Historical SAT Test Dates for 2014, 2013 and More

Historical SAT Test Dates for 2014, 2013 and More SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Historical test dates for the SAT are important for many accurate records. However, the College Board at this point doesn't maintain an easy database of SAT dates for 2014, 2013, 2012, 20, and so forth. We at PrepScholar have done the hard work to dig up the old records. See below! Note: if you are looking for future SAT test dates instead, look here! School Year of 2014-2015 The source for this year was Official College Board data. Test Date Normal Reg Late Reg Oct , 2014 Sep 12, 2014 Sep 26, 2014 Nov 1, 2014 Oct 3, 2014 Oct 17, 2014 Dec 6, 2014 Nov 7, 2014 Nov 21, 2014 Jan 24, 2015 Dec 26, 2014 Jan 9, 2015 Mar 7, 2015 Feb 6, 2015 Feb 20, 2015 May 2, 2015 Apr 3, 2015 Apr 17, 2015 Jun 6, 2015 May 8, 2015 May 22, 2015 School Year of 2013-2014 The source for this year was Official College Board data. Test Date Normal Reg Late Reg Oct 5, 2013 Sep 6, 2013 Sep 20, 2013 Nov 2, 2013 Oct 4, 2013 Oct 18, 2013 Dec 7, 2013 Nov 8, 2013 Nov 22, 2013 Jan 25, 2014 Dec 27, 2013 Jan 10, 2014 Mar 8, 2014 Feb 7, 2014 Feb 21, 2014 May 3, 2014 Apr 4, 2014 Apr 18, 2014 Jun 7, 2014 May 9, 2014 May 23, 2014 More Years Below! Found this article useful? Get a lot more helpful information with our Free SAT ebook! School Year of 2012-2013 The source for this year was Official College Board data. Test Date Normal Reg Late Reg Oct 6, 2012 Sep 7, 2012 Sep 21, 2012 Nov 3, 2012 Oct 4, 2012 Oct 19, 2012 Dec 1, 2012 Nov 1, 2012 Nov 16, 2012 Jan 26, 2013 Dec 28, 2012 Jan , 2013 Mar 9, 2013 Feb 8, 2013 Feb 22, 2013 May 4, 2013 Apr 5, 2013 Apr 19, 2013 Jun 1, 2013 May 2, 2013 May 17, 2013 School Year of 20-2012 The source for this year was a trusted institutional source secondarily based on Official College Board data. Test Date Normal Reg Late Reg Oct 1, 20 Sep 9, 20 Sep 21, 20 Nov 5, 20 Oct 7, 20 Oct 21, 20 Dec 3, 20 Nov 8, 20 Nov 20, 20 Jan 28, 2012 Dec 30, 2012 Jan 13, 2012 Mar 10, 2012 Feb 10, 2012 Feb 24, 2012 May 5, 2012 Apr 6, 2012 Apr 20, 2012 Jun 2, 2012 May 8, 2012 May 22, 2012 School Year of 2010-20 The source for this year was a trusted institutional source secondarily based on Official College Board data. Test Date Normal Reg Late Reg Oct 9, 2010 Sep 10, 2010 Sep 24, 2010 Nov 6, 2010 Oct 8, 2010 Oct 22, 2010 Dec 4, 2010 Nov 5, 2010 Nov 19, 2010 Jan 22, 20 Dec 23, 20 Jan 7, 20 Mar 12, 20 Feb , 20 Feb 25, 20 May 7, 20 Apr 8, 20 Apr 22, 20 Jun 4, 20 May 6, 20 May 20, 20 School Year of 2009-2010 The source for this year was a trusted secondary school institutional source secondarily based on Official College Board data. Test Date Normal Reg Late Reg Oct 10, 2009 Sep 9, 2009 Sep 23, 2009 Nov 7, 2009 Oct 1, 2009 Oct 15, 2009 Dec 5, 2009 Oct 30, 2009 Nov 12, 2009 Jan 23, 2010 Dec 15, 2009 Dec 30, 2009 Mar 13, 2010 Feb 4, 2010 Feb 18, 2010 May 1, 2010 Mar 25, 2010 Apr 8, 2010 Jun 5, 2010 Apr 29, 2010 May 13, 2010 School Year of 2008-2009 The source for this year was a trusted collegiate institutional source secondarily based on Official College Board data. Test Date Normal Reg Late Reg Oct 4, 2008 Sep 9, 2008 Sep 16, 2008 Nov 1, 2008 Sep 26, 2008 Oct 10, 2008 Dec 6, 2008 Nov 5, 2008 Nov 18, 2008 Jan 24, 2009 Dec 26, 2008 Jan6, 2009 Mar 14, 2009 Feb 10, 2009 Feb 24, 2009 May 2, 2009 Mar 31, 2009 Apr 9, 2009 Jun 6, 2009 May 5, 2009 May 15, 2009 How to Use These SAT Data These historical test days can help you with your application, and help you predict when future SAT test dates are. If you are planning to take the SAT again and want to improve, subscribe to our blog! Found this article useful? Get a lot more helpful with our Free SAT Ebook! Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article! Tweet Dr. Fred Zhang About the Author Fred is co-founder of PrepScholar. He scored a perfect score on the SAT and is passionate about sharing information with aspiring students. Fred graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor's in Mathematics and a PhD in Economics. Get Free Guides to Boost Your SAT/ACT Get FREE EXCLUSIVE insider tips on how to ACE THE SAT/ACT. 100% Privacy. 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What Is the SAT No Calculator Section 5 Tips to Do Well

