F.Scott FitzgeraldS The Great Gatsby Essays - The Great Gatsby

F.Scott FitzgeraldS The Great Gatsby Essays - The Great Gatsby F.Scott FitzgeraldS The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby One of the most prominent themes in F. Scott Fitzgeralds novel, The Great Gatsby, is of the American Dream. This dream can be many things to many different people, but everyone does have some sort of goal that they want to accomplish in their life. For Jay Gatsby, the dream is that through wealth, power, and financial stability, one can acquire pure happiness and self-satisfaction. This happiness that he is reaching for is to be reunited with his love from days past, Daisy. Before Gatsby went off to fight in the war, he and Daisy had been involved. Gatsby, realizing that Daisy was from a wealthy family, knew that he couldnt financially support Daisy if he were to ask for her hand in marriage. Then Gatsby went off to war and Daisy married Tom Buchanan, who was also from a wealthy family. Returning from war, Gatsby decides to become a completely different person. He begins this transformation by changing his name from James Gatz to Jay Gatsby. Then, through illegal dealings in organized crime, he becomes wealthy and able to afford anything to get closer to Daisy. Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay (83), and he fills his estate with many luxuries and throws many extravagant parties to impress people, hoping that it will lead him to Daisy. Unfortunately for Gatsby, there is a foul dust that preys on him (6). This foul dust is made up of societys twisted views of the classes. Tom, Daisys husband believes that because he is from a wealthy family, then he can do whatever pleases him, which, in this case, is an affair. Because Gatsby is part of the nouveau riche, he is not as accepted and welcome into that class of society. Gatsby, however, will not rest until he fulfills his dream of pure happiness by being with Daisy. In the pursuit of his disillusioned goal, Gatsby ends up dead and never able to carry out his American Dream of finding true self-satisfaction in life.

Definition of an Activated Complex in Chemistry

Definition of an Activated Complex in Chemistry An activated complex is an intermediate state that is formed during the conversion of reactants into products. An activated complex is the structure that results in the maximum energy point along the reaction path. The activation energy of a chemical reaction is the difference between the energy of the activated complex and the energy of the reactants. How an Activated Complex Works Consider a chemical reaction between reactants A and B to form products C and D. The reactants must collide with each other and interact in order to form the products. Several factors improve the chances that A and B will encounter each other, including increased temperature, increased concentration of reactants, or adding a catalyst. In a reaction with an activated complex, A and B form the complex A-B. The complex only forms if sufficient energy (the activation energy) is present. The energy of the activated complex is higher than that of either the reactants or products, which makes the activated complex unstable and temporary. If there isnt enough energy for the activated complex to form the products, it eventually breaks apart into the reactants. If enough energy is available, the products form. Activated Complex Versus Transition State Some textbooks use the terms transition state and activated complex interchangeably, but they mean different things. The transition state refers only to the highest potential energy of the atoms participating in a chemical reaction. The activated complex covers a range of atom configurations that atoms form on their way from reactant to products. In other words, the transition state is the one molecular configuration that occurs at the peak of the energy diagram of the reaction. The activated complex may be present at any point near the transition state.

Interactive Planning and Occupational Safety Research Paper

Interactive Planning and Occupational Safety - Research Paper Example Such can be said on COPPST Circuitry. It is a global organization with site-level units in ten US states, a site in Canada, another in Nigeria, and several in Europe and Asia. The most recent emergency that occurred at one of the US sites of COPS Circuitry should be considered as a learning opportunity, as well as a time to propose an interactive planned improvement to encompass mandated safety standards in the site. In planning for safety, Leeman (14) described four parts of this phase in the planning process the systems analysis, obstruction analysis, reference projections, and reference scenarios. The Occupational Health and Safety Hazard Administration (OSHA) provides an extensive standard and guideline for employers and managers that address the four said parts of the planning process. ... Â  mission (EOCC), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Department of Transportation (DOT), and Department of Homeland Security (DHS). At the state level are Department of Environmental Protection (Air, Water, Soil, Waste, Facility Response Plans, and Emergency Notification), Department of Health and Human Services (Radiation Control Program), State Office of the Fire Marshall (Occupancy and Life Safety Codes), Department of Economic and Community Development, Department of Labor (Workers Comp, Disability, etc.), Department of Public Safety, and the Department of Transportation. And at the local level are Code Compliance Division, Planning and Development Department, and the Water Resource Protection Department. Together with the employers, they play a crucial role in the provision of safety in the workplace. Interactive Planning These various levels and agencies of the government all contribute to the mass knowledge and information in t he formulation of interactive planning for the organizational operations. Various standards are required by these agencies to be met, with the continuing and safe operations of businesses as end-goal. These include safety of workers at the workplace and structural standards and procedures that ensure safety and environmental requirement compliance are met. However, additional considerations include the welfare and goals of the various stakeholders of COPS Circuitry. They are the employees, customers, suppliers, distributors, other local businesses, the local community, corporate OHS, other business units, and the overall corporation.

