Online Options for German Lessons for Beginners

Online Options for German Lessons for Beginners The German language is much easier to learn than you might have heard. With the right course structure, a little discipline, and some online tools or apps, you can master your first steps into the German language quickly. Heres how to get started. Set Realistic Goals Make sure to set a solid goal like e.g. I want to reach German level B1 by the end of September with 90  minutes of daily work and also consider booking an exam about six to eight weeks before your deadline (if you stay on track, of course). For more about what to expect from German exams,  take a look at our exam  series: How to pass an A1-ExamHow to pass an A2-ExamHow to pass a B1-Exam If You Want to Focus on Writing If you need help with your writing,  Lang-8  offers a service where you can  copy and paste a text for the communityusually native speakersto edit. In return, you just need to correct another members text, which will not take you long. And its all free. For a small monthly fee your text will be featured more prominently and get corrected faster but if time doesnt matter to you, the free option is sufficient.   If You Want to Focus on Pronunciation and Speaking Looking for a conversational partner is the very best way to hone your speaking skills.  While you can try to find a tandem partner, with whom you could arrange a free language exchange, its often simpler to just pay someone for this job. Sites like  Italki  and  Verbling are places where you might find someone suitable and affordable. Those dont necessarily have to instruct you, although that might be helpful. Thirty minutes of practice a day is ideal, but any amount will improve your skills rapidly. Basic German Concepts and Vocabulary Below youll find a number of resources on this site that are suitable for beginners. Grà ¼ÃƒÅ¸e: Common greetingsDas ABC: The German AlphabetAll About the German  Personal PronounsHow to Tell if a German Word is Masculine, Feminine, or NeuterLearning the German Verbs Haben  (to have) and  Sein  (to be)German verbs in the present tenseCommon adjectives and colors How to Stay on Track and Get Motivated Programs like  Memrise  and  Duolingo  can help you stay on track and make your vocabulary learning as efficient as possible. With Memrise, while you could use one of the ready-made courses, I strongly recommend that you create your own course. Keep the levels manageable  with approximately 25 words each.  Tip: If you are better at setting goals than you are at following through (and who isnt?), try the motivational platform  stickk.com.

