Talcott Parsons free essay sample

American sociologist who served on the faculty of Harvard University from 1927 to 1973. Parsons developed a general theory for the study of society called action theory, based on the methodological principle of voluntarism and the epistemological principle of analytical realism. The theory attempted to establish a balance between two major methodological traditions, that of the utilitarian-positivist tradition on the one hand and the hermeneutic-idealistic tradition on the other. For Parsons, voluntarism established a third alternative between these two. More than a theory of society, Parsons presented a theory of social evolution and a concrete interpretation of the drives and directions of world history. Parsons analyzed the work of Emile Durkheim and Vilfredo Pareto and evaluated their contributions within the light of the paradigm of voluntaristic action. Parsons was also largely responsible for introducing and interpreting Max Webers work to American audiences. Although he was generally considered a major structuralist functionalist scholar, in an article late in life, Parsons explicitly wrote that the term functional or structural functionalist were inappropriate ways to describe the character of his theory. We will write a custom essay sample on Talcott Parsons or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 1][2] For Parsons structural functionalism was the term of a particular stage in the methodological development of the social science; it was never a name for any specific school or specific direction. Functionalism itself was a universal method and again not a name for any specific school. In the same way, the concept grand theory is a derogative term, which Parsons himself never used.

Go To Hell In Italian - Va AllInferno

Go To Hell In Italian - Va AllInferno While the sentiment isnt simpatico, sometimes youre forced to proclaim it: Go to Hell! It could be in response to a perceived insult, a misdeed, or an instance of road rage on the autostrada. Whatever the reason, if you find yourself in such a situation, there are a number of nuanced ways, ranging from mild to blasphemous and ironic to literal to express your wrath in Italian. Your Own Personal Hell One thing to keep in mind when considering the insult Go to Hell! are the cultural differences between the United States  and Italy. American English speakers, for instance, should take notice that mentioning Hell is not blasphemous in Italy, where â€Å"Va allinferno! - Go to Hell!† is a milder phrase than Vaffanculo! (Mildly translated as â€Å"Up yours!†). If you want to learn more parolacce, or bad words, read this article: 8 Swear Words to Add Sass to Your Vocabulary in Italian.   TIP: The word parolaccia is formed from parola - word and the suffix -accio, which is used to talk about things that are considered bad or unfavorable. Click here to learn more suffixes like this.   As a native Italian points out with regard to similar terms, Gesà ¹! (Jesus!) is more an elderly ladys pious interjection than a blasphemous one. Cristo!, on the other hand, is not exactly blasphemous, but some people might resent the use of the word as an interjection. Hellish Vocabulary Whenever using any of these Italian expletives- whether mild or harsh- be aware that context is critical. While muttering Va a quel Paese! to your friends wont even lift an eyebrow, some of the more creative turns of phrase listed below should only be used if youre absolutely certain that those within earshot wont be offended. Here are some ways, then, to tell someone to Go to Hell! in Italian: Mild expressions: Va a quel PaeseVa’ a fare un giroVa’... Va a ranare (this is dialect)Va al diavoloVa allinfernoVa in mona (regional Venetian)Va un po...Vaffambagno Less mild expression: Vaffantasca Harsh expressions: Va a farti fottereVa a dar via l culo (regional Northern Italian and is really harsh)Vaffanculo Road Sign For Literary Fame So the next time someone provokes you, youll have a number of ways to express how upset you are. And if for some reason, someone tells you to Go to Hell! in Italian, consider it a directive for success. After all, Dante Alighieri figuratively went to Hell in order to write LInferno, the first volume of his three-part epic La Divina Commedia,  and he became famous for it.

Writing a Statistics Essay A Complete Guide

Writing a Statistics Essay A Complete Guide Writing a statistics essay is quite different from the kind of essay writing you are probably used to, as it requires a completely different set of skills and competencies to successfully complete. Students excelling at all other types of essays may find themselves confused by its requirements, and vice versa, those usually struggling with their written assignments are often praised for the clarity and curtness of expression. The primary goal of a statistics essay is to report the quantitative findings of research; beautiful turns of phrase and brilliant reasoning are far less important than the ability to present facts in a meaningful sequence and make logical conclusions based on them. If you experience problems with your statistics essay writing, you’ve come to the right place – in this guide you will find all the information necessary to write your own texts of this type without any additional help. Pre-Writing Tips Selecting a Topic The most important characteristic of a topic you should look out for is that it should be firmly grounded in facts. If the subject matter is vague and unquantifiable, then it doesn’t suit your purposes. As for other characteristics of a good topic, consider: How much you already know about the issue in question. It is best to avoid topics you know absolutely nothing about. Not only will you have to do all your research from scratch if you choose one, but it may also turn out to be impossible to find solid proof at all; How much information on the topic there is. Do a background check on the topic you are about to choose. You may want to use an online academic database like Google Scholar, Microsoft Academic Search, EBSCO to name a few. These databases can be really helpful in finding sources of information on specific topics and, what is no less important, they usually show how many times this or that source has been referred to in peer-reviewed papers. It is a good indication of how trustworthy this or that source is; If you are interested in the topic. Gathering statistical data isn’t the most exciting pastime. Being genuinely interested in what you are writing about can make this task much more palatable; If it is possible to alter the topic. Sometimes, even when the assignment seems to be set in stone, it may be worth asking your instructor for some alterations. More often than not, your request will be granted, as long as it is reasonable. Here are a few options you can use as examples: Is Life Possible on Mars Based on Currently Available Data; The Spread of Personal Transport in the First 10 Years after the Introduction of Ford Model T; Influence of Teaching Methods on Mindsets of Generations; Data Interpretation and Its Importance in Promoting the Growth of a Startup; Prior Exercise and Concentration of Blood Lactate. As you can see, statistics can deal with virtually any area of human knowledge; so don’t be afraid of choosing a topic that looks unusual both to you and your instructor. Writing up an Outline Writing an essay without a clear-cut plan will lead to waste of time, effort and energy. Students who write following a plan they prepared beforehand complete their work faster, don’t forget to mention crucial details and write in a more structured and organized manner, getting better grades and enjoying a good reputation with their instructors as a result. That’s why preparing an outline is a crucial step in writing any text, and it shouldn’t be omitted. Structurally, a statistics essay consists of the following parts: Introduction usually, it serves the purpose of grasping and retaining the reader’s attention, and statistics essays are no different in this respect. However, you should take into account the nature of what you write – assignments of this kind have their grounding in facts, and your introduction should contain some leading up to the important statistical and factual data you are going to discuss; Thesis statement – the statement of the problem that led you to the research in question. More about it later; Body paragraphs – they should contain a detailed analysis of the statistical data produced by research; Conclusion – it contains the summary of your work and the conclusions you’ve come to. Your essay may include these parts without individual headings, but if you want to make your paper easier to navigate you can add them. Gathering the Sources of Information: Several Resources from Our Writers Collecting your own data to write a statistics essay is usually not worth it. Data gathering is a complicated, extremely time-consuming and often thankless task, and an essay is usually too small an assignment to call for such investments of time and effort. Remember, the primary goal of statistics essay writing is to teach you how to analyze the information, not how to gather it, and it is exactly what the majority of your time should be dedicated to. This means that the majority of your information will come from other sources: peer-reviewed papers, data sets, books, reports, articles, anywhere you can find it. In addition to libraries and online databases, there are plenty of opportunities for getting reliable statistical information on the Internet. The exact places will vary depending on your discipline. For example, Pew Research Center is an excellent source of reports and statistics covering social trends both in the United States and abroad. Population Reference Bureau is a treasure trove of information on population, environment and health statistics. If you need information on more specific topics, there are plenty of resources covering narrower fields, like Uniform Crime Reporting (criminal justice), Homeland Security immigration statistics (immigration) or labor statistics by the Department of Labor. As for other sources of information that don’t have a credible organization behind them, you have to be very careful about their credibility. Always check the following: Who is the author and what are his credentials? Is he a specialist in the topic he covers? Are there any other works by the same author on this topic? Is the author biased? Are there any indications of this (emotional language, author’s background or views, discrepancies between the article’s intended and real purpose)? What is the quality of other content from the same source? If the source comes from a website, what are its goals? Are there any advertisements? In what ways does the website make money? If you want to cite a particular passage, copy/paste it into Google to check if it appears elsewhere; Does the author cite his sources? Are the sources cited real? Does he provide proof for his statements? Answering these questions will give you a good indication of whether a particular source can be trusted. Writing Tips Introduction and Thesis Statement You should start with a reason why you believe your topic to be worthy of research. For example, you may state that it is an area of established interest or, vice versa, belongs to a relatively new area of study. However, no matter how new and original the topic of your essay is, it cannot exist in isolation from the existing body of research – each essay should contain at least one reference to prior research on the subject related to its topic, and the introduction is a good place to mention it. A thesis statement is, in short, a boiled-down version of your essay’s main idea. For example, if you study the correlations between the gross national product and literacy levels (the topic), your thesis statement may be something like â€Å"According to statistics, the greater gross national product per capita, the higher the literacy rate in the country†. A thesis statement should come at the end of the introduction and meet the following requirements: Be no longer than two (better one) relatively short sentences; Be clear and unambiguous. You should be able to bring your entire idea to a single definite point. If you find it necessary to mention two or more points to explain what your essay is about, your topic is probably a bit unfocused and needs some further clarification; Be logically and smoothly connected to the preceding part of the introduction and the following body paragraph; Be relevant. After you finish your essay and proofread it, pay special attention to your thesis statement to make sure you haven’t drifted away from what you originally intended to write about. Body Paragraphs and General Style Body paragraphs serve to either prove or disprove the hypothesis you’ve mentioned in your thesis statement through facts and their analysis. A hypothesis is an assertion that isn’t initially supported by facts but gains credibility in the course of attempts to disprove it. Of course, it is more fulfilling to propose and support a hypothesis you find true after testing it, but it may be an interesting intellectual exercise to do exactly the opposite: propose a hypothesis and refute it on your own. Remember: whether the body of evidence ends up supporting or disproving your hypothesis by itself doesn’t influence your grade, only the quality of your research work does. Here are some general statistics essay writing tips you should take into account when writing your body paragraphs: The style of statistics essays is usually quite formal – there is no place to exclamation marks, ellipses, emotional language, contractions and, of course, slang and jargon. Sentences are matter-of-fact and are only concerned with transferring information in the most efficient way possible. That’s why you shouldn’t worry too much about such stylistic aspects as a tautology – on the contrary, use the same word to refer to a concept throughout your essay, it will help to make it easier to understand; When you quote something, make sure you do it accurately and don’t change the source material. Also, make it obvious that it is a quotation and not your own words, otherwise you may be accused of plagiarism; Use paragraphs as primary units of meaning. One paragraph should contain no more than a single point in support of your hypothesis plus a few pieces of supporting evidence; Connect paragraphs with transition words and phrases to ensure the logical connection between the parts of your essay; Differentiate between primary and secondary sources and don’t rely on the latter too much. Secondary sources are the those that are cited in primary ones. If you like a quotation, either quote it with a phrase ‘as cited in’, or find it the original source and read it. Never quote sources you haven’t read as if you did. Conclusion Here you summarize your research and provide a link to the broader problem you’ve mentioned in the introduction. There isn’t much to say about this part – you simply provide a short summary of your work and conclusions you’ve come to. Did your research support or refute your initial hypothesis? If your hypothesis was supported, how applicable your theory is (how much variance does it cover?)? Answer these questions, and your conclusion will be alright. Post-Writing Tips If you don’t neglect the proofreading stage, your chances of getting a good grade greatly increase – students often miss mistakes, both grammatical and stylistic, while they write and reread their essay immediately after finishing it. If there is any time until the submission date, let your essay lie for at least a few days before proofreading it; Get a few other people to read it for you – the author is always subjective towards his own work and tends to miss things; Check if the essay’s structure works as intended: all parts perform their functions, there are obvious transitions between paragraphs, each paragraph contains but a single point, etc.; Check if all your arguments are relevant for your hypothesis; Check if your arguments have any weak spots and address them; Make sure you are critical when reviewing the evidence and present all the points of view on the subject; Make sure your writing doesn’t show any signs of biased opinions. Writing a statistics essay may be quite unlike anything else you did in the course of your academic career, but with the help of this statistics essay writing guide, you will be able to acquire the necessary experience to deal with it just as easily as with any assignment you are used to.