What Is the SAT No Calculator Section 5 Tips to Do Well SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips While the prohibition of a calculator on some SAT Math questions might leave you worried, rest assured that you don't need a calculator on this section. In fact, having one would probably just slow you down! This guide will discuss the third section of the SAT: the Math with No Calculator section. Read on to learn the types of questions you can expect to see and how you can get a high score. But first, let’s go over the format of the SAT Math No Calculator section. How Is the SAT Math No Calculator Section Formatted? Let’s start with the basics: how much time you have and how the SAT Math No Calculator section is structured. This section always comes third, after the Reading and Writing and Language sections. It’s only 25 minutes long, making it the shortest section on the SAT. After you complete this section, you'll get a short five-minute break, at which time you can take out your calculator and start to get ready for the next section: Math Calculator. You’ll be asked to answer 20 questions. You'll have an average of one minute and fifteen seconds, or 75 seconds, per question. Of these questions, 15 will be multiple choice (each with four answer choices) and five will be grid-ins (also known as student-produced responses). You’ll fill in your answers to these five grid-ins on a special section of your answer sheet. Here’s how the Math No Calculator section breaks down exactly: Total Time # of Multiple-Choice Questions # of Grid-ins Time per Question 25 minutes 15 (#1-15) 5 (#16-20) 75 seconds Since the No Calculator section is the shorter of the two Math sections, it will only count for one-third of your total Math score. Now, let’s move beyond logistics and discuss the skills that will be tested on the SAT Math No Calculator section. You don't need a calculator to answer these questions- just a pencil and paper! What Skills Are Tested on the Math No Calculator Section? According to the College Board, the Math No Calculator section tests two major categories: Heart of Algebra and Passport to Advanced Math, along with problems that fall under Additional Topics. These categories focus on concepts such as linear equations, linear inequalities, functions, quadratic equations, graphs, geometry, and complex numbers. Unlike on the Calculator section, there are no Problem Solving and Data Analysis questions on the No Calculator section- these are the ones for which you must interpret data from tables and scatterplots or calculate ratios, rates, and proportions. The chart below shows exactly how many questions you can expect to find in each of the three major skills areas: Content Categories # of Questions % of No Calculator Section Heart of Algebra 8 40% Passport to Advanced Math 9 45% Additional Topics 3 15% Source: Official SAT Study Guide Some questions have multiple steps and require you to combine two or more concepts to work toward a solution. To gain a sense of how the Math No Calculator section tests the above skills, you can find official SAT sample questions below. Let’s take a look at how this calculator-free section tests these skill areas. This amphibian romantic wears his Heart of Algebra on his sleeve. How Does the Math No Calculator Section Test Your Skills? The Math No Calculator section won’t ask you to do long, complex calculations out by hand. For the most part, this section seeks to test your reasoning and problem-solving abilities. The College Board wants to ensure that you understand fundamental math concepts and don’t need to rely on a calculator to reach a solution. There will still be some arithmetic- e.g., basic adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing by decimals- but the majority of the problems will focus more on reasoning than on figures. Below are some official sample No Calculator questions. You’ll find two questions that fall into the Heart of Algebra category, two in Passport to Advanced Math, and one in Additional Topics. Notice how, for the most part, a calculator wouldn’t actually be useful at all for reaching your answer. The questions below are borrowed from the College Board’s collection of official SAT practice tests, a free resource that should definitely be part of your test prep. I also suggest checking out Khan Academy's SAT resources, though they shouldn't be a replacement for more thorough test prep. #1: Heart of Algebra This Heart of Algebra question asks you to solve for $x$ in an algebraic equation: If ${x-1}/3=k$ and $k=3$, what is the value of $x$? A) 2B) 4C) 9D) 10 To solve this problem, you could go through the following steps: #1: Multiply both sides by 3, so you're working with $x - 1 = 3k$ #2: Add 1 to both sides, leaving you with $x = 3k + 1$ #3: Then solve for $x$ by substituting $k$ with 3. Since $x = 3k + 1$, $x = 3(3) + 1$, or $x = 10$. This Heart of Algebra example represents an easy-level question. If you didn't solve for $x$, you could instead plug in the answer choices and work backward (i.e., which value of $x$ would equal 3). Either way you decide to solve it, this problem definitely doesn't require the use of a calculator. Answer: D #2: Heart of Algebra The following Heart of Algebra question is of medium difficulty; it tests your reasoning skills and understanding of an algebraic expression. While you could plug in numbers to make the scenario more concrete, the easiest way to solve this problem is to understand how to represent rates with algebraic variables. On Saturday afternoon, Armand sent $m$ text messages each hour for 5 hours, and Tyrone sent $p$ text messages each hour for 4 hours. Which of the following represents the total number of messages sent by Armand and Tyrone on Saturday afternoon? A) $9mp$B) $20mp$C) $5m+4p$D) $4m+5p$ This problem asks about the total number of messages Armand and Tyrone sent: The total number of texts Armand sent is his rate ($m$ texts/hour) multiplied by the number of hours (5). Your product for Armand's texts is 5$\bi m$. The total number of texts Tyrone sent is his rate ($p$ texts/hour) multiplied by the number of hours (4). Your product for Tyrone is 4$\bi p$. To get a total, you would add these two products together, leaving you with 5$\bi m$ + 4$\bi p$. If you were unsure about your answer, you could plug in sample numbers for $\bi m$ and $\bi p$ to check your reasoning. The easiest way to solve this problem, though, is to conceptually understand the relationship between rates and time, and how to represent this relationship with variables. Answer: C #3: Passport to Advanced Math This sample question tests your ability to manipulate an algebraic equation: $$m={({r}/{1,200})(1+{r}/{1,200})^N}/{(1+{r}/{1,200})^N-1}P$$ The formula above gives the monthly payment $m$ needed to pay off a loan of $P$ dollars at $r$ percent annual interest over $N$ months. Which of the following gives $P$ in terms of $m$, $r$, and $N$? A) $P={({r}/{1,200})(1+{r}/{1,200})^N}/{(1+{r}/{1,200})^N-1}m$ B) $P={(1+{r}/{1,200})^N-1}/{({r}/{1,200})(1+{r}/{1,200})^N}m$ C) $P=({r}/{1,200})m$ D) $P=({1,200}/{r})m$ The initial expression gives you $m$ in terms of $r$, $N$, and $P$. The problem asks you to solve for $P$ in terms of $m$, $r$, and $N$. To switch around the equation, multiply both sides by the reciprocal of the expression beside $P$. Basically, you can just flip the current expression, which gives you answer choice B. Answer: B Want to learn more about the SAT but tired of reading blog articles? Then you'll love our free, SAT prep livestreams. Designed and led by PrepScholar SAT experts, these live video events are a great resource for students and parents looking to learn more about the SAT and SAT prep. Click on the button below to register for one of our livestreams today! #4: Passport to Advanced Math The question below is the first example that requires arithmetic. While a calculator would be helpful here, the College Board wants to see that you can perform addition, subtraction, division, multiplication long hand. $b=2.35+0.25x$ $c=1.75+0.40x$ In the equations above, $b$ and $c$ represent the price per pound, in dollars, of beef and chicken, respectively, $x$ weeks after July 1 during last summer. What was the price per pound of beef when it was equal to the price per pound of chicken? A) $\$ 2.60$B) $\$ 2.85$C) $\$ 2.95$D) $\$ 3.35$ Since this problem asks when the price per pound of beef ($\bi b$) was equal to the price per pound of chicken ($\bi c$), you can solve it by setting $b$ as equal to $c$, or $2.35 + 0.25x = 1.75 + 0.40x$. Then, you solve for $x$ with these steps: #1: To avoid negative numbers, subtract 1.75 from both sides and $\bo 0.25\bi x$ from both sides. This leaves you with $0.60 = 0.15x$. #2: Divide both sides by $0.15$ to get $x = 4$. #3: The question asks about the price per pound of beef when both meats were equal, so plug in $x$ to solve for $b$. Your equation should look like this: $b = 2.35 + 0.25(4)$. #4: $b = 2.35 + 0.25(4) = 2.35 + 1 = 3.35$. #5: The price per pound of beef when it was equal to the price per pound of chicken was $3.35. Answer: D #5: Additional Topics in Math Finally, the following is an Additional Topics question that involves geometry (right triangles) and basic trigonometry. Here, you need to demonstrate an understanding of sin and cosine and how they relate to one another in a right triangle. Without knowing this relationship, you'd have a tough time answering this question. In a right triangle, one angle measures $x °$, where sin $x °=4/5$. What is cos$(90 °-x °)$? The easiest way to solve this problem is to recall the complementary angle relationship of sine and cosine: sin($\bi{x}$ °) $=$ cos($\bo 90$ ° $\bo − \bi x$ °). If you can recall this, you'll immediately know- without having to do any calculations- that your answer is $\bo{4}/ \bo{5}$. Answer: $4/5$ or $0.8$ As you can see, the No Calculator questions ask you to demonstrate a deep understanding of mathematical concepts. So how can you study to ensure that you comprehend these challenging questions? Read on for some study tips to use as you prepare for SAT Math. Let's talk strategy. How to Do Well on the Math No Calculator Section: 5 Tips Any prep you do for the Math No Calculator section will help you on the Math Calculator section as well. The following study tips, though, are especially essential for the No Calculator section. Tip 1: Study Key Concepts As you saw in the example questions above, many questions won’t ask you to do any calculations with numbers; instead, they'll require you to have deep knowledge of the underlying concepts and be able to apply operations to work toward a solution. In this way, some of the problems are more abstract and theoretical rather than based on figures and equations with real numbers. This shift, by the way, aligns more closely with the Common Core. Both the SAT and the Common Core standards now present math with fewer topics that are more in-depth. Some SAT critics have pointed out that this shift continues to benefit students who attend better-resourced schools whose teachers are well versed in the Common Core. If your math classes teach a curriculum that aligns with Common Core standards, then they should be teaching you key concepts in a way that will help you on the SAT Math No Calculator section. Outside of school, make time to study the key topics that will appear on SAT Math. Because of the College Board’s recent commitment to transparency, it shares exactly what those concepts will be. Algebra is especially important, and you’ll want to ensure you have a firm grasp of topics like linear and nonlinear equations, quadratic equations, and functions. Beyond the main topics shared by the College Board, make sure your SAT Math study materials break down each broad topic into its component subtopics. By covering each detail, you can fill in any gaps in knowledge. On this section, you can’t rely on a calculator to do any of the thinking for you; you need to show up with a strong understanding of the key concepts. Tip 2: Practice Close Reading Just as No Calculator problems emphasize your conceptual understanding over your ability to manipulate figures and carry out calculations, they also test your reading comprehension. You’ll have to be able to read a problem and figure out what steps it’s asking you to take. Word problems especially can be relatively involved, sometimes containing more information than is necessary for you to work toward a solution. That means it’s up to you to figure out which details are relevant and which aren't. Some of these problems, according to the College Board, feature real-world scenarios, such as calculating gas mileage or converting from one country’s currency to another. Of course, not all these real-world scenarios are part of everybody’s actual everyday experiences. Practice problems will help get you familiar with the types of scenarios that the College Board considers to be real world. Critics have suggested that this emphasis on word problems- along with the above mentioned alignment with the Common Core- could disadvantage some test takers, especially those who speak English as a second language. To prep for this section’s emphasis on reading comprehension, make sure to study with multi-step word problems. FAQ: Can I use my abacus during the No Calculator section? Sadly, no- you'll have to rely on your own counting skills. Tip 3: Brush Up on Your Arithmetic Skills For the most part, the No Calculator section prioritizes a conceptual understanding over the ability to carry out calculations. There are still a handful of problems, though, that will require you to do arithmetic. Without a calculator, you’ll have to be able to write out these calculations and solve them by hand. In example problem #4 above, for instance, you'd have to subtract and divide using decimal points. Although these are basic math skills, many students have likely grown used to performing these simple calculations on a calculator. As a result, you’ll want to brush up on your ability to write these operations out by hand quickly, efficiently, and with an eye for accidental mistakes. Tip 4: Show Your Work If you’ve been in any math class, you’re probably familiar with the much repeated math teacher mantra: show your work. Teachers don’t want you to seemingly pull an answer out of thin air; they want you to write out, step by step, how you worked through a problem. Not only does this demonstrate your understanding, but it also helps you catch any mistakes along the way. Just as you should write out any calculations you do, you should also write out the steps in other problems, whether you’re solving for $x$ or simplifying a multi-variable expression. Many of the No Calculator problems require multiple steps, so writing out your work will help you keep track of your thinking and avoid errors. Tip 5: Answer Hundreds of Practice Problems Answering practice problems should go hand in hand with reviewing key topics. Make sure you’re comfortable with the concepts and know when and how to apply them to realistic SAT problems. Taking timed practice tests will also help you develop your time-management skills and your ability to answer questions quickly and accurately. So where can you find all these practice problems? One place, of course, is the College Board. You can find automatically graded online practice questions and eight free official practice tests, which you can download and print out. You can also find problems of varying difficulty levels on Khan Academy, along with video explanations of the different concepts. Other options include SAT Math prep books and PrepScholar’s SAT prep program. Finally, you can use practice tests for the old SAT, as long as you make sure to adjust your focus for the current version of the SAT. (For instance, you’ll find fewer geometry problems on the SAT now but will need to add in some basic trigonometry practice.) After you answer questions and take timed tests, analyze your results. Figure out exactly why you got a question wrong and what you can do to fix your mistake next time. If you lacked core knowledge, study those concepts. If you made careless errors, work on your strategies for time management. Walk yourself through the answer explanations step by step to figure out how you can improve. By analyzing your results and using practice tests as valuable feedback for your approach to test prep, you can gear your math toward doing well on the SAT. As we draw to a close, let’s review the key features you need to know about the SAT Math No Calculator section. FAQ: If I can't use my calculator or my abacus, can I at least count on my fingers and toes? Probably, but it doesn't seem like the most efficient use of time. SAT Math No Calculator Section: Key Takeaways The Math No Calculator section is the third section on the SAT. It’s 25 minutes and consists of 20 questions: 15 multiple choice and five grid-ins. These questions cover Heart of Algebra, Passport to Advanced Math, and Additional Topics. Most questions draw on your conceptual reasoning skills. Calculations with equations and figures will be limited to basic arithmetic skills. As you prep, make sure to brush up on those arithmetic skills along with your word problem comprehension. Most importantly, you should show up to the SAT with a deep understanding of algebra, geometry, and basic trigonometry. Any prep you do for the SAT Math No Calculator section will also be helpful for the Math Calculator section. Above all, prioritize a strong grounding in the fundamental concepts that'll appear on SAT Math. As long as you do this, you won’t even miss your calculator as you work through the first SAT Math section! What’s Next? Has it been a while since you've done simple math without a calculator? Use our articles on adding and subtracting fractions, finding the average of a set of numbers, multiplication, common perfect squares, and inequalities to refresh your memory for SAT Math. For both the calculator and non-calculator sections, you may also find it helpful to go over our guides to the distributive property, completing the square, and graph quadrants, as well as our ultimate SAT Math prep guide. Do you find yourself rushing to answer all the questions on SAT Math? This guide is full of the best strategies to help you stop running out of time on SAT Math. Looking for the best books to study for the SAT? This fully updated guide discusses the best books currently available for prep for SAT Math. Are you a strong math student aiming for top scores? Check out our comprehensive guide for getting a perfect score on SAT Math, written by a full scorer. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Math strategy guide, you'll love our program. Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Tikal Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Tikal - Research Paper Example The temple pyramids were made of limestone blocks and lorded over other surrounding structures. Lattice of stone were also added in Maya roof comb to make it as a grand-looking edifice. Figure 2. The Mayan civilization (Schele & Mathews, 1999). Architects considered the Maya site in Tikal of Guatemala as most extraordinary construction of buildings as a work of art. The site is imposed with temples of the Giant Jaguar (ca. A.D. 700), Masks (ca. A.D. 699), and the North Acropolis (Canadian Museum of Civilization, 2010a). It was believed that at the core of the Giant Jaguar temple is a high priest’s tomb with hundreds of vases and jade as offerings. A quiet sanctuary was also built intended for worshipper at the top of the nine-tiered pyramid (Canadian Museum of Civilization, 2010a; Totten, 1926). The rooms in these temples are accordingly narrow and design for ritual or ceremonial activities only. Some perceived that the design and alignment of these rooms are significant and m ight have meanings too. Other eye-catching structures in the city are palaces in single-storey platforms with several rooms and with interior courtyards (Canadian Museum of Civilization, 2010b). The nunnery in Uxmal also looked like a palace (Canadian Museum of Civilization, 2010b). ... These structures are magnificently and impressively beautifying its plazas and courtyards. Architecture considered the Mayan city structures as expressive of sophisticated decoration of arts, carvings, and wall paintings of ancient symbols (Ching, Jarzombek, & Prakash, 2011). Those building are interconnected by roads made of stones, also known as causeways. Experts criticized that Maya city was built in an apparently unplanned manner and they observed that temples and palaces were torn but rebuilt repetitively in many centuries (Lees, 2011). Probably because local residents are incline to preserve these historic sites for tourism and for cultural reasons. Architects also described the site as wielded with defensive earthworks, especially those cities historically known to be resided by ancient Mayan civilization (Lees, 2011; Falk, 2012). For them, these protective walls are quiet unusual but they also thought that this could be a significant part of the conflict situations they had in those epoch (Lees, 2011). The Mayan civilization is prominent with its intricate but most accurate calendar system with such calculations that jibe with the solar years in tropical regions of the world (Dumois, 2012). They were combined geologists and astronomers who sourced their understanding of their relation to the world by seeking guidance to the movements and developments of heavenly body, like the sun, moon, stars and planets. They had their observatories, shadow-casting. Inspired by their studies of the celestial and astrological realities, they are able to make their Mayan calendar based on their chronicles. Experts opined that the constructions of their buildings are attuned with

