What is a Good ACT Aspire Score For a Freshman

What is a Good ACT Aspire Score For a Freshman SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips It’s tempting to compare the ACT Aspire test to the PSAT, but in reality they are quite different in their goals and purpose. The PSAT is meant to be practice for the real SAT, and doing well on it can qualify you for theNational Merit Scholarship. On the other hand, the ACT Aspire is a test for 3rd to 10th gradersthat is meant todetermine whether students are measuring up toCommon Core standards. Just like the real ACT, the ACT Aspire covers English, Math, Reading, Science, and Writing. But the format of this test, the structure of the questions, and the way the test is scored are all very different from the ACT. So how do you know what ACT Aspire score you should aim for in your freshman year of high school? Or if you already got your results, how can you tell where you stand compared to your peers? In this article, I’ll talk about how the ACT Aspire is scored, give you some different ways to think about what a good ACT Aspire score is for a 9th grader, and demonstrate several tools to use when thinking about your specific score. How is the ACT Aspire Test Scored? Scoring is slightly different for the different grades that take this test, so I will speak specifically about how ACT Aspire is scored when you take in high school. Right now,scores can range between 400 and 460 for each subject, depending on your grade level. This means that while the lowest possible score is 400 no matter what grade you're in, the maximum possible score goes up with each year that you take the test. In 10th grade, the last year the ACT Aspire is given, the maximum score is 460. In grades 8–10, your results will include a composite score, which is just the average of the scores you got on the English, Math, Reading, and Science sections of the test. Meanwhile, the Writing section is scored separately. Your results will also come with a few other measurements: one for language arts, one for STEM, and one that evaluations your reading comprehension. To get a sense of what all of this will look like, you can check out a sample score report. What’s a Good Freshman Score on ACT Aspire? What you consider a good score depends very much on what your goal for that score is. I will go through some possibilities of what the ACT Aspire score can show you, and discuss what constitutes a good score in each of those cases. Comparing Yourself to Yourself Because ACT Aspire is given to everyone from 3rd graders to 10th graders, after a few years, you will be able to see how well you’re doing on this test compared to all the other times you’ve taken it. The idea is that in each subject area, your scores should increase from year to year. So part of figuring out a good freshman score is tracking your progress to make sure that you are improving from one year to the next. At the same time, your scores should also be hitting the benchmarks set out by ACT. The benchmarks are basically the minimum scores that you need to get to show that you are performing at grade level. The point of these minimum scores is to show you, your teachers, and your parents whether you are on track for college readiness, and whether there are specific subjects where you could benefit from academic support. Here is a table of the ACT Aspire benchmarks for each subject: So for example, this table shows that on the math portion of the ACT Aspire, you can get a score anywhere between 400 and 460. If you get at least 428 as a freshman, you’re considered to be learningat grade level. Comparing Yourself to YourPeers Another thing that nation-wide tests like the ACT Aspire are supposed to do is give you a sense of where how your level ofacademic preparation compares to your peers. ACT Aspire publishes data about how students taking the test scored, so we can go through the data to see how you can tell where you stand when compared toother 9th graders who took the test at the same time as you. Some have it easier than others when comparing themselves to their peers. Using Composite Scores for Comparison One way to see how you stack up is through your composite score – the average of yourindividual subject scores (minus Writing). This number is a very quick way to see your relative ranking overall, without taking into consideration whether you are better or worse that some subjects than others. Here isthe range of composite scores for 8th, 9th, and 10th graders from the last year the ACT Aspire was administered: Grade Min 25% Rank 50% Rank 75% Rank 90% Rank 95% Rank Max 8 406 414 418 423 428 432 435 9 408 414 418 423 430 435 438 10 409 415 419 426 433 438 440 This table gives us a breakdown ofhow students scoredon the test.The "Min" and "Max" columns show the lowest and highest scores earned on this test. The "% Rank" columns show the score you'd need to reachthe given percentile, i.e. the score at which you'd be scoringhigher than that percent of other students. So, for example, 9th graders earned composite scores anywhere between 408 and 438 (that’s the minimum and maximum score columns). If you got at least 414, you did better than 25% of the 9th graders taking the test, which would put you in the 25th percentile of scorers. Meanwhile, if you got a 435, you fall into the top 5%, since you scored better than 95% of students. What can we learn from this table? For 9th graders, 418 was the medianscore - 49% of students did better, and 50% did worse. What's a good freshman composite score for ACT Aspire? Let’s assume that a good score is roughly at or above the 75th percentile – meaning, scoring higher than 75% of your peers. This means that a good composite score for the ACT Aspire for freshmen is 423 or higher. The mix everything together approach: great for paella, less useful for test scores. Using Individual Test Sections forComparison The composite score is a good tool for very quick analysis. But another, probably more useful, way of comparing yourself to your peers is to dive into each section of the test individually. Not only is this a more precise ranking system, but it also helps you figure out which subjects are your strengths, and which you need to work on more, or maybe even get some outside help. Now, let's investigate the test sections one by one. We can look at exactly what percentile you fall into depending on yourscore. ACT Aspire 9th Grade English Percentiles Score % Rank Score % Rank Score % Rank Score % Rank 400 1 415 13 430 57 445 96 401 1 416 15 431 61 446 97 402 1 417 16 432 65 447 98 403 1 418 19 433 68 448 99 404 1 419 22 434 71 449 99 405 1 420 25 435 74 450 99 406 1 421 28 436 77 451 99 407 2 422 30 437 80 452 99 408 2 423 33 438 82 453 99 409 3 424 37 439 84 454 99 410 4 425 40 440 87 455 99 411 5 426 43 441 89 456 100 412 7 427 47 442 91 413 8 428 50 443 93 414 10 429 54 444 94 One thing to look at right away is that you don’t need to get all the questions right in order to fall into the top 1% of students. Although the exact number will change slightly from year to year, on this version of the ACT Aspire anyone who got above 448 on the English section did better than 99% of test takers. The benchmark English section score of 426 would put you at the 43rd percentile, meaning you scored better than 43% of your peers. Keeping our assumption that a good score on this test is on or above the 75th percentile, we can see that getting 435 or higher puts you in at least the 74th percentile, making this a good score. ACT Aspire 9th Grade ReadingPercentiles Score % Rank Score % Rank Score % Rank Score % Rank 400 1 411 11 422 57 433 95 401 1 412 15 423 61 434 97 402 1 413 16 424 62 435 99 403 1 414 21 425 66 436 99 404 1 415 26 426 71 437 99 405 1 416 30 427 75 438 99 406 1 417 34 428 80 439 99 407 2 418 39 429 84 440 99 408 4 419 43 430 89 441 99 409 4 420 47 431 89 442 100 410 8 421 52 432 92 You can see a similar thing about the Reading section results – quite a few of the top scores would put you in the top 1% of people taking the test. Also, notice how big a difference in the percentile rankings just one point makes. If you earned 428, you are in the top 20%, but if you earned 429, you are in the top 16%. The Reading benchmark that ACT, Inc. determined is 425, or better than 66% of test takers. A good score on the Reading section – a score around the 75th percentile – is 427. ACT Aspire 9th Grade MathPercentiles Score % Rank Score % Rank Score % Rank Score %Rank 400 1 416 18 432 82 448 99 401 1 417 23 433 84 449 99 402 1 418 28 434 88 450 99 403 1 419 32 435 90 451 99 404 1 420 37 436 92 452 99 405 1 421 39 437 93 453 99 406 1 422 44 438 95 454 99 407 1 423 49 439 96 455 