Internship Shadowing a Substance Abuse Counselor

Internship Shadowing a Substance Abuse Counselor Abstract Overwhelming challenges of the 21st century force many people to use drugs, as they are unable to keep up with the pace of the contemporary life. Many people become addicts and they are unable to handle the issues associated with their addiction.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Internship: Shadowing a Substance Abuse Counselor specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Therefore, counseling is coming to the fore, as counselors are able to assist drug addicts to quit their harmful habit and effectively integrate into the community. This paper dwells upon the internship at Legacy Services (New York). The intern shadowed a substance abuse counselor to gain the necessary experience for practice. It is necessary to note that participation in sessions and multi-disciplinary staff meetings; observation and contribution to development of certain treatments strategies equipped the intern with the necessary skills and knowledge that will help him be an efficient drug abuse counselor. Moreover, strong and weak sides of the Legacy Services are analyzed and conclusions are made. In the end of the work discussion of the main presented ideas is introduced. Recommendations and possible implications of the main ideas of the work are suggested. Introduction Statement of the Problem The issue of substance abuse counseling includes why people use drugs and to understand the effects on their health. It also considers the effects of drugs on one’s health as well as the resulting mental health issues because of substance abuse. Substance abuse has been around for years,and individuals are not aware of how to identify and learn to cope with the challenges of addiction. Additionally, behavioral assessments, intervention, multidisciplinary management, preparation, education, and program development and execution made huge changes in participants’ substance abuse behaviors (Babinski,Pelham, Waxmonsky, 2013). Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to Babinski et al. (2013),counseling for people who depend on chemicals requires some skills for it to be effective. Also, most participants prefer counseling that is done by specialists(Babinski et al., 2013). However, severalprograms of substance abuse were examined; all engaged moralistic group settings on various clinical issues, which showed the programscould affect participants’ treatment(Greenfield Venner, 2012). The programs should be equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to guide the participants to their future endeavors or self-sufficiency(Dufour et al., 2014). Also, counselors’failure to keep up with modern information to encourage the participant’schange of behavior could lead to relapse. Relapsing into drugs or alcohol abuse can occur even after long periods of sobriety (Greenfield Venn er, 2012).Therefore, the reason why it is critical for the counselors in this field to utilize the emerging knowledge to help participants who are drug addicts. Purpose of the Internship The internship period is to gain in-depth knowledge of mental health by acquiring new emerging information from the mentor,concerning people who have health impairments (Greenfield Venner, 2012). It will enable the intern to learn and take an active role in shaping individuals’ lives and assisting people and their families with mental problems. Emerging information is important in helping participants who have advanced mental problems to improve healthcare outcomes. He will learn basic counseling skills from the mentor as well as knowledge about ethical issues to be considered during the helping process (Wallace, Brown, Hilton, 2014).The learner wouldlearncurrent data to monitor the progress of a participant of the program using emerging methods of data collection.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Internship: Shadowing a Substance Abuse Counselor specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In addition, he would learn to understand the needs of participants and the possible causes of mental disabilities (Greenfield Venner, 2012). Review of Literature Risk for Substance Abuse Over the past two decades, researchers have tried to reveal the factors behind the beginning of substance abuse and the progression to addiction (Corte Szalacha, 2010). Main risk factors lead to the increase of a person’s chance to become abused. However, there are several protective factors that reduce personal risk. Main risk factors for substance abuse are different for every person and affect people at different stages of lives. The substance abuse counselors focus on the risk factors before initiating the counseling approaches (Corte Szalacha, 2010). In the case of children, risk factors include aggressive behavior, social difficult ies, or academic failure. The risks, such as aggressive behavior,can be controlled by helping children develop appropriate positive attitudes in life and prevent further risk. Other factors, such as poverty, peer influence, drug availability, and lack of parental supervision, mainly affect the youth. The more a person is predisposed to the risks, the higher are the chances of substance abuse. Ineffective parenting and a guardian who is involved in substance abuse increase the risk of children and adolescents to substance abuse. According to Gallagher (2014), the highest risk of substance abuse are adolescents. For this reason, the counselors focus on preventive interventions and support skills of enhancing protective factors of substance abuse (Gallagher, 2014). Clinical level of evidence-based There are several clinical evidence-based approaches applied to deal with substance abuse (Smith Liu, 2014). Several statewide initiatives of substance abuse treatment systems have been grow ing in the past decade as a result of movements towards evidence-based practice in health care systems.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The importance of using the scientific clinical advances in intervention of clinical practices has been emphasized by many scholars. Several psychological evidence-based programs have been utilized in the approaches to substance abuse. Clinical expertise is important in the translation of scientific evidence-based approaches into practice that include the behavioral approaches and Pharmacotherapies. The health care providers are supposed to develop statements that assist them in identifying the appropriate intervention for the clinical circumstances (Corte Szalacha, 2010). The pharmacotherapy approaches include nicotine replacement therapies: application of drugs, such as bupropion, methadone, and naltrexone: and combination of drugs with behavioral treatment. Behavioral approaches focus on abstinence and modification of peoples’ behaviors as well as their attitudes about substance abuse. Additionally, they include cognitive behavior therapy, contingency management interventi ons, motivational enhancement, and community reinforcements (Gordon, 2013). The Effects on the Body Substance abuse has adverse effects on the body, such as mental health problems (Corte Szalacha, 2010).For instance, continuous abuse of cannabis results in mental health problems, such as schizophrenia. Substance abuse predisposes a person to diseases, such as asthma, heart diseases, and lung cancer. Cocaine is known to be over-stimulating, causing pregnancy complications, such as stillbirths and miscarriages. Also, substance abuse can expose a person to diseases, such as HIV, because of sharing of injecting devices. According to Gallagher (2014), the substances weaken the immune system, cause memory problems, and excessive dehydration (Gallagher, 2014). The Burden of Substance Abuse between Nations Substance abuse poses a significant threat to the health, economic and social status of the affected families, communities, and the countries (Smith Liu, 2014). In year 2000, substance a buse contributed to 12.4% of all deaths worldwide (Gallagher, 2014). The calculation of adjusted life years in Mexico and the United States indicated that the life lost because of premature mortality related to substance abuse is on the rise. The burden of the disease in disability-adjusted life years is high in the United Kingdom and the United States as compared to African and Mediterranean countries. Substance abuse has both economic and health effects on the nations affected. For instance, evidence-based prevention and treatment costs can save the U.S. government up to $10 in subsequent costs of every $1 spent (Gordon, 2013). The ones involved in the abuse cannot unleash their full potential in economic growth as the productivity is reduced. Productivity losses estimated at $ 120 billion, calculated as labor and non-participation, are significant in the United States. Similarly, studies have identified a 0.4 % loss in GDP in Canada as a result of non-labor participation because of substance abuse (Gordon, 2013). The situation is similar in Australia that experienced 0.3 % GDP loss (Gallagher, 2014). The Determinants of Health and Health Inequity The health of a person includes an individual’s well being physically, mentally, and emotionally (Regina Valeria, 2014). Several factors determine the health of a person. These include the genetics and physiology of a person, such as the sex and age. Individual behavior, such as substance abuse, plays a significant role in determining a person’s health. The social and physical environment as well as the interaction determines the health status of an individual as he or she is expose to several diseases causing factors, such as stress, discrimination, and overcrowding. Health inequity is mainly determined by infrastructure, health services, and policy formulations (Gordon, 2013). Discrimination in the access of health services affects the approaches to substance abuse because of health inequity. Acces s to quality health care minimizes the causes of health inequity in societies. The health policies formulated should take into consideration the disparities and variations in achievement of quality health care (Regina Valeria, 2014). Social and economic factors Social and economic factors have a significant influence on the substance abuse (Corte Szalacha, 2010). For instance, poverty and socioeconomic status of a family can make a person turn to substance abuse to find solace. It is a result of lack of basic human needs such, as