Anastasio Somoza García, President of Nicaragua

Anastasio Somoza Garcà ­a, President of Nicaragua Anastasio Somoza Garcà ­a (Feb. 1, 1896–Sept. 29, 1956) was a Nicaraguan general, president, and dictator from 1936 to 1956. His administration, while being one of the most corrupt in history and brutal to dissidents, was nevertheless supported by the United States because it was viewed as anti-communist. Fast Facts: Anastasio Somoza Garcà ­a Known For: Nicaraguan general, president, dictator, and founder of the Somoza Dynasty of NicaraguaBorn: Feb. 1, 1896 in San Marcos, NicaraguaParents: Anastasio Somoza Reyes and Julia Garcà ­aDied: Sept. 29, 1956 in Ancà ³n, Panama Canal ZoneEducation: Peirce School of Business Administration, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaSpouse(s): Salvadora Debayle SacasaChildren: Luis Somoza Debayle, Anastasio Somoza Debayle, Julio Somoza Debayle, Lilliam Somoza de Sevilla-Secasa Early Years and Family Anastasio Somoza Garcà ­a was born on Feb. 1, 1986, in San Marcos, Nicaragua, as a member of the Nicaraguan upper-middle class. His father Anastasio Somoza Reyes served as a Conservative Party senator from the department of Carazo for eight years. In 1914, he was elected vice-secretary of the Senate. He was also a signer of the Bryan-Chamorro Treaty in 1916. His mother Julia Garcà ­a was from a wealthy family of coffee planters. At the age of 19, after a family scandal, Somoza Garcia was sent to live with relatives in Philadelphia, where he attended Peirce School of Business Administration (now Peirce College). In Philadelphia, Somoza met and courted Salvadora Debayle Sacas, who had a politically well-connected family that objected to the marriage. Nevertheless, in 1919 they married in Philadelphia in a civil ceremony. They had a Catholic ceremony in Leon Cathedral when they returned to Nicaragua. They returned to Nicaragua and had a formal Catholic wedding in Leà ³n Cathedral. While in Leà ³n, Anastasio tried and failed at running several businesses: automobile sales, boxing promoter, meter reader for an electric company, and inspector of latrines at the Rockefeller Foundations Sanitary Mission to Nicaragua. He even tried counterfeiting Nicaraguan currency and only avoided prison because of his family connections. U.S. Intervention in Nicaragua The United States became directly involved in Nicaraguan politics in 1909 when it supported a rebellion against President Jose Santos Zelaya, who had long been an opponent of U.S. policies in the area. In 1912, the United States sent Marines to Nicaragua to bolster the conservative government. The Marines remained until 1925 and as soon as they left, liberal factions went to war against the conservatives. The Marines returned after only nine months away and stayed until 1933. Beginning in 1927, renegade general Augusto Cà ©sar Sandino led a revolt against the government, which lasted until 1933. Somoza and the Americans Somoza had gotten involved in the presidential campaign of Juan Batista Sacasa, his wife’s uncle. Sacasa had been vice president under a previous administration, which had been overthrown in 1925, but in 1926 he returned to press his claim as the  legitimate president. As the different factions fought, the U.S. was forced to step in and negotiate a settlement. Somoza, with his perfect English and insider’s position in the fracas, proved invaluable to the Americans. When Sacasa finally reached the presidency in 1933, the American ambassador persuaded him to name Somoza head of the National Guard. The National Guard and Sandino The National Guard had been established as a militia, trained and equipped by the U.S. Marines. It was meant to keep in check the armies raised by the liberals and conservatives in their endless skirmishing over control of the country. In 1933 when Somoza took over as head of the National Guard, only one rogue army remained: that of Augusto Cà ©sar Sandino, a liberal who had been fighting since 1927. Sandino’s biggest issue was the presence of American marines in Nicaragua, and when they left in 1933, he finally agreed to negotiate a truce. He agreed to lay down his arms, provided that his men be given land and amnesty. Somoza still saw Sandino as a threat, so in early 1934 he arranged to have Sandino captured. On February 21, 1934, Sandino was executed by the National Guard. Shortly thereafter, Somoza’s men raided the lands that had been given to Sandino’s men after the peace settlement, slaughtering the former guerillas. In 1961, leftist rebels in Nicaragua established the National Liberation Front: in 1963 they added â€Å"Sandinista† to the name, assuming his name in their struggle against the Somoza regime, by then being led by Luà ­s Somoza Debayle and his brother Anastasio Somoza Debayle, Anastasio Somoza Garcà ­a’s two sons. Somoza Seizes Power President Sacasa’s administration was severely weakened in 1934–1935. The Great Depression had spread to Nicaragua and the people were unhappy. In addition, there were many allegations of corruption against him and his government. In 1936, Somoza, whose power had been growing, took advantage of Sacasa’s vulnerability and forced him to resign, replacing him with Carlos Alberto Brenes, a Liberal Party politician who mostly answered to Somoza. Somoza himself was elected in a crooked election, assuming the presidency on January 1, 1937. This began the period of Somoza rule in the country that would not end until 1979. Somoza quickly acted to set himself up as dictator. He took away any sort of real power of the opposition parties, leaving them only for show. He cracked down on the press. He moved to improve ties to the United States, and after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 he declared war on the Axis powers even before the United States did. Somoza also filled every important office in the nation with his family and cronies. Before long, he was in absolute control of Nicaragua. Height of Power Somoza remained in power until 1956. He stepped down briefly from the presidency from 1947–1950, bowing to pressure from the United States, but continued to rule through a series of puppet presidents, usually family. During this time, he had the complete support of the United States government. In the early 1950s, once again president, Somoza continued to build his empire, adding an airline, a shipping company, and several factories to his holdings. In 1954, he survived a coup attempt and also sent forces to Guatemala to help the CIA overthrow the government there. Death and Legacy On September 21, 1956, Anastasio Somoza Garcà ­a was shot in the chest by young poet and musician Rigoberto Là ³pez Pà ©rez at a party in the city of Leà ³n. Là ³pez was instantly brought down by Somoza bodyguards, but the president’s wounds would prove fatal on September 29. Là ³pez would eventually be named a national hero by the Sandinista government. Upon his death, Somoza’s eldest son Luà ­s Somoza Debayle took over, continuing the dynasty his father had established. The Somoza regime would continue through Luà ­s Somoza Debayle (1956–1967) and his brother Anastasio Somoza Debayle (1967–1979) before being overthrown by the Sandinista rebels. Part of the reason that the Somozas were able to retain power for so long was the support of the U.S. government, which saw them as anti-communist. Franklin Roosevelt allegedly once said of him: â€Å"Somoza may be a son-of-a-bitch, but he’s our son-of-a-bitch.† There is little direct proof of this quote. The Somoza regime was extremely crooked. With his friends and family in every important office, Somozas greed ran unchecked. The government seized profitable farms and industries and then sold them to family members at absurdly low rates. Somoza named himself director of the railway system  and then used it to move his goods and crops at no charge to himself. Those industries that they could not personally exploit, such as mining and timber, they leased to foreign (mostly U.S.) companies for a healthy share of the profits. He and his family made untold millions of dollars. His two sons continued this level of corruption, making Somoza Nicaragua one of the most crooked countries in the history of Latin America. This sort of corruption had a lasting effect on the economy, stifling it and contributing to Nicaragua as a somewhat backward country for a long time. Sources Editors of the Encyclopedia Britannica. Anastasio Somoza: President of Nicaragua. Encyclopedia Britannica, January 28, 2019.Editors of the Encyclopedia Britannica. Somoza Family. Encyclopedia Britannica, August 24, 2012.La Botz, Dan. The Somoza Dynastic Dictatorship (1936–75). What Went Wrong? The Nicaraguan Revolution, A Marxist Analysis, p. 74–75. Brill, 2016.  Merrill, Tim L. (ed.) Nicaragua: A Country Study. Federal Research Division, U.S. Library of Congress, 1994.Otis, John. Dictators daughter wants UPI, April 2, 1992.Walter, Knut. The Regime of Anastasio Somoza, 1936–1956. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1993.

Take Home Exam for Com 100 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Take Home Exam for Com 100 - Essay Example Appiah emphasizes that â€Å"American social distinctions cannot be understood in terms of the concept of race† (Appiah 102). America is a diverse nation; it is composed of different races, and no race should be superior over the other. America is known for its cultural multiplicity. That’s what describes it as a nation. Furthermore, Appiah believes that â€Å"the only human race in the United States, I shall argue, is the human race† (54).He believes that social divisions are merely beliefs that have been drawn from natural historical notion or causal theory. This peculiarity requires a need for change and neutralization. Hence, the central point of this discussion shall focus on how Appiah’s claim on the existence of race would affect the way people think, act, speak and write by understanding the key points specified in Appiah’s article. Appiah claims that â€Å"what we learn when we learn a word like â€Å"race† is a set of rules for app lying the term† (57). ... Appiah argues that race cannot be identified by simply looking at the colour of the skin. The identification of race based on colour is a flawed belief in that even variations in colour are collectively joined together in some applications. For instance, the United States Census Bureau does not classify â€Å"Latino† as a single race but, regardless of the range of colours they find themselves of having, the US Census Bureau classifies them as Hispanic; you do not find a racial classification that says â€Å"Strong Brown Hispanic† or â€Å"Light Brown Hispanic†, in other words, even colour is not recognized as indicative of race; also, if race is only based on the colour of the skin, it is quite obvious that black shades are not only endowed to African-Americans or Blacks. Think about Ghanaians, Indians, or Tanzanians, they have skin colours that are relatively similar to Black Americans but much difference is being to them. Seen this way, there is a much telling reason that hides behind skin colour, which could either be a social or a cultural phenomenon because if all Blacks are regarded uniformly such that Indians are also considered as the same race with Black Americans based on their colour, Indians should have likewise experienced the stern upshots of social distinctions that are prevalent in the United States up until today. So, granting that Appiah is indeed right that there is no human race by arguing that race cannot be indentified by colour, the consequences would be immense: first, it would result into a borderless world in which people could freely intermingle and interrelate with other people without a strong regard of their physical appearance and their cognitive abilities. Second, the manner in which we speak, think, and act