99 408 1 424 53 440 97 456 99 409 2 425 58 441 98 457 99 410 2 426 61 442 98 458 99 411 4 427 65 443 99 459 99 412 6 428 69 444 99 460 100 413 8 429 72 445 99 414 11 430 75 446 99 415 14 431 79 447 99 The math section yielded a really very big spread people in the top percentile – anyone who scored above 443 did better than 99% of their peers. The ACT Aspire benchmark for this section is 428, or the 69th percentile. Meanwhile, a good score in the 75th percentile is 430. ACT Aspire 9th Grade SciencePercentiles Score % Rank Score % Rank Score % Rank Score % Rank 400 1 413 7 426 59 439 97 401 1 414 11 427 63 440 98 402 1 415 16 428 67 441 99 403 1 416 17 429 70 442 99 404 1 417 22 430 76 443 99 405 1 418 24 431 79 444 99 406 1 419 29 432 82 445 99 407 1 420 35 433 84 446 99 408 2 421 40 434 87 447 99 409 2 422 45 435 91 448 99 410 4 423 46 436 92 449 100 411 4 424 50 437 94 412 7 425 54 438 96 The benchmark for ACT Aspire Science is 430, which the same as the good score we’ve been discussing, since it falls into the 76th percentile of test takers Incidentally, if you’ve been following along with the visual data presentation in these tables, you’re actually getting in somegood practice for both the ACT Aspire Science section and the real ACT Science section as well! ACT Aspire 9th Grade WritingPercentiles Score % Rank Score % Rank Score % Rank Score % Rank 408 1 419 26 430 76 441 99 409 1 420 31 431 76 442 99 410 5 421 31 432 88 443 99 411 5 422 35 433 88 444 99 412 7 423 35 434 95 445 99 413 7 424 47 435 95 446 99 414 9 425 47 436 96 447 99 415 9 426 65 437 96 448 100 416 13 427 65 438 97 417 13 428 71 439 97 418 26 429 71 440 99 The Writing section is scored separately and a little bit differently from the rest of the ACT Aspire sections. For one thing, you can see here that the lowest score on this section isn’t 400 like it is for all the other sections, but 408. Here, the benchmark score from ACT is 428, or better than 71% of everyone taking the test in that year. Meanwhile, a good score on Writing is at least 430, which is in the 76th percentile. Does the ACT Aspire Predict Your Future ACT Score? One of the reasons you may be wondering how well you did on theACT Aspire is that you want some kind of assurance or prediction that you’ll do well on the real ACT when you take it junior or senior year. The truth is thatACT Aspire is not a particularly great predictor of your future accomplishments– at least as far as your ACT scores are concerned.But this is actually fantastic news! First of all, it means that the ACT Aspire really does what it’s supposed to do – it shows you where you are now and where you need to improve. And second,it means that dramatic improvement is possible because, as a freshman, you have 2 or even 3 years in which to do it! The ACT Aspire is the weathervane of tests: it's really good at telling you what's happening now, but not really able to predict the future. How ACT Aspire and ACT Scores Compare ACT published a spreadsheet with score data on 50 10th grade students – what they got on each ACT Aspire section, and what they went on to get on the actual ACT when they took it in 11th grade. While it's true that this data is about sophomores rather than freshman, it's still useful to check out what it can tell us. The spreadsheet itself is rather unwieldy, so I've created a couple of graphs to more easily point out the salient bits of information. First, let's talk about the overall trends that the ACT's data shows. In general, the higher your score on the ACT Aspire, the more likely you are to get a higher score on the real ACT itself. Here is a graph that shows this tendency by taking individual scores and smoothing them out into trendlines: However, this is only part of the story. Another way to parse this data is to look more closely at an individual subject. For example, here is a scatterplot graph of a piece of the same data, comparing how 10th gradersdid on Aspire Math and how they ended up doing on ACT Math. The way the scatterplotgraph works is this: Each blue diamond point representsone student Ifyou gostraight down from the diamond, you can see what this student got on ACT Aspire Math If you gostraight left, you can see what this same student got onACTMath: What can we learn from this more zoomed-in approach? On the one hand, as the scores from Aspire Math increase (x-axis), the scores on ACT Math also tend to get somewhat higher as a group (y-axis). In other words, the swarm of diamonds goes upward as we go from left to right. This what accounts for the way the Math trendline appears on the graph above this one. On the other hand,we can see that your Aspire score is by no means destiny, no matter where in the score range students fall. For example, the 3 students who got434 on ACT Aspire Math (just above the sophomore "good" score in the 72nd percentile), ended up getting ACT scores between17 (approximately in the bottom 30%) to 26 (approximately in the top 15%). What Does This Mean in Terms of a Good Score? I think the best way to think about your scores if you’re worried about eventually taking the ACT is to: First, make sure you’re meeting your 9th grade benchmarks. That’s a pretty good indicator that you’re on track with your learning. Next, think about your ACT Aspire section scores. If there is one section (or several sections) that you are scoring significantly worse in, then this is the time to get extra help with these academic subjects. Should You Study For the ACT Aspire? It’s certainly a very good idea to get some exposure to the test itself. In order for any test to be an accurate reflection of your knowledge and abilities, you shouldn’t be penalized just for being unfamiliar with the test’s format and structure. To that end, you should definitely read ourdetailed breakdown of what the ACT Aspire is like and the kinds of questions you’ll face on it. You should also get a sense of what taking the ACT Aspire will be like from their sample questions and computer test simulator. Go to theACT Aspire exemplar page, where you’ll find a link to the simulator and login information for all test sections and grade levels. But honestly, beyond getting a basic sense of what you’ll see on test day, I don’t think it makes a lot of sense to study for the ACT Aspire. For one thing, this isn’t like the PSAT – no scholarships or awards are resting on the score you get. Also, the point of the test is to see whether you are where you should be in your learning. If you study specifically for the test, you could throw off these results – which would be a problem if you actually need help in a specific test area. Finally, the ACT Aspire isn’t just a diagnostic test for individual students. It’s also supposed to measure how each classroom is doing as a whole. Imagine, for example, that the ACT Aspire results come back and every single kid in your class bombed the Writing section. This will tell your teacher and school administrators that they really need to beef up the school’s writing program. And this in turn will benefit you down the road, when you learn how to write college-level work. If you are really very worried about your future testing results, you’re better off justtaking a practice ACT instead. It’ll more accurately show you how you’d score if you took the ACT now. One possible thing to do instead of studying for the ACT Aspire. The Bottom Line The ACT Aspire tests the same 5 sections as the ACT, but is structured, formatted, and scored very differently. You’ll get scores for each of the sections individually, as well as a composite score that averages English, Reading, Math, and Science. What is a good ACT Aspire score depends on what you are trying to determine. A good score for personal progress is a score that’s higher than your previous score and one that meets ACT Aspire benchmarks. A good score when comparing yourself to your peers is around the 75th percentile – the actual number is different for each ACT Aspire section. ACT Aspire is not very good at predicting ACT scores. Instead, it shows you subject areas where you need extra help. There is no need to study for the ACT Aspire, though it would be a good idea to get familiar with the test format by checking out their sample questions. What’s Next? Should you start preparing for the ACT as a 9th grader? We have some advice. Did you take me up on my suggestion to try out a practice ACT test? Now, read aboutwhat your score 9th grade ACT score means. Thinking about taking the PSAT as a 9th grader as well? Check out ourguide to the pros and cons of this decision and our discussion onwhat is a good PSAT score for a freshman. Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically.

