The Ghost Cats Ninth Life Essays - Leopardus, Ocelot,

The Ghost Cats Ninth Life Title: The Ghost Cats Ninth Life Author: Wendy Williams Source: Audobon, July/August 2000 This article, The Ghost Cats Ninth Life, is about the fate of the Ocelot in South Texas. Not much remains of the ocelot. They are a wild member of the cat family; just a little bigger than a big housecat Although scientists know little of this rare and reclusive cat, they have estimated that only about 80 ocelots remain in the United States, mostly on federally reserved land. Ocelots have been listed on the endangered species list since 1982. The primary cause for their decline is thought to be habitat loss; the only area they are known to exist anymore is a small area of the Rio Grande delta at the tip of southern Texas. Ocelots are very tough to observe in their native habitat. Their markings blend nearly perfectly with their environment. Because they are similar in structure to a bobcat, observers often cannot tell from tracks or other evidence whether an observed animal is a bobcat (which are plentiful in the area,) or the rare ocelot. Since 1990 though, a lot more information has been gained about the life of the ocelot. Long ago, the southern most tip of the Rio Grande delta was a beautiful area, lush with native vegetation. In the last 150 years though, this area has become economically depressed. The poorer people that have settled here, took up farming as a means to survive and prosper. Cotton, the crop of choice in this area, has been overgrown and now the previously rich soil is barren. Their cattle and other farm animals have destroyed any remaining vegetation . The ocelot requires low brush cover in order to thrive. Ninety-five percent of their native land cover has been altered. Ocelots have not been able to adapt to the wide open spaces that have resulted from excessive agricultural use. What remains of suitable ocelot habitat is over highly productive farmland. Compounding this problem is that much of the remaining habitat is not interconnected. This means that there is not sufficient room in most of the prime habitat for the species to spread out. The busy highways and roadways of the Rio Grande delta are the ocelots greatest predator. As the ocelot moves about in the remaining habitat, it must cross highways and the success rate has not been good. Since 1994, 10% of ocelot deaths have been due to being hit by vehicles while trying to cross these highways and the state wants to build more. Many people, now aware of the ocelot and their dwindling numbers are beginning to take action. The Texas Department of Transportation has tried to build culverts under the highways for the ocelot to use, but the culverts, being below road grade, filled with rainwater and the cats would not use them. What they need to do is build 3-5 foot box type runways at ground level. This solution would require a lot of money to repeatedly raise the roadway at every location they feel they need to put a runway. The federal government has approved a plan to acquire enough land to double the size of the Altascasa Refuge, the last stronghold of the ocelot. The government has done this by purchasing easements on 108,000 acres of farm/range land. They will restore this land to its natural state. Some large ranch owners are also making efforts to preserve habitat for the ocelot. They have set aside hundreds of acres of their properties to natural vegetation. One of the best hopes for the ocelot habitat is a booming eco-tourism in South Texas. Bird watching in this area now brings in more than 100 million dollars annually for the region. Bird and Breakfasts are springing up all over the area. The fate of the ocelot is one familiar story. Man comes in and uncaringly destroys all the native land in order to prosper. I dont believe this is truly the case though. As the article stated, no one knew much of the ocelot, scientifically, before 1990. By that time, the land had already been converted to agricultural uses and roads had been built. Modern man has a need to thrive also. It is encouraging

contrast of The Lottery and The Rocking Horse Winner

The comparison/contrast of The Lottery and The Rocking Horse Winner There are many elements of literature, imagery, style, and tone that contribute to the creation of the overall spirit of the work, and shape the reader’s perception of the plot, the main characters, and the overall message of the literary piece. These elements are often used in their direct meaning, thus enforcing a direct effect on the reader; however, there also are cases when they are used in a controversial manner, making the impression from the read piece stronger and even more emphatic.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The comparison/contrast of The Lottery and The Rocking Horse Winner specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The tone of the work is significant in its terms as well because it creates the fleur of seriousness, light-mindedness, sadness or cheerfulness, introducing the reader to the world of the literary work, and even making him or her the participant of events. Symbols are the fruitful addition t o the literary stylistic devices, since they add the third dimension of the plot and message, showing what cannot be expressed by words, and making the work lively. All these issues have found their direct and at times sophisticated realization in the works of Shirley Jackson and D.H. Lawrence. These two works are remarkable from the point of view of investigating the impact of tone, style, and symbol in a literary work. Thus, for example, the topic of question of tone becomes extremely topical in Jackson’s work â€Å"The Lottery† that in itself represents a contradiction, controversy, and conflict. The opening lines of the short story presuppose some cheerful scenario, some picturesque place and a holiday-suggesting lexicon: â€Å"The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green† (Jackson, 1949, p. 5). The beginning clearly suggests a lovely landscape, a beautiful day, and the similarly pleasant continuation of the plot. Nonetheless, the short story’s essence, plot, and message are quite different from the beginning setting people on a positive tone and perceiving the lottery as something rewarding and interesting for the villagers. The only fact that the ritual is of vital importance does not cause any doubts, since there is much attention to every detail, to every participant of the events, to the black box and the responsibilities of the lottery’s chairman as well. The meaning of being the chosen, picking the black spot from the box, is not open until the end of the work, though the tone comes to its correct form by the end of the short story, changing rapidly after the choice falls on Mr. Hutchinson, and the fierce protection he gets from his wife, the ultimate victim of the medieval, bloody tradition. Lawrence’s story, â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner†, is much more consistent in terms of plot, style, and tone of the story. However, though the tone of the stony is quite pessimistic, gloomy, depressing, with short sentences and broken phrases, there is much irony at the beginning of the work, showing that the author himself does not consider the hardships faced by the family so hard and awful as they are depicted. This irony may be quite well felt in the phrases such as:Advertising Looking for essay on comparative literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More â€Å"there must be more money. The father, who was always very handsome and expensive in his tastes, seemed as if he never would be able to do anything worth doing. And the mother, who ha a great belief in herself, did not succeed any better, and her tastes were just as expensive† (Lawrence, 1926, p. 552). The irony is striking – people who cannot find any money to let their children study well can afford expensive tastes, and at the same time they call themselv es â€Å"the poor members of the family† (Lawrence, 1926, p. 553). They buy expensive toys for their children, they use the services of taxi, but they remain poor because they do not live up to their wishes and ambitions. The talk of mother with her son Paul is also quite ironic, though it also contains some symbolism of the concept of luck. Their family traditionally ties luck with money, but Paul dies a young and rich person, which cannot be considered luck at all. Hence, the crisis of belief, understanding, and morale in the family is shown through an ironic representation of their so-called ‘poverty’ and the dramatic effect of that perception imposed on Paul at an early age. Irony is also present in â€Å"The Lottery†, though it is quite far from being ironic in its whole sense. The talk between Old Man Warner and Mr. Adams is very ironic – Old Man Warner compares the refusal from the lottery in other towns to degradation – â€Å"theyâ⠂¬â„¢ll be wanting to back to living in caves, nobody work anymore† (Jackson, 1949, p. 14). However, it is clear that the very ritual is a remnant of the dark, medieval, illiterate, cruel, nearly pagan times when people believed that killing one chosen person was useful for their harvest – â€Å"Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon† (Jackson, 1949, p. 14). Contrasting the works according to their style and tone, one should surely note that they can also be compared concerning the symbolism in works; besides the proverb about the good harvest, the symbol of the black box is very strong in Jackson’s story, and the symbol of the rocking horse also occupies the central place in the work â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner†. It is obvious that the mistaken perception of luck compared directly with money leads to further misconceptions, and the boy draws a parallel between his luck and the rocking horse. Hence, these symbols distinguish both works and allow a s trong comparison between them.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The comparison/contrast of The Lottery and The Rocking Horse Winner specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As it comes from the present comparison and contrast, the stylistic devices such as tone and style are vastly used by writers to enhance the impact on the reader, to create the spirit of the unexpected, to surprise him or her, and to make the work highly emphatic. Symbols are also widely used equally to the characters of the stories, as they produce the impact on the characters only by their presence, by the profound meaning they have. It is possible to say that both authors have skillfully used the discussed techniques, though each of them in their own way. References Jackson, S. (1949). The Lottery. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus. Lawrence, D.H. (1926). The Rocking Horse Winner. In D.H. Lawrence. Full Score: Twenty Tales by D.H. Lawrence (2008). Rockville , MD: Wildside Press LLC.

Presidential Appointments Requiring Senate Approval

Presidential Appointments Requiring Senate Approval What a compliment! The President of the United States has named you to fill a top-level government position, maybe even a Cabinet-level job. Well, enjoy a glass of bubbly and take some slaps on the back, but dont sell the house and call the movers just yet. The president may want you, but unless you also win the approval of the U.S. Senate, its back to the shoe store on Monday for you. Across the federal government, nearly 1,200 executive-level jobs may be filled only by individuals appointed by the president and approved by a simple majority vote of the Senate. For new incoming presidents, filling many, if not most, of these vacated positions as quickly as possible represents a major part of their presidential transition process, as well as taking a significant portion of time throughout the remainder of their terms. What Kind of Jobs are These? According to a Congressional Research Service report, these presidentially-appointed positions requiring Senate approval can be categorized as follows: Secretaries of the 15 Cabinet agencies, deputy secretaries, undersecretaries, and assistant secretaries, and general counsels of those agencies: Over 350 positionsJustices of the Supreme Court: 9 positions (Supreme Court justices serve for life subject to death, retirement, resignation or impeachment.)Certain jobs in the independent, non-regulatory executive branch agencies, like NASA and the National Science Foundation: Over 120 positionsDirector positions in the regulatory agencies, like the Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Aviation Administration: Over 130 positionsU.S. Attorneys and U.S. Marshals: About 200 positionsAmbassadors to foreign nations: Over 150 positionsPresidential appointments to part-time positions, like the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System: Over 160 positions Politics Can Be a Problem Certainly, the fact that these positions require the approval of the Senate poses the possibility that partisan politics may play a critical role in the presidential appointment process. Especially during times when one political party controls the White House and another party holds a majority in the Senate, as was the case during the second term of President Barak Obama, Senators of the opposition party are more likely to try to delay or reject the president’s nominees. But There are ‘Privileged’ Nominations Hoping to avoid those political pitfalls and delays in the presidential nominee approval process, the Senate, on June 29, 2011, adopted Senate Resolution 116, which established a special expedited procedure governing Senate consideration of certain lower-level presidential nominations. Under the resolution, over 40 specific presidential nominations- mostly assistant department secretaries and members of various boards and commissions- bypass the Senate subcommittee approval process. Instead, the nominations are sent to the chairpersons of the appropriate Senate committees under the heading, â€Å"Privileged Nominations – Information Requested.† Once the committees’ staffs have verified that the â€Å"appropriate biographical and financial questionnaires have been received† from the nominee, the nominations are considered by the full Senate. In sponsoring Senate Resolution 116, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-New York) stated his view that because the nominations were for â€Å"noncontroversial positions,† they should be confirmed on the floor of the Senate by â€Å"unanimous consent†- meaning they are all approved at the same time by a single voice vote. However, under the rules governing unanimous consent items, any Senator, for himself or herself or on the behalf of another Senator, can direct that any particular â€Å"privileged† nominee be referred to Senate committee and considered in the usual fashion. Recess Appointments: The Presidents’ End Run Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution gives presidents a way to at least temporarily bypass the Senate in making presidential appointments. Specifically, the third clause of Article II, Section 2 grants the president the power to â€Å"fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session.† The courts have held that this means that during times the Senate is in a recess, the president can make appointments without the need for Senate approval. However, the appointee must be approved by the Senate by the end of the next session of Congress, or when the position becomes vacant again. While the Constitution does not address the issue, the Supreme Court in its 2014 decision in the case of National Labor Relations Board v. Noel Canning ruled that the Senate must be in recess for at least three consecutive days before the president can make recess appointments. This process, popularly known as â€Å"recess appointments,† is often highly controversial. In an attempt to prevent recess appointments, the minority party in the Senate often holds â€Å"pro forma† sessions during recesses lasting longer than three days. While no legislative business is conducted in a pro forma session, they ensure that Congress is not officially adjourned, thus blocking the president from making recess appointments. Presidentially Appointed Jobs With No Senate Needed If you really want to work â€Å"at the pleasure of the president,† but don’t want to have to face the scrutiny of the U.S. Senate, there are more than 320 other high-level government jobs that the president can fill directly without the Senate’s consideration or approval. The jobs, known as PA, or â€Å"Presidential Appointment† jobs pay from about $99,628 to about $180,000 per year and offer full federal employee benefits, according to the Government Accountability Office.

Global Investement Strategies Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Global Investement Strategies - Research Paper Example Globalization has been defined comprehensively by the IMF as a historical process that is the result of human innovation and technological process and encompasses the increasing integration of economies around the globe especially through trade and financial flows (IMF, 2000). The phenomenon of globalization has touched markets, nation states, corporations, businesses and individuals alike. There are advantages and disadvantages that have resulted from this change to all involved stakeholders (Friedman, 1999) but this change has affected businesses like never before. On the positive side businesses have been able to access more markets than ever before as markets are becoming more and more integrated. This has allowed businesses to reach greater audiences and this in turn has increased their revenues to newer levels. Market integration has also meant that businesses can now distribute their functions to around the globe depending on specialties. For example it is common for electroni c businesses to have manufacturing facilities located in China, to have marketing facilities in North America and Western Europe and to have operational offices and retail centers all across the globe. This kind of market integration has meant that businesses have been able to lower their operational costs as each specific business function is handled by the most economically feasible option. Lower costs of labor and other inputs have meant that relocating manufacturing facilities to developing nations would reduce base costs. This reduction in base costs has enabled businesses to lower overall production costs which in turn are encouraging businesses to expose their products to larger audiences. The lowered costs have in turn allowed consumers all over the world to purchase goods and services from manufacturers and service providers which has meant increasing revenues for business around the globe. This can simply be seen as the creation of a singular world market which is the ulti mate object of the globalization regime (Shirakawa et al., 2000). While on the one hand these changes have allowed businesses to reap the wide benefits of integrated markets but difficulties in financial transactions have intensified as a result. Although the entire globe is more connected than ever before but the movement of capital has become far more intricate given the large number of interfaces involved to make these transactions possible. The financial markets around the globe have been integrated using modern electronic communication but this has represented a new constraint on the already developed systems. It is essential for a business to increase its workforce to encompass people with requisite IT skills and expertise to support the system required to carry out such financial transactions. The use of these systems has also exposed businesses to new menaces such as online attacks and chances at fraud. It is not uncommon for internationally integrated businesses to become v ictims of DOS (denial of service) attacks as well as being victims of unethical hacking activity. In turn the consumers of these businesses have also been victim to such actions and certain nations have been blacklisted for transactions in order to protect both consumers and businesses.

Financial accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Financial accounting - Essay Example This contingent liability has to be explained in detail in the notes section with references to the law suit, failed bid and the estimated trial date. a. In the light of the information in the article, do you believe that it is appropriate for Santos to utilize a contingent liability note as the vehicle to provide information about the organization’s potential liability in relation to the mudflow claims? From the information provided in the article, it is evident that there is a big uncertainty associated with future claims and settlements. It is imperative to note that Santos has already agreed to make a payout of $ US 22.5 million to Minarak in order to protect itself from past, present and future claims. This reduces the possibilities of Santos being held responsible for claims, though the amount paid to Minarak is very low compared to the damage caused by the mudflows. The deal has also reduced the potential risks for a third party buyer indicating that the company is protected from future claims. As the chances for possible obligations are remote, it is not necessary for Santos to disclose contingent liability. Santos can set aside a certain sun to provide as a relief measure to the affected people of the villages in East Java and establishing new homes for them. Santos can avoid future claims by dealing with the affected directly and providing relief measures. This will reduce the uncertainty regarding the future claims, but at the same time will increase the current obligations. This will reduce the risk for Santos for being taken over by another company. This step also has the added benefit of repairing the company’s brand image in the minds of the people and the government of Indonesia. Hence this cost can be recognized as a provision in the financial statement, as the present obligation as a result of an

Reading Strategies Essay Example for Free

Reading Strategies Essay Identify two reading goals, one short-term and one long-term. †¢Long-term reading goal: Read on a college level. †¢Short-term reading goal: Complete two reading workshops. Write a 100- to 150-word response to each of the following questions: †¢How do you currently approach the weekly readings in the course? I currently approach the reading in the course very cautiously. When reading any of the material in or out of class, I take my time. It is important to do so because by going to quick, there is a chance of missing some of the material. By reading slowly I can assure myself that I have better chance of taking in more information. Also by removing myself from any distractions, I can concentrate harder on the things that I am reading. Preparing for my reading sessions in advance helps to optimize my chance of greater concentration on my reading materials. †¢How might you incorporate three of the suggestions covered this week into your study time? By using the four steps in active reading, I can optimize how well I concentrate during my study time. By previewing my material, I can get a visual guide to anything I may not understand before reading the material. Marking my work as I go along will help with keeping me focused and concentrating. By using correct time management and can make sure nothing interferes with my study time as well. Also by choosing the correct study location will help to block out any distractions that may affect my study time. Using all of these helpful ways well help me in enhancing all of my study time. †¢How might this plan help you accomplish your reading goals? By using what I have learned so far, I have a much greater chance on accomplishing both of my reading goals. Using the four steps of active reading, and concentrating on all of my materials; it will help with my long term goal of reading on a college level. My short term goal was to complete two reading workshops. By choosing a quite study location, I will be able to concentrate harder on my work. Turning of cell phones and not using social media web sites will help as well. If I can optimize my study time and location, I will have a much greater chance of completing my short term goal of completing two workshops.

Slave Trade in 1807 Essay -- England

In order to ascertain how significant beliefs and ideologies were in contributing to the abolition of the slave trade in 1807, and the eventual abolition of slavery in 1833, this assignment will consider moral, political,economic and religious factors which culminated into these two distinct reforms. It will explore the influence of Enlightenment; the impact of non-conformists; the role of individuals and resistance from slaves themselves. Additionally, it will look at the attitudes concerning the Atlantic slave trade and slavery from different perspectives. Justifications which were gleaned from the Bible, and from Antiquity, regarding the differences between white and black people meant that for much of the eighteenth century enslaving Africans was generally accepted. However, from the 1800s these beliefs and ideologies were challenged, and both slavery and the slave trade were progressively questioned and condemned. Enlightenment thinkers were instrumental in debates in which reason and intellect were dominant. They believed that individuals had the capacity to improve both themselves, and their environment. Underpinning Enlightenment ideas were the concepts of human and natural rights. Furthermore, the idea that the fundamental right of property is one's own person diminished the argument that any attack on slavery was an attack on property. Enlightened ideas influenced individuals such as Adam Smith who was concerned with economic policy,and Elizabeth Heyrick, who was a middle-class Quaker who pushed for immediate emancipation. (Unit 16,pp.87) Anthology 4.4 (a) and (b) provides definitions of slavery and the slave trade. The principal points raised are that men were born free and equal so slavery was contrary to natural... ... ideologies which resulted in the anti-slavery stance which was integral for political reform. The abolition of the slave trade did not result in the immediate emancipation of slavery, the role of individuals who worked tirelessly with the development of campaigning techniques such as, mass petitioning, door-to-door campaigning, public meetings and the gathering of evidence were extremely valuable to the anti-slavery movement. Even still this process was a long one, and one that involved ordinary people, resistance from slaves themselves and pressure groups. Beliefs and ideologies, were therefore, the most fundamental factor for the abolition of both the Atlantic slave trade (1807) and slave emancipation (1833). The position of parliament and the enactments which resulted were heavily influenced by the beliefs and ideas of people who collectively made a difference.

What to Believe In the novel Life of Pi

Jeff Ramos English101 Mr. Adams 11-21-2012 What to Believe In the novel Life of Pi, Yann Martel uses the protagonist Pi to demonstrate how faith, ritual and ones will to live save one from the barbaric and carnivorous reality. Pi Patel, lover of faith and various gods and their beliefs loses his family after a shipwreck and drifts on the Pacific Ocean with the zebra, hyena, orangutan and tiger named Richard Parker, each struggling in their own way to survive. In the end, Pi presents two different stories and leaves it up to the reader to decide which version is ultimately true.Personally, I would believe the animal story was made up by Pi because the human story was too much for him to endure. But how do we define truth? Is something true simply because it is believable? Is something untrue because it seems unrealistic? The dictionary defines truth as 1) the true or actual state of a matter; 2) conformity with fact or reality; 3) a verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principl e or the like. The relativity of truth is not emphasized as a major theme until the last part of the novel, when Pi recaps the entire story to the officials from the shipping company who are questioning him.Pi lets them choose the version they prefer, and for them that version becomes truth. In this world, people believe the version of truth that they are most comfortable with. People would rather believe a colorful version of a story, over the gruesome details of the story that actually happened. For example, as Mr. Okamoto and Mr. Chiba were interviewing Pi, he asks them â€Å"So tell me, since it makes no factual difference to you and you can’t prove the question either way, which story do you prefer? Which is the better story, the story with the animals or the story without animals? Mr. Chiba: the story with the animals.Mr. Okomoto: Yes. The story with animals is the better story. † (317). After hearing the two versions of Pi’s horrendous account, the interv iewers agree the story with the animals is the â€Å"better† story, however; never do they say they believe it is true. As humans we tend to think that something is untrue just because it is unbelievable or we just haven’t had an opportunity to experience a certain situation yet. For example, when Pi is describing the atheists and agnostics last words he says â€Å"I can well imagine an atheist’s last words: â€Å"white, white? L-L-Love! My God† – and the deathbed leap of faith.Whereas the agnostic, if he stays true to his reasonable self, if he stays beholden to dry, yeast less factuality, might try to explain the warm light bathing him by saying, â€Å"possibly a f-f-falling oxygenation of the b-b-brain,† and, to the very end, lack imagination and miss the better story. † (64). This shows how the agnostic did not believe in god because he felt that it was untrue and unbelievable. Yet when he or she experiences it, they surely would become a believer. Pi seems to be bothered by the agnostic and their decision to doubt, to lack belief in anything. Another quote from Life of Pi shows that simply because Mr. Chiba and Mr.Okomoto have never actually witnessed a floating banana they automatically believed that it is untrue and believe it would sink. â€Å"â€Å"Bananas don’t float. † â€Å"Yes they do. † â€Å"They are to heavy. † â€Å" No they are not. Here, try for yourself. I have two bananas right here. † †¦ â€Å"They’re in. † â€Å"And? † â€Å"They are floating. † â€Å"What did I tell you? †Ã¢â‚¬  (292-293). Through experience Pi knows that bananas float. Once Pi proves to the interviewers that indeed bananas do float, they believe. How do we decide what to believe? The theory of knowledge can guide us in deciding what to believe, what to ignore, what to question, and what we don’t know.It is different from assumptions, rumo rs and myths. Which version do you believe? Do you think Pi, as a young boy, comes up with the fantastical tale to cope with the ugly truth? Or, is it somehow not the point to decide what actually happened? Maybe the beauty of the first story outweighs the believability of the second? Martel spends so much time developing the first story, and not much on the second. While it might seem totally unlikely, the details are all put into the first story. Ultimately, in Life of Pi, Martel leaves the decision of what to believe up to you.

Critique Paper Writing Tips Essay

It is imperative to understand what a critique paper really is. When your teacher asks you to write a critique, they are asking you to analyze and evaluate, and not just summarize. A critique is rather an essay or article that criticizes literary or other work e.g. a movie. Make sure you are completely familiar with the book/movie/piece of art before critiquing it. A critique answers the few questions of how? why? and how well? A critique does not mean criticizing the work in a negative sense but rather interpreting it as you see it. It usually combines both positive and negative. †¢ The first step to take is to analyze the piece of work. Discuss the author’s main point of view and his purpose. See who is he performing for i.e. who is his audience. What arguments does the author use to support his main point and what evidence does he cite. Check for any underlying biases or assumptions in the work that the author produces. †¢ Next, you need to evaluate the author’s ideas.You need to see whether the argument he provides is logical, and the facts provided accurate. There might be jargon present in a book, so the author should have defined it and explained it or even in other works, important terms should be defined. You should check the authenticity of facts and sources cited and whether there is a sufficient amount of it. †¢ Lastly, you need to plan and write your critique. You should do this in standard essay form. In the first paragraph, you need to introduce the topic, state the thesis, make a plot summary, and give your readers a clue of what they are to expect. An introduction also includes the background of the piece of work that you are going to critique. For a book, write the name of the author and a bit of information about them that pertains to the argument. A movie introduction includes the director, the basic theme, and the names of the main actors. An art critique would include basic information on the painter and the work that you are going to examine, as well as basic features of this certain work such as its title, the art materials that have been used, and its location. In the second part of the critique i.e. the main body, start into the story. In this part, you will have to introduce the characters, setting, and give a lot of detail. Bring out the author’s important points and evaluate whether the evidence provided by the author supports his point of view. Break the thesis and different parts of the story into separate points and examine each point separately. A  very important thing that will strengthen all your arguments is giving real examples from the piece of work you are using. Conclude the critique paper with really critiquing the piece of work i.e. the good and bad, and how it made you feel. Answer any questions you raised along the way and make the final statement about the piece of work.

The Truman Show Essays - Truman, The Truman Show, Harry S. Truman

The Truman Show Essays - Truman, The Truman Show, Harry S. Truman The Truman Show The Truman show: Is life a Truman show? By saying that life is a Truman show, Im saying that life is perfectly planned, with a structure and a fixed destinyit may even be a lie. The Truman show is a movie in which the main character is the protagonist of a show without knowing anything. Truman is being filmed twenty four hours a day, but he doesnt know it. Everyone he knows, are actors and are with him only because they are paid for doing so. This surely seems very different to our lives; its just fiction. But it may be very similar in several aspects if we analyze it little bit. We may seem free to decide, to choose who do we meet, and to do several things, but there is always someone that can prevent us from achieving something that is not convenient for him. Although this may seem to be a truly paranoid ideal, there are several important people which have a lot of power and can control our lives as they want to. By this I am not saying that they are planning every ones life, but they can surely manage to take a population to where ever they want, and they do not care if people suffer, or if people die, as long as they can earn money it is all right. What the producer of the show did to Truman, is in a way the same that the governments and the worlds Oligarchy does to us at every moment, through out our whole lifes. The Studio didnt care of how much could Truman suffer, or how morally bad was what they were broadcasting, as long as people pay, it was all right. In our life the same tings happen, over and over again. No one on a government cared if people died in a war, they may have been their people, but they wouldnt care. They fought a war for a matter of power, but I have never seen any president fighting in a world war. Another way in which life can be compared to the Truman show is that when Truman tried to escape from his life, he was set up with several traps, which made it very hard for him to live, and they even tried to kill him. In Argentina, while the military government was in power, several people tried to change the things, but not one could achieve their goal, and almost all of them disappear. To round up, our life IS in several ways a Truman show, but it only give amusement to a few, and brings pain to several who does not disserve it.

How To Use Hashtags The Right Way On Every Social Network

How To Use Hashtags The Right Way On Every Social Network Most everyone knows what hashtags are in 2016. However, not everyone knows how to use hashtags  well.  When used properly, hashtags (# signs that help categorize social media content) make it easier for users to find related content. They can help increase the visibility of your messages  and boost your  social shares. When used inappropriately, however, they can negatively impact your credibility on social media. This can have the inverse effect of decreasing your social activity. The issue is more complicated when we look at hashtag used beyond Twitter, where theyre most popular. Lets take a moment to clear up some confusion. Basic hashtag dos and donts. How to find and select appropriate hashtags for your messages. Best practices for each social network. This Is How To Use Hashtags The Best Way On Every Social Network What Are Hashtags? Twitter first introduced hashtags to the social media world in 2007.  They've been confusing marketers and media professionals ever since. This video provides a decent historical rundown  of hashtag history (if you can bear with  it for more than 30 seconds): In practice, hashtags are used to  categorize social media  content into easily navigable lists. By including the #[INSERT KEYWORD] in a tweet, it then becomes visible inline with  other posts using that same hashtag. Do you know how to use hashtags? #socialmediaHow To Research  Hashtags  For Your Social Media Messages Sometimes, the best way to use hashtags is to find ones  that  already exist. Before you can get started, though,  you need to actually find those hashtags. Fortunately, there are a number of tools out there to help with this process. Let's take a look at a handful of useful options: There are many ways to find hashtags. Here are a few ways!Research Hashtags Trends On Twitter What The Trend is a tool that can help you find the top hashtags from the last 30 days. You can get new viewers by finding creative hashtags that fit your content and  are  recently trending. Find Hashtags For Twitter On  Twitonomy Twitonomy  can help you find personalized hashtags that revolve around the content you post on your Twitter accounts.  It can also show you the most powerful influencers using a given hashtag, as well as who's engaging the most. You'll need a premium to unlock this tool's most useful functionality, but fortunately, it's reasonably priced. Discover Hashtags For Twitter And Facebook With RiteTag RiteTag is a hashtag power tool for discovering hashtags. It also offers up-to-date usage data to show you how hashtags are performing in the real world. While the premium plans offer more functionality, the basic free plan still offers plenty of utility. In short, RiteTag is like a Swiss Army knife of deep hashtag research and tracking. This video provides a good run-down of what it can do: You Can Find Twitter Hashtags With  Hashtagify.me Hashtagify.me is another great tool for finding trending hashtags on Twitter. Plus, it also has an option to get email updates on trending hashtags as well. It offers free and premium plans for all sizes of companies, from individual users up to enterprise accounts. How To Find Hashtags Directly On Each Network Finding Hashtags On Twitter There is a list of what is currently popular and a link to all the related tweets on  your main feed on the left hand side of  your Twitter newsfeed. You can also use the search bar to find hashtags to know  what folks are currently using. This is a great way to hone in on hashtags that are super relevant  to the content you want to share. How To Find Hashtags On Instagram: When you open the Instagram  app, you should see a magnifying glass on your home screen: Here, you can browse trending hashtags: Recommended Reading: How To Improve Your Visual Marketing On Pinterest And Instagram How To Find Hashtags On Facebook: You can search hashtags in the Facebook search bar: People sometimes confuse trending topics with trending hashtags. While it may be helpful to monitor the trending topics that appear to the right of your News Feed, these are not necessarily hashtag-based. Recommended Reading: Best Practices Guide For Making Sure Your Posts Look Good On Social Media How To Find Hashtags On Google+: When you  go to insert a hashtag in your post, Google+  proceeds to give you a list of top hashtags related to your post. This can be a useful means of finding more hashtags related to your post topic: How To Find Hashtags On Pinterest: Pinterest search  supports hashtags as a tagging and discovery engine. When you search a hashtag, pins with similar keywords  in the description will show up in the results (along with  pins that have the same term in the URL,  photo name, or product page tied to the Pin). Use hashtags in Youtube comment sections. #Youtube #hashtagsRecommended Reading:  How To Get More Followers On Pinterest With 21+ Tactics That Will Grow Your Following How To Use Hashtags On YouTube: YouTube uses hashtags in comment sections. Try searching for videos related to the topic of your video to see which hashtags appear popular. Clicking on hashtags on YouTube used to bring you to a Google+ page with more related posts. However, they now bring you to a page within YouTube: How To Use Hashtags On Every Social Network How To Use Hashtags On Facebook A better question might be, "Should I use hashtags on Facebook at all?" Data shows hashtags on Facebook  do not help boost engagement. That means you might be better served by leaving hashtags off entirely. In one study, posts with hashtags  received only .80% viral reach, while posts without hashtags had 1.30% viral reach. Data shows that using hashtags on Facebook doesn't help boost engagement.Plus, Facebook doesn't recognize hashtags in the search bar. The only way to find hashtags is to directly click on the hashtag in a post. Pro Tip: If you do use hashtags in your Facebook  posts, the bare minimum  is the way to go. Digital Information World found that posts with just one or two hashtags got the most interactions. Recommended Reading:  What 16 Studies Say About The Best Times To Post On Social Media How To Use Hashtags On Twitter Stick to one or two hashtags per post  since that tends  to grow engagement on your content by 21%. When you start using 3 or more hashtags per message, you lower engagement by almost 17%. Pro Tip: When it comes to your Twitter bio, use hashtags sparingly. In other words, avoid filling your entire bio with hashtags. How To Use Hashtags On Instagram Photos with 11+ hashtags seem to get the most interactions. However,  they can also  look like spam when they're overdone. Master the hashtag like photographer Matthew Hodgeman.  While he uses hashtags heavily, he keeps them relevant: Matthew tagged  the area he was in, along with the topics that his audience would be interested in. That targeting got almost 20 more likes than the rest of his photos from that week. How To Use Hashtags On Pinterest Pinterest hashtags lead to search results for the keyword in your hashtags. That means if  you have a hashtag in your Pin description, your Pinners can click through to find similar content for those keywords, not necessarily only for that hashtag. There's also no guarantee Pinterest will index the hashtags you choose to use. If  you do decide to use hashtags on Pinterest, then less is more. There is evidence that Pinterest will even demote the value of your Pins that have too many hashtags.  Furthermore, some say the best way to use hashtags on Pinterest is to use your own customized hashtags that people click to see your own related Pins instead of directing traffic to see a broader category around a topic. How To Use Hashtags On Google+ Google+ hashtags are  automatically  assigned to your posts. However, you can edit them, or add your own. Google+ lets you include them in your comments as well. This gives your posts more opportunity to be seen. Usually, a total  2 or 3 hashtags is a good target here. Aim to use 2 or 3 hashtags. That's a good target!How To Use Hashtags On YouTube According to SproutSocial, hashtags on  YouTube are most widely used in the comment section.  