Tiempo de espera green card de hermanos de ciudadano

Tiempo de espera green card de hermanos de ciudadano La peticià ³n de una tarjeta de residencia, conocida como green card, que realiza un ciudadano americano para su hermano o hermana es uno de los trmites migratorios que ms tarda, desde los cinco hasta los veinte aà ±os de espera. Aquà ­ le explicamos el por quà ©. Bajo la ley de Inmigracià ³n, el Congreso de los Estados Unidos limita el nà ºmero de visas que se emiten de acuerdo al estatus del peticionario (esposa, hijo/a soltero/a, padres, hermano/a, hijo/a casado/a) y a su paà ­s de origen. El tiempo de espera depende entonces de estos dos factores: origen y categorà ­a. Los tiempos de espera dependen de la nacionalidad del pedido y de la relacià ³n con el ciudadano, ya que cada paà ­s tiene una cuota là ­mite y cada categorà ­a un nà ºmero determinado de visas otorgadas anualmente. Los hermanos y hermanas de los ciudadanos pertenecen a la categorà ­a F4, la à ºltima de las categorà ­as de preferencia familiar: El nà ºmero total de visas otorgadas para esta categorà ­a en el aà ±o 2018 ascendà ­an a las 65.000 con un tiempo de espera promedio de diez aà ±os, con menos y ms aà ±os dependiendo del caso. En esta categorà ­a estn incluidos los hermanos/as biolà ³gicos, los hermanos por adopcià ³n y los hermanastros/as. Si el consulado tiene duda acerca de la relacià ³n entre el ciudadano y el beneficiario, puede solicitar una prueba de ADN. La espera Como norma, los servicios de ciudadanà ­a e inmigracià ³n de los Estados Unidos (USCIS) tramitan las peticiones de tarjetas de residencia en orden de llegada de la peticià ³n. La espera promedio es de diez aà ±os. Pero hay paà ­ses de origen cuyas visas se demoran ms que las otras: Mà ©xico, China, India y Filipinas, cuyas esperas a veces ascienden a los veinte aà ±os. Es importante aclarar que no todos los casos son iguales y no todas las visas de las personas del mismo paà ­s de origen tardan el mismo tiempo. La clave es la fecha en la que la peticià ³n fue aprobada (fecha de prioridad). Para que haya claridad, en el 2018 habà ­a 65.000 visas para otorgar pero miles de ms peticiones. Las que no clasifican en el cupo anual pasan al aà ±o siguiente, y asà ­ sucesivamente hasta que obtienen su tarjeta de residencia. De ahà ­ la espera. Vale la pena anotar que hay mucho rumor y desinformacià ³n acerca de los tiempos de espera; siempre consulte las fuentes oficiales y no se deje guiar por lo que oye de otras personas. Cada caso es diferente. Para estar al corriente de sus tiempos de espera puede consultar la pgina de USCIS con su nà ºmero de caso a la mano. Breve descripcià ³n del proceso Para aclarar dudas y ayudarle a entender el proceso sepa que para pedir una green card para su hermano/a hay que: Ser ciudadano americano y haber cumplido ya los 21 aà ±os de edadTener solvencia econà ³mica para patrocinar al familiarLlenar y enviar el formulario I-130 Estar en contacto con el Centro Nacional de VisasEntender que una solicitud aprobada no es lo mismo que una visa aprobadaSaber quà © es la fecha de prioridadRevisar cada mes el Boletà ­n de Visas del Departamento de Estado y comprobar quà © fecha se est gestionando para calcular cunto tiempo ms queda para recibir la green cardRevisar el affidavit of support  y tener claro sus requisitosPedir ayuda a un abogado si hay dudas en cà ³mo proceder Por à ºltimo: situaciones problemticas Hermano indocumentado: el problema con un hermano/a indocumentado en territorio de los Estados Unidos es que este/a no podrà ­a ajustar su estatus y podrà ­a aplicarse el castigo de los tres y de los diez aà ±os en el momento en que sale del paà ­s a presentarse a la entrevista en el consulado.Peticià ³n negada: Si la peticià ³n por una green card para su hermano/a fue negada, revise aquà ­ las posibles causas.

Emergency Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Emergency Management - Essay Example Safety training is a broad course that encompasses knowledge and use of specialized gear, self-defense techniques, environmental hazard studies, site evaluations, rescue operations and staff health and fitness curriculum. The paper delves into each of these topics explaining how each contributes to the improvement of emergency responder’s rescue capabilities and job performance. To what degree does safety training effectively improve emergency responder’s rescue capabilities and job performance? Disasters and emergencies can occur at any time and this requires the emergency responders to be prepared to handle such emergencies. In the United States, emergencies occur on a daily basis and emergency responders are required to answer the calls for help from citizens and take on jobs which have high potential risks. Emergencies can either be single or a series of incidents which cause disruptions in normal activities or threaten human life, property or assets if they are not immediately put under control, stabilized or contained. Emergency responders deal with a range of emergencies from the small scale everyday incidences that affect individuals and families to the large scale disasters which affect nations such as hurricanes, terrorist attacks and earthquakes (La Tourrette, 2003). The response to disasters over the last decade has raised questions regarding the effectiveness and capabilities of emergency responders. The response to emergencies has been found to be wanting. This has raised the need for emergency responders to be equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge through safety training for them to be effectively prepared for such emergencies. Emergency responders are usually deployed on the scene of a disaster or emergency to assist in rescue efforts. They may also be deployed to these sites to safeguard property, evacuate the victims from buildings, and provide any form of medical assistance to the victims (La Tourrette, 2003). Emergen cy responders who engage in rescue activities during such incidents include fire fighters, emergency medical personnel, and law enforcement agencies. Fire fighters are usually assigned the role of containing substances which are hazardous, putting out fires as well as the search and rescue of disaster victims. Emergency medical personnel usually assist in the rescue operations by providing medical care to injured victims. Law enforcement agencies, on the other hand, are responsible for maintaining law and order in the scene of the disaster, restriction of access to the disaster scene and the removal of injured and contaminated individuals from the scene of the disaster (Beaton, 2002). For emergency responders to perform their functions safely and effectively, safety training is expected. Safety training programs which are administered play a significant role in enhancing the response to emergencies and disasters. They can be broken down into workplace safety practices, safety practi ces in the line of duty and testing of physical wellness and fitness. The safety training helps emergency responders to understand their individual functions and responsibilities at the scene of the disaster. Accordingly, the different categories of emergency r

What's hot in Information Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

What's hot in Information Systems - Essay Example WebGL allows the client to browse freely within the website and offer an added advantage when it comes to the graphics. Many browsers require plug-ins for some of the graphics to play. However, the use of WebGL allows the client to enjoy using a website with less hassles and quicker navigation (My Opera). It also provides a beautiful environment that excites and attracts a user as they interact with the 3D creations in real-time (Cozzi and Riccio 28). The fact that one can share and publish 3D content at a quicker pace is also appealing. This means that clients can share the product with their friends; hence acting as marketing agents (Khronos group). It is accessible through a variety of user interfaces such as mouse or touch technology; thus reaching a wider audience through different platforms (Nilsson 1). In this era of digitization, such applications are crucial for business entities. The boost that the WebGL performance offers in business should not be underestimated. It is a strong tool that has been recommended by developers from Sony Inc. and Google Inc. among many other renowned software