Test for Effectiveness of Appetite-Reducing Drug Essay

Test for Effectiveness of Appetite-Reducing Drug - Essay Example Describe the four different threats to internal validity [intact groups, extraneous variables, subject loss, and expectancies]. How do these threats apply to the following study? There are four threats to internal validity in experiments. The assignment of intact groups, rather than individuals, compromises the randomness of the sample and therefore skews the results. The presence of extraneous variables confounds the findings and renders them uninterpretable. Subject loss due to any one particular condition more than others renders some subjects unable to continue. Finally expectations held by either the subjects or experimenters, or both, tend to affect their conduct during the experiment which may affect the results. Internal validity is compromised in this experiment. The biggest threat to the experiment’s internal validity is the presence of expectations of the experimenter which may create a bias in the results obtained. In the given situation, the experimenter is not bl ind as to who among the students are given the placebo, the tested drug, and the new experimental drug. While it is mentioned that the experimenter is determined to remain unbiased, this is not enough as psychological bias may be unintended but nevertheless present in the results. External validity does not seem to be an issue here, because the sample chosen was randomly selected and therefore may be assumed to represent the relevant population of KU students. Also, since all groups are given the same examination that covers the contents of the full ten week course, and no other variable had been varied except the test variable (the experimental drug), then chance variables... The objective of the experiment to be designed should determine whether or not the experimental drug is effective in reducing the appetite of the individual ingesting it. Â   The procedure would involve administering the drug to the test group and monitoring the progress in the food consumption (proxied by the relative change in weight of the subjects) Â  of the test group against a control group. Â  In order for the control group to be blind to which group they belonged, they will be given placebos which are known to have no effects on the appetite. The experimental method to be used would be the independent group design, the alternative to the repeated measures design group. Â  Repeated measures design is not applicable to this assignment because for repeated measures, the same subjects repeatedly undergo all the procedures at intervals, and reactions to the test condition are observed when the condition is applied and when it is withdrawn. Â  This will not do because the succ essful administration of the drug would presumably include a weight loss, and repeated treatment (to reduce appetite) may reasonably cause a drop in weight. The loss in weight would be a permanent change to the subject, whether as a result of the treatment or not, and withdrawal of the treatment does not necessarily cause a reversal to pre-treatment conditions. It therefore defies the reason for the alternate application and removal of treatment. Â  Furthermore, it is ethically questionable to withdraw a treatment.

