Training Essays - Physical Exercise, Bodybuilding,

Training Program Development For the past year I have been hitting the gym five days a week, while taking the weekend off. I started training in the gym sophomore year of high school, but I quickly realized that my personal training routine was not a very good one. After searching through many magazines and talking to people around the gym I realized that there is no perfect routine, nothing is carved in stone when it comes to lifting. The key to lifting I have found is doing what feels best. That means that your personal routine should make you feel comfortable about training and it should make you want to keep training. The article I have read emphasizes this has a very important part of training, but the two most important factors that it talks about are that any program should be performed consistently and progressively. The article states three things that help contribute to a program that maintains consistency and progression. These three things are frequency, volume, and intensity. Recovering from a work out is the single most important thing, because it determines how far and long you are capable of lifting. Frequency has a lot to due with this. For a person in high school or in college, the article says to work out three times per week. However many people in the gym are out of school, they have real jobs and real responsibilities. For them the article recommends two workouts per week. Weight training two to three times a week will give your body the physical time it needs in order to recover from lifting. The article states very clearly that the goal of training is to stimulate the body and not to torture the body. This article brings a very good point up about how much training that a person should do. Volume has this is called is based on the number of exercises you do, the number of sets, and the amount of rest time in between sets. Time is a very important issue when it comes to volume. Its really all about keeping a good pace during a workout, with a 4-5 minutes between live sets. In all a good workout should take about 1 hour, this includes aerobic exercise also. The article also states what kind of exercises that a person should do. For the upper body it says (bench press, overhead press, dip), a pulling movement (row, pulldown, high pull), and crunches for the abs. For the legs the article says (squat, deadlift, leg press). Many people go into the gym and try to almost kill themselves. This is where the question of how much intensity should be used in a training program comes in. The author of this article has a clear opinion on this touchy subject. He suggests that a person should train until they may have one last rep in them. This way he feels you will not completely burn out the muscle, ruining the rest of your program. This really is true because the goal of lifting is to lift more each time not to go till failure. I really feel that this article can help a lot of people who are trying to get started in a training program. I fell that to many people just jump right into lifting blindly. By this I mean that they really have only one goal in mind, and that is just to get big. When really they should have quite a few such as how often do they want to lift, how much do they want to lift, and how hard are they willing to train for what they want.

Free Essays on Cowboys And Indians

and mannerisms. The Smurfs were just as torturous with their whinny, high pitched blather and Mr. Rogers was just plain creepy. I was more the outdoors kind of girl. Bike rides, monkey bars, swings, cardboard-box rides down bumpy, rocky, spur ridden hills all fun activities. Of course, my favorite activity was to run through the streets during a rainstorm. We lived in Hawaii at the time, in military housing. All the neighborhood kids would come pouring out of their houses the minute a rainstorm started. Warm rain water falling down on us, steam rising from the ground as the rain hits it and me getting as wet as can be. The best part about it is your parents could not really get mad at you for getting all wet and filthy. I was only five years old when I received my first real lesson (and probably my parents biggest lesson) on the power of television and the impressionability of a young girl. As I have said, most of the time television was of no interest to me. But, there were a few cartoon shows I liked watching. Loony Tunes being my favorite, and Bugs Bunny my idol. I used to love to imitate Bugs. I would wander around the house with a carrot in my hand (smacking and chewing loudly as I took bites off the carrot), tapping the end of the carrot like a cigar as invisible ashes fell from the end of it. While uttering â€Å"Eh...(smack, chew, smack)†¦What’s up Doc?†. Sometimes I would be stationary. At this point I would have my elbow resting up against a ledge of some kind, with my carrot in t... Free Essays on Cowboys And Indians Free Essays on Cowboys And Indians I remember as a child I never really liked watching television. My parents rarely watched it growing up. Only as I got older did they acquire a taste for the â€Å"boob tube†. To me most children’s programs and cartoons were â€Å"lameâ€Å". If I knew what drugs were at the time I would have thought the whole crew on Sesame Street was on them because of their wide eyed, overly expressive faces, exaggerated enunciations of words and mannerisms. The Smurfs were just as torturous with their whinny, high pitched blather and Mr. Rogers was just plain creepy. I was more the outdoors kind of girl. Bike rides, monkey bars, swings, cardboard-box rides down bumpy, rocky, spur ridden hills all fun activities. Of course, my favorite activity was to run through the streets during a rainstorm. We lived in Hawaii at the time, in military housing. All the neighborhood kids would come pouring out of their houses the minute a rainstorm started. Warm rain water falling down on us, steam rising from the ground as the rain hits it and me getting as wet as can be. The best part about it is your parents could not really get mad at you for getting all wet and filthy. I was only five years old when I received my first real lesson (and probably my parents biggest lesson) on the power of television and the impressionability of a young girl. As I have said, most of the time television was of no interest to me. But, there were a few cartoon shows I liked watching. Loony Tunes being my favorite, and Bugs Bunny my idol. I used to love to imitate Bugs. I would wander around the house with a carrot in my hand (smacking and chewing loudly as I took bites off the carrot), tapping the end of the carrot like a cigar as invisible ashes fell from the end of it. While uttering â€Å"Eh...(smack, chew, smack)†¦What’s up Doc?†. Sometimes I would be stationary. At this point I would have my elbow resting up against a ledge of some kind, with my carrot in t...