Parametric and Nonparametric Methods in Statistics

Parametric and Nonparametric Methods in Statistics There are a few divisions of topics in statistics. One division that quickly comes to mind is the differentiation between descriptive and inferential statistics. There are other ways that we can separate out the discipline of statistics. One of these ways is to classify statistical methods as either parametric or nonparametric. We will find out what the difference is between parametric methods and nonparametric methods.  The way that we will do this is to compare different instances of these types of methods. Parametric Methods Methods are classified by what we know about the population we are studying.  Parametric methods are typically the first methods studied in an introductory statistics course. The basic idea is that there is a set of fixed parameters that determine a probability model. Parametric methods are often those for which we know that the population is approximately normal, or we can approximate using a normal distribution after we invoke the central limit theorem.  There are two parameters for a normal distribution: the mean and the standard deviation. Ultimately the classification of a method as parametric depends upon the assumptions that are made about a population. A few parametric methods include: Confidence interval for a population mean, with known standard deviation.Confidence interval for a population mean, with unknown standard deviation.Confidence interval for a population variance.Confidence interval for the difference of two means, with unknown standard deviation. Nonparametric Methods To contrast with parametric methods, we will define nonparametric methods. These are statistical techniques for which we do not have to make any assumption of parameters for the population we are studying. Indeed, the methods do not have any dependence on the population of interest. The set of parameters is no longer fixed, and neither is the distribution that we use.  It is for this reason that nonparametric methods are also referred to as distribution-free methods. Nonparametric methods are growing in popularity and influence for a number of reasons. The main reason is that we are not constrained as much as when we use a parametric method.  We do not need to make as many assumptions about the population that we are working with as what we have to make with a parametric method. Many of these nonparametric methods are easy to apply and to understand. A few nonparametric methods include: Sign test for population meanBootstrapping techniquesU test for two independent meansSpearman correlation test Comparison There are multiple ways to use statistics to find a confidence interval about a mean.  A parametric method would involve the calculation of a margin of error with a formula, and the estimation of the population mean with a sample mean.  A nonparametric method to calculate a confidence mean would involve the use of bootstrapping. Why do we need both parametric and nonparametric methods for this type of problem? Many times parametric methods are more efficient than the corresponding nonparametric methods. Although this difference in efficiency is typically not that much of an issue, there are instances where we do need to consider which method is more efficient.

Computer System Crash Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Computer System Crash - Assignment Example If this occurs, and the computer user has stored information on their machine’s hard drive, but has not backed it up in any other way, the consequences can clearly be serious. In some cases data is recoverable from the hard drive when it has been removed from the computer, but this is not always possible. A student might lose all of their research data for an assignment, project or dissertation; a business person might lose data vital to the day-to-day running of their commercial operations. It is true that more recent operating systems, including Linux, and newer versions of Windows, are more likely to recover after a crash, when the machine’s hard drive has been scanned, errors have been repaired, and the system rebooted. Even if this all goes smoothly, data which was unsaved at the time of the crash may not be recoverable. However, there are several means by which data can secured, so that even if it cannot be recovered after a system crash, it can be accessed on a different machine. The most popular forms of external storage are USB mass storage devices, and external hard drives. The latter are usually able to store as much data as a PC, but the device can be connected and disconnected from a computer, and so data backed up using such devices will be safe in the event of a

Analysis of Articles about the Effect of the Socioeconomic Roots Has Essay - 3

Analysis of Articles about the Effect of the Socioeconomic Roots Has on the Upper Echelon Management - Essay Example University of Michigan Business School, Working Paper. Although the article is old and is specific to a single function of procurement it is included because it provides the managerial decision making through a procurement perspective. 3. Carl Martin Allwood, Marcus Selart (2001) Decision Making: Social and Creative Dimensions. Springer. This book discusses in detail the decision making processes and the impact of various factors on decision making. It discusses the decision making at different management levels. 4. Charles R. Schwenk (1995) Strategic Decision Making. Journal of Management, Volume: 21, Issue: 3, SAGE. It is written by a graduate of Indiana University. The article discusses various aspects of decision making and discusses the impact of other factors as well on the upper echelon decision making other than just socioeconomic impacts. Therefore, the article looks at the topic under study from a broader view. 5. Christoph Lechner (2006) A Primer to Strategy Process Research. Cuvillier Verlag. This book is academically renowned. One of the chapters of the book discuss the strategies especially used by the upper echelon management in making decisions and the impact of various factors on the cognitive style and their final decision. Although most of the book is irrelevant to this study some part is a readily available source of information. 6. Cliff Bowman and Andrew Kakabadse (1997) Top management ownership of the strategy problem. Long Range Planning Journal, Volume: 30, Issue: 2, Elsevier Science Ltd. the writers belong to the Cranfield Centre for International Management Development, Cranfield University, UK. The paper discusses the involvement aspect of the upper echelon strategic decision making and also shed light on the impact of socioeconomic roots on it.

