Thursday, December 26, 2019

Overpopulation Is A Problem Of Overpopulation - 1529 Words

People Beget but Land Does Not Too many people. Too little space. There are already seven and a half billion people walking on the surfaces of the earth and is believed that there will be 9.6 billion people as of 2050, according to a UN report. As time passes by, population is rapidly increasing and there will be less space for people to reside in. Scientists say that this world cannot espouse many people on the next 50 years. This crisis is fatal that can entirely obliterate the whole humankind. Overpopulation is a problem that every nation is facing but sometimes over looked by due to lack of understanding and awareness. This is a serious issue that should be taken care of immediately. Overpopulation is an undesirable situation where the number of existing human populace surpasses the carrying capability of Earth. There are main factors that are contributing overpopulation such as the rising birth rate and declining of mortality rate. Overpopulation occurs when the birth rate surpasses the mortality rate. Birth rate is currently increasing due unprotected and premarital sex. Every day, as estimated by UNICEF, there are 350,000 babies being born. That means 255 mothers are giving birth per minute or 4.3 babies are born per second. While death rate is diminishing because of the technology that improved created better medical treatments and developed high standard of public health. The number of babies born should be equal to the number of people that die in order for theShow MoreRelatedThe Problem Of Overpopulation And Overpopulation1102 Words   |  5 PagesIreland in the 1720’s, poverty and overpopulation were at a problematic rate. Many of the people who lived in England were exiled to Ireland. Many of these Englishmen felt mistreated and wronged. Ireland was a colony to England. The people of England had more money and power than the people of Ireland because England controlled Ireland. Johnathon Swift, a satirical writer, wrote â€Å"A Modest Proposal† to show the flaws of the current solutions to the overpopulation and poverty crisis in Ireland. He wantedRead MoreOverpopulation : The Problem Of Overpopulation1251 Words   |  6 PagesOverpopulation: The Top Worry Yet to be Proven by the Worried The definition of hysteria is an exaggerated or uncontrollable emotion, usually found within groups of people. An example of hysteria includes overpopulation, the futuristic â€Å"problem† that is not and will not be a dilemma in the foreseeable future. Back in 15,000 B.C., the world population was five million. Today, it is a staggering seven billion plus. This has caused unease that overpopulation will be a problem for our future generationsRead MoreOverpopulation And The Problem Of Overpopulation1388 Words   |  6 PagesTo begin with, in demography, the term overpopulation refers to a condition wherein the total population of a particular region far exceeds the carrying capacity of the region. Although the term by and large refers to the ratio between population and the available area, the ratio between the population and available resources cannot be ignored. First, the rate at which the population is growing; the data compiled by the United Nations shows that the world population grew by 30 percent betweenRead MoreOverpopulation And The Problem Of Overpopulation1747 Words   |  7 PagesOverpopulation Programs There are many organizations that deal with the problem of overpopulation or problems related to the effects of overpopulation such as environmental effects. Some of the organizations that I found related to this topic are the United Nations Population Fund, a group called Population Matters, another group called the World Population Balance and the Center for Biological Diversity. All of these groups deal with the issue of overpopulation and the effects that overpopulationRead MoreThe Problem Of Overpopulation And Overpopulation872 Words   |  4 PagesHuman overpopulation. Human population can be defined as the condition whereby, the total count of the human inhabiting a certain area exceeds the carrying capacity of the area Bongaarts, (2011). This brings out an issue of the carrying capacity of the region which alludes to the number of individuals who can inhabit a certain area for a given period. It may also be looked at as the situation whereby the available renewable resources in a certain area can satisfactorily support the current populationRead MoreOverpopulation a Problem?1464 Words   |  6 PagesIs Overpopulation a Serious Problem? This question seems to be question that is asked quite frequently lately. In the last two centuries, population has skyrocketed. In 1800 the world population was only at 1 billion, and today its estimated that the world population exceeds six billion people. With overpopulation, many problems have arisen. Some believe that overpopulation is the reason for world hunger, global population will reach crisis proportions by 2050, and some believe that overpopulationRead MoreOverpopulation : The Convoluted Problems Of Overpopulation896 Words   |  4 PagesOverpopulation The convoluted problems concerning overpopulation remain to be a highly discussed issue in various countries throughout the world. Some issues that are in support of overpopulation include the opportunity to place innovative ideas into action, aids in stimulating the economy, creates job openings in new growing industries, increased human resources, encourages competition, advancement in urbanization and development, creates a demand for industries like farming, and allows for cheaperRead MoreOverpopulation Is Not The Problem1395 Words   |  6 Pages Overpopulation Overpopulation is a prominent controversial topic among society, in which some believe the exponential growth of humanity is detrimental to its future, whereas others conclude this theory is a myth due to human nature and resources. In Isaac Asimov’s, â€Å"The Case Against Man†, he elucidated the verity of overpopulation, emphasizing that the disproportion of earth’s carrying capacity and its resources will inevitably lead to humanity’s demise. Introducing the notion thatRead MoreThe Problem Of The Overpopulation Problem1122 Words   |  5 PagesPerhaps one solution for the overpopulation problem is to provide all children, who have reached puberty with Reproductive Education License of Four (REL4). REL4 is a two-step solution program that will provide education and contraception, which will decrease the population growth. Jennifer Weeks (2015) article, â€Å"Global Population Growth,† discusses the number of women without access to birth contro l. Research conducted by a nonprofit organization showed nearly 225 million women globally, includingRead MoreOverpopulation Is Still The Problem1201 Words   |  5 PagesIn the article Overpopulation Is Still the Problem, Alon Tal (2013) claims that overpopulation remains the number one problem facing the world today and discusses various problems and possible solutions. Tal unveils the falsely assuring news stories refuting overpopulation as a problem. He particularly dissects Ellis Erle’s assertions, in the New York Times, concerning China’s seemingly magical works of technology. Erle comes to the conclusion that China’s amazing technology has and will always be

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Essay on Creationism and Grand Canyon - 755 Words

Comparative Essay Dating the Rocks of the Grand Canyon (Old Earth Comparative Essay 1 Dating the Rocks of the Grand Canyon (Old Earth vs. Young Earth) Dating the rocks of the Grand Canyon is a scientific way to find out the age of this mysterious landmark. The age of the Earth and the Grand Canyon is a question both of a biblical interpretation and scientific investigation. It can be viewed by an old earth creationist and young earth creationist. The two creationists have a difference of opinion concerning the formation and age of the Grand Canyon rocks. Old Earth View Old earth creationist see the days of Genesis as long†¦show more content†¦The Grand Canyon has plenty of volcanic rocks near the bottom and the top. ICR, Institute for Creative Research, has been involved in a project for years to date these volcanic rocks. this study has come a long way to show that many of the Grand Canyon strata could have formed rapidly, and that the erosion of the Canyon by the Colorado River has not been going on for millions of years. Comparative Essay 3 Compare and Contrast . The Grand Canyon and its age determined by the young earth and old earth scientists will always be a controversy. Either the rock dating is the evidence of millions of years, or it is largely the evidence of Noah’s Flood. It can’t be both. If we believe what the geologists says that the earth is billions of years old and shows no sign of a worldwide Flood then that belief contradicts our belief in Noah’s Flood. If we accept God’s inspired testimony regarding the Flood, we cannot logically believe in millions of years. Noah’s Flood truly washes away millions of years. The debate about the age of the earth is ultimately a question of whose word we are going to trust, the all-knowing truthful Creator who has given us His book (the Bible) or scientists who give us their books that contain maybe errors and therefore are frequently revised. If you firmly trust and carefully read the Bible and become informed on creationist interpretations of the geo logical record, you canShow MoreRelatedDating the Rocks of the Grand Canyon (Old Earth vs. Young Earth)1102 Words   |  5 Pagesyoung-Earth viewpoints on Dating the rocks of the Grand Canyon. There are different views on this and no scientific method that can prove (completely) the age of the universe or the earth. There are the use of different types of calculations that can provide some guesses on the age of the earth. Many things need to be assumed such as a beginning date and the speed of change along with varying increases and decreases of material over time. â€Å"Young-Earth Creationism† (YEC) is based on a precept that earth andRead MoreThe Center Is Growing Step1427 Words   |  6 Pagesvarious creation-oriented sciences. The graduate degrees provided four Master of Science degrees in biology, geology, astro/geophysics, and science education. The ICR also worked to provide an academic setting where students believing scientific creationism would not be discriminat ed. The Institute of Creation Research has been around for about 44 years. Having been established in 1972, the institute has been researching, educating, and communicating their ideas, hypotheses, and arguments ever sinceRead MoreThe Grand Canyon By Henry Morris1449 Words   |  6 PagesCentury alternative belief to evolution is scientific creationism. This became prevalent through the leading institute for promoting, forming, and researching the doctrine of scientific creationism: the Institute of Creation Research led by Henry Morris. One of the major research projects that the institute started was the Grand Canyon Dating Project arguing that the Grand Canyon was formed by a catastrophic event: the Flood. Scientific creationism was popularized by different individuals in the InstituteRead More Evolution: Science and Religion Essay2032 Words   |  9 Pagesnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The clash of creationism and evolution has begun once again. On one side sits the Christians and believ ers of the Holy Bible as a literal piece of history; on the other side sits scientists who dismantle any belief in any sort of God. The battles are not fought physically, but in the court systems of America. In the article â€Å"Creationists and The Grand Canyon† found in the Humanist, Glenn Branch talks about how creationists and scientists are fighting about the creation of the Grand Canyon. They areRead MoreUnderstanding Darwin s Theory Of Evolution1342 Words   |  6 PagesEpperson versus Arkansas case is propel the most known because it was the first case that dealt with this topic. It was an Arkansas school that prohibited the teaching of evolution in 1968. Thus court case is the one that change the teaching of creationism to evolution in schools around the US. In the Lemon versus Kurtzman it was basically the same primes, but the Supreme Court made a test called the Lemon Test that has three parts to it and they are: if it has a primarily religious purpose, if itRead MoreThe Theory of Evolution and Creationism Debate The subject on what goes into public school1700 Words   |  7 Pages The Theory of Evolution and Creationism Debate The subject on what goes into public school textbooks have always been an intense debate. Recently Bill Nye the Science Guy and Ken Ham held a debate on this topic on February 4, 2014 which gain over two million views. Which raised the question is creationism a viable model of origin in today’s modern scientific era (Ken Ham)? In order for one to answer this question accurately first one would need to know why this question is significant. Then theyRead MoreEvolution And Religion : The Disconnection2016 Words   |  9 Pagesmeaning that God is all-knowing, all-present and ever present. This God is also said to have designed the complexity prevalent in the nature that one observes around them. Stemming from this ideology, there are several types of creationism derived. An example of a form of creationism derived from the theory of Intelligent Design are the Young Earth Creationists. These Young Earth Creationists believe in the blatantly literal interpretation of Genesis 1:1 à ¢â‚¬â€œ 2:7.This idea of direct interpretation is a beliefRead MoreEvolution Vs Religion Vs Evolution921 Words   |  4 Pagesof the Grand Canyon there aren’t any fossils that overlap. Had there been a flood, you would expect to see animals swimming their way up towards the surface. This could cause an overlapping of their bodies. Due to all of these reasons it should be clear, yet people drastically underestimate the Earth’s age. As time advances, new confusions will arise. We have to rely on science to answer them. We should depend on science when we don’t understand something, not blindly led faith. â€Å"Creationism is largelyRead MoreCreationism Vs. Evolution Essay2859 Words   |  12 Pages(Darwin, 1927 ). Today, however, there is today a considerable body of scientific evidence that refutes this entire theory. The findings of the last 50 years both deny the possibility of Darwins theory and make a very good case for creationism. Creationism is the belief that all of life came into being suddenly, that it still exists in much the same form, and that the earth is much younger than Darwin thought. The Law of Biogenesis states that life only comes from life. The Harvard UniversityRead More Biblical Creationism versus Scientific Origin Essay example8399 Words   |  34 Pages Evolution: The change in life over long time scales by descent with modification through natural selection, except when used in astronomical context (where it refers to slow changes in stars and galaxies.) Creationism: Specifically, I use this to mean Christian young-earth creationism; the belief that Earth was created in 6 literal days as written in Genesis 1. Taxon: a division of life: kingdom, phylum, class, species, etc, or an example of such a division (Animals, Chordates, Mammals, Humans