food, shelter, education, and proper health care. The social structures and factors in the community play a significant role in substance abuse as they determine the peer influence. The familial and demographic factors are important predictors of substance abuse (Gordon, 2013). Besides, research studies have established a relationship between the parent socioeconomic status and substance abuse. Parents have a tremendous influence on their children to desis t or initiate substance abuse. Peer influence plays a great part as socialization can initiate substance abuse (Gordon, 2013). Physical and environmental factors Many people do not understand how others initiate substance abuse and addiction (Gordon, 2013). However, physical and environmental factors explain the situation. The environment in which a person lives has different influences on substance abuse. These include the access to drugs such as those living in urban areas and the general quality of life. The socioeconomic status of friends and families can either increase or limit access to these substances. Peer influence, bad parenting, physical or sexual violence and high level of stress influence the escalation of substance abuse. Similarly, the availability of drugs is the primary physical factor related to substance abuse. The development of the effective prevention strategies for the substance abuse counselors is based on the knowledge of the risk and protective factors (C orte Szalacha, 2010). Individual behaviors/characteristics Individual behaviors and characteristics of substance abuse determine the type of approach chosen by the counselor (Gallagher, 2014). The characteristics indicate the level of addiction and dependence. People who have already become addicted to different substances exhibit the characteristics of an overwhelming and repetitive urge to them. The substance abuse has become a part of their lives and a life’s priority. They experience problems in their wok or schools as their performances are low. Besides, irritability and confusion are common among the addicts (Gordon, 2013). The victims of substance abuse experience changes in their attitude and behavior because of mood swings and reduced inhibitions. They include suicidal behaviors and self-imposed isolation (Gordon, 2013). Strategies/Recommendations Prevention of substance abuse is dealt with by first recognizing the risk and protective factors. Counselors play a vital role in designing the strategies (Garner, 2009). The initial strategies are personal. They include helping the person deal with peer pressure. Teens and adolescents start substance abuse as a result of peer pressure. They should find a plan for resisting the pressure. Dealing with life pressures such as stress is an effective prevention strategy that helps a person to cope with life rather than turning to substance abuse. The counselors should help those seeking help for the people with mental problems that result from substance abuse. These include post-traumatic stress, Schizophrenia, anxiety, and depression. Before the initiation of behavioral or pharmacological therapies, it is necessary to the counselors to examine the risk factors. They include the social, environmental, and economic factors to give an overview of the problem and identify the appropriate therapies. The strategies undertaken depend on the level of addiction. There are several promising strategies to end substa nce abuse. These include: law enforcement, treatment, and prevention strategies. The prevention strategies comprise community-based processes, prevention education in learning institutions, as well as the environmental approaches that promote policies reducing the risk factors. The preventive measures should start early in life and proceed to adolescence (Corte Szalacha, 2010). Building of family bonds is essential in promoting responsible parenting. The treatment strategies include an emphasis on family-based treatment, rehabilitation of the addicts, and other programs according to the clinicians. Law enforcement is a crucial strategy for dealing with substance abuse and reducing the number of such cases. Introduction of tough penalties can deter adolescents and teenagers from engaging in substance abuse. Additionally, law enforcement includes the community policing to give insights of drug availability in the societies. Commitment and follow-up of the affected are essential to ach ieving the desired results of the programs (Garner, 2009). Methods and Procedures Method There is one method used in the writing of this paper. The method will be developmental. Procedures Sites Specifics Mentor The mentor is James Brown, MA, M.Ed, LCDC; he is an experienced Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor who helps clients who are referred to his Behavioral and Public Health Department, which helps participants globally. The mentor is also an instructor of a mental health program, and he utilizes effective skills to help people who are addicted and have become dependents. The counselor has 15 years of experience and has a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations, Bachelor of Science in Government, Master of Arts in Counseling and a Master of Education Degree. The mentor has good communication skills and creates a good rapport with clients. He dresses modestly, speaks fluently, and sits in an upright posture during counseling sessions. Facility The facility is named Legacy Ser vices. The department has other workers who work in collaboration with the mentor, but in different departments. Population served Behavioral and Public Health Department serves people of different ages whose behaviors have been affected by drugs and have experienced difficulties in coping with the demands of life. It is notable that young adults and adults are the most affected. With regard to the population that the intern would be handling in this department, he would be helping the trainer to offer services to about 200 persons in a day. The participants would be alcoholics and persons who abuse other drugs and who would not able to cope without them (Carroll, De Leon, Joseph, Winick, 2013). The intern would coordinate with his mentor to monitor the progress of participants. Internship objectives Specifically, the intern want to learn how to understand substance abuse group and individual sessions in a therapy and counseling setting or environment. The learning objectives inclu de the following: The intern will learn to identify signs and symptoms that are associated with mental problems. The intern will learn to identify the challenges in participants’ daily lives, such as addressing boundaries, anger management, denial, minimization and blame. The intern will learn to identify the fourethical dilemmas related to substance abuse counselling, such as beneficence, do no harm; autonomy, independent living, give the participant the benefit of the doubt; justice, fair and equal treatment, and fidelity, keep promises to participants. The intern will learn how to identify participants’ detoxification needs such as signs and symptoms of withdrawal, screening and evaluation during intake process. Schedule of activities Internship activities are scheduled to take place from November 3, 2014 to January 7, 2015.Also, allactivities will be used to facilitate the learning of the objectives. Table 1 Schedule of Activities Week Activity Hours 1 The i ntern would participated in various group sessions as part of orientation to counseling. Introduction to basic emerging counseling skills was achieved during this period. 8 2 The intern shadowed the mentor on intensive outpatient sessions using 12-step and clinical modalities treatment to bring about a positive change in the participants life. 8 3 The intern shadowed the mentor and observe emerging individual counseling boundaries or taking notes of the daily sessions. 8 4 The intern shadowed the mentor on how to identify diagnosis classification and the type of mental issues a participant would report during intake process. 8 5 The intern participated in treatment preparation and conceptualization. 8 6 The intern shadowed the mentor on this day by carrying out research by utilizing modern methods of peer-reviewed research from the State website. This information was used to better educate the participants of new techniques. 8 7 The intern listened to the mentor educate him about the types of addictions, how addictions occur, and how to deal with addiction. The mentor educated two separate groups of participants. 8 8 The intern participated in crisis intervention and primary care integration. 8 9 The intern attended seminars learning about emerging issues in mental health. 8 10 The intern shadowed the mentor while he collaborated meetings with multi-disciplinary staff. 8 Total hours 80 Learning benefit The learning benefit that the intern will be expected to receive during this mentor internship experience on addiction and substance abuse counseling was important because of the need to learn the challenging face-to-face counseling group’stechniques, crisis intervention supports and tools that would enable the intern to build on counseling skills. The intern believe these skills would helpwith the progress from a simpler and immature phase to a more complex level of maturity about addiction. Current employment The intern is employ ed as a Health Crisis Coordinator and coordinates many programs, for example, behavioral and public health, injury and disability, vocational and employment services. Most of his assignments are conducted domestically; however, he does travel to London from time to time. In addition to a Bachelor of Science in Education and Master of Arts in Education degree. Also, he holds a Post-Specialty Certificate in Emergency Management and Post-Master’s Certificate in Professional Counseling. Search procedure Libraries used There was only one library used to search for sources for this project. The Counseling Professions Division Library at Southern Mills University and Google Scholarwas used for the project. Search engines and databases used The following databases were used to search for the sources for this project. The databases werePubMed and PsycINFO and MEDline (EBSCO) and Global Health and Alt Health Watch and MEDLINE (Ovid). Search terms Several search terms were used to ident ify sources for this project. The search terms included (a) Behavioral Health, (b) Substance Abuse,(c) Behavioral Therapy, (d) Public Health, (e) Behavioral