The Marburg Virus Essays - Zoonoses, Biological Weapons,

The Marburg Virus Many new viruses are emerging from the rainforest every year. The deadly viruses include the Ebola, Marburg, and AIDS viruses. They are some of the most destructive and lethal viruses that human kind has ever seen. They seem to affect most of the body and it's organs with some rather gruesome symptoms. Although most die ending their suffering, some survive to relay the story of their pain. The Marburg virus described in "The Hot Zone" , by Richard Preston, exemplifies these new gruesome viruses well. A person is infected with the virus through sexual contact or contact with bodily fluid(29,39). After infection, the symptoms begin within seven days(14). The symptoms begin with a headache. This headache worsens throughout the day spreading to pain in the eyes and temples. On the second day the victim begins to feel horrible back pains(14). These symptoms of the first stage of the virus are considerably vague. The victim can easily mistake these symptoms as something minor such as the flu, thus delaying diagnosis. During the second stage of the virus the symptoms become more visual. At this stage the victim becomes a little more aware that there is something more serious than the flu wrong with them. During this stage the victim's eyes begin to turn red in color and the face loses all appearance of life(15). "His face lost all appearance of life and set itself into an expressionless mask, with eyeballs fixed, paralytic, and staring. The eyelids were slightly droopy, which gave him a peculiar appearance, as if his eyes were popping out of his head. The eyeballs themselves seemed frozen in their sockets, and they turned bright red. The skin of his face turned yellowish, with brilliant starlike red speckles."(15) This passage describes Charles Monet who, at this point, is just entering the second stage of the Marburg virus. His skin became jaundice and his eyes have started to turn red, these were the first visible signs that there was something seriously wrong with him(15). At this point Monet's personality was said to have changed. He was described as sullen, resentful, angry, and he was beginning to lose his memory(15). The symptoms of the virus at this point could still be mistaken for another disease such as Malaria. Dr. Shem Musoke mistook the virus for Malaria when he was in this stage of the virus(29). When given a shot for Malaria, he remarked that "He had never felt such pain from a shot; it was abnormal and memorable."(30) The third stage of the virus is by far the most damaging of the stages. "His eyes are the color of rubies, and his face is an expressionless mass of bruises. The red spots, which a few days before had started out as starlike speckles, have expanded and now merge into huge, spontaneous purple shadows: his whole head is turning black-and-blue. The muscles of his face droop. The connective tissue in his face is dissolving, and his face appears to hang from the underlying bone, as if the face is detaching itself from the skull."(17-18) This passage describes Monet during the third stage of the virus. At this point the victim begins to vomit uncontrollably. This black spotted, red vomit is known as "vomito negro", or the "black vomit". This vomit is loaded with the virus(18). At this point "extreme amplification"(18) is starting to take place. Extreme amplification is the saturation of the body with virus particles. At this point it is said that there may be over a hundred million particl es of the virus in one drop of the victims blood. Black vomit is the first sign of extreme amplification(18). Blood clot begin to occur throughout the body at the point. The intestines begin to die for lack of blood. Depersonalization starts to take place. This is the wiping away of the victim's personality by brain damage. Spots on the brain are liquefying(19). During the final stage "? the human virus bomb explodes."(23) At this stage the host is said to "crash and bled out"(23). The victim begins to feel weak and their spine goes limp. At this point the victim goes into shock.(23) Massive quantities of blood are expelled from the mouth and

