Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster, 1986

Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster, 1986 At 1:23 a.m. on April 26th, 1986, reactor four at the nuclear power plant near Chernobyl, Ukraine exploded, releasing more than a hundred times the radiation of the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Thirty-one people died shortly after the explosion and thousands more are expected to die from the long-term effects of radiation. The Chernobyl nuclear disaster dramatically changed the worlds opinion about using nuclear reaction for power. The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant The Chernobyl nuclear power plant was built in the wooded marshlands of northern Ukraine, approximately 80 miles north of Kiev. Its first reactor went online in 1977, the second in 1978, third in 1981, and fourth in 1983; two more were planned for construction. A small town, Pripyat, was also built near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant to house the workers and their families. Routine Maintenance and a Test on Reactor Four On April 25, 1986, reactor four was going to be shut down for some routine maintenance. During the shutdown, technicians were also going to run a test. The test was to determine whether, in case of a power outage, the turbines could produce enough energy to keep the cooling system running until the backup generators came online. The shutdown and test began at 1 a.m. on April 25th. To get accurate results from the test, the operators turned off several of the safety systems, which turned out to be a disastrous decision. In the middle of the test, the shutdown had to be delayed nine hours because of a high demand for power in Kiev. The shutdown and test continued again at 11:10 p.m. on the night of April 25th. A Major Problem Just after 1 a.m. on April 26th, 1986, the reactors power dropped suddenly, causing a potentially dangerous situation. The operators tried to compensate for the low power but the reactor went out of control. If the safety systems had remained on, they would have fixed the problem; however, they were not. The reactor exploded at 1:23 a.m. The World Discovers the Meltdown The world discovered the accident two days later, on April 28th, when operators of the Swedish Forsmark nuclear power plant in Stockholm registered unusually high radiation levels near their plant. When other plants around Europe began to register similar high radiation readings, they contacted the Soviet Union to find out what had happened. The Soviets denied any knowledge about a nuclear disaster until 9 p.m. on April 28th, when they announced to the world that one of the reactors had been damaged. Attempts to Clean Up While trying to keep the nuclear disaster a secret, the Soviets were also trying to clean it up. At first they poured water on the many fires, then they tried to put them out with sand and lead and then nitrogen. It took nearly two weeks to put the fires out. Citizens in the nearby towns were told to stay indoors. Pripyat was evacuated on April 27th, the day after the disaster had begun; the town of Chernobyl wasnt evacuated until May 2, six days after the explosion. Physical clean-up of the area continued. Contaminated topsoil was placed into sealed barrels and radiated water contained. Soviet engineers also encased the remains of the fourth reactor in a large, concrete sarcophagus to prevent additional radiation leakage. The sarcophagus, constructed quickly and in dangerous conditions, had already begun to crumble by 1997. An international consortium has begun plans to create a containment unit that will be placed over the current sarcophagus. Death Toll From the Chernobyl Disaster Thirty-one people died shortly after the explosion; however, thousands of others who were exposed to high levels of radiation will suffer serious health effects, including cancers, cataracts, and cardiovascular disease.

Martin Surname Meaning and Origin - Genealogy

Martin Surname Meaning and Origin - Genealogy Martin is a patronymic surname taken from the ancient Latin given name Martinus, derived from Mars, the Roman god of fertility and war. Surname Origin:  English, French, Scottish, Irish, German and others Alternate Surname Spellings:  MARTEN, MARTINE, MARTAIN, MARTYN, MERTEN, LAMARTINE, MACMARTIN, MACGILLMARTIN, MARTINEAU, MARTINELLI, MARTINETTI, MARTIJN Fun Facts About the Martin Surname One of the early notable English MARTIN families was a strong seafaring family residing primarily in Leicester, England. Representatives include Admiral Sir Thomas Martin, Captain Matthew Martin and John Martin who sailed around the world with Sir Francis Drake. Famous People With the Surname MARTIN John Martin - English painterGeorge R. R. Martin - American science fiction and fantasy writerMax Martin - Swedish producer/songwriterDel Martin - lesbian activist Genealogy Resources for the Surname MARTIN 100 Most Common U.S. Surnames Their MeaningsSmith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown... Are you one of the millions of Americans sporting one of these top 100 common last names from the 2000 census? Martin DNA Group ProjectUsing the male Y-DNA the project intends to sort out the many Martin / Martain / Martyn / Merten families and to find their origins. All Martin researchers are welcome and encouraged to participate. Martin Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Martin  family crest or coat of arms for the Martin surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male-line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted.   MARTIN Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Martin  surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Martin genealogy query. FamilySearch - MARTIN GenealogyExplore over 15  million historical records which mention individuals with the Martin surname and its variations, as well as online Martin family trees. MARTIN Surname Family Mailing ListsRootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Martin surname. DistantCousin.com - MARTIN Genealogy Family HistoryFree databases and genealogy links for the last name Martin. - References: Surname Meanings Origins Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.Menk, Lars. A Dictionary of German Jewish Surnames. Avotaynu, 2005.Beider, Alexander. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Galicia. Avotaynu, 2004.Hanks, Patrick, and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.ï » ¿Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

Unit 2 Individual Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Unit 2 Individual Project - Essay Example Apple’s lack of debt may also be a weakness because it could be susceptible to a stock acquisition by a group of companies. Since it has not issued dividends to its investors for several years, this could be a cause for loss of confidence.(Salkever, 2004) The possibility to gain from the widespread use of the new wireless system called Nike +iPod, where the wearer’s running shoes will be gauge how many miles have been run and how many calories burned.(Fox News Report, 2006). Threats posed by fluctuating exchange rates, because most of Apple’s sales are international. A value in the value of the US. Dollar would decrease the net receivables while an appreciation would reduce demand due to higher prices. 2. There are some important elements that must be noted from the above analysis, which serve to explain the reasons for Apple’s continued strength in the computer market. The ability to create brand and customer loyalty has played a significant role in Apple’s success, especially because it also allows its employees participation in the Company’s profits which has improved their motivation and retained skilled employees within the Apple corporate framework. Apple’s constant innovative strengths have also been a factor helping it to weather the changes in the market and emerge resilient despite those changes. Its product diversification has ensured that its product lines are tailored to suit a variety of customers. Moreover, since Apple is financed mainly through its own equity, there is less risk posed to investors in Apple stocks because the Company also has extra cash available to help it deal with an emergency. But this ownership of equity is also operating as a weakness from the shareholder point of view. The Apple Company has not been paying dividends to its stockholders, which is one of its greatest weaknesses. The attractiveness of Apple stocks is

