Knowing that there are already proven solutions to standardized testing, let me ask you why you are still taking them? Studies have clearly proven that standardized testing is an inaccurate and unreliable way to display the knowledge of students. Not only that, studies have also proven that different methods such as e-portfolios and the performance based assessments are a more accurate and effective way of displaying a students knowledge over various subjects. So why don’t you take initiative? Join a club like student council, a club where you have a say with what goes on with your school and the decisions being made. Start a petition against standardized testing and let students get involved. Not only that, let your community get involved. Tell your family and friends about the disadvantages of standardized testing and its inability to measure students’ knowledge. There are many ways you can get involved in your school and community to have a say in the decisions being made with problems such as standardized testing. All you have to do is take initiative and act upon it. With all the knowledge at hand, I truly believe standardized testing is a terrible way to reflect a student’s knowledge and there are many alternatives that can be provided in place of it.

Mind Body & Soul :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Everyone has their own opinions and beliefs and can interpret information as they see fit. Both Bertrand Rusell and Richard Swinburne have expressed their views on the topics of the mind soul and the after life. These are very complex areas of science and have their own ideas of what the mind and soul are and what there purposes are.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Russell discussed the finality of Death. He argues that there cannot be life after death and that after the destruction of our body’s that our memories and personality are destroyed as well. He discusses the importance of fear when dealing with death. He states that this is the strongest emotion and he also states that it is instinctive and biological and that it is useful. He thinks that if we truly believed in future life that we should have no fear of death. I have a few opinions about this subject. For one I think that fearing death can be to your advantage. For instance I know people who believe in the after life but they still fear death. Having this fear of death prevents them from doing any harm to themselves. Also not knowing what awaits them in the after life could cause this fear as well. This also has to do with religions there are some that believe strongly that there is life after death and that it is their destiny to be with God.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Furthermore Russell talks about memories and how after we die they no longer exist. I feel that he has not way of proving this. I do not agree or disagree with his theory. I think that there are so many ways to record our memories now that they could always exist. Our memories and sometimes even our personality can be carried by and kept alive through our families depending on how strong the ties are. Maybe not the person’s entire memories are kept but at least a fragment. For instance a lot of writers wrote about their real life experience so we get a glimpse of their life and through their writings the memories continue.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On the other hand Swinburne discuss the relationship between the brain and the soul. He feels that once the brain dies that soul does as well. He came up with an analogy witch does a good job of summing up how he feels â€Å"the soul is like a light bulb and the brain is like an electric light socket.

Simulation

SLIP is a privately held investment corporation founded in 1961. It had become a diversified company consisting of a total of 9 subsidiaries. The oldest three were In the home products business: a Virginia-based brass software company, an outdoor lantern company based In Maine, and an antique reproduction furniture company in Maryland. A second group of four subsidiaries formed in the sass's was focused on research in the fields of consumer product marketing, computer software, tax research, and investment financial analysis.Hoping to capitalize on their tax and investment expertise, they recently armed Spring Lane Development Corporation and Spring Lane Natural Resources, which were Involved In real estate development natural resource exploration, respectively. Spring Lane employed a total of 525 people and had revenues of $30 million in 1987. Spring Lane Natural Resources was formed to pursue natural resource exploration because SLIP management felt that favorable tax laws provided them opportunities to achieve significant profits In this arena.Their primary goal was to find and produce natural gas from shale, to capture the so-called â€Å"Section 29† tax credits associated with such gas. Ingress passed this tax credit In 1978 as part of the Natural Gas Policy Act in order to stimulate drilling for natural gas found in shale. Although natural gas exploration was clearly riskier than their other investments, SLIP felt the risks could be managed by drilling only sites that were surrounded on three or four sides by existing wells. To date, SLUR had drilled four wells.It wasn't difficult operationally to drill the wells, but It was challenging to find enough high- quality investment opportunities. In the first five months of production, one of the wells had already paid back 52 percent of its initial investment well ahead of the argue payout. The other wells were also doing quite well and all were on schedule for meeting their target return on investment. SLUR hopes to drill 20 more wells in 1988. Formed. This gave SLUR full responsibility for choosing the sites and managing the well if gas was found. SLUR would retain about 25 percent ownership and sell the rest to several general partners.As managing general partner, SLUR was responsible for hiring a general contractor who would do the drilling. Slur's geologist, Brad Thomas, would determine whether there was enough gas to make it worth completing the well. If he decided to go ahead, the general contractor would be in charge of the day-to-day operations of the well. SLUR had entered into a Joint venture with Excel Energy of Bridgeport, West Virginia, in which it was agreed that Excel would act as the general contractor for all of Slur's wells in West Virginia. Excel also agreed to take a small ownership interest in each of these