Environmental Science Report essay

Environmental Science Report essay Environmental Science Report essay Environmental Science Report essayIt is not a secret that water pollution is one of the major environmental concerns today. Water plays an important role not only in human consumption, irrigation and transportation system, but also it plays an important role in providing support to life chain functioning. The problem that will be addressed in this paper is water pollution. The Gowanus Canal, in Brooklyn, New York, is one of the locations that generate serious environmental problems. The Canal is 1.8 mile long and 100 foot wide. A wide range of pollutants are found in this location. The Gowanus Canal once was a significant industrial passageway, which symbolized prosperity of the nation, but now it is a health hazard for the nation (Gowanus Canal, Brooklyn, NY 11231, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2014).   The Gowanus Canal is bounded by Park Slope, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens and Red Hook. The canal flows into New York Harbor. The construction of the Canal was completed in 1869 in order to make the Gowanus Canal the key transportation route for New York City. There are many industrial facilities operating along the canal, including â€Å"manufactured gas plants, mills, tanneries, and chemical plants† (Gowanus Canal, Brooklyn, NY 11231, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2014). The major goal of this report is to investigate current environmental concerns learning more about Superfund or landfill sites in designated areas in and around NYC. The research will be focused on the study of water pollution of the Gowanus Canal Superfund site.ResearchDescription of the historical perspective on the problem/issueThe Gowanus Canal was built in 1869 to perform the functions of the major industrial transportation route in NYC. Contamination of the Canal is caused by harmful substances or industrial wastes from three manufactured gas plants, several paper mills, tanneries and chemical plants, which are operating along the Canal. In addition, contaminati on is caused by overflows from the local sewer systems that bring domestic wastes from homes and rainwater from storm drains (Gowanus Canal, Brooklyn, NY 11231, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2014). The problem of water contamination is not a new environmental concern. If not properly controlled, the issue of water contamination may lead to ecological disaster in the region. Undoubtedly, this environmental concern should be minimized by means of effective strategies. The problem of water contamination has been addressed by different environmental organizations, including the Environmental Protection Agency.Realization of the problem/issueIt is known that the problems of the Gowanus Ð ¡anal have been identified on March 2, 2010 by the Environmental Protection Agency, when the Gowanus Canal was added to the Agency’s Superfund National Priorities List (NPL). The contamination of the Gownaus Canal has been properly investigated at the site in order to develop effective ap proaches to address current environmental problems.The types of risk assessments done in order to realize the problem/issueAccording to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, â€Å"actual or threatened releases of hazardous substances from the Site, if not addressed by implementing the response action, may present an imminent and substantial endangerment to public health, welfare or the environment† (Record of Decision, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2014). To assess the risks, the Environmental Protection Agency conducted a Remedial Investigation, which helped to characterize the nature of contamination in the Canal, its extent, the major human health and ecological risks from exposure to contamination, the major sources of contamination, and the key physical and chemical characteristics of the site that will affect the selection of the proper cleanup strategies (Gowanus Canal, New York Environmental Protection, 2014). The main types of risk assessment included a à ¢â‚¬Å"bathymetric study, sediment, groundwater, surface water, air, fish tissue sampling, and an investigation of hundreds of pipes that lead to the Canal† (Gowanus Canal, New York Environmental Protection, 2014). During the investigation, more than 500 samples of sediment from the Gowanus Canal were collected by the ecologists, as well as more than 80 water samples, which identified the presence of various contaminants. Besides, the ecologists collected about 200 fish, such as striped bass, blue crab, eel and white perch in order to provide a comprehensive analysis of their tissue for the presence of contaminants. In addition, they collected air samples at the site where people would breathe while boating and fishing in the Canal (Gowanus Canal, New York Environmental Protection, 2014). The sampling has shown that water pollution water in the Canal is heavily contaminated.The major potential toxins that may have affected a communityThe potential toxins that may have affected the local community have been properly investigated by ecologists. Actually, the Gowanus Canal as an industrial canal, and many pollutants have been found in its waters, based on recent studies (Gowanus Canal, Brooklyn, NY 11231, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2014). As a result of continual discharge operations, regular storm water runoff, current sewer outflows and a wide range of industrial pollutants, the Gowanus Canal has turned to the most extensively polluted water body. The major toxins include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), coal tar wastes, heavy metals (mercury, lead and copper) and volatile organics (Gowanus Canal, Brooklyn, NY 11231, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2014). Thus, the contamination of the canal poses a serious threat to the local communities, including the people who use the Gowanus Canal for various activities, such as fishing and recreation activities.The media toxins travelled throughThe media, tox ins travelled through, include three major sources of water contamination of the Canal: first, the sewage; second, the adjacent industries, and third, the growing local community. For example, the Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP) is one of the major sources of contamination of the Canal (Gowanus Canal, Brooklyn, NY 11231, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2014).The major direct effects from toxic poisoning in a communityToxic poisoning has direct effects on humans, flora and fauna of aquatic life. For example, Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have harmful effects on aquatic organisms and humans. This toxic substance has caused tumors in people and animals when they have long periods of skin contact with it. People exposed by skin contact to PAHs and other compounds in water can also develop skin diseases (Public Health Statement for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), 1995).   Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have harmful effects on immune system and nervous system. Co al tar wastes, heavy metals (mercury, lead and copper) and volatile organics have harmful effects on reproduction function and lead to poisoning of organs (e.g. kidney dysfunction, liver toxicity, lung and respiratory diseases) and immune function disorders.The scientific data used to verify the problem/ issueThe scientific data that can be used to verify the problem/ issue discussed in this paper includes data charts and graphs provided by the Environmental Protection Agency.Policy and RecommendationThe major policy and economic developments that took place in order to remediate the problem/issueThe major policies and economic developments took place in order to remediate the problem of the Gowanus Canal contamination. According to Pearsall (2013), â€Å"municipal governments have incorporated brownfield redevelopment programs into urban sustainability plans to encourage the redevelopment of the site into productive uses† (p. 2293). Due to joint actions of the government and environmental institutions, effective initiatives have been developed to reduce the risk of contamination. The Federal Water Pollution Control Act and the Clean Water Act govern the waters discharged to the Gowanus canal. In 2013, the Environmental Protection Agency completed the development of Cleanup Plan for the Gowanus Canal Superfund Site. The policy requires spending $506 million for cleanup procedures to remove contaminated sediment (Rodriguez, 2013).The actual remediation procedure used to address this problemIn order to remediate the problem, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency developed the proper methods to address the issue of contaminated sediment. Some of the components of the actual remediation procedure include dredging of accumulated substance-contaminated sediments stored above the natural sediments of the canal, the so-called soft sediments; construction of a specially developed multi-layered capping in order to prevent the movement of polycyclic aromatic hy drocarbons (PAHs) and residual NAPL from natural sediments, dredging of the soft sediment found in the lower reach of the Gowanus Canal, providing off-Site thermal treatment of dredged sediments and turning basins, maintenance and control of the site, and other effective remedies. In general, in December 2011, the Environmental Protection Agency developed the draft of Feasibility Study, which assessed the best alternatives for reducing all risks to human health and the natural environment from exposure to contaminated water and sediment in the Gowanus Canal (Feasibility Study: Gowanus Canal, 2011).Conclusion  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thus, it is necessary to conclude that the problem of water pollution has been widely discussed by ecologists as the Gowanus Canal represents not only increased industrialization rate, but also neglect of the local authorities and the U.S. government. Today the Gowanus Canal is perceived as an important industrial canal that causes ser ious damage to local communities and the natural environment.   Today local communities, authorities and the U.S. government understand the problem of the Gowanus Canal, which requires using the proper strategies, such as the removal of contaminated sediment and providing the capping of dredged areas. It is necessary to control the sewage overflows and other sources of contamination. The remedial alternatives for the Gowanus Canal sediments can help to reduce risks to human health and the environment from considerable exposure to contaminated water and sediment. In order to personally help to change the problem like this in the future, I can participate in various environmental programs and public meetings aimed at preserving the natural environment, and take action providing donation or be involved in volunteering work. I realize that the immense water pollution that can be found in the Canal violated the established rules and regulations, including the Clean Water Act. It is our major goal to save the environment and improve human health through effective initiatives developed not only by the local authorities and the U.S. government, but also by ordinary residents.

