The Real Shape of Raindrops

Much like the snowflake symbolizes all things winter, a teardrop is a symbol of water and rain. We see them in illustrations and even on weather maps on TV. The truth is, a raindrop assumes several shapes as it falls from a cloud—none of which resemble teardrops. What is the true shape of a raindrop? Lets follow it along its journey from cloud to ground and find out! Droplets Raindrops, which are collections of millions of tiny cloud droplets, start out as small and round spheres. But as raindrops fall, they lose their rounded shape thanks to the tug-of-war between two forces: surface tension (the waters outer surface film which acts to hold the drop together) and the air flow which pushes up against the raindrops bottom as it falls.   Sphere to Hamburger Bun When the drop is small (under 1 mm across), surface tension wins out and pulls it into a spherical shape. But as the drop falls, colliding with other drops as it does so, it grows in size and it falls faster which increases the pressure on its bottom. This added pressure causes the raindrop to flatten on the bottom. Since the air flow on the bottom of the water drop is greater than the airflow at its top, the raindrop  remains curved on top, the raindrop resembles a hamburger bun. Thats right, raindrops have more in common with hamburger buns than falling on them and ruining your cookout—they are shaped like  them! Jelly Bean to Umbrella As the raindrop grows even bigger, the pressure along its bottom increases further and presses a dimple into it, making the raindrop look jelly-bean-shaped. When the raindrop grows to a large size (around 4 mm across or larger) the air flow has pressed so deeply into the water drop that it now resembles a parachute or an  umbrella. Soon after, the air flow presses through the raindrops top and breaks it apart into smaller drops.       To help visualize this process, watch the video, Anatomy of a Raindrop, courtesy of NASA.    Visualizing the Shape Due to the high speeds at which water droplets fall through the atmosphere, it is very difficult to see the variety of shapes it takes in nature without the use of high-speed photography. However, there is a way to model this in the lab, the classroom, or at home. An experiment you can do at home represents an analysis of raindrop shape through experimentation. Now that you know about raindrop shape and size, continue your raindrop exploration by learning why some rainshowers feel warm and others are cool to the touch.   SourcesAre Raindrops Tear-Shaped?  The USGS Water Science School

Obesity Is A Major Public Health Crisis Among Children And...

â€Å"Almost seven in 10 parents say their child’s school does not provide daily physical education even though experts recommend 150 to 225 minutes per school week† (HSPH). Obesity is a major public health crisis among children and adults, and it is one of the leading causes of death. Over the years, childhood obesity has become an increasing and ongoing concern for many parents, in regards to their child’s health and well being. The lack of Physical Education in public schools has decreased over the years, and it is no longer mandatory for a student to take P.E or even some schools have banned P.E classes. U.S public schools have failed to comply with the recommended guidelines in the CDC for public school physical education, which states one should do â€Å"30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity physical activity on all, or most, days of the week† (CDC). It is sad to see that most public schools can not even take 30 minutes to work out their students and as obesity concerns rise, physical education classes are being cut. It just does not make any sense. â€Å"Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, found just 20 percent of elementary schools in San Francisco’s system were meeting the state’s requirements: 20 minutes per day†(Baker). â€Å"At Anatola Elementary School in Van Nuys, Calif., not only are there no gym teachers, but there is also no gym. Miriam King, the principal has relied on $15-an-hour aides to supervise once-weekly exercise schedules for her 450Show MoreRelatedObesity : A Controversial And Big Medical Issue Within Today s Society991 Words   |  4 PagesCentral Idea: Obesity has become a controversial and big medical issue within today’s society. (Attention Getter): Take a look around you the next time you go to the store, to the mall, the movies, or anywhere that you go. What you will see is what has apparently become the new trend among children and adults. What you will see has become a big problem and it will continue to grow each year. Is obesity the fastest growing condition in the United States. Read MoreThe Effects Of Obesity On American Adults And Children1213 Words   |  5 PagesThe Effects of Obesity Obesity is on the rise in American adults and children. Over 78.6 million Americans are considered obese (CDC, 2014). Health experts believe the obesity crisis has become an epidemic that needs to be controlled. Today many efforts are being made by Federal and state governments and some major companies to combat obesity in adults and children. For example, some major companies are rewarding employees with cash incentives for exercising regularly and maintaining a healthyRead MoreFactors Contributing Factors That Causes Obesity Among Children Essay1364 Words   |  6 Pagescauses of obesity among children in New Zealand? Introduction Childhood obesity is a serious medical condition that occurs when a child is well above the normal weight for his or her age and height (Mayo Clinic, 2014). According to Sameera and Amar childhood obesity is a major public health crisis nationally and internationally, which arises because of the differences in lifestyle consequences among different cultural people in New Zealand (2012). This abnormality can cause various health risks suchRead MorePrevalence Of Overweight And Obesity Essay1249 Words   |  5 Pagesoverweight/obesity among parents of children entering childhood obesity treatment and to evaluate changes in the parents’ weight during their child’s treatment (Trier, 2016). The study included the parents of 1,125 children and adolescents (aged 3-22) who were enrolled in a children obesity treatment program. They began by taking the heights and weights of the children and the BMI scores were calculated. After 2.5 years of treatment, the mean weight was taking from the parents of 664 children. The resultsRead MoreFactors Contributing Factors That Causes Obesity Among Children Essay1369 Words   |  6 PagesChildhood obesity is a major health issue that takes place when a child is beyond the average weight for his or her age and height (Mayo Clinic, 2014). According to Sameera and Amar childhood obesity is a major public health crisis nationally and internationally, which arises because of the differences in lifestyle consequences among different cultural people in New Zealand (2012). This abnormality can cause various health risks such as diabetes and heart disease (World Health Organisation, 2014)Read MoreCausal Analysis Essay : Childhood Obesity913 Words   |  4 Pagesthat the United States is struggling with obesity. One would be hard pressed to find a community that is not teeming with fast food restaurants. However, it might surprise some that the obesity epidemic in our country has reached the most vulnerable population of all and they aren’t even capable of driving themselves to these bastions of unhealthy food. The childhood obesity level has reached 34% of children in the United States (SHUMEI, 2016).Obesity is caused by consistently consuming more caloriesRead MoreEssay On Fighting Obesity Through Taxation1408 Words   |  6 PagesFighting obesity through taxation: Are fat-taxes effective? 1. Introduction The global growing number of obese among adults and children is alarming and is one of the biggest public health issues that health systems are facing (Laura Cornelsen et al. 2014). In 2014 adults overweight prevalence was estimated at 1.9 billion worldwide of these 600 million were obese and this number keeps increasing at a noticeable pace. Nearly one-thirds of the world population is obese or overweight and 41 millionRead MoreObesity : A Major Issue1472 Words   |  6 Pages OBESITY Obesity is a major issue in the U.S.A. It is among the highest health problems in the U.S.A. Obesity can lead to heart disease, diabetes, some types of cancers, and can also lead to death .Two out of three Americans are considered to be obese. For a better future of the country obesity must be stopped. When the technology was not much advanced and people used to work manually, using their own minds because of which people were fitRead MoreObesity : A Major Impact Of Obesity1715 Words   |  7 PagesObesity as a major impact in America population, approximately 127 million American are currently overweight. The American Obesity Association conduct a survey that shown 9 million adult are â€Å"Harshly Obese† and 17.9 million children under the age of 5 are overweight. (Spurlock, 2005, p 66). The blame for obesity is virtually, constantly and positioned toward fast food restaurant? American as a liberty of choice which is up to the individual who consumed the food should be facing the responsibilitiesRead MoreObesity : Childhood Obesity Epidemic1418 Words   |  6 Pagesno Childhood Obesity Epidemic† discussed the there is a â€Å"stunning† drop in childhood obesity rate. He claims that obesity rates among two to five year olds have plunged over the past decade, and that the so called â€Å"obesity epidemic† had ended. I strongly disagree with Campos view that there is no childhood obesity epidemic, this is due to the researches that was done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which shows that childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled

Conceptual and Methodological Behaviors †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Conceptual and Methodological Behaviors. Answer: Introduction: In any business the microenvironment and microenvironment element determines the sustainability and profit of the business. Similarly, in the chosen case study the microenvironment elements are: For the perfume company Elizabeth Arden, the consumers are chief microenvironment element. It is the consumers who can decide the future sustainability of the company as they are capable of making both profit and loss for the company (Vecchiato 2012). Market is the another microenvironment element for Elizabeth Arden as current and the existing trends in the perfume market and supply of the company accordingly sets the future of the company. The economical factor is one of the prime microenvironment element that refers to the purchasing power of the consumers, and accordingly can affect the companys business. Another microenvironment element is the socio cultural forces that can affect the company (Vecchiato 2012). This factor indicates curtain beliefs of the individual and group which can prevent them from buying perfumes as the raw material of the same may be inconsiderable to them. The three different category of perfumes by Elizabeth Arden refer to the different targeted customers. The company can segment their market for the different category from the thorough research on the market based on the demand and choice of the consumers, gender and age (Wedel and Kamakura 2012). The company targets its consumers according to the market segmentation. The targeted consumers for the business are the young follower of the celebrity for the Celebrity category, upper class people for Lifestyle and Designer category and the general people for the Elizabeth Arden category. For the Celebrity category the positioning of the company refers to creation of the product image to the customers who are followers and fan of the celebrities who have customized their perfume. For the upper class people, the brand image is the prime factor for positioning. Lastly, for the general people the varieties of the fragrance are the most important factor for the positing plan. The marketing mix refers to the four basic components of the business that the is prime factor in determining the profit of the company. Among the four elements in the marketing mix the company has finely and effectively managed the promotion of the company by the celebrity endorsement. The company has been able to provide a fine example to the other companies in the same industry that customizing the perfume for the celebrity is one of the best way for promotion (Huang and Sarigll 2014). However, the company should focus on the management of the product in order to achieve more profit in the business. Undoubtedly the celebrity endorsement in the promotion is one of the better ways in the marketing mix, but focusing on the product can might be able to deliver customer value in better way. Adding more varieties to the product for the general people, improving the quality and the packaging of the products are some of the management that can help the company to add value to the business (Armstrong et al. 2015). Reference: Armstrong, G., Kotler, P., Harker, M. and Brennan, R., 2015.Marketing: an introduction. Pearson Education. Huang, R. and Sarigll, E., 2014. How brand awareness relates to market management outcome, brand equity, and the marketing mix. InFashion Branding and Consumer Behaviors(pp. 113-132). Springer New York. Vecchiato, R., 2012. Environmental uncertainty, foresight and strategic decision making: An integrated study.Technological Forecasting and Social Change,79(3), pp.436-447. Wedel, M. and Kamakura, W.A., 2012.Market segmentation: Conceptual and methodological foundations(Vol. 8). Springer Science Business Media.