wells.The Bailey Prospect: Base Case Analysis Exhibit 1 is a copy of the spreadsheet developed by Lisa Weatherboard to analyze the Bailey Prospect. The Ba iley Prospect is surrounded by four producing wells from the target gas formation. Thus, SLUR was pretty confident that they would hit the gas formation, but they were mindful that there is always a possibility that due to geological anomalies (e. G. , drilling into a fault), a well might fail and result in zero production. Brad Thomas (the geologist) estimated the probability of this kind of failure at the Bailey Prospect to be about 10 percent.If they were successful, SLUR would sell the gas to pipeline distributors who would pay a price for the gas that depends on the BTU content of the gas. [2] The BTU content of the gas would not be known until the well was producing, but once reducing, the BTU content would not change over the lifetime of the well. Brad Thomas estimated the BTU content of the gas to be 55 BTU per cubic foot; this was the average of the BTU contents at the nearby wells. The current price paid by the pipeline is $1. 90 per AMBIT (million BTU); the price paid by the pipeline would be tied to the market prices for gas and, hence, might change over time. 3] Lisa assumed that prices would grow with inflation over time. [4] The rate at which gas would flow from the well would not be known until the well was completed. Brad estimated that the gas would initially flow at a rate of 33,000 Mac thousand cubic feet) per year and then decline following the schedule shown in Exhibit 1. The spreadsheet shown in Exhibit 1 is essentially an income statement over the life of the well. (The spreadsheet goes out 25 years; only the first 13 years are shown in the exhibit. ) The gross revenue is the price per Mac of gas times the Mac of gas produced in a given year.To get to net cash flows, royalties, expenses, and taxes must be deducted: 1) From gross revenue, a 12. 5 percent royalty payment to the owner of the mineral rights is deducted, leaving net revenue. This royalty rate was the standard argental pall to ten property owners In ten west Valhalla area. 2) Excel Energy would be paid approximately $300 per month to operate the well. Lisa had budgeted an additional $3,000 per year for other expenses associated with the lease that might be incurred but couldn't now be accurately forecast. These costs were increased annually to reflect inflation. 3) Local taxes of 4. Percent times the gross revenue would be paid to the county and a severance tax[5] of 3. 4 percent would be paid to the state of West Virginia. 4) Depreciation expense for year O equaled the intangible drilling cost[6], which as 72. 5 percent times the total well cost. The remainder of the drilling cost would be depreciated on a straight-line basis over seven years. 5) To compute profit after tax, depletion[7], and state and federal income taxes were subtracted from profit before tax. Numerically, depletion was the smaller of 50 percent times the profit before tax or 1 5 percent times the revenue. ) The state income tax equaled the tax rate multiplied by the difference betwe en profit before tax and depletion. This tax was then reduced by a credit equal to one- half of the severance tax paid to the state. ) Federal income tax was calculated by multiplying the tax rate times the profit before tax less depletion and state tax paid. The federal tax was then reduced by an energy tax credit as allowed in Section 29 of the tax code: the tax credit was determined by multiplying the current tax credit rate ($0. 76 per AMBIT in year 1) by the amount of qualifying production that year.The tax credit rate was increased each year with inflation, but its future value was in the hands of Congress and far from certain. The after-tax cash flow is given by adding back depreciation and depletion to the after-tax profit. Finally, there is the issue of the lease bonus. A lease bonus is a cash payment or bonus paid too landowner in exchange for the drilling and mineral rights. The proposed drilling area at the Bailey Prospect lies on a farm where the owners Mr.. And Mrs.. B ryan Cotter had been reluctant to allow drilling on their land; this is why the surrounding areas were developed and this property was not.Mr.. Cotter had recently passed away and Mrs.. Cotter (at the urging of her children) was now willing to allow drilling and production on her land. Though no offer had yet been made, SLUR had proposed offering Mrs.. Cotter a bonus of $40,000; the lease bonuses for similar properties in the area had been in this range. Financially, if the well is successful, the lease bonus comes directly off the bottom line, providing no tax deductions or depreciation. [8] on ten Dad's AT tense mummers, ten prospect looked good It NAS an rater-tax equity payback period of about 35 months and an internal rate of return of about 29%.To calculate the net present value (NP), Lisa discounted the cash flows using a discount rate of 15 percent, which was Slice's hurdle rate for projects like this. The result was an NP of approximately $79,000. Your Assignment Your boss, Steve Bodily, had presented the results of Alias's analysis to Henry Oysters, a potential general partner. Oysters was impressed with the base-case scenario, but was very concerned about the potential downside risks. â€Å"What if the well doesn't work? How do you know that it will produce that much gas? What if gas prices continue their recent decline?Just about every number in here is a guess. † Bodily was prepared for the first question and knew that, if the well failed, the pretax loss would be approximately $170,000 the cost of drilling the well plus the lease bonus or a net after-tax loss of Bodily was not prepared for the other questions but promised Oysters that he would get back to him with a complete description of the risks associated with the Bailey Prospect. The goal wasn't Just to evaluate the Bailey Prospect but, more generally, to get a better understanding of the risks associated with the kinds of investments SLUR was pursuing.Since Lisa Weatherboard is out of town, Bodily came to you and asked you to examine the risks associated with the Bailey Prospect. Your report will go to SLIP as well as to Oysters. In your conversation with Bodily, he posed the following questions: ) What are the key risks here? 2) What is the project's expected NP taking into account all of these risks? 