Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Make Candy Glass Icicle Decorations

Make Candy Glass Icicle Decorations This fun holiday project is based on this  fake glass tutorial. What you do is make sugar glass (or ice in this case) spread it onto a cookie sheet, warm the hard candy in the oven until you can cut it, then twist the strips of melted candy glass into spiral icicle shapes. There is another method that you can use which involves twisting together ropes of the sugar to make striped icicles. Candy Glass Icicles Experiment Difficulty: Intermediate (Adult Supervision Required)Materials: Sugar, Candy Thermometer, Food ColoringConcepts: Temperature, Crystallization, Melting, CarmelizationInterested in more merry chemistry experiments? Try making Chemistry Peppermint Wafers or check out this extensive list of Christmas Chemistry Projects. Candy Glass Icicle Ingredients 1 cup (250 mL) sugarFlat baking sheetButter or baking paperCandy thermometerFood coloring (optional) Make Candy Icicles Butter or line a baking sheet with bakers (silicone) paper. Place the sheet in the refrigerator to chill. The chilled pan will prevent the hot sugar from continuing to cook after you remove it from the heat, which is important if you are trying for clear ice.Pour the sugar into a small pan on a stove over low heat.Stir continuously until the sugar melts (takes a while). If you have a candy thermometer, remove from heat at the hard crack stage (clear glass), which is 291-310 °F or 146-154 °C. If the sugar is heated past the hard crack stage it will turn amber (colored translucent glass). If you want clear icicles, pay close attention to the temperature! If you dont mind the amber color or are adding food coloring, then the temperature is a little less critical.You have a couple of options here. You can pour the hot sugar into strips, let them cool slightly, then (wearing rubber gloves to prevent hot candy from sticking to your finger) twist the warm candy into a spiral icicle shap e.Alternatively (and easier) pour all of the melted sugar onto the cooled pan. Allow it to cool. Heat the pan of candy in a 185 °F oven until the candy can be cut into strips. Curl the strips. One technique is to wrap the strips around a long buttered wooden spoon. Candy Icicle Tips Wear a pair of inexpensive winter gloves under a pair of buttered kitchen gloves to protect your hands from the heat as well as from sticking to the candy.Dont exceed the hard-crack cooking temperature if you want clear icicles. This is 295 °F to 310 °F at sea level, but you will need to subtract 1 °F from every listed temperature for each 500 feet above sea level. The sugar will start to carmelize (brown) somewhere around 320-338 °F or 160-10 °C, depending on your altitude. This occurs when the sucrose starts to break down into simpler sugars. The flavor of the candy is affected by this change, as well as its color.