Subsidize University Fees For Low Income Group Essay Example for Free

Subsidize University Fees For Low Income Group Essay INTRODUCTION: Globally, there is increasing demand for higher education, especially from the youth population of developing countries, as it is viewed as an important pathway for greater social mobility (Devesh, 2008). According to the World Trade Organization (WTO 2010), private returns from higher education are high for both developed and developing countries. In developing countries, the wage differential between a secondary school leaver and a university graduate is estimated to be as high as 200%. Besides the wage premium, rapidly changing technology in a globalized world is also demanding new and changing competencies that require life-long learning skills, for which mature students often have to go back to college for re-training and re-skilling. Malaysia is one of the most subsidized nations in the world. Its total subsidy of RM74 billion in 2009 is equivalent to RM12,900 per household or 4.6 per cent of GDP even higher than Indonesia (2.7 per cent) Philippines (0.2 per cent). Out of the numbers, RM 30.8 billion goes to Primary, secondary, higher education and scholarships. Higher education in Malaysia is divided into 2 sectors; public and non-public sector, there are about 20 universities and 6 university colleges (the term â€Å"university college† is used to for those tertiary level education institutions that are able to confer their own degrees but have not achieved university status). In the non-public sector there are 559 institutions of varying types including: universities and university colleges and foreign university branch campuses. The term â€Å"non-public† refers to the broad category of institutions not funded by the state. A division between private and for-profit institutions exists within this category, but is not entirely clear. Outside of these categories are polytechnics (24) and community colleges (37), which will not be dealt with this profile. The Higher Education Department within the Ministry of Education, co-ordinates and monitors the activities of public and private universities and colleges. Because of government’s large investments in higher education, issues of government involvement and university autonomy arise. Currently, students  are assigned to specific universities based on their cumulative grade point averages, faculty members are essentially civil servants with highly fixed salaries, and vice chancellors and deans are appointed by the state. Malaysian public higher education students must pay tuition and other fees and cover their living costs (though accommodations on campus are subsidized by the government). Solid financing is the backbone of a well-functioning higher education system. The decision to attend tertiary education has monetary and non-monetary variables. In Malaysia the cost of tertiary education (tuition fees) and associated living costs affect how much a cash constraint can discourage otherwise talented students from enrolling and completing higher education. Currently many kinds of subsidies exist such as government owned and operated school (public and private universities state colleges), subsidized loans, grants and scholarships. THE â€Å"PROS† TOWARDS GOVERNMENT SUBSIDY: Why does government need to intervene in the market for education? That is, doesn’t the market produce the â€Å"right† amount of education? If the market outcome is not right, what is the best way to intervene? To answer these questions, we first need to consider the basic model of education. In the economic model of education, every person in society has a certain amount of brain power, skill, knowledge, understanding, and the like. All those factors other than our â€Å"unskilled† labor allow us to produce output. We can think of all these factors as one, the composite factors which is human capital. It is very useful to think of human capital as analogous to physical capital. Durable: continues to have value over time, can decrease over time due to â€Å"depreciation† and can increase due to â€Å"investments†. Acquiring education is like making a physical investment, improves the quantity and/or quality of the human capital. The purpose is to increase productivity and that’s for sure. Hence, there are a few drawbacks if the Malaysian government didn’t subsidized university education tuition fees. Family income determines whether the student can afford the costs of the university or college. First issue related to monetary variables and non-monetary variables will lead to a drop line of a higher education access. This has made many young talents and bright students fail to enter university and are a loss to future generation. This is due to: †¢Cost benefits barrier – the barrier arises when the group decides that the cost of attending university is greater than its expected return to the education investment. †¢Cash constraints barrier – occurs when the students who have decided that the returns to education outweigh the costs still cannot put together the resources to obtain entry to universities. †¢Debt aversion barrier – arises when an individual refuses to use the funds at his or her disposal because part of the funds might be loans, which at some point will have to be repaid. †¢Parental education, race and ethnicity, gender and geographical location – all play a role in the college decision-making process. Of course there are many reasons why government should step in. Subsidy indirectly can reduce crime. Of course crime is clearly an externality in this context. The actions of others affect us and they are not negatively compensated. If we look at current situation there is an extremely strong relationship between crime and education. Well at least for three reasons: †¢Pure human capital motive – education related to income, and people with higher income have less incentive to commit crime. †¢Direct schooling effect – classes makes students smarter so realize that crime doesn’t pay at all. †¢Opportunity cost of time – students are busy at faculty so actually in other words have less time to commit crime. Escalating expenditure for public higher education has ked the government to adopt a cost-sharing system in which students and parents shoulder and increasing share of the costs. The MARA financial aid scheme was converted in January 1998 to a 100% loan scheme except for loans given out under the Excellent Student Scheme. The National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) was established for the purpose of offering subsidized loans to help students meet the costs of enrolling a local higher education institution.  It is also designed to ensure that there would be loans available for Malays to afford both public and private higher education so that the targeted ethnic composition of enrolment in higher education is maintained. THE DEBATE TOWARDS GOVERNMENT SUBSIDY: When the government is in the business of handing out money, interest groups lobby to get it, or advocate receiving more than they are already getting. So, it is with spending on higher education. Over the long run, the funding for those areas has increased dramatically. Taxpayers should be skeptical of the current reasons for subsidizing universities further. There are few arguments are dubious for five main reasons stated below in regards with government subsidy related to university fees. It can be elaborate and debate as the following: There is no link between higher education subsidies and economic growth, and none between universities or college degrees and job creation. Malaysia has spent a much higher proportion of personal income on federal and state government to support for higher education. States with a higher proportion of university and college graduates do not necessarily grow by adding more college degrees. For now, the country is currently experiencing a rather worrying unemployment especially among young graduates. Excess of the graduates is unable to meet domestic open vacancy in any sector since most of them are experiencing the freezing phase of job vacancy. Thus its shows there are no linkage at all between higher education qualifications with job vacancies. Indirectly it could not keep the countrys economy. More subsidies equals to more waste. The number of academicians, staff, administrators and service staff at all 20 universities and 6 university colleges increased at a faster rate than full-time equivalent students over the same time period. At the same time, the compensation for the average employees increased too for sure. Colleges set tuition rates relative to supply and demand, but the government subsidies distort this process and inflate the cost. That’s why private universities such as Sunway International College and Lim Kok Wing University which receive no government funding, do a much better job at keeping down the cost of tuition. At the present time the federal government already spends billions of dollars subsidizing universities, whether it is money for Lecturer’s salaries, buildings, or the millions of dollars provided for research. The cost of classes and tuition picks up only small portion of the tab. Aside from that, there are many people who do not deserve or would not make the best of the education provided. Scholarships and government grants are available for people who have worked hard and earned the opportunity, but to hand it over to everyone for free are insane. When comparing earning power between college graduates and non-graduates, correlation is not causation, and the actual cost of universities or collage matters. Proponents of more funding for higher education almost always cite the same statistic as their main point: Overall, universities and college graduates tend to make more money in their lifetime than those without a degree. But this assumes that the degree caused the higher earnings, rather than the fact that those who complete college are already more likely to be financially successful whether they attend university or not. The common figure cited is that a college degree is worth MYR1 million over the lifetime of a worker. Besides ignoring the point above, this is a poor exercise in statistics. The number is arrived at by taking the difference between the average pay of a university and college graduate and the average pay of a non-universities and college graduate and multiplying it over a 40-year career. First, that only tells us what the average is today, not what the actual future earnings are. Second, this assumes that all universities and college degrees have the same value. For example, it assumes that a Bachelor of Arts in art history is the same as a Bachelor of Science in quantum physics. Most significantly, it ignores many important factors: taxes, the real salary data of today’s graduates, the opportunity cost of going to college (how much someone would earn during those years in school), the fact that large proportions of student’s starts school and do not finish, and, most  importantly, student loan debt. Keep in mind that government may be funding someone’s desire to paint or be involved in the arts which do not advance society enough to justify the cost. Perhaps if everyone were taking physics, biology, or computer sciences in order to contribute in a meaningful way post grad it would be a different story. Also the amount of people in college is at the highest it’s ever been. In fact a BA or BS degree is essentially required now for low level jobs and a Masters or Doctorate is needed to advance up the ladder. Ensuring that everyone has university or college schooling would not enhance the labor market – it would dilute a university degree. The assumption among many is that every career should require a higher education. This belief leads to subsidies for subjects with little practicality in the workforce and areas where a student may be better off doing an apprenticeship or working for four years than attending more school. Pushing for everyone to go to universities or college does not automatically make those students university-ready; it lowers the overall standards of higher education. This has led to a high dropout rate, more repeated classes for those in school and an explosion of marginal subjects in which many degree-holders are forced to work outside that field because of a lack of demand. In short, incentivizing degrees students do not ever use. Higher education may be the next bubble to burst. Much like the housing bubble, higher education is fueled by government subsidies, publicly-backed loans and incentives that say everyone should be doing something. Lately tuition costs have risen steeply well above inflation while colleges compete to expand into areas outside of their main purpose and taking on more debt to do so. At the same time, competition from other sectors, like online education, offer cheaper alternatives to the bread-and-butter of university academia. It is important for citizens to be educated, both to learn a job and to better be able to respond to a changing marketplace. But there is a difference between education and schooling. Spending more money to send  people to get a specific number of degrees at a specific institution is different from education. Education comes in the form of apprenticeships, trade schools and time on the job learning. And education is something you can’t force on someone else. Just putting someone in college does make force them to learn anything. Education is a personal matter, and more subsidies will only influence a persons decision to learn or not to learn at the barest of margins. Higher education can build new skills, enhance old ones and show prospective employers that students are able to put in the time to earn a degree. But the value of a degree varies — by the institution, the cost, the time and the subject. From an individual’s perspective, private universities and colleges may be worth the cost. But for a growing number, it’s not. And government subsidies, where political incentives trump market realities, only worsen that problem CONCLUSION: Education issues remain an important priority in developing countries. Because resources are limited and ensuring adequate allocation is a struggle for many countries including Malaysia itself. The delivery of educational services has become a challenge. Malaysia, like other countries in Southeast Asia, faces similar challenges in ensuring the allocation of appropriate funding for efficient and equitable educational services in order to promote access to quality education for all social groups. While Malaysia faces many challenges amid rapid global chances, we can draw on a number of strengths and unique advantages as we take purposeful policy actions to move forward. Education is not preparation for life; education is a life by itself. From the job market to tertiary education, from UPSR to A-Levels, Education in Malaysia focuses on bringing us the latest news and analysis on our nation’s best bet on the future. The future earnings of the individual typically constitute an adequate return on the gross investment in obtaining higher education. Moreover, providing  subsidy university and college education to all is a rather inefficient way to serve the interest of poor students since a large proportion of students who acquire higher education come from relatively well-off families. Raising demand for higher education and the need to produce a critical mass of highly educated and skilled workers for a knowledge economy has led to the massification of Malaysian higher education. However, escalating higher public education expenditure led the government to adopt a cost sharing system where students and parents shoulder and increasing share of the cost for acquiring a higher education.

