Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Pronouncing X in Spanish

Pronouncing 'X' in Spanish You may have noticed that the Spanish x is sometimes pronounced like the English x, but sometimes like the English s. If so, you might be wondering: Are there rules about when it is pronounced as an x  and when its pronounced as an s? ‘X’ Between Vowels Due to regional variations, there arent any rules that hold true throughout the Spanish-speaking world. In general, however, when between vowels (as in exactamente) the Spanish x is pronounced like the English ks sound but softer or less explosive. ‘X’ Before Another Consonant When it comes before another consonant (as in expedicià ³n), it has the s sound in some regions/countries but the soft ks sound in others. In some areas, the letters pronunciation before a consonant varies from word to word. The only way to know for sure is to listen to someone speaking with the regional accent you wish to emulate. Words Beginning with ‘X’ When a word begins with x (there arent many such words, and most are English cognates), it is usually given the s sound, not the z sound of English. Thus a word like xenofobia sounds the same as if it were spelled senofobia. ‘X’ in Mexican Place Names In some Mexican place names, indeed in the name of Mà ©xico itself, the x is pronounced the same as the Spanish letter j  (or the english h). Oaxaca, for example, sounds like Wa-HA-ka. ‘X’ with a ‘Sh’ Sound Making matters more confusing is that in a few words of Catalan, Basque or indigenous American origin the x is pronounced like the English sh. This is especially common in southern Mexican and Central American place names. The No. 2 city of Guatemala, for example, is Xela, pronounced something like SHEL-lah.

Friday, November 22, 2019

Fit and Fitted

Fit and Fitted Fit and Fitted Fit and Fitted By Maeve Maddox A Lenscrafter television advertisement showing a man being fitted for glasses caught my attention with its unidiomatic use of the verb fit. At the beginning of the ad, the man is in a traditional examining room, looking anxiously through multiple lenses. At the end of the ad, he is seated comfortably in front of a device that ascertains his prescription by digital means. A voice-over asks, Why have your glasses fit manually? My internal usage detector immediately corrected the question to Why have your glasses fitted manually? American speakers do sometimes use fit instead of fitted as a past form, as in this example: In his case, the punishment fit the crime. In the context of having glasses made to measure, however, fitted is the preferred past form in standard US English. The following examples from US sources indicate that Lenscrafters use of fit as a past form does not agree with common usage in the context of fitting eyeglasses: Safety glasses which are professionally measured and fitted to the individual are recommended for permanent employees whose job duties require frequent eye protection.- University of North Carolina You can also send us new frames you’ve already bought and had fitted and we will fit new lenses into them.- Texas-based mail-order business. After this testing has been completed, your eye doctor will gather additional information so you can be fitted with contact lenses.- US vision information site. This is why it is important to have your eyeglasses fitted before you bring them home.- New Hampshire optometry office. Fitted is also the preferred form in the context of installing or equipping something: Since I last wrote about this issue in 2002, more rental cars have been fitted with such systems, which can instantly relay information on your cars speed, route and position to the rental company.- LA Times More than 200 paroled burglars in Connecticut will be fitted with global tracking devices as part of the states response to a home invasion in Cheshire last month that claimed the lives of a woman and her two daughters.- NY Times After selecting the plan, Hernandez learned it didnt cover the audiologist who had fitted her daughter, who is partially deaf, with a hearing aid.- Chicago Tribune An artist is planning to release about 2000 pigeons  fitted  with LED  lights  over New Yorks East River.- UPI news site. Finally, here are some examples of things being fitted manually: Most polar exploration aircraft must be  fitted manually  with skis for operating on snow.- Popular Mechanics To change the tower lights’ colors, plastic gels are fitted manually over metal halide lamps or floodlights and fluorescent tubes in various color combinations.- Article about the Empire State Building on a US trivia site The models generated for helix ÃŽ ±A, helix ÃŽ ±B and helix ÃŽ ±C located in TraF/VirB10NT  were fitted manually in one monomer of the difference map. - US government science site. Both forms, fit and fitted, are used as adjectives, but with different meanings. Compare: This dress is fit for a princess. (suitable) He never buys fitted sheets. (designed to fit closely) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Good At, Good In, and Good WithHyper and Hypo7 Proofreading Steps