Google Management and Google Essay

Google Management and Google Essay Google: Management and Google Essay Assignment Option #1: Case Study Analysis- Building a Better Boss Jason Roberts Course Number & Course Name Instructor Name 10/5/2014 Google has been a successful company and has been among Fortune Magazine’s Top 50 Best Places to Work since 2008 (Solomon, 2008). For much of its 13 year history, particularly the early years, Google has taken a pretty simple approach to management: Leave people alone. Let the engineers do their stuff. If they become stuck, they’ll ask their bosses, whose deep technical expertise propelled them into management in the first place. Laszlo Bock, Google’s vice president for â€Å"people operations,† which is Google-speak for human resources embarked for change with Project Oxygen. Mr. Bock’s group found that technical expertise, the ability, say, to write computer code in your sleep, ranked dead last among Google’s big eight. What employees valued most were even-keeled bosses who made time for one-on-one meetings, who helped people puzzle through problems by asking questions, not dictating answers, and who took an interest in employees’ l ives and careers (Bryant, 2011). â€Å"In the Google context, we’d always believed that to be a manager, particularly on the engineering side, you need to be as deep or deeper a technical expert than the people who work for you,† Mr. Bock says. â€Å"It turns out that that’s absolutely the least important thing. It’s important, but pales in comparison. What is much more important is just making that connection and being accessible† (Bryant, 2011). Henry Foyal was the first person to identify elements or functions of management in his classic 1916 book Administration Industrielle et Generale. According to Fayol, commanding as a managerial function concerned the personal supervision of subordinates and involved inspiring them to put forth unified effort to achieve objectives. Fayol emphasized the importance of managers understanding the people who worked for them, setting a good example, treating subordinates in a manner consistent with firm policy, delegating, and communicating through meetings and conferences (Anderson & Pulich, 2002). Google quickly determined this approach did not work for the type of organization they wanted. History and the manifestation of new theory have shown functions of management as described by Fayol and others of the process school of management were not an accurate description of the reality of managers' jobs. Chief among the critics of the functional approach was Henry Mintzberg (Anderson & Pulich, 2002). Mintzberg argued that the functional or process school of management was "folklore" and that functions of management such as planning, organizing, leading, and controlling did not accurately depict the chaotic nature of managerial work. He felt that the functional approach to the managerial job falsely conveyed a sense that managers carefully and deliberately evaluated information before making management decisions (Anderson & Pulich, 2002). Based upon an observational study of five executives, Mintzberg concluded that the work managers actually performed could best be represented by three sets of roles, or activities: interpersonal roles, informational roles, and decision-making roles. He described the interpersonal roles as consisting of figurehead, leader, and liaison. He identified three informational roles: monitor, disseminator, and spokesperson. Finally, he described four decision-making roles that included entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource allocator, and negotiator (Robbins & De Cenzo). Mintzberg’s roles are not intended to be prescriptive. Instead, they serve as a looking glass, providing manager with insight into how they spend their time and, drawing attention to problems can go a long way towards remedying them (Have

Form and Forum

Form and Forum Form and Forum Form and Forum By Maeve Maddox A reader asks, What is the difference in form and forum? Are they interchangeable? If not, what is the correct usage for each one? Regarding etymology, the noun form derives from Latin forma, whose primary meaning is shape or configuration. One speaks of â€Å"the human form,† â€Å"a form of behavior,† â€Å"the forms of a verb,† and so forth. Schools categorize students into forms, according to age or achievement. Certain types of behavior are considered â€Å"good form† or â€Å"bad form.† In our age of bureaucracy, we are frequently required to fill in the blanks on documents called forms. The English noun forum derives from Latin forum, â€Å"open space where people gather.† When people gather for any purpose, they exchange opinions. In Roman cities, the Forum was a centrally located open space where people sold produce and goods and where political candidates gave speeches. One of the meanings of forum in English is, â€Å"a place of public discussion.† On the Web, readers voice their opinions in a multitude of forums dedicated to various topics of discussion. Some of these forums boast memberships in the millions (figures from Wikipedia, â€Å"List of Internet forums†): Gaia Online (anime) 27,554,643 members; 1,000,000 posts per day. Bodybuilding 7,690,808 members; 108,244,009 posts per day. Stackoverflow (programming) 2,700,000 members; 26,000,000 posts per day. Here are some examples of form and forum in context: Why is it considered bad form to put the [wine] bottle on the table when opening it? Create a form to enter and view your data What is the simplest form to use to file my taxes? I propose establishing a Bitcoin peer review board [that would be] a forum of knowledgeable people that understand Bitcoin The Court of Public Opinion (COPO) is a Worldwide Forum of Ethics. Creighton Hosts Open Forum with Candidates for U.S. Congress It’s difficult to see how the nouns form and forum might be confused for one another. Speakers of some regional dialects do drag out the word form in speech, but in standard English, form is a one-syllable word. Forum is made up of two syllables. 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:Passed vs PastHow to Pronounce Mobile40 Synonyms for Praise