Lighter-Than-Air Craft History

Lighter-Than-Air Craft History The history of lighter-than-air flight began with the first hot-air balloon built in 1783 by Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier in France. Immediately after the first flight - well, float might be more accurate - engineers and inventors worked toward perfecting a lighter-than-air craft. Although inventors were able to make many advancements, the biggest challenge was to find a way to successfully steer the craft. Inventors conceived numerous ideas - some seemingly reasonable, like adding oars or sails, others a little far-fetched, like harnessing teams of vultures. The problem wasnt solved until 1886 when Gottlieb Daimler created a light-weight gasoline engine. Thus, by the time of the American Civil War (1861-1865), the lighter-than-air crafts were still unsteerable. However, they quickly proved to be an invaluable military asset. In a tethered balloon several hundred feet in the air, a military scout could survey the battlefield or reconnoiter an enemys position. Contributions of Count Zeppelin In 1863, 25-year-old Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin was on a years leave from the Wurttemberg (Germany) army to observe the American Civil War. On August 19, 1863, Count Zeppelin had his first lighter-than-air experience. Yet it wasnt until his forced retirement from the military in 1890 at age 52 that Count Zeppelin began to design and build his own lighter-than-air crafts. While Daimlers 1886 lightweight gasoline engine had inspired many new inventors to attempt a sturdy lighter-than-air craft, Count Zeppelins crafts were different because of their rigid structure. Count Zeppelin, partly using notes he had recorded in 1874 and partly implementing new design elements, created his first lighter-than-air craft, the Luftschiff Zeppelin One (LZ 1). The LZ 1 was 416-feet-long, made of a frame of aluminum (a lightweight metal not commercially produced until 1886), and powered by two 16-horsepower Daimler engines. In July 1900, the LZ 1 flew for 18 minutes but was forced to land because of some technical problems. Watching the second attempt of the LZ 1 in October 1900 was an unimpressed Dr. Hugo Eckener who was covering the event for the newspaper, the Frankfurter Zeitung. Eckener soon met Count Zeppelin and over several years cultivated a lasting friendship. Little did Eckener know at this time that he would soon command the first lighter-than-air ship to fly around the world as well as become famous for popularizing airship travel. Count Zeppelin made some technical changes to the design of LZ 1, implementing them in the construction of LZ 2 (first flown in 1905), which was soon followed by LZ 3 (1906), and then followed by LZ 4 (1908). The continued success of his lighter-than-air craft changed Count Zeppelins image from the foolish count his contemporaries had called him in the 1890s to a man whose name became synonymous with lighter-than-air crafts. Though Count Zeppelin had been inspired to create lighter-than-air crafts for military purposes, he was forced to concede the advantage of paying civilian passengers (World War I again changed the zeppelins into military machines). As early as 1909, Count Zeppelin founded the German Airship Transport Company (Deutsche Luftschiffahrts-Aktien-Gesellschaft DELAG). Between 1911 and 1914, DELAG carried 34,028 passengers. Considering that Count Zeppelins first lighter-than-air craft had flown in 1900, air travel had quickly become popular.

What effects does the glass ceiling have on womens career development Research Paper

What effects does the glass ceiling have on womens career development in law firms - Research Paper Example It should not be misunderstood by the reader that the glass ceiling is specific to the legal realm. Instead, a more nuanced and broad understanding of the glass ceiling within the legal field does not detract from the glass ceiling as it exists for other industries and professions; rather, it merely helps to underscore the fact that glass ceiling exists within many different professions and specialties. The gender representation within law offices around the country is recognizably skewed. Males outnumber females at a rate of nearly 10:1 in some states. This is is an interesting topic as it is indicative of a more nationwide trend and less culturally dependent and/or bound than the ways that the glass ceiling might be exhibited within other sectors of the economy (Bowling et al., 2006). Examination of such a determinant is necessary and important as it gives key insights into the broad/over-arching definitions of the glass ceiling as is evidenced through a large cross-section of our current society/government. Yet beyond merely a lack of representation within the legal field, the more pertinant issue with regards to the research topic at hand is with regards to the upward mobility that women experience within such a field (Guyot, 2008). Even a cursory level of analysis with Linda one to suspect that since females comprise such a very small percentage of the legal field, they might necessarily be promoted and experience success much the same degree as their male counterparts (Smith & Crittenden, 2012). However, an inherent bias is indicated to exist due to the fact that even though women make up less than 10% of this industry, they are overly represented within the lower positions and number of studies have indicated they are unlikely to be promoted throughout the course of their career; as compared to their male counterparts (Hoobler & Lemmon, 2009). Furthermore, the researcher denotes the existence of a

Controversial Issues in the NGO Committee Research Paper

Controversial Issues in the NGO Committee - Research Paper Example NGOs otherwise known as non-governmental organizations or civil society organizations have been in existent for a long time. As a result, their needs have received recognition by intergovernmental organizations such as the United Nations. Therefore, they have been consulted since the inception of the United Nations under its original name, League of Nations, their consultative status got inclusion in the United Nations charter under the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Moreover, the goal of this council was to consult with non-governmental, organizations on matters that concerned them creating an opportunity for the consultative status of NGOs. There are numerous NGOs with the consultative status at present demarcating high placement status of NGO . However, controversy has rocked the placement of NGOs into this bracket of consultancy owing to the fact that the NGOs apply to be included in the consulting committees. The first significant controversial issue is the importance attached to NGOs due to their integration across the board in almost the entire United Nations system. This is owing to the fact that the UN is becoming highly dependent on NGOs to conduct field services and implement the resolutions that the UN passes. Despite the benefits it poses, this dependence shows the unbecoming nature of the UN in delegating responsibilities. The other issue concerning consultancy status is the impact that NGOs have on political outcomes.3 This is because for NGOs to advance that which they stand for, they require access to influential figures such as state delegates who hold the power to advance their objectives. Therefore, granting access to these influential leaders affects policymaking. Still, on consultancy, political interests influence the NGOs selected to have the status, sometimes. This is because the Committee on NGOs makes recommendation on which NGOs should take up a position, but the fi nal decision is made by the ECOSOC. This brings up controversy due to the criteria used in making the final decision, based on either merit or political interests. For example, some members of ECOSOC have successfully stopped the approval of NGOs that have beliefs that go against the stances of the countries as seen in the cases of China and Cuba against the NGO, A Woman’s Voice International.4 In addition, there is the issue of separatism that is plied on some NGOs owing to political interests of some countries. Such include the Kurdish Human Rights Project that was branded as a separatist movement that did not stand for the needs of the people but instead was a political movement.5 In the application, the NGO withdrew owing to the fact that some members hold such prejudices and thus do not grant fair hearings in the application of consultancy status. Moreover, some NGOs raise controversy by going against the UN charter that allows them to be in the consultancy position they enjoy. This is by questioning the sovereignty of some nations or having ulterior motives concerning their application for the consultancy status. However, some nations bear the punishment of going against the UN charter in spite of not violating the rules that put them in the consultative position just as seen in the case of the Kurdish Human Rights Project.6 This means that most of the controversy found in the NGO committee is largely

