Vikes essays

Vikes essays The Vikings are depicted as horrible people who terrorized villages, and took what they wanted. The invasions and the history behind the vikes are all nearly true, but there is more beyond that. Near the end of the eight century began the 300 year (AD 800-1100) Viking Age . They raided Britain, Norway, Denmark and many more. Around the 13th century the Vikings began to fade out as Christianity came. The vikes believed that earth was made up of space called Ginnung (Martell,36) They also believed that people were on a journey in the afterlife and buried them with food, drinks and their possessions in ships. In their religion there were no temples or priests, but many gods. Among them, Odin, the god of the warriors and battle, but also the god of wisdom and poetry. Thor, the god of thunder. Finally there was Frey, the god of fertility, marriage and growing things. Around the year 1000, the Vikings became Christians and restricted the urges to raid. The viking conversion to Christianity was often for trade and politics. If the vikes were able to conduct peaceful relations with other countries, they would have a better chance at building bases by which they could trade their goods. (Jones and Pennick, 1995: 137) The Vikings lived wherever they took over. In 870, Iceland was discovered by Ingolf, who was on a trip. It took seven days from Norway to get to Iceland. Scientist know that the vikes traveled to many places: Of 85,000 Arabic coins, 80,000 were found in Sweden. After raids were done, the vikes asked for a large payment to leave. (Margeson 1994). Warships were used to raid towns, and to travel. The Vikings had excellent building skills. They were all long and slender. Even thought the ships had a mast and a sail, they could still be rowed. All ships carried from 24-50 oars. The longest Viking ship ever found was 92 ft long. When ships were used as transportation, families went too. Wom ...

English-Spanish Basketball Glossary

English-Spanish Basketball Glossary If you want to talk basketball in Spanish, here are the words to do it. Since its origins in the late 18th century in Massachusetts, basketball has become an international sport. But it continues to be dominated by the United States, so it shouldnt be surprising that much of the Spanish-language vocabulary of the game comes from English. In fact, even in Spanish-speaking countries, English terms may be understood more readily than their Spanish equivalents. The Spanish vocabulary for the sport developed somewhat independently in various regions, so terms can vary not only between Spain and Latin America, but even between neighboring countries. Even the name of the game isnt uniform throughout the Spanish-speaking world. The vocabulary below represents some of the most common terms used by Spanish speakers, but it shouldnt be considered complete. Basketball Terms In Spanish air ball - el air ballassist (noun) - la asistenciabackboard - el tablerobank shot - el tiro a tablabasket (goal) - el cesto, la canastabasket (score) - la canasta, el encestebasketball (ball) - el balà ³n, la pelotabasketball (game) - el baloncesto, el bsquetbol, el basquetbol, el bsquetbox score - el box score, el sumariocenter - el/la pà ­votcheerleader - la animadora, el animador, el/la cheerleadercoach - el entrenador, la entrenadoracorner - la esquinacourt (playing field) - la pista, la canchadefend - defenderdribble (noun) - el drible, la finta, la bota, el dribblingdribble (verb) - driblardunk (noun) - el mate, el dunkfast break - el ataque rpido, el contraataqueforward - el/la alerofree throw - el tiro librehalf, quarter (period of play) - el periodo, el perà ­odohook shot - el ganchojump ball - el salto entre dosjump pass - el pase en suspensià ³njump shot - el tiro en suspensià ³nkey - la botella, la zona de tres segundosman-to-man (defense) - (la defensa) hombre a hombre, (la defensa) al hombreoffense - el ataqueovertime - la prà ³rroga, el tiempo aà ±adido, el tiempo extrapass (noun) - el pasepass (verb) - pasarpersonal foul - la falta personalpivot (verb) - pivotearplay (noun, as in three-point play) - la jugada (la jugada de tres puntos)player - el jugador, la jugadora, el/la baloncestistaplayoff - la liguilla, la eliminatoria, el playoffpoint (score) - el puntopoint guard - el/la base, el armador, la armadorapost - el postepower forward - el/la alero fuerte, el/la ala-pà ­votpress (noun) - la presià ³nrebound (noun) - el reboterebound (verb) - rebotarrecord  -   el rà ©cordreferee - el/la rbitro, el/la refereerookie - el novato, la novata, el/la rookiescreen (noun) - el bloqueoscreen (verb) - bloquearscrimmage - la escaramuzaseason - la temporadaseed, seeded (as in a tournament)  -   la clasificacià ³n, clasificadoshoot - tirarshooting guard - el/la escoltashot - el tiroteam - el equipotechnical foul - la falta tà ©cnicatimeout - el tiempo muertotip-off  -   salto entre dostournament - el torneoturnover - el balà ³n perdido, la pelota perdida, el turnoverwarmup - el calentamientowing - el/la alerozone defense - la defensa en zonazone offense - el ataque zonalzone press - el marcaje en zona Sample Spanish Sentences About Basketball These sentences have been adapted from current online publications to show how these words are used in real life. Cuando caigo hago dos movimiento de pivot y luego paso la pelota. (When I fall, I do two pivoting movements and then I pass the ball.)Pà ©rez convirtià ³ una jugada de tres puntos con 18.2 segundos por jugar en el tiempo extra. (Pà ©rez converted a three-point play with 18.2 seconds left in overtime.)Los ganadores de cada regià ³n avanzan a la Final Four. (The winners in each region adance to the Final Four. Final Four is feminine because the reference is to la ronda Final Four, or the Final Four round.)La temporada 2018-19 de la NBA es la septuagà ©simo tercera  temporada de la historia de la competicià ³n. (The 2018-19 season of the NBA is the 73rd season in the history of the competition. Note that the abbreviation NBA is treated as feminine because asociacià ³n, the word for association, is feminine.)El proceso de clasificacià ³n para el torneo de la NCAA consta de los torneos de cada conferencia. (The seeding process for the NCAA tpournament is made up of the tournamen ts of each conferencia.)El torneo es de eliminacià ³n directa y no existen partidos de consolacià ³n. (The tournament is single-elimination and there are no consolation games.) Dos tiros libres dieron la victoria a los Bulls. (Two free throws gave the win to the Bulls.)Una falta personal implica un contacto con el adversario mientras el balà ³n est en juego. (A personal foul involves contact with an opposing player while the ball is in play.)

