Melting Ice Science Experiment

Melting Ice Science Experiment This is a fun, non-toxic project for kids of all ages. All you need is ice, salt, and food coloring. Materials You can use any type of salt for this project. Coarse salt, such as rock salt or sea salt, works great. Table salt is fine. Also, you could use other types of salt besides sodium chloride (NaCl). For example, Epsom salts are a good choice. You dont have to color the project, but its a lot of fun to use food coloring, water colors, or any water-based paint. You can use liquids or powders, whichever you have handy. Materials watersaltfood coloring (or watercolors or tempera paints) What To Do Make ice. You can use ice cubes for this project, but its nice to have larger pieces of ice for your experiment. Freeze water in shallow plastic containers such as disposable storage containers for sandwiches or leftovers. Only fill the containers part way to make relatively thin pieces of ice. The salt can melt holes all the way through thin pieces, making interesting ice tunnels.Keep the ice in the freezer until you are ready to experiment, then remove the blocks of ice and place them on a cookie sheet or in a shallow pan. If the ice doesnt want to come out, ts easy to remove ice from containers by running warm water around the bottom of the dish. Place the pieces of ice in a large pan or a cookie sheet. The ice will melt, so this keeps the project contained.Sprinkle salt onto the ice or make little salt piles on top of the pieces. Experiment!Dot the surface with coloring. The coloring doesnt color the frozen ice, but it follows the melting pattern. Youll be able to see channels, h oles, and tunnels in the ice, plus it looks pretty. You can add more salt and coloring, or not. Explore however you like. Clean Up This is a messy project. You can perform it outdoors or in a kitchen or bathroom. The coloring will stain hands, clothes, and surfaces. You can remove coloring from counters using a cleaner with bleach. How It Works Very young kids will like to explore and may not care too much about the science, but you can discuss erosion and the shapes formed by running water. The salt lowers the freezing point of water through a process called freezing point depression. The ice starts to melt, making liquid water. Salt dissolves in the water, adding ions that increase the temperature at which the water could re-freeze. As the ice melts, energy is drawn from the water, making it colder. Salt is used in ice cream makers for this reason. It makes the ice cream cold enough to freeze. Did you notice how the water feels colder than the ice cube? The ice exposed to the salty water melts faster than other ice, so holes and channels form.

