Supermajority Vote in US Congress

Supermajority Vote in US Congress A supermajority  vote is a vote that must exceed the number of votes comprising a simple majority. For example, a simple majority in the 100-member Senate is 51 votes; while a 2/3 supermajority vote  requires 67 votes. In the 435-member House of Representatives, a simple majority is 218 votes; while a 2/3 supermajority requires 290 votes. Key Takeaways: Supermajority Vote The term â€Å"supermajority vote† refers to any vote by a legislative body that must get more votes than a simple majority of votes in order to win approval.In the 100-member United States Senate, a supermajority vote requires a 2/3 majority or 67 of 100 votes.In the 435-member United States House of Representatives, a supermajority vote requires a 2/3 majority or 290 of 435 votes.In the US Congress, several major legislative actions require a supermajority vote, most notably impeaching the president, declaring a president incapable of serving under the 25th Amendment, and amending the Constitution. Supermajority votes in government are far from a new idea. The first recorded use of supermajority rule took place  in ancient Rome during the 100s BCE. In 1179, Pope Alexander III used a supermajority rule for papal elections at the Third Lateran Council.   While a supermajority vote can technically be specified as any fraction or percentage greater than one-half ( 50%), commonly used supermajorities include three-fifths (60%), two-thirds (67%), and three-quarters (75%) When is a Supermajority Vote Required? By far most measures considered by the U.S. Congress as part of the legislative process require only a simple majority vote for passage. However, some actions, like impeaching presidents or amending the Constitution, are considered so important that they require a supermajority vote. Measures or actions requiring a supermajority vote: Impeaching: In cases of impeachment of federal officials, the House of Representatives must pass articles of impeachment by a simple majority vote. The Senate then holds a trial to consider the articles of impeachment passed by the House. Actually convicting an individual requires a 2/3 supermajority vote of the members present in the Senate. (Article 1, Section 3)Expelling a Member of Congress: Expelling a member of Congress requires a 2/3 supermajority vote in either the House or Senate. (Article 1, Section 5)Overriding a Veto: Overriding a presidential veto of a bill requires a 2/3 supermajority vote in both the House and Senate. (Article 1, Section 7)Suspending the Rules: Temporarily suspending the rules of debate and voting in the House and Senate requires a 2/3 supermajority vote of the members present. (House and Senate rules)Ending a Filibuster: In the Senate only, passing a motion to invoke cloture, ending extended debate or a filibuster on a measure requires a 3/5 supermajo rity vote - 60 votes. (Rules of the Senate) Rules of debate in the House of Representatives preclude the possibility of a filibuster. Note: On November 21, 2013, the Senate voted to require a simple majority vote of 51 Senators to pass cloture motions ending filibusters on presidential nominations for Cabinet secretary posts and lower federal court judgeships only. Amending the Constitution: Congressional approval of a Joint Resolution proposing an amendment to the U.S. Constitution requires a 2/3 majority of those members present and voting in both House and Senate. (Article 5)Calling a Constitutional Convention: As a second method of amending the Constitution, the legislatures of 2/3 of the states (33 states) can vote to request that the U.S. Congress convenes a constitutional convention. (Article 5)Ratifying an Amendment: Ratification of an amendment to the Constitution requires the approval of 3/4 (38) of the state legislatures. (Article 5)Ratifying a Treaty: Ratifying treaties requires a 2/3 supermajority vote of the Senate. (Article 2, Section 2)Postponing a Treaty: The Senate may pass a motion to indefinitely postpone its consideration of a treaty by a 2/3 supermajority vote. (Senate rules)Repatriating Rebels: An outgrowth of the Civil War, the 14th Amendment gives Congress the power to allow former rebels to hold office in the U.S. gove rnment. Doing so requires a 2/3 supermajority of both the House and Senate. (14th Amendment, Section 3) Removing a President from Office: Under the 25th Amendment, Congress can vote to remove the President of the United States from office if the vice president and the Presidents Cabinet declare the president unable to serve and the president contests the removal. The removal of the president from office under the 25th Amendment requires a 2/3 supermajority vote of both the House and Senate. (25th Amendment, Section 4) Note: The 25th Amendment is an effort to clarify the process of presidential succession. On-the-Fly Supermajority Votes The parliamentary rules of both the Senate and House of Representatives provide means by which a supermajority vote can be required for the passage of certain measures. These special rules requiring supermajority votes are most often applied to legislation dealing with the federal budget or taxation. The House and Senate draw authority for requiring supermajority votes from Article 1, Section 5 of the Constitution, which states, Each chamber may determine the Rules of Its Proceedings. Supermajority Votes and the Founding Fathers In general, the Founding Fathers favored requiring a simple majority vote in legislative decision-making. Most of them, for example, objected to the Articles of Confederations requirement for a supermajority vote in deciding such questions as coining money, appropriating funds, and determining the size of the army and navy. However, the framers of the Constitution also recognized the need for supermajority votes in some cases. In Federalist No. 58, James Madison noted that supermajority votes could serve as a shield to some particular interests, and another obstacle generally to hasty and partial measures. Hamilton, too, in Federalist No. 73 highlighted the benefits of requiring a supermajority of each chamber to override a presidential veto. It establishes a salutary check upon the legislative body, he wrote, calculated to guard the community against the effects of faction, precipitancy, or of any impulse unfriendly to the public good, which may happen to influence a majority of that body.

Igor Stravinsky Essays - Igor Stravinsky, Free Essays, Term Papers

Igor Stravinsky Essays - Igor Stravinsky, Free Essays, Term Papers Igor Stravinsky As a composer, Igor Stravinsky knew many conductors. Later, he wrote an essay about them. What could he write about them? What would your typical composer have to say about conductors? Surprisingly, when Stravinsky wrote about conductors he became very critical. Sarcasm and mockery permeate throughout the passage when he discusses them. Stravinsky uses a few schemes to convince his reader of the conductor's insignificance. First, the language Stravinsky uses in his passage is very caustic. In a few places, he goes beyond his arguments into simple denunciations and attacks on the conductors. "The conductor is encouraged to impose a purely egotistical, false, and arbitrary authority, and that he is accorded a position out of all proportion to his real value in the musical, as opposed to the music-business, community," he says in one of such places. It is obvious that Stravinsky holds a personal grudge against the conductors; being a musician, he must have come across them many times. He says, "conducting, like politics, rarely attracts original minds." Stravinsky uses the word "original" in a different way than it is normally used. In English, "original" means first, or new. In Russian, however, to call a person original means to say that he is smart, that he comes with resourceful ideas. Since Stravinsky was Russian, that is what he probably meant. Therefore in his first sentence, Stravinsky say! s that, more or less, almost all conductors are stupid. The whole passage is more of an insult to all conductors, rather than an informative text. Secondly, Stravinsky uses comparisons to politicians in order condemn the conductors. "Conducting, like politics, rarely attracts original minds ? His [the conductor's] first skill has to be power politics," he says in the first paragraph. Politicians are always thought to be corrupt, dishonest, and insidious. In fact, politician is a word that is always associated with something evil. This method of attacking is effective, though primitive; there is a bit of politics in practically every job. Furthermore, Stravinsky fails to note exactly how a conductor is similar to a politician, apart from saying that conducting, like politics, is not a profession for the exact and standardized disciplines. In another quote, he compares the effect of the public on the conductor's ego to the effect the sun has on a tropical weed. Again, this is based more on emotion than cold logic; yet, it manages to convince the reader that conducting is not a profession to be admired. It is clear that St! ravinsky is not appealing to the logic of the reader, but to his emotions. Another strategy Stravinsky uses is sarcasm. He shows a quote naming a conductor to be a "titan of the podium, and is such very nearly the worst obstacle to genuine music making." Furthermore, he names the conductors to be "great," and he discusses the "cult of the great conductor." These names, as opposed to his entire passage, are ironic. After spending an entire passage criticizing conductors and their socalled "greatness," praising them seems satiric. As we have seen from his language and comparisons, it is part of Stravinsky's strategy to undermine the conductors in any way he can, and sarcasm fits well into his plan. The sarcasm is an effective way of criticizing the conductors: Stravinsky even finishes the essay with it in his last sentence "If you are unable to listen to the music, you watch the corybantics, and if you are able, you had better not go to the concert." Most of Stravinsky's argument is based on the fact that people mistake the conductors gestures for the meaning of the music, and place more emphasis on the conductors looks rather than the way he makes music sound. This makes the people think the conductor is "great" while the conductor is actually unfit for his role. This is part of a human tendency to "judge a book by its cover," to formulate an opinion based on what something appears to be, while a closer examination may reveal something different.

