Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Answers to Questions About Pronouns

Answers to Questions About Pronouns Answers to Questions About Pronouns Answers to Questions About Pronouns By Mark Nichol Here are a few questions about pronouns submitted by readers, along with my responses. 1. This sentence does not sound correct to me, and it was spoken by a high school English teacher: â€Å"She wanted my other sister and I to focus on it.† Is it right? Your instinct is spot-on: Remove â€Å"my other sister and,† and what are you left with? â€Å"She wanted I to focus on it.† Therefore, me is the appropriate form. (You wouldn’t write or say, â€Å"This sentence does not sound correct to I.†) I would be correct only if it were the subject, or part of the subject, of the sentence, as in â€Å"My other sister and I will focus on it.† 2. If I am showing someone photographs, would I say, â€Å"This is me in a canoe,† or is it I? In your sentence, the personal pronoun is a predicate nominative it renames the subject, this so (in strictly formal writing, at least) it should be in the subjective form: â€Å"This is I in a canoe.† Most of us don’t talk or write that way, however, even in many formal contexts. 3. In your phrase â€Å"dysphemism assigns a mildly or scathingly pejorative term to a concept or person that may be considered neutral or positive,† is it correct to have that refer to a concept and a person? A person may be referred to as either a who or a that, though the former relative pronoun is preferred, but if a reference to a person is linked to a reference to a thing, as here, the pronoun must be that. To sidestep the issue, I could have written, â€Å"dysphemism assigns a mildly or scathingly pejorative term to a concept that, or a person who, may be considered neutral or positive.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:70 Idioms with HeartDisappointed + PrepositionHow to Write a Proposal