Environmental Microbiology Lab Report Essays

Environmental Microbiology Lab Report Essays Environmental Microbiology Lab Report Paper Environmental Microbiology Lab Report Paper Materials Distilled water Test tube 6 Unopened packages of 1 sterile cotton swab 2 sterile nutrient agar Petri dishes 1 sterile blood agar Petri dish Incubator Refrigerator Bunsen burner Gas connection Plastic tubing Inoculating loop 12 sterile glass slides Wax pencil Igniter Crystal violet dye Grams iodine Ethyl alcohol Seafaring dye Paper towels Wire rack Sink Brightened compound microscope Lens paper Immersion oil Pen and paper Methods I. Collecting the environmental specimens: 1. Place some distilled water into the test tube. 2. Open one package of sterile cotton swabs by peeling apart the packaging at the top. Do not peel the package apart completely, just at the top. 3. Take out the cotton swab, dip it into the test tube of distilled water, and place it back into the original package with the cotton tip facing down. 4. Repeat the previous two steps for three more unopened packages of sterile cotton swabs. 5. Choose four locations from which environmental samples can be taken. For example, use the bottom of a shoe, a light switch, or a sink handle). Write these locations down on a piece of paper and number them El -EH for later reference. (For example, El is the sink handle). 6. At each location, take out one of the wetted sterile cotton webs and rub it against a small area of the surface being sampled. Make sure to turn the swab as well to ensure that the sample is on all sides of the cotton swab. After swabbing, p lace each swab back into its original package, with the cotton tip facing downwards. Keep track of which swabs were used for which samples. Label them if necessary. II. Collecting the throat and nose samples: steps for one more unopened package with a sterile cotton swab. 5. Take one of the wetted sterile cotton swabs and rub it against the inside of ones nose. Make sure to turn the swab as well to ensure that the sample is on all sides of the tone swab. After swabbing, place the swab back into its original package, with the cotton tip facing downwards. 6. Repeat the previous step, but instead take a sample from the back of the throat. Ill. Aseptic transfer of the environmental specimens: 1. Take the two nutrient agar Petri dishes and turn them bottom side up. Then, using a wax pencil, draw a line down the middle of each dish. Label each of these four sections El, EH, EH, EH so that the origin of each sample is known for later. 2. Take out one cotton swab that was used on an environmental surface out of its packaging. Keep this swab in one hand. . With the other hand, open the lid of one sterile nutrient agar Petri dish slightly at an angle. 4. Take the cotton swab in the other hand and gently swab it against the appropriately labeled half of the nutrient agars surface evenly. . Close the lid of the nutrient agar Petri dish and place the cotton swab back into its packaging. Dispose of the cotton swab and package in the appropriate container. 6. Repeat the previous four steps for the other three cotton swabs used on the environmental surfaces. Make sure to use the appropriate swab for the appropriately labeled section of the Petri dish. 7. Place the two inoculated nutrien t agar plates into the incubator in an inverted position, or with the lid facing downwards, to prevent condensation on the agars surface. IV. Aseptic transfer of the nose and throat specimens: 1. Take the one blood agar Petri dish and turn it bottom side up. Then, using a wax pencil, draw a line down the middle of the dish. Label each of these two sections N and T so that the origin of each sample is known for later. 2. Take out the cotton swab that was used on the inside of the nose out of its packaging. Keep this swab in one hand. 3. With the other hand, open the id of the sterile blood agar Petri dish slightly at an angle. 4. Take the cotton swab in the other hand and gently swab it against the appropriate half 5. Close the lid of the blood agar Petri dish and place the cotton swab back into its packaging. Dispose of the cotton swab and package in the appropriate container. 6. Repeat the previous four steps for the other cotton swab used on the back of the throat. 7. Place the inoculated blood agar plate into the incubator in an inverted position, or with the lid facing downwards to prevent condensation on the agars surface. V. Making heat fixed bacterial smears of all the samples: . Take the twelve sterile glass slides and label their corners using the wax pencil. Use the igniter to ignite the Bunsen burner flame. 6. With one hand, take the inoculating loop and pass it through the flame until it is red 7. With the other hand, open one of the Petri dishes slightly. 8. Take the sterilized inoculating loop and lightly touch it to one of the colonies on the agars surface. 9. Close the Petri dish lid and take the inoculating loop and gently smear it in the drop of water on the appropriately labeled slide so that it coincides with the sample you took from. Smear from side to side to create a thin film. Let this slide air-dry. 10. Pass the inoculating loop through the flame again until it is red-hot. 1. Repeat the previous eight steps for the rest of the samples and slides. Remember to take two samples from each of the six locations, each from a different colony. Also remember to place the colony samples on the appropriately labeled slide. 12. Once the twelve slides have dried, pass each one through the Bunsen burner flame once or twice. Do not hold the slide in the flame, as this will cause the sample on the slide to burn. 13. If the nutrient gar and blood agar Petri dishes are going to be used again, place them in the refrigerator, if not, place them in the appropriate container. VI. Gram staining all of the samples: 1 . Separate the twelve heat fixed slides into three groups of four. This makes it easier to apply the dyes to the slides for the appropriate amount of time. 2. Take one of the three groups of heat fixed slides and place them on the wire rack on top of the sink. 3. Take the crystal violet dye and apply it to the slides on the rack generously, making sure to cover the entire slide. Leave the crystal violet dye on the slides for thirty seconds. . Rinse the crystal violet dye off of the slides with distilled water, and place the slides back onto the wire rack. 5. Place the Grams iodine generously onto only one of the slides and let it sit for ten seconds. Rinse the slide immediately with distilled water and return it to the wire rack. Repeat this step for the other three slides, making sure to do each slide individually to ensure that the Grams iodine does not stay on the slide for more than ten seconds. 6. Take one slide and hold it at an angle over the sink. Take the ethyl alcohol and carefully place ten drops of it onto the slide, allowing it to slide off quickly. Immediately rinse the slide with distilled water and place it back on the wire rack. Repeat this step for the other three slides, making sure to do each slide individually to ensure that the ethyl alcohol does not stay on the slide for too long. 7. Take the seafaring dye and apply it to the slides on the rack generously, making sure to cover the entire slide. Leave the seafaring dye on the slides for thirty seconds. 8. Rinse the seafaring dye off of the slides with distilled water, and place the slides onto a paper towel to dry. The excess water on the slides can be blotted off gently with another paper towel. . Repeat the previous seven steps for the other two groups of four slides. VII. Determining the morphology and the gram stain results of the samples: 1 . Take out the brightened compound microscope, plug it into an outlet, and turn the power switch on. 2. Use the lens paper to wipe off the objective and ocular lenses. 3. Take one of the gram stained slides and place it onto the stage of the microscope. Use the stage slips to keep the slide in place. 4. Focus using the xx low power objective lens by first using the coarse adjustment knob to bring the lens as close to the slide as possible. Focus by moving the coarse adjustment knob to move the lens away from the slide. . Use the knobs on the stage to move the slide up and down, and side to side to find a portion of the slide with a good amount of sample on it. 6. Get the immersion oil and place a small drop of it onto the slide where the light is shining through it. 7. Switch into the xx oil immersion objective lens and focus using only the fine adjustment knob. 8. If necessary, use the light source and the condenser to alter the illumination of the slide. 9. Observe the color shown on the slide and determine if it is pink or rupee. If it is purple, it is gram positive, if it is pink, it is gram negative.

