To Studyplan Essay

To Studyplan Essay To Studyplan Essay Euneris February 06, 2014 Sashi’s Case Study As a teacher, I am interested in the well-being of Sashi and I would like help her develop her skills as better as she would can. I would give Sashi the opportunity to enroll her in my classroom because every child is special and every child needs opportunities in their life to grow and development their skills as best they can regardless of their special needs. The first step to help Sashi with her developmental delays and her social/emotional skills, I will give her one to one attention the first weeks to get to know her better and build her confidence with me. That way, I would see what she enjoys and what kind of activities she is interesting, I can include activities like dancing and singing into her daily activities, and I will provide to her activities that include cutting, gluing paper, working with play dough, reading books, etc. Giving Sashi one to one attention, planning activities that will help her with her developmental skills, redirecting her through consistent routines would help her to learn about routines and the importance to follow directions. For Social/emotional: Dancing activities in group or parallel play with the water table or in the sand box will encourage her to build a good relationship with her classmates. When I talk with Sashi’s parents, I will ask them if they are have any type of help to help Sashi with her developmental delays, if not, I will talk to them about the IEP that the state

European Countries Ranked by Area

European Countries Ranked by Area The continent of  Europe varies in latitude from places such as Greece, which is in the range of about 35 degrees north to 39 degrees north latitude, to Iceland, which ranges from around 64 degrees north to more than 66 degrees north. Because of the difference in latitudes, Europe has varying climates and topography. Regardless, it has been inhabited for about 2 million years. It consists of only about 1/15th of the worlds land, but the contiguous continent has about 24,000 square miles (38,000 sq km) of coastline. Stats Europe is made up of 46  countries that  range in size from some of the largest in the world (Russia) to some of the smallest (Vatican City, Monaco). The population of Europe is about 742 million (United Nations 2017 Population Division figure), and for a landmass of about 3.9 million square miles (10.1 sq km), it has a density of 187.7 people per square mile. By Area, Largest to Smallest The following is a list of the countries of Europe arranged by area. Various sources may differ in size of a countrys area due to rounding, whether the original figure is in kilometers or miles, and whether the sources include overseas territories. Figures here come from the CIA World Factbook, which presents figures in square kilometers; they have been converted and rounded to the nearest number. Russia: 6,601,668 square miles (17,098,242 sq km)Turkey:  302,535 square miles (783,562 sq km)Ukraine:  233,032 square miles (603,550 sq km)France:  212,935 square miles (551,500 sq km);  248,457 square miles (643,501 square km) including overseas regionsSpain:  195,124 square miles (505,370 sq km)Sweden:  173,860 square miles (450,295 sq km)Germany:  137,847 square miles (357,022 sq km)Finland:  130,559 square miles (338,145 sq km)Norway: 125,021 square miles (323,802 sq km)Poland:  120,728 square miles (312,685 sq km)Italy:  116,305 square miles (301,340 sq km)United Kingdom:  94,058 square miles (243,610 sq km), includes Rockall and Shetland IslandsRomania: 92,043 square miles (238,391 sq km)Belarus: 80,155 square miles (207,600 sq km)Greece: 50,949 square miles (131,957 sq km)Bulgaria: 42,811 square miles (110,879 sq km)Iceland:  39,768 square miles (103,000 sq km)Hungary: 35,918 square miles (93,028 sq km)Portugal: 35,556 square miles (92,090 sq km)Austri a: 32,382 square miles (83,871 sq km)Czech Republic: 30,451 square miles (78,867 sq km) Serbia: 29,913 square miles (77,474 sq km)Ireland: 27,133 square miles (70,273 sq km)Lithuania: 25,212 square miles (65,300 sq km)Latvia: 24,937 square miles (64,589 sq km)Croatia:  21,851 square miles (56,594 sq km)Bosnia and Herzegovina: 19,767 square miles (51,197 sq km)Slovakia: 18,932 square miles (49,035 sq km)Estonia: 17,462 square miles (45,228 sq km)Denmark: 16,638 square miles (43,094 sq km)Netherlands:  16,040 square miles (41,543 sq km)Switzerland:  15,937 square miles (41,277 sq km)Moldova: 13,070 square miles (33,851 sq km)Belgium:  11,786 square miles (30,528 sq km)Albania: 11,099 square miles (28,748 sq km)Macedonia: 9,928 square miles (25,713 sq km)Slovenia: 7,827 square miles (20,273 sq km)Montenegro: 5,333 sq miles (13,812 sq km)Cyprus: 3,571 square miles (9,251 sq km)Luxembourg: 998 square miles (2,586 sq km)Andorra:  181 square miles (468 sq km)Malta:  122 square miles (316 sq km)Liechtenstein: 62 square miles (160 sq km)San Marino:  23 square miles (61 sq km)Monaco:  0.77 square miles (2 sq km) Vatican City: 0.17 square miles (0.44 sq km)

A Concise History of the Middle East Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

A Concise History of the Middle East - Essay Example Oppression of Jews in Eastern Europe during the late 1800’s resulted in a mass emigration of Jewish refugees to Palestine some of whom formed Zionist movement, which was aimed at making Palestine an independent Jewish nation (Ellis, 1972) In 1917, Britain issued Balfour declaration which was seen as an attempt to support Jewish. The declaration however stated that Britain’s support for the creation of Jewish national home in Palestine without violating civil and religious rights of the non-Jewish communities. By the year 1923 Britain had received two mandates a provisional mandate over Palestine and another east of river Jordan Arabs apposed the idea of Jewish national home which lead to a Palestine, Arab nation movement in early 1930s over 100,000 Jewish refugees came to Palestine from nazi Germany and Poland) which made the Arabs organize a general uprising that paralyzed Palestine in the late 1930s. In 1939 British began to limit Jewish immigration and land purchases and it was to be done under Arabs approval only (Mendelsohn, 1989) During World War II, most Palestinian Arabs and Jews stopped their resistance to the British rule and joined the allied forces. After World War II Zionist wanted British to allow immigration of the holocaust survivors they therefore used force to stop Great Britain from limiting Jewish immigration into Palestine. The United Nations special commission on Palestine recommended that Palestine be divided into Arab state and Jewish state also Jerusalem to be put under international control. The UN general assembly adopted this plan on November 29 1947, which could lead to the birth of Israel. Arabs rejected the move and fighting broke immediately. Â  

