Computers In Education Essays - Educational Psychology,

Computers In Education Education has been changing so much in the last few years with the introduction to the computers both in the classroom and at home with the students. Students are no longer expected to write papers but type them up; Papers are no longer expected to be just writing but integrated with pictures and graphs; Projects have also changed from who can learn the most to who can make it look good. Computers have revolutionized education, but not without a cost. The cost is the quality of education some students receive. Computers take time students would normally use reading and researching so that they can make their project or paper more attractive. Time is taken away because teachers have not looked upon quality lately, and teachers don't grade harshly if it looks good. Papers have such a high expectation of visibility and a low expectation of quality these days. This theory has been tested by both students and experts and has been found to be true. The same paper in a different form with more pictures and charts will get a significantly better grade then one of just writing. They have also found that the same paper when written, as opposed to typed, will receive a significantly lower grade then the one done on the computer. This shows the paradigm shift that has taken place over the years from quality to computerization. If a medium could be reached where students put as much time and effort into the contents of their work as they did into the look of their work it could easily be said that education is better today then before. Until the student takes it upon his/her self to improve quality or until the teacher comes to grade on quality things will only be about who can make it look the best. Any student will learn at a very early age that it is important to learn how to use the computer. It is also very important to learn how to integrate graphs, charts, and pictures into any document that is done for school. In doing this the student will receive a better grade in most cases with less work. In all cases the computer has drastically changed the way both student look at doing a project or paper and the way that the teacher will grade something. Teaches need to stop looking at how the paper was done and start looking at the paper itself. If this happens grades would probably decrease for a little bit but there would be a shift back to students doing more quality work, instead of more attractive work. Computers are a great addition to our society, culture, and social structure. Computers are one of the greatest revolutions in the twentieth century and will most likely have the greatest impact on our civilization. The usage of the computer today, especially in education, is being abused. Society is putting to much emphasis on technology rather than on education. We have what we do today because of the way people were educated in the past. Educators should look back on how they grade or rate students since a computer can not expand ones mind, only help it to better express what one is trying to say. We are looking more at how someone says something over what they say, and the learning process should not start out like this but rather end up in this mode. Computers are just used at to high of a rate early in the child's education process and takes both from learning skills and interpersonal communication skills.

Biography of Amalasuntha, Queen of the Ostrogoths

Biography of Amalasuntha, Queen of the Ostrogoths We have three sources for the details of Amalasunthas life and rule: the histories of Procopius, the Gothic History of Jordanes (a summary version of a lost book by Cassiodorus), and the letters of Cassiodorus. All were written shortly after the Ostrogothic kingdom in Italy was defeated. Gregory of Tours, writing in the later 6th century, also mentions Amalasuntha. Procopius version of events, however, has many inconsistencies. In one account Procopius praises the virtue of Amalasuntha; in another, he accuses her of manipulation. In his version of this history, Procopius makes the Empress Theodora complicit in Amalasunthas death but he is often focused on depicting the Empress as a great manipulator. Known for: ruler of the Ostrogoths, first as regent for her sonDates: 498-535 (reigned 526-534)Religion:  Arian ChristianAlso known as: Amalasuentha, Amalasvintha,  Amalasvente, Amalasontha, Amalasonte, Queen of the Goths, Queen of the Ostrogoths, Gothic Queen, Regent Queen Background and Early Life Amalasuntha was the daughter of Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoths, who had taken power in Italy with the support of the eastern emperor. Her mother was Audofleda, whose brother, Clovis I, was the first king to unite the Franks, and whose wife, Saint Clotilde, is credited with bringing Clovis into the Roman Catholic Christian fold. Amalasunthas cousins thus included the warring sons of Clovis and Clovis daughter, also named Clotilde, who married Amalasunthas half-nephew, Amalaric of the Goths. She was apparently well educated, speaking Latin, Greek, and Gothic fluently. Marriage and Regency Amalasuntha was married to Eutharic, a Goth from Spain, who died in 522. They had two children; their son was Athalaric. When Theodoric died in 526, his heir was Amalasunthas son Athalaric. Because Athalaric was only ten, Amalasuntha became regent for him. After Athalarics death while still a child, Amalasuntha joined forces with the next closest heir to the throne, her cousin Theodahad or Theodad (sometimes called her husband in accounts of her rule). With the advice and support of her minister Cassiodorus, who had also been an advisor to her father, Amalasuntha seems to have continued a close relationship with the Byzantine emperor, now Justinian as when she permitted Justinian to use Sicily as a base for Belisarius invasion of the Vandals in North Africa. Opposition by the Ostrogoths Perhaps with Justinians and Theodahads support or manipulation, Ostrogoth nobles opposed Amalasunthas policies. When her son was alive, these same opponents had protested her giving her son a Roman, classical education, and instead had insisted that he receive training as a soldier. Eventually, the nobles rebelled against Amalasuntha, and exiled her to Bolsena in Tuscany in 534, ending her reign. There, she was later strangled by relatives of some men she had earlier ordered killed. Her murder probably was undertaken with her cousins approval Theodahad may have had reason to believe that Justinian wanted Amalasuntha removed from power. The Gothic War But after Amalasunthas murder, Justinian sent Belisarius to launch the Gothic War, retaking Italy and deposing Theodahad. Amalasuntha also had a daughter, Matasuntha or Matasuentha (among other renderings of her name). She apparently married Witigus, who briefly reigned after Theodahads death. She was then married to Justinians nephew or cousin, Germanus, and was made a Patrician Ordinary. Gregory of Tours, in his History of the Franks, mentions Amalasuntha and tells a story, which is most likely not historical, of Amalasuntha eloping with a slave who was then killed by her mothers representatives and then of Amalasuntha killing her mother by putting poison in her communion chalice. Procopius About Amalasuntha An excerpt from Procopius of Caesaria: The Secret History How Theodora treated those who offended her will now be shown, though again I can give only a few instances, or obviously there would be no end to the demonstration.When Amasalontha decided to save her life by surrendering her queendom over the Goths and retiring to Constantinople (as I have related elsewhere), Theodora, reflecting that the lady was well-born and a Queen, more than easy to look at and a marvel at planning intrigues, became suspicious of her charms and audacity: and fearing her husbands fickleness, she became not a little jealous, and determined to ensnare the lady to her doom.