3) How risky is this project? What is the chance that we have a negative NP on this? 4) How big lease bonus can we afford? Not that I plan to offer Mrs.. Cotter more than $40,000, but it would be good to know how far we can go and still make money. ) What if the Section 29 credit goes away? Congress has been making some noise about that lately. 6) What if the well fails? While we've got the crew out there, should we drill another well? 7) Finally, I know that you don't have time to run numbers for our whole portfolio f properties, but suppose we had 20 opportunities Just like the Bailey Prospect, how risky would this portfolio be? Which would the key uncertainti es be? A qualitative discussion will suffice: we don't need hard numbers on this, but we should be prepared Tort ten question.Bodily concluded, â€Å"Those are the kinds of things that come to mind. Of course, I haven't had much time to think about it and could be missing some important issues. I've scheduled a meeting with Oysters and some of the SLIP partners for next Thursday. Could you prepare a 20-minute presentation on this for then? Good. Thanks. I'll be out of town until then. If you have any questions about doing these kinds of analyses, you might try Jack Grayson. He's done a lot of these risk analyses and will be at the meeting on Thursday. You might want to talk to Brad Thomas as well. Additional Information Fortunately, Brad Thomas (the geologist) was available and offered to help. As far as drilling another well in the event the first one fails, Thomas said, â€Å"Yeah, that might be a good idea. A second well would be cheaper to drill. Of course, it would also be le ss likely to succeed. If the second one fails too, it would be pointless to drill a third ell. † He estimated the cost of drilling the second well to be roughly 75% of the cost of drilling the first well â€Å"you don't have to truck all the drilling equipment out again and you don't have to pay another lease bonus. The cost of completing a second well (if successful) would be the same as the cost of completing the first. Thomas estimated the probability of the second well succeeding (given that the first fails) to be . 50. He also indicated that, if the first well fails, he would revise his estimated initial flow rate down by a third. The decline rate would remain the same. Thomas also indicated that it would not make sense to drill a second well if the first is successful since the two wells would be draining the same area. A second well would speed production you'd get roughly twice as much production at first but you probably double the decline rate as well and end up wit h about the same total amount of gas (maybe slightly more) and be stuck with twice the drilling cost. † On the other issues Thomas said, â€Å"Yeah, this business is pretty much a crap shoot. I'm a geologist. I can't tell you much about Congress or natural gas prices, but I did work up some ranges on the estimates I gave Lisa. See Exhibit 2. ) I've found that I give better estimates if I think about the ranges before I give a particular value.I actually keep track of my estimates and then later see how I did. While I don't always get the right answer, my ranges are pretty good. † These ranges, Thomas says, can be interpreted as 10th and 90th percentiles numbers such that there is a I-in-10 chance that the true value will be below and above these amounts. The base case numbers used in Alias's spreadsheet can be interpreted as 50th percentiles or medians. â€Å"Let me know if you need anything else. † Jack Grayson at SLIP could only offer general advice. As far as developing ranges for the other uncertainties, use your Judgment.I can send you some historical data on inflation and natural gas prices (see Exhibit 3), but looking forward we'll have to guess. If it is important, I may be able to get you more information next week. I know a consultant won may De addle to Nell us Walt ten gas price Toreros t. He could probably get us more on inflation too. I also know a lawyer in D. C. Who has been working with the IRS on Section 29 issues. She might be able to tell us more about that. But I don't want to call these people unless it is important.Let's talk on Monday ND we can decide then whether to call them. † Grayson also suggested that you should be careful about the discount rate. â€Å"The 15 percent rate that Lisa used is risk adjusted – it informally adjusts for the possibility that the well fails, uncertainty about operating costs, etc. Since you are going to explicitly model these risks, you should use a lower discount rate. Because all of these risks with this investment – including natural gas prices – are pretty much uncorrelated with the market as a whole, I would suggest using a risk-free discount rate.The yield of 5- to 10-year treasury bonds is currently around 9 percent why onto you use that rate instead. See you on Monday. † [pick] [pick] *Note: The production decline rates – shown near the top of the spreadsheet – are highly correlated. If you have rapid decline in the first year, you are likely to have rapid decline in subsequent years as well. Similarly, if you have slow decline in the first year, you are likely to have slow decline in subsequent years. To capture this dependence, we need to vary all of the decline rates together.

A Game of Thrones Chapter Eleven

Daenerys Daenerys Targaryen wed Khal Drogo with fear and barbaric splendor in a field beyond the walls of Pentos, for the Dothraki believed that all things of importance in a man's life must be done beneath the open sky. Drogo had called his khalasar to attend him and they had come, forty thousand Dothraki warriors and uncounted numbers of women, children, and slaves. Outside the city walls they camped with their vast herds, raising palaces of woven grass, eating everything in sight, and making the good folk of Pentos more anxious with every passing day. â€Å"My fellow magisters have doubled the size of the city guard,† Illyrio told them over platters of honey duck and orange snap peppers one night at the manse that had been Drogo's. The khal had joined his khalasar, his estate given over to Daenerys and her brother until the wedding. â€Å"Best we get Princess Daenerys wedded quickly before they hand half the wealth of Pentos away to sellswords and bravos,† Ser Jorah Mormont jested. The exile had offered her brother his sword the night Dany had been sold to Kbal Drogo; Viserys had accepted eagerly. Mormont had been their constant companion ever since. Magister Illyrio laughed lightly through his forked beard, but Viserys did not so much as smile. â€Å"He can have her tomorrow, if he likes,† her brother said. He glanced over at Dany, and she lowered her eyes. â€Å"So long as he pays the price.