English should be the official language of the United States Essay

English should be the official language of the United States - Essay Example Making English the official language would inspire new immigrants to learn the language of their adopted country. It is impossible to argue against the unifying power of having an official language. Many wealthy and powerful countries (France, Germany, Russia, Portugal, Spain, Italy) have one official language, and this puts them in very good stead when it comes to rallying people to a cause. In addition to unity, finances would be saved because making English the official language would eliminate the direct costs of bilingual education and translators. Such costs often run into billions of dollars, and the majority of it is drawn from local governments’ budgets. For instance, in 2002 in Los Angeles, $15 million, or 15% of the election budget was set aside for the printing of ballots in 7 languages and recruiting bilingual election personnel (Adams & Brink 12). The formation of organizations like U.S English, whose main goal is to push for the adoption of English as the official language of the United States, also shows that the issue needs to be seriously considered (King 495). In addition, there are groups opposed to making English the official language of the United States. It is also worth noting that the undercurrents surrounding the calls for English to be made the official language of the United States have been far much stronger than those opposing it. All those who have supported and tried to vindicate this cause have done so out of worry for the direction the country is headed. Theodore Roosevelt expressed the muted American linguistic-melting-pot theory when he said, â€Å"We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language, for we intended to see that the crucible turns our people out as Americans, of American nationality, and not as dwellers in a polyglot boarding house.† And: â€Å"We must have but one flag. We must have but one language. That must be the language of the Declaration of

Balance Sheet and Sylvan Essay Example for Free

Balance Sheet and Sylvan Essay On January 1 2007, Pillar purchased 60% of the common shares of Sylvan for $4,500. On that date, Sylvan had common shares of $1,250 and retained earnings of $3,000. Fair values were equal to carrying values for all Sylvan’s net assets except inventory, capital assets and notes payable. The fair value of inventory was $60 more than book value, the book value of capital assets was $100 greater than fair value and the Notes payable had a fair value of $150 less than book value. Assume that all shares of Sylvan have the same value and no control premium was paid at the date of acquisition. The Consolidated Financial statements will be prepared using IFRS Entity Method. The financial statements for Pillar and Sylvan for the year ended December 31, 2010 were as follows: Balance Sheets December 31, 2010 $000’s PILLAR SYLVAN Cash $680 $435 Accounts receivable 1,755 1,025 Inventory 2,849 1,790 Capital assets—net 3,976 3,000 Investment in Sylvan 4,500 Total assets $13,760 $6,250 Current liabilities $400 $255 Notes payable 5,800 1,185 Common shares 2,000 1,250 Retained earnings 5,560 3,560 Total $13,760 $6,250 Statements of Income and Retained Earnings Year Ended December 31, 2010 PILLAR SYLVAN Sales and all other Income $4,040 $2,710 Cost of sales 1,600 1,140 2,440 1,570 Amortization (480) (310) Other expenses and losses including taxes (500) (210) Net income 1,460 1,050 Additional information: numbers in $000’s 1. Capital assets are to be amortized over an average remaining useful life of 8 years at January 1, 2007 and the notes payable mature on December 31, 2011. Goodwill impairment losses for 2008 and 2010 were $240 and $300 respectively. Straight line amortization is acceptable for all acquisition differentials. 2. At December 31, 2010, Sylvan’s inventory included goods purchased from Pillar for $760. Total purchases from Pillar in 2010 were $1000 all priced at mark-up’s averaging 25% of Pillar’s cost. 3. On December 31, 2009, the inventories of Pillar contained $500 of merchandise purchased from Sylvan. Sylvan earns a gross margin of 30% on all sales to Pillar. During December 2010, Pillar purchased merchandise from Sylvan for $900 and did not pay for$250 of the purchases by December 31, 2010. 40% of the inventory was resold by Pillar before the year end. 4. On July 1, 2010, Sylvan sold a new tract of Land to Pillar for $170. On December 1, 2009, Sylvan had bought the land for $200. The fair market value of the land at July 1, 2010 was $220. 5. On September 30, 2008, Pillar sold Land to Sylvan for $100. The land had a book value of $60 on the date of the sale. 6. On December 1, 2010, Pillar and Sylvan declared and paid dividends of $150 and $100 respectively. 7. Both companies pay taxes at the rate of 40%. Assume all intercompany Transactions are taxed at 40% REQUIRED: Please use a GREEN BOOKLET 1. Prepare a Consolidated Balance Sheet at December 31, 2010. (22 Marks) 2. Prepare an independent calculation of ENDING Consolidated Retained Earnings at December 31, 2010. (11 marks) 3. Assume Pillar wishes to use the equity method in their General Ledger, calculate Investment income from Sylvan for the year ending December 31, 2010 (10 Marks) NOTE: This question will help you prepare for the technical question on the midterm. Do more than the question asks so that you are prepared for any possible questions you may be asked: Eg. Prepare a Consolidated Income statement and an independent calculation of Consolidated Net Income attributable to Parent company shareholders Calculate the Investment Income under the equity method: Note the only difference between the equity method used when significant Influence is present and the equity method used in the general ledger of the parent when control is present is the treatment of downstream transactions. According to IAS 28.28 all unrealized intercompany profits are eliminated proportionately between investor and investee. Therefore if investor owns 30% of investee, 30% of all unrealized profits/losses are removed. When control exists the parent eliminates upstream proportionately with NCI and downstream unrealized profits are eliminated 100% from parent. Check figures: At December 31, 2010 Goodwill at acquisition ($3,140) $2,600 Consolidated total Assets $17,615.6 Capital assets $6916 Consolidated Retained Earnings $5331.28 NCI Balance Sheet $2924.32 Consolidated Net Income Entity $2052.1 Attributable to Parent shareholders 1754.78 Attributable to NCI $297.32 Investment account Balance sheet :equity method $4,271.28 Investment income equity method 2010 $354.78(removing 100% downstream)