Operation management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Operation management - Case Study Example The crashes caused sales to dropped by 60% and this translates to a drop in revenue that ranges from $1.2 million to $1.8 to a mere $400,000. The business cannot continue losing revenue at this rate. It even nearly folded had it been to $200,000 loan from a friend. The crashes also cause other intangible problems that sabotage the business. Its crashes undermine the brand of its company as it will lose credibility in the market. It is also losing the goodwill of its customers of which it already had hard time retaining them during the height of its technical problems. The website of InsuranceAgents.com is not just a mere website for the company to have an online presence of informing the public that it exists. Rather, its website is the platform where the company conducts its business. It is like its office, its store, that if it crashes, it is tantamount to an office or store to be closed that no business can be done. And since no business can be done, no revenues can be made. Meanwhile, expenses continue to incur even if there is no revenue coming in. it goes without saying that the company cannot afford the website to crash because every time it crashes, it will have an economic impact to the company’s bottom line. There are also other intangible loses that the company incurs that may not register on its financial statements every time it incurs a downtime. This is the tarnished image and brand of the company. It could also drive customers away to the competitor. The company is back on the black and is no longer struggling. It is again a good time to consider growth. And since the tough times seems to be over, the company no longer has to bother with problem and just maintain how things are done. Hiring an experienced and competent CIO who will ensure that the company’s website will be up and running all the time. He or she can also immediately address any issue in the IT department without causing any damage of downtime to the

A Modest Proposal Essay Example for Free

A Modest Proposal Essay Swift is a renowned satirist, whose works are read even today since they represent social problems persistent through centuries. Although his parents were English, Swift was born in Ireland and lived there most of his life, though he wanted to live in or near London. His bitterest piece, A Modest Proposal is about curing the growing population and preventing the children of the poor people in Ireland, from being a burden on their parents or country. Swift is strongly against poverty as well as discrimination and presents these points his piece, A Modest Proposal. Swift pretends to be an expert or social planner who has a scheme to solve the problem of poverty in Ireland. This piece was written for the English aristocracy. It was meant to be humiliating and embarrassing for them, and it was! Swift killed people figuratively. Initially, when people started reading the piece, they agreed with Swift since he was stating facts and presenting reality in a serious tone. But when the readers reached the part where he proposes his solution to the malady, they felt he was out of his mind! This was an eye opener for the Britishers, and it wasnt too hard for them to realize that he was making fun of them and they were offended. His proposal might have sounded preposterous, but he intended it to be satiric and it was! Swifts writing was very effective and helped enhance his purpose. One of the strategies that Swift uses to draw the readers attention is by using a lot of details and imagery to clearly present his points enabling the readers to have a better understanding. One such example in this piece would be, It is a melancholy object to those, who walk through this great town, or travel in the country, when they see the street, the roads and cabin-doors with beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags, and importuning every passenger for an alms. As people are reading this, they can clearly get a picture of what is going on and exactly what hes trying to put across. But, this is a social insult towards women since they are supposed to be at home and not on the streets with kids. He sarcastically refers to women who have dozens of kids as breeders. To make things worse, he points out how a pregnant animal is apparently more worthy than a pregnant woman. If a man found out that his wife was pregnant, he would do anything to abort the child, which would end in the mother being killed most of the times. Women were treated like dirt. By this we can say that he also differentiates between the roles played by man and woman in the society. Not only does he include men and women, but he takes children into consideration too. According to Swift, selling children negates the cost of breeding them. He says, the maintenance of an hundred thousand children, from two years old, and upwards, cannot be computed ay less than ten shillings a piece per annum, the nations stock will be thereby increased fifty thousand pounds per annum. Another way Swift grabs the readers attention is by making stark contrasts between the rich and the poor. He says, I grant this food will be somewhat dear and therefore very proper for landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children. He expounds how money circulates in the society with an idea of the rich giving money to the poor, and take it back. He comes up with his own unique resolutions to the problems that exist. Its basically like trying to solve a hard math problem without following any of the rules. There are a few things that Swift talks about in his piece that arthat a child just born will weigh 12 pounds and in a solar year, if tolerably nursed, increases to 28 pounds. This is very unrealistic, because the average weight of a newborn in any country was never 12 pounds and they did not weigh 28 pounds in a year either. He might have meant it to be satiric, but it doesnt work very well and doesnt fit in. His statistics were incorrect; they were either too high or too low. Although he might have used these facts to get his point across, they ruin the effect of the entire piece. He insults peoples religious e very unrealistic. For example, Swift claims, I have reckoned upon a medium, beliefs which might have helped him prove his point, but can be offending to readers even today. He tends to be repetitive and tries to emphasize on certain things so many times that they lose their value. Swift tends to get carried away with his satire and comes up with unrealistic and ridiculous so lutions. In this piece, Swift manages to maintain the readers attention by using elaborate language and expressions. His tone and satiric language helps convey his message and point of view. This piece was very effective, keeping in mind his main purpose, regardless of whether or not people were offended or that they thought he was being ridiculous. He proved his point with an extraordinary plan, which he felt could have resolved the problem. Whether it would have worked or not, would have been a different issue. Thus, in reality this can be viewed as one of Swifts greatest pieces.

