Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Do Flies Really Vomit and Poop When They Land on You

Lets get to the bottom of a common belief about flies: do they really vomit and poop when they land on you? Where There Are People, There Are Flies First of all, we need to be a bit more specific. Were talking about houseflies here—known by scientists the world around as Musca domestica—the house fly associates with people. Virtually anywhere on the planet where you can find people, you will also find Musca domestica. Anyone who has ever enjoyed a backyard barbecue knows that house flies crash your picnic table, walk all over your potato salad, and attempt to taste your burger, should you dare to leave it unattended for just a moment. And occasionally, those flies will come to rest on you. So you are probably wondering what theyre up to while they sit there. Its a totally understandable and realistic concern. Yes, House Flies Vomit (a Lot) Lets tackle the first bit of this question first. Do flies vomit on you? The answer is a resounding sometimes. House flies do vomit, sort of, and they do so pretty often. Unfortunately for the house fly, it is not equipped to chew solid foods. Most insects that feed on solid food—beetles, for example—have chewing mouthparts, with which they can properly masticate their meals into tiny, digestible bits. House flies were instead blessed with sponge-like tongues. Only in flies, we call their tongues labella (the singular is labellum, but the fly has a matched pair). House flies taste with their feet, so they have no choice but to walk on their food (and ours, should they be sampling our picnic menu). When a house fly comes upon something that seems like it might be yummy—keep in mind that dog poop is the kind of thing house flies find yummy—it will reflexively stick out its labella and press them against the potential food item to investigate. Liquids can be slurped up without much effort. Inside the house flys head is a structure called a cibarial pump (or food pump), which generates a suction to draw the liquid up through channels in the mouthparts (called pseudotrachea). So, how does the house fly make a meal out of meat, or any other solid food (like dog poop)? It uses those same mouthparts to liquefy the entrà ©e. The house fly dabs the tasty morsel with digestive enzymes by bringing up a little regurgitated food and saliva. The enzymes begin breaking down the solid food, gradually turning it into a slurry the house fly can then lap up. Meat milkshake, anyone? House Flies Also Poop (a Lot) Now, think about the last time you had the stomach flu. Anytime you vomit repeatedly, you run the risk of dehydration, so you have to drink a lot of fluids to replace the ones you lost. Flies are no different. This liquid diet means flies require a lot of water. And when you drink a lot of water†¦well, lets just say what goes in, must come out, right? So flies do a lot of defecating, too. Therefore, in answer to the original question, Do flies really vomit and poop when they land on you? Yes, they do, but not every single time they land on you. They void when they land on food. It really depends on whether or not the fly thinks you are a potential meal. If the fly gets a message from its feet saying, Hmm, this guy tastes pretty good. Take a lick! youre probably going to get a little fly vomit on you. And hey, if the fly has got to go, its got to go, so you might just get a little fly poop on you, too. Should You Worry? Yes, you should worry. Houseflies are strongly suspected of transmitting at least 65 different diseases to humans, including typhoid fever, dysentery, cholera, anthrax, leprosy, and tuberculosis. A single housefly can carry over one million bacteria. Before modern antibiotics were invented, flies were definitely deadly. It is important to control any type of fly that may be indoors or in your backyard, by killing the individuals and by eliminating the food waste in which they feed and reproduce. Practice good sanitation, indoors and outdoors, and wash your hands frequently. Resources and Further Reading Jacobs, Steve. â€Å"House Flies.† Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, Jan. 2013.Cranshaw, W S, and F B Peairs. â€Å"Flies in the Home.† Colorado State University Extension, Jan. 2017.Mckay, Tanja, et al. â€Å"Dont Swat That Fly! Using House Flies in an Inquiry Activity.† Science Scope, vol. 37, no. 6, 1 Feb. 2014, doi:10.2505/4/ss14_037_06_22.Redmond, Kate. â€Å"House Fly (Family Muscidae).† College of Letters Science Field Station, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 4 Jan. 2011.Resh, Vincent H. Encyclopedia of Insects. Edited by Ring T. Cardà ©, 2nd ed., Academic Press, 2009.Triplehorn, Charles A., and Norman F. Johnson. Borror and DeLongs Introduction to the Study of Insects. 7th ed., Cengage Learning, 2004.

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Captain Americ The First Avenger Essay - 983 Words

The movie, â€Å"Captain America: The First Avenger,† involves two posthuman characters, which Marvel Comics created. Captain America is a super hero, who is known as the world’s first super soldier and many humans look up to him all over the planet. Red Skull is a super villain and is known to create havoc and terror in the lives of humans. Post humans can challenge the idea of community in several ways, but one factor that tends to stay the same, relating to posthumans, is that humans can easily be persuaded to follow in the footsteps of someone they believe is superior to them, such as Captain America or Red Skull. To begin, a doctor, named Dr. Erskine, from New York, New York created Captain America in 1941. This was a time when Americans were very proud of their nation and centered everything around World War II. The community was mostly anti-German, since Germany was one of the three countries America was battling during World War II. Captain America, who was known as Steve Rogers before he transformed over, was a scrawny boy who failed to meet the requirements to join the military. Eager to join, Steve Rogers volunteered himself for an operation that Dr. Erskine planned to conduct, which would alter his physique to that of a super human. After ingesting the â€Å"Super Soldier Serum,† Steve Rogers transformed into Captain America. His muscles and reflexes were greatly enhanced, as well as his height and frame. An agent from Nazi, Germany assassinated Dr. Erskine because he

Monday, December 9, 2019

Write About the Ways Love Is Explored in Two Soliloquies free essay sample

Shakespeare expresses the theme of death throughout Romeos soliloquy to enable the audience to empathise and feel pathos toward Juliet â€Å"Death that hath suck the honey of thy breath†. The word â€Å"breath† is ironic and is symbolic of how Romeo cannot bare to be without Juliet, so much so that he feels the sensation of suffocation. Dramatic irony is also apparent as the audience knows that Juliet is still alive; this sentiment provokes emotion as the audience is willing for Romeo to notice that she is not dead. Also the fact that love is blind plays an ironic almost humorous part here as Romeo is failing to see Juliet is still alive. The theme of death continues as Shakespeare personifies death throughout the soliloquy to present it as a more sinister force and rival for Juliet’s love: â€Å"shall I believe that unsubstantial death is amorous? And that the lean abhorred monster keeps thee here in the dark to be his paramour? † The negative language negative language used to personify death, â€Å"lean abhorred monster†, illustrates Romeos sense of disgust but more importantly, the fear that death has taken Juliet from him. Romeo’s fear is clearly expressed when Shakespeare writes: â€Å"For fear of that I still will stay here with thee/here i will remain†. The repetition of â€Å"here† conveys Romeos determination to stay with Juliet to the extent that he will take his own life. Therefore, the audience get the impression that Romeo feels he must kill himself to preserve their love, a trait which links with his hamatia. Furthermore, Shakespeare employs the ongoing lexical field of death to create a sense of foreboding and heighten the dramatic irony. The main protagonist Romeo personifies death using a metaphor to express its severity. He explains how death has not â€Å"conquered† Juliet’s beauty â€Å"yet†. The word yet implies that death is inevitable which links to the phrase â€Å"star crossed lovers† that is delivered in the prologue. Elizabethan people were highly superstitious and believed heavily in fate which would have contributed to the many attributes that make Romeo a tragic hero. â€Å"And deaths pale flag is not advanced there. Shakespeare‘s use of nautical language is used to infer how Romeo has almost been â€Å"shipwrecked† (as he says later in the soliloquy) which highlights his solitude and his incomplete sensation he feels without Juliet present. In Addition, the audience so observes that Romeo’s obsessive and unconditional love for Juliet contributes to his fall from grace and greatly adheres to his hamartia. â€Å"Thee here in dark to be his paramour/hereâ €™s to my love†. Dramatic irony and a paradox of light is used her to show Romeo’s possessiveness and impetuousness. The fact that he says â€Å"my† shows his obsessive naivety, as he almost loves Juliet too much so to speak. It is clear for the audience to see that Romeo is ruled by fate, doomed from the start. A contemporary audience would have profoundly disagreed to this ethos as in a modern way we believe that we choose or make our own â€Å"fate†. Contrastingly Shakespeare uses powerful repetition to emphasise the importance and severity of Othello’s opening line. The use of monosyllabic words creates tension, highlighting Othello’s chilling tone. It is the cause, it is the cause my soul â€Å". Here Othello is addressing his soul and conscience, trying to justify the terrible act which he is about to commit; but in his mind he already has established the inevitability of his actions. The fact that Othello uses the word â€Å"It â€Å"shows he cannot bring himself to name the act that Desdemona has supposedly committed. Even this early in the soliloquy, the read er can clearly distinguish Othello’s hamartia (the traits that make a tragic hero). We see his serious errors in judgment (believing Iago without proof) which later leads him to committing the dead (Taking Desdemona’s) that leads to his downfall. Additionally, Othello changes the address of his soliloquy from his inner self, to the â€Å"Chaste stars â€Å". It is a commonly known fact that the Elizabethan era were very superstitious; so it is very understandable that they could empathise with Othello’s â€Å"cause â€Å" and understand his alliance with the stars. â€Å"Let me not name it to you, chaste stars â€Å". This is reminiscent of the prologue in Romeo and Juliet, where it refers to â€Å"star crossed lovers â€Å", the audience can now see a clear correlation between obsessive love and death, which is sad as in both plays the deceased lovers are â€Å" innocent â€Å". Here Othello is further trying to reassure himself that he is doing the just thing; that his actions are almost written in â€Å"alabaster â€Å"inevitable. Referring to the â€Å"chaste stars â€Å" is also part of Othello’s hamartia; the idea of being doomed from the beginning . Also his obsessive, overpowering love for Desdemona, distorts his perception of reality, which is why he failed to detect the lies being fed to him by Iago. Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to highlight Desdemona’s innocence, the fact that Othello says â€Å"chaste â€Å"is almost humorous as the audience knows that Desdemona is completely innocent, never committing adultery in her extremely short life. Just as Romeo speaks of Juliet’s beauty, even in death, to emphasise his love for her, so too does Othello in acknowledging Desdemona’s outward perfection and beauty. â€Å".. hiter skin than snow/And smooth as monumental alabaster.. † Here Shakespeare uses and extended metaphor, which is ironic as Othello is comparing Desdemona to white snow, white being symbolic of innocence and purity which paradoxes the vile dead which he is about to commit. Shakespeare use of figurative language here powerfully reflects Othello’s intense love and adoration for Desdemona. The fact that Othello elevates Desdemona to a position of â€Å"Monumental† perfection shows that he is savouring her beauty before confirming his resolve that â€Å"she must die†. Furthermore, Shakespeare’s clever use of dramatic irony and ability to control the audiences’ emotions through powerful imperative verbs is shown in this part of the soliloquy. â€Å"Yet she must die, else she’ll betray more men†. Othello’s resolve is highlighted by a break in the flow of the verse, emphasised by a colon. This break represents his sorrow, regret and anguish. The fact that Othello is a â€Å"Moore† means he suffered both outwardly (isolation and alienation attacks) and inwardly (tortured conscience). Unfortunately the finality of this statement conveys to the audience the harsh reality that Othello is going carry out this injustice. Also this particular line said by Othello links with what Brabantio (desdamona’s father) says in the beginning of the play â€Å"Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see: She has deceived her father, and may thee†. This here is very ironic, as Othello is going to murder Desdemona for the exact thing her father warned him about, except she has not committed the act. We the audience feel pathos toward Desdemona as even her father had a false predicament and made an extreme error in judging his own daughters character. Unsurprisingly this links with Romeo and Juliet’s struggle to be together as a result of the â€Å"family feud†. Love is portrayed to be a hardship in both plays, which may be one of the reasons the love is so obsessive and unhealthy. To conclude, I believe that the theme of love is convayed very effectively in both Romeos and Othello’s soliloquy. Both invoked a variety of emotions and allow the audience to really connect with the characters. A great amount of dramatic irony and tension is delivered at pivotal points in both plays where obsessive leads to the suicide of Juliet and contrastingly the murder of Desdemona.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Is China nuclear weapons arsenal a force for stability or instability in Asia