Marketing Approaches Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Marketing Approaches - Essay Example At present, the world economy is passing through tempestuous times, where effective marketing practices have been recognised by every organisation to survive and succeed (Blythe, 2009). During past few years due to intense competitive rivalry it has become challenging for organisations to sustain a strong position in the industry for long time. Certain organisations have prospered in implementing new marketing practices which have empowered them to accomplish astonishing development while others have succeeded in generating high volumes of sales and ongoing growth. Due to economic globalisation, the traditional marketing principles and practices have become obsolete and customer oriented marketing practices have grown to be popular for organisations. The marketing principles and practices are usually those activities which ensure stable growth for organisations. It has higher worth in terms of overall profitable flow of business (Kamei, 2000). The paper will describe the marketing co ncepts, principles and techniques in international business circumstances. Further, the paper will compare and contrast two leading organisations in the soft drink industry, Coca-Cola and Pepsi regarding different market oriented approaches they have taken. Market Segmentation Market segmentation is a vital marketing practice for any organisation to focus on a particular customer segment which willingly purchases the products and the services. Effective marketing segmentation can ensure highest return. In order to segment the market, organisations need to consider the products’ offerings (Business Resource Software, 2011). Market segment consists of customer groups with similar desires and requirements. It is the task of organisation to identify those groups which will be the target for selling the brands. Segmentation can be done in two ways namely mass marketing and targeted marketing. In mass marketing principle, organisations attempt to target whole market instead of a sp ecific customer segment, and in targeted marketing organisations desire to earn income from a particular segment. Both companies, Coca-Cola and Pepsi follow targeted marketing. Their products are aimed for particular customer segments (Lamb, 2008; Jobber, 2010). Market Segmentation of Coca-Cola & Pepsi Coca-Cola can be regarded as one of the most successful soft drink brands, which has successfully segmented its market. The products of Coca-Cola target different customer segments. For example, one of its products named â€Å"Light Cola† was considered as ‘girlish’ and ‘feminine’ by customers, thus the company had developed â€Å"Coke Zero† which is targeted at male customer segment with high health awareness (Mittal & Et. Al., 2010). Similarly, Pepsi also provides ranges of soft drinks by targeting different customer segments, such as sport drinks and energy drinks are targeted for customers who are related with athletic activities and â€Å" Diet Pepsi† is targeted for people who are very much health conscious. In terms of geographical segmentation, both companies marketing practices are different in hot regions such as Asia, Africa, or Middle East in comparison to cold regions such as America or Europe. With respect to age, Coca-Cola mainly targets every age of customers, especially family segments and Pepsi generally targets their products to younger generations. In terms of psychographic segmentation, Coca-Cola seeks to appeal to subculture and focuses mainly on

The Internal Control over Cash Payments Assignment - 1

The Internal Control over Cash Payments - Assignment Example No supervisor reviews the purchasing agent’s work† (The case study A, n.d.). In this case, the missing internal control characteristic is the proper approvals of the purchasing activities. The possible problem of the firm is a failure on the part of the purchasing department of the company to supervise and properly approve the company’s purchases. The reason is that the purchasing agent bears the responsibility of approving the invoices and signing the checks without any supervision. This problem can be solved if the purchasing department assumes its supervisory responsibility for the purchasing activities of the company. â€Å"Rachel Williams owns an architectural firm. Williams’ staff consists of 19 professional architects, and Williams manages the office. Often, Williams’ work requires her to travel to meet with clients. During the past six months, Williams has observed that when she returns from a business trip, the architecture jobs in the office have not progressed satisfactorily. Williams learns that when she is away, two of her senior architects take over office management and neglect their regular duties. One employee could manage the office† (The case study B, n.d.). In this case, the missing internal control characteristic is lack of separation of duties. The possible problem of the firm is a failure on the part of the top management (Rachel Williams, the owner of the firm) to distinguish the duties of the two senior architects, especially in her absence. The possible solution to the problem lies in making one of the senior architects an assistant manager. This way, imp ortant tasks will be performed both in the presence and the absence of the manager. â€Å"Mike Dolan has been an employee of the City of Southport for many years. Because the city is small, Dolan performs all accounting duties, in addition to opening the mail, preparing the bank deposit, and preparing the bank reconciliation†.