Toni Morrison and bell hooks: Fighting for Truth Essay -- Biography Bi

Toni Morrison and bell hooks: Fighting for Truth In a society where harsh generalization and inaccurate stereotypes of African-Americans are present in everyday life, two authors have attempted to try and make a change in the way whites perceive blacks. In conversations with Toni Morrison and essays written by bell hooks, these authors help the American public realize the socially incorrect views our culture displays. In mainstream American culture and literature inaccurate representations of African-Americans has created false distortions within society. Black Death and blacks role in society has contributed to the negative portrayal of African-Americans in our culture. In bell hooks' essay "Sorrowful Black Death Is Not a Hot Ticket" she examines Hollywood's negative representation of African-Americans in films. Hooks argues that in movies, Hollywood minimizes the effect of black character deaths. The death of an African-American character evokes no sympathy from the audience. Hook's essay says, "dying that makes the audiences contemplative, sad, mindful of the transitory nature of human life has little appeal" (99). She claims that the sorrowful death of a black character in a film is of no interest to most audiences. Hook also remarks in her essay that in many Hollywood movies, Black Death is frequently very violent. The death of blacks is often downplayed and hooks remarks that " there can be no serious representation of death and dying when the character are African-Americans" (hooks 99). She argues that the value of black life is worth nothing to the audiences and the death of an African-American is similar to dead meat. Bla... ...t be taken lightly, because sexist/racist thinking can great damage a culture. In both essays, bell hooks and Toni Morrisons address the issue of racial inequality in their depiction of Hollywood's view towards African-Americans. The lack of emphasis of the portrayal African-American death can lead to cruel generalizations and stereotypes of an entire culture. White male scriptwriters for Hollywood must take a step back from the social norm and come to terms with reality. They must understand that violent Black Death might be a hot seller at the box office, however in turn it further shapes our inaccurate view of African-Americans. In Toni Morrison and bell hooks' work we see a common theme that has originated in American culture which portrays the lack of education we display towards the African-American population in our country.