RAN Clean Coal Report Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

RAN Clean Coal Report - Case Study Example In times like these, when the needs are growing and the resources are limited people, companies and industries need to come together in order come to terms with the current environmental issues that are depreciating day by day and which if not dealt in time and according may lead to a hazardous tomorrow or who knows there may not be a tomorrow. RAN or the Rainforest Forest Area Network is an organization that works with grass-root level supporters, shareholders and other partner NGOs in cultivating awareness among the masses, different companies and industries regarding issues concerning environment, the proper maintenance of the eco-system and the different ways companies can contribute to the sustainability of a greener future. The report depicts the inner urge of mankind which needs to be aroused within the society to truly break its oil and coal addictions, protect endangered forests, and promote human rights and sustainable finance, with everyone's participation. RAN or the Rainforest Area Network was founded by Randy Hayes in the year 1985 is an environmental organization based in San Francisco, California, USA consisting of 43 staff members from CA, Tokyo, Japan and all other concerned citizens across the globe. The main aim and objective that motivates the organisation and the people attached to it is the creation of a sustainable world which they believe can be created within one's life time if one is committed enough and immediate aggressive measures and actions are taken. Since its initiation RAN has been working with towards the protection of the rainforests by supporting the rights of its inhabitants through the means of education, grassroots organization and nonviolent direct action. By working together with the student groups, indigenous forest communities and NGOs and through the organizations own effective strategies RAN was able to accomplish its mission by organizing campaigns to redirect corporations away from the destruction and exploitation of non-sustainable forest resources (About RAN, 2008). This was RAN's first and one of the many accomplishments that followed, in their endeavor for a better, a greener future and a sustainable world. RAN's take on Clean Coal The latest of the environmental issues that RAN is involved in is coal and finding the truth that lies behind the term "clean coal". Coal is the dirtiest and yet the biggest source of electricity in America. It is the most carbon dioxide-intensive fossil fuel, for every pound of coal that is burnt, three pounds of carbon dioxide gets emitted. Naturally coal mines are the primary source of increasing number of asthma and lung cancer patients. In addition to this the extraction of coal requires strip mining which results in massive amounts of water pollution and generation of toxic wastes. However coal being the America's one of the most important resource for generating wealth and electricity for the present and for the future as well, the lure that it poses is insurmountable. Research and development over the last two decades on "clean coal technology" the term which describes the technologies that are being worked upon in

A comparison of wine cultures between United Kingdom and Hong Kong Literature review - 1

A comparison of wine cultures between United Kingdom and Hong Kong citizens - Literature review Example They further stated that the production of food and wine is a global phenomenon. Varriano (2011) added that wine had manifested its uniqueness in the culture and history of food and drink that first started in the ancient Greece and Rome civilisations. It is more essential to almost all forms of religion as they use this in their worship (Deutsch and Saks 2008). Today, the wine industry is rapidly growing along with the rise of the globalisation (Anderson & Nelgen 2008). Indeed, wine has played a significant role in the lives of wine consumer’s way back in the past and up to the present and in the future. According to the work of Estreicher (2004), wine has played an necessary role in the foundation of Western civilisation. He further added that wine is a magical special ancient alcoholic beverage according to its associations with gods and religious and spiritual traditions. Sanchez (2008) further said that wine is considered by the ancient people such as the Greeks, Romans, Cretans and Egyptian as their daily commodities dated before Christ. These people are used to conducting grape brewing in their households respectively. In the ancient history of the invention of distillation, wine is considered to be the best and most effective antiseptic. Furthermore, it is also treated as one of the most in-demand products for trade in the early Western civilisation along with vine. Therefore, wine can be indicated as a very significant in terms of religion, medicine, and trade (Estreicher 2004). Such notions and claims are further supported by the article of Squicciarini and Swinnen (2010) a s the authors had revealed that, even back in the old times, wine has been used by the ancient people in several ways and within different purposes. For instance, in China, Chinese folks are using wines for spiritual purposes. This is also the same with the Indian people in which

