The Best Way to Approach ACT English Passages

The Best Way to Approach ACT English Passages SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The format of the ACT English ispretty weird and unusual, compared to most of your high school English tests(though the new SAT Writing is fairly similar). If you want to succeed on this section, you have to know how to approach its unique passage-based structure. "And how," you ask, "do I do that?"Always, always, have a plan. In this guide, I'll show you the best way to read and answer ACT english questions when you attack the passage. These strategies come from my experience working personally with nearly a hundredstudents. You should apply themin your own ACT English practice to help you prepare thoroughly for test day. Why You MUST Have a Plan The structure of the ACT English is weird. That's just a fact. It's unlike anything you'll have seen elsewhere, it has a lot of questions, and it gives you a lot more information than you actually need. Because of its strange format, a lot of students find this section confusing. They make two main mistakes: rushing through the questions so quickly that they endup with a lot of extra time at the end and skipping between the underlined sections without looking at the context. By far the best way to combat these issues is to have a plan of attack that you employ in the exact same way every time. Your exact approach will depend on what works for you,but anygood strategy will ensure that you always read the entire sentence surrounding an underlined portion before trying to answer the question. Consistency is key: once you pick a strategy, you should use iton every ACT English practice passage andtest. The Best Strategy for Reading the ACT English Passages Though, as I mentioned, every student is different, there is one strategy that I recommend everyone at least tries: we'll call itthegraf-by-graf strategy. For this approach, youread each paragraph, and then go back through and answer the questions in that paragraph. Simple enough, right? This strategy is ideal because it gives you a clear sense of the passage and forces you to read full sentences before answering questions about them. It can be a little time-consuming, so if you struggle with running out of time, you may want to consider one of the alternatives listed below. But make sure to try this one first- you might be surprised! Let's go through how the graf-by-graf approachworks on an actual ACT English section: In this example, you start by reading the first paragraph, until you reach the purple line, and then answer the questions that are marked with purple boxes. You can see how having read the entire paragraph makes answering question 26, which asks for the sentence that "most effectively introduces the information that follows," much easier. Questions 27 and 28 are still a bit tricky since they appear in the same sentence- in these cases, make sure to look at both underlined portions and consider whether the answer to one will affect the answer to the other. Once you've completed the two-step process for the firstparagraph, you move on to the next one. Read down to the green line and then answer the question marked in green. On a real ACT English section, you would repeat this process for each paragraph in each of the five passages. 3 Alternative Passage Strategies Graf-by-graf is generally the best approach, but maybe you've tried and it really doesn't work for you- you're consistently running out of time or find yourself getting distracted by parts of the passage that aren't really that important. In that case, there are three other possibilities you can try, depending on what exactly you're struggling with. Strategy 1: Answer as You Go In this approach, you read through the passage and when you come to an underlined passage you continue past it to the end of the sentence, and then go back to answer the question before moving forward. This strategy is straightforward and quick, so it's great if you're running out of time with only a few questions left on the graf-by-graf approach or if you find yourself getting distracted or overwhelmed with multiple passes involvedin that strategy. However, it gives you a less thorough perspective on the context, which can make answering questions about transitions or about a paragraphas a whole more challenging. It also has the potential to fail completely if you don't implement it strictly: you must always read to the end of the sentence or you will miss questions. Let's walk through how to use this strategy correctly. For this strategy, you would start by reading the pink highlighted sentence and then answering question 26. However, 26 asks how best to introduce the rest of the paragraph, which makes it bit tricky. You can either takeyour best guess based on your knowledge of the passage in general (for example, you can rule out G and H because the passage, and the previous paragraph, is about the narrator's relationship with Rosie, not just facts about tortoises), read a few additional sentences before answering, or skip it and come back after doing 27-29. The next step is to read the green highlighted portion, and then answer 27 and 28. As we discussed above, whentwo questions appear in the same sentence, you need to pay attention to whether they affect each other- although, in this case, they don't. The next step is to read the rest of the first paragraph (highlighted in blue), and answer 29. Finally, read the purple sentence and answer number30. Since this is the last question for the passage, you don't need to worry about reading the res of that paragraph. As you can see, this strategy is more streamlined than the graf-by-graf approach. However, there's also more room for error, so if you struggle with consistency, I wouldn't recommend tackling passages this way. Strategy 2: Sentence-by-Sentence For the sentence-by-sentence approach, you only read the sentences that include underlined portions. This strategy isn't ideal since youwon't get as clear an understanding of the overall context, which can make answering the rhetorical skills questions harder. Also, like the answer as you go strategy, this approach can be challenging to stick to. I don't recommend using it if you are shooting for a score higher than a 25. However, if you are running out of time by a lot using the graf-by-graf approach, whether because you get distracted by irrelevant details or because you struggle to read the full paragraphsquickly enough, this strategy may be a good option for you. Just remember that you always have to read the entire sentence. Let's look at an example to see how this works in practice. First, read the blue highlighted sentence. 26 is a big picture question, solike with the Answer as You Go strategy, you'll need to either make your best guess or skip it and come back. (I recommend the latter option.) Next,look at the pink highlighted sentence and answer 27 and 28. Then, readthe yellow sentence and answer 29. (This is a good point to go back to 26, since you'll now have a good sense of the paragraph it's asking about.) Finally, read the green sentence and answer 30. For a full ACT Englishsection,you just follow the same pattern for all 15questions in each passage. Strategy 3: Passage First The last approach is to skim the entire passage first, and then go back through using sentence-by-sentence to answer the questions. This strategy is the most thorough, and if you find yourselfmissing most of the big picture questions toward the end of passages because you don't really understand the passages, it might be a good fit for you. For most students, however, this approach is more trouble, and time, than it's worth. (In case you're curious, the correct answers for the example questionsabove are as follows: 26. G, 27. D, 28. F, 29. A, 30. G) Finding the Right Strategy for You and Employing It Effectively We've just covereda lot of different ideas, but don't panic!I'm going to give you a step-by-step plan to figuring out the best ACT English passage approach for you and putting it into practice. Step 1: Try Graf-by-Graf Everyone should start by trying out the best strategy. Maybe you'll hate it or maybe you'll love it, but, either way, you need to try it and see. Step 2: Analyze Why You're Missing Questions and Decide on the Best Approach After you finish the practice section, got over it carefully and analyze whichquestions you missed and why. (For a more detailed take on how to review practice tests, check out our walkthrough of the process.) Then consider the following questions as you decide which strategy to use: Did you run out of time? If so, by how much? If you're running out of time with five or fewerquestions left, try the answer-as-you-go approach. If you're running out of time with six or more questions left, try sentence-by-sentence. Do you have time left over? How much? If you have more than 3-4 minutes left at the end, you are probably rushing and need to slow down. Make sure you're reading the passage and the questions thoroughly. Did you miss a lot of the big picture questions that ask about entire paragraphs or the passage as a whole? Did you miss a lot of questionsabout sentence fragments, parallelism, or run-ons? Missing a lot of questions on these topicsoften indicates that you aren't looking at the whole sentence before answering the question. If you're struggling with the concepts themselves, check out our guides on sentence structure and parallelism. Make sure you always read to the end of the sentence before picking an answer- if you have a hard time remembering to do so with the strategy you're using, consider trying another. Based on your answers to these questions, decide which of the four strategies is best for you, and then try it out. Sometimes it takes a couple of tries to figure out what works best. Step 3: Practice, Practice, Practice Once you've decided on a strategy, you have to use it every time you practice. Because the primary goal of these strategies is to ensure that you approach the passages in a methodical way, they're only effective if you use them consistently. If you're having a hard time doing so, consider trying a different approach. It may take a while to find the right strategy for you! What's Next? Need some tests to practice on? You can find five free official PDFs right here. Maybe you've decided on your approach to the passages, but are struggling with some of the specific question types. Take a look at our overview of everything tested on the ACT English. If you're looking for more big picture ACT English strategies, check out the 5 key ACT English tips or these 9 strategies to get a 36 on the ACT English. Not sure whether to take the ACT or SAT? Get the lowdown on the difference between the ACT English and the SAT Writing. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this English lesson, 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:

How to Spend Valentines Day If You Are Single

How to Spend Valentines Day If You Are Single Love it or hate it Saint Valentines Day is looming closer by the minute. While couples are convulsively trying to get perfect gifts for their soulmates and ordering tables in restaurants, singles are looking for places where they can hide from all those sentiments, chocolate, teddy bears, proposals and other stuff. Heres a survival guide for singles. There are many benefits of being alone on Valentines Day, check them out! What to Do? #1 Visit Spa Take rest from disturbing thoughts that bother you on this day. Take a bath, light the candles, go to a masseuse. Hot water, massage, the fragrance of aroma oils will help you reach deep relaxation. Believe that youll forget about all your worries. # 2 Go to the Party Are some of your friends having a party? You should definitely be there. If none of your friends are throwing a party, you can attend some public event and meet new people there. Drinking, dancing and chatting will improve your mood, but dont forget that its Wednesday and tomorrow is a weekday 🙂 #3 Spend Time With a Single Close Friend Buy some tasty food you usually refuse from, put on comfy sleepwear, find a good comedy on Netflix and invite your friend to share all that with you. Laugh or cry – its up to you, but dont be alone. #4 Visit Your Family Being with your family and loved ones will help you to get distracted from the feeling of loneliness if it takes place. If you live with your parents, just spend time with them – watch movie or TV comedy, cook dinner or do something of this nature. #5 Get on a Short Trip Trips are usually full of adventures. Buy a ticket to a place that is not far from your city, book the hotel room and have dinner in a restaurant. Invite a friend or several friends (not the couples) to join you. A trip will inspire and bring some new thoughts to your mind. #6 Go to the Restaurant There could be some difficulties with booking a table on Saint Valentines Day, but you can try. Give yourself a permission to taste anything you want despite the calories. Choose the place where you can taste something new and delicious. Who knows, maybe your soulmate will be sitting at the neighboring table. #7 Cook If you like cooking, but usually dont have time for that, this is your opportunity. Try to get home earlier to have more time for cooking. Find a recipe to prepare a difficult dish that you usually dont have time for. If you cope with this (and you surely do), you will feel inspired and proud of yourself. #8 Visit a Specific Class Remember that time you wanted to attend painting/ latin dance/DIY class? Its time to do that now! The first reason is that you will feel you do something useful for you, the second – you wont be alone and the third – its just fun 🙂 #9 Workout at the Gym One of the best ways to relieve stress is to workout. Go to the gym and let you body get rid of accumulated negative emotions and calories. One more advantage of going to the gym is that its a nice place for meeting someone. What Not to Do 1. Dont text or call exes. You will regret. Definitely. If you didnt call them before, there was a reason. Remember it. 2. Dont be the third wheel. Its pathetic. Sorry. Even if you are very good friends with a couple, you wont be happy feeling that you are a bit unwanted at the celebration of their love. 3. Dont be too dramatic. Maybe a bit, but not too much. The fact that you dont have a date this year, doesnt mean that you have some flaws or something. You just didnt find someone who you are interested in enough to go on date. 4. Dont refuse from visiting events. Do you really think you are the only single in the city? Dont refuse from visiting parties only because you dont want to see many couples around you. Many of them will be sitting at home or in restaurant. Parties on Saint Valentines Day are mostly for singles. 5. Do not drink alone at home. First of all, its harmful for your physical health, secondly, its not good for you emotional health too. Alcohol will boost the feeling of loneliness and urge you to do stuff youd regret later. Saint Valentines Day can be a torture for some single people especially if they are surrounded with happy couples. If it is your case, you can get through it and the best way is to cooperate with other singles and spend good time together.