Thursday, November 21, 2019

National cash Register Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

National cash Register Company - Essay Example It can be viewed that over 300000 NCR ATMs are installed throughout the globe. In order to upgrade ATM’s security, NCR created a software solution to implement in all of its ATM machines. At the same time, Korala Associates Ltd. (KAL) argued to have created a comparable security up-gradation for NCR’s ATMs. For developing such software, KAL has entered into agreement with NCR in the year 1998 (the â€Å"1998 Agreement†). Thus, in order to facilitate such process, NCR had financed KAL a property ATM which involved copyright software known as APTRA XFS (Gehrke & Associates, S.C., â€Å"United States Court Of Appeals For The Sixth Circuit†). ISSUE: NCR assumed that KAL had obtained access to make unauthorized use of the copyrighted software and claimed that KAL had involved in unlawful copying of APTRRA XFS software. NCR further claimed that KAL has developed its version of security upgradation only by engaging in this unauthorized activity. NCR brought a sui t claiming copyright infringement against KAL (Gehrke & Associates, S.C., â€Å"United States Court Of Appeals For The Sixth Circuit†). Law: The court stated that the dispute amid the parties not only rely upon the scope of the arbitration clause, but also remains much focus upon determining whether claims would be ruled under the arbitration clause of the contract. ... im to be decided by arbitration because it wanted to seek remedy against the intentional act of breaching its licensing agreement (the 1998 agreement) by KAL and also because infringement of NCR’s copyright in APTRA XFS software which would be dispositive to this claim. It can be affirmed that NCR could have a claim that KAL engaged in unfair competition because KAL indulged in conducting unethical business practices through misusing misused trade secrets and other valuable property information (Gehrke & Associates, S.C., â€Å"United States Court Of Appeals For The Sixth Circuit†). AMERICAN NEEDLE, INC .V. NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE (CASE 28.1) FACTS: The National Football league (NFL) includes thirty two independently owned qualified football teams. Every team possess name, logo and colors along with own associated intellectual property. In 1963, the teams created National Football League Properties (NFLP) to build up license and promote their trademarked objects includ ing caps and jersey. NFLP has approved licenses to number of traders allowing them to produce and sell clothes embedding team insignias. American Needle, Inc was one of the licensees. In the year 2000, NFLP approved Reebok International Ltd an absolute ten year license to produce and trade trademarked headwear for entire thirty two teams. Thereafter, it refused to refurbish license of American Needle (Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L., â€Å"Supreme Court of the United States†). ISSUE: American Needle filed a suit in a federal district court claiming that the contract involving the NFL, the NFLP, its teams and Reebok infringed Sections 1 and 2 articulated in Sherman Act. Law: In response, the defendants affirmed that they were unable of work against within the section 1 â€Å"because they are single

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Dance as a Form of Cultural Expression Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Dance as a Form of Cultural Expression - Essay Example Over the years, there have been different forms of dance and choreographers who have steered the American culture.   Non-academic modern dance in America was first introduced by St. Denis and Shawn, collectively referred to as Denishawn, who coached their students to use their talents so as to express themselves through movement (Thomas 85). This dance group was created against the backdrop of the First World War when America had developed a high sense of nationalism and the federal government took control of almost of sectors of the society. The Denishwan dance was characterized by ballets and exoticisms, adopted from Greek movements. According to Thomas, any person who was suspected of engaging in activities that could undermine national security was arrested and imprisoned (87). After the war, though, political goals posts changed and the then government minimized federal interference in business and other sectors. According to Thomas, progressive education during this era champ ioned for change. The modern dance was characterized by different experiments with bodily movements, which did not rely on Greek methods of dancing. In short, the new age dancers were in search of dance methods that reflected the American culture, as opposed to oriental culture. The Americanized dance involved more profound body movements as a way of expressing art. In addition, the modern dances sought to establish the independence of dance from music, considering that Denishawn had always viewed dance as secondary to music (Thomas 89). Martha Graham, a former dancer in Denishawn became one of the modern age dancers and produced numerous choreographic works in her career. Graham, for example, fused humor and dance as a form artistic expression relevant to the American culture. Graham’s choreography was characterized by increased torso movements, to go along with the breathing partners of the dancers (Thomas 89). The exaggerated contractions and expansions represented the inn er conflicts within the inner self of a human being. Additionally, there was the inclusion of emotional intensity and expression of inner feelings in the modern dance as compared to the formal ballet dances that were more narrative. Humphrey’s choreography involved isolating music from dance, in such a way that dancers sometimes performed in complete silence or a spoken word (Thomas 89). The relationship between balance and imbalance, depicted by falls and the rises of the dancers from the floor characterized much of Humphrey’s choreography. In addition, Humphrey preferred individual work as opposed to group dances in her choreography. Dancing with the Stars Dancing with the stars as a ballroom dancing reality show is designed to exemplify the American dream that encourages personal growth. The dream that everyone in America is accorded the chance to showcase their talents regardless of race, religion, background and other factors that make individuals different is wha t dancing with the stars is all about. The reality show serves to encourage people to pursue their dreams and believe that they can be successful regardless of any limiting factors.  Ã‚  

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Weber’s The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism Essay Example for Free