Information Gathering from Official and Non Official Irish News Media using Task Based Learning

Introduction For many decades, teachers have struggled to find an effective teaching technique to facilitate the transfer of knowledge between students and teachers in language learning. Due to this fact, many teachers have noted that there is a strong need to come up with effective teaching methods that concentrate more on the students instead of the teachers.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Information Gathering from Official and Non Official Irish News Media using Task Based Learning specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For a group of Hong Kong students in China, it is confirmed that defining learning from a student-centric point of view is the most appropriate way of teaching language (Nunan 2004, p. 92). Such sentiments have been reiterated by Nunan (2004, p. 93) when he affirms that â€Å"teaching efficiency is improved when the learners and their contemporaries are the focus of attention instead of the teache r and his/her teaching†. From this point of view, many teachers have decided to adopt a student centric approach in designing their teaching curriculums. This new learning paradigm has been adopted to increase student-information interaction during learning processes (LouLeaver 2004, p. 1). In language learning, the task based technique is the most commonly known technique that seeks to accommodate the new learning paradigm. Task based learning has been extensively used as a teaching technique in the study of languages because it relies on authentic language understanding, even though it still demands that learners use the target language as the common mode of communication (Branden 2006, p. 1). The technique is task based, in that, it requires learners to perform different tasks, such as calling the police, calling the fire department and such simple tasks using the target language. This technique is unique, in that, learner assessment virtually depends on a learner’s ability to successfully complete a task, instead of his/her ability to use the target language to complete the same task. Nonetheless, the task-based technique has been extensively used to improve the fluency level of learners when using the target language, in addition to instilling a sense of confidence among learners (Hattie 2005, p. 61). As noted from the name of the technique (task based), the core of the task based technique in language learning is the task itself. Practically, the active language components of the learning process are usually deemphasized because learners are expected to focus more on the task instead of the language (Flowerdew 2005, p. 14).Advertising Looking for essay on linguistics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Several frameworks are usually used to achieve desired results in task-based learning but this study seeks to analyze a framework of learning advanced by Jane Willis. This framework incorpo rates the pre task, task, and post task (output) as the major design components (Wenger 1998). This framework will act as the basis of the second language curriculum design analysis as a critical component of this study. The second language to be used will be English and it is to be taught among a group of Chinese learners. Conceptual Analysis Traditionally, the most commonly used learning model for language teaching was the presentation, practice, and production model (PPM) (Errey 2005). The model was quite different from the task based approach model because in the words of Littlewood (2010, p. 3): â€Å" According to the PPM model, individual language items (for example, the past continuous) are presented by the teacher, then practiced in the form of spoken and written exercises (often pattern drills), and then used by the learners in less controlled speaking or writing activities†. The task-based approach was considered effective by most researchers until its arbitrarines s was discovered (especially in the teaching of grammar) because the technique was noted to fall short of the learner’s needs in language learning (Littlewood 2010, p. 3). Moreover, the production stage of the technique was largely considered inauthentic by many teachers and students because it failed to stick to the chosen learning structure (Littlewood 2010, p. 4). These PPM shortcomings later led to the development of the task based learning technique. Curriculum Design Analysis In analyzing the group of Chinese learners, the task based learning technique will engage the students in a three-step task process (according to Willis model).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Information Gathering from Official and Non Official Irish News Media using Task Based Learning specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The first stage is the pre-task stage where the learners are required to comprehend or recall the teacherâ₠¬â„¢s introduction of the task or topic to be covered (at this point, the learners also take part in gathering and coordinating important pieces of information which will enable them accomplish their specific tasks). In the second stage, the learners are allowed to proceed with undertaking their tasks either individually or in a group setting. Finally, in the third stage, the learners are required to come up with a report detailing the tasks they have undertaken and the challenges or conclusions they arrive at. After the completion of the task and a submission of the task’s report are done, the learners are then required to focus on the specifics of the language inclusion where important language highlights are carefully analyzed and evaluated (based on how they were or could be integrated into the overall task). Pre-task Stage As a basic task in English learning, students undertaking the task-based technique are required to identify sources of media which fit a number of sel ected profiles. The profiles selected are: identifying official media sources meant for the general population, identifying media sources meant for the youth and identifying media sources meant for children. Despite the fact that the learners are required to identify a specific communicative activity (identifying media sources meant for different age groups), it remains clear that the learners will be learning specific forms of media meant for different audiences. With such a task at hand, the learners are likely to pay more attention to the meaning of the task they arrive at (when carrying out the task). The same situation can also be depicted when the learners have to carry out a given task of publishing their written essays in a specific type of media but fail to agree on the modalities of undertaking specific courses of action. Because of this reason, they have to explain the reasons why they think a specific course of action is better than another. For student A, he thinks havi ng his piece of work published in the local newspaper is the right decision and therefore he has to justify his reasons. Student B thinks her work should be published in a female magazine and has to justify her reasons. Student C thinks his work should be aired on local radio while student D thinks her work should be aired on local television.Advertising Looking for essay on linguistics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For this task, it becomes a difficult duty to draw a clear-cut difference in understanding the form of the task to be undertaken and comprehending the meaning of the task. Because of this ambiguity, it is advisable to come up with a new continuum where both the form of the task and its meaning are encompassed. Afterwards, it will be easier to quantify where different activities lie along the continuum, since it will be easier to establish whether the activities focus more on the form of the task as opposed to its meaning. The diagram below best represents this comparison since the shaded region represents a stronger focus on the meaning of the task while the un-shaded region represents a stronger reference to the form of the task. (Adapted from www.edb.gov.hk/FileManager/EN/Content_3997/task_based.doc) All different continuums are however focused on improving the goal of communicative learning. The diagram below is a representative of the same continuum, only that it is more detail ed on the activities and tasks to be carried out by the learners. (Adapted from www.edb.gov.hk/FileManager/EN/Content_3997/task_based.doc) According to the diagram, specific tasks and activities depicted in the left wing of the continuum are representative of exercises, but those on the right side are representative of tasks (Littlewood 2010, p. 5). The middle boxes are nonetheless a representation of both (exercises and tasks). According to the Interim Report of the TOC Evaluation Project, the writers propose that the â€Å"half-and-half’ activities have played an important role in helping Hong Kong teachers to gradually implement task-based learning and they propose placing them into a category of ‘exercise-tasks†. (Littlewood 2010, p. 6) Task: Non Communicative Learning The non communicative learning task is normally centred on instilling a sense of proficiency in grammar among the group of Chinese learners. However, in this task, there is a minimal sense of communication because students are inclined to learn the rules of grammar, based on practical examples of sentences. For instance, in the following example, the learners are required to look for the specific use of the adverbs: always, often, sometimes, usually and never then identify the rules applied in the sentences. The following sentences are representative of the exercise: Customers are usually disappointed when the local newspaper is delivered late. The Herald is never elaborative on its articles. His parents often bought the London Post until the scandal surfaced. I am never sure of whether to buy the Herald or the London post. I sometimes watch the news on Fridays. We never rely on informal media. Larry king often carries out his interviews informally. I always like to quote official sources of media in my academic papers. They have never got back to me since I applied for the job. You can always be sure the news will air political stories. I will never understand why infor mal media is more widespread than all forms of media. Jeremy is often seen writing for two media houses. The students are later required to apply specific rules of language understanding to the following simple sentences by placing the adverbs in their respective right places. They air sports in the evening (often). I can watch the local news at 9 p. m (never). Jack and Jill are good media critics (always). They fail to air sitcoms on Sundays (sometimes). The Washington Post uses American English (usually). Informal media transcends international borders (often). We read newspapers in the morning (never). Informal media is elaborate (usually). Christian media is not secretive (never). Task: Pre Communicative Language Practice In the pre communicative language practice, learners are often required to pay close attention to the discrete components of learning, but at the same time comprehend how various aspects of their meanings are applied. As part of the first segment of this task, the learners have to look at a given table and understand what the subjects have to do and what they would like to do. This task is normally undertaken in groups. In a group setting, practice probing and giving answers to questions about what James and Janeare obligated to doand what they would prefer to do. James Jane Obligations Evaluate media sources Develop a story Post story on the blog Type letters Answer the telephone Do photocopying Desires Go to swim Get a better paying job Leave work Get better treatment at work Take a vacation Start a business The major type of activity practiced in this activity is the question and answer styled activity where the Chinese learners need to probe and seek answers regarding various questions, pictures, or topics they may find of interest to them. Most often than not, the answers are usually already determined, even though the students are normally required to emphasize more on the meaning of the questions. In this type of task, the students are required to provide answers regarding a given topic, such as the ones presented in the following scenario: Learners answer questions about a situation, picture or topic. How much does it cost to buy a newspaper? Do you ever use the internet to read newspapers? Which is the next frontier in broadcast media? Is Informal media better than formal media? Why is advertising in formal media more expensive than informal media? Etc. Why is informal media more extensive than formal media? At what time does the local news begin? Why are newspapers a cheaper form of print media than magazines? When does the sports news end? Is the local news aired live? Etc. Task: Communicative Language Practice The main purpose of this task is to bridge the language gap created by the non-communicative type of information because the communicative language practice is more detailed on the meaning of given tasks. The question and answer type of activity (for example) is more descriptiv e and does not dig deeper into the real meaning of the questions asked. This particular task is therefore important because in a task-based approach, there is more emphasis on the context of the question. For this task, a simple questionnaire is normally used to expose the information gap created by a student’s own experiences with specific forms of media (for example) as described below. Fill in this chart about your Media preferences Name Favorite media type Favorite female presenter Favorite TV actor or actress Favorite TV series Favorite program or article? Perhaps, to provide a follow up to this exercise, the learners may be required to write what they think of their colleagues’ preferences. Alternatively, the learners may be required to use specific images and pictures that symbolize the same meaning as the texts, but which have a different contextual meaning. Task: Structured Communication Already, we know the specific type of language needed to carry out specific tasks from the above examples. From this point of view, we are able to exercise various functions of language in terms of grammar. However, for the next type of task, the learners shift focus and move a step further into the continuum to communicate specific meanings in language communication. Implicitly, this means that it becomes increasingly difficult to establish the type of language to be used in this segment. However, for purposes of this study we will still stick to English language. Nonetheless, it is possible for different teachers to restructure tasks into given languages to improve their students’ proficiencies in the same. For purposes of this activity, students will be required to undertake an exercise regarding the use of future tense. For instance, the task can be titled â€Å"the Media Tomorrow† where students will be required to predict media changes that will happen in the world for the next fifty years (from the date the task is be ing carried out). For instance, how will the working day be? Will every home be connected to the internet? Will the media be exclusively aired through the internet? And such like questions. The learners are hereby expected to write a number of ideas on the given topic, or on a different subject area, after which the ideas will be read out in the class and analyzed among the students. The most commonly agreed ideas can then be written on the board, according to various variations; for instance, students sort out their work in various groups, say, optimistic and pessimistic, or students may decide to use specific topics of high appeal as topics for their next essay. Another common way in which students can develop structured communication is when they are given instructions on what roles to play, but still undertake various interpretations on the same. Post Task (Output) At the post task output stage, the learners are usually required to have completed all the tasks and expected to pr ovide a report, either in oral or written form, to both the instructor and the class. Most of the time, the oral form of presentation is most appropriate because it enables the learners to improve their oral skills in utilizing the foreign language. However, written forms of presentation are also good because they improve the learner’s ability to use English in written form but it is normally assumed that such tasks are already covered when undertaking the earlier tasks. The teacher input at this point of the exercise is basically limited to monitoring the activities of the students and taking questions, or facilitating the exchange of information, questions and answers between the students and the rest of the class. However, at the report stage, the teacher may give an oral or written feedback on a student’s performance (of the tasks). At this point, the teacher may make recommendations on ways through which the student may improve his or her understanding of the lang uage or how the student may better perfect the completion of the work. Renà © notes that in the output stage, â€Å"the focus returns to the teacher who reviews what happened in the task (with regards to language). It may include language forms that the students were using, problems that students had, and perhaps forms that need to be covered more or were not used enough† (Faßbender 2009, p. 3). For poorly performing students, the teacher may recommend all the tasks be redone but this depends on the type of institution and the policies they practice. Conclusion The task based learning technique has a number of advantages, but the most basic is that the technique is authentic and can be used in improving a learner’s ability to communicate using the target language. Also, during the report stage, learners are normally engaged in adopting the target language in a more generalized form, as opposed to the initial specific language utilization, as was evidenced in the PP M technique. When further comparing the advantages of the task based technique and the PPM technique, Littlewood (2010, p. 8) notes that: â€Å"Whereas the aim of the PPP model is to lead from accuracy to fluency, the aim of TBL is to integrate all four skills and to move from fluency to accuracy plus fluency. The range of tasks available (reading texts, listening texts, problem-solving, role-plays, questionnaires, etc) offers a great deal of flexibility in this model and should lead to more motivating activities for the learners†. The major difference between the task based approach and its predecessors is that the task based approach is more random but if correctly analyzed with a systematic analytic language tool, learner needs can be met. Another major advantage identified with the task-based approach is its strong emphasis on student activities (Thornbury 2009, p. 267). In other words, this shows the student-centric nature of the technique. To a great extent, this provid es a more meaningful sense of communication for the learners and in most scenarios; it provides a practical basis where learners can develop their linguistic skills. Even though some observers point out that the technique has its own grammatical weaknesses; in the pre task stage (just after the teacher introduces the language), the learners can adapt whatever grammatical constructs they wish, or use whatever vocabularies they want. This is especially useful in orienting beginners to new language learning because they are allowed to use their primary languages at the beginning stages of the learning process. Studies show that as the students orient themselves with the language, they are likely to be more motivated in using the target language (especially after undertaking the tasks) (Littlewood 2010). Nonetheless, one of the major problems associated with task-based learning is its poor teaching of grammar (Lee 2004, p. 2). This is a particular area of concern for most teachers, cons idering grammar is a major part of the overall comprehension of language. This shortcoming is often exhibited, despite the fact that task based learning is supposed to develop the learner’s ability to communicate and a fluency in grammar is a major part of empowering student fluency in communication. It is one of the most basic forms of communication. Also, the task based learning technique has been faulted by some teachers as lacking a strong relationship between its tasks and the final objective of improving the communicative ability of learners. Nonetheless, the task-based technique has been extensively used to improve the fluency level of learners when using the target language, in addition to instilling a sense of confidence among learners. Due to this reason, most teachers are still of the opinion that the task based learning technique is the missing link between tasks and communication because it is the most commonly known technique that seeks to accommodate the new le arning paradigm. References Branden, K. (2006) Task-Based Language Education: From Theory to Practice. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. Errey, L. (2005) Whose Learning Is It Anyway? Developing Learner Autonomy through  Task- Based Language Learning. New York, Garant. Faßbender, R. (2009) Using New Media in the Task-Based German Conversation  Classroom. New York, GRIN Verlag. Flowerdew, J. (2005) Second Language Listening: Theory and Practice. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. Hattie, J. (2009) Visible Learning: A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating To  Achievement. London, Taylor Francis. Lee, C. (2004) Language Output, Communication Strategies and Communicative  Tasks: In the Chinese Context. New York, University Press of America. Littlewood, W. (2010) â€Å"Task Based learning of Grammar†. www.edb.gov.hk/FileManager/EN/Content_3997/task_based.doc . LouLeaver, B. (2004) Task-Based Instruction in Foreign Language Education: Practices  And Pro grams. Georgetown, Georgetown University Press. Nunan, D. (2004) Task-Based Language Teaching. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. Thornbury, S. (2006) Conversation: From Description to Pedagogy. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. Wenger E. (1998) Communities of Practice. Cambridge University Press, New York. This essay on Information Gathering from Official and Non Official Irish News Media using Task Based Learning was written and submitted by user Allie Frost to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