Epicurean Ethics Essay Example for Free

Epicurean Ethics Essay Upon understanding the brief and general philosophy of how to live a good life from an Epicurean’s viewpoint, I too thought that his philosophy centered around the self, how to achieve pleasure for the self, how to avoid pain to protect the self, all of which did seem very egoistic. However, throughout reading some of his theories and ideas, analyzing them, as well as reading other philosophers’ interpretations, I was able to see how this can be misunderstood if not given careful thought. This common misconception of his philosophy was widely misunderstood because although his philosophy centered around gaining pleasure for the self and avoiding pain, it also focused on not acting upon greed when on the search of pleasure, and only satisfying needs that are natural and absolutely necessary for the survival of an individual, rather than on the kind of pleasure that is achieved by eating luxurious foods, drinking fancy wines, having a high social status and indulging in materialistic things. Aside from having pleasure as the primary goal in life, Epicurus focused a good deal on how to avoid pain as well. In fact, Epicurus defines and measures pleasure not by how much happiness it may bring to the soul and body, but by the absence of pain which is the only way to achieve pleasure. He categorizes pleasure into three different parts which will be discussed later in this paper, as well as how one can have a peaceful and tranquil mind. To achieve the state of mind that Epicurus believes will bring pleasure to an individual’s life, one must eliminate all fears and anxieties over the unknown such as the power of God and how much of one’s life is dependent on the higher being. To ease these frightening thoughts and anxieties, Epicurus believed it was necessary to explain all of the unknown factors of the supernatural such as the fact that Gods have no interest in human affairs and live in their own society. He also thought that much of the stress and anxiety came from not knowing what happens to the body and the soul after death. Being a naturalist, he thought it was best to explain his theory in scientific terms that are more clear and concise rather than something that was mythical and could have been made up. Although he used the atomist theory to inspire his own, he made significant changes to it explaining exactly what does happen to the soul and the body and how there should be nothing to fear and be anxious over. Epicurus was a naturalist and adapted the concept of the atomist theory to his own beliefs. As briefly stated before, he believed that fear and anxiety comes from not knowing the unknown, such as supernatural occurrences, the concept of God, and life after death. Therefore, by explaining how the divine and all powerful works and advising one not to fear the Gods, as well as using the atomist theory to come up with his own theory so that one knows exactly what will happen to the body and soul after death, he believes that there would be much less anxiety and fear in the mind of an Epicurean. According to the atomist theory, the universe is composed of only two things which are infinite shapes and sizes of atoms, and an infinite void. The atoms of which our universe is composed of are infinite in number, unchangeable, and are unable to be cut or divided. It also states that our senses originate from atoms being cut off by objects Epicurus however, believed that our senses originate from our judgments and perceptions of these atoms rather than atoms being cut off by objects. Although Epicurus adapted this theory, he also made significant changes to it in support of his teachings on living a life of a tranquil mind. He emphasized it’s importance to prove that people shouldn’t have fear of life after death because if death means the loss of all consciousness in the mind and the dissolution of the body into atoms, then we have nothing to fear. Our perceptions, judgments and experiences of the world are no longer in our consciousness, because death is the lack of all these things, therefore once death comes there would be nothing to fear or feel such as pain because our consciousness which gives life to all these things would be completely gone. Epicurus encourages his students to live a life free from the stress and anxiety of the unknown life after death, giving them a tranquil and peaceful state of mind. This in turn contributes to his theory that to live a complete and happy life of pleasures, one must be free of all worries and anxieties, as well as avoiding bodily pain. Epicurus also believed that the source of trouble in our consciousness and what causes stress and anxiety in the mind is the fear of the divine and all powerful God. Although Epicurus is not an Atheist and was like most others during his time a polytheistic believing in many Gods, his views on religion and the all powerful God varied greatly from the rest. Epicurus never denied the existence of Gods but held a belief that Gods and human beings had no relation to one another. He believed that Gods were not concerned with human affairs and rejected the widely held belief that Gods gave us reason to live in peace and harmony so that we can be happy and live a good life. He also rejected the idea that Gods held complete control of the path of our lives and worried over us and our conflicts greatly and instead, believed that Gods had their own separate lives and affairs and were always in the highest state of happiness. According to Panichas’ essay in Epicurus on â€Å"Theology†, it is believed that Epicurus never fully justified why he believes that Gods are always happy but says that his belief in Gods came from the idea that we are all born with an innate knowledge of Gods existence. This means that newborn children don’t need to be given the knowledge of the existence of divine power, but are already born with that idea implanted in them. His supporting argument for the existence of Gods is that since everyone is born with the innate idea of their existence, and everyone already has an established opinion of the Gods, then they must exist. Epicurus’ argument against the popular belief of Gods having extreme concern of human affairs and conflicts was that Gods didn’t care for human affairs because they were extremely happy living their own separate lives. Therefore, if Gods were concerned with human conflicts and troubles then they wouldn’t be happy but rather stressed, worried and anxious, which would then make them unhappy. Epicurus’ goal in presenting his arguments using physics and atomism, against religion and its superstitious beliefs, was a way of assuring his students that they shouldn’t disturb the mind because of worries and anxieties over the belief that happiness, misery, and life after death are completely dependent upon the Gods because this in turn comes in conflict with the primary goal of life on earth which is happiness. Instead, he emphasized the importance of attaining courage through meditation on the purpose of life so that human beings can master the fear of death and the gods. A life of happiness and pleasure in Epicurean terms is defined as having a calm and peaceful mind, free of anxieties and worries, as well as a body free of pain. By teaching his students the idea of atomism which frees people from the stress and anxieties of life after death, and the belief that the Gods are not in complete control of our lives and are merely part of their own separate society, Epicurus is able to liberate their anxious and unhappy minds and allows them to live a conscious free life from disturbances and stresses of the unknown world. Epicurus most likely felt the need to fully explain the aspects of supernatural causes which society at the time thought to be controlled by God, as well as other natural phenomena such as how things came about on earth, so that people had a clear understanding of things they had not known before, and in turn no longer fearing them. Popular belief of mass society during the Hellenistic period was that any supernatural occurrences of the world such as the creation of the universe, the existence of human beings, or the world having just enough resources for human beings to be able to survive were all of Gods creations. However, Lucretius who was an Epicurean student stated that the world could not have been created by the Gods because it is imperfect and such perfect beings could not have created something so imperfect as the universe. He proves this idea in support of his argument, by stating that the world in itself which is full of imperfections, giving an example of the large amount of land that is completely useless to mankind but is inhabited by wild animals, or death that stalks every minute of our lives, could have been the creations of the divine and all powerful because if they were, then that would mean that Gods themselves are the sources of all pain and evil. Lucretius also states that an Epicurean must accept the fact that the natural world is mortal, which means it can that it can be diseased with corruption, war, and greed and follows a cycle of creation and destruction within itself. He elaborates on this statement saying the world must be thought of as a mortal body with a beginning, and an end. As stated before, Epicureanism holds the belief that like everything else, Gods are composed of atoms, but atoms that are different than those of human beings. These atoms in On the Nature of the Universe are described as very flimsy atoms that are ethereal, and can be barely perceived by the mind, therefore they cannot be touched. It also says that they exist somewhere among their own nature, which means that they do not exist anywhere near the society of human beings. In explaining this theory to his followers, he did so to prove that there is no reason to live in fear of Gods because they live in a society that is completely separate and different from ours, and as stated before, they are engaged in their own affairs and have no concern for the welfare of human beings. He stressed the importance of this because Epicurus believed that all fear arises from the unknown. The unknown as being what happens to the soul, body, and life after death, and the fear and anxiety over Gods’ declaration punishments or rewards towards human beings. By explaining all the unanswered questions of life, rejecting the idea of Gods being in complete control in the affair of our lives, in simple and naturalistic terms that can be proven through metaphysics, rather than relying on retold myths that cannot be proven, seen, or sensed, he is able to direct their minds towards a positive light in which they can achieve a state of mind that is at peace, allowing them to live their lives in pleasure and happiness. Epicurus’ view on the soul and what happens to it after death greatly varied from the Platonic and Homeric view of the soul. Unlike Plato who believed that the soul became part of a heavenly pilgrimage, and the Homeric view that the soul descends into the darkness of the kingdom of the dead, Epicurus believed that the Soul merely dissolves upon death, which is without sensation. This means that since something that dissolves upon death is free of sensing and feeling, then there is no pain, and therefore there is nothing to fear. Although Epicurus agreed with both the Platonic and Homeric view that an individual is composed of the body and the soul, and that upon death, the soul leaves the body, he disagreed on their views of what happens to the soul after death. Epicurus believes that the soul is corporeal, which means that what happens to the body and the soul is a physical occurrence, and once the body starts dissolving, the soul along with the body begins undergoing a physical transformation in which it also dissolves, the process therefore being void of the sensation or perception of what is happening. The soul according to Epicurus was mainly made of breath, heat, and air which he considered to be made of a material substance. These three elements were used by Epicureans to explain the differences in characters and moods of feeling in both humans as well as animals. Aetios sums up the functions of these elements saying that the element of breath gives the soul the power to move, the air gives it tranquility and calmness, and the heat produces the perception of warmth from the body. Epicurus also believed that the soul was made of an unknown element as well, that is much more advanced in structure and its function in the soul which allows it to feel in harmony with the rest of the elements as well as the body. Lucretius further elaborated on this hidden fourth element by stating that it is a crucial part of the soul because it provides the soul with sensation. Although the soul is the major cause of sensation, it cannot sense without the body. This then means that the soul cannot sense without the body, and the body cannot sense without the soul. Lucretius states that the soul and the body must be united for a human being to have full access to sensation, therefore one cannot survive without the other . This theory is used in support of their argument of what happens to the soul after it is released from the body, which is that since the soul which brings sensation, reason, and perception of the outside world to the body, is released from the body, the body can no longer feel or come up with reason or judgment of what is occurring. The soul however, has a more significant role in the making of an individual than the body does because if a part of the body is lost, such as a leg or an arm, the soul is able to remain in the body and still give an individual sensation, whereas the part that was lost such as a leg or an arm although still exists, it can no longer have the soul be a part of it or retain any sensation. In general, the body can be viewed as the home and protection of the soul, and if the body is destroyed, then it can no longer protect nor shelter the soul, and as a result, the soul scatters into tiny separate creative energies. All of Epicurus’ teachings and doctrines can be traced back to, and are in relation to attaining pleasure which is the main goal in life. Epicurus defines pleasure as not having certain sensations of happiness, but rather as the absence of bodily pain and mental disturbance. He also believed that pleasure and pain are the main driving