In a number Of crimes (the) function (of criminal law) is simply to Essay

In a number Of crimes (the) function (of criminal law) is simply to enforce a moral principle and nothing else Lord Devlin (19 - Essay Example Over four thousand years ago, prior to Abrahamic times, there is documentary evidence that morals and laws were seen as the same thing and morals and laws were seen to have the backings of the gods (Bottero, 1992). This therefore implies that peoples in prehistoric times derived their moral, religious and ethical authority from the supernatural, in that the rules and systems of these communities were considered to be something that originated from the spirits that backed the society. In modern times, where most people are influenced by the central principles of Judaism, which is the Torah given to Moses, most people believe that the Law is something that was ‘given’ (Hart, 1994). This is because Exodus 19 indicates that God spoke directly to Moses and the Israelite nation at Mount Sinai and gave them the rules and commandments that find its way to Christian, Jewish and Islamic Laws which form the foundations of most legal systems around the world. This therefore indicate s that the evolution of legality is strongly connected to religion and legality. Criminal laws and codes are no exceptions because in most cases, actions are criminalized because they are morally wrong rather than just legally outlawed. Alter et al 2007 indicate that â€Å"criminal conviction consists of two pre-requisites, the actus reus (criminal act) and mens rea (criminal intent)†. In other words, for the law to criminalise an individual, the prosecution must prove beyond reasonable doubts that the accused person had an intention to commit a criminal act and he actually committed the criminal act. However, what is a crime and what is not, is deeply connected to the moral structures of a given society. This paper examines the popular arguments that merge the concepts of legality to morality and also, contrary views that makes them distinct and unconnected disciplines. Origins of Legal Structures â€Å"Law arises as a social technique which co-actively imposes ways of solv ing conflicts, protecting fundamental values for a society’s co-existence.† (Marina, 2000). From prehistoric times, people have always seen the need to live together as social units. First of all, every family has a head which is often a father. As part of his duty, a father is supposed to protect the family and make sure everyone does what is expected of him or her in the family. In more complicated situations, where a number of families lived together in a given social setting, there was the need for all the members to have a leader and other social structures that ensured that people could interact with each other with little friction and disagreements. Leadership and social structures varied widely. Leaders were usually chosen based on the pressing needs at the time. A community could chose a leader based on military yardsticks whilst another could chose a leader based on intellectual or productivity qualities. As pointed out by Bottero (1992), most of these early s ocieties had religious beliefs and systems that linked them to the spiritual realms. Religious and spiritual establishments also had custodians who automatically joined the leadership of the community to regulate and maintain social structures with spiritual guidance and directions. Thus for leaders of a community to regulate the life of members of the community, there is the need for a body of

Vice President of a Supply Chain Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Vice President of a Supply Chain - Case Study Example In other words, effort should be made to ensure safe passage of the goods being supplied at each stage along the supply chain. Efficiency can be achieved through implementing various measures. It is also essential for businesses and suppliers to create quality relationships in order to improve their operations in the supply chain. Thus a clear supply network ought to be created so as to be in a position to achieve the desired goals. This is known as the value delivery network which is made up of the firm, suppliers, distributors and ultimately customers who partner with each other to improve the performance of the entire system (Kotler & Armstrong, 2010). In such a scenario, all the parties involved should be coordinated in such a way that there is efficient passage of the goods from one point to the next. The channels upon which the goods will be delivered should be clearly identified so as to avoid confusion. Transport logistics ought to be clearly defined so as to enable the suppliers to efficiently move different goods and products from one point to the other. The other measure that can be taken in order to ensure efficiency is to make sure that the goods supplied do not outstrip the capacity to store them. This means that the inventory at one stage should not be larger than the storage place available. In order to measure the benchmarks of success of this initiative, I will make a follow up to ensure that there are no breakages and that all goods have been delivered as per expectations. It is also imperative to engage all members involved so as to be able to gain feedback from them to ascertain if they are satisfied with the distribution system implemented by the suppliers. The limited number of breakages and complaints from the customers is another benchmark that can be used to make sure that the initiative has been a success. The period taken for a particular product to be delivered from the manufacture to the retailer can also be used

