Nautilus Facts

Nautilus Facts The chambered nautilus (Nautilus pompilius) is a large, mobile cephalopod which is called a living fossil and has been the subject of poetry, artwork, math, and jewelry. They have even inspired the names of submarines and exercise equipment. These animals have been around for about 500 million years- even before the dinosaurs. Fast Facts: Chambered Nautilus Scientific Name: Nautilus pompiliusCommon Name: Chambered nautilusBasic Animal Group: InvertebrateSize: 8–10 inches in diameterWeight: Maximum of 2.8 poundsLifespan: 15–20 yearsDiet:  CarnivoreHabitat: Oceans in the Indo-Pacific regionConservation Status: Not Evaluated Description Nautiluses are invertebrates, cephalopods, and mollusks related to octopus, cuttlefish, and squid. Of all the cephalopods, nautiluses are the only animal to have a visible shell. The shell is not only beautiful, but it also provides protection. The nautilus can withdraw into the shell and seal it closed with a fleshy trapdoor called a hood. Nautilus shells can reach up to 8–10 inches in diameter. They are white on the underside with brown stripes on its upper side. This coloration helps  the nautilus blend into its surroundings. The shell of an adult nautilus contains over 30 chambers which form as the nautilus grows, following a genetically-hardwired shape known as a logarithmic spiral.  The nautiluss soft body is located in the largest, outermost chamber; the remainder of the chambers are ballast tanks that help the nautilus maintain buoyancy. When a nautilus approaches the surface, its chambers fill with gas. A duct called the siphuncle connects the chambers so that, when necessary, the nautilus can flood the chambers with water to make itself sink again. This water enters the mantle cavity and is expelled through a siphon. Chambered nautiluses have many more tentacles  than their squid, octopus and cuttlefish relatives. They have about 90 thin tentacles, which do not have suckers. Squid and cuttlefish have two and octopus have none. Geoff Brightling/Dorling Kindersley/Getty Images Species These several species are in the Nautilidae family, including five species in the genus Nautilus (Nautilus belauensis, N. macromphalus, N. pompilius, N. repertus, and N. stenomphelus) and two species in the genus Allonautilus (Allonautilus perforatus and A.  scrobiculatus). The largest of the species is N. repertus (the emperor nautilus), with a shell measuring from 8 to 10 inches in diameter and soft body parts weighing nearly 2.8 pounds. The smallest is the bellybutton nautilus (N. macromphalus), which only grows 6–7 inches. ​ Allonautilus was recently  re-discovered  in the South Pacific after thought extinct for some 30 years. These animals have a distinctive, fuzzy-looking shell.   Habitat and Distribution Nautilus pompilius is only found in the dimly lit tropical and warm temperate waters of the Indo-Pacific region in southeast Asia and Australia. It is the most widespread of any of the nautiluses and like most of the species, it spends most of the day at depths up to 2,300 feet. At night it migrates slowly up the coral reef slopes to forage for food at about 250 feet deep. Diet and Behavior Nautiluses are primarily scavengers of dead crustaceans, fish, and other organisms, even other nautiluses. However, they do prey on (living) hermit crabs and dig in the soft sediments of the sea floor for small prey pieces. Nautiluses have poor vision with two large but primitive pinhole eyes. Under each eye is a fleshy papilla about a tenth of an inch long called a rhinophore that the nautilus uses to detect its prey. When a dead fish or crustacean is detected by the nautilus, it extends its thin tentacles and swims towards the prey.  The nautilus grips the prey with its tentacles and then rips it into shreds with their beak before passing it to the radula. A nautilus moves by jet propulsion. Water enters the mantle cavity and  is forced out the siphon to propel the nautilus backward, forward, or sideways. Reproduction and Offspring With a lifespan of 15–20 years, nautiluses are the longest-living cephalopods. They take from10 to more than 15 years to become sexually mature. Nautiluses must move into warmer tropical waters to mate, and then they mate sexually when the male transfers his sperm packet to the female using a modified tentacle called a spadix. The female produces between 10 and 20 eggs each year, laying them one at a time, a process that may last throughout the year. It can take up to a year for the eggs to hatch.   Richard Merritt FRPS/Moment/Getty Images Evolutionary History Long before dinosaurs roamed the Earth, giant cephalopods swam in the sea.  The nautilus is the oldest cephalopod ancestor. It hasnt changed much over the last 500 million years, hence the name living fossil.   At first, prehistoric nautiloids had straight shells, but these evolved into a coiled shape. Prehistoric nautiluses had shells up to 10 feet in size. They dominated the seas, as fish hadnt yet evolved to compete with them for prey.  The nautiluss main prey was likely a type of arthropod called the trilobite. Threats None of the nautiluses are listed as threatened or endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). However, ongoing threats to nautiluses are recognized, including over-harvesting, habitat loss, and climate change.  One climate change-related issue is ocean acidification, which affects the nautiluss ability to build its calcium carbonate-based shell. Nautilus populations in some areas (such as in the Philippines) are declining due to over-fishing.  Nautiluses are caught in baited traps to be sold as live specimens, meat, and shells. Shells are used to make handicrafts, buttons, and jewelry, while the meat is consumed and live animals are collected for aquariums and scientific research.  According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, more than half a  million nautiluses  were  imported into the U.S. from 2005–2008.   Intensive nautilus fisheries are short-lived and devastating to local populations. Within about a decade or two, the locations become commercially nonviable. Nautiluses are especially vulnerable to over-fishing due to their slow development and reproduction rates. Populations also seem to be isolated, with little gene flow between populations and less able to recover from a loss. Although the IUCN has not yet reviewed nautilus for inclusion on the Red List due to lack of data, in January 2017, the entire family of chambered nautiluses (Nautilidae) was listed in the U.S. CITES Appendix II. This means that CITES documentation will be required for import and re-export of these species and items made from them.   Saving the Nautilus To help nautiluses, you can support nautilus research and avoid purchasing products made of a nautilus shell.  These include the shells  themselves as well as pearls and other jewelry made from the nacre from the nautiluss shell.   Westend61/Westend61/Getty Images Sources Aquarium of the Pacific.  Chambered Nautilus.Barord, Gregory J., et al. Comparative Population Assessments of Nautilus Sp. In the Philippines, Australia, Fiji, and American Samoa Using Baited Remote Underwater Video Systems. PLOS One 9.6 (2014): e100799. Print.Broad, William J. Loving the Chambered Nautilus to Death. The New York Times, October 24, 2011.Chambered nautilus. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service International Affairs, 2017.  Daw, Adam and Gregory J. Barord. Aquarium Science: Husbandry of the Nautilus: Aspects of its Biology, Behavior, and Care. Tropical Fish Hobbyist Magazine, 2007.  Dunstan, Andrew J., Peter D. Ward, and N. Justin Marshall. Vertical Distribution and Migration Patterns of Nautilus Pompilius. PLOS One 6.2 (2011): e16311. Print.Jereb, P., and C. F. E. Robert, eds. Cephalopods of the World: An Annotated and Illustrated Catalogue of Cephalopod Species Known to Date. Vol. 1: Chambered nautiluses and sepioids (Nautilidae, Sepiidae, Sepiolidae, Sepiadariidae, Idiosepiidae and Spirulidae). Rome: Istituto Centrale per la Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica Applicata al Mare, 2005.   Platt, John R. Should We Stop Selling Nautilus Shells? Scientific American, June 12, 2014.Urton, James. Rare nautilus sighted for the first time in three decades. UW News, University of Washington, August 25, 2015.

