Memo to CEO on Eva Concept Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Memo to CEO on Eva Concept - Coursework Example What is EVA? The method for determining a company’s true financial performance pioneered by Stern Stewart & Co. adjusts financial reporting to include the cost of capital expenses. Stern Stewart & Co.’s economic value added metric deducts the cost of capital from the net profit after taxes. A company operating successfully, with no accumulation of excess capital or assets may not be performing as well as ratio analysis projects. EVA takes into account the cost of raising capital, as well as normal operating expenses, showing both the current financial health of the company and the economic impact on wealth generation for stockholders and other investors. EVA shows the total net worth of the company after subtracting operating expenses and expenses like dividends to shareholders and lien holders. The resulting numbers provide a solid depiction of the company’s current financial health, though not with the detail offered by ratio analysis. How to Calculate EVA Dete rmining EVA is much less involved than other financial performance tracking methods. The formula for producing a final numerical value is EVA = NOPAT - c * capital. NOPAT stands for net operating profits after taxes, and the â€Å"c† refers to the weighted average cost of capital. Using this simple formula, companies can get a quick glimpse at their total performance. Adding an EVA calculation to an existing financial report is quick, given the financial tracking already in place. Existing documents, tax return, profit and loss statements, ledgers and so on, provide all the needed information to generate a concrete number using the EVA formula. One of the benefits of incorporating EVA in financial reporting is the ability to gain a clear understanding of performance, divorced from any questionable accounting adjustments. Large companies like Enron managed to show positive numbers on financial ratio analysis, even when barely solvent. Including EVA removes that element of risk when generating financial reports. Another benefit to including EVA calculations is the ability to tailor compensation more closely to results. When used to show economic profit after a management change, taking into account the economic profit at the time of the switch, the change in final EVA from then and now show the amount of company profits attributable to the specific management employee or team. Of course, many other factors may influence the final profit outcome, but EVA gives upper management a way to quickly respond to clear improvements implemented on a department level. Showing the Company in the Best Light with EVA Although EVA does not allow for some of the accounting adjustments which make ratio analysis unreliable when used by unethical financial officers, there are still ways to improve the final number. Ultimately, when improving the EVA, a company must either increase total profits or lower total expenses. Restructuring debt can make a big impact on total econom ic profit. For example, if a company earns $7.8M net after taxes, with a weighted average cost of capital at 6.3% and a total invested capital of $26.3M. The formula would then read 7.8 - .0063 * 26.3 = $7.6, showing a company with very strong economic profit. Of course, the total for invested capital would typically be expected to be much higher. Included in that

Professor Questions Essay Example for Free

Professor Questions Essay 1. Discuss how astronomers compare the stars. There may be several terms astronomists use to compare stars, including luminosity, flux, energy flux, apparent magnitude and absolute magnitude. Luminosity is the total amount of energy given from a body every second, measured in Watts Energy flux is the flow of energy out from a particular surface area and is measured in Watts per meter square. Observed flux – As the radius of the circle placed around the radiating object increases, the flow of energy per meter square would decrease.    The observed flux would be higher if the radius of the circle is less (inverse square law) Apparent Magnitude is the amount of light that is received from a particular star.   It is determined using the luminosity of the star and the distance from us.   The apparent magnitude would be low for a brighter object. Absolute magnitude is the amount of light that is received from a particular object when the object is placed at a distance of 10 par secs (AB’s Astronomy Lab, University of Columbia, 2002). 2. From nebulae, stars are formed. Discuss the factors that affect the gestation time for the birth of protostars. The nebulae from which clouds form are nothing but clouds of dust and gas.   They slowly begin to contract to begin the process of star formation.   The mass is known as the ‘protostars’ and it would continue to condense and slowly heat up.   Once it reaches a critical mass phase, the nuclear fusion reaction takes place hydrogen atoms fuse together to form helium, two protons and tremendous amounts of energy.   Once this phase begins, the star is born. Factors that affect gestation time for the birth of protostars †¢ Gravity of the passing star (external energy to help star formation) †¢ Shockwave from a nearby supernova (external energy to help star formation) †¢ Heating by contraction (Giant molecular clouds need to contract to heat up and begin the thermonuclear processes) †¢ Magnetic fields available (helps in contraction) †¢ Rotation or angular momentum of the protostars †¢ Size of the star (smaller stars live longer than larger stars as they take longer to burn their fuel) (Sea Sky, 2008, UNT, 2008) 3. Discuss how a stars life affected by its `fuel`? Once the protostar gets heated up, nuclear fusion reaction begins (thermonuclear processes), and the star now enters its stable phase.   The star would be combating gravitational collapse by fusing atoms together and forming energy.   The star’s life span depends on how much of matter it actually contains.   The process of nuclear fusion in the stars would involve conversion of hydrogen to helium, helium to carbon, until iron is formed.   Once iron is formed, the energy required to fuse iron is much higher and hence the reaction stops.   Larger stars tend to use up larger amounts of fuel compared to smaller stars, and hence would live much shorter. Several large stars in the universe live for about a few hundreds of thousands of years.   As smaller stars would be spending their fuel much more slowly, they would live for billions of years.   Once a star’s fuel gets exhausted, it would transform into a red supergiant (expanding in size), and would be present for sometime.   The star would then collapse, as the force of the nuclear reactions is not effective to combat the force of gravity.   Some of the stars blow away, to form planetary nebulae.   The core of the star would contain some amount of fuel which would burn as white dwarf.   Once they completely burn away, they would remain as a dark ball known as a ‘black dwarf’.   Some massive stars may trigger a violent explosion, known as ‘supernova’ (Airty Nothing, 2008 Sea Sky, 2008). 4. Discuss basic ideas of the main sequence chart (Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) Diagram). The HR diagram is basically a graph in which the luminosity of the stars (absolute magnitude) is charted against the surface temperature (color).   This chart was discovered separately by Ejnar Hertzsprung and Henry Norris Russell in the 1910’s.   This was following several scientists query whether the temperature of the object could be determined from the color of radiation it emitted.

La Oferta del Año - Spanish Essay :: Papers

La Oferta del Aà ±o Esta casa es ideal para una familia grande. Es situado en el corazà ³n de la ciudad y es la cerca muchas estaciones. Hay abajo una bastante grande cocina integral. Es muy mordern con baldosines. Hay tambià ©n un comedor grande y es decora agradablemente. Prà ³ximo a el comedor hay un aseo pequeà ±o. La casa tiene dos espacios de recibo, ambos grande y con chimineas. Al lado de primero espacio de recibo, hay un conservatorio nuevo con el plan encantador de madera y es la iluminacià ³n muy buena. Hay arriba cuatro dormitorios y dos cuartos de baà ±o. Ambos cuartos de baà ±o son completamente embaldosado. El dormitorio principal es grande, tiene las ventanas grandes y armarios empotrados. El tercero y segundos dormitorios son idà ©nticos con armarios empotrados. El cuarto dormitorio es pequeà ±o pero puede quedar una cama matrimonial. Todo el dormitoros son decorado hermosamente. Afuera, hay un garaje con suficiente espacio para dos coches. En el fachada jardin hay arboles frutales y las plantas grandes. En el jardà ­n de espalda hay una piscina climatizada pero pequeà ±o. La casa tiene el calefaccion central, vantanas insulados y parabolica. La arquitectura es extraordinaria, mordern y es diseà ±ado por un arquitecto bueno. El precio muy razonable y se acceptan afertas. Para mà ¡s informacion, contacta. Agentcia Anjani Amlani sobre: TLF: 0208 863 4444 CELULAR: 07704 404 404 ====================== Mi Casa Mi casa esta en Harrow Weald. Esta tambià ©n cerca de Wealdstone y diez minutos de mis escuelas. Mi casa tiene dos pisos. Abajo hay un grande salon. Es decorà ³ agradablemente pero es un poco pequeà ±o. El comedor es conectado el salon y es decorà ³ misma manera con una mesa pequeà ±a de vidrio en el centro del cuarto. La conservitorio es muchisimo largo y y tiene la iluminacià ³n bueno. Es muy frio en inverno o muy caliente en verano. Arriba hay tres dormitorios y una cuarto de baà ±o. El cuarto de bano es regular y es todo azul. El dormitorio de mi hermano es muy pequà ±o y

‘Of Mice and Men’ shows how factors beyond the characters’ control prevent them from leading fulfilling lives Essay

John Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’ is set, and was written in the time of The Great Depression, 1929. During The Great Depression there were as many as fifteen million people, in the United States of America alone, left unemployed and with no way to feed their families. The Great Depression was caused by the Wall Street crash. The Wall Street Crash, when stocks and shares plummeted, resulted in America as a world trading country loosing gargantuan amounts money due to the many of the large companies of America going bankrupt. Because the companies went bankrupt they could no longer afford to pay any workers, this meant that they lost their jobs. Even the farms in the country could not stay running because of the Dust Bowl effect, this is when there is prolonged drought and the earth becomes like dust, entirely unsuitable to grow anything in. With a vast amount of the nation unemployed, people were desperately searching for work, simply in order to survive. When the idea came about that people could go and work the land in California, people jumped at the chance despite the appalling pay. The cruel thing is that the employers in California had paid their original workers more than they paid the migrant workers, and the migrant workers only worked because they were so desperate. The employers took advantage of their situation for their own benefit. It was very much every man for himself in that time, though in this novel there is an exception, Lennie and George, who for Steinbeck are the stereotypical migrant workers. I believe George to be living a fulfilled life within the dream he shares with Lennie and, later on in the novel Candy: the popular American dream of the period, to own a piece of land and be entirely self-sufficient from that land. The reason I think this is because George is constantly saying things such as â€Å"we’ll do her†, â€Å"we’ll fix up that little old place an’ we’ll go live there†, this shows that they are living in metaphoric clouds (their dream), a far nicer place than reality, Lennie and George seam to be willing to live through anything just to achieve it. The fact that George lives for a dream, one that he truly didn’t believe would happen, â€Å"Jesus Christ! I bet we could swing her!† this also shows that now George actually believes in himself it will happen, George would have no reason to dream if he was content in reality. Whilst living a content life inside the sanction of his dream, it is clear that he is not content in reality otherwise he would have no cause to dream of a better place. Another reason for George not being content could be that he had been burdened with Lennie all of his life and thus not been able to live his own life and be his own person, George says to Lennie in the novel that he could have a much better life without Lennie â€Å"When I think of the swell time I could have without you, I go nuts. I never get no peace†. This shows that even George feels Lennie as burden some of the time, if he felt this all of the time he could just get rid of Lennie, but he doesn’t. I believe Lennie feels much the same as George in that he lives for the dream also, whenever Lennie is uncomfortable with his surroundings in any way he will ask George to tell the story of the dream to him so that he can escape reality into his imagination, as if in fact the dream is where he wants to be. â€Å"Tell about the house George† Lennie begs.† â€Å"An’ the rabbits†. George has told Lennie that he can tend to the rabbits in their house, because Lennie is very simple this sense of responsibility and his fetish for soft things (the rabbits) provides the perfect attraction for Lennie to the Dream. Because Lennie also has to dream of a better place shows that his life is not being fulfilled on the ranch. If this was not evidence enough Lennie even says â€Å"George, I don’t like it here George†¦Ã¢â‚¬  clearly showing that he does not want to be there. The only woman on the ranch, Curley’s wife, also I believe lives an unfulfilled life because firstly all she is known as throughout the novel is â€Å"Curley’s wife†, making he sound like a possession of Curley’s. This says a lot about the period in which this novel was written, women were treated as inferior beings at this time, and I personally find it hard to see how you could live a fulfilled life when you are being put down constantly. The men on the ranch also have very dim views on her such as George’s opinion of her, â€Å"I don’t care what she says and what she does. I seen ’em poison before, but I never seen no piece of jailbait worse than her†, not only does this starve her for attention it puts her down also. â€Å"Curley’s wife also has a dream, a dream of becoming famous, as she tells Lennie â€Å"He was gonna put me in the movies†, showing that she cannot be content in reality either. Curley’s wife is naturally seeking attention because she has married a man who she hardly ever sees and no one is willing to talk to her: â€Å"Why can’t I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely†, and she believes she should be â€Å"†¦ in the movies†, a place where you will always be in the ‘spotlight’ so to speak, quite the opposite to how she is being treated on the ranch. Candy is the ‘crippled swamper’ on the ranch, and is only able to do menial jobs around the ranch; this offers him no real fulfilment. Despite this Candy’s life amounts to the work he does on the ranch and his dog, these are all he lives for â€Å"When they can me here I wisht somebody’d shoot me.† As time progresses Candy realises that he has not got long left and with his dog, a huge part of his life having just been killed out of sympathy, he asks to join George and Lennie’s dream instead of his life being over once he has been told to leave the ranch â€Å"S’pose I went in with you guys†. In wishing somebody would shoot him when he was told to leave the ranch shows that Candy fears for his future and where he has to go to when he is told to leave. To live your life in fear of your future, not knowing where you are going, not having control of you own life cannot be a very secure and pleasant mental environment to live in; Can dy therefore can’t have a very fulfilled life. Curley is a successful welterweight boxer, but unfortunately didn’t quite make it to the top, instead he is stuck on his father’s ranch, a place where he doesn’t always get the respect/fear he craves, so he has to be rude and hostile in his talking â€Å"Well, nex’ time you answer when you’re spoke to†. This shows that Curley is not living the life he wants to live, thus making his life unfulfilled. Curley has a huge problem with intimidation, meaning bigger people intimidate him easily. He is also obsessed with power and authority: â€Å"Curley’s like a lot of little guys. He hates big guys†, and on a ranch full of large men, he does not always have the security he wants. Curley is in a loveless marriage despite what he thinks he feels for his wife, she refuses to pay him the same attention: â€Å"he ain’t a nice fella†. Curley does not have his life going his way at all, he is stuck living somewhere he does not want to be, without the power he wants and with people he does not like; his father’s ranch. On top of this, he is in a marriage where the only ‘love’ is on his behalf. This all leads me to the conclusion that Curley does not a have a fulfilled life. Crooks is a black stable buck in the novel, and during this time black people were regarded as inferior beings, this leaves Crooks open to much discrimination. Using Crooks as a stereotype, Steinbeck tries to show the relationship between black and white people in America in the 1930’s. Throughout the novel, Crooks is treated with great disrespect, for example he is constantly being referred to as a â€Å"God damn nigger†. Crooks also gets segregated from the rest of the workers, this makes him incredibly lonely, we can tell this from a touching extract between Lennie and Crooks â€Å"Crooks says gently, ‘Maybe you can see now. You got George. You know he’s goin’ to come back. S’pose you didn’t have nobody. S’pose you couldn’t go into the bunk-house and play rummy ’cause you was black. How’d you like that?† Crooks is insulted countless times every single day of his life, the name â€Å"nigger† is used such as the term ‘mate’ is used today, so without meaning to insult Crooks people did it every time they chose to speak to him. Every time when Crooks elevates himself above his usual status by making the odd chance comment or voicing his opinion, he is simply thrown back down to the ground. For example Crooks began to introduce his opinion into a conversation and was quite bluntly told by Curley’s wife, â€Å"you keep your place, then Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny†. I find it near impossible to even think that Crooks could lead a fulfilled life when he is treated like a dirty animal, and his thoughts or feelings are considered worthless. My thoughts are that Slim is the only main character in the whole novel that possibly leads a fulfilled life. Unlike Crooks, Slim is paid much respect by all of the other workers. Candy refers to Slim as â€Å"Hell of a nice fella†, and comments are also made about people’s reactions when he speaks, â€Å"all talk stopped when he spoke†. This gives Slim a sense of belonging and importance. Slim is a highly skilled worker and the ranch would not be the same without him, and he knows this, so do the other workers on the ranch, â€Å"He’s capable of driving ten, sixteen even twenty mules with a single line to the leaders†. It is comments and views such as these which make Slim feel needed. Slim is favoured by all on the ranch, perhaps especially by Crooks and Curley’s wife as he treats them without any prejudice or discriminative views. For example, Slim is very polite and actually pays a compliment to Curley’s wife â€Å"Hi, Good-lookin '†. Throughout the novel, Slim does not mention any other life that he might prefer, nor does he show any evidence of him having a dream, this shows that he must be reasonably content with his life on the ranch as he has no cause to dream. I believe Slim to be the only main character in the novel to live a fulfilled life because he is clearly respected by all members of the ranch and very much favoured by them. Slim has security and he is also very independent, because of everyone’s admiration he also feels good in himself, Slim must have a great sense of fulfilment in his life. In a time where everyone had to make the most of what they had, only one person in this novel has succeeded, and that in my eyes would be Slim. It was a ‘dog eat dog world’ during the Great Depression and Slim manages to rise above all of the bad things that have happened to him due to it. He manages to lift himself up above everyone else who were stuck in the rut of their own self pity, he manipulated the situation and uses it to his advantage. He took the wrong things in the other peoples lives and offered solutions for example he gave George someone to talk to, or the fact that he was polite to those who were treated like dirt, this made people like and respect him which is what drove him on inspite or the Depression.