Marketing scenario Essay Example for Free

Marketing scenario Essay Introduction Positioned as an premium offering focused to lowest overall cost to end users through superior overall performance. Leader in quality , performance and technological innovation Product lines Carton sealing and industrial tapes Specialized adhesives Other packaging products K2 tape – Manufactured using patented technology and a brand name for pressure sensitive carton sealing tape Very high tensile strength and sheer resistance Positioning High Price K2 Products Low Quality High Quality Ipack Tensile New Product Low Price Problem Statement †¢ K2 tape competed against inferior economy grade products in carton sealing type †¢ IPACK offered 25-35% lesser price †¢ Revenue of K2- . 6 million IPACK – $28.5 million in 2012 †¢ Tensile – a new competitor had $2.7 million dollar sale with one sales representative Should PST stay with high quality product or enter the economy grade segment ? Option 1: Enter the economy grade segment under the same brand PROS Access to the economy segment Defend market share against competition Diversification of product portfolio CONS Dilution of the brand image as a maker of  technological superior product Cannibalization of its own product offering Cluttered product line Option 2: Enter the economy grade segment under different brand Implications for: PROS CONS Customer †¢ Ability to fulfill need of price sensitive  customers †¢ Possibility of change in perception of  being a quality leader Distributor †¢ Possibility to offer a low end PST  product †¢ Even wider product range; Limited  sales force Sales Force †¢ Ability to offer more variety in terms of  price levels †¢ More effort to explain product  differences Brand †¢ No positive impact †¢ Negative impact on brand image Option 2: Stay with high-quality products Implications for: PROS CONS Customer †¢ Maintaining image of quality Leader †¢ Loss of Market share; Not targeting  price sensitive consumers Distributor †¢ No need for adjustment in  distribution policy †¢ Low-price offer only from competitor not from PST Sales Force †¢ Consistent and easy product  quality †¢ No ability to offer solution for price  sensitive customer Brand †¢ Consistent overall brand image †¢ No negative impact Recommendation PST should enter the economy grade segment NEW BRAND †¢ New name (unrelated to PST) to avoid negative impact on brand image †¢ Marketed completely independent PRODUCT LAUNCH †¢ Development and launch of two new products to compete with Tensile †¢ Competitive pricing strategy (similar to Tensile) ENTER MARKET †¢ Make use of well established distribution network †¢ Offer economy equivalents for RD-48 RDS-72 SUCCESS FACTORS †¢ There is a projected growth in demand (e.g. packaging segment 2.2%) †¢ PST has an established sales force and distribution network in the tape market †¢ There is a lack of brand loyalty of price sensitive customers (switching to PSTs new brand) †¢ There was suitable equipment and capacity for quick production Distribution Plan †¢ Distribution through existing network for faster brand growth †¢ Hire more sales people to increase service quality sales in PSTs tape business

Restrictions of Society in The Awakening Essay -- Kate Chopin

Edna Pontellier’s Struggle for Freedom in The Awakening by Kate Chopin In Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, the constant boundaries and restrictions placed on Edna Pontellier by society will lead to her struggle for freedom and her ultimate suicide. Her husband Leonce Pontellier, the current women of society, and the Grand Isle make it evident that Edna is trapped in a patriarchal society. Despite these people, Edna has a need to be free and she is able to escape from the society that she despises. The sea, Robert Lebrun, and Mademoiselle Reisz serve as Edna’s outlets from conformity. â€Å"Edna's journey for personal independence involves finding the words to express herself. She commits suicide rather than sacrificing her independent, individual existence as social conventions demand of her† (Ewell 153). There are constant boundaries and restrictions imposed on Edna Pontellier that initiate Edna’s struggle for freedom. Edna is a young Creole wife and mother in a high-class society. The novel unfolds the life of a woman who feels dissatisfied and restrained by the expectations of society. Leonce Pontellier, her husband is declared â€Å"†¦the best husband in the world† (Chopin 6). Edna is forced to admit that she knew of none better. Edna married Leonce because he courted her earnestly and her father was opposed to her marriage to a Catholic. â€Å"Edna felt that her marriage would anchor her to the conventional standards of society and end her infatuation† (Skaggs 30). She is fond of Leonce, but he does not incite passionate feelings. Edna represents women in the past that were suppressed. These women weren't allowed to give their opinions and were often seen as objects, which explains the way her husband never really saw Edna as his wife, but more as a mate rial possession. â€Å"You are burnt beyond recognition, he added, looking at his wife as one looks at a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered great damage† (Chopin 2). In this society, men viewed their wives as an object, and she receives only the same respect as a possession. Edna did not respect her husband as the other women did. While he talked to her, Edna was overcome with sleep and answered him with little half utterances. â€Å"Leonce thought it very discouraging that his wife, who was the sole object of his existence, evinced so little interest in things which concerned him, and valued so litt... ...e interest of ending the monotony she lives with as a result of her being confined into her aristocratic society. Throughout the novel, The Awakening by Kate Chopin, Edna seeks independence from society. Her series of awakenings are mostly about achieving this goal. The sea, Robert Lebrun, and Mademoiselle Reisz are her awakenings. In the end, Edna's freedom takes place in death. This is the choice that social convention allows her. Edna cannot have anything she desires in this world, and therefore removed herself from it in a final â€Å"awakening† of her soul. Her thoughts as she walks into the sea comment profoundly on the identity problems that women face: "She thought of Leonce and the children. They were a part of her life. But they need not have thought that they could possess her, body and soul" (Chopin 152). Works Cited Chopin, Kate. The Awakening. New York: Bantam Books, 1992. Dyer, Joyce. â€Å"Symbolism and Imagery in The Awakening†. Unveiling Kate Chopin. Ed. Emily Toth. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1999. 126-130. Ewell, Barbara C. Kate Chopin. New York: The Ungar Publishing Company, 1986. Skaggs, Peggy. Kate Chopin. Boston: Twane Publishers, 1985.