Biography and Facts About Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon

Biography and Facts About Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon  was the daughter of the Scottish Lord Glamis, who became the 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, Elizabeth was educated at home. She was a descendant of the Scottish King, Robert the Bruce. Brought up to duty, she worked to nurse troops in World War I when her home was used as a hospital for the wounded. Life and Marriage In 1923, Elizabeth married the second son of George V, the shy and stuttering Prince Albert, after turning down his first two proposals. She was the first commoner to legally marry into the royal family in several centuries. Their daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret, were born in 1926 and 1930, respectively. In 1936, Alberts brother, King Edward VIII, abdicated to marry Wallis Simpson, a divorcee, and Albert was crowned King of Great Britain and Ireland as George VI. Elizabeth thus became queen consort and they were crowned May 12, 1937. Neither had expected these roles and while they fulfilled them dutifully, Elizabeth never forgave the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, the titles of Edward and his wife after the abdication and their marriage. When Elizabeth refused to leave England during the London Blitz in World War II, even enduring the bombing of Buckingham Palace, where she was residing with the king, her spirit was an inspiration to many who continued to hold her in high regard until her death. George VI died in 1952, and Elizabeth became known as the Queen Mother, or fondly as the Queen Mum, as their daughter, Elizabeth, became Queen Elizabeth II. Elizabeth as Queen Mother remained in the public eye, making appearances and remaining popular even through the many royal scandals, including her daughter Margarets romance with a divorced commoner, Capt. Peter Townsend, and her grandsons rocky marriages to Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson. She was especially close to her grandson, Prince Charles, born in 1948. Death In her later years, Elizabeth was plagued with ill health, though she continued to appear in public regularly until a few months before her death. In March of 2002, Elizabeth, the Queen Mum, died in her sleep at age 101, just weeks after her daughter, Princess Margaret, died at age 71. Her familys home, Glamis Castle, is perhaps most famous as the home of Macbeth of Shakespearean fame. Source: The Queen Mother: Chronicle of a Remarkable Life 1900-2000. 2000. Massingbred, Hugh. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother: Woman of the Century. 1999. Cornforth, John. Queen Elizabeth: The Queen Mother at Clarence House. 1999. De-la-Noy, Michael. The Queen Behind the Throne. 1994. Pimlott, Ben. The Queen: A Biography of Elizabeth II. 1997. Strober, Deborah Hart and Gerald S. Strober. The Monarchy: An Oral Biography of Elizabeth II. 2002. Botham, Noel. Margaret: The Last Real Princess. 2002.

Analyse the role of the Israel lobby in the conflict between Israel Essay

Analyse the role of the Israel lobby in the conflict between Israel and Palestinians - Essay Example The truth as examined from a political, social and historical perspective strongly favors the former view: that the Lobby has pressured, through various channels and organisations, a position that favors Israel over the Palestinians and has thus thwarted for years the peace effort in the region. As Massing bluntly asserts: At its core is the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which is ranked second after the National Rifle Association (along with the AARP) in the National Journal‘s 2005 listing of Washington’s most powerful lobbies. AIPAC, they write, serves as â€Å"a de facto agent for a foreign government.† The , they say, is also associated with Christian evangelicals such as Tom DeLay, Jerry Falwell, and Pat Robertson; neoconservatives both Jewish (Paul Wolfowitz, Bernard Lewis, and William Kristol) and gentile (John Bolton, William Bennett, and George Will); think tanks (the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, the American Enterprise In stitute, the Hudson Institute); and critics of the press such as the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America. (Massing, 2011: par. 1) The â€Å"Myth† of Influence It is important to realize that much of what has been currently published favors the notion that the Lobby, particularly in the United States, has controlled its foreign policy in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In light of this, it is important to present views that dismiss this notion before looking at the wealth of other information and opinions that do not. It is also important to remember that much of the defense comes from the Jewish community and government officials, just as some of the strongest in opposition comes from non-Jewish and Jewish alike, including a highly regarded social and political philosopher, Noam Chomsky. The reality of this may in itself reveal that opinions regarding the argument depend largely on the position of the interlocutor and whom or what he or she is strivin g to defend. It is interesting to note that former Secretary of State under Ronald Reagan, George P. Schultz’s defense of Israel is surprisingly emotional, surreptitiously alluding to the Holocaust, tying criticism to an anti-Semitic â€Å"catalog of lies†: Defaming the Jews by disputing their rightful place among the peoples of the world has been a long-running, well-documented, and disgraceful series of episodes across history. Again and again a time has come when legitimate criticism slips across an invisible line into what might be called the "badlands," a place where those who should be regarded as worthy adversaries in debate are turned into scapegoats, targets, all-purpose objects of blame. (Schultz, 2007: par. 1-2) Schultz’s apology is also surprisingly incoherent in that he uses the unworkable analogy that if the U.S., as the largest consumer of oil, was on anyone’s side, it would on that of the Arabs, who have all of the oil. (Schultz, 2007). Th is argument for anyone who understands the business side of oil and the history of the conflict knows that no Arab country has ever truly stepped up to defend the Palestinian cause or threatened an oil embargo on either the US or Britain for not properly defending the Palestinians. Historically, this has always been the case and has eliminated concerns on the part of

Capital Structure of CNG Travel Group PLC Case Study

Capital Structure of CNG Travel Group PLC - Case Study Example It is audited by KPMG LLP. The auditor's opinion states that the financial statements including the balance sheet and income statement as shown in here is unqualified. This is the best opinion that an auditor can give. The officers of the company are Chief Executive Officer and Director Finbarr Power (50 yrs old) and Chief Executive Officer of CNG USA, Inc., Director Zara Stassin (33 yrs old), Chief Executive Officer Director P.J.King (36 yrs old) and Secretary Brendan Delaney. The number of employees is around 130 more or less due to hiring and firing turnovers as of December 31, 2004. It has 63,089,690 outstanding shares as of December 31, 2004. Its stocks are traded in the SEA. Website (http://www.crmz.com/Report/ReportPreview.aspBusinessId=7116219) Other suitable alternative instruments, aside from offering its shares of stocks to the general public in a stock exchange, We can also invest our excess and idle money from the income generated from our successful travel and personal or EDP services is to transfer them to invest in foreign exchange. We can invest cash in a volatile currency like US dollar, Japanese Yen or Euro-Dollar among other currencies. When it is volatile that means there is constant increase or decrease in the dollar or other currency value. The general rule is we buy at "low" market price and sell it at a "higher" market price. We gain in foreign exchange transactions by this method. This is what is termed currency futures. When we want the currency delivered to us, in the FUTURE, then it will be delivered. We call this currency FUTURES trading. Other financial instruments that we can invest the excess or idle cash generated from daily gains in its travel and EDP services are a) investment in bonds. In here, loan money to another individual or company where you will be paid in the future. You earn interest income usually higher than the legal rate. You will be paid back both the principal or original amount that you loaned plus the additional interest income that earned for allowing the other party to use your idle cash in their pursuit of income generating options. You are a creditor in this type of financing service. In the present financial setup, the company capital or stocks are offered to the public at volatile stock market prices. The stockholder is a part owner of the business. Other financial instruments, but on a short or less than one year, the transaction is putting your money in Treasury bills. These are usually issued by the government to help generate much-needed funds for its daily operations of running the b usiness of nation-building. Another financial investment opportunity is to deposit them in banks to earn interest compounded daily.