The Relationship between Learning and Memory :: Papers

Learning to tie shoes and ride a bike requires the encoding, storing, and retrieving of past observations of the procedure. With a lot of practice, children master these skills so well that they are able to remember them the rest of their lives. Memory is the storing of information over time. It is one of the most important concepts in learning; if things are not remembered, no learning can take place. As a process, memory refers to the "dynamic mechanism associated with the retention and retrieval of information about past experiences" (Sternberg 260). We use our memory about the past to help us understand the present. The study or memory in psychology is used in different ways, as well as there are many different ways to study how memory works in humans. In psychology there are many tasks used to measure memory, and different types of memory storages that human's use, such as sensory storing, or short term storing. There are also a lot of techniques that humans use to improve their memory, which they can use to learn, such as mnemonic devices. All these things can be classified as important issues in the study of human memory and ways of learning. In studying memory, researchers have devised various tasks that require participants to remember "arbitrary information" (Merkle). Memory tasks typically involve either recall or recognition. In recall memory you would be asked to give a fact, a word, or an item from memory. In recognition memory you are asked to identify from various things the correct word, fact, or item. How then do humans remember these things? It involves the human memory process, containing encoding, storing, and retrieving any information being given to us. Encoding is the process of placing information into memory. Storage is the process of retaining information in memory. Getting information out of memory is called retrieval. Out of the three, the most important is Encoding, because you must pay attention to the information that you want to place into your memory. It is the starting point, although there are three levels known within this beginning step. Fergus Craik and Robert Lockhart proposed three levels for encoding incoming information. "They suggested that whether we remember information for a few seconds or a lifetime depends on how deeply we process the information" (Internet). The first level is classified as Structural, because information is stored on visual codes. In other words, what information "looks" like or what is its physical structure.

Parent and Child Relationships Essay

â€Å"I Am Sam† is a powerfully touching film that tells the story of a parent and child’s love for one another. It shows that love is pure, and that no matter how great the mind is, love is even greater. The film’s protagonist is Sam, a mentally-challenged adult with a mental age of 7. Sam has a daughter, Lucy, with a prostitute who left them. Sam works at the local Starbucks to support Lucy, and everything is going along well until Lucy turned 7, because she already surpassed her father’s mental abilities. This creates problems, because early on we see that Lucy is precocious and inquisitive, and she is no longer satisfied with her father’s nonsense answers to her questions. When she starts wanting to read more difficult books than what Sam reads to her, she fakes having difficulty reading so as not to offend her father and make him feel inferior. On Sam’s part, even when he sees that Lucy is already growing up, he tries his best to support her the best way he knows how. Lucy does not see this yet because she is still a child, but she understands that her father is different, but she loves him because he is a very loving father who takes her out to the park and to eat pancakes and generally takes good care of her. Later in the film she is embarrassed when her classmates tease her that her father is a retard that she denies him and tells them that she is adopted. The authorities take her away from Sam, and later on sent to a foster home. When the authorities take Lucy away from him, he does everything he could to get her back. He even gets the fearsome lawyer Rita to help his cause. Rita, a successful and stringent lawyer who values winning more than anything, decides to take Sam’s case just to prove that she is not as selfish as she looks. Through the course of helping Sam, she realizes that Sam is a good father, that Sam’s mental inadequacy has not hampered his ability to love and care for his daughter at all. That in fact, he is a better parent than she is. When at first she sought to win Sam’s case because she did not want to lose, eventually Rita sympathizes with Sam’s cause. Sam visits Lucy regularly, and Lucy realizes that she wants her father back, and that she is going to fight back just to be with him, even if she is smarter than him, even if the world laughs at her for having a retard for a father. At this moment, Lucy has matured, and although she is just 7, she has taken responsibility not only of her own actions, but also decided that she will take care of her father when he could no longer take care of her, that she needs to be smart and capable and strong for the both of them. She saw just how much her father loves her and how he does not give up on her even when she denied him. However, even with Rita’s help, Sam loses the custody battle at court. Sam breaks down as he is convinced that he cannot take care of his own daughter. All this time, he was doing everything he could, enlisting the help of his friends and employers and colleagues to prove that he has what it takes to raise his daughter, but he finally accepts the fact that he is mentally inadequate to give her needs. If he really loves his daughter, he would do what is best for her even if it means letting go of her so that she could be the best that she could be. And Sam does that. He accepts that he cannot take care of Lucy, but even when he concedes, he does not give up on being a father to her. He moves in to an apartment just to be nearer to Lucy, so that even if he cannot raise her at least he could be there for her whenever she needed him, and so that he could watch her grow up. Lucy is hurt that she cannot be with her father, but she takes matters on her own hands, Late at night she sneaks out of her foster home to be with her father. Her foster parents find her out, and she does not deny that she longs to be with her father, even if they think that they can be better parents than him. Eventually, the foster parents let her go back to Sam, for Sam to have custody of her. The film tells us that love is great driving force that cannot be measured by financial success, or by intellectual achievements. Society may look at Sam as a retarded, inadequate man, but he fought for his daughter against all odds, when Lucy’s own mother simply walked out and left them. Lucy was smarter than Sam, but she learned about love from her father because he showered her with it. That is why even when she was presented with a better future with a â€Å"better† set of parents, she still chooses to go back to Sam, because she knows that her father loves her and she loves him. At the end, the film teaches us what a parent can give best to his child, and what a child needs most from a parent – love. And that is something that cannot be bought or substituted with material things, because children will always know if their parents have shown them enough love.