Realism in 21st Century

Realism in 21st Century The world, in view of the fact that it was created is changing. With the changing desires and demands of today’s standard of living, individual needs to be in sync with the demands and trends of modern day living. Not too long ago, people were seen doing stuffs that have turned out to be more of a routine in today’s humankind. Every single day a new type of technology is been introduced in today's world. So, the question arises that is theses changes necessary in today's world? If yes, does it have a good or a bad impact to the human society in today's world? We need to talk about in which approach hi-tech advancements that pace into our daily lives have altered our lifestyles in the very last few centuries. In today’s world each and every single people rely on new and advance technologies. Everyone loves new technologies and gadgets that promise innovative and better ways of living. A pace of life is frequently increasing with the increase in new technologies. Nowadays somewhat more a quarter of the earth’s population can be found in the industrialized societies. And half of the population still lives on past agriculture, but they are also relying on machines. The remaining of the world’s population, however, is no longer of either the past or the present. They live in the future, within the most important centers of cultural and technological change, in New York, California, Cambridge, London and Tokyo (Toffler, p. 38). A new part of technology is like a new relationship to an individual, it will be cool and thrilling at the first, but sooner or later it gets addictive to the people. I doubt technology’s give your word to improve the quality of life, makes our life easier and simpler, but it gets more addictive and makes one lethargic. People have turn out to be physically and psychologically dependent on many behaviors and substances for centuries. The compulsive and frequently use of these technologies have negative impact on our daily lives. The key life areas that appear to be impacted are relationships, health, employment, and financial status. In the present day people find their reality have changed because they have to get used to the new culture and behavior according to the pace of technology. Presently people like to live in this current industrialized era but some of them are overwhelmed by the change of new technologies and inventions. Changes in the life are important, but the acceleration of changes leads to the victim of overchoice and impacts on our personal and psychological, as well as sociological, consequences (Toffler, p. 2). Philip Morris now it is Altria Group, for example, when it was introduced in USA in 1954, it only sold a single major brand of cigarettes i. e. Marlboro specifically to men. By now Altria Group has introduced additional 16 new brands with so many options with respect to size and flavors (Toffler, p. 265). Not only in cigarettes there are many overchoices in food, clothing, gasoline, and many more. There is a huge diversity in education industry too, students have a huge selection on what field they want to study and nowadays students can even get their degree online. More often than not society does not leave freedom for avoidance and as a result one need to adjust and learn about the new technologies that become part of our lifestyles. These days when people are faced with having to decide one option out of many popular choices, they will start on to think about imaginary trade-offs. The people do make their best choice out of the variable products, but afterwards it affects their level of satisfaction they had from the one before. The people now can’t escape this situation of freedom because they are not committed to the choice they make. People don’t know that the current loads of choice over and over again lead to feelings of loneliness and depression. The creation of the Internet has been the main source of innovative information, connectivity, and possibilities to create new private freedom. There are presently more than a billion web pages of information on the Internet about every topic that you can think of. The Internet users around the world have been increased by 444% since the starting of the 21st century (Internet Usage Statistics). In this era, computers and Internet are an important part of everyday life. Computers are used everywhere. Today Internet and computers can exactly take us to the different worlds and different realms of reality by a thought referred to as virtual reality. Inception is the latest â€Å"virtual reality† movie of this time. In this movie Leonardo DiCaprio plays an unlawful with the technology to plan himself into the dreams and ideas of others. The characters spend an important amount of time entirely powerless with beeping tools nearby. In the meantime their minds are busy occupied navigating avatars in a virtual world of Inception. In this movie, a machine would let you to connect to a virtual atmosphere by getting into someone’s dream. Even in the movies â€Å"The Matrix† and â€Å"Avatar† was computer generated and were in the different world of imagination. In â€Å"Plowing the Dark† by Richard Powers, on one side of a story a band of researchers in Seattle working on a 3D reality on how an empty white room that can become a jungle, a painting, or a Byzantine cathedral. And the other follows an individual kidnapped and held hostage by terrorists in Lebanon in an empty white room, equipped only with his imagination and memory. In the novel, the two stories overlap, but the people in the different stories do not know one another and never communicate. But at the end, the imaginative experience of Adie and Taimur intersect, with Taimur’s control leading to an unexpected change in Adie’s life and Adie inspiring Taimur at a serious moment. In this novel, the author addresses this issue of creating an inspiring character of life in an unreal environment that becomes frightening real to us (Powers). The novel â€Å"Plowing the Dark,† alludes to several poems including â€Å"Sailing to Byzantium† by W. B. Yeats. In this poem, Yeats highlights the aspect of world he lives in, is scared of becoming older and complains about the world he lives in, so he decides to escape to the city i. e. Byzantium where the poet can achieve immortality. In all the movies (â€Å"Inception,† â€Å"The Matrix,† and â€Å"Avatar†), the novel â€Å"Plowing the Dark,† and the poem â€Å"Sailing to Byzantium† the people wants to escape the real world and wants live in their own virtual mind and places they created. Virtual reality is becoming more prominent and dangerous as the days passes. One can assume a second identity in their imaginary world through the Internet. In 2003, a game called â€Å"Second Life† appeared on the Internet, is an online virtual world mainly targeted to the children who are aged thirteen and over, and as of 2011 â€Å"Second Life† has more than 20 million egistered user accounts (Secondlife). They can get married, have children, rob banks, and shoot people all in the name of fun. Virtual reality makes it a good tool for education because it allows children to learn in a more interactive environment where they are m ore likely to retain information. But it also has some negatively psychological and social effects. These days many students are showing a decrease in usual emotion and affection due to their stable communication with lifeless cyber friends. Cyberspace can be a help out, but when used in the wrong behavior it can be very damaging to our physical and mental well-being. Virtual reality in fact minimizes the significance of our physical bodies and encourages people to misuse their time. It causes people to get lost from exact relations by focusing on the mind freezing effects of video games and online cyber world. In this generation, the Internet is so ingrained into our lives that life without the access of Internet is completely unimaginable. The use of the Internet offers a variety of benefits to every person in today’s world. Internet has a giant amount