A Teacher’s Involvement on Education Reform Essay

Student achievement is constantly changing. Today’s students are being prepared to face the real world that requires them to have exceeding abilities and knowledge. On the global economic aspect of today, students are asked to understand the fundamentals and at the same time be able to think critically. They must analyze and make inferences. It is the teacher’s task to develop these skills in the students. They must prepare them for any changes in the assessment of the school, especially when this approach is of the large scale and high-stake level. Education in the United States has been reformed countless times – all for various reasons. The changes in the knowledge and skills that are aimed for success go hand in hand with the understanding of how students learn. The relationship between the instruction given in schools and the assessment of the students through exams change the learning goals that are set for them and their schools. Therefore, the need for education reform. 1 Before, society can get by with the basic reading and arithmetic skills. This was during the industrial age. However, we are now in an information age. Individuals are required to have access to the interpretation and analysis of the information that they use in order to come up with decisions. Studies show that the skills and competencies mentioned in the previous sentence are the requirements to succeed in the workplace. 2 To adapt to these changes, the content standards of education – skills, knowledge and behavior of the students – must be achieved at a higher level. This is developed at the national, as well as the state areas of science, mathematics, history and geography. In this process, student assessment is the focus and the center of the efforts on matters concerning educational improvements. The policymakers intend to change the assessment that will allow teachers and schools to have different approaches. Assessment reform is not an excuse for a new regime by teachers. This is targeted to the students with the help of the development efforts of the teachers. These include curriculum reform, improving instruction and getting new instructional materials. A number of policymakers and educators believe that the assessment of the students reflect the lessons that they were taught. It’s true that the assessment influences the format of instruction. Contrary to the understanding of today’s students on how they learn their lessons, the assessments are particularly traditional. Most exams still follow the multiple-choice and the true-false format. These test facts determine the skill in an isolated approach. It seldom requires the students to apply what they really know, making it hard to determine what they are capable of doing in real life situations. The standardized tests do not match the content standards. Relying too much on these kinds of assessment often result to an instruction that only focuses on the basic knowledge and skills. It does not encourage the institution to reform the instruction give to the students. Engaged learning will prepare the students better for the 21st century. That being said, it only makes sense that the tests the students take encourage aggressive learning. 3 â€Å"The notion that learning comes about by the accretion of little bits is outmoded learning theory. Current models of learning based on cognitive psychology contend that learners gain understanding when they construct their own cognitive maps of the interconnections among concepts and facts. Thus, real learning cannot be spoon-fed, one skill at a time. † 4 Educators, policymakers and parents are starting to realize that the basic learning abilities are no longer enough. They need the students to have the skills they learned in school and the abilities they need upon leaving school all at the same time. Schools are expected to assist students in developing these competencies which they will use in real and authentic situations. The establishments are expected to graduate students who have these abilities – students who excel on both the standardized and the alternative assessments. During the last decade, the education community in the United States went through a proliferation of reform efforts that are standardized-driven. Its main objective is to increase the achievement level of the students. They want students from the United States achieve the same level of competitiveness with other industrialized nations. The education community also wants to restore the public confidence in the education. Once these are achieved, then it provides the standards-setting bodies the primary ways on how the classroom teachers can be involved in the reforming process. The federal government is a prominent player in the reforming efforts one educations. It goes all the way back in March 1994 when President Clinton signed the â€Å"Goals 2000: Educate America Act. It was the legislation that created the framework which allowed states to adopt and construct the education reform strategies by incorporating the three Goals principles: 1. ) rigorous academic standards. 2. ) alignment of curriculum, textbooks and teacher education and 3. ) clear incentives to encourage students to strive to meet high standards. Also, in 1987, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards or the NBPTS was formed in order to articulate the standards of excellence to what teachers must know and should know. NBPTS has an assessment system that determines the eligibility of the educators for the National Board certification. At the same time, the Council of Chief State School Officers has established the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) to produce the model standards for the initial teacher licensure. INTASC standards are based on NBPTS standards. In 1987, the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) started using the revised accreditation standards for teacher education institutions. This also reflects NBPTS standards. It calls for better performance, higher admissions and graduate standards. NCATE encourages the teachers to prepare the reforms on education at a content standard that has appeared from projects such as the NCTMs. There are three kinds of national standards which currently receive attention from the American government. The content standards focus on the curriculum, the performance standards concentrate on the student work and the assessment, and the school delivery standards which centers on the resources and support for the schools, teachers and students. The building figures from the consensus prominently show that the standards- setting movement of the schools and teachers has had de facto standards for the content areas that are mentioned in the Goals. These are affected by the textbook manufactures and the performance standards that are set by the testing companies. In contrast to this, the standards development projects of recent years have tried to get a base of support for a ny academic improvement. The involvement of teacher in the professional standards development can be seen in various areas: 1.  The teachers function as the standards. A lot of members of the NBPTS standards committees are accomplished and celebrated teachers. Classroom teachers are members of the NCATE board and the Standards Committee serve as the team which evaluates the teacher preparation programs. The Standard Project is there to develop the assessment standards. It also serves as the instrument for a national system of voluntary student examination. It engages the teachers in developing the tests items and refining the content standards in order to come up with better scores from the students. 2.  Teachers are the subjects of the fields that are new to test standards. Since they participate in the NBPTS field test, the INTAST assessments are conducted by teachers. 3. Teachers serve as the translators of the content standards. They apply this in a teachable classroom setting. By working with the scholars, the teachers build the contend standards in a state curriculum framework. They come up with lesson plans which are the operations for the standards they intend to meet. 4. Because they bargain units and have professional associations, teachers serve as the initiators of the standards-setting projects.  Take this for example, the Standards for Teacher Competence in Educational Assessment of Students was developed by the American Federation of Teachers, the National Council on Measurement in Education and the National Education Association. 5. Teachers also serve as the critics of the national standards that set the efforts on education reform. The seven model standards that have been developed and supported by the Board of Education have circulated drafts of the standards documents. It also solicits the comment from the teachers and the parents. It is very important that teachers are on the panels in order to oversee the projects. The promotion of students’ critical thinking skills, active engagement in learning and deeper understanding of the subject matter is â€Å"teaching for understanding. † The classroom teachers must be engaged in teaching and understanding the lessons that they teach to the students. The research and the experience are collaborated and are jointly reported. Teachers must also focus on the policy considerations, starting with the perspectives in the classroom and emphasizing on the need for the field-based research that are needed for the multiple contexts of teaching. However, the involvement of teachers also varies on the perception of the school leadership. There are some teachers that perceive the costs of involvement in education reform outweigh the benefits. There are also some teachers who choose to not get involved because it means that this will influence other school policies. With this in mind, this proves that there are two kinds of decisions: the managerial, which is made by the administrators and the technical, which concentrates on the goal. Most teachers prefer being involved in the process than coming up with technical decisions. 7 Then there are some teachers that argue that education reform cannot be imposed on a unilateral approach. Teachers must endorse their new responsibilities and roles, as long as there is a time and enough resources to go about it. Schools depend on the cooperation, relation and interdependence of the staff members that plans such as these must be consistent with the norms that already exist. 8 Schools must also consider the current staff development. There are some models that do not help the teachers in handling the complex reforms that are currently being implemented. Dominant models work perfectly when the specific practices or skills are transferred. The current reforms need teachers to be intellectual. They must grapple the new ways in order to implement the principles and ideas in their daily work. The five steams of reform are challenges to the teachers. 9 Finally, there are the different studies of teachers when it comes to leadership roles. There are conditions that are particularly good prospects when it comes to leadership. By investing in roles that are dignified and not simply powerful, the organizational incentives needed for collaboration results to agreements which protect and separate the interest of the administrators and the teachers. This is a good thing because its final result is that it complies with the policies which support the education reform. Drawing from four different studies of teachers in leadership roles, the author examines the conditions for teacher productivity in schools. Little identifies five conditions as particularly likely to advance or erode the prospects for teacher leadership: define leadership tasks that are important, not trivial; invest leadership roles with dignity, not simply power over others; have organizational incentives for collaboration; avoid agreements that protect the separate interests of teachers and administrators; and have district policies that support teacher leadership, especially those on recruitment, selection, placement, and evaluation of principals. 10 Sometimes it is better to give movie examples. Over the years, there are countless movie releases that show teachers defying the school’s rules in order to provide what is best for their students. In â€Å"Dangerous Minds†, Michelle Pfeiffer encourages her students to read poetry instead of hanging out in the street and ruining their lives by getting involved in drugs, sex and gangsters. In the â€Å"Sister Act 2†, Whoopi Goldberg helms a choir consisting of African American students from the ghettos. Like Pfeiffer in â€Å"Dangerous Minds†, this is the nun’s distraction for the students to make something out of their lives. But a recent movie that depicts educational reform and teacher’s involvement best is the TV movie â€Å"Walkout. † It tells the story of the Mexican-American students in Los Angeles high schools in 1968. They staged a boycott in order to improve the quality of education for Chicanos. Actor-director Edward James Olmos (who plays Jennifer Lopez’ dad in â€Å"Selena) appears and directs in the movie. â€Å"Walkout† was skillfully directed and presented a simple story told in a direct manner. There is a frank portrayal of the unacceptable educational standards in the schools that are attended by the Mexican-American students. In one scene, two Chicano students were slapped on their behinds because they spoke in Spanish. This was only one of the rules in American schools which Mexican-American activists wanted to reform. They want to speak in Spanish whenever they want to because Spanish is their language. For teachers who want a peg in participating in educational reforms, they can look at Sal Castro played by Michael Pena (Jennifer Lopez’ brother in â€Å"Selena. ) He is a dedicated high school history teacher who is the instrument in stirring idealism in his students. He didn’t want them to be violent activists. He encouraged reform but he reminded them that this can be done in a united and peaceful protest. The focal point of the story is Paula Crisostomo (Alexa Vega) who is an exceptional student. She risked her graduation in order to be part of the Lincoln High School walkout. â€Å"Walkout† captures the passion of Paula and her classmates. The parents strongly resisted at the earlier part of the film, but later on they slowly understood the reason behind the activism of their children. The entire cast, played by young performers, is convincing. It is true that â€Å"Walkout† is a film but this is a depiction of something that happened in 1968 which changed history. Because of that walk-out, Mexican-American students are given a voice. The teacher participated in his own way in the education reform his students want granted. Those who watched this movie for the first time were unaware of the Chicano movement of 1968. They were surprised to find out that there was a time Universities kept Chicanos out. Teachers sacrifice their efforts and their time in order to concretize the goals they want for their students. Education reform may not be achieved with just one snap of a finger but that does not mean that teachers should stop trying there and then. For this very reason of reform, teachers and students are more motivated to strive toward success. Education reform is a right that must be made the most out of. It could be better opportunities for the teachers as well as the students. Once the school is presented an option to have an education, then they must seize it. It may be puzzling at first but the absence of education reform can have dire effects on the effective teaching in schools. Research shows that successful schools have reformed their education in relation to the demands of today’s information age. By viewing teaching as the central activity of organizations, more and more educational bodies are encouraging schools to take part of education reform. By proposing the norms, conducts, standards and practices which will serve as the central dialogue and observation of teaching, activities and practices that are related to providing a curriculum and materials needed by the school, students and teachers will be open to the recognition of teacher’s involvement in the whole educational reform process.