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Strategic Human Resource Managements

Question: Write a 5 pages (minimum) written paper (APA Format) summarizing the processes you will take to accomplish your directive. Explain the needs of the company, strategies, HR departments that you will create to ensure all aspects of HR Management are accomplished. Include concepts you have learned throughout this course. Answer: Introduction Each organization is unique, and has unique requirements. In this essay, Microsoft Corporation is selected as a company to access the needs of the organization, to develop strategies and technology plan. Microsoft Corporation is an American company that has its headquarters in Washington. The company helps in developing and manufacturing software that is related with consumer electronics, personal computers etc. The best well-known product of the company includes Microsoft windows, operating system, internet explorer etc. Organization like Microsoft needs good accessible technology plan in order to increase efficiency and compatibility. Accessibility of Microsoft depends on the fundamental consideration of design, expansion, appraisal and release. The essay mainly discusses the strategies of the organization, needs of the organization, HR department. In this essay, employee motivation and retention strategy of Microsoft is discussed. Discussion The mission of Microsoft is to enable people and business throughout the world in order to realize their full potential. The mission statement of the company is considered as a commitment. Microsoft is one of the leading industries of the world in terms of accessibility and innovation. One of the most important goals of the company is to provide a structure through management that will be helpful in monitoring the performance of the organization. There must be proper use of resources in order to encourage its use. The Hr department of the company focused on sustaining profitability, employee motivation and retention strategy for the development of the company (Eberhart, 2014) There are many problems related with HR department that Microsoft is facing. The problems include discrimination, hiring problems, tough and strict leadership, surge in attribution rate and lack of competition. To solve the above-mentioned problems the HR of Microsoft focused on employee motivation and retention strategy. According to the strategy, it is very much important to improve the contact line between the employees and HR department in order to make sure about the needs, demands and sentiments of the employees should be heard, recognized and addressed effectively. This became an excellent move for Microsoft as it helps in restoring the confidence of the employees to the management. By enhancing the effectiveness of communication, the company can be capable of solving conflicts and issues that arouse among the leaders and workers. The Hr department help in assuring the employees that Microsoft has relies on which they are dependent. This helps in preventing frustration among the employees of Microsoft (Aswathappa, 2013) The board of directors of Microsoft has developed a framework known as corporate governance in order to fulfill the responsibilities of the shareholders. The Hr of Microsoft review policies and practices related with corporate governance in order to determine the use of practices and for encouraging the shareholders of the company. The governance policy of Microsoft acts as a guideline to declare that the board must have the ability and practices to review and evaluate the business corporation of the company (Stredwick, 2013). Organization like Microsoft needs good accessible technology plan in order to increase efficiency and compatibility. Therefore, the HR department implements the accessible technology plan. Accessibility of Microsoft depends on the fundamental consideration of design, expansion, appraisal and release. The company endeavors in order to integrate accessibility in planning, design, expansion, taxing and certification as discussed by Bhanji (2012). The company addresses accessibility by continuing the long-term understanding commitment and leadership process. The company introduces accessibility strategy by making the computers easier to see and hear. Promotion of innovation that are related with accessibility. The promotion of innovative strategies helps in developing the community, working condition in the organization etc. (lee et al., 2012) Network strategy is one of the most important aspects that is implement by the HR of the company. This is due to the reason that each window product is compatible with other window product. The company helps in facilitating the next generation to move industries by introducing some new technologies and logic. Microsoft office does not do every type of office work such as presentation, accounting programs and CVs etc. Microsoft Corporation upgrades all this applications and that is the reason that next generation can access their industries using technologies. The promotion of innovative strategies helps in developing the community, working condition in the organization etc. (Hems et al.,2013) To impress the employees, the HR department of Microsoft implemented many changes including health, benefits, availability of food childcare benefits and other type of discounts. The strategy is known as employee benefit strategy. For its successful implementation, the HR of the company always communicates with the team members in order to execute the process suitably. Service legislation is varying day by day, so it is one of the important tasks of the HR departments of Microsoft to stay up to date. It must be ensured that the internal HR policies of the company must also be kept up to date which will assist in providing convincing and realistic suggestion. One of the most important tasks of HR department of Microsoft is to create good public relation. The HR department of the organization helps in organizing business meetings, seminars, social gatherings etc. Hr department of the organization involves in recruiting, motivating new employees, helps in creating a safe workplace for t he employees of Microsoft (Chen et al., 2014) The last solution that is used by the HR department of the company is new workplace strategy. The aim of the company is to encourage effective communication. The employees of the company are clustered jointly according to the roles and tasks in order to formulate a strong solid team. The move was very much useful for Microsoft as there will be more unity among the team members. By making changes in the environment, means there will be more co-operation and unity that is considered as one of the most important resource for the company. (Stone, 2013) For further growth and development Microsoft needs to focus on the training of the employees in order to improve the versatility. Training helps in improving skills and knowledge of the employees. This became very much useful in handling challenging situations. There must be proper use of resources in order to encourage the efficient use of resources. The HR department must helps in strengthening and safeguarding the culture of business integrity. The company should endeavors in order to integrate accessibility in planning, design, expansion, taxing and certification. The HR should addresses accessibility by continuing the long-term understanding commitment and leadership process. It must be ensured that the internal HR policies of the company must also be kept up to date which will assist in providing convincing and realistic suggestion. Conclusion It is concluded that development of proper strategies, policies, HR department is very much necessary for a company in order to achieve their goals and objectives. To solve problems like discrimination, hiring problems, tough and strict leadership, surge in attribution rate and lack of competition. The HR of Microsoft focused on employee motivation and retention strategy. There must be proper use of resources in order to encourage the efficient use of resources. The HR department helps in strengthening and safeguarding the culture of business integrity. The company endeavors in order to integrate accessibility in planning, design, expansion, taxing and certification. The HR addresses accessibility by continuing the long-term understanding commitment and leadership process. It is the responsibility of every employee to provide its personal detail like marital status, address and private health information to the HR of the company. Therefore, by using employee motivation and retention strategy the HR of the company became successful in encouraging the employees. Reference Aswathappa, K. (2013).Human resource management: Text and cases. Tata McGraw-Hill Education. Bhanji, Z. (2012). Transnational private authority in education policy in Jordan and South Africa: The case of Microsoft Corporation.Comparative Education Review,56(2), 300-319. Bhanji, Z. (2012). Transnational private authority in education policy in Jordan and South Africa: The case of Microsoft Corporation.Comparative Education Review,56(2), 300-319. Chen, L. J., Su, C. W., Tsai, R. Y., Wong, M. L., Yu, Y. C. (2014).U.S. Patent No. 8,838,689. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Eberhart, R. C. (Ed.). (2014).Neural network PC tools: a practical guide. Academic Press. Hems, A., Soofi, A., Perez, E. (2013). How innovative oil and gas companies are using big data to outmaneuver the competition.Microsoft White Pap. Lee, C. H., Soong, F. K., Paliwal, K. (Eds.). (2012).Automatic speech and speaker recognition: advanced topics(Vol. 355). Springer Science Business Media.

