Gothic vs. Romanesque Architecture Essay - 2191 Words

Gothic vs. Romanesque Architecture Missing Figures Where are you when you wake up? Where are you when you are learning? Where are you when you go to pray? Where are you when you go to work? Where are you when you are having fun? The answer is that you are in a building or structure of some kind and style. All of the buildings and structures that one sees around them is designed and built with much thought and care. They are all designed and built by what we call architecture. According to Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary architecture is â€Å"the art or science of building; specifically: the art or practice of designing and building structures and especially habitable ones, a method or style of building†. Architecture is a†¦show more content†¦It was finally time that architecture now mastering the interior of buildings and structures. The first two periods of time that this shift was made was the Romanesque style and the Gothic style of architecture. Both of these styles have made great contributions that can still been seen in today’s architecture. With Romanesque being the first stylistic period in time with Gothic immediately following it there is much to be said about the similarities and differences. The Romanesque period of architecture has its roots deep into western civilization. Even though it is said that the Romanesque style of architecture was first since and applied around 1000 AD its history goes back almost 500 years. During the rule of the Roman Empire much of Europe was influenced by the Roman and Greek classical styles, it wasn’t until the Roman Empire fell that most of Europe was able to diverge from traditional styles and form their own styles. It was only with time and separation that other styles were able to grow. With the Roman Empire gone Europe was breaking apart and develop ing in small pockets on it own, this caused for greater advancements in many areas such as architecture. Yet with all the growing change there was still one thing that linked much of Europe together, that was the Christian church and Christianity. That is why much of the advancements of architecture can be seen in churches, temples and other religiousShow MoreRelatedFrench And English Gothic Cathedrals1837 Words   |  8 PagesFrench and English Gothic Cathedrals Gothic Europe was a time of change in many aspects of life. Aside from the change in art and architecture, philosophical and religious revolutions were occurring. The social transformations fueled the fire behind the changes in art and architecture. As we know, any time the social aspects change it flows into the artistic side of life. Additionally, new architectural technology and improvements helped to transform the architecture of the Gothic period to fit theRead MoreArt History7818 Words   |  32 Pagesabout 20 years o Neolithic Period Ââ€" New Stone Age #61607; Begins around 9,000BC #61607; Neolithic Revolution • Agriculture o Allows people luxury of staying in one place; stability and performance o Cornerstone of civilization • Domestic Architecture o Wigwam, Huts, Lean-tos o Native American Indians were considered Neolithic • Refined tools o Spears, Bows and Arrows • Domesticated Animals o Hallmark of luxury, stability, and permanence • Pottery Ââ€" clay art o Bowls and containers

Magazine Article Summary Free Essays

II. What is the main idea of the article? Colleges and universities have begun to build university linked housing for older alumni. This offers the alumni the ability to take part on campus, but it also creates revenue for schools needing more funding. We will write a custom essay sample on Magazine Article Summary or any similar topic only for you Order Now III. How does the author support his main ideas? Dan Kadlec, the author of this article, interviewed representatives from UCLA and Ohio State University about the creation of university linked retirement villages. Both representatives were quite excited about the idea, with David Kane from UCLA hoping to create at least a dozen areas that could hold all ages of UCLA graduates. Bonnie Kantor, from Ohio State, looks more toward the wealth of knowledge that older students will bring to classes and dreams of the impact that building assisted living facilities around medical and nursing schools could have. Fifty facilities have been built around the country, some of the most notable being at Penn State, Notre Dame, and the University of Florida. Care has to be taken that the facilities don’t resemble retirement homes, because if they do it is likely â€Å"Baby Boomers† will not want to move in. Much more important than the input of older students on classes is the money that they will add to the schools’ bottom line. Adequate funding is becoming difficult to get, and private schools have become too expensive for most students. Building these villages is not cheap, but neither is the rent. Schools also hope that alumni who are deeply involved with the school will be willing to give bigger and better donations as well. Of course, there are the naysayers. There is worry that allegations of abuse from an assisted living facility could ruin the schools both financially and in reputation. There is also the concern that small schools might build facilities and not have enough interest to make them profitable. The search for funding does not end at retirement villages, however. Some schools are offering burial on the campus grounds. IV. New Vocabulary 1. Gerontology – (n.) the comprehensive study of aging and the problems of the aged 2. Fizzle – (n.) an abortive effort, faliure 3. Boomers – (n.) a person born during a baby boom 4. Assets – (n.) the entire property of a person, association, corporation, or estate applicable or subject to the payment of debts 5. Auditing – (v.) to attend a course without working for or expecting to receive formal credit       How to cite Magazine Article Summary, Essay examples

Substance Abuse and Pregnancy free essay sample

Substance abuse during pregnancy is an ongoing problem. These poor infants can’t defend themselves or stop the harmful substances from entering their body it’s all the desion of the mother but the child is the one who has to suffer the consequences and deal with the long term effect that substance abuse can cause hopefuly this essay will educate about the different risk involved for the mother and for the baby when the mother chooses to smoke, drink alcohol, or use drugs during pregnancy. With the research and facts provided, hopefully people will know how dangerous this and how bad it is effecting the future of society society. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause low birth weight and a number of other defects. Smoking during pregnancy may cause the baby to be born with an addiction to nicotine. Drug use during pregnancy can cause death, low birth weight, blindness and other defects. We will write a custom essay sample on Substance Abuse and Pregnancy or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Women who drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes or use drugs should really consider stopping if they become pregnant because of the possibility of long term damage these things can cause the baby. Substance abuse during pregnancy Substance abuse during pregnancy is an ongoing problem, sad thing is that some infants don’t make it, and the one’s that do survive sometimes have to live with a birth defect. Sometimes a mother can do everything rite and baby can still be born with a birth defect. When babies are born with signs of substance abuse they are tested if any illegal drugs or alcohol are found the mother is not able to take child home and the hospital contacts child protective services. Alcohol use, smoking, and illegal drug use during pregnancy are three of the most common causes of low birth weight and birth defects. Alcohol use First, alcohol use is a common cause of low birth weight some women who drink during pregnancy say they didn’t think it would hurt the fetus , even light drinking is not safe, no level of alcohol use during pregnancy has been proven safe. â€Å"Drinking alcohol while pregnant can cause FASD’S (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder’s)†. (Leigh, 2007, p. 47) A growing fetus can’t break down alcohol as fast as an adult body can so the substance stays in the baby’s blood stream longer which can cause delays in growth, most babies born to mothers who drink are born premature. The effects of substance abuse during pregnancy can be mild or severe, baby may be born with mental retardation, behavioral and or learning delays, and alcohol use can harm organs like the heart and sometimes can be severe enough to cause death. Smoking Next, Smoking, smoking during pregnancy exposes the fetus to very harmful chemicals such as nicotine, carbon monoxide, and tar, these chemicals make it hard for babies to get oxygen which can harm the brain, and also smoking can damage baby’s lungs. Mothers who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to experience a high risk pregnancy which is when your chances of having a miscarriage are severely high. These women are more likely to experience vaginal bleeding, pain and cramping during pregnancy. â€Å" Smoking during pregnancy can also cause expecting mothers to experience placenta abruption which is when the placenta peels away partially or almost completely from the uterine wall before delivery† ( Smoking During Pregnancy. 2009. ) these complications cause babies to be more likely to experience prematurity which is when a baby is born before reaching 37 weeks of development. Babies born prematurely are at risk for lifelong disabilities like cerebral palsy and or learning problems. Illegal Drug Use Finally illegal drugs, using illegal drugs during pregnancy can be very harmful to mother and fetus. Drug use can cause miscarriage, low birth weight, premature labor, fetal death and in some cases maternal death. Just like alcohol consumption drugs used by the mother enter the blood stream of the baby and remains in baby’s body longer; elimination of drug is faster in adults. Babies born to mothers use illegal drugs during pregnancy have a 25% increased chance of premature labor† (Mothers risk, 2011. ) Some of the physical effects of drug use during pregnancy include but are not limited to smaller hear size; Babies may also be born with missing or not completely developed limbs, and may be growth restricted. Babies who mother began drug use later in pregnancy are at risk of being born addicted to whatever drug mother was using during pregnancy and experience with drawl symptoms like problems with feeding, tremors, and muscle spasms. Conclusion Alcohol use, Smoking and illegal drug use continue to be a problem causing low birth weight and birth defects these babies the ones who make it through that is are forced to live with these problem because of the choices of the mother. . References Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. Updated 5/2/06. Maternal Alcohol Use During Breast-Feeding and Infant Mental and Motor Development. New England Journal of Medicine, volume 321, number 7, (August 17, 1989) pages 425-430 .