Effective Communication at Workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Effective Communication at Workplace - Essay Example The communication skills of an accountant, therefore, have to be developed in the working place. Not only should an accountant be technically proficient, he must learn to effectively explain to his co-workers, clients, and superiors his financial reports. Being a master of accounting principles and acquiring strong communication skills through the years of practice of his profession and enriching himself with the knowledge of effective communication are key ingredients for the success of his profession. Writing has become a daily routine for accountants as he drafts letters and reports to clients and writes memos to his co-workers and superiors (Kenneth, 1998). He prepares a variety of correspondences. His report must be accurate, clear and concise to reduce misunderstanding. The accountant must refrain from the use of financial jargon if he is dealing with someone that does not understand accounting terms. An effective communication skill will instill confidence in the accountant. He must be able to write and speak clearly. The accountant prepares a variety of reports. In an accounting department of large offices, an accountant is assigned to handle any of the following accounts: cash transactions, cash balances, bank transactions, revenue, sales, payment of taxes, purchases, inventory etc. produces regular report either on a monthly, quarterly or annual. He must get the needed information from the Treasury Department, Purchasing Department, Collection Department, the bank etc. He communicates either through the use of the telephone, e-mail, internet protocol (IP) or issue a memorandum of request for a particular data. By yearend, a financial report with analysis of the company's performance is prepared. This will be presented to top management and to the stockholders. In a small organization, the accountant may handle different accounts and deals with a few persons. Communication may be organization-wide, departmental, team, and individual communication. In a purely accounting business, the accountant should be able to maintain long-term relationship with his clients. He must be able to understand his client's views, concerns and expectations. The accountant provide a verbal recap of the clients needs, highlight key points of the conversation, identify the required documents from the client provide a brief conference report, complete the financial analysis and let the client review the report. An accountant can learn effective communication skills by attending courses, seminars or reading through self-help books. Basic communication skills are the same for all professions. To improve verbal communication skills, the accountant must a)learn to speak clearly and at a reasonable phase; b) make eye-contact to connect to the person he is speaking to; c) speak at the right volume; d) pronounce the words correctly so that you will not be misunderstood or judged to be less competent; and e) use the right words to gain respect and effectively communicate the idea by improving vocabulary. In a paper on "Effective Workplace Communication Skills", one of the Articles for Accountants and Bookkeepers published by Universal Accounting, the following eight tips are given to accountants to develop effective workplace communication: 1) In delivering the message, determine the exact message to the intended audience and the approach to present

STRATEGIC SUPPLY CHAIN AND LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT Essay

STRATEGIC SUPPLY CHAIN AND LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT - Essay Example p.141.). An organization with strong supply chain integration can easily achieve competitive advantage resulting in efficient performance of the operational activities. According to Dolgui and Proth, â€Å"a supply chain is a global network of organizations that cooperate to improve the flaws of material and information between suppliers and customers at the lowest cost with the highest speed† (Dolgui and Proth, (2010), p.113). The primary objective of supply chain management is to provide high satisfaction to the customer group through effective operational processes. The task of managing efficient supply chain for meeting its objectives is known as supply chain management (SCM). Monezka and colleagues defined SCM as a concept â€Å"whose primary objective is to integrate and manage the sourcing, flow, and control of materials using a total system perspective across multiple functions and multiple tiers of suppliers† (Mentzer, 2001, p.8). Retail market is a service industry where finished goods are sold to the final consumers. The core operational activity of a retailer is to provide service to customers by selling products manufactured by different organizations. Therefore, in retailing business, the activities related to supply chain are of paramount importance. Hence, managing supply chain in retail business is more challenging as it determines the level of consumer satisfaction. The primary objective of this paper is to analyze the supply chain related issues of the supermarket and to develop a relevant and valid supply chain management for retailing business. The SWOT analysis of supermarket will help to realize its current position for framing its supply chain model. In order to support the proposal, two relevant research papers related to supply chain will be explained. Finally, the paper will be concluded by offering valid recommendations on the basis of the analyses and

