Blind Bartimaeus Essays

Blind Bartimaeus Essays Blind Bartimaeus Essay Blind Bartimaeus Essay Cambridge, Ontario. Gorman, Michael J. 1955- Elements of biblical exegesis: a basic guide for students and ministers / Michael J. r man. Rev. and expanded ed. p. cm.

How to Make Your Blog Pay for Your Sweat Equity

How to Make Your Blog Pay for Your Sweat Equity When I began blogging in 2009, I never thought it would become an important income stream that would greatly enhance my writing business. Like most â€Å"serious† writers, I saw blogging simply as a means to an end. It was an avenue to build a platform and interest potential publishers and agents for future projects. And everybody was doing it†¦ Fast forward, it’s 2013. And my blog for writers has paid off big in exchange for over 400 posts, endless hours of creativity, and pounding the virtual pavement to get noticed. And yours can too. Break through your blog fog and earn money for your investment. But, before you begin implementing these money-making strategies, your blog must meet certain criteria for optimal success. 1. It must be professional in content and design, with a specific niche and a clearly identifiable target audience. 2. It must provide social proof. Success breeds success. This can be demonstrated through testimonials from satisfied clients, the number of followers you have, or icons reflecting awards your blog has won or industry recognition. For example, in a very prominent place on my site, I display my â€Å"Best of the Web† designation, and my Writing-World.com’s recognition for â€Å"Awesome Blogs†. 3. It must show consistent updates and maintenance. This conveys a sense of commitment, and builds credibility and trust. 4. It must provide good take-away value.    Now let’s look at your money-making strategies: Ad Placement: There is a common misconception that in order to make money through ads, a blogger must have â€Å"super-starâ€Å" status, a massive following, or be willing to settle for a few bucks a month in ad clicks. Not true. Over the last few years, I have earned thousands of dollars, and have had well-known companies and authors such as Good Earth Tea, Healing Hands Massage Clinic, Five Star Publications, and novelist Randy Richardson place ads for their books and services at my spot. If you’d like to experience something similar, you can either pitch individuals or organizations directly, or place a tab on your site that says â€Å"advertise here†. Be sure to have your current stats available, and be able to explain how placing an ad with you can help advertisers to reach their goals and their target market. In other words, what’s in it for them? Blogging Jobs: Using my blog as an oline resume has helped me to hook new clients for my ghost writing, marketing, and other creative services. Through it and testimonials, I have been hired to set up other writers’ blogs, provide creative consultations, and even contribute to e-book projects. Contests and Competitions: Most people don’t see contests as a way of making money through their blogs. But it is. Money can be made both directly and indirectly. For example, a pivotal point in my blogging career came years ago when I placed as a Top 10 Finalist at Write to Done’s annual competition. Though I didn’t get a monetary gift, it gave me mad creative props with blogging peers, and my first paying advertiser. A friend of mine actually won $500 with her blog, through a theme-based contest. It could happen to you! Blogging is a lot of hard work. Follow these timely tips to get a greater return on your sweat equity, with less trial and error.

Current Problems with the US Public Education Essay - 103

Current Problems with the US Public Education - Essay Example Low-income is the source of poverty for a number of Americans today. According to (Strauss 1), the numbers of students of children, from preschool to 12th grade, that benefit from the federal free and subsided feeding have increased exponentially over the years.   Children from low-income backgrounds now dominate most of the public schools. Despite the magnitude of the problem, the federal education policy has not considered poverty to be a major challenge to the education system in the United States. It is obvious that students find it difficult to cope with school hence ends up missing classes or are psychologically affected by the poverty levels in their homes. To emphasize the magnitude of the problem of poverty, a study by National Student Clearinghouse Research Center showed that schools with high-income students sent more students to college as opposed to those that have been sent by schools dominated by low-income students (Strauss 1).The No Child Left Behind Act is one of the major policies that give the parents a leeway to choose schools for their children. The law allows parents to consider taking their children to schools of their choice while at the same time providing a free tutoring platform for schools that do not perform well. Safety is also captured as a major consideration in the choice of the school that the parent prefers. The law provides that both local and state school districts should provide information to the parent in order to make an informed choice of the school to take their child.

Value and Meaning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Value and Meaning - Essay Example Nozick also states that as human beings, we are always looking for a way to find unity and value and to make ourselves and our lives valuable. He says that we also want our lives and ourselves to have this organic unity (165). He says that the diversity comes to us from us wanting to do a myriad of things with our lives and to take in many different ideas and activities. This means that some of us will have meaning from things that are intrinsic to our selves (e.g. deep meaning within us) while others will see value and meaning in those things that are outside ourselves. Value can have many meanings. Nozick suggests that value is something intrinsic in an individual or in a thing. Value is within someones own boundaries while meaning is something that is connected beyond the specific boundaries that people have within their lives (166). He suggests that meaning is limited by the way that people think of it. People are concerned that meaning has limits and therefore it does. This translates to people thinking that their lives are limited. In order to actually find true meaning for someones life they must understand that there are no limits and that they can do whatever they want in order for their life to have the meaning that they seek (166). However, meaning can also be integrated into value if we connect with things that we also feel are important to us. He says that we also see limitations because we know that we will ultimately die and this will be the ending of us. Even the universe will eventually change its form by dying in some sort of massi ve heat, which ultimately brings its destruction. In my opinion, it is difficult to get past the limitations that we set in our lives because of this believe that things must be limited. A lot of self-help books and other materials state that we are not limited and we have only to understand this so that we can live a life of abundance and prosperity; the challenge is that most people do not believe