† Illyrio waved a languid hand in the air, rings glittering on his fat fingers. â€Å"I have told you, all is settled. Trust me. The khal has promised you a crown, and you shall have it.† â€Å"Yes, but when?† â€Å"When the khal chooses,† Illyrio said. â€Å"He will have the girl first, and after they are wed he must make his procession across the plains and present her to the dosh khaleen at Vaes Dothrak. After that, perhaps. If the omens favor war.† Viserys seethed with impatience. â€Å"I piss on Dothraki omens. The Usurper sits on my father's throne. How long must I wait?† Illyrio gave a massive shrug. â€Å"You have waited most of your life, great king. What is another few months, another few years?† Ser Jorah, who had traveled as far east as Vaes Dothrak, nodded in agreement. â€Å"I counsel you to be patient, Your Grace. The Dothraki are true to their word, but they do things in their own time. A lesser man may beg a favor from the khal, but must never presume to berate him.† Viserys bristled. â€Å"Guard your tongue, Mormont, or I'll have it out. I am no lesser man, I am the rightful Lord of the Seven Kingdoms. The dragon does not beg.† Ser Jorah lowered his eyes respectfully. Illyrio smiled enigmatically and tore a wing from the duck. Honey and grease ran over his fingers and dripped down into his beard as he nibbled at the tender meat. There are no more dragons, Dany thought, staring at her brother, though she did not dare say it aloud. Yet that night she dreamt of one. Viserys was hitting her, hurting her. She was naked, clumsy with fear. She ran from him, but her body seemed thick and ungainly. He struck her again. She stumbled and fell. â€Å"You woke the dragon,† he screamed as he kicked her. â€Å"You woke the dragon, you woke the dragon.† Her thighs were slick with blood. She closed her eyes and whimpered. As if in answer, there was a hideous ripping sound and the crackling of some great fire. When she looked again, Viserys was gone, great columns of flame rose all around, and in the midst of them was the dragon. It turned its great head slowly. When its molten eyes found hers, she woke, shaking and covered with a fine sheen of sweat. She had never been so afraid . . .. . . until the day of her wedding came at last. The ceremony began at dawn and continued until dusk, an endless day of drinking and feasting and fighting. A mighty earthen ramp had been raised amid the grass palaces, and there Dany was seated beside Khal Drogo, above the seething sea of Dothraki. She had never seen so many people in one place, nor people so strange and frightening. The horselords might put on rich fabrics and sweet perfumes when they visited the Free Cities, but out under the open sky they kept the old ways. Men and women alike wore painted leather vests over bare chests and horsehair leggings cinched by bronze medallion belts, and the warriors greased their long braids with fat from the rendering pits. They gorged themselves on horseflesh roasted with honey and peppers, drank themselves blind on fermented mare's milk and Illyrio's fine wines, and spat jests at each other across the fires, their voices harsh and alien in Dany's ears. Viserys was seated just below her, splendid in a new black wool tunic with a scarlet dragon on the chest. Illyrio and Ser Jorah sat beside him. Theirs was a place of high honor, just below the khal's own bloodriders, but Dany could see the anger in her brother's lilac eyes. He did not like sitting beneath her, and he fumed when the slaves offered each dish first to the khal and his bride, and served him from the portions they refused. He could do nothing but nurse his resentment, so nurse it he did, his mood growing blacker by the hour at each insult to his person. Dany had never felt so alone as she did seated in the midst of that vast horde. Her brother had told her to smile, and so she smiled until her face ached and the tears came unbidden to her eyes. She did her best to hide them, knowing how angry Viserys would be if he saw her crying, terrified of how Khal Drogo might react. Food was brought to her, steaming joints of meat and thick black sausages and Dothraki blood pies, and later fruits and sweetgrass stews and delicate pastries from the kitchens of Pentos, but she waved it all away. Her stomach was a roil, and she knew she could keep none of it down. There was no one to talk to. Khal Drogo shouted commands and jests down to his bloodriders, and laughed at their replies, but he scarcely glanced at Dany beside him. They had no common language. Dothraki was incomprehensible to her, and the khal knew only a few words of the bastard Valyrian of the Free Cities, and none at all of the Common Tongue of the Seven Kingdoms. She would even have welcomed the conversation of Illyrio and her brother, but they were too far below to hear her. So she sat in her wedding silks, nursing a cup of honeyed wine, afraid to eat, talking silently to herself. I am blood of the dragon, she told herself. I am Daenerys Stormborn, Princess of Dragonstone, of the blood and seed of Aegon the Conqueror. The sun was only a quarter of the way up the sky when she saw her first man die. Drums were beating as some of the women danced for the khal. Drogo watched without expression, but his eyes followed their movements, and from time to time he would toss down a bronze medallion for the women to fight over. The warriors were watching too. One of them finally stepped into the circle, grabbed a dancer by the arm, pushed her down to the ground, and mounted her right there, as a stallion mounts a mare. Illyrio had told her that might happen. â€Å"The Dothraki mate like the animals in their herds. There is no privacy in a khalasar, and they do not understand sin or shame as we do.