Dorothy Parker Essay Example for Free

Dorothy Parker Essay Dorothy Parker was an extraordinary woman. Extraordinary in her writings and extraordinary in what she achieved with her writings. Her books of poems and her short stories were bestsellers and her columns in The New Yorker were extremely popular. She was one of the only women and a central figure of the Algonquin Hotel Round Table, where all the great literary geniuses of her time would eat their lunch. Newspaper columnists qouted her and two Broadway plays were written about her. Briefly,she was one of the most talked about woman of her time. What is striking is that her fame came from her writings. So much fame for a woman’s writings is unusual nowadays but let aside in her time. And besides that she was not a minor writer but her literary output in the end was quite small: two volumes of short stories and three of poetry. The last decade of the nineteenth century and the first two decades of the twentieth was a time of large scale political movements and social changes among women. A new generation of women writers emerged with Dorothy Parker as their most famous one. More oppurtunities for writers existed before the dominance of radio film and television. The newspapers and magazines flourished and only the area of New York City alone published 25 daily newspapers. The â€Å"New Women† as they were labeled were worried with winning women’s rights: the vote, education, economic freedom, acces to a career and a public voice. These women were educated and progressive and wanted a break with the conservative past. Women writers of the era did not see marrying and having children as their ultimate goal in life. They rejected the traditional women’s sphere and claimed a the territory of arts that had been a complete male territory before. Many feared to be thought of as â€Å"women writers†. Dorothy Parker said that her most fervent prayer had been â€Å"Please, God, don’t let me write like a woman†. Parker’s writings on the other hand were for the most part confined to women and to what is important to them. What made Parker so succesfull? What made that era crave her writings? In order to understand Parker’s succes we need to view her works in the context of the time they were written. Dorothy Parker was born in 1893. The most striking evidence of change of the role of women in society at that time was the emergence of the college educated and self supporting new woman. By 1870 there were eleven thousand women students enrolled in higher education (21 procent of all students) and a decade later there were forty thousand women students enrolled in higher education (32 procent of all students). After they graduated they had to choose between a traditional role of domesticity and young marriage or a career of paid work. On August 26, 1920 women officially earn the right to vote by the 19th Amendment. Although women did not become a strong political force right after that the Amendment did increase the power of women to effect change. Another important aspect of the changes in women’s postion in society these years was the first world war. Although the United States participated in the war for a relatively short time and did people not really have a clue about what was going on in Europe the war did change American culture significantly. More than four million American men were were mobilized and sent off to Europe. One of the outcomes of this was that women entered the workforce in increasing numbers. Working not in only jobs that were particulary feminine jobs like nursing but also in offices and factories, in stores and governmental agencies and more. Women found themselves working in previously male-dominated fields and they were earning higher wages than in the past. These changes gave women a new notion of indepedence and self-confidence. In 1920 23.6% of the workforce was female with 8.6 million females, ages 15 and up, working outside the home. In 1920, for the first time in American history more people (54.3 million) live in cities than rural areas (51.4). As people became to move into the cities their lifesty les changed. Cities have more activities like going to the theater and nightclubs. Women in the cities were more likely to work in restaurants or offices and other locations that took them away from home. All these factors together created an environment of freedom that women had never seen in the past. One of the most visble outcomes of this freedom was the emergence of the Flapper girl. The breakdown of the Victorian sexual norms was a gradual process but slowely the American society was ready for newer ideas about sexual norms. The young working class woman had been known for her flamboyant dresses and love of nightlife and dancing. .They were relatively economically autonomous and freed either by work or school from intense familial supervision, and began to find a more individualistic culture for themselves. Women’s appearance changed to a slender and smaller silhouette no longer restricted by petticoats and corsets.When the war began women started to favor more practical, shirtwaist-style dresses. These dresses gave more freedom of movement and a greater exposure of skin. First they inched up to calf length then up to knee length. Flappers didn’t show their feminime curves, cut their hair short and wore dark eyeshadow. As the United States was becoming more and more urban, industrial production increased by 60 percent during this decade while population growth was 15%. Mass production requires mass consumption. Advertising became more important tempting people to purchase the latest fashions and newest cars and spend money on nightclubs and restaurants in the cities. For women this industrial production meant that they were more likey to have vacuum cleaners, washing machines, refrigarators and other household appliances that lightened their household work. This increased their leisure time. Advertisements targeted women in the 1920’s. Women seemed to have more economic power than before and seemed to be in charge of the households money. However these advertisements still reflected traditional thinking of the women’s role in society. These advertisements stressed domesticity and pleasing men over any message of independence. Dorothy Parker was born at the very start of this period of the â€Å"modern woman†. While men and women were now equal under the law, discrimination against women still persisted. Throughout the 1920’s and 1930’s women were still struggling against restrictions. For example, in several states women were denied to serve on juries till 1940. The economic advances for women, too, were minimal. There was still a strong sexual division of labor. Discrimiantion in family responsibilities, education, salaries and promotions remained plentiful. During the depression women lost the gains made in the career world during the 1920s. And a renewed emphasis on the woman at home crushed the recently gained hopes for equality. More and more a stereoype emerged that women during the 1920s were sexually active (the Flapper) but politically apathetic. Parker’s work points a sharp finger at that stereotype and defies is. She keenly points out the ongoing struggles for women to break free. Parker began her professional life in 1915 when she went to work as a caption writer for Vogue at a salary of ten dollar a week. By 1917 she transferred to Vanity Fair and worked for editor Frank Crowninshield until 1920. From 1919 to 1923 Parker wrote poems, sketches, essays and columnd for more than thirty-five different literary journals and magazines. Parker’s first poem â€Å"Any porch† pubished in Vanity Fair in september 1915 presents nine different female voices who discuss various topics as the vote for women, a game of bridge, someones new haircut and the war in France. In 1916 she wrote a series of â€Å"hate songs†, satiric descriptions of husbands and wives, actors and actresses, relatvies and so on. These â€Å"hate songs† made Parker very popular. She soon began to build a reputation as a sophisticated young writer with a witty message. In 1926 her first collection of poems was published. Parker soon played a distinctive voice calling for equality and social independence for women. This distinctive voice calling for equality and social independence for women was not out there in a way the feminist movements of that era were calling for it. This voice was hidden between the lines of her poems and stories. â€Å"The Waltz† was published in The New Yorker in september 1933. The story reflects the thoughts and conversation of a girl who is dancing a waltz with a man who dances very badly. He steps al over her feet and kicks her in the shin every so often. She keeps saying that she’s not tired, that it didn’t hurt when he kicked her and when she gets past all feeling, the orchestra finally comes to a stop. When it does, she tells him that she wishes he’d tell them to play the same thing. She said that she would simply adore to go on waltzing even though she hates it. The two voices in this short story reflect the contrast between a polite public voice and a witty and angry private voice. These two voices reflect a clear statement of the w oman’s outward conformity and inward rebellion. In this way the two voices in â€Å"The Waltz† are metaphoric for the woman’s powerlessness. Right from the start of the story it is clear that the woman does not want to dance with this man. She does not want to dance at all but definitely not with this man. But still she gets up and dances with him. Parker is trying to point out that there is not that many young women out there who say what they think. There is not really an alternative for the woman in this story, how can she be rude? She can’t be rude to a man who asks her to dance. Women after all were supposed to please men. Parker does not judge the woman in this story for not saying what she thinks. She is not trying to bring young women who act like that down. She just simply wrote down how things like this work in a woman’s head and letting the world know that woman do not always smile from the inside when they smile from the outside. In 1929 Parker published another short story with an hidden message about gender roles. In â€Å"Big Blonde† Parker tells the story of a talented woman, Hazel Morse. Men seem to like her and as Parker wrote â€Å"Men liked her, and she took it for granted that the liking of men was a desirable thing†. Hazel Morse wants men to like her