7 Fascinating Facts About Fungi

7 Fascinating Facts About Fungi What do you think of when you think of fungi? Do you think of the mold growing in your shower or mushrooms? Both are types of fungi as fungi can range from unicellular (yeasts and molds) to multicellular organisms (mushrooms) that contain spore-producing fruit bodies for reproduction. Fungi are eukaryotic organisms that are classified in their own Kingdom, called Fungi. The cell walls of fungi contain chitin, a polymer that is similar in structure to glucose from which it is derived. Unlike plants, fungi dont have chlorophyll so are not able to make their own food. Fungi typically acquire their nutrients/food by absorption. They release digestive enzymes into the environment that assist in this process. Fungi are very diverse and have even contributed to improvements in medicine. Lets explore seven interesting facts about fungi. 1) Fungi Can Cure Disease Many may be familiar with the antibiotic known as penicillin. Did you know that it was produced from a mold that is a fungus? Around 1929, a doctor in London, England wrote a paper on what he called penicillin which he had derived from the Penicillium notatum mold (now known as Penicillium chrysogenum). It had the ability to kill bacteria. His discovery and research started a chain of events that would lead to the development of many antibiotics that would save countless lives. Similarly, the antibiotic cyclosporine is a key immunosuppressant and is used in organ transplants. 2) Fungi Can Also Cause Disease Many diseases can also be caused by fungi. For example, while many associate ringworm with being caused by a worm, it is caused by a fungus. It gets its name from the circular shape of the rash produced. Athletes foot is another example of a disease caused by fungi. Many other diseases such as eye infections, valley fever, and Histoplasmosis are caused by Fungi. 3) Fungi Are Vital to the Environment Fungi play a key role in the cycle of nutrients in the environment. They are one of the main decomposers of dead organic matter. Without them, the leaves, dead trees, and other organic matter that build up in the forests wouldnt have their nutrients available for other plants to use. For example, nitrogen is a key component that is released when fungi decompose organic matter. 4) Fungi Can Last for a Long Time Depending on the conditions, many fungi, like mushrooms, can be dormant for extended periods of time. Some can sit dormant for years and even decades and still have the ability to grow under the right conditions. 5) Fungi Can Be Deadly Some fungi are toxic. Some are so toxic that they can cause instant death in animals and humans. Deadly fungi often contain a substance known as amatoxins. Amatoxins typically are very good at inhibiting RNA polymerase II. RNA polymerase II is a necessary enzyme involved in the production of a type of RNA called messenger RNA (mRNA). Messenger RNA plays an important role in DNA transcription and protein synthesis. Without RNA polymerase II, cell metabolism will stop and cell lysis occurs. 6) Fungi Can Be Used to Control Pests Some species of fungi are able to suppress the growth of insects and nematodes that may cause harm to agricultural crops. Typically the fungi that can have such impacts are part of the group called hyphomycetes. 7) A Fungus Is the Largest Living Organism on the Planet A fungus known as the honey mushroom is the largest living organism on the planet. It is believed to be about 2400 years old and covers over 2000 acres. Interestingly enough, it kills trees as it spreads. There you have it, seven interesting facts about fungi. There are many additional interesting facts about fungi that range from fungi being used to produce the citric acid used in many beverages to fungi being the cause for zombie ants. Some fungi are bioluminescent and can even glow in the dark. While scientists have classified many of the fungi in nature, it is estimated that there are vast numbers that remain unclassified so their potential uses are likely numerous.