of information added on it every day and it’s developing as the most powerful source of information. Also, use of the Internet makes easier to find jobs in a minute. One can also buy and sell things on the Internet. Last, the Internet is one of the most important tools in educations seeing as it provides a massive amount of information and is the greatest source of reference for teachers and students. The Internet has influenced, and is still influencing the way culture communicates in a lot of different ways. The rise of the Internet has caused people to communicate differently in areas never dreamed of before the Internet came into existence. In the book, â€Å"The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains,† by Nicholas Carr argues that surfing the World Wide Web is causing the damage to your brain. This book has been expanded from the article, â€Å"Is Google Making Us Stupid,† by the same writer Nicholas Carr. In this book, Carr describes how human thought has been changed through the centuries by â€Å"tools of the mind† – from the alphabet to maps, to the printing press, the clock, and the computer (Carr). This all tools are very useful in this 21st Century in getting directions, determining time and finding information on the computer through the Internet which is very faster and saves a lot of time. This all tools are easy and convenient in today’s life, but the effect of all this tools is that it is breaking the focus and the creativity of the human brain. Carr in the article, â€Å"Is Google Making Us Stupid,† stated that one he was a scuba diver in the sea of words, but now he zips along the surface like a guy on a jet ski. This is nothing but the Internet, which, with its search engines, blogs, social network such as Twitter and Facebook, pornography and online games has chipped away the capacity for concentration and contemplation. I totally agree with Carr, that when we use the Internet, we totally enter into a different environment; we enter into the world which is not real, that leads us to quick reading and diverts our thinking and distracts our brain. Right now, you can take example of me, as I am writing this paper or whenever I find myself assigned with a research paper for class I get simply unfocused from looking up references online and manage to find myself on completely unrelated websites. The pop-ups and the advertisement usually get our mind diverted. Then after half an hour of researching I find myself on checking the emails, uploading status or new photos on Facebook or either playing games on the computer. Then I realize that I have wasted almost an hour doing nothing instead using the time sensibly. Yes, Internet is the main source of information, but is actually affecting our brains. Not only Internet, the smart phones, TVs, online video games and many other digital technologies also damage our brain. According to a survey published by Forrester Research, Americans are now spending a large amount of their time using the Internet than watching television, and the amount of time people spend on the Internet has increased 121 percent in excess of the last five years (Joshua). The amount of time spent on the Internet not only has been increased by the teenagers or adults, but also have been increased by up to six to eight hours a day among the people over 66 years. But the rapidly increase in the use of Internet has not affect a drop in television consumption for the reason that the Internet, and mostly the mobile Internet, cleanly creates additional facilities and opportunities for the nation to consume media. In today’s world, TV is still important, but the content where the people are getting from is changing. Nowadays, most of the people are getting the content from the use of the mobile Internet. Smartphone and tablets are a life changing to many users since it is so personal, in terms of how and how frequently the device is carried and how it is used to connect and to expand relationships. Smart phones went from being a luxury and became an everyday tool for students, employees and the businessmen. For a lot of us, communicating with friends and family used to mean writing letters and cards via mail and have to wait for weeks for the response. But now we communicate with each other through emails and text messages in a fraction of seconds. Now younger generations have forgotten how to write and spell a complete sentence due to rapid increase in text messaging. Teenagers are totally reliant on simple tenses and a limited use of vocabulary, and that to with the help of spell check. At the same time there is also a reduction in a personal face to face communication. Nowadays, people just text message their friends, chat online, do discussion on the blogs, and they even date online. Due to these changes; the people have mentally changed their communication skills. People don’t know that more and more use of the technologies gets addictive to them and changes the mental and physical shapes of the brain, and can lead to a decrease in the sense of self and human identity. Our neurological systems are actually being spoiled, and we are less able to process and remember information, even if we are continually reading, or surfing, online. The person who spends more of their time playing games and reading web pages are experiencing visual problems. Most people are clueless that how the cell phones affects their brain by the radiation. In J. D. Salinger's â€Å"The Catcher in the Rye†, the main character of Holden Caulfield views the humankind as a place where the most human behaviors such as love, sympathy and kindness are all been overridden by the power of money and technology. Holden Caulfield is desperately holding to the concept that necessary human kindness is far more vital to a joyful way of life than material wealth and technology. Holden in the novel feels similar to a loner or a rebel in an environment where the people are dishonest and corrupted, and he is badly looking for someone to talk to that will make him happy. In the beginning of the story, Holden says, â€Å"As a matter of fact, I'm the only dumb one in the family† (David, p. 67). In the whole story, Holden describes himself as a failure and immature, and also has been told by his parents, friends, and teachers number of times but still, Holden every time hangs to his ideals and looks his failings as almost laughable. In the story, Holden is suffering from mental and emotional problems due to his attitudes and behavior. The only thing that can â€Å"cure† Holden, as stated in the story, is to get more and more interaction with the people around him. From the novel, â€Å"The Catcher in the Rye†, possibly one can learn from the main character, â€Å"Holden Caulfield†, that in regards to corruption, wealth and the dream, foes not matter how expensive and attractive it is, but only the true pleasure and satisfaction can only be establish from within. Holden also oversimplifies the whole lot and in his view children are straightforward and innocent image of wholesome life compared to adults who are by now influenced by the accepted public way of life, which adjusts or fakes everyone’s realism. An individual in our society today feels that, they are separated from one another and has lost the interaction between people same way, as Holden in the novel, â€Å"The Catcher in the Rye†. †¢JOSHUA, BRUSTEIN. â€Å"American Internet Use Catches Up With TV Use. † (2010): Web. 2 May 2011. . †¢Ã¢â‚¬ INTERNET USAGE STATISTICS. † (2011): Web. May 2011. . †¢TOFFLER, ALVIN. Future shock. Bantam, 1984. 38. Print. †¢TOFFLER, ALVIN. Future shock. Bantam, 1984. 2. Print. †¢TOFFLER, ALVIN. Future shock. Bantam, 1984. 265. Print. †¢CARR, NICHOLAS. â€Å"Is Google Making Us Stupid? â€Å". Atlantic Magazine July/Aug 2008: Web. 2 May 2011. < http://www. theatlantic. com/magazine/archive/2008/07 /is-google-making-us-stupid/6868/>. †¢DAVID, JEROME. The Catcher in the Rye. Little, Brown and Company, 1951. 67. Print. †¢POWERS, RICHARD. Plowing the Dark. Picador USA, 2001. Print. †¢Ã¢â‚¬ Secondlife. † Web. 2 May 2011. <