Introduction Different countries have different reasons for possessing dangerous ulcer weapons. Many of the countries in possession of the weapons cite defense as their foremost reason. It proves difficult to ascertain the exact number of the weapons a country possesses due to the high level of secrecy involved. For instance, as revealed by the federation of American scientists, China records approximately 180 full of zip nuclear weaponry but owning 240 of them in summation as recorded in the 2009 statistics.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Is China nuclear weapons arsenal a force for stability or instability in Asia? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Despite of these, China is the â€Å"second smallest country that possesses such weapons as compared to other five major states possessing these nuclear weapons† (Kristensen, Robert, Matthew, 2006, p.53). However, what triggers the minds of many is whether th e Chinese nuclear weapon arsenal is stability or an instability force in Asia. As the paper unfolds, China’s nuclear weapon arsenal stands out as a force for stability in Asia. Discussion China has signed various treaties for its safety use of its nuclear weapons. It is one of the countries, which have signed the nuclear nonproliferation treaty. The treaty, ratified by China in 1992, illustrates the commitment of China in using its nuclear for the purposes of stability of its continent as opposed to causing instability (Kristensen, Robert, Matthew, 2006, p.45). Therefore, the claim alone is a package enough to declare the Chinese nuclear weapon arsenal a stability force in Asia. Furthermore, among the five states, China gave an assurance of security to those countries without possession of nuclear weapons. Furthermore, the Chinese policy â€Å"no first use rule† asserts their concerns on stability. This policy means that the use of their nuclear weapons will come as t he last resort if the circumstances require that they use them. As Michael (2011, Para. 4) observes, â€Å"The white paper of 2005 released by the foreign ministry states that the government would not use its weapons under any circumstances and at any time as its first option† during any time of war. It further postulates that China will under no circumstances use nuclear weapons on a non-nuclear weapon state. Furthermore, China has, of recent had good relations with other countries, the US being among them. For instance, in the status and evolution paper on the china nuclear arsenal, union of concerned scientists assured the world that China had no intention of enhancing any parity with the Us (Michael, 2011, Para.5). Further, the paper raised the concern of its arsenal being able to protect the people of China in order for it to survive any attack and have the ability to retaliate. This therefore, implies that China has no ill intention of its nuclear weapon causing any for m of mayhem but rather fosters stability of its country as well as the safety of its people.Advertising Looking for essay on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Conclusion In conclusion, while some countries possesses nuclear firearms based on some instability force evident in their corresponding continents, China assumes the reverse as its nuclear weapon arsenal is no more than a force of stability in Asia. It proves therefore important to note that China is not the only country in possession of such weapons of mass destruction. Although issues have been raised concerning the ill motives of China’s possession of the firearms and secret manufacturing of these weapons, it remains not clear to tell what decision the country can come up with tomorrow. The various treaties signed on usage of the weapons remains the only reference point, but overall, the Chinese nuclear weapons exist purposely to foster stability of the country and only used as the last resort. Reference List Michael, C. (2011). Debate over China’s nuclear policy Analysis: Questions remain on China’s nuclear stance. Retrieve June 2, 2011 from www. nuclear-news.net/2011/05/23/debate-over-chinas-nuclear-policy/ Kristensen, M., Robert, S., and Matthew, G. (2006). Chinese Nuclear Forces and U.S. Nuclear War Planning. Oxford: Oxford UP. This essay on Is China nuclear weapons arsenal a force for stability or instability in Asia? was written and submitted by user Kamila Burt to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Free Essays on Anthropology

Anthropology proves to be satisfying and intellectually fulfilling to many in the field. However, there are also many challenges and bumps in the road along the way. Napolean A. Chagnon and Claire Sterk faced many of these challenges themselves. During his fieldwork with the Yanomamo, Chagnon faced many challenges interacting with the natives. Chagnon could not practically communicate with the people until about six months after he arrived. He notes ? the hardest thing to live with was the incessant, passioned, and often aggressive demands they would make.? An example of this is the natives threatening with a shout such as; ?If you don?t take me with you on your next boat trip to Widokalyateri, I?ll chop a hole in your canoe!? While trying to collect genealogies, Chagnon found it very frustrating and commented ? I could not have deliberately picked a more difficult people to work with in this regard.? This was because he first tried to use the names they called each other, not knowing that the names they called each other were completely ambiguous and didn?t mean anything. He then later found out , after collecting all the genealogical information, that only the living members were accurate and the deceased listed were mostly fake. He had to start all over. ( Chagnon 5) Sterk did a different type of study on prostitution and how it went on during a time when AIDS was a major problem. This type of fieldwork is ethnographic fieldwork. Sterk had to get established in rough neighborhoods, crack houses, and sidewalks of busy streets. She first and foremost had to locate her samples by asking local taxi-drivers, bartenders , and AIDS clinics. Developing a relationship and trust with women who had never had any trustworthy people in their lives was quite challenging as well. Sterk was once followed home by one of the woman?s pimps and his friends, and was jumped. The woman admitted to Sterk ... Free Essays on Anthropology Free Essays on Anthropology Anthropology proves to be satisfying and intellectually fulfilling to many in the field. However, there are also many challenges and bumps in the road along the way. Napolean A. Chagnon and Claire Sterk faced many of these challenges themselves. During his fieldwork with the Yanomamo, Chagnon faced many challenges interacting with the natives. Chagnon could not practically communicate with the people until about six months after he arrived. He notes ? the hardest thing to live with was the incessant, passioned, and often aggressive demands they would make.? An example of this is the natives threatening with a shout such as; ?If you don?t take me with you on your next boat trip to Widokalyateri, I?ll chop a hole in your canoe!? While trying to collect genealogies, Chagnon found it very frustrating and commented ? I could not have deliberately picked a more difficult people to work with in this regard.? This was because he first tried to use the names they called each other, not knowing that the names they called each other were completely ambiguous and didn?t mean anything. He then later found out , after collecting all the genealogical information, that only the living members were accurate and the deceased listed were mostly fake. He had to start all over. ( Chagnon 5) Sterk did a different type of study on prostitution and how it went on during a time when AIDS was a major problem. This type of fieldwork is ethnographic fieldwork. Sterk had to get established in rough neighborhoods, crack houses, and sidewalks of busy streets. She first and foremost had to locate her samples by asking local taxi-drivers, bartenders , and AIDS clinics. Developing a relationship and trust with women who had never had any trustworthy people in their lives was quite challenging as well. Sterk was once followed home by one of the woman?s pimps and his friends, and was jumped. The woman admitted to Sterk ... Free Essays on Anthropology Anthropology concerns itself with humans as complex social beings with a capacity for language, thought and culture. The study of anthropology is about understanding biological and cultural aspects of life among peoples throughout the world. All humans are born with the same basic physical characteristics but, depending on where they grow up, each individual is exposed to different climates, food, languages, religious beliefs, and so on. However human beings are not simply shaped by their environment, they also actively shape the world in which they love. A key aim of anthology is to understand the common constraints within which human beings operate as well as the differences which are evident between particular societies and cultures. Given such concerns, the potential subject matter of anthropology is truly vast. Researchers nowadays tend to specialise on in or another branch of the discipline. Some, called physical or biological anthropologists, investigate such topics as how humans or human-like creatures evolved over thousands or millions or years, as well as our genetic and behavioural relationships with non-human primates. Others, called social or cultural anthropologists, study such things as the very varied ways in which different peoples organise themselves to ensure stable agricultural production or community life. They might study different assumptions people hold about how the world works as revealed in their religious beliefs and practices. They might study the many material forms that people produce such as their houses, dress, crafts and art. In this Guide we discuss both of these kinds of anthology, although we say more about the social and cultural side of the discipline. Where can I study anthropology? Social anthropology is currently taught to degree level in about 27 UK universities or their constituent colleges. It may be studies as part of a wider degree in so other universities; it may also be studied part-t... Free Essays on Anthropology Hunting and Gathering VS Agriculture From the early prehistoric society until now, we often heard the word â€Å"adaptation†, which means the process of changing something or changing our behavior to deal with new situations. The ways people adjust their natural environment varies according to time, place, and tribe. Foraging is common way of adaptation that people uses for most of human history; however because of the population pressure, some people adopt agriculture to fulfill their need. This essay, will discuss the positive and negative aspects of life in hunting and gathering societies compared to the agricultural societies based on Martin Harris’ article â€Å"Murders in Eden† and Jared Diamond’s article â€Å"The Worst Mistake in the History of Human Race.† Hunting and gathering is the longest-lasting lifestyle for most of human history. In addition to their way of life, hunter-gatherers are often regarded as â€Å"nasty, brutish, and short † (Diamond 114). Progressivists also suggested our hunter-gatherer ancestors adopt agriculture because of â€Å"its efficient way to get more food for less work†(Diamond 114). However, as archaeologists observe in some aspects of their lives, hunter-gatherers societies are not necessarily â€Å"nasty, brutish, and short.† Some issues that we need to compare between hunting and gathering and agricultural societies include workloads, nutrition, production, starvation, infanticide, health and disease, and differences in wealth. From the work loads, it shows that in the barren environment of the Kalahari dessert, the present day Bushmen need only 12 to 19 hours per week to obtaining a diet rich in protein and a high nutritional standard, while their farmer neighbors, the Hadza nomads of Tanzania, need 14 hours per week and get less protein. It also takes more additional hours of food preparation to make it is suitable for consumption. It appears that hunter-gatherers have more leisure time than farm...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