Jhumpa Lahiri’s Interpreter of Maladies Essay Example for Free

Jhumpa Lahiri’s Interpreter of Maladies Essay The Third and Final Continent is the last short story in Jhumpa Lahiri’s Interpreter of Maladies; and is probably the most memorable one. A newly married young man makes his way from India to England and then to the US where he is making arrangements to call his wife from back home. Lahiri’s tone from the very beginning sounds distant, but equally engaging, her style is painfully simple; and the structure of the story is as clear as the title. Lahiri gives an account of one man’s journey through three different continents. The story becomes captivating from the very first paragraph. She describes the narrator’s experiences in England where he lives with other â€Å"penniless Bengali bachelors all struggling to educate and establish themselves abroad [1].†   But our protagonist is offered a job at M.I.T and decides to settle down in the U.S. Here is when the story truly picks up momentum. Even with her simple style, Lahiri has also employed a strong underlying sense of humor. On his way to America, the narrator discovers that â€Å"President Nixon had declared a national holiday: two American men had landed on the moon [1].† The line is almost comical; the narrator is most uninterested in one of the greatest achievements in American history. Lahiri succeeds in describing America through the eyes of a foreigner to a new land. The narrator’s experience in America is a totally alien. Lahiri describes the new life and world around him in great detail, giving long descriptions of the food, clothes and the general attitude of people. And then the story moves on to Mrs. Croft. The relationship that follows is humorous yet endearing and heart-warming. In fact, here is where Lahiri’s genius lies. Mrs. Croft and the narrator come from two different diverse cultures and lives, yet no culture, race or color seem to come in between their friendship. Lahiri also brings forward the custom of arranged marriages, largely prevalent in India. â€Å"I regarded the proposition with neither objection nor enthusiasm. It was a duty expected of me, as it was expected of every man [1].† Even though he does not know his wife when the two get married, they begin to understand each other slowly. In fact, their first moment of understanding is in Mrs. Croft’s parlor, where the old woman calls Mala â€Å"A perfect lady [1].† â€Å"I like to think of that moment in Mrs. Crofts parlor as the moment when the distance between Mala and me began to lessen [1].† The style and structure of Lahiri’s story are effortless and straight-forward. The words used too are simple. But it is exactly this simplicity which makes the story so close to life. The narrator’s tone is so disengaged from the story that it seems like a bland narration. Yet the events in that narration are so moving and heartening that it makes the reader feel like a part of the story. The forms a deep bond with his wife, initially, a complete stranger; and through the two the reader can see and experience the pain of losing one’s cultural identity and heritage. Their son is completely Americanized and has no interest in his Bengali roots. They wish that would â€Å"eat rice with us with his hands, and speak in Bengali, things we sometimes worry he will no longer do after we die [1].† Lahiri ends the story beautifully, describing the narrator’s journey through life in a few simple lines â€Å"Still, there are times I am bewildered by each mile I have travelled, each meal I have eaten, each person I have known, each room in which I have slept. As ordinary as it all appears, there are times when it is beyond my imagination [1].† Works Cited: Lahiri, Jhumpa, The third and final continent, retrieved from http://www.dequinix.com/a/continent.php

Edna Pontellier Essay -- essays papers

Edna Pontellier People shape the way they live their lives around the society they live in. It gives you walls that you can either shape your life with, or you can breakdown to make a mold of your own. The society Edna comes from pushes her to rebel against her life, try to live her own way inside the walls and then finally break free of the walls, wich leads to the termination of her character. Being born in a time that is not right for her, Edna tries to push the things that her society accepts. In her world it is normal for a husband to control the life of the life of his wife. It is not normal for a woman to leave her husband and keep a good name. Trapped by the standards set up for her, she knows that there is no easy way out. As much as she gives to her society she st...