The Pros of Capital Punishment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Pros of Capital Punishment - Research Paper Example For instance, capital punishment is virtually outlawed within the European Union. At the same time, it is aggressively defended by various domestic laws in the USA, the People’s Republic of China and even in many Islamic states (Hodgkinson and Rutherford, 1996). That is to say, the practice of capital punishment has a rather haunting history. The modes and processes of such punishment were harsher with more severe consequences on the part of the offenders in comparison to today’s practices of capital punishment. However, this paper is not going to discuss those practices. More particularly, the paper focuses on the relevance of capital punishment in the present day scenario, which is more complicated with regard to taking into consideration the global institutions and laws such as the UN, Amnesty International, and Human Rights. It is important to note that although the prohibition on the application of capital punishment has been relatively well accepted internationally, more than half the population of the world live in countries where it is still practiced. Capital punishment, to some extent, and in an effective way, has certain pros to consider, especially in the context of specific crimes. Although, the international human rights law has already gathered a faster and stronger pace in support of the implication on restricting death penalty under all circumstances. But developed countries like the United States of America still practice capital punishment with the belief that justice is the final word for crime and punishment, especially the heinous ones. The applications of capital punishment are highly controversial. The primary issue over the practice of death penalty includes the debate whether it is the best way to stop crime completely or it is a violation of human rights. As for the statistical records, developed countries like the United States of America practices the use of capital punishment

Characteristic and performance of the video game Industry Essay Example for Free

Characteristic and performance of the video game Industry Essay A detailed analysis of the video games industry, the relationship between the console, the developer and the gamer and the case studies of Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft has conclusively proved the hypothesis that a symbiotic relationship exists in the video games industry between the console, developer and the consumer which impacts on the overall growth and performance of the business and will also have an effect on future trends. A survey of data analysis will reveal that there are excellent prospects for growth of the console video gaming industry despite threats from other areas of the same business such as online and mobile gaming. The details of the research outcome and the salient conclusions and recommendations are as per succeeding paragraphs. The overall growth of video and computer games world wide is likely to grow from $ 27,000 million to approximately $ 54, 000 million or double during a period of three years from 2005 to 2008. The console video games industry is set to grow from $ 15,000 million in 2005 to over $ 20, 000 million in 2008. This is a growth of over 30 percent which is likely to surpass the growth in all other segments of entertainment. This growth is driven by the popularity of console games in general as well as certain technological factors such as development of online console gaming facilitated by upgraded consoles and broadband connections which can facilitate easy transfer of images and videos. Apart from this economic factor, there are other profound changes which will come about in society as predicted by Doug Lowenstein who has indicated that it would transform the total social and cultural thinking in the years ahead. (Conference, 2000). The numerous voices raised against the growth of video games and their influence on children in America has decried the growth of this industry. Such protests and developments will certainly affect the growth of the video industry and it is likely to create more benign games in the future. Of greater concern to social scientists is the inculcation of hyper competition and deviant sexual values in children due to games. (Squire, 2002). This issue is likely to place pressure on the gaming industry to ensure that it follows the norms set by bodies such as the industry content regulator, Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) in America. Another important facet is content creation and retailing online. This mode will develop at much faster pace than at present. This will enable greater participation of gamers and will consolidate the existing relationship between the console, the developer and the gamer. Technology as the MMOG will further boost the growth of the industry as well as the relationship between the stake holders in its growth. Relationship between console, developer and consumer The research has conclusively established a positive relationship between console, developer and consumer. Video gaming is a highly interactive process in that there has been a total shift in the relationship between the producer of goods, the developers of content and those who are partaking off that content, the gamers. This relationship has become of mutual support rather than of give and take. The mediums used for such an interaction have been consciously developed in some cases as Nintendo which started with a special magazine and has now come up with various other actions to support the developer as well as the consumer in providing the company effective inputs for development of games. A similar trend has been observed in the case of Sony and Microsoft. The growth of the internet has further added to the impetus and this will be supplemented by on line gaming which is providing gamers an opportunity to respond actively to their entertainment requirements. The response of all companies has been active in fostering this relationship. The other aspect is the active involvement of console and developers. While all major console producers have in house developers, they are including the information technology behemoth; Microsoft actively seeking the assistance from external developers. Companies have fostered special programs as Game Play Counselors and Digipen to cultivate the loyalty of the developer community along with community participation program called as NSider forum by Nintendo.

Youth Rebellion and Counterculture :: Papers

In both of the books, there are some central themes. Among them are self expression through music and sex. The media also plays a role in both of the books, however much more so in Douglas's. Douglas is more of a activist from within, more of a bystander than is Janis Joplin. Janis, from the start, is a rebel who did not want to be confined by the shackles of society. She was rebellious from high school and continued to be throughout her life. People like Janis, who participated in many movements as well as became a well-known icon, was able to get in touch with the youth. Women looked to Janis, as well as many others, for inspiration. Janis cut through many racial and gender lines with her music and public displays of sexual and individual freedom. Unfortunately, Janis did not live long enough to see the women's movement, in which she played a notable role. In Where the Girls Are, Susan Douglas talks about herself as part of the baby boom generation. From the beginning of the book, she concentrates on the media's role in the female psyche. She begins by describing the fact that her generation was extremely large, and the media knew it. Douglas talks about the media's role in programming young girls to believe that they are "the chosen people," and that they could do anything. They were told that they have opportunities beyond their mother's wildest imaginations. The television, however, sent mixed messages, as the news demonstrated the conflict, inequality, and insecurity in the world. This confused these children because none of this was shown on the shows. Moreover, the shows depicted the women's role as her husband's keeper. Cartoons, particularly Disney cartoons, showed the same types of bias and sexism. In 1961, Jacqueline Kennedy became first lady, and she became an important symbol for the baby boom girls. Douglas, being exposed to all of this media, knew one thing for sure, she didn't want to end up like her mom. In this respect, the media played a huge role in the lives of Douglas as well as millions of other people.