Friday, November 22, 2019

Centros de detención de migrantes en Texas

Centros de detencià ³n de migrantes en Texas En el estado de Texas, el segundo ms poblado de Estados Unidos y uno de los ms grandes, estn ubicados decenas de centros de detencià ³n de migrantes, que pueden tener estatus migratorio legal o indocumentados. Asimismo, en dicho estado se encuentran varios centros de procesamiento –processing facilities, en inglà ©s– de migrantes que han sido agarrados cruzando ilegalmente la frontera o que han solicitado asilo en un control migratorio de los Estados Unidos. En este artà ­culo se explica cul es la diferencia entre centros de procesamiento y de detencià ³n. A continuacià ³n, quà © migrantes deben esperar en un centro de detencià ³n mientras se espera a que se resuelva su caso. Para estos casos, se especifica cules son las direcciones de los centros de detencià ³n en Texas una vez que se determina en cul est el  migrante est detenido que se desea encontrar o visitar, asà ­ como los nà ºmeros de telà ©fonos para comunicarse, cà ³mo enviar dinero y, finalmente, cà ³mo averiguar si se ha fijado una fianza y el monto de la misma. Centros de procesamiento y centros de detencià ³n de migrantes en Texas Los migrantes agarrados cruzando ilegalmente la frontera o los que solicitan asilo en un de control migratorio de los Estados Unidos son enviados, inicialmente, a un centro de procesamiento. Existen diversos tipos de centros de procesamiento. Asà ­, los hay para menores donde se encuentran desde bebà ©s de meses a muchachos de 17 aà ±os, familias e individuos adultos. Cabe destacar que por familias solo se consideran a los nià ±os y a su padre y su madre, pero no a grupos de hermanos, sobrinos y tà ­os, abuelos y nietos, etc. En general, puede decirse que las condiciones son difà ­ciles. Por ley, los menores solo pueden permanecer en ellos un mximo de 72 horas aunque en casi un tercio de los casos su estancia se alarga por ms tiempo. En todo caso, la estancia de menores y adultos en los centros de procesamiento suele no ser larga ya que las autoridades toman una serie de decisiones que implican el traslado de los migrantes. En el caso de adultos, pueden darse las siguientes situaciones: regresan a su paà ­sson enviados a Mà ©xico a esperar a que llegue su turno para que solicitar asilo. Los enfermos fà ­sicos o mentales no pueden ser enviados a Mà ©xico.son puestos en libertad pero se les cita para que comparezcan en Corte migratoriadeben esperar a que se resuelva su caso en un centro de detencià ³n de migrantes En el caso de menores, son enviados a un centro de acogimiento –shelter, en inglà ©s– bajo la guarda de la Office of Refugee Resettlement, quien se har cargo de ellos mientras no los colocan a cargo de un familiar o adultos que los aceptar en foster care. Por aplicacià ³n de lo que se conoce como el Acuerdo Flores, los nià ±os no podrà ­an estar retenidos por ms de 20 dà ­as, esto incluye tanto a los que han llegados solos a EE.UU. como los que estn acompaà ±ados por sus padres. Quà © migrantes esperan detenidos a que se resuelva su caso Los migrantes, tanto legales como indocumentados, pueden ser enviados a un centro de detencià ³n por diversas causas, por ejemplo: haber cometido un delito (felonà ­a)ha llegado sin visa a un puesto migratorioha cruzado ilegalmente la fronteratiene una orden de deportacià ³n, etc En muchos casos los migrantes pueden ser liberados mediante el pago de una fianza, fijada por ICE o por un juez migratorio. Sin embargo, en otros casos los migrantes debern esperan detenidos a que se resuelva su caso, asà ­ se demore semanas, meses o, incluso aà ±os. Entre estos casos se encuentran: delitos relacionados con terrorismo o lavado de dinerotrfico o consumo de drogascondenas por delitos que sumen ms de 5 aà ±os de prisià ³ncasos de delitos inmorales, si bien se admiten excepcionescasos de trfico humano serio Informacià ³n bsica sobre cà ³mo llamar por telà ©fono o enviar dinero a un centro de detencià ³n migrantes en Texas Los migrantes detenidos pueden tener derecho a hacer dos llamados telefà ³nicos a un familiar, amigo o abogado. Es importante que la persona que recibe uno de eoas llamados anote informacià ³n bsica como, por ejemplo, nombre del centro de detencià ³n y un nà ºmero que se conoce como A-Number, que es necesario para muchas gestiones. Si se quiere hablar por telà ©fono con un detenido, llamar al centro y dejar un mensaje en inglà ©s con el nombre completo del detenido con el que se desea platicar, su nà ºmero de identificacià ³n (A-Number) y las horas en las que el migrante detenido  puede regresar la llamada, para evitar tener que estar pendiente del telà ©fono las 24 horas del dà ­a. Tener en cuenta que el mensaje puede demorarse varias horas en llegar al destinatario y tambià ©n no elegir como horas para que se regrese la llamada aquellas en las que no es posible segà ºn el horario del centro de detencià ³n. Para que un detenido pueda regresar la llamada es necesario que tenga dinero para cubrir ese costo, que se  puede depositar previamente. Cada centro de detencià ³n tiene su propio sistema que se especifican ms abajo cuando se habla de cada crcel. Sin embargo, ya aquà ­ se dan los nombres de tres empresas que a menudo son las opciones (fijarse bien cul es la que aplica en cada caso). Inmate Calling Solutions, con nà ºmero de  telà ©fono 888-506-8407  Telmate, que es la ms comà ºntouchpaymentdirect Tambià ©n es posible enviar dinero para que el detenido compre alimentos o ropa. Las reglas especà ­ficas de cada centro se explican ms abajo. Tambià ©n es posible visitar personalmente a un detenido para lo que  es imprescindible mostrar un I.D. Para evitar problemas serios los migrantes indocumentados o con estatus dudosos no deben presentarse en una prisià ³n de inmigracià ³n para visitar a un detenido, aunque  sea un familiar muy cercano. En cuanto a las gestiones para informarse sobre monto de la fianza en los casos en los que se fija una para dejar al detenido en libertad, se puede llamar a la oficina del ICE ms cercana al centro de detencià ³n, a veces incluso en la propia crcel. Sin embargo hay que tener en cuenta que frecuentemente no quieren dar la informacià ³n a un familiar del detenido siendo la solucià ³n en estos casos que marque un abogado o el propio detenido. Adems recordar que aunque en muchos casos el ICE se niega a fijar una fianza, podrà ­a conseguirse si reà ºnen los requisitos para solicitar una audiencia de fianza (bond hearing, en inglà ©s) ante un juez de inmigracià ³n. Tambià ©n se puede acudir a un juez cuando se considera que la fianza fijada por el ICE es muy alta, para solicitar una rebaja de la misma. A continuacià ³n, informacià ³n particular sobre los principales centros de detencià ³n de migrantes en el estado de Texas Centros de procesamiento y de detencià ³n de migrantes Texas Los siguientes son centros de procesamiento o de detencià ³n de migrantes en el estado de Texas, con nà ºmeros de telà ©fono para comunicarse y explicacià ³n de cà ³mo enviar dinero. Dallas Es un centro de procesamiento temporal y a las pocas horas o dà ­as los detenidos son enviados a otra prisià ³n, generalmente a Rolling Planes o a Johnson Country. Para visitar a los detenidos la direccià ³n es: 8101 North Stemmos FreewayDallas, TX  75247 Para informarse sobre el horario de visitar, marcar al 214-424-7800. Se debe utilizar para dejar mensaje para que un detenido regrese la llamada.   Centro de Don Hutto Esta prisià ³n, a unos 50 km de Austin, acoge a mujeres y nià ±os migrantes, principalmente acaban de cruzar la frontera  y han pedido asilo. Para visitar a un detenido la direccià ³n es: 1001 Welch StreetTaylor, TX 76574 El horario de visitas es de lunes a domingo de 8 de la maà ±ana a 8 de la noche. Para hablar con un detenido, marcar al 512-218-2400 y dejar mensaje identificando a la persona con la que se quiere hablar. Para que el detenido pueda regresar la llamada es necesario que tenga dinero en su cuenta. Para ello, se le puede enviar utilizando una money order a nombre de la persona detenida y que se puede comprar en un banco o en una oficina de correos de Estados Unidos. La money order debe enviarse a la persona destinataria incluyendo su nombre completo y A-Number al: P.O. Box 1063Taylor, TX  76574 Con ese dinero los detenidos no sà ³lo pueden llamar sino tambià ©n comprar comida e incluso ropa. Centro de El Paso Es un centro de procesamiento donde los detenidos estn esperando o bien para ser expulsados inmediatamente de Estados Unidos o bien a presentarse ante la corte de inmigracià ³n de El Paso y ver cules son las opciones, incluida la posibilidad de un alivio de la deportacià ³n. Para visitar a un detenido la direccià ³n es: El Paso Processing Center8915 Montana AvenueEl Paso, TX  79925 Los horarios son de 6 pm a 9 pm de lunes a viernes y los fines de semana de 11 am a 3 pm y de 6 pm a 9 pm. Para llamar a un detenido, marcar al 915-225-0700. Para asegurarse de que tiene dinero depositado a su nombre y asà ­ poder regresar la llamada envirselo mediante el sistema telmate, asegurndose de elegir como centro de detencià ³n El Paso SPC. Ese mismo nà ºmero de telà ©fono se puede utilizar para contactar con un representante de ICE para informarse sobre una posible fianza para el detenido y su monto. Centro de detencià ³n de Houston Los migrantes detenidos en este centro estn en proceso de expulsià ³n o deportacià ³n y son convictos que han cumplido su pena en crceles cercanas a Houston o procedentes de centros de detencià ³n en la Costa Este de los Estados Unidos o migrantes agarrados cuando acababan de cruzar ilegalmente la frontera. Para visitarlos en persona los horarios son los siguientes: para mujeres detenidas, de domingo a mià ©rcoles de 2 a 5 de la tarde y de jueves a sbado de 8 a 10 de la maà ±ana. En el caso de visitar a un varà ³n, el horario es de 7 de la maà ±ana a 2 de la tarde de domingo a mià ©rcoles y de 10 de la maà ±ana a 5 de la tarde los jueves, viernes y sbados. La direccià ³n del centro es: Houston Immigration Detention Center15850 Export Plaza DriveHouston, TX  77032 A esa misma direccià ³n se pueden escribir cartas especificando claramente el nombre completo del detenido y su A-Number. Para recibir una llamada del detenido, marcar al 281-449-1481 siguiendo las instrucciones especificadas en este mismo artà ­culo en el primer apartado. Adems, para enviar dinero para que el detenido pueda regresar la llamada se debe utilizar el sistema telmate, bien online o bien marcando al 886-516-0115. Por à ºltimo, para averiguar si el ICE ha fijado una fianza y el monto se puede marcar al 281-985-8400. Centro de detencià ³n del condado de Johnson Esta es una prisià ³n que pertenece a un condado pero tiene un acuerdo con el ICE para alojar a migrantes detenidos, la mayorà ­a de los cuales ya han sido deportados con anterioridad y estn cumpliendo sus condenas antes de ser deportados  de nuevo. Para visitarlos, el horario es de 8 a 10.30 de la maà ±ana los sbados y los domingos y la direccià ³n es: Johnson County Detention Center1800 Ridgemar DriveCleburne, TX  76031 En cuanto a las llamadas, marcar al 817-645-2918. A partir de ahà ­ hay dos mà ©todos para que el detenido regrese el llamado. En primer lugar puede marcar a cargo del que recibe la llamada, que debe abonar con su tarjeta de crà ©dito o dà ©bito y es caro o bien la persona que desea recibir la llamada debe enviar antes dinero a nombre del detenido mediante una transferencia de un banco estadounidense o una money order. Enviar este dinero a la direccià ³n de la prisià ³n especificando en el sobre claramente nombre y apellidos del detenido y su A-Number. La transferencia no puede superar los $300 y ese dinero puede ser utilizado para comprar tarjetas para llamar por telà ©fono, comidas, bebidas e incluso ropa. Los migrantes detenidos que previamente han sido deportados no van a poder salir de prisià ³n mediante el pago de una fianza. Pero los que estn por otra razà ³n puede que califiquen para ello. En este caso se puede hablar con el oficial en la oficia central de Dallas que est a cargo de su deportacià ³n. El telà ©fono es el 2140424-7811. Centro de detencià ³n en Laredo El gobierno federal es la propietaria de esta prisià ³n que, sin embargo, est gestionada por una empresa privada. Acoge a detenidos varones y mujeres y tiene un alto grado de cambio de detenidos, ya que se considera como un lugar de paso para enviarlos a otros centros o para expulsarlos inmediatamente de Estados Unidos. Para hablar con un detenido, marcar al 956-727-4118. Para visitarlo en prisià ³n, los dà ­as disponibles son lunes de 1 a 3 pm, viernes en el mismo horario y fines de semana de 9 a 11 am y de 1 a 3 pm. La direccià ³n es: Laredo Detention Center4702 Sanders StreetLaredo, TX  78401 Esa misma direccià ³n debe utilizarse para enviar cartas a un detenido, incluyendo su nombre completo y A-Number. Si fuera necesario platicar con el oficial de ICE a cargo de deportaciones en esa zona, como por ejemplo informarse sobre el monto de la fianza que se le pide al migrante que deposite para salir en libertad, marcar al 956-729-9620. Centro de detencià ³n de Polk Puede visitarse a los migrantes en este centro los jueves y viernes de 6 am a 6 pm y los sbados y domingos de 6 am a 9 pm. La direccià ³n es: Polk Country Detention Center3400FM 350 SouthLivingston, TX  77351 Los detenidos pueden llamar a una persona fuera de la crcel utilizando dos sistemas. En primer lugar, mediante pago a cobro revertido (collect call, en inglà ©s), lo cual es caro. En segundo lugar, comprando una tarjeta de llamadas para lo cual deben tener dinero, que se les puede enviar mediante una transferencia bancaria desde una cuenta en Estados Unidos o mediante una money order que se puede enviar por correo a la direccià ³n de la crcel especificando el destinatario o entregndola en mano si se visita al detenido. Un buen nà ºmero de los migrantes detenidos en el centro de Polk califican para una fianza. El telà ©fono de los oficiales del ICE a cargo es el 936-967-1700. Centro de detencià ³n de Port Isabel Este es uno  de los centros de detencià ³n ms grandes en el estado de Texas. La direccià ³n para visitar a los detenidos es: Port Isabel Detention Center27991 Buena Vista BoulevardLos Fresnos, TX  78566 Los horarios de visita estn divididos por orden alfabà ©tico de los apellidos  de la siguiente manera: Comienzan por las letras A-F: sbados de 8 am a 12 pmComienzan por las letras G-L: sbados de 12 pm a 4 pmComienzan por M-R: domingos de 8 am a 12 pmComienzan por S-Z: domingos de 12 pm a 4 pm Para dejar mensaje a un detenido para que regrese la llamada, marcar al 956-547-1700. Depositar dinero para que pueda llamar utilizando el sistema telmate o marcando al 866-516-0115. Para enviar dinero a un detenido con otro propà ³sito, por ejemplo, para que compre comida o ropa, se puede hacer una transferencia por Western Union a la cuenta 95720041797 a nombre de E.P. Services en Harlingen, Texas 78550, especificando quià ©n es el beneficiario. Tambià ©n es posible enviando por fax al nà ºmero 956 428 3544 una copia de una money order en la que conste el nombre del detenido, su nacionalidad, el A-number, el nombre de la persona que envà ­a el dinero y su nà ºmero de telà ©fono. Adems, si se sabe, es de utilidad incluir el nà ºmero de dormitorio y cama del detenido. Para enviar una carta a un detenido, enviarla especificando el nombre completo y A-Number a la siguiente direccià ³n: Port Isabel Detention Center566 Veterans Drive en Pearshall, Texas, 78061 Por à ºltimo, el nà ºmero del ICE donde se puede preguntar sobre si se ha fijado una fianza y el monto es el 956-547-1800. Centro de detencià ³n de Rollins Plains Esta prisià ³n alberga principalmente a migrantes varones en alguna de las siguientes categorà ­as: detenidos en Dallas o condados limà ­trofes que tienen cargos criminalesmigrantes que acabaron de cumplir sentencia en una prisià ³n penal cercana y estn a la espera de decisià ³n sobre su futuro migratoriodetenidos que han sido transferidos desde prisiones en otros estados La direccià ³n para visitar a los detenidos en Rollins Plains es: 118 County Road 206Haskell, TX  79521 El horario de visitas es el siguiente: Mujeres detenidas: sbados de 3 a 7 pmVarones detenidos con apellido que comienza entre A y M: sbados de 7.30 am a 3 pmVarones detenidos con apellido que comienza entre N y Z: domingos de 7.3- am a 3 pm Para marcar y dejar recado para que el detenido regrese la llamada, el nà ºmero de telà ©fono es el 940-864-5694. Para depositar dinero a nombre del detenido, utilizar el sistema de touchpaymentdirect. La primera vez que se utiliza hay que crear una cuenta. Para comunicarse con el ICE para saber si se ha fijado una fianza y el monto de la misma, marcar a la oficina de Dallas, marcando al 214-424-7811. Centro de detencià ³n de South Texas En este centro se encuentran detenidos una mezcla de migrantes recià ©n agarrados cruzando ilegalmente la frontera y migrantes con muchos aà ±os de presencia en los Estados Unidos. Para visitarlos el horario es sbados y domingos de 7 am a 6 pm en la siguiente direccià ³n: South Texas Detention Center566 Veterans DrivePearsall, TX  78061 Se puede dejar recado a un detenido para que regrese la llamada marcando al 830-334-2939. Utilizar el sistema telmate para depositar dinero para que pueda comprar una tarjeta para llamar. Finalmente, el telà ©fono de la oficina del ICE donde pueden informar si se ha fijado una fianza es el 210-231-4505 Centro de detencià ³n West Texas Es una prisià ³n grande ubicada que aloja a migrantes detenidos por el ICE o por los Marshalls. Est ubicado en: 401 S. Vaquero AvenueSierra Blanca, TX  79851 El horario de visitas se divide por sexos. Se puede visitar a varones los viernes y los sbados de 8 am a 5 pm y a mujeres los domingos y lunes a las mismas horas. Sin embargo, es necesario estar incluido en una lista para poder visitar. Es el propio detenido el que debe incluir los nombres de las personas autorizadas. Para dejar recado a un detenido para que llame, marcar al 915-369-2270. Enviarle dinero utilizando el sistema touchpaydirect.com para que pueda comprar la tarjeta de llamadas o enviar una money order especificando el beneficiario a: West Texas Detention FacilityP.O. Box 430Sierra Blanca, 79851 Esa direccià ³n tambià ©n es la que debe utilizarse para enviar cartas a los detenidos.Finalmente  para averiguar sobre si hay fijada una fianza, se puede llamar a la oficina del ICE al 915-225-1940. La importancia de buena asesorà ­a legal para los detenidos por inmigracià ³n Cuando un migrante est detenido, se juega su futuro y el de su familia. Por ello, es de vital importancia que cuente con el mejor consejo legal.   La AILA es la asociacià ³n de abogados de inmigracià ³n pueden informar sobre letrados especialistas en lugares cercanos a los centros de detencià ³n. Asimismo las grandes organizaciones de apoyo a migrantes pueden referir a asociaciones locales, algunas de las cuales brindan trabajo legal a bajo costo o incluso pro bono, es decir, gratuitamente.   Finalmente  en el caso de los mexicanos tambià ©n es una opcià ³n a considerar buscar ayuda en el telà ©fono gratuito de apoyo a migrantes en los Estados Unidos. Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Individual case study Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Individual case study - Research Paper Example On ethical issues, Nike was faced with the challenge of providing the required wage for its workers. Although the company provided jobs for the locals of contractor countries, the pay was less, and this was unethical. In Vietnam worker were being paid about $1.6 per day, a pay that was way below their daily wage of $3 a day. In addition, workers were not given protective wear during work within Vietnam and other countries working on behalf of the company. For instance, it was confirmed that those working in areas with dangerous chemicals were not wearing glove and those in areas with poisonous gases were not given masks as is required by safety procedures. In amidst of all these, the company was reporting large profits and various organizations felt that the company was exploiting people and especially underage workers (Carroll, 2009). Nike experiences a challenge in developing a strict monitoring system to use in its contactor countries. This would ensure that issues like the amount of wages paid to workers and even working conditions are improved. In addition to this, such a system would ensure that workers are given protective wear and paid acceptable wages. The other challenge is the difficulties in establishing and hiring a competent body that would ensure proper and accurate accounting records. This has resulted to poor payment terms of those employed to work for the company and improper records. In addition to this, company has difficulties in determining the countries in which it would establish its branches. This is because of the legal requirements required by the countries in which it plans to establish its other companies. The host government in various countries played crucial roles in the establishment of contractors. For instance, host countries were involved in licensing Nike to carry out its manufacturing activities on their land. In addition to