Defending the Purpose Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Defending the Purpose - Essay Example Other law enforcement agencies focus more on the analysis of data derived from police reports, suspect information, and other collected data to aid the investigation process (Osborne and Wernicke, 2003). Many law enforcement authorities and agencies are seeking the services of crime analysts so as to help them carry out a wide range of analysis thereby enabling them to follow up crimes, investigate cases, and identify criminals. The aim of every crime analyst is to find useful information embedded within the various forms of evidences including data and reports in order to facilitate effective investigation. As such, crime analysis is an important component of law enforcement that works to aid the process through analysis of various crime data. The crime analysis process is essentially information-driven and involves collection, collation, analysis, data modification, dissemination, and feedback (Boba-Santos, 56). Collection of data is a crucial step towards gathering all the required information. This allows an in-depth analysis of the matter in the light of the available information. The different matters are examined and collated so as to draw up a meaningful image of the scenario. Data modification involves a change in data collection and analysis based on the process of crime analysis (Boba-Santos, 58). Next, the analysts disseminate the information in a quite detailed manner such that only the most germane information is presented. With the advent of technological softwares the crime analysis process is aided by various analytical programs that allow deep analysis of the available data in electronic form. This is complemented by further developments that allow useful analytics and statistical variables for examining the data from a critical perspective. However, it must be noted that analysis and statistical reporting is just one aspect of crime analysis. Hence, crime analysis is aided by both qualitative and quantitative methods of research. The