Southern Stingray Facts and Information

Southern Stingray Facts and Information Southern stingrays, also called Atlantic southern stingrays, are a normally docile animal that frequents warm, shallow coastal waters. Description Southern stingrays have a diamond-shaped disc that is dark brown, gray or black on its upper side and white on the lower side. This helps southern stingrays camouflage themselves in the sand, where they spend most of their time. Southern stingrays have a long, whip-like tail with a barb at the end that they use for defense, but they rarely use it against humans unless they are provoked. Female southern stingrays grow much larger than males. Females grow to about a 6-foot span, while males about 2.5 feet. Its maximum weight is about 214 pounds. The southern stingrays eyes are on top of its head, and behind them are two spiracles, which allow the stingray to take in oxygenated water. This water is expelled from the stingrays gills on its underside. Classification Kingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ChordataClass: ElasmobranchiiOrder: MyliobatiformesFamily: DasyatidaeGenus: DasyatisSpecies: Americana Habitat and Distribution The southern stingray is a warm water species and inhabits primarily shallow tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean (as far north as New Jersey), the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. Feeding Southern stingrays eat bivalves, worms, small fish, and crustaceans. Since their prey is often buried in the sand, they un-bury it by forcing streams of water out their mouth or flapping their fins over the sand. They find their prey using electro-reception and their excellent senses of smell and touch. Reproduction Little is known about the mating behavior of southern stingrays, as it has not been observed often in the wild. A paper in the Environmental Biology of Fishes reported that a male followed a female, engaged in pre-copulatory biting, and then the two mated. Females may mate with multiple males during the same breeding season. Females are ovoviviparous. After a gestation of 3-8 months, 2-10 pups are born, with an average of 4 pups born per litter. Status and Conservation The IUCN Red List states that the southern stingray is of least concern in the U.S. because its population appears to be healthy. But overall, it is listed as data deficient, because there is little information available on population trends, bycatch, and fishing in the rest of its range. A large ecotourism industry has arisen around southern stingrays. Stingray City in the Cayman Islands is a popular destination for tourists, who come to observe and feed the swarms of stingrays that gather there. While the stingrays animals are usually nocturnal, research conducted in 2009 showed that the organized feeding is affecting the stingrays, so that instead of eating during the night, they eat all day and sleep all night. Southern stingrays are preyed upon by sharks and other fishes. Their primary predator is the hammerhead shark. Sources Arkive. 2009. Southern Stingray (Dasyatis Americana). (Online) Arkive. Accessed April 12, 2009.MarineBio.org. 2009. Dasyatis Americana, Southern Stingray (Online). MarineBio.org. Accessed April 12, 2009.Monterey Bay Aquarium. 2009. Southern Stingray (Online) Monterey Bay Aquarium. Accessed April 12, 2009.Passarelli, Nancy and Andrew Piercy. 2009. Southern Stingray. (Online) Florida Museum of Natural History, Department of Ichthyology. Accessed April 12, 2009.

Benchmarking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Benchmarking - Essay Example The objective of this report is to highlight the methods that could give an exact idea of the performance of the companies and how well they use their resources. This report doesn’t consider just one perspective for the judgment of the company. Its discussion is on the basis of both the financial and non-financial factors of the company. Besides these market perception and working environment with the potential of and for the workforce have been discussed.in order to gain the complete perspective of the companies. In this report the two companies selected for the benchmarking or comparison are not only the leading companies in their industry but also on of the biggest companies overall in the global ranking. The report gives the detailed comparison of Apple and Microsoft complete analysis have been made in order to get a conclusion regarding the performance of both companies in comparison to each other. ... Apple and Microsoft have global presence and compete on international market. They both are technology based companies however they have diverse range of products and compete on different level for every market and product that they offer. Both companies almost compete in every sector of the industry as the nature, aspects and operations of their business are quite similar thus the competition is quite cut throat and is mostly regarding capturing the market share not only in the American market but on the global scale. Thus there financial data can be compared as both companies have same target market, business operations and market environment thus any difference can be associated to the non-financial factors of the company. Company Details Both the companies are technology based and compete almost in all of their product and market segments. They maintain their own stores, authorized dealers and online stores. The principle executive offices or the registered headquarters of both A pple and Microsoft along with their registered exchange, ticker symbol and logo are as follow: APPLE INC. 1 Infinite Loop Cupertino, California, USA Registered on â€Å"The NASDAQ stock market LLC† Ticker Symbol AAPL MICRODOFT CORPORATION One Microsoft Way Redmond, Washington, USA Registered on â€Å"The NASDAQ stock market LLC† Ticker symbol MSFT (Investing.money.msn.com, 2013) Company Background and Profile Apple Inc. Apple is a California corporation that was established in 1977 and today along with its subsidiaries design, manufactures and markets mobile communication devices, media devices, personal computers, portable digital music players and long

Responsive Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Responsive - Essay Example He has stayed amongst the Kung Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert for a number of years, but he barely knows them in totality. The best time that he learns something substantial about their behavior is when he has only one Christmas to celebrate in their land. This is a group of people that are of a funny character. They make us marvel at values of their society. These include their togetherness that they uphold in the society. In so many ways, they used to enjoy in unity through sharing their hunt almost in each and every single day. The story in this article exposes the true nature of the Kung Bushmen. As a matter of fact, they are a group of people in the society that enforces humility in people who do not have it at hand. They try as much as possible to resist pride that may crop up in someone after a little achievement of victory. For instance, it is seen in the text how people hunted and brought fatty meat at home, but in rejoinder received the least of appreciation. The anthropologist himself wondered why gratitude was barely shown to those who went hunting and gathering. To set the facts right, a member of the Kung Bushmen community gives a hidden answer, all about arrogance! This is what I realize that the Bushmen Community try as much as possible to resist for its existence would only lead to a feeling of superiority over the others. In short, members of society at large prefer to be equal to one another. In this article, what comes out more vividly is mockery of the highest order. In the first instance, it took a lot of sacrifice for Ontah, the anthropologist to have the fattest ox for his last Christmas celebration amongst the Kung. In return, what he receives before that big day is ridicule and travesty. It is amazing how each person confronts him with a similar scorn. Exposing his folly, he hardly realizes the pure intentions of these people and to make him do, he has to inquire and seek judgment from a few

