Thursday, December 26, 2019

Steinbeck’s Quest for Friendship, Dreams, and Personality...

Curly and Lennie, two men that traveled together everywhere they went. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck describes friendship, dreams, and personality to describe Lennie and Curly adventures. Steinbeck believed that friendship was important. Lennie knows that George will always have his back, although Lennie cannot protect George he feels like he can (Steinbeck 14). Even though George says, he does not want Lennie with him; he does not want to leave him by himself (Steinbeck 13). When Lennie and George first arrive to the ranch, the boss starts to ask them questions. George answers all of them even if they were asking Lennie. He knows that if Lennie talks, he might say what happened in Weed (Steinbeck 22). The boss, at the new farm,†¦show more content†¦She will only cause trouble and for Lennie to do something dumb (Steinbeck 32). George is always looking after Lennie and Lennie after George (Steinbeck 34). They both appreciate each other since they travel together and George knows that traveling with someone is better than alone (Steinbeck 35). In the Of Mice and Men friendship barley exists, the only people that are considered as friends are Lennie and George. George is always bragging on Lennie, even if he is not smart but he can work extremely hard (Steinbeck 39). Slim, a guy that also works that the ranch, tells George that he does not know how a smart guy like him and dumb guy like Lennie are friends and have been traveling together (Steinbeck 39). Even though George cannot stand Lennie since he is dumb, he defends him from anyone that tries to insult him and treat him like he was crazy (Steinbeck 39). Lennie and George were born from the same town (Steinbeck 40). After Lennie aunt died, George started to take care of him (Steinbeck 40). No one friendship was as well as Lennie with George (Steinbeck 40). Candy another man that lived there, at the farm, is trying to be friends with Lennie and George, since they killed his aged dog now (Steinbeck 61). Lennie and Curly get into a fight at the barn; Lennie breaks his hand and feels horrible about what he did. George tells him not to worry since he was the one that told him to fight back. Lennie was just taking orders from George since he knew that George would

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Wedding Toast Essay - 614 Words

Wedding Toast General Purpose: To deliver an epideictic speech Specific Purpose: To deliver a wedding toast for my sister, Candace Central Idea: Glenn is a perfect match for Candace and he will make a wonderful addition to our family Introduction 1. To those of you who may not know me personally, my name is Amy, and I am Candace’s little sister. I’d like to thank the bride and groom for welcoming us all to share with them this day that they will remember forever. I. How they met 1. As you may know, Candace and Glenn met using an online dating site. When she first told me she was going to try this I was skeptical. What do you think of when you think of online dating? Ridiculous personality questionnaires and†¦show more content†¦5. It was then that I realized that Glenn’s loving and caring qualities were going to make a perfect addition to our family. 6. More Importantly however, he made great match for my sister because.. III. A Perfect Match for Candace 1. Candace and Glenn are the perfect opposites. 2. Glenn is quiet and shy around people he doesn’t know and Candace is wild and outgoing. 3. Glenn loves to hunt and Candace loves to make new recipes with what he brings home. 4. When Candace wanted to learn how to knit, she bought herself a how-to book. She tried to teach herself but she is more of a visual learner and couldn’t get it from the book. Glenn however learns best from a book so he read it and taught himself how to knit so he could show n Candace so she could visualize it. 5. He truly is her other half. IV. Conclusion 1. I am more than happy to admit that I was wrong to be skeptical of online dating. It couldn’t have worked out better for them. 2. So let’s raise a glass and wish these two a long and happy marriage! 3. To Candace andShow MoreRelated Best Man Wedding Toast Essay1064 Words   |  5 PagesBest Man Wedding Speech Its turning out to be a day packed full new experiences for me. It’s the first time I’ve had the honour of being a best man, It’s the first time that Brandon has complimented me in over 30 years, and it’s the first time I’ve got a free dinner out of him since that kebab he bought me back in 93. So far things have been going pretty well†¦until now. Start the car Steve. Ladies, Gentlemen, boys, girls Brandon and Lisa, First of all, let me begin on behalf of the bridesmaidsRead MoreEssay on Humorous Wedding Toast by the Brides Brother501 Words   |  3 PagesHumorous Wedding Toast by the Brides Brother Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen. Firstly, on behalf of the bridesmaids, Id like to thank Mike for his kind words and reiterate how wonderful they look and what a fantastic job they have done today. I would also like to say that Sallie looks stunning - as Im sure youll all agree. Which really isnt that much of a surprise given we are related. Sallie is of course my sister, so Ive known her much longer than Ive known Mike. But I haveRead MoreEssay about Wedding Toast - Best Man1581 Words   |  7 PagesWedding Speech – Best Man Hello my name’s Paul and I’m Martin’s best man, although I’m sure Martin will have a new name for me by the time I’ve finished this. When Martin asked me to be his best man I was initially thrilled at the prospect. Unfortunately it didnt take long for this feeling of well being to dissolve into utter apprehension as I remembered the last time I had to stand up in a room full of people†¦.. I was found guilty and fined $300. I went to a wedding two weeks ago that wasRead More Wedding Toast - Best Man Essay2069 Words   |  9 PagesWedding Speech - Best Man Afternoon everyone, firstly, the city council have asked me to request that, for health and safety reasons, none of you get up on top of the chairs and tables during my standing ovation. Im sure youll all admit this has turned out to be a fabulous wedding celebration, yet every silver- lining does have a cloud, and that is, unfortunately that youve all got to listen to me for a few minutes. Id just like to start by thanking everyone on behalf of the BrideRead MoreEssay Wedding Toasts - Best Man, Brother of the Groom595 Words   |  3 PagesWedding Toasts - Best Man, Brother of the Groom Good Evening! I’m standing up here tonight, pretty boastful I have to admit, of my brother, Bobo, and his bride Twiggy. I have come to sing their praises, and if I happen to embarrass either one of them in the process, I apologize right now! On behalf of our family, we want to welcome each of you to the wedding today. It is a true testament to Bobo and Twiggy that you have taken time from your busy schedule to come and witness their marriageRead More Wedding Toasts – Perhaps Others Have Said it Best Essay789 Words   |  4 PagesWedding Toasts – Perhaps Others Have Said it Best To the Bride From her Groom Never above you. Never below you. Always beside you. To the bride and groom (before the wedding) Heres to the bride that is to be, Heres to the groom shell wed, May all their troubles be light as bubbles Or the feathers that make up their bed! Anonymous To the bride from her groom Drink to me only with thine eyes, And I will pledge with mine; Or leave a kiss within the cup, AndRead MoreWedding Tips For A Wedding1128 Words   |  5 Pagescost of a wedding is $26,000! Personally, when I learned how expensive weddings are, I immediately began brainstorming on how I could shrink this number. One big way to save some money on your big day is to plan your wedding yourself rather than spending thousands of dollars on a professional wedding planner. This essay is for brides everywhere who wish to successfully plan their wedding on their own. First things first, you need to decide on a month which you desire to have your wedding. This isRead MoreGuide For Color The Night Essay1034 Words   |  5 PagesColor the Night Proshanta Lashkar Wedding day is recognized as the most colorful event of a person’s life. It is even the most memorable event of a life. Therefore everyone has fanciful dreaming with this event until the day arrived. But if you are not prepared well for this event or if you have no organized plan, the Fancy of your youth would be meaningless. So everyone has to be well organized so that the day can be more cheerful and gorgeous. In this case, wedding guide may help you much making theRead MoreWedding Project Plan For A Wedding Essay1400 Words   |  6 PagesNovember 2016 Wedding Project Plan Initiating The Objective is to plan a wedding that will be timely, within budget, memorable and exclusive.  · Since we have identified the need, I need to create an RFP with all the requirements for a wedding planner and to all suppliers and evaluate the most competitive and sign an agreement. Assumptions  · The assumptions before taking on this project is that there’s a partner and this will be a successful marriage. The wedding is just the dayRead MoreEssay on Wedding Traditions 1482 Words   |  6 Pagesand rights to land in the time of death as well as for protecting blood lines. In the U.S. marriage has adapted to satisfy contemporary expectations. Cross cultural weddings are also accepted and incorporate different religious beliefs and tradition. Biracial weddings are also accepted by the majority of the U.S. cultures. The wedding tradition is a globally known concept, where each culture has their unique customs and traditions. Much of our background originated from numerous cultures. We practice

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Free sample note on social work benefits of the population