Cost of the Good Life Essay Example for Free

Cost of the Good Life Essay Overall wellbeing, an extravagant lifestyle, and wealth all come to mind when I ponder the good life but what does the good life actually cost? At first glance, this seems like a loaded question that requires multiple dissertations in order to answer. I even contemplated whether or not the good life had a cost at all. Breaking the good life into separate topics relieves much of the stress when it comes to giving an answer. In terms of consumerism, the good life is damaging to the environment, places too much emphasis on money, and it dwindles the importance of non-market values. According to Annie Leonard’s â€Å"The Story of Stuff†, our current materials economy is a commodity chain in which goods go from extraction, to production, to distribution, to consumption, and finally to disposal. The system sounds stable but it is actually in crisis. Anyone with a simple understanding of mathematics can tell you that you cannot run a linear system on a finite planet in the real world. In order for us, the consumers, to get all of our fancy products and up-to-date technologies, a process that we turn a blind eye to takes place. At the source of the process, there is natural resource exploitation. â€Å"We chop down the trees, blow up mountains to get the metals inside, use up all the water, and wipe out all the animals.† As consumers, we are running out of resources because we have too much stuff! In the past three decades alone, one third of the planet’s natural resource space has been consumed. We are undermining the planets very ability for people to live here. In the United States, less than four percent of our original forests are left and forty percent of the waterways have become unsanitary. When the resources start to deplete, we do the same thing to third world or lesser developed nations. The erosion of the local environments of these nations and economies ensures a constant flow of natives that rely on the little money they can earn while working in factories. We have become a nation of consumers largely due to planned and perceived obsolescence. Planned obsolescence is the art of designing products that don’t last a long time but last long enough for someone to buy the product again. Perceived obsolescence is changing the design of things to follow trends and keep up with the times. The number one example that people can relate to is the iPhone. If you don’t have the newest and  greatest iPhone, you are a social outcast. While this might be a tad over exaggerated, it’s not too far from the truth. In all actuality, polls show that our national happiness is declining even though we have more stuff than ever before. This is because we have less time for the things that truly make us happy like friends, family, and leisure time. At the cost of our planet and environment, are we really even living the good life? Fritjof Capra of â€Å"Qualitative Growth† said that â€Å"human needs are finite, but human greed is not. The major problems of our time cannot be understood in isolation; they are all interconnected and interdependent.† In our current economy, we have put currency on a pedestal that is far too high for us to reach anymore. Most of the goods that are produced and sold are often unneeded and therefore are essentially waste. Even still, demographic pressure and poverty form a vicious circle that lead to fewer jobs and wider poverty gaps. These are the costs of the good life. Our current global economy is a system striving for unlimited quantitative growth and is manifestly unsustainable as previously stated. Looking again from an ecological standpoint, the bad growth resulting from this system leads to externalizing social and environmental costs, is based on fossil fuels, involves toxic substances, depletes our natural resources, and degrades the Earth’s ecosystems. Harvard professor Michael Sandel adds what I believe to be the most interesting cost of the good life when it comes to affluenza. He argues that over the last three decades, we have drifted from having a market economy to becoming a market society. Although these two seem to be synonymous, they are actually quite different. A market economy is a valuable and effective tool for organizing productive activity while a market society is a place where almost everything is up for sale. By doing this, we have created a way of life in which market values â€Å"seep into almost every sphere of life and sometimes crowd out or corrode important, non-market values.† One of the examples that professor Sandel uses is congressional hearings in Washington D.C.. Lobbyists want to attend these hearings and because the seats are limited, line-standing companies have arisen. Line-standing companies hire homeless people and pay them an hourly rate in order to wait in line just  before the hearing. According to the professor, this is wrong for two reasons. â€Å"In a democratic society, everyone should have equal access to representative government. The other reason it’s wrong is that it demeans representative government.† When it comes to the point where almost everything in our public life is sold off to the highest bidder, something is lost. Money matters more and more in our society. And against the background of rising inequality, money takes a toll on the commonality of our civic life. In other words, we lose a part of ourselves. Do we go so far that we are cheapening important social goods and civic goods that are worth caring about? Society will eventually become a place of narcissistic opportunism where people will be buying their way into and out of positive and negative situations. What is the good life worth? I’ve been struggling with this question a great deal lately. You may or may not be familiar with the term first world problems. They are frustrations and complaints that are only experienced by privileged individuals, typically used as a comedic device to make light of trivial inconveniences. Not having the latest gadget and the newest clothes from a particular store are just a few examples. When I bought something, I failed to realize what I was actually paying. I now know that these consumer goods cost natural resources, valuable money, and so much more. The simplest way I can put it is that the cost of the good life: priceless.