Weber’s The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism Essay Maximilian Weber was a social scientist and political economist who is believed to be one of the fathers of the contemporary branch of public governance and sociology. Now better known as Max Weber, he was born on April 21, 1864 in Germany, the eldest among the brood of seven. His sociopolitical roots can be attributed to his father, Max Weber Sr. , who was a well-known elected official and social servant, while his modesty to her mother Helene Fallenstein. This sociopolitical inclination indeed ran in the family as Alfred Weber, his younger brother, was similarly a economist and sociologist (Turner, 1993). With Weber’s foremost and yet most influential oeuvre The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, a whole lot of his other shaping discourses contained in his journal began to circulate in 1904 (Ringer, 1997). In 1912, Weber made an attempt to institute a left-wing party in politics in an effort to coalesce liberals and social democrats. Though, this endeavor was abortive for the reason that a number of liberals were apprehensive of the radical ideologies of the social democrats (Baehr, 2002). Plagued by pneumonia in Munich, Maximilian Weber departed this life on the twentieth of June in 1920 (Turner, 1993). Indeed, no sociologist other than his contemporaries, like Karl Marx, has had a greater impact on sociology than the German sociologist Max Weber (Novak, 2005). Significantly a good deal of Weber’s work represented a debate with the ghost of Marx. Although finding much of value in Marx’s writings, Weber disagreed with Marx on a number of important matters. Over the course of his career, Weber left a legacy of rich insights for a variety of disciplines including economics, political science and history. Among sociologists, he is known not only for his theoretical contributions but for a number of specific ideas that in their own right have generated considerable interest and research. His sociological work covered a wide range of topics, including politics, bureaucracies, social stratification, law, religion, capitalism, music, the city, and cross-cultural comparison (Ringer, 1997). Weber believed that sociologists can derive an understanding of their subject matter in a manner that is unavailable to chemists and physicists. In investigating human behavior, sociologists are not limited to such objective criteria as weight and temperature; they can examine the meanings individuals bring to their interactions with one another. Consequently, Weber contended that a critical aspect of the sociological enterprise is the study of the intentions, beliefs, values, and attitudes that underlie people’s behavior (Ringer, 1997). Weber employed the German word Verstehen, meaning understanding or insight, in describing this approach for learning about subjective meanings people attach to their actions. In using this method, Weber mentally attempts to place themselves in the shoes of other people and identify what they think and how they feel. Whereas Durkheim argued that sociologists should direct their investigations primarily to social facts that lie beyond the individual, Weber thought it also essential that sociologists examine the definitions people use in shaping their behavior (Ringer, 1997). Another notable contribution made by Weber is his concept of the ideal type. An ideal type is a concept constructed by a sociologist to portray the principal characteristics of a phenomenon. The term has nothing to do with evaluations of any sort. Rather, it is a tool that allows sociologists to generalize and simplify data by ignoring minor differences in order to accentuate major similarities. Weber contended that if sociologists are to establish cause-and-effect relationships, they must have concepts that are defined in a precise and unambiguous manner. The ideal type affords such a standard, especially in the study of concrete historical events and situations. It serves as a measuring rod against which sociologists can evaluate actual cases (Ringer, 1997). In his writings, Weber stressed the importance of a value-free sociology. He insisted sociologists must not only allow their personal biases to affect the conduct of their scientific research. Weber recognized that sociologists like everyone else, have individual biases and moral convictions regarding behavior. But he insisted that sociologists must cultivate a disciplined approach to the phenomena they study so that they may see facts as they are, and not as they might wish them to be. By the same token, as discussed in his work Objectivity In Social Science, Weber recognized that objectivity is not neutrality (Ringer, 1997). Neutrality implies that a person does not take sides on an issue; objectivity has to do with the pursuit of scientifically verifiable knowledge. Weber saw a role for values in certain specific aspects of the research process, namely, in selecting a topic for study and in determining the uses to which the knowledge is put. Clearly, data do not speak for themselves; they must be interpreted by scientists (Ringer, 1997). For his part, Weber was led to study bureaucracy because it was an important part of the Germany in which he lived. Moreover, was not afraid to express a value judgment or to tackle important issues of the day (Baehr, 2002). Weber was particularly impressed by the ability of bureaucracies to rationalize and control the process by which people collectively pursue their goals (Baehr, 2002). Although he was concerned about some of the negative consequences of bureaucracy, Weber contended that the needs of mass administration made bureaucracy an essential feature or modern organizational life. In his work The Theory of Social and Economic Cooperation, Weber argued that bureaucracy is an inherent feature of modern capitalism (Ringer, 1997). Yet he was equally insistent that a socialist society could not dispense with the arrangement. Indeed, Weber thought that socialism would see an increase, not a decrease, in bureaucratic structures. While recognizing the limitations of capitalism, he nonetheless felt it presented the best chances for the preservation of individual freedom and creative leadership in a world dominated by formal organizations as in his time (Ringer, 1997). In The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Weber turned his sociological eye to one historic breakthrough, the development of capitalism. He sought a link between the rise of the Protestant view of life and the emergence of capitalist social arrangements in Western society. He maintained that the development of capitalism depended upon the creation of a pool of individuals who had the attitudes and values necessary to function as entrepreneurs. The critical problem, Weber said, is to uncover the origin of the motivating spirit of capitalism in precapitalist society. He believed that Protestantism, particularly Calvinism, was crucial to, but not the only factor in, the rise of this spirit (Novak, 2005). As the milieu influenced Weber, Calvinism is actually based on the teachings of the French theologian and reformer John Calvin, and found expression in a variety of religious movements, including Puritanism, Pietism, and Anabaptism. Weber noted that Protestantism and modern capitalism appeared on the historical scene at roughly the same time. There were other links as well. First, capitalism initially attained its highest development in Protestant countries, particularly the United States and England whereas Catholic nations like Spain and Italy lagged behind. Second, in nations with both Protestant and Catholic regions? such as Germany in his time, it seemed to be the Protestant regions that pioneered in capitalist development. And third, Weber marshaled evidence that suggested it was by and large the Protestants, not the Catholics, who became the early capitalist entrepreneurs (Novak, 2005). It is worth noting that The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism was one of Weber’s earlier works. In lectures given shortly before his death, Weber incorporated many new elements in his analysis of the origins of large-scale capitalism (Ringer, 1997). Even so, his early work, although not necessarily accurate in all its particulars, remains a sociological landmark. It demonstrates the impact religion can have on human affairs in producing outcomes that are not necessarily intended or foreseen by its adherents. References Baehr, Peter. (2002). â€Å"In the Grip of Freedom: Law and Modernity in Max Weber. † Canadian Journal of Sociology. Novak, Michael. (2005). â€Å"Max Weber Goes Global. † First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life. Ringer, Fritz. (1997). Max Weber’s Methodology: The Unification of the Cultural and Social Sciences. Harvard University Press. Turner, Bryan S. (1993). Max Weber: From History to Modernity. Routledge.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Twins - Biologically, Physically, and Psychologically Similar Essay