Becoming an Informed Voter Essay

What is the Political History of your district and State? Harris County in the state of Texas was formed in the winter of 1836, and was first called Harrisburg County after an early settler named John Richard Harris. The name changed from Harrisburg County to Harris County in 1839. In the United States House of Representatives, Ted Poe, a Republican, currently represents my district (Northwest Harris County). John Whitmire was elected in 1983 as a Democrat, and he represents Northwest Harris County in the Texas Senate. There are seven major districts that are represented in the Texas Legislature. â€Å"Over the period since initial statehood in 1845, the constituencies and ideologies of the two major parties we know today have experienced profound transformations. The Republican Party didn’t even exist in the United States until just before the Civil War, and barely existed in Texas and the rest of the former Confederacy for several decades after Reconstruction. The Democratic Party evolved from a party closely identified with white racial supremacy to a coalition of groups that included African Americans and ethnic minorities, while the Republican Party slowly gained majority status as a home for social conservatives. Both parties today remain economically conservative, resisting tax increases and regulations on business, while promoting government support of business initiatives.† (The University of Texas at Austin, 2009.) The Populist Party existed from the 1880’s to the 1910’s, and was very significant on both the state and national levels. The Populist Party was formed to represent the interests of laborers and farmers in the 1890s, and was known for advocating the unlimited coinage of silver. Ross Perot, a Dallas billionaire, created the Reform Party in the late 1990s. The Reform party believes in the basic values on how the government should work today. The top priorities that the  Reform party issued to the government are: â€Å"Setting higher ethical standards for the White House and Congress, Balancing the budget, Campaign and election reform, Imposing term limits, Tax system overhaul, Revisions to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security plans, Revising trade and immigration policies to promote jobs in the U.S., and Lobbying reform.† (Elissa Haney, 2014) Other parties, such as the Libertarian party and the Green party have enjoyed the support of a small number of devoted citizens throughout the county. â€Å"Texas political culture and ideology are well described by the combination of three main philosophical streams: classical liberalism, social conservatism and populism.† (The University of Texas at Austin, 2009.) How have they voted in recent presidential and congressional elections? Presidential elections: During the 2008 presidential election, Democratic candidate Barack Obama won the majority of votes in Harris County, Texas, which includes the city of Houston and surrounding communities. It was a narrow victory in Texas’ biggest county, with Obama winning only 50.5% of the vote against the Republican candidate, John McCain. In the most recent presidential election of 2012, the margin of victory was even smaller when they elected Democratic President Barack Obama with 49.39% of the vote, over his challenger, Mitt Romney, with 49.31%. However, in the statewide vote for the presidential candidates, Mitt Romney won Texas with 57.17% of the voters, and Barack Obama only got 41.38%. Even in 2008, John McCain won Texas with 56% of the voters, and Obama only got 44%. Congressional elections: In the recent congressional elections, the majority of the district voted for Republican candidate, Ted Poe. He defeated the democratic candidate Nick Lampson by a margin of 55.5% to Lampson’s 43%. Can your district or state be considered to be leaning Republican or leaning Democratic? The major metropolitan areas of Texas, Houston, Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio, have been voting for more liberal platforms (Democratic) for a number of years now, however, the state as a whole has been leaning in  a more conservative direction and voting Republican. States’ rights, the fight for the unborn and their right to life, and resistance to gun legislation, tend to be some of the top issues for conservative Texas voters. The last time a Democrat carried the state of Texas was in 1976, when Jimmy Carter won the Presidential election. During the 2004 presidential election, then President and Republican candidate, George W. Bush, won with 61.09% against 38.30% votes for the Democratic candidate John Kerry. However, in the more recent Presidential elections that were held in 2008 and in 2012, the very popular Democratic candidate, Barack Obama, did not win the majority vote for Tex as. Thus, looking at this information, it can be said that the state of Texas tends to lean more towards the Republican side. Are the parties relatively even or does one party dominate the elections? Looking at the election results derived from Texas in the past, it can be said that the Republicans have had the upper hand over the Democratic Party in this state for quite some time, but the cities tend to be very liberal. There are currently only 12 Democratic representatives and 24 Republican representatives to U.S. House of Representatives. (Govtrack.us). Since 1846, in the state of Texas, there have been 39 Democratic governors, 5 Republican, 1 Unionist, and 1 Independent, with the Republicans holding on to that position for the past 20 years. (Texas State Library and Archives Commission) Does your district have a long tradition of supporting one party or has it been changing in recent years? The Democratic Party had a majority stronghold in my district from as far back as March 30, 1846 until January 3, 2005, when Republican candidate, Ted Poe broke the line of Democratic succession. Today, he continues to represent the Texas 2nd Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. After the U.S Census in 2010, both Houses of the Texas Legislature introduced bills to redraw the state congressional and legislative boundaries. Due to this process, Texas gained four Congressional seats in the U.S House of Representatives, which was more than any other state. As a result of redistricting, the 2nd Congressional District became more conservative by a small margin, which  gave Ted Poe the advantage for re-election. The demographics have also changed quite a bit over the past 20 years. In the 1990s, the estimated number of people in Harris County was 2,818 ,199. In 2010, the number rose to 4,092,459. In 2013, there are now 4,336,853 people (U.S Census records). Demographics have changed as well. In 2010, the demographics in Harris County, Texas were as followed. Anglo= 1,349,646 Hispanic=1,671,540 Afr-Am=754,258 Asian=249,853 And Other=67,162 Total=4,092,459 How did your representative and senator come to power? (Thoroughly describe their backgrounds.) Representative Ted Poe attended Abilene Christina University, where he achieved his Bachelors degree in political science. â€Å"Ted Poe served in the United States Air Force Reserves, taught high school and college classes and earned a law degree from the University of Houston. Soon after graduation, he accepted a position as a prosecutor in Houston, Texas.