Business Environment of Sri Lanka Telecom Plc Essay

If not for all of them my assignment wouldn’t have been a success. Kevin De Silva Executive Summary This assignment gives an exhaustive analysis focusing mainly on the business environment on one of the most leading companies in the communication industry of Sri Lanka. It is also the national telecommunication service provider of the country, Sri Lanka Telecom PLC. Task one gives an in-depth analysis of what the organization is, on what corner stone’s it is built on, what it is now, and its purpose of existence, based on their norms, beliefs and traditions. Such as their vision, mission, aims, goals, market share and market growth. It also shows the relationship between the organization and its stakeholders, considering the expectations of the stakeholders, and the responsibility the organization has towards them. Task two (part one), explains the market types that are available in the industry, and in which market type SLT operates in. It also shows the demand in the total industry versus the supply of SLT showing how much of the market is being served and satisfied by them. The reasons for their success in being the number one service provider is identified through their level of innovation, technology and research and development, and is also shown how it is linked in operating in the global arena and the global impact of the organization, the markets they are targeting and how they are planning to enter those emerging markets. At the end of these two tasks we will have a very good understanding on the business environment of Sri Lanka Telecom PLC. Task two (part two), with related to the previous tasks have a more generalized approach. It speaks about two main instruments in the economy the monetary and fiscal policy. This is then related to Sri Lanka and United Kingdom by showing the similarities and differences in the execution of these policies. It then shows the effects of these economic policies on the communication industry, by showing how it affects the sales and production. The tax trend of the organization and reasons for the trend are also shown. All these information will be presented briefly and clearly in a single page poster. Task two (part three), is a presentation on the key economic factors of Mexico. The slides of the presentation are attached. California Management Review. 1983. Stockholders and Stakeholders: A new perspective on Corporate Governance. ) Diagram 3 – Categorization of Stakeholders â€Å"We have thus enhanced value with each of our stakeholder segments – shareholders, customers, employees, investors, suppliers, regulatory and other related state authorities, the media, the community and in the larger context, the State. † (Sri Lanka Telecom. 2011. Sustainability Report: 2010. Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka Telecom. ) 3. 2 Employees Employees are those who keep the organization in operation, while expecting salaries and wages in return, along with job security and job satisfaction. They have the power to influence the quality of the service of the organization. SLT has a labour force of 6,297 as of June 2011. (TRCSL. 13/10/2011. Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka: Statistics 2011 June. [Online]. Available: http://www. trc. gov. lk/information/statistics. html. [27/12/2011]. ) 3. 3 Shareholders Shareholders are those who invest in the organization expecting higher dividends. They have the power to elect the directors of the organization. Shareholders of SLT are as follows, * Government of Sri Lanka which holds 52% * Global Telecommunication Holdings N. V. of Netherlands 44. 98% * Public 3. 02% 3. 4 Customers Customers are the key stakeholders of any organization, if not for customers the organization wouldn’t exist. They expect value for money and good services, and they have the power to influence the revenue of the business. SLT’s customer base is over 5. 5million. â€Å"The SLT Group has a customer base of over five and a half million including multinational corporations, large and small corporate, retail and domestic customers† (Sri Lanka Telecom. 2011. Management Report: 2010. Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka Telecom. ) 3. 5 Suppliers Suppliers are those who supply all the raw materials for an organization to function. In the case of SLT it could be electronic equipment and accessories that aid the telecommunication industry. The suppliers influence the quality, price and availability of the products, and they expect prompt payments and long term contracts. Some of the suppliers for SLT are ZTE Corporation China and other suppliers from Thailand. â€Å"†¦. while related team members visited the equipment supplier in Thailand for more in depth skill development† (Sri Lanka Telecom. 2011. Management Report: 2010. Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka Telecom. ) 3. 6 Government Diversify our portfolio of products and services and diversify our business through new innovative business models, sustainable partnerships. (Sri Lanka Telecom. 2011. Management Report: 2010. Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka Telecom. ) 4. 5 Market Share Fixed and Mobile Broadband – Total Market Share Diagram 4 – Total Market Share (Fixed and Mobile Broadband) Fixed Line – Total Market Share Diagram 5 – Total Market Share (Fixed Line) (Sri Lanka Telecom. 2011. Annual Report: 2010,2009,2008,2007,2006. Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka Telecom. ) 4. 6 Growth of Market Share

