Qilinâ€The Chinese Unicorn

Qilin- The Chinese Unicorn The qilin or Chinese unicorn is a mythical beast that symbolizes good luck and prosperity. According to tradition in China, Korea, and Japan, a qilin would appear to signal the birth or death of a particularly benevolent ruler or sage scholar. Because of its association with good luck, and its peaceful, vegetarian nature, the qilin is sometimes called the Chinese unicorn in the western world, but it does not particularly resemble a horned horse. In fact, the qilin has been depicted in a number of different ways over the centuries. Some descriptions state that it has a single horn in the middle of its forehead- hence the unicorn comparison. However, it may also have the head of a dragon, the body of a tiger or a deer, and an oxs tail. The qilin is sometimes covered with scales like a fish; at other times, it has flames all over its body. In some tales, it can also spout flames from its mouth to incinerate evil people. The qilin is generally a peaceful creature, however. In fact, when it walks it steps so lightly that it doesnt even bend down the grass. It can also walk across the waters surface. History of the Qilin   The qilin first appeared in the historical record with the Zuo Zhuan, or Chronicle of Zuo, which describes events in China from 722 to 468 BCE. According to these records, the first Chinese writing system was transcribed around 3000 BCE from the markings on a qilins back. A qilin is supposed to have heralded the birth of Confucius, c. 552 BCE. The founder of Koreas Goguryeo Kingdom, King Dongmyeong (r. 37-19 BCE), rode a qilin like a horse, according to legend. Much later, during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), we have solid historical evidence of at least two qilin showing up in China in 1413. Actually, they were giraffes from the coast of Somalia; the great admiral Zheng He brought them back to Beijing after his fourth voyage (1413-14). The giraffes were immediately proclaimed to be qilin. The Yongle Emperor was naturally extremely pleased to have the symbol of wise leadership show up during his reign, courtesy of the Treasure Fleet. Although traditional depictions of the qilin had a much shorter neck than any giraffes, the association between the two animals remains strong to this day. In both Korea and Japan, the term for giraffe is kirin, or qilin. Across East Asia, the qilin is one of the four noble animals, along with the dragon, the phoenix, and the tortoise. Individual qilin are said to live for 2000 years and can bring babies to deserving parents much in the manner of storks in Europe. Pronunciation: chee-lihn

Master Networking for Introverts with this 4-Step Guide

Master Networking for Introverts with this 4-Step Guide You know how important networking is for your career- any career. Trouble is, you absolutely loathe it. Big crowds of people, mingling, small talk, sales pitches†¦ the whole idea makes you queasy. Can’t you just stalk people on LinkedIn from the comfort of your couch and sweatpants and call it square? Unfortunately, networking is too crucial to avoid. But there are four things you can do, even as the most introverted introvert in all of introversion, to put a smile on your face, pull up your grown-up underpants, and start schmoozing.1. Say yesNetworking event? Cocktail hour invite? DELETE. IGNORE. RUN AWAY. Right? Wrong. Remember how important it is to make connections in the business world. Try saying yes to every other invite you receive. Or every three. The more you go to, the easier they’ll get. Remember: it’s good for your career.2. Acknowledge the awfulYou’re probably still going to hate it. Changing your attitude- and your R.S.V.P.- won’ t make that big of a difference in your actual enjoyment of these events. But knowledge is power. If you prepare yourself to be a little uncomfortable, a little ill at ease, but to grin and bear it and know that it won’t go on forever, you’ll have a better time.3. Prepare a survival kitLike an uncomfortable actor fiddling with a prop, make yourself a tool kit. Have a nice briefcase you can use as a shield. Fill it with copies of your resume, business cards, pens, Rescue Remedy, breath mints, a book. You’ll be the go-to savior if anyone should need a writing implement. And you can always busy yourself with the contents of your bag when things get awkward and you have to retreat into a corner. Plus, you’ll be prepared for anything and never once caught with your pants down (read: without a resume or business card to give someone when asked).4. Reward yourselfEven in the best of circumstances, networking events can take a lot of energy. Plan to give yourself a buffer of some quality alone time before and after the event. Reward yourself with a Netflix marathon and a box of mac and cheese. Put your phone on silent and enjoy the peace and quiet.Remember, when in doubt (or terror, or discomfort) you can always hide out at the snack table or the bar. Who knows, you might even run into a fellow introvert and have a pleasurable conversation.