Treatment, and (f) Alcoholism. Boolean strings Boolean strings were considered for the literature search. No Boolean strings were used in the literature search. Age of the sources The significant literature will be reviewed. Sources from the last 5 years will be considered for inclusion in the review of literature. No historical or seminal articles will be considered. Inclusion criteria There were four inclusion criteria. Inclusion criteria included (a) literature published since 2010, (b) English-language text, (c) peer-reviewed articles, and (d) Web sites relating to shadowing a substance abuse counselor. Exclusion criteria There were fourexclusion criteria.The exclusion criteria included (a) literature published before 2010,(b) text not published in English, (c) articles not peer reviewed, and (d) Web sites not relating to sh adowing a substance abuse counselor. Results Introduction The internship is a highly valuable experience for the intern who wants to improve his/her skills and knowledge in the sphere of drug abuse and mental health That is why, it is vital for him/her to choose the right institution which can guarantee his/her further development as a professional. Resting on this fact, it can be recommended to draw an interns attention to the Legacy Services. The Legacy Services is a company which promotes development of knowledge and awareness of the issue of substance abuse among interns. Being very efficient and credible company, it can guarantee high level of its services and professionalism of its workers. However, having its main strengths it also has its weak sides. That is why, it is important to investigate the company precisely to determine the main aspects of its work to understand better the main regularities according to which it functions. Analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, opportuni ties, and Threats Strengths The first strength of Legacy Services is a highly reputable company that provides quality services. Its reputation in terms of the provision of superior substance abuse counseling services elevates its credibility in enabling an intern to obtain the set of objectives. The organization also has qualified staff members who act as its strength in the provision of services. Secondly, the organization upholds integrity at all its levels of operation. Thirdly, there are adequate resources that include training kits, office space, finance, working incentives among others that aid service delivery. Weaknesses Although clear strengths of the organization have been identified, it is, however, difficult for identification of weaknesses to be indicated at this time. The weaknesses are always identified when an experience has already been achieved either positive or negative. Therefore, it is prudent for the weaknesses to be enumerated later because of more time is ne eded. Opportunities The underlying opportunities why the intern selected the institution are based on its capacity to expand its customer base, counseling services and revenue base. The organization is promising based on its strategic plans that are formulated already. In particular, the expected customer growth rate makes the organization so attractive for interns who expect to offer services to some of the customers. Increase revenue amounts or financial capacity of the company may also help in hiring some of the interns hence its preference. Likewise, the advancement of counseling services indicates a wider knowledge on counseling matters that is noble for interns. Threats Probable threats the organization has the potential of facing that may impede the realization of the set objectives of an intern including high enrolment rate, lack of divergent funding sources and competition. In particular, people enroll for the internship position in the organization more than it can accommo date. This makes it difficult for prospecting interns to be sure of getting the privilege of working there. Secondly, the company faces stiff competition from other rival institutions that focus on providing counselling services. The high rate of competition may affect its reputation and stature in the society. The institution also has limited sources of funding that may affect its capacity of accommodating more interns who aspire to acquire experience. Based on the institution’s SWOT analysis, it is evident that it holds the capacity of ensuring that the intern receives best results. The choice is good for intern in a broader perspective given that its strengths and opportunities outweigh its weaknesses and threats. Discussion During the internship, interns are able to observe the way seasoned counselors work and the way clients respond to the treatment. This internship can be seen as one of such experiences. The intern was fully integrated in the process. Thus, he participa ted in numerous sessions where he could note peculiarities of behavior of the mentor and clients, strategies employed during the sessions, the way clients respond to this or that strategy. The intern could also trace possible signs of clients’ potential relapse. The intern took part in meetings with multi-disciplinary staff and this was a very important experience. Cooperation with different professionals enabled the counselor to provide high-quality services to clients and make sure their needs could be met. Importantly, the intern had an opportunity to collaborate with mentor and develop some treatment strategies. This was a remarkable experience as the intern obtained many insights from his mentor during development of the strategies. Admittedly, it is impossible to gain such experience through reading books and articles. The intern obtained an opportunity to observe quite conventional as well as extraordinary cases as all people are different and they often face quite dif ferent challenges. The intern could feel the specific atmosphere, which is created during sessions. These observations and shadowing enabled the intern to get certain confidence, which will be crucial for his future career. Conclusions Having analyzed the data, it is possible to make certain conclusions. The issue of substance abuse counseling is very important nowadays within the framework of the increase of level of abuse among people. That is why, the need in professionals who can provide qualified advice for a person who suffers from the substance abuse is obvious. With this in mind, some patterns for preparation of qualified interns should be suggested. Taking into account complexity and topicality of the issue, the analysis of the methodology and main objectives of internship was also provided. Moreover, the importance of practice for internship should also be mentioned as it allows an intern to obtain knowledge which is not available in books or some other sources. Great sign ificance of the process of teaching and preparation of interns should also be remembered. Implications It is obvious, that the main ideas presented in the work should be adopted as it can promote improvement of the situation connected with the issue of substance abuse. Implication of the main points mentioned in the work can guarantee further development of knowledge in this sphere. Moreover, the issue of training of the professionals who are ready to consult people who suffer from substance abuse can become very helpful in terms of blistering growth of this kind of dependence. Main methods outlined in the work can also be applied to the process of training of new interns as they will allow increase of the level of efficiency of interns and general improvement of the situation. With this in mind, the data presented should be studied and taken into account in order to provide better understanding of the issue. Recommendations Having analyzed the issue, it is possible to make several recommendations. First of all, it is necessary to say that the change of the existing system of internship is needed. The emphasis should be made on practice as only it can allow better knowledge and practical skills among interns. Moreover, some new methods should be applied to existing system for it to be more modern. However, there is one more recommendation. It goes without saying, that the further investigation of this issue is necessary. Within the framework of the increase of number of people who suffer from substance abuse, it is very important to investigate different methods to prevent it. Taking this fact into account, it is possible to say that internship which allows students to obtain practical knowledge can serve as the first stage in better understanding of the problem of substance abuse. References Babinski, D. E., Pelham, W. E., Waxmonsky, J. G. (2013). Cognitive-behavioral therapy for pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder complicated by stigma: A case study.   Clinical Case Studies, 15(34), 65-77. Carroll, J. F., De Leon, G., Joseph, H., Winick, C. (2013). Reflections on the past, present, and the future of the chemical dependency treatment field: Four unique perspectives.  Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 31(1), 107-120. Corte, C., Szalacha, L. (2010). Self-cognitions, risk factors for alcohol problems, and drinking in preadolescent urban youths. Journal of Child Adolescent Substance Abuse, 19(5), 406-423. Dufour, S. P., Graham, S., Friesen, J., Rosenblat, M., Rous, C.,Richardson, J. (2014). Physiotherapists supporting self-management through health coaching: A mixed methods program evaluation. Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, 10(1), 1-10. Gallagher, S. (2014). Treatment strategies for forensic psychologists working with clients dealing with substance abuse, legal charges, and enabling parents. Journal of Forensic Psychology Practice, 14(2), 158-168. Gordon, A. (2013). Substance abuse journal: New beginnings. Substance Abuse, 34(4), 339-341. Regina, C., Valeria, M. (2014). Social determinants of health and inequity among people with disabilities: A Brazilian experience. Journal of Public Health and Epidemiology, 6(11), 326-337. Smith, B., Liu, J. (2014). Latent practice profiles of substance abuse treatment counselors: Do evidence-based techniques displace traditional techniques? Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 46(4), 439-446. Wallace, L. M., Brown, K. E., Hilton, S. (2014). Planning for, implementing and assessing the impactof health promotion and behavior change interventions: Away forward for health psychologists. Health Psychology Review, 8(1), 8-33.