Interest Groups Essay

They vary considerably in size and ideological perspectives. The strategies and tools employed by interest groups are not static, and they differ depending on the geographical scope of their operations and the resources they have. While many interest groups tend to address a wide range of issues, others deal with distinct issues. The life span of interest groups is also not static. In this case, some groups have long term objectives; hence, they remain active for long duration. For instance, the interest groups that aim at challenging policy issues and politics operate on a long term basis. On the other hand, some groups are usually initiated with an aim of achieving a particular end after which they are dissolved. For example, during elections, many groups usually emerge with an aim of ensuring that the process is handled according to the stipulated guidelines of the electoral process. A representative government is always formulated in manner that facilitates participation of contending interests, and at the same time it tries to mitigate the variance that inexorably accompanies faction competition. In the traditional creation of pluralism, contending interests work together by mobilizing resources and opinions in order to enhance effective formulation and implementation of essential public policies. â€Å"Institutions are formed to accommodate the inevitability of diverse and competing interest from becoming powerful enough to undermine the rights of others† (Wilson, 2009). This process is governed by constitutional provisions, which stipulate the nature of interest groups’ activities. Therefore, many interest groups that work together tend to stabilize political environment, and this enables them to forward their interests to the government. â€Å"This implies that the pluralist vision of politics is an ideal vision of interest group politics and political institutions† (Barber, 1990). The activities conducted by various interest groups can be used to differentiate them. For instance, some of them endeavor to address several public issues, while others have a narrow scope of private interests. There are two distinct types of interest groups, and they can be described as follows. First, we have public interest groups, and they aim at working on issues that benefit the general public. For instance, they support policies that provide equal opportunities that can be enjoyed by everyone in the society. However, the success of public interest groups may not be very substantial at an individual level since they aim at reaching out to many people. â€Å"Some of the major public interest groups in his category are National Taxpayer’s Union and Concerned Women for America† (Orman, 1988). The second category is referred to as private interest groups. These are groups which endeavor to challenge public policies in order to specifically benefit their members or individuals that support their interests. Nonetheless, the objectives and activities of private interests groups should not interfere with the welfare of other individuals. Political self interest is perceived to b e healthy for a political system. In the USA, there is a popular belief that contending interests make the society more successful. This is because bad policies are always eliminated when various groups compete against each other â€Å"Other examples of interest groups include business organizations labor unions, Professional associations, and Non Governmental Organizations† (Grossman, 2002). The Relationship between Interest Groups and Political Parties There is no great disparity between political parties and various interest groups, because they are both composed of individuals having common objectives and opinions. Apart from this, â€Å"they are similar in the sense that they both seek to challenge government institutions, elections, and they all make public policy choices† (Brunell, 2005). Nonetheless, there are significant variations between these two bodies. Generally, interest groups never directly support their own members to contest for public office, especially in a case where economic parameter is concerned. In most cases, interest groups never adopt overt party labels, which electors use to identify and express their political affiliations (Dulilio & Wilson, 2011). However, some electors may link particular interest groups with specific parties in a general manner. For example, the Tea Party is often linked with the Republicans and the white conservatives. In the recent past, public interest groups that are ideologically driven have increased considerably (King, 2011). For instance, a there are some groups which have pushed the tax agenda in political circles. Another distinguishing factor is that interest groups have a limited focus, and they only handle specific issues of concern in the public policy. For example, â€Å"interest groups form around specific concerns like environment, free speech, tax reform, and labor standards† (Petracca, 1992). In contrast to this, political parties tend to focus on several issues. Moreover, political parties try to merge some of these facades under one â€Å"big umbrella†. In some circumstances, interest groups seriously struggle against political parties. For instance, some internal rivalries have been witnessed in key political parties that operate in Texas. When elections were conducted in 2000, several environmentalists who were members of the Texas Democratic Party massively supported Ralph Nader, the Green Party candidate, since they felt that Al Gore was less committed toward environmental issues. They labeled him â€Å"not green enough†. On the other hand, some Republicans have tried to make the party conservative by working against some of their Republican colleagues. This indicates that the interest groups tend to favor parties and politicians that support their interests, and they ignore those who are less committed in helping them. Interest groups always aim at maximizing policies, while political parties are usually trying to obtain many Congress seats. These competing interests influence the manner political parties relate with the interest groups. According Thomas Brunell, â€Å"interest groups have a preference as which party controls a majority of seats in Congress, which leads them to direct â€Å"sincere† and electorally useful money to this party† (Hay, 2001) When interest groups offer funds to the â€Å"other† party, they always fund it in a manner that is less effective. Interest groups usually execute this goal by offering strategic funds to this party as follows: provide little financial support particularly to the popular candidates who do not necessarily have to be funded in order to succeed in the elections. They can also choose to fund incumbent candidates who already have political clout. Therefore, even if these groups offer funds to these parties, they always do it in a biased manner, and they favor only the parties that are likely to push forward their interests. These funds enable their preferred candidates to run their campaigns smoothly without experiencing financial hitches. Apart from offering finances, interest groups also provide key information that enables their favorite candidates to be more competitive than other contenders. They also sensitize their preferred candidates on issues that always influence election outcomes. All these services are organized by interest groups with an aim of fulfilling their common objective of influencing election results and policies. The fact that these institutions have a relationship is therefore undeniable. These groups often forge close ties and pursue similar objectives in order to enhance their political clout. Nonetheless, they remain independent, and their nature of operation and design also remain different. â€Å"The space for action, speech and flexibility that is maintained in politics makes them much more political than interest groups† (Grossman, 2002). How Interest Groups Try to Influence the President and the Congress? Although interest groups do not directly have elected members in political offices, they do aim at fixing their members into appointed positions. They normally do this to enable them perform their state functions through mechanisms that support the desired policies of the interests groups that facilitated their appointments. The fact that â€Å"groups† operate as political players has always been recognized and examined, even if not properly understood. The manipulation of legislative processes by groups is a question that has not yet been answered, and it is still being begged. Between the period of the 1970 and 1980s, some â€Å"explosions† were witnessed in Washington, and researchers have wanted to clearly understand them. As many groups emerged in Washington, many people joined them, and the groups increasingly funded parties. The citizens at the same time criticized the roles of interest groups and joined them in large numbers probably to suppress the powerful corporate groups. The role of groups in policy issues seemed to have taken a new dimension, and everyone was keen to see how it happened. Therefore, it can be argued that group manipulation of the Congress can be identified by simply examining the development of legislation that a group is favoring. For instance, a group’s ineffectiveness in legislative process can be measured through its failure to intercept unpopular bills. In general, â€Å"interest group activities predict, at least in part, how far bills will progress through the legislative process† (Brunell, 2005). The term influence as applied in this context is quite narrow from the perspective of interest groups, and it is broad from a congressional perspective. Interest groups perceive influence as a process that should produce good policies or prevent undesirable policies from being adopted. However, a group does not have to obtain policies from the Congress that directly indicate their actual desires; rather a group’s influence is seen when the Congress makes or discards a policy, which is in line with the interests of a group. From a congressional perspective, influence emerging from interest groups can come in several ways. Interest groups are often said to have manipulated the Congress when its members are compelled or encouraged to change the course or provisions of a given bill in order to meet the demands of the interest groups. This influence might come in the form of a change of wording, a passage from a subcommittee, and not passing from a standing committee† (Orman, 1988). In this process, interest groups may lead to the change of legislation, and the president may not have the capacity to reverse the whole process of legislation, even if he does not like the content of the bill. On the other hand, the president can also manipulate the Congress by working closely with the interest groups. As discussed above, the law making process can be indirectly manipulated through elections. For instance, an incumbent President may pass some bills in favor of some groups so that he may get some support from them during the next elections. Besides this, interest groups may support pliable candidates whom they can easily manipulate during the law making processes. This symbiotic relationship between the interest groups and the politicians to some extent affect the capacity of both the president and the Congress to formulate effective laws. Politics in America has become complicated to many politicians. This is because interest groups have managed to seriously entrench themselves in politics and much of their attention has been geared towards influencing the White House. â€Å"Since the American President has come to play an increasingly important role in the public policy process, interest groups and their lobbyists now descend on the presidency with the same vigor as they descend on the congress† (Orman, 1988). In this context, the president is faced with the challenge of fulfilling the needs of the ordinary citizens and the interest groups. Interest groups have faced much criticism especially when it comes to policy issues. Its critics contend that most of the policy issues dealt with by interests groups have no connection to the desires of the public. The leaders of these groups have also been blamed for being dishonest because they always fail to fulfill the demands of their members. The weaknesses of the interests groups have been seen as one of the factors interfering with democracy in the USA. It has also been noted with a lot of concern that some political candidates have been seriously intimidated by some interest groups, and this further affects the reputation of the interest groups. Conclusion  The above discussion indicates that the American government is guided various institutions, which work together with an aim of building a more democratic society. The interest groups have been instrumental in addressing the plight of the public by ensuring that policy issues are handled properly. The effectiveness of the government has also been enhanced by the numerous contending interests. The American government has been able to adopt better policies due to the serious competition that exists among various institutions. These groups have played a fundamental role of widening the democratic space in America. The American government has been influenced by several groups over the years to an extent that some individuals refer to it as â€Å"a world of interest groups†. The interest groups should, therefore remain committed towards enhancing democracy and good governance. And I think those groups have same mission, it’s to make the government do something right like that should be. for example, national education thinks that the system of lesson in ur country have to be changed because it is not effective, so the collect the data to support their argument, and send it to government, and hope it will influence the policy.