Barriers To Goal-Setting And Planning

Planning is a good process for a company because it helps management think through all the issues in advance. It gives them an opportunity to work with co-workers, employees, investors and family and to make use of all their ideas, resources and perspectives. And it sometimes, when one is lucky, it helps to discover hidden traps that one might otherwise have stumbled into had one not had the foresight to plan ahead. But planning itself can be a trap of nearly fatal effect.Many people (and companies) spend so much time planning, so much time getting ready, so much time finding things that have to be done, have to be discovered, decided—that they never actually do anything. A company may have so much time planning and budgeting that by the time they decide to do the product, it was already too late. There are competitors, and their new, wonderful precisely planned feature set and product introduction are too little. The amount they had spent on planning, considering, staff meeti ngs and worrying was more than they would have spent to launch the product and see how the market would respond.A major opportunity lost to analysis paralysis. Planning and organizing projects usually entails working with employees to clarify broad objectives, discuss resource allocations and agree to completion dates. Thus, Lew Platt, of Hewlett-Packard describes what his workday is like as he puts it this way, â€Å"Basically, the whole day comes down to a series of choices. † To help him hone his planning and administration competency, Platt hired a consultant to analyze his day and help him reshape his management approach.Platt instinctively knew that information gathering, analysis and problems solving are important and that customers are a rich source of useful information—but they can easily eat up a whole day. The consultant helped him understand that some types of customer phone calls were something he could delegate in order to leave 20 percent of his time fo e meeting directly with customers. For instance, in Australia, there is a present need to respond to the increased demands of consumers.There is also a need to control costs to be competitive, and the need to reduce risks including price, quality and quantity of products included in giving incentives for the establishment of the agribusiness chains. This is the new era in doing business. Australian companies are now very conscious about the increasing international competition and the need for real planning and goal setting. But in wanting to be competitive, the coordination, goal setting and planning must be well executed in order for companies to succeed. The Australian agribusiness sector lacks these skills and is obliged to change their business ways (Sainsbury).In this business, there is a need for planning and organizing which usually means that employees must be assisted in clarifying broad objectives and resource allocations. (Sainsbury). Planning is a task. Managers are ass igned to detect and identify areas that are in need of a revamp, and then to successfully implement a program that will address the perceived gap. Although it sounds quite simple and perfunctory, Jones, Aguirre and Calderone (2004) suggested that the reality is far from easy, as every attempt to plan and do goal setting instigates â€Å"people issues† in the political realm of the workplace.Because of the ubiquitous presence of managers who proffer their expertise to organizations, planning and goal setting has also become an area of professional practice. These experts follow principles and theories; they developed their know-how after studying the actualities of the organization. Hence, planning is a body of knowledge. Planning is a control mechanism because it entails the application of certain processes and procedures. An effective planning is governed by standards that need to be accomplished (Nilakant & Ramnarayan, 2006). Every organization needs to sustain its competit ive advantage in order to survive.According Don Hellriegel and John Slocum (1996) companies such as Handy Dan Home Improvement Center, Grey Hound, Pan Am, Herman’s Sporting Goods, and a number of savings and loans corporations were bankrupted and cleared out of the competition because of the failure to adapt to changing market demands. They were the leaders in their fields once, the paragon of success for succeeding corporations but they failed to maintain their winning edges when they did not listen to the market’s call for new approaches or for novel commodities. Complacency has its price.Simply, a company cannot live long enough while immobile in a single spot. They need to plan their company objectives. There must always be a movement to grow, to expand, and most especially, to innovate. The seed of change is inherently embedded in every organization, even in bureaucratic ones. Leaders only need to be sensitive to the extant trends in the organization, and more imp ortantly, to the budding threats and opportunities. Unlike the companies mentioned earlier, organizations the likes of Hewlett-Packard, Merck and Compaq are constantly releasing new products in the market, (Hellriegel and Slocum 1996).They exemplify the aphorism, â€Å"internal stability spells disaster† (Nickols, 2006). Every innovation project of these companies is a part of a strategy for planned change. The planning process is the place to start assessing one’s status. The key is not to get paralyzed in the planning process. One must try to avoid making everything dependent on one or two deductions. The barriers to goal setting and planning are some of the following: – The plan is so general and there are no directions. One way to remedy this is to break plans into phases and rather than doing one sweeping plan, managers must do a lot of little plans.One must determine a general direction, then sit down and plan in tiny chunks. Then, when one is finished, a small chunk-plan, one can begin executing it. There is no reason one cannot execute one miniplan while planning the next phase. – Time element – If one is an obsessive planner, one may find that the only way to get beyond the planning stage is to set a deadline. Or example, one must give himself one full month to do planning. Then, when that month is over, regardless of how finished, the plan is to get started on making things happen. One can always refine the plan as he goes.– No planning sessions – If one goes through planning withdrawal, one must allow a small, regimented time period for planning. A good way to do this is to schedule a day off-site for senior managers once every quarter. Communication among the parties will improve, one will get a change of scenery, those who are obsessed with planning can get a regular fix and short regular planning sessions allow one to change, duck, and weave according to market conditions. – Not recognizing unknowns. Many plans would be completed much earlier except planners wanted to make sure every issue was examined and every possibility accounted for.Sometimes, plans are never valid for more than a few minutes after they are completed. So, instead of trying to resolve all unknowns in the plan, one can just make a list of what one does not know, consider that list to be a part of the plan and move on. (Stalker). Planning is also like change management because it deals with the why and how of organizational changes, management of innovation â€Å"refers to the understanding of the way innovation processes develop within organizations and the creation of conditions to support these processes† (Institute for Governance Studies, IGS n.d. ). Therefore, if change management is concerned with the conception, development and implementation of change, management of innovation tackles the same processes but in relation to innovation instead of change. Further, management of innovation aims to discover how to create the conditions conducive to innovative practices. Management of innovation is a handy know-how for managers when there is an effort to develop new products or services, new production and service processes and organizational conditions.The first condition is called â€Å"product or service innovation,† the second is â€Å"process innovation† and the last is broadly referred to as â€Å"organizational innovation† (IGS, n. d. ). In this regard, it can be seen that goal setting involves tools to keep the organization from becoming stagnant or stunted. Indeed, this is necessary for growth. Innovation is a form of change. The only difference between these two is that change may be any alteration in the organization either as a response to a threat or opportunity or as an anticipatory move to a future change.It is a simple transition or movement from one point to another, regardless of the direction. Innovation, on the other hand, is an activity that requires â€Å"creative capacities† to deliberately invent new ideas (Van de Ven, Angle & Poole, 2000). New products, processes and approaches are all forms of change, but most importantly, they are innovations. They are the outcomes of unique or creative ideas that were developed and implemented by designated individuals to achieve a desired outcome (Van de Ven, Palley, Garud, & Venkataraman 1999).In this regard, it can be seen that goal setting involves tools to keep the organization from becoming stagnant or stunted. Indeed, this is necessary for growth. Innovation is a form of change. The only difference between these two is that change may be any alteration in the organization either as a response to a threat or opportunity or as an anticipatory move to a future change. It is a simple transition or movement from one point to another, regardless of the direction.Innovation, on the other hand, is an activity that requires â€Å"creative capacities† to deliberately invent new ideas (Van de Ven, Angle & Poole, 2000). New products, processes and approaches are all forms of change, but most importantly, they are innovations. They are the outcomes of unique or creative ideas that were developed and implemented by designated individuals to achieve a desired outcome (Van de Ven, Palley, Garud, & Venkataraman 1999). Innovation, like change, may also be threatening.It can be remembered that during the industrial revolution era when the assembly line was just newly developed, some workers were against further mechanization and automation, fearing that they would lose their jobs. Yet management of innovation, like change management, must also replace employee resistance with acceptance and participation. It would be helpful to remember the idea developed by George Stalker and Tom Burns (1994) that â€Å"technical progress underlies every kind of change in the social order† and alternatively, â€Å"technical progress is the outcome o f changes in the institution of society.† Because of the fast-paced world of business and enterprising, organizational leaders must always be set to implement changes and to innovate for their organization’s betterment. Implementing policies regarding change and innovation, however, must be properly planned and must aptly consider the human side of change. Change management and management of innovation are related to each other primarily because both are tools that an organization can use to address pertinent issues.These two management styles are both expected to deliver results in that the old system is replaced with a better one, or where a novel product, process or culture is enforced to bring about positive outcome to the organization. Further, these two management styles are also the necessary ingredients to continuously promote growth within the company and to prevent stagnation and degradation. Uncertainties in the environment, however, make people generally app rehensive of change and innovation. Their stable niches and comfort zones are threatened.It is human side of management, therefore, that must handle the resistance of the people. There are several ways of controlling and directing the reactions of the employees, but what is importantly is that they would all eventually become a part of the proposed change so that they can become fulfilled and appreciated members of the organization. Indeed, mapping out all the changes that will be necessary to complete the reinvention process is often impossible, especially since planning needs to go on every day, for the rest of the life of the company, But it is possible to outline goals and guidelines governing reinvention.One should be careful about how to set goals and guidelines. Some goals are highly subjective, almost ethereal and certainly long term. Others are tangible, tomorrow-oriented goals. During its start-up phase, the primary business goal is simple: consistent solvency. It is a sim ple goal, but it allows one to understand that the mission, initially was to get the company running and keep it running. There are no fancier goals for many years. REFERENCES Change management. (2007, January 19). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved April 1, 2007 at:http://en.wikipedia. org/w/ index. php? title=Change_management&oldid=101816085 Hellriegel, D & Slocum, J (1996). Management. Cincinnati, Ohio: South-Western College. Hine, Alison. Mirroring effective education through mentoring, metacognition and self Reflection. University of Western Sydney, Nepean School of Teaching and Educational Studies Retrieved April 1, 2007 at: http://www. aare. edu. au/00pap/hin00017. htm Sainsbury, John. Cooperating to Compete in the Global Environment. Retrieved April 1, 2007 at: http://72. 14. 253. 104/search? q=cache:6ccSQXBzoF8J:www. affa. gov.au/corporate_docs/publications/rtf/social_science/countrymatters/sainsbury. rtf+barriers+planning+and+goal-setting+in+Australian+compani es&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=12&gl=ph Nickols, F. (2006). Change Management 101: A Primer. Distance Consulting. Retrieved April 1, 2007 at:from http://home. att. net/~nickols/change. htm Nilakant, V. & Ramnarayan, S. (2006). Change Management. Sage. Stalker, G. M. & Burns, T. (1994). The Management of Innovation. New York: Oxford UP. Van de Ven, A. H. , Angle, H. L. & Poole, M. S. (Eds). (2000). Research on the Management of Innovation. New York: Oxford UP.