Realist and Neo-Realist International Relations Essay

Realist and Neo-Realist International Relations - Essay Example The state, for Realism, is a power-maximizer in a self-help environment where no one can be trusted and violence is endemic. Non-Realist IR theory is invariably also anti-Realist. It never ignores Realism, but always incorporates a critique of that paradigm to position itself intellectually. This is because Realism is about the state. Since we cannot evade the state, which is everywhere and all around us and the centre-piece of our political cosmology, neither can IR theory evade Realism. Empirical "tests" may show that certain events in the world are (not in) consistent with the hard core of a realist research program. But that does not provide support in any strong sense of that term for choosing realism over some competing paradigm. Many events that are explained by one realist theory are also inconsistent with at least one other no less authentic realist theory. For instance, if balancing and bandwagoning exhaust the possible aligning bahaviours of states, as Waltz (1979) suggests they do, and if good realist theories predict each, as they do, then any piece of evidence simultaneously confirm and contradicts "realism". Labs provide an extreme example of the perspective when he presents offensive (rather than defensive) realism as "the best realist theory available to go forward and do battle with competing approaches to international relations" (1997, p. 48). Neither, however, will get realist very far in such a battle. Sovereignty is the primary concept of realism. It is taken as given that states enjoy unchallenged jurisdiction within their own boundaries. Realists make little attempt to theorize the impact a state's relationship with its civil society has upon its relations with other states. Waltz expresses this simplistic view when he writes that 'students of international politics will do well to concentrate on separate theories of internal and external politics until someone figures out a way to unite them (Rosenberg 1994, p. 5). Waltz is able to argue this because of his view of how the states sys operates. Waltz (1979) rejects explanations of international conflict which stress flaws in human nature. Rather it is the structure of the international system that creates tension between states: in the absence of a higher authority, states compete with each other to ensure their security. This may trigger an arms race, perhaps leading to full-scale war. This structure will determine a state's fo reign policy, regardless of its internal political arrangements or the nature of the dominant belief system within civil society. The strength of realism is that it highlights the irrationalities that underpin the login of a world divided into states. The conflicts between states, which are well documented by history, and which often transcend apparent commonalities of 'race' or ideology, present compelling evidence in support of the realist argument. It is increasingly clear, however, the realism's assumptions are inadequate to the task of explaining the nature of contemporary world politics. The problems of mainstream international relations theory lie mainly in its understanding of state sovereignty and security. Realists and non-realists are tuned to account for different dimensions of international relations. As realist theories are especially well-suited to explain certain

Disaster Plan Assignment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Disaster Plan Assignment - Research Paper Example The stress test examines the stability of the system on while handling many simultaneous functions and processes. Stress testing is far beyond normal operations as it can be categorized in to application stress testing and hardware stress testing. The strict security measures, both in terms of physical and software security. Biometric identification system and encryption techniques can be implemented to minimize database security. Moreover, the third step would be to replicate the core services that are running on a specific server or workstation. This will facilitate the employees to entertain the patients, whenever a primary server goes down. Plans and Changes In order to minimize system failure for future, risk analysis is required that will identify all the critical systems on the network. It will also demonstrate the factors that may disrupt the critical system on the network. Moreover, it also includes the implementation of adequate controls in order to prevent system failures. Daily backups are required on daily basis and a mechanism is required that will check the integrity of the backup at the same time, if the backup is corrupt, new backup can be requested at the same time. It is essential to prevent the backup database also by applying adequate security measures, as database contents are highly classified. In case of a natural disaster, data must be relocated on a separate data center situated far away geographically. Furthermore, to eliminate power issues, ‘PoE’ can be implemented to minimize electric outage as it contains its own separate electric channel for the workstation and network devices. Root Cause Analysis The major impact that contributed to the system failure problem is the instability of Tech Med system as well as the application that creates database backup. However, primary source of power was restored instantly and replaced by the secondary link. The impact of Tech Med system resulted in halting all the operations associ ated with Jones Regional Medical Center (JRMC). Moreover, the impact of corrupt database backup resulted in a major halt in system operations of the medical center. Manual entries were conducted, as full database recovery is required from journal articles to transactions. Likewise, when the system is not operational, the staff at the medical center has noted all the operational processes manually so that they can be entered, when the system becomes operational. Disaster Recovery Plan The disaster recovery plan covering all the issues and counter measures is demonstrated below (Sandhu, 2002): Threats Counter Measures Power Failure Alternate power distribution link Database Failure Backing up data on 3 different locations at the same time by disk mirroring, ciphering, DLT or manual backup on daily basis. System Failure Alternate system to replace the affected system Theft Lock Cabinets IP cameras, biometric fingerprint identification, Vandalism Hard steel box for Servers and Databases Flood Relocating or replicating the network room Create a duplicate or replica of crucial data servers that are geographically located away Fire water sprinklers, Fire extinguishers Earthquake Relocating data with data centers that are geographically located away Determining the Amount The initial step is to identity the information assets on the network along with the services associated with it. The next