Barbara Jordan - Biography and Career Profile

Barbara Jordan - Biography and Career Profile Barbara Jordan grew up in Houstons black ghetto, attended segregated public schools, and an all-black college, where she graduated magna cum laude. She was involved in debate and oratory, winning a number of awards. Known for: role in Watergate hearings; keynotes at 1976 and 1992 Democratic National Conventions; first Southern African American woman elected to Congress; second Southern African American elected to Congress after the end of Reconstruction; first African American woman in the Texas legislatureOccupation: lawyer, politician, teacher:Texas Senate 1967-1973, U.S. House of Representatives 1973-1979; professor of political ethics at University of Texas, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs; chair of U.S. Commission on Immigration ReformDates: February 21, 1936 - January 17, 1996Also known as: Barbara Charline Jordan Law Career Barbara Jordan chose law as a career because she believed she would then be able to have an impact on racial injustice. She wanted to attend Harvards law school but was advised that a black woman student from a Southern school would probably not be accepted. Barbara Jordan studied law at Boston University, saying later, I realized that the best training available in an all-black instant university was not equal to the best training one developed as a white university student. Separate was not equal; it just wasnt. No matter what kind of face you put on it or how many frills you attached to it, separate was not equal. I was doing sixteen years of remedial work in thinking. After earning her law degree in 1959, Barbara Jordan returned to Houston, starting a law practice from her parents home and also getting involved in the 1960 election as a volunteer. Lyndon B. Johnson became her political mentor. Elected to the Texas Senate After  unsuccessful tries at being elected to the Texas House, in 1966 Barbara Jordan became the first African American since Reconstruction in the Texas Senate, the first black woman in the Texas legislature. A Supreme Court decision and redistricting to enforce one man, one vote helped make her election possible. She was reelected to the Texas Senate in 1968. Elected to Congress In 1972, Barbara Jordan ran for national office, becoming the first black woman elected to Congress from the South, and, with Andrew Young, one of the first two African Americans elected since Reconstruction to the U.S. Congress from the South. While in Congress, Barbara Jordan came to national attention with her strong presence on the committee holding Watergate hearings, calling for the impeachment of President Nixon on July 25, 1974. She was also a strong supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment, worked for legislation against racial discrimination, and helped establish voting rights for non-English-speaking citizens. 1976 DNC Speech At the 1976 Democratic National Convention, Barbara Jordan gave a powerful and memorable keynote speech, the first African American woman to give a keynote to that body. Many thought she would be named a vice presidential nominee, and later a Supreme Court justice. After Congress In 1977 Barbara Jordan announced she would not run for another term in Congress, and became a professor, teaching government at the University of Texas. In 1994, Barbara Jordan served on the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform. When Ann Richards was the governor of Texas, Barbara Jordan was her ethics advisor. Barbara Jordan struggled for many years with leukemia and multiple sclerosis. She died in 1996, survived by her long-time companion, Nancy Earl. Background, Family: Father: Ben Jordan (Baptist minister, laborer)Mother: Arlyne (church activist) Education: Phillis Wheatley High School (1952)Texas Southern University (magna cum laude)Boston University (1959, law) Elections: 1960: volunteer for Lyndon B. Johnsons nomination1962: Texas House of Representatives (unsuccessful)1964: Texas House of Representatives (unsuccessful)1966: Texas Senate (successful)1972: U.S. House of Representatives (successful)1974, 1976: re-elected to U.S. House

MacroEconomics in Virginia Beach Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

