Using Qualitative Feedback Of Grades - 3184 Words

Letters Over Words: Using Qualitative Feedback Instead of Grades Paige M. Bartlett University of Washington Teaching to Transgress April 9th, 2015 Oppressive Classrooms The year was 1987. My mom was a freshman in college. She felt virtually invisible in her Intro to Anthropology course of around 300 people. It wasn’t her best class, but she was still surprised when she received a C- on the paper she wrote. She hadn’t thought she’d done that badly. Confused, she scheduled an appointment to talk to her professor about it. She walked into his office asking where she’d gone wrong, so she could understand and improve. The professor took the paper and changed the grade to an A. â€Å"I thought you were someone else,† he told her†¦show more content†¦It gives students a better understanding of their academic abilities and prevents students from being powerless in their own education. Grades have served to dehumanize students. Instead of being seen as full, complete beings they are reduce to A students, C students, and students failing the class. This judgment is not only made by their teachers but by society as a whole. Parents often set standards for what their kids grades need to be and punish them if they don’t reach the mark. Friends and classmates compare the results of tests and report cards, making learning into a competition where some are â€Å"better† than others. Additionally, and perhaps the most disturbingly, for some students, grades become a reflection of their own worth. It doesn’t help that in many ways our future is defined by our GPA. In a world where grades carry such weight, they can seem awfully fatalistic. A streak of bad ones can look like the end of a dream career. A friend of mine is facing just that reality. Her GPA is lower than she expects and lower than what it takes to get herself to grad school. With the added possibility of disappointing her parents or losing her scholarship, each assignment is an anxiety provoking threat, which could take her closer to failure. The way we’ve set up schools, once your grades drop, it becomes incre asingly hard to bring them back up. Many students faced with mounting

Anti Divorce - 3362 Words

The Anti-Divorce Revolution: The Debate on Marriage Takes a Surprising Turn Pia Nordlinger The Weekly Standard, March 2, 1998 Town amp; Country, a glossy magazine for the well-heeled, touted a special feature in its January issue: Tamp;Cs Guide to Civilized Divorce. Placed just before photos of society newlyweds in the monthly Weddings section, the guide highlights how to choose the right attorney, minimize costs, and spare the children mental anguish. The 16-page insert even includes a compilation of Americas top divorce lawyers, complete with their professional nicknames: Your Worst Nightmare, The Hired Gun and The Stealth Bomber. Readers of slick magazines may be interested in the mode of divorce, but the rest of the†¦show more content†¦During the 1970s, when more and more states were adopting no-fault laws, the annual number of divorces shot from 708,000 in 1970 to 1,181,000 in 1979, an increase of 66 percent. Even as divorce was becoming commonplace, public opinion remained ambivalent. Between 1970 and 1995, the minority who oppose divorce as a solution to marital difficulty rose slowly from 22 percent to 34 percent, according to CBS News polls. More striking, through the 80s and 90s roughly half the respondents to National Opinion Research Center surveys agreed with the statement, Divorce should be more difficult to obtain than it is now, while the share who thought it should be even easier hovered around 25 percent. Still, the public may not be ready to repeal no-fault. Most attempts to toughen state laws have failed. The notable exception came last July, when Louisiana enacted covenant marriage. Couples in that state now have the opportunity to choose between a standard marriage and a covenant marriage, which includes premarital counseling and, if the marriage should break down, counseling before a divorce can take place. Covenant couples can be granted a no-fault divorce only after a two-year waiting period, four times the standard period. Yet covenant couples may seek a fault-based divorce if there is evidence of adultery, abandonment, physical or sexual abuse, or felony imprisonment. Since Louisianas law took effect, only a tiny fraction of couples have taken the covenant plunge.Show MoreRelatedThe Anti-Divorce Movement: a Persuasion Paper1268 Words   |  6 PagesFor the last two decades, divorce has become ever more prelivant in society. Studies conclude that less than one-third of all marriages end in divorce. The effects of divorce can be very devastating, especially when children are involved. Everyone who has ever listened to the news has heard the dismal statistics of adolescents coming from broken homes. 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Kouzes and Posneer