Question: Discuss about theSocial Work for Benefit of the Population. Answer: Introduction: The professional application of the principles, values and techniques of social work for the benefit of the population is known as social work practice. The social work comprises of the psychotherapy with the individuals and helps the communities to improve their social lives. The issue of mental health has global impact and is considered as the most significant contributor in the burden of disease worldwide. The post modern perspectives impacted the social work in a dramatic way (Fook Pease, 2016). It contributed to the individual perceptions about our societies and the process of the creation of knowledge. The practice of improving mental health in Australia considers the knowledge of social, cultural, economic dimensions and the human development along with the interconnecting factors (Fook Pease, 2016). The social constructivism perspectives emphasizes on the fact that the human development is directly related to the social situation and knowledge can be gathered from the inter actions with others. The critical approaches provide an in-depth assessment of the current situation and help to devise suitable strategies in the mental health practice. Discussions Mental health, as defined by World Health Organizations (W.H.O), is a state of emotional as well as social well being that helps the individuals to cope up with the usual stresses of life and hence realize its true potential (World Health Organization, 2016). A complex interplay of the social, environmental, economic, psychological and biological factors affects the mental capabilities of the people (World Health Organization, 2016). The issues of the mental health are characterized by retarded social, emotional and cognitive functioning that affects the mental well being of the population (World Health Organization, 2016). The mental health practice is a part of the social work domain which consists of the social context of the mental illness. The purpose of the mental health practice in Australia is the promotion, recovery and restoration of wellbeing of the community so that the individuals have enhanced capabilities to control their own lives (World Health Organization, 2016). Th e practice of social work takes place at the interface between the environment and the individual. The registered providers of Australia, Accredited Mental Health Social Workers, are specialized mental health experts who are assigned responsibilities by the Commonwealth Government by Australia to safeguard the mental health of the population (Aasw.asn.au, 2016). They are eligible to provide better services in mental health care programs and better management of the chronic diseases (Aasw.asn.au, 2016). They treat various mental disorders such as mood disorders, anxiety problems, depression, personality disorders, suicidal thoughts, psychosis, family conflicts, relationship issues, life crisis and others (Aasw.asn.au, 2016). The mental health social workers should possess good knowledge of the mental health as well as mental illness in Australia. It consists of the psychiatric classifications, crucial syndromes and the social history of the mental diseases (Dudgeon, Milroy Walker 2014). It also consists of the recovery principles, psychological interventions, mental health disciplines and the consumer issues concerning mental health (Aasw.asn.au, 2016). The mental health social workers should be knowledgeable about the practice standards in Australia such as Practice Standards for Mental Health Social Workers and the Code of Ethics (Aasw.asn.au, 2016). These standards give an idea of the social practices concerning mental health in an Australian context. The workers should also identify the value positions that put emphasis on this domain. There are general principles that should be followed by the social health workers engaging in mental health. They should have respect for individuals, obligation for social justice, maintain confidentiality and self-determination while dealing with the patients. The social work theories explain the purpose of the society towards the victims of mental illness (Aasw.asn.au, 2016). They focus on the social environment, human behaviours and the change processes that dominate the mental health domain. There is an impact of the economic, political and social factors on the mental work practice in Australia. The political conflict in a country affects the living conditions of the people and also the disease burden of the community. The social workers need to take account of the political scenario in Australia and assess the present emotional state of the community. The patients may be suffering from emotional stress, anxiety, fear, clashing of the national identities or cultures, resilience and others (DuBois Miley, 2013). There are several moral dilemmas of the people which need to be addressed by the mental health social workers. The political unrest between the international boundaries demands the special attention of the mental health social workers (DuBois Miley, 2013). The political ideology of the country determines the course of action taken by the mental health social workers. The political ideology determines the major decisions taken by the Government for the betterment of the people (DuBois Miley, 2013). The social work is affected by the political framework of the country as it provides the possible course of action according to the environmental pressures (DuBois Miley, 2013). The revolution of the welfare classes may affect the mental status of the population. The economic factors also affect the population to a large extent. The recession affected the mental health of the population. The social workers need to understand that the people would become prone to anxiety and panic in the case of economic downturn (Blanchard, Jaumotte Loungani, 2014). The economic recession also affects the unemployment, which in turn contributes to the stress of the people (Blanchard, Jaumotte Loungani, 2014). The lack of employment opportunities deprives the people of housing facilities. The mental health social workers should understand these parameters and should strive to provide effective solutions to them. They should be befriending with their clients and link their conditions to the economic scenario of the country. There would be increased debt, which would cause significant fear in the minds of the people. There is a need of counseling and understanding the viewpoints of the victims of the mental illness (Sue et al., 2015). There is also a need to i ncrease the support of the mentally ill patients by creating legislative frameworks. The social workers should strive to protect the employment rights of the mentally disabled patients (Sue et al., 2015). They should not be entitled to reduced employment opportunities (Sue et al., 2015). The mental health social workers should emphasize on the support of the job centers in providing customized employment opportunities to the mentally disabled patients. The social factors also impact the mental health of the people of Australia. The effect of the mental illness may have great influence on the society. The social problems of the society like poverty, reduced productivity due to trauma, customs, ineffective government policies, work stress, problems in the work environment and others impact the mental health of the people. In Australia, the phenomenon of racism is common, which is a major cause of mental disabilities among the patients (de Lepervanche, 2013). This causes psychological trauma among the native people, which needs to be addressed by the mental health social workers (de Lepervanche, 2013). The social workers need to be careful about the violence in schools which affects the young population. They are also vulnerable to the emotional imbalances at the time of puberty. The unfair labor conditions in Australia also pose serious threats to the mental health of the population (Milner et al., 2015). The employees may not be sat isfied with their jobs which may further increase their stress levels (Milner et al., 2015). The social workers need to be careful about the problems of the youth, who represent a major section of the population. There are increased incidents of drug abuse among the youths. The community disorganization and low neighborhood attachment are some of the common reasons of low morale of the youths. The youths from the ethnic minority groups pose greater chances of low self confidence as well as low self-esteem. The social workers should identify issues such as sexual abuse, depression, suicidal tendencies and identification of the high risk teenagers (Geldard, Geldard Foo, 2015). They should make the health care accessible to all, especially the adolescents. There should be more health care providers for the young population (Geldard, Geldard Foo, 2015). The mental health social workers must understand the fact that mental health is a prerequisite for achieving an optimum quality of li fe. Conclusion The mental health social workers are crucial in improving the health status of the population. The social workers need to have extensive knowledge regarding the health status of the community. They should assess the impacts of the external environments in the mental well being of the society. The external factors include the political, economic and social parameters that determine the degree of mental disability among the people. This paper discusses about the mental health situation in Australia and the role of mental health social workers in upgrading the condition of the population. This paper also strived to connect the critical social work perspectives with the approaches of the mental health social worker. It would broaden the understanding of the role of the mental health social workers in the world, especially in Australia. References Blanchard, O. J., Jaumotte, F., Loungani, P. (2014). Labor market policies and IMF advice in advanced economies during the Great Recession.IZA Journal of Labor Policy,3(1), 1-23. de Lepervanche, M. (2013). Racism and sexism in Australian national life.Sydney Studies in Society and Culture,4. DuBois, B. L., Miley, K. K. (2013).Social work: An empowering profession. Pearson Higher Ed. Dudgeon, P., Milroy, H., Walker, R. (2014). Working together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health and wellbeing principles and practice.Pat. Fook, J., Pease, B. (Eds.). (2016).Transforming social work practice: Postmodern critical perspectives. Routledge. Geldard, K., Geldard, D., Foo, R. Y. (2015).Counselling adolescents: The proactive approach for young people. Sage. Home - AASW - Australian Association of Social Workers. (2016).Aasw.asn.au. Retrieved 23 August 2016, from https://www.aasw.asn.au Milner, A., Butterworth, P., Bentley, R., Kavanagh, A. M., LaMontagne, A. D. (2015). Sickness absence and psychosocial job quality: an analysis from a longitudinal survey of working australians, 20052012.American journal of epidemiology,181(10), 781-788. Sue, D., Sue, D. W., Sue, S., Sue, D. M. (2015).Understanding abnormal behavior. Cengage Learning. World Health Organization. (2016).World Health Organization. Retrieved 23 August 2016, from https://www.who.int