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Is Workplace Drug Testing a Wise Corporate Policy Research Paper

Is Workplace Drug Testing a Wise Corporate Policy - Research Paper Example Why companies enforce drug testing It can not be denied that drug use has substantially changed the norms of behavior among all sectors of society, particularly in the workplace (Carpenter 795; Godfrey and Parrott 30; Walsh 120; Harris 357). Latest available government data showed that 73.8% of full-time workers who use illicit drugs came from only seven industries, namely: accommodation and food services (16.9%); construction (13.7%); arts, entertainment, and recreation (11.6%); information (11.3%); management of companies and enterprises, administrative support, waste management, and remediation services (10.9%); retail trade (9.4%); and other services, except public administration (8.8%) (SAMSHA n. pag.). Violence in the workplace is a serious concern for both workers and employers (Chappell, and Di Martino 15). Interestingly, studies revealed that drug use is a common catalyst of workplace violence (Hanson, Venturelli and Fleckenstein 41). The following reasons summarize employer s’ reasons for implementing drug testing policies: to discourage drug use among employees; negate chances of hiring drug users; identify employees with drug problems and provide assistance for medical intervention; keep the workplace safe; protect the public interest and gain consumer confidence pertaining to workplace safety of their employers; abide by drug testing regulations both on the state and federal levels; and benefit from such programs as the Workers’ Compensation Premium Discount (US Department of Labor par 3). These are the circumstances surrounding the decision of many companies to enforce mandatory drug testing to new recruits and random drug testing to tenured employees. While it is apparent that drug testing is management’s way of adjusting to the changing norms precipitated by drug use among employees, the practice is not readily acceptable for most employees. Management believes that imposing such policy is a necessary evil. Godfrey and Parrot t explained the necessity of curbing drug use among employees on the basis of drug use in the workplace resulting to incurred costs for both management and the employees. This cost is measured according to the impact of drug use on the company productivity. Cost is further broken down into the effect of an employee’s availability to contribute to productivity and the actual productivity of labor while the employee is at work (21). Prevalence of drug testing in the industry Van Fleet and Van Fleet considered safety as the primordial concern of practically all companies especially those working in the assembly line and in medical jobs (74). The trucking industry also conforms to mandated drug testing to ensure the safety of the highways from drug use-related accidents (Jacobson 131). Likewise, transportations companies also police their ranks by complying with the Department of Transportation policy on drug testing (Draper 308). To date, some 40 per cent of companies included i n the Fortune 500 are already enforcing drug screening. These companies, however, revealed that their drug testing policy is more of requirement compliance than admittance that drug use

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Nature-Nurture Debate Essay Example for Free