An Ethical Issue Essay Example for Free

An Ethical Issue Essay Euthanasia is a hotly debated ethical issue these days, and there are certain arguments for and against its practice. Arguments against euthanasia are usually based on the sanctity of life, and such arguments are often compatible with religion, but arguments for euthanasia concern individual liberty, and a desire to prevent more suffering than is absolutely necessary. In this paper, I intend to address arguments for and against euthanasia, and explain why it is an ethical issue, and conclude that euthanasia, in some cases, should be permissible. Euthanasia is defined as the painless termination of someone’s life, but the ethical dilemma surrounding the topic has to do with whether or not it is alright to euthanize someone who is in a vegetative state, and can no longer think for him or herself, and whether or not assisted suicide is morally acceptable. The first of these scenarios would entail someone, such as a family member or physician, ending the life of someone who is in great pain following an accident, but cannot express their own wishes (whether or not they wish to remain on a feeding tube, or on life support) because of physical body damage, and this is known as passive euthanasia. The other issue, the one of physician assisted suicide, entails someone like a physician assisting someone who is in great pain, but not in need of life support, in committing suicide, maybe by administering a lethal dose of medication, to alleviate the patient’s pain, and this is known as active euthanasia. Both active and passive euthanasia are highly debated ethical issues, as they concern the value of life, and whether or not people are justified in prolonging a life of anguish, or terminating a life of misery. Recently, there have been many controversial cases of euthanasia, or its possibility in cases where it seems necessary to some, such as the cases of Doctor Kevorkian, and Terry Schiavo. The main ethical issues in the cases where Dr. Kevorkian euthanized (performed physician-assisted suicide on) some of his patients regards whether or not a patient should have the potential to decide his or her own fate, and then whether or not a physician should be held accountable for supporting, and aiding in a patient’s decision to end his or her life. This fundamentally boils down to the question of whether or not someone can choose to end their life when that person is in constant pain, but the issue would be complicated by the efforts needed in determining who is in enough pain to be permitted to actively end his or her life, which brings up the question of why everyone cannot choose to terminate their lives. And patients in hospitals do have the right to passively kill themselves, by starving, or refusing treatment, so in some cases, when a patient is prepared to take such measures to end his or her life, it would seem morally permissible for a physician to painlessly facilitate that patient’s suicide. In the case of someone’s euthanasia by the pulling of a feeding tube or the termination of life support, the ethical dilemma surrounds the family, or physician’s authority, when it comes to forcing the person who has brain damage to forfeit medical attention. A patient who is not in a vegetative state can refuse treatment, as that is not actively killing him or herself, but the question in the case of passive euthanasia is whether or not anyone other than the patient who might or might not refuse treatment due to severe pain if he or she were not in a vegetative state would have the authority to pull the plug on that person’s behalf, if the patient had not made his or her desired wishes clear. Religion plays a huge roll in helping people to believe that euthanasia should not be morally permissible, as most religions include some aspect about the sanctity of life, and based on that, they discourage suicide or killing in any form. Christianity in particular regards suicide as a sin, and that makes it difficult for people who wish to die because they are in too much pain, but their religion preaches against suicide. It is even against the law to commit suicide, but lately there have been questions coming out about whether people who are intensely pained by there illness should be exempt from this law, and whether or not doctors would be allowed to aid these suffering patients by providing them with lethal pills, or putting them to sleep by giving them extra doses of their medication. This is active euthanasia, where a patient, or doctor, or the combination of the two, take action to terminate life, rather than let it painfully continue for a long time, as the patient takes medicine and food, or making it drag on for a short, immensely painful period in the case where a patient refuses medication and food. For the most part, any argument against euthanasia must somehow be based on a view that life is sacred, and should never be sacrificed, at any cost, even when there is great pain to be dealt with if the life is prolonged. â€Å"Religious people dont argue that we cant kill ourselves, or get others to do it,† a BBC article about religion and ethics reports. â€Å"They know that we can do it because God has given us free will. Their argument is that it would be wrong for us to do so. They believe that every human being is the creation of God, and that this imposes certain limits on us. Our lives are not only our lives for us to do with as we see fit. To kill oneself, or to get someone else to do it for us, is to deny God, and to deny Gods rights over our lives and his right to choose the length of our lives and the way our lives end. † This summarizes a religious viewpoint that holds that euthanasia is not morally permissible. But for people who are not religious, a more basic argument in favor of euthanasia seems to arise, and that is simply whether or not people should be allowed to forfeit their lives if they are completely unsatisfied with them, or are severely pained by them. So, that might concern a simple case where someone is slowly dying of a terrible disease, and his medication deters the pain to some degree, but he is still miserable. Should that person be allowed to actively (or request that a physician actively) end his life, because he would rather forfeit his life than live on in pain and suffering? That seems to be a highly controversial issue, and from this perspective, it seems that euthanasia should be supported, at least to some degree. This could easily be a pro-euthanasia argument, as the person in pain has the right to forego medication, and refuse food and other life-sustaining attributes, which would lead to the patient’s death after a period of maximal pain, but the patent, without euthanasia, would not have the right to forfeit his life without enduring the pain from the scenario where he refuses treatment if active euthanasia is not permissible. â€Å"Some experts are gunning for a compromise. Zhu Tiezhi, a media commentator,† A China Daily article reports, â€Å"suggests the right-to-die prerequisites: the applicant must have a terminal illness that causes agonizing pain, and the diagnosis must be verified by at least two doctors; the applicant must be in a clear state of mind when he applies for it, and the application process should be repeated at least twice to make sure it is not a spur-of-the-moment thought. † This article was written after a patient who had throat cancer jumped out of a window to end his life after he was told that physicians were unable to assist him in doing so. So it seems that in certain cases, euthanasia is a more humane way for one to end his or her life than to manufacture a way him or herself. Our job is to save lives, and we dont have the right to mercy killing, said an official at the Changsha hospital,† an official at the hospital in the Hunan Province of China, where the man committed suicide, stated. But in certain cases, lives may only be prolonged, painfully, for a short time, so euthanasia would then represent a painless way of alleviating a suffering patient’s agony. â€Å"Chantal Sebire knows shes forcing people to make an agonizing decision, but agony is something she knows far too much about,† Bruce Crumley includes in his article, entitled Making a Case for Euthanasia. â€Å"The 52- year-old Dijon schoolteacher suffers from a rare disease that has left her disfigured by facial tumors, which will also damage her brain over time and eventually kill her. Her demand that French political leaders loosen laws against euthanasia has been rebuffed, so Sebire now awaits a judges decision on whether existing legislation allows doctors to assist her in ending her pain-racked life. ‘I no longer accept this enduring pain, and this protruding eye that nothing can be done about,’† Crumley writes. And unfortunately, the legal system of most countries do not recognize euthanasia as a permissible alternative to prolonged suffering, which causes many to live on in pain, wishing that they could terminate their lives instead of continuing on in agony. This seems like a reasonable right that everyone should be entitled to exercise if the time is right. People should not be forced to, because of the legal issues surrounding the issue, and anyone (such as a physician) involved, be forced to live on in agony when they could end it all by euthanasia. It seems that laws forbidding active euthanasia, or mercy killings, is based on the principle that all life is sacred, and that even extreme suffering should be fundamentally imposed on people if it could occur without their death. So death is legally regarded as impermissible when it is in any way caused by man. But what about the death penalty? There is a scenario where the government does not view life as the most sacred institution, so if exceptions are allowed, why not provide one that alleviates the constant suffering and agonies that plague people who have certain medical conditions, but are not allowed to self-terminate? â€Å"A French woman suffering from an incurable and disfiguring cancer was found dead on Wednesday, two days after a court rejected her request for medical assistance to help end her life, a source close to the government said,† an article from reuters. com reported of the woman who had petitioned to have a physician assist her in suicide. â€Å"Chantal Sebire, 52, whose face was swollen and distorted by a rare tumour in her sinuses, won heavy media coverage and the compassion of many French people in her bid to set a legal precedent for patients like her seeking to end their suffering. A court in the eastern city of Dijon ruled on Monday that Sebire could not have a doctor help her die because it would breach both the code of medical ethics and the law, under which assisted suicide is a crime. † But it seems that the code of medical ethics should make exceptions in certain cases of euthanasia. Forcing someone to die slowly in accordance with some debilitating disease is in no way more ethical or more humane than permitting that person to terminate his or her life painlessly. â€Å"After nine years, 130 deaths, and six trials, ‘Dr. Death’ Jack Kevorkian finally faces jail time for killing a desperate man who came to him for ‘help’ and found only death,† Liz Townsend writes in her article, Kevorkians Nine-Year Euthanasia Crusade Leads to Murder Conviction. â€Å"Thomas Youks death by lethal injection, administered directly by Kevorkian and nationally televised on 60 Minutes, led to a second-degree murder conviction March 26, but Youk was only one of many people who died to advance Kevorkians euthanasia crusade. ‘We believe the verdict should have been premeditated murder, but were very elated by the second-degree verdict,’ said Diane Coleman of the disability-rights group Not Dead Yet, according to the Associated Press. ‘We want to see Jack Kevorkian imprisoned for life. Its clear he has no respect for people with disabilities. ’ But is assisted suicide really a violation of the rights of someone who is disabled? In cases of physician-assisted suicide, the patient would not think so. A violation of the rights of the disabled would be ignoring a plea for assisted suicide, which would end pain and suffering. But perhaps the most basic argument for permissability of euthanasia, in at least extreme cases, should be in regards to everyone’s personal liberty. By that argument, people may say that everyone should have the right to do as they please when it concerns their own body. But an argument against personal liberty might state that similar arguments would allow drug use and other impermissible activities. So What is to be done? It seems that the best thing to do would be to, when physician’s can gauge someone’s mental aptitude, allow them to actively euthanize themselves, or assist him or her in doing so, if the patient is mentally competent, and wishes to end his or her life. And in the case of a family pulling the plug on someone (passive euthanasia) it should be permissible at all times if the patient had previously expressed a desire to die rather than remain on life support. Works Cited Appleton, Michael et al. At Home with Terminal Illness: A Family Guide to Hospice in the Home. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1995. Barnard, C Good Life, Good Death a Doctors Case for Euthanasia and Suicide. Hbk 146pp Prentice-Hall 1980. Bold and provocative work by the famous heart surgeon. Battin, Margaret P. The Death Debate: Ethical Issues in Suicide. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1996. The Law Society the British Medical Association. Assessment of Mental Capacity Guidance for Doctors Lawyers. Pbk 152pp British Medical Association 1995. Randall, F, Downie, R. Palliative Care Ethics A Good Companion Pbk, 202pp Oxford University Press 1996.