Turner Thesis Summary Essay Example for Free

Turner Thesis Summary Essay Throughout history society has to go through many changes that not only affect many of the people but also the areas around the transformation. The main point of Fredrick Jackson Turner’s thesis is what the real essence of America is, and how we’re all influenced by the many changes we have to go through. He believes that American history should not be focused on the extension of European enterprise. The society will have to realize that America will have to be emancipated because of the fact that we had a country with an unlimited amount of boundaries and have to come to realization that we have many closed-spaced limits. The views in the seminal essay share his thoughts on the idea of how the frontier shaped American history. Turner thinks that frontier the is the main reason why America is the way it is today. With America expanding to the west and taking over, it was their job to adapt to the new environment. He focuses on the past and how people were fascinated with the frontier and the way the American West made people think about politics, economics, and culture and religion. Having to moving America to the west comes with many challenges, not only getting used to new things in the area, but also economic issues. You have to come into the new area, and start your new land there. The exploitation of the soil by a raising of unrotated crops of corn and wheat in sparsely settled farming. In the west, they had steady growth of complex nervous systems for the originally inert continent, this is the reason why are one nation today, rather than a collection of isolated states. Areas such as Wisconsin, where they developed a manufactured agricultural interest, and North Dakota, where they have exclusive grain raising, have all influenced these west areas economically. There were many historians who made the attempt to interpret political facts by the light of social areas and changes. They discovered that the growth of nationalism and the evolution of American political institutions were dependent on the advance of the frontier. The legislation of the west, which not only played the largest part of the activity conditioned on the frontier, also developed the powers of the national government. The subject of tariff and internal improvement is the main question that had to do with the slavery struggle in the west. The first frontier had to meet â€Å"Indian questions,† and those questions dealt with the composition of the public domain, the intercourse with other older settlements, of the political extension organization. There were land policies such as having to know the mining experience in regions like Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa, and the Indian policy had been a series of experiments on successive frontiers. Coming to the west, it was expected that getting used to the culture and the religion was a must. The French colonization was dominated by its trading frontier, and the English colonization was dominated by its farming frontier. The conditions of the frontier life came with smart traits of importance. Travelers works along each frontier from colonial days describe certain common traits. Turner states that the most effective efforts of the East to regulate the frontier and came through it educational and religious activity, by interstate migration and organized societies. After reading Turner’s Thesis, it is easy to understand the more important concept of moving the Frontier to the West. He states how we are influenced by the changes the America has to go through. He believes that the history of America should not be focused on the expanding of the west. Turner thinks that frontier the is the main reason why America is the way it is today. He focuses on the past and how people were fascinated with the frontier and the way the American West made people think about politics, economics, and culture and religion.

Maxine Hong Kingston Understanding Her Life through The Woman Warrior E

Maxine Hong Kingston Understanding Her Life through The Woman Warrior Maxine Hong Kingston’s â€Å"The Woman Warrior† is novel composed of myths and memoirs that have shaped her life. Her mother’s talk-stories about her no name aunt, her own interpretation of Fa Mu Lan, the stories of ghosts in doom rooms and American culture have been the basis of her learning. She learned morals, truths, and principals that would be the basis of her individuality. Since her mother's talk-story was one of the major forces of her childhood and since she herself is now talking-story in writing this book, stories, factual and fictional, are an inherent part of Kingston's autobiography. Finding one's voice in order to talk-story, a metaphor for knowing oneself in order to attain the fullness of one's power, becomes one of the book's major themes. The story her mother told her, â€Å"No Name Woman,† is meant to deal with issues concerning a young woman’s life. I think that it is her mother telling her not to be a disgrace to the family’s name. Brave Orchid, Kingston’s mother, grew up in a small village in rural China where every action of the residents was common knowledge to the villagers. The villagers’ mentality then was to weed out the less productive and bad inhabitants that would put a strain on the already poor village. She states how her father would not admit to having a sister because of the humiliation she caused them. The man who got her aunt pregnant wanted to kill her because he did not want to be embarrassed, when actually it was his fault just as much hers. Kingston’s mother tells her this story because she wants her daughter to be the perfect female for their family. "Don't let your father know I told you. He denies her. Now that you have started to menstruate, what happened to her could happen to you. Don't humiliate us. You wouldn't like to be forgotten as if you had never been born. The villagers are watchful." This is frightening for Kingston because she feels that women are being watched to make sure they are behaving the right way for society. Kingston then shows us later in her own telling of Fa Mu Lan, that she is actually strong and doesn’t need to conform to society’s stereotypes. I also believe that the story about her â€Å"Father’s drowned-in-the-well sister† is a warning to be cautious of people trying to take advantage of her. Brave ... ...hing unfamiliar to them, something confusing. Instead of calling the Americans weird or strange, they would call them ghosts. Kingston also says that her aunt â€Å"haunted† her from childhood on. I think she says this because she didn’t understand her aunt’s ways. I don’t think that she was actually haunted; I think that she was just really confused. In Kingston’s book, the myths, talk-stories, and memoirs she puts together help her to understand her own life on her own terms. Whether she is trying to understand the Chinese culture that her mother teaches her or to understand the American culture she is growing up in, the stories are her way of accepting the life that she is born with. Kingston uses the negative influence on her life from her mother to help her understand what her mother expects and an insight into the Chinese traditions. She also uses myths life Fa Mu Lan to help make her will stronger. The stories of the ghosts in America help her to put a meaning on the confusion she is having. All through out the story, the stories and myths teach her about life, either good or bad, and teaches her to overcome her weaknesses to strive to be a modern day Warrior Woman.