Nadine Gordimer Essays - Historical Novels, Nadine Gordimer

Nadine Gordimer Gordimer (1923-) South African novelist and short-story writer, who received Nobel Prize for Literature in 1991. Gordimer's main themes are exile, loneliness and strong political opposition towards racial segregation. She was a founding member of Congress of South African Writers, and even at the height of the apartheid regime, she never considered leaving her country. Nadine Gordimer was born into a well-off family in Springs, Transvaal, an East Rand mining town outside Johannesburg. It was the setting for Gordimer's first novel, THE LYING DAYS (1953). Her father was a Jewish jeweller originally from Latvia and her mother of British descent. From her early childhood Gordimer witnessed the increase of white power at the expense of the rights of the black majority. Gordimer was educated in a convent school and she spent a year at Witwaterstrand University, Johannesburg without taking a degree. Often kept at home by a mother who imagined she had a weak heart, Gordimer began writing from the age of nine and her first story, 'Come Again Tomorrow', appeared in the Johannesburg magazine Forum when she was fifteen. By her twenties Gordimer had had stories published in many of the local magazines and in 1951 the New Yorker accepted a story, publishing her ever since. From her first collection of short stories, FACE TO FACE (1949), which is not listed in some of her biographies, Gordimer has revealed the effects of alienation of racies on society. It was followed by THE SOFT VOICE OF THE SERPENT (1952), and novel The Lying Days (1953), which exhibited Gordimer's unsentimental technique, already hallmark of her narrative. The story was based largely on the author's own life and depicted a white girl who attempts to escape the racism of a small-town life. Other works in the 1950s and 1960s include A WORLD OF STRANGERS (1958), OCCASION FOR LOVING (1963), and THE LATE BOURGEOIS WORLD (1966). In these novels Gordimer studies the master-servant relations characteristic of South African life, spiritual and sexual paranoias of colonialism, and the political responsibilities of privileged white South Africans. "A line in a statute book has more authority than the claims of one man's love or another's. All claims of natural feeling are over-ridden alike by a line in a statute book that takes no account of humanness, that recognises neither love nor respect nor jealousy nor rivalry nor compassion nor hate - nor any human attitude where there are black and white together. What Boaz felt towards Ann; what Gideon felt towards Ann, what Ann felt about Boaz, what she felt for Gideon - all this that was real and rooted in life was void before the clumsy words that reduced the delicacy and towering complexity of living to a race theory..." (from Occasion for Loving) Occasion for Loving was concerned with the 'line in a statute book' - South Africa's cruel racial law. In the story an illicit love affair between a black man and a white woman ends bitterly. Ann Davis is married to a gentle Jew called Boaz Davis, a dedicated scholar who has travelled all over the country in search of African music. Gideon Shibalo, a talented painter, is black, he has a marriage and several affairs behind. The liberal Mrs Jessie Stilwell is a reluctant hostess to the law-breaking lovers. Boaz, the cuckold, is on the side of the struggling South African black majority, and Ann plays with two men's emotions. Gordimer won early international recognition for her short stories and novels. THE CONSERVATIONIST (1974) juxtaposed wealthy white South African world with the rituals and mythology of Zulus. BURGER'S DAUGHTER (1979), written during the aftermath of Soweto uprising. In the story a daughter analyzes her relationship to her father. JULY'S PEOPLE (1981) was a futuristic novel about a white family feeing from war-torn Johannesburg into the country. Gordimer's early short story collections include SIX FEET OF THE COUNTRY (1956), NOT FOR PUBLICATION (1965) and LIVINGSTONE'S COMPANIONS (1971). Since 1948 Gordimer has lived in Johannesburg and taught in the USA in several universities during the 1960s and '70s. She has written books of non-fiction on South African subjects and made television documentaries, notably collaborating with her son Hugo Cassirer on the television film Choosing Justice: Allan Boesak. In THE HOUSE GUN (1998) Gordimer explored the problems of the violence ridden post-apartheid society through a murder trial. Two white privileged liberals, Harald and Claudia Lindgard, face the fact that their architect-son, Duncan, has killed his friend Carl Jesperson. Where does it lead, when violence becomes the common hell? For further reading: The Novels of

About Short-Term Homeschooling

About Short-Term Homeschooling There are many reasons a family might begin homeschooling on a temporary basis. Some are excited about the idea of home educating their children, but they arent sure homeschooling will really work for their family. So, they opt to homeschool for a trial period, knowing that they will evaluate the experience and make a permanent decision at the end of their trial.   Others know from the start that their foray into home education  is only temporary. Temporary homeschooling may be the result of illness, a bullying situation, an impending move,  an opportunity to travel for an extended time, or a myriad of other possibilities. Whatever the reason, there are some steps you can take to make your homeschool experience a positive one while ensuring that your students transition back into a traditional school setting is as seamless as possible. Complete Standardized Testing Homeschooling parents who return their children to public or private school may be asked to submit standardized test scores for grade placement. Test scores can be particularly crucial for students re-entering public or private school after 9th grade. Without these scores, they will likely have to take placement tests to determine their grade level. This may not be true for all states, particularly those who offer assessment options other than testing for homeschoolers and those  that don’t require assessments. Check your state’s homeschool laws to see what may be expected of your student. If you know or are relatively confident that your student will be returning to school, ask your school administration precisely what will be required so that you can make sure you have what you need. Stay on Target If you know that homeschooling will be temporary for your family, take steps to stay on target, particularly with concept-based subjects like math. Many curriculum publishers also sell materials for homeschooling families. You may be able to use the same curriculum your child would be using in a traditional school setting. You might also inquire about the learning benchmarks for your student’s grade level and the topics that his or her peers will cover in the upcoming year. Perhaps your family would like to touch on some of the same topics in your studies.   Have Fun Don’t be afraid to dig in and enjoy your temporary homeschool situation.  Just because your child’s public or privately schooled  classmates will be studying the Pilgrims or the water cycle doesn’t mean you have to. Those are topics that can be easily covered on a need-to-know basis when your child returns to school. If you are traveling, take advantage of the opportunity to explore first-hand the history and geography of the places you’ll be visiting, something that would be impossible if you weren’t homeschooling. Visit historical landmarks, museums, and local hot-spots. Even if you aren’t traveling, take advantage of the freedom to follow your child’s interests and customize his education during your foray into homeschooling. Go on field trips. Delve into topics that captivate your student. Consider ditching the textbooks in favor of historical fiction, biographies, and engaging non-fiction titles on topics of interest. Study the arts by incorporating visual arts into your homeschool day and by attending plays or symphony performances. Take advantage of classes for homeschoolers at places such as zoos, museums, gymnastics centers, and  art studios. If you’re moving to a new area, make the most of  learning opportunities as you travel and take time to explore your new home. Get Involved in Your Local Homeschool Community Even though you won’t be homeschooling long-term, getting involved in your local homeschooling community can be an opportunity to forge life-long friendships for parents and kids alike. If your student will be returning to the same public or private school at the end of your homeschool year, it makes sense to  maintain school friendships. However, it’s also wise to give him or her  the opportunity to foster friendships with other homeschoolers. Their shared experiences can make homeschooling feel less awkward and isolating, particularly for a child who may feel caught between two worlds in a temporary homeschooling experience. Getting involved with other homeschoolers can be especially helpful for a child who isn’t particularly excited about homeschooling and who may think homeschoolers are weird. Being around other homeschooled kids can break the stereotypes in his mind (and vice versa). Not only is getting involved in the homeschooling community a good idea for social reasons, but it can be helpful for the temporary homeschool parent, too. Other homeschooling families can be a wealth of information about educational opportunities that you may wish to explore. They can also be a source of support for the difficult days that are an inevitable part of homeschooling and a sounding board about curriculum choices. If needed, they can offer tips for tweaking your curriculum to make it work best for your family since completely changing any ill-fitting  choices probably isn’t feasible for short-term homeschoolers. Be Prepared to Make It Permanent Finally, be prepared for the possibility that your temporary homeschooling situation may become permanent. Even though your plan may be to return your student to public or private school, its okay to entertain the possibility that your family might enjoy  homeschooling so much that you decide to continue. Thats why its a good idea to enjoy the year and not be too rigid in following what your child would be learning in school. Create a learning-rich environment and explore different educational experiences than your child might have in school. Try hands-on learning activities  and look for everyday educational moments. Following these tips can help your child be prepared for his re-entry into public or private school (or not!) while making the time that you do spend homeschooling something that your whole family will remember fondly.

Turkey in the European Union

Turkey in the European Union The country of Turkey is typically considered to straddle both Europe and Asia. Turkey occupies all of the Anatolian Peninsula (also known as Asia Minor) and a small part of southeastern Europe. In October 2005 negotiations began between Turkey (population 70 million) and the European Union (EU) for Turkey to be considered as a possible member of the EU in the future. Location While most of Turkey lies geographically in Asia (the peninsula is Asian), far western Turkey lies in Europe. Turkeys largest city of Istanbul (known as Constantinople until 1930), with a population of over 9 million is located on both the east and west sides of the Bosporus strait so it straddles both what are traditionally considered Europe and Asia. However, Turkeys capital city of Ankara is fully outside of Europe and on the Asian continent. While the European Union is working with Turkey to help it move toward being able to become a member of the European Union, there are some who are concerned about Turkeys potential membership. Those opposed to Turkish membership in the EU point to several issues. Issues First, they state that Turkeys culture and values are different from those of the European Union as a whole. They point out that Turkeys 99.8% Muslim population is too different from Christian-based Europe. However, the EU makes the case that the EU is not a religion-based organization, Turkey is a secular (a non-religion-based government) state, and that 12 million Muslims currently live throughout the European Union. Nonetheless, the EU acknowledges that Turkey needs to Substantially improve respect for the rights of non-Muslim religious communities to meet European standards. Secondly, naysayers point out that since Turkey is mostly not in Europe (neither population-wise nor geographically), it should not become part of the European Union. The EU responds that, The EU is based more on values and political will than on rivers and mountains, and acknowledges that, Geographers and historians have never agreed on the physical or natural borders of Europe. Too true! A third reason Turkey might have problems is its non-recognition of Cyprus, a full-fledged member of the European Union. Turkey will have to acknowledge Cyprus to be considered a contender for membership. Additionally, many are concerned about the rights of Kurds in Turkey. The Kurdish people have limited human rights and there are accounts of genocidal activities that need to stop for Turkey to be considered for European Union membership. Finally, some are concerned that Turkeys large population would alter the balance of power in the European Union. After all, Germanys population (the largest country in the EU) is only at 82 million and declining. Turkey would be the second largest country (and perhaps eventually the largest with its much higher growth rate) in the EU and would have considerable influence in the European Union. This influence would be especially profound in the population-based European Parliament. The low per-capita income of the Turkish population is also of concern since the economy of Turkey as a new EU member might have a negative effect on the EU as a whole. Turkey is receiving considerable assistance from its European neighbors as well as from the EU. The EU has allocated billions and is expected to allocate billions of euros in funding for projects to help invest in a stronger Turkey that may one day become a member of the European Union. I was particularly moved by this EU statement on why Turkey should be part of the European Union of the future, Europe needs a stable, democratic and more prosperous Turkey which adopts our values, our rule of law, and our common policies. The accession perspective has already driven forward bold and significant reforms. If the rule of law and human rights are guaranteed throughout the country, Turkey can join the EU and thus become an even stronger bridge between civilizations as it is already today. That sounds like worthwhile goal to me.