† (U.S. Congressman Ted Poe, 2014) In 1973, he also received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Houston Law Center. Before entering into politics, he served in the United States Air Force Reserves’ C-130 unit based out of Ellington Air Force Base from 1970 to 1976. After serving in the military for 7 years he changed his life track and became a chief felony prosecutor in Harris County for about 8 years. He then was appointed a felony court judge in Harris County in 1981, making him on of the youngest judges in the state of Texas. â€Å"Prior to serving in Congress, Ted Poe served for 22 years as a criminal court judge in Houston where he garnered national media attention for his innovative sentences – dubbed â€Å"Poetic Justice.† Prior to that, he served for 8 years in the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, where he became the chief felony prosecutor and never lost a jury trial.† (U.S. Congressman Ted Poe, 2014) Senator John Cornyn was born in Houston, Texas, and is a graduate from Trinity University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. He earned his  Juris Doctor from St. Mary’s University School of Law in 1977. While he was serving as a Justice on the Texas Supreme Court, he was attending the University of Virginia School of Law where he achieved his Master of Law degree. Cornyn was elected as a Judge for Texas’ 37th District Court from 1985 to 1991. He then was elected as an Associate Justice of the Texas Supreme Court, and served in that position from 1991 to 1997. In 1998, Cornyn decided he wanted to become the Texas Attorney General, and campaigned against Barry Williamson, defeating him by a margin of 58% to 43% in the primary. In the general election, he defeated Jim Mattox, who was the former Attorney General and a U.S. Congressman. John Cornyn is only the second Republican to become an Attorney General in the State of Texas. In a long running Senate campaign that cost each candidate over $18 million dollars, Cornyn was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002, after defeating five other candidates in the Republican Primary, as well as the Democratic candidate, Ron Kirk, by an electoral margin of ten to one. Senator Cornyn succeeded Senator Phil Gramm, also a Republican. He continues to earn the respect from fellow Texans every year by successfully taking state policies and issues to Washington D.C. â€Å"Senator Cornyn now serves as Minority Whip for the 113th Congress. He serves on the powerful Senate Finance Committee, which shares jurisdiction over health care legislation, and the Senate Judiciary Committee, which questions President Obama’s nominees to the Supreme Court of the United States.† (Texans for Senator John Cornyn, Inc. 2014.) How do the interest groups (ADA, ACLU, ACU, CC or FRC) rate your representative and senator? Include the exact scores from each of these groups. American for Democratic Action— -John Cornyn=0%—Ted Poe=10% Family Research Council— -John Cornyn=88%—Ted Poe=100% Christian Coalition— -John Cornyn=100%—Ted Poe=100% American Civil Liberties Union— -John Cornyn=0%—Ted Poe=0% American Conservative Union— -John Cornyn=88%—Ted Poe=88% (VoteSmart.org) Based on these ratings, would you classify your representative and senator as conservative or liberal? Justify your answer. I would say that both my senator and representative are conservative, because of the ratings from these three interest groups. The ADA and the ACLU are both liberal leaning and gave low scores. The conservative groups, ACU, FRC, and Christian Coalition all marked both men high on conservative issues. For instance, Senator Cornyn opposed President Barack Obama’s health reform legislation, and he also voted against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (which is known to be Obama Care). In 2007, Ted Poe received a â€Å"zero† rating from the abortion rights group, also known as NARAL, because he is firmly pro-life (which is primarily a conservative view). He also does not support the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, calling it â€Å"government run health care.† (Ted Poe, 2009). I personally appreciate both my senator, and r epresentative for Texas and Harris County, as their positions line up with my values, they understand that the government is moving in the wrong direction, and will do whatever it takes to appropriately represent the people of Texas. References Stephen Witham. Becoming an Informed Voter. Liberty University, 2014. Texas Politics. The University of Texas at Austin, Liberal Arts Instructional Technology Services, 2009. Retrieved from http://texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu/6_printable.html Barone, Michael. The Almanac of American Politics 2014. University of Chicago Press, 2013. Wilson Q. James. American Government, Brief Version. 11th ed. Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. 2009, 2012, 2014. Gu, Paul. Harris County History. TX Political Almanac, 2014. Retrieved from http://www.txpoliticalalmanac.com/index.php?title=Harris_County http://www.votesmart.org About John. Texans for Senator John Cornyn, Inc. 2014. Retrieved from http://www.johncornyn.com/about-john/ Poe, Ted. Ted Poe, U.S. Congressman 2nd District of Texas. United States House of Representatives, 2014. Retrieved from http://poe.house.gov/index.cfm/biography Harris County, Houston County Website. Harris County History. CountyWebsite.com, Inc. 2014. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Populist+Party http://reformparty.org http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/48/48201lk.html https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/TX Governors of Texas, 1846-present. Texas State Library and Archives Commission, 2014. https://www.tsl.texas.gov/ref/abouttx/governors.html Elissa Haney. Reform School: A primer on the political party founded by Ross Perot and boosted by the governorship of Jesse Venture. Pearson Education, 2000-2014. http://www.infoplease.com/spot/reformparty1.html