Dr. Randy Pausch Essay Example for Free

Dr. Randy Pausch Essay Dr. Randy Pausch was an American professor of computer Science and human-computer interaction and design at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He learned that he had suffering from the pancreatic cancer in September 2006, and in August 2007 he was giving a terminal diagnosis:†3 to 6 months of good health left.† He gave an upbeat lecture titled â€Å"The Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.† On September 18, 2007, at Camegie Mellon University. On the stage that day, Randy was youthful, energetic, handsome, often cheerfully, darkly funny. He seemed invincible. But this was a brief moment, as he himself acknowledged. If you knew you were going to die and you had one last lecture. What would you say to your students? For Dr. Randy Pausch, there’s an elephant in the room and the elephant in the room is that for him it wasn’t hypothetical. It has now come back after surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation and the doctor told him there’s nothing to do and he has months to live. These are his most recent CT scans. The pancreatic cancer has spread to his liver. They’re approximately a dozen tumors. Even though he don’t like this but he can’t do anything about the fact that he is going to die. The Last Lecture by Dr. Randy Pausch on Oprah was about childhood dreams. His childhood dreams were being in the National Football League. This is one of the childhood dreams he didn’t achieve and it’s very important to know that, if you don’t achieve your dreams, you can still get a lot by trying for it. Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you wanted. Dr. Randy Pausch’s second dream is to become a Walt Disney Imaginary. When he was eight, his family took the Pilgrimage to Disneyland in California and it was this incredible experience. The rides and the shows and the attractions and everything and he said, gosh, I’d like to make stuff like that when he get older. So he graduated from college and he tried to become an Imagineer. T hese are the people who make the magic. He got a lovely rejection letter and then he tried again after graduated school and he have kept all of these rejection letters over the years as an inspiration. But then the darndest thing happened. He worked hard and worked hard and he became a junior faculty member and he specialized in doing certain kinds of research. He developed a skill that was valuable to Disney and he got a chance to go there. Finally, he become a part of an Imagineering team and they worked on something called Aladdin’s Magic Carpet  Ride and it was incredibly cool however it took him over 15 years to do it and lots of tries. What he learned from that the brick walls that are in our way are there for a reason. They are not there to keep us out. They are there to give us a way to show how much we want it. Dr. Randy have a good relationship with his parents. His father is an incredible guy and he fought in World War II. He was clearly part of the greatest generation. Sadly, his father passed away a little over a year ago and when his mother was going through his thing that was when she discovered that in World War II, he was awarded the Bronze Star for valor. His mother was always there to keep him in check. Dr. Randy believed his parents encouraged him to cultivate his creative talents by letting him paint rockets on the walls of his house. When he got older and he bought his first car and he was so excited. According to Dr. Randy, people are more important than things. He just emptying a can of soda onto the back seat of his car when his sister was explains to his niece and nephew so they will not get his car dirty. He explain to her sister about it’s just a thing. Dr. Randy know he will dying soon so he choose to have fun today, tomorrow, and every other day he have left. If you want to achieve your dreams, you better work and play well with others. For him, a good apology has three parts, I’m sorry, it was my fault and how do I make it right? Most people skip that third part. Dr. Randy show his gratitude to the group of kids who helped him gets his dream job by brought them to Disney world. When people asked ‘How could you do it?’ and he said ‘How could I not do it?’ Gratitude is a very simple thing and it’s a very powerful thing. If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself. The dreams will come to you. If you live properly, the dreams will come to you.

Charles Darwin, Social Darwinism, and Imperialism Essay -- Social Darwi

England went through dramatic changes in the 19th century. English culture, socio-economic structure and politics where largely influenced by the principles of science. Many social expressions occurred due to these changes. Transformations which categorized this time period could be observed in social institutions; for instance: the switch from popular Evangelicalism to atheism, emergence of feminism and the creation of new political ideologies (Liberalism, Conservatism and Radicalism). These are just a few of the changes that took place. All of this social alteration can be attributed to the importance of science. The English people began to trust more in empiricism and logical thought than in faith and glory of the empire . One who contributed greatly to this transformation was Charles Darwin. In his two most famous works, The Origin of Species and The Decent of Man, Darwin introduces the concept of "the survival of the fittest" and "natural selection". The Darwinian ideas introduced into English society justified a great number of political policies and social movements. England at the turn of the century was still a largest power in the international system. The English perceived, through the justification of Darwinism, they were fit to be the imperial hegemon in the world. The issue this essay will deal with is Imperialism and how Darwinism justified its practice. Darwin argued in his work, The Decent of Man, "When civilised...