MacroEconomics in Virginia Beach - Essay Example Economist and financial analyst determine inflation by finding the difference between the current consumer price index and the previous consumer’s price index (Mankiw, p471). Therefore, this study aims to investigate the impacts and causes of hyper inflation in Virginia area. Impacts of Hyperinflation in Virginia Beach Area The impacts of inflation are numerous whereby, its effects are not only felt by individuals but are also felt by the overall economy. Therefore, hyper-inflation refers to an inflation rate that is above 50 percent, this kind of inflation may be attributed to government actions of printing money in order to finance its expenditure. The act of pritinting money by the Federal government causes an increase in the amount of money in circulation. This may consequently leads to an increase in commodity prices (Mankiw, p382-387). Hyper inflation was first experienced in Germany after the First World War when the German government printed money to reconstructs its e conomy. Additionally, hyper-inflation was first witnessed in Zimbabwe between the year 2004 and 2009 (Smith, paras1-6). In above connection, the United State reported a hyper-inflation after the Federal government tried print money with an aim of suppressing the negative impacts of world war one. However, the U.S government has taken measures to mitigate as well as prevent the occurrence of hyper-inflation. Among the measures employed include; setting a federal reserve system (Kimberly, paras4-6). In above connection, Virginia anticipated economic and political down turn as a result of hyper-inflation. Legislators in Virginia were wondering whether the establishment of a common currency across the commonwealth could have acted as a perfect substitute for currencies supplied by the Federal government (Kimberly, paras3-5).Some of the substitute that were to be utilized as money include; Gold and Silver. However, the United States Federal government was against the idea because most of their wealth was tied up in foreign debts. On the other hand, the Virginia commonwealth believed that both political and economic problems were attributed to the impacts of hyper-inflation. The Legislators asserted that the problems of hyper-inflation could have been addressed into two major ways namely; motivating people to buy legal tender attached on silver and gold (Kimberly, paras5-6). In above connection, citizens could be motivated to carry out capital investment. This could have been done by government through reduction of tax burdens attached on to such investment. Additionally, it was recommended that Virginia could set a side some intangible assets in order to hedge risk associated with hyperinflation (Kimberly, para6). Causes of Inflation There are two major cause of inflation namely demand pull inflation and cost push inflation. Demand pull inflation involves persistent increase prices of commodities due to higher demand (Tucker, p284). Several factors may be attribute d to be the causes of demand push inflation, among the factors include; economic growth, anticipation of inflation in the future, government policies such as fiscal policies, advancement in technology. Whereby, economic growth may leads to an increase in demand for goods and services (Kimberly, paras1-3). On the other han

Road Movies Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Road Movies Analysis - Research Paper Example The south-west was the protagonist’s home place responsible for discrimination, violence and racism. It was the place where the two drivers did not receive the best of treatments, experiencing attack and insults due to their long hair. The depictions of the African American poverty with the touch of modernity with the gas stations were later to indicate more to the story. The first terrain discussed above showed the nationalism that was being experienced already and the fight for those against it (Laderman, 179). Vagabond was the distinguishing film between the European and American road movie. It was the first depicting a woman on the road, the film does not put much emphasis on the drive but on the isolation, and lack of interest in being part of a home. Mona does not cross over borders or territories but rather circulates in the same place south of France. The camera shifts from Mona to other scenes such as the branches of trees alongside the road to creating a feeling of w hat will happen in future. The non-narrative escape from the road drifts induces coldness in the film. More attention is given to Mona’s body rather than the car she is travelling in. This is a major distinction between the European and American road movie. The sound techniques in the film are modern classic tracking the camera and only changes to focus on significant objects or sceneries (Laderman, 268). Stranger than paradise was an American Road movie was produced by Win Wenders when the activities of this genre were inactive. He established a film producing company named as Road movies. This particular film adopted a journey structure where the film characters taking a journey that stopped frequently by having long pauses in between the drive. The journey takes a therapeutic remedy. The first driving scene is staged with the camera being at the back of the seat of the car where Eddie and Willie are going to escape from the town. They are driving the windscreen is being us ed as a shield in which we can see them.

Stereotypes and Prejudice Worksheet Essay Example for Free

Stereotypes and Prejudice Worksheet Essay Please complete the following exercises, remembering that you are in an academic setting and should remain unbiased, considerate, and professional when completing this worksheet. Part I Select three of the identity categories below and name or describe at least 3 related stereotypes for each: †¢Race †¢Ethnicity †¢Religion †¢Gender †¢Sexual orientation †¢Age †¢Disability Category Stereotype 1 Stereotype 2 Stereotype 3 Age Old people are slow Young people are trouble makers Young people are lazy Gender Men work harder than women Women should do all house work Women have more feelings than men. Race Black people are better at sports Asians are smart White people get better jobs Part II Answer each question in 50 to 100 words related to those stereotypes. Provide citations for all the sources you use. What are the positive aspects of stereotypes, if any? One benefit of stereotypes to those being stereotyped is that the stereotype itself may be positive. Of course, this can backfire if you benefit from a stereotype of a group in which you fit and it becomes clear that the stereotype does not apply to you. One example of a positive stereotype is that Asians are good at math. Another example of a positive stereotype is that Jewish people are good with money. What are the negative aspects of stereotypes? By stereotyping we infer that a person has a whole range of characteristics and abilities that we assume all members of that group have. Stereotypes lead to social categorization, which is one of the reasons for prejudice attitudes. Most stereotypes probably tend to convey a negative impression. Part III Copyright  © 2012 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. Stereotypes and Prejudice Worksheet ETH/125 Version 8. 2 Answer each question in 50 to 150 words related to those stereotypes. Provide citations for all the sources you use. Define stereotypes and prejudice. What is the difference between stereotyping and prejudice? Use examples to illustrate the differences. Stereotypes are assumed characteristics. They do not have to carry a moral judgment (although many time they do). Example: The French like good cooking. Or, Icelanders dont mind the cold. Prejudice is preferring one kind of person over another. It may be based on stereotypes (I dont like Jews because theyre cheap), or not (I dont like Irish people because an Irish kid beat me up long ago). What is the relationship between stereotyping and prejudice? The relationship is that one is having the wrong impression of the person before meeting them, the other is GUESSING that they are all the exact same as the one, or two, that you have met. They are both assuming things about someone and judging someone based on the difference in them. It is either from experience or from what you heard but either way it is a judgement before you meet them or after. What can be done to prevent prejudice from occurring? Let schools teach children that all people are equal regardless of race, gender, orientation, etc, let governments introduce laws that explicitly promote equality for all. But I think first of all it starts at home. I think if we teach our children that no matter what we are all equal and treat each other with respect. I think that if we all did this and showed them as also as tell them, then all the judgement will die down a lot. Copyright  © 2012 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved.

Essay on the Search for Freedom in Kate Chopins The Story of an Hour

Search for Freedom in The Story of an Hour  Ã‚      In the early 1900s, marriage was comparable to a master-and-slave relationship.   The role of the woman in the marriage was minimal.   The woman’s place was in the house, caring for the children, cleaning the house, and doing other â€Å"womanly† tasks.   Chained to their husbands, marriage became prison to many women; the only means of breaking free from these bonds being the death of a husband.   In Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour,† Mrs. Mallard lives for an hour, experiencing rebirth into freedom and death when that freedom is lost.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   While sitting downstairs, Mrs. Mallard grieves over the loss of her husband, and over her new-found freedom.   His death tears out everything from right underneath her very own feet.   Dependent and heartbroken, everything she relies on her husband for has now become her responsibility.   Weeping â€Å"with sudden, wild abandonment†¦.,† Mrs. Mallard allows her emotions over her husband’s death to flow freely, thus...