Information about the KU Writing and Math Centers Essay Example for Free

Information about the KU Writing and Math Centers Essay Thank you for your letter asking me about studying at Kaplan University. This is very nice place and students feel here very comfortable and confident as they have plenty of possibilities to learn as many new skills as they may want and have time for. To make life of its students a little simpler, the University has established two Centers, which offer a large variety of services. That is why I am writing to you to give all necessary information about the system of student assistance at Kaplan University. The University two Centers are always ready to provide the students with any relevant assistance. There is the Kaplan University Writing Center and the Kaplan University Math Center which are both very helpful during the study. For example, you are working on any writing task like research, survey or just essay you may find it useful to attend Writing Center. This Center purpose is to help students develop their writing skills and technique. The Center staff has developed particular guidance sections outlining basic steps of working on writing task. There are four sections for those who are looking for grammar help or advice on more advanced level of idea generation. The section with the APA writing style guidance is there to help students make their work have a decent scientific style and be free of plagiarism. All these guidance sections are in PDF file format and can be downloaded or printed as often as you need. Writing Center may also give a feedback to your written work. For that you will have to submit your paper by clicking a yellow notepad icon. Once your paper is reviewed, which usually takes about 2 days, you receive an e-mail message and may get the reviewed paper by downloading it from the submission page. In case you are toiling at some math problems and need somebody to give you essential hints or just want to train your knowledge University Math Center is there to help you. As well as Writing Center, Math Center provides with the wide range of information starting from elementary math operations to the complicated equations solving. You can get not only information on certain math problems but also train you solving skills and check your progress either in a particular area or on the whole module. There are specific mathematics modules dealing with particular math operations, so you can work on them one by one or choose any in which you prefer to improve you knowledge. It has to be pointed out that the Centers have the option of communication with a tutor. Thus, Writing Center has a live-chat option where you can meet your tutor and ask him/her any questions related to your written work. However, you won’t have to ask about spelling or grammar issues, while the purpose of such instruction session is to give you more essential help and make your writing skills more advanced and efficient so that you can use them in your further study. Such live sessions are available for 15 hours per week from Monday to Wednesday in the evenings (6 pm -11 pm ET). Math Center Tutor is available also in the evenings from 8 pm to 11 pm on the same days plus Thursday. Just same as writing instructors math tutor will not solve or check your problems or equations; he/she will try to make you comprehend modules concepts and acquire necessary solving skills. I must admit that both University Centers are extremely helpful for those who want to be a better student. The principle of their assistance service is not to do the work for you but to teach you essential techniques and fundamental skills, basing on which one can make progress in study and achieve successful results. Their aim is your clear understanding of the learning material and ability of self-sufficient work. Unfortunately, I have not been for a long time here, and I have not had a chance to use any of these centers yet. However, the time when I’ll have to write my research is approaching and I plan to visit Writing Center soon. What I hope to get there is the information of what are the effective ways of collecting information, thesis formulation, arguments development and other essential points to write an outstanding paper. I am sure center instructors will be of indispensable assistance to me as I am a freshman and I’d advice this service to all my mates. I hope you will find this information useful and in case you need more information, please feel free to contact me. Sincerely, Full Name (insert your full name here) Class and Section Number (insert your class and section number here)

The Coca Plant :: Botany

The Coca Plant Erythroxylum coca Lamark is a tropical shrub of the order Geraniales and the family Erythroxylaceae. Two tropical genera of the dicotyledons totaling approximately 250 species of trees and shrubs compose this family. Family characteristics are alternate, undivided, lobeless, toothless leaves, and small flowers in clusters from the leaf axils with persistent calyces with five lobes or sepals, five petals often with appendages, ten persistent stamens united at their bases, and three styles. The fruits are small drupes. (see Everett, 1981and Angiosperms in Brittanica Online) The name Erythroxylum comes from the Greek erythros, red, and xylon wood. Lamarck described the species E. coca in 1786. (Plowman,1982) Distribution Erythroxylum coca is cultivated in Africa, northern South America, southeast Asia, and Taiwan. It grows from 2-4m (8 feet) tall. The plants thrive best in hot, damp situations, such as the clearing of forests, but the leaves most preferred are obtained in drier locations, such as on the sides of hills. (Boucher) The Plants are found mainly in relatively small areas of Peru and Bolivia, the major producing countries. The upper Huallaga Valley, along a tributary of the Amazon in Peru, produces 60% of the world's coca. In Bolivia, the crop traditionally was grown on steep eastern slopes of the Yungas region of the Andes Mountains at elevations of 1000 to 2000 meters. However, in recent decades, the lower-elevation Chapare Valley overtook the Yungas in production, and cultivation is now expanding into lowland rain forests. (see "Coca" in Britannica Online) History & Traditional Uses Archaeological evidence indicates that coca was domesticated by 1500 BC. In pre-Columbian times, coca was a major element of the economy (Hastdorf, 1987). Andean peasants and miners traditionally have consumed coca by sucking wads of leaves, keeping them in their cheeks for hours at a time. Often the coca is combined with chalk or ash, which helps dissolve the alkaloids into saliva. Coca chewing reduces hunger pain, and workers say the leaves give them strength and endurance to work for many hours at high altitudes, often in extreme cold. Some of the healthiest and hardest-working Indians on the Colombian Amazon the Yukunas consume enormous amounts of coca leaves daily, but this not a problem as they have time to raise their crops, hunt, fish and supply their food. (Linales) Perhaps the most ancient use of coca in South America is its employment in various shaman practices and religious rituals.