Friday, November 22, 2019

Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes

Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes Arthur Conan Doyle (May 22, 1859 - July 7, 1930) created one of the worlds most famous characters, Sherlock Holmes. But in some ways, the Scottish-born author felt trapped by the runaway popularity of the fictional detective. Over the course of a long writing career, Conan Doyle wrote other stories and books he believed to be superior to the tales and novels about Holmes. But the great detective turned into a sensation on both sides of the Atlantic, with the reading public clamoring for more plots involving Holmes, his sidekick Watson, and the deductive method. As a result Conan Doyle, offered great sums of money by publishers, felt compelled to keep turning out stories about the great detective. Fast Facts: Arthur Conan Doyle Known For: British writer best known for his detective fiction featuring the character Sherlock Holmes.  Born: May 22, 1859Died: July 7, 1930Published Works: More than 50 titles featuring Sherlock Holmes, The Lost WorldSpouse(s): Louisa Hawkins (m.  1885; died  1906), Jean Leckie (m.  1907)Children: Mary Louise, Arthur Alleyne Kingsley, Denis Percy Stewart, Adrian Malcolm, Jean Lena AnnetteNotable Quote: When the impossible has been eliminated, all that remains no matter how improbable is possible. Early Life of Arthur Conan Doyle Arthur Conan Doyle was born May 22, 1859, in Edinburgh, Scotland. The familys roots were in Ireland, which Arthurs father had left as a young man. The family surname had been Doyle, but as an adult Arthur preferred to use Conan Doyle as his surname. Growing up as an avid reader, young Arthur, a Roman Catholic, attended Jesuit schools and a Jesuit university. He attended medical school at Edinburgh University where he met a professor and surgeon, Dr. Joseph Bell, who was a model for Sherlock Holmes. Conan Doyle noticed how Dr. Bell was able to determine a great many facts about patients by asking seemingly simple questions, and the author later wrote about how Bells manner had inspired the fictional detective. Medical Career In the late 1870s, Conan Doyle began writing magazine stories, and while pursuing his medical studies he had a yearning for adventure. At the age of 20, in 1880, he signed on to be the ships surgeon of a whaling vessel headed to Antarctica. After a seven-month voyage, he returned to Edinburgh, finished his medical studies, and began the practice of medicine. Conan Doyle continued to pursue writing and published in various London literary magazines throughout the 1880s. Influenced by a character of Edgar Allan Poe, the French detective M. Dupin, Conan Doyle wished to create his own detective character. Sherlock Holmes The character of Sherlock Holmes first appeared in a story, A Study in Scarlet, which Conan Doyle published at the end of 1887 in a magazine, Beetons Christmas Annual. It was reprinted as a book in 1888. At the same time, Conan Doyle was conducting research for a historical novel, Micah Clarke, which was set in the 17th century. He seemed to consider that his serious work, and the Sherlock Holmes character merely a challenging diversion to see if he could write a convincing detective story. At some point, it occurred to Conan Doyle that the growing British magazine market was the perfect place to try an experiment in which a recurring character would turn up in new stories. He approached The Strand magazine with his idea, and in 1891 he began publishing new Sherlock Holmes stories. The magazine stories became an enormous hit in England. The character of the detective who uses reasoning became a sensation. And the reading public eagerly awaited his newest adventures. Illustrations for the stories were drawn by an artist, Sidney Paget, who actually added much to the publics conception of the character. It was Paget who drew Holmes wearing a deerstalker cap and a cape, details not mentioned in the original stories. Arthur Conan Doyle Became Famous With the success of the Holmes stories in The Strand magazine, Conan Doyle was suddenly an extremely famous writer. The magazine wanted more stories. But as the author didnt want to be overly associated with the now-famous detective, he demanded an outrageous sum of money. Expecting to be relieved of the obligation to write more stories, Conan Doyle asked for 50 pounds per story. He was stunned when the magazine accepted, and he went on to keep writing about Sherlock Holmes. While the public was crazy for Sherlock Holmes, Conan Doyle devised a way to be finished with writing the stories. He killed off the character by having him, and his nemesis Professor Moriarity, die while going over Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland. Conan Doyles own mother, when told of the planned story, begged her son not to finish off Sherlock Holmes. When the story in which Holmes died was published in December 1893, the British reading public was outraged. More than 20,000 people canceled their magazine subscriptions. And in London, it was reported that businessmen wore mourning crepe on their top hats. Sherlock Holmes Was Revived Arthur Conan Doyle, freed from Sherlock Holmes, wrote other stories and invented a character named Etienne Gerard, a soldier in Napoleons army. The Gerard stories were popular, but not nearly as popular as Sherlock Holmes. In 1897 Conan Doyle wrote a play about Holmes, and an actor, William Gillette, became a sensation playing the detective on Broadway in New York City. Gillette added another facet to the character, the famous meerschaum pipe. A novel about Holmes, The Hound of the Baskervilles, was serialized in The Strand in 1901-02. Conan Doyle got around the death of Holmes by setting the story five years before his demise. However, the demand for Holmes stories was so great that Conan Doyle essentially brought the great detective back to life by explaining that no one had actually seen Holmes go over the falls. The public, happy to have new tales, accepted the explanation. Arthur Conan Doyle wrote about Sherlock Holmes until the 1920s. In 1912 he published an adventure novel, The Lost World, about characters who find dinosaurs still living in a remote area of South America. The story of The Lost World has been adapted for film and television a number of times, and also served as an inspiration for such films as King Kong and Jurassic Park. Conan Doyle served as a doctor in a military hospital in South Africa during the Boer War in 1900 and wrote a book defending Britains actions in the war. For his services he was knighted in 1902, becoming Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The author died on July 7, 1930. His death was newsworthy enough to be reported on the front page of the next days New York Times. A headline referred to him as Spiritist, Novelist, and Creator of Famous Fiction Detective. As Conan Doyle believed in an afterlife, his family said they were awaiting a message from him after death. The character of Sherlock Holmes, of course, lives on and appears in films right up to the present day.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Event this week Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Event this week - Assignment Example Greece financial crisis has been marked by high budget deficits and unsuccessful bailouts. Although the problem seems to span for more than a decade, the real financial crisis picture became evident beginning 2007. IMF and Eurozone members have been giving bailouts to Greece by demanding austerity measures from Greece. However, the bailouts have only worsened the financial situation in both Greece and Eurozone as well. Greece may be only one member of Eurozone. However, the financial problems seem to drag the entire economic Zone down a financial recession. It seems that Greece financial problems cannot be solved by giving them money but by helping them to put into place strong money generating structures. Giving bailouts to Greece is like giving fish to a hungry man instead of showing a man how to fish. The rest of the world is watching how Eurozone mends its financial affairs. The strong Euro currency has been dropping with time and has actually recorded a 12-year low as of today. The Greece financial crisis ties very closely to this course. The situation shows how global economics are interrelated. A financial problem in one part of the global economy can have a large implication in other aspects of global economy. Therefore, the situation is relevant to the course learning about local and international economics. Traynor, I. (2015). Eurozone calls on Greece to come up with credible reforms. The Guardian. 9 March 2015. Retrieved from

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

History of Western Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

History of Western Art - Essay Example athedrals, the traditional basilican form which has a central nave flanked with by a twin tower in its exterior an an entrance adored with lavish structures and stained glass window. This era of architecture developed in four stages: early gothic, lancet gothic, rayonnant gothic and late gothic. In early gothic, the use of pointed vaults like in the Notre Dame of Paris developed. Pointed arches evident in the Bourges Cathedral developed during the Lancet period while in the rayonnant era, structures where usually made of glass with a thin skeletal masonry frame. An example is the Saint Chapelle of Paris. The late gothic style is also known as the flamboyant style because of its form of suggesting flames in their structure. An example of this is the Church of Saint Maclou in France. Gothic architecture also spread out of France to other European countries like Italy, Germany and England. The Milan Cathedral in Italy is a perfect example of this style where it is of a classical basis characterized of a vast span and simple arches. In Germany, gothic structures are evident in the Cologne Cathedral which is built on bricks rather than stone. Their style is greatly influenced by France’s gothic structures. The structures in England were subdivided into three stages that is the early English, the decorated style and the perpendicular style. The English style developed in the 12th to the 13th century and is influenced by the Norman architecture. An example of this is the Lincoln Cathedral and the Salisbury Cathedral. The decorated style flourished during the 13th to the 14th century while the perpendicular style developed in the 14th to the 16th century was predominated with vertical lines. A perfect sample is the cathedral located in Gloucester and the King’s College Chapel in Cambridge. Synthesizing, gothic architecture has three distinctive characteristics that are structures with pointed arches, flying buttresses and ribbed vaults that help support the ceiling