Superior Manufacturing Company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Superior Manufacturing Company - Case Study Example This research will begin with the statement that considering the income statement and results of analysis of the profit and loss account by each item and factory, Waters’ decision to decision to keep product 103 was not rational, at least in the short run. This is because the company was operating at a loss and a decision to streamline causes of the loss was necessary, considering the tight competition in the industry. Analysis of products’ costs and revenues identified product 103 as the major cause of the company’s realized loss and its elimination would help the company in reducing its loses. In addition, and even though the company is less differentiated than its competitors are, focusing on stopping production of product 103, would promote the company’s specialization and this, together with focusing the resources on the remaining two products would empower the company towards competitive advantage, based on economies of scale and efficiency. Possible increase in operating income by at least $ 688, would however justify Waters’ decision to retain product 103. This is because the change would eliminate loss that the company suffers and would eliminate the urgent need for streamlining operations. In either case of operating income, Harvey’s position remains realistic. The researcher states that analysis of possible cost and revenues for the two options informs the decision to reduce the price or not.

Top Down Listening Activities

Top Down Listening Activities Listening skill is a part of learning English language you must practice for improving your listening over time. The teaching listening skill is the most difficult. because the students are acquired every time and lots of practice. It is not learning in my class. What is the best Strategies for learning Listening skills. There are many activities of listening for my students. I try to tell my students you should be more hearer and be able apply Strategies to listening skills such as, watching the news on the television, listening a news on the radio or listening news from an English radio station , talking about the news with a friend ,get a film and listen to speech . It is one way communication I cannot check all understanding. The two way communications are the students focus on a teacher or native speaker. I would like to suggest a teaching Listening Strategies because Listening Strategies are activities that help understand and remember of listening. I help my students develop a listening skill with a Bottom up and Top down strategies. Top-down listening activities Do you ever get your students to predict the content of a listening activity beforehand, maybe using information about the topic or situation, pictures, or key words? If so, you are already helping them to develop their top-down processing skills, by encouraging them to use their knowledge of the topic to help them understand the content. This is an essential skill given that, in a real-life listening situation, even advanced learners are likely to come across some unknown vocabulary. By using their knowledge of context and co-text, they should either be able to guess the meaning of the unknown word, or understand the general idea without getting distracted by it. Other examples of common top-down listening activities include putting a series of pictures or sequence of events in order, listening to conversations and identifying where they take place, reading information about a topic then listening to find whether or not the same points are mentioned, or inferring the relationships between the people involved. Mary Underwood (1989). In my opinion, it is the best way for teaching listening English skills. I teach a Top down listening skills which I produce the following pictures. The topic : so, what are you going to do now? Firstly, I give them a question. Then listening to the dialogues. After that choose the correct sentences. Finally, my students present in the classroom. The Effectiveness: The students have to be able to hear what the other person is saying and easy to understand in the listening because they try just on only the main idea that they want to know from the question I gave. Like, they have the purpose on listening in each topic. Summary, Listening is one is way in communicative so if we listen in the right way is the best way to understanding what we are hearing. Listening teaching is them very important for student so teach them how to listen in the correct method step by step I think it is a good activity for listening because it is a guide for listening. my student like Top-down listening activities. I teach a Top down listening skill with a song. I give the information to guide for the teaching. The teaching listening skill from a song .There are many thinks in the song for example, vocabulary ,tense and a sentence. It is a challenge for my teaching and this one need innovation and creative for my teaching English because it not boring There are four stages for teach of song. The first, the pre listening. I tell my students they dont worry that they understand every word they hare. In the sentence you must understand for some word and I make sure my students know what they are listening for before I start the song. First, I explain they should concentrate only information they need. Next, I give a question to check my student comprehension of the details. Then, I check for any word that my students may not know. Finally, I select a song it isnt a difficult and not a long. While listening. There are three stages. The first , I play the tape of the song wall in your heart for my students in two time. The second, I tell my student take to note about people or place and what is happening in the song and what, when, why, where and how that they hear. The third, I divide my students in pair. Give a fill in the blanks to complete the song and my student listen again check and share their answers. Post listening, I tell my students to write a meaning and to make a list a new vocabulary of the wall in your heart song and compare their answers and discuss what they understood in the song. and practice a song. I open the song again and tell my students to call out stop when they hear the answers. I and my student sing a song WALL IN YOUR HEART together. The Effectiveness. My students have to be able hear what the song ,understand and happiness with a teaching listening skills. Summary, I am very happy for a teaching listening skills from a song. I saw my students happy and like strategies teaching listening skills of the song. Bottom-up listening activities The emphasis in EFL listening materials in recent years has been on developing top-down listening processes. There are good reasons for this given that learners need to be able to listen effectively even when faced with unfamiliar vocabulary or structures. However, if the learner understands very few words from the incoming signal, even knowledge about the context may not be sufficient for her to understand what is happening, and she can easily get lost. Of course, low-level learners may simply not have enough vocabulary or knowledge of the language yet, but most teachers will be familiar with the situation in which higher-level students fail to recognize known words in the stream of fast connected speech. Bottom-up listening activities can help learners to understand enough linguistic elements of what they hear to then be able to use their top-down skills to fill in the gaps. Underwood (1989). In my opinion, it is a one of a good strategies. I would like present a teaching for a bottom-up. Activity I I designed to help a remember the dividing between word an important bottom up a listening skill. I reads out number of a sentences and ark my students to write down how many words from a easy listening. A student asked to compare their answers in pairs before listening again to check. While listening they should write what they hear before remodeling the complete sentences. Some suitable sentences are : I am going to the market. What dose she do? What are you doing. Do you want some milk ? Can you tell me call? It is nice to meet you. May I help you. I paint picture of New York. They watch comedies He doesnt like it. What have you got ? Id better go soon. There isnt any coffee Let s have a party. The Effectiveness. My students have to be able hear what the listening are a sentence , understand and rebuilding a sentences. Summary, I think my students dont like a teaching listening skills from a bottom up strategies. Reflection Q1: How important is listening? My student just want to speak. My students give opinion Suprada said that : Listening is very important for learning language. When you unable listening you cannot success for conversation. Somchai said that : The listening is important in the learning. Q2: My student hate listening to recording. Is there an acceptable alternative such as reading the transcripts to them aloud. When I taught a listening skill. There are many problem to listening from the recording. I asks my students. Nattaveeranuch said that : I want to listen to the music. I like it because everybody enjoy with a song. Suriya said that : I like listen a news and a music from TV. Chanel Poramase said that : I like listen to native speaker. I like talking with AJ. David. I am very happy when he understand me. Q3: When I do a listening activity in class, the students get frustrated if they cant understand every word. How can discourage them from trying to do this? I would like to tell my student dont worry because it is the second language. You can try listen to a news or a music from radio for a few minute everyday. Q4: My students say that they like listening to songs, but I am not sure that this is a good idea. Should I let them, and, if so, is there an effective way of using song? There are many effective of using a song .My student know a new vocabulary and a sentence. Q5: My course book listening texts sound a bit stilted and unnatural. Is there a good reason for this, and is there a viable alternation? There are many alternation for example, Teaching from song , see the sound tact and a listen to native speaker. Q6: My student complain that they can understand recordings is the classroom, but that they have problems understanding real people when they talk to them. How can I help them with this? Active Listening Steps Make eye contact/Follow speaker Look the speaker in the eyes. When the speaker is addressing a large group (e.g., during a lecture or presentation), eye contact will not be possible. In this case, follow the speakers movements.   Summarize what the speaker is saying Summarize every few sentences by stating the main ideas. Take notes, if this is helpful. Make connections Link what you are hearing to what you already know. Ask and answer questions Check your understanding of what youre hearing by asking questions about what you are hearing. If you can answer the questions, you understand the material. If you cant answer the questions, you need to ask the speaker for help.