Isaac Newton Is Better Than John Locke Essay

In all my life I have discovered many things. My discoveries have allowed us to make more new discoveries. But a problem I think of is what the world would be like if I never existed. To start things off one important discovery I made was modern physics. If I was never to make the discoveries in optics, motion, and mathematics modern physics wouldn’t of existed which means that scientist wouldn’t have never known that every object in the universe has a force that attracts each other. Something else the world would have never found would be my laws of motion. The laws of motion gave people a better understanding regarding movement which helps people today in space travel and mechanics. The world would be a better place without John Locke for many reasons. One good reason would be that if he didn’t exist there wouldn’t be a lot of abortion issues around the world and especially in the United States. The reason why there are a lot of abortion issues today in the United States is because John Locke influenced Thomas Jefferson and when Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence he included some stuff John Locke believed in. One thing was that he said human beings are free to do what they want with their property. There are good things about that but theirs also bad things like abortion. The reason why abortion is legal is because the baby are the parents property and John Locke said that when babies are in the stomach their blank so in other words babies are ok to be aborted because their nothing. So if john Locke was to never have existed he wouldn’t have been able to influence Thomas Jefferson which means that there wouldn’t have been a lot of abortions. To sum everything up I Isaac Newton has made the modern world a better place because of my discoveries and if John Locke never existed the world including the United States would have no abortion issues and remember all of us are here because we were all born and not aborted.

Perfectly balanced poem Essay

â€Å"Essential Beauty† by Philip Larkin is a perfectly balanced poem of two 16-line stanzas. In the poem Larkin explores the subject of advertising in the early 60s. He begins by describing the subjects on huge billboards on the sides and ends of buildings. He suggests that these enormous images are placed in slum areas and that this is inappropriate and doubtful in its honest intention.  Larkin’s outstanding criticism is directed towards the content of the adverts. He makes it clear that â€Å"motor oil and cuts of salmon,† are of no consequence or beyond the finical ability of the people who live in the blocks of streets and slums where these billboards are pasted. â€Å"Cars† and â€Å"deep arm chairs† bed time cups and radiant electric fires warming â€Å"cats by slippers on warm mats† are certainly not the experiences of those who dwell in the vicinity of the outrageous adverts. They:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Reflect none of the rained-on streets and squares  They dominate the outdoors.†Ã‚  This criticism is at its height in its description of an advert for butter:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦High above the gutter  A silver knife sinks into golden butter.†Ã‚  Here he employs a cheap advertisement rhyme and exposes the ridiculous image which is clearly inappropriate for those upon whose house the advert may be displayed. Furthermore Larkin clearly despises the image of:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Well balanced families, in fine  Midsummer weather.† In the second stanza Larkin exposes the frothy emptiness of the images and moves on to explain the reality behind the images in the advert. As a result he demonstrates the distortion and dishonesty of advertising. Larkin states that we live in a different world from that which the advertisers depict:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦our live imperfect eyes  That stare beyond this world.†Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦nothing’s made  As new or washed quite so clean,†Ã‚  In a country pub the clients are all â€Å"with clothed ones from tennis clubs.† We learn that there is a boy throwing up in the gent’s toilet and a pensioner being cheated at the same time. Larkin reserves the final thrust for the cigarette advertisers. The dying smokers will not have a chance match lit meeting with a beautiful person however hard meeting with a beautiful person however hard they â€Å"drag† on their fags. The reality which Larkin seems to suggest in the last two lines, is that the beautiful women is visible, standing apart, recognising the dying smoker and the image of her goes dark as the smoker dyes. Philip Larkin exposure of the falseness, bad taste and down right dishonesty of billboard advertising is shocking and disturbing. At a time when the population of Britain was beginning to enjoy a rising income the advertisers were settling vulture like to grab any extra income from the poorest people. The advertisers were openly suggesting that the purchase of their products would inrich their lives, maintained their youth and give them motorcars. Larkin seemingly intense dislike of this whole medium is based on the sense of humanity and compassion. He does seem to care for the people who the advertisers are trying to win over; those who have spent most of their lives trying to live on a very small income. I found Philip Larkin’s poem â€Å"Essential Beauty† quite unfathomable to begin with. However once I was aware of it was making a comments about billboard advertising over forty years ago I began to understand Larkin’s subject and became aware of his stance. Although the advertising he describes is extremely dated in some respects compared to the two -dimensional advertising of today, it is none the less clearly recognisable from the poem. The advertisement depicts very middle classed people, images and expectations. Larkin certainly explains the contrast of these images with the reality of the lives and living conditions of the working class people who had to live with these enormous images around them, dominating their lives. I sympathise with Larkin, I think this type of advertising must have been insulting if not a clear signal that there was a huge division between the classes at that time. I think this poem is a powerful historic statement about inequality and insensitivity

The College Board Made a Huge Mistake on the June 6th SAT - Heres the Worst that Can Happen