Monday, December 2, 2019

My Two Jobs free essay sample

I have two jobs. Seems like a lot of responsibility for a senior in high school, right? Well, it is, but I’m not in the mood to complain. So, prepare yourself, because I’m going to trick you. My first job is a pretty original one for someone my age. I work five hours a week with a psychologist in social-skills groups for school-age boys who need help. My job is to be there for support and as a role model by showing them a point of view they are more apt to relate to since I am close to their age. It’s a very interesting job and I love it. It teaches me leadership skills and helps me get in touch with my feelings. But that job isn’t really that important. See, I tricked you, didn’t I? What? That’s not the subject of his essay? No, it’s my other job that I recently began working at full-time: existing. We will write a custom essay sample on My Two Jobs or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page No, I don’t have a job that exists; my actual job is the act of existing. The pay is lousy, the hours are absurd (24/7), and my co-workers can be a pain, but I am learning so much that I couldn’t care less about the negatives. The reason I say that I only recently started working full-time at existing is because, before (for 17 years actually) my existence was very wishy-washy. I often came to work late, I left early, I didn’t come to meetings, I rarely got the memo, and I never went to the company picnic or softball game. Metaphors aside, I have spent an overwhelming majority of my life away from the action. I’ve been afraid to commit myself to activities for fear of what people might think of me. I haven’t tried new things for fear of being bad at them. I haven’t talked to new people because I was afraid they wouldn’t like me. I never had any passions. I never put myself on the line for something that interested me. That was my part-time existence. No one knew about me. It’s not like I could blame them. I did, of course, but it wasn’t ever reasonable. Now, however, I have started coming to work more often. It began, as all things do, with a round object. A hacky sack. I brought one to school. People soon realized I was good at it. I was a phenomenon. I wasn’t a pro, but I was better than everyone else. â€Å"That Ben kid is pretty good at weird stuff, isn’t he? I guess that’s kinda cool,† they said. My activities widened to circus arts. I can juggle, ride a unicycle, use a diabolo masterfully, and walk tightropes. Gradually people heard about this, and much to my surprise, I wasn’t the â€Å"freak,† I was the â€Å"quiet guy who can do awesome things.† This year I almost single-handedly founded the Comedy Club at school. I am the president and I have started doing open-mic stand-up in New York City. It’s a passion. And it’s mine. And it’s thrilling. There’s this incredible feeling that I can’t believe I’ve been missing out on. I get this rushing, high-tempo, blood-pumping feeling when I’m out there putting myself at the mercy of the crowd. Why didn’t anyone tell me about this before? It’s such a shame that I only just began working full-time. The workplace seemed incredibly dull without me. But I’m finally here. I just want a two-week vacation every year and dental.