Teaching Philosophy Essay -- Education Teaching Teachers Essays

Teaching Philosophy Education, as well as children, has always been very important to me. My favorite game to play growing up was always â€Å"school†. I would recruit my stuffed animals and dolls to be my â€Å"students†. Every evening when I got home from school I would spend countless hours making lesson plans, tests, and grading papers for my â€Å"students†. Now that I’m all grown up and taking the necessary steps to become an educator, I’m still as excited and enthusiastic about teaching as I was when I was a little girl. After completing my undergraduate degree in elementary education, I plan to start working on my master’s degree right away. Although I would eventually like to teach education courses at a college or university, I want to have my own classroom first. One of my goals as an elementary school teacher is to get children hooked on learning at an early age. Having an education is one of the most valuable things anyone can possess. Through an education one learns to read, write, and to do arithmetic. These three R’s are essential to get by in our world today. An education can also help to improve one’s quality of life. The more education that one has, a lot of times it means the better paying job that they can get. As a teacher I want to give all of my students an equal opportunity to learn, no matter what their ability is. I also hope to get my students interested in learning from an early age. I hope that through teaching I can give...

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner Chapters 15

â€Å"Come with us. Don't make one rash move or I will take you down.† I felt angry again as he glared at me, and a smal part of me wanted to snarl and show my teeth, but I had a feeling he was looking for just that kind of excuse. Jasper paused as if he'd just thought of something. â€Å"Close your eyes,† he commanded. I hesitated. Had he decided to kil me after al ? â€Å"Do it!† I gritted my teeth and shut my eyes. I felt twice as helpless as I had before. â€Å"Fol ow the sound of my voice and don't open your eyes. You look, you lose, got it?† I nodded, wondering what he didn't want me to see. I felt some relief that he was bothering to protect a secret. There was no reason to do so if he was just going to kil me. â€Å"This way.† I walked slowly after him, careful to give him no excuses. He was considerate in the way he led, not walking me into any trees, at least. I could hear the way the sound changed when we were in the open; the feel of the wind was different, too, and the smel of my coven burning was stronger. I could feel the warmth of the sun on my face, and the insides of my eyelids were brighter as I sparkled. He led me closer and closer to the muffled crackle of the flames, so close that I could feel the smoke brush my skin. I knew he could have kil ed me at any time, but the nearness of the fire stil made me nervous. â€Å"Sit here. Eyes closed.† The ground was warm from the sun and the fire. I kept very stil and tried to concentrate on looking harmless, but I could feel his glare on me, and it made me agitated. Though I was not mad at these vampires, who I truly believed had only been defending themselves, I felt the oddest stirrings of fury. It was almost outside myself, as if it were some leftover echo from the battle that had just taken place. The anger didn't make me stupid, though, because I was too sad – miserable to my core. Diego was aways in my mind, and I couldn't help thinking about how he must have died. I was sure there was no way he would have voluntarily told Riley our secrets – secrets that had given me a reason to trust Riley just enough until it was too late. In my head, I saw Riley's face again – that cold, smooth expression that had formed as he'd threatened to punish any of us who wouldn't behave. I heard again his macabre and oddly detailed description – when I take you to her and hold you as she tears off your legs and then slowly, slowly burns off your fingers, ears, lips, tongue, and every other superfluous appendage one by one. I realized now that I'd been hearing the description of Diego's death. That night, I'd been sure that something had changed in Riley. Kil ing Diego was what had changed Riley, had hardened him. I believed only one thing that Riley had ever told me: he had valued Diego more than any of the rest of us. Had even been fond of him. And yet he'd watched our creator hurt him. No doubt he'd helped her. Kil ed Diego with her. I wondered how much pain it would have taken to make me betray Diego. I imagined it would have taken quite a lot. And I was sure it had taken at least that much to make Diego betray me. I felt sick. I wanted the image of Diego screaming in agony out of my head, but it wouldn't leave. And then there was screaming there in the field. My eyelids fluttered, but Jasper snarled furiously and I clenched them together at once. I'd seen nothing but heavy lavender smoke. I heard shouting and a strange, savage howling. It was loud, and there was a lot of it. I couldn't imagine how a face would have to contort to create such a noise, and the not knowing made the sound more frightening. These yel ow-eyed vampires were so different from the rest of us. Or different from me, I guess, since I was the only one left. Riley and our creator were long gone by now. I heard names cal ed, Jacob, Leah, Sam. There were lots of distinct voices, though the howls continued. Of course Riley had lied to us about the number of vampires here, too. The sound of the howling tapered off until it was just one voice, one agonized, inhuman yowling that made me grit my teeth. I could see Diego's face so clearly in my mind, and the sound was like him screaming. I heard Carlisle talking over the other voices and the howling. He was begging to look at something. â€Å"Please let me take a look. Please let me help.