Question: Discuss about theKouzes and Posneer. Answer: Introduction: Leadership can be explained as a variable practice of determining a target or an aim, motivating a team to achieve the set goal, sharing a vision, supporting the team, and motivating them to achieve the targeted aim. In a day to day routine of a nurse, this could mean coordination of day and night work shifts, and the team of nurses, and supporting the staff on duty under the direction of a leader (Abraham, 2011). The leadership skills of a nurse are to successfully operate the shifts, enhancing the staff morale, and managing and giving hundred percent of dedication in a case of challenging or difficult situations. Kouzes and Posner have designed a model of leadership called Kouzes and Posner (2012) that can define in the best way the required skills of an effective leader. Some have inborn leadership skills, and some have to develop these skills to be an effective leader. The Kouzes and Posner (2012) have divided its model into five practices that a leader should excel in his field. Here in this report, the same has been explained with the help of an example of leadership and the progress made in leading (Abu-Tineh, Khasawneh and Omary, 2009). Example of Leadership I am working as a registered nurse with a reputed Hospital in Hong Kong. Under my stature, there are about five male and seven female nurses whom I have to lead as per to the day to day requirements. 7th September was a usual working day, when I was called by the head nurse and was told that a train accident had happened, and many of the victims would be coming to our hospital. She asked me to be ready with my team and other arrangements. I gathered my team and directed them with the duties, they were supposed to handle. Along with the duties I also told them that most of the victims are away from their family, so they need the sympathy, support, and love from us. Everybody is of different nature, and so many of them together will be testing our patience thus, it is necessary that all of us should understand the tough situation all patients are in and behave accordingly. There were about hundred patients that came from the accident site. It was really a challenging process to provide the necessary first-aid to them and then send them to doctors for further treatment. I stood there with my team and started treating all the victims of the accident. A tireless and emotional day was ahead of us, but I encouraged my team members regularly for their efforts they were putting along with that completing my duties also. Once all the patients were treated and set. I gathered my team and thanked them for their support and hard work which they showed in such a difficult situation and asked them to be like this in future also, as it would help them to improve their work. As a reward of their hard work I told that next coffee party will be on me. This experience made me learn a lot as it helped me to know where I stood with my team, and how well I was leading them to face the upcoming circumstances and be a better person in work and in life. In this experience, the exemplary level of the leadership is displayed. This could be explained with the help of the leadership model Kouzes and Posner (2012). How a leader has followed the five practices of the leadership model and the commitments that a leader should make with him-self or her-self to lead his or her team in an effective way is being well explained in the example. Kouzes and Posner Model (2012) Model the Way- The personal credibility of a leader is one of his essential qualities and also the base on the leadership. The team members or the subordinates should have a belief on their leader, then only they will be able to clearly understand the message that a leader want to communicate. A leader should be able to clearly state the right path that his or her subordinates should take. As given in the example I had the responsibility of leading a team of twelve members and when I realised that a particular situation needs my leadership quality where I had to guide my subordinates the best way to treat the patients I tried to put my best foot forward and explained them the situation (AL-Dossary, Kitsantas and Maddox, 2014). My leadership had proved successful as my team was able to successfully understand the sensitivity of the situation and performed in the best way. I had successfully fulfilled the commitments of the model. I shared my idea of practice with my subordinates whom they were able to replicate and I my-self worked with them with the same rigour to achieve the target set by us. An example was set by me for my team members to follow which was a necessity at that moment (Bensfield, Solari-Twadell and Sommer, 2008). Inspired a shared vision- A leader should be able to pass on the vision he has to his subordinates. If his or her vision is clearly passed and understood by his or her team members then they will be able to change the vision into a reality (Waite and Brooks, 2014). It is necessary that the communication level between the members and the leaders has to be very comfortable and clear. In the above-given example, (Kouzes and Posner, 2011) I passed on my vision of treatment that was needed to be given to the patients and how to deal them with sympathy and sensitivity. My vision was delivered to my team, and they were able to cope with the sensitive and challenging situation standing in front of them. I tried to fulfil both the commitments of this practice as I assumed the situation and what lie in the future and delivered my vision to my subordinates also and replicate it into a reality (Brightman, 2007). Challenge the process- The life is full of challenges and a leader should always be prepared to face the upcoming challenges that life throws in front of him or her. The commitments of this practice also state that a leader should grab the opportunities by doing experiments, taking risks, and learn from their mistakes. Same as in the example, when a challenging situation came in front of me and my team, I took the challenge and boosted my team, to follow my instructions to easily pass through the situation and help all the patients (Player and Burns, 2015). I tried to prove my leadership skill by setting an example for my team to follow and grow in their work experience. There were a lot of chances of the failure in handling the difficult situation, but my faith in myself and on my team lead me to success. This challenge had also helped in proving that I as a leader and my team can tackle any challenge thrown at us (Bruno and Lay, 2008). Enable other to act- A leader needs a team to show his or her leadership skills. A leader knows very well that a good team is a necessity to achieve any target set by the management. A team is a group of people who have their own ideas and nature. It is very necessary for a leader to make individuals form a team and work with each other by respecting each others thoughts and nature (Butko, 2012). The commitments of this practice also state that a leader should be able to make his people work as per the given directions given by collaborating with the group members and strengthening the team by supporting each other in all types of circumstances. Treating hundred of patients was not an easy task, but me, and my team was able to conquer the task because we all worked like a team and I as a leader was able to get my team work as per my directions. I welcomed any suggestion coming from my team and told them how to work with a lot of patience and sympathy with the patients. My directions not only helped my team to work through a difficult situation but also helped the victims by supporting them and giving them sympathy and cure (Castille, 2012). Encourage the heart- Sometimes people get irritated, frustrated, and disappointed with the work they are doing, then it becomes the leaders responsibility to encourage his or her subordinates and boost their morale. A leader should recognize the contribution of his or team and should appreciate their efforts. In the above-given example, the situation where I as a leader and my team were supposed to show our efficiency was very difficult as well as challenging (Chang and Lin, 2008). The disappointment of the victims would had easily affected the team members, but not only I encouraged my team members by appreciating what they were doing and a small token of appreciation was given by in the form of a coffee treat for their hard work and work efficiency. This way the example displayed both the commitments of the practice which is to recognize the efforts of the workers and celebrate their victory with the coffee treat as a reward which I promised them. (Click, 2014). Leadership Practice Inventory Here, the practices and their commitments of the leadership model of Kouzes and Posner (2012) are scored as per the progress I made in my leadership skill while working as a registered nurse. Score- 1= Bad, 2 = OK, 3 = Good, 4 = Very Well Done, 5 = Best Practices of the Model Commitments Score Model the Way Clarify values by finding your voice and affirming shared ideals 4 Set the example by aligning actions with shared values 4 Inspire a Shared Vision Envision the future by imagining exciting and ennobling possibilities 3 Enlist others in a common vision by appealing to shared aspirations 4 Challenge the Process Search for opportunities by seizing the initiative and by looking outward 5 Experiment and take risks by constantly generating small wins and learning from experience 5 Enable Others to Act Foster collaboration by building trust and facilitating relationships 4 Strengthen others by increasing self-determination developing competence 3 Encourage the Heart Recognise contributions by showing appreciation for individual excellence 4 Celebrate the values and victories by creating a spirit of community 2 As per the inventory I have scored myself 4 in both the commitments of the practice Model the Way as I am able to guide my team with the right directions and also I myself work hard with them to set an example. In inspiring other with shared vision I scored myself 3 where I have to assume what is coming in future because I feel, I still have to work on my skill and 4 in the commitment where I have to share my vision with my team which I am able to do well. Third practice I excelled because I feel that I am ready to deal all types of challenges with the support of my team. I have full support and trust of my team which allowed me to score myself 4 in the commitment of Enable Others to Act but in the second commitment I still have to work in developing the self-determination. In Encouraging the Heart practices I scored myself 4 in recognizing the hard work that my team members always show but in the reward section I feel I could do better to encourage my team. In all, there are few fac tors where I have shown remarkable efforts in leading my team, but in some factors I still have to work very hard and achieve the success. Critical Analysis For a leader, it is necessary to know all the pros and cons of the ways and skills he or she is using to lead the team. A decision or a method used by a leader is not necessary to prove to be a success in all the situations. A leader should evaluate the circumstances and then decide the method or the practice that could be used and determine the expected result out of it. Here a critical analysis for some of the leadership skills is being done to explain the course of action one could take to achieve the target (Criscitelli, 2013). Personal Values- a leader always set an example for his subordinates to follow. Ones personal values and thoughts affect the decision, he or she takes. If a leader evaluates all the aspects of the circumstances of the present time and also the affects of the decision taken in the future, then the success of the decision is expected more than a failure. But one never know what lay ahead in the future, a decision taken in the present times can go totally wrong in the future. It becomes very important that how a leader is using and displaying his or her personal values because the subordinates will be following the same example and that can lead them to the failure (Ellis and Abbott, 2013). Skills and Qualities- If a leader lacks the skills and qualities of an effective leader than he can never attain the target expected from them. This is because an effective leader needs to have skills like effective personal values, good communication level, clear vision of target, and also one should be an example that can be followed on (Ricketts, 2005). If a leader lacks all these qualities and skills, then he will not be able to share the vision of targeted aim with his subordinates. It is very important for a leader to make his vision clear with the subordinates because if the team members will not have a clear idea of the vision of the leader to attain the target or they didnt have the belief in the skills of their leader, then the targeted aim will never be achieved. Thus, it becomes very necessary that the leader should have skills and qualities to share a vision with the team members (Grossman, 2007). Challenging the Process- The self-belief, experience, learning from ones mistakes, and grabbing the opportunity are the factors that help a leader to challenge the regular process. If a leader lacks the self-confidence or risk taking quality than one will never be able to challenge the process and make people believe in the changes that the leader wants. If a leader displays the factors like experience and learning from the mistake than the management also listens to the point a leader want to communicate to challenge the regular process (Humpris, 2011). Empowerment- a leader has to give directions to the subordinates that lead them to the success. To give directions it is necessary that the leader should have the clear vision and idea of the goal set by the organization. A leader should be able to gain the trust of the team members and also strengthen the belief one has on their leader. If the team members do not believe in the vision of their leader, or do not trust the judgment or decision taken by him or her, then they will never be able to work like a team (Illies and Reiter-Palmon, 2007). Positive working environment- A positive working environment enhances the work efficiency of the worker. It is very necessary for the leader to make sure that the working environment is stress-free, amiable, and positive for his or her team- members. If the environment is not work friendly and the efforts made by the team is not appreciated by the leader, then a team will not be able to give the hundred percent of work efficiency that is expected from them (Jones, 2014). Conclusion Kouzes and Posner have come up with a leadership model Kouzes and Posner (2012) that explains the practices and the commitments that a leader should follow to show an effective leadership quality. The example of my life shared in the report explains and displays how a leader should tackle a situation and lead his or her team members also in showing their hundred percent work efficiency. The example shared in the report follows all the practices and its commitments that a leader should follow as per the leadership model designed by Kouzes and Posner. The example also shows the exemplary development of the leadership skills working as a nurse. The critical analysis of various factors that helps a me to attain an effective leadership describes the pros and cons of all the factors that help in diagnosing the situation and then deciding the course of action that I should take in a certain circumstance or a situation. In the end, the report concludes that various skills and qualities are r equired by a leader to achieve an effective leadership. References Abraham, P. (2011). Developing Nurse Leaders.Nursing Administration Quarterly, 35(4), pp.306-312. Abu-Tineh, A., Khasawneh, S. and Omary, A. (2009). Kouzes and Posners Transformational Leadership Model in Practice.Journal of Leadership Education, 7(3), pp.265-283. AL-Dossary, R., Kitsantas, P. and Maddox, P. (2014). The impact of residency programs on new nurse graduates' clinical decision-making and leadership skills: A systematic review.Nurse Education Today, 34(6), pp.1024-1028. Bensfield, L., Solari-Twadell, P. and Sommer, S. (2008). The Use of Peer Leadership to Teach Fundamental Nursing Skills.Nurse Educator, 33(4), pp.155-158. Brightman, J. (2007). The gap between personal and organizational values.Leadership in Action, 18(6), pp.13-13. Bruno, L. and Lay, E. (2008). Personal values and leadership effectiveness.Journal of Business Research, 61(6), pp.678-683. Butko, M. (2012). Book Review: Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It, Why People Demand It (2nd ed.) by James Kouzes and Barry Posner (Eds.).Adult Learning, 23(3), pp.158-159. Castille, K. (2012). Leadership matters.Emergency Nurse, 20(3), pp.11-11. Chang, H. and Lin, G. (2008). Effect of personal values transformation on leadership behaviour.Total Quality Management Business Excellence, 19(1-2), pp.67-77. Click, E. (2014). Tapping the Leadership Skills of Nursing Faculty: The Beneà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ts of Volunteering for Academic Committees.Nurse Leader, 12(6), pp.62-66. Criscitelli, T. (2013). Build your staffÊ ¼s leadership skills.OR Nurse, 7(6), pp.8-11. Ellis, P. and Abbott, J. (2013). Leadership and management skills in health care.Nurs Prescr, 11(5), pp.251-254. Grossman, S. (2007). Assisting Critical Care Nurses in Acquiring Leadership Skills.Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing, 26(2), pp.57-65. Humpris, P. (2011). Honing your leadership skills.Independent Nurse, 2011(9). Illies, J. and Reiter-Palmon, R. (2007). Responding Destructively in Leadership Situations: The Role of Personal Values and Problem Construction.J Bus Ethics, 82(1), pp.251-272. Jones, S. (2014). Distributed leadership: A critical analysis.Leadership, 10(2), pp.129-141. Kouzes, J. and Posner, B. (2011). Leadership begins with an inner journey.Leader to Leader, 2011(60), pp.22-27. Player, K. and Burns, S. (2015). Leadership Skills: New Nurse to Nurse Executive.Nurse Leader, 13(6), pp.40-51. Ricketts, J. (2005). The Relationship between Leadership Development and Critical Thinking Skills.Journal of Leadership Education, 4(2), pp.27-41. Waite, R. and Brooks, S. (2014). Cultivating social justice learning leadership skills: A timely endeavor for undergraduate student nurses.Nurse Education Today, 34(6), pp.890-893.

Soft Skill for Successful Career Essay Example

Soft Skill for Successful Career Essay Soft skill for successful career: Soft skills with special focus on ITES. Soft skill is the ability required and expected from persons for finding a suitable job, its maintenance and promotion. Importance of soft skill: Soft skill is very important ? To handle interpersonal relations ? To take appropriate decisions ? To communicate effectively ? To have good impression and impact to gain professional development Communication skill as soft skill: Communication skills form the corner stone of soft skill †¢ Every human being has to essentially effectively communicate with others †¢ Effective communication is the hallmark of one’s education †¢ The ability to speak fluently using the right word in the right order is an good communication †¢ Message using appropriate vocabulary and syntax form effective communication Body language: Non verbal language ? Face is the index of the mind and it clearly displays the persons interest ? Body language presents to the au dience what we feel think about the particular matter Ex: Nodding one’s head Body language (e. g, arms crossed, standing, sitting, relaxed) ? Emotion of the sender receiver (e. g, speaking clearly, enthusiastic) Written communication Skill: ? Writing evaluates a person’s proficiency indications, spelling grammar etc†¦ ? Errors committed while writing circulars, reports agenda considerably spoil the image of the writer ? Good visual presentation using graphics, color, balanced design layout- adds so much to written communication. ? Keep handouts and other written materials for your presentation. Presentation Skills: Presentation skills include planning, preparation delivery of the message ? Making a formal speech is one form of presentation ? Presentation skills can be broadly categorized into physical oral, electronic ? Success in life depends on presenting ideas in an appropriate manners ? Look at the eyes of audience speak in a natural, conversational voic e ? Appropriate voice will make the presentation effective and interesting ? Ask for feed back from your audience about your presentation change accordingly ? In presentation especially, stop occasionally to ask the audience understand what you have said Team Work: ? People of either gender, different age groups, qualification, status skills work as a team with a common objective of accomplishing the task ? The success of any organization largely depends on in the coordinated efforts of its employees ? It mainly refers to the agreeableness co-operation among the team members Professional ethics: ? Professional ethics is the need of the hour in India ? When a person is at the work spot, he must think of his work only ? He must put his heart soul into the work Each employee is a organic part of the organization must strive to contribute his mite to the successful functioning of the organization Interpersonal Skills: ? Man is a social animal his success in life largely depends on his relationship interaction with others ? We must respect the views sentiments of others. ? When we want to differ their views, we must very politely give hi nts to them without wondering their feelings Time Stress Management: ? Prioritize the work schedule your time accordingly ? Impotent work should be allotted more time taken up first ? We will write a custom essay sample on Soft Skill for Successful Career specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Soft Skill for Successful Career specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Soft Skill for Successful Career specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Listening to classical music practicing Yoga will considerably reduce the physical,emotional mental stress of an individual Leadership communication skills: ? Leaders, executives managers need to be very clear about what they expect from others ? Trust your self ? Keep smiling ? Share stay together ? Always learn new things ? Accept responsibility for your self your actions ? Look at problems challenges ? Be grateful always ? Love your self The Power of Positive Attitude: Positive attitude helps to cope more easily with the daily affairs of life. It brings optimism into your life, and makes it easier to avoid worry and negative thinking. If you adopt it as a way of life, it will bring constructive changes into your life, and makes them happier, brighter and more successful. With a positive attitude you see the bright side of life, become optimistic and expect the best to happen. It is certainly a state of mind that is well worth developing and strengthening. The benefits of a positive attitude: Helps achieving goals and attaining success. Success achieved faster and more easily. More happiness. More energy. Greater inner power and strength. The ability to inspire and motivate yourself and others. Fewer difficulties encountered along the way. The ability to surmount any difficulty. Life smiles at you. People respect you. Negative attitude says: you cannot achieve success. Positive attitude says: You can achieve success. If you have been exhibiting a negative attitude and expecting failure and difficulties, it is now the time to change the way you think. It is time to get rid of negative thoughts and behavior and lead a happy and successful life. Why not start today? If you have tried and failed, it only means that you have not tried enough. Developing a positive attitude that will lead you to happiness and success: Choose to be happy. Look at the bright side of life. Choose to be and stay optimistic. Find reasons to smile more often. Have faith in yourself and in the Power of the Universe. Contemplate upon the futility of negative thinking and worries. Associate yourself with happy people. Read inspiring stories. Read inspiring quotes. Repeat affirmations that inspire and motivate you. Visualize only what you want to happen. Learn to master your thoughts. Learn concentration and meditation.