† Dany looked away from the coupling, frightened when she realized what was happening, but a second warrior stepped forward, and a third, and soon there was no way to avert her eyes. Then two men seized the same woman. She heard a shout, saw a shove, and in the blink of an eye the arakhs were out, long razor-sharp blades, half sword and half scythe. A dance of death began as the warriors circled and slashed, leaping toward each other, whirling the blades around their heads, shrieking insults at each clash. No one made a move to interfere. It ended as quickly as it began. The arakhs shivered together faster than Dany could follow, one man missed a step, the other swung his blade in a flat arc. Steel bit into flesh just above the Dothraki's waist, and opened him from backbone to belly button, spilling his entrails into the dust. As the loser died, the winner took hold of the nearest woman—not even the one they had been quarreling over—and had her there and then. Slaves carried off the body, and the dancing resumed. Magister Illyrio had warned Dany about this too. â€Å"A Dothraki wedding without at least three deaths is deemed a dull affair,† he had said. Her wedding must have been especially blessed; before the day was over, a dozen men had died. As the hours passed, the terror grew in Dany, until it was all she could do not to scream. She was afraid of the Dothraki, whose ways seemed alien and monstrous, as if they were beasts in human skins and not true men at all. She was afraid of her brother, of what he might do if she failed him. Most of all, she was afraid of what would happen tonight under the stars, when her brother gave her up to the hulking giant who sat drinking beside her with a face as still and cruel as a bronze mask. I am the blood of the dragon, she told herself again. When at last the sun was low in the sky, Khal Drogo clapped his hands together, and the drums and the shouting and feasting came to a sudden halt. Drogo stood and pulled Dany to her feet beside him. It was time for her bride gifts. And after the gifts, she knew, after the sun had gone down, it would be time for the first ride and the consummation of her marriage. Dany tried to put the thought aside, but it would not leave her. She hugged herself to try to keep from shaking. Her brother Viserys gifted her with three handmaids. Dany knew they had cost him nothing; Illyrio no doubt had provided the girls. Irri and Jhiqui were copper-skinned Dothraki with black hair and almond-shaped eyes, Doreah a fair-haired, blue-eyed Lysene girl. â€Å"These are no common servants, sweet sister,† her brother told her as they were brought forward one by one. â€Å"Illyrio and I selected them personally for you. Irri will teach you riding, Jhiqui the Dothraki tongue, and Doreah will instruct you in the womanly arts of love.† He smiled thinly. â€Å"She's very good, Illyrio and I can both swear to that.† Ser Jorah Mormont apologized for his gift. â€Å"It is a small thing, my princess, but all a poor exile could afford,† he said as he laid a small stack of old books before her. They were histories and songs of the Seven Kingdoms, she saw, written in the Common Tongue. She thanked him with all her heart. Magister Illyrio murmured a command, and four burly slaves hurried forward, bearing between them a great cedar chest bound in bronze. When she opened it, she found piles of the finest velvets and damasks the Free Cities could produce . . . and resting on top, nestled in the soft cloth, three huge eggs. Dany gasped. They were the most beautiful things she had ever seen, each different than the others, patterned in such rich colors that at first she thought they were crusted with jewels, and so large it took both of her hands to hold one. She lifted it delicately, expecting that it would be made of some fine porcelain or delicate enamel, or even blown glass, but it was much heavier than that, as if it were all of solid stone. The surface of the shell was covered with tiny scales, and as she turned the egg between her fingers, they shimmered like polished metal in the light of the setting sun. One egg was a deep green, with burnished bronze flecks that came and went depending on how Dan y turned it. Another was pale cream streaked with gold. The last was black, as black as a midnight sea, yet alive with scarlet ripples and swirls. â€Å"What are they?† she asked, her voice hushed and full of wonder. â€Å"Dragon's eggs, from the Shadow Lands beyond Asshai,† said Magister Illyrio. â€Å"The eons have turned them to stone, yet still they burn bright with beauty.† â€Å"I shall treasure them always.† Dany had heard tales of such eggs, but she had never seen one, nor thought to see one. It was a truly magnificent gift, though she knew that Illyrio could afford to be lavish. He had collected a fortune in horses and slaves for his part in selling her to Khal Drogo. The khal's bloodriders offered her the traditional three weapons, and splendid weapons they were. Haggo gave her a great leather whip with a silver handle, Cohollo a magnificent arakh chased in gold, and Qotho a double-curved dragonbone bow taller than she was. Magister Illyrio and Ser Jorah had taught her the traditional refusals for these offerings. â€Å"This is a gift worthy of a great warrior, O blood of my blood, and I am but a woman. Let my lord husband bear these in my stead.† And so Khal Drogo too received his â€Å"bride gifts.† Other gifts she was given in plenty by other Dothraki: slippers and jewels and silver rings for her hair, medallion belts and painted vests and soft furs, sandsilks and jars of scent, needles and feathers and tiny bottles of purple glass, and a gown made from the skin of a thousand mice. â€Å"A handsome gift, Khaleesi,† Magister Illyrio said of the last, after he had told her what it was. â€Å"Most lucky.† The gifts mounted up around her in great piles, more gifts than she could possibly imagine, more gifts than she could want or use. And last of all, Khal Drogo brought forth his own bride gift to her. An expectant hush rippled out from the center of the camp as he left her side, growing until it had swallowed the whole khalasar. When he returned, the dense press of Dothraki gift-givers parted before him, and he led the horse to her. She was a young filly, spirited and splendid. Dany knew just enough about horses to know that this was no ordinary animal. There was something about her that took the breath away. She was grey as the winter sea, with a mane like silver smoke. Hesitantly she reached out and stroked the horse's neck, ran her fingers through the silver of her mane. Khal Drogo said something in Dothraki and Magister Illyrio translated. â€Å"Silver for the silver of your hair, the khal says.† â€Å"She's beautiful,† Dany murmured. â€Å"She is the pride of the khalasar, † Illyrio said. â€Å"Custom decrees that the khaleesi must ride a mount worthy of her place by the side of the khal.† Drogo stepped forward and put his hands on her waist. He lifted her up as easily as if she were a child and set her on the thin Dothraki saddle, so much smaller than the ones she was used to. Dany sat there uncertain for a moment. No one had told her about this part. â€Å"What should I do?† she asked Illyrio. It was Ser Jorah Mormont who answered. â€Å"Take the reins and ride. You need not go far.