† I didn't hear anyone arguing with him, but for some reason his tone made it sound like he was losing the dispute. And then the yowling reached a strident new pitch, and suddenly Carlisle was saying â€Å"thank you† in a fervent voice, and under the yowl there was the sound of a lot of movement by a lot of bodies. Many heavy footsteps coming closer. I listened harder and heard something unexpected and impossible. Along with some heavy breathing – and I've never heard anyone in my coven breathe like that – there were dozens of deep thumping noises. Almost like†¦ heartbeats. But definitely not human hearts. I knew that particular sound wel . I sniffed hard, but the wind was blowing from the other direction, and I could only smel the smoke. Without a warning sound, something touched me, clapped down firmly on either side of my head. My eyes started open in panic as I lurched up, straining to jerk free of this hold, and instantly met Jasper's warning gaze about two inches from my face. â€Å"Stop it,† he snapped, yanking me back down on my butt. I could only just hear him, and I realized that his hands were sealed tight against my head, covering my ears entirely. â€Å"Close your eyes,† he instructed again, probably at a normal volume, but it was hushed for me. I struggled to calm myself and shut my eyes again. There were things they didn't want me to hear, either. I could live with that – if it meant I could live. For a second I saw Fred's face behind my eyelids. He had said he would wait for one day. I wondered if he would keep his word. I wished I could tel him the truth about the yel ow-eyes, and how much more there seemed to be that we didn't know. This whole world that we real y knew nothing about. It would be interesting to explore that world. Particularly with someone who could make me invisible and safe. But Diego was gone. He wouldn't be coming to find Fred with me. That made imagining the future faintly repugnant. I could stil hear some of what was going on, but just the howling and a few voices. Whatever those weird thumping sounds had been, they were too muted now for me to examine them. I did make out the words when, a few minutes later, Carlisle said, â€Å"You have to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  – his voice was too low for a second, and then – â€Å"†¦ from here now. If we could help we would, but we cannot leave.† There was a growl, but it was oddly unmenacing. The yowling became a low whine that disappeared slowly, as if it was moving away from me. It was quiet for a few minutes. I heard some low voices, Carlisle and Esme among them, but also some I didn't know. I wished I could smel something – the blindness combined with the muted sound left me straining for some source of sensory information. But al I could smel was the horribly sweet smoke. There was one voice, higher and clearer than the others, that I could hear most easily. â€Å"Another five minutes,† I heard whoever it was say. I was sure it was a girl who was speaking. â€Å"And Bel a wil open her eyes in thirty-seven seconds. I wouldn't doubt that she can hear us now.† I tried to make sense of this. Was someone else being forced to keep her eyes shut, like me? Or did she think my name was Bel a? I hadn't told anyone my name. I struggled again to smel something. More mumbling. I thought that one voice sounded off – I couldn't hear any ring to it at al . But I couldn't be sure with Jasper's hands so securely over my ears. â€Å"Three minutes,† the high, clear voice said. Jasper's hands left my head. â€Å"You'd better open your eyes now,† he told me from a few steps away. The way he said this frightened me. I looked around myself quickly, searching for the danger hinted at in his tone. One whole field of my vision was obscured by the dark smoke. Close by, Jasper was frowning. His teeth were gritted together and he was looking at me with an expression that was almost†¦ frightened. Not like he was scared of me, but like he was scared because of me. I remembered what he'd said before, about my putting them in danger with something cal ed a Volturi. I wondered what a Volturi was. I couldn't imagine what this scarred-up, dangerous vampire would be afraid of. Behind Jasper, four vampires were spaced out in a loose line with their backs to me. One was Esme. With her were a tal blonde woman, a tiny black-haired girl, and a dark-haired male vampire so big that he was scary just to look at – the one I'd seen kil Kevin. For an instant I imagined that vampire getting a hold on Raoul. It was a strangely pleasant picture. There were three more vampires behind the big one. I couldn't see exactly what they were doing with him in the way. Carlisle was kneeling on the gr ound, and next to him was a male vampire with dark red hair. Lying flat on the ground was another figure, but I couldn't see much of that one, only jeans and smal brown boots. It was either a female or a young male. I wondered if they were putting the vampire back together. So eight yel ow-eyes total, plus al that howling before, whatever strange kind of vampire that had been; there had been at least eight more voices involved. Sixteen, maybe more. More than twice as many as Riley had told us to expect. I found myself fiercely hoping that those black-cloaked vampires would catch up to Riley, and that they would make him suffer. The vampire on the ground started to get slowly to her feet – moving awkwardly, almost like she was some clumsy human. The breeze shifted, blowing the smoke across me and Jasper. For a moment, everything was invisible except for him. Though I was not as blind as before, I suddenly felt much more anxious, for some reason. It was like I could feel the anxiety bleeding out of the vampire next to me. The light wind gusted back in the next second, and I could see and smel everything. Jasper hissed at me furiously and shoved me out of my crouch and back onto the ground. It was her – the human I'd been hunting just a few minutes ago. The scent my whole body had been focused toward. The sweet, wet scent of the most delicious blood I'd ever tracked. My mouth and throat felt like they were on fire. I tried wildly to hold on to my reason – to focus on the fact that Jasper was just waiting for me to jump up again so that he could kil me – but only part of me could do it. I felt like I was about to pul into two halves trying to keep myself here. The human named Bel a stared at me with stunned brown eyes. Looking at her made it worse. I could see the blood flushing through her thin skin. I tried to look anywhere else, but my eyes kept circling back to her. The redhead spoke to her in a low voice. â€Å"She surrendered. That's one I've never seen before. Only Carlisle would think of offering. Jasper doesn't approve.† Carlisle must have explained to that one when my ears were covered. The vampire had both his arms around the human girl, and she had both hands pressed to his chest. Her throat was just inches from his mouth, but she didn't look frightened of him at al . And he didn't look like he was hunting. I had tried to wrap my head around the idea of a coven with a pet human, but this was not close to what I had imagined. If she'd been a vampire, I would have guessed that they were together. â€Å"Is Jasper al right?† the human whispered. â€Å"He's fine. The venom stings,† the vampire said. â€Å"He was bitten?