The College Board Made a Huge Mistake on the June 6th SAT - Here's the Worst that Can Happen SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you took the SAT on June 6th, 2015, you may have noticed something different about the test. And now the College Board is dealing with a controversy that is affecting test-takers across the country. Like many students who had sat through an arduous 3.5 hours of testing and breaks, I was relieved to begin Section 8. This was the home stretch! The proctor read the instructions, telling us that we would have 20 minutes to complete the next section, and to note that this was less time than we were given for the previous sections. When I opened to Section 8, I was surprised to see that instead of 20 minutes, the instructions said I should receive 25 minutes to complete the section - a full 25% more time than what the proctor had mentioned. I started working, but students around the room started muttering in surprise and raised their hands to question the discrepancy. Had the College Board made a mistake? What Happened? And Who Has Been Affected? The short answer is: yes, the College Board had made a huge mistake. Sometimes, despite the efforts of numerous editors, a typo gets through and doesn't get noticed until thousands of people who haven't seen the test before are taking it. And unfortunately, this was a serious error because itdid not happen on an experimental section of the test. Students across the country were affected by this mistake.The error was on the final Critical Reading section of the exam, which was either Section 8 or Section 9 of the test, depending on which version you had. This was a section that was on all of the SAT I tests given on Saturday. So, how did it go down? In the proctor's manual/script, the instructions said to give 20 minutes each for Sections 8 and 9. When students turned to those sections, several realized that the instructions called for 25 minutes instead. Proctors responded in various ways: by sticking with what was in their instructions (20 minutes), or by going with the 25 minutes called for in the exam book, and occasionally, by doing something somewhere in between. Timing is everything. Students have reported a lot of confusion during the administration of these two sections. Some say they were told 15 minutes into the section that they were being given 25 minutes instead of 20 to complete it: One student says: "Our center gave 25 minutes, but didn't say it until the five minute warning (at which time they said ten minutes). This led to people rushing through sections that were long for twenty minutes, and then trying to go back and fix, as opposed to having 25 at the outset and working diligently from the start." Another says: "I saw someone on Twitter say that they're room persuaded the proctor to give them an extra 5 minutes on the second section of the 20 minute sections (I'm assuming because they took advantage of their section 8 being 25 minutes long instead of 20 because of a mistake their proctor made). This whole thing is terrible." Others report the opposite, saying that they were originally told that they would have 25 minutes, and then at the last minute, given only 20. One commenter on College Confidential says: "In my daughter's test, the told her they said they conferred with the college board and that they had 25 minutes, then 19 minutes into the section (she still thought she had six minutes) someone came into the room and told them they had to finish it within 20 minutes...so they only had one more minute. she still had 3 questions left, as she was thought she still had six minutes." Students across the country are feeling anxious about the test. Another agrees: "In our room, our proctor put 25 minutes for section 8 and asked the coordinator about it since it clearly said it was 20 minutes in the instructions. The coordinator called collegeboard and they said it was a misprint so then our time was changed back to 20 minutes midway." Students were not only affected by how much time they were given. Complaints have poured in from across the country, saying that the uncertainty surrounding these sections made them feel even more stressed out than they were already, and that they think they made more mistakes on those sections as a consequence: "Yeah that 20/25 minute mixup happened to me in Section 8 (which was Math for me). We all had an extra 5 minutes, but I feel as though it messed me up." But some are still confused about whose instructions had the mistakes - the proctors or the students. In other words... How Much Time Should You Have Been Given? One of the main complaints that is coming in from parents and students revolves around the idea that they were shortchanged. Though the test booklet said that they should have received 25 minutes, their proctors stuck to the 20 minute rule. They claim that the section was exceptionally difficult and impossible to rush through in only 20 minutes. Unfortunately, this isn't the case - if you thought the section was particularly tough, it's because of the content, but not of the time limit. The final 3 sections of the SAT are shorter than the rest of the sections on the test, and Sections 8 and 9 should weigh in at 20 minutes each. In this case, the contested Critical Reading section had only 19 questions - the same amount that is standard for a 20 minute section. In contrast,Critical Reading sections that are supposed to be completed in 25 minutes always have 24 questions. So don't feel cheated if you were only given 20 minutes to complete this section.This is how it should have been. If Nobody Had Too Little Time, Why Is There a Problem? Does 5 minutes really matter that much? The issue now is that some people had too much time - a full 25% more than they should have had to complete this section. And even more of a problem, everyone seems to have done this part of the test differently - some with 20 minutes on each section, some with 25 minutes on Section 8 and 20 minutes on Section 9, and others with 25 minutes onbothsections. The SAT is all aboutstandardization. The "curve" that SAT scores are based on compare how you did on the test to how everyone else did - both on the test you took, and on previous tests. They can't possibly do this if some people are given more time than others on equivalent sections. Now some students have a distinct advantage. And when some people have an advantage, the test can no longer be "standardized." How Has the College Board Responded? The problem was reported to College Board many times yesterday by proctors around the country. If your proctor called in, they were instructed to only allow 20 minutes for Sections 8 and 9. They also were told to continue administering the test. Today, the College Board issued an official statement: Shortly before noon Eastern Time on Saturday, June 6, Educational Testing Service (ETS) informed the College Board that there was a printing error in the standard test books they provided to students taking the SAT on June 6 in the United States. The time allotted for a specific section, either section 8 or 9 depending on the edition, was incorrect in the student test books and correct in the script and manual provided to Test Center Supervisors. The student test books contained â€Å"25 minutes† while the manual and script contained the correct time limit of "20 minutes." As soon as ETS became aware of the error during the administration of the test, they worked to provide accurate guidance to supervisors and administrators. The College Board understands the critical nature of this issue, and we are actively working to determine next steps to ensure the fairness of the test and the validity of the scores we deliver. We regret the confusion and concern this issue is causing for students and their families, and we will provide them and others with updated information as soon as possible. Please check back here for updates. You can check this page for new information. What Will Happen Next? There are several possibilities for what could happen from here on out, some more likely than others. (Edit 6/9/15:College Board has released an official statement on what they plan to do - scroll down to see what that is. The following section is retained to show what students nationwide had to worry about for days, before College Board made their decision.) The College Board could adjust the curves on these sections, depending on if you received extra time or not. At least one proctor who called the College Board yesterday during the exam has reported that this is what she was told. Some students think this is the right way to go: "I wonder if they have some sort of formula they can use to predict what the people who got 25 minutes SHOULD have gotten on Section 8 (based on their answers in the other writing section). And then maybe the curve could be based on that? idk tho... the whole situation is a mess." This is difficult, however, because the College Board would have to get reports from each testing center about whether or not extra time was given. Proctors are supposed to write down the start and end times of each section; however,since thisrelies on the proctors actually having done this, and then accurately reporting it, it leaves a lot of room for error - not to mention a lot of extra effort for the College Board to collect this information. Another potential issue for this method will come from those who were given 25 minutes by their proctors, but who completed the section in less than 20 minutes. Should they be judged on a harsher curve because of the proctor's choice? "No. That is not fair to me. I did not ask for those extra 5 minutes. We were all arguing with the proctor that it was suppose to be 20 minutes, but she said we all at least had to sit through the 5 minute wait even if we did nothing.... It messed me up. It is not fair...." We know how you feel. The College Board could cancel all scores for this test. As unfortunate as it is for everyone who gave up their Saturday to take this test, this could be a likely result. Reports are continuing to come in about just how much this error affected performance. The College Board's Terms and Conditions have a section regarding what they call â€Å"testing irregularities.†It states: â€Å"Testing irregularities refer to problems or irregular circumstances or events associated with the administration of a test. When they occur, they may affect an individual or groups of test-takers. Such problems include, without limitation, administrative errors (e.g., improper timing, improper seating, defective materials and defective equipment), indication of possible preknowledge of secure test content, and other disruptions of test administrations (e.g., natural disasters and other emergencies). When testing irregularities occur, ETS may cancel an administration or individual registrations, decline to score the test, or cancel the test score. ETS may do so whether or not the affected students caused the testing irregularities, benefited from them or engaged in misconduct. ETS is solely responsible for determining whether testing irregularities have occurred, and its decisions are final. When it is appropriate to do so, ETS gives affected test-takers the opportunity to take the test again as soon as possible, without charge.† Many people have said that this would be unfair to students because it was not any fault of theirs, and therefore their scores should not be cancelled. However, as you can see in the Terms and Conditions, the SAT does not care if the testing irregularity is any fault of the students or not. For example, hundreds of students who took the test in May will have to re-take it on June 20th because their test materials were misplaced.A country-wide cancellation of scores is also not unprecedented, though in the USA it is. In 2013, the SAT scores of all South Korean students who took the May test were cancelled due to cheating allegations aimed at test-prep companies. Though there were doubtlessly many students who had not cheated, their scores were also cancelled because the College Board felt there was no other reasonable alternative to ensure the fairness of the test. If the College Board were to take this route, they would likely offer a makeup testing date, which offers additional problems. It would be very difficult to add another national testing date this summer at such short notice, especially because many schools (which serve as testing sites) are closed and proctors (who are often teachers) are less available. Remember, it’s not like this only affected a couple hundred or even thousand people - it was a nationwide problem. The College Board could drop this section from your score and calculate your grade based on the rest of the test. This is not terribly likely, again because the whole point of the SAT is that it is standardized. Without being able to compare your scores on this section with the equivalent sections on other tests, it would be difficult to give you a fair score. Also, many students were not just affected in the final Critical Reading section, but also the final Math section. This means they would have to drop two sections - which would really increase the challenge. The College Board will automatically give everyone a perfect score for all their troubles. Just kidding. Dream on. What if I have to re-take the test? No need to panic just yet. If the College Board does decide to cancel these scores, they will most likely offer a re-test. This test would probably be offered at some point this summer, and would be free of charge to anyone who was originally registered for the SAT I on June 6, 2015. Many rules apply to these makeup tests: You can only take the test you were originally registered for. You cannot register for a makeup testing date if you were not registered for the cancelled test. You can only retake the test at the testing center you were originally registered for (which is bad news for people like me who registered late and had to drive 3 hours to get to one of the only centers with available space left). Makeups are not offered on Sundays - Sunday testing is only allowed for people who have a religious reason to not take it on Saturdays. You must take the ENTIRE test at a makeup test date (so not just the sections that had the error).Why? It would be unfair and unstandardized to compare you taking 2 sections fresh-faced and bright-eyed compared to those who had to take them tired after 3+ hours of testing It may take several weeks longer than normal to score your essays.Why? Again, because these are not in the normal schedule, it would take a lot longer to find all the people needed to grade them If you need to retake the test, you still have time to study. We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your SAT score. Download it for free now: ***UPDATE (6/9/15): The College Board Responds to Their Error*** Today, around 5:30 pm, the College Board issued their official response to the test timing crisis: On Saturday, June 6, Educational Testing Service (ETS) informed the College Board that there was a printing error in the standard test books ETS provided to students taking the SAT that day in the United States. We apologize for this error. After a comprehensive review and statistical analysis, the College Board and ETS have determined that the affected sections will not be scored and we will still be able to provide reliable scores for all students who took the SAT on June 6. We expect to deliver scores within the usual timeframe. To accommodate the wide range of incidents that can impact a testing experience, the SAT is designed to collect enough information to provide valid and reliable scores even with an additional unscored section. From fire drills and power outages to mistiming and disruptive behavior, school-based test administrations can be fragile, so our assessments are not. We take our responsibility to students very seriously, and we regret the confusion some students experienced. For more information, we encourage students and their families to check back here for the latest updates. Frequently Asked Questions for Students Q: What happened during the June 6 administration of the SAT? Shortly before noon Eastern time on Saturday, June 6, Educational Testing Service (ETS) informed the College Board that there was a printing error in the standard test books ETS provided to students taking the SAT ® on June 6 in the United States. The time allotted for a specific math or reading section - either section 8 or 9, depending on the edition - was incorrect in the student test books but correct in the script and manual provided to test center supervisors. The copy in the student test books indicated â€Å"25 minutes† while the manual and script indicated the correct time limit of "20 minutes." As soon as ETS became aware of the error during the administration of the test, it worked to provide accurate guidance to supervisors and administrators. Q: Will my scores be available and still be delivered to colleges and universities? After a comprehensive review and statistical analysis, the College Board and ETS have determined that the affected sections will not be scored, and that we will still be able to provide reliable scores for all students who took the SAT on June 6. We expect to deliver scores within the usual time frame. Colleges and universities will know these scores are valid. Q: How is it possible to not score a whole section and still have valid scores? To accommodate the wide range of incidents that can impact a testing experience, the SAT is designed to collect enough information to provide valid and reliable scores even with an additional unscored section. From fire drills and power outages to mistiming and disruptive behavior, school-based test administrations can be fragile, so our assessments are not. We have deliberately constructed both the Reading and the Math Tests to include three equal sections with roughly the same level of difficulty. If one of the three sections is jeopardized, the correlation among sections is sufficient to be able to deliver reliable scores. Q: When will I get my scores? We expect to deliver scores to students within the usual time frame. Q: Who does this affect? All students who took the SAT on June 6 in the United States are affected. This does not affect students who took the SAT on Sunday, June 7, or any SAT Subject Test offered that day. How Are People Reacting to This? Understandably, students are going to have a lot of questions about this decision - including why, if these sections of the test are not essential, they are included at all. While many students are relieved that they will not have to re-take the exam, they are also questioning if this is really a valid decision, andwhy the College Board has come up with this decision. Summary of @collegeboard about June #SAT Shit happens, but dont worry it's cool. We've been having you do extra shit in case shit happened. - Akil Bello (@akilbello) June 8, 2015 "In test:Hmm, I felt like I did well on the last 3 sections. That's great!Goes home:-oh wait a misprint and posts all over CollegeConfidential...oh, no...it's a nation-wide problem-Now:Aaaaaaaand there goes my scores. Gg. Thanks a lot, Collegeboard. Please learn to proofread on a a test with sections upon sections about proofreading." - College Confidential Othersare even more confused, because when many of them called the College Board help line (before the official announcement was posted) they were told various things, including thatthere would be a re-take offered on June 20, and that the scores would be curved depending on how much time each student had received on each section. "How will this even provide us with an accurate representation of our scores?! There were always 3 sections to provide some sort of balance to students! Taking out an entire section is going to screw some students up completely! I'm very shocked because I called the college board yesterday and they told me that they were more than likely going to give an optional retest on June 20. I wonder what made this dramatic change! I'm extremely disappointed in the way the college board handled this. Now the students who felt they did well on reading are going to be punished more severely because there's going to be a smaller margin for error!" "I called SAT and tried to clear up the confusion with their announcement. The guy who answered me, appeared to be reading from a script, and told me there will probably be a retake on June 20th. When I pressed for more information, he tried to refer me to Escalated services, but I declined the offer...." "When I called College Board, they said they were just going to divide up the test-takers into those who had 20 minutes and those who had 25 minutes for the sections in question, and grade each group. They told me the proctors are required to report each student who received extra time, so they could identify who got extra time and who didn't. I don't understand why they didn't do that. They could look at the distribution of scorers in each group to ensure the distribution is normal as well. What they have proposed is really unfair to those who took the test with the correct amount of time. It means that the margin for error is far less than usual because mistakes in the earlier sections are weighted more heavily. CB should be required to identify those who received extra time and given the normal scores to those who took the test normally, and offer a retake to those who didn't." Therefore, it does seem that the College Board at least considered other options before taking the route they decided on. Which makes us wonder why they didn't stick with either of them. And there is only one reasonable answer:the time and money expenditures would be enormous. In order to arrange a new nationwise testing date for free, the College Board would have to pay a tremendous amount of money. Similarly, it would take a lot of time and manpower to collect the information from each proctor about how much time was given on each section, and then to create and apply two curves. Finally, if students were graded on different standards, there would be a continuous uproar throughout the summer about test scores as students compared their curves - and College Board likely just wants this controversy to die down. So in many ways, the College Board has come to the solution that is easiest - for them. How Does This Affect You? Basically, instead of your scores for the Math and Critical Reading sections being spread out across three sections, now only the first two (longer) sections will be counted. Incorrect answers from these first sections will now have a greater weight on your score than they otherwise would have. Willthis actually provide accurate scores? For some students, it undoubtedly will. As the College Board says, all three sections of Math and Critical Reading have similar difficulty levels - meaning that each contains questions that range from easy to very difficult. If you are the type of student who would have scored fairly evenly across all of these sections (regardless of if that would have been low, average, or high scoring), then your overall score should bea good approximation of how you would have done with the missing sections included. This is what the College Board is banking on - after all, it is a standardized test, and they know that there are not normally massive discrepancies from one section to another. Who Will Benefit From College Board's decision? The students who will benefit the most from this are those who would have scored badly on the final sections of the test for any reason - including increased stress or fatigue from multiple hours of test-taking. Others who will benefit will be those who have a particular weakness that was covered in these sections but not in the other parts of the test. Though each section contains easy questions and tough questions, it is quite normal for the tough questions to cover diffferent concepts. So if your particular weakness - say, coordinate geometry - was featured on the deleted section, you are in luck and may get a higher score than you otherwise would have. Who Will Suffer From College Board's Decision? The people who will suffer the most from the deletion of the sections are those who were potential high-scorers. The curve on the SAT is always the toughest on the highest scores (especially on the Math sections, where a single wrong answer can disqualify you from an 800). Reducing the test scoring down to just two sections increases statistical variance because the test collects much less data about you. It's like flipping a coin - if you flip it 1000 times, you'll see that it's balanced between heads and tails. If you flip it 3 times, you might get all tails and make the wrong inference. So If you made a couple of mistakes on the earlier sections of the test, but scored perfectly on the latter sections, your score will likely be lower than it otherwise would have been. Who Will Lose out the Most? The obvious major losers in this are the College Board and the SAT, who have done a lot to destroy their own credibility. They have officially said that they can easily drop 2 sections of the test, with no effect on the outcome. While the validity of this statement is questionable, it does nothing to help their reputation, and many students are now wondering why those sections are on the test at all. .@CollegeBoard should know that there's a difference between reliability and validity- I learned that in AP Psychology- so which is it? #SAT - Mary Wojcicki (@MaryWojcicki) June 9, 2015 Give me back an hour of my life #collegeboard #SAT - Ashley. (@xoashh4) June 9, 2015 Disregard an entire section of the #SAT, and test is still "valid?" Anybody want to buy a bridge? @collegboard lacks all credibility! - College Connection (@GetCollege) June 9, 2015 The College Board's decision to not re-test shows that their bottom line is more important than accuracy of scores, which is making a lot of people wonder why they are bothering with the test in the first place. Not very reassuring to know that College Board cares more about their profit margins than the validity of the test scores #SAT #collegeboard - Eavan Ring (@eavanny) June 9, 2015 Andothers are frustrated that a test that seeks near-perfection from its takers doesn't hold itself to the same standard: "When a test can have such a profound impact on one's future, there simply can't be any room for such huge mistakes. Mistakes are becoming habitual for CB now for a extremely important test, which is unacceptable." This is one more item on a string of bad news for the College Board, which has been struggling to maintain its relevance in the face of the ACT's becoming more popular and in the wake of multiple cheating scandals. Final Thoughts If you feel that you were very negatively affected by the upheaval during Saturday's test, the deadline to cancel your scores is this Wednesday, June 10. If you get your scores and do not feel that they are an accurate reflection of how you would have done with the two cancelled sections added in, plan to re-take the test in the fall if it's possible for your schedule. Use the SAT you just took as a guide so you know where you can improve. And if you, like some others, are not feeling too charitably towards the College Board at the moment and want an alternative: unfortunately, it is too late to register for this month's ACT test. However, see our guidesfor the ACT to start preparing now for this fall's tests. What Should You Do Now? If you do have to re-take the test, use this as a learning opportunity. You just got to take the ultimate practice test. Think back to what sections you struggled with. Use this to target your studying so that you can rock it the next time around. Read more about College Board's recent cheating scandal in the US. Read our 11 top last-minute, must-read guides to prime yourself for the very next test. Learn expert strategiesto improve your SAT Reading, SAT Math, and SAT Writing scores if you're scoring below a 600 on any section. Have problems with SAT Reading, the section under consideration? Find out how to stop running out of time on the passages. Aiming for a top score? Read our guide to getting a perfect SAT score, even if you're frustrated by this event. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Another meaning for Dope