How to Guess Strategically on SAT Math

How to Guess Strategically on SAT Math SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The SAT gives negative penalties for guessing, so you shouldn’t even bother to guess on the SAT math section...right? Well yes and no. Guessing requires strategy for a test like the SAT, but it is possible (and indeed we recommend that you do so!) when you can do it smartly. In this guide, we’ll go through when and how to guess strategically on the SAT math section and show you examples of it in action. Refresher on SAT Math Scoring and Organization The SAT is a standardized test, which means that each SAT must look and feel like every other SAT as much as possible. The individual questions may vary, but the patterns in how the test-makers design both the questions and the answer choices will be as similar as can be. With time and practice, you can learn to not only recognize these patterns when you see them, but also use the clues in both the question and the answer choices to help you find your right answer (or at least narrow down your options!). To refresh your understanding of how the SAT math test is structured, let’s look at how it is scored. For each multiple choice question, you will get: +1 point for every correct answer, 0 points for every blank answer, and -0.25 points for every incorrect answer. For each math grid-in question, you will get: +1 point for every correct answer and 0 points for every blank OR incorrect answer. There is no negative penalty for an incorrect grid-in answer. There will be a total of 54 math questions on the test, 44 multiple choice and 10 grid-in. [Note: if you receive an extra math section on the day of the test, it will be because this is your â€Å"experimental† section. If this happens, you will have a total of 74 math questions64 multiple choice and 10 grid-in. There will never be any additional grid-in questions in the experimental section.] Developing a Target Score Because the SAT delivers a penalty for incorrect answers, your strategy for how to approach the SAT math section will depend on your target score and will change as your score goals change. First, take a practice test,and try to slow down a little more than might feel natural as you work through your test. In addition, come up with different ways to mark your questionsone mark for questions you don't know how to do, and another mark for questions you're only somewhat confident about. You may even want to create a third marker for questions that you know how to do, but will take a long time or will require multiple steps, so must be done carefully to avoid error. This way, you can save them for last (though this is optional). For now, use your best judgment on whether to skip or guess the questions you've marked, but do make sure that you can identify which problems were which later. These marks will help you when you go to analyze your answers (and your guessing strategy) in the next section. Once you're done with your practice test, check out our guide to developing your ideal target score, based on your current scores and the schools you want to get into. Don't worry if you're a little off your target right now. A little strategy and practice will soon get you much closer to where you want to be (if not right on the bull's eye!). Guessing Based on Target Score After you find your target curved score, see how that translates to your raw score. How many questions must you answer correctly to get that target score? Keep that number in your head and then plan to answer a few more questions than that target. Why? You are leaving yourself room to get a few questions wrong. For example, if your target SAT math score is 600, you’ll need a raw score of about 37. But to get a raw 37, you must answer 37 questions correctly and absolutely no questions wrong. Since this is difficult for most students, you should aim to answer somewhere in the range of 44 questions. This would allow you to miss up to 6 questions and still get a raw score of 37. How? If you answered 38 questions correctly and missed 6, you would have a score of: 38+6(−0.25) 38−1.5 36.5 The SAT rounds up any score ending in 0.5 or 0.75, so your raw score would be rounded to 37. Success! Once you’ve scored your test, look back on the questions you marked. How accurate is your guessing right now? Did you mostly get questions right or wrong that you marked as "didn't know" or "kind of knew," or did you leave most of these blank? Is there a pattern in your missed guesses? But what happens if you're currently well under your target raw score? If this is the case, then you're going to want to establish a two-tonged study approach of brushing up on the individual math topics you're struggling in right now and learning how to guess more effectively. So now that you’ve seen how you’re guessing strategies have worked so far (even if that means you haven't been guessing at all), let’s talk best guessing strategies for SAT math. The more you practice, the more refined and honed your study skills and guessing abilities will become. SAT Math Guessing Strategies The SAT math section is designed to test how well you can recognize and figure out how to apply familiar mathematical concepts to new situations. But though the scenarios may be unusual, each and every math topicon the test is one that you are likely familiar with and have studied for a number of years. This is all to say that you likely have a better understanding of the questions than you may think, even if you don’t know how to actually solve the problem. Often (though not always), a little strategy will allow you to eliminate at least one or two answer choices and make an educated guess. Note: this may seem apparent, but only use your guessing strategies when you don't know how to solve a problem or are not confident about your answer. Guessing often takes a little more time than a straight-solve, so if you know the answer, great! Move on to the next problem. Only stop and take the time to guess if you're stuck. We’ve laid out three of the most important rules of thumb that go into making an educated guess on an SAT math problem. Most of the time you will use a combination of these three techniques on any given problem, so they are less individual strategy than they are a combination of thought processes that you should go through every time you make a guess. So let’s look at all three techniques needed to best make guesses (and when to do so!) on the SAT math section. Guessing Strategy 1: Process of Elimination Being able to eliminate questions SAT is arguably a more important skill than even being able to solve questions (or at least equally as important). Most of the SAT math questions are multiple choice, which means that the correct answer is always there amongst the answer choices. This may seem obvious, but it means that you have two options to get the right answeryou can solve the problem for the correct answer, oryou can simply eliminate four wrong answers. Whatever remains must be correct. Either option you choose will each get you to the right answer in the end. For example, is it impossible that the answer to a certain problem be negative? Do you know the parabola must open upwards, even if you don't know how it's positioned horizontally? Even knowing just a tiny bit about the problem or its possible answer will often be enough to eliminate a few answer choices. But what if don't know enough about the problem toknow that four answers are wrong? Is eliminating just one or two answer choices enough? When, exactly, should you make a guess? Eliminating 0 Answer Choices So you’ve come to a question and you can’t eliminate any answer choices at allshould you guess? Definitely not! The test is designed to make random guessing (quite literally) pointless. With the -0.25 point penalty and 5 answer choices for each question, random guessing will balance out to 0 points earned over time. Why? A one-in-five chance of a right answer will get you one right answer and four wrong answers for every five questions. This gives you: 1+4(−0.25) 1−1 0 points for every five questions. Better to leave it blank and move on. Eliminating 1 Answer Choice All right, let’s say you can eliminate one answer choice, but no othersshould you guess now? Unfortunately, the answer is: it depends. If you can eliminate one answer choice, then you will have a one-in-four chance of getting the right answer. Over the course of several questions, you will earn: 1+3(−0.25) 1−0.75 0.25 points for every four questions you can answer this way. As you can see, technically, if you can eliminate one answer, then it is to your benefit to guess. But this only works over the long-term and, even then, only if you make your final selection at random. Since human beings are not random, our advice is only to guess when you can eliminate two or more answer choices. Eliminating 2 Answer Choices (Now We’re Getting Somewhere!) You’ve eliminated two answer choices that you know have to be wrong and are now down to three possibilities. This is the time to start guessing. Though eliminating one answer and making a guess might be worth it in the long-term (as in, you must do so over the course of several questions), you should really only make a guess when you can eliminate two or more answer choices. This will give you a one-in-three chance of guessing the right answer, which will earn you: 1+2(−0.25) 1−0.5 0.5 points for every three questions you can answer this way. [Note: getting 0.5 points has an extra bonus in that raw scores on the SAT are rounded up at the 0.5 mark. So if you have a raw score of 41.5, you will actually end up with a final raw score of 42!] Eliminating 3 Answer Choices If you can eliminate three answer choices, you’re in a great place! This will give you a one-in-two shot of choosing the correct answer, which, over time will get you: 1+1(−0.25) 1−0.25 0.75 points for every two questions you can answer this way. Go you! Eliminating 4 Answer Choices If you can confidently eliminate four answer options, then celebrate! No need for guessing hereyou’ve found the correct answer. But how exactly do you go about eliminating answer choices? Let’s take a look. Guessing Strategy 2: Approximating If you have even a general idea of what the right answer might be (even a ballpark figure will do), you will often be able to eliminate one or two of the most blatant outliers. Though the answer choices are most often generated based on common student errors or closely related values, there will still generally be answer choices that are way far afield. Let’s take a look at this in action. Don’t worry about actually solving the problem, just give yourself enough of a ballpark to see if you can eliminate one or two answer choices. Garcia won by a ratio of 5:3, which means that Pà ©rez must have lost, but not by a landslide. First, let’s divide the total number of votes in half. 120,0002 60,000 Pà ©rez received fewer than half the total votes, but again, not by too terribly much. At a rough estimate, let's say that Pà ©rez probably received about 40,000 votes. Again, less than 60,000 (half), but not nearly so small as 15,000. Just with this ballpark figure, we can eliminate answer choices A, D, and E. We are left with answer choices B and C. Even if you didn’t understand how to work with ratios, you would still be in a good place to guess at this point. You now have a 50-50 chance of getting the right answer between the two options just from approximating what the correct answer might be. [Note: the correct answer is C, 45,000.] You can also approximate answers on geometric figures on the test. Unless noted otherwise, all figures will be to scale, and you can make a ballpark guess as to their size and angles. Because there is no note to indicate otherwise, we know the figure must be to scale. Just by glancing at the triangle ABO, we can see that angle ABO must be larger than 15 ° and less than 90 °. We can definitively eliminate two answer choices, which leaves us with threeB, C, and D. This is enough to make a guess. But we can even go further. Considering all the angles in the triangle look about the same, we can make an educated guess between our three options. Angle ABO looks about equal to angles BAO and BOA, and we know that there are 180 ° in a triangle. Knowing this, we can make a guess that the answer is D, 60 °, without making any bit of effort to actually solve the problem. [Note: the correct answer is indeed D, 60 °.] The more you can whittle away obviously wrong answers, the better the odds will be of you grabbing thatright answer choice. Guessing Strategy 3: Avoiding Temptation The test is designed around the statistically average student, and many of the answer choices are generated based on common student errors. People have a tendency to fall into predictable thinking patterns, and the SAT is, in part, designed to lure you to fall for traps that the average student falls for again and again. Often, what makes an answer difficult is the wording and the bait answer choices, rather than the difficulty of the mathematical material being tested.So if you look at a question in the medium or difficult range that looks easy oreven worseobvious, it may just be too good to be true. If an answer choice seems immediately appealing, especially on a difficult question, it’s likely a trap. Think about how many other students would have felt the same way on trial tests. Don’t be that person and try not to let yourself fall for the booby traps. This question is near the end of a math section, which means that the test-makers consider it â€Å"medium-difficult.† Knowing this, the answer is probably NOT going to be simple or obvious. If you don’t have a clue as to how to solve the problem, you can still narrow down your answer choices. Consider that we are working with the difference of 4 people vs. 3 people, which means that it is highly unlikely that the correct answer will be x4 or x3. Those answers look too obvious and tempting to be trusted. We can probably also discard answer choice E, 7x. Not always but most of the time, if an answer doesn’t look anything like the other answer choices, there’s a very good chance it is incorrect, and you can discard it. The rest of our answers are in fractions and E is the only answer that is purely a multiple. Let us, therefore, get rid of it. By discarding both the tempting answer choices and the outlier, we are left with two options, answer choices A and D. This gives us a 50-50 chance of getting the right answer and is a good time to guess. [Note: the correct answer is A, x12.] Let's take a look at another example. This is the last question in a math section, which means it is the hardest question (or one of the hardest questions) on the test. With that in mind, the correct answer will NOT be the most obvious. There are two X-marked offices and four offices total. The X’s, therefore, make up half of the total number of offices, which is something we can see right at a glance. This means that the answer is NOT going to be E, 12that is way too obvious to be correct. Considering there are four offices total, it is also safe to guess that the answer is not D, 14 either, as that is still too obvious an answer for question 20 of 20. To solve any problem that is last on a math section, we will need to go through at least two or three math steps. We therefore know the problem will be more complex than simply using the number of offices as the denominator. Even without knowing anything about probabilities, we have narrowed down our options to A, B, or C. It is now a safe time to guess, so we can go ahead and pick an answer. [Note: the correct answer is C, 16] You did it! Now go forth and conquer. The Take-Aways Though it is very useful to know how to actually solve your SAT math problems, we’ve seen that it is not always necessary. Though you shouldn’t guess on every SAT math question, it can help your scores to do so on occasion. Just remember to always employ your guessing strategies when you are forced to make a guess, and take a deep breath. Sometimes you will be able to eliminate enough answer choices to make a final guess and sometimes you'll have to leave the question blank, and that's okay. You probably know more about the math topic in question than you think, and you probably know enough to at least eliminate an answer choice or two, even if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Don’t force yourself to answer questions you don’t feel comfortable answering, but don’t doubt your skills to eliminate possible answer choices either. Pretty soon you’ll be beating the odds and boosting your scores more than ever before. What’s Next? Still not satisfied with your SAT math scores? Improve your individual SAT math topic skills by working through ourindividual math topic guides. In each guide, we willwalk you through the definitions of each topic, the formulas you'll need, and how you'll see the questions on the SAT math section, as well as give you real SAT math problems (and answer explanations) for you to practice your skills on. Been procrastinating on your SAT prep? If you've found yourself in a procrastination rut, check out our guide on how to stop procrastinating so you can get back on that study wagon. Aiming for a perfect score? If you're looking to score a perfect 800 on your SAT math section, then look no further than our guide to getting an 800 on the SAT math, written by a perfect-scorer. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Math strategy guide, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