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

The Complete AP Biology Review Guide for 2019

The Complete AP Biology Review Guide for 2019 SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Reviewing for the AP Biology exam can seem daunting. There's so much material to cover, and much of it is highly complex. However, if you plan your time well and use appropriate study materials and strategies, you can expect a great score on the exam. In this article, I'll give you an overview of what the AP Biology exam is like, what you need to know to ace it, and how you can use your study time effectively before the exam on Monday, May 14, 2018 at 8 am! What's the Format of the AP Biology Exam? The AP Biology Exam is a long test, three hours long to be exact. Like other AP tests, it has two parts, a multiple-choice section and a free-response section (each of which is worth 50 percent of your score), although these sections are divided further into different types of questions. The multiple choice section has 63 actual multiple-choice questions and six grid-in questions, which are essentially short-answer math problems. This section is one hour and 30 minutes total. Each multiple choice question has four choices, down from five in earlier versions of the exam. Even though you technically have more than a minute for each question, I would recommend keeping your time under a minute per multiple-choice question on your first pass through the section. You should also take into account the fact that the grid-in questions may be more time-consuming. There is no guessing penalty, so you should answer every question even if you have no idea which choice is correct (after you've tried to figure it out of course!). The free-response section has eight questions total: six short-response questions and two long-response questions. This section takes up the remaining hour and thirty minutes of time. There is a 10 minute reading period at the beginning of the free response section. You'll need to pace yourself wisely on this section as well. Try to spend no more than five minutes on each short free-response question. Even though they technically come after the long questions, I'd recommend doing the short questions first to get yourself warmed up. If you manage your time well, you'll have at least 20-25 minutes left for each of the long free-response questions. Here's a chart showing the format of the exam. Multiple-Choice Section Free-Response Section Length 90 minutes 90 minutes Number of Questions 63 multiple choice 6 grid-in 6 short response 2 long response Percentage of Total Score 50% 50% The AP Biology exam is a marathon, not a sprint. If it helps, during the test you can think about how lucky you are to be taking a test and not running an actual marathon. What Do Questions Look Like on the AP Biology Exam? Here's an example of a multiple-choice question you might see on the AP Biology exam: You don't necessarily need lots of in-depth biology knowledge to answer this. The answer is A because the total volume of gas wouldn't change (and oxygen consumption would be unmeasurable) unless the carbon dioxide produced by the organisms was removed from the environment. You can see this from the information contained in the question. This question is part of a group of three questions that pertain to the experiment and data chart. You'll see many question clusters like this in the multiple-choice section. Here's an example of a grid-in question: The grid-ins are usually straightforward math problems that relate to biological concepts (the answer to this question is 60). Note that you are allowed to use a calculator on the exam, and you'll get a list of formulas that pertain to the course along with your testing materials. Here's an example of a short free-response question from the 2013 exam: This question requires an understanding of how evolution shapes the formation of new species (one of the "Big Ideas" of AP biology, which I'll talk about in the next section). To get the correct answer, you have to know the facts about evolution, but you also need to be able to apply that knowledge to make inferences about this specific scenario. This is why a deeper understanding of the main topics in AP Biology is so critical- the difference between knowing the facts about something and comprehending how it works can be surprisingly large. Here's an example of a long free-response question: This question is also heavier on analysis than straight up biology knowledge. You need to be able to read and understand the graphs and table so you can use them to inform your answer to the question. Once again, an understanding of evolution and the ability to apply that knowledge to a specific scenario is critical. What Topics Does the AP Biology Exam Cover? The College Board says in its Course Description that AP Biology has changed its focus from the more memorization-based curriculum that defined the course and exam in the past. The goal is for students to gain a deeper conceptual understanding of topics in biology. Reasoning skills and knowledge of the process of scientific inquiry are more important on the current AP Biology test than they have been before. The College Board has tried to structure the exam so that content knowledge and reasoning skills are intertwined. This can be both good and bad: the good is that you won't necessarily have to memorize as many little tidbits of information, the bad is that it can be harder to study for a test like this that covers more abstract forms of knowledge. More on how to manage this in the "How to Review" section! The exam and curriculum as a whole will be centered around your understanding of these four "Big Ideas," which each cover a bunch of different topics. Your success on the exam rests on being able to connect specific concepts with the overarching Big Ideas that define the course. Big Idea 1: The process of evolution drives the diversity and unity of life Includes: Natural selection Hardy-Weinberg Biodiversity and categorization of organisms Charles Darwin married his first cousin. You'd think he would know better. Big Idea 2: Biological systems utilize free energy and molecular building blocks to grow, to reproduce and to maintain dynamic homeostasis Includes: Molecular biology Biological systems and reactions Photosynthesis Cellular respiration Cell structure Cell membrane properties (diffusion and osmosis, proteins) Thermodynamics/homeostasis Immune response Photosynthesis is way more elegant than eating. Then again, flowers will never taste ice cream, so I kinda feel sorry for them. Big Idea 3: Living systems store, receive, transmit and respond to information essential to life processes Includes: Genes and gene mutations DNA/RNA Cell cycle (mitosis, meiosis) and cell communication Mendel and laws of inheritance Viruses Endocrine system Nervous system Deoxyribonucleic acid: It's DNAmazing!â„ ¢ Big Idea 4: Biological systems interact, and these systems and their interactions possess complex properties Includes: Enzymes Plant structure and systems Circulatory system Digestive system Musculoskeletal system Ecological principles Fun digestive system fact: If you eat a watermelon seed, a watermelon will grow inside your stomach. The ideal climate for watermelon growth is 96 degrees and highly acidic. Apart from background knowledge of this content, it's also important to understand your labs and the basic underlying principles that govern scientific experiments. If you know the ins and outs of experimental design, you'll earn a lot of points on the exam. I recommend the CliffsNotes AP Biology 4th Edition review book as a helpful resource for going over labs, but you should also look back at what you did in your class. I'll provide more details on this in the next few sections. Important Lab Topics Include: Artificial Selection Modeling Evolution Comparing DNA Sequences Diffusion and Osmosis Photosynthesis Cellular Respiration Mitosis and Meiosis Bacterial Transformation Restriction Enzyme Analysis of DNA Energy Dynamics Transpiration Animal Behavior Enzyme Catalysis Microscopes show us that the world around us is far creepier and grosser than we ever imagined. AP Biology Review Preview: Important Tips to Keep in Mind In this section, I'll give you some preliminary study tips that will help you get the most out of your AP Biology review time. Tip 1: Plan Out Your Time First of all, you should think about how much time you have left before the AP test. This will affect the structure of your study plan. If you're taking other AP classes or have a lot of commitments in general, you might want to start earlier depending on your confidence with the material. Consider your schedule and the time you're willing to spend on AP Biology. Since there's so much content in this course, I think 20 hours of studying is a reasonable goal. However, if you find that you're already scoring at a high level (a high 4 or anywhere in the 5 range), you might aim for just 10 hours or so. You should balance your time relatively evenly between studying the material and taking practice tests. In AP Biology, you might benefit from devoting a bit more time to practice testing. Since the test is now more targeted towards assessing analytical skills, practicing real AP questions may help you more than memorizing content (although both are still important!). I'll give you more information about how to use practice tests and review materials effectively in the next few sections. Tip 2: Use Appropriate Review Materials The importance of using the right review materials can't be overstated, especially in the case of AP Biology. With the recent changes to the test, it's critical that you don't use old study materials and assume they will give you all the tools you need to succeed in the new format. From reading student feedback on many AP Biology review books, it seems like some prep companies have struggled to adapt their practice questions and review methods to this version of the test. However, there are still resources out there that can help you. Review books that people found most useful include CliffsNotes AP Biology 5th Edition for content review and Sterling AP Biology Practice Questions for practice questions that will give you a good sense of what the new test is like. Pearson's Preparing for the AP Biology Exam book also has some good reviews and may be a nice source of practice free response questions. Strangely enough, the most popular prep companies, like Princeton Review and Barron's, have been less successful in updating their review materials to match the new test. If you get their review books, you should supplement them with practice questions from other sources. Avoid using practice questions that come from exams before the 2013 test, when the changes were implemented. You might still be able to use them to refresh your memory on certain topics, but they won't really prepare you for the more analytical framework of questions on the current test. Tip 3: Memorization Isn't Enough Even though AP Biology still involves a fair amount of memorization, you shouldn't focus exclusively on content knowledge and assume you'll do great on the test. Questions will test your critical thinking skills and logical reasoning abilities along with your knowledge of biology. That's why it's so important to spend a significant amount of time doing practice questions in addition to content review. Don't let the test surprise you! Tip 4: Don't Forget About Labs Revisiting old labs is not super fun (well, it wasn't for me), so you might be tempted to ignore them and just focus on studying content outside of the lab context. Try to avoid this temptation! Go through your labs, and make sure you understand their methodologies and the reasoning behind the results. Understanding the scientific method and the components of a good experiment is absolutely key on the AP Bio exam. The more lab review you do, the more comfortable you'll feel during the test. Remember the lab where you melted down entire trees into a mysterious green serum? No? Well then, you better get studying! How to Review for the AP Biology Exam When you're studying for the exam, follow the five steps below to make sure your AP Bio review is as effective as possible. Step 1: Take a Diagnostic Test The first step of your AP Biology review is to take a practice exam so you can see how much you'll need to study (and which areas need the most work). You should take your first complete practice test no later than the beginning of your second semester. You can use a practice exam from a review book or search online for a practice test. The review books I mentioned in the previous section have some good materials. When you take a practice test, make sure it's the new version of the exam. If you see practice tests that have 100 multiple choice questions in the first section, you're looking at an old version of the AP Biology Exam. You won't be able to rely on your scores on this version to get a clear picture of where you fall on the new test. Step 2: Calculate Your Score and Set a New Goal Once you've taken a diagnostic test, you can calculate your score on the 1-5 AP scale. According to the CliffsNotes review book that I mentioned above, you can calculate your score using the following method: Multiply the number of questions you answered correctly in section 1 (multiple choice and grid-in) by 0.725 Multiply the number of points you earned in section 2 by 1.25 Add those two numbers together to get your raw score Then convert the raw score to an AP score: Raw Composite Score AP Score 60-100 5 50-59 4 41-49 3 33-40 2 0-32 1 For example, if you got 42 questions correct on the multiple choice/grid-in section and earned 25 points on the free response section, your raw score would be (42*.725) + (25*1.25) = 61.7 = just barely made it into the 5 category! This is without taking the curve into account, which is different every year, but it should give you a rough idea of where you stand. Unless you're scoring a really high 5 (90+), you should still put in a bit of study time to make sure you're fully prepared. If you score low (a 1 or a 2), you might make it your goal to raise your score to a 3. Just keep in mind that some schools don't accept 3s for college credit, so you may want to aim higher after you make it to this first milestone. Most colleges consider a 4 to be the standard cutoff for AP credit, so you should try for at least a 4 if you're hoping to get a head start in college. Once you're consistently scoring in the 3 range, you can set a 4 or 5 as your goal. Even if you're already at the 4 or 5 level, you probably still have some room to improve. It's nice to get in some extra practice so that you feel very comfortable on the real test. Depending on how much you need to improve and how long you want to spread out your studying, you might come up with different plans. To improve by one AP score point, you can get away with studying only two months or so in advance. If you're hoping to improve by 2 or more AP score points, you should try to start midway through the school year if you want to avoid cramming. Confidence is key. If you need to wear a business suit to the test to make yourself feel in control, go for it (I am not responsible for the relentless mocking you will endure from your peers). Step 3: Analyze Your Mistakes This is the most critical part of the review process, and it's particularly important for AP Biology. There's a lot of material to learn, and you don't want to waste time going over concepts that you already have down. Comb through your mistakes on the diagnostic test to see where the most errors happened and why. Did your problems center more around lack of knowledge of background information or difficulty analyzing the scenarios presented to you on the test (you knew the information, but you couldn't get the question because it confused you)? You will most likely have a little of each type of problem, but if one is more prevalent than the other, you should take that into account for your studying strategy. For example, it wouldn't be a good idea to keep drilling yourself on basic content knowledge if most of your mistakes came in the form of misinterpreting complex questions or reading diagrams incorrectly. You would want to devote less of your time to reviewing biological terms and more of your time to doing real practice questions. Even in those cases, you'll probably still have at least a few issues with content knowledge. As you go through your mistakes, keep a running list of the ideas you need to revisit in your notes or review book. If you're caught off guard by your unfamiliarity with a certain topic, you should pay special attention to that topic in your studying. You may also notice mistakes due to carelessness or time pressure that aren't directly related to your knowledge of the material or understanding of the question. In this case, you'll need to think about revising your basic test-taking strategies. In the next step, I'll go into more detail on this. Do some practice test detective work! I think this is a detective. Either that or a random guy smoking a pipe and trying to figure out how bad the pimple on his nose looks. Step 4: Fix Your Mistakes There are a few things you can do to revise your strategies for taking the exam and effectively review concepts that you didn't understand. The obvious first step is to go back into your textbook, your notes, or a reliable review book (or even all three!) and brush up on the information you forgot. Sometimes for biology, this is a little overwhelming because of the complexity of the material. If you're trying to understand systems or processes, I'd recommend testing yourself by drawing diagrams of how they work. This will allow you to make connections between dry facts presented in the text and the biological reality of what's happening in the system. It will help you not only in your content knowledge but also in your ability to analyze related scenarios on the test. You can use this strategy for many concepts in AP Biology, and it will make them much simpler to understand. To correct your other mistakes that have more to do with question comprehension, you'll need to focus on doing similar practice questions. I'd recommend getting this book of Sterling AP Biology Practice Questions for some questions that are organized logically by topic area and well-aligned with the new exam format. More practice is also a good remedy for careless errors and time management problems. You can learn how to better identify the key parts of each question and avoid distractions that might throw you off. Underlining the most important parts of the question can be a good strategy if you're prone to careless errors. If time management is a problem, put some thought into why you ran out of time. Did you linger for too long on difficult questions? Remember, it's a smart idea to skip questions that are giving you a lot of trouble (not answerable within a minute) and come back to them later once you've gotten through the whole section. Practice makes perfect. Maybe you can compose an AP Biology song to help you remember stuff. "Now enzymes....BREAK IT DOWN!" Step 5: Take Another Test and Repeat Previous Steps Now that you've analyzed and fixed your mistakes on the diagnostic test and done some more targeted studying, it's time to take another practice test. Score the new test, then repeat steps 3 and 4. You should notice improvements as you continue to repeat this process and gain familiarity with the format and content of the test. If you don't notice positive changes from one test to the next, it may be time to reevaluate your review techniques. Depending on how early you start studying and how much you want to improve, you might go through these steps once, twice, or seven times. You can continue the process until you achieve your score goals or run out of study time! Conclusion The AP Biology test is a long exam, and it covers a wide range of material. Recently, the test was updated to focus less on information recall and more on analytical thinking, which can be good and bad. You won't have to rely on memorization as much, but your score will be highly dependent on your ability to think through complicated scenarios that are presented on the test. In your AP Biology review, you should still go over all of the information you learned in the course. However, you should also devote a significant amount of your time to practice testing so that you can learn to think the way the test wants you to think. If you plan your study time wisely and learn how to solve the types of questions that are most difficult for you, you'll be on your way to a great score! What's Next? Ready to jump into reviewing biology concepts? We have guides to help you review cell theory, enzymes, and homologous and analogous structures, as well as quick looks at parts of the cell (cell membrane and endoplasmic reticulum) and the photosynthesis equation. Wondering exactly how much time you have before your AP tests? Here are the AP test dates and times for 2020. If you're in AP Biology, you should consider taking the Biology SAT Subject Test as well. Find out the difference between AP tests and SAT Subject Tests and which are more important for college. Considering an AP Calculus course? Read this article for some guidance on deciding whether you should take AP Calculus AB or BC. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Saturday, November 23, 2019