Stereotypes In the Media :: Media Stereotypes Stereotyping

Stereotypes In the Media Stereotypes play an important role in today's society and particularly in Propaganda. According to the Webster's Dictionary stereotyping is defined as a fixed conventional notion or conception of an individual or group of people, heldby a number of people. Stereotypes can be basic or complex generalizations which people apply to individuals or groups based on their appearance, behaviour and beliefs. Stereotypes are found everywhere. Though our world seems to be improving in many ways it seems almost impossible to liberate it from stereotypes. Stereotypes have existed since the beginning of time in our everyday life through religion, politics and the media. Humans have the tendency to "use stereotypes in their humour, their descriptions of others, and even in their beliefs." One may believe it is possible to rid oneself of such habits; however if one looked at the regular promotions of propaganda, it would make this objective impossible. Stereotypes, however, aren't always negative; hence, this essay will discuss the negative and positive aspects of stereotypes used by propaganda. Propaganda is a force which can influence and affect everyone; bringing changes in behavior, attitudes and ones beliefs. It is also known that media impacts its viewersmodifying their judgments based on the information which they receive. Substantial amounts of stereotypes broadcasted through propaganda have similar effects. This essay will illustrate how stereotypes are generally portrayed and their function in propaganda. Also it will further r eveal how successful and well stereotypes can work when used in propaganda tactics. The media often uses and misrepresents stereotypes; however, they are significantly accepted by people among society. TV shows such as the Simpsons are packed with stereotypes within its broadcast of half an hour. The Simpsons contains a large number of audience that watch the show daily as it is broadcasted during prime time. Characters such as Apu are highly discriminated and stereotyped. On this show Apu is characterized as an Indian immigrant, who prays to Ganesh, and holds a highly noticeable and dissimilar accent. This is a stereotype which is observed by young children and is perceived as humorous; they apply this knowledge towards those they meet in real-life. Viewers of this show believe this information to be completely accurate for they hold little or no knowledge about that particular group. Though the stereotypes shown on TV are usually misrepresented, they are quite well accepted by the audience as the truth.

Socrates as “Eros”

Esther Rodulfa PHL-1010H-LD01 09/18/12 Socrates as eros? Truly, love takes on many different forms. Love, for many centuries, has been given many different names. It also serves different functions. To distinguish a specific type of love, one of them is called eros. How love as eros can be defined is based upon the utilization of a specific writer’s perspective. Numerous published written works may account for the definition of eros. In this Essay, Plato’s perception of love as eros will be described. Furthermore, how and why Socrates, of â€Å"The Apology† by Plato, embodies Plato’s definition of eros will be shown.This embodiment will be based off Plato’s eros as poor being, eros as an intermediary between God and men, and eros as resemblance of the â€Å"god of Plenty†, eros’ father (Needleman 15 – 17). According to Plato’s â€Å"Symposium†, eros has always been in need or poor (Needleman 16). Socrates embodimen t of this description of eros can be seen in Plato’s â€Å"The Apology†, where Socrates â€Å"remain in infinite poverty† (Plato 509) as a result of his commitment to his god through convicting Athenians of the condition of their souls and lives.Most of his time, Socrates converses with people and asks them questions pertaining their lifestyle. Due to this he does not have enough time to make earnings for himself. In return, some of his listeners put in time to hear him out and take on his advices (Plato 509). This even more takes time off from Socrates. Although others perceive this as Socrates teaching the Athenians with a charge, not one witness testified of Socrates’ activity of charging fees from anyone (Plato 519), which proves his disinterest in obtaining monetary wealth that contributes to his impoverishment.It can be suggested that Socrates does not spend great deal of time in obtaining monetary wealth or pleasure (Plato 519) due to this commitme nt. He places more priority on his care for Athenians than tending for his own health. His full dedication and sacrifice for others’ good sake contribute to his condition of being poor. Other than this, after Socrates was charged guilty, he had to offer an alternative penalty for himself. However, he said â€Å"I have no money to pay† (Plato 526) if ever his alternative penalty was to pay a fine.It can be implied from this Socrates’ deep poverty condition due to his inability to pay his freedom from the unjust guilty charges pressed against him. Since the death punishment upon him is too great, Socrates would need so much money to annul this punishment; but as he said, he does not have any means of doing so due to his poverty. Another definition of eros, as Plato defines it, is an intermediary between God and men. By intermediary, it means that eros â€Å"interprets†¦between gods and men† (Needleman 15).He also delivers â€Å"to men the commands of the gods† (Needleman 15). Thus he brings connection between god and men. Socrates in â€Å"The Apology† embodies these characteristics in few ways. During Socrates trial, he admits that he has been â€Å"commanded by god† (Plato 521) to rebuke the Athenians of their foolish ways and reach an epiphany of their lives wasted on money and fulfilling selfish evil desires. He also says that he occasionally receives â€Å"signal from God† (Plato 529) whenever a wrong impulse is about move him.Since all he desires is fulfilling the right and just actions, he fully depends on the divine voice he claims to hear so the message of god will definitely reach the Athenians. In doing so, he will accomplish the god’s commanded upon him. However, it seems that the Athenians do not desire moral living as commanded by the god Socrates’ follows. Nevertheless, Socrates stays on his task and does not give into discouragement as he serves his intermediary role. More over, Socrates emphasizes to the Athenians that â€Å"I am really the one given to you by God† (Plato 519).How he affirmed this is through his denial of self; denial of own pleasures, denial of health, and denial of own interest throughout his life for the sake of the Athenians virtue. Doubtlessly, denying or depriving self of fulfilling own selfish desires is difficult as human live for own selfish ends. Also, these selfish desires seems built-in to humans. Humans have natural tendencies to act according to what he or she desires, in spite of it being selfish and sometimes evil.In the Athenian society, which Socrates describes as a â€Å"big thoroughbred horse† (Plato 518) due to its riches, wealth, and greatness, it can be inferred that some of its citizens posses this riches and wealth, and for those who do not may have great desires for earning such wealth and power to, again, meet own selfish ends. However, Socrates differs from this in this that he never craved f or wealth and richness, which makes him extraordinary and approve his claim as sent by the god to the Athenians.And, this confirms he embodies eros as the intermediary between god and men. Moreover, Plato also defines eros through eros’ inheritance of his father’s, god of plenty, characteristics (Needleman 16). These characteristics include eros being bold, being â€Å"terrible as an enchanter†, who interlace interest or curiosity, â€Å"keen in pursuit of wisdom†, and a â€Å"philosopher at all times† (Needleman 16). Socrates in â€Å"The Apology† displays these characteristics in many ways. Socrates’ boldness emanated from his audacious and specific address towards the Athenian citizens and officials.He sought out other well known citizens of great power and are known to have â€Å"highest reputation† (Plato 508) and cross-examined them to measure their wisdom. In particular, he approached poets and concluded that â€Å"no w isdom enabled them to compose† (Plato 508) and they resemble diviners and oracles by not â€Å"understanding anything of what they say† (Plato 508). As a poet whose passion is literature and is known for eloquence, creativity, and gift of poetic thoughts, for Socrates to make a claim of a poet’s void composition renders great offense on the poet’s part, and all the more proves Socrates’ boldness.Moreover, Socrates claims he cannot be damaged by either Meletos or Anytos’ proposed death punishment to Socrates for he thought â€Å"the eternal law forbids a better man to be hurt by worse† (Plato 518). By this, he referred the better man as himself and the worse as either Meletos or Anytos. Apparently, these men have some power as they represent those people who may have been offended by Socrates. Yet Socrates boldly acknowledges them as worse than himself. Other than this, Socrates honestly claims that he exposes and hinders â€Å"the man y unjust and illegal doings† (Plato 519) of the Athenian state.Certainly, the Athenians would totally dislike Socrates for admitting these deeds of his yet he carelessly and publicly declares this during the trial. Beside this, Socrates fully declares that the Athens’ lives are wrong (Plato 528) and ending his life would not stop any reproach to come upon them. His confidence on this matter can also stir up more irritation among the crowd but he still bravely announced this. From each examples Socrates gave during his trial, he was aware of the risks yet due to his audacity, he was able to get across his message to the Athenians.Other than his boldness, Socrates also embodies eros as someone who is â€Å"terrible as an enchanter† and who interlace the curiosity and interest of his audience (Needleman 16). He achieves this through his talent of clever wordings and phrases to connect to and capture attention of the Athenians. Socrates often used phrases such as â⠂¬Å"I beg and pray you most earnestly† (Plato 503), â€Å"I appeal to most of you to bear me out† (Plato 505), â€Å"don’t make an uproar, gentlemen, remain quiet as I begged you, hear me without uproar at what I have to say† (Plato 507) and many others.Through these, he can captivate their attention and hinder a possible uproar among them so he can clearly deliver his message to them. For a crowd of 501 people, it will be difficult to counteract uproar if it arises. But it turns out that Socrates had the situation under control while he delivered his speech on his trial day. This reflects his strong enchanting abilities, just like eros. Socrates also has a talent of stirring up interest of those that he speaks to.Although some citizens of Athens have been offended by Socrates’ conviction, some of them were actually â€Å"delighted to hear people being cross-examined† (Plato 509) and that some of them chose to imitate Socrates’ ways of making people, who thinks they have wisdom, realize that they have no wisdom at all. Furthermore, Socrates embodies eros through their resemblance in â€Å"keen pursuit of wisdom† and being a â€Å"philosopher at all times† (Needleman 16). As he was going about cross-examining people, he â€Å"approached the craftsmen† (Plato 508). He has no knowledge of being crafty.But since he loves gaining knowledge, whatever it may be, he continued his talk with them since he knew he would learn something that has â€Å"much of real value† (Plato 508). Going further his trial, Socrates assures the citizens that he will â€Å"never cease being a philosopher† (Plato 517) and that he will continue giving advice and cross-examining and testing those who think they possess wisdom. Even if this costs him his life on the line, Socrates will insist in doing these to anyone he comes across with. After the jury finally approves his death punishment, Socrates found the decision favorable because he will have the hance to cross-examine and investigate those who have deceased, including Troy, Odysseus, and Sisyphos, of whether they are wise or not (Plato 530). Socrates perceives this as his â€Å"infinity of happiness† (Plato 530) if he does meet these great men and other numerous men and women because in the second life, he believes he will gain immortality, and he can infinitely live as a philosopher there. Surely, Socrates has strong desires for gaining knowledge and for living all his life as a philosopher. In conclusion, although there are many ways in which love can be defined, Plato’s definition of eros has been utilized.The definition for this eros love refers to eros being a poor being, eros being the mediator between god and men, and eros being a resemblance of the god of Plenty’s characteristics. In analyzing Socrates of â€Å"The Apology†, we can see how he embodies Plato’s definition of eros and the re asons for this embodiment in many ways. Definitely, Socrates’ personify eros of Plato. Works Cited Page Needleman, Jacob. The Heart of Philosophy. 1st ed. New York: Tarcher/Penguin, 2003. 15-17. Print. Plato, . â€Å"The Apology. † Trans. W. H. D. Rouse  Great Dialogues Of Plato. New York: Signet Classics, 2008. 502-531. Print.