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Joseph Stalin Essay Example for Free

Joseph Stalin Essay One man that has gone down is history as one of the most cold-hearted, ruthless killers goes by the name of Joseph Stalin. Stalin, originally born with the name Iosif Dzhugashvili, was born in Gori, Georgia on December 21st 1879. At the time, the town where Iosif Dzhugashvili was born and raised was plagued by a lot of street violence. After demonstrating his devious way of thinking and his will to come to absolute power, Iosif Dzhugashvili eventually adopted the nickname â€Å"Stalin† from the Russian word â€Å"steel†. Once he received his new nickname, he used it as a pseudonym in his published works. Many do not know the story of Stalin’s younger years and the effect it had to the way he carried himself as a dictator. After careful speculation, it is clear to see that the future dictator and killer was very coldhearted from a very young age. From a very young age, Joseph Stalin was subjected to a lot of violence. Some of the most prominent violent events that affected the young boy started with his mother. Ekaterina Shubnaya in her piece â€Å"Prominent Russians: Joseph Stalin† states that â€Å"Some sources, however, claim that, as a strict and religious woman, she frequently resorted to physical punishment, which she believed was an integral part of child rearing. Stalin’s relationship with his mother was strained and he didn’t even attend her funeral in 1937† (1). Here, we see that violence was a natural way of Stalin’s mother to raise the youngest son of her 4 children. She would have never thought that this violence would have led her son to become one of the most violent human beings to ever live. The psychological effects of violence that Joseph Stalin went through from a young age followed him for the rest of his life. After further research, it is seen that even as a young boy, Joseph Stalin felt very lonely and unloved. The reason for this was because even his father, caused him pain psychologically and physically. Ekaterina Shubnaya continues by explaining that â€Å"Josephs father, Vissarion, a shoemaker, was heavily addicted to drinking and had a drunken habit of beating up his wife and son. Stalin recalled getting so mad at his father that he once almost killed him by throwing a knife at him† (1). His rough childhood only continued when at the age of twelve, two horse-drawn carriage accidents left his left arm permanently damaged. At the time, Joseph also caught small pox which left his face permanently scarred. The scarring on his face was a source of ridicule by the other children. As Joseph Stalin got older, he rose to power thanks to a man named Lenin. Lenin lead the Russian Communists to power in November 1917 and remained in power. With the help of Lenin, Joseph Stalin began to act ruthless and careless of others. When Lenin became too sick to lead the country in a proper way, Stalin took over and went against Lenin’s ideas and ways of leading. Noticing that Stalin wasn’t showing the characteristics of a loyal and respectful leader, Lenin wrote a testament in which he stated that he suggested Stalin be removed. John Simkin, in his piece â€Å"Joseph Stalin† shares the testament written by Lenin. It states â€Å"Comrade Stalin, having become General Secretary, has concentrated enormous power in his hands: and I am not sure that he always knows how to use that power with sufficient caution. I therefore propose to our comrades to consider a means of removing Stalin from this post and appointing someone else who differs from Stalin in one weighty respect: being more tolerant, more loyal, more polite, more considerate of his comrades(2). However, Lenin died before any actual could be taken and Joseph Stalin became the new leader of the Soviet Union. Now as the leader of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin became very paranoid and did not trust anyone. He went against anyone that disagreed with him and had them executed. He executed journalists, and anyone else who had contact with him and who he disliked. Leon Trotsky was a man of a lot of power in the Soviet Union but Stalin made him step down from his position to gain even more power. John Simkin tells us that â€Å"In 1936 Nickolai Bukharin, Alexei Rykov, Genrikh Yagoda, Nikolai Krestinsky and Christian Rakovsky were arrested and accused of being involved with Leon Trotsky in a plot against Stalin. They were all found guilty and were eventually executed† (3). The execution of these people and of many others was clear evidence that Joseph Stalin was killing people not because they were committing crimes or doing anything bad, but because he personally didn’t trust them and killed them from pure intuition and impulse. The absurd truth about Joseph Stalin is that he killed his own people. He killed people in his own country and in his own government. The people that helped him rise to power were the people he did not trust and who he had executed or made to disappear without any explanation given. John Simkin explains to us that â€Å"In June, 1937, Mikhail Tukhachevsky and seven other top Red Army commanders were charged with conspiracy with Germany. All eight were convicted and executed. All told, 30,000 members of the armed forces were executed. This included fifty per cent of all army officers† (3). With all these executions, people lived fearful of Stalin and did not dare test his patience. The violence against his own people is direct evidence of the psychological effects that the beatings from his parents had on Stalin. Since the people who supposedly loved him, beat him, it became second nature for Joseph Stalin to do the same with the people of his country when he rose to power. It is said that Joseph Stalin has killed over 20 million people during the time of dictatorship but there were even more killed during World War II. Palash Ghosh in her piece â€Å"How Many People Did Joseph Stalin Kill? † writes that â€Å"an amoral psychopath and paranoid with a gangster’s mentality, Stalin eliminated anyone and everyone who was a threat to his power – including (and especially) former allies. He had absolutely no regard for the sanctity of human life†(1). There were another 20 million people killed during World War II amounting to a total of 40 million Soviet troops and civilians killed. The ruthlessness Joseph Stalin showed had become vividly present with his own family. Stalin had a son named Yakov who was an artillery lieutenant in the 14th Howitzer Regiment of the 14th Armored Division. Yakov refused to withdraw when German forces overran his men near Smolensk. Stalin had the expectation that no Soviet soldier was expected to be captured. He preferred his troops to commit suicide than to be captured by the opponent. This rule also applied to his son, who was captured. Brenda Haugen, writer of â€Å"Joseph Stalin Dictator of the Soviet Union† describes that â€Å"German authorities proposed a trade. They expected the Soviet leader would welcome his son’s return. A message was sent to Stalin that said the Germans would release Yakov if the Soviets freed a German officer. Stalin refused. ‘I cannot do it,’ Stalin said. ’War is war’†(11). This decision cost Yakov his life who was later believed to be killed or may have commited suicide. He died in April 1943 after running into an electric fence surrounding the camp where he was held. It is said that Joseph Stalin never felt any remorse for his son’s death and told people he had no son named Yakov. It is a clear indication that Stalin didn’t have a special bond with his family or any type of value for human life in itself. It seems that Stalin grew to be a coldhearted man who didn’t value anyone but himself. Brenda Haugen continues by stating that â€Å"In times of war, most leaders would find it difficult to justify offering special treatment to their own children. How could they spare their own childrens lives while others died fighting for the same cause? But Stalin was different than other leaders of his time. Not only did he refuse to provide special treatment to his family, he also didn’t value human life†(11). The ruthlessness of Stalin is astonishing that he would let his son be killed without any type of remorse. There’s an old saying that says that family comes first but this saying doesn’t seem to apply to Joseph Stalin’s way of thinking. Even though Stalin was one of the most well-known villains in history, he was still a very mysterious man. There is very little known about his childhood and his family. The records that have been recorded are not concrete because as Stalin gained power, he had the tendency to make things be the way he wanted them to be and no one could question him. This being said, some facts of his life seem to be produced by his fictional events created by him and not what may have really happened. Scott Ingram writes in his piece â€Å"Historys Villains Joseph Stalin† that â€Å" Another reason Stalin’s life remains shadowy is that he ordered his biography to be rewritten several times. With each of these rewrites, older records were destroyed. The more powerful Stalin became, the more he was able to take credit for things he had not done. His Communist biographers were forced to revise twentieth-century Russian history books to go along with Stalin’s orders. The aim was to present to the world the most flawless possible account of the great leader†(8). These lies brainwashed people into thinking that Stalin was a different person than who he really was. He made people see him as a perfect leader and not as a person who was killing the people that supported him. In conclusion, it is very easy to see that Stalin was influenced by his childhood experiences to become the person he was. The ruthless leader took the experience of the beatings his parents gave him and in a way beat his own country when he rose to power. He was and still is the most ruthless leather to ever live. He used fear to keep people controlled and to make people do exactly what he wanted them to do. He had people in such fear that before every speech, people were afraid to be the first to stop clapping because they’d be killed. The audience would clap for over 10 minutes in fear of being the first one to stop. This type of control is what let Joseph Stalin do anything he wanted without having anyone tell him it is wrong or to stop him from doing it. During his last days, he fell into a comma and in his last moments, in an attempt to keep living, he cursed everyone near his death bed and finally died. Joseph Stalin was a ruthless dictator and human being who had no type of remorse for anything he ever did.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Rhetorical Analysis of Crash the movie Essay -- essays research papers