Employee Handbook Privacy Section Essay

According to Connelly, Roberts, and McGivney, LLC (1998), â€Å"in today’s workplace computers and electronic communications are the norm rather than the exception† (p. 1). With technology, rapidly advancing electronic communication is becoming essential. This creates a challenge for organizations on how and what to monitor when it comes to its employees. This paper will address the issue of privacy in the global workplace and give suggestions on what privacy rights issues should be addressed, as well as what the company’s position should be in response to its privacy rights. Lastly, it will define how organizations privacy protections may limit the company’s liability and how privacy protections enhance employee motivation and productivity. Privacy Rights to be Addressed The majority of employees expect to have a certain amount of privacy in the workplace. Nevertheless, there are times where the employer may have a justifiable reason to monitor or investigate the employee’s within its organization. The following provides some business practices that may be imposed to assure the honesty of the organization and the employees within the organization. One privacy right that should be addressed is drug testing. Drug testing helps to ensure the safety of the workplace. According to Jankanish and Husbands (1993), â€Å"drug and alcohol testing programs should fit within existing arrangements for ensuring the quality of work life, employee rights, the safety, and security of the worksite, and employer rights and responsibilities (e.g. protection of the public interest)† (p. 105). The testing should ensure the worker’s rights and confidentiality of the results. Another issue to be addressed is background checks on potential new hires. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) has set guidelines and standards for organizations to follow when implementing a background check. According to Alison Doyle (nd), â€Å"the FCRA defines a background check as a consumer report. Before an employer can get a consumer report for employment purposes, they must notify you in writing and get your written authorization† (p. 1). Even if an employer is just running a basic check for inquiry purposes they must still get permission from the employee. The purpose of the background check is to ensure that information that was provided from the applicant is truthful, and some organizations require certain security clearances, or the individual may be applying for a position that works closely with children. The employer still needs to have permission from the applicant in ord er to run these background checks. Lastly, the employer needs to protect the privacy of employee personal information. According to Brian Koerner (nd), â€Å"twenty five percent of all identity thieves are known by the victim – whether it be a friend, relative, or co-worker† (p. 1). Employers need to take steps to keep personal information such as social security numbers, home addresses, and phone numbers safe. This information if obtained by the wrong person could lead to identity theft. Employers need to ensure that the appropriate steps are taken to keep employee information confidential. This can be done by utilizing an employee number rather than the employee’s social security number, make sure that personal information is not posted where it is easily accessible, only allowing acceptable personnel to handle confidential information, and dispose of information and documentation appropriately (about.com). Limiting Liability It is important that companies understand the different potential corporate and personal liability when preparing, planning, implementing or maintaining a n employee privacy handbook section. Companies must remain aware of potential issues that may need to be addressed in order to remain proactive and avoid liability pitfalls. There are many areas of potential liability an organization that includes negligence, liability under the privacy act, loss, or misuse of personal records, and criminal liability. In order to provide an organization with the most liability protection, they must be aware of what these liabilities are. Negligence is the failure to provide reasonable care, which result in damages to another person or company. If a company or organization does not take reasonable care to provide adequate protection for their employees or customers’ information and the employee or customer suffers damages, the organization may be legally responsible for the amount of loss suffered. In order to avoid negligence, organizations must be proactive and provide adequate security. The Privacy Act was created to ensure that companies are obligated to provide protection in ways that they retain, collect, use, and disclose personal information (Bushkin, p. 1). Companies covered by the Privacy Act are required to protect private and personal information they hold. Companies must avoid misuse and loss as well as unauthorized access. Whether it is physical protection or electronic protection, companies must provide a reasonable level of security. Companies who act negligent and cause excessive damages to individuals or customers may face criminal liability. Companies must act appropriately when dealing with private or personal information. Intentional misuse of personal or private information may result in criminal proceedings. Companies must take reasonable measure to ensure that the security systems in place adequately protect their employees and customer’s information. It is unlikely that an organization will be held responsible for information lost due to security attacks provided that they have acted reasonably in their attempts to protect the information (Givens, p. 1). Companies can face significant damages and a direct loss in business as well as liability to third parties if they do not proved the necessary security measures. By designing, developing and implementing a strong security policy as well as educating employees on how to handle private and personal information, companies can protect themselves and t heir employees from potential liabilities. It may be necessary for companies to audit their employees to ensure that information is not being misused. Addressing the laws required in the employee handbook regarding privacy will consist of the Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA). A PIA is an analysis of how information is handled: (1) to ensure handling conforms to applicable legal, regulatory, in addition, policy requirements regarding privacy, (2) to determine the risks and effects of collecting, maintaining, and disseminating information in identifiable form in an electronic information system, and (3) to examine and evaluate protections and alternative processes for handling information to mitigate potential privacy risks (September 26, 2003). When addressing the laws regarding privacy in the employee handbook the following processes will occur. Whenever any agency makes a determination under this section not to amend an individual’s record in accordance with his or her request, or fails to make such review in conformity; or fails to maintain any record concerning any individual with such accuracy, relevance, timeliness, and completeness as is necessary to assure fairness in any determination relating to the qualifications, character, rights, or opportunities of or benefits to the individual that may be made on the basis of such record, and consequently a determination is made which is adverse to the individual; or fails to comply with any other provision of this section, or any rule promulgated there under, in such a way as to have an adverse effect on an individual, the individual may bring a civil action against the agency, and the district courts of the United States shall have jurisdiction in the matters under the provisions of this section (September 26, 2003). The court may order the agency to amend the individual’s record in accordance with his request or in such other way as the court may direct. In such a case the court shall determine the matter de novo. The court may assess against the United States reasonable attorney fees and other litigation costs reasonably incurred in any case under this paragraph in which the complainant has substantially prevailed (September 26, 2003). The court may enjoin the agency from withholding the records and order the production to the complainant of any agency records improperly withheld from him (September 26, 2003.) In such a case the court shall determine the matter de novo, and may examine the contents of any agency records in camera to determine whether the records or any portion thereof may be withheld under any of the exemptions set forth in this section and the burden are on the agency to sustain its action (September 26, 2003). The court may assess against the United States reasonable a ttorney fees and other litigation costs reasonably incurred in any case under this paragraph in which the complainant has substantially prevailed (September 26, 2003). In any suit brought under the provisions of this section in which the court determines that the agency acted in a manner, which was intentional or willful, the United States shall be liable to the individual in an amount equal to the sum of actual damages sustained by the individual as a result of the refusal or failure, but in no case shall a person entitled to recovery receive less than the sum of $1,000; and the costs of the action together with reasonable attorney fees as determined by the court (September 26, 2003). An individual’s name and address may not be sold or rented by an agency unless such action is specifically authorized by law (September 26, 203). This provision shall not be construed to require the withholding of names and addresses otherwise permitted to be made public. Matching agreements, no record, which is contained in a system of records, may be disclosed to a recipient agency or non-Federal agency for use in a computer-matching program except pursuant to a written agreement between the sources agency and the recipient agency or non-Federal agency specifying (September 26, 2003). Having this section in the privacy handbook takes some ethical considerations because providing key rules and regulations in protecting someone’s personal information is extremely important. Due to the amount of technology in this day of age moreover, the amount of identity theft it is crucial to protect personal information. Having trust and security is an ethical consideration for the fact that someone will feel protected by the laws and the company. Corporations are faced with challenges everyday on how to protect their employees. By implementing and using the employee handbook privacy, section this will help to keep these companies records safe and secure for the employees. Technology has made it too easy for hackers to access information so by regulating how the information is kept will help to ensure the safety of the employee’s information. What this paper covered is the issue of privacy in the global workplace and gave suggestions on what privacy rights issues should be addressed, as well as what the company’s position should be in response to its privacy rights. Lastly, it defined how organizations privacy protections may limit the company’s liability and how privacy protections enhance employee motivation and productivity. With all of these guidelines in place the employees will have a better sense of security in the workplace. References Bushkin, Aruthur A. The Privacy Act of 1974 A Reference Manual for Compliance. Retrieved October 30, 2006 from http://www.cavebear.com/nsf-dns/pa_history.htm Connelly, Roberts, and McGivney, LLC. (1998). Privacy Issues in a High-Tech Workplace. Retrieved October 29, 2006 from http://library.findlaw.com/1998/Mar/1/130358.html Doyle, A. (nd). Background Check: Employment. Retrieved October 29, 2006 from http://jobsearch.about.com/cs/backgroundcheck/a/background.htm Givens, Beth. Legislative Hearing, Privacy Rights. Retrieved October 30, 2006 from http://www.privacyrights.org/ar/outsourcing-privacy.htm Jankanish, M. & Husbands, R. (1993). Worker’s Privacy. Retrieved October 29, 2006 from http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN9221087468&id=eisbpZMK4qkC &pg=PA105&lpg=PA105&dq=what+privacy+rights+issues+should+be+addressed&sig=zL07cCOHNB7lOgu2Z9RwX8sBASg Koerner, B. (nd). Is Your Employer Protecting Your Personally Identifiable Information? Retrieved October 29, 2006 from http://idt heft.about.com/od/workplaceidentitytheft/p/workplacePII.htm The Privacy Act of 1974. 5 U.S.C.  § 552a  § 552a. Records maintained on individuals as Amended, Updated page September 26, 2003. Retrieved on October 30, 2006 from http://www.usdoj.gov/oip/privstat.htm