forces of a human being, saying that desire is driven by pleasure, and avoidance is driven by pain. Although many view Epicureanism as a form of egoism in which all actions are taken for the benefit of the self, and although this is true, Epicurus’ theory on attaining pleasure and happiness can be seen as something that is able to balance out, and in turn, become a life of virtue. A balanced life of happiness and virtue according to Epicurus can be attained by being prudent and having a sense of discernment when it comes to pleasure. Therefore, someone who is able to do this by acting carefully when it came to the desires and the indulgences in life, and being virtuous to this belief isn’t necessarily set and done on his/her quest for pleasure, but on the right path to attain it. Epicurus believes that without the ability to sense things such as the sight of beauty, the taste of food, the sound of music, or the feel of an object, true pleasures and happiness cannot be achieved. Therefore, the act of sensation is of extreme importance to an Epicurean because without sensation, the good life is unattainable. Epicurus also states that there is nothing more truthful than sensation. This means that the act of sensing doesn’t need to be proven because we sense things exactly for what they are. Sensations are also not voluntary and are received through direct contact with an object or thing through the five sense organs which are sight, touch, taste, sound, and smell. These five senses, in turn are then perceived in the mind and can be enlarged or diminished in the mind. He then considers arguments against his theory that say that just because we sense things and then perceive them in the mind that does not always make them true. A classic example he gives is an octagonal tower seen from a far distance is in actuality cylindrical, or a tall building from a far distance may look small through the sense of sight, but in reality the building only appears to be small because it is seen from a far distance. To support his argument, Epicurus states that it is then up to the individual to use reason, logic, and our past experiences to determine whether this observation is true or not. Sensation therefore, is the basic foundation of knowledge according to Epicurus. Although sensation is of extreme importance in Epicurean philosophy, the concept of sensation still goes back to the main idea of Epicurus’ teachings which is pleasure and happiness. According to Epicurus, pleasure is the goal of all things. However, to argue against those who say his teachings are egoistic, Epicurus emphasized on the right kind of pleasure. For example, in Epicurus’ â€Å"Letter to Menoceus† he explains that indulging in the pleasures and luxuries of life is not what makes a good life, but the choices we make when in search of pleasure and avoidance of physical or mental pain: â€Å"For it is not continuous drinkings and revellings, nor the satisfaction of lusts, nor the enjoyment of fish, and other luxuries of the wealthy table, which produce a pleasant life, but sober reason, searching, out the motives for all choice and avoidance, and banishing mere opinions, to which are due the greatest disturbances of the spirit. This quote explains that Epicurus is not concerned with the quality of material things such as fine foods and other luxuries, but rather whether these things are enough to eliminate pain so that we can have pleasure. Epicurus believes that the more we can limit our pleasures and desires, especially the ones that are most necessary and natural such as food and water to survive and avoid bodi ly pain, the more we are likely to attain a happy and pleasurable life. To further understand the concept of limiting pleasures and desires, Epicurus states that when one removes all physical and mental pain, for example eating to avoid hunger, or overcoming fear and anxiety to be free of mental pain, is when pleasure can be achieved. However, it is up to the individual to not become engaged in fulfilling â€Å"natural but unnecessary† pleasures, such as eating more than needed, or having luxurious food instead of normal food. Epicurus believes that this is where we must use our judgment and good reason to pick and choose what will best fulfill our needs without being overly self-indulgent. He divides pleasures and desires into three separate categories. The first one is natural and necessary which as stated before, are daily survival necessities like food and water. The second form of pleasure is natural but unnecessary which is a pleasure that is natural such as food, but not necessary such as having extravagant food rather than regular food that would eliminate hunger. Lastly, the third type of pleasure is neither natural nor necessary which refers to fame, having a high status among peers in society, or the desire to be accepted by others. The ability of fully understanding these categories and practicing them religiously on a daily basis will direct one to a life that is free of bodily pain and mental disturbance. Epicurus defines the good life not by the presence of pleasure but by the absence of mental and physical pain. Once the main goal of avoiding pain and fear are achieved, the individual won’t be on the search for something that is missing because all pain is gone, thus, the desire to eliminate it is gone as well leaving the mind and body free of pain and anxiety. Epicurus’ definition of the wise man is one who is free from most troubles. Although peace of the mind is of extreme importance in Epicureanism, one cannot achieve it without being self-sufficient. A wise man, in Epicurean standards is one who does not depend on others. Therefore high held positions such as having political power, or even something as common as marrying and having a family creates too much stress because your life becomes strained with anxiety over the actions of others which are completely out of your control. Epicurus believes that the outside world creates too much pressure that can lead to anxiety because most of the things dealing with the outside world are outside of your control. A life of simplicity and freedom from anxiety and pain are a way of life for a wise man. When one gains complete control over these things, as well as overcoming the fears of the outside world, then one can live a happy and pleasurable life because there is no desire for things which one cannot find him/herself. A free life according to Epicurus also means not having too many possessions because owning too many materialistic things results in robberies which only lead to more consequences and trouble all of which can be avoided. However, what a wise man should do when he is in the possession of many things is donating it and distributing them to those that are less fortunate and those in need. Epicurus says that gaining gratitude from your neighbors is more important than indulging in unnecessary things. This thus proves that an Epicurean life isn’t egoistic as most critics seem to think but rather a way of life in which an individual can live freely without worry. Although the main idea of Epicurus’ philosophy is pleasure as the main goal, the word pleasure has a different meaning than the one we are used to. The word â€Å"pleasure† in epicurean terms means the absence of pain which is why a good amount of Epicurean philosophy discusses ways in which one can avoid pain and eliminate worries, anxieties and fears. Pleasure according to Epicurus has nothing to do with being in the possession of luxurious items because that is not what brings pleasure to the individual but rather a peaceful mental state or being: It is better for you to be free of fear lying upon a pallet, than to have a golden couch and rich table and be full of trouble . † Although Epicurus does not believe in a wise man having a family and advises that one should avoid conforming to society and the pressures of the outside world, he emphasizes the value of a strong friendship and believes it to be the second most important thing in a noble man after wisdom . Even more surprising than this is the fact that Epicurus welcomed women into his school and considered them as potential friends despite the time period and social standards of Ancient Greece at the time. Epicurus welcomed all kinds of people into his school and didn’t look at gender, wealth, age, or social class to determine a person’s worth of attending. Aside from not picking student and friends based on external factors, Epicurus believed that all friendships arise from self-interest: â€Å"Every friendship in itself is to be desired; but the first cause of friendship was a man’s needs . However, friendships can’t always be seen as a relationship between two people that’s driven solely on one’s own self-interests and benefits, they should be much more and beyond that. Throughout time, Epicurus believes that a friendship that once started only as an act of self-satisfaction to benefit the self can become much more intimate and grow beyond the desire to be friends just to gain needs driven by sole self-interest. He also advised that friendships shouldn’t be pushed to their extremes when on the pursuit of benefits and should not be pushed to the extreme if it’s completely void of all benefits because then, the individual would have no desire to keep the friendship alive at all. Once two friends can overcome that stage of self-interest and gain intimacy then all expectations of each other and what is needed for the benefit of the self is gone. The mere fact of just knowing and having a friend and his/her company should bring enough pleasure to the individual to not care about other things that would only benefit the self. Epicurus did not believe that sexual love was of any benefit to an individual and although it can be associated with bringing pleasure, it causes much more disturbances in the mind that far outweigh the pleasures it may bring: â€Å"No pleasure is a bad thing in itself, but the means which produce some pleasures bring with them disturbances many times greater than the pleasures. Epicurus believes that fulfilling sexual desires are unnecessary for the survival of an individual and can be dealt without, considering how much mental disturbance it may bring afterwards. Epicurus categorizes this pleasure as the â€Å"natural and unnecessary† which means that although the desire for attaining sexual pleasure may be completely natural for the individual, it isn’t necessary for survival, therefore it is not an absolute necessity. This thus makes the act of fulfilling sexual pleasure to be vain and selfish, as well as bringing disturbance to the mind. The reason Epicurus advises the wise man not to engage in sexual encounters is because the pleasure that comes from sex can be too intense for the individual to handle. When something so intense yet so pleasurable becomes a much needed desire, it is sure to bring disturbance to the mind. Another way sexual desire can be seen as creating disturbances in the mind is considering how before sexual pleasures can be fulfilled, one must pursue the person of the opposite sex and develop an intimate level of friendship or relationship. With that relationship comes fear and anxiety over losing your partner and concerns of what the future might bring. After a relationship has been developed, child bearing is the next step which creates even more disturbances to the mind, because with children come more external and outside powers that are out of your control which result in fears, frustrations, hopes anxieties and pain all of which can be avoided if one does not become involved in an intimate sexual relationship. How does one avoid mental disturbances to achieve peace in the mind? Epicurus believes that pleasure can still be attained without fulfilling sexual desires by simply forming strong friendships and developing a level of intimacy that would allow the friendship to survive solely on that level of intimacy and not self-interested benefits and needs. Once a deep enough level of intimacy has been developed, things such as trust, loyalty, and pleasure will surely ensue afterwards. Whereas a relationship driven by sexual pleasures will result in jealousy, hate, possessiveness, anger, and bittersweet memories that could last a lifetime. Therefore, to avoid having to go through these struggles in life and living a life of simplicity and freedom, Epicurus advises one to seek friendships that doesn’t require too much of one’s time, energy, and physical or mental strength. Living the life of an Epicurean means living a life of simplicity, avoiding anything that is too dangerous for one’s well being even if it is the norm in society such as getting married, and being on a life long pursuit for pleasure. As stated before, from a quick glance at Epicurus’ philosophy, one can conclude that his teachings were all self centered, however, upon further reading into his doctrines, as well as how other philosophers were able to interpret and justify some of his teachings, his true meaning of a virtuous and good life can be more clearly understood. His philosophies on how to be a wise man and achieve the good life prove how non egoistic Epicureanism is. Although it does always focus on gaining pleasure for the self, it does so only to a certain extent in which one attains enough pleasure to eliminate the pain. Once that has been achieved, going on a pursuit for more pleasure is considered vain, and as I have discussed before, Epicurus categorizes this pleasure as the â€Å"natural and unnecessary† or â€Å"unnatural and unnecessary. † Therefore he advises one not to seek these kinds of pleasures because that can create more disturbances in the mind. His thorough explanation and solution on how to achieve a tranquil mind by giving insight on the Gods and what happens to the soul and body after death are also a huge part of his philosophy. Overall, Epicureanism was a very modern school of philosophy compared to the time period, and the location of where it had been originated. Epicurus’ way of not discriminating against minorities such as women or the lower class, and not religiously worshiping supernatural beings even though that had been the norm in society, is very much like the life he preaches one should live in which one doesn’t conform to the standards of the masses but pursues a path of his own, where a peaceful mind and a body free of pain can be found.