and â€Å"she never pondered if she might not be occupied doing something else†. She had been working for a couple years untill she met her husband. They got married and in the beginning everything seems fine. As the story goes on it becomes clear that Hazel Morse’s life revolves around pleasing her husband while she is so bored and unhappy at home. She gets divoced and gets married again a couple times but in the end in all her marriages and in the rest of her life she is never occupied with anything else than a desire for men to like her. One other desire Hazel Morse has is a desire for nice furniture and clothing. With every men that comes in to her life Parker describes wheter he is rich or not and what he buys for Hazel Morse. All this stuff does not make her happy either. At the end of the story Hazal Morse tries to commit suicide. What Parker tried to point out here is that women like Hazal Morse are only occupied by a desire for men to like them. This constant desire in the end makes women unhappy because they do not ask themselves what they want for themselves. She also targeted the new american consuming culture in this story. Parker stated that nice clothes and nice furniture are not going to make women happy in the end. Again, just as in â€Å"The Waltz† Parker does not judge Hazal Morse for her actions. But she does make very clear that the life of women who never ponder if they might be occupied with something else than pleasing men is not going to end well. In her stories on gender relations Parker did not criticize women directly but she does have short stories and poems in where she criticized women directly. In one of her early poems (1916) called â€Å"Women: A Hate song† she writes in the first paragraph of the poem how much she hates domestic women. She thought they were â€Å"the worst†. In her poem she groupes them together, there are no individual housewives they are all just as worse. They claim to all be always happy in Parkers view and all they do is hurry home to provide dinner for her family. The rest of their days are filled with making dresses and trying out recipes. Parker, by saying that she hates â€Å"the domestic ones† the most of all made a clear statement about the traditional role of women in society. She hated it. She hated the idea of women staying at home their whole lifes to take care of their families. Interesting is that she did not only criticize housewives but she also became known fo r her condemnation of the flapper. In her poem, â€Å"The Flapper† written in 1922 she starts her poem of by saying that flappers are innocent. Then she continues to say that flappers are not â€Å"what grandma used to be†. Women wanted to break from the traditions from the generations before them but in the way Parker said it in this poem it is not meant as a compliment. She also says that flappers are â€Å"girlish†. By saying this it becomes clear that Parker did not take them serious. They were not serious and grown up women but they were all young girls. She then continues to say that there is no more harm in them â€Å"than in a submarine†. Which clearly means that Parker thought they were capable of doing damage to the whole society. She also writes that the flapper girl is not â€Å"in control† and that people only focus on their pranks. They are only noticed for their unruly behaviour and not for any good that they do. She ends this poem by saying that the Flapper girls are young and that the life the live is a rough one. This poem makes clear that Parker did not agree with the way the Fl apper girls were trying to break with the past. The way the Flapper girls were trying to challenge the norm was not the best or most productive in Parker’s eyes. â€Å"Men seldom make passes, at girls who wear glasses† is one of Parkers most famous quotes. The quote was not actually written as a quote but as a poem in 1926 under the title â€Å"News Item†. In one line Parker was able to describe that men were usually not charmed by the smart women in society. (Since glasses are associated with intelligence or education). The modern woman had achieved more equality in education but as Parker describes men did not seemed to like these educated women. The major themes in Parkers writings are a lack of communication between women and men, disintegration of relationships, motherhood, women’s emotional dependency upon men, the selfishness of the wealthy and the danger of empitness in women’s lives. Her audience was broad. She managed to write for men and women of different social classes. The purpose of a writer was in Parkers opinion â€Å"to say what he feels and sees†. â€Å"Those who write fantasies† she did not consider artists. This nation of â€Å"to say what he feels and sees† made her stories extremely recognizable. In one of her short stories â€Å"A telephone call† Parker describes a woman waiting for a man to call her. The man had promised to call her at 5 and at 7 he still has not called. Parker described what goes through the woman’s mind. Anyone who has ever waited on a wanted telephone call knows exactely what the woman in the story goes trough because Parker sets out t he woman’s thoughts in so much detail. Her writings are satiric, which makes them fun and easy to read but behind and between the lines there is a clear message. A lot of the times this message were convictions on the existing gender relations in society. From her writings it becomes clear that Parker was a feminist. Later in her life she was quoted saying â€Å"I’m a feminist and God knows I’m loyal to my sex, and you must remember that from my very early days, when this city was scarcely safe from buffaloes, I was in the struggle for equal rights for women.† She did however never join one of the organized feminists movements. The feminist movements of her time convicted the gender relations in a more serious and less humourous way. Her talent to convict these gender relations in a humourous way are undoubtly one of the reasons of her succes. The majority of the people was not interested in reading serious and bitter comments on the gender relations. In her â€Å"New Item† poem she could have said: â€Å"Men are sexist pigs who want to hold women in the kitchen were they belong.† Instead of that she wrote a brilliantly witty poem that everyone knows untill today. Dorothy Parker might have been a feminist secretely fighting for women’s rights, she did not wanted to be associated with any sort of woman. In her short story â€Å"Women: a hate song† she basically stated that she hates every sort of woman. From the housewives to the Flappers. Parker wanted women to take advantage of the rights they had attained and she did not feel like enough women were doing that. What she rejected most of all were the standards for female writing and thinking. One of her biographers Marion Maede wrote that Parker did not presented herself so much â€Å"as a bad girl† but as a â€Å"bad boy, a firecracker who was agressively proud of being tough, quirky, feisty.† Parker’s writings satisfied a craving for comments on this â€Å"modern women† and the new gender relations that were a part of that. Women in American society on the one hand were happy on the one hand with their new achievements of equality between men and women. On the other hand, they were dissapointed in the actual changes. Not only were the achievements in equality by law, in economic advances and education not what they had hoped for, they were also dissapointed in the new image of a stereotype women who was sexually liberated but in every way was the minor in relationships between woman and man. These dissapointments and discriminations of the modern women were not out on the surface. No one would have probably even been able to explain at that time what these dissapointments and discriminations exactly were. Dorothy Parker could see the friction underneath the surface of a sophistication-thirsty, consumer-obsessed American society. In her short stories and her poems she was able to point a sharp finger at all these dissapointments and discriminations. She was able to do that in a humourous satiric way. Not in bold statements, but in a subtile way behind and between the lines of her writings. Her greatest achievement was that her writings were attractive to read for women and men. Popular writing for both sexes would be a great achievement nowadays but even more in that era in which the tensions between gender relations were at its sharpest. All these things combined made Parker succesfull in making her readers observe modern culture in a different way, and they all loved reading it. Bunkers, Suzanne L. Dorothy Parker as Feminist and Social Critic (1987). Evans, Sara M. Born for liberty. A history of women in America (New York 1989). Keats, John. You might as well live. The life and times of Dorothy Parker (New York 1970). Keyser, Catherine. Girls who wear glasses. In A New Literaty History of America edited by Wernes Sollors and Griel Marcus (Harvard 2012). Parker, Dorothy. Complete Poems (1999). Parker, Dorothy. Here Lies. The Collected Stories of Dorothy Parker (New York 1933). Sagert, Kelly Boyer. Flappers: A Guide to an American Subculture (2010). [ 1 ]. John Keats, You might as well live. The life and times of Dorothy Parker (New York 1970) 9. [ 2 ]. Colleen Breese, introduction in Dororthy Parker Complete Poems (1999) xvi. [ 3 ]. Colleen Breese, introduction in Dororthy Parker Complete Poems (1999) xvi. [ 4 ]. Colleen Breese, introduction in Dororthy Parker Complete Poems (1999) xvi. [ 5 ]. Sara M. Evans, Born for liberty. A history of women in America (New York 1989) 147. [ 6 ]. Sagert, Kelly Boyer Flappers xiv. [ 7 ]. Sagert, Kelly Boyer Flappers xiv. [ 8 ]. Evans, Sara M Born for liberty 161. [ 9 ]. Evans, Sara M Born for liberty 161. [ 10 ]. Sagert, Kelly Boyer Flappers 15. [ 11 ]. Sagert, Kelly Boyer Flappers 20. [ 12 ]. Colleen Breese, introduction in Dororthy Parker Complete Poems (1999) xxv. [ 13 ]. Colleen Breese, introduction in Dororthy Parker Complete Poems (1999) xxvi. [ 14 ]. Colleen Breese, introduction in Dororthy Parker Complete Poems (1999) xxvi. [ 15 ]. Colleen Breese, introduction in Dororthy Parker Complete Poems (1999) xix. [ 16 ]. Colleen Breese, introduction in Dororthy Parker Complete Poems (1999) xix. [ 17 ]. Colleen Breese, introduction in Dororthy Parker Complete Poems (1999) xxvi. [ 18 ]. Catherine Keyser, Girls who wear glasses, in A New Literary History of America, edited by Werner Sollors and Griel Marcus (Harvard 2012).