A Way Of Life essays

A Way Of Life essays "A way of life." Many people use this expression as a way to talk about their subsistence and how they perceive their everyday life. What they fail to recognize, however, is the fact that their way of living is connected in a much broader category than they think. Anthropologists study these categories broad, narrow, present, and past to try and find out what exactly a "way of life" was for individual cultures. By studying these cultures Anthropologists try and deduce different methods of survival. They have also discovered a few major social institutions that all cultures have a common bond together. These social institutions are the basis for which culture is founded. In order for a culture to become distinct from other cultures it has to apply different rules and change around these institutions. Anthropologists use these social institutional changes to understand the development of a culture and their way of being. They research these processes through fieldwork mostly. By using fieldwork as a means of research they can directly observe, interview, survey, and then analyze the situation. This gives them the advantage of seeing with their own eyes what happens within a culture. Fieldwork and the analysis of the fieldwork will be the basis on which this paper will investigate the social institution of subsistence and economics among a subgroup of our culture. One of the defining aspects of culture is subsistence. Through subsistence you can find out how a culture has survived or what they did wrong that caused them to become extinct. This is based on the fact that a group has to adapt to their environment for the basic elements needed to survive. These basic elements are: food, shelter, technology, and clothing (clothes are necessary in some environments). How a group utilizes their environment places them into one of the four categories of subsistence styles. These four known categories are: hunting and gathering, fish...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Kinds of probation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Kinds of probation - Research Paper Example It is worth noting that pretrial probation is one whereby the offender is put on probation in a government-offender arrangement prior to sentencing or a final court decision. The frequency of contact with the probation officer and conditions will depend mainly on the nature of the crime involved. Informal probation, involves  the offender being put on probation but with minimal supervision and contact with the officer and is usually administered to o9ffenders of petty crimes. Supervised probation, on the other hand is the type whereby the court subjects the offender to conditions that he/she should abide by. These may include regular check-ins with the probation officer and fulfilling other conditions such as abiding by the laws, reimbursement for ones results of misdeeds and submission to arbitrary drug tests. Frequency of contact with the officer may range from weekly visits to monthly phone calls and failure to abide by any of the conditions lead to an inevitable jail term. Comm unity control and residential probation are related in that, the offender is monitored and supervised wherever they are by either use of ankle tags or through confinement in a residential area. Shock probation and split sentence both involve the partial probation time and partial jail/prison time. However they differ in that, in shock probation, the offender is given the highest sentence available under the law but after a short period of time in prison, they are subjected to supervised probation in a bid to make them abide by the terms and conditions of the probation. The split sentence probation on the other hand, subjects the offender to partially serving their sentence in jail and under probation depending on the type of crime and the sentenced time. Probation officers are the individuals tasked with the role of administering the terms and conditions of the probations as specified by the court and the guideline that of the

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Movie Application Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Movie Application Paper - Essay Example Plot summary The King’s Speech is a biopic on King George VI the father of the current British Queen Elizabeth II. The story is built up in the year 1934 with King George V looking for a successor to the throne. His eldest son, the Prince of Wales is having an affair with a divorcee, Wallis Simpson and is not fit to occupy the throne. Hence, the option to become the ceremonial head of this country lies with the young prince, Bertie who has a stammering problem. He suffers from stammering when he was around 4 or 5 years of age and this prevents the prince from attending any public speaking function. During this time, he turns to an Australian speech therapist, Lionel Logue to cure him of his speech impediment. The many subtle moments in the film, sketching the agonies that the prince suffered in childhood and the panic he experiences upon the death of his father and the abdication of the throne by the elder brother has been well portrayed in the movie. The movie details the jou rney of a prince suffering from a speech impediment and the manner in which he overcame this hindrance with the aid of his friend, the Australian speech therapist, Lionel Logue. ... Intrapersonal conflict is that which develops in the minds of an individual. Hence, conflict may be best explained as a behavior or conduct. On the other hand, interpersonal conflict has to occur between two persons. This movie has well depicted the interpersonal conflict between the prince and the speech therapist. Interpersonal conflict may be explained as a struggle which is expressed and takes place between two independent individuals having the perception of incompatible objectives. Intrapersonal conflict The intrapersonal conflict depicted in this movie, is the inner fear of the prince of public speech given his speech impediment. The movie has well depicted the traumatic childhood of the young prince which made him stammer. The manner in which he was strictly controlled by the nanny and certain events which made him lose his confidence and in fact fear the very thought of speaking in public display interpersonal conflict. Interpersonal conflict and power In this movie, interpe rsonal conflict, in the first half of the movie has been displayed between the prince and his speech therapist. It has been observed that disagreement is the fundamental element in all conflicts. However, not all disagreements may be termed as conflicts. A conflict is a situation in which both parties rely on each other; in a way that the conduct of each independent party may impact the other. Power may also lead to conflicts. In this movie, the first instance of expert power has been depicted. In this case, the king has to comply with the directions of his speech therapist mainly because his speech therapist has expertise in curing speech impediments. Despite the fact that the king commands legitimate power, he has to obey the rules laid down by his

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Bush and Obama Essay Example for Free

Bush and Obama Essay Democracy is generally understood to be the voice of the people in the governance of a nation. In this ‘rule of the people,’ the common folks have the power to control their own policies, that is, how they want to be ruled; and the elected leaders of the people are required to apply reason when listening to the voice of the people in planning and decision making. President George W. Bush was often blamed for refusing to listen to the voice of the people. He took America to two wars, thereby disturbing world peace. Following the Iraq War, he continued to consider taking aggressive action against foreign peoples that he believed to be enemies of the United States. , e. g. the Iranians. What is more, the Americans remained adamant about criticizing his foreign policy in particular. Yet, he did not always pursue the interests of the American people. Because democracy is good, and President Bush did not follow its fundamental principle, that is, listening to the voice of the people – he was not a good president. In fact, the American government seemed to have turned its back on democracy during the presidency of George W. Bush. The conflict in Iraq consumed a huge part of the U. S. budget. This issue remained as a matter of contention between the United States government and the people of America for several years. According to a CBS News Poll conducted in 2007, two-thirds of the Americans believed that violence in Iraq may be beyond the U. S. military’s ability to manage, and only 25 percent believed that the U. S. military could be helpful in reducing violence. Moreover, 63 percent of Americans disapproved of the president’s plan to send more troops into Iraq (â€Å"Poll: Most Doubt Iraq Peace, Iran Threat,† 2007). Seeing that the American people were the ultimate beneficiaries of peace through the end of the conflict in Iraq, and it was their tax money that the Bush government was expending on troops; it would have been appropriate for the president to withdraw U. S. troops from Iraq when the majority of Americans were asking for it. By withdrawing its troops from Iraq, the United States would have released the finances that were tied up for troop buildup in the foreign country. Those funds, once released, should have been used by the government in solving the health care crisis facing America. Unfortunately, however, the Bush government did not take a wise stance to resolve the health care issues facing America. Furthermore, the Bush government left America in dire straits as far as economic conditions are concerned. Current President Barack Obama Americans had been asked even before the presidential elections of 2008 about issues that may influence their votes. The majority of prospective voters, that is, eighty-seven percent of those that had participated in the research, had indicated that the deteriorating state of the U. S. economy would definitely influence their votes. The second most important issue happened to be energy, backed by seventy-seven percent of the research participants (â€Å"More Americans Question Religions Role In Politics,† 2008). Unsurprisingly, President Barack Obama had indicated before the elections that his Number One priority in the office of president of the United States would be to â€Å"build a new alternative-energy economy,† combining the two dominant issues in the minds of the prospective voters (Klein, 2008). For the reason that Barack Obama knew the mind of America and agreed with it one hundred percent, he is sure to be a friend of democracy and an improvement over George W. Bush. Once it was determined that Barack Obama would, indeed, assume the role of U. S. president, that is, a manager of the prosperity of the nation, voters in the presidential election 2008 were asked about the dominant issue to have influenced their votes. The response was not quite different. The feeble state of the U. S. economy was declared the most important issue to have influenced American votes for the new president. In fact, at least six out of ten voters participating in the research reported that the economic recession of 2008 is the most significant problem facing America (â€Å"Inside Obama’s Sweeping Victory,† 2008). To put it another way, Barack Obama was seen as most capable of handling the financial crisis facing the nation. Based on the principles of democracy, because Americans understand how their country must be managed, they must be judged as correct in their belief that President Obama would, indeed, help America out of the economic crisis. Obama Looks Better in History Books Hundred Years from Now Philip Elliott writes that â€Å"Barack Obama tapped into Ohio voters fears about the economy and their desire for change† (Elliott, 2008). Ohio was, of course, an important state for the election of George W. Bush. They had backed him because of the values they believed he personified. This time they backed Barack Obama because of the financial crisis facing the country (Elliott). Barack Obama was promising change to America. Nathan Gonzales of the Rotherberg Political Report states that â€Å"the American electorate was really primed for change† (Young, 2008). Bill Clinton and Al Gore had entered the White House with a program for economic renewal (Conason, 2008). As the leader of their Democratic Party now, President Obama is expected to continue their legacy and help America retrieve its prosperity. Joe Conason writes that economic programs created by the Democrats usually succeed in promoting economic growth because they tend to â€Å"distribute national wealth more widely than the Republican tradition of trickle-down† (Conason). This is backed by statistics, according to the author. Thus, Americans are expecting Barack Obama to somehow turn the current economic recession into economic growth. Once President Obama has succeeded in achieving this goal for America, he will be recognized as an American hero – a designation that was historically reserved for the whites alone. Moreover, being the first black president in the White House, President Obama is sure to work smarter not only to live up to American expectations but also to reverse the damages inflicted upon the country by the theory of racism. Bush may be compared to his father, if not the other white presidents of the United States. But, Obama is truly unique. In history books written hundred years from now, it is Obama’s name that will be remembered with greater fondness. Unlike Bush, the new president of the United States will provide relief to America from distress. He brings change, after all. Bush, on the contrary, had brought distress. This is the main reason why John McCain, despite his strong background in politics, was not chosen as America’s darling in the presidential election 2008. He reminded the Americans of George W. Bush (Young). References Conason, J. (2008, Dec 3). Obama’s Winning Argument. Salon. Retrieved Mar 21, 2009, from http://www. salon. com/opinion/conason/2008/11/01/obama_closing_argument/. Elliot, P. (2008, Nov 5). Obama Rides Economic Worries to Victory in Ohio. USA Today. Retrieved Mar 21, 2009, from http://www. usatoday. com/news/politics/2008-11-04-2264020452_x. htm. Inside Obama’s Sweeping Victory. (2008, Nov 5). The Pew Research Center for the People the Press. Retrieved Mar 21, 2009, from http://pewresearch. org/pubs/1023/exit-poll-analysis-2008. Klein, J. (2008, Oct 22). Why Barack Obama is Winning. Time. Retrieved Mar 21, 2009, from http://www. time. com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1853025-1,00. html. More Americans Question Religions Role In Politics. (2008, Aug 21). The Pew Research Center for the People the Press. Retrieved Mar 21, 2009, from http://people-press. org/report/? pageid=1364. Poll: Most Doubt Iraq Peace, Iran Threat. (2007, Feb 12). CBS News. Retrieved Mar 21, 2009, from http://www. cbsnews. com/stories/2007/02/12/opinion/polls/main2464626. shtml. Young, J. (2008, Nov 6). Obama Victory Reflects Solid Campaign, Shaky Economy. VOA News. Retrieved Mar 21, 2009, from http://www. voanews. com/english/2008-11-06-voa18. cfm.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Human equality does not trump that of Nature Essay -- Persuasive, W