Monday, December 2, 2019

Predetermined Identity free essay sample

A reputation is the views or opinions that are generally held about someone or something. They are a widespread belief that someone or something has a particular habit or characteristic (dictionary. com). A reputation is impossible to remove. There are many reputations and judgments demonstrated in the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. People are prejudiced towards the fiend created by Victor Frankenstein. The monsters outward appearance assures the monster is not accepted into society. He is a completely functional creature with the ability to perform primal tasks. He has human capabilities, although his unusual appearance is shocking and sets him apart. Do everyone’s judgments of the monsters looks have an effect on his personality and behaviour? The author demonstrates that people’s outward appearance will determine their personality. This is established in the novel since at the beginning of the book; Fiend created by Frankenstein is a good person with feelings and empathy. We will write a custom essay sample on Predetermined Identity or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page As the story develops, he keeps experiencing judgment from many people including Victor, his creator, because of the way he looks. Everyone sends the fiend away and rejects him without even giving Dr. Frankenstein’s creation a chance. He ends up changing throughout the novel into the monster everyone expects him to be, by killing the various people in Victor’s life for revenge. At the beginning of the book, the fiend is in fact a reasonable person. When the fiend is created, he does nothing wrong to Victor. He does not harm in Victor any way because Victor had done nothing wrong to him. All he does is looks at him when he wakes up and his appearance was enough to make Victor leave him. The fiend was judged literally from the moment he was created. Furthermore, he observes a family that live in the middle of the forest in a cottage for months and does not lead to violent actions of any sort. He would observe them in hopes to maybe one day integrate himself with humans. At night, he would go collect fire wood and do work for the cottagers, in hopes that they would eventually accept him. When he decides to finally meet the people who live in the cottage, he is turned away. He was aware that he was capable of harming these strangers, although decides not to due to the fact that he knows it’s not right even if they were not the most accepting. Evidently, this creation that people labeled as a monster does have a heart and is capable of caring. I could have torn him limb from limb, as the lion rends the antelope. But my heart within me as bitter sickness, and I refrained. I saw him on the point of repeating his blow, when, overcome with pain and anguish, I quitted the cottage, and in the general tumult escaped unperceived to my hovel (136). It can be observed that fiend did care about those people even though they sent him away. He didn’t want to cause any trouble. All he wanted was to be accepted. He was a creation who started his life with decent intentions, but those would soon change. The fiend was constantly judged and abandoned when people saw him due to his appearance. He is a terrifying creature. He has yellow skin with lustrous black flowing hair, and pearly white teeth. His eyes are dun-white; he has a shrivelled complexion and straight black lips. He is also much bigger than any human. When he was given life, Victor runs away from him and neglects him. This quote shows that Victor had no intention on staying with the fiend because right when he was living, he ran away from it. [†¦] I escaped and rushed downstairs. [†¦] fearing each sound as if it were to announce the approach of the demoniacal corpse to which I had so miserably given life. â€Å" (49). This shows the complete horror that Victor had when he saw his creation, even if it did absolutely nothing wrong. Likewise, the cottage people are instantly terrified of him. They were scared because they ha ve never seen anything like him. When the fiend first goes into the cottage to meet them, a blind man answers the door. The fiend was able to talk to him without being judged and the older man enjoys his company, because he doesn’t know what he looks like. This is how it is obvious that based on his personality alone; the fiend is a good person and is able to function with humans. But when the rest of the family walked in and saw him, they went into panic and assumed the worst of him. He was never given a chance. â€Å"Who can describe their horror and consternation on beholding me? Agatha fainted, and Safie, unable to attend to her friend, rushed out of the cottage. † (136). This displays how fast they were to judge when they saw the creature. Because of his appearance, he would never be able to live a normal life. Being judged by so many people everywhere he went, it had an effect on the fiend. He started to become angry and resent his creator, Victor. He asks Victor to create a female so he can go live with her somewhere where no one would find them. When he agreed, he decided to destroy the female creation soon after. The fiend couldn’t deal with it anymore. All those negative experiences in his life, the creature had changed. He decided to start killing everyone close to Victor for revenge. He killed Victor’s brother, William, as well as his best friend Cleval and his love Elizabeth. He wanted Victor’s attention and he got it after just his first killing of Victor’s brother. It made the fiend’s creator very angry. But after Victor neglected the fiend for so long, the fiend started to make immoral decisions. A flash of lightning illuminated the object and discovered its shape plainly to me; its gigantic stature, and the deformity of its aspect, more hideous than belongs to humanity, instantly informed me that it was the wretch, the filthy demon to whom I had given life. What did he there? Could he be (I shuddered at the conception) the murderer of my brother? (69). Not only did the fiend kill Victor’s brother, but he stayed to watch his creator in pain, because he thinks that’s what Victor deserves. All his killings were in attempt to wound Victor and make him feel alone in the world, almost like what the fiend is feeling. Murdering someone’s family is immoral. He killed people around him just as society killed his spirit and identity. This shows that he clearly changed throughout the novel. It is evident that the author was trying to prove how people’s outward appearance will determine their personality. He reveals it by the change in the fiend’s personality after being constantly judged and neglected. At the beginning he was a nice person with morals, but at the end, he is an immoral monster. The author is right that people’s outward appearance will determine their personality because even now, people who are different are not as accepted in society. People are constantly being labeled and reputations are always being formed, whether they are true or not. People’s outward appearance has a huge effect on how people see you. This is why Dr. Frankenstein’s creation never stood a chance. Work cited SHELLEY, mary, Frankenstein, tom Doherty associates, LLC, united states of America, 1998, 236 pages

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Erectile Dysfunction and Viagra Essay

Erectile Dysfunction and Viagra Essay Erectile Dysfunction and Viagra Essay Advanced Entrepreneurship â€Å"Intrapreneurship & Entrepreneurship† Abstract According to Merriam-Webster online dictionary, the word innovation is the beginning of a new fresh or unlike items, services, or procedures. But the word innovation can have many unlike suggestions or implications to various unlike people. For the utilizing of the word in the business field it can suggestion that people are revolving simple thoughts into cash, generating a value for people, openings that can make jobs , or an development of an item or service that already is present. Without new and original items businesses will not survive. There are eras when people and firms thought about making original goods intentionally. There are additional periods when people and firms attempt to make an invention but by mistake make an item of consumption that is being pioneered. There are numerous original manufactured goods that have been initiated all the way through the years. Digital cameras, iPods, the world web, kindle, and MP3 players are some of the numerous modern merchandise goods that have been initiated. The merchandise good that I have selected that is said to be a mistake is the product called Viagra. The intent of Viagra was to cure what is known as hypertension but was discovered to assist in the remedy of men who have a medical condition of erectile dysfunction. Viagra consents to men to obtain and keep under control of their sex life, but only with the aid of the so called â€Å"Blue Diamond† or â€Å"Little Blue Pill†. This is a fresh and original item of consumption to me. For the duration of the foremost stage of the medical test, Viagra demonstrated a small result on what it was proposed to be utilized for, but did encourage penile erections. For the period of the following stage of the medical test, it was determined to encourage the make use of the drug for erectile dysfunction. Subsequent to, the drug grew to be copyrighted in 1996, and was Established in the United States when it came to be permitted for the utilizing of erectile dysfunction by the U.S. FDA in March of 1998(Parnham, M. 2004) The method that was applied to establish the drug was known as intrapreneurship. Mr. Peter Dunn along with Mr. Albert Woods was two workers of the Pfizer pharmaceutical firm that formed this item of consumption known as Viagra. A small number of benefits for exercising the intrapreneurship method are that the progress of Viagra was properly supported by the firm. Including additional people in the group decrease the concern of jeopardy that were being in use following the initial stages of the medical tests were unsuccessful when it come to a decision on having this specific drug to take care of inability. The third benefit of this method is that it provides the firm with a larger brand for itself. The drug resulted in a vast sum of resources once the Viagra was accepted for purchase. A few of shortcomings of this method is for the reason that more than one person was operating on this product. The two people have to be confident that the two are in continuous contact on what was functioning, in order to present the drug flourishing in the market. Supervisors for the pharmaceutical firm were reliant on their members of staff in order to make a winning drug to take care of a definite form of health situations which in turn will position them out of their ease sector for the duration of day-to-day procedure. The single trial that the pharmaceutical firm had to tackle when produce Viagra in the marketplace, was getting the drug accepted by the Unites States FDA. I state this for the reason that the objective of Viagra was not to take care of erectile dysfunction. It is to be well thought out inventive throughout the era since the drug was the foremost drug that

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Litotes

Litotes Litotes Litotes By Maeve Maddox A rhetorical term for understatement is litotes: litotes [LY-tuh-teez] (noun): understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of the contrary (as in â€Å"Hes not a bad ballplayer†)- Merriam-Webster. Litotes can be used to express a variety of meanings. When the translators of the KJV have Paul of Tarsus identify himself to the Roman officer as â€Å"a citizen of no mean city† (Acts 21:39), it is not to suggest that Paul was being modest. The words are â€Å"no mean city,† but the meaning is â€Å"a very important city.† Here are other examples of the use of litotes to emphasize the importance of something by using a negative to express the contrary: The history of American freedom is,  in no small measure, the history of procedure.  (i.e., â€Å"to a great extent†) The disparity in government funding is  not easy  to remedy. (i.e, â€Å"extremely difficult†) Litotes is also used to convey modesty, sarcasm, contempt, admiration, and veiled disapproval, as in the following examples: You’ve managed to wreck the car and destroy the front porch all in one go. Good job! He’s no Einstein. Oprah gave every guest a car? Not too shabby. This day-old lobster bisque is not entirely inedible. Understatement has been a popular form of expression in English since the earliest times. For example, the Old English epic Beowulf begins with a gory description of Grendel’s slaughter of thirty of Hrothgar’s thanes. Grendel seizes the thanes and carries some of the bloody bodies back to his lair, â€Å"exulting.† Later, Grendel returns to wreak more slaughter. Says the poet, â€Å"[The monster] did not mourn for it.† 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 Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:70 "Home" Idioms and ExpressionsWhen to Form a Plural with an ApostropheThe Difference Between "Un-" and "Dis-"

Thursday, November 21, 2019

History US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

History US - Essay Example By 1939, the US unemployment still exceeded 20%. The New Deal also raised taxes such that entrepreneurs became discouraged from investing more. As such, the New Deal failed to end the Great Economic Depression. When World War II started, America hesitated to join until 1942, when about 12 million soldiers were sent overseas to fight alongside the allies to defeat Adolf Hitler. Back home in the US, about 15 million people were employed in the manufacturing of military weapons, machines and equipment. Folsom (2010) and Bohanon (2012) agree that this is the most significant moment of the New Deal because it created more jobs than ever. Many Americans got employed either in the army or the military industry. This again provided an opportunity for production to increase in the US, hence boost the economy. Unfortunately, the produced weapons were not being used by civilians at home. They were sent overseas to be used in the war field. Even the soldiers themselves could not eat weapons. They needed bread, homes and sustainable jobs. On the other hand, taxes were still high such that what people earned could not suffice. As such, life still remained miserable and the quest to end the Economic Depr ession was far from reality. According to Folsom (2010), towards the end of the war, in 1944, President Roosevelt started preparing for the post war economic recovery. He drew his vision but died six months before the war ended and before he could implement his post-war America agenda. His successor, Harry Truman, wanted Roosevelt’s agenda implemented but the opposition (Congress) refused vehemently and opted for the opposite. Finally they agreed to totally deviate from the New Deal and adopt a totally new Recovery plan which included the following: no federal program for health care, no full-employment act; only limited federal housing; and no increase in minimum wage or social security benefits. Instead, the