† Nervously Dany gathered the reins in her hands and slid her feet into the short stirrups. She was only a fair rider; she had spent far more time traveling by ship and wagon and palanquin than by horseback. Praying that she would not fall off and disgrace herself, she gave the filly the lightest and most timid touch with her knees. And for the first time in hours, she forgot to be afraid. Or perhaps it was for the first time ever. The silver-grey filly moved with a smooth and silken gait, and the crowd parted for her, every eye upon them. Dany found herself moving faster than she had intended, yet somehow it was exciting rather than terrifying. The horse broke into a trot, and she smiled. Dothraki scrambled to clear a path. The slightest pressure with her legs, the lightest touch on the reins, and the filly responded. She sent it into a gallop, and now the Dothraki were hooting and laughing and shouting at her as they jumped out of her way. As she turned to ride back, a firepit loomed ahead, directly in her path. They were hemmed in on either side, with no room to stop. A daring she had never known filled Daenerys then, and she gave the filly her head. The silver horse leapt the flames as if she had wings. When she pulled up before Magister Illyrio, she said, â€Å"Tell Khal Drogo that he has given me the wind.† The fat Pentoshi stroked his yellow beard as he repeated her words in Dothraki, and Dany saw her new husband smile for the first time. The last sliver of sun vanished behind the high walls of Pentos to the west just then. Dany had lost all track of time. Khal Drogo commanded his bloodriders to bring forth his own horse, a lean red stallion. As the khal was saddling the horse, Viserys slid close to Dany on her silver, dug his fingers into her leg, and said, â€Å"Please him, sweet sister, or I swear, you will see the dragon wake as it has never woken before.† The fear came back to her then, with her brother's words. She felt like a child once more, only thirteen and all alone, not ready for what was about to happen to her. They rode out together as the stars came out, leaving the khalasar and the grass palaces behind. Khal Drogo spoke no word to her, but drove his stallion at a hard trot through the gathering dusk. The tiny silver bells in his long braid rang softly as he rode. â€Å"I am the blood of the dragon,† she whispered aloud as she followed, trying to keep her courage up. â€Å"I am the blood of the dragon. I am the blood of the dragon.† The dragon was never afraid. Afterward she could not say how far or how long they had ridden, but it was full dark when they stopped at a grassy place beside a small stream. Drogo swung off his horse and lifted her down from hers. She felt as fragile as glass in his hands, her limbs as weak as water. She stood there helpless and trembling in her wedding silks while he secured the horses, and when he turned to look at her, she began to cry. Khal Drogo stared at her tears, his face strangely empty of expression. â€Å"No,† he said. He lifted his hand and rubbed away the tears roughly with a callused thumb. â€Å"You speak the Common Tongue,† Dany said in wonder. â€Å"No,† he said again. Perhaps he had only that word, she thought, but it was one word more than she had known he had, and somehow it made her feel a little better. Drogo touched her hair lightly, sliding the silver-blond strands between his fingers and murmuring softly in Dothraki. Dany did not understand the words, yet there was warmth in the tone, a tenderness she had never expected from this man. He put his finger under her chin and lifted her head, so she was looking up into his eyes. Drogo towered over her as he towered over everyone. Taking her lightly under the arms, he lifted her and seated her on a rounded rock beside the stream. Then he sat on the ground facing her, legs crossed beneath him, their faces finally at a height. â€Å"No,† he said. â€Å"Is that the only word you know?† she asked him. Drogo did not reply. His long heavy braid was coiled in the dirt beside him. He pulled it over his right shoulder and began to remove the bells from his hair, one by one. After a moment Dany leaned forward to help. When they were done, Drogo gestured. She understood. Slowly, carefully, she began to undo his braid. It took a long time. All the while he sat there silently, watching her. When she was done, he shook his head, and his hair spread out behind him like a river of darkness, oiled and gleaming. She had never seen hair so long, so black, so thick. Then it was his turn. He began to undress her. His fingers were deft and strangely tender. He removed her silks one by one, carefully, while Dany sat unmoving, silent, looking at his eyes. When he bared her small breasts, she could not help herself. She averted her eyes and covered herself with her hands. â€Å"No,† Drogo said. He pulled her hands away from her breasts, gently but firmly, then lifted her face again to make her look at him. â€Å"No,† he repeated. â€Å"No,† she echoed back at him. He stood her up then and pulled her close to remove the last of her silks. The night air was chilly on her bare skin. She shivered, and gooseflesh covered her arms and legs. She was afraid of what would come next, but for a while nothing happened. Khal Drogo sat with his legs crossed, looking at her, drinking in her body with his eyes. After a while he began to touch her. Lightly at first, then harder. She could sense the fierce strength in his hands, but he never hurt her. He held her hand in his own and brushed her fingers, one by one. He ran a hand gently down her leg. He stroked her face, tracing the curve of her ears, running a finger gently around her mouth. He put both hands in her hair and combed it with his fingers. He turned her around, massaged her shoulders, slid a knuckle down the path of her spine. It seemed as if hours passed before his hands finally went to her breasts. He stroked the soft skin underneath until it tingled. He circled her nipples with his thumbs, pinched them between thumb and forefinger, then began to pull at her, very lightly at first, then more insistently, until her nipples stiffened and began to ache. He stopped then, and drew her down onto his lap. Dany was flushed and breathless, her heart fluttering in her chest. He cupped her face in his huge hands and looked into his eyes. â€Å"No?† he said, and she knew it was a question. She took his hand and moved it down to the wetness between her thighs. â€Å"Yes,† she whispered as she put his finger inside her.