The Selfish Giant

The Selfish giant â€Å"The giant was a selfish giant,† says the story â€Å"The selfish giant† written by Oscar Wilde from Ireland, who wanted to bring forth a special moral which has been a serious topic for many centuries, and no less these days than ever before. He uses many characteristics of fairytales to create a conscious fairytale about the problem that is to this day the reason why the world is the way it is. Therefore I am going to write an analysis of his work on what the moral is, and what messages that was sent through the fairytale, as well as looking at the means he used to write the story. First of all there is a question of symbols. Oscar Wilde used many symbols which are things we associate with other themes or feelings to create an atmosphere in the fairytale all together. A special example of this is the giant itself, because why didn't Oscar Wilde use a normal person? Or mayhap a wealthy old man for that matter? Many have heard the expression swollen. When a person is swollen, he is egotistical and self centred. He doesn't care about anyone else. Therefore, Oscar has pictured the giant's inner feelings with the outer appearance. Other symbols are also present, like the great wall, which at first means exactly what it is supposed to, keeping people outside of the wall. That wall represents the giant's heart. First the wall is sealed tight; no one is coming in or out. The giant is at first satisfied with the arrangement, with no one to bother him, but after a long time he feels lonely, and the wall around his hear finds a crack. This is where the children sneak in, and melts the giant's heart. Last of the examples of symbols there is the little boy who couldn't reach the branches of the tree. It is a test to give the giant the opportunity to do something nice, and he takes it. This little child is, as we get to know indirectly at the end, Jesus Christ. His hands bled, and the giant wished to avenge the little child. The child however dismisses the pledge, and says that it is the wounds of love, as Jesus died for all of human kind according to the bible. The giant had then grown old and feeble, and were on the verge of his lifespan. Therefore he got the reward for his kindness to children, by being allowed into heaven by Jesus himself. Oscar Wilde draws elements from other religions than Christianity as well, Buddhism for example, where he uses the Karma concept. â€Å"What goes around, comes around,† which means that if you are nice, you will be rewarded, and if you are bad you will be punished. That forwards me to my second point, about personification. When the giant was selfish, the powers of nature had a role of its own to play in the story. The different aspects of nature were given the ability to do humanlike feats, like talking, sleeping and dancing. Almost move at their own free will. For example when the giant was selfish, and closed up his garden. The winter and cold moved in to his life without leaving. The North wind was dancing, and said that they should invite the hail. This is something the forces of nature wouldn't do outside human imagination, but it puts a picture of nature having a life of its own. The flowers wouldn't come out of the ground because it felt sad for the children. The trees as well, bent as low as they could for the little boy who was too tiny for the tree climbing. As if trees could bend on their own free will. That makes nature a part of the judge of who is good and who is bad in this world. Throughout the whole story, there is different judges which indirectly or even directly determine who is the bad guy and who is the good guy. Where Jesus is one of the judges, nature is one of the judges and the children are judges. The part about nature judging men originates from ancient Celtic folklore where people sacrificed to the spirits of nature which had a will of their own. Thirdly, there are the elements of fairy tales. In fairytales there are almost always supernatural creatures, and in this one is no exception. There are two in â€Å"the selfish giant,† the giant himself and the Cornish ogre. The ogre himself is a symbol, because in folklore, the ogre is a bad creature who eats children. Therefore there are hints that the giant might have been influenced by the ogre on his travels, becoming even worse than he was before as the wall was not built until he came back from his trip, and he didn't seem to have that idea before. Other elements from fairytales are the number seven. The number seven appear when the selfish giant had been out travelling for seven years. There is however not much more reference to other numbers that is worth mentioning. Another element that is widely spread within fairytales is the personification which has been explained at the previous paragraph, where animals and inanimate objects get the abilities of a human. Last of all, there is the moral subject. Throughout the entire story you get the impression of what the moral is, and that is â€Å"what goes around comes around. In the beginning you can read that the giant was selfish, and that means that he cared only about himself. He did naught for others, and he did not get anything in return. He seemed content with this at first, but when he got lonely, and the winter wouldn't leg go we wished that he had done something good. When the children came, his heart melted and he wanted to help them. However, when he approached them, they ran away. That is a message that if you are a jer k, then everyone will think you are a jerk, no matter your intentions. However, when he helped the child, the other children understood they could trust him. He turned, and decided to play with them instead of chasing them away. In this he got rewarded more than once. Because he got both his summer and spring back, he got many friends to play with, and he ascended to heaven after he died. This underlines the moral that if you do good, then good will come to you. I conclude with an agreement with the moral, that good is reaped if you sow it, and that good is what is best for mankind. I really liked the story because I agree with the moral of the story, and it is a well written story as well. Oscar Wilde has used great elements in his story that brings it to life, and makes it interesting to read. It is very touching as well, because it requires a lot to make me cry. There is a joyful sadness about it all that makes you unsure if you are crying tears of joy, or of sadness. The part where he dies is kind of sad, because he dies. However, when it also confirms that he goes to a better place.