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Business research analysis Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Business analysis - Research Paper Example Mean is 68 for location. As for the topics, 69 is the mean. Again, the mean for timing of events is 43. The last part, which is the domestics reason part, resulted to 18 mean. The standard deviation for location is 47 Whereas, the standard deviation for topics is 46%. The standard deviation resulted to 50% for timing of an events. The last part is the standard deviation of 38% for domestic reasons. The descriptive statistics will show that minimum for interested in the subject, networking opportunity, personal development, professional and professional development is zero. The mean for interested in the subject is 54. The mean for the networking opportunity is 74. The mean for the personal development is 25. The mean for the professional development is 64%. The standard deviation for interested in the subject is 50%. The standard deviation for networking opportunity is 44%. The standard deviation for personal development 43%. The standard deviation for professional development is 64%. Regarding the question how useful is the conference, 32.3 said the conference was very useful. Then 38% of the population said that they were quite useful. The next group stated that the seminar was not very useful. Regarding the opinions on the conferences, 8.3% of the 300 population said that the conferences were too formal. ... The mean for the professional development is 64%. The standard deviation for interested in the subject is 50%. The standard deviation for networking opportunity is 44%. The standard deviation for personal development 43%. The standard deviation for professional development is 64%. Regarding the question how useful is the conference, 32.3 said the conference was very useful. Then 38% of the population said that they were quite useful. The next group stated that the seminar was not very useful. The other group of 14.7%. said that the conference was not all useful. Regarding the opinions on the conferences, 8.3% of the 300 population said that the conferences were too formal. The next group stated that the conference was about right belong to 79.7%. Then another 12%. said it was too informal. INSTITUTE PUBLICATIONS (Please circle one response only) When asks about the frequency of the institute magazine, 9% said they were too few while another 81% said they were just right and another 10% stated that they were just too many. Of the total 300 population, 35.7% indicated they very satisfied while 39.7% said they were quite satisfied with the content of the institute magazine. Another 14.7% said they were dissatisfied with the content of the institute magazine. The very dissatisfied group is only 10%. The mean is .99. The standard deviation is 95%. The respondents said, the mean for the survey on information on conference is 2 and the standard deviation is 78%. The information on local events survey resulted to 2.13 mean. This generated the standard deviation of 76%. Of the question relating to institute developments, the mean is 2.02. The standard deviation in this situation is 79%. Relating to the topic recruitment

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Philosophy of Music Education in the Indian Context Essay Example for Free