Development and Potential of China in the Global Market

The Chinese economy has been showing rapid growth in the past decade and there seems to be a potential for strong growth into the foreseeable future.   China has undergone a great transformation from a nation that was one of the world’s greatest opponents of globalization into a committed advocate of globalization. The transformation set in after 1978, when Deng Xiaoping and other leaders began to focus on market-oriented economic development. The Chinese economy is today far more open than Japan and this has been made possible largely due to adoption of the rule of law, of commitment to competition, of widespread use of English, of foreign education, and of many foreign laws and institutions (Overholt, 2006).With respect to liberalization and globalization, China has effectively become an ally of U.S. and Southeast Asian, supporting freer trade and investment than is acceptable to Japan, India and Brazil. Global marketing is becoming more and more important along the years with the increasing trend in internationalization. In the early 1980s it dismantled collective farming and allowed private enterprise again.Now it is one of the world's top exporters and is attracting record amounts of foreign investment. However, China's transformation is not matched by political change. Having gained admission to the World Trade Organisation, China is benefiting from increased access to foreign markets, but in return it is under an obligation to expose itself to competition from abroad. Relations with trading partners have been strained over China's huge trade surplus and the piracy of goods (BBC, 2006).China’s large and rapidly growing market has attracted large volumes of FDI in recent years (US$54 billion in 2004) as transnational corporations have invested heavily in order to benefit from the country’s emerging middle class and its higher purchasing power (GlobalEdge, 2006). However, there are some hurdles to be crossed if China is to develop to its full potential in the global market. According to Zhang Lichuan, a Director with the Statistical Department of General Administration of Customs of China, there are four major obstacles to Chinese foreign trade (People’s Daily Online, 2006): ·   China should deal with pressure from international markets that are gradually becoming saturated. ·   The cost of Chinese exports is increasing, partly because of the higher cost of labor and environmental protection. ·   Increasing international trade protection has caused China to stumble into difficult territory. In fact, China has been involved in the world's largest number of anti-dumping cases in recent years. · The trade imbalance between China and other countries is getting worse. As the Renminbi appreciates, Chinese enterprises will face greater exchange risks in import-export trade. Increasing pressures from the appreciating Renminbi will create new requirements and challenges for Chinese enterprises engage d in import-export trade.Analysis of the country’s global competitiveness:According to the CIA World Fact Book, China’s economy grew at an average rate of 10% per year during the period 1990-2004, the highest growth rate in the world. China’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew 10.0% in 2003, and even faster, 10.1%, in 2004, and 9.9% in 2005 despite attempts by the government to cool the economy. China’s total trade in 2005 surpassed $1.4 trillion, making China the world’s third-largest trading nation after the U.S. and Germany (CIA Factbook, 2005).Export-Import figures: China's merchandise exports totaled $762.3 billion and imports totaled $660.2 billion in 2004. Its global trade surplus surged from $32 billion in 2004 to $102 billion in 2005. China's primary trading partners include Japan, the EU, the United States, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. According to U.S. statistics, China had a trade surplus with the U.S. of $201.6 billion in 2005 (C IA Factbook, 2005).China and WTO: China has taken important steps to open its foreign trading system and integrate itself into the world trading system. In November 1991, China joined the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group, which promotes free trade and cooperation in the economic, trade, investment, and technology spheres. China formally joined the WTO in December 2001. As part of this far-reaching trade liberalization agreement, China agreed to lower tariffs and abolish market impediments (NTE Report, 2005). By 2005, average tariff rates on key U.S. agricultural exports dropped from 31% to 14% and on industrial products from 25% to 9%.The agreement also opens up new opportunities for U.S. providers of services like banking, insurance, and telecommunications. China has made significant progress implementing its WTO commitments, but serious concerns remain, particularly in the realm of intellectual property rights protection. China is now one of the most important market s for U.S. exports: in 2005, U.S. exports to China totaled $41.8 billion. U.S. agricultural exports have increased dramatically, making China the fourth-largest agricultural export market (after Canada, Japan, and Mexico). Over the same period (2001-1005), U.S. imports from China have risen from $102 billion to $243.5 billion.Export growth continues to be a major driver of China's rapid economic growth. To increase exports, China has pursued policies such as fostering the rapid development of foreign-invested factories, which assemble imported components into consumer goods for export, and liberalizing trading rights. In its eleventh Five-Year Program, adopted in 2005, China placed greater emphasis on developing a consumer demand-driven economy to sustain economic growth and address global imbalances. The April 11, 2006 U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) has produced agreements on key U.S. trade concerns ranging from market access to U.S. beef, medical devices, and telecommunications; to the enforcement of intellectual property rights, including, significantly, software (CIA Factbook, 2006).Foreign Investment: Since the early 1990s, China has allowed foreign investors to manufacture and sell a wide range of goods on the domestic market, and authorized the establishment of wholly foreign-owned enterprises, now the preferred form of FDI. China is now one of the leading recipients of FDI in the world, receiving $60 billion in 2005, for a cumulative total of $623.8 billion. As part of its WTO accession, China has undertaken to eliminate certain trade-related investment measures and to open up specified sectors that had previously been closed to foreign investment. Major remaining barriers to foreign investment include opaque and inconsistently enforced laws and regulations and the lack of a rules-based legal infrastructure. Foreign exchange reserves were $819 billion at the end of 2005, and have now surpassed those of Japan, making China†™s foreign exchange reserves the largest in the world (NTE Report, 2005).Competitive Advantage:A study by GlobalEdgeTM titled, â€Å"Market Potential Indicators for Emerging Markets – 2005†, studies the market potential of 24 countries identified as â€Å"Emerging Markets† by The Economist. The Emerging Economies are countries that have very high growth rates which means enormous market potential. They can be distinguished by the recent progress they have made in economic liberalization. These countries are characterized by their increasing need for capital equipment, machinery, power transmission equipment, transportation equipment and high-technology products. An indexing study is made by MSU-CIBER to help the companies compare the Emerging Markets with each other on eight dimensions (Lopez-Claros et al, 2006):Market Size:   With regard to market size, China stands first with India and Russia in the second and third places respectively.Market growth rate, China is third after Venezuela and Malaysia.Market Intensity: China is ranked last among all other emerging economies.Market consumption capacity: China is 12thCommercial infrastructure: China is 14th.Economic freedom: China ranks 24th.Market receptivity: China is 12thCountry risk: China is 11thOverall market potential index: China is third after Hong Kong and Singapore.Asia: Change in percentage of Annual disposable income 1999-2004 (WEF, 2006)China  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  59.2Hong Kong, China   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3.3India   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  35.4Indonesia   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  57.1Japan   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3.5Malaysia   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  43.6Philippines  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   8.2Singapore   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  37.8South Korea   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  46.8 Taiwan   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  15.3Thailand   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  26.8Vietnam   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  36.2(Source: Euromonitor International from national statistics)The above table shows that of all competing economies in the global market, China h as shown the greatest growth within the period 199-2004.Since 2001, the World Economic Forum has been using the Growth Competitiveness Index (GCI) developed by Jeffrey Sachs and John McArthur. According to the GCI Index in â€Å"The Global Competitiveness Report 2006-2007: Country Highlights†, China’s ranking has fallen from 48 to 54 in the overall competitive ranking Consistent with the cautious macroeconomic management of its authorities and extremely high GDP growth rates, the macro economy pillar of the GCI shows a very high rank, 6th overall in the world.This reflects China’s low inflation, one of the highest savings rates in the world, and manageable levels of public debt. China’s ranks in the GCI indicators regarding penetration rates for the latest technologies are actually falling behind. Secondary and tertiary school enrollment rates are better than they are in India, but still low by international standards. A number of indicators which capture the sophistication of the business community also show lower ranks in 2006 than last year.By far the most worrisome development is a marked drop in the quality of the institutional environment, as shown by the sharp drop in ranks from 60 to 80 in 2006 in the institutions pillar of the GCI, with poor results across all 15 indicators, and involving both public and private institutions (Lopez-Claros, 2006).Conclusion:China has made a dramatic entry into the top position of the world’s economic stage. China's robust economic performance can be seen as an inspiration for other developing countries. Within two years after its historic entry into the WTO, China is the world's fourth largest trading nation after the United States, the European Union and Japan. However, it must be remembered that China is not only a major exporter but also a major importer, and its modernisation programme and export industries have required, and will continue to require, billions of dollars worth of equipment and raw materials.During the first nine months of 2003, China's exports rose by 32 percent while its imports surged ahead by 41 percent. China's performance shows that developing countries can and do benefit from economic openness and integration. The reduction of tariffs has increased competition in the domestic market with the arrival of new suppliers. This has led to lower prices and larger choice for consumers, and has lowered the prices of essential inputs for many industries, thereby enhancing their competitiveness. In the first two decades of reform, the number of absolute poor in China dropped by about 200 million.Per capita income has grown by sixfold, and farmers and city dwellers are able to live an enhanced lifestyle. However, to realize its goal of doubling its GDP by 2010, China will have to face up to a number of important challenges. As the Chinese economy shifts from being a rural economy to an urban one, the main challenge for the economy will be to creat e enough jobs in the industrial and services sector to absorb the surplus labor from agriculture, which generates 17 percent of China's GDP and 50 percent of employment. Next, the benefits of rapid development should be spread out to avoid a widening of income differences between rural and urban areas.To reach its full potential, growth in the private sector has to be matched by an equal development of a stable market-oriented legal framework. China has managed to handle these profound structural changes while ensuring that it sustains a stable social environment. China needs the opportunity of market access and the legal guarantee of consistent and non-discriminatory trade rules that are offered by the WTO. As a fully fledged member of WTO, China should use its position to realize the objectives set out in the Doha Development Agenda.