Embryonic Stem Cell Research Essay Example for Free

Embryonic Stem Cell Research Essay Dear Mr. Doerflinger[1], In response to your article on Embryonic Stem Cell Research, I would like to point out that man’s war against disease, has recently advanced dramatically through the introduction of such techniques as pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), and has been instrumental in both saving lives and preventing disease. This approach, which has already been used to fight such disorders as Huntington’s disease, cystic fibrosis, and more recently, cancer, opens the way for undreamt of possibilities concerning both the future diagnoses of different diseases, and their subsequent treatments (Genetic Engineering, 2007). Throughout the world, thousands of children are born with life-threatening diseases and conditions, which man, through genetic science, is now potentially capable of either treating, or maybe even entirely eliminating. By allowing genetic scientists the necessary freedom to continue with research, and to use the recent advancements that science has acheived in embryo screening, future generations will be able to live longer and healthier lives (Bionet, 2007). Within your statement you claim that â€Å"More than two decades of research using mouse embryonic stem cells have produced no treatments . that are safe or effective enough for anyone to propose in humans. These cells have not helped a single human being† (Richard M. Doerflinger, 2007). However, in recent years genetic science has already saved, and changed, the lives of many, giving hope to families facing desperate situations. Adam Nash’s birth, in August 2000, is just one example, which so clearly demonstrates the beginning of a whole new adventure that is just beginning to open before man. Adam’s embryo was chosen after having been screened for Fanconi anemia (FA), which is a rare, and often fatal, congenital blood disorder, due to the fact that Adam’s parents’ were both carriers of the disease. They already had one child, Molly, who had been born with the rare blood disorder, and the Nash’s wanted a sibling for their little girl but one who was not inflicted with the same disorder. However, doctors, through the use of PGD, were able to find an embryo with tissue that matched Molly’s, which led to their daughter being cured. For the first time in medical history doctors â€Å"blended the sciences of in vitro fertilisation, stem cells, and genetic screening† (5280.com, 2005). One-day-old embryos were tested for FA’s genetic code, and healthy ones were further screened for a tissue match. The embryo was then transplanted into Lisa Nash’s womb and immediately after Adam’s birth blood was removed from the umbilical cord. This was then used for the critical, life-saving transplant. Today both Molly and Adam Nash are healthy, normal children that can, along with their parents, look ahead with confidence (ScienCentralNews, 2004). Clearly research is needed to determine whether the use of embryos is murder, and restrictions enforced to ensure that asthetic choices, such as gender and appearence, are not permitted. But medical sicence isn’t interested in obtaining perfect babies, its objective is curing and preventing disease. Therefore, scientific research in this field to should be continued to advance the human race, especially if he is to make any headway in understanding the nature of disease, its origins and its cure. And, although there is a need to address both the ethical and social questions that have been raised by those who fear the posibility of ‘designer babies’, medical science must be allowed to progress, if we are ever to successfully combat diseases and conditions that both wreck lives, and kill human beings (Caroline Mackie Ogilvie, 2007). The likely possibilities are immense; but genes offering protection against fatal and crippling diseases are not the only benefits of this incredible medical advancement. There are also genes that enhance intelligence, the five senses, beauty, and almost every other aspect of man, which opens up other avenues of exploration. Many animals, for example, possess skills and senses that humans don’t have such as better hearing, or leg regeneration. In the future it may be possible, through gene identification, to incorporate these functions into humans (GMO, 2007), and use them to heal conditions such as deafness, or in limb replacement. It is clear that ethical and social questions concerning the future use of genetic engineering within modern society will need to be addressed. While appropriate democratic laws and structures will hopefully reflect a considered and balance view of the importance of genetic medicine for future generations, such measures should not be allowed to interfere with future scientific research. References 5280.com, Online Article, The Miracle of Molly, 2005. Information retrieved 03/27/2007. http://www.5280.com/issues/2005/0508/feature.php?pageID=21 Bionet: Explore life science and debate the issues, Online Article, Design-a-Baby? 2007.   Page Downloaded 03/12/2007. http://www.bionetonline.org/English/Content/db_cont1.htm Caroline Mackie Ogilvie, et al., Online Article, Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis—An Overview, 2007. Page downloaded 03/19/2007. www.jhc.org/cgi/content/full/53/3/255 Genetic Engineering, Joà £o Pedro de Magalhà £es, Online Article, Defining Our Children’s Traits, 2007. www.jp.senescence.info/thoughts/genetics.html 19k GMO: Genetic Engineering, Online Article, Designer Baby Ethics, 2007. Page downloaded 03/19/2007. www.netlink.de/gen/Zeitung/2000/000305a.html 9 Richard M. Doerflinger, The Ethics Religious Liberty Comission, Online Article,   Testimony of Richard M. Doerflinger on Embryonic Stem Cell Research, 2004.   Page downloaded 03/19/2007. http://erlc.com/article/testimony-of-richard-m-doerflinger-on-embryonic-stem-cell-research    ScienCentralNews, Online Article, Stem Cell Siblings, 2004. Page downloaded 03/19/2007. http://www.sciencentral.com/articles/view.php3?article_id=218392351cat=3_2 [1] Audience: Richard M. Doerflinger is Deputy Director of the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, where he has worked for 25 years. Among his duties is the preparation of policy statements and congressional testimony on abortion, euthanasia, embryo research, human cloning, and other medical-moral issues for the bishops’ conference.