Love and Person Essays

Love and Person Essays Love and Person Essay Love and Person Essay Love has a definition- a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person- but yet has so many different meanings. Thesauruscoping demonstrates the different meanings in which the word Love can deliver. The synonym of Love, Adoration, does not necessarily mean that these words have the same meaning. The definition of Adoration is the act of paying honor, as to a divine being or to worship. These words can be isolated from each other by meaning because they are two different descriptions. Love is an emotion and Adoration is a way of acting towards another. For example, there may be someone who loves to go to church every Sunday, being a part of their daily routine, but has adoration for God, meaning to worship and pay honor to what they believe in. The antonym for Love, however, does not have to be opposite but can have the same meaning as Love. An antonym for Love is Jealous meaning inclined to or troubled by suspicions or fears of rivalry, unfaithfulness, as in love or aims. These two words can have the same meaning, for example, a boy and a girl are head-over-heels in love with each other but the boy may have feelings for another person leaving the girl extremely jealous. This demonstrates that jealousy is expressed in love because the girl would not have been jealous unless she undoubtedly loved the boy. Thesauruscoping can show that a meaning of a word can be expressed in many different ways. Stress testing can prove ways in which a word can be used into a different context. Love can be expressed in many different ways either if it is physically or emotionally. An example of a way in which Love can be expressed is when a girl goes to her favorite mall, looking for that one bracelet she can spoil herself with, and after looking for hours, which seemed like days, she discovers the bracelet she desired and loves it. This example of love is displaying that the girl is expressing her love for an object and not emotionally for a specific person. Another way in which Love can be expressed is when a couple is sitting on the fairly-warm sand, snuggled together, keeping each other warm, watching the sun in the bright, blue sky as it goes down and one of them says to the other â€Å"I love you† for the first time. This kind of Love that is being expressed is illustrating the emotional kind of love towards another person rather than an object. Loving an object rather than a person is different because an object doesn’t reveal emotion and personality, nothing but the physical features. Emotion and personality are the major components of why a person loves another, but physical attraction is also a reason but very minor. By analyzing the different ways in which Love can be used, the distinctive meanings of this word is additionally known. Personification is the method in which a certain emotion is given a human-like quality. There are endless numbers of ways in which Love can be personified. Love is used and/or seen in a person’s every day life. Love is a person that is seen to be always happy-go-lucky, full of life, and caring about other people rather than himself. Love texts his girlfriend saying â€Å"goodnight† before he sleeps and â€Å"good morning† as soon as he wakes. He comes to her home, knocks on the door, and brings flowers and soup when his girlfriend is sick. Love is not able to sleep at night, knowing that his loved one is out with her friends; because he is afraid something will happen to her and would die if he lost her, emotionally or physically. He calls her back after she hangs up on him because of a silly argument that was taken place, although it was all her fault. Love doesn’t know what he would do if his loved one left him because he is unable to see one second of his life without her in it. Love is most likely to get along with anybody because he never has anything negative to say and is friendly to whoever approaches him. He puts other people’s desires and needs before his own. Personification gave Love human-like qualities making the word more understandable. An unknown author quoted love: â€Å"True Love burns the brightest, but the brightest flames leave the deepest scars. † In this quote, the author is not only trying to warn the readers about love, but also to inform that love is very strong and important in people’s lives. This quote is explaining that being in love is one of the greatest feelings, but when it all comes to an end, the great feeling drops rapidly to feeling the worst. The scars indicate the memories that were experienced in a certain love and will stay with them forever. The memories may have been the greatest but the scars leave a big impact on a person’s life. For example, there were two people madly in love with each other. They did everything together and there was nothing to get in their way of loving each other. Until one day, as they grew older, one person from the happy couple passed away, leaving a heart broken person behind. Being left with the memories, with no one to share them with, must have been the hardest experience throughout the relationship. This illustrates how love can become a big impact on someone’s life and to not take it for granted. Love is an important because without love, life would have no meaning or purpose.

Personal Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 5

Personal Statement - Essay Example I play a number of sports, including uni-hockey, tennis, karting, skiing and golf. Sports enable a person to discover things about themselves that might elude them in normal life. They have taught me perseverance, courage and the ability to accept both victory and defeat with grace. As part of my extra-curricula activities I have taken part in yearbook activities and, as stated earlier took a trip to Mali in 2005 in order to teach children English. I learned what it is to be a stranger in a foreign land, and will empathize more with those I find in a similar position in my home country of Switzerland. I also learned the great benefits that accrue from helping others, both for society in general and the individual involved. The children I taught had little contact with the outside world before they met me, and expressed a fascination with this stranger in their midst that made me realize how privileged my life had been. Things I had taken for granted, such as always having enough to eat, living in a secure home and having a complete family cannot be relied upon by many of the children that I taught. Many had known times when they went hungry, when they feared for their lives because of civil strife, and when they did not know where they would be living from one day to the next. But none of them seemed to feel bitter or depressed about these facts. These experiences made them more eager to learn, especially the English language that they saw as a way to education and the way out of poverty. Their hope and enthusiasm taught me a lot about the most positive sides of human nature, especially those that can shine even when the physical circumstances of the person do not seem very promising. To conclude, I have led a full life up until now and am looking forward to the next stage of my education. My experiences in Mali showed me that hope, enthusiasm and optimism are the best manner to move forward in life. I learned as much from the children I taught

Access to health care in Canada Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Access to health care in Canada - Essay Example Canadian health care is often referred to as Medicare. The official website explains the system as a collection of national health insurance programs, designed to ascertain that all the citizens have appropriate access to â€Å"medically necessary hospital and physician services†. The health care system is primarily framed by the Canada Health Act (CHA), a federal legislation which propagates conditions regarding the obtainment of funds for health care services by Canadian provinces and territories. CHA specifies the particular conditions and criteria which must be met by provincial and territorial health care insurance plans, which would ultimately translate into qualification for receiving the specified share from the federal cash contribution. Canadian federal government encourages the provincial government to co-operate and follow national standards by incentivizing the conformity. The federal government agrees to pay 50% of the cost for such provincially administered heal th care systems. There are five major principles which are included in CHA (Canadian-healthcare.org, 2004); Public Administration: Health insurance must be administered, at a provincial level, by a public authority which functions on a non-profit basis. The principles of accountability apply to all such service providers and their records are subjected to audits as well. Wolper (2011) has praised Canadian health care system by saying, â€Å"Canada indirectly provides healthcare services through a tax-funded public system which is accessible by all Canadians". The primary objective of Canadian health care policy is to â€Å"protect, promote and restore physical and mental well-being of residents of Canada† (Di, 2010). The purpose also includes facilitation and accessibility of the reasonable health services, without having to face any financial crisis by the citizens (Justice Law Website, 2012). The

Interdiscuplinary Study in Consumer Behaviour Essay Example for Free

Interdiscuplinary Study in Consumer Behaviour Essay With the development of a consumer society, increasing consumer power in the market place, the growth in marketing, advertising, sophisticated consumers, ethical consumption etc, consumption is recognized as central to modern life. Thus it entails to go into a depth of the different approaches to consumer behaviour. Many human sciences give a variety of reasons to explain why a consumer behaves in a particular way in a given situation. Studies of consumption investigate how and why society and individuals consume goods and services, and how this affects society and human relationships. These are found in many social sciences such as economics, psychology, sociology, etc. The present study tries to investigate these theories based on consumption and consumer behaviour and how far these are interlinked as well as different from one another. It is also aimed at studying the relevance of these theories with the help of primary data and research. The purpose of this study is to find out whether there is some interlink between the various theories and approaches given by different economists, psychologists and sociologists. The hypothesis framed for the research is that Consumption is greatly influenced by the income factor. The data used in the study was mostly secondary in nature from the internet and reference to several books. The theories of consumption studied for this purpose are the demand theory, indifference curve analysis, revealed preference theory, Keynes’ consumption theory, permanent income hypothesis, relative income hypothesis, life-cycle hypothesis, Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, the sociological theories of consumption given by G. Katona, Ruby Turner Norris and the theory of Conspicuous consumption given by Veblen. An attempt has been made to study consumer behaviour with the help of primary data collected from a sample of 40 people from 4 categories namely, students, housewives, employees and businessmen. They were asked to rank the different factors that influence their buying behaviour. The influential factors given in the questionnaire were taken from the consumption theories given in economics, sociology as well as psychology as given above. From the analysis of both primary as well as secondary data, it was found that majority of people give importance to their income level. However, it is also found that, besides income factor, people also think about sociological and psychological factors while purchasing a commodity such as security, safety, fashion, advertising, comforts and prestige issues. As given in the Sociological theories of G. Katona and Norris, it was seen after the primary data analysis that the economic theory of consumption lacks such social structural variables. Thus it is concluded that in the construction of any consumption function or theory – for a particular product, for a particular class of products, or for consumption in general – not either economic or sociological or psychological variable is to be regarded as the key determinant. Different combinations of all these three enter into different statements of consumption functions at different situations and time periods according to the necessity or urgency of the wants.

Inspiration :: essays research papers

Subject: Inspiration Please take a moment to relax your mind and humble your heart to focus on Christ. Allow God, to be the only person on your mind while you read this prayer. If we can take the time to read long jokes, stories, etc., we should give the same respect to this prayer. Friends that pray together, stay together. Dear Lord, I thank You for this day. I thank You for my being able to see and to hear this morning. I'm blessed because You are a forgiving God and an understanding God. You have done so much for me and You keep on blessing me. Forgive me this day for everything I have done, said or thought that was not pleasing to you. I ask now for Your forgiveness. Please keep me safe from all danger and harm. Help me to start this day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude. Let me make the best of each and every day to clear my mind so that I can hear from You. Please broaden my mind that I can accept all things. Let me not whine and whimper over things I have no control over. Let me continue to see sin through God eyes and acknowledge it as evil. And when I sin, let me repent, and confess with my mouth my wrongdoing, and receive the forgiveness of God. And when this world closes in on me, let me remember Jesus' example -- to slip away and find a quiet place to pray. It's the best response w hen I'm pushed beyond my limits. I know that when I can't pray, You listen to my heart. Continue to use me to do Your will. Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others. Keep me strong that I may help the weak. Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others. I pray for those that are lost and can't find their way. I pray for those that are misjudged and misunderstood. I pray for those who don't know You intimately. I pray for those that will delete this without sharing it with others. I pray for those that don't believe. But I thank you that I believe. I believe that God changes people and God changes things. I pray for all my sisters and brothers. For each and every family member in their households.