Genghis Khan :: essays research papers

From the high, windswept Gobi came one of history's most famous warriors. He was a Mongolian nomad known as Genghis Khan. With his fierce, hard-riding nomad horde, he conquered a huge empire that stretched through Asia from the Yellow Sea to the Black Sea. Genghis Khan was born on the Gobi, in a yurt, or felt tent, on a bank of the Onon River in northern Mongolia. His father, Yesukai, was the chief of several desert tribes and had just slain a foe named Temujin. In triumph Yesukai named his newborn son Temujin. Yesukai died when Temujin was about 13 years old. The boy succeeded him, but the fierce, restless nomads would not obey so young a chieftain. The chief of another tribe proclaimed himself leader of the Mongols and captured Temujin. Guards forced Temujin into a kang, a wooden yoke that shackled his shoulders and wrists. In the dark he slowly twisted himself to reach above a guard and smashed the kang down on his head. Then Temujin ra Temujin's bold courage and resourcefulness began to win followers. When he reached manhood, he conquered the Tatars and added them to his tribes. In 1203 he defeated the Keraits. Seizing their cities of mud and stone, he made Karakorum his capital. In 1206 a council of his tribes named him Genghis Khan. It means "greatest of rulers, emperor of all men." Genghis Khan then put all his Mongolian realm under Yassa, a body of laws he assembled from various tribal codes. These laws demanded obedience to Genghis Khan, unity of the tribes, and pitiless punishment of wrongdoers. Through Yassa, Genghis Khan achieved the discipline that welded his wild tribesmen into merciless, successful armies. On his march of conquest Genghis Khan overran North China from 1208 to 1215.

