Transitive and Intransitive Verbs in Spanish

Transitive and Intransitive Verbs in Spanish Look in just about any good Spanish dictionary, and most verbs will be listed as either transitive (verbo transitivo, often abbreviated in dictionaries as vt or tr) or intransitive (verbo intransitivo, abbreviated to vi or int). These designations can give you an important clue as to how the verb is used in sentences. What Are Transitive and Intransitive Verbs? A transitive verb is simply one that needs a direct object (a noun or a pronoun that the verb acts upon) to complete its thought. An intransitive one does not. An example of a transitive verb is the English verb to get and one of its Spanish equivalents, obtener. If you were to use the verb by itself, such by saying I get in English or obtengo in Spanish, it is clear you arent expressing a complete thought. Theres a natural follow-up question here: What are you getting?  ¿Quà © obtengas? The verb simply isnt complete without an accompanying noun (or pronoun) to indicate what is being obtained: I am getting an error message. Obtengo un mensaje de error. Another transitive verb is to surprise or its Spanish equivalent, sorprender. To express a complete thought, the verb must indicate who is surprised: It surprised me. Me sorprendià ³. To get, to surprise, obtener and sorpender, then, are all transitive verbs. They must be used with an object. Intransitive verbs are used without objects. They stand by themselves without acting on a noun or pronoun. Although they can be modified in meaning using adverbs or phrases, they cannot take a noun as an object. An example is the English verb to flourish and its Spanish equivalent, florecer. It doesnt make sense to flourish something, so the verb stands alone: The sciences flourished. Florecà ­an las ciencias. There are many verbs that can be used either transitively or intransitively. One example is to study or estudiar. You can use an object for a transitive usage (I am studying the book. Estudio el libro.) or without an object for an intransitive usage (I am studying. Estudio.). To write and escribir can be used in exactly the same ways. Take Note Transitive verbs (or verbs that are used transitively) need a direct object to be complete.Intransitive verbs do not need an object to be complete.Usually, but not always, Spanish verbs and their English counterparts match each other in transitivity. Verb Usage in Spanish vs. English The distinctions between transitive and intransitive verbs usually dont give Spanish students a lot of trouble. Most of the time, when a transitive verb is used in English, youll use a transitive one in Spanish. However, there are some verbs that can be used transitively in one language but not the other, or the opposite. That is one reason you may want to check the dictionary before you try using a verb in a way you havent heard it before. An example of a verb that can be used transitively in English but not Spanish is to swim, as in He swam the river. But the Spanish equivalent, nadar, cant be used in that way. While you can swim something in English, you cant nadar algo in Spanish. Youll need to recast the sentence: Nadà ³ por el rà ­o. The opposite can happen as well. In English, you cant sleep something, but in Spanish you can: La madre durmià ³ al bebà ©. The mother put the baby to sleep. In translating such verbs to English, youll often need to recast the sentence. Note that there are some verbs that are classified as neither transitive nor intransitive. These include pronominal or reflexive verbs (often abbreviated in Spanish as prnl), compulative or linking verbs (cop), and auxiliary verbs (aux). Pronominal verbs are listed in dictionaries as ending in -se. Examples of Spanish Transitive and Intransitive Verbs in Use Transitive verbs: Comà ­ tres hamburguesas. (I ate three hamburgers.)El estudiante golpeà ³ la pared. (The student hit the wall.)Cambiarà © el dinero en el aeropuerto. (I will change the money in the airport.) Intransitive verbs: Comà ­ hace dos horas. (I ate three years ago. Hace tres horas is an adverbial phrase, not an object. The verb in the next example is also followed by an adverbial phrase.)La luz brillaba con muchà ­sima fuerte. (The light shone very strongly.)Las mofetas huelen mal. (Skunks stink.)