Cuban Reform Essay -- International Government

Since the Cuban revolution, Cuba has been characterized as having a powerful centralized government and as being socialist in nature. Fidel Castro maintained leadership of Cuba from 1959 until 2008 and guarded Cuba away from capitalistic ideology. Throughout his presidency, he was able to curtail the establishment of privatization and economic liberalization. For instance, as late as 2006 the public sector made up 78% of the economy and the private sector only made up 22% of the economy (Oxfam). However, with the election of Raul Castro in 2008 by the National Assembly, there seems to be a shift in ideology that is less antagonistic toward decentralizing power, privatization, and economic liberalization. Raul Castro has brought reforms to Cuba that limit the power of government, weakens the influence of communist hardliners, and boost the ability of the Cuban people to participate in the economy without government supervision. All in all, Raul Castro is preparing Cuba for a period in which the Cuban Communist Party is becoming more moderate and market-oriented practices are being sought after and implemented. One of the biggest reforms in Cuba has been the implementation of term limits on political offices. They were first proposed at the Communist Party national conference in 2011, in which Raul Castro urged the adoption of ten-year terms, including a two five-year term limit for the presidency (Bo). The proposal of term limits manifested itself from Castro’s plan to feed democracy into Cuban politics. He believes that the term limits will allow new ideas into government as a result of more people participating in Cuba’s political system over a shorter period of time. The proposal’s popularity proved itself when it w... ...food production and the benefits of localizing it. Neill, Morgan. "Raul Castro Pushes Change for Cubans." CNN. Cable News Network, 26 Apr. a Talks about the profits made by private farmers after they were given land for food growing. Robles, Frances. "Cubans Who Work More Will Get Higher Salaries." MiamiHerald. Miami Herald, 11 June 2008. Web. 01 Apr. 2012. Explains the changes from flat rate wages to wages that respond to work ethic and position. "Social Policy at the Crossroads." Oxfamamerica. Oxfam, 05 Mar. 2009. Web. 02 Apr. 2012. Gives the statistic of the amount of food Cuba imports. Sullivan, Mark. "Cuba: Issues for the 112th Congress." Congressional Reasearch Service. Federation of American Scientists, 24 Feb. 2012. Web. 15 Apr. 2012. Report that informs of the economic changes undergoing Cuba since Raul Castro’s presidency, financial statistics. Cuban Reform Essay -- International Government Since the Cuban revolution, Cuba has been characterized as having a powerful centralized government and as being socialist in nature. Fidel Castro maintained leadership of Cuba from 1959 until 2008 and guarded Cuba away from capitalistic ideology. Throughout his presidency, he was able to curtail the establishment of privatization and economic liberalization. For instance, as late as 2006 the public sector made up 78% of the economy and the private sector only made up 22% of the economy (Oxfam). However, with the election of Raul Castro in 2008 by the National Assembly, there seems to be a shift in ideology that is less antagonistic toward decentralizing power, privatization, and economic liberalization. Raul Castro has brought reforms to Cuba that limit the power of government, weakens the influence of communist hardliners, and boost the ability of the Cuban people to participate in the economy without government supervision. All in all, Raul Castro is preparing Cuba for a period in which the Cuban Communist Party is becoming more moderate and market-oriented practices are being sought after and implemented. One of the biggest reforms in Cuba has been the implementation of term limits on political offices. They were first proposed at the Communist Party national conference in 2011, in which Raul Castro urged the adoption of ten-year terms, including a two five-year term limit for the presidency (Bo). The proposal of term limits manifested itself from Castro’s plan to feed democracy into Cuban politics. He believes that the term limits will allow new ideas into government as a result of more people participating in Cuba’s political system over a shorter period of time. The proposal’s popularity proved itself when it w... ...food production and the benefits of localizing it. Neill, Morgan. "Raul Castro Pushes Change for Cubans." CNN. Cable News Network, 26 Apr. a Talks about the profits made by private farmers after they were given land for food growing. Robles, Frances. "Cubans Who Work More Will Get Higher Salaries." MiamiHerald. Miami Herald, 11 June 2008. Web. 01 Apr. 2012. Explains the changes from flat rate wages to wages that respond to work ethic and position. "Social Policy at the Crossroads." Oxfamamerica. Oxfam, 05 Mar. 2009. Web. 02 Apr. 2012. Gives the statistic of the amount of food Cuba imports. Sullivan, Mark. "Cuba: Issues for the 112th Congress." Congressional Reasearch Service. Federation of American Scientists, 24 Feb. 2012. Web. 15 Apr. 2012. Report that informs of the economic changes undergoing Cuba since Raul Castro’s presidency, financial statistics.

My Psychosocial Stage of Development Essay

My Psychosocial Stage of Development S. Pulliam April, 2011 First I would like to define psychosocial development; this is the development of the personality or the acquisition of social attitude and skill from infancy through maturity. Based on the charting from Erickson’s Psychosocial Stages of Development, I fall into two separate categories based on my age. From the beliefs of Erickson, he believed that the achievements and failures of earlier stages influence later stages, whereas later stages modify and transform earlier ones (Erickson, 1980). The first is Young Adulthood and the second is Middle Adulthood. In the two stages from the chart the information is based on (Young adulthood) Intimacy v/s Isolation and the second one (Middle Adulthood) is based on Generativity v/s Stagnation Work and Parenthood Adults. Although there are two separate stages in the psychosocial stages that I fall under, I feel that I am at the midpoint for each and I have decided to consider both aspects in doing my psychosocial stages of development. To explain how the two stages correlate to my life, I decided in the last year to settle down and get married this is based on my young adulthood information from Erickson’s chart. The reason there is a correlation to my life based on Erickson’s chart under middle adulthood id because my life had children prior to the marriage but I am taking a more active role in being involved with activities and school when it comes to my children. In looking at my current psychosocial stage of development influence on my behavior and relationship, I find that I am a calm, and not hard to get along with even under pressure situations that has occurred with us based on my jealous tendencies and insecure ways because of previous relationship and not being with the father of my children. The influence that I see in young adulthood over my relationship is that there is a need for intimacy but not a major desire to have it on a regular basis. The isolation comes from not being so open and friendly to other males in my life or surrounding because of my relationship with my husband. I have male friends that I am social with but I do not allow the intimacy line to be crossed because of my relationship with my husband. The influence that I see in middle adulthood is the need to have a nurturing relationship with my children and creating a positive change to benefit my children lives. In looking at this I made changes in the way I approached my children and how I would not shelter them from the truth when they would ask me questions but give them true answer to their question. As small children I did not feel the need to give much explanation to my children’s questions but now I try to explain everything to them without being untruthful to them or give them false ideas about what is going on around them. To explain the positive and negative outcomes to psychosocial stages of development, I would have to say that there are many positive and negative but the few that stand out to me the most are. First negative outcome, getting over insecurities I had about the intimacy relationship that I chose to take on after breaking off a 10 year relationship with my children’s father. The second negative outcome was getting over the trust issues I had before going into the current marriage that I am in right now. The third negative outcome was getting pass the change of personality and ways I had to endure going into the marriage and getting use to a new personality and making the changes on both parts to make our marriage work to the best of our ability. Based on this information I feel that the positive outcomes to the psychosocial stages of Erickson were in a good way and I can see the difference in my life and marriage. First positive outcome was that I am able to trust again within my relationship with my husband. The second positive outcome was that I made a strong bond with my children and I have not only been a mother to my children but I am the friend that my children confide in when they have feeling they want to express. The third positive outcome I see is that I am calm and stress free with the way I deal with problem within my relationship and I am able to compromise with my spouse when we do not agree on things. In evaluating how other developmental issues have influenced my personality, I would have to say that during my early childhood life I dealt with a few attachment issues with my mother. I feel that during this stage I did not bond with my mother like most children tend to do when the mother is present because she was pre-occupied with her career as a teacher and coaching. So during this age I was in close relationship with my father and I never felt the true connection with myself and my mother like so many girls or women tend to have with a mother. Most of my time I spent with my father and aunts when I was in my early childhood age so I did not really know that much about my mother other than she coached and taught physical education. I admired what she did so I took on the quest of becoming a physical education teacher as well. In School age time I had to bare a lot of pressure in participating in sports and in my school work because the expectation was so high on me to achieve my education and athletic abilities because of what my mother represented in our community. At the same time I was pressured by other students because they felt that the only reason I made the team was because of my mother not because of my own ability. Once I graduated my goals with education were so different. I felt more of the need to help others in crisis situation so I went back to school to get my degree in mental health and social work and that is still my drive today. So from this experience I feel that I have a very strong personality in spite of the way so many tried to bring me down and I am a true fighter for what I believe in deep within my heart. My personality from what I can see is a driving force of who I am and I refuse to be compared to my mother in my quest to achieve greater feats in my life and the way I live my life. It is okay to be compared to her but I know that I could never be my mother or even like her because my drive and ambition is so different from the way she handles things. References http://www. support4change. com/stages/cycles/Erikson. html Erikson E. , 1980. Identity and the Life Cycle. Norton, New York http://currentnursing. com/nursing_theory/theory_of_psychosocial_development. html

Observation and Reflection Essay

Observation My partner, Jude, and I were partners and we decided to observe the volleyball game at the gym. While watching the game, there was a group of PNUan girls that caught my attention. So I decided to let them be the subject of my observation. That group of girls was really wild and loud as opposed to the rest of the audience watching the game. They shouted and cheered for the PNU team. Whenever the team scores, they stood up and cheered at full volume. They even had this jingle that goes like this â€Å" P-N-U FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT! † and sometimes mentioned a name of one of the players. But, I noticed that when the game started to reach its climax, those girls booed the opposing team every time they scored . Reflection: Maybe those girls are just really fond of watching volleyball games. Maybe they just want to show their support and encouragement to the PNU players that is why they were acting somewhat wild and loud. Actually, they are such good adherents of our Men’s Volleyball team because they were really at the top of their voices in cheering for the team. They also showed effort and commitment in supporting the team. But I find it ill-mannered when they started booing the other team. For me, it is good to support our players but supporting them does not include being rude to the others. They did not only humiliate their selves, but they have given shame to our school. In that simple action, they just showed that we PNUans are no better. But that is just my point of view. I learned from this experience, that simple actions can really affect your character. That even if you do a whole lot effort in doing something, if you stepped on someone’s dignity while on the way, it will never matter. We should always consider those people around us while performing our actions . We should practice thinking twice before we decide and do something. At the end of the day, what matters is on how we treat and associate with the people around us.