Gay Relationship in the Wedding Banquet Movie Review

Gay Relationship in the Wedding Banquet - Movie Review Example The movie is an intense comedy in the first half, and then it reveals the complexities of the relationship burdened on each other. The character Winston Chao, and Simon his lover were living a convenient lifestyle until his parents demand a marriage in an expectation of an offspring. This movie displays very intense emotional sequences as well as riotously funny movements every audience will expect in a movie.   The movie being the debut of actor Winston Chao, does not depict any flaws or chinks in his acting skill. â€Å"The Wedding Banquet never becomes bogged down by its own seriousness. Lee manages to keep the production buoyant by including scenes that are often riotously funny† (Berardinelli.1993). Interestingly, in this movie all the characters possess their own unique worthiness, which gives the audience a splendid visual treat. The plot of the movie The plot of the movie is the life of a Taiwanese immigrant Winston Chao who is a gay. He is in a stable relationship w ith an American man Simon, and defers his parents about his sexuality and agrees to marry Wei – Wei a Chinese woman. ... e in the initial stage looks like a full-blown comedy but later comes out different when the perception of the sexual and cultural choices of the young generation is portrayed dominantly. This movie seems like a romantic comedy in the beginning, but there is a strong dramatic undertone surrounding this movie which the audience finds out towards the other half unravels. The main highlight of the deceptive marriage is the sumptuous banquet after which the Wei - Wei seduces the intoxicated Winston and get herself pregnant. On a finding of pregnancy, Simon gets upset and fights with Winston, and eventually, their relationship starts to deteriorate. In the moment of tension and rage, Winston let his mother know about his sexual identity and his mother knowing this request her son to hide this from his father. Later in the movie, Winston’s father finds out about his son’s relationship with Simon and with half mind go forward to have an amicable relationship with Simon. In the end the father and mother of Winston leave for their homeland leaving Winston, Wei – Wei and Simon to sort out things by themselves. Background and theme of the story The movie â€Å"The Wedding Banquet† is written by three writers namely; Ang Lee, Neil Peng and James Schamus. Ang Lee is the writer and director of the movie and is a Taiwanese American movie director with versatility and dynamic talent. He has directed this movie with a varied nature for which has won Academy Award and lot of acclamation worldwide. Neil Peng is another writer who contributed efficiently to the movie as a screenplay writer. James Schamus is also a screenwriter with numerous acclamations and awards and is also a producer and CEO of Motion Picture Company called Focus Features.  

The Girl who played with fire Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Girl who played with fire - Essay Example Nonetheless, to a bigger extent, this novel is a mirror of the society today, and therefore, presents a challenge, and offers insightful platforms for moral transformation of individuals and whole society. Lisbeth Salander is one of the main characters who carry most of the themes in the novel. Most of the events in this novel are a representation of what happens in the society today. This therefore, plays the role of highlighting these moral concerns in society, thereby, instilling the urge of change in the people who read this novel. The society today is faced with a high level of moral decadence, just as the case in this novel. First, the aspect of violence is rampant in the novel. The author has used different violent scenes to show this. For instance, forms of sexual violence; including rape, shoot-outs, murders, bombings, and axing, are all forms of violence present in this novel. Salander, the main character propagates some forms of violence; while on the other hand, she is al so a victim of violence. She uses violence as a defence mechanism for herself and others. As a victim of violence, Salander’s character suffers in the media and in the social welfare system. â€Å"POLICE TRACKING LESBIAN SATANIST CULT.† (20.173). ... Teleborian had pretended that Salander was violent, which was not the case. The court systems and police force also propagate a form of violence when they fail to address the concerns of rape victims in a just manner. The height of violence is also manifest at the end of the novel, when Salander’s brother buries her alive, after being shot in the head by her father. The novel therefore, highlights violence, which is highly despised in society, but still rampant. Gender and gender discrimination is another moral question present in Larsson’s book. There are both good and bad male characters in this novel. The good men show a higher level of respect for the females. The bad men in the novel are sadistic and perpetuate discrimination of women in the novel. For instance, they show disrespect for women by using obscene words such as â€Å"whore,† â€Å"bitch,† and â€Å"slut† to refer to women. Some of the men are responsible for raping women, killing wo men, and beating them up. â€Å"The press would rip him to shreds. A member of the Security Police who exploited teenage prostitutes†¦If only those fucking cunts hadn't been so young.† (23.29). Gunnar Bjorck views women as sex objects, and does not feel guilty that he abused them, he only fears being exposed. Apart from sadistic men, the media, systems of justice, social, and health institutions also contribute to discrimination of females. â€Å"When it later turned out that Norgren had been convicted for sexual offenses twice before, the prosecutor decided to drop the case. But that did not mean the social welfare report on Salander was set aside.† (21.10). Although Norgeren assaults Salander, he is not punished for it, yet Salander continues to be depicted as a