sue essays

sue essays Sue is the largest, most complete, and best-preserved Tyrannosaurus Rex ever found. Fossil hunter Sue Hendrickson discovered the T. Rex in the Badlands of South Dakota. In 1990 Sue Hendrickson was working for a commercial fossil collecting team from the Black Hills Institute at a dig site in South Dakota. Early on the morning of August 12th, the team found that their truck had a blown tire. Most of the team went to town to get it fixed, but Sue decided to stay behind and look for fossils. Within minutes she saw some bone fragments on the ground. She scanned the nearby cliffs to see where the fragments had come from. Thats when she caught her first glimpse of what appeared to be a T. Rex. When her team returned they confirmed that what she had found was indeed a T. Rex, which they promptly named Sue, in honor of her find. Following a long custody battle over the true owner of Sue, it was sold at Sothebys auction house in 1997. The biding ended eight minutes after it had began. The field Museum had purchased Sue for almost $8.4 million (the most ever paid for a fossil). On May 17, 2000 the Field Museum unveiled Sue to the public. The skeleton on display was the real thing; the only part of Sue that was a cast replica was the skull. This was due to the enormous weight of the skull, which was too heavy to be placed on the steel armature that holds the rest of the body together. Sue Stands 13 feet tall at the hips and is 42 feet long from head to tail. Although Sues bones are always in the public eye, they are still available for scientific study from researchers and scientist from all around the world. The steel armature that holds Sues body together has been made so that each bone is cradled in a hand-forged bracket. These brackets can be unlocked individually, allowing a particular bone to be studied or removed for research, and returned to its place wit ...

Rates of Change Worksheets with Solutions

Rates of Change Worksheets with Solutions Prior to working with rates of change, one should have an understanding of basic algebra, a variety of constants and non-constants ways in which a dependent variable can change with respect to changes in a second independent variable. It is also recommended that one has experience calculating slope and slope intercepts. The rate of change is a measure of how much one variable changes for a given change of a second variable, which is, how much one variable grows (or shrinks) in relation to another variable. The following questions require you to calculate the rate of change. Solutions are provided in the PDF. The speed at which a variable changes over a specific amount of time is considered the rate of change. Real life problems as those presented below require an understanding of calculating the rate of change. Graphs and formulas are used to calculate rates of change. Finding the average rate of change is similar to a slope of the secant line that passes through two points. Here are 10 practice questions below to test your understanding of rates of change. You will find PDF solutions here and at the end of the questions. Questions The distance a race car travels around a track during a race is measured by the equation: s(t)2t25t Where t is the time in seconds and s is the distance in meters. Determine the car’s average speed: During the first 5 secondsBetween 10 and 20 seconds.25 m from the start Determine the instantaneous speed of the car: At 1 secondAt 10 secondsAt 75 m The amount of medicine in a milliliter of a patient’s blood is given by the equation:M(t)t-1/3 t2Where M is the amount of medicine in mg, and t is the number of hours passed since administration.Determine the average change in medicine: In the first hour.Between 2 and 3 hours.1 hour after administration.3 hours after administration. Examples of rates of change are used daily in life and include but are not limited to: temperature and time of day, rate of growth over time, rate of decay over time, size and weight, increases and decreases of stock over time, cancer rates of growth, in sports rates of change are calculated about players and their statistics. Learning about rates of change usually begins in high school and the concept is then re-visited in calculus. There are often questions about the rate of change on SATs and other college entry assessments in mathematics. Graphing calculators and online calculators also have the ability to calculate a variety of problems involving the rate of change.

Boing 737 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Boing 737 - Assignment Example However, in the early 1990s many commercial aircraft manufacturers including Douglas Aircraft, McDonnell Aircraft, and Boeing switched to horizontal integration through mergers. The major drivers to this shift were technology that progressively became more specialized, costs of production using vertical integration became uncompetitive and the dire need for management efficiency. On the other hand, factors such as lower costs due to increased economies of scale and increased market power made Airbus maintain vertical integration. Horizontal industry structure seems to be a benefit since it helped resuscitate Boeing that had stagnated after many years of vertical integration structure. It helped it install a lean system and clean up the production of the 737. The evolution of the auto industry is similar to that of the commercial aircraft industry. Major players in the industry have adopted the â€Å"lean production system†. However, competitive forces are far from being static, and hence vehicle manufacturers can no longer rely on excellence in production only (Shih and Pierson

Cardenio of William Shakespeare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cardenio of William Shakespeare - Essay Example "Cardenio" of William Shakespeare William Shakespeare is a towering figure in English Literature. Beyond his uncontested stature in the world of letters, Shakespeare is on par with JS Bach in terms of contributions made to Western Civilization. Shakespeare’s works thus have a significance that is difficult to contain within simple classifications. The Bard’s art is a combination of poetry, philosophy and story-telling. His works stand the scrutiny of excellence in each of these disciplines. But the real singularity of Shakespeare’s works lie in the synergy of his art. The sum of merit in his great plays is more than an addition of the parts. It is in this context that the value of The History of Cardenio has to be evaluated. What makes the loss of Cardenio difficult to digest is the tantalizing evidence for its theatrical performance. Historical records from early 17th century indicate that the play was performed by The King’s Men in London in 1613. The Stationers’ Register attributes the play to William Shakespeare as co-author of John Fletcher. Although it is difficult to ascertain the extent of Shakespeare’s contribution to the finished work, his influence is speculated to be quite pronounced. The other key circumstantial evidence of the plays’ existence comes from two related plays from a later date. The lyrics of the popular song ‘Woods, Rocks and Mountains’ by Robert Johnson is fairly certain to have featured in Cardenio. Hence, there are enough markers and traces of the play’s existence and performance. ... The lyrics of the popular song ‘Woods, Rocks and Mountains’ by Robert Johnson is fairly certain to have featured in Cardenio. Hence, there are enough markers and traces of the play’s existence and performance. This makes it a case of so-near-yet-so-far. Modern scholarly analysis and revisionist research has given a glimpse of hope for those brooding over the lost work. It has come to light that the Cardenio could have remained in existence in some of its variant forms with different titles. On  the  eighteenth century wrapper of the text most widely known as The Second Maiden’s Tragedy, a  critic  of  an  earlier  age – possibly the third owner of the manuscript, John Warbuton â€Å"crossed out other contenders for possible authors or collaborators to leave only the words: ‘By Will Shakespear/ A Tragedy indeed’.† (Fox & Walter, 2004) Though such consolations remain, I regret the loss of this play for the great entert ainment value its original version suggested. The play’s plot is said to have been inspired by Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote. The character of the protagonist in Cardenio is said to have been inspired by his namesake appearing in Cervantes’ iconic work. In the novel, the young Cardenio is driven to madness and lives in the Spanish town of Sierra Morena. Madness is a constant theme in Shakespeare’s plays - Hamlet, King Lear and Othello come to mind readily. It would be fascinating to discover the interpretation and portrayal of a maddened youth in Cardenio. But madness in the context of Don Quixote could not have been tragic or serious. Hence by deduction it is fair to assume that comedy was at the core of the theme of madness noted in Cardenio. Features such as