Discuss the evidence for and against schachters theory of emotion Essay

Discuss the evidence for and against schachters theory of emotion - Essay Example Interestingly, and significantly, some theories complement or reinforce each other, while some negate or refute each other. One of the most cited and discussed about theories on emotions is the Two-Factor Theory of Emotions which Stanley Schachter, together with Jerome Singer, proposed in 1962. It posits that emotion has two components or factors, the physiological arousal and cognition. In simpler terms, this means that our environment as well as our thought processes influence the kind of emotions we have in certain situations. What the theory tells us is that our emotional response to any given situation is influenced by an interplay of factors. First, the environment arouses bodily response such as change in heartbeat, sweating, etc., and, sensing these bodily changes, the individual now appraises what emotion he/she is feeling in that particular situation. Appraisal would be based on past experiences of similar events. To further understand the theory, it would be helpful to picture this out: A man is left alone in a big house which is believed to be haunted. He hears some noise upstairs. He suddenly feels his heartbeat quicken, his sweating becomes excessive. Realizing that he is alone in that house which is believed to be haunted, he now concludes it is scary and so he feels scared or frightened. Several experiments and further scrutiny by other scholars and psychologists to prove or refute the theory were conducted. There were some that supported or reinforced his theory, but there were also others that refuted it. Schachter and Singer themselves conducted experiments to prove the validity of their theory. They conducted the â€Å"Suproxin† experiment among 184 male students of a university wherein they grouped the subjects into informed and uninformed groups in two emotional conditions, which were euphoria and anger. The environmental factors introduced were the adrenaline

Leadership and Sustainability Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Leadership and Sustainability - Assignment Example In fact, leaders have come under consideration to be the most substantial elements for the organization and its success. This is because leaders are the people who implement and bring into practice the new strategies and methodologies, as these new techniques or the innovations are the prospective features that facilitate the organizations to accomplish constructive financial outcomes and overall profitability (Gallos, pp. 1-10). Leadership likewise has also come under observation as a process, rather than a trait or a characteristic. However, leadership has come under definition by its promoters as â€Å"process of  social influence  in which one person is able to enlist the aid and  support  of others in the accomplishment of a common  task† (Chamorro-Premuzic, pp. 144). In addition, it also refers to gather, systematize, and manage a cluster of population that can work towards the accomplishment of a shared and widespread goal. The leaders have the ability to infl uence others in a way that they respond willingly to the leader. Besides, it has also come under notice that leaders regulate their leadership style with reference to the situations as well as to the directed people (Chamorro-Premuzic, pp. 143-148). ... Nevertheless, extensive studies suggests that the current leadership styles is immense, colossal, complicated and multifaceted that is in a constant process of magnification. In fact, more and more companies nowadays are looking to sustainability leadership as the core competency in the competition (Pride & Hughes &  Kapoor, pp. 179-186). Scholars even view the fact that patterns of thoughts and actions are not the only attributes that comes under leadership styles, as it is something more than that. However, according to few of the authors, leadership style has come under reference as the method or approach that a leader leads that include his or her communication style and skills of leadership, the way of practicing power and authority, and the impact of these techniques on others (Pride & Hughes &  Kapoor, pp. 179-186). Researchers even bring into limelight that leadership styles lay its foundation on several frameworks, despite the fact that they indicate different and divers e viewpoints, yet the core and fundamental principal behind all continue to portray the same meaning. Empirical studies in the wake of the leadership styles not only illustrate the affiliation and liaison between various factors that support leadership styles, organizational culture and the demands of its environment, but also depict the effects on the performance of the organization (Pride & Hughes &  Kapoor, pp. 179-186). While looking at diverse types of leadership, every sort of leadership works and proves to be efficient, but only in certain cases, where the organization’s business functions and operations are the key responsible elements in determining which

Web site review asignment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Web site review asignment - Research Paper Example The three insurance companies reviewed in this paper are namely, AIG, Allianz and American Family Insurance. AIG and Allianz are both well-established in fact they hold the fourth and third places in the world, respectively. Meanwhile, American Family is a fast-growing insurance company established in 1927. Allianz originates in Germany while the other two are American companies. Expectedly, these three companies maintain websites for promotions and other customer concerns. As insurance companies, the three are expected to have something in common: all offer insurance coverage for individuals and businesses. Nevertheless, American Family makes a big difference in terms of its products and services. Table 1 presents a summary of what the three companies offer. The three insurance providers have some products in common including auto, health, life, and home/property insurance. At first glance, one can determine that American Family has more coverage than the two other companies, especially in terms of individual products. Likewise, the other two share the same range of benefits except for educational package, which only AIG offers. Insurance for vehicles have become a common trend, hence the three companies present coverage of such on their websites. Auto insurance usually covers new automobiles, and such is the case with the three companies. All boast of a wide coverage but AIG limits itself to luxury cars. Meanwhile, the two other companies offer almost the same products and services, including coverage of motor vehicles. Both of them have repair and towing services 24 hours a day, under even the most difficult weather conditions. Notably, American Family includes accessory programs to their usual coverage such as the Teen Safe Driver, Auto Rental Reimbursement and discounts to services. It is good to see that the two websites enumerate their programs and services but Allianz has a better way of

Ethnic group Essay Example for Free

Ethnic group Essay The general argument made by Leonard Pitts Jr., in his work, Don’t lower the bar on education standards, is that states are trying to fix education by lowering their expectations per certain group of students. More specifically, he argues that they’re creating separate and unequal performance standards for their black, white, Hispanic, Asian, and disabled children. He writes, â€Å"Florida set a goal of having 86 percent of white kids at or above grade level by 2018. For black kids, the goal is 74 percent. † In this passage, he is suggesting that schools are wrongly establishing lower education standards and are even varying the standards between races. In conclusion, Pitts’ belief is that this â€Å"reverse racism† gives kids of minorities the mistaken idea that they carry some inherent deficiency that renders them unable to compete with other kids on an equal playing field. Look more:  ethnicity example essay Pitts is right, because it is wrong to lower standards to make students appear smarter. More specifically, setting different standards for different ethnic groups is also infuriating. For example, an analogy Pitts’ used was that athletic directors have noticed a decline in white kids going out for basketball. They feel like they can’t compete with the black kids. What if we addressed that by lowering the rim for white kids? This analogy displays a situation similar to that of the education standards. Overall, no one wants to know that they are inferior at something just because of their race. Therefore, in conclusion, Pitts makes a wonderful argument on why lowering these standards is wrong. Ultimately, they can’t fix education by lowering the bar. They must do it by lifting the students.