Facebooks Primary Activity

Facebooks Primary Activity It is imperative to avow that Facebook is amongst the most visited social group sites. Initiate by Mark Zuckerberg in 2003, this site has expanded exponentially in the last few years. Created with the help of fellow students, Facebook was initially used in Harvard University only and later in other colleges. Realizing that the primary activity of Facebook was to make comparison of students using their pictures, the university management ordered for its closure.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Facebooks Primary Activity specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Mark was to face disciplinary measures for breaching rights to privacy. Harvard University later dropped any punitive action against Mark. In 2005, facebook rolled out internationally. This was the first step that made it a force in the social network industry. The roll out in high school gave way for corporation to register and finally face book opened up for members of the public to establish accounts. Controversy and uncertainty surrounded facebook from its inception and early years of operation. Mark’s schoolmates filled a lawsuit disputing his ownership on the basis that he borrowed their ideas, hence contravening the scholar Property Act. The judge ruled in favour of Mark, since agreements regarding this case occurred during the course of a casual chat, in the hostel that they could not constitute a legal contract. The Judge dismissed consequent attempts to bring this case back to court and opted for an out of patio settlement (Philips). Facebook mainly earns its revenues from advertisements and has become a multimillion company attracting the interest of other corporations in the digital industry. It is evident that facebook has advanced social networking; nonetheless, it has myriads of detrimental aspects in the contemporary society. The emergence of facebook in 2005 completely transformed the social network scene first in the US and then globally. The exponential growth of facebook was unprecedented and left many people startled. Debate arising from dismissal of the case disputing facebook ownership on basis of technicality, only served to popularise the site. This social phenomenon has opened new advertising avenues and further reduced the cost of interaction between the global communities, as it charges no fee. In view of the above, facebook users need to be cautious not to be addicted or socially isolated due to prolonged use. Face book’s inadequate applications have opened doors for contravention of privacy rights with regard to users’ information. Users with ill intentions have used facebook to steal identity of innocent unaware users and utilize it to commit crime. Development of children occurs best when they are in constant communiquà © with their parents but facebook has turned this impossible by making young people very dependent on digital media as their core means of commun ication rather than in person conversations.Advertising Looking for research paper on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Research reveals that most children avoid in person conversations due to prolonged use of online media to communicate. Facebook has no control as to the content communicated on the network, hence it is subject to misuse .Many blogs through which people interact exercise control over the message that users send over the blog, ensuring sanity on those blogs and enforcing discipline. On many incidences, facebook has acted as a platform to spread panic based on unverified information. Exaggerated news of the rapid spread of swine flu caused a lot of panic and social sites like facebook were at fault for magnifying the spread of the disease. Facebook administration should set up measure to ensure that unscrupulous members do not use their accounts to spread panic, this in effect that innocent users get protection from the infringements. Information is power, with facebook having over 400 million members who created profiles that contain personal details then it has incomprehensible power. Facebook contains a large amount of user information that is susceptible to misuse. It is dangerous to leave such a large volume of information that contains private details of millions of individuals with an entity that faces minimal regulations like facebook. From analysis done on several accounts, it is possible to tell the sexuality of person based on the friends in facebook, it is; therefore, important to protect personal details (Bankston). Various consumer protection organisations have aired their concerns over the ease with which a user can illegally gain access to other accounts. Not only does it expose the account holder to manipulation but also infringes on the person’s right to privacy. Face book took some far-reaching measures to prevent infringement of pri vacy rights. It rolled out fresh privacy settings, which were supposed to give account holders more control over their data. Prior solitude settings were too complex for the average users of facebook to understand. The new facebook settings were a good start for the administration in the overhaul of its privacy settings. Such settings have integrated novel features that allow a user to limit the people that can view a certain piece that the use has uploaded. However, the most encouraging thing is that the site has taken up the challenge of ensuring that its users apply these new settings to their accounts (bankston). Though the new settings received a lot of applause, they have not gone without criticism. Most experts think that the developers of these settings have only made the situation dire, as users with ill motives will always find their way round (bankston).Overall, the commitment of facebook to protecting its user’s information is questionable. Facebook avails to its users, many activities that are fun to be involved in, which include discussions, charting and creation of groups. As a result, facebook users spend extra periods in front of their computers thus eating into time reserved for extra curriculum and social activities (Bozarth 56).Therefore most users are addicted. The young generation that has emerged has been characterised by poor one-on-one conversation, impaired speeches and being self-absorbed. These traits are attributable to the enormous time spent online.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Facebooks Primary Activity specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The consequences of long hours spent online are far reaching as most students’ grades have diminished greatly. Many account holders on facebook do not divulge their identity. Such persons are faceless on their account and provide minimal information as to their character, background and perspective on maj or issues; therefore, most friendship resulting from interaction on facebook have roots in stereotypes. Making friends based on stereotypes is inappropriate as the true personality of the person is undisclosed. Most young people are oblivious of the dangers of such actions. Facebook opponents have criticised it for not doing enough to eliminate faceless members whose accounts look questionable. As any other credible institution, facebook should thoroughly screen its members. Proficiency of young people in using media whose background information is unknown has startled many media specialist who have called upon media users to be cautious. Critics have further argued that facebook has resulted in a new form of addiction in children because they on average spend six hours online. Children below eighteen are most affected and many calls have advised facebook to limit its membership to only those above eighteen years. This call has brought to the forefront the social responsibility of f ace book. In spite of the many flaws, facebook is definitely a social network phenomenon. It has further opened communication lines amid many people given its membership of over 400 million users (Bozarth 55). It has facilitated this by a feature called friend request. The feature enables the invited users to communicate. Face book further diversified the social scene by challenging the dominance of the traditional social media. No one can assume the impact of facebook as business people who are not members are a liability to the trade. Facebook is very trendy amid young people as result opening avenues for advertisers who target young people. The interaction of people on facebook has resulted in cultural exchange (Bozarth 55). Political movements have also used it to spread political messengers. Facebook has become the best means to reach the younger age band. Facebook’s main targets were young people, High school and University students, as indicated in the first rollout th at targeted this group (Philips). Facebook is a very appealing social complex particularly to University students and teenagers. It allows them to exchange ideas on their lives, interest and on school life. The social state of facebook and the swiftness at which information dispersed makes it fascinating. There is a false notion among the young naive users that their personal details are secure .This is not the case as their private details get exposed to people who gain illicit access.Advertising Looking for research paper on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Scammers use the illegally obtained data to manipulate the purchasing trends of the users to the benefit of certain organisations. Young people spend a lot of time communicating on facebook and some of the comments made on face book are inappropriate. Furthermore, facebook facilitate the promotion of some appalling believes like masonry. Members of these cults form social groups and use them to foster the values of their cults. These groups target susceptible users and use the site as the platform for their recruitment. It has contributed considerably to the current state of moral degradation. Issues that generate uproar on debate, get a suitable discussion platform on face book. The discussions elicit some awful comments whose moral uprightness is questionable. Innocent young people read such comments daily; the culmination of a prolonged reading of such appalling comment is youthful people with immoral values. Most of these discussions relate to issue like homosexuality and masonr y that are controversial in most society. Mark devised facebook, a site that has come to dictate communal networking in recent years (Philips).From early on, facebook was faced by success and controversy. Popularity among the youth has led to its hasty growth. Lack of privacy seems to be its major undoing as alterations in such settings only resulted in an uproar. The administration of this site has heeded calls to put in place settings that will protect the users’ details. In absence of proper security settings facebook has served as an avenue to commit crime such as impersonation, spreading panic and manipulation. To counter these acts the administration should overhaul privacy settings in totality to conform to the solitude legislation. Besides, the administration should exercise discretion over the members eligible to avoid suspicious individuals. Although, facebook has facilitated easier and cheaper communication to many people, users must be cautious about the members t hey interact with on the net and reserve time for other activities to avoid addiction. Finally, the administration should receive credit for embracing calls to overhaul their privacy settings. Bankston, Kevin. New privacy changes: The good, the bad and the ugly. 2009. Web. Bozarth, Jane. Social Media for Trainers: Techniques for Enhancing and Extending Learning .SAN FRANCISCO, CA. John Wiley and sons, 2010. Print. Philip, Sarah. A brief history of Facebook. The Guardian. 2007. Web.