How Will the Promotion of Justice and Democracy in the Unite essays

How Will the Promotion of Justice and Democracy in the Unite essays United States, What does that mean to you? To a lot of people, it means opportunity, liberty and freedom, and a place where everyone is treated equally regardless of background. To me, United States means a place full of ideals where few are actually put into place. The United States has a lot of potential to be the fairest nation, where everyone has equal opportunity and everyone is treated fairly and equally. But it seems that everyone is more concerned with themselves and how they can benefit, not about everyone else and how everyone can benefit. I think it would take a liberal democratic standpoint to make the United States become what most people actually view it as. Liberal Democracy is used to describe Western democratic political systems, such as the United States, Britain, Canada and other nations. It refers to political systems in which there are attempts to defend and increase civil liberties against the encroachment of governments and powerful forces in society, restrict or regulate government intervention in economic and moral matters affecting the citizenry, increase the scope for political and intellectual freedom of citizens, question the demands made by vested interest groups seeking special privileges, develop a society open to talent and which rewards citizens on merit rather than on rank or status, frame rules that maximize the well-being of all or most citizens. The United States does try to practice a Liberal democratic political system but it does on a small level. I feel that the United States, while claiming to practice Liberal democracy, seems to forget about everyone thats not a wealthy Caucasian male. Yes, the U.S does h ave several programs to help aid the minorities and the less fortunate, but I dont think these programs help these people become even close to what the wealthy Caucasian male is. If the United States was to reform a few of their ideas, programs, and ways, that would make the ...