Essays --

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been a constant struggle between the Arab and Jewish population about the established state Israel.The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been going on for many years, there have been a variety of options that could potentially help solve this conflict. However, the options that may be provided may not be agreeable. With each solution both sides have questioned the security of the borders, and protection for both the Arab and Jewish population. There have been many attempts to settle the conflict and so far all of the attempts have failed. In this paper I will argue that the Segal's Two-State and One-homeland solution can solve the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict derived from the Zionist population. The Zionist wanted to colonize a piece of land that could be considered the Jewish homeland. As they immigrated to different parts of Europe, they eventually landed in Palestine. In the beginning, the Zionist's immigration was not a problem to the people that were already living in Palestine. But the problems presented themselves because the Zionists decided to take over Palestine, and turn it into a Jewish state. As the years went on and the wars continued, majority of Palestine was conquered by Israel. And as a result of the wars, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has remained prevalent throughout history. Segal's Two-state and One-homeland solution is the best way to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Both the Jewish and Arab population will have their own political constructions but the one homeland means they will not have to split the historical sites within their state. The two-state suggestion will contribute to end of the Israeli-Palestinian conf... ...xplains that there should be fair equality of opportunities for everyone involved. This principle can be applied to the conflict because in order to achieve peace, both sides have to have the opportunity for equality. Rawl's claim supports my thesis of Segal's solution resolving the conflict between Israel and Palestine. This principle connects with Segal's solution because having two states and one-homeland means they have the opportunity to structure their state however they choose to and the opportunity to stay within the same region their homeland is located. Rawl's claim strengthens the argument because his theory is based on basic rights for all and equality of opportunities for all. The idea of equal opportunities connects to the conflict because in order to reach an agreement both sides must be willing to compromise to make everything equal for the states. Essays -- The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been a constant struggle between the Arab and Jewish population about the established state Israel.The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been going on for many years, there have been a variety of options that could potentially help solve this conflict. However, the options that may be provided may not be agreeable. With each solution both sides have questioned the security of the borders, and protection for both the Arab and Jewish population. There have been many attempts to settle the conflict and so far all of the attempts have failed. In this paper I will argue that the Segal's Two-State and One-homeland solution can solve the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict derived from the Zionist population. The Zionist wanted to colonize a piece of land that could be considered the Jewish homeland. As they immigrated to different parts of Europe, they eventually landed in Palestine. In the beginning, the Zionist's immigration was not a problem to the people that were already living in Palestine. But the problems presented themselves because the Zionists decided to take over Palestine, and turn it into a Jewish state. As the years went on and the wars continued, majority of Palestine was conquered by Israel. And as a result of the wars, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has remained prevalent throughout history. Segal's Two-state and One-homeland solution is the best way to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Both the Jewish and Arab population will have their own political constructions but the one homeland means they will not have to split the historical sites within their state. The two-state suggestion will contribute to end of the Israeli-Palestinian conf... ...xplains that there should be fair equality of opportunities for everyone involved. This principle can be applied to the conflict because in order to achieve peace, both sides have to have the opportunity for equality. Rawl's claim supports my thesis of Segal's solution resolving the conflict between Israel and Palestine. This principle connects with Segal's solution because having two states and one-homeland means they have the opportunity to structure their state however they choose to and the opportunity to stay within the same region their homeland is located. Rawl's claim strengthens the argument because his theory is based on basic rights for all and equality of opportunities for all. The idea of equal opportunities connects to the conflict because in order to reach an agreement both sides must be willing to compromise to make everything equal for the states.