Soren Kierkegaard

Project: Soren Kierkegaard: Mega Mind of the 19th Century Soren Kierkegaard: Mega Mind of the 19th Century As a man whose work spans across areas such as philosophy, theology, devotional literature, and more, Soren Kierkegaard is considered one of the mega-minds of philosophy and the 19th century. He was influenced by many people throughout his life, as well as influencing many people himself. With works that ranged from religious views all the way to developing a â€Å"new† way to view our surroundings, Kierkegaard was a very well-rounded and mentally profound man. There were few people that could influence such a profound mind at the time, but Kierkegaard found them both in church as well as in the realm of philosophy. As a whole Kierkegaard lead a rather boring life and was rarely seen away from his hometown of Copenhagen, Denmark. â€Å"[Kierkegaard] was educated at a prestigious boys' school (Borgerdydskolen), then attended Copenhagen University where he studied philosophy and theology. His teachers at the university included F. C. Sibbern, Poul Martin Moller, and H. L. Martensen (McDonald, 1996). † Moller had a major negative effect on Kierkegaard’s philosophic-literary development. In H. L. Martensen, he found the perfect match, someone who taught him in school and was involved in the church as well. â€Å"†¦when [Martensen] became Bishop Primate of the Danish People’s Church, Kierkegaard published a vitriolic attack on Martensen’s theological views (McDonald, 1996). † Martensen was considered one of Kierkegaard’s chief intellectual rivals. Another very important figure in Kierkegaard's life was J. L. Heiberg, the doyen of Copenhagen's literati (McDonald, 1996). † Heiberg influenced Kierkegaard to write his first major publication, â€Å"†¦From the Papers of One Still Living, [which] is largely an attempt to articulate a Heibergian aesthetics – which is a modified version of Hegel's aesthetics (McDonald, 1996). † Another group of people/entities that profoundly influenced Ki erkegaard were his mother, his father, and God. His mother had no visible impact on Kierkegaard’s writing, but â€Å"†¦for a writer who places so much emphasis on indirect communication, and on the semiotics of invisibility, we should regard this absence as significant (McDonald, 1996). † There was even another philosopher named Johannes Climacus that stated â€Å"†¦ ‘in Concluding Unscientific Postscript  remarks, ‘†¦ how deceptive then, that an omnipresent being should be recognisable precisely by being invisible’ (McDonald, 1996). † His father’s influence has been noted quite frequently in Kierkegaard’s works. Not only did Kierkegaard inherit his father's melancholy, his sense of guilt and anxiety, and his pietistic emphasis on the dour aspects of Christian faith, but he also inherited his talents for philosophical argument and creative imagination (McDonald, 1996). Kierkegaard was a very religious man, even though he did not attend church on a regular basis. â€Å"He perceived God and existence of life from a humanistic view emphasizing the total autonomy of man (Philosopher Kierkegaard, 2011). As almost a lone man standing, Kierkegaard was in seclusion publishing his writings for most of his adult life, due to the atheism of fellow philosophers of his time. â€Å"[Kierkegaard’s] legacy was his belief that our response to God should be one of unrestrained passion toward our beloved (Philosopher Kierkegaard, 2011). † During his later years Kierkegaard felt that the Christian religion had become corrupt through secular and political involvement, so he started to attack Christ endom saying that the individual is fully responsible for their faith in God without doctrinal influence. The Christian ideal, according to Kierkegaard, is even more exacting since the totality of an individual's existence is the artefact on the basis of which s/he is judged by God for h/er eternal validity. Of course a writer's work is an important part of h/er existence, but for the purpose of judgment we should focus on the whole life not just on one part (McDonald, 1996) Kierkegaard influenced others as well with his works that were published and unpublished throughout his lifetime. Kierkegaard’s Christian philosophy may have been rejected by clergy, but he certainly influenced individual Christians who became enamored with his theology. Most notably are American theologians Paul Tillich and Lincoln Swain, and philosophers from Europe — Karl Jaspers, Gabriel Marcel, Miguel de Unamuno — and from Russia Nikolai Berdyaev (Philosopher Kierkegaard, 2011) Kierkegaard is known as one of the fathers of existentialism. Existentialists are characterized by: * They are obsessed with how to live one's life and believe that philosophical and psychological inquiry can help. They believe there are certain questions that everyone must deal with (if they are to take human life seriously), and that these are special — existential — questions. Questions such as death, the meaning of human existence, the place of God in human existence, the meaning of value, interpersonal relationship, the place of self-reflective conscious knowledge of one's self in existing. Note that the existentialists on this characterization don't pay much attention to â€Å"social† questions such as the politics of life and what â€Å"social† responsibility the society or state has. They focus almost exclusively on the individual. By and large Existentialists believe that life is very difficult and that it doesn't have an â€Å"objective† or universally known value, but that the individual must create value by affirming it and living it, not by talking about it. Existential choices and values are primarily demonstrated in ACT not in words. Given that one is focusing on individual existence and the â€Å"existential† struggles (that is, in making decisions that are meaningful in everyday life), they often find that literary characterizations rather than more abstract philosophical thinking, are the best ways to elucidate existential struggles. They tend to take freedom of the will, the human power to do or not do, as absolutely obvious. Now and again there are arguments for free will in Existentialist literature, but even in these arguments, one gets the distinct sense that the arguments are not for themselves, but for â€Å"outsiders. † Inside the movement, free will is axiomatic, it is intuitively obvious, it is the backdrop of all else that goes on. There are certainly exceptions to each of these things, but this is sort of a placing of the existentialist-like positions. Corbett, 1985) Kierkegaard contributed to this movement with his works due to the influence of his father and others that are previously mentioned, with a melancholy typed self actualization mind set. Kierkegaard did not believe that everyone on earth had the same plan for life, or that they were all here for the same reason, in fact he believed the exact opposite, all people on earth have a different life path, whether that be Christianity or at heism, â€Å"plumber or surgeon†, smart or dumb, he believed that the individual has the power to fulfill whatever destiny they please. One xistential quote found was posted by an anonymous user stated, there is no luck, no fate, no ultimate plan in life, there is just determination†¦100% determination to succeed and make something of yourself. As one of the founding fathers of existentialism and a great mind of his time Soren Kierkegaard is now remembered as a mega-mind of the 19th century. With influences galore and a self actualizing personality, he formed a great reputation for himself. Maybe not recognized in his time, Soren Kierkegaard is by far one of the most influential philosophers of the modern world. References Corbett, B. (1985, March). What is Existentialism? Retrieved November 10, 2011, from Webster. edu website: http://www. webster. edu/? ~corbetre/? philosophy/? existentialism/? whatis. html McDonald, W. (1996, December 3). 1. Kierkegaard’s Life. In Soren Kierkegaard. Retrieved November 10, 2011, from Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy website: http://plato. stanford. edu/? entries/? kierkegaard/? #Chron Philosopher Kierkegaard. (2011). Retrieved November 10, 2011, from AllAboutPhilosophy. org website: http://www. allaboutphilosophy. org/? philosopher-kierkegaard-faq. htm