Occupational Analysis Inventory Essays

Occupational Analysis Inventory Essays Occupational Analysis Inventory Essay Occupational Analysis Inventory Essay Occupational Analysis Inventory. Mohammed Adnan Waseem. Course Title: Advances in HRD Supervisor: Prof. Dr Syed Tahir Hijazi. What is Job Analysis? Acquiring information about the jobs in the organization is much important especially for Human Resource department. A job is a schedule of tasks, duties and responsibilities that can be performed by a jobholder. Job analysis is to study these schedules of activities to find out tasks, duties and responsibilities needed for each job. So we can say that, process of collecting and organizing knowledge about a specific job and its requirements is called job analysis For job analysis, questionnaires are basic requirement. There are different types of questionnaires being used to carry out job analysis procedure. One of them is Occupational Analysis Inventory, which is discussed in detail in coming lines. Occupational Analysis Inventory: The Occupational Analysis Inventory contains 617 descriptions of work activities and conditions also called work elements† on the basis of which occupations are rated. In some references number of elements is 622. ) The OAI work elements were produced within the broad framework of an information processing paradigm. It is a useful tool for collecting highly specific and related information about a job. The OAI reveals following five major categories: (1) Information Received, (2) Mental Activities, (3) Work Behavior, (4) Work Goals, (5) Work environment. These major categories a re further subdivided regarding to selected conceptual framework pertaining to the human behavior and work requirements. Model for the Occupational Analysis Inventory: AIl respondents have to rate each job element by selecting from four ratings given below: (1) part-of-job, (2) extent, (3) application, (4) a special scale designed for the element. Uses: OAI has a very vast use, from Army to industry, etc. The OAI has been used to gather information on 1,400 (approximately) jobs selected to represent five major occupational categories. To cope with the changing nature of the organizational activities, occupational analysis and classification system keeps an eye on the characteristics of the person performing the job, the context in which he or she is performing it and what output is being produced by him/her in the presence of (maybe) unstable environmental, economic, demographic and technological conditions. Implications for the Army: As other private and public organizations, Army is also experiencing changes in the nature of work. It is considered that these changes can create pressure in the structure and content of soldier’s duties. To meet these challenges OAI is considered very useful technique. Results: There are almost four main points that are emerging from OAI. Three relates to increasing heterogeneity of employers, jobs, and the workplace environment, and the fourth focuses on the need for an orderly approach to understanding work dynamics. First, the workforce is becoming more diverse with respect to demographics; these dynamics appear to have resulted in greater heterogeneity within traditional occupational categories. Second, the differentiation among jobs and departments is becoming another threatening issue. Third the work structure issue appears to be increasing, and these decisions are interdependent. The fourth and final theme emerges from this interdependency. Limitations: Results obtained by Occupational Analysis Inventory have been moderate not so much reliable. According to some analysts, their level is almost lower than other used methods (e. g. PAQ , WPS etc. ). Why do Occupational Analysis? There are three reasons that why we use OAI: . It is an appropriate way which guarantees highly competitive recruiting, hiring, classifying, training, promoting and out-placing your most valuable resource (your workforce); 2. Its an easy way to train and retain the best qualified people; 3. It is a more flexible on the item inventories (tasks, competencies, knowledge-skill-abilities, etc. ) Comparison with other Methods: If we compare it with Fleishman Job Analysis Survey, F-JAS model is a system to describe jobs from the point of view of necessary capacities. While OAI was designed to yield more specific job information relating to all elements of job, not only necessary capacities. If we compare it with Functional Job Analysis, FJAS requires specific additional skills or others that may not be as necessary as originally thought for conducting the survey. In this way it becomes specific task not a general purpose. While in OAI, there is no limitation of this type. If we compare it with MOSAIC, MOSAIC uses (almost) close ended questions, which limits its results. Because questionnaires at this level should be a mixture of both (open ended and close ended). Another negative of MOSAIC is that, it takes 151 job elements rated in terms of importance for effective job performance, while OAI uses 617 job elements. If we compare it with Position Analysis Questionnaire, PAQ does not describe the tasks, technologies, or duties of jobs. It just measures job characteristics and relates them to human characteristics. While OAI describes the occupation in much details. If we compare it with Work Profiling System, WPS is only computer-administered on-site at a company. It just measures ability and personality attributes, while leaving others.

Scholarship Application Essay Writing

Scholarship Application Essay Writing Scholarship Application Essay Writing Scholarship Application Essay Writing: Secrets Scholarship application essay is one of the most exciting and one of the most difficult assignments to cope with at one and the same time. You have already struggled with your college admission essay and probably remember how it was difficult, panic striking, and brainstorming to write it. Now you are a student, our congratulations to you. That is why it is high time to think about getting scholarship for your study. The price for education is too high nowadays, and far not everyone is able to cover it. If you want to help yourself and your family to cover at least the expenses of your study, you can do nothing but win your college scholarship. Scholarship Application Essay Writing Pieces of Advice To receive the scholarship, you have to write scholarship application essay; this is not a secret: However, the question arises: how is it possible to write the successful scholarship application essays in order to win the scholarship? At this point, there are several secrets of the successful scholarship application essay writing and we are going to share them with you. The first secret is to look through several successful scholarship application essays in order you could understand what you have to write, which style you have to use, and how you have to advertise yourself in order to get your scholarship. The second secret is to spend a little time thinking before starting your scholarship application essay. You have to think over all the details you are going to write in your scholarship application essay in order to receive logically connected and coherent text. The third secret lies in the content of your scholarship application essay. Remember that the aim of your scholarship application essay is to get the scholarship. That is why you have to demonstrate all your strengths and to persuade the committee to award you with it. That is why you have to make them liking you and taking care of you. Final Tip: Use Custom Writing Service! The last but not the least secret in writing your successful scholarship application essay is to use custom essay writing service. With the help of our custom essay writing service, you will receive the professional consultation on the subject how to write the successful scholarship application essay. You can also order your scholarship application essay within the convenience of our site if you are not sure whether you can cope with such a task. Moreover, if you feel like writing scholarship application essays on your own, you can appeal to our site to edit your scholarship application essay. Read more: Editing Paper Term Term Paper Editing Free Literature Review Full Text Process Analysis Case Study Problem and Solution Essay

Myths of hair loss Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Myths of hair loss - Essay Example These commotion myths add to the anxiety of individuals, if not to the hair loss itself. Most people think that their hair loss may be as a result of wearing hats, caps, or helmets. This group mostly refers to athletes and construction workers. They trust that wearing hats, caps and helmets triggers a straining effect on the hair follicles; thus causing the hair to fall out. But then again this is not true as no harm is caused by the hair follicles, unless the hat, cap, or helmet is very tight putting additional tension on the hair. However, filthy hats, caps, or helmets can bring about scalp infection, which may lead to hair loss. Secondly, other people claim that their hair loss is a result of a rubbing act that their mothers or guardians performed on their heads with black tar soap. This is nothing but a mere misconception and not true at all. Another myth is that hair loss is inherited from the mother’s section of the family. This myth is not true at all. This is uttered b y individuals as the primary baldness gene is found on the X chromosome, which individuals get from their mothers. In addition, from biology lessons, we learn that an offspring inherits the genes from both parents. Obviously, there is a dominant and recessive gene, but the case does not mean that the gene from the mother is always dominant. Although the mothers’ side is more dominant, baldness is not always the case in most individuals as other factors also contribute to balding.

Current Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Current Issues - Essay Example This issue is identified as important as the nurses are the integral part of the health care sector. It cannot be denied that the nurses and other staff are the most important requirement of the health care sector. They are the one who are responsible for the care after the diagnosis of the sickness by doctors. The staff crisis is vital and has a direct impact on the health treatment of the patient. The work load on the nurses has increased and the risk of error, injury and occupational exposure might increase tremendously. The staffing crisis is affecting the health care industry and the patient’s life at large. The health care policies are framed with the objective of promoting the health of people in the society for ensuring healthy future. However, the nursing staff crisis can be seen to act as a hurdle towards achieving the goal of health care policy (Wong, 2012). Several American hospitals are facing the issue of staff crisis affecting the patient care needs and the nursing practices. Due to the increase in the staff crisis nurses are not being able to deliver quality service to the patients. According to Royal College of Nursing (2010), the nurses are being forced by the authority to work for more hours and serve every patient even if they are not competent. The crisis is creating an immense situation wherein the safety of the patients are at stake, increasing the chances of errors and accidents. Due to the crisis nurses are assigned with the responsibility of meeting the care needs of many patients than their ability to handle safely. This implies that the nursing practices might be affected leading to incorrect medication, patients accidents along with delay in providing care. This issue is indeed creating a negative impact on the patients as well as on the existing nursing staff in the form of increased work pressure (Needleman et al.,