China’s Threat to the United States Economy

For the last twenty eight years, China has been quickly growing into one of the largest economies in the world. China has accomplished this feat, in part, by radically changing their policies on trade and free market interactions with other countries. During this process, China has bought approximately one hundred trillion dollars of United States debt in the form of Treasury bills, notes, bonds, and Inflation Protected Securities (Amadeo). This debt has given China leverage against the United States which has enabled China to keep the value of the United States dollar high, while keeping the value of the Chinese yuan low. As the inflation of the dollar continues to negatively affect the United States economy, China has become an economic superpower. Recently, concern has risen that China is a threat to the economy of the United States. China has become a perceived threat to the United States economy because of the increasing trade deficit between the two countries, the ability to undercut production costs of similar products produced in the United States, and the amount of leverage that China has over the United States due to the amount of money that has been lent by the Communist nation. Trade deficits between countries are caused when a country imports more goods from one country than they export to that same country. In the case of the United States and China, there is approximately a two hundred and twenty five billion dollar trade deficit (Prassad). The United States imports nearly three hundred and thirty five billion dollars worth of goods and services from China, while exporting only a little more than eighty billion dollars worth of goods and services to the growing economic power (CRS). The disparity in trade between the two countries results in a flooding of Chinese made products that force their United States competitors to lower production costs. In many cases, lowering production cost of domestic products results in either the closing of these businesses or the outsourcing of jobs. Both of these cause the loss of jobs in the United States. One of the reasons that the United States has been unable to lessen the trade deficit is China’s ability to undercut production costs of similar products made in the United States (Elwell 27) China’s overall cost of living is much lower than their United States counterparts (Amadeo). Therefore, they are able to produce goods and hire labor at a much lower price. One of the main reasons for this economic statistic is China’s population. It is nearly three times that of the United States, giving China a much larger work force to produce electronics, automobiles, and clothing at a fraction of the United States production cost (CIA). Not only does this negatively affect employment in the United States, but it also impacts their ability to compete on the global market. Industries that involve manufacturing, such as automobiles, computers, and electronics have decreased by thirty four percent since 1998 (Prasad). This has a negative effect on the amount of goods that the United States can export. Finally, China has gained a certain amount of leverage affecting the United States economic policies, due in part, to the amount of money that China has loaned the United States. Starting in the early 1980’s, every time the value of the dollar would drop, China would buy Treasury bills, notes, bonds, and Inflation Protected Securities to keep the dollar stable in value (Elwell 36). After nearly thirty years of this practice, the United States has come to depend on Chinese loans to maintain its currency value and China has come to own a majority of United States debt. This imbalance of debt has created a number of different scenarios that could bring about potential political and economic problems for the United States. China could theoretically cash in their treasuries and bonds tomorrow, which would cause the United States dollar to suffer massive inflation. While this scenario is not necessarily in China’s best interest right now, the possibility should concern the United States government. Instead, China could use their debt leverage to impact foreign trade policies and more importantly domestic political policies that budget how the United States spends its tax dollars (Elwell 22). China has become a perceived threat to the U. S. economy because of the increasing trade deficit between the two countries, their ability to undercut production costs of similar products produced in the United States, and the amount of leverage that China has over the United States due to amount of money that has been lent by China. Although the United States has taken steps to close the trade deficit, such as convincing China to raise prices on their exports, there is still a considerable gap (Prasad). The United States government continues to print money that they simply can’t afford, therefore, relying even more heavily on China sustaining the value of their currency. Unless the United States is able to close the trade deficit and regain control of our economic flexibility, the problems caused by foreign countries owning our debt will remain eminent.