To Get - Verb Meanings and Lessons for ESL Students

'To Get' - Verb Meanings and Lessons for ESL Students The verb to get is used in many senses in English and can be confusing at times. Here is a list of the top ten uses of to get with simple explanations and example sentences. Of course, these are not all the senses of to get. In fact, there are many phrasal verbs with to get. This list is meant to give intermediate level learners the main senses of this important verb. To Acquire Get acquire, buy, come into the possession of something. She got a lot of paintings from her uncle.They got a new pet.Get your results the next day.I got my computer at the Apple store. To Become Get become, to change into a state, often used with adjectives. He got annoyed when he heard the bad news.It must be getting more serious.Janice has gotten much more open in her attitudes.Please dont get angry with me! To Receive Get receive a present, obtain attention. I got some clothes for Christmas.His movie got a good review.I got some books from my girlfriend.What would you like to get for your birthday? To Arrive Get arrive, reach a destination. She got home at 7 oclock.She didnt get to Chicago until after midnight.I got to work late because of the weather.I wont be able to get there until later.   To Bring Get bring, fetch, go and bring or take back. Get me those books over there, please.Could you get the wine?Let me get the shovel and well go to work.Ill just get my phone and then we can leave.   To Experience Get experience, undergo, of mental or physical states or experiences. He got an idea.  She gets vertigo when she looks out the window.They get nauseous when they drive.Peter got frightened by what he thought was a ghost.   To Make Get make, score, achieve a point or goal. Nicklaus got a 70 on that extremely difficult golf course.The Brazilian team got 4 goals.She got 29 points that day.Anthony got 12 rebounds during the game. To Contract Get contract, take, be stricken by an illness, fall victim to an illness. He got a horrible disease while he was traveling.  She got pneumonia and had to go to the hospital.She got a cold from Tom.Unfortunately, I got ill from drinking the water while on vacation.   To Induce Get induce, stimulate, cause, make someone do, cause to do; cause to act in a certain way, always followed by an object. My children finally got me to buy a computer.My wife got me to pay attention to the speaker.The class got the teacher to postpone the test.  I wish I could get them to take me seriously! To Pay Back Get pay back, take vengeance on or get even Well get them!  Thatll get him good!This time I got him.Just wait until I get you! Get Uses Quiz Decide how get is meant in the following sentences.   I got three As last semester. - be striken by / become / scorePeter has gotten serious about his studies. - arrive / cause / becomeThey got their father to buy them a new horse. - bring / acquire / cause  We got three books for our new library. - experience / cause / receiveJane got the flu from her students last week. - arrive / experience / contractCould you get me the paper? - receive / fetch / take vengeanceI got spooked by all the talk of revolution. - experience / fetch / becomeI got some excellent advice on the new job. - bring / receive / causeShe promised to get him some day for all his bad behavior. - pay back / fetch / acquireJohn Handersohn got 32 points and 12 rebounds during the game last night. - become / score / arrive Answers scorebecomecausereceivecontractfetchexperiencereceivepay backscore There are also a wide range of idioms and expressions with get and numerous phrasal verbs with get.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Summary and Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Summary and Response - Essay Example The delegates argue that the rural areas receive fewer funds as compared to the big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. Notably, the allocation of funds has been discriminating against the students who come from the neglected areas including Henan province. The poor funding of the university education in the remote regions has attracted complaints from the residents. In fact, people have demanded equality in the allocation of the funds for higher education. Such inequality resulted in delegates demanding for the equal treatment of the students from all the regions. The quota system of recruiting students to join the universities is discriminating. Primarily, the quota targets the students from the rich areas such as Beijing and Shanghai. According to the article, the political interference in the process of distributing the quotas tends to disadvantage the students from provinces with a large population such as Henan. The household registration that restricts free movement from one region to the other has advanced the discrimination against students from the rural areas (Buckley). The implication of the restriction in movement is that the students cannot acquire the best education in prestigious universities located away from the rural areas. Hence, students from the remote areas are victims of the unequal allocation of slots in the universities. The system of recruiting students to join the universities continues to widen inequality gap in education. Majorly, political favoritism affects the efforts of the China’s government to ensure all the students enjoy fair recruitment in the universities. The university entrance exams tend to reduce the number of the students joining the higher education. According to the article, Henan received 85 positions out of the 758,000 students who attempted the entrance examinations (Buckley). In contrast, students from Beijing got 226 slots out

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Ellingtonia Music essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ellingtonia Music - Essay Example But it was during the 40s (after he turned 40) that songs longer than three minutes became his signature style. At one time in 1927 at the Harlem’s Cotton Club, the famous Oliver King decided not play when he was given an invitation to do so. Luckily for Ellington, they offered him to perform on the club’s stage. From this point on Ellington became a favorite performer at that club and made musical compositions with names like Adelaide Hall. Creole Love Call was Hall’s and Ellington’s hit single together, and became a worldwide sensation. The other great thing that happened to Duke Ellington was when he became a regular performer at the Cotton Club, he experimented with all the musical styles he knew and probably created many. The club became his laboratory where he would experiment with his musical compositions and would get immediate feedback from the audience. With the courtesy of the Cotton Club, Duke became a well-known name for revues style of music. And weekly radio broadcasts from the Cotton Club gave Duke national fame. Although his Webster Blanton Band had many influential members but each song had Ellington’s stamp on it (Robbins, n.d.). Duke Ellington is not a musician that I normally listen too. But when I am in the mood for blues, classical and jazz, I really love Ellington’s compositions. But what I really look up to Ellington is because of his strong will and determination to achieve his goals in style. Whatever I have read about this man, it makes me want to say that I want to live like him. When he passed away, he died a clam and peaceful man, who can look over his life achievements and smile. The look of content on his face makes me envious. When he wrote his first composition at the age of fourteen, he was working as a soda jerk at a cafà © and named it something similar, â€Å"The Soda Fountain Rag†. This gives me inspiration about me studies, my career and

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Radioactive Emissions Essay Example for Free

Radioactive Emissions Essay Radioactive emissions are electromagnetic radiations which occur due to the spontaneous disintegration of unstable nuclei. Natural elements with atomic number greater than 83 and isotopes of some lighter elements are found to be radioactive. They are categorized as alpha, beta and gamma radiations. Alpha particles are positively charged helium-4 nuclei , beta particles are high energy-high speed electrons while gamma rays unlike alpha and beta radiation have no mass and charge and are short electromagnetic waves consisting of high energy photons. While alpha and beta radiations have low and moderate risk of damage, gamma rays can cause severe damage to internal organs and even death on skin exposure. A brief description of various types of radioactive emissions is given below – i)Alpha radiation – alpha particles are helium nuclei with 2 protons and 2 neutrons and hence are positively charged due to which they readily interact with material. Natural alpha radiations have very low penetration power and cannot harm through skin exposure but inhalation of source substances can be quite dangerous. ii)Beta radiation – they are high speed- high energy electrons with penetration power greater than alpha particles due to which the risk of harmful effects to the health of living beings is more. iii)Gamma radiation – they are electromagnetic waves of very short wavelengths with highest penetration power. Unlike alpha and beta radiation they are high energy photons which do not possess mass and charge. They are very harmful for living beings and can cause severe damage to internal organs, DNA mutation and even death. In case of coal based thermal power plants people’s and authority’s concern seem to be limited to environmental pollution caused by pollutants like carbon dioxide(CO2) ,methane, CFCs( which are responsible for greenhouse effect), oxides of nitrogen and sulphur (which increase atmosphere acidity) and soot particles, organic chemicals( which cause lung problems to the people in the vicinity of plant).