Verbal Communication Essay Example for Free

Verbal Communication Essay Communication (from Latin communis, meaning to share) is the activity of conveying information through the exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, as by speech, visuals, signals, writing, or behaviour. In a simple definition,communication is the process of sending or receiving messages between two or more individuals.Communication involves 5 steps. 1: source- who transmits a piece of information or message. 2:message-message is the piece of information/codes/content . 3:channel-it is the way through which message is passed to the reciever. 4:reciever- person/people who recieve message and understands it. 5:feedback- response given back to source by reciever if he/she understood the message. Effective communication is not just a coversation among people ,rather it is essential for the well being of the individuals you care for.It is very important to be aware of non -verbal communication when interacting with your individuals at work.It includes body language,gestures,facial expressions,positioning and appearance. Being in a Health and social care sector,there are many reasons to communicate and it is essential communication is done effectively without misunderstanding others or being misunderstood.some common people with whom communication needs to be done are: Â ·Patients,clients,residents. Â ·Health care professionals, Â ·Managers and supervisors, Â ·Family and Friends. TYPES OF COMMUNICATION: People communicate with each other in a number of ways that depend upon the message and its context in which it is being sent. It also depends on a person about there Choice of communication.So, there are variety of types of communication. Types of communication based on the communication channels used are: 1.Verbal Communication 2.Nonverbal Communication Verbal communication Verbal communication refers to the use of sounds and language to relay a message. It serves as a vehicle for expressing desires, ideas and concepts and is important for the processes of learning and teaching. In combination with nonverbal forms of communication, verbal communication acts as the primary tool for expression between two or more people. Interpersonal communication and public speaking are the two basic types of verbal communication. Whereas public speaking involves one or more people delivering a message to a group, interpersonal communication generally refers to a two-way exchange that involves both talking and listening. According to Robert M. Krauss, professor of psychology at Columbia University, signs and symbols are the major signals that make up verbal communication. Words act as symbols, and signs are secondary products of the underlying message and include things like tone of voice,blushing and facial expressions. Non verbal communication is usually known as the process of communication through sending and receiving wordless (mostly visual) cues between people.Messages can be communicated through gestures ,touch, by body language or posture, by facial expressions and eye contact which are all considered types of nonverbal communication. Speech contains nonverbal elements such as voice quality, rate, pitch, volume, and speaking style, as well features such as rhythm, intonation, and stress. Likewise, written texts have nonverbal elements such as handwriting style or the physical layout of a page. However, much of the study of nonverbal communication has focused on face-to-face interaction, where it can be classified into three principal areas: environmental conditions where communication takes place, physical characteristics of the communicators, and behaviors of communicators during interaction. Picture below shows non verbal type of communication in which we can clearly understand the facial expressions without even talking or using verbal type communication.

America The Beautiful :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A terrible terrorist act was committed on American soil on September 11, 2001. Airplanes were hijacked, taken to important cities, and crashed into important buildings. This dreadful happening shocked all of America. Most are still in denial and grieving over the tragedy. It seemed that America was getting little support from other countries; unlike the support America gives many other nations when they are in trouble. One reporter from Canada, Gordon Sinclair, thought this was a terrible injustice. In a report given by Sinclair, many times America has helped out, even its enemies, were pointed out. Sinclair points out the fact that America has some of the best technology, the fact that America has helped its enemies with restitution after wars and bombings, as well as the fact that America is a watchdog that helps those who have domestic problems.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"You talk about Japanese technocracy, and you get radios. You talk about German technocracy, and you get automobiles. You talk about American technocracy, and you find men on the moon – not once, but several times – and safely home again,† states Sinclair. This statement shows the vast amount of technologies America possesses. Later in the same paragraph, Sinclair remarks about the fact that America did not even pursue its draft dodgers for the fact that they ran to Canada. This shows that America’s domestic problems are not as important as helping others around the world. America lays its scandals on the table for all to view. To speak more on the issue of technology, America is the largest producer of airplanes in the world. America does not boast about its technological advances, it merely allows other nations to share in its glory.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"This Canadian thinks it is time to speak up for the Americans as the most generous and possibly the least appreciated people on the earth. Germany, Japan, and to a lesser extent, Britain and Italy were lifted out of the debris of war by the Americans who poured billions of dollars and forgave other billions in debts,† states Sinclair. This quote refers to the restitution mentioned in the beginning of this expose. After bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II, America gave much money to the Japanese to help rebuild their cities. Can a country that rebuilds its enemies be that bad, or is it simple minded and blind? In my opinion, America is just a good neighbor.

Position paper Essay

For my own opinion, Why is it important economics in my life, Economics is about freedom as well in our economy, you’re free to do what you want economically speaking because the market itself will decide what to produce and how to produce. In order to do what you want let’s say, to buy what you want at the quantity you want you have to have the money. So another factor of economics that affects your everyday life is the distribution of the total income. Example Let’s say your income. Your income is not unlimited. With that limited income, you want to buy a lot of things. You have to choose what product to buy, at which price and how much quantity. Now let’s say that you have 200pesos last in your pocket. With that money you can either buy a ticket for a movie or buy food and drinks and watch the TV-show. What you do is what gives you more pleasure or as we say what maximize your utility. You make an economic choice. Economics basically the study of scarcity of resources and their allocation in society Everyday life is a never ending competition for scarce resources. For example: for me I need to earn money a scarce resource for which you provide labor another scarce resource so you can afford to purchase all the things you need in order to live gas, car, home, food, clothing, all scarce resources at the lowest price you can find. Also economics is about your income itself. The level of your income depends on the overall status of the economy. In my own example, if we have a recession, then the income for most of us will be less. If we have growth then the income will rise. If we have growth then I would have a job. If we have recession, then I might be unemployed. As you can see economics affects almost everything. And also it is important for me to embark the study of economics due to its strong relation in our daily lives. Economics help students to understand more about the modern world in making the decision for the future. It also helps us to understand the problems caused by the limited resources and helps students, as consumers to make rational choices when making decisions. Besides that, students are able to understand the function and role of banks and financial institutions, more over able to understand the information related to the economics. One of the most basic concepts in our daily life is wants/needs. Basically every human has different needs and wants. It is impossible to please every need and wants due to the limited resource or known as scarce. Scarcity is as well another basic concept of economics known as the limited resource of unlimited wants due to the incapability to provide one’s need they desired for. University Of Mindanao Roxas Extension, Digos City Position Paper Eco 1 Submitted By : Ken Joy B. Pugoy Submitted To : Adrian Raphael C. Aballe October 16, 2013

Buffer System

Buffer systems * prevent major changes in pH of body fluids by removing or releasing H+ * act quickly to prevent excessive changes in H+ concentration. Body’s major extracellular buffer system is â€Å"bicarbonate-carbonic acid buffer system†. There are 20 parts of (HCO3) to one part of (H2CO3). —- [20:1]. When the ratio is no longer maintained, it will result to acid-base imbalance. Carbon dioxide is a potential acid; when dissolved in water, it becomes carbonic acid. Lungs under the control of medulla control the CO2, and thus the carbonic content of ECF.They do so by adjusting ventilation in response to the amount of CO2 in the blood. A rise in PaCO2 is powerful response to stimulant. Respiratory Compensation * is a mechanism by which plasma pH can be altered by varying the  respiratory rate. * breathing  is altered to modify the amount of CO2  in circulation. Kidneys regulate bicarbonate level in the ECF; they can regenerate bicarbonate ions as well as reabsorb them from renal tubules. Renal compensation for imbalances is relatively slow (a matter of hours or days). The kidneys have two important roles in the maintaining of the acid-base balance: 1. to reabsorb bicarbonate 2. to excrete hydrogen ions into urine. Bicarbonate Buffer System * 2 components (H2CO3) carbonic acid, a weak acid and (NaHCO3) a weak base. * 1. If a potential pH change is created by a strong acid, the ff. takes place: HCL + NaHCO3 NaCl + H2CO3 (strong acid) (weak acid) 2. If a potential pH changes is created by strong base, the ff. reaction takes place: NaOH + H2CO3 H2O + NaHCO3 (strong base) (weak base)

10 Sets of Doublet Nouns

10 Sets of Doublet Nouns 10 Sets of Doublet Nouns 10 Sets of Doublet Nouns By Mark Nichol The store of nouns in English, just like that of English verbs, is enhanced by the language’s generosity in permitting adaptation of words from other tongues more than once. In the case of most of the word pairs listed below, the terms were introduced at different periods of history, hence their slight differences in spelling. (Two of the pairs demonstrate how words that are superficially similar can stem from the same Indo-European roots.) 1. Aperture/overture (Latin apertura, â€Å"opening†): Both words refer to an opening, but aperture means â€Å"a physical opening,† as for a camera lens, or applies to the diameter of such a hole, while an overture is a more figurative concept; it can be an introduction (as in music), a prelude, or a proposal. 2. Car/chariot (Latin carrus, â€Å"vehicle,† borrowed from Celtic also the source of carry): The first word, denoting an automobile, a vehicle that rides on rails as part of a train, an elevator compartment, or an airship or balloon component for carrying passengers and cargo, is an abbreviation of carriage, in the sense of a horse-drawn vehicle, though carriage has other senses, including the figurative one of posture. A chariot is a two-wheeled vehicle formerly used in parades, races, and warfare, or, later, a type of carriage; the word is also sometimes used jocularly to refer to a car. 3. Castle/chateau (Latin, castellum, â€Å"fortress†): Castle refers to buildings or compounds formerly employed as fortified structures, or to an excessively large house or any place figuratively considered a refuge. A chateau is a French castle or a mansion or a vineyard estate. 4. Cattle/chattel (Latin, capitalis, â€Å"of the head† also the source of capital): Cattle refers to domesticated bovine animals (or, figuratively, humans collectively as a mob easily manipulated); chattel, from which cattle is derived, denotes personal property. 5. Cave/cavern (Latin, cavus): A cave is a natural or excavated underground hole, chamber, or tunnel; cavern refers to an especially large, complex cave. 6. Chef/chief (Latin, caput, â€Å"head†): Chef, another word for â€Å"cook,† is from the phrase chef du cuisine (â€Å"head of the kitchen†), and chief means â€Å"leader,† or â€Å"the most important.† 7. Corn/kernel (Old English; related to Latin granum): Corn refers to the edible seeds of a plant originally cultivated in Mexico and to the plant itself, as well as to grains in general. The word also applies to something old-fashioned and sentimental (hence, the adjective corny). Kernel, from an Old English diminutive of corn, applies to the seed or, technically, the inner part of a seed or similar plant part. It also denotes the impetus or essential component of a phenomenon. 8. Guile/wile (distantly related: guile from Middle English gile; wile from Old English wil): Guile means â€Å"deceit or trickery†; wile is a direct synonym that also means â€Å"a stratagem or trick.† (The latter word’s adjective and plural-noun forms, wily and wiles, are more common.) 9. Hostel/hotel (Latin, hospitale, â€Å"hospice† hospitable and hospital are also related): A hostel is an inn or a permanent residence that is part of an institution or a temporary, simple, and inexpensive one for travelers, especially younger people. A hotel is also a place of lodging, but one that is designed to provide primarily for mainstream travelers. 10. Static/status (from a common Indo-European root: static from Greek statikos, â€Å"causing to stand,† status from Latin status, â€Å"position† state, in its various meanings, is also related): Static, from â€Å"static electricity† (the adjective means â€Å"stationary, or slow moving†), refers to noise produced by artificial or natural electrical interference, or the interference itself; it’s also used figuratively to refer to criticism or interference. Status means â€Å"condition or state.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Beautiful and Ugly WordsConfused Words #3: Lose, Loose, LossPunctuation Is Powerful

19 of the Best Project Management Training Opportunities for Marketers

19 of the Best Project Management Training Opportunities for Marketers Like it or not†¦ Project management is a skill a lot  of marketers need. From campaign planning  to budgeting and tracking, marketing managers need to have acute project management skills to get their projects off the ground. Problem is, many marketing managers are so bogged down wrangling tasks and chasing down status updates that they have little or no time to do *real* work that moves the ball forward. Having a clear project management process is an important element for both your sanity AND your marketing ROI†¦ Why? You ask For starters, a clear project management process ensures everyone knows what they’re doing and when. So you’re not stuck herding cats all day. AND Having an organized process means your marketing campaigns are more likely to be successful. In fact, 86% of employees  and managers  cite ineffective communication as the main contributor to project failures. Better project management = better communication. Thing is†¦ Many marketing managers don’t have any formal project management training. Fear not, trusty marketers. This post breaks down (almost) every type of project management style and the best training opportunities to help you make sure your PM skills are up to snuff.