Free sample - Teaching Strategies for Nursing Educators. translation missing

Teaching Strategies for Nursing Educators. Teaching Strategies for Nursing EducatorsIntroduction Russell et al (2007) assert that the healthcare system has undergone unprecedented and rapid changes over the past years due to the reduced vital information’s life span and mounting complexity of the practice. Distinctively, quite a number of technological advantages have been availed in radiological science such as Picture and communication Systems (PACS) and computed and digital radiography. This has increased information to learn and teach within a short period of time hence necessitating educators to reassess their teaching strategies to meet the new health cares system’s demands. This paper presents two of such strategies that nursing educators can employ to enhance active learning that is student-centered as opposed to traditional teacher centered approach. The paper will also look at the barriers that could be experienced while using the strategies and how to overcome them. Lecture Lecture is the broadly used and the oldest teaching method used in classroom currently. This strategy is very popular due to its many advantages. First of all, the lecture has the ability of giving information to a big number of students. It can also cover a huge amount material within a short period other than providing efficient utilization of class time and being cost effectiveness (Russell et al, 2007). The lecture is a mode of introducing new material, maintain a topic discussion and summarize the content of the course and also present big blocks of confusing and complex ideas. There are however some shortcomings of the lectures as teaching strategy as they offer less chances for the students to process ideas and information and grow problem-solving skills, the make students lose interest promptly and deny them an opportunity to provide feedback. Additionally, lectures do not do not enable students skip familiar content and they also enhance a teacher-centered setting as opposed to student-centered setting (Russell et al, 2007). Self-Directed Learning This is a strategy that offers the learners responsibility to carry out some learning activities on their own. It assists students take an extra active role as far as their nursing education is concerned (Russell et al, 2009). A nursing educator can use this opportunity to encourage students to set their own learning goals, make decisions on the learning methods to employ and evaluate their progress on regular basis. These are important aspects of self-directed learning which can be manifested in the form of contracts, distance learning packages, clinical logs and problem-based packages. Russell et al (207) observe that there as various forms of self-directed learning such as self-evaluation, which lets students evaluate their own performance, precisely identify their weaknesses and strengths and grow to be more independent. Another of self-directed learning is learning contracts which promote active learning. This is a written joint agreement between students and teachers clearly stating what a leaner has to do to attain particular learning outcomes.   This helps students to take a bigger responsibility in their education.    Barriers faced by nursing educators and how they can be solved by the above strategies There are many barriers that nursing educators face in line of their duty. This is partly because nursing has been identified by the U.S Department of Labour as the â€Å"fasting growing occupation in terms of growth through 2012† (Keller Collins, 2004). This has increased what is expected of nurse educators and as a result some of the immediate barriers are identified as financial, language, and student preparation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Financial barriers with the nursing educators’ profession could be brought about to the fact that some students may lack required materials or resources. This situation can easily be solved through lectures as few resources can be used to teach many students. Additionally distance learning packages as a form of self directed learning reduces costs. Language could be solved through self-directed learning students are given instructions and carry out activities on their own as opposed to listening to educators whose language they don’t understand. Sometimes students may lack time to prepare but this situation is dealt with through lectures which cover loads of information within a short time, giving them ample time to prepare (Keller Collins, 2004). Conclusion Nursing educators can use a number of strategies to ensure that active learning is promoted not only in a class setting but also in practical basis. Among these strategies are lecture and self-directed learning that go along way in meeting the goal of educators, that is, preparation of students to become better professionals. There is however barriers faced by educators such financial, language and student preparation barriers that can be solved through proper use of the discussed strategies Reference Keller, S. and Collins, V. (2004). Nursing Education Barriers Identification Survey. Retrieved 18, Oct. 2010 Russell, A. et al. (2007). Teaching Strategies promoting Active learning in Healthcare Education. Journal of Education and Human Development, 1 (1): 34-39.

Aircraft Crash Survival Analysis and Design Essay Example for Free

Aircraft Crash Survival Analysis and Design Essay ? 1. Describe the effect plowing can have on crash forces when the impact surface is soft soil. Earth gouging and scooping of soil occur when the structure makes initial contact with the ground which minimize the acceleration and force levels to which the structure is subjected. Soft soil can cause plowing and rapid deceleration if there is a large horizontal velocity component. A high-speed longitudinal impact into water can also cause high loads from water plowing as water enters through lower nose transparencies. Reducing the earth scooping effects encountered in longitudinal impacts should include a large, relatively flat surface thereby increasing the aircraft’s tendency to slide over the impact terrain and by minimizing inward buckling of the fuselage nose or engine nacelle to maintain skid surface integrity. 2. Explain the term submarining in respect to the use of lap belt restraints. What human injuries may result? This is where the lap belt rides over the pelvic brim and compresses the soft tissues of the abdomen resulting in serious abdominal and spinal injuries. Submarining occurs due to the pelvis rotating under the lap belt, usually due to inappropriate location of the lap belt anchors or due to poor design of the seat bottom or a combination of both. Lap belt only restraints so commonly inflicted serious injuries on users in automobile crashes that the medical community coined a new term, â€Å"the seat belt syndrome†, to describe  the constellation of injuries caused by submarining under the lap belt. ftp://ftp.rta.nato.int/pubfulltext/RTO/EN/RTO-EN-HFM-113/EN-HFM-113-06.pdf 3. Discuss forward and rearward facing passenger seats and explain which you feel may be an advantage in crash survivability. The rearward-facing seat is optimal for providing maximum support and contact area in longitudinal impacts. The only critical impact sequence for the rearward-facing seat is one that involves a severe lateral component that allows sideward movement of the occupant prior to application of the longitudinal or vertical Pulse. However, lateral torso movement can be minimized by use of a torso restraint system of much lighter weight than that required for other seat orientations. The rearward-facing cabin seat is preferred. 