Regulatory Agency Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Regulatory Agency Paper - Essay Example he goals of America’s criminal justice clients through offering an all-inclusive correctional healthcare program, which deals with agency and offender needs in custody, pre-custody and post-custody settings (CHC, 2014). Based in Greenwood Village, Colorado State, the organization oversees over 2,500 workers all across the United States. It has five more regional offices plus a full-service health care center also based in Colorado. The organization is currently servicing in 27 states, and they have been developing gradually over the past years (CHC, 2014). The organization has consolidated and incorporated some of the most valued healthcare providers in the field to establish one of the leading correctional healthcare services organizations in the United States. CHC is dedicated to offering first-class community-based educational and treatment services for the U.S. criminal justice system. The organization have been offering outpatient treatment services for many corrections systems clients for over three decades and probation supervision services for over 10 years to roughly around 300 courts (CHC, 2014). In conjunction with their criminal justice partners, Correctional Healthcare Companies, Inc. is helping to resolve a number of the most demanding problems that the correctional system is facing today. Some of the problems include lack of efficient, evidence-based criminal specific treatment methods and a huge population of psychologically ill wrongdoers who occupy jail and prison beds. Also, there are the uncollected court fees, fines, as well as victim restitution, which are greatly affecting the U.S. criminal justice system (CHC, 2014). Another problem is the reduced budgets for correctional behavioral and mental health treatment plans. America is also facing high recidivism and parole/probation failure rates because of behavioral and mental health issues. However, CHC has been influential in implementing programs, which offer effective and responsible

Immigration and Nationality Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Immigration and Nationality Law - Essay Example e is a possible occurrence that a person may be treated in a way, in their country of origin, that would be classed as a breach of the HRA in the UK; this breach would be imputed back to the UK through its act of deportation, therefore causing a breach in the HRA. These persons are not technically asylum seekers as they are making a claim under the Refugee Convention; therefore this adds additional, albeit limited protections, to persons in fear of abuse. So for the purposes of this discussion they will be defined as asylum seekers. Persons who are looking for a safe place to enjoy their life and freedoms and in some cases obtain their basic needs, i.e., food, water, education†¦ The HRA does not protect a right to basic necessities. This essay begins by focusing on founding human rights principles and the central question that will be discussed is; whether the legal framework of human rights, through the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA) and the European Convention of Human Rights (EC HR), uphold the principles that these pieces of law were founded upon. This is a similar reaction in other European countries and the most prevalent are the Roma Gypsies and Eastern Europeans; the following discussion will consider this case study to show that immigration law can and has been used to assert racist policies by classing them as economic migrants rather than asylum seekers, which means their financial status will exclude them and the persecution does not meet the standard posed by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). Natural rights are the basis for the international human rights of today, however the theory of modern human rights is slightly different as it is no longer purely concerns democratic government, but aims to ensure that gross human rights violations in the world as a whole will be held accountable and hopefully eliminated. Dworkin describes human rights as trumps1 that indicate a powerful set of principles individuals can rely on to protect them from

Reflective Journal on Assignment Completed - Next plc Performance and Personal Statement

Reflective Journal on Assignment Completed - Next plc Performance and Business Strategies in the UK and Europe - Personal Statement Example The interpretative approach applied, has enabled me to correlate my knowledge with the information accessed and draw a conclusion based on my interpretation. My research was based on the secondary data collected from the company websites, books and journals. For my future researches, I plan to rely more on primary data and collect them by visiting the company site as it is more reliable and authentic. As it was difficult for me to meet the managers of Next plc for my research, I completely depended on the secondary sources and had to be very cautious with the quality and authenticity of the information collected. My analysis and interpretations of the information collected has helped me to achieve the objectives of the research effectively. Since it was difficult for me to have a direct meeting with the management of the company, Next plc, so I made it a point to collect reliable data of the company like the financial reports and the sales forecast reports from their website. I analysed them and compared it with its competitors to recommend on future profits and benefits for the company. The research enhanced my reasoning ability and interpretation skills. It helped me to objectify a research problem and analysed it to recommend viable solutions to the company. I had aimed to improve my analytical and reasoning skills. By increasing my scope of knowledge on the business strategies planned and performance of the company in the UK and Europe, I have been able to gather enough information on the company and analysed their balance sheet and financial statements which increased my scope and ability of analysis and reasoning. The research has taught me to acquire reliable information and eliminate unimportant source of information. It enhanced my knowledge on the different theories that can be applied in research methodologies and data collection which enabled me to prepare a good business report. The access to scholarly articles and journal as well as through the

Social work methods work with families Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Social work methods work with families - Essay Example Murdoch adds that a family stays in a common household, shares economic interdependency, and is involved in sexual and reproductive relations (Lamanna & Riedmann 4). Today however, a lot of societal changes have occurred that the definition of a family has likewise evolved (Lamanna & Riedmann 5). Family members do not have to be bound by legal marriage, consanguinity, or adoption. The family now includes commuter couples, no custodial parents, parents with adult children living elsewhere, extended kin such as aunts and uncles, and adult siblings and stepsiblings. The emphasis has been placed on spontaneity, individuality and intimacy rather than the customary heterosexual married-couple social roles. In fact, federal regulations have now qualified unmarried low-income heterosexual and homosexual couple as families and have consequently allowed them to live in public housing. Some courts have considered unmarried heterosexual gay or lesbian couples, elderly people and their caregivers, institutionalized handicapped people living together and even co-resident groups of students as families (Lamanna & Riedmann 6). Furthermore, single-parent households and childless unions are also considered families. With this, the family could be any number of people as long as they are bound together by feelings of love and care for each other (Aymer). In the workplace, specifically in San Francisco and New York, special privileges have been granted to families with domestic partners who may not be married but share each other’s lives in a committed relationship and in the expenses of daily living (Bishop qtd. in Lamanna & Riedmann 10). On the other hand, these changes in the family set-up are consequences of the challenges that families have encountered in the past decades. The family has been bombarded by a lot of problems that have adversely affected the very purpose for which it was

Reflective Journal on Assignment Completed - Next plc Performance and Personal Statement

Reflective Journal on Assignment Completed - Next plc Performance and Business Strategies in the UK and Europe - Personal Statement Example The interpretative approach applied, has enabled me to correlate my knowledge with the information accessed and draw a conclusion based on my interpretation. My research was based on the secondary data collected from the company websites, books and journals. For my future researches, I plan to rely more on primary data and collect them by visiting the company site as it is more reliable and authentic. As it was difficult for me to meet the managers of Next plc for my research, I completely depended on the secondary sources and had to be very cautious with the quality and authenticity of the information collected. My analysis and interpretations of the information collected has helped me to achieve the objectives of the research effectively. Since it was difficult for me to have a direct meeting with the management of the company, Next plc, so I made it a point to collect reliable data of the company like the financial reports and the sales forecast reports from their website. I analysed them and compared it with its competitors to recommend on future profits and benefits for the company. The research enhanced my reasoning ability and interpretation skills. It helped me to objectify a research problem and analysed it to recommend viable solutions to the company. I had aimed to improve my analytical and reasoning skills. By increasing my scope of knowledge on the business strategies planned and performance of the company in the UK and Europe, I have been able to gather enough information on the company and analysed their balance sheet and financial statements which increased my scope and ability of analysis and reasoning. The research has taught me to acquire reliable information and eliminate unimportant source of information. It enhanced my knowledge on the different theories that can be applied in research methodologies and data collection which enabled me to prepare a good business report. The access to scholarly articles and journal as well as through the

Commercial law Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Commercial law - Coursework Example Apparently, the cleaner machine that is bought by The Royal Derbyshire Hotel from Walcott cleaners is seemingly suited for this category, and the laws that authorizes decline of sales and repudiation of contracts falling under this category will apply accordingly. 4 According to sec. 18(1), the title of specific goods passes when they are in a deliverable state and if the contract of sale is unconditional – this is with the exception of a contrary intention between the buyer and the seller. Whether the time of payment or delivery is postponed is of no importance in this case. This means that if all other requirement of the title of specific goods is met, the title of the cleaner would have passed to the buyer despite the delivery taking place after the date that was originally agreed. However, this assumption is contrasted with the fact that courts infer that parties to such a contract did not plan to pass the title in line with rule 1, but instead planed to pass it only when the goods are delivered or paid for.5 An â€Å"unconditional† contract means that the contract is free of any condition which may affect the passing of title. For example, a conditional sale agreement, under which the passing of title occurs only upon payment of the price, or a contract under which the seller must himself acquire the goods before he can honor his agreement to sell them to the buyer, would not be â€Å"unconditional† within the meaning of rule 1. Where the seller has undertaken to do something to the specific goods in order to put them into a deliverable state, title to the goods, according to rule 2 of sect. 18, is presumed to be intended to pass only when the seller does that thing and the buyer has actual notice of it.6 When purchasing the machine, Robin could not have doubted the rights of the seller because Section 12(1) stipulates that the seller has the right to