The dangers of smoking Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The dangers of smoking - Assignment Example These are some of the reasons as to why smoking among teenagers has increased. There are many dangers arising from smoking. Some of the dangers of smoking are short while others are long-term. These dangers may include health risk, addiction, economic aspect, side effects, financial burden and psychological effects. This paper seeks to focus on the dangers of smoking. Smoking cigarettes have devastating consequences in pregnant women. The number of women engaging in smoking continues to rise in not only United States but also the rest of the world. Smoking in women affects the development of child in their body especially in their body composition and development. Cigarettes have been shown to contain chemicals that are detrimental to the human body. For example, nicotine and tar found in cigarettes may lead to reduced development of the limbs in children born of pregnant mothers. In addition, such chemicals may lead to stillbirth or premature birth. Such consequence may lead to incr eased spending as some of the corrective measures are undertaken on such children. Furthermore, women who engage in smoking find it difficult in getting pregnant. They are also likely to have ectopic pregnancies, vaginal problems, and challenges on their placenta. On the other hand, there is a clear association of significant heart disease and smoking in pregnant women. Women who engage in smoking are also most likely to give birth to small and unhealthy children. Secondly, cigarettes smoking leads to addiction. This occurs due to the presence of nicotine in c cigarette. Once it circulates within the body, it is difficult for the individuals involved disengaging from smoking. Those individual that regularly engage in smoking are faced with challenges of addiction. Moreover, addiction leads to individual engaging to unnecessary expenses. Such individual finds it difficult in controlling their resources. Addicted individuals are also likely to involve themselves in illegal activities such as stealing, and drug peddling. This may occur as they try to find necessary coin to purchase a packet of cigarette and other smoking substances. The generation of addicted individuals is to increase in the future due to the accessibility of cigarettes by teenagers. These teenagers will grow to become addicted adult. However, those teenagers that take part in smoking do not believe that once in the future they will become addicted individuals. In addition, smoking leads to health problems. Those who take part in smoking mostly are faced with health challenges. These individuals are prone to lung cancer. In fact, this has been leading in causing death in various places around the world. On the other hand, those who engage in smoking cough most in their lifetime. Once the cough perpetuates in the body it leads to severe form of lung cancer. Lung cancer has been shown to be because of tar present in the tobacco smoke. In fact, the number of mortalities because of health problem re sulting from smoking has been on the increase. Likewise, smoking leads to depression and anxiety. In fact, this affects individual who wants to disengage from smoking. In addition, smoking makes it difficult for individual to breath. Such individuals are unable to engage in recreational activities such as swimming and running. Consequently, these individuals remain dormant in the rest of their lives. Additionally,

Cross Cultural Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Cross Cultural Literature - Essay Example It is also a way to change perception regarding one’s culture and instead of stereotyping, people should learn the beliefs of others. While going global, the diversification is much more and one gets a chance to deal with different type of dealing with various types of people who are different from them in terms of culture, religion, habits and much more. At that time it is important for one to know the aspects of dealing with the diversification. Cross Cultural literature is important because of the consistent changing of trends from West to East. Communication Challenges in Cross Culture Communication is a great challenge while moving into the different cultures because if one act is followed in one culture then it’s not necessary that the same act will also be supported in other cultures. While going global or Glocal in business, the management should have the international understanding of the cultures so that it gets easier for them to communicate with different cl asses of people. There are certain cultural variables that need to be studied while communicating with different people; Attitudes It means stereotyping. Usually people when they move from one country to another for work purpose, these types of problems arise. Managers or employees working in that environment start over generalizing those who are different from their cultures. ... Role Role means the status and level of one based on his age. Usually every individual is treated equally but within these rules people try to discriminate their companions or subordinate. Language Language is a bridge between various cultures. It create the big difference because while communication there are different meanings of different statements. Example: â€Å"COME OUT OF THE GRAVE WITH PEPSI† This statement is considered right in context of west culture but when it comes to regions or cultures like India, this statement is proved to be wrong. For India where majority is the follower of Hinduism, this statement is not effective because it’s hitting their cultural values. So while sharing any idea regarding something, one should be alert or aware of the words he/she is using to give the idea because it may or may not directly pointing their culture but indirectly it could be taken in wrong meanings. One more example is â€Å"When YES doesn’t mean YES†. It means that when Chinese, Japanese and Pakistanis say YES while talking to someone, that doesn’t means that they will follow your commands, it actually means that â€Å"YES we are listening to you†. Non-Verbal Communication Non-Verbal Communication plays a very important role in context of cultural diversification. It includes kinesics behavior (E.g., Sticking out the tongue in China); Power distances (Proximity- E.g. The corner office, Closeness when talking), Paralanguage (e.g. the sound of silence), Objective Language (E.g. Monochronic vs. Polychronic) and most importantly eye contact. Trust in conducting Business within cross cultures There are some countries that do negotiate

The Behaving Brain Essay Example for Free

The Behaving Brain Essay The Video begins by explaining what we learned in class on Thursday about how the brain is made up of and how it works. It explained that a message will travel down axon then the message travels into the dendrites that release the message into the synapse. The brain becomes the most complex thing in the universe because it controls so many different things in the human body. It regulates our metabolism, temperature and respiration. It also enables us to learn, remember and decide. The video then moved on to talking about a new breed of scientists called neuroscientists. They are guided my the assumption that everything in the brain can be explained by biological or chemical events taking place within it either through out the entire brain or a region within. It went on to explain certain parts of the brain such as the brain stem, which controls life support in the body. The cerebellum that controls body movement and the limbic system which maintains the bodies inside workings and controls emotions. Ways of approaching the study of the brain is with brain imaging, which can provide researchers with actual pictures of the brains inner workings. The best way to study the brain is to record the brains electrical activity using a EEG machine. E. Roy John practices neurometrics. A way of recorded electrical activity of a patient and comparing it with a recording of normal brain activity. It enables you to see if any certain person has a mental or emotional disease such as depression or alcoholism. Some researchers study the brain chemically. Joseph Martinez focuses on chemicals that promote learning and memory. He tries to coax the brain to remember or in some cases forget things by introducing certain chemicals into the body. This research is being practiced in search for a cure for Alzheimers disease. The last section of the video was on a study of patients with Amnesia. Mieke Vertaellie works with patients in helping them recover and build new memories of which have been forgotten . Her patients are given word to remember to the best of there ability then try to recite what words they remembered. Patients with Amnesia usually can remember memories or information 10 years back but are unable to remember anything more recent. I found the research experiment Joseph Martinez was using with rats to be very interesting. Training a rat in maze to find food by following a certain track in the maze. After the rat had been trained to find the food Martinez introducing a chemical causing the rat to forget its training and wasnt able to find the food. I thought that was a great step in finding a cure for Alzheimers disease. But understanding the brain seems to be an ongoing and maybe never ending search to understand it. Its amazing to think a brain weighing 3 lbs is capable of being able to know more than any computer is a big thought to wrap your head around. I found the most interesting research in the video to be the chemical research. So much can be controlled with the chemicals in the brain. pain, happiness, depression, motor control is all controlled by the brain. Introducing more or less of a neurotransmitter can benefit humans in hundreds of ways.

Comparing The Matrix and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? :: Compare Contrast Matrix Androids Essays

Comparing The Matrix and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? For the common moviegoer and book aficionado, the movie, The Matrix and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? are bizarre and peculiar. These works are not the usual themes of normal movies and books. These works have a lot of elements in common. Both works have matrices. The movie and the book stress the idea of reality. In both works the idea of what s real and what s not is the central theme. In the movie, The Matrix there are many similarities with the book, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? One similarity is that of the matrices in both works. The movie has a matrix of dreams. According to the movie, humans are dreaming. Dreaming means that the reality humans think of, is not reality. The reality humans think of, is a dream. Confusing, isn t? An easier way of understanding this matrix is to think of human dreams. When humans experience dreams, it is not perceived as a dream until the dream ends. The movie exemplifies humans in the dream state of mind, similar to the dreaming stage. Neo is exposed to his real matrix. The matrix outside of his perceptual reality. He is able to perform with an incredible flexibility and high speed thinking. He is no longer dreaming, or as Neo called it, living. Neo has waken up. The book shares this matrix as well. In Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? the androids are dreaming. The Tyrell Corporation has programmed these androids to think, feel, and act as instructed. The androids are in a dream matrix just as humans are in The Matrix. The androids don t know what s real. What s real for them is not real. For example, Rachel can play the piano. She doesn t know she can play the piano, until she actually starts playing it. It s a computer generated simulation. She didn t really learn how to play the piano. One difference in both works is the matrix of existence. In the book, Deckard doubts his existence. He starts to wonder what a human being is.