The Cold War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

The Cold War - Essay Example The thrust of his call for unity was the English speaking world and the Commonwealth. The US being the biggest power in the world, and English speaking, was a natural ally that he wanted to woo. He indirectly told his American audience that support for communism in many countries was a direct threat to US itself whose influence over the â€Å"free† world would diminish as a result. Churchill expressed his fear that the emerging polarization between communist and democratic blocs of the world may result in war. He asserted that the Russians, even if they didn’t like war themselves, desired â€Å"indefinite expansion of their power and ideals† and enjoyed â€Å"fruits of war† (Churchill). Indirectly mentioning sea, land and air capabilities of the military, he advised that it was through military strength that a sense of security would prevail. This strength could also provide the negotiation leverage to find a mutually agreeable formula with Russians under the umbrella of United Nations Organizations. Joseph Stalin, in an interview to Pravda some time later, responded to Churchill. At the outset, he termed the idea of a brewing war ludicrous and a product of the mind of someone â€Å"who lost one’s reason† (Stalin). Picking up cleverly on Churchill’s call for the English speaking world to unite, Stalin termed it as an attempt to create a racial divide, linguistic superiority and a holier-than-thou approach to achieve his goals of fomenting an imaginary war. He compared Churchill’s speech with Hitler’s policies who believed in the superiority of those who spoke the German language. Stalin recalled in detail the sacrifices Soviet Union had made during the world war and termed them higher than any other country involved in the war. In doing so, he tried to bring home the point that Russia was committed to peace in the world

A-level Writing - Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A-level Writing - Environment - Essay Example We are a long way from Mesopotamia at this point in our history, however. Many of our modern efforts to control or adapt the environment for the benefit of humans have created environmental degradation and damage. We are actually at a point where humans are no longer making the world a better place to live. We are damaging the planet due to excessive use and waste of our natural resources. This is most clearly visible through the global phenomena of climate change, desertification and water pollution. Global climate change is a very contentious topic. Many scientists believe that greenhouse gasses such as carbon dioxide and methane that are being released into the atmosphere at historic levels by human activity is causing the earth’s atmosphere to heat up. Other scientists believe that the recent warming that has been measured is nothing more than a part of the earth’s natural cycle of warming and cooling (Press, 2004, p.55). Assuming that the science is correct, it is important to understand that much of these greenhouse gasses that are being emitted are a result of conveniences we demand as a part of our modern lifestyles. They are not vital for human existence. Having a car, electricity and high-speed air travel are vital parts of our global culture, but they are not necessary for the sustaining of human life. Our world would be radically different without these modern inventions and services, but there is a chance that our continued use will damage the planet deeply. Entire ecosystems may disappear simply because people are unwilling to pay more for alternative forms of transportation or because they refuse to acknowledge scientific data because of a certain religious or political belief (Letcher, 2009, p.133). This is indeed proof of the danger humans pose to the earth. Even when there is a chance our actions are detrimental to the environment; many of us still refuse to change our ways. Desertification is another way that humans are degradin g the environment. Pasturing animals is an ancient occupation, but the modern demands of six billion inhabitants of earth to eat an animal rather than a plant-based diet is starting to stress many ecosystems. Grazing animals in areas of marginal rainfall can lead to a process known as desertification. The soil dries out and loses its fertility, leading to an encroachment of desert soils or a barren hardpan. Desertification claims many acres of land each year. The real problem with this phenomenon lies in the fact that once soils are degraded in an arid region, they are almost impossible to rehabilitate. A few seasons of over-grazing can result in ruined soils that took millennia to develop. Traditional grazing practices were much gentler on the environment, but modern methods of grazing have proven disastrous in many areas of Africa, Southwest Asia and even North America (Geist, 2006, p. 42). A final way that humans are causing irreparable harm to the environment is through water po llution, specifically through the runoff of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. The green revolution of the 1960’s greatly increased the output of the world’s farms, but we are now reaping the negative consequences of the overuse of agrichemicals. Estuaries such as the Chesapeake Bay have entire areas

Statistical Process Control (SPC) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Statistical Process Control (SPC) - Essay Example In contrast to this, SPC uses statistical techniques to ascertain whether there are any deviations in the production line that may end with the project being rejected. The concept behind the viability of the SPC is that any product in a production process will have a certain degree of deviation in terms of its properties, which will vary slightly from its design values. SPC manages these deviations and prevents them from getting out of control, by analyzing the variances within the process from time to time. For example, by using statistical tools, any person who oversees the functioning of the production line can use them to detect any profound and undesirable changes (which exceed the specified limits). The causes of any such variation could be due to a host of factors such as wear and tear due to continued use etc. and as such the technique offers a great chance of correcting the problem at the source itself thereby ensuring that subsequent products from the production line stay well within the desired limits. In worst cases, this could alert the supervisor so that he/she may stop the production in order for the problem to be rectified.