Bhopal Gas Leak and BP Oil Spill

Bhopal and BP. They are two names that would ring a bell with anyone who is familiar with industrial disasters. Bhopal is a city in India where an industrial disaster in 1984 killed thousands people and maimed hundreds of thousands. BP (British Petroleum, BP Plc. ,), on the other hand is the name of a petroleum company (an energy industry super major) that appeared in international headlines recently for causing the worst marine oil spill in history.The number of casualties associated with BP oil spill is rather negligible but damage the spill caused on environment and economy of some American states were immense and it is ranked amongst major industrial disasters. In both these disasters it was the corporate houses that were in the wrong. Union Carbide (UCC), the company that ran the pesticide plant in Bhopal, neglected the safety measures required while handling toxic materials and in the BP oils spill it is the negligence of British Petroleum that led to the accident on the oil ri g â€Å"Deepwater Horizon† that ended up in the oil spill, which the company couldn’t stop for weeks.Though separated in time by decades and space by thousands of miles, both these disasters are connected in many respects. Curiously enough the final court verdict on the corporate culprits of Bhopal disaster came at a time when BP was busy capping the oil leak thousands of meters beneath the sea. In 1984 when the methyl isocyanate gas leak killed thousands in Bhopal the first thing Union Carbide management did was to put the blame on somebody else. In those years when Sikh militancy and terrorism were high in India UCC said the accident was the result of terrorist activity (nobody paid any attention to it).This year when the oil spill began in the Gulf of Mexico the first thing BP too tried to do was to put the blame on others –on Transocean Ltd (the company which owned the oil rig) and Halliburton, the company which manufactured the blow out presenter valve on t he oil well. The media mocked this and BP dropped the strategy. In the Bhopal the US based corporation then argued that it should not be held legally responsible because the Indian subsidiary was a separate legal person with very minimal ties with US. At the time of the accident the UCC-based in New York City – owned 50. 9% of the UCC India Ltd. , 22% owned by govt.of India and the rest by Indian citizens. The US court hearing the plea against UCC accepted the company’s contention and dismissed India’s pleas for justice. Later on humanitarian ground the company agreed to pay $470 million as compensation to victims of gas tragedy. In that pre-globalization period, India as a developing country had practically no clout over the US multinational company and finally it had to satisfy itself with prosecuting the Indian man agent of UCC India Ltd. In the case of BP oil spill too it was an instance of a company registered in one country creating problems in another cou ntry.In the initial stage BP management tried to portray the liability issues as US action against British industry and ward of penal actions. In the case of BP oil spill, along with the news of gushing crude spreading all over the Gulf of Mexico, talks about pinning the corporate responsibility on BP also appeared in the headlines. There was intense pressure on president Osama’s administration to act tough on BP and it made BP to pay up $20 billion for the clean up operation. In the BP oil spill case the corporation had to bow before the government. It was a company from a weaker country against a global super power; US finally had its way.The chief executive of BP had to own up responsibility for the fiasco and step down. 1 Pearce, Frank, Tombs, Steve (1990), ‘Ideology, Hegemony, And Empiricism: Compliance Theories of Regulation’, The British Journal of Criminology 30:423-443 2 Murru ,Maurizio (2004), ‘Bhopal 20 Years On: Globalization And Corporate Respo nsibility’, Health Policy And Development 250 volume 2 number 3 December 3 Amnesty International, 2004, Clouds of injustice, Bhopal disaster 20 years on, London 4 Broughton, Edward (2005), ‘The Bhopal disaster and its aftermath: a review’, Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source, 4:6