Strategic Managemet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Strategic Managemet - Essay Example Information obtained from its official website shows that the company is guided by its cornerstone value which is to â€Å"build a company with a soul.† The operations of the company are shaped by its mission statement which is: â€Å"To inspire and nurture the human spirit—one person, one cup, and one neighbourhood at a time.† Broadly speaking, Starbucks strives to be â€Å"a purveyor of fine coffees in the world while maintaining uncompromising principles.† The company seeks to differentiate itself from other competitors in the coffee industry through provision of finest coffees to the customers. In actual fact, it can be observed that the success of the company can be attributed to its differentiation strategy. This report mainly focuses on the US segment since this company is very popular in this country. It operates its own stores as well as licensed stores. The FY11 Annual report states that the US segment of the company contributed about 69 % of the total revenue raised and this is the reason why this paper focuses on analysing the strategic fit of this particular company in the US. Regulations such as North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) however have a bearing on the operations of this company. In order to analyse the macro environment of Starbucks, PESTEL analysis will be utilized while Porter’s five forces model will specifically focus on analysing the microenvironment of the organization. There are various external factors that shape the operations of Starbucks and PESTEL stands for political, economic, social, technological, environmental as well as legal factors that impact the operations of the organization and these characterize its external environment in which it has little control of (Armstrong & Kotler, 2004). Appendix 1 at the end of the report summarises the external environmental factors that affect the operations of

Environment issue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Environment issue - Essay Example They have various remarkable properties due to which people prefer using them as compared to paper bags. Their production is cheaper. These are light weight, easy to carry around, cost-efficient and durable, and the consumer as such does not see any harm using them in packing their stuff. We use them during our shopping spree. We put eatables in them and put them in our refrigerators. We store things in them so that they remain safe for years. We line our bathroom bins with them. Plastic bags are all over our environment. We see plastic bags blowing around on streets and in the waters. We see them clustered together at a place blocking the sewage lines. And we see people collecting their litter in the plastic bags and throwing them in garbage cans. 3. Problems with the usage of Plastic Bags 3.1. Damage to the Environment Often, we see someone collecting plastic bags and burning them. But do they disappear? No, and this is what is the biggest problem with these plastic bags. They do n ot disappear and they cannot be recycled into something else. They are made up of polyethylene which is a non-degradable material and just changes its shape when burnt but does not change its form. It is believed that a plastic bag takes thousands of years to decay entirely. So, it continues to be present in our surroundings as a permanent problem. The hitch actually arises when people do not dispose of the plastic bags properly. This is this unethical disposal that becomes the real trouble for the environment. â€Å"6.9 billion bags† are used in the world every year, and almost â€Å"30 million† of them end up clustering at dumpsites per year (James & Grant 2005:1). The aesthetic view of the surroundings also gets spoiled. 3.2. Air Pollution Burning them at dumpsites eliminates hazardous chemicals such as dioxins and furans, which get inhaled by people thus damaging their health. Since these chemicals are toxic, they pose threats to the human body and give rise to dis eases resulting from air pollution. Dioxins and furans are chemicals which are believed to destroy the purity of air and this fact is internationally accepted. 3.3. Hazards for Sea Life With increase in the usage of plastic bags, the marine environment is being forced to accept increased quantities of plastic debris. When the used plastic bags get clustered over rivers and seas, they become a hazard for marine mammals, fish, seabirds, crustaceans and turtles that ingest them or get entangled, and then die because of suffocation. â€Å"Ingested plastics may block digestive tracts, damage stomach linings, or lessen feeding drives† (Laist 2006:319). 3.4. Suffocation Plastic bags have also been found of being responsible for taking lives of many infants who put them on their faces and inside their mouths or nostrils, and may die of suffocation because plastic bags are air-tight. 3.5. Blockage of Drainage System Plastic bags can also block the drainage system which damages sanitat ion. Dirty water starts oozing out of the drains on the streets and into the houses in cities where drainage system is already not properly implemented. Flies and mosquitoes breed in this water and then they bring dirt onto the eatables which when digested by human beings makes them ill with diseases like cholera, typhoid, diarrhea, and

What Is Andragogy and Its Effects on Today’s Design of Learning for Adults Essay Example for Free