General and Application Controls in Information Technology

Information Technology has answered our many problems. It has made the life of individuals, groups and organization very easy compared to the former years where technology was something in dreams or on paper. Information Technology is referred to the various sophisticated and state of the art technology like computers that help us to manage our businesses (Senn, 2003).The most important part of the business for example is their huge amounts of data, the problem of storing them and then retrieving them for a useful purpose. Companies realize that data should never be treated as a useless collection of numbers, no matter how old they are. They also came to an appreciation that data can be used to give the companies the competitive edge they need, especially after they became conscious about the â€Å"marketing paradigm†.The Information Technology helps these companies to create, process, store, protect, transmit and retrieve data (Senft & Gallegos, 2008). Besides these, Informat ion technology has helped give impetus to the globalization process. It has reduced the world to a global village where the communication problem is no more an issue, especially after the advent of the internet. Now you can even make calls using the internet. All you need is a microphone and speakers to talk to anyone, at any time sitting anywhere in the world.The companies also realize that there processes (that take place within their organization to come up with their products) have become more cost effective (Senn, 2003). This has allowed business to efficiently utilize their resources and probably the most important one (which is usually saved at the end of the process) is the time. Through technology, companies are able to enhance the quality of their products and processes.BACKGROUNDGeneral Control of the Information Technology aids to guarantee the consistency of the data. This means that the data being produced is showing the performance of the system that you have installe d, and that it is producing the desired results. It ensures that the machine is working perfectly fine. You can then check upon your business process if there is an anomaly or inconsistency in your data. You can be sure of the right data for the wrong processes.Thus you can improve upon your business processes to correct your data. General Control of Information Technology usually encompasses the environmental control (Senft & Gallegos, 2008). This means that you understand the extent of the outside environment or the system beyond the boundary of your system and clearly out of your hands does shape your business in a certain way. But in what way does it affect you depends on the various environmental control you have at hand.USES AND IMPLICATIONSThe General Control also focuses on the different management changes that are brought within the business system or environment. Changes are a verily a very stressful task with in the organization.Information Technology helps to make sure t hat the changes brought therein is acceptable with the norms, organizational culture and the rules and regulations of the business itself (Senft & Gallegos, 2008). During the life of the business, many programs (complex or simples) are written to help businesses achieve their desired results.For example a company may find itself in the need of a Data Base Management Systems or a Data Warehouse. They may either purchase it or they may build it themselves. In both the cases, the company needs to mould the coding to suit their business requirements. It helps the source code’s reliability within the program.Businesses work on projects. For advanced business and for businesses that care to expand in the long run, find themselves in the need of developing software or systems. On the other hand, software houses whose main business is to develop and sell customer’s customized softwares goes through a complex life cycle to design, develop, test, implement and maintain the softw are.General Control helps to achieve that too. It helps to simplify the whole cycle which may extend to a number of years depending on the size and complexity of the software (Turban, Leidner, McLean, & Wetherbe, 2007).

Bad Grades Essay

I am writing to offer an explanation for a change in academic performance that is noticeable on my high school transcript. From the start of my freshman year until the end of my junior year, it is evident through analysis of my transcript that I have been an above average student consistently throughout my high school career. However, starting at around August 2010, problems arose in my family of which I believe made it impossible for me to continue my 100% focus on school. Halfway into my senior year, my father was laid off from his job. Since he was the only source of income at that time, our family of five was forced to move from our comfortable lives at our four bedroom house into our grandmother’s two bedroom house. This was a drastic change for all of us, as we have never shared a house with anyone, especially one of this size. I no longer had a room in which I was able to do my schoolwork in silence. This drastic change, I believe, interrupted my focus on school because of the attention it required from me. During my first semester I was often required to miss school by my parents, reason being that I had to help out in the movement process and had to visit an ill uncle out of town. I take full responsibility of my underperformance during the first semester of my senior year and am not look to make excuses. My main goal in making this letter is just to offer insight on what it is I believe influenced my underperformance. I sincerely ask you to consider me as an applicant and to not let this recent semester define me as a student. I greatly appreciate your time in reading this letter.

Understanding States Rights and the 10th Amendment

Understanding States' Rights and the 10th Amendment In American government, states’ rights are the rights and powers reserved by the state governments rather than the national government according to the U.S. Constitution. From the Constitutional Convention in 1787 to the Civil War in 1861 to the civil rights movement of the 1960s, to today’s marijuana legalization movement, the question of the rights of the states to govern themselves has been the focus of the American political landscape for well over two centuries. Key Takeaways: States' Rights States’ rights refer to the political rights and powers granted to the states of the United States by the U.S. Constitution.Under the doctrine of states’ rights, the federal government is not allowed to interfere with the powers of the states reserved or implied to them by the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.In issues such as slavery, civil rights, gun control, and marijuana legalization, conflicts between states’ rights and the powers of the federal government have been a part of civic debate for over two centuries. The doctrine of states’ rights holds that the federal government is barred from interfering with certain rights â€Å"reserved† to the individual states by the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The 10th Amendment The debate over states’ rights started with the writing of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. During the Constitutional Convention, the Federalists, led by John Adams, argued for a powerful federal government, while the Anti-federalists, led by Patrick Henry, opposed the Constitution unless it contained a set of amendments specifically listing and ensuring certain rights of the people and the states. Fearing that the states would fail to ratify the Constitution without it, the Federalists agreed to include the Bill of Rights. In establishing American government’s power-sharing system of federalism, the Bill of Rights 10th Amendment holds that all rights and powers not specifically reserved to Congress by Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution or to be shared concurrently by the federal and state governments are reserved by either the states or by the people. In order to prevent the states from claiming too much power, the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause (Article VI, Clause 2) holds that all laws enacted by the state governments must comply with the Constitution, and that whenever a law enacted by a state conflicts with a federal law, the federal law must be applied. The Alien and Sedition Acts The issue of states’ rights versus the Supremacy Clause was first tested in 1798 when the Federalist-controlled Congress enacted the Alien and Sedition Acts. Anti-federalists Thomas Jefferson and James Madison believed the Acts’ restrictions on freedom of speech and freedom of the press violated the Constitution. Together, they secretly wrote the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions supporting states’ rights and calling on the state legislatures to nullify federal laws they considered unconstitutional. Madison, however, would later come to fear that such unchecked applications of states’ rights could weaken the union, and argued that in ratifying the Constitution, the states had yielded their sovereignty rights to the federal government. The Issue of States’ Rights in the Civil War While slavery and its abolition are the most visible, the question of states’ rights was the underlying cause of the Civil War. Despite the overarching reach of the Supremacy Clause, proponents of states’ rights like Thomas Jefferson continued to believe the states should have the right to nullify federal acts within their boundaries. In 1828 and again in 1832, Congress enacted protective trade tariffs, which while helping the industrial northern states, hurt the agricultural southern states. Outraged by what it called the â€Å"Tariff of Abominations,† the South Carolina legislature, on November 24, 1832, enacted an Ordinance of Nullification declaring the federal tariffs of 1828 and 1832 â€Å"null, void, and no law, nor binding upon this State, its officers or citizens.† On December 10, 1832, President Andrew Jackson responded by issuing a â€Å"Proclamation to the People of South Carolina,† demanding that the state observe the Supremacy Clause and threatening to send federal troops to enforce the tariffs. After Congress passed a compromise bill reducing the tariffs in the southern states, the South Carolina legislature rescinded its Ordinance of Nullification on March 15, 1832. While it made President Jackson a hero to nationalists, the so-called Nullification Crisis of 1832 reinforced the growing feeling among Southerners that they would continue to be vulnerable to the Northern majority as long as their states remained a part of the union. Over the next three decades, the main battle over states’ rights shifted from economics to slavery. Did the southern states, whose largely agricultural economy depended on slave labor, have the right to maintain the slave trade in defiance of federal laws abolishing it? By 1860, that question, along with the election of anti-slavery President Abraham Lincoln, drove 11 southern states to secede from the union. Though secession was not intended to create an independent nation, Lincoln viewed it as an act of treason conducted in violation of both the Supremacy Clause and federal law.   Civil Rights Movement From the day in 1866, when the U.S. Congress passed America’s first civil rights law, public and legal opinions have been divided on whether the federal government overrides states’ rights in attempting to ban racial discrimination nationwide. Indeed, key provisions of the Fourteenth Amendment dealing with racial equality were largely ignored in the South until the 1950s. During the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, southern politicians who supported the continuation of racial segregation and enforcement of state-level â€Å"Jim Crow† laws denounced anti-discrimination laws like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as federal interference with states’ rights. Even after passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, several southern states passed â€Å"Interposition Resolutions† contending that the states retained the right to nullify the federal laws. Current States Rights Issues As an inherent byproduct of federalism, questions of states’ rights will undoubtedly continue to be a part of American civic debate for years to come. Two highly visible examples of current states’ rights issues include marijuana legalization and gun control. Marijuana Legalization While at least 10 states have enacted laws allowing their residents to possess, grow, and sell marijuana for recreational and medical use, the possession, production, and sale of marijuana continues to be a violation of federal drug laws. Despite previously rolling back an Obama-era hands-off approach to prosecuting violations of federal marijuana laws in pot-legal states, former Attorney General Jeff Sessions clarified on March 8, 2018 that federal law enforcement officers would go after dealers and drug gangs, rather than casual users. Gun Control Both the federal and state governments have been enacting gun control laws for over 180 years. Due to an increase in incidents of gun violence and mass shootings, state gun control laws are now often more restrictive than federal laws. In these cases, gun rights advocates often argue that the states have actually exceeded their rights by ignoring both the Second Amendment and the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution. In the 2008 case of District of Columbia v. Heller, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a District of Columbia law completely banning its citizens from possessing handguns violated the Second Amendment. Two years later, the Supreme Court ruled that its Heller decision applied to all U.S. states and territories. Other current states’ rights issues include same-sex marriage, the death penalty, and assisted suicide. Sources and Further Reference Drake, Frederick D., and Lynn R. Nelson. 1999. States Rights and American Federalism: A Documentary History. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-30573-3.Mason, Alpheus Thomas. 1972. The States Rights Debate: Antifederalism and the Constitution. New York: Oxford Univ. Press. ISBN-13; 978-0195015539McDonald, Forrest. 2000. States Rights and the Union: Imperium in Imperio, 1776-1876. Lawrence: Univ. Press of Kansas.Interposition. Center for the Study of Federalism.