† she asked, sounding shocked by the idea. Who was this girl? Why did the vampires al ow her to be with them? Why hadn't they kil ed her yet? Why did she seem so comfortable with them, like they didn't scare her? She seemed like she was a part of this world, and yet she didn't understand its realities. Of course Jasper was bitten. He'd just fought – and destroyed – my entire coven. Did this girl even know what we were? Ugh, the burn in my throat was impossible! I tried not to think about washing it away with her blood, but the wind was blowing her smel right in my face! It was too late to keep my head – I had scented the prey I was hunting, and nothing could change that now. â€Å"He was trying to be everywhere at once,† the redhead told the human. â€Å"Trying to make sure Alice had nothing to do, actual y.† He shook his head as he looked at the tiny blackhaired girl. â€Å"Alice doesn't need anyone's help.† The vampire named Alice shot a glare at Jasper. â€Å"Overprotective fool,† she said in her clear soprano voice. Jasper met her stare with a half smile, seeming to forget for a second that I existed. I could barely fight the instinct that wanted me to make use of his lapse and spring at the human girl. It would take less than an instant and then her warm blood – blood I could hear pumping through her heart – would quench the burn. She was so close – The vampire with the dark red hair met my eyes with a fierce warning glare, and I knew I would die if I tried for the girl, but the agony in my throat made me feel like I would die if I didn't. It hurt so much that I screamed out loud in frustration. Jasper snarled at me, and I tried to keep myself from moving, but it felt like the scent of her blood was a giant hand yanking me off the ground. I had never tried to stop myself from feeding once I had committed to a hunt. I dug my hands into the ground looking for something to hold on to but finding nothing. Jasper leaned into a crouch, and even knowing I was two seconds from death, I couldn't focus my thirsty thoughts. And then Carlisle was right there, his hand on Jasper's arm. He looked at me with kind, calm eyes. â€Å"Have you changed your mind, young one?† he asked me. â€Å"We don't want to destroy you, but we wil if you can't control yourself.† â€Å"How can you stand it?† I asked him, almost begging. Wasn't he burning, too? â€Å"I want her.† I stared at her, desperately wishing the distance between us was gone. My fingers raked uselessly through the rocky dirt. â€Å"You must stand it,† Carlisle said solemnly. â€Å"You must exercise control. It is possible, and it is the only thing that wil save you now.† If being able to tolerate the human the way these strange vampires did was my only hope for survival, then I was already doomed. I couldn't stand the fire. And I was of two minds about survival anyway. I didn't want to die, I didn't want pain, but what was the point? Everyone else was dead. Diego had been dead for days. His name was right on my lips. I almost whispered it aloud. Instead, I gripped my skul with both hands and tried to think about something that wouldn't hurt. Not the girl, and not Diego. It didn't work very wel . â€Å"Shouldn't we move away from her?† the human whispered roughly, breaking my concentration. My eyes snapped back to her. Her skin was so thin and soft. I could see the pulse in her neck. â€Å"We have to stay here,† said the vampire she was clinging to. â€Å"They are coming to the north end of the clearing now.† They? I glanced to the north, but there was nothing but smoke. Did he mean Riley and my creator? I felt a new thril of panic, fol owed by a little spasm of hope. There was no way she and Riley could stand against these vampires who had kil ed so many of us, was there? Even if the howly ones were gone, Jasper alone looked capable of dealing with the two of them. Or did he mean this mysterious Volturi? The wind teased the girl's scent across my face again, and my thoughts scattered. I glared at her thirstily. The girl met my stare, but her expression was so different from what it should have been. Though I could feel that my lips were curled back from my teeth, though I trembled with the effort to stop myself from springing at her, she did not look afraid of me. Instead she seemed fascinated. It almost looked like she wanted to speak to me – like she had a question she wanted me to answer. Then Carlisle and Jasper began to back away from the fire – and me – closing ranks with the others and the human. They al were staring past me into the smoke, so whatever they were afraid of was closer to me than it was to them. I huddled tighter to the smoke in spite of the nearby flames. Should I make a run for it? Were they distracted enough that I could escape? Where would I go? To Fred? Off on my own? To find Riley and make him pay for what he'd done to Diego? As I hesitated, mesmerized by that last idea, the moment passed. I heard movement to the north and knew I was sandwiched between the yel ow-eyes and whatever was coming. â€Å"Hmm,† a dead voice said from behind the smoke. In that one syl able I knew exactly who it was, and if I hadn't been frozen solid with mindless terror I would have bolted. It was the dark-cloaks. What did this mean? Would a new battle begin now? I knew that the dark-cloaked vampires had wanted my creator to succeed in destroying these yel ow-eyes. My creator had clearly failed. Did that mean they would kil her? Or would they kil Carlisle and Esme and the rest here instead? If it had been my choice, I knew who I would want destroyed, and it wasn't my captors. The dark-cloaks ghosted through the vapor to face the yel ow-eyes. None of them looked in my direction. I held absolutely stil . There were only four of them, like last time. But it didn't make a difference that there were seven of the yel ow-eyes. I could tel that they were as wary of these dark-cloaks as Riley and my creator had been. There was something more to them than I could see, but I could definitely feel it. These were the punishers, and they didn't lose. â€Å"Welcome, Jane,† said the yel ow-eyed one who held the human. They knew each other. But the redhead's voice was not friendly – nor was it weak and eager to please like Riley's had been, or furiously terrified like my creator's. His voice was simply cold and polite and unsurprised. Were the dark-cloaks this Volturi, then? The smal vampire who led the dark-cloaks – Jane, apparently – slowly scanned across the seven yel ow-eyes and the human, and then final y turned her head toward me. I glimpsed her face for the first time. She was younger than me, but much older, too, I guessed. Her eyes were the velvet color of dark red roses. Knowing it was too late to escape notice, I put my head down, covering it with my hands. Maybe if it were clear that I didn't want to fight, Jane would treat me as Carlisle had. I didn't feel much hope of that, though. â€Å"I don't understand.† Jane's dead voice betrayed a hint of annoyance.