Philosophy of Music Education in the Indian Context Essay These goals must be the first and foremost reason why we teach music. To instill an even greater understanding and love of the domain thus enabling our students develop a genuine interest and continue a life long journey that’s undertaken in varying degrees and through diverse roles. Phenix (1986) stress on the fact that knowledge of methods makes it possible for a person to continue learning and undertake inquiries on his own (p. 11). Estelle Jorgenson in her book â€Å"Transforming Music Education† eloquently describes the need for music education to be transformed for the very reason that children be able to continue developing their knowledge beyond the classroom. Effective music education is built of a foundation that encompasses discussions, goals, materials and strategies, based on a teacher’s knowledge and experience of music and child development, educational guidelines and â€Å"overarching, and developing philosophy of music education† (Fiske, 2012). Before I elucidate my philosophy about music, I recognize the need to clarify my stand as a music educator who is passionate and determined to elevate the status of music education within classrooms around India. My Musical Experiences Music has always been a part of me for as long as I can remember. My earliest memories of music, especially the performance aspect, goes back to when I was three years old and sang a solo for a Christmas Concert that was organized by the radio station that my father worked at. I have memories of him kneeling on one knee and playing the guitar for me while I sang after which I was delighted to receive a big present from Santa. Ever since, I have enjoyed performing, and have so felt so comfortable on stage. All along I grew up listening to Christian gospel music and many contemporary arrangements of hymns. Supplementary to that my father offered me a rich experience of Indian hindustani devotional music. I learned songs by ear and didn’t realize what I was missing at this point, imagining what I learned in music to be the only way to absorb and internalize it. Performing was something that I enjoyed doing and it came naturally to me, partly because of my early initiation into leading worship at church. My true test of endurance came about when I was introduced to Western Classical Music at the age of 14, through the study of two years of piano. My teacher, like many others around, displayed an extremely formalistic approach and didn’t do much to expand my understanding of music beyond what was on the page and how I was supposed to read it. In response to this method I didn’t enjoy learning from the pages of notated music books, as much as I did learning by ear, and I continued to develop as a musician who played by ear and improvised at will. Studying opera during undergrad was a trying phase for me because of my inability to â€Å"connect the dots† as easily as I should have been able to. My aural skills remained excellent and I sometimes relied on that to carry me through certain phases. Hard work and determination became my motto, and I spent hours to understand and perfect music that was assigned to me, as I wanted to do my very best. Although I had composed songs earlier, without notating them, the study of music theory opened up a whole new world for me. I could now add variety and richness to my music through the concepts I was learning. Music became a new language for me; I was captivated by the way it lent itself to diverse experiences through different musical roles (something that I wasn’t aware of or didn’t pay attention to earlier). As a Music Teacher Although I initially joined a conservatory to study vocal performance, I found myself deeply drawn towards music education, and during my second semester decided to learn more about devising meaningful and persuasive trategies to improve the standard of music education in India. This thought emerged from an understanding that I had felt almost cheated for having lost out on so many years of studying music formally, yet effectively. I didn’t have a choice because structured music instruction simply wasn’t available at all the schools that I studied in, or the quality of instruction didn’t serve the purpose of educating or informing students like me. What gave the impression of a music class/lesson at school was in reality an enthusiastic way of keeping students occupied for forty minutes in simple singing, with a concert for parents every once a year. We learned songs by rote to perform them, year after year. During those years though, I didn’t realize the limitations that this system came with and continued to enjoy the fact that I was in choir and able to sing. This vacuum remains largely visible and unattended to in schools today, although some music educators in the recent past have taken huge steps towards improving the quality and effectiveness of their instruction in classrooms around India. Their efforts however remain predominantly an enthusiastic endeavor. What is urgently required is certainly something much more than sincere teaching. It calls for a transformation of the present system, giving room for every child to receive superior music education that fits into the whole. The need of every student being met in a transformed educational framework that constantly reshapes itself to accommodate new ideas and strategies. After all, as Regelski (2003) rightly points out that music (music education) is for everyone and not just for an elite few. The turning point in my decision to finally teach music myself came about when I enrolled my four-year-old daughter, Tiara, for after-school piano lessons. I hoped to give her a head start, with the understanding that she needn’t have to face the same challenges in learning music, like I had to. However, after a few classes, I realized to my complete dissatisfaction that there was no structure, no thought and imagination, and no clarity in what was being thought to her. Her fingering on the piano was all over the place for the two songs that her teacher worked on â€Å"Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. † And â€Å"Baa Baa Black Sheep† Her teacher (I later learned wasn’t introduced to classical notation), taught her these songs by writing letters in a book and instructing her to commit it to heart. Lesson after lesson they would follow the same outline with no emphasis on any other musical aspects whatsoever. I decided I wasn’t going to take this lying down! I had to do all within my capacity to change the face of music education, as the vast majority of people understand it. I began studying about music education as well, to inform and equip myself for the task at hand. Around this period, my voice teacher encouraged me to coach students in voice, and I began shying away from it believing I was under qualified and needed many years of study to begin teaching. However, with a newfound passion and vigor, I accepted to coaching some of his voice students and also began to teach small groups of students on the history of music (because I loved learning about it). Meanwhile, I started training both my young daughters at home constantly developing new ideas and strategies to introduce musical concepts to them. A friend noticed my teaching style and asked if I would teach her daughter too, and thus began my professional journey as a music educator. Four years since then, I find myself accountable for the music instruction I offer to over 250 children across various age groups, who are part of my school. The need is so great within schools, and only a few educators are willing to take the extra effort of educating themselves and being channels of superior music instruction-catalysts of sorts. I am blessed to have a team of ten teachers who share in my vision and work alongside me in imparting music to the children who are part of our music school, â€Å"Harmony†. My long-term vision is to enhance the music programs in India for the betterment of as many children as possible. Individuals don’t realize what they’re missing until they’ve been given a taste of it, a glimpse of the bigger picture (much like my case). Through our school performances I aim on providing a window for the change to take place. A transformation that not only affects my students, but others around them as well through their personal interactions with each other and the community as a whole. My Personal Philosophy â€Å"A field or discipline without philosophical guidance, without critically examined ideals and commitment to their revision in light of the diverse and changing needs of those it seeks to serve, is more akin to an occupation han a profession† (Bowman Frega, 2012, p. 23). For my vision to bear fruit and show evidence of becoming something concrete, I realize the need to develop my philosophy of music to an extent that equips me with the requisite tools to be able to initiate the change that I seek after. In the words of Jorgenson (2008), â€Å"I want to excavate beneath the superficial and demonstrable skills to think about the ideas and principles of music teaching, the things that drive and shapeà ¢â‚¬ . According to Kivy (2002), â€Å"A practice or discipline or body of knowledge, then, seems to become ‘eligible’ (If that is the right word) for philosophy, properly so–called, when it becomes for us a way of life: when it cuts so deeply into our natures as human beings that we are impelled to explore and reveal its innermost workings† (p. 7). It is necessary for me to â€Å"clarify the major dimensions of musical experience† so I can â€Å"effectively offer them to, and nurture them within, â€Å" my students (Reimer, 2003, p. 9), this despite the passion and conviction with which I teach and advocate the need for arts in schools. I have begun to develop a synergistic mindset in my philosophy of music education after my reading and researching the literature, coupled with practical experiences over the last few years. Reimer (2003) points out â€Å" A synergistic mind-set is one open to cooperation as an alternative to contention, to searching for points of agreement or confluence as an alternative to fixating on discord, to recognizing nuances in which seemingly opposed views are capable of some level of contention† (p. 30). I agree with Reimer’s democratic view that musical meaning is meaning that â€Å"individuals choose to give to and take from music, based on their life experiences and their musical orientations. † He further adds that there is to be no â€Å"one right way†, and calls for an adaptation of a synergistic blend in music teaching. Music must involve decision making through discernment and connections within a particular role (Reimer, 2003, p. 213). Eisner (1987) illuminates the need for a curriculum that â€Å"exploits the various forms of representation and that utilizes all of the senses to help students learn what a period of history feels like†(p. 7). Similarly, offering students a basis for understanding music in all contexts involves a thorough exploration of musical meaning within its definitive parameters, along with contemplation or reflection. Introducing students to the music and other art forms of various cultures is a wonderful way to broaden their understanding of the meaning of music. A student does not need to lose his own musical identity in order to study other music. On the contrary, in learning about other music, a student’s life is enriched. Reimer states, â€Å"In the spirit of adding to the self rather than substituting other selves for one’s self, the study of the music of foreign cultures enriches the souls of all who are engaged in it† (p. 191). Music and Meaning As advocates of music, music educators are often expected to express the meaning of music through words, yet words are incapable of truly describing the beauty and emotion felt through experience. â€Å"The concern is not to arrive at a definition and to close the book, but to arrive at an experience† (Ciardi, 1975, p. ). Ciardi states that there â€Å"still lingers belief that a dictionary definition is a satisfactory description of an idea or of an experience† (p. 1). Words may attempt to describe music, yet true meaning must be derived from the actual music experience Reimer (2003) discusses the difference between meanings drawn from words or language and the meanings found through music. He writes, â€Å"Language is created and shared through the processes of conceptualization and communication. Music is created and shared through the process of artistic/aesthetic perceptual structuring, yielding meanings language cannot represent† (p. 133). â€Å"The real power of music lies in the fact that it can be â€Å"true† to the life of feeling in a way that language cannot† (Langer, 1942, p. 197). Phenix (1986) highlights the need to look for aesthetic meaning in music concluding that there has to be a delicate balance between descriptive proposition that serves the purpose of laying out a historical background and allowing for freedom to gain perceptual features. Though music may evoke emotions in my students as they compose or serve as an outlet for their feelings when they perform, the ultimate significance of music lies in its ability to symbolize/portray deeply felt emotions. In the pages of his article, How Does a Poem Mean, John Ciardi (1975) shares with the reader his view that language is not capable of completely conveying the meaning that is discovered through experience. Living through the poetry is more powerful than attempting to interpret it. I believe that language does, however, serve a purpose of enhancing and is required when teaching for musical meaning. Words such as diction, metaphor, rhythm, and counter rhythm describe elements that lead to the understanding of form. Once a student can identify changes in the form through performance, â€Å"he will have identified the poem in action† (p. 95). He will no longer ask what the poem means but will see â€Å"how it means† (p. 95). Ciardi suggests questions such as, â€Å"Why does it build itself into a form out of images, ideas, rhythms? How do these elements become the meaning? † and â€Å"How are they inseparable from the meaning? † (p. 100). These questions are helpful in leading a student to the ultimate meaningful experience. Likewise, music students may use their knowledge of musical elements, such as rhythm and dynamics, to see â€Å"how† a piece of music means. Reimer (2003) says language has the essential function of disclosing and explaining the music. Music elements are inseparable from the performance of the music as they help to explain the musical experience. On their own, however, words and definitions remain dull and lifeless. I believe students should be immersed in the experience, while in a chorus, performing their instruments and listening to those around them. Meaning can be discovered through active participation in music and through the emotion and beauty the music portrays, for â€Å"Music means whatever a person experiences when involved with music† (Reimer, 2003, p. 133). Ciardi’s (1975) statement: â€Å"It is the experience, not the final examination, that counts† (p. 3) is particularly striking. The Indian society places high emphasis on examinations in music as with other subjects, very often overlooking the need for students to value their experience through the process of learning. I sometimes feel pressured by the community to meet high concert performance expectations and good examination results. Although I recognize that performance and the International music exams is a wonderful opportunity in which students can share their music with the community, or understand their level of competency, the true reflection of meaning in the music should be experienced in day-to-day music making within my classroom. I do my best not to focus on the examination repertoire alone but to include other music as well giving them a chance to draw out meanings and experience the music. Ciardi (1975) describes a poem as a â€Å"dynamic and living thing† (p. 10). He continues stating, â€Å"One experiences it as one experiences life. One is never done with it: every time he looks he sees something new, and it changes even as he watches† (p. 10). Similarly, music is capable of revealing something new each time it is experienced. The meanings my students derive from an initial listening of a piece of music may be vastly different than the meanings understood months or years later. The meaning of music constantly changes with personal life experiences and new perspectives. Reimer claims, â€Å"Music education exists to nurture people’s potential to gain deeper, broader, more significant musical meanings† (p. 133). I believe my students should derive their own meanings from the musical experience and without my influence. By explaining meanings to them, I face the fear of casting into oblivion the celebration of their own unique experience with the music, much the same way a language teacher might, in more ways than one, take away from the experience of a students â€Å"feelingful† experience of poetry as she explains the meaning in the verses of the poem. Instead of teaching â€Å"what† music means, I will instruct students on â€Å"how† music means, enabling them to derive meaning from experiences that occur beyond the classroom, and within their own roles. Feeling through Music â€Å"Music does for feeling what language does for thought† (Bowman, 1998, p. 200). As a musician, I understand the power of music to evoke feelings. Listening to or performing a great work of music in a concert hall may bring tears or chills to the musician in a way that only music is capable. Similarly, students’ emotional lives may be heightened by experiences in the classroom. According to Reimer (2003), the â€Å"emotional dimension of music-its power to make us feel, and to â€Å"know† through feeling-is probably its most important defining characteristic† (p. 72). In Western history, emotion has often been regarded less valuable than intellect (Reimer, 2003). Some people do not consider the arts to be as important as other core subjects such as math and reading in education due to the belief that arts are based on emotions and not reasoning or intellect. Recently, however, scientific scholars have begun to recognize that human intelligence, or cognition, is exhibited in a variety of forms, directly related to functions of the body, and tied to feeling. Dimensions of the mind, once thought to be separate and unrelated, are now known to work together, contributing to the things we know and experience. Anthony Damasio, a research neurologist, believes â€Å"feeling is likely to be the key factor in human consciousness itself and an essential ingredient in human cognition† (Reimer, 2003, p. 76). The capacity to feel â€Å"pervades and directs all we undergo as living, aware creatures† (p. 8). â€Å"Direct experiences of feeling are embodied in music and made available to the bodied experience of those engaged with it† (p. 80). The use of descriptive and symbolic language in the classroom, in the teaching of a varied repertoire of expressive music, aids in drawing out these responses of feeling from students. Including music that is heavy and loud or delicate and light will bring out an array of feelings. I believe students should be given an opportunity to articulate these feelings through journaling and in-class discussion.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Descriptive Essay- Describing Bass Guitar :: description essay, observation essay

Description paper You can describe an object a few ways. Depending on what that object is, you have to decide on the best manner of analyzing it. If you were describing a musical instrument like a bass or guitar, the physical description might be sufficient. However, to a musician there's a lot more to it. Sitting in a music stand in the corner of a room right now is a bass. This bass looks very simple to the eye, but actually has a lot more detail than you think. To the normal eye, someone sees a smooth body shape with a long wooden neck overlapping and continuing vertically up. This requires a closer look. Zooming in closer at the neck, little dots start to appear. These markings are like reminders of what notes are to be played by the musician. They start to shine a bit in a chrome-type reflection. Underneath those dots is the actual neck, which looks like a smooth, flat-tone wood. Also on that same neck are what look like sectioned off pieces. Metal bars go horizontally across the neck to mark off certain notes. These bars get closer together as the neck gets closer to the body. When a finger is pressed down between two of these bars, a note is signified. Above the neck is what is called a head. On this particular body-shape, are metallic knobs called machine-heads, which tighten or loosen the strings depending on which way they’re rotated. On the other side of this neck is the largest part of the bass. This is the body. The body can be any number of shapes. This particular shape is like a glossy black melted figure eight with horns. The horns point toward the head of the bass. The right horn is a bit higher than the left. These details have to do with making the bass comfortable to hold and play. In the center of the body are plastic bars with magnetic studs lined up under the strings. These magnets pick up the vibrations from the strings and create a number of sounds.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Gloria Steinem’s Effect on Modern-Day History Essay