Implications of Islamic finance for securities law in New Zealand Essay

The global growth and development of Shari’ah compliant financial products has been more pronounced in the last three decades, when several countries already had established laws and regulations governing finance and securities. The materialization of variety of capital market products, compounded by progression of market activity, not confined to the traditional jurisdictions in Asia and the Middle East and the development and advancement of technology has led to global trade in Shari’ah compliant products not limited by the geographical boundaries, whereas New Zealand has laws governing investment and finance, what are the implications of Islamic finance for securities law in New Zealand? Furthermore how has the development of Shari’ah compliant financial products occurred in New Zealand and what is the regulatory treatment of these products? Introduction Islamic capital securities and Shari’ah compliant products, which were previously predominantly viewed as a preserve of Middle East and East Asia, has received geographical expansion beyond the traditional spheres of activity. The global impacts of Shari’ah compliant products resulted to the recognition of such products, hence International Organization of Securities Commissions hence creating Islamic Capital Market Task Force to access the compatibility of IOSCO? s core principles with the products and practices of Islamic finance. The securities of several countries were created and implemented before the global recognition of Islamic laws concerning finance and securities. In New Zealand, several laws which govern securities were implemented long before IOSCO’s creation and recognition of Islamic Capital Market Task Force, these laws include The Securities Act 1978, Securities Regulations 1983, The Securities Markets Act 1988, Securities Act (Contributory Mortgage) Regulations 1988, Financial Reporting Act 1993, Securities (Fees) Regulations 1998 and the Securities Markets (Fees) Regulations 2003. The growth of compliant financial services as experienced global growth and several measurement metrics have been recognised, such as FTSE Global Islamic Index Series, Global Dow Jones Islamic Market Index , FTSE Shari’ahh Global Equity Index , Bursa Malaysia Hijrah Shari’ahh and EMAS Shari’ahh indices, FTSE SET Shari’ahh Index, FTSE SGX Shari’ahh Index Series and the FTSE SGX Shari’ah Index Series which on critical analysis reveals that the global performance of Shari’ah compliant financial services has been on the positive trend, however New Zealand does not have Islamic compliant Series and as such, whereas the laws have been amended and changed several times, the global influence of Shari’ah compliant products is bound to have adverse impacts on the securities law in New Zealand. Literature Review The Islamic finance sectors in terms of Shari’ah compliance incorporate diverse spectrum of financial services such as securities, banking, insurance, non-bank monetary arbitration and capital markets where these products are influenced by the common Shari’ah legal maxim where any action is permitted unless expressible prohibited by law According to El-Hawary, Grais & Iqbal the growth of Islamic finance in the 1980’s and 1990’s involved mainly the augmentation of banking and trade-related financing activities. The Islamic finance sector is a product of Shari’ah laws, which are founded on Qur’an, Ahadith , Ijma, Qiyas, and Ijtihad, the laws however traverse the Islamic way of life in entirety, where associated influence of rules, laws and interpretations of Shari’ah is demonstrated in the religious, cultural, social, political and communal aspects of Muslims. According to Muhammad Ashraf , the convergence of the country’s regulatory laws, and the Shari’ah compliancy should be based on the principle of concordare leges legibus est optims interpretandi modus which dictates that the best mode of interpreting laws is to make laws agree with laws. New Zealand being a member of International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) which mandated the formation of an Islamic Capital Market Task Force (ICMTF) is envisioned to embrace fully and conform with international defined standards of Shari’ah compliancy, however the Securities Act 1978, which regulates primary markets in New Zealand forms a basis of regulation, Securities Markets Act 1988 regulates secondary markets, furthermore there exists legislations that impact on securities such as Unit Trusts Act 1960, Financial Reporting Act 1993, KiwiSaver Act 2006, and Companies Act 1993, these acts come in force before the prominence of Shari’ah compliant financial products. Mansoor H Khan , and argues that the implications of Islamic finance on laws are a challenge based on divergence of Islamic banking courts and conventional court systems, where disputed cases of the Islamic banks are subjected conventional legal system while in essence the nature of the legal system of Islam differs, he further argues existing laws, are repugnant to injunctions of Islam, yet they are expected to promulgate Shari’ah compliant legal cases and products. This supports the argument by Yong-Jae Chang , and Jun-Hee Choi , where existent laws are identified as inhibitors to development of Shari’ah compliant products, and advocates amendment of existing laws since Islamic banking resembles universal banking, consequently, laws and regulations need to be amended accordingly to provision for the universal approach, this complies with Securities Act 1978, which grants the Securities Commission leeway to co-operate with similar bodies overseas. The connotation of Islamic finance are disposed by the Shari’ah laws governing finance and investment, which are bound to have influence is the principle of materiality where financial transactions should bear material in terms of actual monetary transaction. In this case Shari’ah compliancy in terms of financial reward achievement is based on musharaka, in terms of joint ventures, where risks and financial results are shared by the contributing partners and mudaraba centred on trust financing where the outcome of business venture is shared by capital contributor and the managing partner. Shari’ah laws also prohibits predetermined interest rate, referred as riba or usury set ex ante, in this regard banks are disallowed from charging additional interests, which do not equally benefit the client, consideration of New Zealand laws, Securities Markets Act 1988 , requires brokers and investment advisers offer customers written disclosure statement and forbids market manipulation, hence agreeing with Shari’ah. With the principle of risk-sharing, the finance provider as well as the loaned party share risks, in exchange of profits and losses, the attractiveness of such arrangement has enhanced the growth of Shari’ah compliant especially to risk averse investors, regulations however have to be modified to suit such an arrangement. The Securities Act 1978 & Securities Regulations 1983 allows clients to cancel allotment of security midterm as a result of misleading information, on the Islamic perspective, Shari’ah dictates murabaha (mark-up financing), which occurs in terms of Basic Murabaha, Commodity Murabaha and Reverse Murabaha in which a financing institution buys products for a client and sells them on on a deferred basis, adding an agreed profit margin , however the agreement can be cancelled midterm, this conforms with existing laws on securities and can foster development of Shari’ah compliant products. Ijara which governs operating Lease and Ijara wa Iqtina which governs finance Lease are also products which demand less amendment of existing laws, since they are modelled on conventional sale agreements where the financial institutions acquire assets and leases them to a customer who may purchase the said assets at a later date, this is also exhibited in Diminishing Musharaka. On contrast however, qard hassana which prohibits charging interest on loans and bai’salam or bai’salaf is based on delivery or the purchased commodity, are different from the conventionally accepted principles of financial institutions which are geared towards achieving profits by charging interests. According to IOSCO report, Shari’ah law prohibits gharar or improbability or speculation, in actual sense however, financial markets are laden with vibrant and fickle behavior, whereas Shari’ah principle states that complete disclosure of information is a requisite and disallows indiscretion of information in a contract, while allowing improbability with controllable on the society, in New Zealand, the Financial Reporting Act 1993 , agrees with the Shari’ah laws and further defines the terms of compliance by defining the punitive measures against truant financial institutions. Conclusion The global pace of market development hint on interest to offer Shari’ahh compliant financial products by financial institutions globally, the fact that regulatory bodies such as International Organization Of Securities Commissions distinguishes these products means that global recognition and regulation of Islamic finance is eminent, with collaboration, information exchange and thematic work by financial institutions globally, New Zealand financial institutions will be compelled to offer Shari’ah compliant products, in essence this shall contribute to altering of the country’s laws to accommodate the new product.

Free Essays on Ethical Warfare

â€Å"Ethical Warfare† President George Bush once put forth, â€Å"Using military force makes sense as a policy where the stakes warrant, where and when force can be effective, where its application can be limited in scope and time, and where the potential benefits justify the potential costs and sacrifice.† (President George Bush, p.423) This criterion as Bush describes is nothing new. It has been traditionally known as international law. They are also part of what is known as just war theory. Some people have preferred the use of the phrase â€Å"justified war† instead of â€Å"just war† because they believe that in just war theory there is a presumption against the use of military force that must be overcome or should it? Just war theory can be traced all the way back to 400 A.D. by the writings of St. Augustine. He was concerned about how to reconcile traditional Christian views of the immorality of violence with the necessity of defending the Roman Empire from invading forces. He asked â€Å"what one should do if one sees an individual attacking an innocent, defenseless victim? His response was that â€Å"one should intervene and do whatever is necessary to protect the victim, even up to the point of killing the aggressor.† (St. Augustine, p. 424) We know of this theory today by The Hague and Geneva conventions. Remember, also that human beings have been fighting each other since prehistoric times. But is war really bad? The ethics of war starts by assuming that yes, war is bad, and it should be avoided whenever possible, but it recognizes that there can be situations when war may be lesser evil of several bad choices. War itself is bad but when justified it serves a purpose to protect the life of human individuals. Although war itself can be backed by a number of ethical theories, ethical egoism sort of stands back and says, yeah if I was in charge on the United States, of course I am going to act the way I ought to ... Free Essays on Ethical Warfare Free Essays on Ethical Warfare â€Å"Ethical Warfare† President George Bush once put forth, â€Å"Using military force makes sense as a policy where the stakes warrant, where and when force can be effective, where its application can be limited in scope and time, and where the potential benefits justify the potential costs and sacrifice.† (President George Bush, p.423) This criterion as Bush describes is nothing new. It has been traditionally known as international law. They are also part of what is known as just war theory. Some people have preferred the use of the phrase â€Å"justified war† instead of â€Å"just war† because they believe that in just war theory there is a presumption against the use of military force that must be overcome or should it? Just war theory can be traced all the way back to 400 A.D. by the writings of St. Augustine. He was concerned about how to reconcile traditional Christian views of the immorality of violence with the necessity of defending the Roman Empire from invading forces. He asked â€Å"what one should do if one sees an individual attacking an innocent, defenseless victim? His response was that â€Å"one should intervene and do whatever is necessary to protect the victim, even up to the point of killing the aggressor.† (St. Augustine, p. 424) We know of this theory today by The Hague and Geneva conventions. Remember, also that human beings have been fighting each other since prehistoric times. But is war really bad? The ethics of war starts by assuming that yes, war is bad, and it should be avoided whenever possible, but it recognizes that there can be situations when war may be lesser evil of several bad choices. War itself is bad but when justified it serves a purpose to protect the life of human individuals. Although war itself can be backed by a number of ethical theories, ethical egoism sort of stands back and says, yeah if I was in charge on the United States, of course I am going to act the way I ought to ...