Andrew Grove

They have tied up with search engine Google for the wireless application as an example. Basically, Intel operations are divided into two sections: the communications group, known as ICG or Intel Communications Group; and the other section consists of the Intel Architectural business. The architectural section is responsible for the production of â€Å"platform† boards that consists of chipsets and microchips, which are used in desktop processors; including the Intel Pentium 4 processor and the Celeron. On the other hand, the communications section deal mostly with the production and development of wireless technology. They are mostly concerned with flash memory and cellular base-band technology. Intel is also known for large-scale tie-ups with other firms. Example of such is their tie-up with search engine Google for development of wireless technologies. They are also know to be connected with other firms like Microsoft and Dell. However, competition has been seen to catch up on the leadership oh Intel. Recently, a lot of clamors have been heard in the recent decision of present CEO Paul Otellini unveiled his plan to ship the micro-chip corporation to another industry. While the rest had their problems with it, former CEO Andrew Grove is all praises for it. The present CEO’s vision is to generally change the image of Intel starting from what Andrew Grove practically built. Starting from the scrapping of the famous â€Å"e† trademark of the logo, the company motto and even the brand, the company has been envisioned to undergo a transformation. A lot of managers seem to be against the changing of such things that made Intel a household name. Even the logo has been widely known in all parts of the globe. Meanwhile, Andrew Grove has been vocal about his approval of the said changes. In his opinion, they are of the same line of thinking that the present CEO has, that the company really has to undergo these changes in order for the to tell the world that even Intel is adjusting to the fast-paced growth of the industry and that they, as a company, should be at equal footing with the rest of the companies in the same industry.   He further stresses that it is a imperative for the company to show that the company exhibits a show of risk-taking and result orientation, accompanied also by the value of discipline. Before, under Grove’s supervision and Craig Barrett (Grove’s successor), the company focused on the production of microprocessors and took the lead in that industry for years. They helped give birth to the Information Age by producing more microchips and therefore, producing faster computers and ending in the development of micro processing. However, what Otellini had in mind is far from the former image of Intel, considering that he even wanted to change the logo and company symbol. He wanted to venture into uncharted regions of digital health industry and that of â€Å"platform† inventions. Despite the negative views about Otellini’s decision, Analysts from outside the company have cited other views about the subject, stating the fact that sometimes, change is needed for a big company to maintain solid advantage. They also added that other companies that survived the changes maintained industry leadership, just like what happened to Texas Instruments. However, the other side notes that it is not really that advisable to change their target industry and find a niche in other markets, although they have leadership in the industry they would leave. Adding firepower to the firepower of the critics, Intel’s competitor, AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) Inc., have scored a major point against Intel as it topped the company in terms of consumption as AMD Inc rose to a higher percentage in 2003 and analysts view that it would continue to rise against Intel unless Intel releases a new competitive line of processors in the future.. In the wireless communications field, Texas Instruments and Qualcomm Inc are still standing their own ground against Intel’s advances. Also, the two companies are planning to release their own versions of the platform that they assured, would gain more shares of the market than the new Intel is trying to build a niche on. On the other hand, many people are applauding Otellini’s vision of the new Intel, stating that they have never seen so much innovation in technology with respect to their fields, especially that of medicine. Also, people have actually seen the growth of the company, showing promise for a whole variety of new plans that are underway. Not only did the plans boost company ties with other companies, but also made their partner companies believe in the new flexibility of Intel. They promoted closer ties with cellular phone conglomerates Nokia and Samsung; had present tie-ups with Google; ties with Sony and Philips; and with those ties, Intel was able to produce and release different types of innovative products. There different developments have different market reactions. Some producing great results, others not. However, analysts are right in pointing out that other companies that are industry leaders also experienced changes that looked like they are headed nowhere, although in the end, they have proven that their change would actually pay off. And now, Intel took their lead and eventually took some changes in themselves as well. The problem would be, if they can maintain the positive effects and eliminate the negative effects of the changes. As for their decision of making the company over, It is. The industry’s reaction to it seemed to treat the decision as a smart move as well. Rival AMD Inc made some deals with ATI, and this showed that Intel produced a bigger threat than before. Also, the result of other marketing strategies in the release of the new products proved that Intel can really hold its own against the rivals in the industries that they have entered. They also showed that they can maintain the leadership in their industry, and even remodeled themselves into a more serious threat than that of before. However, not all decisions solely produce good effects. The negative effects therefore should be dealt with accordingly. Otellini did not make a bad move and he assured that he would produce good results which he did, although in the process nearly humiliating the company as he suffered near losses and continue to be behind Texas Instrument in the other fields. Intel not only made a good decision externally but also made breakthrough decisions internally, taking care of their employees better and giving chances to other fields like medicine to be at the same level as that of the engineers, the firepower of Intel before. May be this was a factor in Otellini’s equation that he devised for company growth. All in all, Intel has made a remarkable shift from the way it was thirty seven years ago. It also departed from the household figure that we recognized. Although this a bold move in there part and a rather risky one considering the old model is one of the main reasons why Intel made it to the top. In Otellini’s, and now Intel’s belief, It is one risky move that was designed to maintain leadership and gain advantages in other fields that they would pursue in the future. The market and business world would have to look out as Intel’s new look is bound to stay, and so is their new outlook in the business battles. BIBLIOGRAPHIES Intel Corp. Company Profile. Yahoo! Finance. Retrieved October 26, 2006. (http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/13/13787.html) Intel Corporation. Computer Business Review Online. Retrieved October 26, 2006. (http://www.cbronline.com/companyprofile.asp?guid=E82C088A-0488-4DB5-8953-9E316C2B44D1CType=Background)

Internet marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Internet marketing - Essay Example ating a good and long term relationship with the customers which helps the company in getting many innovative and creative ideas from the customers to better its service (Bailey, 2011, pp. 56-64). Starbucks website and social media pages are interactive and clients can ask questions and get answers to their enquiries in company products, locations and prices. They can also have their complaints addressed. Among the all the categories of marketing mix, the one which varies in case of internet marketing is the promotional activities as the product, place and price remains the same. Thus in this case Starbucks looks to promote its product using various social media websites by conducting events and attracting more number of customers. It also attracts the young generation by communicating the exact message across the customers regarding the value that the company creates for its customers. The price related to internet marketing is reduced compared to the marketing activities that have been done using other platforms. Starbucks is already using blogs and social media websites as tools for internet marketing. The company has always looked to use latest marketing techniques to reach the customers in better way. In future it can look to use other tools in internet marketing like SpyFu to know about the competitors’ strategies. Hub Spot internet application allows the company to track leads and maintain direct communication with clients. This sort of communication also allows for segmentation of the market into different sections so as to ease marketing (Chaffey, 2009, pp. 34-42). As of now, Starbucks most effective means of reaching their clients has been facebook, twitter and the company website. This could be because these sites have the highest number of users in the country and in the world. Starbucks uses the latest and available technology in its operational processes so as to provide good and high quality service to the customer. The customers have special

Health Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Health Economics - Essay Example For Getzen, some HMOs may be undertaking risk selection by only accepting healthy patients in order for them to create optimum profit. Some of them find it advantageous on their part to reduce services or quality of care once there would be implementation of easy savings from discounting and substitution. In other words, HMOs have always to mean business and this leads them to expect to experience favorable or adverse selection. Considering the number of commercial employees, especially in large companies, there might be great savings on both the demand and supply sides due to substantial numbers in a group, and the risk selection process might not be that tough on the part of HMOs to ward off loss and optimize profitability. This is due to the fact that working individuals in various large companies are on a regular basis had to ensure their health safety to optimize their productivity. As a result, the commercial employee benefit market in states with large number of immigrants and service-based economy may have higher percentage of insured individuals compared to those in states with strong unionized industrial and manufacturing base (Kovner & Knickman, 2011, p.33). As a result, Kovner and Knickman added 80 percent of uninsured are in families with either full or part-time workers in small businesses. This would particularly increase HMOs magnitude of selection bias in this type of commercial employee benefit market, as they would also consider the profit they could create. On the other hand, there would be more profit for HMOs if less medical care is provided (Holcombe, 1995, p.136). Considering the need for medical services in the US is an upward spiral especially for low-income population (Andersen, Rice & Kominski, 2007, p.22), the medical market on the part of HMOs should have wider scope of risk selection process and even bias at some point just to ensure profitability will not be set aside. 2. What incentives

Integrity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Integrity - Essay Example y is a concept that has an ethical angle in itself serves to indicate that it is a complex concept, which can then be defined in different terms, considering the fact that ethics has no definitive interpretation due to the subjectivity of ethical interpretations in the realms of either right or wrong. At this point it becomes inevitable to ask the question; what is integrity? The term integrity can be defined as the consistency and the commitment to honor whatever choices that an individual has made (Killinger, 2). Thus, the concept of integrity cannot be divorced from three major aspects; the consistency of principle, the soundness of mind and the commitment not to adulterate. The ethical and moral perspective views integrity from the point of the honesty of one’s actions (Killinger, 9). Honesty is the aspect of truthfulness that guides both the talk and action of an individual to ensure that both of them are consistent. It is therefore not possible to term a person as being a man of integrity, where the actions of that person are not in line with whatever the person says. Integrity demands that an individual will talk and at the same time, walk the talk (Killinger, 4). Therefore, when the ethical angle of defining integrity is taken, then it demands that no aspect of contradiction should be found within a person. In case an individual is holding conflicting beliefs within, it is only fair that the individual discards the conflicting beliefs and stands for one principle, so as to be regarded as a person of integrity. This is because; integrity and contradiction are two aspects that cannot coexist (Killinger, 8). This aspect fulfills the requirement for consistency of principle as a major element of integrity. The soundness of mind is yet another aspect that integrity must fulfill. The soundness of mind simply means that an individual makes a choice that is well informed, well thought-out and fully considered, so that the individual can be able to stand by that