Smart Soleh Slides

STUDY SKILLS (UUB 3013) ACADEMIC ACTIVITY PREPARED FOR: MADAM SITI NOOR AMYAH BINTI KHASBULLAH PREPARED BY: AIN NADIA BINTI ZAILAN (KJC1190154) AHMAD HEIKHAL BIN AMIR HAMZAH (KJC1190261) AZUADI BIN ZAHARIN (KJC0970162) DANIAL SHAM BIN MOHAMAD SHAMIN SHARMENDRAN (KJC1080452) HAIKAL BIN MOHAMAD NAZRI (KJC1160329) MOHAMMAD SHAHIN BIN MUHAMMAD NAZIR (KJC1160277) SYED MUZAMMIL BIN SYED ROSLAN (KJC1160022) SUBMISSION DATE: 30TH NOVEMBER 2011 Contents Introduction1 Objectives2 Organizational Chart3 Details of the Program4 Tentative Activity4 Treasurer5 Progress Report6 Conclusion9 Appendix IntroductionAs we all know, for our group assignment for Study Skills subject, we need to conduct an academic activity in an education institution. The main idea is to apply our knowledge about Study Skills in our own perspective based on the different level of education. Thus, our group has chosen to execute an activity at Smart Soleh Integrated Preschool located at Kota Damansara. This particular pre-sc hool consists of 30 pupils that range 4 to 6 in years. We would like to give an honorable thanks to our lecturer and advisor, Madam Siti Noor Amyah Binti Khasbullah for advising us throughout the planning and preparation period.Also, we would like to thank Madam Nor Banum Md. Noor, as the principal of Smart Soleh Integrated Preschool for approving our proposal and allowing us to execute our academic activities. We believe that children learn well when they are happy and having fun. Through game-based activities we aim to provide an environment where all children will feel valued and happy. We encourage the children to actively participate in their own learning and where, we hope, they will want to explore and learn more.We actively encourage positive relationships where children have high levels of self-esteem and self-confidence, developing care and respect for themselves, others and their environment. Furthermore, we stresses on teamwork and toleration so that the children will le arn how to work with others in the future. During our activities, we are trying to  provide a high quality material that will develop their intellectual skills, ensuring that children are happy and involved with their own learning. We rewarded the children with useful prizes such as stationery items and goodies so that they will compete healthily with each other. ObjectivesFor this particular academic activity, there are two different sides of objectives, first is the objective for the Study Skills Assignment and second is the objective for the children in the preschool. Firstly, by doing this project, our objective is to complete our assignment for Study Skills subject as we were assigned by our lecturer to execute an academic activity at the educational institution. Therefore, we will achieve our objective as soon as this project is done. Furthermore, our objective is to practice teamwork and to tolerate with all of our team members as implementing what we have learnt in Study S kills subject in this semester.Secondly, our objective for the children in the preschool is to create fun learning for the children by conducting a game-based activities as children love to play and they actually learn from it. All of the structured activities that we planned will benefit the children at the end of the day as we focused in academic mainly. Paradoxically, the children learn new things faster than we do, therefore we have to carefully create an interesting and beneficial educational activities. We also aim to provide an inclusive, safe, caring and stimulating environment for the children.Children need those elements in order for them perfectly absorb the learning experience. Safe and caring environment are important since children are active and at their age, they do not implement safety action yet. As a matter of fact, it is our responsibility to provide safe and caring yet stimulating environment for them regardless how we do it. On the other hand, our objective is also to provide a balance, carefully structured activities for the children based on his/her individual developmental needs to foster their well-being, self-esteem and personal development.Children have different characteristics just like we humans do. They think differently, they behave differently and they learn differently. We might confront passive child whom can be characterized as aimless and lethargic. The passive child's facial expressions are dull, with little indication of alertness. Also, we might confront hyperactive child. These children would be continually moving about, exploring the environment around them and in the process creating chaos. For this reason, we have to create carefully structured activities for them to develop their personal development.Last but not least, we also aim to provide regular opportunities for communication and understand well the main of interaction with little kids and exchange and discuss information concerning the child’s develop ment. For instance, we promote teamwork and toleration to the children so that they know how to work with others in learning and everyday life. Organizational Chart Details of the Program Name of the program: Fun Learning – Alphabets ;amp; Numbers Date: 17th November 2011 Time: 09. 30 – 11. 30 am Location: Smart Soleh Integrated Preschool Ground Floor Block A,Pangsapuri Tainia 11/3, Jalan Kenyalang, Kota Damansara, 47810 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan. Number of participants: 30 pupils Tentative Activity Date| Time| Activity| 17th November 2011| 09. 30 am| Arrival| | 09. 30 – 10. 00 am| Introduction: â€Å"Ice-Breaking†| | 10. 00 – 10. 30 am| Musical Chair| | 10. 30 – 11. 00 am| Academic Activity: * Word Puzzle * Dot-to-Dot * Maze Game| | 11. 00 – 11. 15 am| Prize-giving Ceremony| | 11. 15 – 11. 30 am| Farewell| Treasurer Budget: RM10. 00 X 7 person = RM70. 00 Date| Place| Expenditures| Items| Total(RM)| 5/11/2011| Carrefo ur, Subang Jaya| Prizes ;amp; Goodies| * Stationeries * Goodies * Miscellaneous| 52. 05| 16/11/2011| SNY Stationers, LCS| Activity| * Sketch Book * Stickers| 6. 30| 17/11/2011| SNY Stationers, LCS| Activity| Photocopy A4| 2. 50| 18/11/2011| Hassan ;amp; Norma| Expenses – Volunteer’s Treat| Food| 9. 00| TOTAL| 69. 85 | Progress Report Academic Activity at Smart Soleh Intergrated School We were assigned to conduct an academic activity at educational institution.The venue was proposed by Azuadi Bin Zaharin, as the place is near and it is convenient for us. The activities were proposed by all of the group members while the budget were proposed by the treasurer and project director during our first meeting on the 5th October 2011. The planning took about two weeks before the paperwork was done. There were several impediments to progress such as the group members have difficulty to attend the meeting, lack of communication and been loaded with other assignments. However, we managed to reconcile and make sure that the project is going well.The requested permission letter was given to us by our lecturer ;amp; advisor, Madam Siti Noor Amyah Binti Khasbullah on the 20th October 2011. The permission letter to conduct the academic activity at the educational institution was then sent to the principal of Smart Soleh Integrated Preschool by Azuadi Bin Zaharin. The principal accepted our permission letter and approved our proposal along with fixing the date, which is on the 17th November 2011. As soon as the proposal has been approved, we made the preparation. The budget were collected by the treasurer on 10th November 2011 from all of the group members.With the budget, the expenditures were made by the project director, Ain Nadia on 15th November 2011 by purchasing all the items to be given as prizes and goodies to be given as treats to the children. The next day, the items needed for the academic activities were purchased. After everything is complete, the fi nal preparation was done by confirming our arrival tomorrow to the principal. On 17th November 2011, we departed from Universiti Tun Abdul Razak, Leisure Commerce Square at 8. 30am. The traffic was badly congested. However we managed to arrive at 9. 30am.Our arrival was welcomed by the giggles and cheers from the children before we were formally welcomed by the principal. We introduced ourself to the principal and teachers before we started the introduction to the children. The introduction began with the emcee speech by Ain Nadia, and followed by each members introduced their names and the nickname that that kids can call them. Then, all of the members, responsibled as the facilitators, chose five children to be in each group. There were six groups altogether. The â€Å"Ice-Breaking† activity was conducted by the facilitators in a two-way communication with the children.The facilitator are responsible to take care their respective group through out the activities until the e nd of the event. Moving on to the next activity, while the facilitators were busy entertaining their group, our volunteer, Kathiravan which was our photographer at the same time, helped us to prepare for the next activity which was Musical Chair. Fourteen chairs were arranged in a circle. One of the facilitator, Syed Muzammil who was in charged for the sound system, prepared the songs for the game. The six groups were divided into two, three groups to participate in the Musical Chair while another three groups to be the audience.There were two rounds of the Musical Chair game before we finally have our respective winners to compete in the final round. The winner received a colouring book with a colour pencil set while the other children received goodies for each time anyone got eliminated from the game. The highlighted activities are done in the same room to avoid confusion as our objective is to provide an inclusive, safe, caring and stimulating environment for the children. We con ducted the activities freely by sitting on the floor in groups. Each group were given a piece of activity paper.The first was Word Search, continued with Dot-to-Dot and lastly the Maze Game. The objective of the game is to find the fastest team to complete the activities on condition of teamwork. During the activity, the facilitators observed their respective groups. We found that, there were active children, less-active children and also a hyperactive child. For the active children, we encourage them to be competitive and build their teamwork. However, for the less-active children, we helped them to adapt in the activity, build their self-esteem and convinced them that they can do it.A facilitator took the responsibility in taking care of the hyperactive child while the emcee helped him to take care of his group. We hold on to our objectives which are to provide a balance, carefully structured activities for the children based on his/her individual developmental needs to foster the ir well-being, self-esteem and personal development and provide regular opportunities for communication understand well the main of interaction with little kids and exchange and discuss information concerning the child’s development.Finally, we carried on to the next event, which is the prize-giving ceremony. The fastest groups for each activity were given prizes. The winner for the Word Search game was Haikal’s group, while the winner for the Dot-to-Dot game was Ahmad Heikhal’s group and the winner for the Maze Game was Mohammad Shahin’s group. We had a special prize which was a hamper for the group with the best teamwork. After the observations and discussions with the facilitators, we awarded Danial Sham’s group the best teamwork award as we saw them highly cooperating with each other and tolerated in an impressive way.This is what Danial Sham had to say about his group, â€Å"There are types of children that I met in my team. Izah was the moth er of my team because whenever a child was crying she would go to the kid and comfort the kid. She would also arrange the â€Å"kepiah† on the boy’s head, if it’s slanting a bit then she would arrange it back. Adam who was funny, active and loving, gave me a gentle hug when we were about to leave. Sofea was the Informative one because I am not very good with names and whenever I forgot their names she would tell me their names.They do not judge or think badly of you they would just help you when you got a problem. They easily make friends; they do not choose them by his or her status. We also did an activity where we must complete a maze puzzle, connect the dots and Sahiba, my team didn’t won a single prize because we didn’t finish first in every activity, but we still had fun because I push them to finish the activity instead of moping and feeling sad. When we got the prize for most cooperative team they were happy because we finally win something . We had a photography session in the end to capture our moments together before we say farewell and as part of our assignment, we need the photos to prove that we have execute the activity. Surprisingly, right after the photography session with the children, principal and teachers, the children sang the song â€Å"You’ll Be In My Heart† from the film Tarzan. We were deeply touched, by the sincerity of the children. It was the best farewell that we had. The children lined up in two rows, boys and girls, they shook hand with all of us, and we gave them inspirational words to them.We bid farewell and thanked the principal, teachers and all of the children for the great day we had with them. The academic activity has been successfully conducted. All of the group members felt relieved and happy at the same time. The activity went well and smoothly, just the way we planned it to be. Conclusion In particular, we as a group believe that the project of ours is a big success. W ith a big help from our lecturer, family and friends, we managed to pull out a great activity with those exciting and energetic kids at the preschool.Not to forget, the principal and teachers of Smart Soleh Integrated Preschool whom has given us support and guidance in order to make this project going smoothly. At the same time, we also have encountered several problems while executing this project. For example, to handle quite a number of energetic pupils, react towards the situation when there are passive kids that can easily cry, and to understand what the kids are trying to voice out, etc. These actually become a challenge for us to conduct the ideal form of education skills and to meet up the criteria needed to deals with those kids.Dealing with that, we have to analyze back our input and try to cope back with the kids using our redraft plan and some adjustments. After the whole two hours, all of the members agreed to feel mentally exhausted. This assignment is very different t o compare with other subjects’ assignments. We learnt how to cope with the pressure, we learnt how to really be patient and we learnt to be friendly and nice despite our aggressiveness. The two hours were not easy for us, but we hold on until the end proving that all of us can actually encounter this type of challenge.In the meantime, the main plan and the designated antennary have work well with the cooperation from all the group members. Besides that, the teachers also have helped us a lot in handling the problematic kids and preparing the props. We managed to conduct several academic activities focusing on the kid’s intellectual skills and soft skills. Alongside with the activities, we also played some games and sing-a-long with those kids. Lastly, with two hours time, we believe that we gave the best activity and gained a lot of informative knowledge about kids education development.The best thing that we gained from the assignment is the teamwork. We learnt how to work with each other, how to tolerate and how to communicate with each other. Than just classmates, we became teammates and that is a good thing. We helped each other during the activity, to cover everyone’s back and to complete the task together. However, we suggest that for this kind of assignment, the university should sponsor some budget in order for us to organize a better activity.It will be convenient if we get the sponsor, we could create a better structured activities that requires a little costly budget. Furthermore, we suggest that the university can provide the transportation for us to the educational institution to avoid transportation problem. Overall, we can conclude this activity is a good and yet fun to gain and utilize the knowledge about the Study Skills subject. This kind of activity has helped us a lot to understand well about the Study Skills knowledge and how to implement it.To put icing to the cake, we felt very happy and enjoy while doing this projec t and we would love to conduct the same activity in the future again in any chance.Total Word Count : 2,774 Appendix Arrival ;amp; Preparation Introduction: â€Å"Ice Breaking† Musical Chair Academic Activity: Word Search, Dot-to-Dot ;amp; Maze Game Prize-giving Adi’s Group Shahin’s Group Ahmad Heikhal’s Group Amil’s Group Danial Sham’s Group Haikal’s Group Farewell With all the kids ;amp; teachers Academic Activity Word Search Academic Activity Dot-to-Dot Academic Activity Maze Game Receipts