Engaging & Supporting Students in Learning Essay

Many algebra teachers find student engagement as one of the most difficult challenges in teaching the subject. This is primarily because popular culture has constructed the idea of mathematics in general as a difficult and disinteresting subject and algebra specifically to be one of the most difficult and disinteresting of them all. However, my experience with teaching the subject has helped me select appropriate instructional strategies that can engage all students and encourage their participation. Furthermore, I have come to modify many of these strategies to suit my own classroom needs and in some occasions have even developed my own. Perhaps one of the best ways to engage students who can be assumed to have a certain fear of the subject is make sure that the lessons are not delivered too quickly. For this purpose, I employ the 5+1 instructional strategy when delivering subject content. In this strategy, subject content is delivered at only 5 minutes at a time. Each of the 5-minute time frames are followed with a 1 minute period for students to reflect and ask questions (Rowan, 2007). Then the lesson proceeds to the next 5-minute interval. It is important that there is sufficient planning on the part of the teacher before every lesson because the lesson partition in each of the 5-minute intervals must be so that the lesson should not be kept hanging. For example, in teaching about operations on signed numbers, the 5-minute period should not encompass two operations. In fact, addition and subtraction of signed numbers in themselves should consist of two 5-minute intervals each. During the 1-minute time for reflection, I have found that students tend to ask some very important questions that are confusing them. If not for those 1-minute breaks, students may end up making mistakes on the first sets of graded drills because of the lack of opportunity to clarify matters. The 1-minute breaks allows every student the opportunity to speak out instead of boring them with 30-minute blocks with no one but the teacher talking. This method thus engages all of the students to participate in the lesson. Another strategy that I have found to engage all of the students are drills. Drills are short written exercises usually composed of no more than 10 items that students are asked to accomplish at the end of each lesson. To speed up the administration of drills, I have them photocopied before class begins and just hand them out at the appropriate time. Having drills at the end of every lesson allows students to test for themselves whether or not they understand the subject matter. Students are asked to exchange papers at the end of the time allotted for the drill and then students are called at random to give their answers on the board. Students who were not called to give the answers are called to check if the answers given by their classmates are correct and to suggest possible corrections. The engagement of students through this strategy is two-fold. First, the entire class accomplishes the drill and second, students are called to either answer or critique the answers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Several topics in algebra are very appropriate for connecting to real-world situations. These topics should be recognized and their potentials should be exploited in order to get maximum student attention. One such topic is the addition and subtraction of signed numbers. In introducing the content, the teacher can use the â€Å"money analogy† to represent positive and negative numbers. Positive numbers represent â€Å"money on hand† while negative numbers represent â€Å"money owed† and each operation as a financial transaction. This makes it much easier to explain why -4 + 5 = 1 by saying that you owe someone $4 and then you have $5 to pay with so you have $1 left after the transaction. This method relies less on the traditional rules when it comes to adding and subtracting signed numbers and forwards a more practical approach that students can connect better with. Another opportunity to introduce connections between the lesson and the real-world is problem solving. Word problems can be described as consisting of two parts, the subject content and the flavor text. The subject content is the lesson that the problem aims to teach while the flavor text is the context of the word problem itself. It is highly important that the teacher selects flavor text that are appropriate to the learners. Word problems can be about recent baseball games or current media interests or popular games. These applications show the student that algebra can really be found even in the things that interest them the most.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   High school students are usually very socially active. At their developmental stage, strategies employed on them should address their inherent need to socialize. Thus, the paired problem solving approach where one person thinks aloud in solving the problem while the other listens and provides feedback (Rowan, 2007) is developmentally appropriate. Of course, it is best to assign students who are performing less effectively in class as the ones who think aloud so that they will actually engage the problem while the listener should be the ones who are performing better in class so that they can guide their partners to the right answer. Another developmentally appropriate strategy is the Phillips 66 where students are grouped into 6 members and are given 6 minutes to solve a particularly difficult task (Rowan, 2007). Each group is given a different problem and all of the members should understand the solution because the teacher can question any one of them when they present their result. This ensures that there would be sufficient interaction within groups. Part 2 – Assessing Student Learning (1 Page)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Before the start of the course and usually on the first day of class, a diagnostic examination is given to the class so that each member can be assessed for the prerequisite competencies to an algebra course. This examination basically includes the four fundamental operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of whole numbers), fractions, decimals, and simple, non-algebraic problem solving. After the administration of the examination, the papers are evaluated and key competencies that are lacking are noted. The students are each given private assessments of their performance in the preliminary diagnostic exam which include suggestions on how they can tackle any deficiencies that were found. If a student is found to be extremely deficient in the appropriate competencies, their parents should be informed so that they can be a part of taking appropriate action. This assessment tool guides the teacher to be certain that the class is prepared to take a course in algebra.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   During the instruction, drills are given at the end of each lesson in order to reinforce what has just been taught and ensure that the students were able to understand. These assessments are short and only test one particular part of the entire instruction. At the end of the instruction, a summative test is given to ensure that the students were able to absorb the different parts of the lesson into a collective whole. The summative test will compose of the various subtopics and will comprehensively measure students’ performance and intrinsically, the effectiveness of the instruction. Parts of the summative test on content that are needed for the next lesson would also serve as a diagnostic test. All assessments should be properly time-framed according to type and difficulty. Part 4 – Making Subject Matter Comprehension to Students (1 Page) I have modified the guided practice strategy for it to become a scaffolding strategy that is most suitable for algebra. This modification takes into consideration that changing the given of an algebraic problem does not change the approach in solving that problem. In this modified scaffolding strategy, each student is given one of 5 different items that only vary slightly in their given numbers. A sixth similar problem is displayed by the teacher on the board. The teacher shows the students how to solve the problem while the students apply the method used by the teacher to their own individual problems. Each problem’s answer is already given to