Directions in Language Essay

On this essay we are going to expressly talk on promoting Academic Success for ESL Students and also understanding second language acquisition for school, I will take my time to explain Linguistic processes and discusses the linguistic processes of first and second language acquisition. First language acquisition is a complex, lifelong process. And I will also explain in detail the influential factors of social and cultural processes on all aspects of linguistic, cognitive, and academic development. Students that are in English speaking Countries, who English language is very new to need to acquire profiency in the language, and this same student need to learn some things in addition such as, to learn a range of academic content, some of which they are very new to. Now let us look through these major model factors. The model defines factors that enable predictions to be made regarding English learners’ degree of second language acquisition in an academic context. Taking a critical look from the authors angle describe in detail the dimensions and components of the model and gives more clearly several currently popular types of education programs for English language learners in the United States. Such as their degree of adherence to the model. Finally, we compare the predictions of the model, using predicted rankings of relative program success, to the actual measured effectiveness of each program in producing varying degrees of English learners’ achievement gap closure with mother tongue-English speakers. Promoting Academic Success for ESL Students We are going to look critically at, why is necessary to promote academic success for ESL students and Understanding second language acquisition for school. In the recent research by (Thomas & Collier, 1995) shows that when examining interactions among student background you can deduce the difference in treatment and variables and their influence on student outcomes. The two-way bilingual education at the elementary school level which was found has giving a promising program model for the long-term academic success for language minority students. Language acquisition over the years has recently become a thing of necessity for every ESL students, acquiring language as a major tool for effective learning and successful years of study. In a scenario ESL student in country such as USA. It becomes a must for such a student to learn second language, if not it will be a little bit difficulty for such a student to learn fast and even relate with other friends around. ESL students must be encouraged to relate with English speakers and language minority students learning academically through each others’ languages. (Virginia, George Mason University, 1995). Perceptions among staff, students, and parents that it is a gifted and talented program, leading to high expectations for student performance with this kind of influence given to both languages a level of language stability would be achieved to a large extent creating self-confidence among language minority students. The duty of parents to promote both language minority and language majority for closer home-school cooperation can not be over emphasized to help in promoting the influence academic success for ESL Student, their must be cordial relationship between ESL students and Teachers/lectures or between ESL students and other colleagues and more so between wards/guardian and ESL students and the school authorities. We must watchfully guide against racism around us and protect the interest of ESL Students. The continuous support for staff development, emphasizing whole language approaches, natural language acquisition through all content areas, cooperative learning, interactive and discovery learning, and cognitive complexity of the curriculum for all proficiency levels. . (Virginia, George mason university, 1995). The linguistic processes of first and second language acquisition: The lifelong process: For us to really understand the progresses in language acquisition during the school years, it is expedient to recognize the complex, lifelong processes we actually go through to acquire our first language and second language acquisition in parallel processes. The complex oral language development system from birth to age five is universal, without any physical disabilities or isolation from humans. But the most talented five-year-old child entering pre-nursery is not yet half-way through the process of first language development. Research heard it that Children from ages 6 to 12 will continue to acquire steady or continuous distinctions, formal discourse patterns, vocabulary, syntax, semantics, and complex aspects of pragmatics in the oral system of their first language (Berko Gleason, 1993). More so, children that are properly brought up in this level adding reading and writing to the language of listening and speaking across the globe are usually very intelligent, skilled and increase in grades level and a clear increase in language academics subject. Adolescent that eventually gained admission into high school must have learned and acquired lots of vocabulary in every discipline of study and will continue to acquire more writing skills, this process continues like that till you get to adult age. Adult age is very sensitive age as language acquisition is concerned, as an adult you may not be able to learn too more language than your first language you had acquired. So first language acquisition is an unending process throughout our lifetime (Berko Gleason, 1993; Collier, 1992a). Let us take a look Second language acquisition is also a complex phenomenon. We use some of the same processes we have used to acquire our first language, going through progressive stages and relying on native speakers to provide modified speech that we can at least partially comprehend. The influential factors of social and cultural processes There are four major component of model namely, sociocultural, linguistic, academic, and cognitive processes. These four components are interrelated together and for you to really understand their importance in developing second language acquisition processes that occurs in the school context. There is a figure below to show the interrelationship between the four components. Figure 1 Language Acquisition for School (Virginia P. Collier, 1994. ) Sociocultural processes At the center of the figure above, you will notice that other components are surrounding social and cultural processes through the process of acquiring a second language in school. It is Central to that student’s acquisition of language are all of the surrounding social and cultural processes occurring through everyday life within the student’s past, present, and future, in all contexts-home, school, community, and the broader society. The work of Sociocultural may include individual student variables such as self-esteem or anxiety or other affective factors processes in promoting second language acquisition. These factors can strongly influence the student’s response to the new language, affecting the process positively only when the student is in a socioculturally supportive environment. Linguistic processes: A second component of the model, consist of the technical aspects of language development â€Å"(an innate ability all humans possess for acquisition of oral language)†, as well as the acquisition of the written system of language metalinguistic, conscious and formal teaching of language in school. First and second languages across globe include the acquisition of the oral and written systems of the student’s, such as phonology, vocabulary, morphology and syntax, semantics, Pragmatics, paralinguistic, and discourse. (Virginia 1994. ) Academic development. A third component of the model, academic development, includes all school work in language arts, mathematics, the sciences, and social studies for each grade level, Grades K-12 and beyond. It this succeeding grade, academic work dramatically expands the vocabulary, sociolinguistic, and discourse dimensions of language to higher cognitive levels. Academic knowledge and conceptual development transfer from the first language to the second language; thus it is most efficient to develop academic work through students’ first language, while teaching the second language during other periods of the school day through meaningful academic content. In earlier decades in the United States, we emphasized teaching the second language as the first step, and postponed the teaching of academics. Research has shown us that postponing or interrupting academic development is likely to promote academic failure. In information driven society that demands more knowledge processing with each succeeding year, students cannot afford the lost time. (Virginia 1994. ) Cognitive development: The fourth component of this model, the cognitive dimension, has been mostly neglected by second language educators in the U. S. until the past decade. In language teaching, we simplified, structured, and sequenced language curricula during the 1970s, and when we added academic content into our language lessons in the 1980s, we watered down academics into cognitively simple. (Virginia 1994. ) Tasks we also too often neglected the crucial role of cognitive development in the first language. Now we know from our growing research base that we must address all of these components equally if we are to succeed in developing deep academic proficiency in a second language. Interdependence of the four components All of these four components-sociocultural, academic, cognitive, and linguistic-are interdependent. If one is developed to the neglect of another, this may be detrimental to a student’s overall growth and future success. The academic, cognitive, and linguistic components must be viewed as developmental, and for the child, adolescent, and young adult still going through the process of formal schooling, development of any one of these three components depends critically on simultaneous development of the other two, through both first and second languages. Sociocultural processes strongly influence, in both positive and negative ways, students’ access to cognitive, academic, and language development. It is widely advice and crucial that educators provide a socioculturally supportive school environment that enable natural language, academic, and cognitive development to flourish. (Virginia 1994) Conclusion These few points raised above I belief has shown the importance of Language Acquisition for ESL students, crucially I have been able to raise some reasonable points concerning, understanding the relevance of Language Acquisition for ESL student. Promoting academic success for ESL students Understanding second language acquisition for school Then I have been able discuss the linguistic processes of first and second language acquisition which also link to First language acquisition is a complex, lifelong process. More so, I have been able to explain the very importantly the influential factors of social and cultural processes on all aspects of linguistic, cognitive, and academic development and interrelationship between these component and why they must be put in place, if we really want to promote Language Acquisition for ESL students. Without bordering our minds for ever am sure that these points contributed have immensely added to effect of promoting Language Acquisition for ESL students, understanding the importance of first language and second language acquisition and also the processes involved in learning these first and second language. The component involved in enhancing the Language Acquisition had been enumerated above. Reference Berko Gleason, (1993); Collier, (1992) Collier P Virginia, (1995). Directions in Language & Education National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education. George Mason University. Vol. 1, No. 4, Collier. P. Virginia, (1997). Promoting academic success for ESL students Understanding second language acquisition for school (3rd ed. ). Woodside, NY: Bastos. Thomas & Collier, (1995).