Essay on Design

Essay on Design Essay on Design Essay on DesignChrysler is one of the most renowned American car manufacturing brands but today the company and its brand face considerable problems because of the steep decline in the production and the loss of one of the leading positions in the US market as one of the leading American car manufacturers. Today, Chrysler is owned by Fiat, the Italian multinational car manufacturing corporation which has purchased Chrysler recently and attempts to revive the brand and reorganize the production to make it profitable and fast growing as it once used to be. Nevertheless, at the moment, the company has to invest into the revival of the brand because Chrysler is still a recognizable brand, while its revival can potentially return it to the leading position at least in the US market on the condition that the brand revival is accompanied by structural, technological and qualitative changes within the company and its production processes as well as design and concepts of its new vehicles. Th erefore, Chrysler is the brand that needs revival because the brand has a good reputation but the economic turmoil has put the brand on the edge of survival that means that the revival of the brand can skyrocket Chrysler back to leading position in the US car manufacturing industry making it one of the most popular brands in the US again.History of the brandChrysler was founded in 1925 (Maynard, 2014). The company has had a tumultuous history as the third-largest of Detroit’s auto companies (Newel, 2011). Known in the years after World War II for its well-engineered cars, it has spent the last three decades bouncing between highs and lows. The company encountered financial turbulence in the late 1970s that prompted it to seek a Congressional bailout, a process that vaulted its chief executive, lee A. Iacocca to national prominence (Maynard, 2014). Chrysler paid off the loans early in the 1980s, when it enjoyed success thanks to its minivans and a family of fuel-efficient auto s called the K-cars (Maynard, 2014).In 1987, Chrysler bought the No. 4 automaker, American Motors, but the subsequent consolidation prompted another financial crisis  that led to a restructuring of the company (Maynard, 2014). In the 1990s, Chrysler came back again, with vehicles like the powerful Dodge Viper sports car and its Jeep lineup (Maynard, 2014). In 1998, Chrysler was acquired by Daimler-Benz of Germany and spent the next eight years as part of DaimlerChrysler (Maynard, 2014).The 2000s marked the steep decline of the company which first tried to deal with GM but eventually was sold out to Fiat after the economic recession in the US in 2007-2008 (Maynard, 2014). Part of the motivation for the auto groups $4.35 billion deal to take full ownership of the No. 3 U.S. carmaker was to give Fiat access to Chryslers finances so it could invest in new models to revamp its loss-making operations in Europe (Maynard, 2014). Analysts have raised concerns about Fiats growing debt pile and its ability to fund a strategy that will shift the automakers focus to its upscale Maserati and Alfa Romeo brands from an over-reliance on low-margin mass-market models (Maynard, 2014).Responding to a request for clarification from market regulator Consob, Fiat said that beyond the cap, dividend payments were also subject to the condition that Chryslers liquidity exceeds a threshold of $3 billion. Chryslers liquidity totaled $14.7 billion at the end of 2013 (Maynard, 2014). Fiat also insisted that intercompany financing was limited by covenants that require deals to be approved by a majority of disinterested members of the Chrysler board of directors.At the moment, Chrysler needs to revive its brand because the company used to be a successful brand in the past. Therefore, today, the company still has a considerable potential, while revival of the brand can enhance its position in the US market (Robbins Finley, 2005). In this regard, the new owner of the brand, Fiat, can also be nefit from the revival of Chrysler brand because the company can sell its products under the revived brand and use the popularity of the brand to enhance its position in the American market.The advertising and/or other agencies involved in developing the brand communicationsAt the moment, the company relies on its own marketing department to create and promote the brand of Chrysler. Such strategy is determined, to a significant extent, by attempts of the company to save costs. The choice of such strategy is questionable in light of the significance of brand and its impact on the marketing value of the company in the contemporary business environment. In actuality, brand influences consistently the marketing position of companies because customers often make their choices on the ground of their recognition of the brand. Therefore, brand can increase the market value of the company (Masterson Picton, 2004). In such a situation, reliance on the company’s resources puts under a question the effectiveness of the revival of Chrysler brand because the revival of the brand needs the effective and exclusive promotional campaign and the brand development plan in the long-run perspective.Essay on Design part 2