The Unexpected Presidency of Gerald R. Ford

The Unexpected Presidency of Gerald R. Ford Becoming vice president or President of the United States are no small feats. But between 1973 and 1977, Gerald R. Ford did both- without ever getting a single vote. How did he do that? In the early 1950s, when Michigans Republican Party leaders urged him to run for the  U.S. Senate  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ generally considered the next step to the presidency – Ford declined, stating that his ambition was to become  Speaker of the House, a position he called the ultimate achievement† at the time. â€Å"To sit up there and be the head honcho of 434 other people and have the responsibility, aside from the achievement, of trying to run the greatest  legislative  body in the history of mankind,† said Ford, â€Å"I think I got that ambition within a year or two after I was in the House of Representatives.† But after over a decade of putting forth his best efforts, Ford continually failed to be chosen as a speaker. Finally, he promised his wife Betty that if the speakership eluded him again in 1974, he would retire from Congress and political life in 1976. But far from returning to the farm, Gerald Ford was about to become the first person to have served as both Vice President and President of the United States without being elected to either office.   Suddenly, its Vice President Ford In October 1973, President  Richard M. Nixon  was serving his second term in the White House when his Vice President  Spiro Agnew  resigned before pleading no contest to federal charges of tax evasion and money laundering related to his acceptance of $29,500 in bribes while governor of Maryland. In the first ever application of the vice-presidential vacancy provision of the  25th Amendment  to the U.S. Constitution, President Nixon nominated then House Minority Leader Gerald Ford to replace Agnew. On November 27, the Senate voted 92 to 3 to confirm Ford, and on December 6, 1973, the House confirmed Ford by a vote of 387 to 35. One hour after the House voted, Ford was sworn in as Vice President of the United States.   When he agreed to accept President Nixons nomination, Ford told Betty that the Vice Presidency would be a nice conclusion to his political career. Little did they know, however,  that Fords political career was anything but over.   The Unexpected Presidency of Gerald Ford As Gerald Ford was getting used to the idea of being vice president,  a spellbound nation was watching the  Watergate scandal  unfold.   During the 1972 presidential campaign, five men employed by President Nixons Committee to Re-elect the President had allegedly broken into the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington D.C.s Watergate hotel, in an attempt to steal information related to Nixons opponent, George McGovern. On August 1, 1974, after weeks of accusations and denials, President Nixons Chief of Staff Alexander Haig visited Vice President Ford to tell him that the smoking gun evidence in the form of Nixon’s secret Watergate tapes had been exposed. Haig told Ford that conversations on the tapes left little doubt that President Nixon had taken part in, if not ordered, the cover-up of the Watergate break-in. At the time of Haigs visit, Ford and his wife Betty were still living in their suburban Virginia home while the vice presidents residence in Washington, D.C. was being renovated. In his memoirs, Gord would later say of the day, Al Haig asked to come over and see me, to tell me that there would be a new tape released on a Monday, and he said the evidence in there was devastating and there would probably be either an impeachment or a resignation. And he said, Im just warning you that youve got to be prepared, that these things might change dramatically and you could become president. And I said, Betty, I dont think were ever going to live in the vice presidents house.   With his impeachment almost certain, President Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974. According to the process of presidential succession, Vice President Gerald R. Ford was immediately sworn in as the 38th President of the United States.  Ã‚   In a live, nationally televised speech from the East Room of the White House, Ford stated, I am acutely aware that you have not elected me as your president by your ballots, and so I ask you to confirm me as your president with your prayers.   President Ford went on to add, My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over. Our Constitution works; our great Republic is a government of laws and not of men. Here, the people rule. But there is a higher power, by whatever name we honor Him, who ordains not only righteousness but love, not only justice but mercy. Let us restore the golden rule to our political process, and let brotherly love purge our hearts of suspicion and hate.   When the dust had settled, Fords prediction to Betty had come true. The couple moved into the White House without ever living in the vice presidents house.   As one of his first official acts, President Ford exercised Section 2 of the 25th Amendment and nominated Nelson A. Rockefeller of New York to be vice president. On August 20, 1974, both Houses of Congress voted to confirm the nomination and Mr. Rockefeller took the oath of office December 19, 1974.   Ford Pardons Nixon On September 8, 1974, President Ford granted former President Nixon a full and unconditional presidential pardon absolving him of any crimes he might have committed against the United States while president. In a nationally televised TV broadcast, Ford explained his reasons for granting the controversial pardon, stating that the Watergate situation had become â€Å"a tragedy in which we all have played a part. It could go on and on and on, or someone must write the end to it. I have concluded that only I can do that, and if I can, I must.† About the 25th Amendment Had it happened prior to the ratification of the 25th Amendment on Februayr 10, 1967, the resignations of Vice President Agnew and then President Nixon would have almost certainly triggered a monumental constitutional crisis.The 25th Amendment  superseded the wording of Article II, Section 1, Clause 6 of the Constitution, which failed to clearly state that the vice president becomes president if the president dies, resigns, or otherwise becomes incapacitated and unable to perform the duties of the office. It also specified the current method and order of presidential succession. Prior to the 25th Amendment, there had been incidents when the president was incapacitated. For example, when President Woodrow Wilson suffered a debilitating stroke on October 2, 1919, he was not replaced in office, as First Lady Edith Wilson, along with the White House Physician, Cary T. Grayson, covered up the extent of President Wilsons disability.  For the next 17 months, Edith Wilson actually carried out many presidential duties.   On 16 occasions, the nation had gone without a vice president because of the vice president had died or had become president through succession. For example, there was no vice president for almost four years after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. The assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, prompted Congress to push for a constitutional amendment. Early, erroneous reports that Vice President Lyndon Johnson had also been shot created several chaotic hours in the federal government. Happing so soon after the Cuban Missile Crisis and with Cold War tensions still at a fever pitch, the Kennedy assassination forced Congress to come up with a specific method of determining presidential succession. New President Johnson experienced several health issues, and the next two officials in line for the presidency were 71-year-old Speaker of the House John Cormack and 86-year-old Senate President Pro Tempore Carl Hayden. Within three months of Kennedys death, the House and Senate passed a joint resolution that would be submitted to the states as the 25th Amendment. On February 10, 1967, Minnesota and Nebraska became the 37th and 38th states to ratify the amendment, making it the law of the land.