Analysis book called The Maze Runner by James Dashner Essay

Did you know grievers come out within the maze every night after the walls close to the book called The Maze Runner by James Dashner? This book is about a group of teenage boys between the ages of 13 and 19. They are sent to the glade to see if they are smart enough to solve the maze that surrounds it. One day a boy named Thomas is sent to the maze. See the boys only get one newbie a month and the day right after Thomas was sent to the glade another person was sent. It was strange to get two newbies in one month but, what was more strange was that it was a girl. The first girl to be sent to the maze to help solve it and act as a trigger to tell the boys the maze was dying pretty much. In this novel, most of the boys want to keep order in the glade where they were safe from givers and they had food, water, shelter everything needed to survive. Until the supplies don’t come anymore and they have to ration out what they have left to survive on. The girl and Thomas are connected m entally throughout the book. The walls stop closing at night so they all sleep together in the homestead and the grievers come into the glade and take one glader a night. Until they find a way to get out and find out who the creators are. One thing goes wrong and order is nowhere to be found until the problem is taken care of. Everyone in the glade does their part to keep things in order and working and, when one person messes up or tries to go their own way and voice their opinion without permission it throws everything off balance. Like when Alby one of the oldest boys said â€Å"That’s not how it works around here, and our whole existence depends on things working† (Dashner 101). When someone badly messes up the order they have to get banished. Banishment is when you have to leave the glade and go out into the maze to live the rest of your days. It’s not a happy time for the person getting banished or the other boys in the glade. Most of the time the person is gone by morning because the grievers attack them. Banishment is the worst thing to happen in the glade. They also want things to be stable like when building a tower of blocks and one side is heavier so it starts to tip because it’s unstable. Well, Alby felt this way in the book so he tried to regain stability in the gl ade and hope things go back to normal as he states â€Å"I burned the Maps. I slammed my head into the table so you’d think it was someone else, I lied, burned it all. I did it† (Dashner 311) There are many jobs in the glade. There is Runner, Slopper, Med Jack, Gardener, Builder, Track Hoe, Bagger, Livestock Raiser, Cooks, and Blood Housers. I would be a Mad Jack because they help the people of the glade get better when they get sick, hurt, or stung. I have always had a wanting to help people and would love to do it in the glade. I would be important and needed. In the book you only here of two Med Jacks Clint and Jeff. The pair is always seen together and enjoying each others company. They are like best friends glued to each other’s hip. This is what I want my part in the glade to be. When things don’t go as planned order is lost and will not be found until things get back on track. Recap teenage boys and one girl are sent to this maze to see if they are capable to solve it. Two newbies are sent in one month which is not normal especially because one is a female. Then their supplies don’t come, so they have to ration all the food out. The walls stop closing at night so they sleep in the homestead for safety. Each and every night that they don’t solve the maze another kid is taken by the grievers and killed. Finally, Thomas and the girl find out how to get them out of the maze to freedom. This book is written very skillfully and keeps the readers on their toes throughout the whole book. The emotion from every character especially Thomas can be felt and visualized during and before it changes. The things that happen unexpectedly is the best part.