each respective student so that the students would know if they were able to obtain the correct answer. Another scaffolding strategy that can be used is guided questioning for erroneous examples. In this strategy, the teacher presents erroneous solutions in class and then asks guided questions that would help the class determine the things that are wrong with the solution or sometimes with the problem itself. The teacher should prepare various items and as the strategy progresses, it should take less and less guided questions for students to figure out what are wrong with the problems and solutions given. An important concept in algebra is transpositions. What I believe to be a common mistake in teaching this particular concept is beginning with how we can simply move expressions from one side of the equal sign to the other and change their signs. While this is correct, it is insensitive to the underlying principle of transpositions which should first be elaborated upon. Hence, it is best to start with a non-algebraic example of equality and show how adding or subtracting a certain quantity from both sides of the equal sign still results in an equality. From this, the concept can be abstracted to apply to equalities with algebraic expressions. Only after this has been established should the â€Å"short-cut† of just moving expressions and changing signs be introduced. Another concept that is essential to algebra is that of irrational numbers. The best strategy for teaching this concept is contrasting it with rational numbers which is a concept that students are more familiar with. The teacher can show that all rational numbers can be formed by a fraction where both numerator and denominator are integers while irrational numbers could not be. This establishes the clear-cut difference between the two and gives irrational numbers its own definition. Part 8 – Planning Instruction and Designing Learning Experiences for all Students Motivation and comprehension are primary considerations in planning instruction and designing learning experiences. Students for the course are expected to be in their adolescence where the developmental focus tends to be more on the social aspect. Hence, opportunities for social interaction with classmates should be made available in the design of learning experiences. The teacher should avoid reclusive activities that constrict socialization because that would further reinforce the idea that a math subject is generally disinteresting. There should be fun, kinesthetic activities provided every now and then in order to encourage student engagement and participation. Integration of popular culture in planning instruction should also be considered as this makes students feel that the subject is very much related to their daily lives.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   While there are a variety of teaching strategies available for every lesson, it is very important that the teacher is able to select the appropriate strategy for the appropriate lessons. For teaching mixture word problems, action projects can serve as a very effective strategy. Teachers can provide students with harmless, multicolored liquids that they can form into mixtures. The teacher can them present a problem without presenting the algebraic technique to solve it and them ask the students to solve the problem using their mixtures. This strategy will allow the students to visualize the problem and appreciate the algebraic solution better. Another strategy which is most suitable for teaching about the number line is an action game. In this particular game, a long line with numbers from +10 to -10 is placed on the floor. A student is asked to stand on a particular number (say -5). Then, the teacher asks a question beginning with that number (say -5 + 3) and the student jumps to the resulting answer on the number line. Another student gets called afterwards to do the same thing and the previous student takes a seat and gets a chance to ask the question instead of the teacher. The cycle continues until everyone has had a turn. Lastly, abstracting is still one of the best methods to teach several concepts in algebra. Abstracting involves starting from actual examples and then building up to a definition of the concept that can encompass all possible examples. Part 10 – Creating and Maintaining Effective Learning Environments (1 Page) The appropriate setup of the actual classroom environment is important in making sure that learning can be facilitated efficiently, effectively, and safely. Visuals are very important in an algebra class. Therefore, there should be sufficient lighting in the classroom. Insufficient lighting may lead students to be disinterested because they cannot see lessons presented on the board clearly or it may damage their eyesight if they concentrated despite the difficulty. Since students can be easily distracted, it is best if the classroom is a closed environment with all windows shaded so that student attention can be better contained. LCD projectors are not necessary for daily instruction and should only be used when presenting audio-visual clips that may be of some important connection to the lesson. Actual content should be given verbally with support from writing on the board. Student textbooks and other required materials should be with them on their seats before the start of the class to avoid any unnecessary, time-consuming periods of getting them during the lesson. Student discipline is a primary concern but disciplinary policies should not be very strict. It is understandable that some discussion may occur during the lesson and so long as these are kept brief and at a minimal volume, the teacher should not take offense. A routine of answering drills after every part of the lesson should be inculcated in the students. Drills let students practice learned concepts so that they will be used to answering them by the time summative tests are given. Everyone should be given a chance to participate. A random system for calling on students can be established by using name cards submitted by students. In theory, the random system should give everyone a chance to participate over time although the teacher should include provisions on how to call those who have not yet been called after a certain period. These cards ay also be used to keep records of student evaluations from graded recitations. Part 12 – Developing as a Professional Educator (1 Page) Interaction with parents is essential to student development. After administering diagnostic examinations, I make it a point to contact the parents of students who were not able to perform adequately enough to say that they are prepared fro the class. This is done so that the parents can take appropriate action and give their child more attention. Upon parent’s request, I provide regular updates for them on their children through email. This is to ensure that they are being kept up-to-date with their child’s performance. During summer breaks, I would like to help organize community projects such as tutorials for incoming freshmen to get them ready for what to expect in high school.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I intend to grow professionally by pursuing a post-graduate degree and formally engaging into my research interests. I realize also that joining and being active in professional organizations is also a great avenue for professional development and academic research. I would like to be able to conduct researches on student difficulties in learning specific lessons in algebra. In my experience, I have noticed that a majority of students have difficulty with regard to the â€Å"trial and error† nature of factoring. I have tried to remedy this problem by presenting a more grounded method to factoring algebraic expressions and found that it is effective in my classroom. I would like to conduct research that can formally determine whether or not this method is more effective than the traditional methods currently available. I hope to be able to establish that this method is indeed more effective and suggest its adaptation to the current school system. I believe that an accomplished educator is one who does not only teach well but also broadens the scope of knowledge in the field he or she is teaching through relevant research. References Rowan, K. (2007). Instructional Strategies. Retrieved May 21, 2008 from: http://glossary.plasmalink.com/glossary.html