Gloria Steinem has had the greatest impact on modern day women in American society because, as an activist, she fought to achieve rights of equality. As a woman whose life was affected by society’s opinions and views of women, she was determined to change these standards. She set a goal to regulate women’s rights and have women’s role in society matter just as much as men’s. To accomplish said goals, â€Å"Gloria Steinem systemized organizations that would fight against discrimination towards any alienated group, organized speeches that covered strong topics such as women’s role in politics, women’s side of rape and pornography, and funded a company that would allow women at home to share their stories and speak for themselves† (Bauer, Garlena A, B2). Gloria Steinem has had the greatest impact of modern day society because without her assistance and provision women’s culture would diverse from what it was like in the 50s. Gloria Steinem accomplished the goals she set out to attain; she was able to change the outlook on women’s roles in America. In the 50s, American women were responsible to execute family traditions and follow the â€Å"rules† of motherhood – they didn’t really have much say in life decisions; but â€Å"Gloria Steinem changed that by getting politically active and being determined as an advocate for women’s rights of equality† (Foner, Eric and John A. Garraty, D1). â€Å"She was also nominated as a spokesperson for feminism and the leader of the enlargement of women’s rights of equality; she organized groups to fight discrimination against women such as NWPC and WAA† (Yanak, Ted and Pam, Cornelison, I1). All these actions led to an effective move towards the Women’s Liberation Movement. Steinem’s assistance towards women’s rights involved creating and editing Ms. Magazine, â€Å"the 1st feminist mass circulation magazine in the U.S. Influencing the Women’s Liberation Movement was one of her greater achievements† (Bauer, Garlena A, B2). â€Å"Others would include covering certain topics at protest that no other would discuss; such as pornography, rape, incest, abortion, poverty, lesbianism, politics, women’s health care and care for battered women† (Bauer, Garlena A, B2). All these add up to object to inequality for women in America. Overall, the battle to obtain equal rights alone is great success, but Gloria Steinem also attempted solving world problems as an activist. Not only did Gloria Steinem challenge critics and politicians by having her own say in topics about women’s rights, but â€Å"she also confronted them about resolving other complications in America and worldwide such as animal rights, the fight against genital mutilation, child abuse, and human trafficking† (Hepola, Sarah A, F3). Steinem had a lot on her plate, but she was determined to resolve as many problems and to help as many people as possible. In order to do so, she started ordering initial organizations to gain perspective and to prevent each cause from getting worse. â€Å"National Women’s Political Caucus, Equal Rights Amendment, Women’s Action Alliance, and National Black Feminist Organization†: were just some of the actions and initial organizations taken and funded my Gloria Steinem (Yanak, Ted and Pam, Cornelison, I1). With these organizations present, she was able to gain supporters; which would help her get make a point for women’s rights – the point being that she is not the only one who believed that women should be given choices like men, and that they should all have the same equivalence and impartiality. Her points were brought forth in every issue of ‘Ms. Magazine,’ where she would discuss all topics related to women’s rights and include reader’s opinions. â€Å"In every edition of ‘Ms. Magazine,’ Gloria Steinem would be sure to include readers’ personal stories† (Matthews, Glenna, E2). This was an important contribution on behalf of the readers’ part because their stories proved that women should have been entitled to their own opinion to those who weren’t activist or feminist and altered their opinions on women’s rights. Gloria Steinem also made sure to promote feminist cause – an example being reproduction rights – the articles would vary in focus but one thing that stayed the same was the fact that the articles spoke for all women who were expected more of. Gloria had different believes of what a household women should ensure. â€Å"As a feminist, Gloria Steinem criticized certain aspects of the traditional role of motherhood† (Charles Moritz, G2). She believed women should have been able to work if they would like to or marry who they loved, not who they were forced to marry because of economic or beneficial reasons. â€Å"Steinem wanted to assure that all women were able to fairly make their own choices† (Charles Moritz, G2); she knew that wasn’t an option because women were degraded only for the fact that they were women. â€Å"During years of working for a living, I have experienced much of the legal and social discrimination reserved for women in the country [†¦] all for the clearly sated sole reason that I am a woman.† (Hepola, Sarah A, F1). Within the supportive fight to gain equality for women, Gloria Steinem accomplished significant impressions on U.S. history. â€Å"She became a social activist, humanist and feminist† (Bauer, Garlena A, B1). Gloria Steinem was the target of much criticism, nevertheless, â€Å"she spent her life time committed to women’s liberation and remained committed to all political causes of the news and left a natural path into her career as a feminist to let other feminist peruse with what she started† ((Bauer, Garlena A, B1). Gloria Steinem has had the greatest impact on modern day women in American society because, as an activist, she fought to achieve rights of equality. As a woman whose life was affected by society’s opinions and views of women, she was determined to change these standards. She spoke for other women in the U.S. that were not able to do so because their opinions would not be valid since they were women. Since the understandings of women’s suffrage and the stance on women’s liberation and rights has changed from the 1950s to modern day believes, an assumption can be made that Gloria Steinem is the one who can be acknowledged for completing such task since she spent a life time committed to making a difference and making an effort to resolve the problem of discrimination.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Housing Industry Research Essay

