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Sondra Haywood 11/21/13 English period 3 Research Paper The Pros and Cons of Standardized Tests Every year, the average American student who attends public school is forced to prepare for standardized tests even though it is not necessarily beneficial to his or her education. Standardized testing has become a main focus in modern day schools across the U.S nation, causing a monumental increase in the amount of time a student prepares for a test. On an estimate, students are expected to study a staggering amount of 60 to 110 hours a year in order to get decent, meaning and average C or higher, on the standardized tests. Not only is standardized test producing a large amount of unnecessary work in order to score the apparent intelligence of the body of students, but it also comes at a high expense. â€Å"Including the cost of lost instructional time (at $6.15 per hour, equivalent to the per-student cost of adding one hour to the school day), the estimated annual testing cost per pupil ranged from $700 to more than $1,000 per pupil in several grades that participated in standard ized testing†. (Strauss). Even though standardized tests are commonly known for benefitting the country as a whole, it is not improving the education in America because it is not enabling young American students to reach their full potential. Even though standardized tests often decrease the potential ability of students all over the U.S, it does improve the educational system in some areas. For example, standardized test can be a reliable and consistent mean for education to students who attend underprivileged schools. That means, young students of America who attend schools that would ordinarily be below the educational standard bar, are not falling behind d... ...very poorly. Standardized tests have done more harm than good in numerous ways including diminishing the chance of opportunity, bringing down the standard bar of schools across the nation, and creating a boring perception of knowledge. Even though standardized tests can bring up schools education in some cases, it would be better if standardized tests were discontinued. Discontinuing the use of such harsh and prioritized tests will promote a good sense of opportunity to both low-income and high-income students, bring up the standard bar of schools, and provide a creative educational environment where students strive to learn. The thirst of knowledge is so critical to the world today because it provides an inspiration to make the world a better place. The use of standardized test diminishes the chance of creating a better education for the students of the modern day.

Observing Animals And Documenting Specific Animal Behavior Patterns

Introduction: The broader context of this lab was aimed at observing animals and documenting specific animal behavior patterns. Specifically, we were trying to determine if squirrels applied snakeskin randomly to certain areas of their body or if there was a specific technique to it in relation to escaping their predators. After an animal has determined that a predator is nearby, it must then take action to avoid encountering this threat.Encounters are most easily avoided by preventing predators from detecting prey in the first instance (Rosier & Langklide, 2011), for squirrels this type of behavior is known as SSA, â€Å"snake scent application†. In this lab we wanted to study two different species of squirrels, S. beecheyi and S. variegatus, in order to evaluate if SSA can be deemed as a species specific type of behavior. My hypothesis was that squirrels applied the snake skin scent to specific parts of their body in an organized manner. The null hypothesis is that squirrels apply the snake skin scent randomly to parts of their body.My prediction of my hypothesis was that squirrels apply the snake skin scent to body parts that they find prove to be advantageous when trying to escape their predators. Methods: We watched videos of both species S. beecheyi and S. variegatus applying the SSA to their bodies. We were allowed