Richard Wagamese Review Essay Example for Free

Richard Wagamese Review Essay Richard Wagamese, Canadian author who wrote the book â€Å" Indian Horse† came to speak at Acadia. I was blown away from his speech. He came to the podium, humble and spoke in his native language. He then translated what he had said, welcoming and thanking everyone in the audience. Wagamese then began retelling his past. He started off with the 60’s scoop, being one of the victims and taken away to a white foster family. He described to have lost family name and his identity. Wagamese faced many hardships in his new home. He described his first feelings of abuse, since he was never hit before; his first hit was so surprising he didn’t know what to feel. Then in school kids would bully him for being â€Å"slow†, for not being able to spell the alphabet. No one taught him how to learn, and so he tried to learn all by himself. Then, Wagamese told the audience about a particular teacher. She was the one who stuck with him, discovered his terrible vision, got him glasses, and patiently taught him everyday the alphabet. â€Å"Hold on to that story,† Wagamese said. He fast forwarded until he was sixteen. When he discovered he had the rights to leave the foster home. He left, stranded on the streets and starving for food. One night he found a place to sleep. He put his ‘nice’ pair of shoes on the side of his head and the next morning they were gone. In March with winter just lifting off and only a pair of socks on, he marched through the wet slush. Along the way a man selflessly helped Wagamese dry off and warm up with a couple of cups of coffee. Again he repeated, â€Å"Hold on to that story.† Wagamese moved to another story about a library he visited everyday to educate himself. A librarian noticed him, how he would come and sit for hours and read. Noticing he was hungry, she took a step ahead and left a lunch bag for him to eat. They eventually connected and from then on Wagamese discovered more about the library from the librarian.

Sociolinguistics and Fairy Tales; An Integrated Approach to Adult ESL

Rationale The purpose of this study is to consider the current materials adult ESL students’ use and incorporate authentic material (through the use of fairy tales) as a way of helping adult learners achieve proficiency in second language through a mock prospectus. This study investigates the sociolinguistic, sociocultural and psychological features found in fairy tales, including Grimm’s tales, and the potential of using modern fairy tales as practice material for ESL learners. It explores various dimensions of fairy tales and demonstrates how they can be used as content to instruct and provide language practice to ESL learners. Fairy tales are predominantly taught to native English primary school students. They are a ‘semi-logical’ language that is inherent to the English language. Teachers can use similar texts so that adult ESL students can benefit becoming familiar with certain grammatical structures and vocabulary. It is essential to discover whether adult ESL students can comprehend the language used in fairy tales. Therefore, the following hypotheses can be made; Are the linguistic features in a modern fairy tales similar to standard/basic everyday texts? Do these texts have the potential to be authentic enough for standard language use? Can these texts allow students to be more active and confident in their English proficiency and self-development? What problems can occur if the mock prospectus is implicated? The main theory used in this study will be Krashen’s Input Hypothesis; the ‘i’ as the students’ familiarity with the stories and the +1 as the target language acquired. Teachers must provide students with opportunities to use meaningful language and, allow for immediate corrective feedback. Storytell... ... Little Pigs’ New York: Viking. Tomlinson, P., and Philpot, T. (2007) ‘A Childs Journey to Recovery’ Jessica Kingsley Publishers Tomlinson, P., Dockrell, J., Smith, L. (2003) ‘Piaget, Vygotsky and Beyond; Central Issues in Developmental Psychology and Education’ Routledge Tomlinson, B. (1986) Openings London: Lingual House Zinn, L. (1990) ‘Identifying Your Philosophical Orientation,’ Adult Learning Methods :39-77. Zipes, J. (2007) ‘Why Fairy Tales Stick: The Evolution and Relevance of a Genre’ Routledge: New Ed. Zipes, J. (2002) ‘Breaking the Magic Spell: Radical Theories of Folk and Fairy Tales’ Social Sciences 5(6) University Press of Kentucky. Zipes, J. (2002) ‘The Brothers Grimm: From Enchanted Forests to the Modern World’ (2nd ed) Palgrave McMillan Zipes, J. (1994) ‘Fairy Tale As Myth Myth As Fairy Tale’ in Clarke Lecture. University Press of Kentucky,

Bharata Natyam Essay -- Indian Dance Culture Essays

Bharata Natyam Didactic stories are more influential and prevalent in society than people realize. The story of Christ’s birth keeps the world celebrating His birth every year on Dec. 25th. Attention-grabbing stories written about certain celebrities in tabloid newspapers often draw a huge following. But interesting stories like these are not just communicated orally or by paper. In a form of classical Indian dance called Bharata Natyam, performers can convey beliefs, legends, and ideas through movements, gestures, and expressions put to song. Bharata Natyam is an alternative form of storytelling, which conveys similar and important ideas to that which students concentrate on when studying literature of the world. These ideas are particularly evident in the dance, â€Å"Shabda (Khanda Muruga)†. Bharata Natyam originated in a manuscript called the Natya Shastra. This manuscript was written by Sage Bharata around 4000 B.C. This dance form was first conceived in order to express one’s energy and emotions and is one of the oldest of the eight other forms of classical Indian dance. Above all other purposes, it is a form of religious expression or prayer, which also incorporates another important form of storytelling. Bharata Natyam was initially performed in temples by women who were dedicated to God since birth. However, it eventually made its way to the stage and is now taught and performed worldwide. In relation to literature that most are familiar with throughout the world, Bharata Natyam fulfills all the same important purposes. It gives a sense of history and culture by the nature of the myths the performers convey. Many of the dances pay tribute to a certain god and for this reason ... ...yam. Homepage for India allied an performing arts. 25 Nov. 2002. . Bharatanatyam. Hindu Student Council at University of Michigan. 25 Nov. 2002. . Bharata-Natyam: Shiva Nataraja, the God of Dance. Bharata-Natyam: Sacred South Indian Dance by Chandikusum. 25 Nov. 2002. . Mishek, Chrysanthi. Personal Interview. 27 Nov. 2002. â€Å"Shabda (Khanda Muruga).† Rangapravesh: Classical Indian Dance Performance. Perf. Chrysanthi Mishek. 5 Aug. 2001. Shiva Nataraja: Lord of the Dance. Radiant Planet Home Page. 24 Nov. 2002. . Thirumalai, Kavita. Bharata Natyam. Rhada Ganesan’s Home Page. 24 Nov. 2002. .

Why Did So Many Colonists Die By Ashley Kron

Imagine sitting there and watching your friends die one by one. So many of the colonists died because first of all the colonists weren't prepared for the condition ions and the environment. Second the Englishmen didn't calculate well enough to support all the colonists. Everyone in Jamestown didn't know what they would face. The harsh environment of Jamestown began to show its effects throughout the settlement.The secondary source, document E † Chronology of English Mortal t)/' shows that a lot of colonists died from sickness,such as malaria. Also Document A says the e water was really brackish meaning the water was salty and could cause nausea. Addition ally the waste products in the water were not being flushed away with the tides. Document B states that when the colonists arrived in Jamestown was already in a drought. Due to this reason the lack of rainfall made it nearly impossible to grow crops. The environment wouldn't have been so aggravating if the settlers had been pre pared.Being an uneducated â€Å"gentlemen† made Jamestown suffer. Document C show multiple pieces of evidence supporting the fact that the settlers were unskilled d. First of all Document C shows that almost half of the men were â€Å"gentlemen†and didn't h eve a job. Also in document C most of the settlers held occupations that were unnecessary for a new colony. For example wig makers and tailors were recruited instead of important posits ions such as surgeons, farmers, and blacksmiths.

Brief Narrative Essay

Do you remember how our parents often tell us that age old adage of â€Å"Don’t judge a book by its cover† ? Have you ever noticed how, although we know that we are not supposed to do that, we still do it anyway? I have the guts to admit that I am guilty of judging my fellowman at least once. In fact, when I was in grade school, I had misjudged one of my classmates simply because of the way she looked and her station in life because I listened to and believed in the rumors that our classmates had spread about her.This girl was known to have been raised by two spinster aunts since her birth so her ways and mannerisms in public was not that of people her age. In fact, if we did not have her for a classmate, we could have sworn that she was home schooled. She possessed an aloof attitude, sometimes seemingly eccentric and weird in her ways as well. She never hung around after classes and always seemed in a hurry to go home. She simply had no time to socialize and was irrita ted when forced to stay late at school.So we all determined that she was either abnormal or just plain weird. She was a quiet person who usually kept to herself and could often be found in the library reading up on the days lessons or just reading the available newspapers and magazines. We laughed at her often because even though she was a voracious reader, she was terrible in the Math and Science area of lessons. We had known her since pre-school and knew that she had started failing those subjects when we were in grade 3.She was the butt of all the in-jokes and we gave her no respect at all when we spoke to her. We considered her the class clown and mascot because no matter what we seemed to do to her, she could simply ignore. We considered her a challenge whom we had to break down and make cry. Then one day in English class, we were assigned to pair up and do some role playing activity. A unanimous groan went through the classroom when the girls name was announced. All of us were dreading the possibility of being stuck with her for a partner.We were convinced that it would only mean a disaster for whoever was paired with her. We had 2 weeks to work together and come up with a properly enacted and costumed scene from one of Shakespeare’s plays. I dreaded having to work with her because the class made such a big deal out it by ribbing me in public about how I did not have a prayer of getting a passing grade in the project because of my partner. She made one request of me during our partner meeting in class.Could we do the rehearsals at her house instead? She had to stay home whenever possible she explained, because her elderly aunts needed help around the house and she was worried that something might happen if she left them alone. I found this of interest, an open invitation to come over to her house and see where she lived and how she lived would be my chance to understand what made her the way she was and also confirm or deny any of the rumors float ing about in school regarding her and her home life.On my first day of practice with her, I met her very accommodating aunts who thought of me as their nieces friend from school. They were glad that she finally brought a friend over to the house because she was a lonely young woman who just spent her days reading and fussing over them. I did not have the heart to tell them I was no friend of hers. But as the days of our rehearsals progressed, I got to know her and her family better and I realized how wrong we were to have judged her just because we did not understand why she was different.If only we took the time to actually talk to her instead of tease her, we would have understood that she was really a very caring and loving person who recognized her responsibilities in life and made extra efforts to insure that she could do what was expected of her properly. Due the school activity, I came to realize that she was a special girl. She was the kind of person whom one took the time t o get to know and nurture as a friend. I decided that I would continue to befriend her regardless of what the rest of the school thought of her.Guess what, now that I am in high school, most of my grade school friends have disappeared. But this girl has remained a true and steadfast friend to me all this time. And I have helped her come out of her shell and become more sociable. True, the bad rep that was spread about her is still mentioned from time to time. But at least, I helped her get to know some other people who could really be a true friend to her. Just like I am. Truly, â€Å"one cannot judge a book by its cover† and first impressions could be wrong. Just look at how wrong I was in this situation.