Life Of Pi | Character Analysis

Life Of Pi | Character Analysis Piscine Molitor Patel is the protagonist and, for most of the novel, the narrator. In the chapters that frame the main story, Pi, as a shy, graying, middle-aged man, tells the author about his early childhood and the shipwreck that changed his life. This narrative device distances the reader from the truth. We dont know whether Pis story is accurate or what pieces to believe. This effect is intentional; throughout Pi emphasizes the importance of choosing the better story, believing that imagination trumps cold, hard facts. As a child, he reads widely and embraces many religions and their rich narratives that provide meaning and dimension to life. In his interviews with the Japanese investigators after his rescue, he offers first the more fanciful version of his time at sea. But, at their behest, he then provides an alternative version that is more realistic but ultimately less appealing to both himself and his questioners. The structure of the novel both illustrates Pis defining char acteristic, his dependence on and love of stories, and highlights the inherent difficulties in trusting his version of events. http://imagec10.247realmedia.com/RealMedia/ads/Creatives/default/empty.gif Though the narrative jumps back and forth in time, the novel traces Pis development and maturation in a traditional bildungsroman, or coming-of-age story. Pi is an eager, outgoing, and excitable child, dependent on his family for protection and guidance. In school, his primary concerns involve preventing his schoolmates from mispronouncing his name and learning as much as he can about religion and zoology. But when the ship sinks, Pi is torn from his family and left alone on a lifeboat with wild animals. The disaster serves as the catalyst in his emotional growth; he must now become self-sufficient. Though he mourns the loss of his family and fears for his life, he rises to the challenge. He finds a survival guide and emergency provisions. Questioning his own values, he decides that his vegetarianism is a luxury under the conditions and learns to fish. He capably protects himself from Richard Parker and even assumes a parental relationship with the tiger, providing him with food and keeping him in line. The devastating shipwreck turns Pi into an adult, able to fend for himself out in the world alone. Pis belief in God inspires him as a child and helps sustain him while at sea. In Pondicherry, his atheistic biology teacher challenges his Hindu faith in God, making him realize the positive power of belief, the need to overcome the otherwise bleakness of the universe. Motivated to learn more, Pi starts practicing Christianity and Islam, realizing these religions all share the same foundation: belief in a loving higher power. His burgeoning need for spiritual connection deepens while at sea. In his first days on the lifeboat, he almost gives up, unable to bear the loss of his family and unwilling to face the difficulties that still await him. At that point, however, he realizes that the fact he is still alive means that God is with him; he has been given a miracle. This thought gives him strength, and he decides to fight to remain alive. Throughout his adventure, he prays regularly, which provides him with solace, a sense of connection to something greater, and a way to pass the time . Richard Parker Pis companion throughout his ordeal at sea is Richard Parker, a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger. Unlike many novels in which animals speak or act like humans, Richard Parker is portrayed as a real animal that acts in ways true to his species. It can be difficult to accept that a tiger and a boy could exist on a lifeboat alone, however, in the context of the novel, it seems plausible. Captured as a cub, Parker grew up in the zoo and is accustomed to a life in captivity. He is used to zookeepers training and providing for him, so he is able to respond to cues from Pi and submit to his dominance. However, he is no docile house cat. He has been tamed, but he still acts instinctually, swimming for the lifeboat in search of shelter and killing the hyena and the blind castaway for food. When the two wash up on the shore of Mexico, Richard Parker doesnt draw out his parting with Pi, he simply runs off into the jungle, never to be seen again. Though Richard Parker is quite fearsome, ironically his presence helps Pi stay alive. Alone on the lifeboat, Pi has many issues to face in addition to the tiger onboard: lack of food and water, predatory marine life, treacherous sea currents, and exposure to the elements. Overwhelmed by the circumstances and terrified of dying, Pi becomes distraught and unable to take action. However, he soon realizes that his most immediate threat is Richard Parker. His other problems now temporarily forgotten, Pi manages, through several training exercises, to dominate Parker. This success gives him confidence, making his other obstacles seem less insurmountable. Renewed, Pi is able to take concrete steps toward ensuring his continued existence: searching for food and keeping himself motivated. Caring and providing for Richard Parker keeps Pi busy and passes the time. Without Richard Parker to challenge and distract him, Pi might have given up on life. After he washes up on land in Mexico, he thank s the tiger for keeping him alive. Richard Parker symbolizes Pis most animalistic instincts. Out on the lifeboat, Pi must perform many actions to stay alive that he would have found unimaginable in his normal life. An avowed vegetarian, he must kill fish and eat their flesh. As time progresses, he becomes more brutish about it, tearing apart birds and greedily stuffing them in his mouth, the way Richard Parker does. After Richard Parker mauls the blind Frenchman, Pi uses the mans flesh for bait and even eats some of it, becoming cannibalistic in his unrelenting hunger. In his second story to the Japanese investigators, Pi is Richard Parker. He kills his mothers murderer. Parker is the version of himself that Pi has invented to make his story more palatable, both to himself and to his audience. The brutality of his mothers death and his own shocking act of revenge are too much for Pi to deal with, and he finds it easier to imagine a tiger as the killer, rather than himself in that role. Character List Piscine Molitor Patel (Pi) The protagonist of the story. Piscine is the narrator for most of the novel, and his account of his seven months at sea forms the bulk of the story. He gets his unusual name from the French word for pool-and, more specifically, from a pool in Paris in which a close family friend, Francis Adirubasamy, loved to swim. A student of zoology and religion, Pi is deeply intrigued by the habits and characteristics of animals and people. http://imagec10.247realmedia.com/RealMedia/ads/Creatives/default/empty.gif Richard Parker The Royal Bengal tiger with whom Pi shares his lifeboat. His captor, Richard Parker, named him Thirsty, but a shipping clerk made a mistake and reversed their names. From then on, at the Pondicherry Zoo, he was known as Richard Parker. Weighing 450 pounds and about nine feet long, he kills the hyena on the lifeboat and the blind cannibal. With Pi, however, Richard Parker acts as an omega, or submissive, animal, respecting Pis dominance. Read an in-depth analysis of Richard Parker. The Author The narrator of the (fictitious) Authors Note, who inserts himself into the narrative at several points throughout the text. Though the author who pens the Authors Note never identifies himself by name, there are many clues that indicate it is Yann Martel himself, thinly disguised: he lives in Canada, has published two books, and was inspired to write Pis life story during a trip to India. Francis Adirubasamy The elderly man who tells the author Pis story during a chance meeting in a Pondicherry coffee shop. He taught Pi to swim as a child and bestowed upon him his unusual moniker. He arranges for the author to meet Pi in person, so as to get a first-person account of his strange and compelling tale. Pi calls him Mamaji, an Indian term that means respected uncle. Ravi Pis older brother. Ravi prefers sports to schoolwork and is quite popular. He teases his younger brother mercilessly over his devotion to three religions. Santosh Patel Pis father. He once owned a Madras hotel, but because of his deep interest in animals decided to run the Pondicherry Zoo. A worrier by nature, he teaches his sons not only to care for and control wild animals, but to fear them. Though raised a Hindu, he is not religious and is puzzled by Pis adoption of numerous religions. The difficult conditions in India lead him to move his family to Canada. http://imagec10.247realmedia.com/RealMedia/ads/Creatives/default/empty.gif Gita Patel Pis beloved mother and protector. A book lover, she encourages Pi to read widely. Raised Hindu with a Baptist education, she does not subscribe to any religion and questions Pis religious declarations. She speaks her mind, letting her husband know when she disagrees with his parenting techniques. When Pi relates another version of his story to his rescuers, she takes the place of Orange Juice on the lifeboat. Satish Kumar Pis atheistic biology teacher at Petit Sà ©minaire, a secondary school in Pondicherry. A polio survivor, he is an odd-looking man, with a body shaped like a triangle. His devotion to the power of scientific inquiry and explanation inspires Pi to study zoology in college. Father Martin The Catholic priest who introduces Pi to Christianity after Pi wanders into his church. He preaches a message of love. He, the Muslim Mr. Kumar, and the Hindu pandit disagree about whose religion Pi should practice. Satish Kumar A plain-featured Muslim mystic with the same name as Pis biology teacher. He works in a bakery. Like the other Mr. Kumar, this one has a strong effect on Pis academic plans: his faith leads Pi to study religion at college. The Hindu Pandit One of three important religious figures in the novel. Never given a name, he is outraged when Pi, who was raised Hindu, begins practicing other religions. He and the other two religious leaders are quieted somewhat by Pis declaration that he just wants to love God. Meena Patel Pis wife, whom the author meets briefly in Toronto. Nikhil Patel (Nick) Pis son. He plays baseball. Usha Patel Pis young daughter. She is shy but very close to her father. The Hyena An ugly, intensely violent animal. He controls the lifeboat before Richard Parker emerges. The Zebra A beautiful male Grants zebra. He breaks his leg jumping into the lifeboat. The hyena torments him and eats him alive. Orange Juice The maternal orangutan that floats to the lifeboat on a raft of bananas. She suffers almost humanlike bouts of loneliness and seasickness. When the hyena attacks her, she fights back valiantly but is nonetheless killed and decapitated. The Blind Frenchman A fellow castaway whom Pi meets by chance in the middle of the ocean. Driven by hunger and desperation, he tries to kill and cannibalize Pi, but Richard Parker kills him first. Tomohiro Okamoto An official from the Maritime Department of the Japanese Ministry of Transport, who is investigating the sinking of the Japanese Tsimtsum. Along with his assistant, Atsuro Chiba, Okamoto interviews Pi for three hours and is highly skeptical of his first account. Atsuro Chiba Okamotos assistant. Chiba is the more naÃÆ' ¯ve and trusting of the two Japanese officials, and his inexperience at conducting interviews gets on his superiors nerves. Chiba agrees with Pi that the version of his ordeal with animals is the better than the one with people. The Cook The human counterpart to the hyena in Pis second story. He is rude and violent and hoards food on the lifeboat. After he kills the sailor and Pis mother, Pi stabs him and he dies. The Sailor The human counterpart to the zebra in Pis second story. He is young, beautiful, and exotic. He speaks only Chinese and is very sad and lonely in the lifeboat. He broke his leg jumping off the ship, and it becomes infected. The cook cuts off the leg, and the sailor dies slowly. Themes Themes, Motifs Symbols Themes The Will to Live Life of Pi is a story about struggling to survive through seemingly insurmountable odds. The shipwrecked inhabitants of the little lifeboat dont simply acquiesce to their fate: they actively fight against it. Pi abandons his lifelong vegetarianism and eats fish to sustain himself. Orange Juice, the peaceful orangutan, fights ferociously against the hyena. Even the severely wounded zebra battles to stay alive; his slow, painful struggle vividly illustrates the sheer strength of his life force. As Martel makes clear in his novel, living creatures will often do extraordinary, unexpected, and sometimes heroic things to survive. However, they will also do shameful and barbaric things if pressed. The hyenas treachery and the blind Frenchmans turn toward cannibalism show just how far creatures will go when faced with the possibility of extinction. At the end of the novel, when Pi raises the possibility that the fierce tiger, Richard Parker, is actually an aspect of his own personality, and that Pi himself is responsible for some of the horrific events he has narrated, the reader is forced to decide just what kinds of actions are acceptable in a life-or-death situation. The Importance of Storytelling http://imagec10.247realmedia.com/RealMedia/ads/Creatives/default/empty.gif Life of Pi is a story within a story within a story. The novel is framed by a (fictional) note from the author, Yann Martel, who describes how he first came to hear the fantastic tale of Piscine Molitor Patel. Within the framework of Martels narration is Pis fantastical first-person account of life on the open sea, which forms the bulk of the book. At the end of the novel, a transcript taken from an interrogation of Pi reveals the possible true story within that story: that there were no animals at all, and that Pi had spent those 227 days with other human survivors who all eventually perished, leaving only himself. Pi, however, is not a liar: to him, the various versions of his story each contain a different kind of truth. One version may be factually true, but the other has an emotional or thematic truth that the other cannot approach. Throughout the novel, Pi expresses disdain for rationalists who only put their faith in dry, yeastless factuality, when stories-which can amaze and inspire listeners, and are bound to linger longer in the imagination-are, to him, infinitely superior. Storytelling is also a means of survival. The true events of Pis sea voyage are too horrible to contemplate directly: any young boy would go insane if faced with the kinds of acts Pi (indirectly) tells his integrators he has witnessed. By recasting his account as an incredible tale about humanlike animals, Pi doesnt have to face the true cruelty human beings are actually capable of. Similarly, by creating the character of Richard Parker, Pi can disavow the ferocious, violent side of his personality that allowed him to survive on the ocean. Even this is not, technically, a lie in Pis eyes. He believes that the tiger-like aspect of his nature and the civilized, human aspect stand in tense opposition and occasional partnership with one another, just as the boy Pi and the tiger Richard Parker are both enemies and allies. The Nature of Religious Belief Life of Pi begins with an old man in Pondicherry who tells the narrator, I have a story that will make you believe in God. Storytelling and religious belief are two closely linked ideas in the novel. On a literal level, each of Pis three