What Is AP Capstone Should You Do It

What Is AP Capstone Should You Do It SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Have you heard about the AP program's new diploma program, AP Capstone? Is this just an IB clone or something more interesting? And will completing AP Capstone get you into college? We’ll explore those questions here. Read on for a complete guide to AP Capstone! What Is AP Capstone? AP Capstone is the AP program’s new diploma program. A diploma program is a program that signifies you completed a certain set of requirements in high school to earn an advanced diploma. (This is in addition to your basic high school diploma.) Probably the most well-known advanced diploma program is the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. Perhaps to compete with IB, the AP program launched its own diploma program, AP Capstone, in fall 2014. While the regular AP program allows students to choose whichever AP classes they want to take and doesn’t have any overarching structure, AP Capstone requires you take a certain number of AP classes and meet certain requirements to earn the AP Capstone advanced diploma. You have to take skills-based and subject-based AP classes to earn the Capstone diploma. Specifically, AP Capstone includes two foundation courses – AP Seminar and AP Research – to enhance four subject-specific AP courses (in any subject) for a total of six AP courses. Diagram via College Board. College Board says of the program: â€Å"[AP Capstone] cultivates curious, independent, and collaborative scholars and prepares them to make logical, evidence-based decisions.† In other words, AP Capstone is working to bring some thematic unity to the AP program. Typically, students will choose AP classes that are interesting to them and treat them as totally separate entities. They don’t have to make connections between their AP classes or the skills they require. By including AP Seminar and AP Research, the Capstone program aims to make AP a more cohesive high school program. AP Capstone also includes a 5,000 word research paper, which is quite similar to IB’s extended essay. Additionally, some of the curriculum aligns with new common core standards – a bid to make AP Capstone competitive and desirable to schools in today’s changing education world. How AP Capstone Works To get the AP Capstone diploma, you take two special AP courses. You’ll take AP Seminar in 10th or 11th grade, followed by AP Research in the 11th or 12th grade. (You can’t take both in the same grade; AP Seminar has to come before AP Research!) In addition to AP Seminar and AP Research, you have to take four AP classes of your choosing at any point in high school. This means you could simply take one AP course each year (freshmen, sophomore, junior, senior) or pack them into your last two years of high school. If you receive a 3 or higher on all these exams, you will receive the AP Capstone Diploma. (Of course, there is nothing preventing you from taking more than four AP classes if that's what you want to do. You just need a minimum of four to get the AP Capstone diploma.) If you receive scores of 3 or higher in AP Research and AP Seminar, but don’t take four other AP classes or don’t get high enough AP scores in them, you’ll get the AP Seminar and Research Certificate, which shows you gained college-level academic and research skills. The Two Capstone Courses – AP Seminar and AP Research Both AP Seminar and AP Research aim to create a college-like academic experience right in your high school classroom. The AP Seminar and AP Research classes are the main distinguishing features of AP Capstone. These courses give students additional skills to use in other AP classes and college, but aren’t based in specific subjects (e.g. math, language arts, science, or social studies). They aim to help students do the following: Analyze topics through different lenses for greater meaning or understanding Plan and conduct a study/investigation Propose solutions to real world problems Collaborate to solve a problem Plan and produce communication Integrate, synthesize and make cross-cultural connections Let's take a look at each class to learn more. AP Seminar Overview In Seminar, you'll develop analytic and inquiry skills, exploring two to four issues chosen by you or your teacher, depending on how your teacher runs the class. The class focuses on themes based on student interests, local and/or civic issues, global or international topics, and concepts from other AP courses. For example, you might explore the question of whether national security is more important than a citizen’s right to privacy; or whether genetic engineering is a benefit to society. Both topics would draw from multiple subjects (social studies, science, ethics) and allow you to look at issues through many different lenses. During the course, you also complete a team project, an individual paper and presentation, and take a final AP exam. The AP Seminar Exam score is based on all three components and is reported on the standard 1–5 AP scoring scale. AP Research Overview You have to take AP Seminar before you can take AP Research. While Seminar introduces you to discussion, research, and presentation skills, AP Research allows you to design, plan, and conduct a year-long research-based investigation on a topic that interests you. You'll build on skills from AP Seminar by learning about research methodology, using ethical research practices, and analyzing the information you find to write and defend your argument. Get ready to spend a lot of time in the library! For your research paper, you can dig into a topic you already studied in a different AP course, or come up with your own topic that combines different subjects. At the end of the research investigation, you’ll write a paper of about 5,000 words, then present and defend it. The AP Research Exam score is based on the paper, presentation, and defense, and is reported on the standard 1–5 AP scoring scale. So note that, unlike AP Seminar, there is not a formal AP Research exam. Your paper and presentation will be the exam! How Popular Is AP Capstone? The AP Capstone program is quite new, as it only debuted in 2014. Currently, about 300 American schools, 15 Canadian schools, and 30 other international schools have the program. Considering 894 schools in the US alone have IB, AP Capstone is pretty small in comparison. That said, the program will likely grow and expand quite a bit in the next few years as more schools choose to implement it. Some states don’t have any AP Capstone schools yet.several (like Missouri and Utah) have just one participating school, while others have quite a few. (Florida has almost 100!) It will be interesting to see if the state representation evens out in the coming years or if Capstone becomes very popular in certain states and rare in others. How Capstone Differs From â€Å"Regular AP† The basic AP program is more flexible than AP Capstone. The regular AP program is an â€Å"a la carte† program – you can choose which AP classes to take and how intense you want your schedule to be. Some students might just take 1 or 2 AP classes in high school, others could take over 10. It all depends on how much you want to challenge yourself, how many AP courses your school offers, and which subjects you're interested in. The success of a student is judged by how they do on each exam – students aren’t expected to take a certain number of AP classes or get a certain average score. In short, the basic AP program is quite flexible and can fit the needs of many students. In contrast, AP Capstone is a diploma program with stricter requirements. If you don't take the right AP classes or get high enough AP exam scores, you won't earn the Capstone diploma. How Similar Is AP Capstone to the IB Program? You may be wondering how similar AP Capstone is to the IB program, since they are both advanced diploma programs. We’ll run through some of the main similarities and differences since many students considering IB might also consider AP Capstone, and vice-versa. Similarities Both programs function pretty similarly. Students take advanced classes in high school (marked as either AP or IB), and then take an exam for each class at the end of the year. For both AP Capstone and IB, you have to obtain a minimum score on your exams to earn the diploma. For IB you have to earn at least 24 points total on your exams (IB exams are scored from 1 to 7), for Capstone you need a 3 or higher on each exam. Each program also requires a long piece of writing, though AP Capstone’s 5,000 word research paper is longer than IB's 4,000 word extended essay. Finally, both programs include subject-based and skills-based courses – though IB has one skills-based course, Theory of Knowledge, while AP Capstone has two – Seminar and Research. Differences The IB program requires some of your courses be more difficult, while there’s no distinction between standard level and higher level courses in AP Capstone. To earn an IB diploma, 3 of your 6 courses have to be designated "higher level," while three can be "standard level." For the AP Capstone diploma, you can choose the four additional AP courses you want to take, even if they are known as easier exams. Also, AP Capstone does not have any extracurricular requirements whereas IB has the Creativity, Action, Service program, which essentially requires extracurricular activities. Another major difference between the programs is that AP Capstone has no requirements as to the four additional AP classes you take, whereas in IB you need to take courses from six specific subject areas. So while you could get the AP Capstone diploma with all humanities or all sciences classes if you wanted, IB requires courses taken from across the board. For this reason, the IB Diploma is arguably more comprehensive. Finally, the IB program is more established, since it's a much older program. While many colleges are likely familiar with IB, you may have to explain AP Capstone a bit more on your applications so colleges know what it is and how it's different from regular AP. Should You Take AP Capstone? So now, the big question: if your school (or a school nearby) is offering AP Capstone, should you take it? Before deciding, consider the cost – you’re committing to taking at least 6 exams to earn the diploma. At $91 per exam, that’s significant! Whereas by taking regular AP classes you can decide each year how many AP classes to take and whether you can afford them, for AP Capstone you're committing to a set number. Speaking of which, are you up for six classes? With regular AP you can drop out of any one class at any point, but with Capstone you need 6 courses to finish the diploma. Think hard about whether that’s a commitment you’re willing to take on. Also, who at your school is teaching AP Research and/or AP Seminar? Those courses are a big part of the Capstone experience, so if the teacher isn’t great you might want to skip Capstone and just take regular AP courses. Since this is a new program, expect some kinks and growing pains in the first few years. Be especially cautious if you’re a current sophomore or junior looking to jump into AP Capstone. Talk to your guidance counselor and the Seminar and/or Research teachers to get a sense of what AP Capstone will be like at your school and if you want to do it. If you’re a freshman or younger, you have more time to wait and see how well the program does at your school and at the national level. Will Colleges Care? Similar to IB, since AP Capstone is only offered at a select few schools, colleges won’t be specifically looking for AP Capstone or favoring it, since not all students have access to it. Still, if you take Capstone, aspects of the program – especially the long research paper – will likely look desirable to most colleges. The independent reseach AP Capstone requires could be the topic of a college essay or at least something substantial to talk about in an interview. However, like we mentioned earlier, since AP Capstone is new, make sure you explain what it is on your college applications, so colleges realize that you undertook an advanced diploma program. Odds are, that will look pretty good to them! Also, remember that colleges will look at your schedule in the context of your school, so as long as your schedule is as challenging as possible – whether you’re in Capstone or not – you are setting yourself up for success. It may be that taking AP Capstone will push you to take more AP classes, making your schedule look more challenging in the context of your school. If your school does have Capstone and you opt to not take it, make sure you are taking a challenging mix of AP and honors courses so it doesn't look like you slacked off. What’s Next? If you decide to take AP Capstone, you’ll have to choose 4 AP courses on your own. Read about the hardest and easiest AP classes to help you decide on your schedule. Learn about another popular diploma program – the IB program, and whether or not you should take it or AP. If you’re applying to top colleges, you also need to think about your SAT/ACT score. Come up with a target SAT score based on your dream schools (ACT version here). 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:

Teaching and Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Teaching and Education - Essay Example Therefore, more precisely put, reflective practice is an independent approach, which fosters critical thinking and in-depth understanding of concepts and ideas. Reflective practitioners derive their origin from learning proposed by Socrates that emphasizes the importance of asking questions and collecting feedback from one’s own self and others. It also stresses upon the fact that learning eventually comes from individual’s inner self and that no teacher can demonstrate the connections an individual mind makes out of a piece of knowledge and his/her own cognition better than the student him/herself. The notion of reflective practice in education is a product of studies and innovation in constructivist theories and cognitive psychology. According to this modern and much-regarded view, intelligence is a fluid, active thought process and reflection on one’s own learning and life experience proves to be an important landmark of intellectual growth. John Dewey, the pi oneer of this field, remarks that intellectual growth is a product of rebuilding the experience. One of the many proposed models for doing this is problem-solving model that comprises of four steps: the first is to analyze the situation and determine its difficulty level. Second is to come up with alternatives and choosing the best amongst the available ones. Lastly, the final touch comes by applying the solution and checking the results. Experts (Roffey-Barensten & Malthouse, 2008, 23-49) have indicated that most individuals reflect on their practice and actions naturally, while others may take reflection as extra work on top of what they have to do. Reflection helps teachers in not only their lessons but it also benefit... This paper approves that planning is just a phase in the entire process of effective teaching. Classroom management is another important step, invariably the most important one, for the development of an ideal learning setting. Several strategies have proven remarkably excellent in the past studies and they have been known to bring out the best in students. Some of the important ones include, conveying the fact that the teacher is in complete knowledge of students’ behavior. Another important way of eliciting high levels of work involvement by students is that the transition between the activities and classes be made less and less prominent for the students. Often, it happens that students do well till recess after which their energy levels fall drastically, or some kids who were brilliant in the art class sleep in the science class that follows. In this regard, the teacher should ensure that students are on the same page by employing warm-ups and ice-breaking activities. This essay makes a conclusion that training teachers to be reflective practitioners and aiding them with proper classrooms with tools for positive interaction and learning help in effective teaching and lead to better education systems. Conclusively, the paper has analyzed some of the significant aspects of teaching and education. The paper recognized and scrutinized different studies related to the topic; and it is expectation that the discussion will be beneficial for students, teachers, and professionals in comprehensive understanding of the topic.

Putting The Bully In His Place. Causes, Consequences and Possible Term Paper

Putting The Bully In His Place. Causes, Consequences and Possible Solutions to Bullying - Term Paper Example Bullying involves the infliction of harm on a less powerful person by a more powerful individual or group by way of physical, verbal or psychological means. It is a growing problem in schools that threaten to cause long-term negative effects that victims and bullies may be burdened with all their lives (Hawker & Boulton, 2000). This paper endeavors to study the causes, consequences and possible interventions for bullying behaviors in schools. It is the researcher’s attempt to contribute solutions to this common issue in schools that is shared by many, but not addressed enough, hence the bullying cycle continues. Definition of Bullying Olweus (cited in Nansel, Haynie & Simons-Morton, 2003) defines bullying as aggressive peer-to-peer behavior with three conditions, namely: an intention to harm or disturb the victim; the aggression is done repeatedly and there is an imbalance of power between the bully and the victim. Ayenibiowo & Akinbode (2011) identified three forms of bullying as physical, verbal and psychological aggression. Physical bullying inflicting bodily harm on someone and may involve hitting, kicking, spitting, pushing, taking personal things, etc. Verbal bullying employs the use of mean words and tone of voice to express aggression and may entail taunting, teasing, name calling, threatening, criticizing, humiliating, etc.etc. Finally, psychological bullying is intentionally causing anxiety, stress and fear in a victim to make him or her emotionally unstable and may involve spreading rumors, destroying social relationships, intimidating, making one a target of jokes, etc. Lyznicki et al (2004) claim tha t bullying occurs usually in school. With boys, the bullying is mostly physical and verbal while with girls, relational bullying is usually resorted to and this is more subtle and more difficult to detect. Causes of Bullying Anyone can be a victim especially if he or she is not assertive enough to protect him/herself. However, the bully is the one responsible for inflicting harm, so the problem usually lies with him. There are many causes of bullying behavior. One is frustration at one’s situation. The bully may have learning disabilities that he is having a difficulty coping with while being expected to perform at a required level in school (Kaukiainen, Salmivalli, et al. (2002). Consistently getting poor grades and disappointing his parents may be disheartening and one way he or she expresses such disappointment is through bullying others. The bully may also be abused or neglected at home and needs a victim to express anger and pour out his or her frustrations upon. Another cause may be that the bully is being bullied himself and needs someone to bully around just to maintain the status quo (Esplage, Holt & Henkel, 2003). This way, he or she may feel that power has been regained even though in reality, he or she still feels powerless with the person who bullies him or her. The child may also have a poor or no role model who can guide him to appropriate behavior (Fekkes, Pijpers & Verloove-Vanhorick, 2005). The bullying behavior may also have been learnt from someone who has been a bad influence to him (Turner, 1991). Although in theory, hurting others is known to be an inappropriate but in practice he or she sees people of authority practicing bullying, he or she then imitates it in his or her own life. Finally, the bully may have a conduct disorder which is the precursor to antisocial, psychopathic or personality disorder (Bullying in Schools, n.d.). Ayenibiowo & Akinbode (2011) explain one theory that stimulates