Abortion :: essays research papers

Good morning/afternoon ladies and gentleman. Today I am here to convince you without a doubt that abortion should be brought to an end. Points that I will be covering are the medical risks involved, economic support for the child, couples that do not have a chance to have a child and ¡K. The scientific definition of abortion is the termination of pregnancy of an embryo or of a fetus that is incapable of survival. There are over 131,000 abortions in Australia every year. Firstly: medical risks involved. Some short term or physical side effects such as: „X  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Infection „X  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bleeding „X  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Perforation of the uterus „X  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Anaesthetic complications „X  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Deaths And as for that there are also long term side effects such as: „X  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cervical incompetence, in which the neck of the womb loses its capacity to hold the developing foetus in place, and he or she falls out of the uterus because of their weight and the force of gravity „X  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Abortion is thus associated with higher rates of miscarriage in subsequent pregnancies, usually in the second twelve weeks „X  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Infection acquired at the time of the operation can cause pelvic infection, decreased patency of the fallopian tubes and sterility. „X  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Adhesion can cause recurring abdominal pain and sterility. „X  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is now known that women having abortions and considerably more likely to suffer from breast cancer later in their life. My second point is the economic support for the child: Why do people that don ¡Ã‚ ¦t want kids have to have an abortion? There are always other factors that you can come to such as adoption. In third world countries, the people have a right to have children but do they have the opportunity? If they did have a child, how would they support it through the poverty? They don ¡Ã‚ ¦t even have enough food and water to support themselves at the moment. This clearly indicates to support the child you must be economically healthy. In a country like our own, we have all the resources at our fingertips, and why do people still question and rely on abortion? If people had a child or two, or maybe even more, we will still have enough resources to support us and our child healthy and we have resources that the third-world countries don ¡Ã‚ ¦t have. My third point is how many couples do not have the chance to have a child: Many childless couples on the other hand face long waiting lists in the hope they can adopt. Some 50,000 Australian couples a year apply to adopt children.

Eleanor Rigby and Life in 60s Essay

The Beatles, one of the most famous bands in the world, have many great songs. â€Å"Eleanor Rigby† is definitely one of them. The song was written primarily by Paul McCartney. There are only two characters mentioned in the song, and Eleanor Rigby and Father McKenzie, and the entire story happens in the church. Eleanor Rigby picks up rice after a wedding and wearing a face the she â€Å"keeps in a jar†. Father McKenzie always writes boring words at his sermon and darns his socks in the night, day and night to repeat. They all live in their own world. Finally Eleanor Rigby died in the church and nobody will remember her, Father McKenzie is the only guy who comes to her funeral and hosts the ceremony. Besides the great contributions on the music side, â€Å"Eleanor Rigby† also provides us a gate way to learn the life in 1960s, and those behaviors in 60s affect our modern society. First of all, from the song we can have general knowledge about the living conditions in the 60s. The song published on the Beatles 1966 album Revolver. At that time, people were under the post war depression of the World War II, the economics grew slowly and the unemployed rate was high [1]. The song was written under such circumstances, it reflects the people’s feelings and behaviors at that time. At the beginning and the end of the song ask the same question â€Å"All the lonely people, where do they all come from? All the lonely people, where do they all belong? † (The Beatles, Line 7, 8, 21 and 22). This kind of question is always asked by people in 50s or 60s generations, we call it the Beat Generations, the answer is they all live in our own world; they belong to them and them all â€Å"liv [ed] in a dream. † (The Beatles, Line 4). That’s why Eleanor has â€Å"a face that she keeps in a jar by the door. (The Beatles, Line 5). People wear a face do not let others to see the real side of them, so that they can hide their real emotions. And she â€Å"waits at the window† (The Beatles, Line 5). â€Å"Who is it for? † (The Beatles, Line 6). However, until Eleanor dead whoever she was waiting for never came, â€Å"Eleanor Rigby died in the church and was buried along with her name. Nobody came. † (The Beatles, Line 17 and 18). On the other hand, Father McKenzie, â€Å"writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear. No-one comes near. † (The Beatles, Line 9 and 10). Why won’t anyone hear Father McKenzie’s sermon? In that generation, people are tend to be religions skepticism, they suspect everything even themselves. So there is no one hear Father McKenzie’s sermon and no one near him. Also, no one came to the Eleanor Rigby’s funeral can illustrate that people not believe what they use to believe. Moreover, the lyric shows the apathetic of the people like Father McKenzie. He â€Å"wip[es] the dirt from his hand as he walks from the grave. †(The Beatles, Line 19) focus on the action â€Å"wiping the dirt from his hand† looks like Father McKenzie just did his job and there is no emotion involved he did not feel anything about the death of Eleanor Rigby. In the 60s people were tend to be like Father McKenzie, they were numb, they did not have any emotions among other people that is why they are all lonely people. On the other hand, those emotions from the song also affect people in today’s society. In 2008 the global financial crisis began, many government nearly bankrupted, and people start losing their jobs. As the results for that people were seeing things like there lost their house, their family broken up and things they work for years do not exist anymore. So the feeling of loneliness appears at that time. Just like people in 60s, they start ask question like where are they belong and where are the go. People start hides their real emotions just like Eleanor Rigby has â€Å"a face that she keeps in a jar by the door. † (The Beatles, line 5). Also, after so many years believed in god, the god did not actually help them went the crises happened, and people start suspect their beliefs, just like no one hear Father McKenzie’s sermon and â€Å"no one come near. † (The Beatles, line 12). Additionally, people like Father McKenzie who are apathetic, so many things happened to them so that they became numb in order to hide the emotions, they do not care about other people like Father McKenzie â€Å"wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave. † (The Beatles, line 19). In general, the song â€Å"Eleanor Rigby† mainly talks about loneliness thought the two characters, and the emotions thought out the loneliness such as stoicism, suspect and apathetic. Also the song uses the characters life and behavior to indicate the lives in 60s and has a great empathy to our modern life.