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Andrew Marvells To His Coy Mis :: essays research papers

The Non-Discriminatory Nature of Time in Andrew Marvell’s “To His Coy Mistress'; Time passes. Its journey is oblivious to power, weakness, beauty, or mercy. The nature of time itself lies in its unrelenting progression through life, until we are removed from it’s favor and then wither and die. The purpose of most carpe diem poetry is to draw a character’s attention (usually the female) to the pressing nature of time’s progress, as well as illustrating the bountiful rewards of seizing the moment and giving into the momentary passions of life. Andrew Marvell’s poem “To His Coy Mistress'; is a classic example of carpe diem poetry, exemplifying the foreboding nature of time. It’s distinction from similar works, however, lies in its inherent ability to express the ominous nature of time’s advancement in terms of both the male and female’s perspectives. Rather than lament about missed opportunities, “To His Coy Mistress'; actually serves to force one to consider how we compartmentalize time into stages of life, and thus commit ourselves to its mercy without allowing ourselves to relish its immediate rewards. Marvell’s sense of time affects both his characters in unique ways, and therefore unites their plight as a human cause rather than a gender based issue. Andrew Marvell expresses this point by structuring his poem into three components that propose the issues of time’s existence, its limited availability, and finally a solution of sorts. The first section of “To His Coy Mistress'; serves the task of identifying that time is a limited commodity, and thus can not be wasted. Immediately the speaker states openly that “Had we but world enough, and time, This coyness, lady, were no crime'; (1-2). The implication here, if taken at face value, suggests that the mistress’ coyness is a crime only because of the lack of time available. The speaker continues with “We would sit down, and think which way To walk, and pass our long love’s day'; (3-4). The tone of such a verse is overtly suspicious, automatically suggestive of the insidious nature of a man hungry to feed his lust. However, another possibility lies in the direct message Marvell puts forth in his verse. The spoken comments themselves suggest that “We would sit down, and think…'; and “pass our long love’s day'; (3,4). The impression given is one of joint merriment in love. The speaker associates the passion of his coy mistress with his own, creating a sense of understanding and common ground.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Evolution or Ignorance of Education

Throughout recent history creationists and evolutionists have argued whether evolution should be a part of America's public education. Whether evolution is science fact, or science fiction. Evolution being a science based on statistics has some faults, although many concepts in science or math do. The process of learning about evolution is a necessary part of a well-rounded student's education due to the fact that it is a statistically proven science and removing it in turn revokes certain student's rights. In a student's academic career that a student is most likely at one time or another going to have to take a science class. Science, being the main topic of discussion in this class, should at one point include evolution, because that is what evolution is, a science. Although to truly understand evolution in its fullest context, one must not look to a dictionary, for dictionary definitions just are too vague. One of the most respected evolutionary biologists has defined biological evolution as follows: â€Å"In the broadest sense, evolution is merely change, and so is all-pervasive; galaxies, languages, and political systems all evolve. Biological evolution †¦ is change in the properties of populations of organisms that transcend the lifetime of a single individual. The ontogeny of an individual is not considered evolution; individual organisms do not evolve. The changes in populations that are considered evolutionary are those that are inheritable via the genetic material from one generation to the next. Biological evolution may be slight or substantial; it embraces everything from slight changes in the proportion of different alleles within a population (such as those determining blood types) to the successive alterations that led from the earliest protoorganism to snails, bees, giraffes, and dandelions. † – Douglas J. Futuyma in Evolutionary Biology, Sinauer Associates 1986 All sciences are based on some form of proof. Whether it being living proof such as in Biology where one can observe cell division, mathematical proof such as in calculating air-resistance in Physics, or statistical proof as in all science experiments when a predicted result occurs again and again. All sciences have at least one of these qualities, including evolution. The proof of evolution's existence has been on this earth ever since life was formed from carbon based atom structures. Humans, however, have not been in existence long enough to observe properly the phenomena of evolution. Although by using the latest technology we can accurately observe the process of evolution as it occurred over time long ago and is still happening today. Charles Darwin, a British naturalist, made the first major step in classifying evolution during his studies in the Galapagos Archipelago in 1831 when he was only 22 years of age. Due to this he is credited with first forming a structured theory of evolution. During his studies in the Galapagos Archipelago he found a multitude of flora and fauna that had complete isolation from the rest of the world. One particular type of animal that he paid close attention to be a small bird called a Finch. This was thought as being simple at first, but as he traveled to the different islands he noticed many different species of finches. These finches probably descended from one type of ancestor and then, due to isolation and through chance, different climates and natural forces such as food availability and type, they evolved into many different types of finches. Some finches had different colorings, wingspan, and even beak style. In total he found thirteen different varieties of finches. Later on in Charles' life he formed many theories on the origins of man. This was directly related to his studies in the Galapagos Archipelago. In his book â€Å"Decent of Man† written in 1871 he declares why man had been so ignorant by denying evolution in the final parts of chapter one. â€Å"Thus we can understand how it has come to pass that man and all other vertebrate animals have been constructed on the same general model, why they pass through the same early stages of development, and why they retain certain rudiments in common. Consequently we ought rankly to admit their community of descent: to take any other view, is to admit that our own structure, and that of all the animals around us, is a mere snare laid to entrap our judgment. This conclusion is greatly strengthened, if we look to the members of the whole animal series, and consider the evidence derived from their affinities or classification, their geographical distribution and geological succession. It is only our natural prejudice, and that arrogance which made our forefathers declare that they were descended from demigods, which leads us to demur to this conclusion. But the time will before ong come, when it will be thought wonderful that naturalists, who were well acquainted with the comparative structure and development of man, and other mammals, should have believed that each was the work of a separate act of creation. † (Darwin) As seen in the above text, Charles Darwin explains how statistically man did evolve from a lower form of life. This is directly related to the finches due to that the same forces that caused them to evolve may have caused humans to evolve as well. Yet still some schools in America have tried banning the teaching of evolution in the classroom. Every student in a United States public school has a constitutional right to hear the whole story when it comes to evolution. It is called the first amendment in the Bill of Rights. According to the American Civil Liberties Union or ACLU, the authority on civil rights, states that every student has the right to a non-biased education (ACLU Urges†¦ ). In the Supreme Court decision Edwards v. Aguillard, 482 U. S. 578 (1987), the Court ruled that to compromise by omitting evolution and creationism from the science curriculum would â€Å"undermine the provision of a comprehensive scientific education. On this point, the law is very clear, and the Supreme Court put its foot down — the First Amendment forbids a state to alter its curriculum simply in order to defend a religious belief. That's an establishment of religion, and it's unconstitutional. (Edwards) So not only is removing evolution from the classroom unjustified, but it is against the law. Creationism has its place in the classroom as well as Evolutionism, although not the same classroom. Creationism belongs in a class like Theology or History of Religion. This is because creationism is the belief in the biblical account of the creation of the world. Biblical meaning the Bible, restricting it only to a group of religions. So-called â€Å"Creation Science† is not a science at all. Lately it has been more of a political movement than a science. Sure creationists may have facilities like the â€Å"Institute for Creation Research† (a church that does no scientific research at all) and the â€Å"Creation Research Society† (another church that also does no scientific research), but in the end there is not a shred of science in creation. Recently many science teachers in public schools have tried to work their way around teaching evolution by teaching a so called â€Å"intelligent design theory† (Washington State). This is just one of the many guises of creation science, and it does not change the fact that states and school districts may not adopt religious theories as standards in school curricula. Creationists will always exist, since ignorance will always exist, although evolution will always have a place in science curriculum. Creationists believe in creation because their masters have told them to believe in Creationism as a tool to their â€Å"salvation†. They do not care that evolution is an observed fact: they have â€Å"faith† that Creationism is true, and that's all they need. They consider facts and truth to be a hindrance to their ticket to Heaven. The teachings of these people should have no place, and will have no place in our children's science classrooms, only evolution and other proven sciences have the right to be present. Therefore, the process of learning about evolution is a necessary part of a well-rounded student's education due to the fact that it is a statistically proven science and removing it in turn revokes certain student's rights.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Masculinity vs. Femininity