Nature-Nurture Debate Essay Introduction In this report I will examine and explain effective communication by looking at the role of effective communication and interpersonal interaction in health and social care context, theories of communication, methods of communication (verbal, non-verbal and written communication), communication cycle, what is effective communication, formal and informal communication, differences between language and culture. Communication between people enables us to exchange ideas and information, but it involves much more than simply passing on information to others. Communication helps people to feel safe, to form relationships and develop self-esteem. Poor communication can make an individual feel vulnerable, inferior and emotionally threatened. Effective communication helps us understand a person or situation, enables us to resolve differences, build trust and respect and create an warm environment. The effective communication helps us improving communication skills in everyday live, business, relationships, but also in health and social care context. Learning and understanding the effective communication skills the people can better connect with the family members, friends, co-workers (by improving teamwork), people looked after in care homes. What is effective communication Effective communication combines a set of skills including verbal and non-verbal communication, attentive listening, the ability to manage stress, the capacity to recognize and understand your own emotions and those of the person you are communicating with . Effective communication is about more than exchanging information. It requires also understanding the emotion behind the information. It enables us to communicate even negative or difficult messages without creating conflict or destroying trust. Effective communication-Methods of communication Verbal communication The basis of communication is the interaction between people. Verbal communication is the main way for people to communicate face to face. The components of the verbal communication are: sounds, words, speaking and language. Only people can put meaning into words; words alone have no meaning. As meaning is an assigned to words, language develops, which leads to the development of speaking. Over 3000 languages and major dialects are spoken in the world. The huge variety of languages creates difficulties between different languages, but even in one language there can be many problems in understanding. Speaking can be looked in two major areas: interpersonal and public speaking. To communicate effectively we must not simply clean up our language, but learn to relate to people. To be an effective communicator, one must speak in a manner that is not offending to the receiver. Listening Successful listening means not just understanding the words or the information being communicated, but also understanding how the speaker feels about what they are communicating. Effective listening can: -create an environment where everyone feels safe; -save time; -relieve negative emotions; -focus fully on the speaker, make the speaker feel heard and understood; -avoid interrupting; -show you interest. The communication cycle According to Michael Argyle(1972) skilled interpersonal interaction (social skills) involves a cycle in which you have to translate or â€Å"decode† what other people are communicating and constantly adapt you own behaviour in order to communicate effectively. Good communication involves the process of checking understanding, using reflective or active listening. The communication cycle supposes: -an idea occurs: you have an idea that you want to communicate; -message coded: you think through how you are going to say what you are thinking and you put your thoughts in to language or sign language; -message sent: you speak, or sign, or write, or send your message in some other way; -message received: the other person has to sense your message; -message decoded: the other person has to interpret or â€Å"decode† your message; -message understood: your ideas will be understood if all goes well. Non-verbal communication Non-verbal means â€Å"without words†, so non-verbal communication refers to the messages that we send without using words. We send these messages using our eyes, the tone of our voice, our facial expression, our hands and arms, the way we sit or stand. We can enhance effective communication by using open body language (arms uncrossed, standing with an open stance, maintaining eye contact with the person you are talking to). When we speak about non-verbal communication we actually mean: -posture; -the way we move; -facing other people; -gestures; -facial expression; -touch; -silence; -voice tone; -proximity; -reflective listening. As well as remembering what a person says, good listeners will make sure that their non-verbal behaviour shows interest. Skilled listening involves: -looking interested and communicating that you are ready to listen; -hearing what it is said to you; -remembering what was said to you, together with non-verbal messages; -checking your understanding with the person who was speaking to you. Written communication When people remember conversations they have had, they will probably miss out or change some details. Written statements are much more permanent and if they are accurate when they are written, they may be useful later on. Written records are essential for communicating formal information that needs to be reviewed at a future date. For the people who cannot see written scripts or who have limited vision there is a communication system known as Braille which uses raised marks that can be felt with the fingers and it’s based on the sense of touch. This system is now widely used for reading and writing by the people who cannot see written script. Theories of communication The verbal and non-verbal communication is not always straightforward. Effective communication involves a two-way process in which each person tries to understand the view point of the other person. According to Michael Argyle (1972) interpersonal communication is a skill that could be learned and developed. Skilled interpersonal communication, interaction(social skills) involve a cycle in which you have to translate or â€Å"decode† what people are communicating and constantly adapt your own behaviour in order to communicate effectively. The communication cycle involves a kind of code that has to be translated. The stages of communication cycle might be: 1. An idea occurs. 2. Message coded. 3. Message sent. 4. Message received. 5. Message decoded. 6. Message understood. Tuckman ‘s stages of group interaction Bruce Wayne Tuckman(1965) argued that communication in groups can be influenced by the degree to which people feel they belong together. Tuckman suggested that most groups go through a process involving four stages: 1. Forming refers to people meeting for the first time and sharing information. 2. Storming involves tension, struggle and arguments about the way the group may function. 3. Norming sees the group coming together and agreeing on their group values. 4. Performing means that the group will be an effectively performing group, once they have established common expectations and values. Formal and informal communication in health and social care Health and social care work often involves formal communication, which is understood by a wide range of people and shows respect for others. Usually care workers will adjust the way they speak, in order to communicate respect for different communities they address to, as the service users, visitors, colleagues. Formal communication is used in local authority social services and supposes proper English. It also shows respect for others (e.g.: if one went to a local authority social services reception desk, that person will expect to be greeted in a formal way like â€Å"Hello! How can I help you?†, and not informally, like â€Å"Hi! How’s it going?† In many situations such informal language could make people feel not being respected; so it is often risky to use informal language unless you are sure that people expect you to do so. The formal communication is also used in social care services with the manager and even between colleagues if they don’t know very well each other. Otherwise, when they know each other better, they will use informal language. Communication with people at work (between colleagues) is different, because care workers must communicate respect for each other. Colleagues, who do not show respect for each other, may fail to show respect for people who use care services. Colleagues have to develop trust in each other. It is important to demonstrate respect for confidentiality of conversation with colleagues. Care settings may have their own social expectations about the correct way to communicate thoughts and feelings. Communication between professional people and people using services involves the professionals being well aware of the need to translate technical language in to everyday language, when they work with people from other professions or people who use services. Professional people such as doctors or nurses often use their own specialised language, called jargon. It is important that people check that they are being understood correctly. Differences between language and culture Language There are many minority languages in the world. Some people grow up in multilingual communities, where they learn several languages from birth. Many people have grown up using only one language to think and communicate. People who learn a second language later in life find more difficult to express their thoughts and feelings in that language, and prefer to use their first language. Working with later languages can be difficult, as mental translation may be required. Different localities, ethnic groups, professions and work cultures have their own special words or phrases known as speech communities. Some people might feel threatened or excluded by that kind of language they encounter in these speech communities. The technical terminology used by care workers (called jargon) can also create barriers for people who are not a part of that speech community. When people who use services communicate with professionals there is always a risk of misunderstanding between people from different language communities, therefore the health and social care staff needs to check their understanding with the people communicating with them. Culture means the history, customs and ways of behaving that people learn as they grow up. People from different regions use different expressions. Also non-verbal signs may vary from culture to culture. In Europe and North America people often expect other people to look them in the eyes when talking. If a person looks down or away they think it is a sign of dishonesty, sadness or depression. On the other hand, in some other cultures (some black communities or Muslim communities) looking down or away when talking is a sign of respect. (E.g.: in social care settings a Hindu or Muslim person will not accept to be looked after by a person of the opposite sex). People from different geographical areas who use different words and pronounce words differently, they are often using a different dialect. Some social groups use slang (non standard words that are understood by other members of a social group or community, but which cannot be usually found in a dictionary). BTEC Level 3-Health and Social Care-Book 1-Beryl Stretch/Mary Whitehouse www.helpguide.org/effectivecommunication http://louisville.edu

Thursday, November 14, 2019

The Effects of Toxic Gardens Essay -- Environment Environmental Pollut

The Effects of Toxic Gardens    The urban family is proud of their immaculate garden and neatly manicured and pristine backyard. They feel proud when guests visit and comment on the vibrant, green grass, the weed free flowerbeds and garden and the lust tomatoes on the vine. It is delightful to watch the children roll around and play on the lawn without worry of them being bitten by ants, fleas or other distasteful insects. Best of all, is the delight of the children when they can pick the vegetables right out of the garden for dinner. The entire family loves the fresh vegetables and prides themselves on having raised the carrots, beans, and tomatoes themselves. Sounds ideal, eh? Alas, reality is the pristine backyard is a veritable toxic wasteland since pesticides, herbicides and fungicides are routinely dumped on the lawn in an effort to maintain the weed and pest free yard. Additionally, the garden vegetables are loaded with the most recent "bug spray" application that has been absorbed into the vegetables. These toxins have been found to cause cancer, infertility, birth defects, etc. Therefore upon reflection, the above-mentioned scene is more of a nightmare than a dream. The Institute of Medicine has conclusive evidence linking herbicide use to cancer (Turner-Lowe 1). The exposure may be minor in the produce that we grow and eat from our chemically treated garden; the cumulative effects are significant. The effect of continually ingesting foods with toxins within is what may eventually create some forms of cancer. Many fungicides and herbicides contain orgaanochlorines, which collect and remain in the fatty tissues of human for long periods of time. Pesticides are toxic and can poison humans. Children are especially vulne... ...fects. 11/1/98 http://www.pmac.net/erice.htm Schardein, J.L. (1985). Chemically Induced Birth Defects. Marcel Decker. New York, New York. Pp. 600-604. Fagin, D. and Lavelleby, M. (1998, November 1). EPA Offers This Shield of Safety. http://www.pmac.net/shield.htm Robinson, J. (1994, April). Pesticides in the Home and Community: Health Risks and Policy Alternatives. Gopher://gopher.igc.apc.org.2998/OPESTIS?r907874266.10911.1 Mather, Mort. "Mulching a Vegetable Garden." Mother Earth News June 1998: 64. Goldburg, Rebecca. (1998, November 19). Evaluating Risks of New Associations Resulting from BioControl. http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/bcconf/talks/panel.html. 1998, November 19. 1998-1999 Socialist Party Platform. http://www.teleport.com/~socparty/p2.htm 1998, November 19. Recommendations. http://www.envadvocates.org/public_html/Pest/recommendations.html   