Malaysia a Multi-Cultural Country

Malaysia is a tropical country with around 25million people. Malaysia located at Southeast Asia, peninsula bordering Thailand and Northern one-third of island of Borneo, bordering Indonesia, Brunei, South China Sea and South of Vietnam. Malaysia separated in two islands just similar as New Zealand, the only difference is West and East Malaysia and they are sharing the island with other countries as has mentioned before. The capital city (Kuala Lumpur) is located in West Malaysia, and Sabah (Borneo) and Kuching (capital city of East Malaysia) are located in Sarawak (East Malaysia). The major religious in Malaysia are Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, and Hindu. Malaysian official language is Malay, and English the second. Apart from Chinese, Indian and Malay, there are several native cultural such as Iban, Bidayuh, Kadasan, and so on. This essay is going to give the foundation idea of three main cultural and also a briefly talking about Iban people. Malay or Melayu called themselves the â€Å"bumiputeras’’ in Malaysia, bumi in Malay language means earth, and putera means prince or son. Overall it means â€Å"The Son of Earth†. The population has consisted around 60% (including indigenous people of the land) and the other cultural are consisted the rest of the percentage. Most of Malays in Malaysia are Muslims. If anyone has fall in love and want to be married with Muslim, he or she will be forced to become a Muslim. Or else the Muslim parents in law or even the Muslim community would not accept this marriage. I had a Chinese teacher when I studied in Malaysia; she has married to my Muslim teacher who taught me Malay language. She was an atheist, she did not join any religious but because of the marriage she had to join the Muslim. I asked her before about if she is regretted, but she told me she will not regret of what she has chosen. ‘’I am not, and I will not regret as long as I am with my husband,’’ my Chinese teacher said that to me. Therefore I personally think that she is a brave lady, because she has to change her eating habit. Eating or touching pork and dog (especially their wet nose and faces) are forbidden for Muslims. The Malay words â€Å"tidak suci†. Tidak means not, and suci means pure. Therefore if any Muslim has touched these animals would consider as unclean or impure. They believe that they would need to renew their ablution or change their clothes as the spit of the dog can contain some impurities. There is a specific reason of why Muslims having this rule, Islam (Muslim) teaches how to attain the virtues and how to give up bad habits because both good and bad grow in the man according to his upbringing, education and environment. Ramadan (Arabic language) means the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Every year around that month, Muslim would be Fasting or dieting. Fasting breaks into three abstains, which are food and drink, sexual intercourse, and masturbation (most scholars said that this is not allowed even when not fasting). Muslims eats once before the sun rise and another one after the sunset. After the sunset, they could eat if they have done their prayer. Muslims are recommended to eat dates before breaks the fasting. For the Muslims who are sick or pregnant, there is no way to escape the Ramadan fasting. However, they could postpone the Ramadan fasting period. As long as to ensure they will do it for a month or at least 29 days. There is no official date for celebrating the Break Ramadan Festival; it depends on the moon after 29 or 30 days. It quite often happens during the student’s long break for the year around December. Chinese (known as Malaysian Chinese) are the second main cultural in Malaysia, they were originally from China. British brought them from Southern China for work-force in tin mining between the fifteenth and the mid-twentieth century’s. Most Chinese are very successful in the business or trading area, if you have visited in Malaysias most of the department stores or shops are owned by Chinese. They are the richest when it comes to a comparative between the different cultural. Malay is the official language; however it is unsurprised that Chinese are still speaking their languages. Chinese language divides in Cantonese, Hokkien, Foochow, Hakka, etc. All those languages could identify which place they were from origin. Most of Chinese are Buddhists and Taoism, a few percentages of Christians and a little percentage of Muslims. Malaysian Chinese do celebrate Chinese New Year; the public holiday is normally three to four days. For more days of holiday, the Chinese schools would have to write the letter to get the permission from Ministry of Education. Before the first day of Chinese New Year, all the Chinese recommend to be at home for dinner at night. It means a family reunion after the busy days with working for whole year, but not many Chinese could make it because they have their different reasons. It could be because some of the people are working far away from home, and they do not have holiday so they could not make it. Why do Chinese celebrate the Chinese New Year? There is a legendary story of a long time ago, Chinese were living in peacefully in town but suddenly a wild animal called â€Å"Nian† (it spells as â€Å"Knee-Yen’’ in English), Nian by itself means year. People called it Nian because it came once a year to attack or eat people. Once, somehow a man discovered that Nian scared of something red in colour and a loud sound of beating. So every around that day, people would wear red clothes and red decoration around house such as red lanterns. Nian came and saw the town is full of red and also heard the sound of beating or banging sound. Year by year has passed, Nian does not come anymore. Chinese were very happy and excited; they could not believe their eyes. That is how Chinese New Year came from; Chinese celebrates it with the lion dance and wears red. The house is full of red decorations, through generations people changed the style of decoration. They make it prettier and stylish. Nowadays, people could not care less about Chinese New Year. It does not matter if they do not wear red clothes during the first day of the Chinese New Year. Some people that dislike the red colour have decided to wear in pink or other colourful clothes. People created Lion dance to celebrate their happiness and they used drums and gongs to make the loud sound instead of other way like using the wood stick to beat the cooking pots. Malaysian Indians were also brought by British to work in rubber plantations. Most of them were originally Southern Indian. The overwhelming majority of migrants from India were ethnic Tamil. If you have seen Tamil, their skin tones are definitely darker than other Indians. Most of them are Hinduism, and some of them are Christians and Muslims. Malaysian Indians celebrate Deepavali (Festival of Lights) once a year. In Hinduism, Indians celebrates the return of Lord Rama to his kingdom after defeating Ravana (the demon king). A long time ago there lived a cruel King who often killed many people without a special reason. Because many people were killed, the rest of the people were so terrified so they prayed to the Lord Ravana and hoped to get helped. Why it is called The Festival of Lights? Because long time ago people were warmly welcoming the return of Lord Rama with all the candle lights, it was very dark in the night. The celebration of Deepavali lasts six days, beginning on the 12th day of the month (North Indian lunar calendar). According to the Hindu Lunar Calendar, Deepavali is celebrated for 5 days. It is a public holiday in Malaysia as well, this year the public holiday will be on fifth of November. Most of Hinduism does not eat beef; I heard my Hindu said that they think the cow is a holy animal that has been given from God. Iban also known as ‘’Sea Dayak’’, they used to live in a long wooden house aside the rivers or coasting area and living by fishing, farming and hunting. Talking about hunting, they were traditionally head hunters. Long time ago, they used to collect skulls and hung it up to the ceiling. That were from the old days, Iban men would have a fight for a land, they not only win land through the battle, but they win for preserve the land. The winner wins the head off of the loser, and people would treat and respect him as a hero. However it is forbidden to do that activity now and they are very friendly and hospitable. Apart from Malay language, most of them could speak English because it is an international language. Some of Iban people even speak mandarin well; because they have been studied in a Chinese primary school before. Iban people have a big celebration which is Gawai (Harvest Festival), is one of the big ceremonies or occasions. The day is coming soon this year, and it is a public holiday in East Malaysia only. It will be celebrated on the first of June. That is when it comes to the harvest season, they would celebrate it with ‘’Tuak’’. It is handmade sweet rice wine. If you come to visit them, by the entrance they would serve you Tuak and you better do not refuse to have it. Or else they would think you are not respecting their kind offer.