The Best AP Human Geography Review Plan

The Best AP Human Geography Review Plan SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Half the battle in reviewing for AP tests is knowing where to begin and how to structure your time. How do you successfully switch from preparing for in-class tests to gearing up for the more comprehensive AP exam? In this guide, I'll give you a list of all the topics you'll see on the AP Human Geography exam, go through a detailed review plan, and provide some tips for acing the test. What’s on the AP Human Geography Exam? There are seven main topics covered by the AP Human Geography exam.Every topic should show up in roughly the same number of questions (except for the first topic on the basics of what geography is, which will only make up 5-10 percent of questions). Like other AP exams, the AP Human Geography test has a multiple-choice and a free-response section. You have an hour to answer 75 multiple-choice questions and 75 minutes to answer three free-response questions. I’ll list all the topics covered by the course along with links to key terms and notes to go along with them so that you can use this article as a resource for your AP Human Geography review. The â€Å"Additional Notes† I've included are from CourseNotes, â€Å"Key Terms† are from Quizlet flashcards created by students for each unit of the course, and the â€Å"Important Things to Know† notes are PowerPoints in pdf form from an AP teacher.I’d recommend using a review book and/or your notes from class to supplement the information in this article. AP Human Geography Topics Topic #1: Geography: Its Nature and Perspectives Key Terms Geography and Human Geography Topic #2: Population Key Terms Important Things to Know - Topics 1 and 2 Additional Notes: The Earth As Humanity’s Home Fundamentals of Population: Location, Distribution, and Density Processes and Cycles of Population Change Where and Why People Move Topic #3: Cultural Patterns and Processes Key Terms Additional Notes: Cultures, Environments, and Regions A Geography of Languages Diffusion of Languages Modern Language Mosaics Origins and Distribution of Religions Religion: Location, Diffusion, and Cultural Landscape Religion, Culture, and Conflict Topic #4: Political Organization of Space Key Terms Important Things to Know - Topics 3 and 4 Additional Notes: Political Culture and the Evolving State State Organization and National Power Multinationalism on the Map The Changing Global Political Landscape Topic #5: Agricultural and Rural Land Use Key Terms Additional Notes: The Livelihoods of Rural Peoples Rural Settlement Forms Commercial Agriculture Global Disparities in Nutrition and Health Topic #6: Industrialization and Economic Development Key Terms Important Things to Know - Topics 5 and 6 Additional Notes: Industrial Activity and Geographic Location Resources and Regions: The Global Distribution of Industry Concepts of Development From Deindustrialization to Globalization Topic #7: Cities and Urban Land Use Key Terms Additional Notes: Civilization and Urbanization Urbanization and Location Urban Pattern and Structure Changing Civic Experiences Here’s a comprehensive document (from an AP teacher's public site) that covers all the topics in AP Human Geography so you can review everything in one place if you want. There is also a bit of a science aspect to AP Human Geography, so you should know how to read the different types of models.I’ll get more into this (with corresponding links) in the section on study tips at the end of this article. Grids are a staple of urban planning, unless you live in Boston. I have no idea how anyone found their way around here before GPS. Then again, my sense of direction is so bad that I've resorted to cheating to escape from corn mazes more than once. AP Human Geography Review Plan Even if you know what’s on the test, it’s not always easy to come up with a good plan of attack.This section will walk you through a study process that will get you up to speed with everything the test might throw at you. Step 1: Take and Score a Full Practice Test Your first move should be to take a full practice test so you can get a better idea of your current score level.When you take the test, time it to the specifications of the real AP exam so that you’ll be able to tell if you have any issues with time management.Circle any questions where you don't feel totally confident in your answer.Even if you end up getting them right, you’ll want to reexamine that content later in your review.Remember, there are no points taken off for incorrect answers. You just get a point for every question you answer correctly.Ultimately, you should fill in every bubbleeven if you end up guessing. Score your test by adding up all the points you earned and plugging the results into this online calculator.You’ll be able to see approximately where you fall in the AP score range (although keep in mind that the calculator uses the 2006 exam curve, so you shouldn’t take the results as gospel).Then, you can set a goal for improvement and decide how many hours you’ll need to put into your prep. If you’re already scoring in the 5 range on an official practice test, you might not even need to go through all the rest of these steps.You can just do a couple of hours of light review before the test.If you’re not satisfied with your score, you should go through all the steps at least once.If you want to improve by one AP point, I’d say going through this process seriously once or twice should be enough to get you up to speed.If you’re shooting for an improvement of two points or more, you’ll probably need to devote a bit more time to studying the material and taking practice tests.Depending on how quickly you pick up on things, you may cycle through the process two, three, or even four times. For more advice on setting a goal score, read these articles on whether you need a 5and how AP credit works at colleges. Every cycle through this review plan will become progressively more radical. You can get some sweet air going through your mistakes. Step 2: Go Through Your Mistakes Assuming you’ve decided that your score could use some improvement, you should go through your mistakes on the practice test and categorize them.If you want to see real improvements, this is the most important stage of the entire study process.This is how you’ll decide which content areas to focus on in your review.There’s no point in studying concepts and terms that you’ve already mastered. You might also note whether certain question formats gave you more trouble than others.Did you have more problems on questions that asked directly about definitions or regional characteristics, or did you struggle more with logical reasoning questions that required you to apply intuition on top of your knowledge?To show you what I mean by the latter, here’s an example: You need to know what â€Å"physiological population density† is, but you should also understand on a deeper level why it’s considered to be a useful measurement (the answer is A).If these types of questions were a problem for you because of the extra layer of analysis, try shifting your focus onto doing practice questions rather than memorizing content. Step 3: Study Appropriate Content and