What would it be like to have a twin? This is a question people often ponder. People often say that they see someone that resembles someone they already know. It is almost like dejavu. â€Å"Twin† comes from the German word â€Å"twine† meaning â€Å"two together† (Nagy 1). Most people automatically think of two people who look just alike when they hear the word â€Å"twin†. However, there is a lot more to twins than just looking alike. Twins are the most common type of multiple births. Many think there are only two types of twins, identical and fraternal; they often leave out conjoined twins. Twins are very unique and fascinating individuals because of their similarities biologically, physically, and psychologically.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An author from the twin’s network stated that, â€Å"A British scientist was the first to say that identical twins are identical biologically and may have come from a single egg† (Nagy 1). He was correct when he made this hypothesis. Identical twins form when a single fertilized egg splits usually one to fourteen days after conception (Wade 53). Identical twins are the same sex, they have the same chromosomes, and are the same blood type. Identical twins also mean monozygotic twins. According to the twin’s network, studies show that identical twins live longer than fraternal twins; they believe this is due to their close communication (Nagy 1). Fraternal twins are the most common type of twins. They are the result of the union of two eggs and two sperm. Fraternal twins can be the same or different sexes (Wade 53). Segal says that, â€Å"They are two individuals, no more genetically alike than brothers and sisters that develop from separate fertilizations† (Segal 1). Amazingly, fraternal twins can be conceived at separate times and have different fathers. It seems to be a hereditable trait to conceive fraternal twins. Yet, tendency to conceive conjoined twins may be caused by genetic and environmental conditions (Hunter 1). Conjoined twins are the rarest type of twins. Conjoined twins were once known as â€Å"Siamese twins.† Conjoined twins originate from a single fertilized egg so they are always identical and same sex twins. The developing embryo starts to split into identical twins within the first two weeks after conception but stops before completion. A partially separated egg is left of the embryo, and it continues to mature into a conjoined fetus (Hunter 1... ...rities and the same preferences. They also felt an immediate bond upon meeting. Jim Springer and Jim Lewis are twins who were separated four weeks after they were born in 1939, and they were reunited thirty-nine years later. The twins discovered that they had married and divorced women named Linda, married second wives named Betty, and named their first sons James Allan and James Alan, respectively. They both drove the same model of blue Chevrolet, and they both enjoyed the same hobby. They often vacationed on the same small beach in St. Petersburg, Florida, and owned dogs named Toy (Heredity 62). There have been many cases reported similar to this one, such as where twins were separated at birth and when reunited, found that they had astounding similarities between the two. By studying twins who were reared apart, scientists are learning how the forces of nature and nurture interact to make us what we are (Chensanow 69). Many environmental, genetic, and emotional factors are related to the composition of twins. Any types of twin share a relationship that most people will never experience. Twins, whether fraternal, identical, or conjoined, are an amazing phenomena of human life.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Vygotsky’s Views On Cognitive Development Complements Piaget’s