Design of an Interactive Graphics Framework

Design of an Interactive Graphics Framework Design of an Interactive Graphics Framework to Instruct Students on Computer Architecture Hardware Literature Review: The curriculum recommended by the ACM/IEEE-CS joint task force and documented in the computing curricula (ACM, 2013) defines a body of knowledge incorporating a wide variety of core topics one of which is computer architecture. Many of the topic areas within the body of knowledge are abstracted from a specific hardware implementation, computer architecture is one area for which specific implementation is essential (Taipala, 2014) as this course plays an important role in the computer science curriculum and also Students need to understand computer architecture in order to structure a program so that it runs more efficiently on a real machine. In selecting a system to use, they should be able to understand the trade off among various components, such as CPU clock speed vs. memory size. The pie chart below shows that computer technicians contribute more to total growth in science and engineering occupations which can be inferred as more number of jobs and a student can manage to get a job easily after graduation but few of the students from engineering and technology and majority of students from contrasting fields face difficulties in understanding computer architecture The computer involves many inter-related topics: digital logic, microprocessors, embedded systems, operating systems, and compiler and programming languages. This inter-relationship is pointed by Nisan and Schocken (2005) in the following way: â€Å"Of course machine language is also an abstraction an agreed upon set of binary codes. In order to make this abstraction formalism concrete, it must be realized by some hardware architecture. And this architecture, in turn, is implemented by a certain chip set, registers, memory units, ALU, and so on. Each level hides the artifacts and mechanisms of the previous lower level which makes the subject even more difficult to understand for students. This abstraction can be described by a top-down as well as a bottom-up approach. To encompass the whole domain and deal with its growing complexity, Knuth (2003), in his keynotes, recommended using a bottom-up education approach but this approach may not be efficient as in this hierarchy, the asse mbly language is the lower programming language and each of its instruction is the translation of one unique machine instruction which is the microcode of hardware activation. Hyde, in his book the Art of the Assembly Language, wrote that although assembly language has a pretty bad reputation, it is required to understand the backstage operation of computer processors (Hyde, 2003). It is a means of making the interaction of the hardware (CPU, memory, I/O) and software (the program) comprehensible (Yehezkel. 2003). The importance of learning computer architecture and the difficulties encountered by teachers assisting the students in understanding the course have been well documented (IEEE Micro, 2000; Cassel et al., 2000). Hence to improve the teaching of computer architecture, instructors must search for better pedagogical methods and tools. Moreover, at the curriculum level (as shown in the previous section), great efforts have to be invested to integrate the theoretical and practi cal aspects of computer architecture topics. Methodology: Based on a survey of software tools and technology Processing and Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) are the computer graphics languages which are appropriate for doing the above mentioned work. These open source software are can build interactive programs easily with 2D or 3D outputs. Firstly an inventory of concepts needs to be created and sorted. These concepts are converted to interactive graphical simulations in order to help students understand better. To build an effective graphics framework data must be collected both from students who are enrolled in the computer architecture course and faculty who teach that course. Data can be collected by questionnaires or by conducting formal interviews with students and professors involved with computer architecture course, interview with faculty members gives the subject of study and interview with students helps in finding out on what topics they need more emphasis (Leibovitch, 2011), results from these interviews and questionna ires collectively outputs the ultimate topics which have to be converted to interactive graphical simulation. â€Å"Cheryl A Schmidt’s Complete CompTIA Guide to PCs† book covers all the fundamental topics of computer architecture and hardware which is appropriate for this research. Purdue University Calumet offers a course named computer architecture (ECET -11000) to freshmen which uses the above mentioned book as textbook and the course syllabus is designed according to the book. Information in their website clearly describes that the class attracts at least 20 students every semester since five years hence 20 counts of data can be collected. After looking at the results of interviews the topics can be finalized and can be converted to interactive 3D models and simulations (framework). Pre test and post test are given to students and these test results can be analyzed to check if this research helps in making the computer architecture course interesting, fun and easil y understandable. Data Collection: Eight to ten computer architecture text books from well established publications and authors need to be analyzed to create the inventory of concepts and these concepts are given as questionnaires to students to finalize and sort based on complexity. Questionnaire 1 (Sample questions to students, questions subject to change): The first three questions reveals about the knowledge of students about computers and their academic background, fourth question outputs the need for this research to be done and the rest of the questions are aimed at gathering the difficulty level of the course which presents the primary data that has to be converted to 3D models. Years and extent of association with computers? Concentrated major? Did you take any computer course(s) before, if yes please list them? How efficient is conventional learning experience with textbooks and labs? On a scale of 1 to 5 please rate the level of difficulty of the below mentioned concepts. Identification of parts of a mother board Mother board connections (assembling and disassembling a PC) Identification of different ports and their uses Different memory devices and their classification Configuring memory (RAM) Installing Hard Disk Redundant array of inexpensive disks (RAID technology) Sound drive installation Optical drive installation How a printer works Encrypting a file folder After analyzing the data from the above questionnaire the interactive graphical framework can be completed by using graphical tools and then be tested in class with the students and tests can be conducted, the students are tested on few computer architecture topics without the frame work then they are provided with the framework and tested again on the same questions. Analysis of the test score data can be used to draw conclusion about the efficiency of the framework in helping the students to deeply understand the course making it easy, fun and interesting. Test 1 (Sample test questions to students): The following test questions are designed according to the topics which are converted to 3D models and simulations, since the actual data is not yet collected these questions are subject to change. This test is conducted twice once without the framework and again with the framework. Even the questionnaire 1 will be given to students as post test after they have used the framework to see if they change the options from difficult to easy. What steps have to be taken while disassembling a PC? What is the use of RAID technology? How do you encrypt a file folder? How does a printer work? How do you configure RAM and calculate video memory Mention any five ports and write their uses. What type of hard disk will be chosen according to the type of CPU? Compare PATA, SATA, SCSI and SAS hard drives. Identify the parts of the below given motherboard In the following section, the basic units of the computer are presented. Illustrate, using arrows, the connection between the units. Describe the function next to each arrow. Data Analysis: The objective of this project is to help students to learn computer architecture course with building an ease in understanding and interest. To achieve this objective the interactive graphics simulator must be tested for its effectiveness. Questionnaires and interviews from students and faculty of computer architecture courses reveal the topics which are complex and have to be built in graphic simulation to make them look simple and easy. Questionnaires given to students have a scale of one to five which can be marked according to the level of difficulty of the specific concept. By analyzing the data quantitatively which is the concepts which get four or five marked in majority will be chosen to be converted to simulation. After the simulation is completed it is given to students and faculty to explore and go along with the computer architecture course. The main data analysis method to get the best result for this project is prestest and posttest. Description of the Pretest and Posttest The pretest was conducted before the course began, with the aim of determining the prior knowledge on the subject. The posttest was conducted at the end of course with the intention of determining the level of comprehension. Since the actual data is not collected the results cannot be interpreted and the questionnaires can be subject to change. The results of questionnaires before the simulator and after using the simulator are compared, if the student score in the posttest has increased drastically the simulator is considered to be effective and if there is no change or very less increment in the score then the simulator has to be developed more effectively. The figure below shows the example overall score of each student when compared to the percentage of correct answers vs prestest and posttest. Figure 1 In figure 1 the student has improved drastically after using the simulator but on the other hand if the results are opposite the simulator has to be developed more effectively. To develop a more effective simulator each question has to be compared with itself from pretest and posttest. The bar chart below represents the sample comparison of each correct answer to the question by the number of students from pretest and posttest. Figure 2 shows answers to questions which have improved and which have not improved. The first four questions in the questionnaire give the data about acquaintance of course to the student hence these four questions are removed from the comparison chart in Figure 2. From this result analysis can be made that the answers which have not improved are the concepts which are still difficult for the students to understand and be given a second thought to improve them in a different manner in the simulator thus improving its effectiveness. This way the simulator can be developed to achieve one hundred percent of usage in the class of computer architecture making the course easy, interesting and fun. Figure 2 References: Taipala, D. (2014) Teaching Computer Architecture in an Online Learning Environment using Simulation and Peer Instruction, 30(1), 87-98. Lazowaka, E.D. (2010). Where The Jobs are†¦ Retrieved from  http://www.cccblog.org/2010/01/04/where-the-jobs-are/ Nisan, N., Schocken, S. (2005) The Elements of Computing Systems, Building a Modern Computer from the First principles, MIT Press Stephen J. A., Roberts, E. (2008, July) â€Å"Point/Counterpoint. Technology curriculum for the early 21st century, Communications of the ACM, 51(7), 27-32. Leibovitch, C. Y. R., Levin, I. (2011). Reinforcing and Enhancing Understanding of Students in Learning Computer Architecture.Navigating Information Challenges. Hyde, R. (2003, September). The Art of Assembly Language Programming. Chapter 6: Memory Architecture. Retrieved from: http://webster.cs.ucr.edu/AoA/Windows/HTML/MemoryArchitecture.html. Lazowaka, E.D. (2010). Where The Jobs are†¦ Retrieved from  http://www.cccblog.org/2010/01/04/where-the-jobs-are/ IEEE Micro. (2000). Special Issue on Computer Architecture Education, 20(30). Joint Task Force on Computer Engineering Curricula: IEEE Computer Society/Association for Computing Machinery, Computer Engineering 2004: Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Degree Programs in Computer Engineering, 30-31. Retrieved from: http://www.eng.auburn.edu/ece/CCCE/ Yehezkel, C., Ben-Ari, M., Dreyfus, T. (2007). The contribution of visualization to learning computer architecture, CSE on Special Issue on Teaching Hardware-software, 2(17), 117-127. Yehezkel, C. (2003). Making program execution comprehensible—one level above the machine language. 35(3), 124 – 128. Knuth, D. (2003). Bottom-up education, keynote in Proceedings of 8th annual conference on Innovation and technology in computer science education. Retrieved from: http://iticse2003.uom.gr/Iticse_day3 Kumar, D. and Cassel, L. (2002). A state of the course report: Computer organization and architecture. SIGCSE Bulletin, 34(3), 175 – 177. Purdue Calumet Class schedule. Retrieved From: https://banwebf.purduecal.edu/pls/proddad/Webctlg.P_CtlgProcInput?inputsubjcode=ECETinputsymbol==inputcrsenumb=11000inputcoursetype=2inputreqind=2callpage=clistquery Cheryl A(2014). Complete CompTIA Guide to PCs. Sample pages retrieved From: http://ptgmedia.pearsoncmg.com/images/9780789749765/samplepages/0789749769.pdf

Online Courses vs. Traditional Courses Essay -- Higher Education, Inter

Today, more and more colleges are offering courses to students that are entirely online. Students who are drawn to online courses include students working full-time jobs, students who would prefer a private study environment, or students who find that online courses are easier than traditional (campus-based) courses. Advertisements geared to encourage students to register for online classes have the tendency to portray them as being easier and requiring less work than its campus counterpart. For instance, some television advertisements show students wearing night clothes working in a relaxed environment within their home - free of the pressures caused by deadlines and testing. Despite the fact that online courses and traditional courses generally cover the same material on a given subject—the two are markedly different with regards to technical requirements, social interaction, testing, and practice. Possessing strong computer skills is one of the fundamental requirements for a student taking an online course. In contrast, traditional courses seldom require the use of computers; instead, online courses are conducted entirely on a computer via the internet. Students must know how to navigate the internet, use email to communicate and submit assignments, and use word processing and other programs required for the specific course. Students who are novice computer users will be at a great disadvantage and likely will not complete the course with a satisfactory grade. Students who possess these skills will be able to excel through online courses with greater ease, and more flexibility than courses taught on campus. Lack of social interaction is another factor that a student should consider when registering to take an online course. A... ...es, than courses taken on campus. Students absolutely must possess great self-discipline in order to successfully complete an online course. All things considered, besides a private study environment, the single most advantage of an online course over a traditional course is the flexibility they offer in scheduling, especially for students with fluctuating schedules. Nevertheless, despite advertisements, online courses require students to work as hard as courses taught on campus—if not harder. Students who lack computer skills, students who require strong social interaction, and students who are not strongly disciplined should take courses that are offered on campus. Students must carefully evaluate all of these points and any course literature available in order to select the type of course that best fits their learning style, as this has been most helpful for me.

Are we all fundamentally the same?

We are all equal in the fact that we are all different. We are all the same in the fact that we will never be the same. We are united by the reality that all colors and all cultures are distinct & individual. We are harmonious in the reality that we are all held to this earth by the same gravity. We don't share blood, but we share the air that keeps us alive. How can we get people to understand that we really are fundamentally the same? I agree, that perceived specialness, drive for fulfillments, experience a life of meaning and Conception/love fundamentally makes us the same, yes we have the same needs but express them differently. We humans are similar but we have a particular need or erg to be unique however, some of us may argue with the fact that we are not fundamentally the same, as we all are not blessed with unique qualities. This may be the struggle but we all have at least one or more difference that makes us unique and as time passes we realize it ourselves. Although we all have this erg for fulfillment but culturally we express that need in different ways for example ‘Frozen’ by Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, Elsa (character) – From the outside, Elsa looks poised, regal, and reserved, but in reality, she lives in fear as she wrestles with a mighty secret. Queen looks confident and mature, but she’s actually lonely and frightened, because of her special ability as she is not like everyone else. Her feelings are loneliness, Guilt and fear. She’s fearful of others because she thinks they will be afraid and hunt her down if they know about her powers. Once she opens up to herself and accepts her self for whom she is, she goes through this completely different phase full of laughter and self-confidence. Frozen is in format of a film and this is an effective way to put across their message as an animated film because they are watched by a wide range of audience including, families, adults, teenagers and children. In this case Elsa’s community did not accept her when she revealed her powers as they tried to hunt her down and take away her powers but using her powers and accepting her self is happiness to elsa but her community wasn’t ready to accept that. However, it is our own decision to trust our own ability to follow our own decision to trust our own ability to follow our heart and admit our differences as it can inspire others. Happy Feet’ by George Miller expresses also expresses this erge of uniqueness. Mumble (character) expresses his uniqueness by toe tapping, as he can’t sing like other penguins, which makes him different. This text is targeted at disabled people or people who can’t fit in to have faith and believe in themselves with what they can do. Hiss community wasn’t ready to appreciate his uniqueness, fortunately he didn’t feel inferior, as he was aware of his ability. Negative affectivity can make one feel guilt, fear and nervousness. The fact that we display those themes but we express it differently in different ways, makes us different. We have lots of ways for expressing it, it’s the ability for us to differentiate us from others. I have come across two texts that reveal that humans are fundamentally the samead the erg for uniqueness. We just need to be ourselves, I chose frozen because it has affected me personally and has taught me a lesson in life as well as happy feet, It puts me into deep understanding and makes me reflect on to my life and makes me reflect on to my life and makes me want to achieve anything in the world I wish to accomplish.