Music Is a Kind of Mathematics

â€Å"Music is a kind of Mathematics†. â€Å"Mathematics are a measure of beauty even when man is a measure of beauty†. I heard the professor saying these two sentences in class and it hit me hard. I remembered the teachers in lower classes telling us that Mathematics are the key for everything in life and we didn't believe them, protesting that â€Å"Art†, for example, has nothing to do with Mathematics. Apparently, they were right. But how come do Mathematics seem to be considered as a measure of beauty? Many philosophers have said and written about art's beauty and aesthetics, and it always included some kind of Mathematics in it. In 1150 AD, Acharya Hemachandra wrote about, what's now called Fibonacci Numbers (In Mathematics, Fibonacci numbers are specialized that the last number is the sum of the two previous ones, such as the following: 1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34,55,89,144,233,377,610†¦), in poetry lines, 70 years before Fibonacci published his own experiment in his first edition of Liber Abaci. In addition, Pingala seemed to have used them in 200 BC, by considering poetry patterns divided to two lengths of syllables; long and short. In 1, 2 and 3 syllables there's always matching ways to put them. But when it comes to 4 syllables there's 5 ways, just like for 5 syllables there's 8 ways and so it goes. And that's what's special and beautiful about poetry and more precisely rhythm. The Fibonacci numbers were also utilized by many arrangers when composing music, and many poets say that the Golden Ratio goes back to the time of the middle ages. The researches show that Stradivari knew about and utilized the Golden Ratio to put the f-holes in his famous violins. And then there's Baginsky's strategy for constructing violins which is in light of the Golden Section. Music made by Mozart, Bach and Beethoven seem to be based on the Golden Section too. Maybe this is the reason why their music is beautiful. Books about oil painting in all libraries will probably call attention to that it is better to use lines that divide the picture to thirds and to position objects on one of the sides or â€Å"around 33%† of the way across rather than in the middle of the picture. This appears to upgrade the photo to make it more satisfying to the eye and this idea depends again on the Golden Ratio being â€Å"perfect†, leaving behind what's called a beautiful masterpiece painting. Moreover, physical attraction relies upon proportions, and specifically symmetry. When someone else's body is in proportions and symmetrical, it's more likely for us to find it more attractive and beautiful. In the same manner, if a face is proportionate, we will probably notice it quickly and think that it's beautiful and perfect. Leonardo da Vinci's illustrations of the human body accentuated its ratio. Essentially, it is trusted that buildings might be more appealing to a number of people if the proportions used are based on the Golden Section. Therefore, the Golden Ration is taught to architecture students rather than civil engineering students, because architecture is more related to aesthetics which is globally based on Mathematics. For instance, Vitruvius had explained many artistic and architectural things based on proportions, and those are based on Mathematics: -Natural colors, which are found in specific places, and artificial colors that are combined in proper proportions.-â€Å"It is thought that the columns of basilicas ought to be as high as the side-aisles are broad; an aisle should be limited to one third of the breadth which the open space in the middle is to have. â€Å"(Vitruvius, The ten books on Architecture, Book V, p.132) Sizes, in this case, are also proportionate, which increases its beauty as much as it assures its stability. The Golden Section, widely the Fibonacci sequence, also happen in nature, in the patterns we sometimes find in pine cones, pineapples, artichokes, petals of flowers, the leaves of the plants†¦ Generally, because of the best approaches to efficiently pack things firmly together, using the Fibonacci sequence. (The plant needs to get sunshine on all its leaves without one getting in the way of another or else it would be bad for it, that's what it does without special intervention, as the plant doesn't do Mathematics, scientists considered the idea of the Golden Section as its natural growth.) And since God has created everything, some researchers and scientists tend to say that God is the greatest Mathematician such as the following list and many others:-Galileo Galilei who confirmed: â€Å"Mathematics is the language with which God has written the universe.†-That in addition the Euclid: â€Å"The laws of nature are but the Mathematical thoughts of God. â€Å"-And Paul Dirac said: â€Å"If there is a God, he's a great mathematician. God used beautiful mathematics in creating the world. â€Å"-To end this here's what Maulana Wahiduddin Khan believed: â€Å"The truth is that God is the greatest Mathematician, the greatest artist and the greatest genius.† Just like some people consider that beauty is based on Mathematics, â€Å"all mathematicians share a sense of amazement over the infinite depth and the mysterious beauty and usefulness of Mathematics† (Martin Gardner), in addition to other people who consider Mathematics as the queen of science (or not even a science, just a beautiful thing). They say that Mathematics is the only place where truth and beauty mean the same thing. And from their point of view, if it is correctly used, it has truth as well as preeminent aesthetics. And when someone asked him why he considered numbers beautiful, Paul Erdà ¶s said: â€Å"It's like asking why is Beethoven's Ninth Symphony beautiful. If you don't see why, someone can't tell you. I know numbers are beautiful. If they aren't beautiful, nothing is†?

Biology Investigation

Biology Investigation Aim: to investigate the effects of light and gravity on the growth of sunflower seeds. Background Info: Tropism is directional movement in response to a directional stimulus eg light or gravity. Plants are not able to relocate if they happen to start growing where conditions are nor perfect but they can alter their growth towards more favorable conditions. Plants respond to light (phototropism) where the stems grow towards the light and the roots grow away from the light. They also respond to gravity (geotropism) where the stems grow away from the ground and the roots grow towards the ground.Tropisms are controlled by auxins – a family of hormones that promote (and sometimes inhibit) growth. Sunflower seeds need regular watering in order to provide sufficient nutrients and ensure healthy and efficient growth. Hypothesis: I hypothesise that whatever orientation the seed is placed in, the shoot will always be positively phototropic and the root will always be positively geotropic, due to the basic laws of tropism. Risk Assessment: Hazard| Risk| Precautions/Disposal| Test tube breakage| Glass may cause injury to eyes or skin. | Be cautious when handling test tube; wear safety equipment such as safety glasses and gloves.Place in glass bin. | Puncturing boxes with scissors| Scissors may injure someone if there is an accident. | Assign somebody to hold the box steadily while they are being punctured. | Using forceps| May injure skin. | Hold forceps steady and try to avoid contact with skin. | Equipment: Geotropism * 4x large test tube * 4x filter paper * 4x sunflower seed * 1x test tube rack Phototropism * 1x cardboard box * 4x sunflower seed * 1x pair of scissors * 1x forceps * 4x test tube * 4x filter paper * 1x test tube rack Variables: Geotropism * Independent variable: orientation of sunflower seed Dependant variable: direction of growth of sunflower seed shoot and root * Constant variables: the test tube in which the seeds are kept, the place the test tube rack sits, the orientation of each seed Phototropism * Independent variable: orientation of sunflower seed, place of light source * Dependant variable: direction of growth of sunflower seed shoot and root * Constant variables: the box in which the seeds are kept, the place the box sits, the orientation of each seed, the materials used (filter paper, large test tube, test tube rack) Experimental Control: GeotropismOne of the test tubes was set up with a sunflower seed and the shoot facing up, the natural orientation. Phototropism A cardboard box was set up with hole punctures in the top and sides to allow light to get to the plants from all directions. Method: Geotropism * Collect equipment * Set up 4 large test tubes in a test tube rack and label them A, B, C and D. * Soak the 4 filter papers under water * Roll up one filter paper and place in test tube A, along with the sunflower seed shoot facing up to be the control. * Repeat step 4 but with test tube B, with the sunflower seed shoot facing down. Repeat step 4 but with test tube C, with the sunflower seed shoot facing right. * Repeat step 4 but with test tube D, with the sunflower seed shoot facing left. 1. Place in an area with adequate natural light 2. Water every day for 5 days, taking observations on the direction and length of growth on the seeds. Phototropism 1. Collect equipment 1. Set up 4 large test tubes in a test tube rack 1. Soak the 4 filter papers in water 1. Roll up filter paper and place in test tubes, along with the sunflower seeds with all shoots facing upward. 1. Label 3 cardboard boxes as 1. control, 2. eft, 3. right 1. Puncture 10 holes in both sides and the top of box 1 2. Puncture 10 holes in the left side of box 2 3. Puncture 10 holes in the right side of box3 4. Place a test tube rack in each box 5. Place in an area with adequate natural light 6. Water every day for 5 days, taking observations on the direction and length of growth on the seeds. Discussion Du ring the experiment, it was observed that sunflower seed shoots, regardless of their orientation, will almost always grow towards the light. Likewise, the root of the seeds will almost always grow towards the ground.This trend is due to the auxins in the plant, hormones that promote growth. When a seed is placed sideways, unnaturally, the auxins in the plant stimulate growth in the shoot to still curve upward towards the light, and in the root to curve downward towards the ground. The accuracy of this experiment was sound. The equipment used was the same for all groups and was reasonably suitable to the experiment as it allowed easily observable results, for example the glass test tubes allowed us to watch our seeds grow each day. However, watering the plants was not undertaken every day, affecting the overall accuracy.Having a specific required amount of water to water the plants each day would have been beneficial to the accuracy of the experiment. The reliability of this experime nt was poor. Most observations were not consistent. In many geotropism experiments, there were shoots that did not curve all the way down to the ground. This could have been due to the limited space they had between the glass of the test tube and the filter paper. The validity of this experiment was also poor. The constant variables were not very well controlled; the place in which the apparatus was set up changed, which meant different environmental conditions for the plants.The weather also changed every day, especially on Saturday when it was 41 degrees. This would have had an impact on the growth of the plants, and a burnt filter paper was observed, which could have been a result of the hot weather. The significant rise in temperature should have been predicted prior to the end of the school week so a more controlled environment could be created for the plants to have a consistent area to thrive in. To improve the accuracy and reliability of this experiment, a clearer and more s pecific method should be undertaken and a better set up of apparatus should be hought up to give the seeds more room to grow. However, the aim of investigating the effects of light and gravity on the growth of sunflower seeds was answered. This experiment is beneficial to society as it may assist gardeners, florists, other biologists etc in growing plants efficiently. Conclusion: Based on observations, our hypothesis of the shoot always being positively phototropic and the root being positively geotropic was supported, bringing us to the conclusion that light and gravity have a major impact on the growth of sunflower seeds no matter what the orientation.This is controlled by the auxins that respond to the light and gravity, promoting growth in the shoot of the seed to grow toward the light, and the root of the seed to grow toward the ground. Bibliography: Kimball, J W 2011,  Tropisms, viewed 27 November, 2012,  . Unknown, 2001,  Plant Hormones, viewed 27 November, 2012,  Ã‚  >.