Masculinity vs. Femininity Geert Hofstede Here you can see four persons, three of them are adults and the other one is a student. One of the adult seems to be the principal of a school, the other two seem to be the parents of that student. Those people are in a room, which seems to be the bureau f the principal since the sign on the door says â€Å"principal†. The reason why the parents of the student and the principal meet is because the student is not good in school. The principal is about to tell them their son will fail the third grade.Then the father says that he doesn’t understand why his son is so bad in school, and asks what they, himself and his wife, did wrong. The wife answers then that her husband is the one that owns a gun. Therefore you can say that the reason why the student is so bad is due to â€Å"family problems†: His father having a gun. The way the wife says â€Å"You’re the one that owns the gun† seems as if the father uses his gun as a warning, this could lead to fear of the son and this would affect the son’s results in school.In this picture you can say that the father has the power in the family especially showed by him owning a gun, and the mother and wife is only his subordinate. That is why this picture is an example for the masculinity versus femininity by Hofstede’s model. This dimension indicates the extent to which dominant values in a society tend to be assertive and look more interested in things than in concerning for people and the quality of life. â€Å"Masculinity is the opposite of femininity; together, they form one of the dimensions of national cultures.Masculinity stands for a society in which social gender roles are dearly distinct: men are supposed to be more modest, tender, and concerned with the quality of life. † (Source: Hofstede, page 262) â€Å"Femininity stands for a society where gender roles overlap: both men and women are supposed to be modest, tender and concerned with the quality of life. † (Hofstede, page 261) The Masculinity and Femininity dimension describes how cultures differentiate between gender roles. Masculine cultures tend to be ambitious and need to surpass.Members of these cultures have a tendency to polarize and consider big and fast to be beautiful. In workplaces employees emphasize their work to a great extent and they admire achievers who accomplished their tasks. Feminine cultures consider quality of life and helping others to fulfill theirselves and help others to achieve their goals . Working is basically to earn money which is necessary for living. In business as well as in private life they strive for consensus and develop sympathy for people who are in trouble.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

World Press Freedom Day 2010 Essays

World Press Freedom Day 2010 Essays World Press Freedom Day 2010 Essay World Press Freedom Day 2010 Essay â€Å"The right to know is central for upholding other basic rights, for furthering transparency, justice and development. Hand-in-hand with the complementary notion of freedom of expression, it underpins democracy. We may not consciously exercise our right to know. But each time we pick up a newspaper, turn on the TV or radio news, or go on the Internet, the quality of what we see or hear depends on these media having access to accurate and up to date information†- Irina Bokova, Director-General, UNESCOThese are exactly the words that came to the UNESCO’s Director-General’s mouth upon giving her message to the world with regards to the celebration of World Press Freedom Day on May 3 of this year, 2010. As this celebration takes place, the emphasis on freedom of information as a fundamental part of the human rights of freedom of expression has been depicted clearly. With the global crisis about the freedom of self expression happening today, this celebration is p erfect for every country to contribute their own distinct conceptualizations as such. This paper will examine the ways on how the said celebration was celebrated by using the layer model. Depiction of an action made by a particular nation – Brazil, technological aftermath, and non-government organizations’ contribution in this issue will take place.Every nation bestowed their specific alertness with regards to this topic. But in Brazil’s case, this event is very significant as they go through a new phase of living. Just recently, their House of Representatives gave their approval to the General Law of Access Information (2009) which permits the public to have an access to all information concerning their nation. Apparently, this is fair enough as to give justice to Human Rights whereas each and every person is entitled to practice.Basically, this celebration was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly as early as the year 1993 as a result of the 26th G eneral Conference of UNESCO in 1991. It was intended to celebrate the rights of every citizen to be completely and truthfully informed about everything about their country through press freedom. In this way, not only the press freedom is practiced, but also democracy across the country. Given all the crisis and circumstances around the globe today, it is very essential to be granted such right to know what is happening being a citizen of your own country.Furthermore, news doesn’t only come from televisions, radios or newspapers today. Due to the continuous development of the world, the newly developed technologies also became sources of important information. These gadgets are as useful and helpful as the other means of communication; it actually provided the easier way. In fact, networks have set numerous subscription programs through mobile phones and internet to access news the most convenient possible way. This development is one of the most beneficial developments made f or the world industrialization.In this light, technological trends are examined in the research conducted by Graziano and Vink (2006); this study discusses the telecommunications policy as it has been used in political science during the present time. For instance, modernization is constantly affecting the subject. During early times, these issues are discussed only during private conference, shown in televisions, heard in radio stations, or read from newspapers. But because technology continuously conquers modern life, people tend to prefer it instead of the old type of getting news, but there are still few who use the old one though. Another study related to the aforementioned is Fransman (2002); its aim was to show both the uses and shortcomings of changes in Telecommunications Industry. The use of this industry for press or human rights purposes in political context is included in the scope of the research. Given all the beneficial result of its use, there are also existing dile mmas emerging while enjoying it. A tendency would be not everything that is relayed through the telecommunications industry is true. In that case, confusion can be developed on the minds of people which will worsen the status of the press freedom. Most probably, citizens will need to observe and study first which sources will most likely be reliable in this issue. Further explanations are provided in the given researches as they use the layer principle that contributes to the betterment of the research.Moreover, not only telecommunications industry is being used for freedom purposes. One technological trend today that can be considered the widely used one is the internet. According to Solum and Chung (2003), the effect on the shape and content of legal regulation of global network of networks by the internet is widely seen ever since it was established. Consequently, internet uses among citizens who seek for information have been rapidly increasing. Not to mention that journalists a nd other legal topic writers consider posting of their informative articles on the web so that people will easily access it without certain restrictions. However, this research seeks to provide safety protocols on the use of the world-wide-web most especially for political science purposes.As a contribution for this celebration, ARTICLE 19 offices are acknowledging World Press Freedom Day and the Right to Information with numerous events around the world. It supports activities done by every country in celebration of the day because the organization believes that ‘The phrase â€Å"information is power† is just part of the story. The Right to information is an enabling and empowering right which has taken the world by storm over the past two decades, but it cannot be fully realized without the forth pillar of democracy: a free media.’ (ARTICLE 19, 2010, p. 1). With all these several actions made by different industries, organizations and citizens, the world will d efinitely attain press freedom. Despite all the crisis and trials that every nation is facing, this celebration clearly depicted that the world is up for the challenge.Reference listARTICLE 19. (2010). World Press Freedom Day: Free Media and Freedom of Information. London, United Kingdom: Free Word Centre.Forthcoming in Graziano, P. Vink, M. eds. (2006). Europeanization: New Research Agendas. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.Fransman, M. (2002). Mapping the Evolving Telecoms Industry: The Uses and Shortcomings of the Layer Model. Published Dissertation, Institute for Japanese-European Technology Studies, University of Edinburgh, Old College South Bridge, EH8 9 YL Edinburgh, United Kingdom. (Elsevier Science Reproduction Service no. PII:S 0 3 0 8 5 9 6 1 ( 0 2 ) 0 0 0 2 7 – 7) Retrieved 9 May 2010, from Elsevier Science Ltd.General Law of Access to Information, PL. 5228, N/A., N/A. (2009)Solum, L. B. Chung, M. (2003). The Layers Principle: Internet Architecture and the Law. Published research, Public Law and Legal Theory Research, School of Law, University of San Diego, California. Retrieved 9 May 2010, Social Science Research Network Electronic Paper Collection.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Overview of United States Government

Overview of United States Government The government of the United States is based on a written constitution. At 4,400 words, it is the shortest national constitution in the world. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire ratified the Constitution giving it the necessary 9 out of 13 votes needed for the Constitution to pass. It officially went into effect on  March 4, 1789.  It was  consists of a Preamble, seven Articles, and 27 Amendments. From this document, the entire federal government was created. It is a living document whose interpretation has changed over time. The amendment process is such that while not easily amended, US citizens are able to make necessary changes over time. Three Branches of Government The Constitution created three separate branches of government. Each branch has its own powers and areas of influence. At the same time, the Constitution created a system of checks and balances that ensured no one branch would reign supreme. The three branches are: Legislative Branch- This branch consists of the Congress which is responsible for making the federal laws. Congress consists of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives.Executive Branch- The Executive power lies with the President of the United States who is given the job of executing, enforcing, and administering the laws and government. The Bureaucracy is part of the Executive Branch.Judicial Branch- The judicial power of the United States is vested in the Supreme Court and the federal courts. Their job is to interpret and apply US laws through cases brought before them. Another important power of the Supreme Court is that of Judicial Review whereby they can rule laws unconstitutional. Six Foundational Principles The Constitution is built on six basic principles. These are deeply ingrained in the mindset and landscape of the US Government. Popular Sovereignty- This principle states that the source of governmental power lies with the people. This belief stems from the concept of the social contract and the idea that government should be for the benefit of its citizens. If the government is not protecting the people, it should be dissolved.Limited Government- Since the people give the government its power, the government itself is limited to the power given to it by them. In other words, the US government does not derive its power from itself. It must follow its own laws and it can only act using powers given to it by the people.Separation of Powers- As stated previously, the US Government is divided into three branches so that no one branch has all the power. Each branch has its own purpose: to make the laws, execute the laws, and interpret the laws.Checks and Balances- In order to further protect the citizens, the constitution set up a system of checks and balances. Basically, each branch of government has a certain nu mber of checks it can use to ensure the other branches do not become too powerful. For example, the president can veto legislation, the Supreme Court can declare acts of Congress unconstitutional, and the Senate must approve treaties and presidential appointments. Judicial Review- This is a power that allows the Supreme Court to decide whether acts and laws are unconstitutional. This was established with Marbury v. Madison in 1803.Federalism- One of the most complicated foundations of the US is the principle of federalism. This is the idea that the central government does not control all the power in the nation. States also have powers reserved to them. This division of powers does overlap and sometimes leads to problems such as what happened with the response to Hurricane Katrina between the state and federal governments. Political Process While the Constitution sets up the system of government, the actual way in which the offices of Congress and the Presidency are filled are based upon the American political system. Many countries have numerous political parties- groups of people who join together to try and win political office and thereby control the government- but the US exists under a two-party system. The two major parties in America are the Democratic and Republican parties. They act as coalitions and attempt to win elections. We currently have a two-party system because of not only historical precedent and tradition but also the  electoral system itself. The fact that America has a two-party system does not mean that there is no role for third parties in the American landscape. In fact, they have often swayed elections even if their candidates have in most cases not won. There are four major types of third parties: Ideological Parties, e.g. Socialist PartySingle-Issue parties, e.g. Right to Life PartyEconomic Protest Parties, e.g. Greenback PartySplinter Parties, e.g. Bull Moose Party Elections Elections occur in the United States at all levels including local, state, and federal. There are numerous differences from locality to locality and state to state. Even when determining the presidency, there is some variation with how the electoral college is determined from state to state. While voter turnout is barely over 50% during Presidential election years and much lower than that during midterm elections, elections can be hugely important as seen by the top ten significant presidential elections.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