Cheerleading Is a Sport

March 15, 2010 Cheerleading is a sport Do you consider cheerleading to be a sport like football, or any other sport? In most cases, many people tend to laugh at the idea of cheerleading being called a â€Å"sport†. People sometimes laugh because they are use to seeing cheerleaders cheer, and doing basic jumps only on the sidelines of games. In reality, they should know that cheerleading can be as dangerous as most sports. In the following essay I will be telling you why I consider cheerleading is a sport. Some part of the confusion on whether cheerleading is considered a sport or not; comes from the history of cheerleading. It all started during a football game at Princeton University. No one is sure about the date, but it is said to have started in the 1880s. At that time cheerleaders were limited to basic jumps. For example, back then they were only aloud to do cartwheels. Many years’ later competitions for cheerleading started. These competitions were not about what team can scream the loudest. These competitions were about whom can do the best stunts, have the most solid pyramid, and lastly have the best tumbling Many cheerleaders, coaches, and others involved in cheerleading, know that what cheerleaders do is just as challenging as other sports, For example, like cross-country, they run. Football players toss others, they toss girls up in the air, and the girls expect to be catch by their teammates. Like soccer players kick, they can have high kicks. Lastly, they can jump and tumble like gymnast. Cheerleaders also risk themselves building up pyramids. They are risking themselves because it can be dangerous when some one falls off or something might have gone wrong. Cheerleaders also have injuries through out the year and tryouts like all other sports. Cheerleading takes just as much dedication and skills as any other sport. Most people in this country would define a sport as an activity that pushes the individual physically and mentally to perform at their levels. And also to have some competitive component involved. Today, the games that cheerleaders attend for their school are mostly practice compared to the competitive events. If people doubt that cheerleading is a sport, they can easily take a look at some cheerleading squads performing a routine. People can go ahead and look at them on ESPN (the cable sports network). ESPN officially declared cheerleading a sport. They also began showing the national cheerleading competitions that were taking place around the country. In this show you will be able to see members of the squad leap across the matt’s. Also complete tumbling just like gymnast. Hopefully one day cheerleading will be considered a sport as football or any other sport to everyone in this country. Maybe even appear in the Olympics, since cheerleaders are just athletic and physically fit as those involved and accepted as sports.

Ge’s Talent Machine: the Making of a CEO

General Electric (GE) is a true global company with attendance in more than 100 countries. Clearly, with a workforce of more than 320’000 employees, GE also has to have proper human resources processes established. Its energetic Business Operation Model and sophisticated and evolved human resources strategy are results of the steady growth over more than 130 years of corporate history. Since its incorporation in 1878, many CEOs have shaped the company’s products, people and processes, few very intensive and a bit less (GE, 2011). GE has been able to create a surplus while most companies have difficulty producing sufficient quality candidates for top management succession. Producing sufficient quality top management is very difficult for most companies, GE was producing managers not only for own, but enough quantity to meet the need of industry. The philosophy that GE had adopted included some techniques, policies, and practices which allow GE to fill vacant top positions. These techniques were continuous improvement, focus strategy, emerging culture, company strategy, and meritocracy (Bartlett, 2003). As for continuous improvement, management development process of GE was very successful in which employees are developed step by step. As a focus strategy and to fill vacant top positions, GE was focusing on internal foundation. For company strategy, the company was trying not only to gain objectives but also to unite the new employees with the existing culture followed at GE. And lastly for meritocracy, GE employee’s performance was measured by quantitative and qualitatively and the basis of this evaluation, the employees were promoted. GE’s policies and practices were so good that it was producing the surplus managers. Values, culture, training programs, and performance assessment measures are factors that help GE in revealing and polishing the talent of every employee (Bartlett, 2003). Overall policies and practices are very good and fulfill the requirement and need of management development. These policies and practices were generalized in every where in the world up to some extent. Their extent depends upon the circumstances, situations, and environment of the geographical areas, laws, and regulations of state because these factors vary from culture (Bartlett, 2003). These policies and practices are implemented in European culture but it is very difficult to implement these policies in the Asian culture due to HR policies have to deal with human behavior and culture. Human behaviors are different in each country in same situations. For transferring these policies it is necessary to change and create the circumstances and situations according to that of GE. HR departments have to deal with factors like value, culture, and behavior and these things are different from each culture to culture, company to company (Bartlett, 2003). GE believes its ability to develop management talent is a core competency that represents a source of sustainable competitive advantage. Traces the development of a 25-year-old MBA named Jeff Immelt, who 18 years later is named as CEO of GE, arguably the biggest and most complex corporate leadership job in the world, and how he frames and implements his priorities for GE. Immelt's own developments and the strategic changes Immelt adopts in his first year as CEO, when he pulls hard on the sophisticated human resource levers his predecessors left him. Immelt questions whether the changes in place will foster the development of the next generation of GE growth leaders. Jeffrey Immelt was identified as a â€Å"young hot-shot† in one of these programs, and eventually rose up the ranks to become the present Chief Executive Officer (Bartlett, 2003). Under Mr. Immelt (beginning in 2001), GE shifted its business model to a more technological focus, identifying certain growth sectors such as health care IT, water technology (among others) for managers to focus on generating revenues. In addition, they emphasized greater â€Å"customer focus† in their businesses and looked towards growing internationally as well. In this stage, HR decided to include more engineers in the SEB program, and encouraged more transfer of talent into sales/marketing positions in order to emphasize their desire to establish long-term customer relations. The talent machine had to change to be in line with the changing business environment (Bartlett, 2003). Immelt has the opposite managerial approach when compared to Welch even though some similarities are found in both leaders. They both encourage anagers to follow programs that are aimed at improving management skills and get them involved with the company vision and goals. Immelt also requires a two way communication between employees and supervisors, but he prefers a quite exchange of opinion rather than a more confrontational approach that Welch was approving. Both Immelt and Welch knew or know all employees in depth. But it see ms that Welch, even though he was very tough and feared, was loved at all levels and employees felt to be part of a big family. Immelt on the other hand, is considered to be more people oriented and friendly (Bartlett, 2003). The organization under Immelt is growing a strong customer oriented culture rather than a product oriented culture that Welch created. New ideas are brought in by hiring managers from the outside business world and diversity within the employees is seen more favorably by the management. GE employees are now encouraged to come up with new ideas through â€Å"idea jams† meeting sessions, a type of group brainstorming. The best ideas are also awarded with the Excellerator Award (GE, 2011). The word GE evokes the thoughts of people focus, performance oriented growth, leadership and talent development, retention and maximum talent utilization. GE’s HR strategy is completely aligned with the business goals of the organization (Pinto, 2011). This strategic framework of double sided benefit (Employee and Employer) based on the talent or growth potential can be called as a Talent Machine. Given by the fact that the CEO and senior leaders spends valuable time helping devise the HR strategic goals division by division at the beginning of every year. Visions are communicated and shared throughout the business process (Bartlett, 2003). GE spends a huge sum of around 1 billion dollars every year for the employee development. The growth potential of the employees especially the leadership potential is tracked closely and is rewarded appropriately (Business Week, 2005). The performance review at GE is highly effective and evolved. It has a long-term direction and constructive criticism and an in built succession planning. The most important HR strategic policy is that more than 90% of the leadership positions are filled from within the organization (Hitt, 2007). Therefore, success in GE needs not just performance, but also a true present of GE culture and values. On the whole, GE’s maturity in the area of HR is clear when one looks into the sophisticated performance management process and tools and how the organization benefits itself and at the same time promises a good return to the employee (Bartlett, 2003). The quality of employees and their development through training and education are key factors in determining long-term profitability of any business. If you hire and keep good employees, it is a good strategy to invest in the development of their skills, so they can increase their productivity. Employees often develop a greater sense of self-worth, dignity and well-being as they become more valuable to the firm and to society. Generally they will receive a greater share of the material gains that result from their increased productivity. These factors give them a sense of satisfaction through the achievement of personal and company goals (Zero, 2011). Your business should have a clearly defined strategy and set of objectives that direct and drive all the decisions made especially for training decisions. Firms that plan their training process are more successful than those that do not. Most business owners want to succeed, but do not engage in training design that promise to improve their chances of success (Zero, 2011). GE believes its ability to develop management talent is a core competency that represents a source of sustainable competitive advantage. This case traces the development of GE's rich system of human resource policies and practices fewer than five CEOs in the post-war era, showing how the development of talent is embedded into the company's ongoing management responsibilities (Bartlett, 2003).

Pablo Picasso Essays (390 words) - Pablo Picasso, School Of Paris

Pablo Picasso Essays (390 words) - Pablo Picasso, School Of Paris Pablo Picasso Pablo R. Picasso is generally considered in his technical virtuosity, enormous versatility, and incredible originality and prolifically to have been the foremost figure in 20th-century art. Pablo Picasso delivered at 11:15 P.M. in Malaga, a city in southern Spain, on October 25, 1881. He almost died at birth. If it had not been for the presence of his uncle, Dr. Salvador Ruiz, the infant might never have came to life. He could not draw a breath, so his uncle blew cigar smoke into his face. It would be his first triumph over death. Picasso was the son of Jose Ruiz Blasco, an art teacher, and Maria Picasso y Lopez. Picasso was a genius at a very early age. Academically Picasso was an incredibly meager student and did not excel in math. He would draw in class rather than work, his attention span was very short. It was thought later that he had dyslexia. In 1895 a professor at the School of Fine Arts in Barcelona offered to trade positions with his father, so the family moved to La Coruna. Soon after the family settled down, his father decided it was time that Pablo undertook the formal study of art. As a faculty member his father pulled some strings. He convinced the school officials to allow his son to take the examination for admission into the advanced classes, which were meant for students far more sophisticated then Pablo. The exam required two charcoal drawings of living models. His uncle Salvador paid models to pose for him so that he could paint realistically. He completed his drawings within a weeks time, a quarter of the time most students took. An awed jury admitted the young candidat e to the school immediately. He won a gold medal for his unbelievably realistic painting of a doctor, a nun, and a child at a sick woman's bed entitled Science and Charity. In 1897 Picasso passed the entrance exam at the Royal Academy of San Fernando in Madrid. To be derived from other work of art and not directly from nature Pablo Picasso's Meaning of art. Pablo Picasso, probably the most prolific artist of all time, has expressed himself with equal virtuosity in painting, drawing, sculpture, graphics and ceramics. He has influenced artist in every medium to which he has put his hand.