The Family Crucible Essays

The Family Crucible Essays The Family Crucible Paper The Family Crucible Paper As I was reading The Family Crucible, I felt as if I was in the therapy session with Carl Whitaker. The book provides an excellent example of family structure, and how the system can quickly break-down. The book also provides a detailed account around family relationships, personal attitudes, values, and psychological existence that affect our everyday roles for example, the role of a spouse, friend, and family member (i. e. Sister, brother, parent). Carl Whitaker started off as a medical doctor OB/GYN to be exact. In 1938 Carl would take a job at a psychiatric hospital and develop a strong passion for the schizophrenic client and their family. He believed that the whole family system must be treated in order for symptoms to disappear (Napier, Whitaker, 1978). Carl Whitaker stated â€Å"family therapy was like exploratory surgery† (Napier et al. , 1978, p. 19). Carl Whitaker’s approach to the Brice’s family was very interesting especially the co-therapist approach. It’s kind of like two heads are better than one. The two therapists would not start the session unless all members of the system were present. At first, I thought the two therapist approach might appear to the client as a type of ganging up. However, reading on, I was able to see that having the two therapists where one would get close and personal to the issue at hand, while the other would stay professional and evaluate the issue from an outsider point of view, was an excellent way of approaching the whole system, and not singling out one member. The one technique that I did not agree with was the scapegoating. I cannot imagine how a child or even an adult might feel if they are put in the spotlight, meaning the one member that caused all the problems (Napier, Whitaker, 1978). I think that Whitaker’s approach is an excellent way of involving the family in the therapeutic process while teaching them the necessary skills to solve their own problems in the future. I think in response to diversity issue using this approach, one is not applying a specific intervention, but a direction to which the family will travel once the true issue is uncovered. The therapist puts control of the therapeutic process in the hands of the family. Whitaker stated â€Å"if people are really going to get deeply into therapy, they need to know that they can escape easily† (Napier, Whitaker, 1978, p. 33). I believe that Whitaker’s approach can be applied to most families’ cultural background, because ultimately it’s the family that is controlling the flow of therapy with the guidance of the two therapists. Reference Napier, A. Y. , Whitaker, C. (1978). The family crucible. New York, NY: Harper and Row.