"It's the sense of touch. In any real city, you walk, you know? You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We're always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something." -Graham from the Motion Picture Crash (2005) This quote refers to the diversity in Los Angeles and how people put up personal barriers and are hesitant to trust others. Crash is a movie that really gets people to look at their own prejudices and to the roots of their morality by showing the hidden racism and prejudices that are very present in our society and even in ourselves today. If this movie were to be summarized in one sentence, one may say that no matter who you are, everybody holds preconceptions and stereotypes against other people. For example, in this movie, an upper-class white woman sees two black men so she clings to her husband, showing she is scared of them. Even though this woman had no idea who they were, she still jumped to a conclusion that they were going to harm her because of the color of their skin. This movie takes place in Los Angeles and is about racial conflicts within a group of people which occur in a series of events. Since there are a wide variety of characters in this movie, it can be confusing to the viewer. In the plot, Graham is an African-American detective whose younger brother is a criminal. His mother cares more about his brother than Graham and she wants Graham to bring his brother back home, which in turn hurts Graham. Graham?s partner Ria is a Hispanic woman who comes to find that her and Graham?s ethnicities conflict when she had sex with him. Rick is the Los Angeles district attorney who is also op... ...cause of the conflict, as the shop owner continues the conflict with a number of stereotypes and racist remarks regarding Farhad?s race. We crash constantly. We crash into the cultures and lives of those that surround us in our society. We judge because we do not know or unwilling to understand the differences that surround us. The director wants the audience to make an unfair judgment on Officer Ryan because of he inappropriately searches Christine, however, as the movie progresses our judgments crashes as we begin to identify with Officer Ryan. When Graham states ?We are always behind metal and glass,? it is not the metal and glass we are behind, but the fear of understanding and trusting someone that is different from us. This fear is where our preconceived notions and racist habits come from. It is the fear of trusting that in which can cause us to crash.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