Essay Sample on China and Its Role in the World

Essay Sample on China and Its Role in the World Dating back to the Qing Dynasty, the popular assumption among the Chinese was that China was the central kingdom and that other countries were, by definition, peripheral, removed from the cultural center of the universe. The Chinese, therefore, showed little interest in precise information or detailed study of foreign countries (Spence, 119). The Qing seemed uninterested in any foreign gains to be made due to this superior view of themselves. The Emperor Qianlong’s approach as mentioned in The First Edict of September 1793 seemed to be, We possess all things. I set no value on objects strange or ingenious, and have no use for [other] countries manufacturers (Cheng, 104-106). Emperor Qianlong believed that both China and foreign governments had little to gain though trade. China has long had a policy of isolation from western powers, to the extent that a force of anti-foreign nationalism arose to the forefront for the majority of Chinese modern history. Ethnocentric views of su periority and autarky led their leaders to believe isolation was in their country’s best interest. However, today China has entered a period of modernization and westernization, by no longer excluding the Western influence through political and economic isolation. As a result, China has begun to reap the benefits of Western trade, technology and capitalist ideas now that the force of â€Å"anti-foreign nationalism† has diminished from Chinese thought. Although Qianlong had pursued an economic policy of isolation in the latter half of the 18th century some ports were open to foreign trade during certain periods of the year. During these time periods the Chinese experienced equal trade rights with the West. As a result of the growing demand for Chinese teas, porcelain, silks, and decorative goods in the West, trade began to soar. Accordingly, since the idea of anti-foreign nationalism and ethnocentrism proposed the West had nothing of manufactured value to China, the trade conducted was in exchange for silver. By the 1780’s China was prospering, gaining incredible amounts of wealth from exporting goods such as tea and silk, while importing large amounts of silver. In effect, China had a surplus balance of trade. The west, namely Britain, knew that in order to stop silver from leaving their country they had to find a trading good that China would accept in exchange for the teas, and silks. Britain’s interests in the large areas of India gave way to the production and sale of opium, a cash crop that would, in turn, balance the trade with China as the drug became extremely popular among Chinese citizens. However, in 1813 the Chinese government prohibited the sale and use of opium as they came to realize the harsh effects the drug had on the population, and the hindering effect it posed on trade. The onset of the Opium War sparked years later as British merchants refused to stop selling the opium to the Chinese. With a British victory in China concluding the Opium War, Chinese trade rights with the West fell apart. Unequal treaties were forced upon the Chinese, opening more ports in China, ultimately favoring British trade, while making China merely a trade tool of the West. Nonetheless, prior to the Opium War we saw that with equal trade rights China had vast amounts of economic prosperity when partnered with the West. This suggests that China did have much to gain through trade with the West, and if today in the modern world China were to poses equal trade rights with the West they again would prosper. Westerners have continually attempted to infiltrate East Asian countries strict foreign policies and conservative views. Both Korea and China saw the West as a threat to their sovereignty, culture, and way of life, and decided to play out a policy of isolation. Refusing and fearing modernization, which, inevitably would lead to â€Å"westernization.† On the other hand, the example of Japanese history provides hindsight that would suggest trade and open arms to Western ideas would greatly benefit the developing nations of East Asia. Ever since Commodore Perry arrived on the coast of Japan their culture, economic strength, way of life and standard of living has flourishing. Japanese dominance in East Asia arose immediately, as not only an economic and cultural heart, but also a military power that would now lay threat to Korea, China and Russia. From Japan’s modernization, we see that the technology, and innovation received through trade with the West was essential to the ir success as a superpower. Indeed, we must infer that if nations such as China and Korea had the open arms policy that Japan adopted they too would have emerged as economic and military powers prior to the WWII, allowing for them to resist the imperialistic expansionism that Japan posed threat to in the first half of the 20th century. Indeed, it seems as though Chinese scholars recognized this as Social Darwinism became popular in the 20th century. While China sat back and witnessed the growth and dominance of Japan through their plentiful steps in modernization during the late 19th and early 20th century, Chinese scholars began to question Confucianism, and their culture as a whole. Confucianism had forced the people to hold on to the â€Å"old† Chinese way of life, allowing for little change, and opposing westernization. However, while Japan expressed its imperialism by colonizing Korea, Social Darwinism suggested to the Chinese scholars that they may too, like Korea, be inferior to the modernized Japan. China, fearing that they would face extinction unless they adopted major government reforms and attempted to step into the modern world, finally began to shift away from the fear of modernization and westernization. In hindsight, we see that China initially tried to seclude itself by trading internally only during the 18th century since leaders felt foreign goods were unuseful. However, after years of European infringement upon East Asia, in which Westerners struggled to transform China into a nation with open arms for Western goods, it ironically was the fear of Japanese expansion that would force Chinese modernization. Yet, now that the Chinese had decided to step into the modern world to protect itself from Japan, they would fall into the hands of Communism. China adopting Communism would further frustrate the West as Communism shut the large markets, and excluded trade to other communist nations such as the Soviet Union. The West saw its failure to open the markets of China as Communism rose under the leadership of Mao Zedong. Communism was greatly influenced by two main factors in China. Firstly, the discontent toward French (West) society by Chinese students and government officials living there. Chinese students during the early 20th century had been studying in France, and working in factories to pay their tuition. They saw daily life as a struggle since money was short and tuition was high. These students would later form the Communist government in China. Similarly, the hatred grew for the French and its allies as the Treaty of Versailles divided Chinese land that was previously controlled by Germany among the Allied nations instead of returning it to China. Secondly, the support the Soviet Union provided in aid and soldiers to protect China from Japan allowed for a strong relationship between the leaders of the emerging communist party in China and the leaders of the Soviet Union. Indeed the aid provided by the Soviet Union was essential in gathering support for the Communist Party in China. Also, t he Chinese citizenry now had a growing respect for the Soviets after they protected China from Japan. Nonetheless, with the fall of the Soviet Union as a superpower after the Cold War, the influence of Communism diminished in China. The Russian government grew a reputation of corruption and instability. Would China inevitably follow? Certainly the fall of the Soviet Economy under the communist regime must have worried Chinese businessmen hoping for trade with their northern ally. It seems as though China recognized its economy could not stabilize without the former Soviet Union whom had been critical in supporting not only the Chinese economy but communist political spectrum as well. Such support was most evident during the civil war years as The Soviet Union sent missionaries to shanghai to support the communist regime. Indeed, China has therefore began to step into a more open market economy, which is extremely ironic since this is what the West has wanted all along, and now finally that they had seemed to give up on opening China, they accomplished it indirectly by coming out of t he Cold War on top, forcing China to seek new means of economic prosperity. It was President Nixon who took advantage of China’s economic and political instability as he visited Mao Zedong in 1972, sparking a revolutionary movement leading China reluctantly towards an open market economy. Just like the Europeans had done centuries before, he too was participating in the grand attempt by Western nations to further open the Chinese markets. As a result, China began to peer forward into the process of â€Å"westernization† while still holding on to its dear Marxist-Leninism / Confucianism ideals that had been so prominent in the past. Consequently, by 1986 students and intellectuals had become infuriated with their government and conducted â€Å"a series of demonstrations demanding that democratic right be granted to the Chinese people so that the economic modernization could take place in a more open atmosphere† (Spence, 590) As a result, by the 1970’s â€Å"rural families were allowed to increase vastly the amount of land they could till as private plots and sell the produce on the open market at unpegged prices. On a smaller scale, urban entrepreneurs were encouraged to experiment with non-exploitative business† (Spence, 590) Such vast changes in the Chinese government ideals, and economy led to problems of corruption and structure. China was in a predicament; as a result of the new economic reforms a new class of Chinese businessmen had been formed, and they were able to greatly benefit from the new economic reforms. Consequently, this new class of Chinese businessmen had large amounts of money with which they â€Å"were thirsting for consumer goods† (Spence, 590). Ultimately they began to import illegally from outside nations. Herein lies the main conflict for the Chinese government; they were and are caught between their new economic reforms and there old governmental ideals. Indeed, the new economic reforms which show signs of capitalism, have led to huge economic prosperity, similar to that of what China saw in the 18th century when it traded their silks for British silver. Showing further signs China plans to continue its economic reforms leading toward an open market economy China has entered the World Trade Organization (WTO), and since has â€Å"expanded its exports and improved absorption of foreign investment through using opportunities provided by its WTO membership. In the first 10 months this year [2002], China’s foreign trade went up 19.7 percent†¦trade surplus amounted to 24.737bn US dollars, up 43.3 per cent on an annual basis†(Xinhua News Agency). Accordingly, China’s GDP has been on the rise, and is predicted to further rise in 2003 by as much as 8 percent. Evidently, we see that with the fall of economic superiority in Russia (the former Soviet Union) after the Cold War, China had been forced to look else where for trade, if it were to prosper. In turn, this has encouraged more of an open market economy in China as it was forced to turn to the West for the trade lost with the Soviet Union. This has been seen by such economic reforms as privatization of some industries, and some business throughout China. The Peoples Bank of China has pledged to begin a new open market operation every Tuesday and Thursday allowing for more and more privatization of businesses. Ironically, in the past, the West has struggled vigorously to open China’s vastly populated markets to Western business and failed, only to let China to fall into the hands of a communist regime. However, now that China has escaped its old ideals and fear of westernization it has begun to accept and prosper from Western trade and technology. In the last few years China has taken enormous steps that signify its willingness to trade world wide, and conform to suit capitalist systems. Interestingly, because China is currently in a transition period due to its economic reforms it is the only nation in which you can visit the 19th and 21st century in the same country! Small hinterland communities still take to the old ways of agriculture and old ways of life while huge cities like Beijing flourish in the 21st century with sky scraping buildings that resemble that of the United States. You can order a custom essay, term paper, research paper, thesis or dissertation on China topics from our professional custom essay writing service which provides students with high-quality custom written papers at an affordable cost.