Methods and approaches to teaching have been greatly influenced by the research of Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. Both have contributed to the field of education by offering explanations for children's cognitive learning styles and abilities. This essay will discuss how rather than being an alternative, Vygotsky’s views on cognitive development complements Piaget’s. Initially, the term cognitive will be defined before having a look at Piaget’s stages of cognitive development and subsequently analyzing how Vygotsky’s views complement Piaget’s.Flanagan (1996:72) states that, ‘Cognitive development is the acquisition of mental process involved in thinking and mental activity, such as attention, memory and problem solving. ’ It is therefore a totality of mental processes. Piaget and Vygotsky were both influential in forming a more scientific approach to analyzing the cognitive development process of the child active construction of knowledge . While Piaget and Vygotsky may differ on how they view cognitive development in children, both offer educators good suggestions on how to teach certain material in a developmentally appropriate manner.Both Piaget and Vygotsky agreed that children's cognitive development took place in stages. (Jarvis, Chandler 2001 P. 149). However they were distinguished by different styles of thinking. Piaget was the first to reveal that children reason and think differently at different periods in their lives. He believed that all children progress through four different and very distinct stages of cognitive development. This theory is known as Piaget’s Stage Theory because it deals with four stages of development, which are sensori-motor, preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational (Ginsburg, Opper,1979:26).In the first stage sensori-motor, which occurs from birth to the age of two is the time in an infant’s life when the child basically deals with what is presented to him. They learn about physical objects and are concerned with motor skills and the consequences of some of their actions (Thomson and Meggit, 1997:107). During this stage children will learn the concept of object permanence. This is where an object will continue to exist even if it is out of sight. (Ginsburg, Opper 1979 P. 48) For instance if the toy fell off the bed, the child will begin to look for it because he understands it continues to exist.The preoperational stage last from two to seven years. In this stage it becomes possible to carry on a conversation with a child and they also learn to count and use the concept of numbers. This stage is divided into the preoperational phase and the intuitive phase. Children in the preoperational phase are preoccupied with verbal skills and try to make sense of the world but have a much less sophisticated mode of thought than adults. In the intuitive phase the child moves away from drawing conclusions based upon concrete experiences wi th objects.One problem, which identifies children in this stage, is the inability to cognitively conserve relevant spatial information. This is when, when a material is manipulated and no longer matches the cognitive image that a child has made, that child believes the amount of material has been altered instead of just its shape. (Jarvis and Chandler,2001:135) During the Concrete Operational stage from ages seven to ten, children of this age are in school and they begin to deal with abstract concepts such as numbers, relationships and how to reason.They can now group certain things into categories, and put objects into size order, number order, and any other types of systematic ordering. There is a form of logical reasoning and thinking. Using logic, the child is capable of reversibility and conservation, which is the understanding of that mental operations and physical operations, can be reversed. They are now beginning to understand other people’s perspectives and views an d are capable of concentrating on more than one thing at a time.In this stage a person can do mental operations but only with real concrete objects, events or situations (Jarvis and Chandler, 2001:139). Finally, in the formal operational stage, age twelve to fifteen, the child has become more adult-like in their thought structures and processes. They begin to reason logically, systematically and hypothetically. (Jarvis, Chandler 2001 P. 139). In other words, they can imagine things that do not exist or that they have never experienced.This stage is generally like the preceding stage but at a more advanced level. The formal operational person is capable of meta-cognition, that is, thinking about thinking. Piaget also theorized on Adaptation, and Development. The adaptation theory (also known as the Constructivist theory) involved three fundamental processes, which contributed to the child’s cognitive development. These are assimilation, accommodation, and equilibrium. Assimila tion involved the incorporation of new events into pre-existing cognitive structures.Accommodation is the adjustment involved in the formation of new mental structures needed to accommodate new information. Equilibration involved the person striking a balance between him and the environment, between assimilation and accommodation. When a child experienced a new event, disequilibrium set in until he was able to assimilate and accommodate the new information and thus attain equilibrium. There were many different types of equilibrium between assimilation and accommodation, which varied with the levels of development and the problems, which needed to be solved.  (Thomson and Meggit 1997:105)This dual process, assimilation-accommodation, enabled the child to form schema, and with each stage there came new methods for organizing knowledge together with the acquisition of new schema. Schemas are â€Å" Form action plans which guide us in understanding what is going on around us† ( Hayes b. P. 15) These are similar to responses but imply more cognitive processes. A schema includes ideas, information, actions and plans. People can learn by adopting new schemes or combine smaller already present schemes to create new larger ones.  (Hayes a. 1999 P. 98)In contrast of Piaget, Vygotsky, a Russian psychologist and philosopher in the 1930’s, is most often associated with the social constructivist theory and came into three general claims; Culture – which is that higher mental functioning in the individual emerged out of social processes. Secondly Language – which human social and psychological processes are fundamentally shaped by cultural tools. Lastly the developmental method Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) which is the concept that the potential of the child is limited to a specific time span.  (Jarvis, Chandler 2001 P. 149-150).Vygotsky believed that it was adults and the Childs peers, which had the responsibility in sharing their grea ter collective knowledge with the younger generations. (Jarvis, Chandler 2001:149-150). This type of learning supports a discovery model of learning and places the teacher in an active role while the students’ mental abilities develop naturally through various paths of discovery. Vygotsky argued that through social activities children learnt cultural ‘tools’ and social inventions.These included language, rules, counting systems, writing, art, and music. Language for Vygotsky was a system of symbolic representation, which had been perfected over many previous generations and allowed the child to â€Å"abstract† the world. It provides the symbols for the child's equations concerning the world; Language came into three separate categories, which were Social, Egocentric, and Inner. For Vygotsky language was what made thinking even a possibility. Language is the difference between thinking on an elementary level and on a higher level.According to Vygotsky's the ory ‘ZPD’ had to do with a child’s current and potential abilities to do something (Flanagan 1999 P. 72). He believed that problem-solving tasks could be placed into three categories, which were as follows: (a) those performed independently by the student â€Å"independent performance† (b) those that could not be performed even with help; and (c) those that fall between the two, the tasks that can be performed with help from others â€Å"assisted performance† (Santrock, 1994).Vygotsky believed the concept of ‘ZPD’ recommended a better move towards to education and allowed a better understanding of the learning process. (Flanagan 1999 P. 73) Bruner built on Vygotsky's idea of the ZPD, by introducing what he described as scaffolding. Scaffolding is the help, which is given to a child that supports the child's learning. Scaffolding is similar to scaffolding around a building; it can be taken away after the need for it has ended. When a chi ld is shown how to do something he can now accomplish this task on its own.  (Jarvis and Chandler 2001 P. 154).Vygotsky believed that the history of the child and the history of the child’s culture needed to be understood because it overrides the cognitive schema process that Piaget described (Santrock, 1994). Piaget believed that the sequence of how children experience the stages was universal, but acknowledged the rate at which each child moved through these stages was flexible and relative upon factors such as maturity, social influences, and other factors.Because of the difference in the skills needed for each level, Piaget believed that children should not be forced into learning the knowledge of the next stage until the child was cognitively ready. (Flanagan 1999:105) However, Vygotsky believed that instruction came before development and that instruction lead the learner into ZPD. Piaget and Vygotsky had many contrasting views which included Piaget believing that cog nitive changes precede linguistic advances, unlike Vygotsky who proposed that language allowed the child a far greater freedom of thought and lead to further cognitive development.  (Flanagan 1999 P. 59)Piaget believed in the development of thinking and that language moved from individual too social (Ginsburg, Opper 1979 P. 84). However, Vygotsky believed that language moved from the social to the individual. (Jarvis and Chandler,2001:150). Vygotsky, like Piaget, believed the relationship between the individual and the social as being a necessary relational. However, Vygotsky believed that it was adults and the Childs peers, which had the responsibility in sharing their greater collective knowledge with the younger generations.He did not believe it was possible for a child to learn and to grow individually and the culture and the environment around the child played a big part in their Cognitive Development. (Flanagan 2001 P. 72). He also believed a child was unable to develop the way he or she had without learning from others in the environment in which they were raised. In contrast, Piaget maintained that children were naturally inquisitive about their own abilities and about their environment (Jarvis, Chandler 2001 P. 129) and that children advanced their knowledge because of biologically regulated cognitive changes.(Flanagan 2001 P. 57). Whereas, Piaget believed that a child was only possible of learning the processes in each stage at any time (Flanagan 1999 P. 60) and overlooked the role of the child's activity with relation to thought processes. For Piaget, children construct knowledge through their actions on the world. By contrast, Vygotsky’s stages, unlike Piaget’s, were that of a smooth and gradual process. That understanding is social in origin. For Vygotsky the cultural and social aspects took on a special importance which is much less symmetrical than Piagets theories.Vygotsky was critical of Piaget's assumption that developmental g rowth was independent of experience and based on a universal characteristic of stages. Vygotsky believed that characteristics did not cease at a certain point as Piaget did. When one thing was learned, it was used from then on. It did not stop just because a child entered another stage of development. Everything was progressive. Vygotsky also disagreed with Piaget's assumption that development could not be impeded or accelerated through instruction.  (Flanagan 1999 P. 57)Vygotsky believed that intellectual development was continually evolving without an end point and not completed in stages as Piaget theorized. Piaget’s stages only approach up to, and end with, approximately age fifteen. This theory does not seem to have any major factors after approximately age fifteen. Due to experiences Piaget had over the years he changed the way he thought and modified his techniques of research to include a greater emphasis of the role of the child's activity.Vygotsky although critica l of Piaget, realized the importance of the information that Piaget had gathered and in spite of his criticisms, Vygotsky built his educational theories on the strengths of Piaget's theories. After examining Piaget’s and Vygotsky's theories on how they complement each other cognitive development there is still more which we can continue to learn and build on with both Piaget’s and Vygotsky's ideas and theories, especially when applied in education construction. Piaget proposed many applicable educational strategies, such as discovery learning with an emphasis on activity and play.However, Vygotsky incorporated the importance of social interactions and a co-constructed knowledge base to the theory of cognitive development. In conclusion, a teacher's focus should be to provide assistance to students in need, and provide cultural tools as educational resources. Teachers should provide for group and peer learning, in order for students to support each other through the dis covery process. Especially in today's diverse classroom, the teacher needs to be sensitive to her student's cultural background and language, and be an active participant in his knowledge.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