France and the United States Essay

This paper seeks to provide comparative analysis of early childhood education policy between France and the United States. The discussion will focus on the programs origin and what the programs were intended to achieve. The study will look at the focus, of the programs, the beneficiaries and the cost. In analyzing the early childhood policy outcome in the two countries, the paper assesses the successes as well as the shortcomings of the policy programs. The federal government has not developed a policy on early childhood education that is applicable in the nation. As opposed to the comprehensive early child education policy in France. The U. S. government has only been supporting specific preschool programs for those children from poor neighborhoods and low income families. This trend is also evident in the various states which have not been able to come up with early childhood policy that can be used uniformly by education stakeholders throughout the state. Earl childhood education program is largely left in the hands of private education providers through kindergartens. (Mitchell, A. , Ripple, C. , & Chanana, N. , 1998, p. 24). The Early childhood education policy by the government is defined in its actions which in regulating the demand and supply of early childhood education services. In implementing early childhood policy, the government provides direct and indirect financial subsidies to private providers of these services in the form of grants, contracts and tax incentives. Provision of direct and indirect financial support to parents of children in early childhood program. This support may be in the form of cash benefits, tax benefits to offset the cost of this service and vouchers to pay for the service. The government also participates by regulating players in the field of early childhood education through legislation. Early childhood education program in the U. S are run on a full day of part time basis and they include pre-kindergartens, kindergartens, compensatory education programs and nursery schools. The other programs that support early childhood education include childcare centres, family support programs, before and after school programs, family type day care homes. Because there is no clear line between the government and private support in this sector. (OECD Country report, 2000, p. 5) There is no clear data concerning the cost of early childhood education in United States. However, the federal spending on the program has been very minimal compared to grade k-12. Studies in the year 2002 reveals that the states spent 2. 5 billion dollars on early childhood education while the federal government spent 6. 5billion on early childhood program. This is in exclusion of funds spent on pre-primary education for special students. This is the contrary of the case in France where the government full funds its early childhood education program. Then enrolment in early childhood program for the year 2002 was estimated at 750,000 with 85% enrolled in private institutions. In the United States, the government has a policy that ensures quality, affordability, and availability of child care for all families. The Child Care Bureau administers federal funds to states, territories, and tribes to assist eligible families including low-income families. The childcare bureaus provide childcare for children when the parents work or participate in allowable education or training activities. Through the Child Care Bureau funds various Technical Assistance projects that promote quality, strengthen program administration are supported. The funds are also used to finance Good Start which is the president’s initiative towards early childhood education as well as carry out research to help policy makers. The child care programs in the United States involved the administrators, parents and other stakeholders than in the case of France that is more regulated from above. According to OECD report (2000, p. 21). Most children are enrolled in private institutions compared to those in public institutions with most parents taking their children for part time programs. This is illustrated in the table below showing enrolment in early childhood education programs in thousands. The only early childhood policy that received direct support by the federal government is the introduction of Head start program to take care of those children from low income families. This program is funded by the federal government of the U. S since it caters for the children of the financially deprived parents from poor neighbourhood. According to OECD report (2000, p. 18) The cost of funding this program has increased steadily, reaching almost $4. 7 billion in fiscal year 1999 and $5. 27 billion in fiscal year 2000. This program was started as a strategy to deal with problems associated with children from poor neighbourhood. Dealing with their emotional, cognitive, social and cognitive deficits ensured a well rounded individual who was prepared to adopt a life style that made them productive individuals from poor homes. The major aim is however to academically prepare students for their primary school studies. According to Mitchell, A. , Ripple, C. , & Chanana, N. (1998, p. 34-50). Research shows that those students who had undergone early childhood programs like Head Start had fewer referrals for remedial classes or special education. These students were also more likely to remain in regular classes throughout their public school years. Fewer retentions rate as preschool graduates were less likely to repeat grades. The students maintained excellent scores very few of them had failing grades in their school years. The students were acknowledged by their teachers as having greater social and emotional maturity and had a high probability of completing their high school studies without dropping out. Due development of positive attitude about school at an early age, these students had greater academic motivation, on-task behavior, capacity for independent work, and time spent on homework. Lower incidence of absenteeism/detentions. Graduates had lower incidences of absenteeism and detentions. Preschool graduates had much higher scores on measures of attitude toward school and toward particular subject areas those who attended early childhood education are found to have better self-esteem, greater internal locus of control compared to those who never attend the program. Preschool education is believed to help in preventing unwanted pregnancies among young school girls. The program is also believed to reduce incidences of indiscipline like drug abuse and delinquent acts among students, this some researchers believe is due to the introduction of rules and regulations to students at an early age hence contributing to positive upbringing. Due to improved self esteem developed from an early age, preschool graduates are more likely to participate in social activities like sports and community work. As opposed to those who did not attend early education, the beneficiaries have a better meaning for education and develop high future aspirations. This also contributes to the likelihood of them enrolling and completing their secondary education. These benefits of early childhood education are extending to the society as beneficiaries have a higher possibility of securing better paying jobs hence reducing dependency in the society. There is high unlikelihood that these people will engage in antisocial behavior in the society. (Morgan, G. , Azer, S. , Costley, J. , Genser, A. , Goodman, I. , Lombardi, J. , and McGimsey, B. , 1993, p. 45, 78). The Head Start program is however accused of contributing to inequality in the education arena as those who are considered financially stable have been ignored. This is no longer a shortfall in France as their early childhood policy caters for all children despite their family backgrounds. The increasing number of mothers securing jobs is however increasing government participation in provision of early childhood programs especially in those kindergartens which are integrated in public primary schools. For instance, District of Columbia is made kindergarten attendance a legal requirement for children. (OECD Country report, 2000, p. 14) The diagram below illustrate the increasing number of working mothers with children under age six due U. S policy on Early childhood education and care between 1960 and 1999. Despite lack of comprehensive policy regarding early childhood education, a lot of expenditure has been incurred in supporting efforts towards achieving the same. The figures reported by OECD report( 2000, p. 23) is an illustration of cost of efforts employed by U. S to achieve ECEC as compared between 1992 and 1999 constant dollar reported in millions of dollars. As opposed to the United States, France has a clear government policy regarding earl childhood education. The program is publicly funded and caters for those children between the ages of 2-6 year olds known as Ecole Maternelle. The system has specific programs for those children under age three and it is administered under the Ministry of Education delivered under education auspices of the ministere de la Jeunesse, de l’Education nationale et de la Recherche. (Oberhuemer, P. , & Ulich, M. , 1997, p. 27). These programs are freely provided by the government for eight hours during the day including breaks like lunchtime. Extension beyond these hours is optional and those parents who work for longer hours can pay for additional hours that their children are taken care of at early childhood education centres. Since these programs are meant to benefit children and their parents who earn poorly, the additional charges levied on parents take into consideration the parent’s income. Any child starting school has to go through ecole maternelle which is the preparatory level in the education system. (OECD Country report, 2004, p. 4-7). Early preschool education is divided into three sections namely: the little section, middle section and large section. The little section is meant for three year olds, the middle section is for four-year-olds and large section is for five-year-olds. Two year olds belong to very little section. France is also committed to empowering the low income parents just like Head Start in the United States hence the government organizes bridging activities for those who are about to start schooling in poor neighborhoods. Such a program is supposed to familiarize the learners with the academic in readiness for school system. The table below shows the trends in the percentage of children in the ecole maternelle by age as from the year 1960-2002 according to French background report in 2003.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Analysing an advert for a porcelain statue of Gandalf the great