to choose four videos from each species. Each video showed a squirrel applying the snake skin to their body within their own natural habitat. Some videos had more squirrels while others showed just one individual squirrel.In this lab we were given a table where we had to record how many times SSA was applied to a specific part (flank, head, front leg, hind leg, tail) of the squirrel’s body. My partner and I chose to assign one person to tally the frequencies to each part of the body while the other watched the video and observed the application. I chose to do the observing, while my partner recorded. Every time a squirrel appeare d to be licking or touching a certain body part was considered a tallied frequency, however, the squirrel had to be doing so for at least three seconds in order to be recorded.Results: The table below (Table 1) shows the recording of the total frequencies that were tallied after seeing the squirrels apply the SSA to the respective specific body part. I included the total data in order to clearly show what I used for my calculations. In order to interpret our results we had to use the chi-squared test. This test compares the observed behaviors to the expected behavior if it was randomly distributed, also considered to be the null hypothesis where SSA is applied randomly on the squirrel’s body.From using the chi-squared equation (shown to the right), I calculated the expected frequency for each species, 12. 6 per area for the S. beecheyi and 10 per area for the S. Variegatus. The chi-squared values for both the S. beecheyi and S. variegatus were 70. 13 and 65, respectively. For this lab experiment there were 5 independent pieces of data, therefore 4 degrees of freedom. Given that piece of information we were able to look up the critical values at a confidence of 0. 05 and 0. 01, which were 9. 488 and 13. 277, respectively.The chi-squared value for both species exceeds these values and therefore we can reject our null hypothesis that states SSA is applied randomly. Discussion: Although we were able to accept our hypothesis, there is always room for improvement. The process of observing the squirrels and recording the amount of times SSA was applied may have greatly affected the results if not done properly. It was important to determine if the squirrels were in fact applying the SSA, this proved to be difficult during the experiment.In addition, determining whether it was flank or hind leg also proved to be difficult. Since we were able to reject our null hypothesis, we were able to accept our hypothesis that SSA is applied non randomly. The values that we derived from the chi-squared test helped support our hypothesis; we can then conclude that squirrels have a specific technique and process when applying snakeskin to their body. As I predicted these areas that they are constantly applying the snake skin scent proves to have a certain preference to them.We can imply that their preference is based on the idea that certain body parts are more vulnerable or do a great job at masking their scent, therefore hiding well from their snake predators. This is something that has evolved over time, snake-scent application is likely a product of natural selection. Squirrels that had the genetic instinct to use the ploy might have had increased survival and reproductive success, thus passing the trait to following generations (Goudarzi, 2007). I think it would be really interesting to look at different age groups within the squirrel population and their application process.This can help us find out whether squirrels at different stages in their l ife (young and old) find themselves to be more or less vulnerable and hence apply a lot or little of the SSA to specific areas of their body. It is also important to study different species of the squirrel population. I believe that different environments lend to different processes and techniques. If given the opportunity, I would do research on at least 8 more species that are completely different in their geographical regions and environment (dry vs moist areas) to each other.