My argument that I will make will be that the speaker arrives at the conclusion that he, as well as the human race, is equal to nature. Through the use of a series of examples, I will make my point that both the human race and nature are considered to be equal in array of aspects that are debatable. Through a series of questioning from the child that is reflected back to the child by the speaker, the speaker attempts to take a crack at the meaning of nature’s evidence. E.g. in section 6 the child poses a question which seems to be directed at the speaker, " what is this grass?" Fetching it to me with full hands; How could I answer the child? I do not know what it is any more than he."(99-100) The tone the speaker held was once jubilant and self-praising that ousted the need for criticism of natures grass or it’s flags, and stated " I celebrated myself, and sing myself, â€Å"(1) He does not question and analyze the world as it evolves and blossoms around him until he m oves from his loafing phase. Instead the speaker insists upon observing the motions of nature for example " I loafe and invite my soul, I lean and loafe at my ease observing a spear of summer grass."(4-5) This simple observation is not matched with any sort of debate from the speaker. Instead the speaker leans and loafs and does nothing but enjoy himself in the whims of the summer grass. In the speaker’s effortless state, I would claim that he is similar to a child who coddles in the act of doing nothing. This glorification of the speaker goes out on a whim and outstretches to welcome a deserving partner to join in the loafing as specified in section 5 " Loafe with me on the grass, loose the stop from your throat, not words not music or rhyme I want, not custom or lecture... ... life. The life of a human is then set to change regardless of nature’s input or any other human’s inputs for that matter because every human life holds different meanings and routines. Whitman drives my point home in saying â€Å"And to die is different from what anyone supposed and luckier†. (130) Whitman seems to be implying here that no one can predict the way one person will die and in that sense we are lucky to live a life that is left unobserved on a constant basis and to be at peace is a true gift to be cherished, which goes hand in hand with our death. In the end I would say the speaker has come to recognize nature as having some amount of power, but an equalitarian outlook on life seems to be a viewpoint that Whitman peers through by posing a series of questions that are open-ended and aimed at checking and balancing the power of both humans and nature. Human equality does not trump that of Nature Essay -- Persuasive, W My argument that I will make will be that the speaker arrives at the conclusion that he, as well as the human race, is equal to nature. Through the use of a series of examples, I will make my point that both the human race and nature are considered to be equal in array of aspects that are debatable. Through a series of questioning from the child that is reflected back to the child by the speaker, the speaker attempts to take a crack at the meaning of nature’s evidence. E.g. in section 6 the child poses a question which seems to be directed at the speaker, " what is this grass?" Fetching it to me with full hands; How could I answer the child? I do not know what it is any more than he."(99-100) The tone the speaker held was once jubilant and self-praising that ousted the need for criticism of natures grass or it’s flags, and stated " I celebrated myself, and sing myself, â€Å"(1) He does not question and analyze the world as it evolves and blossoms around him until he m oves from his loafing phase. Instead the speaker insists upon observing the motions of nature for example " I loafe and invite my soul, I lean and loafe at my ease observing a spear of summer grass."(4-5) This simple observation is not matched with any sort of debate from the speaker. Instead the speaker leans and loafs and does nothing but enjoy himself in the whims of the summer grass. In the speaker’s effortless state, I would claim that he is similar to a child who coddles in the act of doing nothing. This glorification of the speaker goes out on a whim and outstretches to welcome a deserving partner to join in the loafing as specified in section 5 " Loafe with me on the grass, loose the stop from your throat, not words not music or rhyme I want, not custom or lecture... ... life. The life of a human is then set to change regardless of nature’s input or any other human’s inputs for that matter because every human life holds different meanings and routines. Whitman drives my point home in saying â€Å"And to die is different from what anyone supposed and luckier†. (130) Whitman seems to be implying here that no one can predict the way one person will die and in that sense we are lucky to live a life that is left unobserved on a constant basis and to be at peace is a true gift to be cherished, which goes hand in hand with our death. In the end I would say the speaker has come to recognize nature as having some amount of power, but an equalitarian outlook on life seems to be a viewpoint that Whitman peers through by posing a series of questions that are open-ended and aimed at checking and balancing the power of both humans and nature.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Improvement and closing the achievement gap report 2003-2004 include Essay

†¢ Strong parental involvement †¢ Community and church support †¢ Various reform models aligned to state curriculum †¢ Dedicated teachers †¢ Structured teaching †¢ Thinking maps †¢ Stable staff †¢ Comprehensive systems to monitor student progress †¢ Aligned curriculum, assessment, and instruction †¢ Peer coaches †¢ Instructional time that is increased (2004) As the reader will notice, the majority of these strategies incorporate relationships between the school and outside sources for example parental and community involvement. These strategies were created by schools in Mississippi demonstrating high student achievement. Finally, the researcher will also examine the effects of global resources, that is, per pupil expenditure (PPE), on the impact of performance. In their review of production function research, Verstegen and King cite Hedges, Laine, and Greenwald’s assertion (1994) that â€Å"Global resource variables such as PPE, show positive, strong, and consistent relations with achievement† (1995, 57-58). However, other studies fail to yield significant results (Chubb and Moe 1990; Okpala 2002). Tajalli, in his examination of the wealth equalization or â€Å"Robin Hood† program in Texas, found that the transfer of nearly $3. 4 billion of dollars to poor school districts did not have a significant impact on the improvement of performance in these districts (Tajalli, 2003). It may be that expenditures in general have an indirect effect that is not apparent when using PPE as a direct measure. In his study of school spending Wenglinsky (1997) develops a â€Å"path† in which he concludes a school’s economic resources are associated with academic achievement. He posits that per-pupil expenditures on instruction and central office administration are positively related to class size, i. e. , more spending on smaller classes. Smaller teacher/student ratios contribute to a cohesive school environment, which enhances achievement. Chapter Three Description of Methodology This study is a comparative analysis of eight Mississippi elementary schools from seven school districts; two K-2, two K-3 and four K-5. Factors analyzed were the students to teacher ratio (FTE), socioeconomic status (SES), and student ethnicity, and comparison MCT scores. At first a total of twenty schools were randomly chosen from different districts. The researcher then chose eight schools of conflicting SES percentages. It is a comparative study using the case analysis method; since it attempts to compare school factors influencing student performance. Using the Mississippi Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS) data, the researcher will examine these variables to determine the elements that can impact success or failure of public school campuses. The measure of performance is the standardized test given in 2005 to students in Mississippi public schools, the MCT. The researcher focused the study on Mississippi elementary schools that are predominantly populated by students who come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The socioeconomic status was based on the percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunches. The teaching theory used as a basis for this study is the Measurement Theory, this theory represents teaching and achievement based on standardized tests and results. Validity and Reliability The MCT scores are provided by the Mississippi Department of Education, and the demographics of each school were provided by the NCES found on the greatschools. com database. Twenty schools were chosen by random; then eight were chosen for analysis based on conflicting SES factors in order to get realistic insight as to the influence of student success factors on each school size. This study has limitations due to the fact that it is based on MCT scores which can be deceiving. These tests have been criticized by researchers because they do not portray a student’s overall understanding of a subject and do not allow for different learning abilities and styles. It is because of this limitation that further study should be conducted on the achievement levels of students based on different approaches to classroom learning.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