Another meaning for Dope Another meaning for Dope Another meaning for Dope By Maeve Maddox This headline on Buzzfeed caused me to do a double-take: The 4 Dopest Quotes From Ruth Bader Ginsburg On Marriage  Equality Initially, I thought the article so headed would list quotations considered by the writer to be especially misguided or stupid (i.e., â€Å"dopey†). As I read further, I realized that the writer admired Associate Justice Ginsberg’s opinions as expressed in the quotations. The word dopest was intended as a compliment. The word dope has a long and checkered history in English. In its original use, dope referred to a thick liquid or semi-fluid used as an article of food or as a lubricant. The word is thought to derive from Dutch doop, â€Å"a dipping† or â€Å"a sauce.† The Dutch verb doopen means â€Å"to dip.† Other meanings related to the gooey nature of dope include or have included: A preparation, mixture, or drug which is not specifically named. A varnish applied to the cloth surface of early airplanes to strengthen and keep them taut. A substance added to gasoline or other fuel to increase its efficiency. Opium, â€Å"especially the thick treacle-like preparation used in opium-smoking.† US speakers extended this use of dope to include stupefying drugs and narcotics in general. A medical preparation given to a racehorse for the purpose of affecting its performance. Various figurative meanings have become attached to dope: Information, especially on a particular subject or of a kind not widely disseminated or easily obtained. Information, a statement, etc., designed to gloss over or disguise facts; flattering or misleading talk. Something designed to deceive or bamboozle; a fraudulent design or action; a piece of deception or humbug. A stupid person, a simpleton, a fool. Dope is also used as a verb to mean â€Å"apply or to administer dope in one of its senses.† The use of dope as an adjective entered English slang in the 1980s, by way of rap music: 1981  J. Spicer Money (song) in L. Stanley Rap: the Lyrics (1992) 301  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Yo, man, them boys is dope This record is dope.† (OED) As for the word dopest used in the quotation about Justice Ginsberg, it is a slang expression meaning, â€Å"sickest, coolest, tightest, most awesome.† It is not standard usage and does not convey a positive connotation to speakers of standard English. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Redundant Phrases to AvoidSocial vs. SocietalWhat’s the Best Way to Refer to a Romantic Partner?

A Critical Review of Competing on capabilities (George Stalk, Philip Essay

A Critical Review of Competing on capabilities (George Stalk, Philip Evans, Lawrence E. Shulman 1992) - Essay Example Considering these aspects, the essay intends to present a review of the article ‘Competing on capabilities’ by ‘George Stalk’, ‘Philip Evans’, & ‘Lawrence E. The essay critically considers the major strengths and weaknesses of the article and further attempts to compare with the theories propounded by other scholars. The article ‘Competing on capabilities’ by ‘George Stalk’, ‘Philip Evans’ & ‘Lawrence E. Shulman’ specifically describes about the role and importance of business competitiveness on strategic decision making capabilities of companies. Throughout the article, multiple references of Wall Mart have been illustrated in order to establish a suitable alignment of this retail giant with the article’s theme (Shin, 2001; Stalk & et. al., 1992). According to the authors, a business process can only be categorized as capacity-based depending on the types of business strategies espoused by it. The facts mentioned within this article also appeared to have a specific amount of focus on the customer-satisfaction attainment factors. According to the authors, higher level of customer satisfaction can be achieved through the provision of superior quality of services and the price affordability of products offered by the companies (Article Myr iad, 2014; Sorescu & et. al., 2011). Throughout the article, specific emphasis has been laid upon the effective mechanism of replenishing the store inventory on a regular basis as a strategic plan towards establishing strong brand positioning within the minds of the customers (Bressler, 2009; Chadwick & et. al., 2007). Notwithstanding, appropriate implementation of business strategies has always been a debatable factor for the multiple reviewers as well as retail giants. This eventually proves the credibility of this article as being appropriately debatable against the wider perception of the effects business strategy