Do Practice Questions After you finish categorizing your mistakes, start looking at notes that correspond to the areas where you had the most trouble on the test.Make sure that you’re fully absorbing the information as you read.In this case, flashcards might be useful because there are so many terms to remember for AP Human Geography.If you had problems identifying specific regions and connecting them to topics on the test, you might review a world map as well. If you found the free response questions especially challenging, you should also practice a few more of them before you move on from this step.You can use some of the sites I list in my study guide for this exam to review specific topics with short multiple-choice quizzes.I’d recommend getting a review book if you feel that you would like more structure and want to see all the content together in one place.Check out my article on the best review books for AP Human Geography to get a better idea of which one will fit best with your needs. You should consider devoting some extra time to reviewing if you took this as a first semester class and haven't revisited the material in a while. Some schools offer AP Human Geography over the course of just one semester because it doesn't cover as much material as most other AP classes. Step 4: Take a Second Full Practice Test When you feel that you’ve fully addressed all of your mistakes on the first test, you can take a second timed practice test to check if you’ve managed to improve.After you score this new test, compare your score to the goal you set in the first step.Then, decide whether you want to go through the study process again or are happy with your current score.If you find that you haven’t improved, you need to reevaluate how you conducted this process and make some changes in the next round.Were you in an environment that was too distracting? Did you skim over the terms and your notes instead of really absorbing them? These are the kinds of things that might cause your efforts to stall. Here’s the estimated time required for each of the steps in this process: Step 1: 2.5 hours Step 2: 1 hour Step 3: 2 hours Step 4: 2.5 hours Total Time: 8 hours You can always spend more time reviewing content and answering practice questions if you find that you’re rusty on many different topics or want to ensure a dramatic improvement on the next test. Sometimes you have to try a few different study methods before you find the one that does the trick. AP Human Geography Study Tips and Strategies In this section, I’ll provide some study tips that are specific to this class and will help you successfully navigate your AP Human Geography review. Tip #1: Memorize the Terms Your knowledge of terminology is very important on the AP Human Geography exam.Many multiple-choice questions will ask you to rely on your understanding of terms to choose the correct answer.Take this question, for example: If you hadn’t studied the term â€Å"formal region† you’d be hard pressed to answer correctly (the answer is C, in case you’re wondering).Many of the sample multiple-choice questions in the course description are similar to this one.Out of the 23 questions, I could count ten that asked you to identify (directly or indirectly) the correct definition of a term or match a term with a definition. Likewise, on free-response questions, often the first part of the question asks you to define a term, and the rest of the question builds off of that definition.You could find yourself totally lost on these questions if you forget the definitions at their roots. Tip #2: Practice Free-Response Questions Free-response questions for this test are different from those you might see on many other AP exams.Human Geography falls into a subject realm between science and the humanities, and the free-response questions reflect that.You’ll need to write explanations and provide examples, but you won’t have to come up with actual essays with introductions and conclusions.You should practice getting right to the answer on these questions and avoiding too much fluff.It’s best to make it as easy as possible for the grader to award you points! Tip #3: Time Yourself Another thing you should know about AP Human Geography is that it’s a pretty fast-paced exam.You have to answer 75 multiple-choice questions in an hour, which means less than a minute for each question.Before you’re faced with the real test, you should make sure you can get through that many multiple-choice questions in such a short time span.You should also time yourself on the three free-response questions, for which you are given an hour and 15 minutes.Aim to spend no more than 20 minutes on any individual free-response question to leave yourself a reasonable time cushion. Tip #4: Understand Geographic Models and Theories Geographic models and corresponding theories will also play a big part in the exam.I found a document that lists the most important models you need to know for the exam.I’d also recommend taking a look at this comprehensive Prezi that describes the main theories and models covered by the AP Human Geography curriculum (I apologize in advance for any motion sickness you might experience when viewing information in this unnecessarily turbulent medium).The Crash Course review book also has a great chapter that summarizes all the models you need to know for this exam. Geographers have come up with many different models to measure the growth and dispersal of the human population around the world. They know exactly how far away we are from a Wall-E situation. Conclusion The AP Human Geography exam has 78 questions that you'll answer over the course of two hours and 15 minutes. The questions cover seven main topics. These topics include: Basics of Human Geography (Geography: Its Nature and Perspectives) Population Cultural Patterns and Processes Political Organization of Space Agricultural and Rural Land Use Industrialization and Economic Development Cities and Urban Land Use To prepare for the test, you should take a practice exam and evaluate your mistakes. Based on where your mistakes happened, you can study content selectively. The essential steps of your review plan should be: Step 1: Take and Score an Initial Practice Test Step 2: Go Through Your Mistakes Step 3: Review Appropriate Content and Do Practice Questions Step 4: Take a Second Practice Test This review process can be repeated as many times as necessary for you to feel happy with your score level. Some tips you should keep in mind as you study are: Memorize Terms Practice the Free-Response Questions Time Yourself Understand Geographic Models and Theories By following these steps and strategies, you can ensure that you arrive at test day fully prepared and confident in your abilities! What's Next? What score do you need to get on the AP test to make it worth your while? Learn more about how AP credit works in college classes. Are you self-studying for this or other AP exams? Follow our seven-step plan for self-studying to get the most out of your time. How late is too late to prepare effectively for an AP test?Read this article for some helpful advice on when to start studying based on your goals. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Converse Terms