Water Abuse

Water is a vital to all human life, but people don’t know how they should limit their use of it, how their actions affect the purity of it, or how restricted water actually is. They do not know how to take care of water, or their environment. They need to realize that water should not be carelessly used for leisure. Also, recognize that they pollute their own water supply with chemicals and trash, and they do not seem to understand that there is a limited supply of water. Americans do not comprehend the actual meaning of water abuse, and how it applies to them.The abuse of water is going to revolve around how much American over use and waste it. People aren’t concerned or aware of the scarcity of water because they don’t see how it affects them directly. According to Karen Bouwer, in her essay â€Å"Women and Water†, the average â€Å"†¦use in the United States is 176 gallons per person per day. † (Bouwer 319) More than half of that percentage only includes bathing and flushing the toilet. While on the contrary, African nations â€Å"†¦average 10 gallons† per person per day if they are lucky. Americans probably would not be able to function without being able to use water whenever they may please.Although this may seem like something that can be fixed, the water pollution human’s cause put even more restrictions on water. Most people are aware that their trash ends up in the middle of the ocean, while some others are clueless. Some may not see how where â€Å"the trash man† drops their trash is of importance. But the reality is that most of the things that people put into their trash cans never decompose, or can take over 10 years to do so. The one thing that all Americans use everyday at some point of the day never decomposes is plastic.Over fifteen percent of all plastic made, ends up in the ocean. A majority of that fifteen percent ends up on the ocean floor. (Reuse It) For example, in San Ant onio, â€Å"†¦park personnel haul off more than 600,000 pounds of trash† (Harte 164) Plastic can over power the United States ocean water, which is one thing that puts limitations on water. Human’s thinks that water is somewhat endless because of what they learned in school, the water cycle. With the key terms condensation, evaporation, and precipitation Americans get the idea that water is always going to be in rotation.In reality, Americans are right water is in rotation, but all of that water is not usable. Yes, the water that humans drink and shower with does partially come from ground water, but people don’t understand how much water they actually have to use. Barely one percent of the water in the entire world is actually fresh and usable. That one percent is the only water that is clean enough to be considered usable by all Americans, which seems almost impossible to comprehend. Humans constantly use water and let it run without thinking. How would A mericans react if they didn’t have access to clean water anymore?They need to realize we do have an unlimited access. Americans should be aware that they are privileged to have virtually unlimited access to water. But most Americans seem to take advantage of this source, which ultimately affects everyone in the long run. Humans do not know how to limit their use of water because they’ve never had to so. These water abusers must be informed of their actions so that things can change. People need to start put limitations on how much they use water and make sure its 100% necessary to have it running.As well as, more American need to start recycling; the plastic doesn’t only affect humans, but marine animals also. Americans have to realize that the water that we currently have is all that we have. Work Cited â€Å"Water Facts. † The Water Information Program. 5 September 2012. Online Bouwer, Karen. â€Å"Women and Water. † The Water and Culture Reader. Southlake: Fountainhead,2011. 319-322. Print â€Å"Use and Toss Plastic Bottle Facts†. ReUseIt. 6 September 2012. Online Harte, Alexis. â€Å"San Antonio: A City Guided By Its River. † The Water and Culture Reader. Southlake: Fountainhead, 2011. 161-163. Print

Free Essays on Jackie Kennedy

at Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis’s funeral. Jacqueline’s, also known as Jackie, legacy is global (Spencer 9). Jackie was a woman doing things her own way from the date of her birth. Jacqueline Lee Bouvier was born on July 28, 1929, in Southampton in New York. Jackie’s parents were John Vernon Bouvier III and his wife Janet Lee Bouvier ( www.isdesigners). John was a wealthy stockbroker, which put the Bouvier family at the top of society. Jackie’s mother Janet was a snob of society (www.thekennedy2). But that didn’t stand in Jackie’s way, she still made her young youth years as fun as possible. As a child, her years were divided between New York City, East Hampton, and Long Island (www.isdesigners). These places were what Jackie called home. They were the places where she learned the hobbies she loved as a child. She even enjoyed them as an adult. Her favorite hobby was horseback riding. Jackie learned how to ride almost as soon as she could walk. She also enjoyed reading, writing, and painting (Onassis 66). However, Jackie’s youth years weren’t always filled with joy. Jackie’s mother and father separated when she was only eight years old (Onassis 66). When they split up, her father was penniless, which left them financially insecure (www.thekennedy2). Jackie had always hoped for her parents to get back together. She truly missed her father dearly. It wasn’t until 1940, when the sad divorce was finalized, that Jackie got to spend time with her father, John (www.isdesigners). Jackie’s mother Janet remarried in 1942. Jackie was only thirteen years old. Janet married Hugh D. Auchincloss, Jr. Hugh just happened to be a wealthy lawyer (Onassis 66). Which re-secured their finances. School kept Jackie busy allowing her ... Free Essays on Jackie Kennedy Free Essays on Jackie Kennedy Who was the Queen of Camelot? â€Å"No one else looked like her, spoke like her, wrote like her, or was so original in the way she did things†. Ted Kennedy spoke these words at Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis’s funeral. Jacqueline’s, also known as Jackie, legacy is global (Spencer 9). Jackie was a woman doing things her own way from the date of her birth. Jacqueline Lee Bouvier was born on July 28, 1929, in Southampton in New York. Jackie’s parents were John Vernon Bouvier III and his wife Janet Lee Bouvier ( www.isdesigners). John was a wealthy stockbroker, which put the Bouvier family at the top of society. Jackie’s mother Janet was a snob of society (www.thekennedy2). But that didn’t stand in Jackie’s way, she still made her young youth years as fun as possible. As a child, her years were divided between New York City, East Hampton, and Long Island (www.isdesigners). These places were what Jackie called home. They were the places where she learned the hobbies she loved as a child. She even enjoyed them as an adult. Her favorite hobby was horseback riding. Jackie learned how to ride almost as soon as she could walk. She also enjoyed reading, writing, and painting (Onassis 66). However, Jackie’s youth years weren’t always filled with joy. Jackie’s mother and father separated when she was only eight years old (Onassis 66). When they split up, her father was penniless, which left them financially insecure (www.thekennedy2). Jackie had always hoped for her parents to get back together. She truly missed her father dearly. It wasn’t until 1940, when the sad divorce was finalized, that Jackie got to spend time with her father, John (www.isdesigners). Jackie’s mother Janet remarried in 1942. Jackie was only thirteen years old. Janet married Hugh D. Auchincloss, Jr. Hugh just happened to be a wealthy lawyer (Onassis 66). Which re-secured their finances. School kept Jackie busy allowing her ...