Dota Addiction Effects in Academic Performance Essay

INTRODUCTION As time continues to run, our world keeps getting more advance and modernize and until now, it doesn’t stop. One of the finished products of modernization is the machine called â€Å"Computer†. Since, it was invented and being developed, it gives us benefits and brings significance and importance to our lives. But as we all know that when things are not used properly, there’s always a negative effect that occurs. It can be in our thoughts, behaviors, actions, and or in other ways. Computer games are slowly arousing and it is one of the things that bring the negative effect. Many people are playing and having so much fun with this that can be a form of entertainment. DOTA is one of the examples of computer games. And this is whereour topic began to star. DOTA means Defense of the Ancients. It is commonly the word that we can hear on most people especially the youth and some actually doesn’t have any idea about it. We usually observed some students talking about â€Å"Laro tayo DOTA mamaya.† or â€Å"We play DOTA later.† not going straight at home after school. It captures our attention when we are hearing those students talking about the thing DOTA .and actually; we observed that it affects their behavior especially in academic standing. Defense of the Ancients (DOTA) is a custom scenario for Warcraft III, based on the â€Å"Aeon of Strife† map for StarCraft .The objective of the scenario is to destroytheopponents†Ancient.† The two team’s ancients are heavily guarded structures at opposing corners of the map. Players use powerful units known as heroes, and are assisted by allied heroes and AI-controlled fighters called â€Å"creeps†. As in role-playing games, players level up their hero and use gold to buy equipment during the mission. The scenario was developed with the â€Å"World Editor† of Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, and was updated upon the release of the Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. There have been many variations of the original concept; currently, the most popular is DOTA All-stars, which has been maintained by several authors during development.Since its release, Allstars has become a featureat several worldwidetournaments, including Blizzard Entertainmentâ€℠¢s Blizz Conand the Asian World Cyber Games, as well as the Cyber athlete Amateur and Cyber Evolution leagues; Gama sutra declared that DOTA was perhaps the most popular â€Å"free, non-supported game mod in the world†. The map has gone on to influence other maps and games, including the upcoming strategy game Demigod. DOTA GAMES have now been with us for over 30 years. The Atari 2600 is nearly 25 years old. Civilization is now nearly 10 years old. Yet, many Americans fail to recognize these complex achievements as more than fads or child’s play. Ask most people what they think about video games, DOTA and many will respond that they’re a waste of time. Many critics argue that games produce socially isolated people or promote violent behavior. DOTA games are simple, mind numbing entertainment. Playing games is a waste of time. Some of these criticisms may (or may not) be true, but to view all game playing through this lens is to ignore the broader history of games and the diverse range of game playing experiences available. In fact, the DOTA games sales charts reflect this diversity. The Sims Theâ€Å"animated dollhouse† game where players create and play out digital fantasy hous eholds has dominated the charts for 18 months straight. There are so many computer games which is being addicted by the children or students either in high school and college and even the elementary really like the DOTA games or video games. Today millions of students has been playing DOTA games and become their habits it is so hard for them to avoid playing DOTA games. It is a big Physical and Psychological effects for them mostly to their studies. According to Guinsoo, the creator and the first head developer of Ice frog, he and his men (including â€Å"Buff Me Please† who had retired a few months ago) created DOTA in 2003 as a customized game in Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos created by Blizzard Entertainment. DOTA is popular not only here in the Philippines but also in other countries like Germany, United States of America, Canada, Slovenia and England. This phenomenal PC game had released many versions, and the latest version of DOTA is DOTA All-stars 6.70. Most of its players are males, for about 94%, and the remaining players ar e females. From elementary, high school, college, out of school youth and even adults, DOTA dominates the gaming life of most gamers. DOTA offers a variety of game modes, selected by the game host at the beginning of the match. The game modes dictate the difficulty of the scenario, as well as whether people can choose their hero or are assigned one randomly. Many game modes can be combined, allowing more flexible options. As DOTA arises, many issues also arise. It may be about on relationships, peers, foes, and most especially, education. This introductory message will begin to tackle the effects of playing Defense of the Ancients in academic performance among male freshmen college students of freshmen in academic year of 2010-2011. Backgrounds of the Study Technology today is very advanced and widely used by people in working, studying, communicating, and even for games and entertainment. Games are very popular with teenagers these days. It entertains them and made them have fun. â€Å"Responsible gaming is an attitude we need if we are engage into Computer Game. Developing this attitude is not a personal choice alone, it requires the participation of society (parents, school, game developer and government). Statement of the problem This research seeks to evaluate the effect of DOTA game in academic Performance of Information Technology Students of STI Education Services Group Inc. Semester 2012 – 2013. 1. Is there a significant effect in DOTA addiction to the academic performance of Information Technology Student of 2nd semester 2012- 2013? 2. Number of time spent in playing DOTA games. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK This chapter presents different approaches which may be necessary to the development of this paper work. For better understanding, the researchers have sought other perspective to further discussion. Independent variableDependent variable Number of time spent in playing DOTA games Academic Performance of Information Technology Student ASSUMPTION Assumptions The researcher came up with following assumption as the basis of their studies: DOTA game affects the academic performance of Information Technology students of STI Education Services Group Inc. 2nd semester 2012-2013. HYPOTHESIS There is no significant effect DOTA game to the academic performance of Information Technology Student of STI Education Services Group Inc. 2nd semester 2012-2013. Significance of the Study The findings of this research may benefit the students, teachers as well the researcher. The result of this study will lead to the improvement of the academic performance of Information Technology Students. The result will benefit the student the awareness the effect DOTA addiction to their Academic performance and knowledge on the magnitude of effects whether it is health, study, social, and family and even money issues. SCOPE AND THE LIMITATION The study to determine the significant effect of DOTA to the academic performance of INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Students of STI Education Services Group Inc. 2nd semester 2012-2013. The available Academic Performance Rating of Students Of 2nd semester 2012-2013 in the registrar’s Office will be used a basis of research study. Scope of Key Terms These terms are defined operationally for in depth understanding on the use of the words in the research DOTA– is a game expanded from version of War of War Craft, defense of the Ancients is a custom scenario for Warcraft III Information technology (also referred to as IT)- is the application of computers and telecommunications equipment to store, retrieve, transmit and manipulate data, often in the context of a business or other enterprise. The term is commonly used as a synonym for computers and computer networks, but it also encompasses other information distribution technologies such as television and telephones. Humans have been storing, retrieving, manipulating and communicating information since the Sumerians in Mesopotamia developed writing in about 3000 BC, but the term â€Å"Information Technology† in its modern sense first appeared in a 1958 article published in the Harvard Business Review; authors Leavitt and Whisler commented that â€Å"the new technology does not yet have a single established name. We shall call it information technology (IT).