The Effect of the Monsoon on the Indian Society in Cochin, Kerala :: Monsoon India Society Culture Essays Papers

The Effect of the Monsoon on the Indian Society in Cochin, Kerala The monsoon holds the power to promote or devastate India ’s economy. Indeed, India has the potential to be a lot more prosperous were it not for the fickleness of the monsoon. â€Å"Floods, drought, famine, and poverty continue to drag her down each times she seems ready to spread wings of prosperity and fly towards a brighter future full of richer harvests.† 1 Sometime from the end of May to about the second week of June the southwest monsoon will arrive, if it arrives. Its time of arrival is not very predictable, nor is its duration or intensity, all of which can have significant impacts on an agriculturally based society. When the monsoon rain clouds reach the coast of south western India, they rise so quickly over the Western Ghats, an abrupt 1,500 mile escarpment, that they lose much of their moisture in Kerala (our area of study) before blowing across the rest of the peninsula and inland.2 Approximately 67% of the population depends on agriculture for a livelihood (forestry and fishing included).3 Major crops of Cochin and the surrounding area include coconuts, rubber, and rice. The monsoon rains are absolutely essential for crops to grow. The economy has been called a â€Å"gamble in rains† because the rain from the monsoon fills reservoirs, tanks, rivers, and irrigation canals with water that must last until the monsoon retur ns in the next year.4 Approximately 90% of India ’s annual water supply is brought by the monsoon.5 When the monsoon season is good, the government tries to establish buffer stocks against the catastrophe of monsoon failure. If the monsoon fails for two or three successive years however, no proactive measures can be sufficient.6 Another gamble the farmers make is with the timing of the monsoon. Crops are planted in March and April during the dry, hot season, and are harvested in November during the retreating northeast monsoon. Some crops such as coconuts need a certain amount of rain at a certain time. If the monsoon is late they will dry up and the harvest is lost.7 According to Cochin native, Joerose Tharakan, the irregularity of the arrival of the monsoon can have significant influences on the morale of the society. When the monsoon is late the farmers have a tendency to get vexed. Despite the fact that it obviously will do no good, they often go on strike.