People would often refer to real estate and housing industry as the best way to build up riches, or possibly the best, easiest and fastest way for anybody to get rich. Most of the time, the terms real estate industry and housing industry are being used interchangeably by people, not knowing the very basic distinctions between the two terminologies. Real estate industry more formally refers to the industry that focuses on simply buying and selling real estate properties. Whereas, the housing industry is more concerned on developing and incorporating improvements to a real estate property. Basically, those that are in the real estate industry are doing much more of retail business, while those in the housing industry are doing much more of service and nonetheless, research, design, and manual work. The housing industry is the industry which is primarily concerned in building and developing houses and housing designs for private individuals, for government housing projects and for a local community. Moreover this is also the industry which provides the basic materials such as the building materials, and hard escape materials for a housing project. When you drive or ride through a community, the variety of architecture often reflects some of the history of the community or the locality. Architectural styles of the past are illustrated in the older neighborhoods but also influence the styles of homes built today. In a community, the housing industry is the one which is mainly concerned in all these. For most communities, there is only one housing industry which can be regarded as the main housing industry of the community. This can be a company, or a group of companies that would generally dominate all the housing projects within the locality, be it a private housing project or a housing project from the government. Mostly, these housing industries would dominate the landscaping industry, hard escape industry, and the hardware, building equipments and materials industry as well. Since most people believe in the logical trend that as one industry goes up the black, a counter industry would fall down the red; this would lead many to believe that the immediate spike in the information technology and communications industry would leave other industries such as the real estate industry and housing industry, to experience its most protracted slump for several years. This is actually the opposite of what’s really happening in the economy, for many years, the housing industry has remained as one of the most stable industries all over the globe. Indeed the housing industry has had its share of downs and suffered greatly from economic destabilizations, inflations and other economic fluctuations, but in spite of all these, it has retained itself as still one of the most promising, and stable industry. With nearly 17 million new conventional homes added over the past decade, the home building industry continues to set new records and standards. In 2005 alone, single-family starts exceeded 1. 7 million—far and away the largest number ever. Thanks to a stable economy and low mortgage interest rates, the home building industry has not seen a significant downturn since the early 1990s. This undeniable stretch of strong, stable growth in the home building industry has ushered-in a period of prosperity for major builders and supported a wave of mergers and acquisitions within the industry. In the early 1990s, the top 10 builders in the country accounted for less than 10 percent of all conventional new single-family home sales. By 2004, their share had risen to over 20 percent in most major metropolitan areas; larger builders hold an even greater market share. There are three major reasons for the dramatic increase in the scale among the home builders. The change in the access to capital is one of these reasons. After World War II, the savings and loan industry was the principal source of capital for the home building industry. With the collapse of many of these institutions in the late 1980s, builders had to turn to other sources of financing. Banks and private funds companies have thus, stepped in to fill the need for capitals and investments. These funding companies gave an edge to the housing industries since their presence meant easier access to capitals. Another reason is the change in the land use regulation. More and more communities are restricting residential development in an effort to manage growth. As a result, the development process in many locations takes longer than it once did, with land assembly and entitlement typically more complex and costly. This again creates a premium for scale of operations, since smaller builders often lack the resources to work with local officials over extended periods to secure the necessary approvals. The third reason is the change in economic environment. This has favored large-scale home builder industries. The strong economic environment for home construction over the past decades has ushered a stable growth and low mortgage interest rates that have prevented a major recession in the home building industry since 1991. This combination of market conditions has produced stunning increases in top-line growth and bottom-line financial performance for large home building companies. Between 1999 and 2004, builders of 500 units or more each year realized inflation-adjusted revenue growth of 135 percent. In addition, their gross margins on homes sold and net income each increased about 4. 5 percentage points. With industry consolidation have come new opportunities. To increase their scale and overall capabilities, larger-scale builders have incentives to reinvest in their operations by adding information systems for estimating, scheduling, and purchasing, or investing in panel plants to save time and costs in the construction process. With such investments, larger home builders continue to improve their operating performance, at a much faster rate relative to smaller builders. Better performance encourages even more builder consolidation, which in turn produces even greater scale economies, creates more incentives for investments to leverage these opportunities, and so on. This cycle would dictate further consolidation and greater efficiency in the home building industry in the years ahead. When asked to name the single most important reason for their recent financial performance, over half of the corporate-level survey respondents attributed their success to strong housing market fundamentals, and nearly a third cited their land assembly strategies. Another 13 percent considered improved customer satisfaction the key to profitability. In sharp contrast, few respondents attributed their success to shorter construction cycles, savings on product purchase, man power, on-site construction costs, and other operational efficiencies. Still, evidence of operational improvements does exist, particularly within the divisions of national and international home builders. Although their homes have become bigger and have incorporated higher-quality materials in recent years, national and international home builders have been cut the construction time to minimal, keep cost increases at modest levels, and significantly improve customer satisfaction scores, in parallel to improvements in the quality of finished products. Local divisions of regional builders have been less successful in improving the efficiency of their operations. Improvements in home building efficiency were the most common results from the implementing of innovative operating practices. Studies from Harvard have cited four general types of operating practices that homebuilders especially those at large scale, have used to their advantage. 1. Coordination with subcontractors. Subcontractors are typically the ones who purchase the materials used in home building, making payments to contractors a major expense category for homebuilders. Innovative builder practices in this area include initiatives such as making scheduling information easily accessible to subcontractors, automatically notifying subcontractors of schedule changes, and frequently updating the job site production schedule. As a result, increased efficiencies in the building process and lower production costs is maintained. 2. Component preassembly. Preassembling major components such as roof trusses allows greater precision in manufacturing and often provides cost savings by substituting semi-skilled off-site labor for skilled on-site labor. The preassembly process is also more efficient when done off-site, thereby creating the potential for shorter construction cycle time, and even so, smaller labor costs. 3. Supplier installation. In many product categories, builders have begun to purchase installation services from the manufacturers or distributors. Supplier installation helps to limit product disputes over the source of any problems. In addition, this practice can reduce construction labor needs since product manufacturers and distributors typically serve broader geographic areas than subcontractors. 4. Supply chain management. Supply chain management covers a broad range of practices from price negotiations for products and value-added services to the implementation of information systems to support purchasing and inventory management. Supply chain management is an area where scale economies give larger builders an obvious edge over their smaller competitors. Innovative operating practices help large home builders not only run their operations more efficiently and use their market power more effectively, but also better manage risk especially financial risks and risks in operations. Builders have reduced their exposure by controlling more land through options, joint ventures, and other approaches that keep land costs off their books until they buy the entitled lots. In this way, builders only incur these expenses close to the time of construction. With more efficient operations and better management controls, large builders typically do not begin construction until a home is pre-sold. Across builders surveyed, 73 percent of all homes closed in 2004 were sold before construction began an increase from 70 percent in 1999. National builders pre-sold over three-quarters of homes closed in 2004, while regional builders pre-sold about two-thirds. Larger builders have incentives to adopt innovative operating practices because they have the market power to implement these efficiencies and can leverage the benefits across a broader range of operating divisions. The financial payback for these improvements, however, depends greatly on conditions in the local market. Over the past years, consolidation of the home builders has dramatically changed the home building industry. In addition to improved financial performance, the adoption of innovative practices and methodologies related to product distribution and assembly line and development, has improved the operational performance of large builders along such dimensions as construction cycle time, efficiency of the building process, stability, style, and overall quality of structures, and customer satisfaction. In generating these efficiencies, builders have helped to streamline processes throughout the entire homebuilding industry. Home buyers have also benefited in parallel to the home building improvements. More efficient builder operations have kept construction costs low and customer satisfaction levels high, allowing builders to offer more model home options and more product choices without any corresponding increases in prices. In addition, greater efficiency has enabled builders to pre-sell more homes, which in turn has reduced the risk of overbuilding, and thus reduced the risk or putting the company financial trend line on the red. By keeping supply in line with demand, home builders have helped to bring greater stability to house prices, since overbuilding has historically been a principal cause of house price declines. Whether these improvements will continue as market conditions change remains to be seen. One encouraging sign is that operating efficiencies, as opposed to financial performance, have increased most in more competitive markets. If the housing market weakens in the years ahead and competition increases, larger builders still have the potential to improve their operations and maintain their strong financial performance. In communities where demand is strong but residential development opportunities are limited, house price appreciation tends to be high. In markets where price appreciation is low, land is generally more accessible and builders face fewer barriers to entry. As a result, construction activity can respond very quickly to changes in demand. As market conditions shift, however, builders can get caught with excess inventory, which drives down area-wide house prices. In these markets, builders must run their operations efficiently to remain profitable. In high-appreciation markets, demand for new homes is generally greater than the number of homes that can be added under existing land use and building regulations. This limits the risk of rapid overbuilding. Given that it takes more time and resources to build in these markets, higher barriers to entry and higher land costs push up the average price of homes sold. Builders working in these communities generally put a premium on their land acquisition and development strategy. Since they are often able to achieve higher margins on homes sold in these markets, they may put less emphasis on operational efficiencies. The market conditions that have helped to create a more efficient home building industry over the past years have also, in turn, favored the housing consumers. A more stable economy, with more muted cycles and low inflation, has produced some of the lowest long-term interest rates in a generation. Low interest rates, together with low unemployment rates, have also provided greater financial security for many citizens and thus given them more initiative to build their own households or improve their current household. Internationally, house prices have raised an average of 127 percent since 1990, with nearly half of this increase coming since 2000. Until recently, economic cycles interacted with housing cycles to produce tremendous volatility in home prices. From 1975 to 1993, house prices rose more slowly than overall inflation in 10 of the 19 years, or over half of the time. In each of the 12 years since 1993, however, house price appreciation has exceeded the pace of inflation. Builders that have already adopted more innovative practices have clearly profited from their investments. New practices related to product distribution and assembly has improved the operational performance of large builders, particularly in terms of construction cycle time and customer satisfaction, and thus greatly increasing their profits. Although being in the housing industry has a lot of economic advantages it is undeniable that there are still various external, economical, factors that can negatively affect this industry. A low economy, and low living standards, would most likely correspond to a decrease in the demands for housing industries. Natural disasters and calamities such as earthquakes, floods and typhoons that would occur at an unfortunate time, would leave home builders hanging in the deadlines for finishing their projects, since building cannot continued during such occasions. Generally speaking, the housing industry reflects the type of economy in a given region or locality. A region with a high economic state, low inflation, and high monetary value would most likely have a high level of housing industry in turn. The houses in the said region would also be of high quality; however, man power for construction would also come at higher rates at such an area. A stable economy in terms of monetary value and inflation would be the most ideal economy for a successful housing industry. Even high-performing builders still have the potential to make more improvements. Given that their strong financial performance has largely resulted from their leading land positions in booming housing markets, builders just have not to focus on implementing innovative practices and on maximizing operational efficiencies. Larger builders are those that would especially benefit from focusing on efficiency. Local builders with closings of 10,000 homes or more in 2004 reported implementing only half of the common innovative practices, while the divisions of builders with sales of 2,500 to 10,000 homes implemented less than 40 percent of the innovative practices. There are many valid reasons why implementation has been relatively weak. The corporate offices of larger builders report above-average development of innovative procedures, but implementation at the division level has often lagged. With the increase in the number of acquisitions in recent years, many of these divisions have only recently come under management of the acquiring builder and may thus need additional time to implement new systems and procedures. Furthermore, given their strong financial performance in recent years, corporate offices have less incentive and reason to develop new procedures for their local divisions, and local divisions have less incentive and reason to implement such changes. Whether builders will seize these opportunities remains to be seen. One encouraging sign, however, is that operational improvements have increased the most where house price appreciation is relatively low and no one builder dominates the market. If the house building industry weakens in the years ahead, house price appreciation is likely to slow and more builders are likely to compete within individual markets, these are exactly the conditions that lead to the development and implementation of operational improvements made in recent years. This means that a crisis such as the weakening of the economy leading to the weakening of the housing market, although has its undeniable negative effects in the housing industry, on the positive side, it would somehow force the home building industry to continuously and further develop and implement more and more innovations in their systems. Nonetheless, this would consequently lead to further innovations and efficiencies in the home building industry, and thus more high quality and affordable choices of homes for the consumers. References What’s next for housing industy CIOs. Retrieved April 20, 2008, from http://www. cio. com/article/134004 Seiders, D. F. (2006, September 19). Housing economics. Retrieved April 20, 2008, from http://www. nbnnews. com/houseecon/issues/2006-09-19. html Milt N. (2005, April 27). Housing market crisis threatens economy. Retrieved April 20, 2008, from http://www. workers. org/2005/us/housing-0505/ Schoen J. W. (2007, June 19). Housing industry still looking for the bottom. Retrieved April 20, 2008, from http://www. msnbc. msn. com/id/19311316/ Buban C. E. (2007, December 22). Housing developers and current industry trends. Retrieved April 20, 2008, from http://showbizandstyle. inquirer. net/ lifestyle/view_article. php? article_id=108293 Zito K. (2006, June 16). Billions to state from housing. Retrieved April 20, 2008, from http://www. sfgate. com/cgi-bin/article. cgi? f=/c/a/2006/06/16/BUG77JER951. DTL Housing slump reflects worsening economic crisis. Retrieved April 20, 2008, from http://en. internationalism. org/inter/144/housing-slump A new paradigm of the housing industry. Retrieved April 20, 2008, from http://www. meti. go. jp/english/newtopics/data/nBackIssue20080408_01. html Brief overview of the housing economy. Retrieved April 20, 2008, from http://www. oppapers. com/essays/Brief-Overview-Housing-Economy/116741 Barry S. Housing industry, subprime loans and mortgage woes: how serious is it? Retrieved