Donts for Getting Letters of Recommendation for Graduate School

Donts for Getting Letters of Recommendation for Graduate School Writing letters of recommendation is generally part of a faculty members job. Students need these letters to get into graduate schools. Indeed, grad school admissions committees generally wont accept applications that lack these important letters because they reflect the professor or faculty members assessment of a student applicant. Students need not feel powerless in the process because they do, indeed, have a great deal of influence over the letters that faculty members write. While professors rely on a students academic history in writing letters of recommendation, the past isnt all that matters. Professors impressions of you are important too - and impressions constantly change based on your behavior. There are things you should avoid to ensure that the professors you approach for letters see you in a positive light. To avoid problems, dont: Misinterpret a Faculty Members Response Youve asked a faculty member to write you a letter of recommendation. Carefully interpret his response. Often faculty members provide subtle cues that indicate how supportive a letter they will write. Not all letters of recommendation are helpful. In fact, a lukewarm or somewhat neutral letter will do more harm than good. Virtually all letters that graduate admissions committee members read are very positive, usually providing glowing praise for the applicant. However, a letter that is simply good- when compared with extraordinarily positive letters - is actually harmful to your application. Ask faculty  members if they can provide you with a helpful letter of recommendation rather than simply a letter. Push for a Positive Response Sometimes a faculty member will decline your request for a letter of recommendation outright. Accept that. She is doing you a favor because the resulting letter would not help your application and instead would hinder your efforts. Wait Until the Last Minute Faculty members are busy with teaching, service work, and research. They advise multiple students and likely are writing many letters for other students. Give them enough notice so that they can take the time required to write a letter that will get you accepted into graduate school. Approach a faculty member when he has the time to discuss it with you and consider it without time pressure. Dont ask immediately before or after class. Dont ask in a hallway. Instead, visit during the professors office hours, the times intended for interaction with students. It often is helpful to send an email requesting an appointment and explaining the purpose of the meeting. Provide Unorganized or Inaccurate Documentation Have your application materials with you when you request your letter. Or follow up within a couple of days. Provide your documentation all at once. Dont offer a curriculum vitae one day, and a transcript on another. Anything you provide the professor must be free of errors and must be neat. These documents represent you and are an indicator of how serious you view this process as well as the quality of work you will do in grad school. Dont make a professor have to ask you for basic documentation. Forget Submission Materials Include program-specific application sheets and documents, including websites to which faculty submit letters. Dont forget to include login information. Dont make faculty ask for this material. Dont let a professor sit down to write your letter and find that she does not have all of the information. Alternatively, dont let a professor try to submit your letter online and find that she doesnt have the login info. Rush the Professor. A friendly reminder sent a week or two before the deadline is helpful; however, dont rush the professor or offer multiple reminders. Forget to Express Appreciation Your professor took the time to write for you - at minimum an hour of his time - so take the time to thank him, either verbally, or by sending a thank you letter or note. Remember that you want your letter writers to be in a good mood when they write your recommendation and to feel good about you and their decision to support your application to graduate school. Write a thank you note to your recommender and when you ask for another letter in the future (and you will - either for another graduate school program or even a job), the faculty member will be much more likely to write you another helpful and positive recommendation letter.