The Complete AP Biology Review Guide for 2019

The Complete AP Biology Review Guide for 2019 SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Reviewing for the AP Biology exam can seem daunting. There's so much material to cover, and much of it is highly complex. However, if you plan your time well and use appropriate study materials and strategies, you can expect a great score on the exam. In this article, I'll give you an overview of what the AP Biology exam is like, what you need to know to ace it, and how you can use your study time effectively before the exam on Monday, May 14, 2018 at 8 am! What's the Format of the AP Biology Exam? The AP Biology Exam is a long test, three hours long to be exact. Like other AP tests, it has two parts, a multiple-choice section and a free-response section (each of which is worth 50 percent of your score), although these sections are divided further into different types of questions. The multiple choice section has 63 actual multiple-choice questions and six grid-in questions, which are essentially short-answer math problems. This section is one hour and 30 minutes total. Each multiple choice question has four choices, down from five in earlier versions of the exam. Even though you technically have more than a minute for each question, I would recommend keeping your time under a minute per multiple-choice question on your first pass through the section. You should also take into account the fact that the grid-in questions may be more time-consuming. There is no guessing penalty, so you should answer every question even if you have no idea which choice is correct (after you've tried to figure it out of course!). The free-response section has eight questions total: six short-response questions and two long-response questions. This section takes up the remaining hour and thirty minutes of time. There is a 10 minute reading period at the beginning of the free response section. You'll need to pace yourself wisely on this section as well. Try to spend no more than five minutes on each short free-response question. Even though they technically come after the long questions, I'd recommend doing the short questions first to get yourself warmed up. If you manage your time well, you'll have at least 20-25 minutes left for each of the long free-response questions. Here's a chart showing the format of the exam. Multiple-Choice Section Free-Response Section Length 90 minutes 90 minutes Number of Questions 63 multiple choice 6 grid-in 6 short response 2 long response Percentage of Total Score 50% 50% The AP Biology exam is a marathon, not a sprint. If it helps, during the test you can think about how lucky you are to be taking a test and not running an actual marathon. What Do Questions Look Like on the AP Biology Exam? Here's an example of a multiple-choice question you might see on the AP Biology exam: You don't necessarily need lots of in-depth biology knowledge to answer this. The answer is A because the total volume of gas wouldn't change (and oxygen consumption would be unmeasurable) unless the carbon dioxide produced by the organisms was removed from the environment. You can see this from the information contained in the question. This question is part of a group of three questions that pertain to the experiment and data chart. You'll see many question clusters like this in the multiple-choice section. Here's an example of a grid-in question: The grid-ins are usually straightforward math problems that relate to biological concepts (the answer to this question is 60). Note that you are allowed to use a calculator on the exam, and you'll get a list of formulas that pertain to the course along with your testing materials. Here's an example of a short free-response question from the 2013 exam: This question requires an understanding of how evolution shapes the formation of new species (one of the "Big Ideas" of AP biology, which I'll talk about in the next section). To get the correct answer, you have to know the facts about evolution, but you also need to be able to apply that knowledge to make inferences about this specific scenario. This is why a deeper understanding of the main topics in AP Biology is so critical- the difference between knowing the facts about something and comprehending how it works can be surprisingly large. Here's an example of a long free-response question: This question is also heavier on analysis than straight up biology knowledge. You need to be able to read and understand the graphs and table so you can use them to inform your answer to the question. Once again, an understanding of evolution and the ability to apply that knowledge to a specific scenario is critical. What Topics Does the AP Biology Exam Cover? The College Board says in its Course Description that AP Biology has changed its focus from the more memorization-based curriculum that defined the course and exam in the past. The goal is for students to gain a deeper conceptual understanding of topics in biology. Reasoning skills and knowledge of the process of scientific inquiry are more important on the current AP Biology test than they have been before. The College Board has tried to structure the exam so that content knowledge and reasoning skills are intertwined. This can be both good and bad: the good is that you won't necessarily have to memorize as many little tidbits of information, the bad is that it can be harder to study for a test like this that covers more abstract forms of knowledge. More on how to manage this in the "How to Review" section! The exam and curriculum as a whole will be centered around your understanding of these four "Big Ideas," which each cover a bunch of different topics. Your success on the exam rests on being able to connect specific concepts with the overarching Big Ideas that define the course. Big Idea 1: The process of evolution drives the diversity and unity of life Includes: Natural selection Hardy-Weinberg Biodiversity and categorization of organisms Charles Darwin married his first cousin. You'd think he would know better. Big Idea 2: Biological systems utilize free energy and molecular building blocks to grow, to reproduce and to maintain dynamic homeostasis Includes: Molecular biology Biological systems and reactions Photosynthesis Cellular respiration Cell structure Cell membrane properties (diffusion and osmosis, proteins) Thermodynamics/homeostasis Immune response Photosynthesis is way more elegant than eating. Then again, flowers will never taste ice cream, so I kinda feel sorry for them. Big Idea 3: Living systems store, receive, transmit and respond to information essential to life processes Includes: Genes and gene mutations DNA/RNA Cell cycle (mitosis, meiosis) and cell communication Mendel and laws of inheritance Viruses Endocrine system Nervous system Deoxyribonucleic acid: It's DNAmazing!â„ ¢ Big Idea 4: Biological systems interact, and these systems and their interactions possess complex properties Includes: Enzymes Plant structure and systems Circulatory system Digestive system Musculoskeletal system Ecological principles Fun digestive system fact: If you eat a watermelon seed, a watermelon will grow inside your stomach. The ideal climate for watermelon growth is 96 degrees and highly acidic. Apart from background knowledge of this content, it's also important to understand your labs and the basic underlying principles that govern scientific experiments. If you know the ins and outs of experimental design, you'll earn a lot of points on the exam. I recommend the CliffsNotes AP Biology 4th Edition review book as a helpful resource for going over labs, but you should also look back at what you did in your class. I'll provide more details on this in the next few sections. Important Lab Topics Include: Artificial Selection Modeling Evolution Comparing DNA Sequences Diffusion and Osmosis Photosynthesis Cellular Respiration Mitosis and Meiosis Bacterial Transformation Restriction Enzyme Analysis of DNA Energy Dynamics Transpiration Animal Behavior Enzyme Catalysis Microscopes show us that the world around us is far creepier and grosser than we ever imagined. AP Biology Review Preview: Important Tips to Keep in Mind In this section, I'll give you some preliminary study tips that will help you get the most out of your AP Biology review time. Tip 1: Plan Out Your Time First of all, you should think about how much time you have left before the AP test. This will affect the structure of your study plan. If you're taking other AP classes or have a lot of commitments in general, you might want to start earlier depending on your confidence with the material. Consider your schedule and the time you're willing to spend on AP Biology. Since there's so much content in this course, I think 20 hours of studying is a reasonable goal. However, if you find that you're already scoring at a high level (a high 4 or anywhere in the 5 range), you might aim for just 10 hours or so. You should balance your time relatively evenly between studying the material and taking practice tests. In AP Biology, you might benefit from devoting a bit more time to practice testing. Since the test is now more targeted towards assessing analytical skills, practicing real AP questions may help you more than memorizing content (although both are still important!). I'll give you more information about how to use practice tests and review materials effectively in the next few sections. Tip 2: Use Appropriate Review Materials The importance of using the right review materials can't be overstated, especially in the case of AP Biology. With the recent changes to the test, it's critical that you don't use old study materials and assume they will give you all the tools you need to succeed in the new format. From reading student feedback on many AP Biology review books, it seems like some prep companies have struggled to adapt their practice questions and review methods to this version of the test. However, there are still resources out there that can help you. Review books that people found most useful include CliffsNotes AP Biology 5th Edition for content review and Sterling AP Biology Practice Questions for practice questions that will give you a good sense of what the new test is like. Pearson's Preparing for the AP Biology Exam book also has some good reviews and may be a nice source of practice free response questions. Strangely enough, the most popular prep companies, like Princeton Review and Barron's, have been less successful in updating their review materials to match the new test. If you get their review books, you should supplement them with practice questions from other sources. Avoid using practice questions that come from exams before the 