4 Reasons to Teach in a Private School

4 Reasons to Teach in a Private School Teaching in a private school has many advantages over teaching in a public school. For most of us, it comes down to the reality that all we really want to do is teach. We find the administrative side of the job confining and time-consuming. Minimal bureaucracy has to be the biggest advantage of teaching in a private school, but there are other advantages. Private schools create a climate for serious teaching with the following: thin management structuresmall class sizessmall schoolsideal teaching conditions Thin Management Structure A private school is its own independent entity. Its not part of a large administrative group of schools, like  those in a school district. So you dont have to go up or down through layers of bureaucracy to deal with issues. Private schools are autonomous units of manageable size. The organization chart typically has the following upward path: StaffDepartment HeadHead of SchoolBoard. You will find additional layers in larger schools, but even there its a pretty thin management structure. The advantages are obvious: responsiveness to issues, clear communication channels. You dont need a union to help you deal with issues when you have easy access to administrators. Small Class Sizes This issue goes to the heart of what we teachers are all about. Small class sizes allow us to teach effectively, to give our students the individual attention which they deserve, and to accomplish the goals which have been entrusted to us. Private schools typically have class sizes of from 10-12 students. Parochial schools generally have larger class sizes, but even they are smaller than those in comparable public schools. Contrast this with your public schools which range from 25-30 or more students per class. At that class size, you become a traffic cop, not a teacher. Union mandated class size is not an issue in private schools. Small Schools Most private schools have 300-400 students. The largest independent schools top out at only 1100 or so students. Compare that with public schools with 2,000-4,000 students and you can understand why students in private schools are not just numbers. Teachers can get to know all their students as well as others throughout the school community. The community is what private schools are all about. Ideal Teaching Conditions Teachers want to be creative. They want to teach their subject. They want to light the fires of enthusiasm for learning within their young charges. Because private schools adhere to the spirit, but not to the letter of state-mandated curricula, there is great flexibility in the choice of texts and of teaching methodologies. You dont need a union agreeing to the adoption of this text or that methodology for use in the classroom. Common Goals Private school students are there because their parents want them to have the best possible education. Parents are paying serious money for that service. Consequently, everybody expects the very best results. If you are passionate about your subject, you feel the same way. Only the best will do. Public Vs Private Education: Differences While there are many differences between public and private schools, the primary difference is the approach to discipline. In a private school, the rules of the school are clearly laid out when you sign the contract to attend a private school. By signing the contract you agree to abide by the terms of the contract which include consequences for infraction of the discipline code. In a public school, you have rights - constitutional rights which must be respected. The disciplinary process takes time and frequently is a cumbersome, complicated process. Students quickly learn how to play the system and can tie teachers up in knots for weeks over disciplinary matters.​ Discipline Promotes an Atmosphere of Learning When you are not fighting for control of a class, you can teach. Because parents send their children to private school to learn, the focus is on learning. Of course, there will still be the usual teenage experimenting with authority and the limits. But, as a rule, that kind of testing is fairly harmless. Why? Because everybody knows the rules. The code of conduct spells out serious consequences for disrespecting a teacher or a classmate. The code of conduct is enforced. Bullying is unacceptable behavior. Disruptive behavior is unacceptable. Fighting is unacceptable. Discipline promotes an atmosphere of learning. Discipline is a critical part of the three-way partnership private school education is all about. When you sign the contract with the school, you commit to a three-way partnership. While the school takes care of the academics and provides a host of other services while your child is in its care, you are still required to be involved. The school will not allow you to be a silent partner. It will insist on your involvement. When you have no distractions in the classroom, you can teach. Editors note: Brian Horgan is the Director of the Upper School at Gilmour Academy. I asked him why he taught in an independent as opposed to a public school. Here is his response. Most of the colleagues with whom I work and share the joy of independent school teaching, celebrate the aspects of what the late British historian of ideas, Isaiah Berlin, famously refers to as negative libertythe freedom to act without interference from others. Clearly, this is a valuable aspect of independent school teaching. Most of us relish the opportunity to work free of burdensome dictates of state department of education mandates, strict and often misguided teacher certification and re-certification requirements, pat curricular designs and assessment procedures, and bureaucratic paperwork including the submission of daily lesson plans. In my teaching career I have come to appreciate the benefits of this kind of liberty as well; however, I try to remain attentive to the opportunities, by way of responsibilities, this kind of freedom makes imperative. It is precisely these opportunities that give me cause to celebrate the independent school experience. More specifically, the fr eedom I enjoy as an independent school teacher affords me the opportunity to turn my attention to things that matter most.​ Because I am free from the democratic, though nobly intended, policies of public education, I can work within a smaller community where individuals can meet the individual needs of other individuals. Of course, the demands of the community become more pronounced in this small settingthe virtuous practice of sharing, listening, and compassion are paramount to the success of the independent school. A good public school system will, to be sure, have teachers who are committed to these virtues as wellmy children have been in their classrooms. But it is also true that there are teachers who are not so committed in part, perhaps, because they work in school systems where, by necessity or accident, sociological statistics and objective data collection have become more important than people. Unfortunately, independent schools employ people like this as well but my sense is that this is accidental rather than the inevitable by-product of a large educational system overburdened by bureaucratic demands. The small community of learners to be found in an independent school invites us to listen to the individual needs of our students and respond to those individual needs rather than having to resign ourselves to the limitations that long class rosters and incredibly hefty teaching loads would normally dictate. It invites us to share our insights, strategies, and classrooms with our colleagues rather than wasting time and energy protecting turf and reputation. It invites us to self-direct our professional growth rather than having it governed for us by people whom we have never met. When we enjoy these benefits of independence, however, we must recognize that the source of our joy is an independence hat differs from the negative liberty of no interference. As independent school educators we must be constantly mindful that to be independent of outside demands is to be, at the same time, bound by professional and inter-personal obligations, and that monitoring these obligations has become, to a great extent, the responsibility of the individual rather than the state, or proficiency test results, or the superintendent, or even, in some cases, the department chair. Freedom should never mean that one is free to do whatever one pleases; rather it should mean that one has the opportunity to focus with greater clarity on the proper limits of independence. To be independent does not allow one to say leave me alone and let me do my work; instead it calls one to invite others to share that work in an environment that is grounded in trust. With freedom comes dutya duty to m ove beyond the walls of individual classrooms and attend to the broad requisites of the mission. Unfortunately, I fear this aspect of independence is sometimes overlooked. Fortunately, many independent school teachers are mindful of the full scope of possibilities their independence affords and consequently enjoy the most rewarding benefits of teaching at an independent school. Some people think that you have to wear an academic gown when you teach at a private school. At least thats the impression you get when you watch the Harry Potter movies. Thats just one misconception people have about teaching in a private school. Myths abound concerning teacher salaries, teacher certification, faculty housing, same-sex partners and the impression that private schools are elitist. Lets find out the facts. Salaries Myth: Private school teachers make less than their colleagues in public schools. As with most things, thats not necessarily true. A lot depends on the kind of the school we are talking about. For example, a third-grade teacher in a parochial school will make about 10-15% less than her counterpart in a public school. Why? Parochial school budgets are traditionally the slimmest in the business because their tuitions are among the lowest in the business. Now, put that same third-grade teacher in a Montessori school and the salary gap closes significantly. Why? Montessori schools typically charge what the market will bear. Highly qualified teachers with terminal degrees working at the top prep schools will make very close to what their colleagues in public education make. Ditto for administrators. Elitism Myth: Private school students are spoiled rich kids or neer-do-wells who have been packed off to private school for remediation. Yes, there are day schools in many parts of the country where you will see more luxury cars per square foot in the school parking lot than you can possibly imagine. Yes, it is impressive seeing Joshs dad land on the soccer field in his company helicopter*. The reality, however, is that most schools are remarkably diverse, inclusive communities. Ignore the popular stereotypes which Hollywood loves to perpetuate. Same-Sex Partners Myth: Same-sex partners are not welcome in private schools. That may still be the case in most conservative religious schools. On the other hand, some of the top prep schools including Andover welcome same-sex couples on their faculty and staff. They enjoy all the rights and privileges which heterosexual couples enjoy. Housing Myth: Private schools require their faculty to live on campus Some do and some dont. Boarding schools typically want their junior faculty to be dorm masters. In other words, you are required to live in an apartment in the dorm and be responsible for supervising the students who board. Senior faculty and staff generally live in school-provided housing located on campus. Day schools dont require their faculty to live on campus as a rule. Dress Code Myth: Private school teachers have to wear academic gowns. American and Canadian private school teachers dress up in their full academic regalia for state occasions such as prize day and graduation only at schools which have a tradition of such formality. Personally, I think that an academic procession with faculty wearing their gowns and hoods is inspiring. Some English schools such as Eton have a very formal dress code. Gown and mortarboard are de rigeur in the classroom. (Considering how cold and drafty English classrooms can be, thats probably not a bad idea.) What is the dress code in most schools? Generally, it follows the lead of the student dress code. If a blazer, shirt, and tie are required for young men, male faculty will dress similarly. The same applies to women faculty. They will wear clothes appropriate to the young ladies dress code. Article edited by  Stacy Jagodowski