Concepts in Cognitive Psychology

Concepts in Cognitive Psychology Memory, Thinking, Attention, Perception, Language Cognitive psychology is primarily interested in the role of the mind and its conceptual functioning. As by way of communicating information to and from each other and understanding the external world through the process of labelling and categorising certain elements pertaining to that world, the cognitive approach to psychological investigation has been interested in the nature of language from its origins. Such conceptual structures as memory , thinking, attention, perception and language have been put into place informing much research relating to this school of psychology (Sternberg, 2006). The concepts associated with memory, thinking, attention, perception and language are prominent within the school of cognitive psychology are inter related across a multitudes of experiments. Memory can be seen as having a basis in the retrieval, store and recall of information and is commonly divided into the working memory model (or short term memory) and long term memory (or long term store) . Thinking is often associated with the way in which a process of logic is undergone by any subject. Attention is the mental ability to focus and apply thinking and memory, usually characterised in experiments as the. Perception is the way in which the individual may perceive any task and language is the underlying source of communicable information that externalises the subject of any culture. Research into the functioning and processes of semantic memory suggested a key model that was a primary source in the formation of the memory system. This was called the working memory. This model of the working memory, which is a system and procedure whereby information is internalised and subsequently turned into stored long term memory, was believed to be more than just a simple function involving storage and retrieval. At its procedural stage, we can see from the concept of the short term memory model that the process is broken into a schematic procedure in which stimuli, such as words, signs or symbols are encoded and stored within the memory. At this point it is believed to be rehearsed in the mind before being either rejected through forgetting or being accepted into the long term store, probably due to the perception of its significance (Waugh Norman, 1965). Due to its limited capacity, the working memory is believed to incorporate this forgetting procedure due to the effect s of either decay (unrehearsed code) or displacement (rejection due to irrelevance) of the encoded stimuli (Bjork, 1970). However, although many studies have indeed indicated that this model is accurate in terms of the basic procedure of memory, it can not be considered as fully accounting for other important phenomena as the effects of rehearsal are not always found to be defining (Craik Watkins, 1973). For instance, primacy and recency effects that are found in many free recall tests are suggested as being due to the length of rehearsal time spent on the initial words presented to individuals, whilst also finding that fewer words present to displace the more likely the encoding of the latter words presented (Murdoch, 1972). In terms of memory, this research into the phenomenon of primacy and recency effects indicated that slow presentation of words would increase primacy performance, but would have no effect on recency performance (Murdoch, 1972). This indicated that the more tim e permitted to information rehearsal, the stronger the likelihood would be for that information to enter the long term store, whilst contrastingly, the faster that the information was presented to the individual the more likely it was for that individual to forget. What this research suggests is that the working memory model requires an engagement with a target stimuli rather than just mere exposure alone, which suggests a strong relationship with the perception of language and the nature of thought processes (Nickerson Adams, 1979). Further study on the effects of primacy and recency with relation to language indicated that individuals required subjects to identify early and late acquired nouns presented in noise (Young Ellis, 1980). Subsequent findings from these studies indicated that early acquisition of words were recognized more accurately than words acquired at a more recent stage of language acquisition, when the words were matched on frequency, image-ability, concreteness , familiarity and letter length. However, they did not examine the full effect of frequency and the identification of words matched onto age of acquisition or other factors. Subsequently, further research suggested that high frequency words were more intelligible when heard in white noise than words of lower frequency, using lists uncontrolled for age of acquisition (Broadbent, 1971). Essentially, this meant that language and attention were fundamental factors in determining the process of memory. Another important phenomenon regarding the role of language and attention within memory is chunking. This phenomenon indicates the role that thinking plays, in particular the encoding of language meaning. This is the phenomena in which the individual categorises an array of information and configures it as one chunk. For instance, the numbers one, nine, four and five could be stored as one whole chunk as opposed to four individual units when rehearsed under one set of information known as nineteen forty five; a key cultural date. What we can see in this phenomenon is the construct of perception. Essentially, because no significance is placed upon the individual’s prior knowledge or their difference in experience, we can see that the memory model can not account for chunking alone. For example, the chunking of one, nine, four and five would more likely be stored if this chunk correlated with a significant date or number already maintained in the individuals learned experience, such as a soldier who saw the end of the Second World War (Ericsson et al, 1980). Therefore, seeing memory as language alone does not take into account the reality that prior meaning vastly reduces the significance of time taking in memory, as rehearsal is reduced due to recognition of former learned categories in relation to semantic structures held in the mental lexicon. This would suggest that prior learning, familiarity, chunking, categorisation as well as rehearsal can determine the success of word recognition of different lexical constructs. Subsequently, Baddeley suggested a notion of limitation within the working memory, which indicated that encoding stimuli (or information) and storing memory was a system of varying depths of processing (Baddeley, 1992). Situating all five factors as one inter related mechanism we can see then a notion of a mental lexicon from which all language can be understood, constructed, learned and articulated via communication and understanding (Aitchison, 2003). Subsequent inquiry into such a word store has created an appreciation of certain phenomena relating to how individuals understand and articulate language. This has become a very useful resource for research into anything involving the nature of language within the cognitive realm. One such piece of research was conducted by Collins and Quillian, who constructed a model of semantic memory storage and retrieval that was imperative to language. This was called the hierarchy of semantic memory (Collins Quillian, 1969). We can see from this model how memory and language inter relate. In their model, it was suggested that individuals would store memory in sets and would retrieve knowledge judgements according to the familiarity of a certain concept and it s association to certain definers regarding any particular concept. In further studies, it was established that semantic distance was based upon the strength of the perceived relationship between one concept and its hierarchal group (Rosch, 1973). Essentially, knowledge was seen as being stored in the structure of a mental lexicon and concepts were recognised and categorised due to the specific and relevant qualities and properties that it accorded to in the mental lexical structure (Conrad, 1972). This conceptual notion forms the basis for perception as information is seen as belonging to certain defining features held by the knowledge of the individual. The assumption was that the farther you moved up this hierarchy of conceptual information, the more the defining features would decrease (Loftus, 1973). For instance, a Robin would be more strongly accorded to the hierarchy of birds than a flightless bird, such as a chicken, as the defining variable of flight was recognised (Rips e t al, 1974). It was believed that if something were to disturb this hierarchal structure of word storage, then incorrect recall would become present (Loftus, 1973). Subsequently, this suggests that cognition is governed by perception as well as memory and word meaning. Essentially, the conceptual construction of this mental lexicon gives us good indication as to how words are conceptualised, understood and recognised by the individual. This avenue of research requires the investigation into thinking and learning in relation to perception. The role of perception with relation to thinking formed the interest of the seminal cognitive psychologist Bruner, whose studies investigated the nature of learning. He famously devised a test to measure and explore the nature in which people constructed and comprehended meaning. Bruner’s findings suggested that there was an intelligent procedure in operation during learning that performed by way of a hypothesis testing. This form of logical thinking was indicated as being understood through stages of either acceptance or rejection of similarities and categories based upon an intelligent process of trial testing (Bruner et al, 1956). Bruner gave a sample of individuals various sets of pictures, each portraying a variety of different and similar shapes. The different categories of shapes were considered as the conditions of the experiment. Some of the pictures in the conditions shared the same number of shapes; some of them shared the same colour of shapes while others shared t he same number of borders surrounding the shapes. However, in each condition the shapes were marginally different; none were identical. From the findings of these studies, Bruner was able to discern that there were two forms of learning that could be identified. These were dubbed successive and conservative scanning (Bruner et al, 1956). Successive scanning was deemed the type of learning that used a thinking process that involved trail testing that attempted one hypothesis at a time before either accepting or rejecting similarities. However, conservative scanning was believed to indicate a deeper form thinking that categorised certain classes of type before carrying out the acceptance or rejecting of any hypotheses. It was concluded that the latter thought process was a much faster and more efficient process than the former. What is crucial here is that these thought processes have little to do with language or memorised knowledge. However, not everyone within the field of the cogn itive psychology accepts this notion of thinking. Many researchers and theorists related to the field of thinking and perception have argued that categories are an innate knowledge rather than a learned one and so the use of language and memory are not essential to thinking (Fodor Chomsky, 1980). The main implication in this idea is that empirical category learning may not be done with the rejection of hypothesis but with the rejection of the externally governed conceptualisation of the external world. Studies relating to word recall have highlighted the role of attention in the role of psychological research. In one such piece of research the ability to read words was indicated by letter identification and visual configurations (McClelland Johnson, 1977). Other research has indicated the use of non literal cues in the recognition of word (Marchbanks Levin, 1965). In either case, we can see that an attentional basis for word recognition. More contemporary research into the relationship between word recognition and the effects that peer groups had within the educational learning structure indicated that there was a significance of both memory and the symbolic structure of the mental lexicon within the recognition of words that could be applied to the acquisition of knowledge (Fuchs Fuchs, 2005). It would seem that from the results involving lexical decision tasks that the more a child is familiar with the semantic construct of words the more likely they are in recognising the wor ds without error or side effects. Particular attention has focused upon the possibility that the numerous amounts of previously reported effects of word frequency in attentional tasks might actually result from confounded effects of the age of acquisition as the two variables are related. Subsequently, high frequency words tend to be learned earlier in life than low frequency words, so that sets of words selected as being of high or low frequency of occurrence tend also to be sets of words which are acquired early on or more recently. There has been evidence put forward suggesting that the age at which a word is acquired during a child’s development affects performance throughout life. Essentially, the earlier that the process of word acquisition is incorporated the more successful it will be in producing meaning. It would seem that the later the words are acquired, even when attentional factors such as frequency of usage and word image-ability are controlled, the poorer the memory and articulation will be (Brown and Watson, 1987). The effects of frequency can be understood in the interaction activation model of McClelland and Rumelhart (1981). This suggested that there is a node for each familiar word in this connectionist stimulation of word recognition. Each node was believed to have an activation level which varied from cycle to cycle and a resting level which is determined by the node’s level of activation over a long period of time. The node for a high frequency word was believed to be constantly activated. This was effective by having a higher resting level than the node for a low frequency word, which rarely received this activation. Studies have revealed that the age of acquisition is known to affect object naming speed, yet not the speed with which pictures of objects can be classified into semantic categories in the mental lexicon (Morrison Ellis, 1992). The naming of words was then followed by a delayed cue which has also been established as being unaffected by the age of acquisition (Morris on Ellis, 1995). This strongly indicates that the effect of language does not accord to the process of articulation, but to a process of deductive reasoning. However, research by Brown and Watson (1987) has suggested that the phonological output representations of early acquired words are more complete than those for later acquired words and can be accessed more easily. We can see from our analysis of the five key components regarding cognitive psychology and the way in which they inter-relate with one another philosophically and practically that they apply to the psychology of everyday life. Whether it is the perception of birds, the recognition of a word or concept, the thought process that delivers a solution to a problem or simply the recall of a particular number, such as a bank sort code or telephone number, the roles of memory, thinking, attention, perception and language are fundamental components in the psychological study of cognition. It is difficult to conceive of a world without these five components working together. Without perception we would not be able to conceive of a world or understand the processes in which we experience the external environment and inform our knowledge of it. Without language we would not be able to categorise the various constructs that we encounter in the world, exchange our experiences of them or recognise the amount of information that we do. Without memory we would not be able to retain any information or experience that we had gathered about the world or be able to determine what in our immediate experience was relevant and considered vastly significant from what was not. Without attention we would not be able to discern between the varying contexts in which we experience language and information about the environment or acquire specific knowledge and without thinking and understanding thought processes we would not be able to solve problems, reason, make decisions, extract symbolic meaning or even conceive of mental imagery or spatial awareness. These factors are then, vastly significant in the understanding of both cognitive psychology and ourselves and although distinctions between these five components is necessary for both academic knowledge and practical application, they are best seen as factors that inter-relate and are prevalent to studies and practices of cognitive psycho logy. Bibliography Atchison, J., (2003) Words in the Mind: An Introduction to the Mental Lexicon Sydney: Blackwell Publishing. Baddeley, A.D. (1992) Is Working Memory Working? The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 44A, 1-31 Broadbent, D, E., (1971) Decision and stress. London: Academic Press. Brown, G. D. A., Watson, F. L. (1987). First in, first out: Word learning age and spoken word frequency as predictors of word familiarity and word naming latency. Memory Cognition, 15, 208-216. Bruner, J, S., Goodnow, J, J., and Austin, G, A., (1956) A Study of Thinking New York: John Wiley and Sons. Bjork, R, A., (1970) Positive Forgetting: The Non-Interference of Items Intentionally Forgotten. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behaviour, 9, 255-68. Chomsky, N., and Fodor, J, A., (1980) Statement of the Paradox, in Piatelli Palmarini, M. (ed.). Collins, A, M., Quillian, M, R., (1969) Retrieval Time from Semantic Memory. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behaviour, 8, 240-47. Craik, F, I, M., Watkins, M, J., (1973) The Role of Rehearsal in Short Term Memory. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behaviour, 12, 599-607. Ericsson, K, A., Chase, W, G., Faloon, S., (1980) Acquisition of a Memory Skill. Science, 208, 1181-1182. Marchbanks, G., Levin, H., (1965) Cues by which children recognize words. Journal of Educational Psychology, 56 (2), 57-61. McClelland Johnson (1977) The role of familiar units in perception of words and nonwords. Perception and Psychophysics, 22, 249-261. McClelland Rumelhart (1981) An interactive activation model of context effects in letter perception: Part 1. An account of basic findings. Psychological Review, 88, 375–407. Morrison, C, A., Ellis, A, W., (2000) Real age of acquisition effects in word naming and lexical decision. British Journal of Psychology, 91, 167-180. Murdoch, B., (1962) The Serial Position Effect of Free Recall. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 64, 482-488. Nickerson, R, A., Adams, M, J., (1979) Long-Term Memory for a Common Object. Cognitive Psychology, 11, 287-307. Rosch, E, H., (1973) On the Internal Structure of Perceptual and Semantic Categories. In Moore, T, E., (Ed.) Cognitive Development and the Acquisition of Language. New York: Academic Press. Sternberg, R, J., (2006) Cognitive Psychology (4th ed) Belmont: Thomson Waugh, N, C., Norman, D, A., (1965) Primary Memory. Psychological Review, 72, 89-104.