Michael Faraday Essay

Michael Faraday is a science hero, who made remarkable contribution to the field of electrical engineering as a result of his studies on the direct current and electromagnetic fields. Michael Faraday is a British physicist and chemist who made major discoveries of electromagnetic induction in addition to the laws of electrolysis. Even though electromagnetic filed are everywhere in the environment they are invisible to the naked eye. The biggest invention made by Michael Faraday was the invention of the electric motor. This paper through qualitative analysis of published work and legitimate website sources is going to look at the contributions of Michael faraday to the field of electrical engineering. Introduction Direct current can be described as the continuous flow of electrons from a region of negative charges through a conducting material such as a metallic object to a region of positive charges (Herman and Loper, 2006). A direct current circuit is required in order to allow electrons to flow in an uninterrupted manner. Direct current circuit mainly consists of a wire conducting electrons from the negative terminal to a positive terminal and a source of electric energy (Herman and Loper, 2006). The flow of electrons in a direct current circuit is similar to the flow of water through a hose. The direction of current in a direct current circuit is opposite to the flow of electrons. Electrochemical or voltaic cells are used to produce direct current (Herman and Loper, 2006). Electromagnetic fields on the other hand, are produced when charged particles, especially electrons, are accelerated. All charged particles in motion produce electromagnetic fields. The first discovery of electromagnetic fields was done in the 19th century. This was after physicists realized that sparks could be reproduced at a distance without necessarily connecting them to the source with a metallic wire (Thompson, 2005).. As a result scientists came to a conclusion that it was possible to communicate with people far away without wires. Electromagnetic fields are mainly produced by alternating current in electrical conductors. Michael Faraday made tremendous contribution to the field of electoral engineering as far as direct current and electromagnetic fields are concerned. Michael Faraday Michael Faraday, the discoverer of diamagnetism, magneto-optical effect, electro-magnetic induction, electromagnetic rotation, was born on 1791 in southern London (Russell, 2000). He was initially a bookbinder in Britain, who developed interest in electricity, chemical and physical works of the time. He first became an assistant in Davy’s Lab before moving out to conduct his own experiments. His work at Davy’s lab mainly involved carrying out various chemical experiments. As a result of carrying out many chemical experiments, Faraday discovered two new chlorides of carbon and also liquefied chlorine and other gases (Thompson, 2005). In 1821, as states by Thompson (2005), Faraday wrote an article on current views concerning electricity and magnetism. In 1825, he isolated benzene. Faraday continued working on his ideas concerning electricity. He came up with a novel theory of electro-chemical action in 1833 after coining many of the words associated with electricity such as electrode, cathode, ion, and anode among many others. In the late 1830s Faraday was working on his ideas concerning electric induction and static electricity. He finally came to reject the conventional perception that electricity was an imponderable fluid. Rather, Faraday suggested that electricity was specific form of force present in matter flowing from one particle to another (Russell, 2000). Gladstone (2010) states that during one of his experiments Faraday discovered that a suspended magnet would revolve around a current bearing wire; an aspect that made him to propose that magnetism was a circular force. Later on Faraday discovered magnetic-optical rotation. Despite being mathematically illiterate, Faraday’s contribution to the field of electrical engineering remains significant. His contributions to electricity were based purely on experiment. His work however, resulted in deep mathematical theories concerning magnetism and electricity (Gladstone, 2010). The main belief that guided Faraday’s interest into electricity and electrolysis research was that electricity is one of the numerous manifestations of the integrated forces of nature such as heat, light, chemical affinity and magnetism. This perception led him to the field of electromagnetism (Thompson, 2005). Oersted, another great physicist of the time had converted electric current into magnetic force; Faraday was determined to reverse the process so as to produce electricity from magnetic force. Orsted had shown that electricity had the capacity to create a magnet field around a coil. Faraday developed a second coil that would intercept and convert the magnetic field back to electric current (Gladstone, 2010). Faraday made a clear demonstration of the phenomenon of electromagnetism through a series of experiments. It was in 1831 when Faraday discovered electromagnetic induction the principle behind electric generator and electric transformer (Gladstone, 2010). He expressed the induced electric current in terms of the number of lines of force that the wire cut through. This discovery made it easy for the transformation of electricity from a curiosity state to a novel and powerful technology. After Faraday discovered that electricity could be generated by rotating a magnet inside a coil made of metallic wire, he was able to create the first electric motor. Later on he built a transformer and a generator. In 1857 he devised the laws of chemical electrodeposition of metals from solutions (Russell, 2000). He also formulated the second law of electrolysis based on the 1807 perception that certain metals could be precipitated by an electric current from their compounds, which states that â€Å"the amounts of objects that are equivalent to each other in their ordinary chemical characteristics possess equal quantities of electricity naturally linked to them. Faraday also invented the voltmeter, the gadget that measures electric charge. Development of a voltmeter was the first step towards the standardization of electrical quantities. His contribution to the development of a field describing electric and magnetic forces in 1845 was one of the most important contributions of Faraday in physics (Gladstone, 2010). Faraday discovered that intense magnetic filed has the capacity to rotate the plane of a polarized light. This concept has been extensively made use of in elucidation of molecular structure in addition to providing significant information concerning galactic magnetic fields. Faraday first proposed that current generates an electric tension that produces an electronic state, or polarization of molecules and plays a major role of transmitting the electric force. The work of Faraday laid a strong foundation of the classical electromagnetic field theory, which was later developed by J. C. Maxwell (Thompson, 2005). Conclusion It can therefore be concluded that Michael Faraday is a science hero, who made remarkable contribution to the field of electrical engineering as a result of his studies on the direct current and electromagnetic fields. Direct current is the continuous flow of electrons from a region of negative charges through a conducting material such as a metallic object to a region of positive charges. Electromagnetic fields, on the other hand, are produced when charged particles, especially electrons, are accelerated. Faraday came up with a novel theory of electro-chemical action after coining many of the words associated with electricity such as electrode, cathode, ion, and anode. Faraday discovered that a suspended magnet would revolve around a current bearing wire, an aspect that made him to propose that magnetism was a circular force. Faraday also discovered electromagnetic induction the principle behind electric generator and electric transformer. After Faraday discovered that electricity could be generated by rotating a magnet inside a coil made of metallic wire, he was able to create the first electric motor. Later on he built a transformer and a generator. Faraday discovered that intense magnetic field has the capacity to rotate the plane of a polarized light. This concept has been extensively made use of in elucidation of molecular structure in addition to providing significant information concerning galactic magnetic fields. Reference: Gladstone, J. , (2010). Michael Faraday, ISBN 1445576198: READ BOOKS Herman, S. , and Loper O. , (edn 7), (2006). Direct current fundamentals, ISBN 1418000450: Thomson Delmar Learning Russell, C. , (2000). Michael Faraday: physics and faith, ISBN 0195117638 Oxford University Press US Thompson, S. , (2005). Michael Faraday His Life and Work, ISBN 1417970367: Kessinger Publishing