Occupational Injuries in the Construction Industry

Occupational Injuries in the Construction Industry Although occupational injuries and fatalities are common in the construction industry, a number of factors mediate their occurrence. Richardson, Loomis, Bena, and Bailer (2004) assert that empirical evidence continues to support the notion that division of labor across the United States remains grounded on ethnicity and race, as minority groups experience discrimination (Richardson et al.,2004).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Occupational Injuries in the Construction Industry specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Research about occupational injuries and accidents indicates that the construction industry in the United States is the most hazardous; however, it is a low-paying industry that utilizes human resources from ethnic minorities (Menzel Gutierrez, 2010). Generally, the construction industry in the United States is among the largest industries, the largest employer, and the most hazardous industries, which contrib ute to approximately 20% of the annual occupational fatalities reported across the United States (Brunette, 2004). The Latino community is one of the immigrant communities in the United States that provide essential labor to the construction industry but often considered vulnerable to injuries and fatalities than other ethnicities. A body of evidence indicates that Latino men, who work in the construction industry, continue to experience higher rates of occupational injuries and related fatalities than other workers do in the United States. In a specific contemporary study, Roelofs et al. (2011) undertook a qualitative investigation about the perspectives of Hispanic workers in the construction industry regarding factors influencing occupational hazards and safety. Consecutively, using two focus group interviews with Hispanic construction workers, Roelofs et al. . (2011) reveal that Hispanic workers usually have higher risks of occupational injuries than other ethnicities, as 3.7, 3.4, and 3.0 are incidents of injuries per 100,000 workers among the Hispanics, the Whites, and the Blacks respectively. Moreover, according to Brunette (2014), the Hispanics generally constitute the highest population of the workforce in the construction, which is estimated at 18% of workforce with evidence indicating that Hispanic constructors are steadily rising disproportionately when compared to other ethnicities in the construction industry. Similar investigations have persisted in several studies to justify the claims of vulnerability of Hispanic construction workers to injuries and fatalities. By using the national census surveillance system to determine workforce fatalities, Richardson et al. (2004, p. 1756) â€Å"investigated fatal occupational injury rates in the United States by race and Hispanic ethnicity during the period 1990-1996.† In the Southern parts of the United States, 7.9 cases of fatal injuries in every 100,000 worker-years associated with the Hispanic construction workers, while only 6.9 cases of fatal injuries in every 100,000 worker-years associated with the White construction workers.Advertising Looking for report on engineering? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Hispanic construction workers do not choose to engage in risky activities of the construction industry as research has investigated the predisposing factors that expose these constructors to such conditions. According to Roelofs et al. (2011), several interrelated factors contribute to a predisposition of Hispanic construction workers to injuries and fatalities in the construction industry. As the immigrant community in the United States, Hispanics are among the marginalized communities. Researchers have established numerous factors that predispose the Latino male constructors to occupational injuries and accidents. Roelofs et al. (2011) postulate that â€Å"language barriers, cultural differences, lac k of safety training, economic disadvantage, lack of construction experience, and relegated to the most dangerous jobs within construction are major predisposing factors† (p. 1). Concerning language barrier as a predisposing factor to occupational injuries and fatalities, Latino men akin to other immigrant communities have little linguistic skills in the use of English (Ochsner et al., 2012). Due to their inability to communicate fluently in English and master safety workplace precautions, their chances of incurring injuries remain relatively high. Menzel and Gutierrez (2010) confirm such notions in an investigation of 30 Latino constructors. Even though companies sometimes provide employees with safety training and some required materials, the translation of language is ordinarily poor and thus Latino constructors hardly comprehend instructions (Menzel Gutierrez, 2010). Out of the 30 participants, seven mentioned that they felt ashamed of their accent. Culturally, Latino wor kers are very industrious, an attribute that make employers in the construction industry to target them. The notion that Latino workers value and embrace hard work puts them in an intolerable environment in the construction industry that is prone to accidents (Ochsner et al., 2012). Traditional values of Latinos embrace hard work and thus predispose Latinos to hazardous work, which is the economic activity of supporting their families. Apart from language barriers and cultural differences, construction industries have little concern for the welfare of the Latino constructors. According to Brunette (2004), low education and lack of appropriate and effective safety training are significant issues that dispose Latino male constructors to occupational injuries and fatalities. Socioeconomic inequalities are among the significant factors that force the Latino male constructors to engage in risky undertakings solely to provide for their families (Richardson et al., 2004). Competence and sk ills determine the effectiveness and alertness of workers in the construction industry. Since Latino workers lack expertise in the construction industry, their chances of causing accidents are relatively high. Latino men rarely hold top management positions in the construction industry and therefore compel them to perform menial jobs, which are not only hazardous but also unproductive. References Brunette, M. (2004). Construction safety research in the United States: targeting the Hispanic workforce. Injury Prevention, 10(4), 244–248.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Occupational Injuries in the Construction Industry specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Menzel, N., Gutierrez, A. (2010). Latino Worker Perceptions of Construction Risks. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 53(2), 179–187. Ochsner, M., Marshall, E., Martino, C., Pabelon, M., Kimmel, L., Rostran, D. (2012). Beyond the classroom-a case st udy of immigrant safety liaisons in residential construction. New Solutions, 22(3), 365-386. Richardson, D., Loomis, D., Bena, J., Bailer, J. (2004). Fatal Occupational Injury Rates in Southern and Non-Southern States, by Race and Hispanic Ethnicity. American Journal of Public Health, 94(10), 1756-1761. Roelofs, C., Martinez, L., Brunette, M., Azaroff, L. (2011). A qualitative investigation of Hispanic construction worker perspectives on factors impacting worksite safety and risk. Environmental Health, 10(84), 1-9.