Ap Compare Essay Essay Example for Free

Ap Compare Essay Essay AP Compare Essay During the 1450- 1800s, both the Spanish Empire and the Ottoman Empire were becoming powerful. Spain found the Americas while the Ottomans took over Constantinople. Both contained land which allowed Spain to focus on raw materials while the Ottoman Empire focused on expansion. Spain found the Americas which allowed Spain to find raw materials and help increase their economy. The Spanish was able to dominate other Empires because they found the Americas. On the other hand, the Ottoman Empire started to expand across the region because they were able to take over Constantinople. This allowed the Ottoman Empire to become one of the world powers. As soon as Spain found the Americas, they focused on grabbing raw materials because it would allow them to dominate the world economy. This also allowed Spain to become richer and powerful. However, as soon as the Ottoman Empire gained control over Constantinople, the Ottoman Empire knew they were able to expand their Empire because the Empire gained a lot of power which other countries were afraid of. Spain’s empire building process was focusing on a merchant empire because they wanted to dominate the economy; however, the Ottoman Empire’s building process as focusing on strengthening their military force. The Spanish lacked value as they focused on going to the Americas for almost everything like raw materials and natural resources. The Ottoman Empire government was corrupted which forced their military to maintain the Empire. Between the 1450- 1800s, both the Spanish and Ottoman were becoming the world’s powerful empire Spain and the Ottoman focused on different ideas, as Spain focused on merchant as Ottoman focused on strengthening military and expansion.

Feminist Perspective of The Lie :: Feminism Feminist Women Criticism

Feminist Perspective of The Lie  Ã‚   Women have long struggled and battled against men in an attempt to obtain equality. In the story, "The Lie," the character Sylvia Remenzel portrays many of the qualities in a stereotypical female that women for generations have been trying to prove wrong. Her thoughts and actions, plus the possible opinions of females reflecting upon her character, and the fact that this character was written by a male will show the neglect by which the role was depicted.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To begin, Sylvia's questions throughout the story are naive and juvenile.   For example, â€Å"I wonder how many Remenzels have gone to Whitehill,† and â€Å"You think those people will like those rooms?† Questions such as these are simply put and rather unnecessary because they only take up space and disrupt the flow. The question concerning the number of Remenzel family members who have gone to Whitehill has a pretty obvious answer. Her husband in the book even thinks so, That's like asking how many people are dead in a cemetery. To have a female character ask questions that are seemingly simple is putting them back, and placing them in a group outside those with intelligence. The second question concerns a new wing being built onto Whitehill where a group of Africans will be staying. By calling the Africans, those people, gives the   impression that she doesn't see them as equals to herself. In the time period that this story was written, (during the 1970s), the issue of racism was partly over. This character was not trying to be rude, but she did not have the intelligence to think differently. That alone is a very degrading way of thinking, such as giving women less power of thought than men. For example, Mr. Remenzel sees no problem with the Africans attending the school, when he says, The rooms aren't for them, they aren't going to be segregated. By observing these thoughts of Sylvia, one might see the lack of intuition and observation put upon her. These are all examples of the possible feminist view placed upon her.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Next, the actions that Sylvia performs show her incomplete personality when it comes to being unique. Her role follows the example that females should be seen and not heard, also, that they are to stay at home and take care of the children. These are qualities that women have been fighting to remove from the minds of society.