Rhetorical Essay: Shame is Worth a Try Essay

Dan M. Kahan’s â€Å"Shame is Worth a Try† was first published in the Boston Globe on August 5, 2001. In this essay, Kahan contends that the use of â€Å"shame† as a penalty of low level crimes is not only effective, but is an economical and humane alternative to imprisonment. It’s difficult to ascertain who Kahan’s intended audience is. However, because he uses examples of shame being used as an alternative sanction around the country; â€Å"Drive drunk in Florida or Texas, and you might be required to place a conspicuous â€Å"DUI† bumper sticker on your car† (Kahan 574) I would venture to say that the public at large is whom he is possibly targeting. This is further reinforced by the fact that the author chose to at least â€Å"initially† publish the article in the Boston Globe, a local Massachusetts newspaper. Kahan competently uses contrast and comparison throughout his essay to illuminate a subject that otherwise might be ignored. Nevertheless he ultimately falls short of being convincing, mainly, due to his lack of usage, of relevant facts and figures. Kahan opens his essay with the basic question â€Å"is shame an appropriate criminal punishment?† (574). He then explores examples of its use in various jurisdictions. â€Å"Refuse to make your child-support payments in Virginia, and you will find that your vehicle has been immobilized with an appropriate colored boot†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Kahan 575). Immediately after grabbing the readers attention with examples, Kahan presents a contrasting viewpoint. â€Å"Many experts, however, are skeptical of these new shaming punishments. Some question their effectiveness as a deterrent†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Kahan 575). This further elicits the readers curiosity, bringing them to the heart of the issue. The author eloquently asks the question, â€Å"Who is right?† (575). He then goes on to use a logos style exploration, of both sides of the issue. Kahan’s main claim is that proponents don’t get that shame, can be as effective as prison, at a lower overall cost to society. Kahan further argues and finishes strongly with the statement that the overall question shouldn’t be â€Å"isà ¢â‚¬  shame a proper punishment, but how do we employ it’s use properly? The author does an admirable job of grabbing the readers attention right from the start by giving interesting, and relevant examples of how shame has been employed around the country. ie: DUI’s in Texas, child-support in Virginia. Moreover, his use of logos styled arguments throughout the article does an excellent job of articulating his viewpoint while keeping the reader engaged. Kahan gains the readers respect by presenting well reasoned and intelligent viewpoints in such a way that it’s actually hard to find any particular fault with his assertions. The authors choice to present an opposing view right from the start, although not as effective as it could have been, was an apropos way to strengthen his stance. In moving forward, Kahan counterbalances some opponents by making it perfectly clear that his stance for shame based penalties applies to minor infractions of the law only . â€Å"There’s obviously no alternative to imprisonment for murderers, rapists, and other violent criminals†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Kahan 575). By using examples of these shame based penalties from around the country, the author also makes it appear to the reader that he is knowledgeable in matters concerning our justice syste m. His strongest point though comes at the end of his article when he simply asks the question â€Å"Why not at least give it a try?† (Kahan 576). This seems to beg an additional question, since our current system is overloaded why not try a different approach? Kahans major downfall in this article is his insufficient use of relevant facts and figures. Although the author does reference one particular study by Harold Grasmick that shows â€Å"public disgrace exerts greater pressure to comply with the law than the threat of imprisonment and other formal punishments.† (Kahan 576). Overall it lacks the kind of â€Å"hard figures† it would take statistically to reinforce his claim. If the author had chosen to include some statistics on say, the effectiveness of alternative sanctions, or showed a cost analysis on prison sentences. He would have established a sense of trustworthiness with his reader. Unfortunately, due to the lack of those types of â€Å"hard figures† his essay lacks credibility. That lack of credibility, leaves the reader to wonder, just how knowledgeable is this author with this subject? If Kah an had just chosen to tell us a little about himself and his background, he could have very well hit a home run in the credibility department. He does after all have an exceptionally distinguished law career. Unfortunately, he fails to do so, thus leaving the reader with too many unanswered questions. The last major complaint of this essay is a complete lack of pathos style writing. Overcrowding, as well as, the shear number of offenders in our criminal justice system alone is staggering. This  hot button topic could have easily been used to stir up some emotion and passion in his argument. In this way, the author would have essentially legitimized his stance, as well as, inspired his readers to take action. For whatever reason though, the author chose to ignore this completely, and as such completely fails in winning over his audience. In the writing of this essay, Kahan addresses an important topic of our times. Our current criminal justice system is overloaded and wrought with problems, and addressing how to punish petty crimes is certainly relevant. Yet his article, despite illuminating this controversial and important subject, fails in delivering the facts needed to inspire any sort of change. Kahan does an admirable job of creating interest in a topic many might otherwise ignore. However, he ultimately falls flat in the execution and leaves the reader floundering, rather than informed. As a last note, Khans writing style might not always include the use of pathos. Unfortunately for him his lack of appeal to emotion in this particular essay will render it ultimately â€Å"forgettable†. Works Cited Kahan, Dan M. â€Å"Shame is Worth a Try† Models for Writers. Ed. Rosa Eschholz. Boston * New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, January 2012. 574-578 Print