† Based on the storage and processing technology employed, it is possible to distinguish four distinct phases of IT development: pre-mech anical (3000 BC – 1450 AD), mechanical (1450–1840), electromechanical (1840–1940) and electronic (1940-present). This article focuses on the most recent period, (electronic) which began around the year 1940. CHAPTER II Review of Related Literature The researcher cited related studies in local setting and foreign setting in order to support the present study. This will help the researcher to determine the similarities and differences of past studies obtain the aspect of the problem that is critical. And to determine the importance of this study. Concept of Intelligence Individuals differ from one another in their ability to understand complex ideas, to adapt effectively to the environment, to learn from experience, to engage in various forms of reasoning, to overcome obstacles by taking thought. Although these individual differences can be substantial, they are never entirely consistent: a given person’s intellectual performance will vary on different occasions, in different domains, as judged by different criteria. Concepts of â€Å"intelligence† are attempts to clarify and organize this complex set of phenomena. (Sternberg & Detterman, 1986). Such disagreements are not cause for dismay. Scientific research rarely begins with fully agreed definitions, though it may eventually lead to them. The Psychometric approach ever since Alfred Binet’s great success in devising tests to distinguish mentally retarded children from those with behavior problems, psychometric instruments have played an important part in European and American life. Tests are used for many purposes, such as selection, diagnosis, and evaluation. Many of the most widely used tests are not intended to measure intelligence itself but some closely related construct: scholastic attitude, school achievement, specific abilities, etc. Tests of intelligence itself (in the psychometric sense) come in many forms. Some use only a single type of item or question; while some instruments have different types of items, both verbal and nonverbal tests. Test-takers may be asked to give the meanings of words, to complete a series of pictures, to indicate which of several words does not belong with the others, and the like. Local setting As in any situation where new technology is introduced to the Filipino youth, the social impact of the Internet is being looked at. One social problem that has been observed is that the Internet cafà © has become mainly game centres. About one-half to two-thirds of the computers in a typical Internet cafà ©, according to one study, are devoted to games (violent and gory games). The use of the remaining computers was roughly split between browsing, email, online chat, word processing and research. The Internet cafà ©s have become not just game centres. They are becoming centres off addiction among the youth, mostly boys, including elementary school pupils. Accordingto one concerned Internet cafà © entrepreneur, â€Å"Internet cafà ©s are seducing youths to a new form of addiction, one which may not destroy their bodies as drugs do, but which is certainly twisting their minds. To the young play is reality and reality is play.† (Maslog C. (1998) Internet and Social Issues, Philippine Communication Today, Quezon City: New Day Publishers). Games come in many forms and style; like clothes, but unlike clothes however, you cannot wear them and it isn’t food so you cannot eat them. So why are people going gaga over such an ironically powerful phenomena? The answer lies in us, as human. Foreign Setting Lepper, M. R. &Gurtner, J (2000), states that prolonged and excessive use of these games can cause, mainly upon children, a number of physical and psychological problems which may include obsessive, addictive behavior, dehumanization of the player, desensitizing of feelings, personality changes, hyperactivity learning disorders, premature maturing of children, psychomotor disorders, health problems (due to lack of exercise & tendonitis), Development of anti-social behavior and loss of free thinking and will. Anderson and Bushman (2001), found that across 54 independent tests of the relation between video game violence and aggression, involving 4262 participants, there appear to be five consistent results of playing games with violent contents. Playing violent games increase aggressive behaviors, increases aggressive cognitions, increases aggressive emotions, increases physiological arousal, and decreases pro-social behaviors. Since most electronic games are violent, children below legal ages are emotionally disturbed and caused several changes on their behavior. Austin, Pinkleton & Fujioka (2000), quoted that â€Å"parental meditation is correlated with better academic performance. And has been shown to increase beliefs in social norms, and to decrease fear.†Which refers to the parental consent of the player as they play a violent-oriented game. Gentile & Walsh (2002), wherein 55% of parents said that â€Å"always† or â€Å"often† should parents put limits on the amount of the time their children may play computer and video games, and 40% said they â€Å"always† or â€Å"often† check the video game rating before allowing their children to buy or rent computer or video games. Even through these numbers are not particularly high, they may overestimate the amount of parental monitoring of children’s video game play. DOTA basically is a game expanded from version of War of War Craft, which initially a strategic game similar to Red Alert series. But eventually evolved into current state. Gamers can play DOTA on a wide range; from single player, local LAN, or LANover internet connection with various countries’ gamers. There contain variety of Heroes to be chosen as your character, there are many type of gaming modes, and different type of map for the game modes. There’s no need for me to explain how the game is conducted and the features of the game. Because there are lots of gamers who are more expert than me exist in the DOTA community. For me, this DOTA is not a difficult game for amateur; you can start play DOTA anytime and familiar with this game easily over 2 or 3 days. But one thing to remind you is, DOTA is not easy to master and play like a Pro. You can take up to several years spent on this game but still behave like amateur. There are lots of effects which DOTA brings to our society, to be particular, the youth. Bibliography * ](2011, 02). The Effects of Playing Defense of the Ancients in Academic Performance Among Male Freshmen College Students of Freshmen in Academic Year of 2010-2011.. StudyMode.com. Retrieved 02, 2011, from http://www.studymode.com/essays/The-Effects-Of-Playing-Defense-Of-580808.html * http://www.scribd.com/doc/43813815/Impacts-of-Dota-in-Students * (2011, 03). The Effects of Dota. StudyMode.com. Retrieved 03, 2011, from http://www.studymode.com/essays/The-Effects-Of-Dota-626652.html * (2011, 04). Dota: Recreation or Addiction?. StudyMode.com. Retrieved 04, 2011, from * â€Å"//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/defense_of_ancients† * (Maslog C. (1998) Internet and Social Issues, Philippine Communication Today,Quezon City: New Day Publishers) * Lepper, M. R. &Gurtner, J (2000), United States= * Anderson and Bushman (2001) * Austin, Pinkleton& Fujioka (2000) * Gentile & Walsh (2002)