How to Take Both the SAT and ACT...and Who Should Take Both

How to Take Both the SAT and ACT...and Who Should Take Both SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The SAT and ACT may both be college entrance exams, but the way they test students on their college readiness is subtly different. Most students will do better on one test than the other, so why would you want to go through the hassle of taking both exams? And is it even feasible to do so? We’ll answer those questions in this article. Feature image credit: Double fisting at niosa!/used under CC BY 2.0/Cropped and color-adjusted from original. Why Take Both the SAT and ACT? First and foremost, it must be emphasized: the default should be to take eitherthe SAT orACT, not both. Students sometimes think the more the merrier, or that a consistent score across the tests is more impressive than a high score on just one. This is just plain wrong - taking both the SAT and ACT is usually unnecessary, and trying to do so can negatively affect your scores on both exams. Even though most students will only ever need to take one exam or the other, however, there are a few cases where it makes sense to take both the SAT and ACT. 1. You’re Applying to One Program That Favors the ACT and Another That Favors the SAT Colleges accept the two tests equally at this point, but different score thresholds may still be in play that make it more advantageous to use one test for one school and another test for another. If you compare percentile ranks of the scores of accepted students at School A, for instance, you may find that the middle 50% of students at School A have 90-99%ile ACT scores, but only 85-95%ile SAT scores. ACT percentiles may be skewed by the (comparatively) large number of students for whom the ACT is a high school graduation requirement (even for students not going on to four-year colleges), but this still means that you can get admitted to School A with a lower score, percentile-wise, on the SAT than on the ACT. Read more about this discrepancy and what it means for you with our article about what Ivy League schools think about the ACT. It should be noted that often the differences between admitted students' SAT and ACT percentiles at a school are not large enough to warrant taking both tests; any slight advantage you might get from having two scores will likely be cancelled out by your scoring lower on both tests than you would've had you taken only one or the other. As a good guideline, if the percentiles of a schools' middle 50% of ACT vs. SAT scores are less than 10 points apart, it's not worth taking a second test you weren't planning on taking in an attempt to game the system. 2. You’re Evenly Balanced in the Two Tests and Have an Excess of Time to Study This scenario applies if you’ve taken realistic SAT and ACT practice tests and gotten equivalent percentile scores. There is some score variation from between different test dates, so if you have a good day with one test and a bad day with the other, you could potentially score better on one on test day. This strategy is only useful if you have excess time to study, however; otherwise, the time you spend trying to keep up both your SAT and ACT scores could be better spent nudging your higher score towards perfection. African safari hunter holds up two ivory tusks, 1962/Copyright Atlanta Journal-Constitution/used for educational purposes. Don't worry about unevenness (in your test scores). 3. Your Score on One Test Has Plateaued and You Have a Lot More Time to Study Further score increases can be difficult for students who have managed to improve low ACT or SAT scores, but can't seem to move their scores up to the next level. Whether they want to accomplish this for specific college applications or just for their own personal satisfaction, it can be highly frustrated to get stuck with a score that won't seem to budge, no matter what you do. If you have plenty of time left to study, you might want to consider at least trying out a practice test for the exam you're not planning on taking. For example, if you’ve been studying for ACT but can’t seem to crack a 28 on ACT Science, taking the SAT may be to your advantage because of the differences in format between the two tests. How to Take Both the SAT and ACT Your first priority should be the test you’re better at, since you want to put in the most effort where you’ll get the most reward. We recommend against studying for the two tests at the same time, but given many students’ busy schedules this may be unavoidable. If that is the case, then you need to focus your studying. Spend 60-90% of your time on the test you’re better on, or an even higher percentage if you’re studying more overall. You should also allocate at least 20 hours of studying to your secondary test. Keep in mind that this includes taking full-length practice tests, which each eat up 3-4 hours of time, so this isn’t as daunting as it might appear. What’s Next? If the SAT and ACT are both the same as far as college admissions goes, then why take one over the other? Read our analysis on whether or not the ACT is easier than the SAT here. Want an overview of the ways in which the two tests differ? Then be sure to look over our complete breakdown of the new SAT vs. the ACT. Curious about the details of the differences between the SAT and ACT? We've got articles that cover the specific differences between SAT and ACT Math, SAT and ACT Reading, and SAT Writing vs. ACT English. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Comparison and Contrast between Egyptian and Greek History Essay

Comparison and Contrast between Egyptian and Greek History - Essay Example   The social organizations and governments of ancient Greeks and Egyptians differed. Ancient Egypt was ruled by dynasties such as the Old Kingdom Dynasty while Greeks had an aristocratic form of government. Ancient Greece was divided into provinces called polis. The few rich landowners, who owned slaves ruled their territories. The more slaves a landowner had, the more powerful they were (Finlay).   The form of literature between these two was also different since Greeks introduced vowels to the alphabetic system. This formed the basis for the modern day English language. The Egyptians developed their own form of writing which used pictures and symbols to communicate.Greek were highly engaged in trade activities. This was favoured by their easy access to the Mediterranean Sea which made it easy for them to import and export goods. This also facilitated slave trade as well as fishing activities that formed a major part of their economy. The Egyptians had a different type of econom ic system which relied on supply function. Producers of different commodities would deliver their produce to the ruling administration and temples. These commodities would then be distributed to other citizens on a need basis.   Any surplus that was available after distribution would be supplied to neighbouring states in exchange of commodities that were not available in the exporting state. ComparisonsGreeks introduce vowels the alphabets. This formed the basis for modern-day English.  Ã‚  

Benefits provided by Mafia to the American society Essay

Benefits provided by Mafia to the American society - Essay Example In Mafia no body is associated with each other as a friend or brother, if you would look closely to the history of Mafia you would find the leaders of Mafia killed either by their own family members or people relatively closer to them, "a world in which a man's murderer was most apt to be his best friend. Intrigue was the name of the game, and the intricate deals that were hatched threaded the national and international scene" (Cook 3). These people of Mafia work as a unit for the benefits of their own, and not for the society, they often have conferences for the planning of events they would be doing in that year or so, "On December 8, 1959, some 150 Mafia dons gathered in secret session in a suite of fifteen rented rooms in a hotel in Worcester, Massachusetts. Their night-long conclave was later described by Attorney General Edward J. McCormack, of Massachusetts, as a "Little Apalachin" conference" (Cook 36). It seems very strange to hear that Mafia can help anyone, but in fact Maf ia has helped numerous countries of the world. In United States of America there are about 26 cities in which Mafia is working, "When some people think of the Mafia, they think of New York City, or may be Chicago. But for a long time, there were roughly twenty-six American Mafia "families" going strong across the United States and in Canada"(26 Family Cities). It would be really unfair to say that Mafia helped the people of the society in a direct manner but somehow it did benefit few people of the society and mentioning here that not every person in the society was helped by the Mafia but only people who had status and powers, however in future most of the people benefited from the activities of Mafia, there were two way benefits that were quite prominent, people helped the Mafia and Mafia helped the people, in an interview I heard that, Mafia used to kill people for the benefits of few people who were previously in negative relations with the people who asked to be killed, at numerous occasion mafia helped tycoons to win their bets, perhaps by persuading or threatening the player who was betted upon, and at numerous occasion it has been seen that the Mafia themselves prepared tycoons in the business world. (Barringham) So these points are justifying few of the bitter realities of the American society, it is quite obvious that fewer people of the society were helped by the Mafia directly, so it would be unfair to say that every one was helped by Mafia but relatively upper society is getting the benefits. There are few more points to justify that who is helped by the Mafia, "In 1957 Joseph Barbara was a successful immigrant living near Binghamton. His hilltop estate boasted seven bedrooms and two horse barns. He also was "connected": He had friends in what would come to be known as La Cosa Nostra [mafia]" (Jack Kelly). There is another interesting point that I would like to bring in your view and that is the related to the money, when the underworld dons or Mafia leaders smuggled different materials, perhaps drugs, precious gems etc. they brought a lot of money in the country which could be very useful for stabilizing the economy of