5 Hacks to Improve Your Home Office Productivity

5 Hacks to Improve Your Home Office Productivity The experts at GlassDoor.com have put together a list of suggestions to improve your working-from-home productivity! The independence is priceless but the distractions are endless- these tips will help you make the most out of working from the couch or coffee shop in your sweats.1. Have an Office SpaceThe couch is your enemy when youre working from home. No, hear me out! The couch is where you watch TV, read, snooze, cuddle with loved ones, put your feet up. Your brain is wired to unspool when you feel its comfy embrace.Even if its just a basic dining room chair and a laptop desk, try to carve out a dedicated office space in your home. My husband and I each have ownership of a corner of the living room, and I rearrange my desk and bookcase configuration every 6 months or so to keep it fresh since I get tired of staring at the same walls all day.2. Schedule Your Work WeekThis one has been huge for me as I start a full-time freelance and teaching  schedule- I have to plot out deadlin es for my classes and fit freelance writing and editing projects in around those. If I dont know whats coming, I wont know when I need to pull a late night and when its okay to knock off early.Every week, take a few minutes to plan ahead- its vital time well-spent that will save you stress and scrambling down the line.3. Have a Regular RoutineThe beauty of working at home is that if I wanted, I could work from noon to 8 p.m. and lounge around every morning. But  Ive found that while I am the worlds crankiest morning person, getting up early, walking the dog, having breakfast and coffee, working diligently from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and then doing smaller, less demanding projects in the afternoon hours is the way to go.Come up with some rituals that replace the morning commute (mine is an extra long shower), and reward yourself with a trip to the kitchen or the corner store when youve accomplished your goals for the day.4. Know Your MotivationThere is something about noise-canceling he adphones that immediately puts me in a ready-to-work mindset. Even if the apartment is quiet, confining my senses to my immediate surroundings helps me zero in on the work at hand.Figure out what motivates you to buckle down. Is it consistency? Variety? Do you need a different coffee shop table every day of the week or are you better off wearing a groove in your home office floor from sitting in the same spot?5. Get in a Working MindsetA tricky part about the omnipresence of Gchat or texting when you work from home is that you can actually stay just as connected to your friends at work as you could when you shared office space. Sometimes my husband works from home and I wind up relocating to the bedroom because Ive gotten so used to the empty space around me.Figure out how to filter out the distractions that might derail you- and remember, you are the only one responsible for getting your work done! Be gentle with yourself as you adjust, be realistic about what you can take on, and dont be afraid to draw firm work-life boundaries. Just because your home office is right next to your couch station is no reason you have to be on call 24/7!And truthfully, working from home isnt for everyone. There are likely co-working spaces near you where you can set up shop on a weekly or monthly basis if you find you need a background hum of things happening.