Admissions Essay: I Spoon-fed Her Each Day :: Medicine College Admissions Essays

I Spoon-fed Her Each Day    Watching my grandmother get progressively weaker; not wanting to believe the doctors' diagnosis of terminal cancer and the prediction that she would live only for another year; separated by thousands of miles from my parents, who had moved to the United States while I stayed in China with my grandmother-I lived a life so different from that of the average seventeen-year-old.   In addition to caring for my grandmother, I was going to school and preparing for my final exams, the equivalent of the SATs.  Ã‚   Grandmother died on the day that I took the exam.   Of the one million students who took the exam that day, I was ranked thirty-fourth and won the national merit scholarship.   And yet I was in a state of complete shock: my grandmother was gone and I felt paralyzed. But eventually my memories of her inspired me to make a genuine difference in the lives of others. I decided to pursue a career in medicine.    I joined the rest of my family in the U.S. and within six months was enrolled in the honors program at Mississippi State.   Since there is no pre-med major, I was able to major in any subject and still complete the pre-med requirements; I was advised to major in Philosophy or Drama to boost my GPA.   Instead, I decided to major in Math, a subject I've always enjoyed.   Though many people told me I must be crazy and that my background would not have sufficiently prepared me for the difficulty ofthe pre-med classes, I have earned A-plusses in all of the ten math courses I have taken so far, five of which were advanced classes.    I have concentrated on opportunities that will prepare me for studies in clinical medicine, oncology and geriatrics.   I learned of a prestigious research fellowship at Harvard and, although it was open only to upperclassmen, I applied and was accepted.  Ã‚   I have taken honors classes in biology and have enjoyed the research work I've done.    Keeping in mind that my goal is ultimately to help people, I've also devoted a portion of my time to volunteer opportunities: I tutored math for high school students in my neighborhood and recently became a part-time volunteer at Memorial Hospital.   It was terribly difficult for me to leave China and create a completely new life after the death of my grandmother. Admissions Essay: I Spoon-fed Her Each Day :: Medicine College Admissions Essays I Spoon-fed Her Each Day    Watching my grandmother get progressively weaker; not wanting to believe the doctors' diagnosis of terminal cancer and the prediction that she would live only for another year; separated by thousands of miles from my parents, who had moved to the United States while I stayed in China with my grandmother-I lived a life so different from that of the average seventeen-year-old.   In addition to caring for my grandmother, I was going to school and preparing for my final exams, the equivalent of the SATs.  Ã‚   Grandmother died on the day that I took the exam.   Of the one million students who took the exam that day, I was ranked thirty-fourth and won the national merit scholarship.   And yet I was in a state of complete shock: my grandmother was gone and I felt paralyzed. But eventually my memories of her inspired me to make a genuine difference in the lives of others. I decided to pursue a career in medicine.    I joined the rest of my family in the U.S. and within six months was enrolled in the honors program at Mississippi State.   Since there is no pre-med major, I was able to major in any subject and still complete the pre-med requirements; I was advised to major in Philosophy or Drama to boost my GPA.   Instead, I decided to major in Math, a subject I've always enjoyed.   Though many people told me I must be crazy and that my background would not have sufficiently prepared me for the difficulty ofthe pre-med classes, I have earned A-plusses in all of the ten math courses I have taken so far, five of which were advanced classes.    I have concentrated on opportunities that will prepare me for studies in clinical medicine, oncology and geriatrics.   I learned of a prestigious research fellowship at Harvard and, although it was open only to upperclassmen, I applied and was accepted.  Ã‚   I have taken honors classes in biology and have enjoyed the research work I've done.    Keeping in mind that my goal is ultimately to help people, I've also devoted a portion of my time to volunteer opportunities: I tutored math for high school students in my neighborhood and recently became a part-time volunteer at Memorial Hospital.   It was terribly difficult for me to leave China and create a completely new life after the death of my grandmother.

Online retailing or E-tailing (Electronic retailing)

Online retailing or E-tailing (Electronic retailing) or direct marketing are now gaining in tremendous awareness by the businesses and the customers at large. This concept is normally termed as a B2C (business to consumer) transaction. There have been many categories or channels, which corporate adopt in order to distribute and reach its target customers.But involving and interfering with channels of a company having a multi-channel distribution system poses a great challenge. Online marketing could be done in several categories. The prominent of which are ? pure click – where in the firms sell their total products on the web based domain space or the virtual space. ? Click and Brick – They are the business which use both online and offline channel structure.Brick and Mortar – firms, which sell their entire product, line by using a physical space system. Each of these channels have their respective advantages and disadvantages, but the firm should be wise and con scious about the different channel system they are adopting as there are chances of conflicts which could arise with reference to tapping the same customer base or the same territory or having goal incompatibility.In the case mentioned, if was given a chance to be in-charge of a direct marketing system, there would be certain strategies, which I would implement, in-order to stabilize and maintain a good relation with all the other channel partners. Since there are greater chances of having conflicts between the online and offline retailers, to gain acceptance from intermediaries I would pacify or satisfy my channel partners by test marketing the following strategies and tactics.First – offer a different mix of product line or different brands on the web based system than their offline channel partners or retail partners. Second – provide better and higher discounts and commissions for its retail partner to improve the negative impact on sales and to increase the profit s. Third – Allow the customers to register their orders on the online system, but appoint retailers to deliver and collect payment where in the retailers are also cushioning on a ready-made customer base.Fourth – Give a choice to the customers if they require a work on their purchase with a financial advisor, if yes their information will be routed to an advisor. Fifth – each of the retail partners could have their own website to avoid competition of the company’s web based system. Sixth – the customers who purchase online could be allowed to accept the online coupons and redeem their amount in its stores. These are some of the ways by which I will convince my retail partners for the launch of the direct marketing campaign.