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Effect of Globalization in the Management of Apple Inc Essay

Efficient planning is critical for any organization; leadership ought to establish an imaginative path for any organization. The management is tasked with ensuring that the plans are feasible at any given moment. In an environment that is closed, apart from the establishment of vision, this may be a relatively simple process since the variables that affect implementation are predictable and mostly fall into categories that are easy to identify (Tiffany, John, & Tommy, 2011). This process is complicated by globalization. Apple, Inc. is faced with this challenge when planning to meet the needs of its diverse customer base and environments. Apple, Inc. has to grapple with the challenge of organizing personnel from different regions who have different cultural backgrounds. In managing the personnel, the company has to attain a balance between the many competing and diverse factors (Ercan, 2012). For instance, there have been complaints about imbalance of salaries for personnel from different regions. In the management leadership role, motivating the personnel call for good leadership skills. The management of Apple, Inc. has had to adjust policies and actions in consideration of factors like physical ability, gender, and ethnicity. Globalization has brought about a workforce that adds the factors of culture and language to the dilemma (Ercan, 2012). Coming up with policies which consider all these factors necessitate a high level of sensitivity. Controlling of the competing factors in different regions has become a major concern for Apple, Inc. The company is finding it a challenge to control the different aspects of production to meet the clients’ needs in terms of producing high quality products (Tiffany, John, & Tommy, 2011). Control of the company’s resources to ensure sustained growth in different regions the company operates in is also a major concern.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Banning of Books in the U.S. Essay

â€Å" And shall we just carelessly allow children to hear any casual tales which may be devised by casual persons, and to receive into their minds ideas for the most part the very opposite of those which we should wish them to have when they are grown up? We cannot. â€Å" ? Socrates – Banning of books is the most common form of censorship. There were 546 known attempts to remove books in 2006, and more than 9, 200 attempts since the American Library Association’s (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom began to electronically compile and publish information on book challenges in 1990. According to ALA , there are four motivating factors: family values, religion, political views, and minority rights. While there are many arguments against censorship, I feel that banning of books can be justifiable in some ways. For example, books with sexually explicit graphic contents should not be viewed by children of certain age. Book banning happens commonly at home and in schools. While anti-book banning advocates fight for the rights of the children to read, it is also the rights of the parents and teachers to guide children. While I do not favor banning books either, I feel that our system should be careful as to what books are exposed and at what age. The minds of children are very impressionable and susceptible to corruption. (Becket, 2006) Restrictions are not necessarily curtailment of rights . For example, cosmetics cannot be used by children. Reasons: first, it may be detrimental to the skin of children, second, cosmetics are not made for children. As cosmetics is to the skin, books is to the mind. Some books are not made for children and some books may be detrimental to the minds of children. These restrictions take into account that children are not yet mature and is still inexperienced to take complexity of some issues. It is the responsibility of the parents to guide children and this extends to guide their children in selecting a good reading material. Teachers, as second parents to children, also share the same responsibility. Parents should also be aware enough of what books to filter and not. If the parents feel that they are capable of making their children understand challenged books, then by all means, they can have those books on their shelves. While it is true that censorship hinders the flow of information and ideas, sometimes ideas should be filtered for innocent minds. Time will come when those minds will be matured enough to absorb what is really on the books their reading. Time will come when those minds will be having their own preferences of books to read. Time will come when those mind will be ready to be challenged †¦. just like those books. References: 1. â€Å" Treasure your Freedom to Read, Get Hooked on a Banned Book†. ala. org. 19 September 2007. < http://ala. org/ala/pressreleases2007/september2007/bbw07. cfm> 2. Kennedy, Elizabeth. â€Å"Banned Books: The Who and the Why†. about. com. 3. Beckett, S. â€Å"Book Ban List Shouldn’t Scare†. dailytexanonline. com 2 October 2006