What Is Andragogy and Its Effects on Today’s Design of Learning for Adults Essay Education of adults has always been an issue, but there has been very little interest or analysis of adult learning. Adults were thought to be children alike, when it comes to learning; therefore, the only theory was pedagogy in the educational setting. According to Knowles (1980), after the end of World War I, more modern education theories on adults were developed. Thorndike’s, Sorenson’s, and Linderman’s studies showed that adults learn differently than children, also their interests and abilities differ. Those studies affirmed that, in adult education, the curriculum should be built around the student’s interest instead of student adjusting themselves to it (Aderinto, 2006). With the light of these studies, the basis of more recent adult learning theories emerged. Adult learning differs; therefore, the design of learning for adult education should be adjusted to more recent theories. In 1968, Malcolm Knowles proposed andragogy, the adult learning theory to distinguish adult education from children education, pedagogy (Merriam, 2001). Knowles is the father of andragogy and according to him (1980), it means â€Å"the art and science of helping adults learn†. In the second half of the twentieth century, Malcolm Shepherd Knowles was one of the most influential persons in adult education in the US. He was the Executive Director of the Adult Education Association of the United States of America (Smith, 2002). He worked on informal adult education and also developed the first foundations of grounds for adult learning through andragogy. In his twenties, Knowles met Eduard Lindeman, while he was working for the National Youth Administration in Massachusetts, and he became his mentee. Knowles acknowledges that Lindeman’s Meaning of Adult Education was his main source for inspiration and ideas on his own work. Andragogy, in contrast to pedagogy, is developed based on the needs of adults, and presents a number of learner-focused methods and principles which are particularly valuable in adult education and training (Guilbaud and Bonnie, 2008). The pedagogical and andragogical assumptions are lightly different. In a pedagogical model, it is necessary to direct students on what they will learn. Instructors should be directive and provide all the essential information to the students. Pre-adults are not self-motivated; the instructor should lead the time management and require close supervision. On the other hand, adults are self-directed and ready to take on responsibility, and they come with experience and are willing to transform the information into an application. They are goal-oriented and want to be active rather than passive students. It is important to know why they are learning, instead of just getting the necessary information. These are the reasons why, when teaching adults, different theories and models should be taken into consideration other than pre-adult learning theories. There are some learning theories related to andragogy. Experiential learning theory, is involved with the material being studied, students expected to learn by doing it. In this learning theory, participants are expected to use their own experiences and reflections. The information that is learned, involves doing something and discovering it; therefore, it is effective as it addresses the cognitive, emotional, and the physical aspect of the learner. On the other hand, self-directed learning theory is an example of informal learning, in which individuals are expected to define their own goals and set their needs accordingly, and find their own motivation to achieve these goals. Self-directed learning can be integrated with daily routines. The transformative learning theory is considered to be a constructivist theory, and it is influenced by Jack Mezirow’s work. Transformative learning is to help adults understand their experiences. These theories, combined with characteristics of adult learners and assumptions of andragogy, should be applied to the design of adult learning. Adults want to be involved in the learning activities; therefore, the instructors should guide them to their own knowledge rather than stating the facts. Adults have significant life experience and knowledge that are gained from family and work responsibilities, and previous education. They tend to use this information, so the instructors should draw these parts out to help the participant to connect the information. Adults are goal-oriented; they usually know why they are enrolling a course from the beginning, and it is important to lay out how the course will help them achieve their goals in an early stage. They need to know, why they are learning something and it has to be an applicable information to be valuable, the instructor can obtain this by letting them choose projects that can reflect their interests. Adults usually are not interested in the knowledge itself, but how it will be useful for them. They all expect respect, so it is important to let them express their own opinions freely in class. Andragogy also has many critiques from adult education professionals. Jarvis claims, that even though andragogy is in a dominant position, there is no sufficient evidence to support its status, and a more recent research by Merriam states (2001), that andragogy is one of the pillars of adult education; however, the adult education should go beyond andragogy (Henschke, 2011). Since 1970, there have been many researches to prove andragogy as a strong model for adult education. In recent years, Henschke and Cooper identified six sections in andragogy. They are; evolution and history of the concept, comparison of the American and European understandings, popularizing and sustaining the American and global concept, practical applications, and theory, research and the definition of andragogy. In 2007, Isenberg provided a dynamic design to combine the interaction of andragogy and internet learning. It is clear, that andragogy still has much to contribute to the future of adult learning. In the future, the discussions should go beyond Knowles’ version and include the world-wide perspective of other studies. It should be joined with other adult learning theories and continued to be researched (Henschke, 2011). Studies showed that adults learn differently; therefore, the educational environment, such as online education, which is highly used by adult learners, should be designed based on their needs. Characteristics of adult learners and applications of adult learning, such as andragogy combined with other adult learning theories, should be taken into consideration in the design of such learning.