The Irregular French Verb Apprendre

The Irregular French Verb Apprendre Apprendre,  which commonly means to learn,  is a frequently used  irregular French  -re  verb. Irregular verbs do not follow regular conjugation patterns, but some verbs within an irregular verb group can share a conjugation pattern with at least one other verb. There are patterns for irregular French -re verbs, and the irregular verb  apprendre  is in one of those groups. All verbs like apprendre that end in  -prendre  are conjugated the same way. The verbs in this group drop the d in all three plural forms and take a double n in the third person plural form.   Verbs Ending in -prendre All French verbs that end in  -prendre  are conjugated the same way as apprendre  and  prendre: apprendre  Ã‚  to learncomprendre  Ã‚  to understandentreprendre  Ã‚  to undertakemà ©prendre  Ã‚  to mistakeprendre  Ã‚  to takereprendre  Ã‚  to retake, take againsurprendre  Ã‚  to surprise Apprendre: Meanings and Uses In use,  apprendre  means to learn. The pronominal sapprendre, means to be learned, as in:  Le style, à §a ne sapprend pas. Style cant be learned. Apprendre can also mean to tell, as in:Apprendre quelque chose quelquun to teach something to somebody And to hear, as in:Quest-ce que japprends, vous dà ©missionnez  ? Whats this I hear about you resigning? Apprendre:  Idiomatic Expressions On en apprend tous les jours  !   You can learn something new every day.Tiens, tiens, on en apprend des choses  ! Whod have thought such a thing!Napprend pas un vieux singe faire la grimace. ( proverb)   Dont teach an old dog new tricks.Ça lui apprendra  !   Thatll teach him!Apprendre quelque chose par cÅ“ur   learn something by heart/ by roteApprendre à ªtre patient to learn patienceOn apprend tout à ¢ge. Its never too late to learn.Apprendre lentement/vite to be a slow / fast learner Simple Conjugations of the Irregular French Verb Apprendre Present Future Imperfect Present participle j apprends apprendrai apprenais apprenant tu apprends apprendras apprenais il apprend apprendra apprenait nous apprenons apprendrons apprenions vous apprenez apprendrez appreniez ils apprennent apprendront apprenaient Pass compos Auxiliary verb avoir Past participle appris Subjunctive Conditional Pass simple Imperfect subjunctive j apprenne apprendrais appris apprisse tu apprennes apprendrais appris apprisses il apprenne apprendrait apprit apprit nous apprenions apprendrions apprimes apprissions vous appreniez apprendriez apprites apprissiez ils apprennent apprendraient apprissent Imperative tu apprends nous apprenons vous apprenez

What were the causes of the Mexican-American war Essay

What were the causes of the Mexican-American war - Essay Example Before the war, several issues had occurred. First, Mexico got its independence from Spain in 1821, and it comprised of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama (Brands, Breen and Williams 222). The state under Mexico at independence owned states of California, Nevada, Utah, Texas and parts of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming. The negotiation between the US government and Mexican government led to complications. In 1835, the Mexican president took steps to change Mexico from the Federal Republic to Centralist Republic. The move led to rebellion and cessation of Yucatan and Texas. However, the Mexican government waged war to recover the two states. Yucatan was recaptured, but Texas managed to become a state on its own by defeating the Mexican army. Mexican government warned the US against Texas Annexation (Brands, Breen and Williams 123). The US president John Tyler knew California had riches compared to Texas. In fact, the president valued the California because of the riches and stated the importance of the acquisition of the area. The president was a strong believer of Manifest Destiny, which was translated to mean the annexation of all North America into the US. Despite the disliking of Texas by the president, he was pushed to accept it, and Texas was annexed. The successor President James K Polk ratified led to war with Mexico. The fear of losing Texas was the main propellant of the war. The Mexican government wanted to protect and win back Texas, but the war decreased their chances of winning the state thus massive loss for the government. The Mexican American war was based on land and states. The association of some states in America led to aggression by the Mexican government. The success of annexation encourages development of the federal government of US while creating aggression by Mexico (Brands, Breen and Williams 145). During the 19th century, the war between Mexico

Assignment #2 355 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

#2 355 - Assignment Example Additionally, the family is constantly involved in wrangles and family conflicts, mainly associated with limited resource availability and distribution. One aspect worth noting with the family is the aspect of the gendered division of labor. Jay, who is the head of the family, struggles in order to provide for his big family, which comprises of his second wife, who also works though for limited pay, and, therefore only takes care of her two children, a stepson, an infant son, two adult children, their spouses, one couple of which comprises same sex individuals, and children. Jay and the two adult children all struggle with menial jobs to make ends meet in for the provision of the familys basic needs , while Jay’s second wife, despite also working, only takes care of her children while the other adult children’s spouses, work on the housekeeping duties. Considering how big the family is, with a house that is tiny, the house is rarely clean, with the large number of members as well as the struggle between the adult females in the house about the person to clean the house contributing to the house untidiness. The lead characters are individuals of 20 years and above, among whom conflict is constantly witnessed. There is no frail elderly individual in the family; however, Jay’s stepson is constantly on the wheelchair because of broken limbs from an earlier accident. From the TV show, work is presented favorably as a factor towards the contribution of provision of family’s basic needs. However, the family is presented negatively as despite the effort put by Jay and the adult children in their duties towards providing for the family, the family members is always in conflict, especially the Jay’s second wife and Jay’s other children. Modern family characters portray a critical aspect of what a modern family in America comprises. First, is an

Reconstruction and protection at NJ shore Assignment

Reconstruction and protection at NJ shore - Assignment Example Dunes and wetlands that formed part of natural defense against tides, floods, and storms that often affect or destroy islands; notably, these protective barriers n were removed during the construction on these islands (Goudas 52). Water that receded from Sandy led to destruction on these islands with some areas or regions on the islands recording an overwhelming destruction that need reconstruction towards rebuilding the New Jersey islands. To help with reconstruction and the protection of the shore of the New Jersey, the project must be designed to reduce property damage and erosions that are associated with the regular coastal hurricane, storms, and northeasters. Reconstruction and protection project include the construction of tall dunes of approximately 22 feet high with about 125 foot long beams that are elevated about 8 feet above the water levels (Goudas 47). The structures of these standards or measurements will be perfect in protecting the island from storm and wave damages. Additionally, sand of approximately 11,000,000 cubic yards should be placed at the beginning of construction. These yards of sands should be followed by a periodic nourishment cycle that will contribute to approximately 2,000,000 cubic yard additional sand for every seven years (Goudas 73). Moreover, the seawalls shall be constructed to block that storm from the sea from causing damage of the island’s structures and infrastructure a s well as human beings. These reconstruction and protection measure of the New Jersey shores shall ensure that the shores are protected from the violent and destructive water waves from the Atlantic Ocean that often affects it. Goudas, Constantine. Soft Shore Protection: An Environmental Innovation on Coastal Engineering ; [first International Conference on Soft Shore Protection Held in October 2000 in Patras, Greece]. Dordrecht [u.a.: Kluwer Acad. Publ, 2003.

Analysis of a Quote by Lyndon B. Johnson Essay Example for Free

Analysis of a Quote by Lyndon B. Johnson Essay â€Å"Better to have him inside the tent pissing out, than outside pissing in.† said by Lyndon B. Johnson. This quote doesn’t include lots of words, but it does demonstrate some valuable strategies. Before we get into it, there is a necessary story that I should mention below. In 1976, that was the first time that Reagan’s serious run for President. At that time, Gerald R. Ford was leading in the delegate count for the Republican nomination. Reagan realized that he could be lost unless he did something unique. Therefore, Reagan named Senator Richard S. Schweiker of Pennsylvania as his prospective running mate. Since Ford also was from Pennsylvania State, Reagan wanted to use this way to promote some Ford’s supporters change to support him. In order to destroy Reagan’s strategy, Ford reached Jim Baker to let him break Reagan’s attack, cost what it might. He launched a furious retail campaign to lure one delegate at a time back to Ford. Finally, Reagan have traded his number one chit, the vice presidency, for a total of four delegates. In the next president election, Baker acted as presidential campaign as manager for his old friend George Bush to against Reagan again. However, American voters were not interesting in George Bush this time, so that Reagan surpassed him. Also, Jim Baker was exchanged from loser’s campaign manager to winner’s top advisor somehow. Reagan followed an old rule that is â€Å"Keep your enemy in front of you.† It is a wise choice that Reagan did not chase Jim Baker who is his adversaries away instead he took hostages. In order to make Baker bring the largest functions to benefit Reagan, Reagan put his old adversaries into a position where Baker could not do well unless his president did well. Thus, Baker’s achievements had to enhance Reagan’s; he had no choice to make the Reagan Revolution a winner. Maybe Baker’s abilities and relationships are higher than Reagan’s, however, Reagan knew how to change his adversaries’ position and became one of his men. Never let enemies stand behind us, because they can harm us when they hid in the dark places. Therefore, we should learn from Reagan to keep enemies in front of us, and then they can be used to benefit us and defeat others. It is better to have enemies standing in our camp to attack others, than standing in other people’s camp to attack us.