Indicate A Person Who Has Had A Significant Influence On You

Cholera is an infectious disease that causes severe watery diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration and even death if untreated. It is caused by eating food or drinking water contaminated with a bacterium called Vibrio cholerae. Cholera was prevalent in the U. S. in the 1800s before modern water and sewage treatment systems eliminated its spread by contaminated water. Only about 10 cases of cholera are reported each year in the U. S. and half of these are acquired abroad. Rarely, contaminated seafood has caused cholera outbreaks in the U. S.However, cholera outbreaks are still a serious problem in other parts of the world, where cholera affects an estimated 3 to 5 million people and causes more than 100,000 deaths each year. The disease is most common in places with poor sanitation, crowding, war, and famine. Common locations include parts of Africa, south Asia, and Latin America. If you are traveling to one of those areas, knowing the following cholera facts can help protect you and your family. Cholera Causes Vibrio cholerae, the bacterium that causes cholera, is usually found in food or water contaminated by feces from a person with the infection.Common sources include: Municipal water supplies Ice made from municipal water Foods and drinks sold by street vendors Vegetables grown with water containing human wastes Raw or undercooked fish and seafood caught in waters polluted with sewage When a person consumes the contaminated food or water, the bacteria release a toxin in the intestines that produces severe diarrhea. It is not likely you will catch cholera just from casual contact with an infected person. Cholera Symptoms Symptoms of cholera can begin as soon as a few hours or as long as five days after infection. Often symptoms are mild.But sometimes they are very serious. About one in 20 people infected have severe watery diarrhea accompanied by vomiting, which can quickly lead to dehydration. Although many infected people may have minimal or no symptoms, t hey can still contribute to spread of the infection. Signs and symptoms of dehydration include: Rapid heart rate Loss of skin elasticity (the ability to return to original position quickly if pinched) Dry mucous membranes, including the inside of the mouth, throat, nose, and eyelids Low blood pressure Thirst Muscle cramps If not treated, dehydration can lead to shock and death in a matter of hours.Yellow fever is caused by a virus. The yellow fever virus is a single-stranded RNA virus that belongs to the Flavivirus genus. After transmission of the virus occurs, it replicates in regional lymph nodes and subsequently spreads via the bloodstream. This widespread dissemination can affect the bone marrow, spleen, lymph nodes, kidneys, and liver, in addition to other organs. Tissue damage to the liver, for example, can lead to jaundice and disrupt the body's blood-clotting mechanism, leading to the hemorrhagic complications sometimes seen with yellow fever.Yellow fever is transmitted to h umans by the bite of infected mosquitoes. Various species of Aedes and Haemagogus mosquitoes serve as vectors and are responsible for the transmission to human and nonhuman primates, which serve as reservoirs for the disease. Three transmission cycles for yellow fever have been identified. Sylvatic (jungle) cycle: In tropical rain forests, infected monkeys pass the virus to mosquitoes that feed on them. These infected mosquitoes then bite humans who enter the rain forest for occupational (for example, loggers) or recreational activities.Intermediate (savannah) cycle: In humid or semi-humid regions of Africa, mosquitoes that breed around households and in the wild (semi-domestic mosquitoes) infect both humans and monkeys. The virus can be transmitted from monkeys to humans, or from human to human by the mosquitoes. This is the most common type of outbreak in Africa. Urban cycle: When infected humans introduce the virus into urban areas with large numbers of unvaccinated individuals, infected mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti) transmit the disease from human to human. This form of transmission can lead to large epidemics.