Definitions and Examples of Argument in Rhetoric

Definitions and Examples of Argument in Rhetoric In rhetoric, an argument is a course of reasoning aimed at demonstrating truth or falsehood. In composition, argument is one of the traditional modes of discourse. Adjective: argumentative. The Use of Argument in Rhetoric Daniel J. OKeefe, a professor of communication and persuasion theory, has distinguished two senses of argument. Put simply, Argument1, the first sense, is a thing people make, as when an editorialist argues that some public policy is wrong. Argument2 is a kind of interaction people have, as when two friends argue about where to have lunch. So argument1 comes close to the ancient rhetorical notion of argument, while argument2 legitimates the modern interactional research (quoted by Dale Hample in A Third Perspective on Argument. Philosophy and Rhetoric, 1985). Rhetorical Argument and Context An argument field  is a subdivision of rhetorical argument as determined by context or subject matter. (See  Toulmin Model.) (For the specialized use of this term in language studies, see Argument [Linguistics].) Robert Benchley on Arguments Most of the arguments to which I am party fall somewhat short of being impressive, owing to the fact that neither I nor my opponent knows what we are talking about. (Robert Benchley) Kinds of Arguments Argument, in its most basic form, can be described as a claim (the arguers position on a controversial issue) which is supported by reasons and evidence to make the claim convincing to an audience. All of the forms of argument described below include these components. Debate, with participants on both sides trying to win.Courtroom argument, with lawyers pleading before a judge and jury.Dialectic, with people taking opposing views and finally resolving the conflict.Single-perspective argument, with one person arguing to convince a mass audience.One-on-one everyday argument, with one person trying to convince another.Academic inquiry, with one or more people examining a complicated issue.Negotiation, with two or more people working to reach consensus.Internal argument, or working to convince yourself. (Nancy C. Wood, Perspectives on Argument. Pearson, 2004) General Rules for Composing a Short Argument 1. Distinguish premises and conclusion2. Present your ideas in natural order3. Start from reliable premises4. Be concrete and concise5. Avoid loaded language6. Use consistent terms7. Stick to one meaning for each term​  (Adapted from A Rulebook for Arguments, 3rd ed., by Anthony Weston. Hackett, 2000) Adapting Arguments to an Audience The goals of clarity, propriety, and persuasiveness dictate that we adapt our arguments, as well as the language in which they are cast, to an audience. Even a well-constructed argument may fail to convince if it is not adapted to your actual audience.(James A. Herrick, Argumentation: Understanding and Shaping Arguments, 3rd ed. Strata, 2007) The Lighter Side of Argument: The Argument Clinic Patron: I came here for a good argument.Sparring Partner: No, you didnt. You came here for an argument.Patron: Well, an argument is not the same as contradiction.Sparring Partner: Can be . . .Patron: No, it cant. An argument is a connected series of statements to establish a definite proposition.Sparring Partner: No it isnt.Patron: Yes it is. It isnt just contradiction.Sparring Partner: Look, if I argue with you, I must take up a contrary position.Patron: But it isnt just saying no it isnt.Sparring Partner: Yes it is.Patron: No it isnt! An argument is an intellectual process. Contradiction is just the automatic gain-saying of anything the other person says.Sparring Partner: No it isnt. (Michael Palin and John Cleese in The Argument Clinic. Monty Pythons Flying Circus, 1972) EtymologyFrom the Latin, to make clear Pronunciation: ARE-gyu-ment

Specific public policy case in USA during the government shutdown Essay

Specific public policy case in USA during the government shutdown - Essay Example The issue of national security in the United States is one of the most sensitive issues. After the Twin towers were attacked in 2001 security policies were given priority over other policies during appropriation of funds by the legislature (Campbell, 2008). However, as the national security stabilizes and the country becomes more and more secure many proponents are of the opinion that the appropriation has now become too much in comparison with its contribution to the status of the national security (Klein, 2013). Some legislators, in the events leading to the government shutdown, were proposing a cut, while others were of the opinion that the move to cut on military expenditure will only prove costly in the long run. This paper will discuss the government shutdown of 2013 and then go ahead to explore the US security policies using several sociological and political theories to analyze the key themes of the policy and ponder on the future developments and the alternative course of ac tion. The paper will also employ the Eugene Bardach policy analysis model to bring out the contentious issues and their possible alternatives. The Bacchi model will also be integrated to problematize the issue and discuss the presumptions of the policies. The US Government Shutdown The United States of America operates under a federal system of government. This government offers a wide range of public services in the areas of health, education, social security, medical, insurance and the country’s security while the other services are offered by the individual states to the citizens. For it to offer these services, it needs funds, which are allocated to each of its department by the legislature. The last government shutdown took place in 2013 under the President Obama administration from October 1 to October 17 when a bill was signed. A shutdown of the federal government happens when there is no Appropriation bill that has been signed that allocates the various government dep artments to continue spending funds (Bill, 2013). These funds are allocated at the start of a fiscal year and when the year ends if there has not been any more appropriation from the Congress, and then the government has to shut down because of the funding gap that is created. The 2013 government shutdown took place because the Republicans, and the Democrats could not agree on the funding of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare. This act was signed into law in 2010 but has created deep divisions in the House of Representatives and the Congress. The Republicans who are controlling the House of Representatives want to cut the spending, and the amount allocated to this policy whereas the Congress which is dominated by the Democrats did not support the cut. This confrontation led to the shutdown as the House of Representative passed a bill that had suggested a funding cut which was rejected by the Congress (Steinhauser, 2013). The main reason behi nd the Republicans proposing a cut in spending is because the government deficit in budget had already hit 15.7%, and the International Monetary Fund was already considering not lending the US government any more funds because of their rising debt levels; the credibility of borrowing was in question. During the 16-day shutdown, however, the Congress continued passing specific bills that addressed specific policies, which were then signed by

Mandatory vaccinations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mandatory vaccinations - Essay Example On one hand, proponents of mandatory vaccination call it medicine’s greatest achievement while, on the other hand, concerned professionals and parents believe the application and theory of this policy is flawed and are not willing to comply with this goal. This paper seeks to argue that vaccinations should not be mandatory because it violates the rights of parents, it could be dangerous to the health of many children, and some are just plain unnecessary. Mandatory vaccinations are controversial for a number of reasons. First, they deprive the rights of parents to choose. Although there is no consent required by federal guidelines before vaccination, 1986’s Childhood Vaccine Injury Act requires doctors to present a Vaccine Information Statement to the recipients representatives (Staver 11). Some states have legislated specific consent laws. This sort of consent is both ethical and appropriate for parents to possess better information on vaccines. In the United States, forty-eight states allow exemption to vaccinations to serve both public health concern and religious freedom. A parent’s right to make a voluntary and free decision regarding the child’s vaccination schedule must be treated as a human right since it involves a risk where the product’s after-effects are concerned (Staver 12). While no evidence exists that, these vaccines can cause grievous harm or death no guarantee exists that the mandatory vaccine will not cause complications that could lead to a serious injury. Mandatory vaccines are wrong because they involve the government taking away the right of a parent to consent or refuse a pharmaceutical product that they may not prefer. Another argument against mandatory vaccinations is the fact that these vaccines could actually be hazardous to the health of the child. First, these vaccines contain chemicals that may be harmful to the