The Ptolemaic, Seleucid, and Antigonid kingdoms

Alexander, son of king Philip II and Olympias was born in 356 B. C. E, and at age 19, became king of Macedon. With a great army at his disposal and his brilliant military mind, he started his conquest. From 337-323 B. C. E Alexander conquered Greece, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and a large part of Asia. Alexander ruled from Macedonia to the northern part of India. He defeated the Persians numerous times with his incredible military strategies, even when his armies were outnumbered by almost 200,000 Persian soldiers.The sheer size of his empire was unlike anything ever seen before but when he died in 323 B.  C. E, the three main areas he conquered (Greece/Macedonia, Egypt, and Mesopotamia/ Asia) were split up and became their own kingdoms. The area that was once Greece and Macedonia became the Antigonid Kingdom, the Egyptian are became the Ptolemaic Kingdom and the Asia/ Mesopotamia area became the Seleucid Kingdom. The Ptolemaic Kingdom came about when one of Alexander’s cavalry com panions, Ptolemy, took his loyal troops to the Egyptian area to take over the wealthy land. Once there, Ptolemy diverted Alexander’s body to Egypt, which was originally being sent to Macedonia for burial.Once in Alexandria, Ptolemy took Alexander’s body and built a massive and imposing tomb for his late king. After defending Egypt from some of Alexander’s other generals who wanted Egypt, the Ptolemies ruled Egypt as their god/kings. This only took place after they struck up a bargain with the Egyptian priests and in which the Egyptians could continue living under the same Egyptian god belief system while the Ptolemies ruled as kings. Along with that agreement, the Ptolemies promised to allow the priests to maintain the up keeping of their temples and deceased pharaohs.The Ptolemies departed from the beliefs and rules set forth by Philip and Alexander by allowing the Queens of the rulers more power then they ever had before. The perfect example of this was Cleopa tra VII who even challenged the growing power of Rome. The Ptolemies also didn’t really blend with the Egyptians, which was a major idea Alexander wanted to make happen (the blending of Page 2 cultures). This can be seen when the Ptolemies stayed in Alexandria conducting business and trading with Rome, where the Egyptians maintained their old religion.The Seleicid Kingdom is named after one of Ptolemy’s generals, Seleusid. After the death of Alexander, Seleusid entered Babylon in 311 B. C. E and captured the imperial treasure there. With the vast wealth at his disposal, Seleusid claimed the land as the old heartland of Persia. Unfortunately because the area was so large, Seleusid had to trade back northern India and eventually lost Asia Minor. Seleusid imported Greek and Macedonian bureaucrats and colonists. North of Babylonia a new city was built and it was named Seleucia and would eventually become its capital.Knowing that trade with the eastern countries were vital to their survival, Seleucid’s major cities were built around trade routes that connected the countries. Around 20,000 Macedonians came to Seleusid and they felt as if they were world conquerors and felt they needed to be compensated. The Macedonians were given a significant amount of farmland because when they arrived, Seleusid realized that these people were the backbone of their society because they had no religion already set up in the area. Unlike the past rulers, Philip and Alexander, Seleusid was very worried about expanding, rather he was worried about losing land.This was because when Seleusid came to Babylon to start his new Kingdom, he had only brought a few military forces with him. This was a problem because he controlled so much land that he didn’t have enough military personnel to control the kingdom. If I was in Seleusid’s position I would have asked for everyone in the old countries such as Greece and Macedonia to come over. Doing so would give m e a much larger army and then I would not have to worry about losing land, rather I could expand. The last area of land left was Alexander’s home country, Macedonia, and Greece which he conquered.This land would become Antigonids once Alexander died and would be situated in Greece. The kings of Antigonids were descendants of Antigonus the one eyed, who was a general in Alexander’s army when Alexander died. Unfortunately, Antigonus died without conquering the land, but his descendants eventually claimed Macedonia and Greece as Antigonids. At the time of Alexander’s death, many of Alexanders treasures that he took were taken back to Page 3 Macedonia. It was said that the last shipment taken back to Macedonia before Alexander’s death took 110 warships just to carry all the treasure back.So the country was very wealthy but the wealth hardly even changed society. In fact, hardly anything had changed in Macedonia since Philip II was king. The army in the kingdo m still consisted of only Macedonia nobles who fought for the king and unfortunately in the 280’s B. C. E the Gauls (group from the north) invaded Antigonids and caused them serious damage. Along with the damage from the north, in the south, the Greeks, who had never really accepted the Macedonians, started revolting against the Antigonids.The Antigonids branched away from their past rulers, Philip II and Alexander by never expanding and never blending the neighboring cultures together. The Greeks never accepted the Antigonids’ rule and although total warefare never broke out, it damaged the Kingdom as a whole. Not only did the Kingdom fail to expand, they couldn’t even keep their own citizens in tact. If I were any of the kings in the Antigonids kingdom, I would have tried to resolve the differences with Greece and the Gauls because if they could have become allies, there would have been room for expansion.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Water is a Drug essays

Water is a Drug essays The function of our project is a light control system. The lights can be controlled at two different frequencies or speeds, and on two different patterns. There is a simple user interface consisting of two switches and two push button switches. The user can choose to run the lights slowly or quickly by flipping a switch. The user can also choose one of two different modes in which the lights will run by flipping another switch. The system uses 4 volts of electricity and therefore can be left running for a long time with the much power consumption. For the sake of simplicity all work project uses only two different color lights but more colors can be implemented. The idea is to use a small number of chips to produce a large output. Our project uses five D flip-flops as well as four XOR gates. With two 555 timers, the flip-flops can be used as counters at two different speeds. The output of each flip-flop is connected to four LEDs that produces a running effect when turned on . Our project is for decoration purposes. When power is provided the light control system begins to work on its own. From here the use can select the speed at which he or she wants the lights to operate as well as select the pattern of choice. If at any time they user wishes to check for burnt lights he or she can press the ALL ON button and all the lights will come on. Using the switch labeled SPEED CONTROL the user can select at which rate the lights should move. Using the PATTERN switch, the user can select the pattern of choice. If at any time the user feels the lights are not running as they should he or she can reset the lights using the RESET button. Using both combinational and sequential logic, we have put together a system of lights that rely upon the output of a 5-bit counter, as well as two 555 timers to provide a clock signal to the 5-bit counter. To provide two diffe ...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Best Essays Night. Famous Authors Will Share Their Writing Secrets