MDCM CASE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

MDCM CASE - Essay Example The services that are provided by the company must also be of standard quality. The company has been suffering loss in the market in spite of all its steps and strategy designed for the customers and company’s benefit. The company shares its benefits and losses with the customers in order to form close relations with the customers. With the passage of time, the company has identified the importance of its global status. It has expanded by opening many offices, branches and acquisitions in different parts of the world. However, the company identifies its lacking procedures and slowed information collection and update due to which, it goes through transformations under the heading of Horizon 2000. The company requires a well established IT strategy in order to meet the competition in the market. This paper analyzes the issue in detail. Strategic Goals of MDCM MDCM does the business of medical devices contract manufacturing and is well reputed because of its expansion with the pa ssage of time. The company has well defined strategic goals and due to some problem with meeting the goals, the company has faced continuous losses. The strategic goals of the company are as follows (Jeffery & Norton 1-7): To facilitate the customers with their required devices within due time. To develop an online ordering and account management system that the customers will be able to use themselves. To provide an end-to-end package of medical device contract manufacturing services. To design and fabricate specialized equipment used in the assembly of manufacturing services. To form close partnership arrangements with its customers. To share rewards and risks of the business with its customers. To work with customers as close as it is possible. To reduce manufacturing costs to their lowest level. To maximize customer satisfaction by delivering quality parts and assemblies on time. To expand its business by opening new offices and manufacturing facilities close to its largest cust omers. To maintain that the acquisitions that the company makes, allow the company to spread its operational excellence while keeping the foreign companies autonomous enough to be able to better serve their local customers. Competitive Environment The firm MDCM faces a strict competition in the market because of more firms in the same business. With increasing concept of globalization, more people are active in market and provide globalized facilities to their customers due to which, all the firms face challenges to work towards success and expansion of their business on global basis. MDCM has designed a strategy to form good and close relation with its customers by involving them in their business as the company used to share its rewards and risks with its customers. However, with new businesses introduced in the market, this practice was copied and conducted by other businesses as well due to which, a competitive environment was created in the market (Jeffery & Norton 3). As a com petitive strategy, the company MDCM opened many offices at locations, which were near to their largest customers. Along with offices, the company also made a number of acquisitions. According to Jeffery & Norton (2006), â€Å"the acquisition targets were all non-US-based companies that had competencies in contract manufact

Pandora Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Pandora - Essay Example Specifically, the company achieves this through the provision of up-to-date music, drama, and related discussion such as a live performance on the company blog. The blog and the ‘Submit your Request’ platforms within the website allow users to create free online profiles to participate in discussions. The personalized station established the Music Genome Project allows the users to edit or refine the content to fit the personal change in music taste and preferences.The interactive feature on the Pandora.com website characterizes it as a social media platform. The social media is an online phenomenon that supports connectivity and interaction, as well as encouraging contributions and feedbacks on online topics from the members and users of the virtual community. The essential features of the social media include connectedness, participation, openness, and conversation. The Pandora.com supports these characteristics through the blog where users post and contribute to the a rticles on various topics.Another unique and primary feature of the social media is the user-created and maintained an online profile that facilitate digital dialog. Although Pandora.com does not have an intensive and user-enabled profile like Facebook, it has a platform that supports online contribution and commenting on the available topics. The Pandora.com internet community has a common interest in music and comedy categorizing the website as a specified social media that confines its engagement within the entertainment industry