Internet Research and Internet Plagiarism Essay -- Internet Online Com

Internet Research and Internet Plagiarism As wonderful as it is, the Internet is not the be-all and end-all of your research. A college-level term paper that uses only the Internet for information will probably not cover its subject adequately, and thus will not receive a high grade. There are several reasons for this. For one, the Internet tends to cover subjects more superficially than the printed literature, without the depth and context provided by a book. Most Internet sources also lack explicit citations to other sources for reference; such citation is an important part of articles found in professional journals and is one of the ways in which scholarly accountability is maintained. Another important reason that the Internet should not be the primary information source for a term paper is the considerable variation in the quality of information available on the Internet. This variation is due to the Internet's lack of a standard for information quality. Printed, or "hardcopy," literature has a built-in safeguard to promote high quality information -- peer-review. Peer-review means that the editor of the article or book has sent the manuscript to authorities in the subject matter (people like your professors). These reviewers evaluate the manuscript and reach a general consensus that the work meets the required standards. Reviewers cannot advise an editor to reject a manuscript simply because they might disagree with it. They can advise to reject it if there are flaws in the way in which the subject was investigated, if there are major internal inconsistencies, if the manuscript does not adequately deal with important counter arguments, or if the existing literat ure is not adequately referenced. Reviewers commonly off... ...re, because that implies the words are your own. If you find a particularly elegant or useful phrase in the literature, it can be included in the term paper provided the phrase is within quotation marks and its source is cited. Larger textual passages should be indented, but this is very unusual in science articles (it is more common in the humanities and social sciences), and is generally discouraged in scientific writing. Plagiarism can be avoided by reading the source material and taking notes and NEVER copying word for word. This must also apply to the Internet. Never cut and paste from a source into your term paper. As an added disincentive to cut and paste from the Internet, remember that, should your professor suspect that a phrase is not your own, the Internet could be easily searched for that phrase. Plagiarism from the Internet is very easy to catch!

Development of a Clinical Practice guideline for Acute Care Nursing

Clinical practice guidelines are formulated as a necessity to provide uniformity in the nursing field, cut down costs involved and improve the quality of care offered to patients. One of the most important ways of developing a practical and effective guideline is the systematic review of literature on this area since extensive and credible research has been carried out and documented by qualified professionals. It is important to examine whether the formulation of such guidelines has helped influence the conduct of nurses and by extension to evaluate the extent, if any that the provision of health care has benefited from such guidelines.It becomes essential to consider specifically the various areas of intensive medicine since the importance of the department makes it a necessity to have clear, uniform and sustainable practices that fosters discipline, acquisition of new knowledge and a diligence in ensuring that exact and prompt care is administered to save lives. Introduction Nursi ng is a vital part of our society due to the mortal nature of humanity. The average human person cannot live his whole life without need to acquire some medical attention due to either ailment or injury.Nurses therefore provide the necessary care in ensuring that people receive treatment of their various ailments and injuries and hence the role of the nurse is to foster good health and maintain good quality of life. Nurses work under all kinds of environment depending on the nature of ailment, preferences of the patients, personal choices that are influenced by various social and economic factors and in accordance to the laws and guidelines of the various institutions that have jurisdiction over the conduct of nurses under their authorities.These institutions might range from federal and state governments, registration and oversight bodies and specific hospitals in which individual nurses are attached. There are many fields in medicine and nurses work in all these departments depend ing on the specificity of the fields they have received training in. This paper will dwell on the area of acute care provision since as a student specializing in this field; it is common logic that my review should rotate within the educational confines of this field.The area of acute care nursing usually involves attending to patients within the intensive unit set up and is mainly patients whose lives are in danger due to fatal ailments and serious injuries. The history of the development of intensive unit care can be traced to Florence Nightingale and the contribution it has brought to the field of medicine is monumental if the great number of lives saved can be a testimony of its importance and success.It is important that nurses receive sufficient training since their occupation involves saving lives or restoring health regardless of whether assisting medics or administering such services independently. Education then becomes a vital part in the development of the nursing profes sion and hospitals have recognized the importance of education and by extension, hospitals are mandating that their nurses update their training annually (Kurjak & Chervenak, 2006).There is a lot of prudence and common sense behind such directives, most of which are due to the increasing innovations in technology, medicines and methodologies in the field of medicine and nursing. Nurses, especially acute care nurses are required to have accurate knowledge in operating various machines employed in treating patients and since many improvements and new inventions are a daily occurrence, failure to have current knowledge might be a cause for catastrophe and civil liability thereafter.Guidelines are used to ensure that new findings in nursing are used to ensure that gains are felt in the nursing sector to ensure that all stake holders benefit. Good guidelines should be based on evidence and the best way to collect such evidence is through systematic reviews of the existing literature (Sil agy, 2001). However, since several literatures exists on this field and the nature of the many changes in technology and technique that have occurred through the ages, it is necessary to limit your review to materials produced in the near past.The actual period one chooses to examine might be determined by several factors but among them might be the length of the systematic review with a small review like this one going back 5 to 10 years. This means that knowledge contained in these primary documents is current and a reflection of the present condition of nursing sector and guidelines based on such materials will act as an improving factor in the current health service provision.

The Country Ecuador

Ecuador, a country smaller than the size of Nevada, is located in western South America. It borders the Pacific Ocean at the Equator and is a tropical region. The capital of Ecuador is Quito. Quito is located in Northern Central Ecuador. One interesting fact about Ecuador is that it contains the highest active volcano in the world, Cotopaxi. The volcano is located just below the capita, Quito. Due to their new constitution the economic status of Ecuador, a Third World country, is rising. The GDP is $58.7 billion. The GDP per capita is $4,800. Only 35% of the population are below the poverty line. The lowest 10% of income is shared by 2.3% of the population and the highest 10% are 37.6%. The foreign debt is $12.5 billion. 12% of people who live in Ecuador experience wide spread unemployment. Their industrial production growth rate is 2.4%. The budget in Ecuador is $5.1 billion, not including money from private organizations. Ecuador produces a range of products to be exported. They export 30% petroleum, 26% bananas, 16% shrimp, 2% cut flowers, and 1.9% fish. They export to the United States (39%); Latin America (25%); EU countries (22%); and Asia (12%). Ecuador imports $2.9 billion worth of products. These include transport equipment, consumer goods, vehicles, machinery, and chemicals. They import from the United States (32%), EU countries (19%), Latin America (35%), and Asia (11%). Ecuador†s industrial force produces: petroleum, food, textiles, metal work, paper products, wood products, chemicals, plastics, fish, and lumber. Ecuador†s agricultural production includes: bananas, coffee, cocoa, rice, potatoes, manioc, plantains, sugar cane, cattle, sheep, pigs, beef, pork, dairy products, balsa wood, fish and shrimp. Ecuador†s social indicators are really not too disturbing. The infant mortality rate is 30.69 deaths/1,000 live births. This is not a very high rate compared to many other Third World countries. The average life expectancy for an Ecuadorian is 72.16 years. The average for a male is 69.54 years, and for females the life expectancy is 74.9 years. The population growth rate is 1.78%. This is not a great increase. The literacy rate for the total population is 90.1%. This is outstandingly high. The main religion in Ecuador is Roman Catholic, which includes 95% of the population. Petroleum, fish, and timber are Ecuador†s three main natural resources. The climate in Ecuador is mainly tropical along the coast, and as one moves inland it becomes much cooler. Arable land makes up 6% of land, along with permanent crops (5%), permanent pastures (18%), forests and woodland (56%), and other areas (15%). Ecuador faces many natural hazards, which include frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity, and periodic droughts. Deforestation, soil erosion, desertification, water pollution, and pollution from oil production wastes are some of the environmental issues facing Ecuador. The government of Ecuador is a unitary republic. Their system is set up much like the United States. The government contains three branches- legislative, executive, and judicial. The people elect the president and vice-president by casting only one ballot. In congress, the representatives are limited to four-year terms. Impeachment of a president, would require support of one-fourth of representatives. In order to actually remove him or her from office it would take a vote of two-thirds of the representatives. On August 10 1998, President Jamil Mahuad took his term as Ecuador†s president, and the new government brought forth a new constitution. Primary and secondary education will be free to everyone, in the new constituiton. Universities will not be included in this; students also will be required, much like in the United States, to pass admissions requirements before entering the university. Education is a major factor in helping the poor of Ecuador, by being educated one can start to help themselves by finding better jobs that pay more. Under the new constitution, the state must now try to sustain economic growth. The new constitution stops the state from changing contracts that have been already signed if the law was not enacted previously. Having this will create more private investment, which will help Ecuador obtain foreign capital. Since the establishment of the new government in 1998, the congress has been receiving pressure from citizens to pass a balanced budget and tax reform. Special interest groups and many other interest groups have slowed the progress ofcongress by raising questions about how this is going to happen and disagreeing with congress†s plans. Congress has been threatened by numerous associations to get the budget bill passed. Questions on whether a legislature should remain are arising. Ecuador is also having problems paying their debt. They have defaulted on their interest payments on Brady and Eurobonds. With the already week financial system, some analyst believe this may cause bankruptcy for new institutions. Electricity prices have always been a sore spot in Ecuador. Since the lack of enforcement of the new budget and tax reform, outrage is even more prevalent. CONELEC, the National Electricity Council, has been pressed with the issue of how to implement the higher taxes. Many ideas have been brought to the forefront. One idea is to base the price of electric off the price of the exchange rate of the United States dollar. Another idea is to not enforce the increase until January and then increase the price 34%. After January keep increasing the price monthly until Ecuador breaks even. Ecuador has a new government and with that comes conflicts. They have an excellent government system working for them, but as in every society someone wants to change that. Ecuador is working on convincing some of the old institutions that the government they have now is good. The government is doing good things for the economy by helping reducing the number of the poor. Ecuador†s economy will probable thrive as soon as the bugs are worked out of the system. A volcano threat in Ecuador has forced many individuals to leave their homes. The Tungurahua volcano, located about 120 miles south of Ecuador†s capital Quito, blanketed the area with ash. The Tungurahua volcano is 5,000 meters high and it spews about 10,000 tons of vapor a day. Many experts believe there is an 80% chance that the Tungurahua volcano will erupt. Only minor eye irritations and respiratory problems have been reported as a result of the volcanic gases and activity. Economic development seems to be doing well along with the reduction of poverty since the new constitution was established in 1998. Although I would have liked to have a law that even though primary and secondary education is free-that it is required one attends until a certain age. With a lot of Ecuador†s economy based on agriculture I am concerned that even though education is free, one†s children may not be able to attend due to the need to be on the farm. Education coincides with poverty reduction so I find that the two go hand in hand. Poverty can not be solved in one day, but I do think that education is the right approach. I think there should programs set up to go to the older population and help educate them as well so that they understand why it is important for their children to receive and education. Ecuador is a complicated country with many strong attributes. The country essentially is starting over with a new government, which will take time for everyone to adjust. Ecuador†s economic data and social indicators look good for Ecuador†s future.