How Foreign Direct Investment Affects the Economy

How Foreign Direct Investment Affects the Economy According to the International Monetary Fund, foreign direct investment, commonly known as FDI, ... refers to an investment made to acquire lasting or long-term interest in enterprises operating outside of the economy of the investor. The investment is direct because the investor, which could be a foreign person, company or group of entities, is seeking to control, manage, or have significant influence over the foreign enterprise. Why Is FDI Important? FDI is a major source of external finance which means that countries with limited amounts of capital can receive finance beyond national borders from wealthier countries. Exports and FDI have been the two key ingredients in Chinas rapid economic growth. According to the World Bank, FDI and small business growth are the two critical elements in developing the private sector in lower-income economies and reducing poverty. The US and FDI Because the US is the worlds largest economy, it is a target for foreign investment AND a large investor. Americas companies invest in companies and projects all over the world. Even though the US economy has been in recession, the US is still a relatively safe haven for investment. Enterprises from other countries invested $260.4 billion dollars in the US in 2008 according to the Department of Commerce. However, the US is not immune to global economic trends, FDI for the first quarter of 2009 was 42% lower than the same period in 2008. US Policy and FDI The US tends to be open to foreign investment from other countries. In the 1970s and 1980s, there were short-lived fears that the Japanese were buying America based on the strength of the Japanese economy and the purchase of American landmarks such as Rockefeller Center in New York City by Japanese companies. At the height of the spike in oil prices in 2007 and 2008, some wondered if Russia and the oil-rich nations of the Middle East would buy America. There are strategic sectors which the US Government does protect from foreign buyers. In 2006, DP World, a company based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, bought the UK-based firm managing many of the major seaports in the United States. Once the sale went through, a company from an Arab state, albeit a modern state, would be responsible for port security in major American ports. The Bush Administration approved the sale. Senator Charles Schumer of New York led Congress to try to block the transfer because many in Congress felt that port security should not be in the hands of DP World. With a growing controversy, DP World ultimately sold their US port assets to AIGs Global Investment Group. On the other side, the US Government encourages American companies to invest overseas and establish new markets to help create jobs back home in America. US investment is generally welcome because countries seek capital and new jobs. In rare circumstances, a country will reject a foreign investment for fears of economic imperialism or undue influence. Foreign investment becomes a more contentious issue when American jobs are outsourced to international locations. Outsourcing of jobs was an issue in the 2004, 2008, and 2016Â  Presidential Elections.