The Re-Emerging Russian Superpower

The tensions between Russia and Ukraine at the start of the year have generated renewed analytical interest in Russia’s re-emerging position as a superpower, driven chiefly by its actual, or potential, domination of the global supplies of energy. Along with its role as a swing supplier of oil (enabling it to manipulate the balance of power between OPEC and the industrialised consumers), the episode has highlighted Russia’s position as the pre-eminent supplier of gas. Russia controls a third of global proven gas reserves, with Gazprom already becoming the dominant supplier in the EU and Turkey, in addition to Russia’s â€Å"near abroad†, including the energy-hungry Ukraine. However, the drivers of Russia’s potential for becoming an energy superpower are not limited to its own resources. An additional factor is Russia’s near monopoly over the Central Asian export infrastructure, which remains unbroken by the single Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline (in operation since May 2005). Furthermore, it has been pointed out that the continued instability in the Middle East (which some argue has been deepened, rather than reduced, by the US invasion of Iraq) has boosted Russia’s position as the aspiring centre of energy geopolitics. Add to this several other key factors  ­ such as the long-term outlook for high energy prices, the limited ability of the US and EU to diversify their supply sources and Russia’s growing ability to play a China and/or Iran â€Å"card† both in energy and geopolitics  ­ and the picture that emerges is one of a global energy superpower, capable in many ways to counter the might of present-day sole superpower  ­ the United States. Furthermore, there have been significant signs that this re-emerging superpower also means business in the military sphere. Russia has recently commissioned a new generation of missiles (Topol-M), capable of fitting a nuclear warhead and able to evade current US anti-missile defence systems. While not signalling a return to a Cold War style arms race, this development suggests Russia is no longer willing to refrain from a bit of old fashioned sabre rattling, when it feels the need to do so. At the same time, Moscow has notified those who need to know of its determination to protect its vital strategic interests. While not seeking to become the exclusive great power player in the former Soviet Union, Russia has let it be known that it does not regard Western interests in the region as being on par with its own. It will therefore resist Western incursion in the area deemed incompatible with the pursuit of legitimate economic and political objectives. In practice this boils down to the promotion of anti-Russian regimes in the region, through so called â€Å"colour revolutions†. Thus, in an unusual move, Russia’s defence minister, Sergei Ivanov has written in The Wall Street Journal that the Kremlin’s key objective is the prevention of Western-fomented regime changes in Russia’s â€Å"near abroad†  ­ the CIS.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Definition and Examples of Spelling in English

Definition and Examples of Spelling in English In written language, spelling is the choice and arrangement of letters that form words. English spelling, says R.L. Trask, is notoriously complex, irregular, and eccentric, more so than in almost any other written language (Mind the Gaffe!, 2006). Pronunciation: SPEL-ing Also Known As: orthography Etymology: From Middle English, reading letter by letter Examples and Observations [S]pelling is not a reliable index of intelligence...Many intelligent people struggle with English spelling, while others will find it comparatively easy to master. Learning to spell correctly requires remembering numerous unusual and peculiar spelling forms. Some people are just better at this form of rote learning than others... One of the reasons why English spelling is so unpredictable is because its vocabulary consists of many words derived from other languages, which have been adopted with their original spellings intact. Understanding the origins of these words and the languages they have come from will help help with spelling them. (Simon Horobin, Does Spelling Matter? Oxford University Press, 2013) A Mutt of a Language That English is such a mutt of a language only served to make the resulting spellings that much harder. Old English had already been borrowing from, and interbreeding with, Dutch and Latin before the Norman invasion. The arrival of Norman French opened the floodgates for more linguistic mixing and orthographic variability. (David Wolman, Righting the Mother Tongue: From Olde English to Email, the Tangled Story of English Spelling. Harper, 2010) Spellings and Respellings in Early Modern English The high status accorded to the classical  tongues in the Early Modern period meant that Latin and Greek words were adopted with their spellings intact- so we find Greek phi spelled with a ph rather than an f in philosophy and physics.  A reverence for Latinate spellings  prompted the respelling of a number of words previously borrowed into English directly from French, whose origins lay in Latin. A silent b was added to debt and doubt to align them with the Latin debitum and dubitarer; a silent c was inserted into scissors (Latin scissor); l was introduced into salmon (Latin salmo), and a silent p into receipt (Latin receptum). In most cases these silent letters drove spelling and pronunciation further apart, though in some instances, like perfect and adventure (Middle English parfait and aventure), the inserted letter is now sounded. (Simon Horobin,  How English Became English. Oxford University Press, 2016) A Spelling Challenge (Canadian Edition) [I]t remains unlikely that most of us could spell the following sentence correctly on the first attempt, without a computerized word-check, and without reading it over first: We should accommodate the possibility of unparalleled embarrassment occurring in an eccentric physicist who endeavours, though harassed by diarrhoea, to gauge the symmetry of a horse caught gambolling in ecstasy within the precincts of a cemetery wall. (Margaret Visser, The Way We Are. HarperCollins, 1994) Standardization of English Spelling For most of the history of the language, English speakers took a lackadaisical approach to spelling; the notion that a word should always be spelled the same way is a much more recent invention than the language itself. The standardization of English spelling began in the 16th century, and although it is unclear at exactly what point our spelling became set, what is certain is that ever since it happened, people have complained that the rules of spelling, such as they are, just don’t make sense. (Ammon Shea, The Keypad Solution. The New York Times Magazine, Jan. 22, 2010) American Spelling and British Spelling George Bernard Shaw once defined the British and Americans as two peoples separated by a common language. Not just in accent and vocabulary but in spelling, too, this is true. Like the spelling of honor versus honour and defense versus defence, the use of one L versus two in certain positions in words is a sure sign of American English. Classic examples include American traveled, jewelry, counselor, and woolen versus British and Commonwealth travelled, jewellery, counsellor, and woollen. Yet American spelling may sometimes take two Ls, not only in obvious cases like hall but in controlled, impelled, (from control and impel) and elsewhere. Most of our specifically American spelling rules come from Noah Webster, the Connecticut-born educator and lexicographer whose magnum opus was his 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language. (David Sacks, Language Visible. Broadway, 2003) Reading and Spelling There is no necessary link...between reading and spelling: there are many people who have no difficulty in reading, but who have a major persistent handicap in spelling- this may be as many as 2% of the population. There seems moreover to be a neuro-anatomical basis for the distinction, for there are brain-damaged adults who can read but not spell, and vice versa. (David Crystal, How Language Works. Overlook, 2006) Belloc on the Worship of Spelling What fun our posterity will have with our ridiculous worship of spelling! It has not lasted very long. There has not really been such a thing as spelling for much more than two hundred years in English, and there was no religion of it till perhaps a hundred years ago... Our fathers cared so little for the ridiculous things that they did not even spell their own names the same way throughout their lives, and as for common words they seem to have had an instinct which I cannot but applaud for ennobling them with repetitions of letters and flourishes, with the pretty trick of using a y for an i and doubling consonants. In general they were all for festooning and decorating, which is a very honest and noble taste. When they said of a man I esteam hym ne moore than a pygge one knows what they meant and one feels their contempt vibrating. Put into the present stereotyped form it would far less affect, or effect, us. (Hilaire Belloc, On Spelling. New Statesman, June 28, 1930) The Lighter Side of Spelling A very pretty speech- s-p-e-e-c-h, sneered the bee. Now why dont you go away? I was just advising the lad of the importance of proper spelling.BAH! said the bug, putting an arm around Milo. As soon as you learn to spell one word, they ask you to spell another. You can never catch up- so why bother? Take my advice, my boy, and forget about it. As my great-great-great-grandfather George Washington Humbug used to say- You, sir, shouted the bee very excitedly, are an impostor- i-m-p-o-s-t-o-r- who cant even spell his own name.A slavish concern for the composition of words is the sign of a bankrupt intellect, roared the Humbug, waving his cane furiously.(Norton Juster, The Phantom Tollbooth. Random House, 1961)Somebody who’s working for the city should learn how to S-P-E-L-L.A slew of officials have failed to report a humiliating spelling error- SHCOOL X-NG- plastered on Stanton Street outside a Lower East Side high school for months.(Jennifer Bain and Jeane Macintosh, In for a Bad Spell. New York Post, Jan. 24, 2012)

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

The Best Novel Writing Software of 2019 (Including 4 Free Programs)