Imagine a world without media. Media is a process of communication, information and entertainment. Media consumes everyone's every day life†¦ it is imposable to avoid! With our ever growing world more and more people are now relaying on media as it pervades our very existence, we may not realize it but media is around us twenty four hours a day, 7 days a week, without media we would be thrown back into the dark ages whether it is from us using the internet or using the phone media is the creator of the world today. Advertising is used to achieve many objectives e.g. to persuade, change opinions, maybe you smoke advertising is possible to change your mind. Advertising is also used to manipulate, sell and influence. Advertising, it is a large part of our vast world as it is imposable to escape†¦ it is every where! On the clothes we were, on the bags we carry, almost every item we see or use has some form of advertising on it. There are multiple forms of advertising some of these being: tv,radio,posters,bill boards, leaflets and the internet†¦ 87% of u.k teens ages 12 to 17 currently use the Internet, representing about 21 million youth. Of those, approximately 11 million teens go online on a daily basis. Advertising is a leading multimillion pound business as everyone every where has used this many times. For my assignment, I will be analysing an advert for a porcelain statue of Gandalf the great. The audience of this advert are adults in particular lord of the rings enthusiasts and people who like to collect memorabilia. The character from the book Lord of the Rings (Gandalf) is clearly for adults because the product is a figurine not a toy as if this was given to a child it would be broken. Another way I no that the target audience are adults is the amount of body copy as it would not appeal or interest a child because there is such a shear amount. The final reason i now the consumers are adults are that the order form in the left hand corner has credit card details of which a child could not access. The large body copy of the advertisement has six paragraphs which each have a different aspect. The opening paragraph which initially describes ‘Gandalf' the character uses linguistic devices such as; alliteration, superlatives and emotive language these are used to influence the consumer to purchase the figurine. The detail in this has continuously been boasted in the body copy ‘guants on his face'. This is such an amazing work of art with meticulous dental therefore it is quality. ‘Painstaking attention to detail' this shows the making of their product has taken lots of effort and lots of time in order to achieve true quality. Buying this product is a bargain. A once in a life time opportunity their product is high, callibre very cheap just à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½24.99.It is remarkable value for money the word ‘just' has the connotation of a great offer. The buyer/consumer are also informed that they will receive an officially authorized product which put forth the idea of this not being a cheap imitation, it's the real deal! The product is also part of a collection which means further opportunity to purchase outstanding products, the fact of there being more collectable products available temps the audience to by the figurine to create a montage. The product is exclusive to ‘Danbury Mint' this gives the connotation of this being a special offer as it is not available to purchase anywhere else also it has been officially authorized and endorsed by Tolkin. The final paragraph ends with the imperative ‘reserve your sculpture now' the reader is urged to reserve the product to avoid disappointment as ‘demand is sure to be high' this implies the product of which is popular. So far I have analyzed the linguistic devices, yet there are presentational devices used to provoke the target audience. The two main forms of the presentational devices are; the huge amount of body copy which is compact with stylistic devices, and the picture of which dominates the page/advert. The picture dominates the advert by the size and that it is symmetrically composed it is prominence. The image is also a mid shot to enable that the consumer is able to see before they buy. This gives the connotation that the producers have great confidence in there product. The producer has used a close up picture to boast the product; ‘fearless expression†¦the lines of his gaunt, aged face†¦his long beard. The producer has used multiple colours for presentational devices used to manipulate the target audience. The green background is soft (subtle) green to enable that the reader is drawn to the image of the statue rather than the background, also this gives the connotation of the green fields and the forests in the book ‘Lord Of The Rings'. The second colour used in this advert is gold which is in the top left hand corner (title box) this makes it eye catching and gives the connotation of the product being expensive (precious) it also gives the connotation of the gold ring which is in the book aswell. The final colour that is used is black and white which is used in the order form these colors are used because they are simple (easy to follow) also so it is intimately hard to make mistakes when purchasing. The gold used in the title box is of which the p.o.a (primary optical area) other than this being eye catching, it displays the title ‘Gandalf' which provides instant recognisation to any ‘Lord Of The Rings' fan as he is a key/main character in the book. The title is also in a font of which is antiquated/med evil this provides the connotation of magic, mystic and age†¦ after all ‘Gandalf' is a wizard. In the bottom right hand of the page we have the terminal area (T.A).'Send no money now!' This is placed in the T.A because it is the last place the consumer looks therefore the last fixation the consumer remembers.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Choosing the Best Economics Graduate Program For You