HCI Design Project Usability Evaluation Criteria Research Paper

HCI Design Project Usability Evaluation Criteria - Research Paper Example Several criteria have been established for evaluating the usability of a user interface design in the current design paradigms. For purposes of this evaluation we shall focus on the heuristic evaluation and usability testing criteria that has been supported by several authors in the field of user interface design (Madan & Dubey, 2012). Jacob Nielsen is considered the father of Heuristic Evaluation criteria. He developed a set of heuristics referred to as Jacob Nielsen’s heuristics that are used for user interface design and evaluation to date (Inostroza, Rusu, Roncagliolo, Jimenez & Rusu, 2012). According to Nielsen, the main goal of the heuristic evaluation criteria is to identify the problems that are associated with the design of a user interface. He developed the criteria based on his experience as a long serving consultant of usability engineering (Inostroza et al, 2012). Heuristics are common evaluation techniques in the field of Human Computer Interaction (HCI) that is mainly conducted in the context of typical tasks that are performed by users. The designer obtains feedback from the users regarding the compatibility of the interface with their intended use and the performance in meeting their needs (Madan & Dubey, 2012). In a study carried out to determine usability of the Bogazici University Industrial Engineering website interface, heuristic evaluation was employed for evaluation of the usability of the user interface. To accomplish this task several scenarios were created for usability testing, user groups were determined based on their computing knowledge and skills. Their performance was then evaluated based on task completion success, time spent on the task, rate of accomplishment or quittance.

Thursday, October 31, 2019

The Role of the Nurse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Role of the Nurse - Essay Example Craig and colleagues (2006) discuss that assessment is a crucial first step in the delivery of health care, and often serves as the initial point of patient/nurse communication or contact. During the initial meeting with the patient, it is usually the nurse’s role to make a thorough evaluation of the patient (from head to toe) as a means of establishing baseline parameters for the patient’s general condition. This baseline is also the point of reference for nurses in order to monitor the patient’s progress from their point of admission to their point of discharge (Craig, et.al., 2006). The assessment as carried out by the nurse would also serve to guide the development of the nursing care plan. The role of the nurse in the assessment is to ensure a holistic evaluation of the patient, including the patient’s needs and the purpose of the medical consult (Rosdahl and Kowalski, 2011). As the assessment is carried out, the health issues of the patient – from the physiological to the psychological – would be established. During the assessment, it is also the nurse’s task to establish the patient’s medical history, which would include major and relevant health issues he has suffered in the past, including previous surgeries, allergies, and current medications (Rosdahl and Kowalski, 2011). ... 1). Frequency of sunbathing without any sun block as well as frequency of tanning sessions Question 1: At what time of the day do you usually sunbathe without using sun block? Rationale: It is important to determine the time of day the patient has usually sunbathed because there are certain times of the day when the rays of the sun are strongest, and exposure to the sun during these times increases one’s risk for getting skin cancer (Leiter and Garb, 2008). There is a need to establish whether or not the patient has often sunbathed at 11 am to 4 am where the risk for exposure to UV rays is at its peak (Leiter and Garb, 2008). Question 2: How often do you get sunburns? Rationale: It is also important to establish how often the patient has suffered sunburns because the repeated healing and burning of the skin during sunburns have a cumulative effect (Qureshi, et.al., 2012). Every sunburn incident represents skin damage and repeated incidents of sunburn would cumulatively increas e one’s risk for developing skin cancer (Qureshi, et.al., 2012). It is important to ask this of the patient in order to determine the level of risk she has already exposed herself to. 2) Mole is irregularly shaped two toned papule, with ill-defined light brown to pink medial and lower borders Question 1: Describe the changes which your mole has undergone? Rationale: Any irregularities in the shape of a mole often signify possible melanoma; more often than not, ill-defined moles signal skin cancer (Psaty, et.al., 2010). Question 2: Do you notice any pain in the area of the mole? Rationale: Pain on the moles may qualify the mole to be a suspicious mole which may also signal skin cancer or melanoma (Psaty, et.al., 2010). 3. Rapid change in the

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Hrd 276 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hrd 276 - Essay Example This review has chosen JetBlue Airways for purposes of organizational culture model simply because the company practices the Denison Organizational Culture Survey (DOCS), a tool of choice that has become effective in assessing the cultural and organizational performance. Using this tool, organizations can now benchmark their cultural scores against the global database. As a result, they can now develop action plans that are geared towards improving their current practices. In an analysis of JetBlue Airways using DOCS tool, both strengths and weaknesses of the organization as they apply in the company performance will be undertaken with respect to adaptability, mission, involvement and consistency (Denison Consulting, 2013). In doing so, specific aspects of an organizations culture in each of the fore mentioned traits and management practices are normally carried out. Adaptability is characterized by a number of traits such as customer focus, creating change and organizational learning. While creating change, JetBlue Airways has been characterized by the ability of the company to being responsive to change. The company responds well with its competitors and with respect to changes in the external environment. However, there is a need for different organizational unit to cooperate in order for Jet Blue to realize more change (Denison Consulting, 2013). Customers focus; on the other hand, requires that all members of the organization understands customer’s wants and needs particularly being an airline company. The last aspect of adaptability is organizational learning whereby failure should be viewed as an opportunity for future improvements. Therefore, this should encourage innovations in the company as the risk takers get re warded. The next factor of explanation of culture is the mission that involves strategic directions and intent; setting

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Development of Child Minding Business: Activity Planning