Converse Terms Converse Terms Converse Terms By Sharon Ive been reading a book on linguistics recently. During the process I have discovered some new terminology, such as converse terms. This phrase describes pairs of words where one word reverses the relationship that is denoted by the first. As someone else put it, theres a relationship of equivalence. In other words, if you are my mother, then I have to be your daughter. If I am standing over a bridge, then the bridge is under my feet. Here are some more examples: ancestor and descendant before and after bequeath and inherit buy and sell doctor and patient employer and employee father and son give and receive guest and host husband and wife infer and imply lend and borrow parents and children predator and prey sister and brother teach and learn teacher and student trainer and trainee Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Spelling Test 1How to Pronounce MobilePreposition Mistakes #1: Accused and Excited

Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Theory - Essay Example Correspondingly, theory is science is a logical and mathematical explanation, a framework describing the relations between phenomena, a set of universally true laws and principles, a testable, self-consistent model of reality, derived from the systematic observation of natural phenomena and conditions and capable of predicting future events and development of things. Ta scientific theory can always be verified by further investigations, be it an experiment or an empirical observation. The word theory comes from Greek theoria, which means ‘speculation, contemplation.’ It also can be traced back to the word theion, meaning divine thing, so that theory means contemplation on the divine organization of the nature. A scientific theory is formulated through scientific method. A scientist makes some hypothesis on the basis of observations, predicting possible outcomes. Then predictions are tested experimentally. New observations can confirm the hypothesis or refute it. Depending on whether the hypothesis is confirmed or refuted, it can be adjusted or redefined. In case the old theory is not confirmed within a new context, a new theory can be proposed (p.8). Often numerous hypotheses are bound within one theory. Theories deal with broader sets of universals than hypotheses. There may be several theories about the same part of reality, all of them revealing some truth. However, one theory may be superior to other competitive theories. Then it becomes a framework within which theoretical facts and observations are explained and predicted (Dodig – Crnkovic 2001, p.8). According to Karl Popper (1963) a scientific theory has the following characteristics: 1) It can be easily verified and confirmed. 2) Confirmations are sound if the prediction is risky and there have been expected an event able to refute the theory. 3) A scientific theory always forbids some things to happen. 4) A scientific theory is always refutable by some fact of event.