The Hobbit

‘The Hobbit’ is a beautiful story written by J. R. R Tolkien, and is full of happy, emotional quotes and lovely characters. Tolkien gives detailed descriptions of his characters using humour and often captures his young readers’ attention with short poems. For example, he begins his story with the sentence ‘In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ and continues it, which then becomes a legend! Tolkien has spun a fascinating tale with adventure involving dragons, magicians, hobbits, dwarves and skin-changers etc. The protagonist, Bilbo Baggins with his heroism, self-esteem, courage and quirks like stealing skills, is an adorable character. Although he is a figment of the author’s imagination, his kindness and poignant insights infuse him with qualities akin to the best of humans. The author had started this story as a way of entertaining his own grandchild, and true to this, the book adheres to a conversational style of story-telling. For example, he writes ‘The mother of our particular hobbit- what is a hobbit? and starts describing the hobbit before describing Belladonna Took, the hobbit’s mother. The poetic quotes throughout the course of the story also reveal the writer’s style, which tells it apart from other legends, for example – ‘Far over the misty mountains cold To dungeons deep and caverns old We must away, ere break of day, To find our long-forgotten gold’ The author’s use of foreshadowing makes the plot very interesting and keep the reader’s interest alive. For example, Thorin’s key and map are revealed to be an important part of the story towards the end. Readers love these unexpected turn of events and surprises in the story! Another example of foreshadowing is when Bilbo gets the power and courage to overcome hurdles and fear in the battle of the five armies, which he could only access after he got the ring. The author has used a novel way of capturing his young readers’ attention by introducing a chapter full of riddles between Gollum, the goblin and Bilbo, in the Misty Mountains. Using riddles, Tolkien has not only successfully heightened the interest of his readers, but also given glimpses of all aspects of the story! The interesting twists in the story and Bilbo’s good luck at narrowly escaping death or loss at crucial times in the story also have a gripping effect on the readers. Children love to see the arrival of Gandalf, the magician, when Bilbo is in need, as they also delight in his escape from the clutches of the goblins and the elves in barrels after he steals the ring, and his courage and skill in getting out of the giant spider’s trap. I also like the Greek term exemplified in Gandalf’s rescue in the Misty Mountains, which is ‘deux ex machina’, which means a God given man for help. Again, due to sheer luck, Bilbo is able to get away from the dragon’s lair. But a sad part of the story is the destruction of Laketown by Smaug, the dragon. The readers are relieved when Bard slays Smaug. Bilbo and his group get a further taste of adversity when the goblins and wargs, who have also heard about Smaug’s death, come looking for their share and cause the battle of the five armies. Thorin becomes a martyr for their group, while Bilbo is struck with a rock and loses consciousness. The author reveals Bilbo’s wise and compassionate side when Bilbo gives the Arkenstone to Bard in an attempt to stop conflict between Bard and Thorin before the battle. I liked the last part when Bilbo returns back with Gandalf and Beorn, who help their group win the battle of the five armies as well as many skirmishes in Mirkwood before that. The enjoyable part here is that Bilbo gets amused by seeing an auction going on at his place! I love the story and also its moral that we should not let our fears get in the way of what we want to do or be in life. The cheerful quotes and poems provide a lot of fun to the readers as well! The Hobbit This summer I read the book, â€Å"The Hobbit†, by J. R. R. Tolkien. It was a really interesting book with ups and downs just like any other. It was an adventure about a little hobbit named Bilbo who slowly discovers how brave and courageous he is. He is accompanied by 13 dwarves and occasionally a wizard named Gandalf. Together they face Goblins, Trolls, giant Spiders, Elves and even a dragon. There were things that I really enjoyed watching lay out and things that I felt brought the story line down. Throughout the book, I noticed that Gandalf had great confidence in Bilbo. I love the way that he knew Bilbo had potential and wouldn’t let anyone say differently. Bilbo was a weak and timid little hobbit who had no idea what the world was like and what dangers were ahead of him. Gandalf could see the adventurous heart in Bilbo when no one else could. He had chosen him to be the fourteenth member of the team and was not going to be moved by any creature. In the beginning of the book, Bilbo is flabbergasted when Gandalf tells him that he will give him what he asked for. â€Å"I beg your pardon, I haven’t asked for anything! † (Tolkien 7) He was so scared to think that he would have to go on such a perilous journey. He had never been past the safe comfort of his hobbit-hole and was not ready to cross that line. Gandalf somehow knew that deep down Bilbo was longing for adventure. â€Å"In fact I will go so far as to send you in this adventure,† (Tolkien 7) He had an incredible faith for him that showed up quite a few times. Even though Bilbo did mess up, he would still stand up for him â€Å"Let’s have no more argument. I have chosen Mr. Baggins and that ought to be enough for all of you† (Tolkien 19) â€Å"I brought him, and I don’t bring things that are of no use. †(Tolkien 85) Bilbo was extremely unsure of himself and didn’t know how he could be of help. Because of this, the dwarves assumed that he had no significance on their expedition and that he was even a weigh down. â€Å"You! You! You miserable hobbit! You undersized burglar! † (Tolkien 247) They would persistently put him down, but Gandalf always took little Bilbo’s side. It was so fun to see Bilbo become the courageous, sneaky and cunning conqueror that he really was inside. He thought that he would never be able to do the things that he did. Every now and then he would start to warm up to the idea of danger but then catch himself and hide once again. It took quite a while for him to see how brave he was, but he got it in the end. Sorry! I don’t want any adventures, thank you. † (Tolkien 7) Later he fights giant spiders and out-talks Gollum. He turns out to be the bravest one on the expedition! He was the most valuable person and they would not have completed their quest without him. One thing that I really didn’t like was when the dragon came along. The whole book they talked about how the dragon would be the most difficult to handle. When they finally get to the mountain, all the dwarves can think about is the dragon. They have to hide by the secret door and be totally silent so that they don’t wake it. Bilbo sneaks into the mountain to spy around. He finds the dragon and makes it so upset that it tries to destroy everything in its path. The dragon is the only thing holding them back. The thought of the battle they were going to have was exciting. They left you in the suspense of who was going to fight it and who would get hurt and still give everything. As the dragon is rampaging through Esgaroth, Bard shoots it with one arrow. The dragon falls dead. That’s it? I was definitely hoping for something more than that. I felt like they led up to it really well and then didn’t even have anything happen. The way that the characters spoke really reflected who they were. Gollum, for example, called himself â€Å"my precious† and never spoke to anyone but himself. It was almost like his trademark. Gandalf was ‘the wise one’. His word choice made him seem mysterious like an old wizard should be. â€Å"Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on? † (Tolkien 5) On page 41, however, I feel like he ‘lost his cool’ when he yelled at Bilbo for asking an acceptable question. It seemed to make him less wise and more†¦ cranky. Bilbo of course talked of his hobbit-hole and how he wished for food and warmth. The dialogue of the character seemed as if it was their own. I think that they made Bilbo too old for the way he acts. He is always curious to know about things but so scared. He is never ‘just there’. Like a younger person, he is always alert and ready to see what is happening next. He is good at sneaking around and is very clever and active. T he book was very interesting, and I enjoyed reading it, but the speeds changed too much. You couldn’t feel the suspense as much because the same thing happened over and over, and they didn’t go on very long: they would get captured and then they would escape. It was all very creative but I would have liked to be able to get into the moments more. After they get their share of money and fight the Goblins, nothing happens. That should be extremely close to the last page of the book. The story line is over, which leads to the conclusion. When Bilbo and Gandalf go back to the Hills, it is excruciatingly laid out. The next whole chapter was on their slow journey back. The overall theme was that you can think that there is nothing to you, like Bilbo thought about himself, and think that you are small, weak, and afraid, but that is all in your head. When you set your mind to it, you can ‘get it done’, no matter how big or strong you are. â€Å"This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, and found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected,† (Tolkien 4) â€Å"He suddenly felt he would go without bed and breakfast to be thought fierce,† (Tolkien 18) All of his fear was conquered and then came the confidence. â€Å"He soon realized that if anything was to be done, it would have to be done by Mr. Baggins, alone and unaided,† (Tolkien 158).