Development of Child Minding Business: Activity Planning Unit Two Part One – Documentation for a child minding business Clear documentation is essential, as it is an area that receives inspection from Ofsted. Ofsted is the independent regulatory body for schools (including child care providers delivering the early years foundation stage curriculum) that reports directly to the government. The documentation you need for a child minding business are as follows: Criminal records bureau check (CRB)- this will check a person for any criminal records or convictions that may be held against their name. CRB is the first piece of documentation that should be filed in the documentation toolkit. A CRB check is necessary for any adult that will be caring for children within the childcare setting. Child record form- this provides a snapshot of crucial information relating to the child being cared for and will be the first form accessed in the case of an emergency. This form should include, child’s name, D.O.B, address, parent/carers address and contact details, child’s doctors names and contact details, 2 emergency contacts, medical history, immunisations, allergies, dietary requirements, medical conditions, religion (if appropriate) and any other relevant information. Child information record book- this is an essential piece of documentary evidence required by Ofsted, it documents daily the various activities a child has carried out, food they have eaten, number of nappies changes (if applicable) and any other relevant information relating to the child that occurs during the day. The book is usually taken home daily or weekly by the parent so they can see what activities their child has been engaging in during the day and what learning has taken place. The record book can also act as a means of communication for non-urgent items between the parent and child care provider. Childcare agreement forms- this provides the contract between the parent and the childcare provider. The child care agreement sets out essential information such as the child’s contact details, parent/guardian information, start date, hours and days the child will be attending, details of collection from the setting and fee information (including any retainer fees that may be payable). Accident record and incident forms- the accident form gives a detailed account off the accident that has occurred, where it happened, names of any adults who witnessed the accident, type of first aid that was given at the time (if applicable), this should also include the date, name and signature of the person who completed the form. It should also contain a section for the child’s parent to sign to confirm that they have read the report and are aware of the accident. The incident form is very similar to the accident form, it is used to give details of anything that may result in the child becoming upset and distressed ex, a child may be playing with a family cat and be scratched. The incident form is to be completed and signed the same as the accident form and read and signed by the parent. Existing injuries form- an existing injuries form is used to document any injuries, (bruise or cut) which a child may arrive with. Both the childcare provider and the parent should sign the form. These could be completed in the setting before the session starts or issued to parents in advanced. Fire and safety form- this is used to give details if the correct evacuation process from the setting in case of a fire breaking out. All children being cared for should be regularly exposed to a practice fire drill the dates of the drill and children involved should be documented, dated and signed in the fire safety form. Vehicle records and parent permission to travel in a vehicle- this form should contain information regarding registered and insured vehicles that are to be used for the purpose of childcare. These vehicles should have appropriate insurance cover and documentation about who is insured and registered to dive the children around. As well as the vehicle record, it is necessary to obtain a signed form from a parent giving permission for their child to be transported in their childcare provision registered vehicles. This could be for regular trips t a playgroup, the park or an organised outing. Prescription and non-prescription medical record card- this can either be incorporated into the child’s record or detailed separately. It should contain information on prescription and non-prescription medicines the child may need administered by the childcare provider. It should detail the name of the drug, dose and frequency it should be administered. The childcare provision should obtain written permission from the parent for each drug to be given to their child. Each time it is administered it should be recorded in the form. This procedure should also be carried out for non-prescription medication that a child requires, as agreed with the parent. The parent should also detail under what circumstances the medication should be given. Outings and consent forms- there are 2 different typed of consent forms that may be required for documenting small trips and pre-planned larger scale trips. A form including clauses that detail the types of outings a child can go on can be used; this form could include permission statements for trips on public transport, foot, carer’s cars or any other car (e.g. carers friends car). This form should be signed by the parent and kept in the child’s file. In addition to this form a separate form may be required for larger outings, or for those that may require financial contribution from the parent. Financial forms- record of payment, invoice, receipt- as well as the collection of forms already discussed, there are three necessary financial forms for recording financial details relating to the home child care business. Record of payment of fees- used to record fee payments by the parent. The childcare provider signs to say that the payments by the parent have been received. There may be occasions when a receipt is used for other purposes, educational products purchased from the childcare provider. Record of complaint- any complaints may be required to be shared with parents, Ofsted and possibly other agencies. Therefore, it is extremely important that the complaints form is completed accurately, and as soon after the complaint is made so the information is accurate. The next section should contain details of the complaint in full. The following sections should go on to detail how the complaint was dealt with, along with any action that was taken. The child provider should ten sign and date the form. Depending on the nature of complaint, it might be necessary to refer it to Ofsted, particularly if an allegation f serious harm or abuse is made. Part Two – Activities that stimulate children developmentally Play is an essential part of a child development, and there are many activities that can be done to enhance the development of a child, intellectually, socially and physically. Depending on the space available, there are various different options for incorporating physical development activities into a child’s day; for example, skipping is a good physical development activity as it encourages co-ordination and strength. Physical development activities also help to promote a healthy living and exercise. Physical development also helps to develop a child’s gross-motor skills; gross-motor skills refer to the big physical movements made by a child or baby, such as crawling, rolling and walking. Additional activities that enhance physical development of gross-motor skills are throwing or catching a ball; this develops hand eye co-ordination, riding a bike; this helps to develop balance skills, and hopscotch; this helps to develop jumping and counting skills. Fine-motor skills involve dexterity and fine control of muscle movements such as, writing, drawing, using a knife and fork and doing up clothing. Fine-motor skills require a child to use precise and well-controlled movements; there are many activities that can be used to develop these skills such as a dressing up box. There is a wide range of multi-sensory toys to develop a baby’s fine-motor skills from around 9months. Toys that can be squeezed to make a noise, or finger foods are ideal for a baby’s hand eye co-ordination. At about 12months, a baby will love to drop objects such as toys. An excellent toy to have is a shape sorter; babies love the bright colours and will love the sound of the shapes dropping into the sorter. Fine-motor skills are used as the baby picked up each shape, determines where it goes and turning it until it drops into the sorter. For toddlers up to about 24months, the range of fine-motor skill activities changes. A brilliant addition to the home or setting is a dressing up box. Toddlers enjoy dressing and undressing; and a dressing up box helps to encourage fine-motor skills with the various fastenings that the toddler may encounter on the clothing such as zips and buttons, it also encourages creativity. Painting, drawing and colouring are also excellent ways to develop toddler’s fine-motor skills. Multi-sensory baby books are a great aid for developing a baby intellectually. There are lots of picture books in the market that have mirrors, crinkly fabric etc. that babies love to touch when being read stories. Music, singing and colourful, noisy toys all provide brilliant stimulation for a baby’s intellectual development. For toddlers there is a wide range of activities that can be used to stimulate intellectual development. Card games such as pairs are very popular, as are board games such as connect four and dominoes. These are excellent for developing numeracy skills. Toddlers have very inquisitive minds and there are intellectual learning opportunities around every corner during the day-to-day activities that can be promoted by questioning, such as â€Å"what do you think we do next†. Role-play is an excellent way to develop social skills in a safe environment, children can explore different roles in different settings; for example, a post office could be set up where children have to interact with each other as customer and staff. Again here, this task is very closely matched to the study guide. Please amend this task and ensure that you are writing in your own words. Task three- Draft food health and safety policy All employees, paid or voluntary, who handle food, have a responsibility to: Maintain a high standard of personal hygiene Refrain from handling food when they or anyone at home are suffering from an infectious disease such as; diarrhoea, throat infection or rashes Adhere to the settings health and safety policy Report any shortcomings to the appropriate person, e.g. Faulty or damaged storage, preparation and service equipment Principles of handling food: All foods must be checked to ensure they are of the quality, substance and temperature required and that they are within there use-by dates All foods must be stored under conditions that will prevent their deterioration, instructions on the label, if present, must be followed Keep it clean-keep it cool- keep it covered: Food and food only, must be stored in areas designated specifically for that purpose (refrigerators, cupboards etc.) Saucepan handles should not overhang the stove or worktop edges Any food or liquid spillage must be cleaned up immediately When cooking food, recipes or packet instructions must be followed Food not eaten at the meal it was prepared/given must not be kept or offered at a later time Signs of any type of pest infection must be reported immediately Principle of safely using equipment in food areas: All electrical equipment must be switched off and the plug removed from the power source when it is being cleaned or not in use Refrigerators, freezers and other types of temperature control equipment must be routinely checked to ensure there effectiveness All equipment must be according to manufacturer’s instructions Doors and lids of equipment in use should fit securely Hob burners, grills, ovens etc. must always be turned off when not in use All cooking equipment should be checked when in use to ensure that it is functioning correctly. Any slight electrical shock received from the equipment must be reported immediately All equipment and working surfaces must be kept in a clean and hygienic condition Cleaning chemicals should be used at the prescribed dilution rate Task four- Travel plan Amount of children attending: 3 Destination: 100acre woods Date of trip: 3rd September 2014 Time of departure: 09.15am Time of return: 12.15pm Permission slips received: 3 Travelling via car Ensure full tank of petrol Ensure car is correctly insured Ensure child locks are enabled Ensure breakdown cover Ensure permission slips and informed of any child likely to attempt to take off their seatbelt Ensure all children have suitable clothing e.g. rain coat Ensure there is a first aid kit in car and any medication that may be needed Joshua’s inhaler Ensure there are snacks and plenty to drink Ensure risk assessment has been carried out before organising the trip -low risk

Friday, October 25, 2019

The Old Man In The Sea(the Relationship Between The Old Man And The Bo :: essays research papers

Under close inspection, people have had a hard time agreeing what to make of Santiago's adventure in The Old Man and the Sea. Is it just a good fish tale? One brave man, one big fish, sounds Biblical, but is it? Are we dealing with allegory, or parable, or fable? If so, what is the parallel narrative, or message, or moral? Different people have arrived at different answers, But I believe that Hemmingway is trying to show the relationship between Manolin and Santiago. How that to the world Manolin can only be one person yet to the world Manolin can mean everything. The act of catching the fish is bound to the act of losing the fish—the red blood released by the mortal blow is the green light for the sharks. Whether he catches the fish or whether the fish snaps the line and escapes, the old man will not be able to bring the meat home. The fish is lost, either way. But the two scenarios are not equal. The man is welcomed back into the esteem of the fishermen, into Manolin's company on the fishing boat, into society, solely because he broke with society and went out "too far", out beyond all others. He gains only by losing. This old man will never again chase marlin for days on end. He won't have to, because for the rest of his days he will have Manolin with him not only physically but mentally because of the fact that he knows Manolin will stick with him no matter what. Even if the odds are against him, and the two of them will catch big, but not giant-sized, marlin with the relative ease known as teamwork. One could also make a case that the old man has neither gained nor learned anything. He did not care when the other fishermen mocked him so why should he care if they praise him? He had Manolin's love before and he has it still, and the love and support of that one special person can mean so much to someone, and give them the confidence to go on. He had been a champion before, as an arm-wrestler, and knew he could be a champion again, as a fisherman even though in Manolin’s eyes he was always a champion. He was right, and has the skeleton to prove it. He had bad luck before he hooked the marlin, and he has bad luck after he kills the marlin.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Symbols in Their Eyes Were Watching God

Symbols in Their Eyes Were Watching God In Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, many different symbols are used to express Janie’s longing for love and acceptance. Each symbol is related to the condition of Janie’s life at that time. Janie is very beautiful and innocent to the ways of men and sexuality. Janie has her first sexual feelings one afternoon beneath a pear tree. She sees a â€Å"bee sinking into the sanctum of a bloom; the thousand sister calyxes arch to meet the love embrace (Hurston 11)† and she comments on how happy the tree must be to have such a feeling.Janie believes she is privy to a â€Å"revelation (Hurston 11)† and she thinks â€Å"So this [is] a marriage (Hurston 11)! † The pear tree and the bee working together in harmony represent new love and desire for Janie. She realizes she has neither in her life but she thinks about the possibilities for the future and she â€Å"[feels] a pain remorseless sweet tha t [leaves] limp and languid (Hurston 11). † Janie has been sheltered her whole life and is seeking to feel some of what she saw with the pear tree and the bee. She asks herself â€Å"where are the singing bees for [me] (Hurston 11)? Not being able to come up with an answer Janie goes to the â€Å"front gate†¦ waiting for the world to be made (Hurston 11). † Janie sees Johnny Taylor and desire from what she sees wells up in her and she kisses him over the gate. The inside of the gate for Janie represents restriction and separation. Janie’s first kiss is with Johnny in the confines of her yard. Janie’s grandmother, Nanny, sees the kiss and forces Janie to marry Logan Killicks. The gate also represents seeking for Janie. After her marriage fails, Janie â€Å"begins to stand by the gate and expect things (Hurston 25). It is at this gate that she meets Joe â€Å"Jody† Stark. Janie leaves â€Å"out of the front gate and turned south (Hurston 32)â €  as she leaves Logan for Joe â€Å"the change was bound to do her good (Hurston 32). † Janie marries Joe Stark and he becomes the mayor of Eatonville. Joe has a very different idea of life for Janie. He wants her to sit and be proper, to be seen and not heard. Janie becomes a clerk in his store. The town gathers on the porch of the store and Janie listens but does not join in the conversations. She is required to be inside working. The porch represents xclusion for Janie and community for everyone else. Janie realizes that â€Å"the wife of the mayor was not just another woman†¦she couldn’t get but so close to most of them in spirit (Hurston 46). † On this porch an unusual thing happens. One of the townsmen’s mule( Matt Bonner’s mule) was getting old and Matt did not treat him very well. He did not feed the mule often. The mule got loose and the townspeople caught up to him and were â€Å"goosing him in the sides (Hurston 56)† for fun. Janie got upset at the little â€Å"regard for helpless things (Hurston 57),† that the towns people were showing.Mayor Stark saw this and bought the mule so he could rest. The mule in the story represents Janie. Although the mule was old, tired, and a source for ridicule among the town the horse still had a â€Å"more spirit left than body (Hurston 56). † After Mayor Stark dies, Janie sees life brand new. She starts to dress differently. She wears her hair free. She socializes with the town. Janie also falls in love again. She meets a younger man named Vergible Woods known as â€Å"Tea Cake. † Tea Cake represents inclusion, the unknown, and unconditional love for Janie.Janie was now socializing with the town but she still was not included. Tea Cake asks her to play checkers and she is so excited. â€Å"Somebody thought it natural for her to play. [That] was even nice (Hurston 96). † She even compares him to her longing. She thinks that he â€Å"coul d be a bee to her blossom —- a pear tree blossom in the spring (Hurston 106). † Janie goes on to marry Tea Cake and they have some bumps along their road but Janie ultimately finds what she was searching for under the pear tree.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Family and Tan Ling Wei