Human memory Essay

The investigation into whether images aid memory recall has been fairly successful. The experimental hypothesis: participants in condition 1(words with images) would perform better than those in condition 2 (words without images), has been rejected therefore the null hypothesis: there will be no difference in condition 1 (involving grid of random words supported by images) and condition 2 (only consisting of random words) has been accepted. Only to some extent from the line graph (Condition 1 vs. Condition 2), can we say condition 1 (words with images) recalled more words than those in condition 2 (words without images) because the line for condition 1 is generally above the line for condition 2 and this fairly supports the experimental hypothesis. The results measured using central tendency and measures of dispersion moderately support the experimental hypothesis. The mean and median for condition 1 (14. 1 & 14. 5) was greater than of condition 2 (12. 6 & 13. 5) indicating that there is a better recall when words are companied by visual aid and this supports the experimental hypothesis. The range (11) illustrated that data for both conditions were equally spread out, which does not necessary support the experimental hypothesis. Standard deviation, a more reliable measure of the dispersion than range has shown data in condition 2 (3. 977715704) is slightly more spread out than in condition 1 (3. 604010112). Descriptive statistics (numerical & graphical) have illustrated that condition 1 (words with images) performed better and this supports the experimental hypothesis. Not only do the numerical statistics support the hypothesis but the results are fairly pronounced, simply by looking at the line graph (graphical statistics); there is definitely a difference between both conditions although the Mann-Whitney U-test shows this to be below the level of significance. Inferential statistics, which enable us to draw clear conclusions about the likelihood of the hypothesis being true, is evidence for accepting the null hypothesis. The implication of the results measured using a non-parametric method, The Mann-Whitney U-test clearly shows that at the significance level of 0. 05, the results were very likely to have happened by chance. Though the observed value, 35 is greater than the critical value of 23 but only by 10. Comparatively, the findings of this study support previous theory and research but also are contrary to them. Bower, 1972 imagery recall experiment found that participants, who used imagery, recalled 80% of the words compared to only 45% by the non-imagers. In this investigation, participants in condition 1 (words with images) recalled 70. 5% of the words compared to 63% by the non-imagers. My investigation does support Bower’s findings, since there is a difference however the differences between the two conditions is not significant. Previous research does suggest that data in STM is stored in an acoustic manner this was demonstrated by Conrad (1964). Illustrating people may not always use visual codes to remember data and this supports the null hypothesis; in addition Baddeley’s (1966) study suggests that data is also stored semantically and this again illustrates that people may not always use visual codes. A possible problem with this experiment is the experimental design which lacks ecological validity and also does not account for individual differences. The study used independent groups, which meant it lacked control of participant variable and needed more participants. A matched participant design could have been used instead to deal with participant variables as participants are matched on key variables such as age and memory ability. Another problem of the study was the sample size. The study only used 20 participants, a small sample; therefore findings cannot be generalised to the rest of the population. So, a larger sample size of 50+ would be more representative and can be generalised. In addition, the investigation used opportunity sampling, which is very biased, and again it cannot be generalised. Random sampling would be the best method to select participants since it is potentially unbiased. An additional problem was the images used; some of the images were cartoon images (i. e. bible & pizza) and others were actual photographs (real life images, i. e. greenhouse). This may have been a problem since real life images may possibly be easier to remember than cartoon images or vice versa. To resolve such problem, would be by using only cartoon images alone or only real life images. The recall between genders may have wider implications: on the whole men have performed better than women, when studies have shown women should perform better than men. For example; women perform better than men in tasks such as verbal learning remembering tasks, name face association, and first last name associations learning (Larrabee and Crook, 1993). Ideas for a follow up research study is the effects of gender recall and discover if there is a significant effect for the sex of a participant on the types of gender associated images recalled and to compare the effects of visual and semantic codes in depth. There is evidence to illustrate that people do remember more with the aid of visual representation and evidence to illustrate people remember more without any visual representation. This itself suggests people do remember data and information differently (individual differences), i. e. acoustically, semantically. Therefore it is important to recognize these findings as they have strong insinuations for its involvement in everyday life, for example with teaching, revision and marketing. References & Bibliography Atkinson, R. C. & Shiffrin, R. M. (1968) Human memory: A proposed system and its control processes. In K. W. Spence and J. T. Spence (Eds. ), The psychology of learning and motivation, vol. 8. London: Academic Press Baddeley, A. D. (1966) Encoding in LTM: The influence of acoustic and semantic similarity on long-term memory for word sequences. Quart. J. exp. Psychol. , 18, 302-9 Bahrick, H. P. (1975) The nature of LTM: ‘Fifty years of memory for names and faces: A cross-sectional approach’, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, vol. 104, pp. 54-75