religions, Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam, come with its own set of tales and fables, which are used to spread the teachings and illustrate the beliefs of the faith. Pi enjoys the wealth of stories, but he also senses that, as Father Martin assured him was true of Christianity, each of these stories might simply be aspects of a greater, universal story about love. Stories and religious beliefs are also linked in Life of Pi because Pi asserts that both require faith on the part of the listener or devotee. Surprisingly for such a religious boy, Pi admires atheists. To him, the important thing is to believe in something, and Pi can appreciate an atheists ability to believe in the absence of God with no concrete proof of that absence. Pi has nothing but disdain, however, for agnostics, who claim that it is impossible to know either way, and who therefore refrain from making a definitive statement on the question of God. Pi sees this as evidence of a shameful lack of imagination. To him, agnostics who cannot make a leap of faith in either direction are like listeners who cannot appreciate the non-literal truth a fictional story might provide. Motifs Territorial Dominance http://imagec10.247realmedia.com/RealMedia/ads/Creatives/default/empty.gif Though Martels text deals with the seemingly boundless nature of the sea, it also studies the strictness of boundaries, borders, and demarcations. The careful way in which Pi marks off his territory and differentiates it from Richard Parkers is necessary for Pis survival. Animals are territorial creatures, as Pi notes: a family dog, for example, will guard its bed from intruders as if it were a lair. Tigers, as we learn from Richard Parker, are similarly territorial. They mark their space and define its boundaries carefully, establishing absolute dominance over every square inch of their area. To master Richard Parker, Pi must establish his control over certain zones in the lifeboat. He pours his urine over the tarp to designate a portion of the lifeboat as his territory, and he uses his whistle to ensure that Richard Parker stays within his designated space. The small size of the lifeboat and the relatively large size of its inhabitants make for a crowded vessel. In such a confined space, the demarcation of territory ensures a relatively peaceful relationship between man and beast. If Richard Parker is seen as an aspect of Pis own personality, the notion that a distinct boundary can be erected between the two represents Pis need to disavow the violent, animalistic side of his nature. Hunger and Thirst Unsurprisingly in a novel about a shipwrecked castaway, the characters in Life of Pi are continually fixated on food and water. Ironically, the lifeboat is surrounded by food and water; however, the salty water is undrinkable and the food is difficult to catch. Pi constantly struggles to land a fish or pull a turtle up over the side of the craft, just as he must steadily and consistently collect fresh drinking water using the solar stills. The repeated struggles against hunger and thirst illustrate the sharp difference between Pis former life and his current one on the boat. In urban towns such as Pondicherry, people are fed like animals in a zoo-they never have to expend much effort to obtain their sustenance. But on the open ocean, it is up to Pi to fend for himself. His transition from modern civilization to the more primitive existence on the open sea is marked by his attitudes toward fish: initially Pi, a vegetarian, is reluctant to kill and eat an animal. Only once the fish is lifeless, looking as it might in a market, does Pi feel better. As time goes on, Pis increasing comfort with eating meat signals his embrace of his new life. Ritual Throughout the novel, characters achieve comfort through the practice of rituals. Animals are creatures of habit, as Pi establishes early on when he notes that zookeepers can tell if something is wrong with their animals just by noticing changes in their daily routines. People, too, become wedded to their routines, even to the point of predictability, and grow troubled during times of change. While religious traditions are a prime example of ritual in this novel, there are numerous others. For instance, Pis mother wants to buy cigarettes before traveling to Canada, for fear that she wont be able to find her particular brand in Winnipeg. And Pi is able to survive his oceanic ordeal largely because he creates a series of daily rituals to sustain him. Without rituals, routines, and habits, the novel implies, people feel uneasy and unmoored. Rituals give structure to abstract ideas and emotions-in other words, ritual is an alternate form of storytelling. Symbols Pi Piscine Molitor Patels preferred moniker is more than just a shortened version of his given name. Indeed, the word Pi carries a host of relevant associations. It is a letter in the Greek alphabet that also contains alpha and omega, terms used in the book to denote dominant and submissive creatures. Pi is also an irrational mathematical number, used to calculate distance in a circle. Often shortened to 3.14, pi has so many decimal places that the human mind cant accurately comprehend it, just as, the book argues, some realities are too difficult or troubling to face. These associations establish the character Pi as more than just a realistic protagonist; he also is an allegorical figure with multiple layers of meaning. The Color Orange In Life of Pi, the color orange symbolizes hope and survival. Just before the scene in which the Tsimtsum sinks, the narrator describes visiting the adult Pi at his home in Canada and meeting his family. Pis daughter, Usha, carries an orange cat. This moment assures the reader that the end of the story, if not happy, will not be a complete tragedy, since Pi is guaranteed to survive the catastrophe and father children of his own. The little orange cat recalls the big orange cat, Richard Parker, who helps Pi survive during his 227 days at sea. As the Tsimtsum sinks, Chinese crewmen give Pi a lifejacket with an orange whistle; on the boat, he finds an orange lifebuoy. The whistle, buoy, and tiger all help Pi survive, just as Orange Juice the orangutan provides a measure of emotional support that helps the boy maintain hope in the face of horrific tragedy. Quotes Important Quotations Explained 1. I know zoos are no longer in peoples good graces. Religion faces the same problem. Certain illusions about freedom plague them both. Explanation for Quotation 1 >> These words are spoken by Pi early in Part One, at the end of chapter 4, after a long discussion of zoo enclosures. Mr. Patel, Pi has recently told us, runs the Pondicherry Zoo, a place that Pi considered paradise as a boy. Pi has heard many people say negative things about zoos-namely that they deprive noble, wild creatures of their freedom and trap them in boring, domesticated lives-but he disagrees. Wild animals in their natural habitat encounter fear, fighting, lack of food, and parasites on a regular basis. Given all these biological facts, animals in the wild are not free at all-rather, they are subject to a stringent set of social and natural laws that they must follow or die. Since animals are creatures of habit, zoo enclosures, with abundant food and water, clean cages, and a constant routine, are heaven for them. Given the chance, Pi says, most zoo animals do not ever try to escape, unless something in their cage frightens them. We have already learned that Pi studied zoology and religion at the University of Toronto, and the above quote demonstrates just how closely aligned the two subjects are in his mind. He is quick to turn a discussion of animal freedom into a metaphor for peoples religious inclinations. Just as people misunderstand the nature of animals in the wild, they also misunderstand what it means for a person to be free of any religious system of belief. The agnostic (someone who is uncertain about the existence of god and does not subscribe to any faith) may think he is at liberty to believe or disbelieve anything he wants, but in reality he does not allow himself to take imaginative leaps. Instead, he endures lifes ups and downs the way an animal in the wild does: because he has to. A person of faith, on the other hand, is like an animal in an enclosure, surrounded on all sides by a version of reality that is far kinder than reality itself. Pi embraces religious doctrine for the same reason he embraces the safety and security of a zoo enclosure: it makes life easier and more pleasurable. Close 2. I can well imagine an atheists last words: White, white! L-L-Love! My God!-and the deathbed leap of faith. Whereas the agnostic, if he stays true to his reasonable self, if he stays beholden to dry, yeastless factuality, might try to explain the warm light bathing him by saying, Possibly a f-f-failing oxygenation of the b-b-brain, and, to the very end, lack imagination and miss the better story. Explanation for Quotation 2 >> Spoken by Pi, this quotation-chapter 22 in its entirety-emphasizes the important distinction between facts and imagination, the crux of the entire novel. Previously, in chapter 21, the author used the phrases dry, yeastless factuality and the better story after a meeting with Pi in a cafà ©; the repetition highlights this dichotomy. Religion is aligned with imagination, while lack of faith is linked to accurate observation and rationalism. In short, Pi is giving us a simple, straightforward explanation for the variants of his own story: the one with animals and the one without. The quote condemns those who lack artistry and imagination, the inability to commit to a story. Pi himself is a consummate artist, a storyteller, and he believes all religions tell wonderful tales, though not literal truths. Pi believes that atheists (who do not believe in God) have the capacity to believe; they choose to believe that God doesnt exist. At the end of their lives, they could embrace the notion of God and devise a story that will help them die in peace and contentment. Pi despises agnostics for their decision to make uncertainty a way of life. They choose to live a life of doubt, without any sort of narrative to guide them. Without these stories, our existence is dry and unpalatable as unrisen or yeastless bread. Close 3. [W]ithout Richard Parker, I wouldnt be alive today to tell you my story. Explanation for Quotation 3 >> This line is spoken by Pi approximately halfway through the book, in chapter 57. The you in this sentence is the author, to whom Pi relates his story over the course of many meetings in Canada many years after the ordeal. Of course, the you is also the reader, for Pi is aware that he is telling his story to a writer who has the intent to publish. By this point, we know that Richard Parker is a Royal Bengal tiger, an adult male, who weighs 450 pounds and takes up about one-third of the lifeboat. At first, it might sound ludicrous that such a menacing creature should get credit for keeping alive a slender, adolescent Indian boy, but Pi explains himself compellingly. The presence of Richard Parker, though initially terrifying, eventually soothes him and saves him from utter existential loneliness. Moreover, the necessity of training and taking care of Richard Parker fills up Pis long, empty days-staying busy helps time pass. The quotation can also be considered in the context of Pis second story, the one without animals, in which Pi himself is the tiger. Pi has chosen a tiger to represent himself because of its conflicting qualities: nobility and violence, grace and brute force, intelligence and instinct. In a way, these qualities are very human. But on a day-to-day basis-for example, as we go to school, drive to the supermarket, and watch TV at night-the elements of violence, brutality, and instinct are blunted. Instead of catching and killing fish, we purchase plastic-wrapped filets; rather than hunt animals for meat, we buy steaks at the deli counter. Stripped of these conveniences, Pi must return to nature and reassert his animal instincts. He must overcome his squeamishness in order to eat. He must embrace aggression in order to kill the cook who might otherwise have killed him. In crediting Richard Parkers existence for his own survival, Pi acknowledges that it is animal instinct, not polite conven tion or modern convenience, that protects him from death. Close 4. Life on a lifeboat isnt much of a life. It is like an end game in chess, a game with few pieces. The elements couldnt be more simple, nor the stakes higher. Explanation for Quotation 4 >> This comment appears about halfway through Part Two, as Pi adjusts to life at sea and philosophizes on the nature of being a castaway. In an endgame in chess, most of the game has been played out and the majority of the chess pieces knocked off the board. Similarly, after the sinking of the Tsimtsum, only a handful of survivors (Pi, Richard Parker, Orange Juice, the Grants zebra, the hyena) remain. The few that are left are forced into a strategic battle of wits to see who will ultimately prevail. The tensions between the lifeboats inhabitants immediately after the ship sinks are high; each inhabitant knows that the game is sudden death and that each move must be considered with special care. The zebra, the orangutan, and the hyena all make missteps and lose. But Pi painstakingly charts out his plan of action, and his diligence and foresight save his life. Life on a lifeboat is simple, but, stripped of all else, the stakes become considerable: life or death. Pis life in the middle of the Pacific has no luxuries, no complex processes to participate in, and no obscure signals to follow. Faced with numerous physical dangers-Richard Parker, sharks, starvation, the blind castaway-his only real choice is whether to fight to live or to give up and die. Though he considers doing otherwise, Pi chooses to fight. The distilled quality of Pis existence is similar to the kind of bare-bones life lived by many religious mystics, for whom stripping down to the essentials is necessary for communion with God. A full, varied life with many distractions can cloud faith or even make it unnecessary. However, within a spare and even monastic existence, Gods presence becomes palpable. To put it another way, within the confines of a lifeboat, spirituality looms as large as a nearly 10-foot, 450-pound Bengal tiger. Close 5. The lower you are, the higher your mind will want to soar. Explanation for Quotation 5 >> Pi narrates these words in chapter 93, toward the end of his ordeal at sea and as he is reaching the depths of his despair. As Pi mentions just before this, his situation seems as pointless as the weather. Up to now, Pis tedious life at sea has been alleviated somewhat with sporadic new activities: killing fish, taming Richard Parker, creating drinkable water using the solar stills, and so on. More notably, the blind French castaway and the days spent on the floating island gave Pi a change in routine. But now the novelty has worn off. This section, in which nothing is expected to happen, drives Pi into utter hopelessness, yet he must continue living. At this point Pi turns to God and, Martel implies, invents the story that we have just read. His mind is desperate to escape the physical reality of continued existence on the lifeboat, and so it soars into the realm of fiction. At his lowest point, Pi reaches for the only remaining sources of salvation available to him: faith and imagination. Through the plots remaining action, Martel emphasizes that such a strategy for self-preservation can actually be astonishingly effective. Immediately after this moment in the text, Pi lan