Should Funny Cat Videos Be Allowed on YouTube

Should Funny Cat Videos Be Allowed on YouTube It seems that every other minute on social media, you see some strange – but usually hilarious – animal video going viral. Dogs chasing their tale  turtles dancing to Lady Gaga, cats knocking down drinking glasses, shattering them. If there is an argument that videos like these be outlawed on YouTube, which is one of the most widely used video-sharing websites in the world, it’s a weak argument for sure. Unless it’s grotesque or offensive in nature, humorous cat videos should be allowed on YouTube. Allowing these videos to be seen seems to do no damage at all, and videos of this sort may even help people to some extent. To begin with, funny cat videos belong on YouTube because people love cats –  their cuteness, their movements, traits, and behaviors – so it’s logical for people to enjoy watching videos of them on this website. And if a website like YouTube was created for people to communicate, to share videos of common interests, as well as for people’s general enjoyment, it only makes sense for funny cat videos to be uploaded to the website. Surely not everyone loves cats and cat videos, but many people do – as seen in these kinds of videos going viral. There is a reason why so many of the videos going viral are videos that first are introduced on YouTub. Secondly, funny cat videos should also be allowed on YouTube for another reason: such kinds of videos benefit people. Yes, in the stressful, fast-paced, high-pressure society we live in, with high taxes, an even higher cost of living, it’s imperative that hard-working people find outlets for their stress. And better than alcohol or drugs, there is humor. The physical act of laughing sends naturally occurring endorphins and other happy-feeling neurotransmitters rushing through a person’s brain, in turn lessening stress and leaving a person feeling happier, healthier and more relaxed. When a person, for example, sees a video of a cat demanding their owner’s attention almost to the point of being aggressive, but in a comical way, the viewer tends to lighten up. Watching a video of a cat doing strange things, like jumping three feet in the air at the sight of a cucumber on the ground behind them, is just therapeutic. When it comes down to it, when one considers the b enefit of watching silly cat videos, there should be no doubt whatsoever that funny cat videos belong on YouTube.be. It is the appropriate place for such videos. It screams funny cat videos. Lastly, YouTube is just the place for silly cat videos; therefore, they should be allowed on the website. When comparing YouTube to other social media, especially professional networking websites like LinkedIn, one sees the frivolous nature of YouTube – and how it is meant to be silly and humorous and nonprofessional. That’s the entire point of YouTube: It does not have an air of pretentiousness about it, and it is traditionally not used to grow a business or to land a person a job; though this is sometimes the case. So, evidently, YouTube is the perfect place for silly cat videos – as well as other humorous videos that become a source of healthy escapism for people, and not just animal videos. To conclude this argument, consider the above points that demonstrate how humorous cat videos surely belong and should be allowed, on YouTube: people love cats and cat videos; cat videos make people laugh and smile, and people need that, and YouTube is meant for these kinds of videos. Any arguments challenging the allowance of funny cat videos on this widely used site are completely erroneous, fallible and one-sided. YouTube provides users with a service, and that service provides an escape, a way for people to release their pent-up, hostile, violent emotions that would otherwise distract them from living normal, fulfilling, happy lives.

Google Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Google - Assignment Example nternet companies operate from various countries, and regulations are developed for these companies by the government based on the existing legal framework. These are also known as cyber regulations. Companies failing to abide by the cyber guideline of different countries have also faced penalties like cancellation of their license to trade in the respective country (Factor, 2013). Google faced pressure from the Department of Justice in order to abandon their search terms, and censor the search results from the Government of China. Apart from this, the demand of the government to abide by the privacy policies were also considered and in 2008, Google started responding to the concerns of the customers by adding a link to the home page that will directly take them to the privacy center and show Google’s policies for privacy and security. The political trend affects the subsidies, tax holiday, or rule relaxations, which also affect the sources of revenue generation for a country. Countries like India outsource maximum IT services for countries like US, UK, or Australia (Google, 2013). Answer 4 The companies in the computer software and internet industry got badly affected like any other industry due to the recent financial crisis and recession. However, companies like Google were relatively isolated from such effects due to the strong search engine and internet based methods of advertisement in the world economy. Google was typically well-positioned even when other companies were facing problems of survival. This is mainly because of its diversified operations. Google Inc mainly benefited from advertisements, which made the company a recession-proof business (Google, n. d.). Answer 5 Google Inc is presently testing some new advertising agendas that pay the site owners... The researcher of this essay states that companies in the computer software and internet industry got badly affected recently, like any other industry due to the recent financial crisis and recession. However, it is analyzed that companies like Google were relatively isolated from such effects due to the strong search engine and internet based methods of advertisement in the world economy. Google was typically well-positioned even when other companies were facing problems of survival. This is mainly because of its diversified operations. The political and legal factors are the external factors which has a significant impact on the computer software, and internet industry. Google Inc mainly benefited from advertisements, which made the company a recession-proof business. Google Inc is presently testing some new advertising agendas that pay the site owners on the basis of cost per click model. This program, which is also known as Cost per action was floated through email invitation fro m Google AdSense to different website owners. The researcher mentions that Google Inc has been investing generously to keep up with the changing preferences of customers and users. Google possesses the advantage of the excellent IT framework, which supports its high performance in a cost effective manner. In conclusion, the researcher sums up his study and states that apart from every challenge, that was presented in this essay, Google also enjoys the massive cost advantage over its main competitors like Yahoo, eBay, Microsoft, or Amazon.

Recent developments in the UK housing market Essay

Recent developments in the UK housing market - Essay Example In general house prices must behave in a similar manner as that of inflation rates prevailing in an economy. However, if we consider the recent boom in housing prices in the UK since the year 1998, it can be observed that the housing prices behaved in an opposite direction to that of the general inflation rate of the UK’s economy. It implies that there has been a significant rise in the overall house prices of UK since 1998 but the general inflation was on the lower side and did not rise that significantly as compared to the house prices. Next, if we look at the relation between the house prices and income of the households in the UK it can be observed that the house prices increased at a greater rate than the income of the households during the period of the recent housing boom. If we look at the current affordability of the houses in the UK it can conclude that the house properties are less affordable because of the high house price to income ratio at present. It implies that the UK households do not have enough income to be able to buy houses which are of high prices. Moreover, the house prices are directly linked to the changes in income levels of households because most of the houses are bought through mortgage services offered by financial institutions. Hence it is very unlikely to get loans to buy houses with lower income levels. This is how the house properties became less affordable for people who were having a comparatively lesser rise in income levels as compared to the rise in house prices in the UK. ... implies that there has been a significant rise in the overall house prices of UK since 1998 but the general inflation was on the lower side and did not rise that significantly as compared to the house prices. It means that although the house prices rose significantly the prices of other goods and services did not rise that much. Next if we look at the relation between the house prices and income of the households in UK it can be observed that the house prices increased at a greater rate than the income of the households during the period of recent housing boom. If we look at the current affordability of the houses in UK it can concluded that the house properties are less affordable because of the high house price to income ratio at present. It implies that the UK households do not have enough income to be able to buy houses which are of high prices. Moreover the house prices are directly linked with the changes in income levels of households because most of the houses are bought thro ugh mortgage services offered by financial institutions. Hence it is very unlikely to get loans to buy houses with lower income levels. This is how the house properties became less affordable for people who were having comparatively lesser rise in income levels as compared to the rise in house prices in UK. Answer 3 There has been a significant rise in the demand of houses in UK during the period of 1998 to 2007. There are various factors which led to this increase in housing demand like increase in disposable income, lower interest rates, and increased availability of mortgage finance. The wages have increased at a faster rate than inflation from 1998 to 2007. Now since the households have the tendency to spend a certain proportion of their income levels on housing, the demand for housing