Thursday, November 7, 2019

What Should I Give to a Teacher Writing My Recommendation Letter

What Should I Give to a Teacher Writing My Recommendation Letter SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips A substantial bribe. Just kidding. You should give your teacher recommenders something much more valuablefor writingeffective letters ofrecommendation: your input. Sharing your ideas will assistyour teacher in writingyou an insightful and specific letter. This guide will discuss what materials you shouldproduce, and why your "recommender's packet" can go a long way toward making your final letter outstanding. To start, let’s review why recommendations are important to your application.If you understand what admissions officers look for, then you can make sure that your materials are useful and relevant. With this in mind, let's consider what purpose rec letters serve in the admission process. Why Do Colleges Require Recommendation Letters? Many four-year colleges require one or two recommendation letters from your teachers and school counselor. The main reason for this requirement is to get to know you better. Colleges aren’t just looking at your grades and SAT scores. They’re seeking to learn about you in a holistic sense - how you interact with your teachers and peers, how you approach the learning process, and what motivates and excites you, to give a few examples. Teachers can speak to both your intellectual and personal qualities, as well as to the role you play in the classroom on a day to day basis. Simply having an enthusiastic recommendation shows that you made a positive impression and maintained a good relationship with your teachers. If you made a splash at high school, you’re likely to work well with your peers and professors at college and contribute on campus too. Because of all the information and support they can communicate, recommendation letters play a very important role in the college application review process. Given their weight in the admissions decision, what makes some letters stand out while others blend into the background? What Goes Into a Good Letter of Recommendation? As I mentioned above, you should share your ideas and information with your teacher recommenders, who can refer to your packet when they sit down to write your letter. However, you want to make sure your materials are useful. Without knowing what makes some letters good and others bad, you’d have a hard time knowing what kind of info to share. So, in a nutshell, a good letter of rec is insightful, personal, and enthusiastic. While your teacher should talk about your intellectual abilities and attitude towards learning, she should also speak to personal qualities, like empathy, creativity, or leadership skills. Just as importantly, she should be specific and demonstrative. By this, I mean that she should describe particular instances where you demonstrated your strengths. In a sense, her anecdotes can prove that her descriptions ofyou areaccurate. On the flip side, a bad letter may sound lukewarm and generic. It may sidestep talking about your personal qualities and instead only list data, like grades and test scores. An ineffective letter would also be unspecific and lack examples, making it effectively impersonal, even vague. Based on theseelements of a good letter, you can put together a â€Å"recommender’s packet† that will be useful to your letter writers. You can provide the type of information - your academic interests and goals, your personal strengths and values, and memorable anecdotes from class - that your teacher can incorporate to make her letter stand out. Generally, this recommenders' packet will beprovided for you by your guidance office. If it’s not for some reason, you would still be well served to put it together yourself. Read on to learn more about what kind of info should go into this packet! What Information Should You Provide for Your Recommenders? Once you ask you teacher for a letter and she agrees, you should share the following materials: Practical information, like to what schools she should send her rec letter, how to submit, and your deadlines. What you plan to study at college (if you know). What strengths, passions, of qualities you would like her to highlight in her letter. Special projects or memories from class that were significant to you. Your resume. Your brag sheet (this document is especially important, which I’ll describe in more detail below). The first few points on this list shouldn’t take too long to record, but other components, like your resume and brag sheet, may require 15or more hours of work. Let’s break down each component in more detail so you know what it is, why it’s important, and how you can prepare. Share the bare necessities, the simple bare necessities... Practical Information - Where, What, and When Perhaps it goes without saying that you have to give your recommenders the bare necessities: a list of colleges to which she should send her letter, instructions on how to submit, and, of course, your deadlines. Some teachers may uploadtheir letters to your school'sonline application, others to the Common Application, and still others to the e-docs software, Naviance. Let your teacher know what method she'll be using. What You Need to Do Ideally, you have your list of colleges and deadlines on hand when you make your request. If you’re asking especially early - maybe you’re asking your beloved 10th grade English teacher at the end of the year - then you can follow up with this information later. Remember that your teacher may have many letters to write, along with everything else she’s up to - so write everything down. That way she can refer to this information when she sits down to write your letter. Share all your deadlines, and send a reminder about a week before if you see that she hasn’t submitted her letteryet. Once she does submit, make sure to send a thank you note for her help in getting into college. Want to build the best possible college application? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. Once you've shared the essential info, think about your special skills and interests. Also, please never try this at home. What Skills and Interests You’d Like Highlighted Maybe you’re asking your English teacher because you plan to study creative writing, and you’d love her to speak to your writing abilities. Perhaps you’re asking your Physics teacher so she can talk about your innovative contributions to the Robotics Club she supervises. Depending on your comfort level and relationship with your teacher, you wouldn’t be crossing a line if you explicitly stated what skills, qualities, or goals you’d like her to highlight in your letter. As mentioned above, the most effective recommendation letters speak to your intellectual and personal qualities. By sharing your ideas, you could ensure that your teacher includes your academic and personal strengths. What You Need to Do I’m not suggesting that you tell your recommender how to write her letter. You could keep what you say short and sweet, something like, â€Å"I’d really love if you could include my skill / interest / talent in (fill in the blank here).† Make sure that the skill, interest, or talent you mention is appropriate for a rec letter. Apassion for a subject, insightful comments in class, ora willingness to take on special projects would be worth mentioning.Your daredevil balancing stunts in tall places may be less relevant. This small amount of input could actually help provide your teacher with a theme around which to focus her letter. Let your teacher know what you learned from her class. What You Learned and Accomplished In Class Similarly, you might remind your teacher about a memorable project you worked on or lesson that was especially meaningful from class. If you had any notable achievements or important moments, you could describe them to your teacher. Since the best rec letters use specific examples, your input could be a useful reminder. Maybe you worked on a special research project or excelled in a debate. Perhaps reading A Brave New World changed your perspective on life. Maybe your teacher’s class helpedyou discover you want to be a World History major. Whatever you took away from her class, it could be useful to share. Your input could help make her letter even more specific. If nothing else, your teacher will appreciate hearing that her class made an impact on your thinking. What You Need to Do Before requesting your recommendation, list out your reasons for asking this teacher. Think about any stand out projects or instances where you went beyond requirements. Consider times that you contributed to a discussion, or perhaps had a thought-provoking conversation you had with your teacher. Write these moments down, and share them with your teacher when you make your request. As with above, you don't want to come off like you're writing the letter for your teacher. You could say something short and to the point, like, â€Å"I learned a ton from your class and was hoping you could provide me with a recommendation for college. One of my favorite projects was†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Since teacher recommendation letters provide a micro-view of you as a student - they got to know you on a day to day basis - they should include specifics from your class performance. Your teacher should have examples in mind, but it shouldn’t hurt for you to share your own memories too! Your Resume All students should include a resume in their recommender’s packet. Your teacher will mainly write about you in the context she knew you - as a student in her class. However, it’s also helpful for her to know what otherresponsibilities you balanced and what other activities you’re interested in, especially if theyconnect to her subject. For instance, maybe your Physics teacher will see that you pursued your passion for mechanical engineering for three years inRobotics Club. As described above, your teacher shouldn’t repeat your whole resume and fill your letter with data. However, it is useful for them to have context and learn more about what you’ve been up to in high school. Your resume, therefore, is an essential document to give your recommenders to help them write your letter. What You Need to Do People style their resumes based on personal taste, but the best ones include certain key elements: a summary ofskills, a list of activities and work experiences with brief descriptions, and any awards or achievements. You want to include your dates of involvement, and you may state an objective at the top. You should check out some samples and choose the format that works best for your experiences. Apart from providing a resume, you should be prepared to talk about what you learned from your experiences, especially as any relate to your teacher’s class or your academic goals for college. Even if your teacher doesn’t sit down to speak with you about it, you may provide these reflections in written form in your brag sheet. That way you can communicate not just what you did in high school, but what each experience meant to you. Your Brag Sheet Finally, we get to thebrag sheet, perhaps the most significant part of your packet. Your guidance department should provide you with this document, and its questions may vary from school to school. Whatever version you use, it should include prompts that ask you to think about your experiences, identity, and goals. Rather than giving quick, cliche answers, you should try to dig deep. Even if it feels vulnerable, being honest and revealing is the best way to communicate something real, important, and authentic. Ideally, your recommender already knows you well, but your brag sheet should help her get to know you even better. Some prompts may include: Describe your family. How have your parents influenced you? What qualities of theirs do you admire? What three adjectives would you use to describe yourself? What adjectives would your teachers use? Your parents? Give specific examples or stories of a time you exemplified each one of these qualities. Discuss an academic interest or passion. Describe an involvement that’s had a significant impact on you. How do you spend your free time? What have you learned about yourself since the time you started high school? How have you changed or grown? Describe a significant challenge or obstacle you’ve had to overcome. How did you do so, and what did you learn from it? Describe an experience that changed your thinking or perspective on an issue. Depending on your school, your brag sheet may be more or less thorough (or may not exist at all). If you feel you have more to share, you could add your own questions and answers. Besides adding more info, what else can you do to make your brag sheet as useful and telling as it can be? What You Need to Do As you can see, the questions on a brag sheet are quite personal. They’re tough to answer immediately. Instead, they call for some serious introspection and self-awareness. Don’t worry if your first reaction is to go blank. It takes some time to reflect on these questions and come up with answers that feel genuine and meaningful. One way to dig deeper might be to sit with a question and jot down any ideas that come to mind. For instance, let’s say you’re trying to describe an involvement that’s important to you. You might write down your participation in track team. Then you should ask yourself a simple question: why? Maybe track team has enhanced your confidence. Again, ask yourself, Why? Maybe you’re continuously breaking your personal records and showing yourself that you can redefine your sense of limitations. You can keep asking yourself "why" to get to something that resonates with you - maybe your achievements in running have spread into other areas in your life by showing that if you endure discomfort in the moment, you can break through to a new level that you didn’t know waspossible. Then again, another studentmight value track team because of the friendships she made there. Maybe she felt a strong sense of belonging with hertrack team, and this connectedness showed her that she can adapt to any new social situation. If you keep asking yourself why and defining your reasons, then your answer may look very different - and much more revealing - than where you started. Two students may write about their involvement in track, but they may value the experience for very different reasons. And this says something different about who they are and what's important to them. Your brag sheet willhelp your teacher write an insightful letter that reveals your character, personality, and values. They may also include significant circumstances in your family or personal background, if you're comfortable sharing them. All of this insightwill help admissions officers get to know you on a deeper level. Your letters should give admissions committees a fullersense of who you are as a student and person. By giving this same well-rounded sense to your teachers, youwill give themall the materials they need - along with the relationship they’ve already established with you - to write a personal and effective letter of recommendation. Key Points: What to Prepare and Why The most important takeaway you shouldgain from this guide is that you can play an active and influential role in getting strong recommendation letters. Of course, the foundation of your letters is how you performed in class over the year and got to know your teachers. Beyond this, though, you can prepare thoughtful information that will help your teacher write a specific, personalized, and revealing letter. Thinking about and producing your materials should take a few weeks of planning. You should expect to spend about 15 hours or more on creating and proofreading your resume and brag sheet. You shouldn’t scribble off fast answers to your brag sheet prompts; instead, take the time to sit with these questions and dig deeply, continually challenging yourself to get to the root of your answers by asking, â€Å"Why?† as in the example above. Your responses will not only jog your teacher’s memory and teach her new things about you, but they will also show her how much effort and planning you’re putting into your college applications. Hopefully, you’ve asked a teacher who supports you and knows you well. By putting in the effort to share your ideas, resume, and brag sheet, you can be confident you’ve done everything in your power to acquire an excellent letter of recommendation. What's Next? In addition to teacher recommendations, most colleges want to see an evaluation from your school counselor. To learn about how your counselor rec differs from your teacher recs, check out these examples of strong letters. For letters you don't want from your counselor, read these four examples. You may be surprised to learn how much influence you can have on your recommendation letters. Along similar lines, you also want to be strategic about how you present your extracurricular activities on your college applications. Check out this full guide on how to write about extracurriculars in the most impressive way. For more on the ins and outs of applying to college, check out this full step by step guide! It goes over everything from choosing your high school classes to brainstorming personal ideas. It's also available in snazzy infographic form! Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