Genes Development in John Knowles A Separate Peace Essays -- Knowles

Gene's Development in John Knowles' A Separate Peace Throughout life, there is always a person who one strives to beat, be better than or rise above. Little does each of them know that in the end the two actually make each other stronger. In John Knowles' novel, A Separate Peace (1959), he addresses just this. The novel, told from Gene Forrester's point of view, is based on a friendship and rivalry between him and his friend, Finny, during World War II. The two sixteen year olds attend Devon School, a private all boys' school, in New Hampshire. Finny, a very athletically talented youngster, continually but unintentionally causes Gene to feel inferior and insignificant, producing inevitable anger and jealousy inside Gene. During their summer session in 1942, the boys form a Super Suicide Society; anyone wanting to join the group is required to jump from a specific tree into the running river below. On one particular night, Finny tears the irritated Gene away from his studies for no reason other than to make a plunge from the tree. After arriving at the river, the two creep out on one of the tree's limbs. Balancing as if they were on a tightrope, Gene gives a quick little bounce to the limb, causing Finny to plummet to the riverbank below, severely breaking his leg. No one is aware of Gene's intentional bounce of the tree limb, encouraged by his resentment toward Finny. Gene's jealous action causes Finny's life to change forever. He feels terrible about what he did but cannot bring himself to tell Finny the truth. Faced with many great challenges, Gene struggles through the remainder of the novel trying to find himself and develop into his own person. The truth about the tree incident is finally revealed shortly after Finny bre... ...now' " (106). That early, snowy morning Finny teaches Gene much more than he will ever learn in a classroom; he teaches Gene the significance and meaning of self-discovery. Throughout A Separate Peace, John Knowles effectively uses his characterization of Finny to teach one of life's greatest lessons. Although at times Gene and Finny appear to be enemies, the tests and challenges Finny presents to Gene actually cause him to blossom, making him a stronger person. Despite Finny's death, his wisdom, courage and actions live on in Gene. Gene learns that throughout life accomplishments that one works for and achieves will provide much more reward than those handed to a person. Many times, the greatest reward is finding one's true self and discovering his or her capabilities. Works Cited Knowles, John. A Separate Peace. New York: Dell Publishing Co., Inc., 1959.

How should states who are all facing the same security dilemma interact

Within a society, the populace are compelled to follow rules due to being prompted by a higher authority. When these laws fail, rectifying this deficiency becomes a priority of the state; murderers are arrested, riots are suppressed, new regulations and safe checks are imposed to deter future renegades from harassing the system. These actions by the state’s sovereign power ensure that the community remains harmonious and balanced. Within the international community an individual state is unable to defer to a higher authority to demand that justice be enforced, since there is no authority higher than the state itself. The consequence of this is that independent nations are forced to rely on themselves for security within international society. These facts lead to a question that has been at the core of just war theory debates; how should states who are all facing the same security dilemma interact with one another? The various theoretical answers to this question form to t wo fundamentally opposed conclusions; nations will either seek to expand their individual power to facilitate their own security, or will construct an international union to ensure mutual defense. While the latter promotes an international community based upon cooperation, the former predicts perpetual conflict. In order to perform an analysis of these conflicting predictions we will turn to Thucydides, who provides a historical example of this debate within his recount of the Melian Dialogue. Within this dialogue, the powerful Athenians assert that strength alone justifies their demand for the submission of the weaker island of Melos. The Melians counter with their own plea to justice, claiming that the advancement of Athenian power and Melian autonomy a... ...rve life and avoid death proves that the law of nature is more suited to cooperation than conflict. Using power to maintain power ensures the necessity of the continual use of force to quell those who a state’s power is used to oppress. As the Athenians looked to history to prove that â€Å"Nature always compels men to rule over anyone they can control,† it fails to recognize that nature also compels men to be free, and the violence of the oppressor will be pitted against the violence oppressed. Even if the more powerful state is successful in its conquest, it will always be at war with those whose liberty it infringes upon. The strength that a nation utilizes to allow them to conquer today will be the same strength that forces them to fight tomorrow, and the next day. For these reasons the arguments of the Athenian’s must be rejected for those of the Melian’s.

Psychology Debate Essay

Psychology is a human science and should thereby leave the study of biology to the biologists. Psychology, as defined by the APA is, ‘the study of the mind and behaviour’(APA, 2013), this definition states that psychology is indeed separate to that of biology as biology by definition is ‘the branch of science concerned with the structure, function, growth, evolution, and distribution of living and non-living organisms’ (biology online, 2013), this implies that the two are indeed two different disciplines which do not require interaction, as they are simply focusing on different things. A good example of the two disciplines being separate, is psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis, a method of therapy developed by Freud and still used widely today, focuses on the subconscious and says that mental illness is caused by underlying traumas, repressed memories and unconscious desires. If these are brought to the surface, by the patient verbalising under hypnosis of these repressed, unconscious and underlying issues, it is thought that by uncovering them they will find answers. Psychoanalysis has no foundations in biology and even as it has been expanded upon by people such as Adler and Jung, still does not believe that biology is relevant to psychology (Kandel, 1999). The simple fact that they are, still to this day, separate disciplines again reinforces that they are separate spheres of study and should remain that way. AGAINST: Psychologists need an understanding of biology in order to treat patients, and understand concepts fully.  Psychology could not be practiced if it was not for the fundamental biology that sets human beings apart from any other species. An understanding of the brain, body and how they function and there interactions and co-existence with psychological concepts such as mood, personality, emotions are integral and in fact, psychology needs a biological foundation and understanding to even begin to interpret psychological concepts (Weiten, 1992). When taking a closer look at the definitions mentioned previously, they both study life. Since biology is the study of life psychology fits into this definition as psychologists too study life. In saying that, the study of life should not be left up to the biologists as they are typically concerned with the structure, function, growth, evolution and distribution of living and non-living organisms, whereas psychologists look deeper into the study of life, not just seeing it as a science but seeing it as an avenue to help and better people’s lives through understanding the fundamental biological workings of the brain. But without an understanding of the human brain and body and how it functions psychologists would not be able to put these two disciplines together to achieve their outcomes. It is crucial for a psychologist to understand the work of biology in order to be an effective psychologist. Without a biological basis, there would be no way that psychology would even be a pro-active discipline. Diagnosing a patient today, requires the psychologist to be able to understand the biological forces which influence behaviour (Weiten, 1992).