4. Explain the concept and intention of Delethalization of Cockpit and Cabin Interiors. The delethalization of cockpit and cabin interiors is the design and set up of aircraft cockpits and cabins to prevent injury on impact. This is done by ensuring the occupant’s immediate environment be designed so that when the body parts do flail and contact rigid or semi-rigid structures, injury potential is minimized. This can be done in different manners. First is to relocate the hazardous structure or object out of the occupant’s reach or the hazard might be reduced by mounting the offending structure on frangible or energy-absorbing supports and applying a padding material to distribute the contact force over a larger area on the body member. The aircraft interior has occupant strike envelopes, meaning that there are hazards that are more conducive to occupant injury than others. Overall the intent is to protect the head and torso first to prevent debilitating injuries or death and then protecting the lower body parts to ensure the area hazards are clear of tripping hazards or anything that could prevent rapid escape. Typical contact hazards in the cockpit area include window and door frames, consoles, controls and control columns, seat backs,  electrical junction boxes, glare shields, and instrument panels. Contact hazards commonly found in aircraft cabin areas include window and door frames, seats, and fuselage structure. Use of suitable energy absorbing padding materials, frangible breakaway panels, smooth contoured surfaces, or ductile materials in the typical hazard areas mentioned is recommended to reduce the injury potential of occupied areas. The use of protective helmets is also recommended in certain types of aircraft. 5. Explain the expected advantage frangible fuel system attachments can provide as an aircraft post-crash survival technique. Frangible Attachment- An attachment possessing a part that is designed to fail at a predetermined location and/or load. Frangible structures or frangible bolts should be used at all attachment points between fuel tanks and aircraft structure to prevent fuel tank components from being torn out of the tank wall during impact. Frangible attachments should be used at other points in the flammable fluid systems where aircraft structural deformation could lead to flammable fluid leakage. This increases the survivability by containing any remaining fuel to the tank its encapsulated within and reducing the chance of a fire being spread throughout a crash site or into the cabin. 6. What are some of the key concerns when selecting aircraft interior materials form a crash survivability perspective? All aircraft interior materials such as seat fabrics and cushions, interior wall insulations, and nonmetallic structural components must be flame resistant and produce the least amount of smoke and toxic gases possible. 7. Describe some of the key points of post-crash design criteria associated with oil and hydraulic systems. Oil and hydraulic fluids are easily ignited and can serve as ready ignition sources for fuel meaning fluid spillage should be prevented. Oil tanks and  hydraulic reservoirs should not be located where spilled or sprayed fluid can readily be ingested into the engine or ignited by the engine exhaust. Oil tanks and hydraulic reservoirs should not be located near the bottom of the fuselage, in or above engine compartments, in electrical compartments, in occupiable areas under, in front of, or at the side of heavy masses, such as engines and transmissions, nor above landing gears Oil and hydraulic lines should consist of flexible hoses with steel-braided outer sheaths and for high-temperature; coiled metal tubing should be used. Lines should not be routed, near the bottom of the fuselage, over landing gears, under, in front of, or at the sides of heavy masses, such as engines and transmissions, in the leading edges of wings, in areas of anticipated rotor blade impact, in any area where flammable fluids could be spilled or sprayed onto hot surfaces or ingested into the engine or above electrical wiring 8. Considering aircraft electrical system post-crash survivability design, what are the guidelines concerning routing electrical wires in the vicinity of flammable fluid lines? Wiring is a prime ignition source for leaking oil, fuel or hydraulic fluid leaks or vapors. To aid in crash survivability wires should be routed above or away from flammable fluid lines and they should never be closely spaced between outer skin and fuel lines. Wires must not be routed near flammable fluid tanks unless the wires are shrouded to prevent arcing. Wires should not be routed near the bottom of the fuselage, over landing gears or in the leading edges of wings. 9. What G forces are experienced if an aircraft impacts the ground at a speed of 120 MPH and skids along the ground 50 feet before coming to rest? 9.8 G’s. 120^2/50 = 14400/50=288288x.034=9.79 10. Explain why you believe passenger airlines do not have to utilize passenger shoulder harnesses as a crash survival precaution. The passenger shoulder harness is not used for crash survival because: *  The cost of the harnesses for one would be huge to retrofit all the airliners in the fleet today and that cost would be put onto the customer. * The need for various sizes; very small through very large would result in further cost. * Comfort, if people are not comfortable then they will not have a good flying experience while others may have a fear or feeling that they are trapped. * The ability to understand how to use the shoulder harness. Most cannot figure out how to wear the harness which would delay taxiing and flight times. The required ability to quickly restrap in bad weather or to unstrap in an egress situation could be deadly. * Americans don’t like to be told what they have to do†¦.they are the paying customer. Aircraft Crash Survival Analysis and Design. (2016, Oct 19).

Proposal for purchasing new computers Case Study

Proposal for purchasing new computers - Case Study Example The new monitor has a wider screen than the older one and is very sleek which helps in saving the space on employee’s desk for other purposes. The new monitor enables employees to work on more than one application and window at a time and the speed of shifting from one window to another is even quite high which saves time. The new monitor is produced from LED technology which is energy efficient and will help the company in saving money in form of energy. The new CPUs (Central Processing Units) can operate on both Windows 7 and Widows 8, these windows provide new features to employees which will assist them in creating spreadsheets and conducting other operations related to the accounts department. These new Windows operate a much higher speed as compared to the obsolete ones which are running on Windows XP. These new computers have enhanced security systems which safeguards the work conducted by the employees of the accounts department and fights viruses and spyware issues. HP Business Desktop Pro 6300 B5N09UT Desktop Computer Intel Core i3 i3 2120 33GHz Micro Tower by Office Depot Officedepot.com (2012a) HP Business Desktop Pro 6300 B5N09UT Desktop Computer Intel Core i3 i3 2120 33GHz Micro Tower by Office Depot. [online] Available at: http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/614333/HP-Business-Desktop-Pro-6300-B5N09UT/#firstTab [Accessed: 27 Dec 2012]. Samsung S23B300B 23 Widescreen LED Backlit Monitor Glossy Black by Office Depot Officedepot.com (2012b) Samsung S23B300B 23 Widescreen LED Backlit Monitor Glossy Black by Office Depot. [online] Available at: http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/281614/Samsung-S23B300B-23-Widescreen-LED-Backlit/#firstTab [Accessed: 27 Dec