Whats the Difference Weighted vs Unweighted GPA

What's the Difference Weighted vs Unweighted GPA SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Most students think a lot about their GPA in high school. There’s no doubt that GPA is one of the most important pieces of information colleges will consider in your application. However, GPA can vary drastically in the way it’s calculated at different schools. Some high schools use unweighted GPAs and some use weighted GPAs. I’ll give you an overview of the differences between the two and what each type of GPA might mean in the context of your personal experiences. Basic Differences Between Weighted and Unweighted GPAs So what are weighted and unweighted GPAs? Here are the main differences between the two. Unweighted GPA Traditionally, GPA is calculated on an unweighted scale.Unweighted GPA is measured on a scale of 0 to 4.0. It doesn’t take the difficulty of a student’s coursework into account.An unweighted GPA represents an A as a 4.0 whether it was earned in an honors class, AP class, or lower-level class. Weighted GPA Weighted GPA is often used by high schools to better represent students’ academic accomplishments.Weighted GPA takes into account course difficulty rather than providing the same letter grade to GPA conversion for every student.Usually, weighted GPA is measured on a scale of 0 to 5.0, although some scales go higher.An A in an AP class may translate into a 5.0 weighted GPA, while an A in a regular-level class will give you a 4.0 weighted GPA. Many schools also have mid-level classes (such as honors classes) where the highest weighted GPA you can earn is a 4.5. Differences in Calculation As you might expect, unweighted and weighted GPAs are calculated differently. In this section we give an in-depth explanation of how to calculate both GPA types. Unweighted GPA Unweighted GPA is much simpler to calculate than weighted GPA.This is because you don’t have to consider the levels of your classes in the calculations. Let’s say you’re taking five classes, and you have As in two of them and Bs in three of them.The two As will each translate to 4.0s, and the three Bs will each translate to 3.0s.If you add 4.0 + 4.0 + 3.0 + 3.0 + 3.0 and then divide by five, you’ll get an unweighted GPA of 3.4. If your grades aren’t quite as simple as that, here’s a quick letter grade and percentile to GPA conversion chart to make things easier. Letter Grade Percentile GPA A+ 97-100 4.0 A 93-96 4.0 A- 90-92 3.7 B+ 87-89 3.3 B 83-86 3.0 B- 80-82 2.7 C+ 77-79 2.3 C 73-76 2.0 C- 70-72 1.7 D+ 67-69 1.3 D 65-66 1.0 F Below 65 0.0 Most schools more or less follow this scale for unweighted GPAs. Yours may be slightly different, but it shouldn’t vary too much. Weighted GPA The calculations for weighted GPA can get a little more tricky because you may be taking a variety of courses at different academic levels. Going withthe example that we used for unweighted GPA, let’s say once again that you’re taking five classes and getting As in two of them and Bs in three of them.But this time let’s also say that one A is in a regular-level class, one A is in an honors class, two Bs are in AP classes, and one B is in an honors class. How is your weighted GPA calculated?Well, each grade has to be considered in conjunction with class level.This means using the unweighted GPA conversion scale for grades in regular-level classes, adding 0.5 to the scale for mid-level/honors classes, and adding 1.0 for high level/AP classes. This means: The A in a regular-level class would still be a 4.0 The A in an honors class would be a 4.5 The two Bs in AP classes would each be 4.0s The B in the honors class would be a 3.5 If you add 4.0 + 4.5 + 4.0 + 4.0 + 3.5 and divide by 5, you get a 4.0 weighted GPA. Remember, not all schools will use this exact weighted GPA scale, but as you can see, there can be a big difference between the numbers you get for unweighted GPA and weighted GPA based on the types of classes you’re taking. Even if two students have identical grades, one might have a weighted GPA that’s a full point higher than the other. Let's say you have a 3.2 unweighted GPA and are taking five classes. If even two out of the five classes are honors or AP and the rest are regular-level, your GPA would get bumped up to a 3.6 on a weighted scale. A slight difference in the levels of your classes can make a big difference in your weighted GPA. Go for it! All you have to do is believe! (and study more, but mostly believe!) What Does All of This Mean for You? Whether your school uses weighted or unweighted GPA can impact your class rank and experiences in the college admissions process. If Your School Uses Unweighted GPAs†¦ Admissions committees look at your coursework in conjunction with your GPA to reach conclusions about your academic potential.They understand that some schools do not take the difficulty of students’ classes into consideration when calculating GPA.If you challenge yourself in your classes but don’t have a perfect GPA, you will look better in the college admissions process than someone in regular-level classes who has a 4.0. It may be harder to stand out from your classmates with your GPA because more students will have GPAs that are at the same level when class difficulty is not a factor in the calculation.If class rank is based purely on unweighted GPA, your class rank may not reflect the effort you expended.Students with a lot of AP classes can have lower unweighted GPAs than students who took less difficult classes despite being more academically driven. Don’t worry too much though. College admissions officers are aware of the limits of the unweighted system, and they will look closely at your course record to determine whether your GPA is an accurate reflection of your academic potential. If Your School Uses Weighted GPAs†¦ First off, you should know that having a 4.0 weighted GPA doesn’t mean you can get into any college.A 4.0 may be the commonly accepted gold standard, but with weighted GPAs everything shifts upward.A truly elite GPA under the weighted system will actually be close to a 5.0, so you will need to make sure you adapt your concept of what constitutes a high GPA to fit this model. With a weighted GPA, your class rank is more likely to reflect your academic drive and ability because your GPA is a reflection of both your grades and the levels of the classes in which you earned them.You’ll have a higher rank than someone who earns the same grades as you in lower level classes. Weighted GPAs mean that you need to be careful because they can be deceptive. A lot of the advice that's out there is targeted towards unweighted GPAs, so you'll need to adjust your thinking to account for the size of the GPA scale at your school. The bottom line is that colleges will look deeper than the raw numbers when evaluating your high school academic record regardless of whether your GPA is weighted or unweighted. Admissions officers willbe able to tell which classes you took and how much you pushed yourself, so your GPA by itself becomes only one part of a much larger picture. You will also be required to lift the weight of your GPA times 40 in order to walk at graduation, so start training. Why do you think valedictorians are always so ripped? Do Colleges Look at Weighted or Unweighted GPAs? So, which do colleges care more about then, your weighted or unweighted GPA? The short answer is that most colleges care somewhat more about weighted GPAs because they do a better job showing the difficulty of the classes you took. However, colleges care more about your entire record of coursework than just your GPA out of context. They'll look to see which classes you took, how difficult those classes typically are, and what your class rank is. All of these factors are going to give them a better understanding of your GPA. So, when you're wondering which GPA is more important, the real answer is that colleges will look at all the information they're given to get the best idea of your academic skills. They won't just glance at your GPA and decide whether it's a good number or not without looking at other factors. If your transcript shows increasing difficulty in your coursework, this will look impressive to colleges, even if your GPA isn’t perfect.If you have a 4.0 GPA but took all the least challenging classes in high school, colleges will be less impressed since you didn’t push yourself academically.This means you should continue working on taking difficult classes and getting high grades in them in order to be as impressive as possible. Summary Your high school GPA may be measured on either an unweighted or weighted scale.The main difference between the two is that weighted GPAs take into account the difficulty of your coursework and unweighted GPAs don’t.Most unweighted GPAs are recorded on a scale of 0 to 4.0, and most weighted GPAs are recorded on a scale of 0 to 5.0. For the most part, whether your high school uses unweighted or weighted GPA shouldn’t affect you in the college application process.Colleges will look at your GPA, but they will also consider the bigger picture. Their greatest concern is that you’ve managed to challenge yourself intellectually with your coursework. GPA is important, but proof of your determination and perseverance in the face of academic struggles is often more impressive than a 4.0. What's Next? Want more information about how to interpret your GPA in the college search process? Find out what it means to have a good or bad GPA for college. Is your GPA above average? Do you need to work on bringing it up? Learn more about the average high school GPA. Your college GPA may end up being very different from your high school GPA. Read this article about average GPAs in college to see what might be in store.