Leadership within the organization effective learning processes

Leadership within the organization effective learning processes Introduction The decisions made by leaders determine the success of an organization; they have the role of mentoring and creating a learning environment to enhance the performance of their teams.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Leadership within the organization: effective learning processes specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The main difference between a leader and a manager is that leaders lead people while managers manage tasks; with this role, leaders must develop appropriate mechanisms of enhancing learning and staff participation in an organization Muller, J., (Maclean and Biggs, 2009). This paper discusses the most critical areas for leadership within the organization to concentrate on in developing effective learning processes. Creating a positive Organizational culture To have an environment favorable for learning, leaders must create a positive organizational culture that rewards success and efforts of a n employee. When employees have invented or innovated something, the management should recognize them; this will motivate them learn more and innovate others. Within teams, it is area that employees learn a lot amongst and from each other, leaders have the role of developing an orchestrate team that embraces team spirit. This will enhance knowledge and experience sharing that leads to learning of new traits and tactics by employees. The leader should be delegating duties and power effectively to create an urge in his team members to learn and improve their skills. Toyota Motor Corporation has a culture that facilitates learning, the company even has a training institute where its employees can enroll for sponsored course, and this facilitates learning in the organization. Enhancing appropriate human resources practice Organizations with a well-structured human resources management enhance a learning experience, employees in such organizations are highly motivated and they have the w ill to develop themselves through learning process. Human resources has the role of creating numerous training programs as demanded by the organization; team leaders has the role of advising the human resources on the trainings they will facilitate, this will enhance the growth of learning spirit in the organization.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Zappos shoe company has been successful in the business because of its effectively managed human resources; the internal customers enjoy some benefits which include are free medical care and lunches, free vending-machines, fully equipped-free library and a nap room; the policies aims at developing team spirit that facilitates learning of new tricks and tactics (Zappos Official Website, 2011). Involvement of team members in decision-making An efficient leader should involve his team in decision-making. Leaders have t he role of implementing strategies, entrepreneurial and mandated with the role of creating a winning team. Different situations and organization calls for different leadership styles, thus management should ensure that they understand the kind of style that can be implemented in their organization. When team members are involved in decision-making, they get a chance to learn from each other as well as from the leadership (Hornsby Warkeoczeski, 2000). The success of Apple Inc has been attributed to a robust team that is willing to learn and in the process, it has developed numerous inventions and innovations. How organizations should account for the societal aspects affecting organizational learning and knowledge Organizations need to recognize that external factors/forces affect learning and knowledge development in the organization. To ensure that the effect is not negative, an organization needs to have good relationship with the external environment. To create good environment, a company need to be ethical in its processes and adopt corporate social responsibility activities; this will enhance the relationship that the company have with the external environment. Culture within the environment of operation has an effect on an organizational learning and knowledge development, a company should develop culture intelligence programs to reduce the risk of contradicting the culture of internal and external customer, when this is done it will enhance learning within the organization (Meinolf, Ariane, John and Ikujiro, 2003) References Hornsby, T. and Warkeoczeski, L. ,2000. New roles for leaders: A step-by-step guide to competitive advantage. Franklin: Hillsboro Press. Meinolf, D., Ariane, A., John, C. and Ikujiro, N.,2003. Handbook of Organisational Learning and Knowledge. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Leadership within the organization: effective learning processes specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Muller, J., Maclean, R. and Biggs, H., 2009. The impact of a supportive leadership program in a policing organization from the participants perspective. Work, 32(1),Pp. 69-79. Zappos Official Website, 2011. Zappos.com.

The Golden Notebook, Doris Lessings Feminist Novel

The Golden Notebook, Doris Lessings Feminist Novel Doris Lessings The Golden Notebook was published in 1962. Over the next several years,  feminism  again became a significant movement in the United States, the United Kingdom, and much of the world. The Golden Notebook was seen by many feminists of the 1960s as an influential work that revealed the experience of women in society. Notebooks of a Womans Life The Golden Notebook tells the story of Anna Wulf and her four notebooks of different colors that narrate aspects of her life. The notebook of the title is a fifth, gold-colored notebook in which Annas sanity is questioned as she weaves together the other four notebooks. Annas dreams and diary entries appear throughout the novel. Postmodern Structure The Golden Notebook has autobiographical layers: the character Anna reflects elements of author Doris Lessings own life, while Anna writes an autobiographical novel about her imagined Ella, who writes autobiographical stories. The structure of The Golden Notebook also intertwines the political conflicts and emotional conflicts in the characters lives. Feminism and feminist theory often rejected traditional form and structure in art and literature. The Feminist Art Movement considered rigid form to be a representation of patriarchal society, a male-dominated hierarchy. Feminism and postmodernism often overlap; both theoretical viewpoints can be seen in analysis of The Golden Notebook. A Consciousness-Raising Novel Feminists also responded to the consciousness-raising aspect of The Golden Notebook. Each of Annas four notebooks reflects a different area of her life, and her experiences lead to a larger statement about flawed society as a whole. The idea behind consciousness-raising is that the personal experiences of women should not be separated from the political movement of feminism. In fact, the personal experiences of women reflect the political state of society. Hearing Womens Voices The Golden Notebook was both groundbreaking and controversial. It dealt with womens sexuality and questioned assumptions about their relationships with men. Doris Lessing has often stated that the thoughts expressed in The Golden Notebook should not have come as a surprise to anyone. Women had obviously been saying these things, she said, but had anyone been listening? Is The Golden Notebook a Feminist Novel? Although The Golden Notebook is often hailed by feminists as an important consciousness-raising novel, Doris Lessing has notably downplayed a feminist interpretation of her work. While she may not have set out to write a political novel, her work does illustrate ideas that were relevant to the feminist movement, particularly in the sense that the personal is political. Several years after The Golden Notebook was published, Doris Lessing said that she was a feminist because women were second-class citizens. Her rejection of a feminist reading of The Golden Notebook is not the same as rejecting feminism. She also expressed surprise that while women had long been saying these things, it made all the difference in the world that someone wrote them down. The Golden Notebook was listed as one of the hundred best novels in English by Time magazine. Doris Lessing was awarded the 2007 Nobel Prize in Literature.

What is the difference between management and leadership Essay

What is the difference between management and leadership - Essay Example Leadership refers to the task of guiding people towards the achievement of some specific goals and objectives. According to Cherry (2010), leaders encourage their followers to utilize their full potential and get new opportunities to learn. They view the need for change as an opportunity for their followers to grow in their professional lives and increase their levels of productivity (Elkington, 2010). They motivate people to use their skills and abilities to get their personal, social, political, or organizational needs and demands fulfilled. The role of leaders in the process of goals achievement is to identify the need of the followers, make them aware of their responsibilities to fulfill those needs, design and give an effective strategy to the followers, and motivate them to continue putting efforts to achieve the goals. On the other hand, managers do things in a programmed manner. They do everything to fulfill organizational needs and hardly focus on the needs of employees. Another difference between leaders and managers is the way they develop policies. Managers always think incrementally and set priorities and goals according to the needs and limitations of the company’s policy. On the other hand, leaders think radically towards bringing change in the current policies and organizational structure. They do everything to meet the interests of their followers. This difference shows that managers always have to follow the policy of their respective organizations in carrying out any job related activity, whereas leaders are independent in doing whatever they want and whichever way they want. They listen to the concerns of their followers and guide them in all phases of all social, political, and organizational movements. They work for collective interests to get things done collectively. Managers monitor and control the activities of their employees. They do so to achieve