Gay Marriage is An Attack on Christianity Essay -- Persuasive Essay

On June 26, 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled that the US Constitution guarantees the right for same-sex couples to marry. Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy stated in the majority opinion: "The court now holds that same-sex couples may exercise the fundamental right to marry. No longer may this liberty be denied to them." Many conservatives are completely against gay marriage and they have stated that they will fight to have the Supreme Court ruling overturned. "I believe marriage is between a man and a woman, and I think we ought to codify that one way or another," President Bush said (Hinojosa). From 2003 until present, gay marriage has been a hot issue. Debates rage on the sanctity of marriage and constitutional equal rights. Though many states have already decided on this issue it has yet to be resolved federally. Is it right to deny rights because of gender? The answer is no. Is it more importantly right to deny them because of moral issues? YES! From a Religious stand point this issue is not even debatable, any god-fearing man or woman would not have to think twice about prohibiting gays to join in union. Patrick Henry once said ?It cannot be emphasized to strongly or to often that this great nation was founded not by religionist, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ? (Jennings). To stray from our ideals as a nation and allow such blasphemy to occur on our great nation?s soil would turn our for-fathers in their graves. Where do...

Freud’s Psychoanalytic Approach to Psychology

The psychoanalytic approach to psychology is based on the system of psychoanalysis, developed by Sigmund Freud (1859 – 1939). Freud was interested in studies of the unconscious mind and mental illness. He preformed studies to look into human personality, psychosexual development and conducted method of treatments to determine the causes of neurotic mental illness. Freud thought that mental illness was caused by early childhood trauma of which treatment for such illness could only be successful when these childhood memories were dealt with and overcome. He developed his own technique to try and remember and overcome the events from their past that had disturbed their development. He made his patients describe anything that came into their mind no matter how silly they thought it may be. This technique helped Freud determine the cause of the mental illness and encouraged the patient to resurface repressed memories. Freud thought this would help them come to terms with the events helping overcome the illness, which was said to be ‘removing the neurosis'. According to Freud, everything we do, why we do things, who we are and how we became like this are all related to our sexual drive. Childhood sexual experiences will determine our personality in adult life. Freud outlined 5 stages of sexual development. In each stage the libido, the energy from the love instinct, Eros, fixates on different parts of the body, focusing on sexual pleasure on that specific part. Differences in the way sexual pleasure is obtained in each stage will lead to differences in adult personalities. Oral Stage – This occurs from birth to 8 months old when the libido fixates on the mouth. Sexual pleasure is obtained by sucking, gumming, biting and swallowing. Insufficient and forceful feeding can cause fixation in this stage causing symptoms like smoking, eating and drinking to excess, argumentative, sarcastic, demanding and exploitive personalities in adult life. Anal Stage – This occurs from 8 months to 4 years old when the libido fixates on the anal orifice. Sexual pleasure is obtained through stimulation of the anal membrane with bowl movement and withholding of such movement. Fixation in this stage can be caused by how the child copes with toilet training and how they are trained by their parents. There are 2 types of anal fixation. Phallic Stage – This occurs from 3-6 years old, when the libido fixates on the genitals. Sexual pleasure is obtained through stimulation of the genitals. The key event at this stage is the attraction to the parent of the opposite sex together with the envy and fear of the parent of the same sex. In boys this situation is called the ‘Oedipus Complex' and in girls it is called the ‘Electra Complex'. Boys experience ‘castration anxiety' caused by the fear of the fathers punishment for the desire for his mother, which is overcome when his conscious comes to realise that incest is wrong. Girls on the other hand experience ‘penis envy' believing that they once had a penis, but due to castration has lost it. She becomes hostile and aggressive towards her mother who she believes did the castration and a special tenderness for her father. This is overcome when the girl's affections are directed towards other males. The Latency Period – This occurs from 5-12 years when the libido is de-sexualised and directed out into peer group activities. It is a stage where there is little sexual activity and allows children to focus their energy on other aspects of life. Earlier sexual activities are repressed to the unconscious mind and this stage lasts until puberty when their sexuality is re-awakened. Puberty and Adolescence – This occurs from 12-16years when all sexual impulses re-appear. The child experiments with all their previous patterns of sexual activity until gradually leading to normal genitality. After this stage the individual will develop intimate sexual relationships. Freud's theories enabled him to develop a dynamic model of personality. His writings on psychosexual development set the groundwork for how our personalities developed. He also believed that there were 3 different driving forces that develop during these stages which played an important role on how we interact with the world. According to Freud we are all born with our Id. This is a drive that needs immediate satisfaction and does not consider anything else. Like a newborn baby, the Id is present at birth and causes the baby to cry when it needs feeding, changing, and is the babies way of getting its needs met immediately. The second part of our personality comes within the next three years, which Freud called the Ego. As the child interacts more with the world they learn and understand the needs and desires of others. It is the Ego that works to satisfy the Id, as well as considering others. Eventually, usually after the phallic stage of development, the Super-Ego develops. This is the moral part of our personality letting us know what is right and what is wrong. Freud's theories brought with them a lot of criticism. Many psychologists thought Freud's theories were imprecise and un-testable, as in the latency period of psychosexual development all experiences and sexual activities in the earlier stages are repressed. This meaning the individuals will have no memories of these experiences, therefore they can not be proven. His theories were said to be unfair in the way they had been studied. It was based on a small sample of people which were middle class, middle aged Jewish women, most of which had mental illnesses. These factors such as age, gender, culture and mental state should have been considered trough Freud's studies as they could well be factors that also affect the way in which we develop mentally and sexually and could differ from each individual dependent upon these factors.