Building construction and fire services #2 Essay

Building construction and fire services #2 - Essay Example Lightweight wooden binds are assembled by 50 mm Ãâ€" 150 mm, 50 mm Ãâ€" 100 mm, or 50 mm Ãâ€" 75 mm (2 Ãâ€" 6, 2 Ãâ€" 4, or 2 Ãâ€" 3-inch) timber joined together by gusset plates (Malanga, 1995, p47). Just like every structural element, these trusses are debatably vulnerable to failure when expose to fire or extremely high temperatures. Wooden houses or ceilings are famous for quick fire spread and early disastrous failure in as small as 4 minutes of fire involvement (Malanga, 1995, p44). Unguarded lightweight wooden or even steel binds will stop working after 5 to 10 minutes of contact to fire or extremely high. Binds can fail from contact to heat alone exclusive of any flames. For wood trusses, 100 °F (53.8 °C) is the decisive temperature (Malanga, 1995, p46). Metal gusset plates in wooden binds, unless corner-nailed, can distort and fail extremely fast when exposed to high temperature. Even though, both wooden and steel trusses might be confined with fire-retardant treatments to develop their fire opposition, a majority of them lack this essential matter and; hence put the lives of people at

Personal statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 8

Personal Statement Example I still remember the way our backyard junked garage soon turned into a teeming workshop with brilliant ideas and we had spent the entire summer recess into the junkyard that year. My first step into the world of machines was thus initiated. With passing days, I learnt the intricate details about all the cars and their engines at our junkyard and soon one day I was able to start up the failed engine of my dad’s car, when I discovered that actually the problem was in the battery and not in the engine of the car. Later in the school itself, I joined Asian Engineering club where my ideas about machines, transistors and basic functioning of light and sound gained more shape. A class by a veteran scientist and scholar at the engineering club at school on analysis of design and manufacturing provoked me to a great extent and boosted up my desperation for taking up the stream of mechanical engineering as my major. And, the most fascinating part of the entire discipline for me was the circuits, its design and analysis of those circuit designs and how it operates within many machines just bowled me out. I indulged myself into reading more and more science journals. At my upper division level at school itself and before pioneering upon the subject through milestone institution of SBCC, I had attended a seminar on thermodynamics and many discussions and seminars on the subject of electricity and its modern circuit designs and analysis where I understood the profanity with which modern mechanical engineers and scientists are working at various levels to shape the modern system and enable the mankind to take the optimum benefit out of modern technologies. Volunteering at different science exhibitions and participation at various science fairs at school level presenting circuits and various mechanical dynamics enabled me to fasten my seat belt more intact through the journey of mechanical world. My involvement with the aerodynamics was clear from my childhood days and an active participation of three days’ workshop with aerodynamics helped and intrigued passion within me for taking plunges into the field of mechanical engineering. Prompt 2 One of my unique talents or virtues which I believe is the talent of inquisitiveness. This inquisitive pursuit enabled me to ponder upon various complex and unorganized dynamics and helped me to solve the complex circuit turning them into a simpler one. After attending classes at SBCC, I found that all my past experiences and scientific expeditions have enabled me to comprehend more intricately about various dynamics and subtleties associated with the faculty of Mechanical Engineering. I already had enough exposure as a member of science club and after participating in various events related with machines, thermodynamics and aerodynamics. In science and field of scientific research, the application and implementation of the theories which we come across everyday pitted in black words against the white pa ges of our weighty books need space for practical understanding. These practical understandings of the theories finds completion only when first hand implementation of those theories are experienced in practicality, which I have received in abundance throughout my career in schools at both junior and senior levels. The little theories of mechanics starting from the revolving of fans to movement of a car engine, every little or big machines around has helped me to grow and

Free

Freedom to Comment Essay When working in a group, one cannot help but find things to disagree on. I don’t believe that is a deliberate choice; I believe that is just the way things are, since each person is endowed with the faculty of reason. In one of my experiences in working with a group, I had to decide within myself whether I would exercise my freedom to comment or maintain my silence. I remember having to work in a group while in college, and we were tasked with finishing a paper and thereafter presenting it in class. While writing the paper we chanced upon materials that have been submitted to our professor by the previous year’s class. The said materials contained all relevant research and findings that we would need to make an excellent report. My group mates wanted to use the materials so we could save on time and effort. Moreover, using the materials we discovered would better our chances at landing better grades, which would be beneficial for all of us. I kept waiting for one of the members of the team to speak up and challenge the morality of the group’s plan. However, I heard nothing but agreement. In my heart I felt what we were about to do was wrong, but still I struggled with the fear that I would be an outcast if I talked against them. I definitely felt the pressure of the need to conform. However, I knew that I could not live with the fact of cheating, so I told them I did not feel comfortable with the plan. I said there is a grave danger of expulsion if we were caught cheating. My group mates thought I was being self-righteous at first, but the fear of expulsion and grave reprimand led them to accept my position.