Friday, November 8, 2019

Can I Get an Accredited High School Diploma Online

Can I Get an Accredited High School Diploma Online SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Are you looking into online high schools and wondering if they’re legitimate?Have you come across the word â€Å"accredited† and want to know what it means?Online high schools have been exploding in popularity in recent years, and, as more are created, it can be difficult to tell which are legitimate schools and which are little more than diploma mills. Read this guide to learn more about online high schools, what it means for a school to be accredited, where to get an accredited high school diploma online, and how to ensure that you are choosing the best school for you. Note: If you're interested in getting your GED online rather than an accredited high school diploma, read this article instead. What Is an Online School? Asyou may have guessed, an online high school is a school or program where students can earn their high school diploma by taking classes online.Some of these classes arecompletely online, while others are mostly online but require students to visit a testing center or other location to take final exams. If you enroll in an online high school, you can either take a few classes to supplement your degree at your regular high school, or you can earn your entire high school diploma online.Some of these programs are affiliated with traditional brick and mortar schools while others are solely online.Online high schools can be public, private, charter, or university/college affiliated. To learn more about why people choose to attend online high school and how it can benefit you, check out our guide to online high school, and learn how to decide if it's a good choice for you. What Does Accreditation Mean? Accreditation is a process of evaluation that schools (both online and traditional) undergo in order to ensure they meet certain quality standards for education. Accreditation is evaluated regularly, and a school can lose accreditation if a large number of students don't meet educationalstandards for their grade level, there aren't enough teachers for the students, teachers don't have necessaryeducational backgrounds, or a different reason. Before a school becomes unaccredited, it is often given a warning and probationary period first to try and improve. A school can regain its accreditation if it has shown sustainable improvement, but becoming re-accredited can often take several months or even years. For high schools, accreditation requirements vary by state. Public schools must follow guidelines set by their state government in order to be accredited, while the requirements for private and charter schools often vary widely, depending on the state. Accreditors must be approved by the US Department of Education (USDE) in order to be considered legitimate.A school that is legitimately accredited will provideinformation about who it is accredited by (such as a regional accreditor), and who accepts that accreditation, such as "Fully accredited by the State Department of Illinois." A school that simply lists "accredited" without mentioning who it is accredited by or who accepts that accreditationmay not be officiallyaccredited, which is pretty much the same as not being accredited at all. Unfortunately, fake accreditors do exist. Accreditation is important because it lets students know they are attending a school that provides them with a quality education, and, when they graduate, it lets others know that their education met certain standards. Colleges want to accept students from accredited high schools because it gives them confidence that those students were taught what they need to know to be prepared for and succeed infuture classes. For students who are younger than16, accreditation becomes even more important because you will only be considered enrolled in school (which is required until you turn 16) if the online school you attend is accredited. Are There Non-Accredited Online High Schools? What Are the Dangers of Taking Classes Through Them? As online education continues to grow in popularity, more and more online high schools have been created in order to keep up with demand.Some of these online high schools have gone through rigorous development and reviews and can provide an education equal to that of a traditional high school;however,others are nothing more than diploma mills that take your money and give you a prettyuseless piece of paper in return. Accreditation is the best way to pick out the highest quality schools and prevent yourself from getting scammed.But what if you find a really great online high school that offers great classes, but it isn’t accredited? Is it really that bad to take classes at an unaccredited school? In short, yes.The first reason taking classes from a non-accredited school is bad is that you likely won’t get a good education. For a school to not be accredited, it either didn’t put in the effort to attempt accreditation (a bad sign, considering how important it is), or it failed the accreditation process because it didn’t meet certain education standards. Simply put, this means that you will be taking classes from a school that hasn’t been found to provide a quality education. Any person canset up a website and claim to run an online high school.Some online high schools will give you a â€Å"diploma† as long as you pay their fee and take a short multiple choice exam. While that’s an extreme case (and that company was eventually shut down), there are many other non-accredited programs that claim to offer you a high school education but don’t deliver. Getting a diploma from an unaccredited school could cause problems for you in the future. Image Source: Flickr/Enokson While getting a high school diploma so easily may seem nice, if you don’t learn much before getting it, you likely won’t be prepared for whatever the reason you’re attempting to finish high school, whether that’s college classes or a more advanced job. That can lead to you feeling confused and overwhelmed, and you may end updroppingout of schoolor quitting your job because you didn’t have the knowledge you needed to do well. Another important reason to not take classes from a non-accredited school is because most other schools and people won’t accept the classes you took. This means that, if you took classes at anon-accredited online school, they probably won'ttransfer to your regular high school, and if you receive a diploma from anon-accredited high school, mostcolleges and employers won’t accept it.Colleges want students from accredited high schools because it increases the likelihood that they received a rigorous education and are prepared for college classes. For almost alljobs and colleges, having a diploma from a non-accredited high school is just about the same as not having a high school diploma at all.Taking classes at a non-accredited online high school can leave you with a poor education and an expensive piece of paper that likely don'thelp you further your education or career. Is It Ever OK to Take Classes at a Non-Accredited Online High School? Now you know the risks of studying at an unaccredited online school, but would there ever be a good reason to take classes at anon-accredited school? For almost all high school students, it's a bad idea to classes at anon-accredited school.However, there area fewtimes whenit could be OKto take classes at anon-accredited online high school. The reasons are listed below; however, for each of them, remember that there is still some risk involved if you ever change your plans and would like those classes to transfer to a school that only accepts credits from an accredited school. Whenever possible, you should still choose an accredited school. One reason you may take classes at a non-accredited school is because you don't plan on pursuing additional education afterward,so you don't need to worry about other schools accepting the classes. This may be the case if you are attending a technical school or certificate programwhere your qualifications will be based on a specialized test you need to pass and not the accreditation of your school. Another reason you may take classes at a non-accredited online school is if you are only taking a few classes for your own personal use and not looking to receive academic credit for them. This could be the case if you want to take some online classes for fun, to brush up on a particular skill, or to prepare yourself for future classes where you will receive academic credit (such as taking an online calculus class before your actual calculus class begins). This may also be true forhome-schooledstudents who want to supplement their education with online classes. A third reason is that the traditional (i.e. not online) school you are attending or will attend has agreed to accept classes from a non-accredited school. Some high schools and colleges have partnershipswith certain online class providers, and they may give you academic credit for classes you take through them, even if those online schoolsaren't accredited because your schoolstudied their syllabi and knows theymeet their standards. However, you should absolutely check on thisbefore enrolling in an unaccredited online class, and you should get confirmation, preferably in writing, that the class will be accepted. If you're going to attend an unaccredited online school, be careful, and don't jump in right away. How Can You Find OutIf an Online High School Is Accredited? So now that you know how important accreditation is, how can you find out if the online high schools you’re interested in are accredited? There are several different steps, and each isoutlined below. Step 1: Check the School Website Typically, the easiest way to see if a particular school is accredited is to check its website.If the school is accredited, it will state that somewhere on its website, often on the first page or in the â€Å"about† section. Some schools have specificpages just to show their accreditation. Once you find this information,sure the schoolalso states whoit received its accreditation from and/or who that accreditationis recognized by (such as a regional accreditationor a department of education). A school will rarely come out and state that it’s not accredited, however.If you can’t find any accreditation information on the school’s website, move on to the next step. Step 2: Check Online Resources While the US Department of Education has created a database for people to check the accreditation of colleges and universities, there is currently no such resource to check for high schools, so it can be slightly more difficult to learn if a high school is accredited.First try doing an internet search for â€Å"accreditation + [School Name]†.You can also search for online reviews to see what past students are saying about the school. Step 3: Contact the School If you are unable to find information online, contact the school itself.Look on the school’s website to find its contact information, and either call or e-mail them.Ask if the school is accredited and, if so, by whom. Be aware that many schools do not like to admit outright that they aren’t accredited, so they may give you a roundabout answer. You should be extremely wary of any answer that isn’t a plainâ€Å"Yes.† This includes â€Å"We’re almost accredited†, â€Å"No, but we’re just as good as accredited schools,† and similar responses. This is often just a way to try and convince you to enroll in the school anyway. If they are accredited, ask for more information on who accredited them. It may be a regional accreditation, national accreditation, or a state accreditation. If a school isn’t accredited, move on to another one that is. There are many options for online high school now, and more and more of these schools are becomingaccredited. Summary Online high schools can be a great way for people who can’t attend traditional schools to obtain their high school diploma. However, as online education becomes more popular, some schools have been created solely as a way to make money for their owner, with no regard to quality of education. Accreditation is a way to easily find out which schools provide a good education. If a school is accredited, that means it met certain education standards. If you enroll in an online high school that isn't accredited, you will most likely not get a good education, and your diploma and coursework won’t be accepted by almost anycolleges or employers, making it pretty much useless. You should always check to see if a school is accredited before enrolling. You can do this by looking on the school’s website or contacting them directly. What's Next? Wondering if you should earn an accreditedhigh school diploma online? Check out our guide toonline high schools and learn how to decide if they are the best choice for you. Thinking about getting a GED instead? We discuss what a GED is, how to get your GED online and the best GED practice tests to help you prepare here. Want an in-depth look at an online high school? Read our reviewof the prestigious Stanford Online High School and see if it's something you're interested in. Why is your high school transcript so important? Learn about what information a transcript includes and why it's often the most important piece of information colleges look at. Do you even need a high school diploma to get a job? Find out what careers require a high school diploma and when you can get away without one in this article. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: