Woman Writer Essays - Emotions, Personal Life,

Woman Writer The first story by Tamura Toshiko, "A Woman Writer" was incredibly upsetting. This intelligent, successful woman seems very unsatisfied and unhappy, though it would appear that she has everything that she could ever want. Looking deeper though, one sees her anguish in her marriage to a man who feels no emotion toward her, whether it be love or hate. All she receives is total indifference from this man who was her first love; a man she will always care for deeply. This void of emotion in her life has driven her into a severe writer's block, making her feel as though "no matter how hard she wrung (her brain), her bag of wits offered not so much as a single word that was alive not half a phrase that smelled of warm blood." (pg. 11) To be at a place in your life when you can't reach within yourself to find any inspiration except daydreams that do not fulfill your needs seems heartbreaking to me. The woman's use of powder also showed her displeasure with herself and the world around her. She could not be without this mask on her face, even in sleep. When she does not wear this white disguise "her emotions become jagged; she felt awful, unduly suspicious, and it showed in her expressions. Her mood deteriorated; she became sulky and lost all desire to be flirtatious." (pg. 12) She was a woman living in a world that was not reality, and she cannot express herself unless she is living in her fantasy. The problem that has occurred though, is that she is now unable to reach any of her emotions, even with her masks and temper tantrums. She finally starts to realize how truly discontented she is when she talks to her friend about each of their definitions of love. Though I don't necessarily agree with the writer's friend's conception of a true love without compromise, she does point out how easy it is to lose yourself in a relationship. The writer believes she is "worthless" in some way, and she accepts the pain her marriage has caused her. While accepting this she loses a sense of herself. Her friend however, on the contrary is willing to live apart from her lover because she will not give herself up for anything. She expresses this best by saying that "self is the art one creates....to live for the sake of one's art is, after all, to live for oneself." (pg. 16) The woman writer no longer knows herself, which is why she cannot write. She tries to find inspiration from others around her, whether they make her happy or miserable, and cannot remember how to dig into herself to break the terrible cycle she has found herself in. There is some hope however at the end when she reflects on the actress. This scene has brought her back to the fictional world. No longer is she dwelling on those around her, but looking inward at what she finds appealing. By delving into her desires, and not the desires or emotions of those around her she can hopefully find the motivation to write again. Through this writing with any luck, she will be able to find herself again.

Essay on Efficient Energy TransportationEssay Writing Service

Essay on Efficient Energy TransportationEssay Writing Service Essay on Efficient Energy Transportation Essay on Efficient Energy TransportationToday, the environment pollution is one of the major challenges to the world and well-developed nations, such as the US, confront the problem of the consistent deterioration of the environmental situation. In this regard, the transportation system is one of the major contributors to the deterioration of the environmental situation because vehicles are the major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, transportation is one of the major sources of the environment pollution. Hence, energy efficient transportation is the major way to decrease the environment pollution and the reduction of the fuel consumption can help to reduce the environment pollution. However, the improvement of the environmental situation involves not only technological changes but also the change of the transportation culture. In actuality, the US is still facing the problem of the poor fuel efficiency because of the traditional American transportation culture and the reduction of the fuel consumption can be achieved through the change of the transportation culture in the US along with legislative changes that will stimulate consumers and car manufacturing companies to purchase and manufacture fuel efficient vehicles respectively.At the moment, transportation contributes to over a quarter of energy consumption in the US. At the same time, transportation is one of the major sources of greenhouse gas emissions that are the major source of pollution of air and environment. Fossil fuels used as the source of energy to fuel cars cause greenhouse gas emissions, which are the major source of air and environment pollution (Teisl, Rubin, Noblet, 2008). Fuel efficiency can minimize the consumption of fuel. This is why the energy efficient transportation involves the reduction of the fuel consumption.The public grows more and more concerned about the environment pollution because the deterioration of the environmental situation leads to the deteriorat ion of the public health and decline of the quality of life. The change of the public awareness is the result of the deterioration of the environment (Banerjee Solomon 2003). People grow more and more aware of the negative impact of greenhouse gas emissions not only on the environment but also on the health of people. However, this trend is relatively new and cannot overcome the traditional American transportation culture oriented on the use of large cars that are not fuel efficient.In addition, companies manufacturing cars tend to on the fuel efficiency to attract customers, while customers’ main driver to reduce fuel consumption and, therefore, greenhouse gas emissions is the growing price of gas. As a result, consumers prefer buying new cars, which are more fuel efficient than old ones and they prefer car models which are fuel efficient. In such a way, the consumer behavior influences policies conducted by car manufacturing companies. Car manufacturing companies attempt t o match customers’ expectations. The growing demand of consumers for fuel efficient vehicles encourages car manufacturing companies to shift toward the development of new, fuel efficient cars.At the same time, consumers, who are conscious of the negative impact of car use on the environment, tend to change their behavior preferring bicycles to their cars or using public transport instead of their cars. However, these consumers are quite a few compared to the large mass of consumers, who still use their cars. In fact, the US consumers still prefer to use their cars, instead of public transport or bicycles. Hypothetically, the shift from private cars toward the public transport and bicycles can change consistently the level of greenhouse gas emissions because this will lead to the consistent reduction of using private vehicles and, therefore, to the respective reduction of the fuel consumption that leads to greenhouse gas emissions. However, at the moment, Americans are not rea dy for the total shift from using private cars to using the public transport or bicycles.On the other hand, more and more consumers prefer car pooling to save their fuel and transportation costs. This trend contributes to the energy efficient transportation because car pooling reduces the number of cars used by consumers on the regular basis since vehicles normally carry five people and car pooling allows five persons to use one car instead of five ones. In actuality, this trend becomes more and more popular in the US because it is efficient financially and allows Americans save their money and their fuel but, at the same time, car pooling saves environment because reduces the number of private cars in use and, therefore, reduces greenhouse gas emissions from private cars.In actuality, there are several factors determining the consumer behavior and influencing their transportation habits. First, economic factors play the major part in changes of the consumer behavior. For example, t he economic recession of 2008 contributed to the consistent reduction of car use and overall drop of car sales in the US. The reduction of car sales was the result of the inability of Americans to purchase new cars and their desire to save money.Furthermore, the skyrocketing gas price stimulated consumers either refuse from using their cars and shift to the public transport or bicycles, or change their cars and purchase more fuel efficient cars, on the one hand, and sell their old, less fuel efficient cars instead. In addition, Americans just refused from the frequent use of their cars because they could not afford buying gas at the high price. This is why the overall reduction of car sales and use of cars caused by economic reasons resulted in the overall decline of greenhouse gas emissions caused by the US transportation.Moreover, the economic recession and high gas prices encouraged car manufacturers to focus on the production of fuel efficient cars and introduce hybrid cars, whi ch use alternative fuels along with gas or alternative fuels alone. In fact, car manufacturers responded to the change in the customer behavior (O’Gallachoir, Howley, Cunningham, Bazilian, 2009). The economic background was the major reason for such a shift and car manufacturers just attempted to keep their cars selling. This is why fuel efficient cars were just the marketing tool that could attract customers and make them buying new cars.On the other hand, the economic recovery has contributed to the rise of car sales, wider use of cars, and the overall return of car manufacturers for the production of less fuel efficient, large cars instead of small and more fuel efficient ones. 2013 marked the consistent growth of car sales compared to 2008 that reveals the fact that the improvement of the economic situation contributes to the increase of car use and fuel consumption.Another important factor that contributes to the energy efficient transportation in the US is the transpor tation culture. To put it more precisely, the individual use of private cars is the distinct feature of the US transportation culture (Hensher, 2007). Moreover, Americans are accustomed to use large cars, which are not fuel efficient. For example, Americans tend to use large cars and disregard their fuel efficiency, while Europeans tend to buy small cars, which are suitable for driving in European cities with narrow streets and are more fuel efficient compared to American cars (De Witte, Macharis Mairesse, 2008). Therefore, the American transportation culture tends to disregard fuel efficiency.  In response to the growing public pressure, the US authorities, including the US Department of Energy, attempt to develop policies aiming at the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions along with the reduction of fossil fuel consumption. At the moment, the US authorities focus on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and increasing the energy efficiency by means of the introduction of e nergy efficient policies in all industries. In this regard, transportation plays an important part in the reduction of energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. However, the government focuses on the commercial transport mainly to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For example, the US government stimulates the reduction of the fuel consumption by commercial vehicles offering recommendations contributing to the higher fuel efficiency along with the Department of Energy regulations that help to minimize the fuel consumption by commercial vehicles.Thus, the US is still the country, where the efficient energy transportation is rather a future opportunity than a part of the present life. In spite of the growing consciousness of Americans of the negative impact of greenhouse gas emissions caused by their cars on their environment and health along with efforts of the government to encourage the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by transport, Americans still prefer using their priv ate cars, instead of using the public transport or bicycles.

Torts law problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Torts law problem - Essay Example Based on this certificate, Rhett purchased the land. Later on when Rhett submitted his plans for construction of a residential subdivision, the Council rejected the proposal, on account of flood risk. Due to the refusal, and no other recourse left with Rhett, he had to sell his land to a local farmer at a substantial loss. Now from the facts above, it is quite clear that, there was injustice meted out to Rhett. Now, the problem that Rhett is facing has a solution in Law of Torts. Law of Torts is the field of law which deals civil harms that may be caused to a person. The concept of negligence is integral to the Law of Torts. The definition of negligence under tort law states that, â€Å"the breach of a legal duty to take care, resulting in damage to the claimant which was not desired by the defendant† [L.B. Curzon, Dictionary of Law]. Another popular definition states that, â€Å"Negligence is the omission to do something which a reasonable man, guided upon those consideratio ns which ordinarily regulate the conduct of human affairs, would do, or doing something which a prudent and reasonable man would not do.† [Per Alderson B., Blyth v Birmingham Waterworks Co. (1856)]. From Lord Curzon’s definition, we understand that there are three important aspects to prove negligence, one being ‘legal duty to take care’, ‘breach of duty of care’ and the third one being ‘damages’. We will first understand the three ingredients of negligence, and then go on to observe whether the problem at hand actually amounts to negligence, and if so, what the recourse that Rhett has is in this given scenario. Now the duty of care essentially means that, every person owes a duty not to harm their neighbour, and reasonably foresee, whether there action may cause to the person. This principle was laid down in the landmark judgement of Donahue v Stevenson. Further in Capro v. Dickman, their primary components of Duty of Care were la id down. The judgement said that Harm must be (1) reasonably foreseeable (2) there must be a relationship of proximity between the plaintiff and defendant and (3) it must be 'fair, just and reasonable' to impose liability. Now as goes for the ‘first component’, we have to determine whether the Council clerk could reasonably foresee the harm he was about to cause Rhett. In this scenario, it can be reasonably assumed that the clerk knew that the whole and sole responsibility of running the background check on the said property was on him. He was also aware that, if there was any irregularity in the records, it was his duty to point out the Scarlette. Failure to do so, would result in great harm to the buyer of the land, as the buyer was solely depending upon the background check of the Council. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that, the clerk was in a position to ascertain the kind of harm he would cause if he did not take the proper steps to give the proper backgrou nd check on the aforesaid land. So we are sure, that the first ground of Duty of Care exists. Moving on to the ‘second component’, i.e. the relationship of proximity between the plaintiff and the defendant. There was a definite relationship between Rhett and the Council clerk. Rhett had approached the Council clerk, to provide him with the background check on the said land. Therefore, Rhett was expecting the clerk to carry out his duties rightfully and perform the check for him. It was the clerk’

Religious Field Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Religious Field - Research Paper Example However, the research study indicates that many of the Japanese are members of the Shinto cult, and it has become one of the most powerful religious cults in nationwide with many religious believers. The Shinto has their own valuable books that include the Nihongi, which is the Japanese chronicles, and the Kojiki, which is the ancient events chronicles. Shinto, an indigenous faith of the Japanese people remains their main religious conviction beside Buddhism. Thus, the research paper analyzes the way different religious beliefs and practices may contribute to misconceptions, therefore, indicating the way to overcome such misconceptions. Shinto, unlike other religious cults, is one of the religious beliefs and practices, which may be possible to follow. The needs and traditional practices of Shinto rather than Shinto doctrines determine their practices. The Shinto practices takes into considerations four significant aspects including Kami as the integral part for love of nature, purif ication rites or physical cleanliness, tradition and family as well as festival and ceremonies. The Shinto believers have some aspects, which are similar to Buddhism, hence becoming easier for anyone from Buddhist to join and follow their aspects easily. This is because some practices such as death rituals are similar to Buddhist people, but Shinto focus mostly on live events such as honoring Kami, birth and marriage (Kallen, 2002). They have permanent areas for worshipping their Kami that are in the form, of shrines, vast complexes and each of them operates differently from one another. The priesthood in Shinto is taken as a family affair; thus, it passed from parents to their siblings. The people in each shrine dedicate themselves to Kami. The Shinto religious believers’ value varied Shinto texts, which contain the legends and historical events based upon their religion instead of being Holy Scriptures. Some of the Shinto texts are the Jinno Shotoki, Kojiki, the text for re cords of issues in the ancient times, Nihongi, Rokkokushi and many others. This books or Shinto texts create a misunderstanding with other religious beliefs and practices. This is because of the way they present their Shinto practices and their beliefs upon the creation of Japanese. The two significant and valued texts include the Kojiki and Nihongi, which provides the legendary stories about the creation or the existence of the Japanese into their being. The two books explain the way Kami (Shinto gods) created the ancient Japanese (Littleton 2002, p. 34). They reveal about the male and female who-invites (Izanagi and Izanami) respectively and the way they gave birth to the Japanese land. After the death of Izanami, Izanagi made a journey find her, but he found the maggot crawling with her decayed body. The Izanagi fled back to the living land being horrified, and he entered inside the water in order to purify himself. In the process of purification, the Izanagi encountered with the Sun Goddess, who is the greatest Kami while washing the left eye side (Kasulis, 2004). When he started washing the right one, the Moon Kami appeared to him. The Izanagi struggled to maintain peace in the land for many decades, but the Sun Goddess decided to send to them the grandson, Ninigi as their king to govern them (Bowker, 2012). This reveals the way Shinto is unique from other religious scriptures across the globe. For instance, the Christian texts explain the creation story of Adam and Eve

Response Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Response - Article Example In fact, besides cleaning, washing, cooking, child care and teaching, meticulous economists consider that a woman works as a private economist-accountant; in addition she gives first aid, care and psychological support for sick family members at the level of nurses. But always it is taken for granted. The reason for such existing underestimation of women’s labor author sees in difficulty of its treating from the standpoint of price. The concept of the value, firstly distinguished in relation to the market by Adam Smith, comes to be far from â€Å"moral† value expression. Thus, â€Å"value† comes to be only the price one can get for goods and services distribution. So women turn to be a kind of nature resources which worthless when preserved to future generations and only their use establish their validity. Both environment and women’s household labor are constituted to be free gift of nature and their preservation may be considered only as a cost. Women are seen to be â€Å"economically inactive†, though their housework is implicitly taxed by not being valued. Thus, the problem comes when women’s everyday work is not recognized in the distribution of benefits. Though money payments are not necessary for the work to be done, when work becomes a concept in institutionalized economics payment should inevitably enter the picture, as â€Å"money should change hands†. Thus it proves that women are being totally ignored as creators of wealth, though for ages they’ve been at least cultural wealth accumulators. But while women cannot exchange their family production on the market, they make no use of own labor power. The other problem women just came conscious about is that they are being seen just as instruments of economic system, though any time women need convincing about the necessity of household work. The solution of this problem may be seen (at least from V. Lenin’s point of view) in involvement of women into social production. However, from my point

Generic Design and Construction Process Protocol (GCDPP)

Generic Design and Construction Process Protocol (GCDPP) 1.0 Introduction The construction industry is a large and complex industry comprising many types and sizes of organizations and a diverse range of professionals and other representative bodies. Consequently, the biggest problem is conflicts in the industry between both clients and contractors and the contractors and their sub contractors (Cooke and Williams, 2009). This most often is as a result of non-clarification of roles or breach of the contract procedures by one of the parties because of lack of communication and co-ordination. Poor productivity and quality within the industry have also been attributed to lack of advance management of the processes by both Latham (1994) and Egan (1998). Professional bodies have therefore introduced various plans of work as attempts to facilitates processes within the industry. In this report, the updated RIBA plan of work which was designed by British architects was employed to plan the execution of a project (CTG) from appraisal to completion. Alternative maps for the same project were produced using the Generic Design and Construction Process Protocol (GCDPP) which was developed in 1995 in other to identify the potential benefits and problems that might be encountered in the use of the process protocol. 2.0 Current plan of work 2.1 Context The Department of Business Innovation and Skills (DBIS) intends to construct a new project, Centre for Technology in Government (CTG), which is a 250,000 square feet facility built to house world class super computers and nuclear weapons design staff. The building site is located in Liverpool, UK and the allowed budget for the project is ÂÂ £50,000,000. The client had explicit goals and therefore appointed a cross-functional team from the start to translate the needs into a design brief. The cross-functional team, after the conceptual design stage, identified various functional and operational requirements (FORs) which were grouped by room type. These FORs became the basis for requests of proposals that resulted in design and build contract 2.2 Procurement method It is important to briefly explain the procurement method used to execute the CTG project because the procurement method and type of contract employed will have implications on the plan of work (Clamp et al, 2007 p 32). Single stage tender (assumption) design and build contract was used; the client, DBIS selected CTG to execute the project because of the business relationship they shared as well as the fact that, the constructor was needed at the design stage to give advice on the constructional method and buildability of the concepts. The client-led design ended at the conceptual stage (RIBA stage C) and the contractor was therefore provided with conceptual designs. 2.3 RIBA Plan of Work The Plan of Work (RIBA, 1997) was originally published in 1963 as a standard method of operation for the construction of buildings, and it has become widely accepted as the operational model throughout the building industry (Kagioglou et al, 1998). It was developed from the view point of the architect to provide a frame work for a standardised method of operation for the design, construction and management of buildings (Poon et al, 2003). This plan of work was developed to meet the needs of the traditional forms of contract and breaks down the entire construction into 5 key stages. There key stages are further broken down into 11 sub-processes as shown below 2.4 RIBA plan of work in GC Ltd There is, however, a slight variation to the work stages primarily because of the procurement method (Design and Build) used. This is because the cross functional team assembled by the client produces conceptual designs that were grouped into FORs which formed the basis of the request for proposals. Detailed designs (RIBA stage D) and technical designs stage (RIBA stage E) were produced by the contractor before tender action while production information stage (RIBA stage F) proceeded after mobilisation stage (RIBA stage J). Figure 2.1 shows the plan of work used in executing the project from the perspective of the constructors which is seen to differ slightly from the plan of work in appendix 1 Figure 2.1 Adoption of RIBA plan of work for Contractor Appendix 2 shows the detailed mapping of each of the above sub processes. 2.4.1 Preparation As a constructor, the first stage of involvement was to review the employers (Department for business innovation and skills) conceptual requirement that has already been identified with the cross-functional team. The constructor (GG ltd) receives the conceptual brief containing the FORs by room type and also confirming key requirements and constraints as well as the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations. The in-house quality management procedures that will be applied on the project is determined. These culminate into the contractors brief. Since GC ltd already has an in- house design team, they assist in the preparation of the contractors brief. The construction company at this stage appoints one of its in-house staff to act as the CDM co-ordinator. During the review, some questions may arise, especially concerning site conditions and operational hazards. It is the responsibility of the contractor to provide all such information to the design team and the CDM co-ordinator. The design team advises on the need for additional consultants for the project. Documents that will accompany the tender submission are identified and the pre-tender programme drawn up. This process in mapped out in detail in appendix 2. 2.4.2 Design development Once the conceptual designs are fully reviewed and understood by the contractor and his team, he authorizes the final layouts. The design team then develops the project brief into developed designs including, the structural elements, the services systems and the general architectural layout. The initial cost plan is updated and the CDM co-ordinator ensures that all health and safety regulation have been considered at this stage. 2.4.3 Technical design This is the last stage of design development before production information is prepared. The detailed designs are produced and all approvals obtained including that of building regulations. The health and safety file is updated by the CDM co-ordinator and the cost plans and cash flows also updated by the quantity surveyor. The stage D report will form the basis of the tender documents. This process in mapped out in detail in appendix 2. 2.4.5 Tender action Once the detailed developments are obtained, the contractor with the CDM co-ordinator prepares the draft initial construction phase plan. The quantity surveyor advises on the preliminaries, the contingencies and the work sequences and proceeds to prepare the contract sum analysis. The CDM co-ordinator, the quantity surveyor and the other design team members contribute to the stage report prepared by the lead consultant. The report includes all the documents intended to be used for tendering. The contractor checks the report to ensure compliance and the tender documents are submitted. The submitted tender documents are evaluated by the employers agent and any queries responded to by the contractor and his team. Once the contract is awarded to the winning firm (GC Ltd), there is negotiation between the employers agent and the contractor before final adjustments are agreed. 2.4.6 Mobilization The employers agent confirms to the client that the contractor (GC ltd) has been duly selected. The contractor is then appointed and the tender documents become the contract documents with certified copies sent to the contractor. His insurances for the project are checked by the employers agent. The site is handed over the contractor and he proceeds to develop his initial construction phase plan with his team and the CDM co-ordinator. Statutory approvals and other detailed planning permission are also obtained. 2.4.7 Production Information The final proposals are translated into precise technical instruction for pricing and construction purposes, which is the preparation of detailed drawings, schedules and specifications. The health and safety file is finally updated by the CDM co-ordinator. The contractor, the design team the quantity surveyor and the CDM co-ordinator reviews all process to ensure compliance with brief and procedures. 2.4.8 Construction This is where actual construction of the CTG building takes place in accordance with contract agreements. Further information is supplied to the contractor as and when deemed necessary. At this stage the contractor, his team and sub contractors are typically involved. 2.4.9 Rectification period After construction to practical completion, final inspections are done and the project is handed over. The contract document allows the contractor to be paid half the amount in the final certificate with the other half released after a predetermined period (6 months), defects liability period. Within which all faults and problems are corrected by the contractor. 2.5 Appraisal of RIBA in CTG project The RIBA plan of work was one of the first expressions of building process by members of the building team (Poon et al, 2003) and has been tried, tested and accepted. It has been widely adopted as the basis of calculating consultants fees as well as gives a vivid description of work stages (Clamp et al, 2007). Adopting design and build as procurement route while employing the RIBA plan of work in the CTG project resulted in hybrid process which improves the plan of work especially in the area of flexibility and eliminates sequential flows which, Sheath et al (1996) argues that, have caused problems of fragmentation and poor co-ordination between project team members. CTG, as a project that will house the designing and testing of nuclear weapons, it requires the involvement of all major stakeholders, as such the client, DBIS assembled a cross-functional team including the contractor, in order to better identify his needs and requirements and identify any possible constraints on development and eventually produce a holistic brief. The adoption of the cross-functional team approach had the advantage of improving co-ordination and communication from the design stage throughout to the project (Kagioglou et al, 1998). It was also necessary to involve the constructors early in the design phase in order to eliminate any claims and counter claims for costs, quality and time between the various parties of the contract (Gunaskaran and Love, 1998). This will ensure buildability and reduce the incident of rework and waste in the design process and construction process. Having established the cross-functional team, weekly meetings were held to review all aspec ts of the design. Since it is a single stage tender, it became the responsibility of the contractor to produce the developed designs and technical designs prior to tender action. In order to facilitate the continuous review of the design by the cross-functional team, the contractor broke the technical design into mini phases as follows; all layouts and setting outs, pile caps and ground beams, structural steel work, substructure, super structure, detailed security services and services systems. There were series of reviews and the final review was during the tender action. Once the contract was signed and mobilisation got underway, the production information was produced concurrently. Construction commenced immediately mobilisation is complete. Daily visits by the cross functional team ensured co-ordination and team work all through the construction. RIBA plan of work guarantees flexibility in the basic outline, in that it can be modified to suit any form of procurement used by simply re-arranging the sub processes (Clamp et al, 2007). The RIBA plan of work, 2007 appears to be very elaborate an simple to understand and use because it maps out the main process at the higher level indicating the sub processes and the outputs at each stage. The details of the sub processes can also be mapped out indicating the activities involved and the parties responsible for those activities. Finally the adoption of the design and build and employing a cross-functional team ensures better understanding of requirements, better translation to drawings, more effective and efficient construction process devoid of any conflicts and unnecessary variations eventually leading to a satisfied client and a satisfied contractor. In every building contract there is some degree of risk (Clamp et al, 2007). Balance of speculative risk will lie almost wholly with the CTG contractor in this project with the client bearing the conceptual risk which involves matters that are key to operational efficiency such as scheme. All the major disadvantages that have been associated with RIBA; linear fashion (Jamieson, 1997; Cooper et al, 2004), lack co-ordination and communication (Sheath at al 1996, Kagioglou et al, 1998), buildability issues and biasness towards the architect (Poon et al, 2003) have been catered for by the adoption of the design and build procurement system as well as the introduction of the cross functional team (including the contractor) at the very beginning of the CTG project. However there are still a number of issues that remains unresolved and primary among them is the absence of a mechanism to transfer all the knowledge that will be shared by the entire CTG project team to similar projects in the future because both success and failure can offer important lessons for the future (Kagioglou et al, 2000). Finally, throughout the entire project, subcontractor and suppliers are only involved from the mobilisation stage (RIBA J) 3.0 The Generic Design and Construction Process Protocol 3.1 Background The Generic Design and Construction Process Protocol (GDCPP) was funded by the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) under the Innovative Manufacturing Initiate (IMI) and undertook by the University of Salford with a leading number of industrial partners, including clients, architects, contractors, subcontractors, consultants, suppliers and IT specialists during 1995-98 (Lee et al, 2000). The main aim of this project was to develop a Generic Design and Construction Process Protocol for the construction industry by considering the lessons learnt through a number of decades in manufacturing New Product Development (NPD). This was achieved by comprehensive reviews of the construction and manufacturing industries, interactive workshops with the project industrial partners, case studies in the manufacturing and construction industry and other research and data collection tools and techniques (Aouad et al, 1999). There are eight key principles involved in process protocol for process as follows which are originated from manufacturing process. Whole Project view, a consistent Process, Progressive Design Fixity, Co ordination, Stakeholder Involvement team work, Feedback, Process Flexibility, Customisable Process. (www.processprotocol.com). The model identifies the various activities involved in the complete execution of the project as well as the responsible parties produced on a horizontal- X and vertical Y axis respectively resulting in a form of a responsibility matrix. The parties responsible for activity within each phase can be a single person, a firm or a complex network of people (depending on the size of the project) who have been grouped in to activity zones. Consequently, eight (8) activity zones have been identified by the model and are listed below Development Management Project Management Resource Management Design Management Production Management Facilities Management Health Safety, Statutory legal Management Process Management Change Management The design and construction process (X- axis) have been broken down into 10 distinct phases. These 10 phases are grouped into 4 broad stages: Pre-Project, Pre-Construction, Construction and Post-Construction. (www.processprotocol.com). These 4 stages are briefly explained below 3.2 Pre-Project Stage The Pre-Project Phases (0-3) relate to the strategic business considerations of any potential project which aims to address a clients need. Throughout the Pre-Project Phases the clients need is progressively defined and assessed with the aim of: Determining the need for a construction project solution, and Securing outline financial authority to proceed to the Pre-Construction Phases (Cooper et al, 2005 p 76) These phases have been mapped out in detail in appendix 4 Phase zero: Demonstrating the Need Phase one: Conception of Need Phase two: Outline Feasibility Phase three: Substantive Feasibility Study Outline Financial Authority 3.3 Pre-Construction Stage At this stage (4-6), the defined clients need is developed into an appropriate design solution through a logical sequence, with the aim of delivering approved production information (Cooper et al, 2005 p78) These phases are listed below have been mapped out in detail in appendix 4 Phase four: Outline Conceptual Design Phase five: Full Conceptual Design Phase six: Coordinated design, Procurement Full Financial Authority 3.4 Construction Stage The Construction Phases (7-8) is solely concerned with the production of the project solution. It is here that the full benefits of the co-ordination and communication earlier in the Process may be fully realised. Potentially, any changes in the clients requirements will be minimal, as the increased cost of change as the design progresses should be fully understood by the time on-site construction work begins (Cooper et al, 2005 p78). The phases involved are listed below. Refer to appendix 4 for detailed maps Phase seven: Production Information Phase eight: Construction 3.5 Post-Construction Stage Upon completion of the Construction Phase, the Process Protocol continues into the Post-Construction phases which aim to continually monitor and manage the maintenance needs of the constructed facility (Cooper et al, 2005 p 80). This is the last phase of the model Phase 9: Operation Maintenance 3.6 Gates There are gates (soft and hard) in between the phases mentioned above. Soft gates are review points during the process which require a decision to be made, but does not require the temporary overhaul of the whole project until a decision to proceed is made. They enable concurrency while hard gates are review points during the process which may require the temporary overhaul of the project until a decision to proceed is made. (www.processprotocol.com). 3.7 Applying the GDCPP to the CTG project The backgrounds of the construction parties are very variant and they therefore have varying skills, it is therefore critical that parties understand and appreciate the interdependence and responsibilities of one another (Poon et al, 2003). However contract-led restrictions of previous models have prevented the involvement of the various parties in the early stages of the project life (Cooper et al, 2005). The GDCPP aims to improve co-ordination of the entire design and construction process (Lee et al, 2000) and try to address the key areas of the process that have been identified for improvement. The first benefit of adopting the GDCPP in the CTG project in that, it extends the recognized construction industrys involvement beyond completion (cooper et al, 2005) and therefore covers the entire lifespan of the project as can be seen in appendices 3 and 4. This will increase the commitments of all parties to the contract especially the contactor and the sub contractors as they continue to bear some contractual risks within the project even after practical completion. Moreover, risk and value management starts right at the beginning of the project and runs through all the phases as can be seen in appendix 3 and in more detail in appendix 4. This has been absent from the RIBA plan of work. Since the client, the cross-functional team, contractors, subcontractors and suppliers are involved at an early stage, there will therefore be a complete identification of all possible risks and hence an early adoption of strategies to mitigate them. With a project of CTGs nature, variation of requirements at any stage will have serious cost implications on the project, as such the introduction of phase reviews (as can be seen on appendix 3) which aim at reviewing work in each phase and approving progress to the next stage while employing the hard or soft gates is an added advantage. This will assure high quality of work performance (Kagioglou et al, 1998). The backbone of the successful execution of the CTG project will be a good relationship between parties (Jamieson, 1997; Cooper et al, 2005). More often than not, problems have ranged from litigation, lack of trust, lack of communication and lack of knowledge sharing between parties as they have perhaps never worked together probably will never do again (Lee et al, 2000). Therefore the involvement of all stakeholders and using strategic partnering arrangements will allow involvement of all parties from the requirements capture phase as shown on appendix 3 and this fosters a te am environment and encourages appropriate and timely communication and decision making (Lee et al 2000) and because stakeholders are identified, their responsibilities will be explicitly identified. Feedback is an important concept which aims to regulate and improve performance (Poon et al, 2003). The inclusion of the legacy archive with the process protocol is an added advantage. It gives the players within the industry an opportunity to draw from the success or failures of past projects upon which the current or future projects. Furthermore, the adoption of standardised deliverables assist in smooth project delivery as every team knows what is to be produced and at what stage. This is the only way continuous improvement can be sustained. However, the first problem that will come to the mind of members of the construction industry is the extent of involvement of IT in the process. Poon et al (2003) argue that, apart from describing the activities in the map, it is also necessary to use multiple computing skills, which include electronic data interchange, artificial intelligence, integrated databases, inter/intranet application and document management systems in order to analyse activities. The whole set of activities might seem cumbersome and too complicated for non-computer literate users. The roles of the process management and change management activity zones seem to lean much toward the activities and roles of the project manager within the context of construction. Therefore, there could be conflict of responsibilities within these activity zones as they operate within the project. This is the case because of the fundamental difference between construction and manufacturing in relation to the product, the processes and the tracking of changes that occur. Though the process protocol is generic and has the advantage of flexibility, it is quite difficult to fit the protocol into an ongoing project because it has its own definitions and terminologies which could possibly result in confusion if blended with the terminology of the one going project. 4. 0 Production activities An activity is a well defined task in a project which usually requires a certain amount of time to complete and absorbs a portion of the projects financial budget (Waller, 2002). In the CTG project, there are many production activities, however, casting the foundation have been chosen for appraisal 4.1 Casting the foundation A cross functional process map shown in appendix 5 is used to depict how a typical foundation slab within the CTG project is cast indicating the processes cutting across several functions. According to the transformation theory, the emphasis is on the translation of the concrete into the foundation and slab (Koskela, 2000). However, in order to ensure the foundation is cast according to the drawings, checking/inspection is done intermittently as can be seen on the map, this brings us to the flow model: there are waiting, inspection and moving together with the transformations (Koskela, 2000). This is so because, once the formwork in place and the foundation is cast, it has to be inspected. As depicted on the map there are such inspections which involve, waiting and moving as the entire foundation is cast. The effect of these is the eventual extension to the time required to execute the particular operation. There are some non value-adding activities that are important, an example being the time allowed for the concrete to harden before the forms are struck and preparation of the excavated surfaces after excavation. There are other non-value adding activities that need to eliminate an example being the time spent in undertaking all these inspections. In order to improve the efficiency of this process, focus should be on the elimination to the non-value adding processes. 5.0 Conclusion The RIBA plan of work still has its advantage of simplicity and adaptability to various procurement methods. However the GDCPP proves to be more holistic in its approach towards customer satisfaction. The GDCPP is easily adopted in the CTG project primarily because of the size and complexity of the project. The cost that may be incurred through implementation of the protocol will be offset in the communication, co-ordination and team work which will eventually be created. This may however not be the case in relatively smaller projects. The introduction and sustenance of the protocol will fail due to poor process change within companies and will even fail more should managements try to adopt shortcuts by expecting individual workers to execute new working practices without training. Effective implementation and adoption of the protocol requires continuous training and education. This training needs to start from management level down to the last worker.

The Relationship Between John Proctor and Elizabeth in Arthur Millers

The Relationship Between John Proctor and Elizabeth in Arthur Miller's The Crucible The Crucible was written by Arthur Miller in 1952. It gives an insight into the terror of the Salem witch trials of 1692. Many innocent people were accused of witchcraft; plotting against God, killing people by using magic, taking over a person's mind and binding with the Devil. These were very religious times and any little hiccup in one's behaviour can give reason that one has been taking part in witchcraft. For example, John Proctor occasionally ploughs his field on a Sunday which is not strictly correct Christian behaviour and leads the prosecutors to think that Proctor is linked with the Devil. The Crucible is also a metaphor for McCarthyism in America in the 1950s. Many American people were questioned because they were suspected of being an, 'Un-American', or threatening the safety of the state. This questioning soon turned into a modern day witch-hunt. If anyone even criticised the government they were worthy to be questioned. In both cases the policy, 'guilty until proven innocent' seemed to apply, completely opposite to the justice system of today. In the beginning of Act II there is definite tension between Proctor and Elizabeth. Elizabeth's first line when she sees Proctor is, 'What keeps you so late? It's almost dark.' She does not greet him with warmth and love but with a hint of suspicion aroused from Proctor's recent affair with Abigail Williams. As the conversation carries on Elizabeth is very controlled with what she says. For example, Proctor says to her, 'Are you well today?' and she replies, 'I am.' It seems quite unnatural an... ... can't bring himself to confess to lies and when he heads off to be executed he exchanges a passionate kiss with Elizabeth. It shows the build up of emotion and an audience can see the strong love between the two of them. If you were to only see an extract from Act II you would think that Elizabeth and Proctor were an unloving and broken couple. But now their interactions are completely different, they show love, need and compassion for each other. The final line, said by Elizabeth, is, 'He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him.' She knows he is a good man and that he is doing the right thing for himself. Although they have to part, at least their relationship has been healed and Proctor can die knowing that Elizabeth loves him and has forgiven him; and Elizabeth knows that Proctor still loves her.

Society at Home

Bonnie Fellhoelter Paola Brown English 102 17 March 2008 Argument Paper â€Å"Are you hot? Are you cold? Are you wearing that? Where’s your books and your lunch and your homework at? Grab your coat and your gloves and your scarf and hat. Don’t forget; you got to feed the cat! † (1) Anita Renfroe wrote these catchy words for the song â€Å"Momisms†, sung to the familiar tune of the William Tell Overture. Her words best describe a typical day of mayhem through the eyes of a mother. Mothers who stay at home know that at times, their lives can be discombobulating. Despite the chaos, stay-at-home mothers get the tremendous responsibility of only having one chance of raising their children in such a way that makes a difference in their children’s lives and in society. Throughout history, society has looked upon the male as the breadwinner: the one expected to work and support the family. The mother has been viewed as the nurturer: the one to stay home and raise the children. During the 1960’s, women wanted more rights, power, and the ability to get higher paying jobs. Women were given this right so they expressed this new found freedom by going to work outside of the home. As women sought employment, their children were left to the care of babysitters and day care workers. Because society has redefined the role of a mother to be one who is an important element in the workforce, the loss of the mother in the home has led to the Fellhoelter 2 decline of the family unit, and thus, to society. This forfeiture has created a generation for whom social morals and values are not as important as they once were. Perhaps this is due to a working mother being absent from the home where she is unable to personally instill these ethical standards in her children, thus leaving her children to receive their value system from strangers. â€Å"Society truly does begin at home†, asserts Sibyl Niemann, so, in order to return to a culture with better morals and values, the importance of the role of the stay at home mother should be restored. (2) In this way, stay at home mothers can improve society. It is disappointing when mothers are devalued for staying at home to raise their children. Richard Lowry states, â€Å"There is something valuable in a mother’s caring for her own child. † (4) In general, no one can take care of your child in the same way his or her mother would. A mother’s care is usually superior to daycare since she naturally wants what is best for her child. â€Å"According to a non-partisan Public Agenda survey in 2000, roughly 80 percent of parents with children five and younger say a stay-at-home parent is best able to give children the â€Å"affection and attention they need. †Ã¢â‚¬  (qtd. n Lowry 4) A mother’s individual care can also curb the aggression that is evident in day care centers. â€Å"A study done by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), reports that, kids in non-maternal care tend to be associated with qualities such as â€Å"gets in lots of fights,† â€Å"cruelty,† â€Å"explosive behavior,† â€Å"talking too much,† â€Å"argues a lot,à ¢â‚¬  and â€Å"demands a lot of attention. †Ã¢â‚¬  (qtd. in Lowry 1) Teachers who work in a preschool environment, like my daughter, are frustrated with how badly the children usually behave. Workers in day care are governed by strict rules which prevent Fellhoelter 3 disciplining children the way one can do at home. This causes a disregard and loss of respect for others because many children grow up thinking they can do what they want. Today, many of the younger generation act like they are owed something. In the workplace, it is shocking to see the way they treat others with their degrading manners and think there is nothing wrong with their behavior. They also tend to have lazy work ethics and â€Å"cop an attitude† when asked to do anything extra. This makes it difficult for many employers to find hard working and respectful employees. It is important to note that not all children in daycare grow up to be aggressive and unproductive adults. Even though many women in the work force find raising children to be a very difficult task which leaves them feeling lonely and bored, they do a fine job of balancing their jobs with raising successful children. These women enjoy being able to show their children the advantages of working outside of the home. They are able to â€Å"teach their children how to be independent, inquisitive, and ambitious†, as well as â€Å"learn the value of personal fulfillment and goal setting. † (Karaim 1) Reed Karaim also proclaims that, â€Å"successful working mothers give their children one of the best gifts any parent can: the example of a life lived to its potential. † (3) I think that all of these examples are helpful in raising successful children, however, I believe a stay at home mom can also teach these same qualities in the home. I know this to be true because I was fortunate to remain at home and raise my children. I was the one who was the nurturer and demonstrated love and compassion to my children by hugging, cuddling, and kissing them. I was personally involved in teaching them throughout all the stages of development and shared in the joy of my children’s accomplishments. There is something special about hearing your child’s first word and watching them take their first Fellhoelter 4 step as they giggle with glee. I was able to mold my children’s character by instilling good values and morals that taught them to be independent and set goals for themselves, such as being on time for work and appointments. These attributes have helped to contribute to society in a positive way and leave me feeling as if I have done a good job. Despite the seemingly successful results of a stay at home mom’s efforts, â€Å"our culture no longer values the household supported by a sole breadwinner. † (Niemann 3) This is demonstrated by the many women who currently do work outside of the home because they feel the need to contribute to their families’ well being. According to Niemann, â€Å"everything—from buying a house to applying for a college loan for one’s son or daughter—seems structured around the two income family. (3) A household that has a dual income helps â€Å"boost many families into middle class. †, says Karaim. (2) This allows their children to experience the comforts, options for education and opportunities that they might otherwise not have had. As tempting as this extra income may be, couples should be careful that this does not impact t heir relationship as husband and wife. When spouses compete for power in the workforce and then return home too tired to deal with the many needs of their children, the harmony of the family unit can suffer. This is because husbands often feel threatened by the success of their wives. Steven Rhoads claims that â€Å"men are more likely to divorce women who are ambitious. † (5) Lowry explains that â€Å"just the specter of divorce creates a kind of intra-marital arms race. The wife works to hedge against getting abandoned, but her very act of working, research shows, makes it more likely that the marriage will fail—a dismaying downward spiral. † (3) Since divorces negatively impact society, we should refocus on preserving marriage and on strengthening the family unit. Fellhoelter 5 When men and women are happy and comfortable in their roles as the fatherbreadwinner, and mother-caregiver, marriages can thrive. Women who do remain at home should not hide behind their children or husbands but instead should be proud of their role. They should be vocal about how productive they are with their children and family. This allows working women and men to see and appreciate the importance of the role of a stay at home mom. Perhaps they will see for themselves the advantages of remaining at home and raising their children. According to Lowry, â€Å"most women would like to stay home and care for their children, but society pressures them into believing that a career is more important than family. † (1) Unless some changes are made, the family unit will continue to decline. Less time spent with children building character increases the risk for disregarding and disrespecting others. The current attitudes of â€Å"you owe me†, â€Å"I deserve it†, as well as â€Å"it is all about me† will probably continue to get worse. Even though being a stay-at-home mom may have periods of loneliness, boredom, frustration, and feelings of futility, the rewards of being personally involved with raising one’s own children greatly outweigh the negatives. One of the greatest accomplishments in life is being a stay-at-home mom where one can teach and model good behavior and moral fortitude. By emulating these morals and values, children enter into adulthood with the necessary tools needed to produce a successful society. As tough as this unpaid task may be, this self-sacrifice of staying at home to raise ones’ children can be the most society enhancing job a woman can do.

The Best SAT and ACT Test Dates for Senior Fall

The Best SAT and ACT Test Dates for Senior Fall SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Senior year is coming up, and you're ready to take a last shot at the SAT or ACT before applying to college. But when should you take the test? And how can you ensure that your scores make it to colleges on time? Read on to see a list of the fall and winter test dates as well as a detailed guide onhow to choose the best date for your situation. First Up: Make Sure You Have the Right Target Score Make sure that you know what score you need for the schools you're applying to. Read our guide on figuring out what score you need for the SAT and for the ACT. Test Dates and Deadlines for Seniors PrepScholar uses analysis of historical data and date selection principles to project these registration deadlines. The official registration deadlines for the 2019-20 school year haven't been released by the College Board and the ACT yet, but the test dates themselves are definitively based on official predicted schedules. SAT Test Dates August 24 Regular registration deadline: July 26 Late registration deadline: August 14 October 5 Regular registration deadline: September 6 Late registration deadline: September 25 November 2 Regular registration deadline: October 4Late registration deadline: October 23 December 7 Regular registration deadline: November 8Late registration deadline: November 26 ACT Test Dates July 13 Regular registration deadline: June 14Late registration deadline: June 24 September 7 Regular registration deadline: August 9Late registration deadline: August 25 October 26 Regular registration deadline: September 27Late registration deadline: October 13 December 7 Regular registration deadline: November 1Late registration deadline: November 18 February 8, 2020 Regular registration deadline: January 10Late registration deadline: January 17 These are just dates that are most relevant to seniorscheck out our full list of 2018-2019 test dates here. Want to learn more about the SAT but tired of reading blog articles? Then you'll love our free, SAT prep livestreams. Designed and led by PrepScholar SAT experts, these live video events are a great resource for students and parents looking to learn more about the SAT and SAT prep. Click on the button below to register for one of our livestreams today! Which Test Dates Should I Pick? Your decision should be based on a few different factors;college application deadlines and score goals are the most important. In general, try and go for the earlier dates to reduce stress! Choosing the Best Test Date for Your College Applications Before you settle on a testing date, make sure you know the application deadlines for your schools.If you are applying Early Decision or Early Action, most colleges have November application deadlines. If you are applying regular decision, applications are usually due in early January. Schools often accept SAT and ACT scores after application deadlines, but to verify this you should look up policies at the specific schools where you are planning on submitting scores. Harvard, for example, advises you to submit at least one component of its testing requirements (SAT, ACT, or two SAT subject tests) by October for Early Action and November for regular decision. However, they will continue to accept results from test dates as late as November for Early Action and as late as January for regular decision. There are some schools, including Yale, that will even accept scores from regular decision applicants on tests taken as late as February (for the ACT). As a general rule, if you are applying Early Action or Early Decision, the latest you should take the SAT is November 5, and the latest you should take the ACT is October 22.If you are applying regular decision, the latest you should take the SAT is January 28, and the latest you should take the ACT is February 11. Again, these are the LATEST dates you might take the tests - they may not be the best dates for your situation. If you wait for your results before sending scores to colleges rather than choosing to send scores the day of the test, you will end up with about a month between when you take the test and when colleges receive your scores.The ACT takes around two weeks to give you your scores, and theSAT takes around three weeks.Then it’s another two weeks or so to send the scores to your schools unless you use Rush Reporting. Rush Reportingsends your scores to colleges within two business days, but it will cost you almost three times the fee associated with a regular score report ($31 vs. $11.25), and some schools don't accept it. Make sure you're aware of how late your schools will accept SAT and ACT scores if your scores won’t make it there by the application deadline. How the College Board apparently sends your scores, am I right? Choosing the Best Test Date for Your Score Goals Whether or not you're planning on taking the SAT or ACT more than once this year, my advice is toaim for the first fall test date. That's October 1 for the SAT and September 10 for the ACT. Then, you can formulate a game plan for the rest of the year based on your performance. I Took the October SAT, Now What? The most important considerations for you to plan your testing strategy are: 1) whether you can even register for the next test date, and 2) whether you can avoid late fees. Generally speaking, the registration deadlines are packed so tightly that if you don't register for the next test right before you get your scores back, you're going to run into late fees. Here's a chart that shows how this will play out: Which Test? Test Date Deadline Late Deadline Score Release SAT Oct 5, 2019 Sep 6, 2019 Sep 25, 2019 Oct 25, 2019 SAT Nov 2, 2019 Oct 4, 2019 Oct 23, 2019 Nov 22, 2019 SAT Dec 7, 2019 Nov 8, 2019 Nov 22, 2019 Dec 27, 2019 For example: October's test date is October 5, and test scores should come out around October 25. November's normal registration deadline is October 4, and its late registration deadline is October 23. Therefore: If you're sure you want to take both October and November tests, register for the November test before you take the October test on October 1 to avoid late fees. If you take the October test and have not registered for the November test,wait for your scores to arrive. If they're not good, register for the November test immediately so you don't miss the late registration deadline. November and December are even tighter: If you're sure you want to take both November and December test dates, register for the December test before you take the November test on November 3 to avoid late fees. November scores should come out November 22. The late registration deadline for December is November 22. Thus, you cannot wait to receive your November scores before registering for the December test. If you take the November test and feel like you did poorly, immediately register for the December test for your last chance. If the extra fees are not significant to you, and you feel like you need many chances to take the test, err on the side of caution and register for all the test dates. You can cancel your test dates without any issueit won't go on your record and the College Board will gladly just take your money. I Took the September ACT, Now What? Let's go through the same logic for ACT test dates in 2018-19 here. Which Test? Test Date Deadline Late Deadline Score Release ACT Sept 7, 2019 Aug 9, 2019 Aug 25, 2019 Sept 17, 2019 ACT Oct 26, 2019 Sept 27, 2019 Oct 13, 2019 Nov 12, 2019 ACT Dec 7, 2019 Nov 1, 2019 Nov 18, 2019 Dec 17, 2019 If you take the September test: the normal registration deadline for the October test is September 27. This is after the September test date of September 8, 2018. Therefore, if you take the September test and don't feel good about it, before you get your scores back, register for the October test to avoid late fees. when you get your September scores back on September 17, if you need to retake, quickly register for the October test to avoid a late fee. If you take the October test: the normal registration deadline for the December test is November 1. This isafter the October test date of October 27, 2018. Therefore, if you take the October test and don't feel good about it, before you get your scores back, register for the December test to avoid late fees. when you get your October scores back on November 12, if you need to retake, quickly register for the December test with a late fee. Hopefully all of this helps you plan out the step by step testing plan for senior year. Choosing the Best Test Date for Your Study Plan By the end of your junior year, you probably know how much you are looking to improve on standardized tests before you send scores to colleges. The summer between junior and senior year is a great studying opportunity. If you are hoping to dramatically change your scores, putting in 5 hours a week for those three months is likely to give you a 150-200 point boost on the SAT or a 4-6 point boost on the ACT.For more advice on creating a study plan, check out our Complete Plans for both the SAT and ACT. You should register for the first fall test date even if you think you still need to study more. Every test session presents a unique opportunity to assess your strengths and weaknesses in a controlled environment.You can always sign up for the next date right away if the first test doesn't go as well as you hoped! Make sure you save time outside of studying to engage in fun summer activities, which apparently at some point in history included walking along depressing beaches in wildly impractical dresses. Overview Be aware of your application deadlines. Check with your schools to see when they accept test scores. Be prepared to sign up for the test again if you aren’t satisfied the first time. The earlier test date is the better test datebecause you will have more opportunities later on to improve your scores! What's Next? Find out which exact dates you want to choose with our Table of 2016-2017 SAT Test Dates. Check out this article if you're wondering how many times you should take the SAT overall.Or, take a look at this advice if you're just debating whether you should retake the ACT or SAT. Still need to take your SAT subject tests? Here are some upcoming dates and advice on which ones you should choose. 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:

The Sailmaker review Essay Example

The Sailmaker review Essay Example The Sailmaker review Essay The Sailmaker review Essay These were the optimistic and boastful words of a young boy who was proud of his father and his trade but throughout the play Alecs faith in his father was dwindling down to nothing and by the end of the play it was all but diminished when he summed up his feelings and his fathers life perfectly You were always gonnae fix it up for me. Ye just never did. The play centres around the relationship between a widower named Davie and his son Alec. In the opening scene of the play Davie returns home from the hospital with the dreadful news that his wife was dead. The news broke Alec but he would recover and get on with his life but this was the beginning of the end for Davie, for just weeks before he had been laid off from his job as a sailmaker because there was just no work left in the trade. Davies only way of supporting himself and Alec financially was his job as a tick man going round doors and collecting money, but on the side Davie was a very keen betting man and had several lines on each week, often spending the best part of his weeks wages on them. Davies job alone couldnt suffice his son and his gambling needs, so he soon became buried in debt with both the illegal bookmaker and his brother Billy. With his father being away at work most of the day and then going for his daily wee half at the pub afterwards, Alec was having to become more and more independent just to get through the times. He began to develop a close friendship with his cousin Ian and along with using each other as sparring partners they done pretty much everything together. They seemed joined-at-the-hip as children, always out on the street playing football and reading comics together, but as they grew up, they also grew further apart and began to share less of a common ground with each other. For example Alec decided that he wanted to stay on at school, get good grades, go to university and get a shirt-and-tie job, whereas Ian wanted to drop out of school as soon as he could and follow his father, Billy, into the painting and decorating business. At night when Ian and his friends were out in the streets kicking over bins, smashing bottles, getting chased out of the area with the locals and generally causing havoc Alec was going to Christian Endeavour and the local mission to learn about the god. This showed that Alec was independent and had the will power to do the things that he wanted to do and that were best for him. He also showed that he had a great deal of character, as he didnt succumb to peer pressure from going to different organisations and doing the complete opposite from his friends. By going to all these Christian related activities it appeared that Alec was trying to fill a space in his life with religion. Meanwhile Davies life was going from bad to worse because he got a beating from the illegal bookmakers heavies and subsequently got sacked from his job as a tickman because of it. From this point on I got the impression that Davie just didnt care anymore and that his easy laid back attitude towards life, i. e. First thing themorra morning or Dont worry son. Well work it out, started to affect his relationship with Alec. He constantly put things off until the next day, and then the next day and then they still never got done. A key example of this was the story of Alecs toy yacht, which despite Davies endless promises never gets fixed. Alec had only asked for his father to make a sail for it but the answer was always Ahll fix it up when av got the time or Just wait and see. One day when his Uncle Billy was round at his house, Alec asked him if he could paint the yacht for him. Billy took it away that day and had it back and painted for him within a couple of days. This only highlights the differences in character between Davie and Billy. Billy knew that betting wasnt the way to get through life, it was always his tough optimism and hard work that got him and his family through, whilst it was Davies nonchalant and pessimistic attitude that had turned his life into ruins. To be fair to Davie he had backed a loser right fae the start with the sailmaking trade, with collapsed only months after he received his apprenticeship. Davie was an exceptionally unlucky man, everything he touched turned to waste. During the play his wife died, he had been made redundant from three different jobs, he got tangled up in debt, he was attacked and his relationship with Alec had failed severely. This rejection and overall bad luck must have crushed his confidence and he now thought that he was defeated before he had even begun. In the very last scene of the play, Davie and Alec have to resort to burning half their belongings one night in an attempt to stop themselves from freezing because Davie had gambled with the money to pay for coal and electricity. Whilst Alec was rummaging around the house looking for firewood he stumbled across his old toy yacht buried deep in the glory hole. He sat it to the side and continued burning everything else until they eventually ran out. In a way Alec didnt want to burn the yacht because still liked it but on-the-other-hand he knew he had to burn it to rid himself from his sad memories. So when the last piece of furniture had burned down, Alec wedged the yacht right in the centre of the fire. The fames begun lick around it and in the end he finally got what he had waited his whole life for, his little toy yacht had a sail, only it had a sail of flames.

Costco Wholesale Corporation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Costco Wholesale Corporation - Essay Example As the discussion highlights even in the uncertain economic condition of 2010, Costco’s sales was 76.3 billion USD which was 9% more compared to 2009 (69.9 billion USD). Costco had tackled the recent financial crisis very effectively and had strong financial position at that time. The case will analyze the effectiveness of Costco’s strategy in achieving huge success in the retail industry. Because of the effective strategy, at present Costco has become one of the leading players and a strong competitor in the market of the USA. The basic assumption of this case study is to evaluate if the strategy of Costco is operative or not. From this paper it is clear that Costco has unique business model as compared to other competitors and it endeavors to bring on certain new aspects in the retail field. The wholesale risk-taking capability has incessantly reinvented Costco and provided the organization a competitive advantage. By the durable perseverance on the highest superiority to earn revenue, Costco has certainly gained the faith of the associates. The faith and status of Costco has permitted the company to enlarge its business. Besides, the wholesale consumer products have also contributed to the success of Costco. Costco’s business model was made on the basis of minimizing the costs and improving the care for the customers and employees . Â  Immigrant Perspective: Costco always tries to stay positive towards the cultural perception by incessantly viewing and grabbing opportunities which are ignored by other organizations. At times, other organizations are reluctant to grab those opportunities when the market condition is not in favor of them. Circular Visualization: Costco had visualized the economic recession and was aware about the changes in retail sector. When Wal-Mart’s cost leadership strategy forced numerous retail companies to make business relationships, Costco’s circular visualization had helped the company to reorganize a new retail distribution channel.

Article Title Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Article Title - Essay Example The article reveals three separate research studies conducted to track the origins of cancer cells in the brain, gut and skin using genetic markers as labels. The studies conducted by Luis Parada and Hans Clevers on brain and gut cancers respectively used genetic labels to mark healthy adult stem cells which had the potential to develop into tumors and analyzed whether the newly formed cancer cells contained the same labels as their predecessors. In the experiment conducted by Parada on glioblastoma, the tumors also contained some unlabelled cells which had also originated from the labeled cells which relapsed following chemotherapy. However, when the labeled cells were targeted using chemotherapy the glioblastoma underwent significant shrinkage. Clevers and his team used drug-inducible genetic markers which when activated caused the cells carrying the marker to fluoresce in one of the four colors. When a second dose of the drug was injected the initially fluorescing cells gave rise to a new set of cells that fluoresced with a different color thus supporting the hypothesis that cancer stem cells give rise to new tumor cells. In the experiment involving the skin tumor conducted by Cedric Blanpain, individual tumor cells were labeled and when tracked these either gave rise to a small cell lineage before diminishing or continued to produce more cells. Thus the study provided a strong experimental evidence for the existence of cancer stem cells and further research involved relating these tracked cells with those of the putative cells which have been found from transplantation studies. The photosynthetic ability of aphids using the carotenoid pigment which they synthesize is explored in the Nature article, â€Å"Photosynthesis-like process found in insects†. Aphids and another possible creature namely the two-spotted