Philosophy of Education :: Philosophy of Teaching Statement

Philosophy of Education On October 20, 2001 I had the greatest dream. From this dream, I came to the realization that I would become an educator. I’ve always felt that the hardest decision to make is what to do for the rest of your life. My life was heading on a different road in a completely different direction. After being down this road for nearly three years, I discovered that I was not satisfied with my initial career choice. The road led me to Concord College. My educational plan is to graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education with a concentration in Early Childhood Special Education. I have a six year old daughter and a four year old son, that gave me complete inspiration for deciding on this field of study. Once both of my children are in school I plan to work towards my Masters in Education with a concentration in Reading. While at Concord this semester, I have several courses, outside of education, in which I have incorporated my passion for education. Upon graduation I will substitute teach for the Mercer County School System until I am offered a full-time position or until I begin my graduate studies. I hope to be placed in a preschool or kindergarten class because I feel that this is where it all begins and I want to be a part of their first formal learning experience. I have been placed in seven Mercer County Schools for field placements. I have had positive experiences at all the placements. I have seen how wonderfully a school has embraced an â€Å"open† school environment and overcame many obstacles that stem from this type of school. I have seen how standardized testing in the school system, puts a great deal of pressure on the teachers to make sure the students know their material well enough to move to the next level. These tests also put pressure on the students to do well. I have experienced how to modify your lessons to fit every student in the classroom.

Reconstruction after the Civil War Essay

Black political activity during the Reconstruction after the Civil War came from the experience of after war slavery or what was called servitude. A strong sense of community grew out of shared racial oppression and contributed to the formation of a political stand for the black freedman. Even though this formation was important it really did not become very strong after the Civil War. Emancipation was confusing to most blacks and the wartime disorder didn’t help the uncertain situation. Freedmen moved very cautiously to explore what changes were happening in their lives. They were more interested in individual measures to enhance their freedom and avoided becoming politically active. One of the freedmen’s first desires was to leave anything having to do with slavery behind. They wanted to define their new status different than the slavery they had known. What many blacks did first after becoming free was to leave the plantation that had enslaved them. Some looked for family and other headed for towns and cities, but most wanted to leave. Autonomy was a key issue that arose out of emancipation. At first the freedmen hoped their needs would be met by the federal government. Inspired by wartime confiscation of planters land, and the promise of the Freedmen’s Bureau, the former slaves waited for their â€Å"forty acres and a mule†. The Freedmen’s Bureau was a temporary agency set up to aid the former slaves by providing relief, education, legal help, and assistance in gaining land or employment and came from the Reconstruction period. The problem of how to reconstruct the Union after the South’s military defeat was won of the most difficult challenges faced by American policymakers. The Constitution didn’t provide any guidelines. The farmers had not anticipated a division of the country into warring sections. Emancipation was a major force for the Northern war aims, but the problem became larger when questions arose on how far the federal government should go to secure freedom and civil rights for former slaves. The debate that followed led to a major political crisis. Advocates of a minimal Reconstruction policy favored quick restoration of the Union with no protection for the freed slaves beyond the prohibition of slavery. Proponents of a more radical policy wanted readmission of the southern states to be dependent on guarantees that loyal men would displace the Confederate higher ups in position of power and that blacks would gain some of the basic rights of American citizenship. The White House wanted the lesser approach and congress endorsed the more radical approach of Reconstruction (Divine, Breen, Fredrickson & Williams, 1987, p. 457). The tension between the President and Congress on how to reconstruct the Union began during the war. Lincoln never had a plan for bringing the states back together, but he did take some initiatives that indicated a more lenient and forgiving policy towards Southerners who gave up the struggle and denounced slavery. Lincoln issued a Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction in 1863 that offered a full pardon to all Southerners, except certain classes of Confederate leaders, who would take an oath of allegiance to the union and acknowledge the legality of emancipation (Fitzgerald, 1989, p. 11). This policy was meant to shorten the war. The President hoped that granting pardon and political recognition to oath-taking minorities would weaken the southern cause by making it easy for disillusioned confederates to switch sides. But Congress was unhappy with the President’s reconstruction experiments and in 1864 refused to seat the Unionists elected to the House and Senate from Louisiana and Arkansas. A minority of congressional Republicans, who were strong anti-slavery radicals, wanted protection for black rights as a precondition for the readmission of the southern states. These Republican militants were upset because Lincoln had not insisted that the constitution creators provide for black suffrage. The dominate view in Congress was that the southern states had definitely forfeited their place in the Union and that it was up to Congress to decide when and how they would be readmitted. Congress passed a Reconstruction bill of its own in 1864. The Wade-Davis bill which required that fifty percent of the voters must take an oath of future loyalty before the restoration process could begin (Divine Breen, Fredrickson & Williams, 1987 p. 452). Those who would swear that they had never willingly supported the Confederacy could vote in an election for delegates to a constitutional convention. The bill did not require black suffrage, but it did give federal courts the power to enforce emancipation, but Lincoln used a pocket veto and refused to sign. Congress and the President remained stalled on the Reconstruction issue for the rest of the war. But during the last months in office Lincoln showed some desire to compromise. He showed much interest in getting the governments in Louisiana and Arkansas that he started, with the Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction in 1863, to gaining full recognition but Lincoln was warming up to the ideal of including black suffrage in all of this. Sadly Mr. Lincoln died before anyone knew the outcome of the struggle between congress and this man. Andrew Johnson’s attempt at reconstruction also put him on the defensive with Congress creating the most serious crisis in the history of relations between the executive and legislative branches of the federal government. During the war Johnson endorsed Lincoln’s emancipation policy and carried it into effect. He viewed it primarily as a means of destroying the power of the planter class rather than as recognition of black humanity (Divine Breen, Fredrickson & Williams, 1987). Johnson’s presidency was a huge surprise and really wasn’t suppose to happen considering that he was a southern Democrat and a fervent white supremacist. But the root of the problem was that he disagreed with the majority of Congress on what Reconstruction was supposed to accomplish. A believer of the Democratic states’ rights he wanted to restore the prewar feral system as quickly as possible, with the only changes being that states would no longer have the right to legalize slavery or to secede. Many Republican’s believed that if the old southern ruling class were to gain power they would devise a plan to subjugate blacks. Emancipation had removed the three-fifths clause of the constitution that counted slaves as only three-fifth of a person now they were to be counted in determining representation. Congress favored a Reconstruction policy that would give the federal government authority to limit the role of ex-confederates and provide protection for black citizenship (Fitzgerald, 1989, p. 48). The disagreement between the President and Congress became irreconcilable in early 1866 when Johnson vetoed two bills that had passed with overwhelming Republican support (Fitzgerald, 1989, 81). The first was to extend the life of the Freedmen’s Bureau and the second was a civil rights bill meant to nullify the black codes and guarantee to the freedmen full and equal benefit of all laws and security of self and property as the white had. Johnson was successful at blocking the Freedmen’s bureau bill but later a modified version did pass. The Civil Rights Act won the two-thirds majority needed to override the president’s veto. The main fact was that recovery would not happen or even begin until a new labor system replaced slavery. It was widely assumed in both the North and South that southern prosperity would continue to depend on cotton and that the plantation was the most efficient way for producing the crop. But rebuilding the plantation economy was hindered by lack of capital, the belief of southern whites that blacks would work only if forced, and by the freedmen’s resistance to labor conditions that were still basically slavery (Divine, Breen, Fitzgerald & Williams, 1987). Blacks wanted to be small independent farmers rather than plantation laborers and they believed that the federal government would help them to attain their dreams. General Sherman, who had huge numbers of black fugitives follow his army on a famous march, issued an order in 1865 that set aside the islands and coastal areas of Georgia and South Carolina for only black occupancy on forty acre plots. The Freedmen’s Bureau was given control of hundreds of thousands of acres of abandoned or confiscated land and authorized to make forty acre grants to black settlers for a three year period. After that they would have the option to buy at low prices. Over forty thousand black farmers worked on three hundred thousand acres of land they thought were going to be theirs (Berlin, 1976, p. 141). But the dream of forty acres and a mule the government promised was not going to happen. President Johnson pardoned the owners of most of the land assigned to the ex-slaves by Sherman and the Freedmen’s Bureau and along with the failure of congress to propose an effective program of land confiscation and redistribution the land blacks could not gain title to the land they had been working. The ex-slaves even without land and in poverty still were reluctant to settle down and commit their selves to wage labor for their former masters. They were hoping for something better and some still expecting grants of land while others were just trying to increase their bargaining power. The most common form of agricultural employment in 1866 was contract labor. Under this system workers would commit themselves for a year in return for fixed wages that the bulk of would be paid after harvest. Many planters were inclined to make hard bargains, abuse their workers or cheat them at the end of the year. The Freedmen’s Bureau took the role of reviewing the contracts and enforcing them. Buy the bureau officials had differing notions of what it meant to protect blacks from exploitation. Some stood up strongly for the rights of the freedmen; others served as allies of the planters, rounding up available workers, coercing them to sign contracts for low wages, and keeping them in line (Fitzgerald, 1989, p. 138). After 1867 the bureau’s influence was fading and a new arrangement come from direct negotiations between planters and freedmen. Unhappy with gang labor and constant white supervision, blacks demanded sharecropper’s status. This meant that they wanted the right to work a small piece of land independently in return for a fixed share of the crop produced on it and that was usually half. With the shortage of labor this gave the freedmen enough leverage to force this arrangement on those planters who were unwilling. But many landowners found it to their advantage because it did not require much capital and forced the tenants to share the risks of crop failure or a fall in cotton prices. Blacks at first viewed sharecropping as a step up from wage labor and a direction towards land ownership, but in reality it was just a new kind of slavery (Fitzgerald, 1989, p. 140). Croppers had to live on credit until their cotton was sold, and planters or merchants seized the chance to give them at high prices and huge rates of interest. Creditors were entitled to deduct what was owned to them out of the tenant’s share of the crop and this left most sharecroppers with no net profit at the end of the year, some with debt that had to be worked off the next year (Fitzgerald, 1989, p. 141). Blacks moving to cities and towns found themselves living in an increasingly segregated society. The Black Codes of 1865 attempted to require separation of the races in public places but most of the codes were set aside by federal authorities as violations of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, but that was defeated by private initiatives and community pressures. In some cities blacks successfully resisted forced separation on streetcars by appealing to the military during the brief period when it exercised authority or by organizing boycotts. But they found it almost impossible to gain admittance to most hotels, restaurants, and other privately owned establishments that catered to whites. When black supported Republican governments came to power in 1868, some of them passed civil rights acts requiring equal access to public facilities, but little efforts were made to enforce the legislation (Berlin, 1976, p. 249). Some forms of racial separation were not openly discriminatory and blacks accepted or even endorsed them. Freedmen who had belonged to white churches as slaves welcomed the chance to join all black denominations which gave freedom from white dominance and a more congenial style of worship. The first schools for ex-slaves were all black institutions established by the Freedmen’s Bureau and various northern missionary societies (Berlin, 1976, p. 285). Blacks had been denied any education at all after the war and blacks viewed separate schooling as an opportunity rather than as a form of discrimination. The Freedmen’s Bureau was a government agency that was to give assistance and protection to the Southern ex-slave after the Civil war. It gave assistance to the relief of the needy of both white and black. Its main job was to improve labor relations, administering justice and developing a black educational system. The Bureau influence though suffered in the North and was mortally damaged in the South by corruption, especially those that were connected with promising Republican control of the black vote. These excesses strengthened resistance to black suffrage and encouraged secret organizations like the Ku Klux Klan (Sehat, 2007). The bureau was established under the War Department and was suppose to exist for one year after the war. It was strengthened and its life extended in 1866 when Johnson attempted to veto. Its Director was a Christian general by the name of Oliver O. Howard and functioned through ten districts. Each had an assistant commissioner with the power to control all individuals that were refugees and freedmen. The Freedmen’s Bureau became the strongest single instrument of Reconstruction. Even though it was ended in 1869 its educational activities were extended to 1872 and its soldiers’ bounty payments till 1872 and had an expenditure of about $20,000,000 (Divine Breen Fredrickson & Williams, 1987). Reconstruction failed because it was inadequately motivated, conceived and enforced. But the causes of this failure remain in shadow. Some explain it in terms of an underlying racism that prevented white Republicans from identifying fully with the cause of the black equality. Others use the clash between the class interests of those in charge of implementing and managing Reconstruction and the poor people of the South who were supposed to benefit. But the basic issue raised by Reconstruction was how to achieve racial equality in America and that was not resolved during that era and is still in conflict even today. Reference: Berlin, I. (1976). Slaves without masters. New York: Vintage Books Divine, R. A. , Breen, T. H. , Fredrickson, G. M. and Williams, R. H. (1987). America past and present, 2nd. Ed. Illinois: Scott , Foresman and Company. Fitzgerald, M. W. (1989). The union league movement in the deep south. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press. Gibson, G. J. (1957). Lincoln’s League: The league movement during the Civil War. Ph. D. dissertation, University of Illinois. Sehat, D. ( 2007, May). The civilizing mission of Booker T. Washington. Journal of Southern History, 73(2), 323-362.