Food is culture Essay

According to the Executive Director of the Washington International Center, Robert Kohls (1984), â€Å"the different behaviors of a people or a culture make sense only when seen through the basic beliefs, assumptions, and values of that particular group. † This legendary statement that was uttered more than two decades ago was intended to explain American values and to compare these values with those that belong to other cultures. But, as time went by, Khols insightful perception about culture has taken on international meaning and it was one of the fundamental concepts espoused by Montanari in his book entitled â€Å"Food is Culture. † Using historical reference to Hoppocrates, Montanari insisted that food has never been associated with nature and this contradicts the general idea advertised by people who campaign for organic foods. Montanari explains that food is the result of the efforts of a society to tame, transform, and interpret nature. This view can be supported by two related observations. First, societies all over the world encounter different environments. That is, societies in the Pacific region may find tropical climates whereas societies in the Mediterranean region have temperate climates. The differences in weather, together with the differences in geography, lead to the different ways that the members of the society learned to deal with their varied environments. Thus, the second observation is that the different societies have produced their own unique food and food culture. For example, Italian food reminds people of spaghetti, tiramisu, and other pasta dishes. Asian food, on the other hand, brings to mind bowls of rice. Kohls’ perception, when combined with Montanari’s view about the relationship of food and culture, evolves into something different then. That the different values of a people or a culture are revealed and understood when seen through the food culture of that particular group. Feedback from a reader: At first, it would take some stretch of imagination to associate food with culture. There are two major reasons for this difficulty. First, people eat food in order to survive and perhaps live a relatively healthy life. The desire to live and survive is so fundamental that all peoples possess this particular desire. And if all peoples and culture uphold this desire to live, then eating food is very common that it cannot be directly related to the uniqueness of culture. And second, food is almost always taken from nature. This means that food is obtained from farms and from forests. â€Å"Farm† and â€Å"forest† are two concepts that are associated with things natural. Food, therefore, is a natural resource. And despite the fact that most people in America consume processed food, food is definitely associated with nature. However, using a more critical thinking and a wider observation of the world, the statement that food is culture begins to make some sense. The values of a culture can be reflected in the kinds of food that people eat and the ways that people eat their food. For example, the Japanese culture carries out a tea ceremony, specializes in sushi, and usually serves food in small bite sizes. All these reflect the fact that the Japanese culture gives great importance to tradition. Thus, when Japanese encounters a problem, he turns to the knowledge of his ancestors for guidance. The typical American, on the other hand, rarely imitates the actions of his ancestors. When he encounters a problem, he tends to find help by himself and establishes some measure of control on his problem. The way that Americans value individuality and personal control over their environment can be seen in the way they wanted their food to be served individually. The Americans also wanted their foods to be served fast and this preference echoes the values of practicality and efficiency. Therefore, as a reader of Montanari’s ideas about the relationship of food and culture, I am convinced that food culture does reflect the values upheld by a society. Bibliography Kohls, R. (1984). The values Americans live by. Retrieved September 18, 2007 at http://omni. cc. purdue. edu/~corax/kohlsamericanvalues. html Montanari, M. (2006). â€Å"Introduction. † Food is Culture. A. Sonnenfeld (trans. ). New York: Columbia University Press.

All About Homeschool Support Groups

All About Homeschool Support Groups Homeschooling can feel isolating for children and parents alike. It’s so different from what most people are doing and its not uncommon to be the only homeschooling family  in your church or neighborhood or among your extended family. Taking full responsibility for your child’s education sometimes feels overwhelming. Add to that all the friends, relatives, and complete strangers insisting that your child is going to be a lonely social outcast, and you may start to wonder if you really can homeschool your child. That’s when you need a homeschool support group – but if you’re new to homeschooling, you may not have a clue how to go about finding one. First, it helps to make sure that you know what you’re looking for. Many new homeschooling families confuse support groups and co-ops. A support group is, as the name suggests, a group where parents can find support and encouragement from others in similar circumstances. Most support groups offer activities such as field trips, social gatherings, and meetings for parents. A homeschool co-op is a group of parents cooperatively educating their children through group classes. Although youll encounter other homeschooling families and can likely find support, the primary focus is on academic or elective classes for students. Some homeschool support groups do offer co-op classes, but the terms aren’t interchangeable. How to Find a Homeschool Support Group If you’re new to homeschooling or have moved to a new area, try these tips for  locating a homeschool support group: Ask Around One of the easiest ways to find a homeschool support group is to ask. If you know other homeschooling families, most will be happy to point you in the direction of local support groups, even if they’re not part of an organized group themselves. If you don’t know any other homeschooling families, ask at places that homeschooling families are likely to frequent, such as the library or used book store. Even if your friends and relatives dont homeschool, they may know families who do. When my family began homeschooling, a friend whose children attended public school gave me the contact information for two homeschooling families she knew. They were happy to answer my questions even though we didn’t know each other personally. Take to Social Media The prevalence of social media in today’s society makes it an excellent source for connecting with other homeschoolers. There are no fewer than a dozen Facebook groups related to homeschooling in my local circles alone. Search Facebook using your city’s name and â€Å"homeschool.† You can also ask on the pages and groups you’re already involved in. If you follow a homeschool curriculum vendors page, for example, you can usually post on their page asking if there are homeschooling families near you. While not as common as they used to be, many homeschool-related websites still offer member forums. Check them to see if they offer listings for support groups or post a message asking about groups near you. Search Online The Internet is a wealth of information. One excellent resource is the Homeschool Legal Defense page. They maintain a list of homeschool support groups by state, which are then broken down by county. You can also check your statewide homeschool group’s page. You should be able to find it listed on the HSLDA site. If you cant, try  using  your favorite search engine. Just type in your state’s name and â€Å"homeschool support† or â€Å"homeschool support groups.† You may also try searching by your county or city name and the keywords homeschool and support. How to Start Your Own Homeschool Support Group Sometimes, despite your best efforts, you can’t find a homeschool support group. You may live in a rural area without many homeschooling families. Alternately, you may live in an area with many groups, but none which are a good fit. If you’re a secular family, you may not fit in with the religious groups or vice versa. And, as unfortunate as it is, homeschooling families are not above forming cliques, which can be off-putting to new families. If you’re unable to locate a homeschool group, consider starting one of your own That’s what some friends and I did in our early years of homeschooling. That group is where my children and I formed some of our closest friendships that are still strong today. Try these tips for starting your own support group: Decide on the Type of Support Group What type of support group would you like to form? Secular,  faith-based, or inclusive of both? Formal or informal? Online or in-person? The group my friends and I started was an informal, online group. We didn’t have officers or regular meetings. Our communication was primarily through an email group. We did arrange a monthly mom’s night out and hosted  back-to-school and year-end parties. Our field trips were planned and organized by group members. If one mom wanted to plan a trip for her family and work out the details to include other group members, that’s what she did. We offered tips to make planning less stressful, but we didn’t have a designated coordinator. You may want a more formal, organized group with regular monthly meetings and elected officers. Consider the details of your ideal homeschool support group. Then, seek out one or two like-minded individuals to help you get it started. Consider the Type of Events You’ll Offer Most homeschool support groups, whether formal or informal, will plan some sort of events for member families. Think about the type of events your group  might offer. Perhaps you’d like to develop a group whose focus is field trips and family-friendly activities or one that hosts speakers and professional development opportunities for homeschooling parents. You may want to offer social events for the children or even a co-op. You might consider activities such as: Holiday parties such as Valentine’s, Christmas, or HalloweenBack-to-school or year-end partiesPlaygroups and park daysMiddle school and high school social events (dances, bowling, or bonfires)Science, geography, or other themed fairsClubs such as book, Lego, or chessPhysical educationSports opportunities  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ either organized or field-day events Decide Where You’ll Meet If you’ll be hosting in-person support group meetings, consider where you’ll meet. If you’ve got a small group, you may be able to host meetings at members’ homes. Larger groups might consider library meeting rooms, community facilities, restaurant meeting rooms, park pavilions,  or churches. Consider the factors that  may influence where you meet. For example: Will you serve refreshments? If so, what does the facility allow outside food and drinks?Will you offer childcare? If so, is there a place where children can safely play?Will you have guest speakers or will you address the group formally? If so, choose a facility where members can be seated and everyone can see and hear the speaker. Advertise Your Group Once you’ve worked out the logistics of your new homeschool support group, you’ll need to let other families know you exist. Our group placed an advertisement in the support group section of our local homeschool newsletter. You might also: Post a notice on the bulletin board at your local library, used book store, or teacher supply storeShare details in your church bulletin or neighborhood and civic group  newslettersSet up a booth or print brochures for local homeschool conventions and used book salesShare your brochure or a simple flyer with moms groups such as Mommy and Me gym classes, MOPS groups, or La Leche LeagueList your group on websites that offer information about support groups Most importantly, talk to other homeschooling families as much as possible. Word-of-mouth advertising in the homeschooling community is second to none. Most homeschooling parents will find that they benefit from the encouragement of a homeschool support group, particularly on the days when homeschooling is hard. Use these tips to find the right group for you and your family - even if that group starts with you and a couple of friends.