High School Graduation Day Essay

Many people have experienced the over whelming excitement that you feel as you approach high school graduation day, and for me, that’s a day that I will never forget. The amount of emotions that you feel on graduation day is unbelievable, and I have yet to experience anything else like it. I can remember feeling anxious to celebrate the big day with my friends and family, while at the same time I was panicking thinking about having to walk across the stage in front of that many people. Then, the more I thought about the reality of graduation day, I started to get curious, but nervous, about being able to start a new chapter in my life once graduation day had passed. There are several reasons why I, still to this day, consider high school graduation day one of the most exciting days of my life. As exciting as it was to finally graduate high school, I still had some mixed emotions about it. When they called my name, I walked to the side of the stage, where I had to wait in a short line before actually crossing the stage. I couldn’t wait to get that diploma in my hand, but I really thought I was going to have a panic attack on the side of the stage before that happened. I finally made it up onto the stage I shook the principles hand one last time as he handed me my diploma, and made it back off the stage without anything embarrassing happening. When I sat back down I felt relief that I had gotten that part over with, and could enjoy the remainder of the graduation. When the graduation ceremony came to an end, I rushed to the auditorium to celebrate with all of my friends and family. I couldn’t believe how many people came to celebrate our graduation day with us. I knew my friends immediate families, but I got to meet everyone’s extended families, and hear stories about them that I will never forget. Then I took what felt like a million pictures, and hugged everyone I knew, and headed off to my graduation party to continue the celebration with the ones that I loved the most. That night I think I smiled and laughed more than I ever have in my life. As the end of the night approached us, I couldn’t stop thinking about how many mixed emotions I had about starting a whole new chapter in my life. I couldn’t wait to go to college, meet all new people, get a degree so that I could start my career path, but I knew that meant I had to say goodbye to my two best friends, who were moving several hours away from me. This was one of the hardest things I had ever had to do in my life. We all cried a little, and then made promises to keep in touch, and then we were off into the real world! I was very happy to be at this point in my life, but I was scared deep down inside. When I look back on this day now, I still remember every detail as if it was yesterday. I was so proud, and happy to be able to celebrate such an amazing day with all of my friends and family. I know I will never forget how embarrassed I was walking across the stage in front of all of those people, feeling famous after taking so many pictures, making our final memories together at our graduation parties, and then being a nervous wreck when it was time to go out into the world without my best friends at my side. High school graduation day was a very emotional day for me, but it was by far the most exciting day I have ever experienced in my life.