I am an ordinary soon to be 20 years old girl from an ordinary family with extraordinary fantasies. My name is Tan Ling Wei, but since everybody is having a difficult time to pronounce Chinese names, I would rather be called as Zoey. I’m a Malaysian Chinese, and I was born in a big city with big shopping malls – Kuala Lumpur. When I was younger, I used to stay in Bentong which is my hometown in Pahang with my parents together with my grandparents. Since my parents were busy earning for a living, my grandparents were my guardians. Grandpa was my favourite person because he was the one who pampered me the most.He would grant whatever wish I wished for, even if it was the stars in the sky which takes about more than 50,000 years to make the journey. I remembered there was once, my grandpa took me out on a bike to buy me a school bag. I was so young and I did not know how to place my legs on the passenger seat, consequently I hurt my foot by getting it trapped in the bicycl e wheel. I was crying very loudly on the way home because I couldn’t stand the pain and there was a lot of blood. Grandpa’s face was full with guilt when he saw his beloved grandchild got hurt. Eventually, the crying stopped after grandpa’s continuous comforting.The biggest gratitude goes to my mom. She’s not only an ordinary fulltime housewife, but also my dad’s part time personal assistant. On the other hand, she is the one who travels up and down to send me to university and my brother to school. Well, to put it in a nutshell, she has no time for herself at all. When I was 2 years old, I was admitted into the hospital and told that I had bronchitis. She was the one who took up the responsibility to take care of me, staying in the ward with me even when she was pregnant with my brother. A mother’s love is indeed instinctual, unconditional and forever for her child.The closest person when I was young was my dad. He was the one who would pat iently read me poems and stories when I was a baby. Whenever he got back from his work, he would snuggle me in his arms and sing me nursery rhymes. But as I age and hit puberty, our relationship drifted apart. I stopped having physical contacts with dad. Perhaps I was shy since I started noticing changes between females and males. However, the love I had for dad has never changed. Instead of expressing, it lays hidden. Ever heard of love and hate and relationship? Well, that’s the relationship I have with my 17 years old brother.When we were young, we were like cats and dogs, fighting for toys, practically we fight for everything even until today. Even so, blood is thicker than water. Whenever we face any problems in life, we would console each other, and of course be there for each other. My brother and I have one thing in common, that is we love playing computer games. Whenever there’s free time, both of us would spend time playing Blackshot together either as team m ates or rival to kill the time. Which girl would ever play computer games? That’s the common question whenever I come across to any of my friends.Well, that would be me. The reason why am I so boyish is because when I was a toddler, I mixed mostly with my cousin brothers. When I finally got into a primary school, my friends were all boys, because they were less dramatic. During the recess time, the boys would invite me to the field for football. Overtime, my character died hard and hence the boyishness and clumsiness. I love to read since I started my high school. According to one of my Indian good friend, my English was very bad when I was in form 1. We still laugh about it today whenever she tells the story of me speaking broken English in class.I started mixing around with the English educated friends to improve my English. Whenever I’ve difficulty understanding any English vocabulary, I would reach out to my friends and ask for an explanation. Furthermore, I starte d to build up the interest in reading. In the year 2008, when I was in my form 3, Twilight Saga had become famous as a romance novel about vampire love story. Since then, I started to have crazy fantasies of becoming a vampire as I could be an immortal and that I could keep my youth forever. As silly as I could be, reality is always cruel. No one can ever live as an immortal.Everyone’s life will come to an end eventually when the time comes. Well, that’s my autobiography, a really simple one but of course, there’s much more in life that I couldn’t express in words here in this essay. I believe nobody is perfect. Everyone has their own flaws, so do I. Life is just like a roller coaster with ups and downs. It just boils down to every individual on how they deal with it. Last but not leaset, I would like to end with a favourite quote of mine about life, â€Å"Life doesn't require that we be the best, only that we try our best. †- H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Descartes and Meditations on Philosophy essays

Descartes and Meditations on Philosophy essays Rene Descartes, a French philosopher, departed to Holland in order to pursue his dream of writing. During this period while he was in Holland, he wrote many works including one of his most known, Meditations on First Philosophy. In this work Descartes uses a specific method, sometimes referred to as the Cartesian Method and the Method of Universal Doubt, in order to reach a certain goal. In this paper I will be discussing the basic steps and goals of his method, while referring to the first four meditations in Descartes Meditations on First Philosophy, to show how the method has been put into action. Descartes method begins immediately in the first meditation, in Descartes Meditations on First Philosophy, when he explains, I have freed my mind of all cares, secured for myself a period of leisurely tranquility, and am with drawing into solitude (Descartes 13). Descartes wants to be alone and have peace while writing his meditations so that he can be able to concentrate and look at every aspect of his argument, to make sure the his logic and reason makes sense. He is not going to procrastinate anymore. The main goal of the first meditation was that Descartes wants to demolish all opinions (Descartes 13). He decides to wipe out everything that he once believed in, in order to establish a foundation for his argument that is sturdy. He knows it will be hard not to go back to these old opinions that he used to believe in as a child and young adult, but the only way to get to the truth is to doubt all these opinions and start a completely new form of thought. For example, he does th is by looking at the argument of the dream. He explains that when we dream the experience we have seems to be true and because of this how will anyone be able to distinguish being awake from being asleep (Descartes 14). This is why Descartes thinks we should doubt all things because our senses are not reliable. Furthermore, t...

Monday, October 21, 2019

How I Won a Scholarship to a Writers Retreat

How I Won a Scholarship to a Writers Retreat Time to write- who doesnt want more of that? I certainly did. But as a full-time freelancer with no paid vacation days to subsidize professional development, paying to attend a writers retreat was not an option. After unsuccessfully applying for scholarships, I tweaked my approach- and won a full scholarship to the  Writers Winter Getaway. Here are four strategies that helped me find success. 1. Read the Guidelines Carefully   Before writing my application, I read both the scholarship guidelines and event details looking for keywords. What made this event unique? What were their core values? How did they market this event to writers? I found three concepts to emphasize in my application: Community, supportive workshop environments, and time to write. I made sure to touch on each of these in my application. For instance, my rural community doesnt offer many opportunities to connect with writers, so the community aspect of the event was important to me. This research was time-consuming, but it helped me organize my thoughts and outline my application. It also cut through self-doubt. I didnt ask myself What should I say? or How can I convince them to pick me? I let my research guide me in writing a strong essay. 2. Research the Honoree My wife, who reviews thousands of scholarship applications in her job, offered valuable insight. Many scholarships are given in honor of someone, but few applicants connect their story to the honoree. Those who do stand out to the scholarship committee- and often go on to win. Before completing my application, I looked up the honoree, poet Toni Brown. Not only could I connect personally to Toni, since we were both LGBTQ writers, but I found ways to touch upon her story in my application materials. While I never mentioned Toni 3. Use Details to Create a Sense of Urgency I almost didnt apply for this scholarship, because applications closed the day before I left for a two-week vacation. With my bags packed, I found time to review the application and pull something together quickly. With no time to stress- if I didnt finish this now, it wouldnt get done- I found urgency that allowed me to be transparent in expressing my need without feeling the shame or embarrassment that can come up when asking for financial assistance. My application explained what I wanted to work on at the retreat (a new novel), where I was in the work (10,000 words in), what specific goals I wanted to accomplish (which tied back to their guidelines), and why now was the ideal time for me (I was facing burnout). My time constraints helped me demonstrate urgency to the scholarship committee. When I received a phone call that let me know I was a finalist, they said as much, telling me It sounds like you could really use this opportunity. 4. Send Your Best Work   Even though I planned to work on a new project, I sent my strongest work- in my case, five pages from my polished novel. A committee member sought me out at the retreat to let me know how much she enjoyed my writing. While it was a true gift to receive a scholarship to a writers retreat, the process I developed to handle applications is what Im most proud of- and hope to put to good use again soon.