Health Care Utilization Essay

Health care reform is not a recently devised concept. The government and health professionals have studied and tried to establish legislation that would assist the general population with a means of accessing adequate health care for decades. The task has proven itself as a daunting one although studied the world over. Individuals struggle with disease and illness that they cannot afford medical attention and treatment. Insurance companies price gouge or drop individuals from their insurance coverage. Reform has to be implemented to protect the public and provide across the board health care for every situation. Ronald Andersen wrote in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior there is a model of behavior that determines the seeking out of health services (Anderson, 1995). Anderson collaborated with Odin Anderson and wrote The Initial Behavioral Model in 1968 to assist in the analysis of national survey data collected by the Center for Health Administration Studies and the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago (Andersen & Anderson, 1967). The model explains that there are elements that may determine if an individual will access health services. Anderson explained, â€Å"I want to stress that the model was initially designed to explain the use of formal personal health services rather than to focus on the important interactions that take place as people receive care, or on health outcomes†(Andersen, 1968, p. 1). The Initial Behavioral Model (1960s) PREDISPOSING ENABLING USE OF CHARACTERISTICS RESOURCES NEED HEALTH SERVICES Demographic Personal/Family Perceived Social Structure Community  (Evaluated) Health Beliefs (Revisiting The Behavioral Model and Access to Medical Care: Does it Matter?, 1995) The president had legislation passed in 2010 to implement the Affordable Care Act. Today, more than 45 million Americans lack access to affordable health insurance. Additionally, many individuals who do have health insurance have incomplete coverage that may include exclusions for pre-existing conditions, or they may be one-step away from losing coverage because of a change in employment. Individuals with health insurance face increasingly high premiums and medical costs that drive some to bankruptcy or force choices between maintaining health insurance coverage and paying for other household essentials (HHS, 2013). These new regulations will provide consumer protections and the developing of a competitive market. Insurance companies will be required to spend a specific percentage on health care and not excessive administrative costs. There have been major changes to the accessibility of insurance coverage for individuals which have been diagnosed with a pre-existing medical condition. Insurance companies will no longer be allowed to deny insurance coverage for individuals, such as children born with life-threatening illnesses. This will also address lifetime limits on medical care. There has been a health insurance exchange in an effort to pool millions of people and allow them to examine various insurance coverage policies to determine the best policy for them and their families. Health and Human Services has implemented a website for the comparison of the insurance coverage options (HHS, 2013). There have been conversations for decades about the implementation of universal health coverage. The World Health Organization defines it as a goal to ensure that people obtain the health services they need without suffering financial hardship when paying for them. It goes on explaining, access to health services enables people to be more productive and active contributors to their families and communities†¦.financial risk protection prevents people from being pushed into poverty when they have to pay for health services out of their own pockets (WHO, 2012). There is a definite similarity with the concepts of universal health care and the Affordable  Care Act now in place in this country. Attempts are being made to ensure that all citizens can access health care and increase their wellbeing in the process. The expansion of Medicaid will benefit multiple low-income citizens who, through no fault of their own, are working at a minimum wage job. They are barely earning too much money to be eligible for assistance and are not making enough of a salary to afford health insurance coverage. It turns into a viscous cycle. The individual has to decide whether it is better to quit work and get assistance for medical care or to continue struggling and still not make the grade. There have been no major issues personally with the implementation of the health care expansion. The insurances that I carry are both the Medicare and Medicaid. Medicaid has changed in that they are requiring that there is a primary care physician (PCP) established to oversee medical services provided. The initial visit would be to the PCP where any examination and testing would be performed for the determination of the necessity of a referral. The PCP’s office would organize all medical records and coordinate with the specialist’s staff to establish a consultation. I consider myself an extremely fortunate individual because I have been able to have multiple medical issues addressed and corrected because of the medical coverage. The Medicare coverage is not as restrictive as Medicaid. Medicare allows the individual to access any physician or facility that the patient desires for treatment as long as their insurance is accepted. There has not been any specific positive or negative effect with this coverage. Medicare has provided successfully for preventive measures in my health services such as yearly mammograms, colonoscopy testing every two years (if deemed necessary through findings during prior examination), and comprehensive yearly physical examinations. Unfortunately, there is minimal dental coverage and no eye examinations available. There has been major skepticism with the Affordable Care Act being voted on and implemented in the governmental realm. It is exhibiting a number of positive actions implemented with the creation of this act. It is time that this country gives thought to the individuals which are suffering because of no fault of their own other than being on the lower end of the income scale. Also citizens are pleased with the inclusion of the poor souls battling daily with an affliction that requires more attention and treatment than they could ever afford. It is in this new light that people are viewing the creation of the Affordable Care Act and see that this should prove to be beneficial to every citizen within the national borders. Reference Andersen, R. M. (1995). Revisiting The Behavioral Model and Access to Medical Care: Does it Matter? Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 36, 1-10, retrieved from: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2137284 Andersen, R.M., Anderson, O.W. (1967), A Decade of Health Services, retrieved from: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1815595 Health and Human Services (2013), Strengthen Health Care, retrieved from: http://www.hhs.gov/secretary/about/goal1.html World Health Organization (2012), What is Universal Health Coverage, retrieved from: http://www.who.int/features/qa/universal_health_coverage/en/index.html