The Best Novel Writing Software of 2019 (Including 4 Free Programs) The Best Novel Writing Software of 2019 So, you’ve just started writing a novel - which means you’re figuring things out as you go. You probably have a flock of Google Docs to wrangle, you’re always scribbling on napkins, and you have no idea where anything is. If this scenario sounds familiar, there’s one thing you need: some good ol’-fashioned (well, more like new-fashioned) novel writing software.Luckily for you, we’ve come up with this list of the best, most affordable pieces of novel writing software in 2019. All of these will not only keep you organized, but also inspire you to keep writing till the very last page. And best of all, some programs cost nothing at all! In the spirit of thriftiness, let's start with your options. Which writing software is best for you? Find out here! âÅ" Ã°Å¸â€˜ ¨Ã¢â‚¬ Ã°Å¸â€™ » Reedsy Book Editor💠° Price tag: Free software!âÅ"…  Features: Format as you write, export files that are ready for instant distribution, track changes, choose between "classic" or "romance" themesTaking into account the fact that we created the Reedsy Book Editor (RBE), we'll admit this novel writing software holds a special place in our hearts. But it's not just ownership pride - we genuinely believe this tool can add a lot of value and assistance to the process of writing a book.Some authors like a software with lots of bells and whistles - tools to help you research, structure, and outline. Other writers prefer completely minimal softwares - free from too many functionalities that mostly just distract.The RBE offers a happy medium between those two poles. While it definitely has more features than a blank piece of paper, its functions are super user-friendly and geared at one goal: allowing you to write and format a beautiful book. The RBE was built to be a book pro duction tool that typesets as you write, turning your manuscript into a fully-formatted book or ebook that meets industry standards - and that can compete with traditionally published books that have been professionally formatted.In the "Writing Mode," you can insert chapter breaks, scene breaks, images, and end notes. You can view previous versions of your manuscript, in case you removed a passage you now want to re-add. When you've reached the milestone of a completed book (congratulations!), you can export a distribution-ready EPUB, Mobi, or PDF file.Head here to learn more about using the Reedsy Book Editor.FastPencil 💠° Price tag: Free software!Finally, you can export your manuscript under â€Å"Publication Setup.† Keep in mind, though, that this file will download as a ZIP, and you’ll still need to convert it to an EPUB or MOBI before uploading to Amazon and/or other ebook retailers.yWriter 💠° Price tag: Free software!yWriter is particularly well-suited for the user who’s determined to keep not just their writing organized, but their work schedule as a whole: it records your daily work and tells you exactly how much you have to write to stay on track. Of course, writers who prefer a more loosey-goosey schedule may find this a bit controlling. But then again, if you’re an erratic writer who struggles to make progress because of your own lack of a routine, yWriter’s schedule function may be just the kick in the pants you need.FocusWriter💠°Ã‚  Price tag: Free software (you can tip, though)!âÅ"…  Features:  A beautiful blank page for you to write your novelFocusWriter isn’t novel-specific software per se, but it will help you rocket-boost your productivity. And of course, it's completely, permanently free - no limited-time trial, no payment with a warranty, no â€Å"premium upgrade† - so you may as well try it out!Th is software is exactly what it sounds like: it helps you laser-focus your efforts onto writing, and nothing else. You can still format your novel and check your word count/daily goals via offscreen tools, but FocusWriter’s default state is simply a blank page. You can also use full-screen mode so the only thing you see is the page in front of you - just like writing IRL.For authors who struggle to concentrate on their work more than anything else, FocusWriter is a dream come true. You might also consider combining it with an app blocker like Freedom, so you won’t be distracted by your phone either. id=attachment_14651 style="width: 685px" class="wp-caption aligncenter">Just like the good old days. From FocusWriterAnd that rounds off our section on free writing software! Now let's get into your options for paid programs.Scrivener💠°Ã‚  Price tag: $44.99 license fee, free 30-day trialâÅ"… Features:  Corkboard planner with virtual index cards, planning templates, integrated outlining system, customizable full-screen interface, split-screen function, import and export capabilitiesScrivener is one of the most storied (no pun intended) programs in use today, having been beta’d by NaNoWriMo writers over a decade ago. It markets itself as a â€Å"typewriter, ring-binder, and scrapbook all in one,† and it certainly comprises plenty of helpful features. But Scrivener’s biggest benefit is the freedom it enables: with so many modes of organization that you can arrange to your heart’s desire, the program lets you write however works best for you.With S crivener, you can do as much or as little planning as you want, so you don’t feel pressured to stay within certain constraints. You can shuffle your notes, outlines, and even chapters around wherever you need. It also has one of the most generous trial periods on offer - you can use it free for 30 days, but they don’t have to be consecutive. So if you only opened the Scrivener app every other day, your trial would technically last for 60 days rather than 30. (And when you do decide to pull the trigger, there are almost always discounts to be found.)The only potential catch with Scrivener is that some authors might find it a little too liberating; it doesn’t provide much novel-specific instruction, as some other programs do. But it’s still an excellent organizational tool with a great interface. Whether or not you choose Scrivener just depends on how much guidance you feel you need. A sample of Scrivener's "novel" template. From  ScrivenerNovel Factory💠° Price tag: $39.99 license fee, free 60-day trialâÅ"…  Features:  Comprehensive  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Roadmap† that walks you through the parts of a novel, straightforward layout with separate tabs for outline, characters, locations, etc., automatic progress trackingThis program is ideal for those who want a bit of hand-holding as they embark on their writing journey. Novel Factory helps writers gradually develop all the necessary components of a novel: first its skeleton, then characters, scenery, conflict, POV, and so on. And their guiding Roadmap does not skimp on details! Each section breaks down a specific element, and includes examples and exercises to demonstrate how they apply within a novel.Again, this piece of novel writing software works best for beginners, or anyone getting back into fiction writing after a very long hiatus. However, it’s also good for writers who know they need rigor ous structure to succeed -   Ã¢â‚¬Å"plotters† rather than â€Å"pantsers." Novel Factory equips you with everything you could ever want, structurally speaking, and filling in its templates should give you a very clear sense of where your novel is headed.The Novel Factory interface is pretty basic, and the templates do serve more as accompaniment to the Roadmap, rather than the other way around. But if you want to create a detailed blueprint for your novel, Novel Factory might be the software for you. It’s currently built for Windows, but Mac users can use extracting software, or the online Novel Factory app (found under "Desktop Version"  here). 📚⚙ Novel Factory and more: the best novel writing software of 2019 NewNovelist💠° Price tag: $29.99 license fee with 30-day warrantyâÅ"…  Features:  Customized templates for your novel’s genre and story, storyboard â€Å"visualizer† and chapter organizer, in-program search engine for research, animated readback, dictation, and textual analyticsNewNovelist software’s greatest strengths are processing and evaluation. You input what your book will be about, and NewNovelist generates a template based on that info. You start writing your novel, and NewNovelist analyzes the content for proportional word count and reading level. Indeed, of all the software on this list, NewNovelist probably has the most technically advanced features. It even lets you dictate your story when you get tired of typing!This program also includes the standard lineup of organizational assets you get with most novel writing software: outlining, storyboarding, character profiles, etc. But it’s the cool techy stuff that makes it stand out. Pe rhaps the most brilliant feature on here is the built-in search engine, which allows you to research as you write without leaving the platform - so that you (hopefully) don’t get too distracted from the task at hand.Though it may not be as sleek as other programs (mostly due to the sheer abundance of features), NewNovelist is an incredible tool for authors whose first priority is sound literary construction. For interested parties, note that NewNovelist is another Windows-only program - but again, there are ways around that if you don’t have a PC. If you want to dictate your novel instead of writing it, NewNovelist could be the software for you ðŸâ€" £ Novel Suite💠° Price tag: $12/month or $99/year subscription options, free 7-day trialâÅ"…  Features:  Novel board for outlining chapters and scenes, various detailed templates, character profile sheets, research and image library sectionsNovel Suite is one of the most streamlined programs out there for writers. Right off the bat, it has a color-coded welcome screen where you can easily navigate among the different modules: your novel board, word processor, writing templates page, character list, image library, and finally an area for your research. It’s perfect for writers who might be overwhelmed by more complex interfaces, but who still need to organize complex ideas.As for Novel Suite’s actual modules, its writing templates are where the program really shines. Novel Suite includes six templates, full of specific questions and thoughtful tips to help you plan your novel. For example, the â€Å"Starting Out† template encourages writers to think abo ut â€Å"the overall story journey† and â€Å"how to capture readers,† while still allowing for flexibility.The subscription-only model will naturally deter some writers from this program. But it's worth giving the free trial a go - you might find that the writing templates alone are worth the price. Especially for those who find themselves frustrated with typical templates and wanting something more nuanced, Novel Suite definitely delivers the goods. id=attachment_14649 style="width: 682px" class="wp-caption aligncenter">AutoCrit💠° Price tag:   $10/month for the â€Å"basic† plan, $30/month for â€Å"professional,† $80/month for â€Å"elite,† or $1 for a two-week trialâÅ"…  Features:  Depends on the plan, but â€Å"professional† is considered full-use - entails genre filtering, an array of editing options for pacing, dialogue, â€Å"strong writing,† word choice, repetition, and direct comparisons to bestselling worksWhile other pieces of software help you organize, develop, and even self-edit your story, they don’t include the in-depth editorial functions and services that AutoCrit does. This is the program to use if you already have a decent-sized draft of your novel, or if you’re a micromanaging kind of writer who likes to edit meticulously as you go.AutoCrit tests your work for all the factors above, and even individual elements within those factors. So for exam ple, after selecting â€Å"word choice† as your focus area, AutoCrit then allows you to narrow it down even more: do you want to check for generic descriptions? Improve your sentence starters? Work on personal phrases? You can achieve all that and more with AutoCrit.The program also boasts an appealing modern interface, and decent prices considering the range of editing possibilities. Some writers might be reluctant to shell out for an editing program - but those writers are probably blissfully unaware of how hard it is to self-edit. When you think of it that way, AutoCrit is an amazing service: it helps you edit your manuscript with the perspective of a professional, from the comfort of your own home. AutoCrit's software is just like another pair of 👀 on your novel WriteItNow💠° Price tag: Free demo (doesn’t save your work), $59.95 license feeâÅ"…  Features:  Front and back matter sections, chapter outlines, element sheets, wide range of editing tools  including readability score and repetition finderWriteItNow’s no-frills design facilitates that all-too-elusive endeavor for aspiring authors: to simply write. Its interface is pretty basic, with a toolbar at the top for quick access to any section of your planning and a sidebar to keep track of the actual writing. But don’t let its minimalism deceive you: WriteItNow also offers a variety of unique resources, especially for editing your novel.After you’ve written a chapter or two with WriteItNow, not only can you check things like spelling and word count, you can also run editorial â€Å"Critiques† via the Editor Tools tab. The program will point out any repetitive phrases, unnecessary â€Å"padding† words, and even clichà ©s you might hav e used - helping you polish your writing in the same way a third-party copy editor might.Another one-of-a-kind feature in WriteItNow is the automatic â€Å"Create Idea† function. You can select a character and a type of idea - in a maneuver reminiscent of choosing personality traits on The Sims - and the program will spit out creative prompts. It might be something you can integrate into your story, or a thought exercise to flesh out your characters.This program may also seem a bit on the pricey side - however, the license fee does cover both Mac and PC versions of the software. In any case, WriteItNow absolutely lives up to its name in terms of helping writers get their work done, and you can’t put a price on that. id=attachment_14650 style="width: 703px" class="wp-caption aligncenter">We told you it was like The Sims!For book formatting software, check out this post on Vellum.Remember...No novel writing software is actually magic - that is, none of it's going to write your novel for you. But with the right tools to lend you some structure, focus, and a dash of inspiration, you might just be able to get ‘er done all by yourself.Ever tried using writing software? Tell us about it in the comments below!