Learning to Learn Skills as a Foundation

Learning to Learn Skills as a Foundation Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and other developmental disabilities often lack skills that are pre-requisites for success in school. Before a child can acquire language, hold a scissors or pencil, or learn from instruction, he or she needs to be able to sit still, pay attention and imitate the behaviors or remember the content of instruction. These skills are commonly known, among practitioners of Applied Behavior Analysis, as Learning to Learn Skills: In order to succeed with children with Autism, it is important that you evaluate whether they have those learning to learn skills. The Skill Set Waiting: Can the student stay in place while you arrange materials, or begin a session?Sitting: Can the student stay seated, on both buttocks, in a chair?Attending to others and materials: Can you get the student to pay attention to you (the instructor) or when presented with materials?Changing responses based on prompts: Will the student change what he/she is doing if directed to do so, with physical, gestural or verbal prompts.Following instructions: When given instructions, will the child comply? This implies that the child has receptive language.Following choral, or group instructions: Does the child follow directions when given to a whole group? Or does the child only respond to directions given with their name? The Continuum The learning to learn skills above are really arranged in a continuum. A child may learn to wait, but may not be able to sit appropriately, at a table. Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders often have co-morbid problems, such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD ) and may have never sat for more than a few seconds in one spot. By finding reinforcement that a child really wants, you can often shape these primary behavioral skills. Once you have completed a reinforcement assessment (evaluating and discovering reinforcement that your child will work for,) you can begin to assess where a child is on the continuum. Will he sit and wait for a preferred food item? You can move from the preferred food item to a favorite or preferred toy. If the child has sitting and waiting skills, you can expand it to find if the child will attend to materials or instruction. Once that is evaluated, you can move on. Most often, if a child has attending skills, he may also have receptive language. If not, that will be the first step of teaching the ability to respond to prompts. Prompting. Prompting also falls on a continuum, from hand over hand to gestural prompts, with the focus on fading prompts to reach independence. When paired with language, it will also build receptive language. Receptive language is critical for the next step. Following directions If a child will respond correctly to prompts, when paired with words, you can teach following directions. If a child already responds to verbal directions, the next thing to assess is: Does a child follow choral or group instructions? When a child can do this, he or she is ready to spend time in the general education classroom. This should hopefully be an outcome for all our children, even if only in a limited way. Teaching the Learning to Learn Skills The learning to learn skills can be taught either in one to one sessions with an ABA therapist (should be supervised by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, or BCBA) or in an early intervention classroom by the teacher or a classroom aide with training. Often, in early intervention classrooms, you will have children who come in with a range of abilities in the learning to learn skills and you will need to focus the attention of a single aide on children who most need to build the basic sitting and waiting skills. The instructional model for ABA, like the model for behavior, follows an ABC sequence: A: Instruction. This needs to fit the outcome. If the first instruction is to sit, you may have to physically guide the child into the chair, accompanied by a verbal description of what is happening: Sit down, please. Okay, were sitting with our feet on the floor, our bum on the chair.B: Behavior. What the behavior is will determine the next step.C: Feedback. This is either correcting the response or praise, either paired with reinforcement, a token (secondary reinforcement) or once you have some behavioral momentum, every second to fourth correct response, or correction. The most important thing is to be clear about what is the desired response - you never want to reinforce an incorrect response (although an approximation is appropriate when shaping behavior. Called Discrete Trial Teaching, each instructional trial is very brief. The trick is to mass the trials, in other words, bring the instruction on hard and heavy, increasing the amount of time that the child/client is engaged in the targeted behavior, whether it is sitting, sorting, or writing a novel. (Okay, thats a bit of an exaggeration.) At the same time the teacher/therapist will be spreading out the reinforcement, so that each successful trial will get feedback, but not necessarily access to reinforcement. The Goal The final outcome should be that students with Autism Spectrum Disorders will be able to succeed in more naturalistic settings, if not actually in a general education classroom. Pairing secondary or social reinforcers with those primary reinforcers (preferred items, food, etc.) will help children with more challenging disabilities function appropriately in the community, interact with people appropriately and learn to communicate, if not to use language and interact with typical peers.

Whats the Most Stolen Book from Libraries

Whats the Most Stolen Book from Libraries It may not come as a huge surprise that the book thats most stolen from public libraries is The Guinness Book of World Records. The books popularity is irrefutable. It serves as a form of trivia, entertainment and to settle arguments over any kind of fact, whether its whos the fastest runner, which is the biggest city or the most populous country. Whatever you can imagine, the Guinness Book has it all. The Idea Is Born The concept of creating such a book took place 60 years ago when Englishman Sir Hugh Beaver, Director of the Guinness Brewery that brews the famous Guinness Beer, attended a shooting party. An argument occurred over which European game bird was the fastest. There was no record or reference book that could settle the argument. The First Edition Sir Hugh, with the assistance of twins Norris and Ross McWhirter who ran a fact-finding industry in London, founded the company Guinness Superlatives. The twins research formed the first Guinness Book of Records which was released in the UK in 1955 and became a bestseller in its first edition. The following year, it was released in the United States and also became an immediate bestseller. International Acknowledgment Since its first publishing, the book has gone on to worldwide success. Today, its published in 31 languages including Mandarin, Icelandic and Arabic. Its also expanded into the entertainment industry, with several television programs in different countries including the United States, Portugal, China, Turkey, Italy and Germany, among others. The shows have all been highly successful and often feature live performances by record holders. The first Guinness Book of Records show was launched in the UK where the books original researchers Norris and Ross McWhirter answered questions posed by children in the audience. The twins were known to have encyclopedic memories and were able to recall even the most obscure facts on the spot. Today, there are several Guinness World Records museums in cities like Hollywood, Tokyo, Copenhagen and San Antonio. The franchise sells interactive DVDs and a video game for Nintendo Wii. There is even a Guinness World Records Day founded in 2005. The book itself has been cited as holding world records. In 1999, it set the record of being the largest single print run of a case-bound book in color with 2,402,000 copies printed. In 1995, the company earned a visit to the London office by Queen Elizabeth II on its 50th anniversary. In 2006, Michael Jackson visited the New York Office where he received a special award for his record breaking album Thriller. Types of Records The type of records in the book can be as varied as you can imagine. The man holding the record for most tattooed human is Lucky Diamond Rich, who set the record in 2006 with 100% of his body covered in tattoos including his tongue, the rims of his eyes, inside of his ears and his â€Å"delicate† areas. In 2009, Ashrita Furman of Queens, New York, won the record for being the â€Å"Person with the most records† with 100 confirmed records. Over the years, some decisions were made to eliminate certain records from the book in order to promote public safety. Eating and drinking records, as well as sword-swallowing records were taken out in order to avoid potential legal suits for publishing facts that promote hazardous behavior. Proving a record is no easy feat and Guinness teams are responsible for analyzing claims in order to ensure their veracity. Claims are made through written applications that take 4-6 weeks to process. A quicker response can be gained by paying a fee of $450. With such a rich and entertaining history, its no wonder that the book also holds the record for being the most stolen book from public libraries.