Best Essays Night. Famous Authors Will Share Their Writing Secrets Best Essays Night. Famous Authors Will Share Their Writing Secrets As a generation of the 21st century we do not always appreciate the power of a written word or the impact it had during the last century. Under certain circumstances like world wars, frequent riots, establishment of patriotic devotion, etc, which couldn`t go by unnoticed, or better to say unwritten by the hand of a master, new based-on-true-stories essays were created: James Baldwin with his stunning work "Notes of a Native Son", Norman Mailer with his philosophical essay "The White Negro", Meghan Daum with "Variations on Grief", John McPhee and his detective essay "The Search for Marvin Gardens", Joan Didion on life in California after 1960s in her essay "The White Album". Yet, was there only a historical impact on their works or was it something deeply personal that made them best in their sphere? together with its greatest and most experienced writer Lauren Gartner invite you to join them on 25 and 28 of April 2017 for the Best Essay Night! Not only finest essays will be read there, but a unique chance to discover your writing abilities will be given as well! And nevertheless Jo Ann Beard and Meghan Daum presence is still awaited to be confirmed, the evening will be filled with famous authors and their life stories of becoming successful writers of nowadays. We're going to declare favorite essays that were written by the best writers   We're going to analyze what makes them gone viral, techniques, secrets We’ll be reading and discussing papers of little-known authors    You will be able to learn what is important and what is not, what special techniques artists use when they write their essays, and what â€Å"musts† one should always keep in mind. This event is going to be fantastic and vital for people who are passionate about writing. This and much more will be revealed during our Best Essay Night. Don`t miss your chance to become one of the best! As a pleasant addition  we will provide our guests with a food court and drinks during the whole evening. The events will be held in New York City, NY and Atlanta, GA. We invite all comers to join us in New York at the Andaz Wall Street Hotel, April 25 at 7 pm and in Atlanta at the Emory Conference Center Hotel, April 28 at 7pm. There is no charge for the workshop, but you need to be registered. You can sign up for our amazing event by e-mail @gmail.com. Administrators will review all the sign ups, and you should receive a response to your e-mail with a ticket and QR code for entrance. Make sure you like our Facebook page and follow on Twitter. Can't wait to meet you!

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Emerging Market Feasibility Analysis Assignment

Emerging Market Feasibility Analysis - Assignment Example Brazil is also identified as a member of the Organization for Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC), G-20, G8+5, and a founding member of the North American Free Trade Agreement (Fafchamps, 2003). These accolades are however identified to be very broad and generalized and cannot influence any rational decision making as to the liability of a new entrant business in Brazil. To make such decision making credible, rational and accurate, a more technical approach to viewing Brazil as an emerging market is needed. It is for this reason that the current emerging market feasibility analysis to come close up with Brazil as a destination for the small scale company. The purpose of the study is also to critically analyze the feasibility of the business in surviving in the intended market. There shall therefore be focus on the company with some level of emphasis on the company’s investors, customer issues, and financial requirements. In totality, the emerging market feasibility analysis shall be conducted from five objectives given as: 1. To analyse the strength of the business idea in relation to the chosen market. 2. To identify any country-related issues that might affect the start-up. 3. To explore relevant business and customer norms in the identified market. 4. To analyse potential financial issues that will arise from starting the business. 5. To propose a prototypical founder or group of founders suitable for the oil manufacturing firm that is being proposed? Research Approach Generally, this project is a case study that studies the specific case of the feasibility of a new vegetable oil manufacturing company in Brazil as a small scale business. As part of the case study approach, there shall be elements of both primary and secondary data collection to ensure that data collected for the study is high coordinated, validated and judged as reliable. Using a combined approach of primary and secondary data collection will improve the internal validity of the study because data that are collected from the field of study as primary data can easily be justified or authenticated using secondary data, which is more of data already existing in literature. One crucial approach that will make the project very elaborate, well organized and focused i s the use of feasibility analysis matrix. This matrix has been presented in such a way that it contains five major session of data collection, which have been distributed among the five objectives listed above. This means that each of the five objectives is represented in one section or row of the matrix. Under each objective also, there shall be five feasibility indicators that will be critically analyzed using both primary and secondary data collection. The analysis of the indicators shall be done in a manner that scores the feasibility of each objective of the project. Completed feasibility analysis matrix shall be presented at the appendix section of the project. Within the project however, there shall be a detailed discussion of the findings that are made under each objective of the study. Theoretical Framework This section of the project named theoretical analysis is essentially useful in offering a theoretical background to the problem of small scale business entry into emerg ing markets. This will be done through clearly defined knowledge of literature presented in one specific paradigm of theory. Specifically, focus is given to the theory of emerging market development. This theory started much like a support service given to new businesses that