You can use hashtags to categorize your content to be found by topic, using your keywords as the foundation for your hashtags. Pro Tip: Increase the visibility of your YouTube videos by leaving a comment with relevant  hashtags. This will then click through to a page with videos that contain that hashtag in their title. Recommended Reading: How To Use A Twitter Chat To Grow Your Audience And Gain Trust How To Create  Your Own Hashtag There are times when  you might want to create your own hashtag. You might want one to   complement an event  so attendees can track social posts. Or, you might have a unique  marketing campaign  that needs its own hashtag (rather than jumping on one that already exists). Can't find a good hashtag for your content? Create your own hashtag!In these cases,  follow  this advice: A good hashtag is: Memorable. Unique. Relevant to the content you're sharing. Strike a balance: Make it unique but simple to remember. Don’t make your hashtag so broad that it's hard to track.Hashtags should be 1. memorable 2. unique and 3. relevantFollow These Hashtag Best Practices 1. Be Mindful of Proper Hashtag Etiquette on Each Specific Network Instagram hashtags are often more geared toward topics or descriptions. However, Twitter hashtags tend to be more focused on a topic or conversation. Get familiar with how your specific audience uses hashtags on their networks. Then, participate in the conversation accordingly. 2.  Use Hashtags That Fit Your Brand It's tempting to jump on every hot trending hashtag out there. However, it's better to stick to using  hashtags that fit your brand. Use some common sense and ask yourself if a hashtag actually fits your image, message, content, and audience. For example, if your brand primarily serves customers over 40, then using a hashtag heavy on youth slang  will probably look awkward. Stick to the hashtags that fit your brand. #blogging #marketing3.  Create  Hashtags For Promotions Running a  promotion? What better way than to spread the word through hashtags. Here's one example for National Walking Day: Pro Tip: You can even give away  free swag to participants using the hashtag. 4. Keep  Them Short And Memorable Twitter only allows you 140 characters, so if your hashtag takes up too much room, people won't  want to use it because it will take away from their content and links. By overcrowding your tweet, you're going to lose attention, not grab it. Don't overcrowd your Tweet. You will lose attention.The same principle applies to other networks as well. Even on platforms where length isn't a concern, staying memorable is (and in that case, the shorter and snappier they are, the better). 5.  Capitalize The First Letter Of Each Word #whenyouputmanywordstogether in a single hashtag, the letters can become all jumbled up and difficult to skim through. #ButIfYouCapitalize the first  letter of each word, it's easier to distinguish each word and read at a glance. Hashtags are not case sensitive, so when  you combine multiple words together in your hashtag,  distinguish them by capitalizing the first letter of each word. 6.  Use Hashtags In Twitter Chats Twitter chats are online events centering an entire conversation around a hashtag. They're a great way to build relationships with your audience, and encourage engagement with a branded hashtag. Recommended Reading:  How To Use A Twitter Chat To Grow Your Audience And Gain Trust Avoid These Common Hashtag Mistakes Some of these tips are basic. Some you may never have heard of. But one thing is clear: If you make these mistakes, you'll miss out on the engagement you were hoping to get from your social messages. 1. Don't  Use Spaces Or Special Punctuation Use #SuperBowl not #super bowl. Your social networks  will only recognize the first word. Don't use  punctuation marks, but you can use numbers as long as you  complement  them  with a bit of text (like that #smmw16, for example). 2. Don’t Use The @ Symbol  In Hashtags Your hashtags aren't designed to tag your network's users.  So combining both  a hashtag and an "at" symbol  will only tag the person/user, and you won't send a hashtag at all. 3.  Don't Go Overboard With Too Many Hashtags #How #Annoying #Would #It #Be #To #Have #To #Go #Through #And #Read #Thirty #Hashtags #And #Try #To #Find #Out #What #It #Is #Saying. No one likes #hashtag #spam.4.  Don't Spam There are websites, brands, and individuals that use popular  hashtags and just throw them in  their social messages  with no context, just for the sole purpose of helping  other accounts to find  them. This plan may seem to work in the short term, but just when Instagram did a complete clean out of any account that seemed to be linked with spam, these individuals lost hundreds of thousands of followers. Their  hashtag plan completely backfired. 5. Make Sure Hashtags Mean What You Think They Do Pizza brand DiGiorno Pizza made a huge  mistake when they jumped on the viral hashtag  #WhyIStayed.  DiGiorno didn't look up the context of the hashtag. #WhyIStayed  pertained to people who were sharing their domestic violence stories to raise awareness after Ray Rice punched his then-financeà ¨ Janay Palmer. DiGiorno tweeted â€Å"#whyIstayed You had pizza†. Within a minute, the tweet had been deleted, but the damage had already been done. Pro Tip: Hashtags are often related to current events and cultural trends. If you're unsure what a hashtag might be referring to, take a few minutes to do some research. 6.  Make Sure Your Hashtags Work If there is a symbol or punctuation in or after the hashtag, you will break the hashtag. Grammar police beware. If  you want to post #I'mback, your hashtag will break after the I. You can tell where your hashtag broke when the blue line turns into black text. Take a look at "#it's" in this example of a Tweet scheduled with . The preview here shows that the apostrophe is breaking your hashtag. If there are letters or numbers before the hashtag, it will break it before it even starts. So if your hashtag is 123#abc, abc won't  link to a hashtag. If the hashtag is made up entirely of numbers, the hashtag will not hyperlink. But if you include  letters with  your numbers, the hashtag will work correctly. So  #12345 won't work. but #123abc will. Recommended Reading: 10 Reasons You Should Be Using Blog Comments Reals Of How To Use Hashtags The Right Way Let's take a look at some super successful hashtag strategies to inspire your own. Jimmy Fallon: King Of The Hashtag For Social Media Engagement Over the last few years, Jimmy Fallon has become a master of using hashtags to engage his audience. He even has a segment on his show every week where he  asks his audience to submit their stories using his hashtags. Let's check out a few: @jimmyfallon I once got a text from my mom where Youre amazing autocorrected to Youre adopted #momtexts Stefen Colalillo (@StefenColalillo) October 2, 2013 One year, I got the book Hes Just Not That Into You from FIVE different people. Message received. #worstgiftever @jimmyfallon Dani Dudek (@fancypantsLATX) December 10, 2013 Direct quote: Can you tip me in cash, bro? I think Im getting fired in about 20 minutes. #myweirdwaiter Kyle Molin (@kyle_molin) January 8, 2014 #LikeAGirl 84% of people will share content  because it makes them feel like they're supporting a cause. This principle is what helped the #LikeAGirl campaign go viral. When Always created the campaign that asked girls and boys to do things "like a girl", teens tended  not take the message seriously.  However, younger kids really took it to heart. The aim was  to show that as kids get  older you get, the world instills in  them negative perceptions about how girls should act. The campaign was an overwhelming success.  Since debuting in June 2014, this video has had more than  80 million views worldwide, which was helped in part by the #LikeAGirl hashtag that complemented the campaign: #EsuranceSave30 Here's another great example from  Esurance. Last year, they saved $1.5 million by buying air time for their  commercial right after the Super Bowl was over. They promised to give away that  cash to one person who included #EsuranceSave30 in a tweet. 2.39 million users tweeted with the hashtag, elevating awareness of the Esurance brand (for a lot less than the cost of traditional advertising): And That's How To Use Hashtags To  Increase Your Brand Awareness Hashtags can make or break your social media messages and engagement. It's super important  that you understand where, when, and how to use them.  Now you have a bunch of tips to get you started in the right direction!