The 6 Scientific Method Steps and How to Use Them

The 6 Scientific Method Steps and How to Use Them SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips When you’re faced with a scientific problem, solving it can seem like an impossible prospect. There are so many possible explanations for everything we see and experience- how can you possibly make sense of them all? Science has a simple answer: the scientific method. The scientific method is a method of asking and answering questions about the world. These guiding principles give scientists a model to work through when trying to understand the world, but where did that model come from, and how does it work? In this article, we’ll define the scientific method, discuss its long history, and cover each of the scientific method steps in detail. What Is the Scientific Method? At its most basic, the scientific method is a procedure for conducting scientific experiments. It’s a set model that scientists in a variety of fields can follow, going from initial observation to conclusion in a loose but concrete format. The number of steps varies, but the process begins with an observation, progresses through an experiment, and concludes with analysis and sharing data. One of the most important pieces to the scientific method is skepticism- the goal is to find truth, not to confirm a particular thought. That requires reevaluation and repeated experimentation, as well as examining your thinking through rigorous study. There are in fact multiple scientific methods, as the basic structure can be easily modified.The one we typically learn about in school isthe basic method, based inlogic and problem solving, typically used in â€Å"hard† science fields like biology, chemistry, and physics. It may vary in other fields, such as psychology, but the basic premise of making observations, testing, and continuing to improve a theory from the results remain the same. The History of the Scientific Method The scientific method as we know it today is based on thousands of years of scientific study. Its development goes all the way back to ancient Mesopotamia, Greece, and India. The Ancient World In ancient Greece, Aristotle devised an inductive-deductive process, which weighs broad generalizations from data against conclusions reached by narrowing down possibilities from a general statement. However, he favored deductive reasoning, as it identifies causes, which he saw as more important. Aristotle wrote a great deal about logic and many of his ideas about reasoning echo those found in the modern scientific method, such as ignoring circular evidence and limiting the number of middle terms between the beginning of an experiment and the end. Though his model isn’t the one that we use today, the reliance on logic and thorough testing are still key parts of science today. The Middle Ages The next big step toward the development of the modern scientific method came in the Middle Ages, particularly in the Islamic world. Ibn al-Haytham, a physicist from what we now know as Iraq, developed a method of testing, observing, and deducing for his research on vision. al-Haytham was critical of Aristotle’s lack of inductive reasoning, which played an important role in his own research. Other scientists, including AbÃ… « RayhÄ n al-BÄ «rÃ… «nÄ «, Ibn Sina, and Robert Grosseteste also developed models of scientific reasoning to test their own theories. Though they frequently disagreed with one another and Aristotle, those disagreements and refinements of their methods led to the scientific method we have today. Following those major developments, particularly Grosseteste’s work, Roger Bacon developed his own cycle of observation (seeing that something occurs), hypothesis (making a guess about why that thing occurs), experimentation (testing that the thing occurs), and verification (an outside person ensuring that the result of the experiment is consistent). After joining the Franciscan Order, Bacon was granted a special commission to write about science; typically, Friars were not allowed to write books or pamphlets. With this commission, Bacon outlined important tenets of the scientific method, including causes of error, methods of knowledge, and the differences between speculative and experimental science. He also used his own principles to investigate the causes of a rainbow, demonstrating the method’s effectiveness. Scientific Revolution Throughout the Renaissance, more great thinkers became involved in devising a thorough, rigorous method of scientific study. Francis Bacon brought inductive reasoning further into the method, whereas Descartes argued that the laws of the universe meant that deductive reasoning was sufficient. Galileo’s research was also inductive reasoning-heavy, as he believed that researchers could not account for every possible variable; therefore, repetition was necessary to eliminate faulty hypotheses and experiments. All of this led to the birth of the Scientific Revolution, which took place during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In 1660, a group of philosophers and physicians joined together to work on scientific advancement. After approval from England’s crown, the group became known as the Royal Society, which helped create a thriving scientific community and an early academic journal to help introduce rigorous study and peer review. Previous generations of scientists had touched on the importance of induction and deduction, but Sir Isaac Newton proposed that both were equally important. This contribution helped establish the importance of multiple kinds of reasoning, leading to more rigorous study. As science began to splinter into separate areas of study, it became necessary to define different methods for different fields. Karl Popper was a leader in this area- he established that science could be subject to error, sometimes intentionally. This was particularly tricky for â€Å"soft† sciences like psychology and social sciences, which require different methods. Popper’s theories furthered the divide between sciences like psychology and â€Å"hard† sciences like chemistry or physics. Paul Feyerabend argued that Popper’s methods were too restrictive for certain fields, and followed a less restrictive method hinged on â€Å"anything goes,† as great scientists had made discoveries without the Scientific Method. Feyerabend suggested that throughout history scientists had adapted their methods as necessary, and that sometimes it would be necessary to break the rules. This approach suited social and behavioral scientists particularly well, leading to a more diverse range of models for scientists in multiple fields to use. The Scientific Method Steps Though different fields may have variations on the model, the basic scientific method is as follows: #1: Make Observations Notice something, such as the air temperature during the winter, what happens when ice cream melts, or how your plants behave when you forget to water them. #2: Ask a Question Turn your observation into a question. Why is the temperature lower during the winter? Why does my ice cream melt? Why does my toast always fall butter-side down? This step can also include doing some research. You may be able to find answers to these questions already, but you can still test them! #3: Make a Hypothesis A hypothesis is an educated guess of the answer to your question. Why does your toast always fall butter-side down? Maybe it’s because the butter makes that side of the bread heavier. A good hypothesis leads to a prediction that you can test, phrased as an if/then statement. In this case, we can pick something like, â€Å"If toast is buttered, then it will hit the ground butter-first.† #4: Experiment Your experiment is designed to test whether your predication about what will happen is true. A good experiment will test one variable at a time- for example, we’re trying to test whether butter weighs down one side of toast, making it more likely to hit the ground first. The unbuttered toast is our control variable. If we determine the chance that a slice of unbuttered toast, marked with a dot, will hit the ground on a particular side, we can compare those results to our buttered toast to see if there’s a correlation between the presence of butter and which way the toast falls. If we decided not to toast the bread, that would be introducing a new question- whether or not toasting the bread has any impact on how it falls. Since that’s not part of our test, we’ll stick with determining whether the presence of butter has any impact on which side hits the ground first. #5: Analyze Data After our experiment, we discover that both buttered toast and unbuttered toast have a 50/50 chance of hitting the ground on the buttered or marked side when dropped from a consistent height, straight down. It looks like our hypothesis was incorrect- it’s not the butter that makes the toast hit the ground in a particular way, so it must be something else. Since we didn’t get the desired result, it’s back to the drawing board. Our hypothesis wasn’t correct, so we’ll need to start fresh. Now that you think about it, your toast seems to hit the ground butter-first when it slides off your plate, not when you drop it from a consistent height. That can be the basis for your new experiment. #6: Communicate Your Results Good science needs verification. Your experiment should be replicable by other people, so you can put together a report about how you ran your experiment to see if other peoples’ findings are consistent with yours. This may be useful for class or a science fair. Professional scientists may publish their findings in scientific journals, where other scientists can read and attempt their own versions of the same experiments. Being part of a scientific community helps your experiments be stronger because other people can see if there are flaws in your approach- such as if you tested with different kinds of bread, or sometimes used peanut butter instead of butter- that can lead you closer to a good answer. A Scientific Method Example: Falling Toast We’ve run through a quick recap of the scientific method steps, but let’s look a little deeper by trying again to figure out why toast so often falls butter side down. #1: Make Observations At the end of our last experiment, where we learned that butter doesn’t actually make toast more likely to hit the ground on that side, we remembered that the times when our toast hits the ground butter side first are usually when it’s falling off a plate. #2: Ask a Question The easiest question we can ask is, â€Å"Why is that?† We can actually search this online and find a pretty detailed answer as to why this is true. But we’re budding scientists- we want to see it in action and verify it for ourselves! After all, good science should be replicable, and we have all the tools we need to test out what’s really going on. #3: Make a Hypothesis Why do we think that buttered toast hits the ground butter-first? We know it’s not because it’s heavier, so we can strike that out. Maybe it’s because of the shape of our plate? That’s something we can test. We’ll phrase our hypothesis as, â€Å"If my toast slides off my plate, then it will fall butter-side down.† #4: Experiment Just seeing that toast falls off a plate butter-side down isn’t enough for us. We want to know why, so we’re going to take things a step further- we’ll set up a slow-motion camera to capture what happens as the toast slides off the plate. We’ll run the test ten times, each time tilting the same plate until the toast slides off. We’ll make note of each time the butter side lands first and see what’s happening on the video so we can see what’s going on. #5: Analyze Data When we review the footage, we’ll likely notice that the bread starts to flip when it slides off the edge, changing how it falls in a way that didn’t happen when we dropped it ourselves. That answers our question, but it’s not the complete picture- how do other plates affect how often toast hits the ground butter-first? What if the toast is already butter-side down when it falls? These are things we can test in further experiments with new hypotheses! #6: Communicate Your Results Now that we have results, we can share them with others who can verify our results. As mentioned above, being part of the scientific community can lead to better results. If your results were wildly different from the established thinking about buttered toast, that might be cause for reevaluation. If they’re the same, they might lead others to make new discoveries about buttered toast. At the very least, you have a cool experiment you can share with your friends! Key Scientific Method Tips Though science can be complex, the benefit of the scientific method is that it gives you an easy-to-follow means of thinking about why and how things happen. To use it effectively, keep these things in mind! Don’t Worry About Proving Your Hypothesis One of the important things to remember about the scientific method is that it’s not necessarily meant to prove your hypothesis right. It’s great if you do manage to guess the reason for something right the first time, but the ultimate goal of an experiment is to find the true reason for your observation to occur, not to prove your hypothesis right. Good science sometimes means that you’re wrong. That’s not a bad thing- a well-designed experiment with an unanticipated result can be just as revealing, if not more, than an experiment that confirms your hypothesis. Be Prepared to Try Again If the data from your experiment doesn’t match your hypothesis, that’s not a bad thing. You’ve eliminated one possible explanation, which brings you one step closer to discovering the truth. The scientific method isn’t something you’re meant to do exactly once to prove a point. It’s meant to be repeated and adapted to bring you closer to a solution. Even if you can demonstrate truth in your hypothesis, a good scientist will run an experiment again to be sure that the results are replicable. You can even tweak a successful hypothesis to test another factor, such as if we redid our buttered toast experiment to find out whether different kinds of plates affect whether or not the toast falls butter-first. The more we test our hypothesis, the stronger it becomes! What’s Next? Want to learn more about the scientific method? These important high school science classes will no doubt cover it in a variety of different contexts. Test your ability to follow the scientific method using these at-home science experiments for kids! Need some proof that science is fun? Try making slime!