You Suck: A Love Story Chapter 25~26

Chapter Twenty-five They Know Not What They Do When Rivera and Cavuto arrived at the Safeway, they found that the remaining Animals had crucified Clint on a stainless-steel chip rack and were shooting him with paint-ball guns. Lash unlocked the door to let them in. The Emperor and his men followed. Clint's screaming sent Bummer into a barking fit and the Emperor snatched him up and stuffed him headfirst into the pocket of his overcoat. â€Å"That really necessary?† Rivera asked, pointing to the paint-splattered martyr. â€Å"We think so,† Lash said. â€Å"He ratted us out.† Lash turned, sighted down the pass-through of register three, and fired a quick volley of electric-blue paintballs into the center of Clint's chest. â€Å"Did he call you again?† Rivera threw a thumb over his shoulder at the Emperor. The Emperor bowed. â€Å"You needed help, my son.† Lash nodded, considering that the Emperor might be right, then reeled and fired three quick shots into Clint's groin. â€Å"Just the same, motherfucker!† â€Å"Stop that!† Rivera said. He snatched the paintball gun out of Lash's hand. â€Å"It's cool. He's wearing a cup.† â€Å"And he's saved,† said Barry, who had been firing from register four. â€Å"Well, he is now,† Cavuto said. As he approached the paint-sodden Evangelical, he pulled a serrated-edge pocket knife from his back pocket and flicked it open. â€Å"And just so you know,† Cavuto added when his back was to them, â€Å"if I turn and there's a single paintball gun pointed in this direction, I will be forced to mistake it for a real weapon and unleash lead Disneyland on your pathetic asses.† Barry and Troy Lee immediately dropped their weapons onto the counter. â€Å"So, the Emperor tells us that you guys have been up to some shit. I thought we all agreed that we were going to keep it on the down-low until things calmed down.† Lash looked at his shoes. â€Å"We just had a little party in Vegas.† Rivera nodded. â€Å"And you kidnapped Tommy Flood?† Lash glared over Rivera's shoulder at the Emperor. â€Å"That was a secret. Really we were saving him from the daylight.† â€Å"So the redhead did turn him?† â€Å"Looked like it. He was unconscious at dawn. Just a little sunlight hit his leg when we were moving him and it started to smoke.† â€Å"So you geniuses did what?† â€Å"Well, we tied him to a bed at my apartment and left.† â€Å"You left?† â€Å"We had to work.† Cavuto had cut the zip ties that held Clint to the chip rack and helped him to the register, where he sat him down, careful not to get any paint on his sport coat. â€Å"Forgive them, they know not what they do,† Clint said, wincing as he touched his paint-spattered shoulder. â€Å"Because they're fucking idiots,† Cavuto said, handing him a roll of paper towels. Rivera ignored the scene at the register. â€Å"So you just left him there. So I'll find him there now, right?† â€Å"That was a couple of nights ago,† Lash said. â€Å"Go on.† Rivera looked at his watch. â€Å"Well, in the morning he was gone.† â€Å"And?† â€Å"It's awkward.† For variety, Lash looked at Barry's shoes. â€Å"Yeah, tying up your friends and torturing them can be that way,† Rivera said. â€Å"We didn't torture him. That was her.† â€Å"Her?† Rivera raised an eyebrow. â€Å"Blue. A hooker we rented in Vegas.† â€Å"Now we're talkin',† Cavuto said. â€Å"She came back with us. She wanted us to kidnap Tommy or his girlfriend.† â€Å"Why did she want that? To get their share of the art money?† â€Å"No, she had plenty of money. I think she wanted to be a vampire.† Rivera tried to hide his surprise. â€Å"And?† â€Å"When we went back to the apartment in the morning, Tommy was gone and Blue was dead.† â€Å"We had nothing to do with it,† Barry added. â€Å"But we didn't think you'd believe it,† Troy Lee said. Rivera felt a tension headache starting to throb in his temples. He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. â€Å"So you found a dead woman in your apartment. And you didn't think that then might be a good time to call the police?† â€Å"Well, you know, dead hooker in your house – embarrassing,† Troy Lee said. â€Å"I think we've all been there. Can I get a high five – † Apparently, he couldn't, and was thus left hanging. â€Å"That's the weird thing,† Barry said. â€Å"When we went to move her body, it was gone. But the rug we wrapped her in was still there.† â€Å"Yeah, that's the weird thing,† Cavuto said, nudging his partner in the arm. â€Å"Heinous fuckery most foul,† said the Emperor. â€Å"Ya think?† said Cavuto. Bummer growled from his pocket sanctuary. â€Å"You guys are not helping,† Rivera said. Then to Lash again: â€Å"You have a description of this hooker?† Lash described Blue, glossing quickly over the fact that she was blue, and spending entirely too much time describing her breasts. â€Å"They were outstanding,† Barry said. â€Å"I kept them.† Rivera turned to Troy Lee, who seemed the most rational of these insane bastards. â€Å"Explain, please.† â€Å"We found silicone implants wrapped up in the rug where we had left Blue.† â€Å"Uh-huh,† Rivera said. â€Å"Intact?† â€Å"Huh?† Troy inquired. â€Å"Were they all cut up?† â€Å"You think someone cut them out of her and took the body?† Troy asked. â€Å"No,† Rivera said. â€Å"So now you've lost three of your buddies?† â€Å"Yeah. Drew, Jeff, and Gustavo didn't show up tonight.† Rivera had Lash get the addresses of the missing Animals from the office and wrote them down in his notebook. â€Å"And you don't think that they might just be out partying?† â€Å"We called all the phones, checked their houses,† Lash said. â€Å"The door was hanging open at Drew's, and Jeff had left half a beer in the driveway, which he would never do. Besides, Jeff and Drew might flake, but Gustavo wouldn't. We even went to his cousin's house in Oakland looking for him.† â€Å"And he did not est en la biblioteca either,† said Barry, who, for some reason, believed that all Spanish-speaking people spent a lot of time in the library and had therefore checked there for the intrepid night porter. â€Å"No more bodies that you might have forgotten to mention?† â€Å"Nuh-uh,† Lash said. â€Å"Our money was gone, though. But we'd given it all to Blue anyway.† â€Å"I didn't,† Clint said. â€Å"Mutual funds, less ten percent for the church.† â€Å"You gave six hundred thousand dollars to a hooker?† Rivera almost slapped the kid. Almost. â€Å"Well† – Lash looked at Barry and Troy Lee, then, trying to suppress a grin – â€Å"yeah.† Rivera shook his head. â€Å"Keep the door locked and don't report this to anyone else.† â€Å"That's it?† Lash said. â€Å"You aren't going to arrest us or anything?† â€Å"For what?† Rivera flipped his notebook closed and tucked it into the inside pocket of his suit coat. â€Å"Uh, I don't know.† â€Å"Me either,† said Rivera. â€Å"Emperor, you stay inside tonight with these guys. Okay?† â€Å"As you wish, Inspector.† The Emperor scratched behind Lazarus's ears. â€Å"That okay?† Rivera said to Lash. Lash nodded. â€Å"Are we going to be safe?† he asked. Rivera stopped, looked around at the Animals and the Emperor and his dogs. â€Å"Nope,† he said. â€Å"Let's go, Nick.† He turned and walked out the door. The foghorn was lowing across the Bay as the detectives walked back to their car. Fort Mason, just across the street, was barely visible in the rolling cloud of gray mist. â€Å"You think the old vampire is hunting the Animals?† Cavuto asked. â€Å"Someone is,† Rivera said. â€Å"But I'm not sure it's him.† â€Å"You think it might be the redhead and the kid?† â€Å"Could be, but I don't think so. You know, even with the vampire, we always had an identifiable MO – broken neck and massive blood loss, on a victim who turned out to be terminally ill, right?† â€Å"Yeah.† â€Å"So if he went after these kids, why no bodies?† â€Å"So it's Flood and the redhead. And they hide their bodies.† â€Å"I think it could be worse than that.† â€Å"Like worse in a way that we'll never be able to open the bookstore and may in fact end up doing time for taking the vampire's art collection?† â€Å"Like worse in that the hooker and the missing Animals aren't dead at all.† â€Å"How is that worse?† Then Cavuto realized how that was worse. They climbed into the car and stared at the windshield for a while without saying anything. Finally, after a full minute, Cavuto said, â€Å"We're fucked.† â€Å"Yep,† Rivera said. â€Å"The whole city is fucked.† â€Å"Yep.† Chapter Twenty-six Being the Chronicles of Abby Normal: Star-Crossed Lover and Tragic Fatale OMG! We are doomed by our forbidden love! We are like from different feuding families, from the wrong side of the tracks, he is like year of the Rabbit and I am a Leo, so we are even star-crossed, and it's a well-known fact that rabbits and lions have a strained relationship. OMFG! He's so hot! He rocks my stripy socks. If we had moors, I would so be off brooding upon one, my delicate jaw muscles clenched as I stared off into the mist, feeling my profound missing-ness for him. (I can't believe that San Francisco doesn't have a moor. Everywhere you go we have automated, coin-operated robotic bathrooms, or Frisbee golf courses, or some new stainless-steel epileptic razor-blade public-art thingy, you'd think the least they could do would be to install a decent moor – because there are a lot more people who like brooding than like Frisbee golf. I'm pretty sure moors can be used for other purposes, too, like hauntings and hiding bodies and family picnics and whatnot.) Thus I am for ced to do my brooding at Tulley's Coffee on Market Street. It took most of the day for us to move the Countess and the vampyre Flood to Jared's room. First we had to wrap them up in duct tape and garbage bags to protect them from the sun, then get them down the hill from the Bay Bridge in the garden cart, which was totally physically hard, and not like taking X and dancing or playing DDR all night, more like work. Then, when we were loading them into the minivan, these two cops come by. And they're all, â€Å"So, what are you doing with your piercings and your magenta-on-black hair, and what can we do to further repress your creativity? Bluster-blah-blah.† And Jared was all, â€Å"Nothing.† All wussy and guilty-sounding. He had the front end of the Countess at the time and he totally just dropped her headfirst on the floorboard of the van. So I was like, â€Å"Fucktard! The Countess is going to rip your nads off when she awakens!† (And she might, too, although when we unwrapped her she seemed unbruised.) And the cop was all, â€Å"Hold it right there, kid.† With his hand on his gun like I was going to go all Columbine on his ass or something. So I knew it was time for some strategy. So I stepped over to the cop, and I started whispering like I didn't want Jared to hear. And I'm all, â€Å"Officer, I'm really embarrassed to even be seen like this. I'm a Kappa Kappa Delta pledge and we're doing this hazing thing. I wouldn't be caught dead dressed like this, but it's like the most popular and powerful sorority on campus.† And the cop is all, â€Å"What about the guy? He's not in your sorority.† And I was all, â€Å"Shhhhhhh. God, you want to hurt her feelings? They made her shave her head like that and she's having a hard enough time with that and being totally flat-chested. Frankly, I don't think she's going to make it. Everyone knows that KKDs are pretty. Hello.† I batted my eyelashes and sort of pushed my basically invisible boobs together with my arms, as I have often seen done in music videos. And the cop was all, â€Å"Can I see your student ID?† And I was like, FUCK, because I didn't know which college would be most likely to have a sorority, so I went with my Berkeley student ID, because Berkeley is a well-known bastion of hippie behavior and higher learning in which a sorority girl would probably have to blow like a hundred football players just to keep her GPA up. And cops like football. So he was all, â€Å"Okay, but make sure there's plenty of airholes so your friends can breathe.† And I was all, â€Å"Sure thing. See ya later, cop.† So when we got the masters to Jared's house, his step-mom was all, â€Å"So, I see you have your little friend with you.