Indian Societies: Gender roles in the Ramayana Essay

In the early patriarchal era of the Ramayana, men dominated over the Indian societies. All areas of social prominence were entirely run by men in the form of warriors, priests and tribal chiefs. Women had very little or no power at all in the political and public arena. They were raised to look after their families as well as being dutiful wives. Women had the task of being loyal, faithful, loving and compassionate towards their husbands. Individual families were normally set up on a â€Å"Male authority† basis, with the husband and father determining fundamental conditions and making the key decisions for their well being. Women’s main role in society was that of influencing their family by providing love and affection to their husbands and children while the man was in charge of satisfying his family’s needs. Male oriented societal values allowed little or no space for women to express their interests and be influential in their everyday lives. Women were traditionally expected to serve their husbands and to have no autonomous interests. Only men could be rulers and leaders in the patriarchal society where the story of the Ramayana developed. Rama once said on his designation as prince regent: â€Å"Mother, my father has appointed me to the task of protecting the people† (Mack 584). This passage clearly illustrates how power was transferred from father to son in order to provide for the people’s needs and for the community as a whole. Rama then as a leader of society must enforce values among others and express his desire to bring remarkable attributes to the people that surround him. â€Å"Sovereignty falls to your share, too, for you are my second self† (585). The need for a sovereign ruler is thus expressed among the community and desired for all individuals in the society. Women were projected as passive victims of the male-ruled system in which they were trapped. Females were responsible for the well being of the family as a whole. Women were raised with a limited perception of their role and placement in the community. To be a respectful and a good house wife meant for these women to shed themselves of any ambitions and desires they might dream of. They had to conform to what was expected from them, which was to â€Å"have no identity besides being a wife or a mother† (Qazi). If they did not conform that way, they were subject to indignity while treated as mere  objects whose main role was to tempt men into sin. History has proven that women were alienated if they did not conform according to what was expected of them. These kinds of women were stereotyped as villains or perceived as being tainted. Men were perceived as being in a role of power, no matter how large their families were. They were brought up with the belief that they were the sole providers for the family. Their failure to perform as it was expected from them led the family into constant perish. Males were in charge of many aspects of society including: making decisions for the community, serving as spiritual guiders, choosing leaders and maintaining an equitable place to live in. Men often made decisions and enforced those decisions upon the family. As Raghunathan noted in his work, â€Å"Men lead and women follow†. Women had no chance but to agree to the male’s decisions they imposed to women. The fact that they were born males gave them an advantage over women in the way that they could achieve anything they wanted and become anything they desired. Men were highly valued and respected if they possessed certain values and ideals within the society. They were educated and trained to be ambitious and to have idealistic values, which were admirable in this specific society. On the other hand, women were taught to shed any ambitions and ideas they may have for themselves. The characteristics valued in men were not valued in women; on the contrary, these characteristics in women were disapproved because of the male-ruled system of the time. â€Å"Patriarchy leads to gender inequality in society† (Seeger). Eventually this could lead these women to become isolated from society since they were not allowed to perform the same tasks and duties as men. Women then, had to rely on the love and devotion they would bring to the family while having other interests and aspirations. In conclusion, the male and female roles in the Ramayana were pre-established by the rigorous society in which the story developed. Males had certain expectations they had to fulfill such as being rulers and leaders in order to be good men. Females, on the other hand, were limited to being faithful  to their husbands while expressing their love for the family. Each had a role in society that they could not differ from due to extreme moral valuation. Men were to become the best warriors and to desire power through leadership; women were to become good mothers and proper wives with no intent or desire to achieve higher goals or expectations. Patriarchy led men into high power positions in the community leaving women with no chance of participation in this field. This type of society facilitated men into possessing key roles in the religious and political arena which served them as a platform to pursue and achieve higher goals. In the story of the Ramayana, men were empowered and women were often subdued due to the patriarchal era that they were living in at the time of the story, which facilitated these typical gender roles. Works cited Mack, Maynard. â€Å"The Ramayana of Valkimi†. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. New York: W.W. Norton, 1997. 576-612Qazi, Uzma. â€Å"Ramayana Lecture Notes†. Grant MacEwan, Edmonton, 2008. Seeger, Elizabeth. â€Å"The Ramayana†. New York: William R. Scott, 1969. Raghunathan, N. â€Å"Srimad Valkimi Ramayana†. Madras: Vighneswara Publishing House, 1981.

Master

It includes: copying information directly from the Web or books without referencing the material; submitting Joint coursework as an individual effort; copying another student's rework; stealing coursework from another student and submitting it as your own work. Suspected plagiarism will be investigated and if found to have occurred will be dealt with according to the procedures set down by ELLS. Please see your student handbook for further details of what is / Isn't plagiarism.Assignment Regulations 1 Learners are required to submit their work using the ELLS Assessment cover sheet. 2 You are required to submit your assignment electronically on Mayhap – mayhap. Molly's. Com If you need an extension (even for one day) for a valid reason, you must request one, using a reasonable adjustment form available from the Academic Admit Office. Do not ask the lecturers responsible for the course – they are not authorized to award an extension.The completed form must be accompanied by evidence such as a medical certificate in the event of you being sick. 4 General guidelines for submission of assignment: a) All work must be word-processed and must be of â€Å"good† standard. B) Document margins shall not be more than 2. CM or less than 1. CM c)Font size In the range of be of a common standard such as Arial or Times New Roman for the main text. D) Any computer files generated such as program code (software), graphic files that arm part of the course work must be submitted either online or with the documentation.The answers show that an effective approach to study and research has been applied within the scenarios e. G. Comparing concepts, theories and models. MM Select/design and apply appropriate methods/techniques A range of methods and techniques have been applied. A range of sources of information used The selection of methods and techniques/ sources Justified Complex information/data has been synthesized and processed Appropriate learning methods/te chniques applied. A range of sources have been used to address the tasksMM Present and communicate appropriate findings Appropriate structure and approach has been used. Accurately used A range of methods of presentation has been used Appropriate media used Familiar and unfamiliar contexts have been used. It is appropriate for familiar and unfamiliar audiences Logical and coherent arguments have been presented with technical language accurately used in both tasks Use critical reflection to evaluate own work and Justify valid conclusions Synthesis has been used to generate and Justify valid conclusions The validity of exults have been evaluated using defined criteria. Realistic improvements have been proposed against defined characteristics for success Realistic improvements have been proposed against defined characteristics for success DO Take responsibility for managing and organizing activities Autonomy / independence demonstrated The unforeseen has been accommodated The importanc e of interdependence has been recognized High autonomy and independence have been demonstrated.Tasks have been attempted with minimum assistance provided by the tutor DO Demonstrate convergent/lateral/ creative thinking sessions taken Self-evaluation has taken place Convergent and lateral thinking have been applied. Problems have been solved Innovation and creative thought have been applied. Receptiveness to new ideas has been demonstrated. Ideas generated and Effective thinking has taken place in unfamiliar contexts.Innovation and creative thought have been applied when addressing both tasks Classic Badges Company Brief Classic Badges Company is in the early stages of setting up as a new mini enterprise which will sell custom made badges to local companies. They are hoping to target he local authority, schools, youth organizations, health service and local dental surgeries. They plan to sell badges which can be tailored to individual needs. The knowledge, effective communication me dia with the suppliers and potential customers such as the local authority, school etc who may be interested in buying the badges.Charles needs a team to take responsibility for the setting up of the company and the communication media to be used to promote the badges. You have been selected as one of the team members to work on this project. You are to collaborate with team members to set up Classic Badges Company. Note: Use the above scenario to answer ONLY TASK 1 ; 2. And read through all of the tasks carefully so that you know what you will need to do to complete this assignment in a fully written report. Tasks 1 – Understand how to assess information and knowledge needs 1 . : In Setting up Classic Badges Company, what are the major range of decisions to be taken? Discuss 1. 2: Identify and examine the kind of information and knowledge needed to ensure that an effective decisions are taken. 1. 3: List and assess internal and external sources of information required and Ju stify heir suitability and reliability for this project. 1. 4: Recommend any improvements in the use of different kinds or sources information and knowledge for the setting up of this project.Tasks 2 – Be able to create strategies to increase personal networking to widen involvement in the decision making process. 2. 1: There are several stakeholders in involved in this project, what contributions would you expect from the different stakeholders during a specific decision making process? 2. 2: An effective business relationship with these stakeholders is important. Discuss ethos of contact that will enhance business relationship with stakeholders. 2. 3: Prepare a plan on how to involve those identified in the decision making for this project.You may consider a stakeholder communication plan or a decision making action plan. 2. 4: To improve on involving others in the decision making process for this project, it is important to improve on your personal networking skills. What strategy would you Tasks 3 – Be able to develop communication processes Using the context of your current or previous workplace, prepare a report addressing he following issues but first you'll need to provide a brief business overview (business description, legal status, mission statement, general information, product/ service description). . 1 : Report on existing processes of communication in this organization. 3. 2: Identify the pitfalls existing in the current communication processes and design ways to improve it. 3. 3: Recommend the improvements that need to be implemented to ensure greater integration of systems of communication in that organization. 3. 4: Create a personal plan to improve own communication skills. Tasks 4 – Be able to improve systems relating to information and knowledge Complete this part of your report using the same chosen organization in Task 3: 4. : Report on existing approaches to the collection, formatting, storage and dissemination of i nformation and knowledge in this organization. 4. 2: Discuss the appropriate changes that need to be carried out to improve the collection, formatting, storage and dissemination of information and knowledge in this organization. 4. 3: Recommend a strategy that needs to be implemented to improve access to systems of information and knowledge in this organization. Master A metal made up of a combination of two or more materials. Atmospheric pressure The weight of air creates a pressure on the Earth's surface and the pressure exerted by the weight of air pressing down on the ground below will vary depending on the ground's height above sea level. Boiling When a liquid vaporizes. Capillary action When water is drawn up between close fitting surfaces. Compression force A crushing force. Condensation When a gas turns into a liquid. Conduction Method by which solids transfer heat.Convection Method by which liquids and gases transfer heat. Corrosion The deterioration of metals that occurs on contact with liquids. Ductility Ductility Is the ability of a material to withstand distortion without fracture, such as metal that can be drawn into fine wire. Durability Durability is the material's ability to resist wear and tear. Elasticity A material's ability to stretch tensile force is applied to them. When the point is reached that the material will no longer r eturn to it's original shape and size the material is said to have exceeded it's elastic limit or yield stress. Equilibrium When all acting influences are balanced.Evaporation When a liquid turns Into a gas. Ferrous metal A metal which contains iron. Freezing When a liquid turns Into a solid. Fusibility The melting point of a material, I. E. When a solid changes too liquid. Hardness Hardness is the ability of a material to resist scratching, wear and tear and Heat which causes a change of state in a substance, but does not affects its temperature. Malleability The ability of a material to be worked without fracture. Melting When a solid turns into a liquid. Non-ferrous metal A metal which does not contain iron. Plasticity The propensity of a material to undergo permanent changes in shape.H scale Measures the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. A pH of 7 represents neutral water. Reduction A method of producing metals is by removing the oxygen from the ore. Relative density The rati o of the density of a substance to the density of a standard substance under specific conditions. The relative density of a solid is found by comparing it to the same volume of water. The relative density of a gas is found by comparing it to the same volume of air. Sensible heat Heat which only causes a change in temperature, not a change of state. Shear force Opposing forces acting along parallel lines of action.Strength The strength of a material is the extent to which it can withstand an applied force or load without breaking. The load is expressed in terms of force per unit area (Newton's per square meter N/mm). Temper The degree of hardness of a material. Tenacity A material's ability to resist being pulled apart. Tensile force A stretching or pulling force. Thermoplastics Plastics which are liquid when heated and hard when cooled. These plastics can be reshaped repeatedly. Thermosetting plastics Plastics which are resistant to high temperatures. Once set, these plastics cannot be reshaped. Velocity Speed of motion.