How to Study for AP Exams 5-Step Plan

How to Study for AP Exams 5-Step Plan SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Preparing for AP exams can feel like a Sisyphean task. On top of keeping up with the demanding coursework and all your other obligations, you have to prepare for a three-hour, multi-part exam? Yes, you do- butmore importantly, you can! If you don’t know how to study for AP exams, this is the guide for you. I’ll cover all the major steps to AP success, including content review, exam skill-building, and prepping for triumph on test day. 5 Essential Steps to AP Test Preparation Once the school year is underway, it can be easy to get caught up in the whirl of classes and clubs, and completely forget about test prep. And even once you do remember, you might not know how to study for AP tests. Never fear- read on for ourfive-step AP prep plan! Step 1: Establish What You Need to Review/Learn About halfway through the school year is when you’ll want to start studying for AP exams. This is the ideal time since you’ll have plenty of time to prep andwill know enough information to really get into reviewing content. A crucial first step to AP prep is to establish what you need to review or learn for the purposes of the exam.There are a few resources you’ll want to gather in order to do this: Syllabus for your AP class Any of your old tests,quizzes, or papers "AP Course and Exam Description" for the course You can find this last document on the main course page for the class, which you can access onthe College Board’s AP Student list of AP courses.Note that for courses that haven’t been revised in a long time, this is just called the "AP Course Description." This document offersa comprehensive description of the skills and content areas that will be tested on the exam. You’ll want to review, at least on a high level, all the major content areas from your AP course. But since it’s not efficient to try to retain every single piece of information your teacher tells you, your AP prep should be specifically focused on reviewing what you need to know for the exam. Once you have all your documents gathered, compare your class’s syllabus with the AP Course and Exam Description. Your class should cover all the major content areas- the syllabus had to get approved by the College Board, after all! That said, teachers do have some discretion on the specifics of what they can cover within the College Board’s broader structures. By comparing the two documents to see whether there are areas your class syllabus focused on in less (or more) detail than is necessary for the exam, you'll get an idea of what you should target in your own studying. Concepts you covered sparsely in class should be reviewed more closely, whilethings you covered more in-depth might not need to be reviewed as much. Your tests and quizzes are also important in establishing areas you should review. You don’t need to spend as much time reviewing material you got high marks on. By contrast, you should be sure to focus on reviewing content areas for which your test and quiz scores were weaker. The AP Course and Exam Description will also clarify for youwhat exam skills you need to build. Are there free-response math questions? Short answers? Essays? You’ll want to make sure you know how to succeed on all parts of the AP test. So plan to practice working on all question types. In sum, this is what you’ll want to review: Content High-level review of all major content areas of your course/test Focus more on areas where your knowledge is weaker, as determined by your AP quiz and test grades and the AP Course and Exam Description whencompared with your class syllabus Exam Skills Be prepared to answer all question types on the AP exam Student diligentlyreviewing the AP Course and Exam Description (artist's representation). Step 2: Make a Study Plan Once you’ve figured out what you need to review, you'll need tocome up with a review schedule. This doesn’t have to be super specific- you don’t have to know exactly what you are going to cover every single day. But you should have a general idea of what content areas you'll be reviewing and what skills you'll be working on every week leading up to the test. This is another time your class syllabus will come in handy, as you’ll be able to plot out your review schedule in a way that makes sense. You’ll want to review all the major content areas you have covered or will cover in class. But it doesn’t make a lot of sense to review something before your teacher has gone over it! So schedule the things you’re going to learn later for later review. You’ll want to weigh your prep plan more toward content review when you begin to prepare, and thenshift it more toward exam prep asyou get closer to test day. Assuming you're preparing over the course of several months, the first few weeks of your prep schedule should be dedicated almost entirely to reviewing content, and the last few weeks should be dedicated mostly to taking practice exams and doing practice questions. Here’s a sample study plan a studentmight make for the few months leading up to her AP Euro exam: Week Learning in Class Content to Review Prep to Complete 1 Turn of the century Make outlines and flash cards for Renaissance (Italian vs Northern), 100 Years’ War, black plague Look over some old free-response questions and a few sample multiple-choice questions 2 WWI Make outlines and flash cards for Reformation, religious wars Write practice DBQ and get Mr. Smith to score 3 WWI Make outlines and flash cards for Columbus, other explorers, 30 Years’ war Write practice FRQ and get Mr. Smith to score 4 Russian Revolution Make outlines and flash cards for absolutist rulers, agricultural revolution Take complete timed multiple-choice section 5 Between the world wars Make outlines and flash cards for slave trade and colonialism, Enlightenment Work on thesis statements and outlining practice for DBQ 6 WWII Make outlines and flash cards for French Revolution, Industrial Revolution, Napoleon Work on thesis statements and outlining practice for FRQ 7 WWII Make outlines and flash cards for Nationalism, Marxism, socialism Practice DBQ and FRQ and get Mr. Smith to score 8 The Cold War Make outlines and flash cards for Western imperialism, WWI Take complete timed multiple-choice section 9 The Cold War Make outlines and flash cards for Russian revolution, between the wars, WWII, Cold War Take complete practice test 10 Post Cold War Review outlines and flashcards Final practice FRQ (timed) In-class review Review outlines and flashcards Final practice DBQ (timed) 12 (test week!) Final review and test prep! Final outline review/flashcards Rest up! See, this business suit lady gets the importance of making a study plan. Step 3: Find Content Review Resources A high-quality review book is your best friend in AP prep. We currently have guides to the best review books for AP Psychology, AP Biology, AP US History and AP Chemistry.Beyond that, The Princeton Review and Barron’s generally make reliable review books for AP tests. Supplemental resources beyond areview book can also be helpful. Your textbook for the course, beyond providing explanations of key concepts, likelyincludespractice questions or tests at the end of each chapter. You can also look for podcasts, watch YouTubevideos, and use websites such as Khan Academy for content review purposes. Another option is tomake your own resources.I can’t recommend Quizletenough. With this website, you can make your own flashcards and then quiz yourself using various tools. You have to make an account to be able to use it, but the service itself is free. Once you’ve amassed all your review tools, you’ll be ready to review content. However, you’ll still need to practice AP exam questions! Be sure to really drill down in your search for high-quality AP resources. Step 4: Find Practice Exams and Questions In addition to content review materials, you’ll want to find practice exams and questions to build specific AP test competencies.The best AP practice questions and tests are those created by the College Board- the group that makes the AP exams. As a result, their materials will be most similar to the real AP test you’ll take in the spring. So where can you find College Board AP resources? In three places: In the AP Course and Exam Description booklet. Remember the AP Course and Exam Description booklet I mentioned above for figuring out what you need to review? It also has sample exam questions (of all types!) in the back. Hurrah! Official free-response questions.The College Board has kindly released free-response questions (and sample responses) from previous testing years. You can get these by going to the College Board’s AP exam information page and clicking on your desired exam; scrolling down from that page will take you to the free-response questions. The College Board also sometimes releases complete exams from past years for free. You can usually find these on the College Board exam overview page for your specific test; however,some of these are hard to find even though they're hosted on the College Board website. If you're having trouble finding tests for your exam, Google the name of your test along with "previously released materials college board" or "complete released exams college board" to find the free exams. For your convenience, here are the previously released materials pages for some of the most popular AP exams: AP English Literature and Composition 2012 Exam 1999 Exam 1987 Exam AP Chemistry 1999 Exam 1994 Exam AP US History 2017 Practice Exam AP Psychology 2012 Exam 1999 Exam 1994 Exam AP Biology 2013 Exam 1999 Exam AP Statistics 2012 Exam 1997 Exam AP Environmental Science 1998 Exam AP Calculus AB Sample 2014 Questions 2012 Exam 1998 Exam 1988 Exam AP US Government and Politics 1999 Exam AP Macroeconomics 2012 Exam 1995 Exam We’ve also gathered some practice question and exam materials for you here: AP World History AP Psychology AP Biology AP Chemistry AP US History AP English Language and Composition AP Human Geography AP English Literature and Composition Step 5: Get to Work and Stay on Schedule Once you’ve gathered all your materials- content review as well as practice questions and tests- it’s time to get to work! How many hours you need to spend on studying for AP tests every week is going to depend a lot on how much material you need to review and how comfortable you are with the format of the exam questions.In general, though, you should expect to study for several hours a week split over two to three sessions. Setting specific times and places for your AP studying will help you stay consistent and keep pace with your review schedule! With good content review and a solid approach to practice exams (more on this later), maintaining a consistent studying pace and schedule will catapult you to exam success. The true path to AP success: the trebuchet. AP Review: 3 General Tips As you review course material in preparation for your AP exam, here are some things to keep in mind. #1: Be Aware Of Your Own Learning Style Focus on review methods that work for you and not against you. If you’re a visual learner, don’t force yourself to listen to recorded lectures; draw diagrams or mind maps instead. Or if you’re an auditory learner, find podcasts and audio booksto listen to for concept review. #2: Review Material More Than Once It’s generally accepted that you need to encounter a piece of information several times before you really start to retain it. Therefore, plan to review essential information for the test more than once. The more important it is, the more times you should go over it. #3: Engage With the Material The more you interact with the material you're studying, the better you’ll retain it. If you can do some kind of activity with the information- such as practice problems, outline-writing, flashcard-making, etc.