Multi Layered Security Plan Essay

Simplicity of user’s passwords can be a major problem so we need to implement complex passwords including eight or more characters, both upper and lower case, and use of at least one special character. Passwords will need to be changed every three months and the same password cannot be used again for one calendar year. In the workstation domain, we need to make sure that each of the workstations, whether desktop or laptop, has antivirus and malware protection installed on them. Laptops are very vulnerable for loss or theft, so all company laptops should have an encrypted hard drive so that if they are stolen, the data contained on them is not recovered by anyone but the owner. For the LAN domain, we need to have training about email scams. Most users know not to access suspicious emails when on our system but a quick training course will help. Also, adding spam filters will help get rid of most of the junk email, so there is much less risk of employees opening emails containing malware. In the LAN-to-WAN domain, we need to shut down the FTP server we have running and switch it over to use secure FTP so that only users allowed on our system can access our FTP server. In the WAN domain, we need to make sure that we have firewalls set up on our network to filter all incoming traffic. A firewall will stop all traffic coming on to our system that is not meant or not wanted on the Richman Investments network. For the remote access domain, we need to make sure the VPN we use is secure so that our employees are not exposing sensitive data to anyone outside of our network. In order to do this we will make sure that everyone using a VPN to access our network has to authenticate to the system to get authorization. For the systems/application domain, we need to lessen chances for attacks on our servers. This will be done by figuring out which ports and services are not being used and shutting off access to those ports. This will give hackers less ways onto our system. Also we need to make sure all servers have the latest patches and updates. These updates provide the latest security patches and keep our servers running at their full potential with less likelihood of vulnerabilities. Applying all these security measures will ensure a much safer environment, technically speaking. This multi-layered security approach will help keep our network secure and running smoothly.

Negative Effects of Collusion in Business and Politics

Negative Effects of Collusion in Business and Politics Collusion is an agreement between two or more entities to limit open competition or gain an unfair advantage in the market by means of deceiving, misleading, or defrauding. These types of agreements are - not surprisingly - illegal and therefore are also typically very secretive and exclusive. Such agreements can include anything from setting prices to limiting production or opportunities to kickbacks and misrepresentation of the party’s relationship to one another. Of course, when collusion is discovered, all acts affected by the collusive activities are considered void or having no legal effect, in the eyes of the law. In fact, the law ultimately treats any agreements, obligations, or transactions as though they had never existed. Collusion in the Study of Economics In the study of economics and market competition, collusion is defined as taking place when rival companies who otherwise would not work together agree to cooperate for their mutual benefit. For instance, the companies may agree to refrain from participating in an activity that they normally would in order to reduce competition and gain higher profits. Given the few powerful players within a market structure like an oligopoly (a market or industry that is dominated by a small number of sellers), collusive activities are often commonplace. The relationship between oligopolies and collusion can work in the other direction as well; forms of collusion can ultimately lead to the establishment of an oligopoly. Within this structure, collusive activities can make a significant impact on the market as a whole starting with the reduction of competition and then the likely possibility of higher prices to be paid by the consumer. In this context, acts of collusion resulting in price fixing, bid rigging, and market allocation could place businesses in jeopardy of being prosecuted for violations of the federal Clayton Antitrust Act. Enacted in 1914, the Clayton Antitrust Act is intended to prevent monopolies and protect consumers from unfair business practices. Collusion and Game Theory According to game theory, it is the independence of suppliers in competition with one another that keeps the price of goods to their minimum, which ultimately encourages overall efficiency of the industry leaders in order to remain competitive. When this system is in effect, no one supplier has the power to set the price. But when there are few suppliers and less competition, as in an oligopoly, each seller is likely to be acutely aware of the actions of the competition. This generally leads to a system in which decisions of one firm can greatly influence and be influenced by the actions of other industry players. When collusion is involved, these influences are typically in the form of clandestine agreements that cost the market the low prices and efficiency otherwise encouraged by competitive independence.​ Collusion and  Politics In the days following the tumultuous 2016 presidential election, allegations arose that representatives of the Donald Trump campaign committee had colluded with agents of the Russian government to influence the outcome of the election in favor of their candidate. An independent investigation conducted by former FBI Director Robert Mueller found evidence that President Trump’s National Security Adviser Michael Flynn may have met with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. to discuss the election. In his testimony to the FBI, however, Flynn denied having done so. On February 13, 2017, Flynn resigned as national security director after admitting he had misled Vice President Mike Pence and other top White House officials about his conversations with the Russian ambassador. On December 1, 2017, Flynn pleaded guilty to charges of lying to the FBI about his election-related communications with Russia. According to court documents released at the time, two unnamed officials of the Trump presidential transition team had urged Flynn to contact the Russians. It is expected that as part of his plea agreement, Flynn promised to reveal the identity of the White House officials involved to the FBI in return for a reduced sentence. Since the allegations surfaced, President Trump has denied having discussed the election with Russian agents or having directed anyone else to do so. While collusion itself is not a federal crime - except in the case of antitrust laws - the alleged â€Å"cooperation† between the Trump campaign and a foreign government may have violated other criminal prohibitions, which could be interpreted by Congress as impeachable â€Å"High Crimes and Misdemeanors.† Other Forms of Collusion While collusion is most often associated with secretive agreements behind closed doors, it can also occur in slightly different circumstances and situations. For instance, cartels are a unique case of explicit collusion. The explicit and formal nature of the organization is what differentiates it from the traditional sense of the term collusion. There is sometimes a distinction made between private and public cartels, the latter referring to a cartel in which a government is involved and whose sovereignty likely shields it from legal action. The former, however, are subject to such legal liability under the antitrust laws that have become commonplace around the world. Another form of collusion, known as tacit collusion, actually refers to collusive activities that are not overt.  Tacit collusion requires two firms to agree to play by a certain (and often illegal) strategy without explicitly saying so. Historical Example of Collusion One particularly memorable example of collusion occurred in the late 1980s when Major League Baseball teams were found to be in a collusive agreement to not sign free agents from other teams. It was during this period of time when star players like Kirk Gibson,  Phil Niekro, and Tommy John – all free agents that season – did not receive competitive offers from other teams. The collusive agreements made between team owners effectively erased competition for players which ultimately severely limited the player’s bargaining power and choice.

Nature Study Themes for Spring

Nature Study Themes for Spring When spring fever hits and youre ready to get outside because youve been suffering from cabin fever for months, do it! Let nature guide your homeschool with these awesome nature study themes for spring. Birds Spring is a fascinating time to take up bird-watching and it doesn’t take much to attract birds to your yard. If you provide them with what they’re searching for, they will find you. Make sure your yard offers: FoodWaterShelter An optional bonus is to provide nest-making material. Food can be offered in store-bought bird feeders or you can make a simple homemade bird feeder out of an orange, a bagel, a plastic bottle, or a pine cone. A bird bath provides water for drinking and preening. We used a shallow dish and a pedestal intended for a potted plant to create a simple, economical homemade bird bath. Give your feathered visitors a sense of safety by placing feeders and bird baths near bushes and trees to provide a quick getaway in the event that a predator shows up. Once you attract birds to your yard, you’re ready to observe them. Get a simple field guide to help you identify the birds that visit. Keep a nature journal of your visitors and learn more about each. What do they like to eat? What is the appearance of both the male and female? Where do they lay their eggs and how many do they lay? You may get lucky and have a pair of birds lay their eggs where you can observe them, too. Butterflies Butterflies are one of my favorite springtime nature study themes. If you plan ahead, you can try raising them from the larval stage in order to observe the life cycle of butterflies. Otherwise, take steps to attract butterflies to your yard and start your observations there or take a field trip to a butterfly house. If you’re excited to observe both birds and butterflies in your yard, consider setting up separate areas for attracting and observing each. If you don’t, things might not end well for the caterpillars and butterflies that you’re hoping to enjoy. As with birds, a field guide and nature journal come in handy. Consider the following suggestions in order to make the most of your butterfly study: Discuss with your children the differences between butterflies and moths.Check out books about butterflies. One of our family’s favorites for young children is Are You a Butterfly? by Judy Allen and Tudor Humphries.Do a butterfly life cycle craft. Bees Bees are another springtime favorite for me. With plants  in bloom and pollen high, spring is an ideal time to watch bees going about their work. Help your children understand the vital role that honey bees play in the pollination process. Learn the role of each bee in the colony. As you see bees going about their work, try to take a peek at them. Are they covered in pollen? Can you see their pollen sacks? Try to arrange a trip to see a beehive in action and speak to the beekeeper about what he does. It’s fascinating to watch the bees go about their work in their hive if you have an opportunity to observe one. Learn how bees make honey and sample some. Once you’re home, try some bee-themed worksheets or bee crafts, just for fun. Flowers and Trees The new life on all the trees and plants makes spring an ideal time to begin a nature study of those in your area. We have several evergreen trees in our yard and even they are sporting new growth that novice observers like my own family can easily spot. Try the following activities this spring: Learn the difference between a conifer and deciduous, annual and perennial. Find examples of each and sketch them in your nature journal.Learn the parts of a flower. Add sketches of the examples you find in your nature journal.Choose a particular tree or flower to observe throughout the season. Sketch it each time you observe it and note the changes you see.Check out books from your library to learn more about trees. We really like Crinkleroot’s Guide to Knowing the Trees by Jim Arnosky  for younger kids. (He has a title about birds, too.) If the trees and plants in your backyard are limited, try a park or nature center. Pond Life Ponds are teeming with life in the spring and make a wonderful spot to study nature. If you have easy access to a pond, you can: Look for frog eggs and/or tadpoles. You may also be able to purchase them from a fish store to observe at home in a fish tank until they’re ready for release. Just be sure you know how to care for them and provide a rock for the young frogs to climb on as they begin to transition from tadpole to frog.Discuss the differences between frogs and toads with your kids. (And read some Frog and Toad books. Theyre family favorites!)Observe baby ducks and geese.Observe and identify the plant life around the pond.Look for signs of life in the mud surrounding the pond. Do you see any animal tracks? Pull our your field guide and try to identify them or take photos so you can try to identify the tracks once you’re back home.Observe the insect life. After a winter of being cooped up inside, you’re probably as anxious to get outside as your kids are. Take advantage of the moderate temperatures and budding life of spring to get out and immerse yourself in nature study!

The significance of a cohesive culture to organisational performance Essay

The significance of a cohesive culture to organisational performance - Essay Example The report discusses several changes that are necessary in the workplace of BSG Ltd. to enhance commitment and productivity among the employees. Changes such as improvement of workplace relations, teamwork, employee motivation, career mobility, workplace learning and strong leadership strategies have been highlighted. All these changes point towards the establishment of a cohesive culture that can help the management of this company to address the emerging issues in the workplace. Some recommendations regarding the implementation of the highlighted changes in the workplace have been put forward in the report. They include; adoption of a leadership strategy that promotes a cohesive organizational culture, establishment of workplace relations, promotion of teamwork, identification of development needs, control of employee turnover and enhancement of employee welfare. The need to take the workers’ interests in to consideration in the course of change has been emphasized. The conclusion portrays the learning outcomes of the report regarding the need for a cohesive organizational culture. The changes and recommendations that need to be adopted by the company have been noted as a general picture of what a cohesive organizational culture entails. The group prefers employee focused leadership in the organization as indicated in the conclusion. Introduction This report addresses some issues that have emerged in BSG Ltd. leading to a fall in the profits of the organization below projections for the last two years in light of aggressive competition and a declining economy. The results of a culture/employee attitude survey in the organization indicated lack of cohesion amongst employees, low levels of job satisfaction and organizational commitment, low levels of trust between management and employees, poor team work, and a belief by many that there was little opportunity for advancement. An analysis of company data for the year ending 2010 revealed a 30% incr ease in pilfering, in both warehouse stocks, and stationery supplies. Staff turnover is an issue also, up by 15% in year ending 2010. The benefits of a strong cohesive culture have been emphasized, as well as the changes that need to be implemented by management to this workplace. Some recommendations have been put forward in regard to the implementation of the changes to make them acceptable by the workforce. Organizational Culture Hofstede defined culture as a tool that the mind applies to guide a person’s day to day activities and interactions with others. He portrayed culture as a collective aspect that occupies a particular social