The effective of outdoor advertsing using exmaple from the mobile Essay

The effective of outdoor advertsing using exmaple from the mobile phone indusrty - Essay Example The study focuses on the types of advertising used in the country, its advantages and its restrictions. It will also look into the various communication theories on advertising presented by different communication scholars. Furthermore, it will give readers a good look of the current advertising industry and the future it may experience through careful analysis of relevant and reliable data. There are many definitions of advertising available in the business world. Definitions are certainly formed through expertise or experience of an individual or group. According to the New Lexicon Webster Dictionary, advertising is â€Å"used to draw attention, to promote sales, or to promote the product†. This is mainly the purpose of advertising, in the case of billboard advertisements for example, companies or products shown on the ads believe that placing the ad in the billboard will reach the people and will be able to communicate with them, thus, consequently drawing their attention o r if it is effective, promoting sales. The current research shows that outdoor advertising in the mobile phone industry in the UK remains to be one of the strongest, if the not the strongest advertising media. This has been attested to by the respondents who gave the highest rating to this medium when triggered with other options such as television, radio, the internet, newspapers, direct mail, and magazines. It is also noteworthy to assert that the internet is fast becoming a popular medium that may influence the purchase decisions of mobile phone buyers.

(How has the oil wealth affected the prospects of democratization in Essay

(How has the oil wealth affected the prospects of democratization in the Arab Gulf) and ( Evaluate the role of civil society in - Essay Example Political science and economics studies have found that there is limitation of advances in democracy where countries in the Middle East have vast oil reserves. Oil wealth has a long-term effect on Middle Eastern democracy efforts. While extraction activities normally take place over an extended period, major oil discoveries take place during these countries’ peak production years (Ehteshami 37). Oil discoveries made in democratic countries such as Norway have no effect on their democratic trajectories. However, where oil is discovered in non-democratic countries, it is less likely that these countries will transition to democracy. Oil discovery has little effect on democratic countries politically. While Iran has been under theocratic rule for over 20 years, oil was discovered when they were a democracy, which can be seen to date as the country holds regular elections compared to its other Middle Eastern oil producers. The country only became less democratic after the Western- led coup of 1953 before transitioning back to elective democracy. This is in contrast to Qatar that discovered oil as a monarchy and has not made any strides towards democracy (Ehteshami 37). Prior to the early 50s, Egypt had one of the most vibrant democracies in the region with limited supplies of oil peaking in the mid 60s after which oil production declined from the 90s onwards. A similar history is shared by Tunisia, which was also a democratic country when they discovered oil. The relatively peaceful transitions in these countries are not a coincidence (Ehteshami 38). This is in stark contrast to Syria, whose major oil discoveries were made during authoritarian military rule. The transition from Bashar Al-Assad’s government to another has seen a bloody civil war erupt, as is the case with Iraq where oil discoveries were made during authoritarian rule. Oil rich non-democratic countries spend more on their military in order to stay in power, which enhances their political power and prevents the democratization of their countries. Lucrative reserves of oil also provide dictators with the incentive to want to stay in power longer since they fear they will loose everything if another leader comes in (Ehteshami 38). While civil society has played a critical role in the democratization of countries in Latin America and Eastern Europe, this has not been reflected in the Middle East. In this region, NGOs have been tamed and weakened since they can be co-opted using oil money (Ehteshami 98). Meanwhile, the EU and the US have continued to emphasize how important it is to develop civil society. Funding by the west for Arab NGOs has seen a significant increase since the September 11 attacks. The amount of money channeled to Middle Eastern countries by the US has tripled in the 12 years since. However, empowerment of these NGOs remains flawed and aimless because the countries’ leaders also have money that can co-opt them. Most of the NGOs in Arab countri es are government organized with staffing and funding provided by the government. Their main idea in funding the NGOs has to do with managing and controlling change, rather than inspiring or instigating change (Ehteshami 98). Even where it is relatively easy to establish organizations that fight for democracy, these are still under strict