Business Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 18

Business Law - Essay Example Invitation to treat has been defined as an expression of willingness of a party to enter into negotiations with another with the hope that a contract would be reached at the end of such negotiations. (Fisher v Bell)1. An offer on the other hand has been defined as an expression of willingness by a party to enter into a contract on stated terms (offeror) and provided that such terms would be accepted by the person to whom the offer is made (offeree) a contract would come into existence(Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Co.)2. An offer should be differentiated from a mere statement of price that is an enquiry as to the price. (Harvey v. Facey)3 In the current scenario it can be seen from the facts that Angela has shown her intent of selling the caravan and stated a price. Even though the term ‘offering’ has been used, it is generally not to be held conclusive and the overall facts of the situation are taken into account when deciding whether an offer or an invitation of treat was present. In the case of Angela it can be seen that she Angela has posted a letter and has stated a price of  £2000 for which she would sell the caravan, therefore it can be deduced that an unequivocal willingness on her part was present. The next issue that would be looked into is acceptance which is defined an unequivocal assent to the terms that has been proposed by the offeror. The acceptance of certain terms and conditions which had been stated by the offeror and which tend to introduce new terms would be treated as counter-offer, that is a new offer comes into existence which can either be rejected or accepted by the person who was originally the offeror (and now becomes the offeree). (Hyde v. Wrench)4. Acceptance is generally held to be valid only when it has been validly communicated and the offeror comes to know of such acceptance. (illustration of the fact was made by Denning LJ in Entores v Miles Far East Corporation). However, there are a

Research Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 4

Research Paper - Essay Example The underlying purpose of this paper is to try and study the main cause for this behavior among the youth and also research the main reasons that lead to such extreme behavior. With the growing levels of youth using self mutilating as a form of stress relief and a mode of coping with high levels of emotional distress, and the little literature that is available on this issue, this paper aims at contributing as much as possible to assist people with this disorder. The main purpose of the paper is to bring out the causes for this issue and to recommend ways to get over the self mutilating and self cutting behavior. The specific issues that will be discussed in the paper will include the reasons why adolescents go on to become self destructive and prefer to die than to live. Self Destructive here refers to a behavior where the individual tries to hurt themselves in an attempt to take control of their lives. The objective is to understand this behavior and to recommend a solution for the issue. The objective also includes attempting to assist people with the issue and to providing a path to help them realize their problems and find suitable solutions for the issues. The study will aim at highlighting the possible reasons why an individual moves into this stance in life and start to hurt themselves. This will be based on a complete secondary research and an attempt will be made to highlight the various thoughts that have been put forth in the past. The issue of self mutilating and self destructive behavior is one of the least understood and recognized issues. This however has been noted to increase at a staggering rate and the most affected by this fall into the adolescent groups. It has been studied that almost 750 to 1800 adolescents of every 100,000 exhibit this behavior (Suyemoto & Kountz, 2000). This contributes to almost 150,000 to 360,000 students of which 70% of them

Cloud Technology and Virtualization Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cloud Technology and Virtualization - Assignment Example In the business world, cloud computing has initiated to gain a huge mass appeals as it enables secure sharing and processing of computer resources over virtual networks. Corporate Data Centres operates through the internet for real time sharing of information and application among all the nodes of the business placed at different location all over the word. Nowadays the cloud based computer services became so much distributive in nature that many organizations are finding difficulties in using the applications and the technological infrastructure components without it. Instead of using the pre-cloud and traditional practices, the cloud network enabled huge reduction in capital cost and much more efficiency in flexibility of the business. The cloud technologies have huge impact over the corporate data centres. The Research manager of Global Cloud Computing, Agatha Poon said that the backup and recovery plan for the pre-cloud environment was not at the top of the priority list and that resulted in huge amount of cost utilization for management of those resources. Poon added that with the help of ‘cloud aware’ hardware deployment of the energy can be managed with much less cost and the organization can have quicker service solutions and energy consumption can be as per their demand. The elasticity of the cloud services enabled much higher utilization of the server. Moreover, there are provision that the companies can make zero investments for storage and server services. The overall efficiency of the organization can be increased with collaborate working in a cloud services. Cloud computing also resulted as an added benefit for the community of application development. It provided freedom maintain hardware systems. The cloud developers also say that it is perceived as a large cost saving application. Another major component of the cloud computing system is the Data Security. According to the experts cloud computing provides a stronger