What to Do the Week Before the SAT if You Havent Prepared At All

What to Do the Week Before the SAT if You Havent Prepared At All This is it. You have exactly one week before you head to the testing center and take the SAT. You have not prepared at all before now, and you only have one week - just seven short nights - before you take the test that can help or hurt your chances of getting into the college or university you are  dying  to get into. So, what do you do the week before the SAT that can make any sort of difference in your score? Cram like a maniac? Completely forget about looking at test prep material at all because, after all, what good would it do? Reschedule your SAT? Have a panicky meltdown in the cereal aisle of Target?   Before you get any crazy ideas, take a peek at the things you  should  be doing to get yourself ready this week so you have a shot at getting a good score on test day.   Go Immediately to a Bookstore and Buy an SAT Test Prep Book Go to the store and pick up a test prep book for the SAT. Choose one from either The Princeton Review, Kaplan Test Prep or The College Board. The Princeton Review is the most readable, so Id start there. Make sure the book you buy is for the Redesigned SAT, the test that took over for the old SAT in March of 2016. There will be nothing worse than prepping for a test that no longer exists.   Go To KhanAcademy.org  and Take an SAT Practice Test The Khan Academy has partnered with The College Board, the makers of the SAT test, to provide students with free SAT practice tests to help you get ready for the exam. Ideally, you should have been using this site for the last four weeks to really hone your skills. However, there are still some things you can do on the site to get you better prepared for the test on Saturday. Before we do them, we need to know the areas in which you need the most help. So first, take a full-length practice SAT test. You will need to sign up with your Facebook or email account.   Pinpoint Your Weaknesses At this point, you must focus on the areas of the test in which youre the least proficient. That means, after you take the practice test and the Khan Academy scores it for you, write down or print out the area scores that were the lowest. Was it Math? Great. Youll be zeroing in on that. Youll need to focus on your weaknesses- and exclusively on them- most of this week.   Strengthen Your Weaknesses Since youve narrowed down the areas of primary concern, you need to start pumping them up! Again, go to the Khan Academy website, and complete the practice problems for the areas that you were the weakest, Likewise, go to your test prep book and read through the sections and complete the practice problems in those weak areas. Youre going to spend 4-5 days working on these sections to really boost them up as much as possible. Check out your Strengths   After youve really nailed down your weakest section, spend one day learning about the sections of the test where you scored the highest. Was it  reading? Or writing? Read through the test directions, the content youll need to know, and complete as many practice questions as you possible can. Write a Practice Essay If you havent already, write a timed SAT essay using one of the prompts from the test prep book. Although the essay isnt figured into your overall score and is no longer a required feature of the SAT exam, many colleges and universities still require it and may use it to assess your overall readiness for the program in which youre interested. At the very least, youll get a refresher on writing an essay in a short amount of time.   Take One More Practice Test This time, try to simulate the test-taking experience as much as possible, and take the paper practice test in the back of the book. Sit at a desk in a quiet room. Set a time-limit just like youd have on test day, and work through the problems with efficient test-taking strategies. Dont you dare cheat by getting up in the middle of the test or guzzling a soda in the middle of it, either. Its good to practice disciplining yourself to sit and focus.   Get All Your Stuff Ready The Night Before There are several things you need to do the night before the SAT. First, be sure you have your admission ticket and photo ID ready to go. Then, check for test center closings and plan out your route to the testing center. Set your clock. Get your clothes ready so youre not scrambling in the morning. Want the complete list? See it here.   Relax the Night Before At this point, youve done everything you can do to get ready for the SAT in the limited time youve provided yourself. So...relax. Go out to dinner with your family. Watch an EARLY movie and hit the sack EARLY so you can be bright and refreshed for that early morning wake-up call. You can sabotage all of the hard work youve put in by doing something silly like going out or partying the night before the SAT.

Business Research Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business Research Methods - Essay Example It is often difficult to obtain good advice and supervision for research in a steel company with low productivity where job security is very low among the employees. Good advice and supervision (for trainees) or peer review (for experienced researchers) are a key to successful research. Inadequate planning This is often related to poor advice. All stages of the project need to be planned in detail. There is nothing worse than getting halfway through data collection, and then realizing that things should be done slightly differently. Or even worse collecting a whole load of data and then realizing that one do not really know how to analyze it. Methodological error Many questions in Job Satisfaction survey are rather complex. The Method has to match the question. If not, there will be problems in analyzing the results. Premature data collection It is very tempting to design a data collection form and start collecting data as soon as possible. However this is always a mistake. A lot of energy and enthusiasm is wasted by premature data collection. A Structured Approach has to be adopted to avoid this pitfall. Underestimate of time / resources required Research projects always take much longer and are always much harder. A good rule of thumb is to estimate within the time and resources that you have available, play safe and ask a smaller or different question. Lack of motivation Completing a research project is hard work. It takes energy, enthusiasm and staying power from the employees. In a steel company with low productivity, one cannot expect the employees to be enthusiastic. Not asking a focused question This is the commonest reason that projects fail, with the usual error being to attempt to answer a question that is too big and too general. Obtaining a... It is very tempting to design a data collection form and start collecting data as soon as possible. However this is always a mistake. A lot of energy and enthusiasm is wasted by premature data collection. A Structured Approach has to be adopted to avoid this pitfall. Research projects always take much longer and are always much harder. A good rule of thumb is to estimate within the time and resources that you have available, play safe and ask a smaller or different question. Completing a research project is hard work. It takes energy, enthusiasm and staying power from the employees. In a steel company with low productivity, one cannot expect the employees to be enthusiastic. This is the commonest reason that projects fail, with the usual error being to attempt to answer a question that is too big and too general. Obtaining a concrete answer to a small and specific question is much better than attempting to obtain an answer to a 'big question'. This is also called a dichotomous scale and takes the form Yes and No questions. The Major draw back of this type is that it can be applied for demographic responses or where a dichotomous response is adequate. Analysis is almost negligible for these types of scales. This scale is appropriate when there are multiple options but only one answer is sought.