Writing for Literary Magazines

Writing for Literary Magazines 163 Literary Magazines Accepting Reprints http://publishedtodeath.blogspot.com/2016/01/163-literary-magazines-accepting.html The more I read the list the madder I got. Not at the blog and not at the author, but at the fact  123 of those 163 publications dont pay for reprints. But what you dont immediately see is most of them dont pay for original works, either. Look closely and youll see that 11 pay token payments, three admit paying pennies, 12 pay semi-pro rates when pro is six cents/word. Some admit $1, $2, $5 and $8 flat rate. You could count on one hand the ones that pay double digits, with the highest admitting paying $10 to $100. I understand that the author of the piece attempted to help writers who wanted to resell material theyd already published. Very few of them will pay you, but you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you have reached more readers. Sorry, thats still exposure, in my book in lieu of payment.   Why should you write for these publications? You shouldnt. The only way Id write for a publication such as these is if their reputation is pretty darn big and can catapult your career. I dont mean 2,500 readers. I mean tens of thousands and their name is recognizable and respected. Otherwise, youre feeding their preference to pay writers nothing and the exposure promise is worth nil. Exposure to a small group is not exposure. Why do people submit to them? A wide range of reasons. Because they think itll make them look professional. Because they think the exposure will do something for their career, not evening thinking what exposure means.  Because they hate rejection. Many would rather publish quickly or for nothing than hold out. Its possibly ego or desperation to publish, or a combination of the two. Its so much more professional, and youll respect yourself so much more, if you hold off publishing until you can climb the ladder a little bit and reach the paying publications. Yes, even in the literary world, they have markets that pay. One of the biggest myths out there is if you write for free or pennies, you are paying your dues. Um, no. You are proving to a higher calibre editor and publication that you settle for less. Most say they do not have the budget to pay. Many say they are nonprofit and cannot afford to pay. Some say they are university affiliated and, therefore, cannot afford to pay. The fact is, if you run a business (and a nonprofit or university press is a business), and you run it properly, you find the money to pay the people providing the raw materials that make it happen. The printer, the mailman, and all the players who put that publication together are getting paid. Which means you should be shamed into starving.