How to Start Investing in Your 20s

How to Start Investing in Your 20s When it comes to making plans, long-term savings and investments might be the furthest thing from your mind. â€Å"I’m a millennial,† you say. â€Å"I have plenty of time to deal with that!† And while this is may be true, technically, it’s totally in your interest to take a hard look at what you can do to get started. â€Å"I have plenty of time† turns into â€Å"Meh, I’m busy, I’ll deal with it later,† which turns into â€Å"Yikes, where did the time go?† Personally, I remember sitting in a standard 401(k) seminar at work, where younger employees were advised to start saving as soon as possible. The guest investment advisor trotted out a horror story of a sweet old lady who retired with grand plans of freedom and travel, only to find $12,000 in her investment account. The tone and implication were similar to those stories that high school health teachers tell you to scare you away from†¦ well, everything, but it was an effective tactic. Knowing myself, I’d keep putting off big financial investment decisions until â€Å"later,† until I was that sweet old lady with no savings. The story may or may not have been true, but it hit the mark.And the numbers are persuasive. Finance site Betterment lays it out pretty clearly:Consider this: If you start saving just $1,200 a year- a mere $100 per month- starting at age 25, by age 65 you’ll have about $185,700 (assuming a 6% return).If you put off investing in your 20s, you’re potentially leaving a lot of money on the table. According to Betterment.com’s example, someone who waits 10  years longer loses almost half of that total nest egg. Plus, you’ll have to answer to 65-year-old-you, too.Why Start Investing Now?If you’re in your 20s, entry-level salaries and the costs of living out on your own can make investing seem like an impossibility. Sure, a healthy retirement account would be great to have, but w hat about rent/food/phone bill in the meantime? Even though it may sound counterintuitive, budget-wise, it’s actually the right time to start down the investment path.Time is on your side. Like the old Rolling Stones song, time really is on your side here. The same reason you might be giving to put off investing in you 20s (â€Å"plenty of time†) can be tweaked slightly to justify a more proactive approach: â€Å"plenty of time†¦for my investments to grow.†You can afford to be aggressive. As you get older, you might be more hesitant to make aggressive or risky investments- after all, you’re getting closer to the time where you’ll want to have access to the money you’ve earned through your investments. When you’re in your 20s, though, it goes back to point #1: you have time to absorb short-term losses, or make higher-risk investment choices that could yield higher rewards. Let’s not forget that investing means buying into t he stock market, which always incurs some degree of risk.There’s no magic time to start, so why not now? This whole process is on you- it’s your money, and your timeline. If you’re thinking of having a family (however eventually) or buying a house, you’ll become even less likely to think about extra financial matters like investing when you’re busy getting through the day-to-day. If you get started now, making investing a part of your financial routine, it’s one less New Thing to add later when there are extra stresses on your budget.You never know what will happen later. Job losses, illnesses, financial curveballs- all of these can happen to any of us. Working on your investments and savings now can help you manage surprises and losses down the road and prevent you from losing more long-term ground than you would if you hadn’t done any saving and investing.How to Get StartedSo now you have the reasons to start investing in your 20s- now what? Let’s look at the things you should start doing ASAP to start making progress in your financial plans.Pay off your student loans.If you’re one of the 70% of people who graduated with student loans in the past few years, you know that this is not a little task for you as you start out in your career and in your post-college life. It’s a huge part of your financial picture, and it can seem like a dark, looming mountain that you can’t possibly chip away. Business Insider recommends coming up with a personal spending plan that allows you to pay off those loans as soon as you can, so that you don’t have that debt looming over your future longer than it needs to be there. Do what you can do, as you can do it.Come up with a budget.A real and realistic budget of what you have coming in, what you need for essentials, and what you can spend on non-essentials and financial future planning. If you’re not already budget-inclined, it can feel li ke a pain- especially when it might not allow you to do/buy some of the extras you really want. Once you’re serious about creating a budget you can stick to, there are lots of tools that can help you do it.Set your goals and start saving toward them.Want to have a down payment on a house in five years? Take a deluxe trip to Europe for your 30th birthday? Think about some of the big-ticket items you want to have in your future. Once you have those in mind (and an approximate price tag), set a savings schedule.Sign up for your employer’s 401(k) program.A 401(k) is a retirement investment account where your contributions are taken out of your paycheck pre-tax. So you’re not only putting your money into an investment account that will chug along under the guidance of investment professionals, but you can decide how hands-on or hands-off you want to be in those investments. Plus, there’s a huge benefit if your company has a policy of matching employee contribu tions. That, my friend, is free money for your future.Or sign up for a Roth IRA.If your workplace doesn’t offer a 401(k) program or you don’t want to go that route, you can also opt for a Roth IRA account. This is also an investment account where you can set automated contributions, but unlike a 401(k), the money in this account is not taxed when you pull the money out for retirement. However, there are also yearly caps and income requirements, so if you go this route, it’s important to understand the benefits and the drawbacks.Don’t go too crazy.There’s risk that leads to greater rewards, and there’s risk that leads to a series of bad decisions and a wiped-out investment account. Especially if you’re just starting out in investing, Nerdwallet recommends investing in index funds, a.k.a. exchange-traded funds. In these, you’re buying into a portfolio that includes a number of investments, instead of buying specific numbers of sh ares of specific companies or commodities. These funds are managed, and save you the hassle of having to choose, monitor, and shift specific stocks on your own.Get help.You’re not in this on your own- there’s an entire industry of financial professionals who can help you navigate this process. If you’re investing through your company’s 401(k) or Roth IRA program, that program will have an administrator and advisor who can help you at every stage of the process. Also, since this is the future, you can also turn to robo-advisors to help you manage your investments. (No flying cars, but for now we’ll take robot advisors.) Unless you’re an expert on the stock market and investment options, get expert opinions to guide you before you put your hard-earned cash into any investments.Increase your contributions when you’re able.While much of the heavy lifting in investing is involved in the process of getting started, this isn’t somethi ng you should just forget once your investments are up and running. Review your investments frequently, and revisit your investment budget whenever you have an income change (a raise, a promotion, a new gig with a higher salary, a side hustle that’s paying off). Make sure you’re increasing your investment contributions as much as you can, when your budget allows.And the most important next step of all: don’t be afraid. As a twentysomething, you have the luxury of time and long planning to support your investment decisions. No matter what your salary and your budget are, it’s worth it to move past your reservations and start investing what you can. Starting small can have lead to rewards later, so why not start now? Future You will thank you, from that comfortable retirement chair.

American Government Branches Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

American Government Branches - Essay Example The legislature, also directly elected by people from all parts of the nation, is representative of the American people and their diversity and represents electorate’s interest in ‘policymaking’. The judiciary is however composed of a team of legal experts with the mandate of interpreting the constitution to ensure justice, protection of fundamental rights, and to offer checks on the executive and the legislature (Schmidt, Shelley and Bardes, 2012). The three arms of government are therefore representative of citizens through offering checks and balances to safeguard people’s interest. Their roles in representing the people are however different. While the legislature makes and amends laws, the judiciary interprets and the executive implements the laws. The branches also differ in their formation and composition with respect to people’s authority and representation (Schmidt, Shelley and Bardes, 2012). The legislature is therefore the most representative branch of government. This is because its composition is geographically representative of the nation, and it purely derives its authority from the people, unlike the executive and the