Choosing the Best Economics Graduate Program For You As the About.com economics expert, I get quite a few inquiries from readers about the best graduate schools for those pursuing an advanced degree in economics. There are certainly quite a few resources out there today that claim to give the definitive ranking of graduate programs in economics around the world. While those lists might prove helpful to some, as a former economics student turned university professor, I can say with great certainty that choosing a graduate program requires so much more than arbitrary rankings. So when Im asked questions like, Can you recommend a good economics graduate program? or What is the best economics graduate school?, my answer is usually no and it depends. But I can help you find that best economics graduate program for you. Resources for Finding the Best Economics Graduate School Before moving forward, there are a couple of articles you should read. First is an article written by  a professor at Stanford, titled Advice for Applying to Grad School in Economics. While the disclaimer at the start of the article reminds us that these tips are a series of opinions, but that is generally the case when it comes to advice and given the reputation and experience of the person giving the advice, I would have to say, have no dear.  There are plenty of great tips in here. The next recommended piece of reading is a  resource from Georgetown with the title Applying to Grad School in Economics. Not only is this article thorough, but I dont think there is a single point I disagree with. Now that you have these two resources at your disposal, Ill share my  tips for finding and applying to the best economics graduate school for you.  From my own experience and the experience of friends and colleagues who also have studied economics at the graduate level in the United States, I can give the following advice: Take Advantage of Your Undergraduate Resources: Ask the professors who are writing you recommendation letters where theyd apply if they were in your position. They usually have a good idea of the schools at which youll do well and which ones may not be suited to your strengths and interests. Of course, it never hurts when the selection committee at a school knows and respects the person writing your letter of recommendation. Even better if your reference writer has friends or former colleagues on the selection committee at that school. I do have one disclaimer on this subject: Dont choose an undergraduate reference solely based on their reputation or their network. An honest and personalized letter from someone who can specifically speak to your strengths as a candidate is always better than an impersonal one with a famous signature.Rankings Arent the Most Important Decision-Maker:  That is to say that I dont suggest that you apply to just the highest ranked schools. In fact, many would agree when I say that this is one of the biggest mistakes you can make in the application process. If youre interested in studying time-series econometrics, apply to schools that have active researchers in that area. Whats the point of going to a great theory school if youre not a theorist? Dont Put All Your Eggs in One Basket: Apply to as many graduate schools as reasonable. Id recommend applying to about ten schools. Ive seen a lot of terrific students only apply to top-ranked schools or their first choice and not get accepted  to any of them. Find your dream school(s) and your more reachable schools and build your list from there. And while you certainly dont want to focus on possible failure, make sure you have some backup plans. Have an idea of what you might do should you not be accepted into a graduate this year. If pursuing an advanced degree in economics is your dream, make sure that your plan B is something that only strengthens your candidacy for the next application cycle.Do Your Research:  As an economics student, you should be no stranger to research. But your economics graduate school search should not be limited to the internet or your undergraduate college counseling office. Talk to current graduate students at the school youre thinking about attend ing. Theyll usually tell you how things really work in their department. While talking to professors can also be enlightening, make a mental note that they have a vested interest in you applying to their school, which can greatly influence their opinions and advice. If you do choose to talk to a member of the faculty, try to get some sort of introduction. Contacting a professor unsolicited can a great source of annoyance, and why take a chance when this person might wield the power to say yes or no? Consider Size:  In my opinion, the size of the school can be just as important as its reputation. When approached for advice, I generally encourage prospective students to consider applying to larger schools. This is not to say that smaller schools are not worth your consideration, but you must always weigh the risks and rewards. Smaller departments are more likely to be negatively impacted with the departure of one or two key faculty members. So go ahead and apply to the program that boasts your dream professor among its ranks, but also look for schools that have three or more active researchers in the area you are interested in. That way, if one or two leave, youll still have an advisor you can work with. More Things to Read Before Applying to Graduate School So youve read the articles from Stanford and Georgetown, and youve made notes of my top bullet points. But before you jump into the application process, you may want to invest in some advanced economics texts. For some great recommendations, be sure to check out my article Books to Study Before Going to Graduate School in Economics.  These should give you a good idea of what you need to know to do well in an economics graduate school program. It goes without saying, best of luck!