- you'll be able to remember it better. Not this kind of engagement! How to Make the Most Of AP Practice Tests Since College Board AP practice tests and resources are limited, you want to make sure you make the most of them.Here are my top three tips for how to do this effectively: #1: Take an Entire Practice Exam Under AP Test Conditions It will be a huge help for you to take an entire practice test under actual AP-like conditions. So with a timer, in a quiet room, with short breaks- the whole nine yards. If you only have one complete practice test you can use, do this toward the end of your prep time (maybe a few weeks before the test), when you’ve reviewed most of the content already. This will help you get a feel for what the actual test day will be like. And themore comfortable you feel, the better you'll do on the exam! #2: Track Your Progress If you have access to more than one complete practice test, it’s a good idea to also take a practice test toward the beginning of your prep timeso you can figure out what areas you need to work on the most.This will give you a rough benchmark of where you're starting, so then when you take another practice test toward the end of your prep, you’ll be able to see how you’ve improved! #3: Prep for Individual Sections Apart from complete practice tests, practice questions serve as great prep for individual parts of the AP test. Because the College Board has released so many free-response questions, you can practice those over and over again. You don’t necessarily have to do a complete, timed essay every time, although you should practice that. You can also practice outlining your essays or even writing thesis statements for prompts. Work specifically on the skills you need to build. In addition, be sure to look over practice multiple-choice questions closely so you can get a sense of the feel and format of AP multiple-choice questions. Make like an astronaut and prepare for everything! Critical Test-Taking Tips for AP Exam Day When test time arrives, you’ll want to maximize your study time investment with positive test-taking strategies.Here are my top tips to remember for test day: Before Your AP Test Get a good night’s sleep the two nights before the exam.This will help you stay alert and remember everything you’ve studied. Pack your bag for test day the night before. You don’t want to stress yourself out running around looking for your calculator five minutes before the bus comes on exam day. Be sure to also pack a snack and water- you can’t have them during the test, but you’ll appreciate the nourishment during the break! Eat breakfast the morning of your test.Again, you want your brain to be running at full power. Try to stick with a balanced meal that isn't too sugary. Bring lotsand lots of pencils and erasers. The College Board requires #2 pencils on exam day, so don't forget to bring a bunch. Also, bring a good eraser for back-ups and mishaps. During Your AP Test Pace yourself.You’ll be under time pressure for every section, so make sure you knowwhat pace you need to be working at. Periodically check that you're on pace. You can (and should) bring a watch, just so long as it doesn’t beep or have an alarm. Maintain positive self-talk throughout the exam. If there’s something you don’t know, don’t waste time beating yourself up about it. Just keep telling yourself that you are awesome and will crush the rest of the test. Don’t get hung up on a question you’re stuck on. This is true even on the free-response section- move on to the second essay if you’re getting stuck on the first. If you try to break through a mental block full-on, you might end up running out of time. Answer every question- there’s no penalty for guessing! Go through the ones that you know first, and then go back over the test and answer any remaining questions in the time you have left. With all these best test-taking practices, you'll be set up to succeed on your AP test, guaranteed! Don't neglect this critical aspect of test day (bananas optional). How to Prepare for AP Tests: Key Takeaways The AP prep process can be overwhelming. To lend you a hand, though, I'vesummarized how to study AP examsinto digestible steps below. Choose an AP Exam Figure out which classes your school offers and which fit into your schedule. Consider your interests and abilities. Consider how much time you’ll have for studying. Prepare for the Test Establish ways you need to review/learn. Make a study plan. Find content review resources. Find (official) practice questions and tests. Get to work and stay on schedule! AP Content Review Tips Be mindful of your own learning style. Review things more than once. Engage with the material! AP Practice Exam Tips Take at least one complete practice exam under full test-day-like conditions- and do this more than once if there is more than one practice test available to you. Practice individual exam sections, especially free response, to work on skills for those specific sections. Look closely at all sections to ensure you're familiar with the way AP questions are worded! AP Test-Taking Tips Do all the usual best test practices- get a good night’s sleep, eat breakfast, pack your bag the night before, and bring extra pencils. Pace yourself and stay on track. Think positive! Don’t get hung up on a single question- it you find yourself stuck, skip it and come back. Answer every question- there’s no penalty for guessing! Ultimately, just remember thatbreaking down the AP into little steps will make it manageable for you to scale the whole AP mountain! AP Mountain (artist's rendition). What's Next? Looking for more information about your AP exam? We've got expert guides to AP US History, AP Chemistry, and AP Psychology. If your AP exam has a DBQ, check out my total overview of the DBQandmy how-to DBQ essay guide. Looking for AP exam resources? Check out our guide to finding quality AP practice tests. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Reflective writing#2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reflective writing#2 - Essay Example During that time, I knew that she wrote the name of her crush at the back of her Bible. It was also during that time that I did something unforgivable to her as her best friend. What I did was I went and opened my big, attention-deficient mouth and told our classmates that my best friend wrote the name of her crush at the back of her Bible. And since we were in elementary then, it was only natural that my classmates would be curious about the identity of that person. They all started borrowing her Bible just to see the name written at the back. At first, she didn't know why people started borrowing her Bible. Eventually, though, she did find out the reason. Needless to say, my best friend got very angry at me, then. It was the first time that a friend, a best friend, of mine got that angry at me. She didn't talk to me for a long time, even after I apologized, and I didn't know what to do since I knew I was the one at fault. But after some time, though, I think she forgave me. We were on speaking terms again, but our relationship was never the same. I had a harder time relating to her because I always thought that she was still mad at me. My guilt, even when I was that young, ate me alive. That memory is one of my most unforgettable ones and, until now, serves as the setting in which I learned two lessons which for me are very important. The first is being careful of what I allow to get out of my mouth and the second is the importance of a best friend. One who reads this might wonder how it is possible for an elementary kid to learn such seemingly grown-up truths. Actually, I would have to admit that I didn't really realize those two until the latter part of my high school years. I'm not saying that it is impossible for a 3rd grader to realize something like that, either. In contrast, I think it is young children that are most able to believe in friendship and its importance. But going back, the first lesson that I learned, which is being careful of the things I say, is something I realized recently that I have to take more seriously again. Sure, ever since that time, I have been careful to keep my mouth shut, especially with secrets. But recently, I noticed that I've been partially going back to my old ways, which is getting attention by giving information. You know, you say things that would interest people so that you can keep their attention. Also, I have started to say semi-mean things to people as a joke. It might not seem to affect them, but I know that such words do have an effect on them. Who knows, they might dismiss the words now, but in the future, when a time comes when they're feeling down or depressed, the words I uttered might come back to haunt them. The mind, after all, is one huge storage database. It is not just an issue of karma which people say goes around, nor is it a case of reaping what one sows, although, now that I think about it, it may be a bit of the latter. But being careful of what I say is one of the ways I can help, build up or destroy the people around me. As I heard somewhere, words are powerful. Actually, the mouth with its words is probably the one most capable of inflicting a wound that would take years to heal. I remember an instance years ago when my father left to go with my mom to her hometown. While he was gone, his brother went by our house to visit. I've already forgotten