Schools Form the Backbones of the Educational Systems Essay

Schools Form the Backbones of the Educational Systems - Essay Example Is it the quality of the professional teachers or principal that comprise the faculty? Is it the methodology of teaching used, the inclusion of sports programs or the spiritual and moral development of the students? Few educators have reviewed the evidence from research that has contributed to the development of the best schools and that bring forth a supply of open-minded, healthy and enthusiastic people into the society. However, a look at the inspection results recently released by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) in Dubai, most schools are not managed well, at least not in terms of productive teaching and student outcomes. In a survey conducted by KHDA, about 10% of the schools in Dubai are running well with a satisfactory level of teaching, learning, and management (Sambidge, 2009). This is a grievous situation and therefore important that research is conducted in order to explore the reasons for such a condition in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This research question aims to find how decisions related to the curriculum, teaching methods, classroom scheduling, discipline policy, the introduction of new courses or subjects are made in UAE schools. The question seeks to understand how the decision making the role of the school management, school principal, teachers, students, and student’s families interface. The data will clarify whether and how the participative decision is being used in schools. This study will determine whether participation of the teachers in the decision-making process has to lead to the development of a better curriculum, better methodology, or better overall quality of teaching so that the students are able to experience higher achievement. The study will elaborate the impact of participative decision making on morale and satisfaction among teachers, motivation towards teaching and commitment to their jobs.