2013 test, when the changes were implemented. You might still be able to use them to refresh your memory on certain topics, but they won't really prepare you for the more analytical framework of questions on the current test. Tip 3: Memorization Isn't Enough Even though AP Biology still involves a fair amount of memorization, you shouldn't focus exclusively on content knowledge and assume you'll do great on the test. Questions will test your critical thinking skills and logical reasoning abilities along with your knowledge of biology. That's why it's so important to spend a significant amount of time doing practice questions in addition to content review. Don't let the test surprise you! Tip 4: Don't Forget About Labs Revisiting old labs is not super fun (well, it wasn't for me), so you might be tempted to ignore them and just focus on studying content outside of the lab context. Try to avoid this temptation! Go through your labs, and make sure you understand their methodologies and the reasoning behind the results. Understanding the scientific method and the components of a good experiment is absolutely key on the AP Bio exam. The more lab review you do, the more comfortable you'll feel during the test. Remember the lab where you melted down entire trees into a mysterious green serum? No? Well then, you better get studying! How to Review for the AP Biology Exam When you're studying for the exam, follow the five steps below to make sure your AP Bio review is as effective as possible. Step 1: Take a Diagnostic Test The first step of your AP Biology review is to take a practice exam so you can see how much you'll need to study (and which areas need the most work). You should take your first complete practice test no later than the beginning of your second semester. You can use a practice exam from a review book or search online for a practice test. The review books I mentioned in the previous section have some good materials. When you take a practice test, make sure it's the new version of the exam. If you see practice tests that have 100 multiple choice questions in the first section, you're looking at an old version of the AP Biology Exam. You won't be able to rely on your scores on this version to get a clear picture of where you fall on the new test. Step 2: Calculate Your Score and Set a New Goal Once you've taken a diagnostic test, you can calculate your score on the 1-5 AP scale. According to the CliffsNotes review book that I mentioned above, you can calculate your score using the following method: Multiply the number of questions you answered correctly in section 1 (multiple choice and grid-in) by 0.725 Multiply the number of points you earned in section 2 by 1.25 Add those two numbers together to get your raw score Then convert the raw score to an AP score: Raw Composite Score AP Score 60-100 5 50-59 4 41-49 3 33-40 2 0-32 1 For example, if you got 42 questions correct on the multiple choice/grid-in section and earned 25 points on the free response section, your raw score would be (42*.725) + (25*1.25) = 61.7 = just barely made it into the 5 category! This is without taking the curve into account, which is different every year, but it should give you a rough idea of where you stand. Unless you're scoring a really high 5 (90+), you should still put in a bit of study time to make sure you're fully prepared. If you score low (a 1 or a 2), you might make it your goal to raise your score to a 3. Just keep in mind that some schools don't accept 3s for college credit, so you may want to aim higher after you make it to this first milestone. Most colleges consider a 4 to be the standard cutoff for AP credit, so you should try for at least a 4 if you're hoping to get a head start in college. Once you're consistently scoring in the 3 range, you can set a 4 or 5 as your goal. Even if you're already at the 4 or 5 level, you probably still have some room to improve. It's nice to get in some extra practice so that you feel very comfortable on the real test. Depending on how much you need to improve and how long you want to spread out your studying, you might come up with different plans. To improve by one AP score point, you can get away with studying only two months or so in advance. If you're hoping to improve by 2 or more AP score points, you should try to start midway through the school year if you want to avoid cramming. Confidence is key. If you need to wear a business suit to the test to make yourself feel in control, go for it (I am not responsible for the relentless mocking you will endure from your peers). Step 3: Analyze Your Mistakes This is the most critical part of the review process, and it's particularly important for AP Biology. There's a lot of material to learn, and you don't want to waste time going over concepts that you already have down. Comb through your mistakes on the diagnostic test to see where the most errors happened and why. Did your problems center more around lack of knowledge of background information or difficulty analyzing the scenarios presented to you on the test (you knew the information, but you couldn't get the question because it confused you)? You will most likely have a little of each type of problem, but if one is more prevalent than the other, you should take that into account for your studying strategy. For example, it wouldn't be a good idea to keep drilling yourself on basic content knowledge if most of your mistakes came in the form of misinterpreting complex questions or reading diagrams incorrectly. You would want to devote less of your time to reviewing biological terms and more of your time to doing real practice questions. Even in those cases, you'll probably still have at least a few issues with content knowledge. As you go through your mistakes, keep a running list of the ideas you need to revisit in your notes or review book. If you're caught off guard by your unfamiliarity with a certain topic, you should pay special attention to that topic in your studying. You may also notice mistakes due to carelessness or time pressure that aren't directly related to your knowledge of the material or understanding of the question. In this case, you'll need to think about revising your basic test-taking strategies. In the next step, I'll go into more detail on this. Do some practice test detective work! I think this is a detective. Either that or a random guy smoking a pipe and trying to figure out how bad the pimple on his nose looks. Step 4: Fix Your Mistakes There are a few things you can do to revise your strategies for taking the exam and effectively review concepts that you didn't understand. The obvious first step is to go back into your textbook, your notes, or a reliable review book (or even all three!) and brush up on the information you forgot. Sometimes for biology, this is a little overwhelming because of the complexity of the material. If you're trying to understand systems or processes, I'd recommend testing yourself by drawing diagrams of how they work. This will allow you to make connections between dry facts presented in the text and the biological reality of what's happening in the system. It will help you not only in your content knowledge but also in your ability to analyze related scenarios on the test. You can use this strategy for many concepts in AP Biology, and it will make them much simpler to understand. To correct your other mistakes that have more to do with question comprehension, you'll need to focus on doing similar practice questions. I'd recommend getting this book of Sterling AP Biology Practice Questions for some questions that are organized logically by topic area and well-aligned with the new exam format. More practice is also a good remedy for careless errors and time management problems. You can learn how to better identify the key parts of each question and avoid distractions that might throw you off. Underlining the most important parts of the question can be a good strategy if you're prone to careless errors. If time management is a problem, put some thought into why you ran out of time. Did you linger for too long on difficult questions? Remember, it's a smart idea to skip questions that are giving you a lot of trouble (not answerable within a minute) and come back to them later once you've gotten through the whole section. Practice makes perfect. Maybe you can compose an AP Biology song to help you remember stuff. "Now enzymes....BREAK IT DOWN!" Step 5: Take Another Test and Repeat Previous Steps Now that you've analyzed and fixed your mistakes on the diagnostic test and done some more targeted studying, it's time to take another practice test. Score the new test, then repeat steps 3 and 4. You should notice improvements as you continue to repeat this process and gain familiarity with the format and content of the test. If you don't notice positive changes from one test to the next, it may be time to reevaluate your review techniques. Depending on how early you start studying and how much you want to improve, you might go through these steps once, twice, or seven times. You can continue the process until you achieve your score goals or run out of study time! Conclusion The AP Biology test is a long exam, and it covers a wide range of material. Recently, the test was updated to focus less on information recall and more on analytical thinking, which can be good and bad. You won't have to rely on memorization as much, but your score will be highly dependent on your ability to think through complicated scenarios that are presented on the test. In your AP Biology review, you should still go over all of the information you learned in the course. However, you should also devote a significant amount of your time to practice testing so that you can learn to think the way the test wants you to think. If you plan your study time wisely and learn how to solve the types of questions that are most difficult for you, you'll be on your way to a great score! What's Next? Ready to jump into reviewing biology concepts? We have guides to help you review cell theory, enzymes, and homologous and analogous structures, as well as quick looks at parts of the cell (cell membrane and endoplasmic reticulum) and the photosynthesis equation. Wondering exactly how much time you have before your AP tests? Here are the AP test dates and times for 2020. If you're in AP Biology, you should consider taking the Biology SAT Subject Test as well. Find out the difference between AP tests and SAT Subject Tests and which are more important for college. Considering an AP Calculus course? Read this article for some guidance on deciding whether you should take AP Calculus AB or BC. 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:

Compare the Funerary Mask of Tutankhamen and that of Lord Pakal Essay

Compare the Funerary Mask of Tutankhamen and that of Lord Pakal - Essay Example The mask depicts a face of a young and good-looking man. It has been acknowledged that the mask has little to do with actual facial expressions of the king (Renfrew 164). It is a perfect mask of a perfect face. This perfection is achieved through proportionality and, of course, materials used. The eyes are highlighted with the help of lapis lazuli and there are two symbols of the king’s power (cobra and vulture) on the mask. Admittedly, the mask reveals the power, wealth and glory of the king. More importantly, the mask stands for the divine nature of the pharaoh. According to Ancient Egyptians’ beliefs, pharaohs stopped their earthly existence and turned into gods. Gold was the symbol of this transformation. Therefore, after his death, Tutankhamen was no longer a mortal but became a god and the mask depicted the divine features of the deceased. The major purpose of the mask was to stress the divine nature of the diseased or rather his transformation into a deity. As far as Lord Pakal is concerned, he was buried in 683 CE (Carrasco 113). Unlike Tutankhamen’s funeral mask, Lord Pakal’s funerary mask is not made of gold. It is primarily made of jade with the use of albite, conch shell, veined quartz, stucco and obsidian. The mask is a mosaic of perfectly fitted stones. Just like the mask of the Egyptian king, the mask of Lord Pakal can be regarded as quite a schematic representation of the great warrior’s face. More so, the prolonged nose (that starts on the forehead) can hardly be a facial feature of the Mayan king. Again, the mask is not aimed at depicting the actual man but rather the king who transformed into a deity after his death. Precious materials are used to reveal the divine nature of the king. More so, the mask was a symbol of transition from life to death and back as it was a symbol of eternity (Sharer 453). Notably, the elaborate mosaic could also embody another important belief of the Mayas. The people of Mesopotamia believed in

The Features Of Immigration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Features Of Immigration - Essay Example Legalization of the permits held by American immigrants would increase their wages. This has a multiplier effect on the entire economy and would result in an overall increase in the gross domestic product (GDP) by over 1.5 trillion dollars over the next decade. These increased amounts would result in greater employment levels, greater demand, exports, and output. Overall it would translate to better living standards for all the American people. On the other hand, mass deportations as proposed by some people would result in a decrease in the gross domestic product (GDP) by almost double this figure. This translates to about 2.05 trillion dollars over one decade. The difference between the two scenarios is over 3.5 trillion dollars. This clearly shows that immigrants positively benefit the American economy. Fighting an economic reality is not only a difficult endeavor, but it is also an endeavor whose chances of success are very slim. Americans are trying to fight an economic crisis oc casioned by mismanagement of their economy. The economy was brought to its knees through a misdirection of tax funds and a poor regulatory environment. Money that should be used at home in supporting new investments to increase employment is instead directed to wars that are not beneficial to the American people. The financial sector that triggered the collapse of the economy had prospered for many years under insufficient laws and regulations. In short, the prosperity was just a bubble that would eventually burst sooner or later. Rather than blame our problems on immigrants, it would be better to focus on the real issues. Such an approach will help us move forward and avoid similar problems in future. The truth is that immigrants do not violently rob Americans of their jobs. Rather than resort to empty rhetoric about their being in America and how it equals to fewer jobs for Americans, the question should be why they are in employment in the first place and not the Americans. As the poem So Mexicans Are Taking Jobs from Americans puts it, â€Å"Do they come on horses with rifles, and say, Ese gringo, gimmee