Harold and the Purple Crayon Lesson Plan

'Harold and the Purple Crayon Lesson Plan Grade: Approximately Fourth Grade Subject: Language Arts Lesson Title: Harold and the Purple Crayon Lesson Plan Materials and Resources Needed: Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett JohnsonPurple crayonLarge sheets of paper Reading Strategies Used: Sketch-to-StretchVisualizingRetelling Overview and Purpose: Students will use the reading strategy Sketch-to-Stretch to develop concepts, summarize information heard and retell the story through drawing.The purpose of this activity is to gain listening comprehension skills. Educational Standards: Students will read, write, listen and speak for literary response and expression.Students will read, write, listen and speak for critical analysis and evaluation. Objectives and Goals: Present personal responses to literature that make reference to characters, plot, and theme.Create a story using elements in literature.To motivate children to ask them if they like to draw.Then ask, when you listen to a story how many of you close your eyes and picture what is happening? Then have them close their eyes and try and picture a horse next to a barn. Once they open their eyes ask them what they saw, what color was the horse? What color was the barn?Go around the room and show the children how each person imagined something different.Tell the children that they will be using their imagination when you read a story to them.Introduce the book, Harold and Purple Crayon by, Crockett Johnson.Tell the students that will have to listen carefully to the story that is going to be read because they will be drawing what they hear.Tell the students they will be using their ears to listen and their hands to draw what the character Harold is drawing in the story.Ask the students what t ypes of things do they think they will be drawing? Ask students, do you think everyone will have the same drawing as everyone else? Why? Why not?Arrange for students to find a spot on the floor where they will have a lot of room to draw.Ask students where they should start drawing on their paper once the book begins. What part of the paper, where you draw next when you come to the end of the paper, etc.Retell the name of the book and begin reading.Stop a few times at the beginning of the book and ask what they are drawing. ( He put a frightened dragon under the tree to guard the apples. Ask the students, what are you going to draw now?) Do this so they understand what they should be doing.To end the lesson, have the students place their drawings at their desks and then have them walk around the room to view everyones pictures.Share and compare their drawings.Have students come up and retell the story through their drawing.Ask questions to compare such as, What did Brady draw in this picture that Hudson left out?Have the students obse rve how each child has their own perception of what happened in the story. Assess quality texts using accuracy, objectivity, and understanding of the book. Independent Activity: For homework have each student draw a picture of their favorite part of the story using only their memory. Verification and Assessment:You can verify your objectives by looking at the drawings from class and their homework assignment.Students also: Compared drawings with one anotherOrally shared their opinion when retelling the story through the drawingDrew a picture of what they thought happened in the book by using elements in the story

A choice of a certain strategy in business Essay

A choice of a certain strategy in business - Essay Example Management strategy Abstract A choice of a certain strategy in business is the determinant factor of a future success. Under conditions of turbulent environment there is a need for businesses to react properly to various changes in the global context of the world. On the example of case-studies of different companies and the challenges they face with, this paper underlines the necessity to develop a more flexible and multi-sided strategic decision making. The main concepts for further research were borrowed from theoretical developments of Mintzberg (1998), Johnson et al (2008), Child (2005) and others. The specific question of the research study is : â€Å"†¦.. adopting a simple profit-maximising perspective ..... can have positive impacts for a firm .....†. This claim is considered in terms of emergent and prescriptive approaches. Such companies, as Microsoft, Nokia and PowerCo emergent approaches are correlated with strategic decisions to increase their profits. The st rategic developments within the modern companies are dynamic and flexible. This trend can be explained by the necessity for the companies to be more responsive in the global business world. Further on, we should underline the importance of financial and organizational issues of every firm and the company for a proper development of their future management strategies. Introduction Under conditions of the modern globalization there are evident trends of convergence and unification. Strategic decision making should be based on mutual understanding between the managers and employees and all parties involved should be ready to react to the immediate changes in the world. Current ‘management techniques’ are challenging and they should be considered in detail by the managers and the employees within every company and a firm with respect to the specific features of the inner structures of their organizations. The strategic management is a helpful tool for â€Å"choosing the ri ght place for defining a unique position, making clear trade-offs, a tighter fit; it involves a comprehensive approach to managing all important aspects of the company's internal environment and it therefore significantly differs from other management techniques† (Child, 2005). Business planning and development strategies if developed under conditions of a dynamic environment should be focused on management strategies, which are responsive for structural, processing, systematic and cultural environmental changes. This discipline implies activities planning which are relevant to the orientation and functioning of the corporation. Profit-maximization perspective in the emergent approach of strategic management is a crucial technique for the modern managers and it should be noted that the contrasting strategy is the perfect example of discussion about profit-maximization policies. The field of contrasting strategy is a perfect field for focusing on owner-managed firms and profess ionally managed firms in their relation to profit maximizing perspective. The objects and behaviors of different firms may differ, but at the same time it is necessary to mention that profit maximization is â€Å"an oversimplified models of competitive interaction† (Volberda and Elfring, 2001). There is a close relationship between economics and strategy. In accordance with Mintzber (1992) â€Å"as never before, [strategic management] academics have adopted the language and logic of economics.† In the context of neoclassical economics a profit is the maximizing entity, which enables inputs transformation into outputs. Still, there are many opponents of profit-maximization perspective, because the modern companies are more concentrated