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

This Letter of Recommendation Got Me Into Yale!

This Letter of Recommendation Got Me Into Yale! Below is a letter of recommendation for which I am extremely grateful.   Dr. Carol Nash was my history teacher for two years in high school (including AP History), and boy could she write a letter of recommendation! What do you see works in this letter?   What would you improve?   Here it is: Dear Admissions Committee: When Brenda Bernstein tackles a question, the result is a definitive work!   Brenda was in my tenth grade Global Studies class and, on my recommendation, my eleventh year 1985-86 Advanced Placement American History-Economics class.   She ranks among my most outstanding students.   It may be premature to speak of a definitive work; nevertheless, I am certain that she will be working on the frontiers of knowledge. The students in the global Studies class were expected to find four articles on the French Revolution in different types of sources.   Brenda’s impressive search bore all the marks of an outstanding scholar.   For example, she located a particularly unusual primary source.   The result was an outstanding paper which represented a truly significant contribution to my understanding of the women’s rights movement in the French Revolution.   Brenda also most effectively communicated the information to the class during the class discussions.   For her paper on the socio-economic basis of Hitler’s rise to power, Brenda drew her material from sophisticated journals.   In the AP class, Brenda did a really exhaustive paper on Quaker anti-slavery sentiment.   The paper was full of solid information and creative and intelligent comments.   For example, she suggested that the Quaker community served as a support network for individuals who deviated from the r est of the establishment.   Brenda wrote all her papers with style and imagination, and she demonstrated complete mastery of the basic research techniques. Brenda’s insightful treatment of the material was evident on her tests.   For example, analyzing how the new American nation inherited England’s problems, she observed that the decentralization of the Articles of Confederation created many problems just as the want of decentralization had done for England before.   This link shows her ability to compare, contrast, and synthesize.   The rest of the essay demonstrated her mastery of the historical literature.   Just as she wrote integrated and creative papers, Brenda wrote an excellent document based essay drawing comfortably from the documents and her outside information.   Brenda’s analytic essays comparing historians like G. Wood and C. Kenyon were exactly on target.   When she was asked to find evidence to support historical interpretations, Brenda demonstrated her superior capacity to interpret data. Brenda is a petite young lady with an enormous mind and unusual intellectual maturity.   This is matched by her rich personality. Carol S. Nash, Ph. D.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Wireless Networks and Pervasive Computing SLP Research Paper

Wireless Networks and Pervasive Computing SLP - Research Paper Example RMTP gives loss-less deliveries of bulk data. A cheap way of connecting applications for messaging but not always reliable, a business could use it as long as the applications are not mission critical and time delays are acceptable. Stated by Meital, et al (2003). 2. Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). The protocol is used on the transport layer of the OSI model. It is a reliable transport layer. Extract: When we say that TCP is "connection-oriented" we mean that there is a procedure that is followed for two communicating end points to exchange data. The TCP connection allows TCP to tailor each byte stream transfer, and maintain the state of that transfer, for each pair of communicating end points. Any given host might have many simultaneous TCP connections, each one having different characteristics, such as the segment size, the timeout (which will be explained), the window size (also to be explained), etc. A specific TCP connection is defined by a socket pair, where a socket is the IP address and port number on one of the communicating points, and the port number identifies the application process on that end point. The port number serves as part of the interface between TCP and the application layer, by identifying which process within a particular host a segment is associated with. As stated by Koren (2011). TCP helps businesses with their network connections, as it is very reliable normally, although it cannot take delays as can RMTP, it is an industry standard used by many businesses in their networks, its problems are known. A business should know a lot about its costs on staffing and equipment using this protocol. 3. User Datagram Protocol (UDP) uses as the underlying system, IP. It’s used for application to application messaging without too many protocol mechanisms involved; it is unreliable, as it does not use acknowledgements in the same way as TCP does. It does not order the messages or provide data flow control. UDP messages are