The Pros and Cons of Teaching in Block Schedules

The Pros and Cons of Teaching in Block Schedules Education is full of ideas like year-round schooling, vouchers, and block scheduling, so its important for administrators and educators to look at the pros and cons of an idea before implementing it. Strategies for one popular idea, block schedules, can  help make the transition easier and more effective. In block scheduling- unlike a traditional school day that typically has six 50-minute classes- the school might schedule two traditional days a week, with six 50-minute classes, and three nontraditional days, with only four classes that meet for 80 minutes each. Another type of block schedule that many schools use is called the 4X4 schedule, where students take four classes instead of six each quarter. Each yearlong class only meets for one semester. Each semester class only meets for a quarter. There are pros and cons to block schedules compared to traditional school scheduling. Block Scheduling Pros In block scheduling, a teacher sees fewer students during the day, thereby giving him or her the ability to spend more time with each one. Because of the increased span of teaching time, longer cooperative learning activities can be completed in one class period. There is more time for labs in science classes. Students also have less information to deal with during each school day, but over the course of a semester or quarter, they can delve more deeply into the curriculum of four classes, instead of six. Because of the decreased number of classes, students also have less homework on any given day. The teacher is able to provide more varied instruction during class, and he may find it easier to deal with students with disabilities and different learning styles. Planning periods are longer, allowing educators to spend more time preparing for classes and doing the administrative work required for teaching, such as grading, contacting parents, and meeting with fellow teachers. Block Scheduling Cons In a block schedule, teachers typically only see students four times a week- such as Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday- which means that students lose continuity on the days they dont see a given teacher. If a student misses a day under the block schedule, he is actually missing the equivalent of nearly two days compared to the traditional 50-minute-class schedule. No matter how well planned, on many days, the teacher can end up with 10 to 15 minutes of extra time, where students often begin their homework. When all of this time is added up at the end of the semester, the teacher covers less information and curriculum. In the 4X4 schedule, the teacher has to cover all of the required information in one quarter. In an economics class at a typical high school, for example, if the quarter happens to be during football season and while homecoming is occurring, the teacher can lose valuable class time due to interruptions. In the 4X4 schedule, it is especially difficult to cover the necessary material for Advanced Placement courses in the time allotted. To compensate, many schools have to extend United States history so that it is a two-part course and lasts the entire year in order for the teacher to cover all of the required material. Strategies for Teaching Under the Block Schedule When used in the proper setting with the right students and a well-prepared teacher, block scheduling can be very useful. However, schools need to keep a close eye on such things as test scores and discipline problems to see if the schedule has any noticeable effect. In the end, it is important to remember that good teachers are just that; regardless of what schedule they teach under, they adapt. Though block schedule classes are longer than traditional class periods,  lecturing  for 80 minutes will likely cause any teacher to become hoarse over the course of a few days and possibly lose the attention of students, resulting in decreased learning.  Instead,  teachers should vary their instruction in a block schedule, using teaching techniques such as debates,  whole group discussions, role-plays, simulations, and other  cooperative learning activities. Other strategies for block schedule teaching include: Engaging Howard Gardners  multiple intelligences  and tapping into varying the learning modalities, such as kinesthetic,  visual, or  auditory. This can help a teacher keep up the interest and attention of students.Having two or three  mini-lessons  on hand to fill any extra time in case the lesson plan doesnt take the full block schedule period.Taking full advantage of the time allotted to institute projects that can be difficult to complete in shorter class periods.Doing a review of material from previous lessons. This is especially important in block schedule formats where students dont see the teacher every day. In a block schedule, a teacher need not feel he or she has to be the center of attention at all times during the class period. Giving students independent work and allowing them to work in groups are good strategies for these longer class periods. Block schedules can be very taxing on a teacher, and its important to use strategies to manage teacher burnout since educators are the glue that holds block schedules together.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

POETIC FORMS AND GENRES Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

POETIC FORMS AND GENRES - Assignment Example nd for some historians and literature critics it has also a very strong negative connotation related to the period immediately after the World War I and the disappointment in the moral and ideological values that have been the basis of the Victorian Age during the rule of Queen Victoria. Historical events during the Victorian Age such as the adoption of the Reform Bill (1832), Chartism (1836-1848) and many others speak for the period itself and we should not waste time on history anyway. Literature in this period is the object of our interest. Needless to say, literature has been strongly influenced by all of those events and the bourgeois lifestyle and society in general. Among all literature genres poetry has been regarded the highest if we are to judge according to the respect it has enjoyed. Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892) is considered â€Å"national treasure† for the British. His best works include â€Å"Poems by Two Brothers† (1827), â€Å"Poems Chiefly Lyrical† (1830), â€Å"Poems† (1832), â€Å"Poems† (1842), â€Å"In Memoriam† (1850), â€Å"Maud† (1855), â€Å"Idylls of the King† (1859), â€Å"Enoch Arden, and Other Poems† (1864), â€Å"Works† (so-called ‘Imperial Edition’ 1872), several plays (â€Å"Queen Mary†, â€Å"Harold† â€Å"The Falcon† and others), etc. â€Å"Ulysses† (1842) is one of his best poems. It is a pure monologue in blank verse, more compact in its composition than the rest of his poems, using strong, core and â€Å"sober† language, whose richness is beyond any critic. To clarify the meaning of monologue as a poetic form we have to give its definition and say that it is a speech in verse or prose uttered by one speaker as a part of a larger work or as an independent work in itself, and blank verse means unrhymed lines of iambic pentameter often used in long poems and dramatic verse, with a very flexible form and well adaptable to monologues like â€Å"Ulysses† (Myers, Jack, & Simms, Michael, â€Å"The Longman Dictionary of Poetic Terms†, 1989, p.33).