Anna Morandi Manzolini essays

Anna Morandi Manzolini essays There have been many famous men and women scientists throughout the centuries. Although most of the time its men who get recognition, women scientists get their moment of glory as well. Previous women scientists have inspired many women scientists of today. In the 18th Century many women werent able to go to school and get the proper education that men did at the time. That didnt stop all women who wanted to learn, such as Anna Morandi Manzolini. Morandi went to school, studied, and later became famous as s physician. Many people admire Anna Manzolini because of her efforts to not quit and continue to reach for her goals in life. She never let anyone get in the way of her dreams. In 1716 Anna was born in Italy. Her mentor was her father whom she loved very dearly. Since she wasnt able to go to school like boys her own age, she had a small laboratory on her kitchen table that she would play with. When she became older and got married to Mr. Manzolini, they both went to the University of Bologna, Italy. Her main focus of her work was on human organs. Out of wax, she would make figures such as eyes, hands and almost anything that have to do with the human body. Both her and her husband were interested in this type of work. They would help and give lessons in their own house to surgeons and medical students on how to make wax figures. They both loved there work in human anatomy and the creation of wax figures, but it didnt last for one of them. When Manzonlini was 39 years old, her husband pasted away and she took over his position and became a faculty member at the University. Even though he died, she didnt stop working instead she continued what her and her h usband left behind. In 1761 Dr. Manzolini became the Chairperson of the Anatomical Modeling Department. While being the Chairperson, at the same time she made a wax portrait or her husband dissecting a heart. She a ...

What do you think about the type of leadership the president of Essay - 3

What do you think about the type of leadership the president of Liberia and Ghana would display on the political scene and why - Essay Example inaugural Chevron Excellence in Leadership Energy Lecture at the James A Baker III Institute for Public Policy on the campus of Rice University, before an audience of several hundred persons. In addition, a new documentary,  Iron Ladies of Liberia, explores the evolving role of President Sirleaf and the women helping her to lead the country in a democratic way. She equally learned, was once an Assistant Administrator, and then Director, of the UN Development Program Regional Bureau for Africa, and served as Minister of Finance from 1972 to 73, but left after a disagreement over public spending. Having lost an election and with 30 years political experience, she favors free and fair elections (A+E Networks, 2012). On the contrary, although President John Evans Atta-Mills had sworn to be father to all Ghanaians irrespective of our political affiliations, he has not lived to the democratic nature of Ghana. The president and his regime lacks leadership qualities, has unprecedented brok en promises, incompetence and corruption. Indeed, the recent voter registration process was marred by violence, killings, alleged beatings, and shooting in some registration centers while the president was just watching. Indeed, with the rising political tension in Ghana, the president ought to show leadership. He and the ruling party face accusations of intimidation of their political opponents (Thompson,

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Critical Thinking - Essay Example â€Å"A leaders own strength in critical thinking and decision making is the central platform on which their influence transcends through other managers in the business† (Hilliwell, 2000). The management career requires the use of critical thinking because this job entails making operation and strategic business decisions. The purpose of this paper is to analyze critical thinking and its applications in the workplace. The utilization of critical thinking is something every human has performs hundreds of times during their lifetime. Critical thinking can be classified as a core competency. Not everyone has the same aptitude and skill level. According to scholars there is a direct correlation between a person critical thinking ability and their coefficient of intelligence. In the managerial field critical thinking abilities are imperative due to the fact that managers are responsible for the overall performance of the company and its employees. In the workplace in general employees that have critical thinking abilities have a higher probability of achieving success. Personally I consider myself an individual with pretty good critical thinking skills. As a working professional I have applied my critical thinking abilities in the workplace. A few years ago I worked at a start-up company. I was not officially a manager, but I was involved in the decision making process which implies my job duties were similar to a managerial position. The company had a new innovative product. The two functional areas I worked were finance and research and development. In the research and development department the engineer in charge would meet with me once a week to discuss product improvements ideas and production methodologies. When I started meeting with him he told me that he liked the way I process and interpreted information and that the feedback she received from me was very useful. The engineer would talk to me and tell about different issues