† And Jared had to play chilly, so he was like, yeah, we have a school project. And stepmonster was so proto-orgasmic that Jared was with a girl that she didn't even say much when we dragged the bodies through the den. Jared was all, â€Å"They're for social studies. We're doing replicas of Egyptian mummies.† Despite the complete embarrassment for me as a fellow woman, I'm grateful that when fathers pick their trophy wives, they don't check resumes or SAT scores, because you couldn't get away with that shit with a woman of normal intelligence. But Jared's stepmonster was all, â€Å"Oh, how nice for you. Would you like some juice?† Fortunately she wasn't around in sixth grade when Jared and I actually did our mummy project. We got in trouble for charging three hundred dollars' worth of Ace bandages on my mom's Visa, and my sister Ronnie has never fully recovered the feeling in her feet (and has an anxiety attack whenever she's in an enclosed space). But there was no gangrene or amputations like the doctors threatened, and we got a B, so I don't see what all the noise and counseling was about. Anyway, after we unwrapped the Countess, I knew I had to go back and feed Chet, like I promised the disgusting huge cat guy, and since we had now shared a moment of intimacy, I felt obligated. So we shoved the vampyre Flood under Jared's bed, because Jared wanted to sit on the bed and play Xbox and it's a single bed. So, anyway, I caught the bus on Twenty-fourth Street, and got back to the SOMA with just enough time to feed Chet before the old naked vampyre awakened from his undead slumber. And I took Jared's dagger with me in my biohazard messenger bag, because I thought I would dispatch Elijah by decapitation as, like, an extra-credit thing for the Countess. Shut up. It wasn't like I went down in the basement in my nightgown to check on a blown fuse when the radio clearly had stated that there was a psycho killer on the loose and he was probably in the basement. I'm not stupid. I put on Jared's motocross boots and his leather jacket and spiked dog collar, and tied my hair back, so I was totally Thunderdome-ready. How hard could it be to feed the cat and cut the head off a sleeping old guy, anyway? It's not like they wake up. I mean, we bonked Flood's head on the steps going to Jared's room like eight times and he didn't even groan. So I would have been all good and totally in line to be Princess of Darkness or at least Assistant Manager of Darkness, except when I was going up the steps I heard the dryer open. And I was all, Uh-oh. Since when is sundown like at five-o'clock? What am I, nine years old that I should have sunset at five o'clock? Sunset shouldn't be until like eight or nine o'clock, right? Right? So, I'm like, WHOA. And I froze. And I stood there for like a half an hour, not moving at all, because I didn't buckle like the top buckles of Jared's motocross boots, to show my casual badassness, so it was like I was wearing fucking sleigh bells. (I know, I'm a tard.) So I couldn't move. Then, after about a year, I hear this car pull up outside and the doors open, and I'm thinking – Hello, Diversion, my old friend. And I ran out the security door and right into this tall blond ho. And she's dressed all couture and shit, like it's fashion week at church or something, except she's with three of the guys from the Hummer limo, and she's pale as albino monkey cum. And I don't mean in a good way either. I mean in a sort of â€Å"Hey, Myrtle Joe Cornfed, y'all let go your stepdaddy's penis and get over here and turn the channel to NASCAR† kind of way. I mean, she had no mascara on at all! Then she just picks me up by the arms and it hurt a lot, and I'm like kicking and thrashing and all, and she throws back her head and here come the fangs. And I'm all, â€Å"No way. They'll just let any-fucking-body into the coven.† And she's all, â€Å"Not you. Unless you know where my money is.† And I'm all, â€Å"Step off, skank.† And she goes to bite me, and something yanks her back off her feet and I go flying. Next thing, I'm looking up at the old vampyre in his yellow tracksuit, who is holding the blond ho by the hair, and the pale limo guys are like coming in on him. And Track-suit is all, â€Å"Against the rules, pet. You can't go willy-nilly turning everyone you meet. It attracts the wrong kind of attention.† And wham, he smacks her face on the hood of her Mercedes, leaving a face print on the paint, I swear on the crusty hippie grave of my mother. So I'm all, â€Å"Owned! Bee-yatch! Dog fucking owned you!† Doing a minor booty dance of ownage, perhaps, in retrospect, a bit prematurely. (I believe hip-hop to be the appropriate language for taunting, at least until I learn French.) So they all turn on me. And I'm all, â€Å"awkward.† So I started backing across the street. And crusty old vampyre bounces monkey cum's face off the hood of the Mercedes a couple of more times, then drops her and comes for me. The limo guys are all sort of standing by the car like they are waiting for instructions or something. Then one of them says, â€Å"Hey,† and starts coming my way, too. So I'm at the wall across the street, and I know I can't run, so I reach into my bag and pull Jared's dagger. And Tracksuit starts laughing – like really stoner laughing, pointing at my ensemble. And I was all, â€Å"Shut up, fuckface, this knife and boots totally go with fishnets.† Except for the Countess, I realize now that vampyres lose all fashion sense at death. But then I hear this really loud thumper coming from down the alley, like club music you can feel in your breastbone, and this totally race-pimped yellow Honda comes screaming out of the alley. Who knew you could even get a car down that alley. So the old vampyre has to jump back to avoid being run over and the limo guys jump back, and I was kind of hiding my head in my arms, but I hear, â€Å"Get in,† and it's the cool Manga-haired Asian guy who I'd seen outside the loft before. And I'm all, â€Å"What?† Because the music is really loud. And he's all, â€Å"Get in.† And I'm all, â€Å"What?† And by this time the old vampyre has jumped over the hood of the Honda and is about to grab me when there's this flash. Really more than a flash, because it stayed on. But there was this blinding light. And the music goes down and I hear, â€Å"Get in.† So I look into the light, and I'm like, â€Å"Grandma, is that you?† Okay, I didn't say that. I'm totally fucking with you. I looked into the light and saw the Manga-haired guy, wearing sunglasses, and he's waving for me to get in his car. And then I see that the old vampyre is charred like Wile E. Coyote after a bad rocket shoes test. And so are the limo guys, and they're smoking and limping away from the Honda, which is shining like a star or something. And Manga is all, â€Å"Now!† And I'm all, â€Å"Shut up, you're not the boss of me.† But I got in the Honda and we totally drifted around the corner, and when we're a block or two away Steve (that's his name, Steve) kills the ginormous floodlights in the backseat and I can sort of see again. And he's all, â€Å"High-intensity ultraviolet.† And I'm, â€Å"You, too.† And he's like, â€Å"What are you talking about?† I'm like, â€Å"I thought it was a compliment.† Then he smiled, like the cutest smile, although he was still driving muy intense and totally badass, and he goes, â€Å"No, that light back there was high-intensity ultraviolet. It burns them.† And I was all, â€Å"I knew that.† And he was like, â€Å"You know that those three guys were vampyres, too, right?† And I'm all, â€Å"Duh.† But I didn't know. So I'm like, â€Å"How did you know?† Then he takes off his shades and puts on these binocular robot-glasses things, like they wear in Siphon Assassin Six for Xbox, which I am against because it glorifies violence in the minds of adolescent boys and because it's totally impossible to get a decent head shot when your squad mates are bumping into you, which needs to be fixed in the next version if I'm going to be able to do the â€Å"gray spray† on the sentry tower glass. So Steve is all, â€Å"Yeah, they're infrared. You can see heat with them, and there was no heat coming off anyone back there but you.† And I'm like, â€Å"Who the fuck are you?† And he's like, â€Å"My name's Steve. I'm working on my biochem masters at S.F. State.† â€Å"Stop,† I said. â€Å"Please do not further endorken youself to me. You have great hair and a car that is most fly, and you have just saved me with your mad ninja driving skills, so do not sully your heroic hottie image in my mind by further reciting your nerdy scholastic agenda. Don't tell me what you're studying, Steve, tell me what's in your soul. What haunts you?† And he was like, â€Å"Dude, you need to cut back on the caffeine.† Which was fair, and I know that he was only saying it out of concern for my welfare and whatnot, because I think he knew even then that we were destined to be together, soul mates. So while he drives, Steve tells me that he was doing some experiments on some bodies for his master's thingy, and he found that the cells of the victims were regenerating when you added blood to them, and he thinks he can turn them back to normal human cells by using some gene therapy or something. And he's been talking to the Countess and Lord Flood about turning them back, but the Countess is all, â€Å"No way, hot Manga-haired science guy.† So I was all, â€Å"Why would she want to give up immortality and superpowers and whatnot?† And he was all, â€Å"I don't know.† And I was all, â€Å"We should discuss it over coffee.† And he was like, â€Å"I would love to do that, but I'm already late for work.† And I was like, â€Å"I thought you were a mad scientist.† And he was all, â€Å"I work at Stereo City.† And I was like, â€Å"Dude, you should get a job at Metreon selling the big-screens, because they have like the best test couches.† And he was like, â€Å"Okay.† Just like that, â€Å"Okay.† So he wanted to give me a ride home, so I would be safe, which is so sweet, but I needed double-soy Mochaccino to calm my nerves, so here I am at Tulley's, totally brooding. But before I got out of the car, I was like, â€Å"Steve, do you have a girlfriend?† And he was like, â€Å"No, I put a lot of time into my studies, and I sort of always have.† And I was like, â€Å"So would you be in the market for a Gaijin princess?† And he was like, â€Å"That's Japanese. I'm Chinese.† And I'm like, â€Å"Don't change the subject, Kung Pao, what I want to know is if you're ready to spend some up-close and personal time with ninety pounds of barbarian woman-flesh! Sorry, I don't know how much that is in kilos.† I don't know what came over me. I was just fizzing over with adrenaline and passion and whatnot, I guess. I usually don't throw myself at guys, but he was so mysterious and smart and hot. So he got this big grin and he was like, â€Å"My parents would freak out if they saw you.† And I was like, â€Å"You live at home?† And he was all, â€Å"Well, uh, yeah, uh, kinda, uh – â€Å" So I grabbed the pen out of his pocket and wrote my cell number on his arm while he stuttered, then when I put the pen back I kissed him sort of hard and totally passionately, which I could tell he liked a lot, so I pushed him away and slapped him so he wouldn't think I was a slut. But not very hard, so he wouldn't think I wasn't interested. And I was all, â€Å"Call me.† And he was all, â€Å"I will.† So I was like, â€Å"Do not fuck with your hair.† And he was all, â€Å"Okay.† And I was all, â€Å"Be careful.† And he was all, â€Å"I will. You, too.† And I was all, â€Å"Oh, yeah, thanks for the rescue and whatnot.† And he was all, â€Å"Sure. Thanks for the kiss.† And so I am his shameless White Devil Juliet and he is my sweet Ninja Romeo (unless Ninjas are also Japanese, in which case I will have to look some shit up for metaphors because the only thing Chinese I can think of right now is Dim Sum, and I believe it's disrespectful to refer to your soul mate in terms of finger food). Fucksocks! My cell. Jared. L8rz.