Nicolau Copernicus - Founder of Modern Astronomy

Nicolau Copernicus - Founder of Modern Astronomy This profile of Nicolau Copernicus is part ofWhos Who in Medieval History   Nicolau Copernicus was also known as: The Father of Modern Astronomy. His name is sometimes spelled Nicolaus, Nicolas, Nicholas, Nikalaus or Nikolas; in Polish, Mikolaj Kopernik, Niclas Kopernik or Nicolaus Koppernigk. Nicolau Copernicus was known for: Recognizing and promoting the idea that the Earth revolved around the sun. Although he was not the first scientist to propose it, his bold return to the theory (first proposed by Aristarchus of Samos in the 3rd-century B.C.) had significant and far-reaching effects in the evolution of scientific thought. Occupations: AstronomerWriter Places of Residence and Influence: Europe: PolandItaly Important Dates: Born: Feb. 19, 1473Died: May 24, 1543 About Nicolau Copernicus: Copernicus studied liberal arts, which included both astronomy and astrology as part of the science of the stars, at the University of Krakà ³w, but left before completing his degree. He resumed his studies at the University of Bologna, where he lived in the same house as Domenico Maria de Novara, the principal astronomer there. Copernicus assisted de Novara in some of his observations and in the production of the annual astrological forecasts for the city. It is at Bologna that he probably first encountered the works of Regiomontanus, whose translation of Ptolemys Almagest would make it possible for Copernicus to successfully refute the ancient astronomer. Later, at the University of Padua, Copernicus studied medicine, which was closely associated with astrology at that time due to the belief that the stars influenced the dispositions of the body. He finally received a doctorate in canon law from the University of Ferrara, an institution hed never attended. Returning to Poland, Copernicus secured a scholastry (an in abstentia teaching post) at Wroclaw, where he primarily worked as a medical doctor and manager of Church affairs. In his spare time, he studied the stars and the planets (decades before the telescope was invented), and applied his mathematical understanding to the mysteries of the night sky. In so doing, he developed his theory of a system in which the Earth, like all the planets, revolved around the sun, and which simply and elegantly explained the curious retrograde movements of the planets. Copernicus wrote his theory in De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Celestial Orbs). The book was completed in 1530 or so, but it wasnt published until the year he died. Legend has it that a copy of the printers proof was placed in his hands as he lay in a coma, and he woke long enough to recognize what he was holding before he died. More Copernicus Resources: Portrait of Nicolau CopernicusNicolau Copernicus in Print The Life of Nicolaus Copernicus: Disputing the ObviousBiography of Copernicus from Nick Greene, former About.com Guide to Space/Astronomy. Nicolau Copernicus on the Web Nicolaus CopernicusAdmiring, substantial biography from a Catholic perspective, by J. G. Hagen at the Catholic Encyclopedia.Nicolaus Copernicus: 1473 - 1543This bio at the MacTutor site includes very straightforward explanations of some of Copernicuss theories, as well as photos of some places significant to his life.Nicolaus CopernicusExtensive, well-supported examination of the astronomers life and works by Sheila Rabin at The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Medieval Mathematics and AstronomyMedieval Poland The text of this document is copyright  ©2003-2016 Melissa Snell. You may download or print this document for personal or school use, as long as the URL below is included. Permission is   not  granted to reproduce this document on another website. For publication permission,  please   contact  Melissa Snell. The URL for this document is:http://historymedren.about.com/od/cwho/p/copernicus.htm Chronological Index Geographical Index Index by Profession, Achievement, or Role in Society

How the five new york crime familes influenced american society Research Paper

How the five new york crime familes influenced american society - Research Paper Example These included the application of gambling using enhanced technology over the internet without falling under the jurisdiction of the American legal system. This was done by having gambling occur through websites that were offshore and that had little chance of ever being intercepted by American law enforcement. Because of this, the family saw the American society face some of the largest debts owed by individuals to a crime family because of illegal gambling. This was as the case of Nicholas Cosmo, who started his own con after owing the family tens of thousands of dollars, which saw him run the Ponzi scheme to repay his own debt. This influenced the American society by bringing in the concept of crime to pay off debts owed to other criminals. The upgrade in the technological application of criminal activity was seen by the use of wired transfers to commit fraud by Nicholas Cosmo, who did all these as part of a debt that he owed to the family.1 Altogether, the Genovese crime family b rought together technological advancements for criminal gain, showing how vulnerable the American society is and how easily it can be defrauded. ... This infiltration saw the family rip millions of dollars from unsuspecting Americans who revealed their credit card number in order to go on with the free tours of the websites. This was designed such that once the user had provided their credit card details to the website, large amounts of funds were charged to the credit card illegally since none of them was authorized by the users and regulatory authorities. In addition, since the family made use of billing via telephone, they charged the government and other American in excesses of millions of dollars for their fraud. This is following the procurement, by the Gambino family, of a bank and a telephone company that allowed the family to plan elaborately their frauds and schemes to defraud Americans and the government.2 As such, the Gambino crime family influenced the American society in that it showed how powerful the crime families were to the point of infiltrating some of the most basic sectors such as banking and even internet u se, as well as phone calls. Their scams also led to the development of new waves of crime across America that were perpetrated in the most ingenious of ways that not even the government was able to crack until much later. This dug deep into the credibility of law enforcement in the American society since they were unable to bring to book, let alone discover the crime wave. It was part of the introduction of white-collar crime in the USA, where it showed how sophisticated organized crime rings were getting. In addition, Gambino family influenced the American society in that it inspired fear amongst Americans to the extent that even law enforcement had to