Joseohines Influence on the great Napoleon essays

Joseohines Influence on the great Napoleon essays A young woman by the name of Josephine Rose-Marie Tascher arrived in France from the tropical island of Martinique in the midst of the greatest political and social up heaving. With her innate grace and charm she secured herself a position of prominence that enabled her to capture the affection of Napoleon Bonaparte an up and coming French artillery officer from Island of Creole (www.geocities.com/Paris/Parc.html). This was the beginning of one of histories most passionate and extraordinary love affairs. Napoleon instantly fell in love with Josephine and they married on March 8, 1776. The marriage of Josephine and the great Napoleon was one of turbulence, yet Josephine had a great impact on his decisions and his rise to power and fame. Josephine was a respectable and likable person with a high social status which aided to Napoleon and his advancements. Emotionally, Napoleon was affected greatly by Josephine both directly and indirectly. Josephine's influence on Napoleon's emot ions was profound in the way that it affected his decisions and actions. Also, Josephine was a smart and intelligent woman whose opinions were of great value to Napoleon and he often took them into consideration when making extremely important decisions. Socially, Josephine had a great impact on Napoleon's advancements and his success in many areas of life. Early on in the marriage Napoleon discovered how useful Josephine could be to forwarding his position in society and in the military. He often made her his advocate, taking her along when he went to ask an important favour of someone (Erickson 132). She would often speak on his behalf because her remarkable social skills, amiable personality (Cartland 104), and because of her high social status that she obtained from her first husband1. Remarkably, it was Josephine who in the winter of 1795 asked that Napoleon be given command of the Italian army (Erickson 132). Sure enough shortly after her...

Maximum Likelihood Estimation Examples

Maximum Likelihood Estimation Examples Suppose that we have a random sample from a population of interest.  We may have a theoretical model for the way that the population is distributed.  However, there may be several population parameters of which we do not know the values.  Maximum likelihood estimation is one way to determine these unknown parameters.   The basic idea behind maximum likelihood estimation is that we determine the values of these unknown parameters.  We do this in such a way to maximize an associated joint probability density function or probability mass function.  We will see this in more detail in what follows.  Then we will calculate some examples of maximum likelihood estimation. Steps for Maximum Likelihood Estimation The above discussion can be summarized by the following steps: Start with a sample of independent random variables X1, X2, . . . Xn from a common distribution each with probability density function f(x;ÃŽ ¸1, . . .ÃŽ ¸k).  The thetas are unknown parameters.Since our sample is independent, the probability of obtaining the specific sample that we observe is found by multiplying our probabilities together.  This gives us a likelihood function L(ÃŽ ¸1, . . .ÃŽ ¸k)   f( x1 ;ÃŽ ¸1, . . .ÃŽ ¸k) f( x2 ;ÃŽ ¸1, . . .ÃŽ ¸k) . . .  f( xn ;ÃŽ ¸1, . . .ÃŽ ¸k) ÃŽ   f( xi ;ÃŽ ¸1, . . .ÃŽ ¸k).Next, we use Calculus to find the values of theta that maximize our likelihood function L.  More specifically, we differentiate the likelihood function L with respect to ÃŽ ¸ if there is a single parameter.  If there are multiple parameters we calculate partial derivatives of L with respect to each of the theta parameters.To continue the process of maximization, set the derivative of L (or partial derivatives) equal to zero and solve for theta.We can then use o ther techniques (such as a second derivative test) to verify that we have found a maximum for our likelihood function. Example Suppose we have a package of seeds, each of which has a constant probability p of success of germination.  We plant n of these and count the number of those that sprout.  Assume that each seed sprouts independently of the others.  How do we determine the maximum likelihood estimator of the parameter p? We begin by noting that each seed is modeled by a Bernoulli distribution with a success of p. We let X be either 0 or 1, and the probability mass function for a single seed is f( x ; p ) px (1 - p)1 - x.   Our sample consists of n  Ã‚  different Xi, each of with has a Bernoulli distribution.  The  seeds that sprout have Xi 1 and the seeds that fail to sprout have Xi 0.   The likelihood function is given by: L ( p ) ÃŽ   pxi (1 - p)1 - xi We see that it is possible to rewrite the likelihood function by using the laws of exponents.   L ( p )   pÃŽ £ xi (1 - p)n - ÃŽ £ xi Next we differentiate this function with respect to p.  We assume that the values for all of the Xi are known, and hence are constant.  To differentiate the likelihood function we need to use the product rule along with the power rule: L ( p )   ÃŽ £ xip-1 ÃŽ £ xi (1 - p)n - ÃŽ £ xi - (n - ÃŽ £ xi )pÃŽ £ xi (1 - p)n-1 - ÃŽ £ xi We rewrite some of the negative exponents and have: L ( p ) (1/p) ÃŽ £ xipÃŽ £ xi (1 - p)n - ÃŽ £ xi - 1/(1 - p) (n - ÃŽ £ xi )pÃŽ £ xi (1 - p)n - ÃŽ £ xi [(1/p) ÃŽ £ xi  - 1/(1 - p) (n - ÃŽ £ xi)]ipÃŽ £ xi (1 - p)n - ÃŽ £ xi Now, in order to continue the process of maximization, we set this derivative equal to zero and solve for p: 0 [(1/p) ÃŽ £ xi  - 1/(1 - p) (n - ÃŽ £ xi)]ipÃŽ £ xi (1 - p)n - ÃŽ £ xi Since p and (1- p) are nonzero we have that 0 (1/p) ÃŽ £ xi  - 1/(1 - p) (n - ÃŽ £ xi). Multiplying both sides of the equation by p(1- p) gives us: 0 (1 - p) ÃŽ £ xi  - p (n - ÃŽ £ xi). We expand the right hand side and see: 0   ÃŽ £ xi  - p ÃŽ £ xi  - p n pÃŽ £ xi   ÃŽ £ xi - p n. Thus ÃŽ £ xi p n and (1/n)ÃŽ £ xi   p.  This means that the maximum likelihood estimator of p is a sample mean.  More specifically this is the sample proportion of the seeds that germinated.  This is perfectly in line with what intuition would tell us.  In order to determine the proportion of seeds that will germinate, first consider a sample from the population of interest. Modifications to the Steps There are some modifications to the above list of steps.  For example, as we have seen above, is typically worthwhile to spend some time using some algebra to simplify the expression of the likelihood function.  The reason for this is to make the differentiation easier to carry out. Another change to the above list of steps is to consider natural logarithms. The maximum for the function L will occur at the same point as it will for the natural logarithm of L.  Thus maximizing ln L is equivalent to maximizing the function L. Many times, due to the presence of exponential functions in L, taking the natural logarithm of L will greatly simplify some of our work. Example We see how to use the natural logarithm by revisiting the example from above.  We begin with the likelihood function: L ( p )   pÃŽ £ xi (1 - p)n - ÃŽ £ xi . We then use our logarithm laws and see that: R( p ) ln L( p ) ÃŽ £ xi ln p (n - ÃŽ £ xi) ln(1 - p). We already see that the derivative is much easier to calculate: R( p ) (1/p)ÃŽ £ xi - 1/(1 - p)(n - ÃŽ £ xi) . Now, as before, we set this derivative equal to zero and multiply both sides by p (1 - p): 0 (1- p ) ÃŽ £ xi -  p(n - ÃŽ £ xi) . We solve for p and find the same result as before. The use of the natural logarithm of L(p) is helpful in another way.  It is much easier to calculate a second derivative of R(p) to verify that we truly do have a maximum at the point (1/n)ÃŽ £ xi   p. Example For another example, suppose that we have a random sample X1, X2, . . . Xn from a population that we are modelling with an exponential distribution.  The probability density function for one random variable is of the form f( x ) ÃŽ ¸-1 e -x/ÃŽ ¸ The likelihood function is given by the joint probability density function. This is a product of several of these density functions: L(ÃŽ ¸) ÃŽ   ÃŽ ¸-1 e -xi/ÃŽ ¸   ÃŽ ¸-n e -ÃŽ £ xi/ÃŽ ¸    Once again it is helpful to consider the natural logarithm of the likelihood function.  Differentiating this will require less work than differentiating the likelihood function: R(ÃŽ ¸) ln L(ÃŽ ¸) ln [ÃŽ ¸-n e -ÃŽ £ xi/ÃŽ ¸] We use our laws of logarithms and obtain: R(ÃŽ ¸) ln L(ÃŽ ¸) - n ln ÃŽ ¸Ã‚   -ÃŽ £xi/ÃŽ ¸ We differentiate with respect to ÃŽ ¸ and have: R(ÃŽ ¸)   - n / ÃŽ ¸Ã‚   ÃŽ £xi/ÃŽ ¸2 Set this derivative equal to zero and we see that: 0 - n / ÃŽ ¸Ã‚   ÃŽ £xi/ÃŽ ¸2. Multiply both sides by ÃŽ ¸2 and the result is: 0 - n ÃŽ ¸Ã‚   ÃŽ £xi. Now use algebra to solve for ÃŽ ¸: ÃŽ ¸ (1/n)ÃŽ £xi. We see from this that the sample mean is what maximizes the likelihood function.  The parameter ÃŽ ¸ to fit our model should simply be the mean of all of our observations. Connections There are other types of estimators.  One alternate type of estimation is called an unbiased estimator.  For this type, we must calculate the expected value of our statistic and determine if it matches a corresponding parameter.