Policy Brief Paper on ASEAN - China Free Trade Area Essay

Policy Brief Paper on ASEAN - China Free Trade Area - Essay Example The policy belief will also explore the goals of the ASEA free trade and the rule of origin that applies to the goods. It will also explain how the trade is administered and how the countries solve the disputes that may come across on the way. The audience of the policy belief is a branch of international organization. Statement of the problem Should the ASEAN – China free trade area agreement benefit the people and the countries themselves? Background of the problem The ASEAN is a trade free trade which consists of eleven member states of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The agreement was first signed on the 4th of November 2002 in Cambodia. The intention of the agreement was to start a free trade among the eleven countries by 2010. However, the agreement came in to effect on January 1st 2010. The trade area is the third largest in terms of GDP and the largest of all trade areas in terms of population. The trade area had a nominal GDP of 6 trillion US dollars a s at 2008. The combined population of the trade area is approximately 580 million. On the issue of tariffs, the agreement reduced the 90 % of the imported goods to zero. The importers did not have to pay anything for the importation of the goods. The amendment took effect immediately in China and other six countries in the agreement and the other four countries promised to effect the tariffs by 2015. The goals of the Association are to increase their competitive advantage through production of high quality goods and elimination of tariffs on all imported and exported goods. The other goal is the attraction of more foreign direct investment to the association. The administration of the association is handled by the trade authorities and also by the national customs within the association. The secretariat of the association has the responsibility of monitoring and ensuring that every member complies with the rules and the regulations of the association. The secretariat ensures that th ere is consistent in the application of the association measures to all the country members of the association. In the dispute resolution, the secretariat of the association is no allowed to resolve any dispute arising between any two member countries. The disputes arising between any two members of the organization are resolved through dispute resolution or through informal means bilaterally. If the two member countries cannot resolve the disputes, they can refer to Senior Economic Officials Meetings (SEOM). The SEOM establishes a panel of arbitrators who helps to resolve the disputes. The member countries can always appeal the decisions made by the panels if member countries feel dissatisfied by the decision. The member country can appeal to the ASEAN Economic Community Council. Statement of the Organization’s Interest in the Issue The issue at hand matters most because of the following factors. One reason why the free trade area matters the China Government is because it h as helped the Chinese Government in exportation and importation of its products. The Chinese Government has also benefited from the reduction of the tariffs for exportation and importation between the member countries. There has also been the exchange of technological knowledge between the member countries. The China Government has also benefited from the importation of goods from New Zealand. The elimination of ta