Nova Scotias Name Reveals This Provinces History

Nova Scotia's Name Reveals This Province's History The province of Nova Scotia  is one of the ten provinces and three territories that make up Canada. Located on the far southeastern coast of the country, it is one of only three Canadian maritime provinces. How Did Nova Scotia Get Its Name? Currently nicknamed Canada’s Festival Province, the name Nova Scotia originates from Latin. Literally, it means New Scotland. Early Scottish Settlers Nova Scotia was founded in 1621 by  Sir William Alexander of Menstrier. He appealed to  King James of Scotland that a New Scotland was needed to expand national interests alongside New England, New France, and New Spain. Nova Scotia became an ideal territory for early Scottish settlers. Nearly a century later, after the United Kingdom gained control over the area, there was a massive Scottish immigration wave. Adventurous  Highlanders came from all over Scotland to settle throughout Nova Scotia. By the  mid-1700s, British military officer, general, and acting governor of Nova Scotia, Charles Lawrence, invited American New England residents to relocate to Nova Scotia. This was largely due to the expulsion of the  Acadians  that left large land vacancies and created yet another Scottish population surge. The new settlers were comprised of Scots that had previously fled to New England to gain religious freedom. These descendants formed a major part of the life and development of Nova Scotia and continued to stay in the province through successive generations. Modern Nova Scotia The Scottish became the third largest ethnic group in Canada, and their heritage is celebrated throughout Nova Scotia. Community events such as  Tartan days, clan gatherings, and showings of Highlander-based films like Braveheart, Trainspotting,  and  Highlander  reaffirm ancient Scottish pride. The kinship between Scotland and Canada is incredibly strong, and Scottish cultural influence is evident throughout the province. Visitors to Nova Scotia looking for an authentic cultural experience are invited to wear a kilt, enjoy the skirl of the bagpipes from a marching band, and see the  cabar  being tossed at one of the provinces many Highland Games events. Its also easy to find traditional Scottish dishes like haggis, porridge, kippers, black pudding, shortbread, cranachan, and clootie dumplings  with a Canadian twist at local restaurants. Sources: MacKay, Janet. Founding of New Scotland (Nova Scotia). Fifty Plus, November 1993. Wilson, Norry. Scotland and Canada. Scotland.org, February 6, 2019. Unknown. The Gaelic Culture of Nova Scotia is as Celtic as You Will Get! NovaScotia.com, 2017.

The author J.K.Rowling

The author J.K.Rowling had captured the hearts of millions of readers worldwide and she comes back in the 4th book and does it again. The series is basically about an orphan boy whose parents were killed by an evil wizard called by other wizards only as 'He who must not be named'.This may sound like a fairy tale but trust me it's not. The twists and turns in this book will not let you put this book down. It will provide for hours of enjoyable reading. You can call it a mix of Enid blyton's humour and Agatha Christie's suspense. Harry finds out that he is a wizard in the first book and he is taken to a Wizard school by Hagrid, a giant, this book relates his experiences in his 4th yr at Hogwarts (the wizard school). This book is a thriller, a comedy, and a school life story all packed into one. Warner Bros who have bought rights for the first 4 books are going to come out with a movie based on the 1st book in November next year to coincide with the release of the 5th book which ! is in the same month. I just cant wait for the next book by this scintillating author.A small piece of friendly advice .Read the other 3 books before reading this one because it may spoil the surprises of the other books for you. Which book store did you buy the book from?: Fabmart Would you recommend this book to a friend?: Yes

Essay about Ap Bio Notes

Essay about Ap Bio Notes Essay about Ap Bio Notes Unit 7 Gas Exchange with Animals (Ch. 42) Read 915-920 Necessary for oxygen: respiratory surface and surface area (more = more oxygen) Alveoli: surface area for the oxygen, oxygen and carbon dioxide goes in and out of the bloodstream Frogs: have lung but tiny BC the fronts can breathe through their skin and blood vessel Grasshopopers don't need a respiratory system. They have one holes throughout the body. Trachea system Counter Current Exchange system: gas exchange in gills, advantage: maximizes the oxygen of inhalation Inhalation: diaphragm contracts (moves down) Exhalation: diaphragm relaxes (moves up) CO2 + H2O = H2CO3 (Carbonic acid) âž ¡ H + HCO3 (bicarbonate) Key Points interaction of organs and systems Maintaining homeostasis Common ancestry Timing and coordination of physiological events Responding to environmental cues Feedback mechanisms Disruption to homeostasis Environment I flue des expressin of genotype Gas Exchange with Plants (776-779) Guard Cells are openings where gas can enter the plant leaf. Gases need to get to the upper epidermis to produce sugar. Opening of the guard cells is called a stomate (somata); more on the bottom side of the plant. When water is low, the stamata close and strink so gases can't enter. Photosythesis: Co2 + H2O âž ¡ C6H12O6 + O2 If the stomata are on the top of the plant, the water will evaporate more. On the bottom for the leaf for water conservation Transport (Animals-p893-903) Transport/Circulation Gastrovascular Cavity: Connected area with mouth and anus as one, cell to cell diffusion Open circ. system: insects, heart acts as a pump which sloshes around this blood like fluid (hemolymph) Closed Circ. System: humans, blood is always carried around in some tube like system, enclosed, single loop/fish Double loop/amphibian with the oxygenated/deoxygenated blood (2 chambered heart) Double loop System w/ four chambered heart Atrium = receiving chamber Ventricle = pumping chamber Arteries: carries blood away from the heart Vein: carries blood to the heart Sino-Artial node Atrio-ventricular node When blood enters the capillaries, the pressure decreases. The movement changes gases and nutrients. Interstitial Fluid: movement and swelling Lymphatic System: carries body fluid, plasma, etc. Homeostatic control: Carbonic Acid (breath more), pH sensors in the aorta and brain stem Transport (Plants-p772-776) Gas exchange on both ends, water at the roots Surface Area: major surface areas and little hairs to get more water Mycorrhizae: relationship between fungi and plants, 80%, on roots Xylem cells: transport water, long dead cylinder hallow tubes, vessel elements, trachieds Phloem: carries glucose, tubes of cytoplasm, sieve-tube elements, companion/nurse cell Apoplastic: water diffuses in through the cell wall, casparian strip (wax) pathway, little membrane Symplastic: diffuses directly through the cytoplasm, openings connect to other cell walls, endodermis (filter, cell wall) Transpirational pull: evaporation of water out of the leaves, sucks water through the entire plant,adhesion and cohesion Cotransport happens by the membranes. Source-to-Sink: Water moves back to and from the xylem and phloem Digestion in Animals/Humans Food is used for energy and biosynthesis. Nutrients are needed to do biosynthesis which requires energy to make energy. Food for Energy carbs (glucose, glycogen) Fats Proteins Undernourishment: not getting enough calories Essential Nutrients four Classes of Essential Nutrients -Amino acids (8/20) -Essential fatty acids (linoleic acid) -vitamins (13) -Minerals Malnourishment: lack of essential nutrients Larger the organism : larger the BMR or metabolic rate Smaller the organism : more energy it takes to maintain life Digestive Mechanisms food vacuoles (protists) Gastrovascular cavity (mouth is mouth and anus) Alimentary canal (mou and anus) With cecums Excretion Excretion: process of removing waste

3 Strategies for Finding a New Job in 2015

3 Strategies for Finding a New Job in 2015 The last noisemaker has been blown, and the final piece of confetti has been cleared away. 2014 is gone, and the year ahead beckons with equal degrees of uncertainty and promise - particularly for job seekers looking to make a change in the new year. Consider these three essential strategies when positioning yourself to find the job of your dreams before 2015 makes its glittering exit. Make the Most of Your â€Å"Passive† SearchAccording to a recent survey, a staggering two-thirds of employed Americans are open to new employment opportunities. Known as passive job seekers, this portion of the population - 110.5 million people, to be exact - represent an increasingly important part of the hiring process.If you’re dragging your feet on putting out feelers because you don’t want to alert your current employer that you’re looking or if you just don’t have time to devote to a full-time job search, the latest websites and mobile apps do the work for yo u. It’s no longer about sending out a bunch of resumes in the hopes that one will end up in the non-shred pile. Instead, it’s about an intuitive process through which your skills and characteristics are matched with the needs of a particular employer. This saves time for both entities, and increases the odds of a successful fit.Be Prepared To Show Them What You’ve GotSkills on a page are one thing, but real-world ability to solve problems and inspire innovation? That’s more difficult to judge. Job hunters entering the market in 2015 should be prepared for human resources professionals who are attempting to look beyond their on-paper qualifications in order to determine how they’ll meaningfully integrate into the workplace.From on-site simulations to phone interview assessments and challenges, these â€Å"tryouts† mimic the responsibilities of a role in order to offer hiring managers a clearer picture of how a candidate’s skill set tra nslates to the real world.By thinking of these tests as an opportunity to show off your skills, you can position yourself to make a positive impression. And these tryouts don’t just benefit the employer: they also give job seekers the chance to vet a potential employer, in return.Use Your NetworkSocial media is here to stay as an increasingly popular means through which job seekers find employment. In fact, a full half of job seekers use social networking when looking for new jobs.But we’re not talking about using Facebook or LinkedIn to bombard your contacts with pleas for employment. Rather, it’s about establishing yourself as a consistent and appealing presence.Consider this: nearly 40 percent of employers screen potential job candidates through social media. Does your social media presence say what you want it to say? If not, now is the time to determine your message and start communicating it through multiple channels. Of course, this means removing any neg ative or unprofessional photos and comments, but it also means the opportunity to nurture your professional relationships.Participating in industry-related groups, job boards, and forums give you even more of a chance to position yourself as a thought leader - a sought after skill set by today’s forward-thinking employers.The brave new world of job seeking may be different than it was 50, 25 or even five years ago, but applicants willing to adapt and evolve are likely to see promising results in 2015.