Reflections on Transgender Essay

Before going to the transgender workshop, I have already had a mindset of gender stereotype and I have never thought of accepting the sexual minorities like trans and homosexual people. I was raised in a traditional and conservative family that my parents showed me that a man should be the head of the family because he is the breadwinner so all family members have to rely on him. On the other hand, a woman should always listen to her husband and stay at home to serve her husband and take care of the children. Family is the primary socializing agent that I learn how a family functions by observational learning. Moreover, I was taught in school that how girls and boys should behave without questioning the reason why I should behave like that. The formal, informal and hidden curriculum in school shaped my thought about gender. For instance, boys should be active and girls should be quiet in class. Socialized by family and school for a long time, I internalized the gender stereotype made by the culture of society so I admitted that I had a closed-mind before. I now understand why students are inculcated with this kind of gender stereotype. It is because capitalists want to maintain their power and heterosexual domination in a patriarchy society so they labeled the minority as abnormal. According to the conflict theory of Karl Marx, the education systems produce the ideology of gender stereotype so as to maintain and legitimate the base created by capitalists who control the means of production. I have learned to think in a critical manner because many of our mindsets are shaped by society. We have to question whether they are rational before accepting those thoughts. After attending the transgender workshop, I had a brief understanding about what transgender is. Transgender means that people identify themselves as another sex different from their biological sex. Their gender identity and gender expression are different from their biological sex and gender role constructed by society. For example, some of them are male at birth but they id entify themselves as female. We called them MtF (male to female) and another type is called FtM (female to male). Mainly, trans people are divided into two groups, the Crossdresser, who like to dress up as a different sex and the Transexual, who have undergone sex reassignment surgery. From the sharing of two trans people, Fei (a MtF) and Siu Keung(a  FtM), I know that being a trans person is tough because he or she has to face a lot of difficulty in daily life such as being questioned by family and friends as well as being discriminated against in society that make them have low self-esteem. Like Fei, he discovered that he liked a boy when he was in Form 3 or 4 and then his classmates humiliated him so he hated himself very much at that time and he even tried to commit suicide. I can see that peer is another socializing agent that affects our mindset of who we are and what we are supposed to behave. If we violate the expected behavior of society, we will be regarded as freak and abnormal. In order not to be isolated or labeled as abnormal, we follow the main stream and hide the side that what we actually are. Also, I can see that only the hegemonic masculinity is being accepted among people through Fei’s experience. He was once invited to a themed party a nd he wore a dress to go to the party. However, his friends asked him not to wear dress to come again. Feminine masculinity is not acceptable. Everything has its diversity but people tend to divide things into binary opposition. The one who owns power decides which character is the â€Å"right† and normal one and the other is regarded as â€Å"wrong† and abnormal. It is obviously a power struggle. Trans gender people are leading a difficult life. In Hong Kong, there are approximately 200-300 trans people (Leung, 2012). Many of them are like Fei that they have to behave â€Å"normal† in front of other people and they could only be the true self when they are alone. Trans people will also consider their behaviors as abnormal or even consider themselves as a psychopathy. As many of them are reluctant to find help, they are in lack of people to share their feelings that make them feel lonely and helpless. Some of them many even hurt their reproductive organs or commit suicide. Apart from the lacking in mental support, the institution in Hong Kong doesn’t provid e enough support for trans people. Until now, there is no law to protect trans people, as they are not included in the Sex Discrimination Ordinance. Only those who are judged to have Gender Identity Disorder can be protected under Disability Discrimination Ordinance. (Leung, 2012) Yet, in the mean time, trans people are labeled as disable as well as having mental disorder, which is another kind of discrimination. Also, health care system in Hong Kong is not comprehensive enough for trans people. At present, there are only two hospitals, which are Prince of Wales Hospital and the sex clinic in Castle  Peak Hospital, that provide transgender medical diagnostic services so trans people have to wait about seven weeks to see the doctor (Medical services provided for Gender Identity Disorders patients, 2013). Knowing what tough situation that the trans people are facing, I feel sympathy for them and I will now show my respect to trans people. I used to think that the Crossdresser was abnormal and disgusting. Now, I question why women can dress like men but men cannot dress like women. It is unfair to men that they will be criticized and discriminated against if they dress like women. Also, the media uses language to derogate the Crossdresser such as calling them ladyboy â€Å"ä º ºÃ¥ ¦â€"â€Å". Like Fei, he likes wearing dress since he was small but he has tried to throw away all his dresses as his mother and girlfriends did not accept that. It is hard for him not to be the one he wanted to be and he had spent years being the one he hated. I will consider crossdressing as a hobby of trans people because they just spend time on something they like to do. Also, we should not criticize their act because it does not do any harm on other people. In addition to the Crossdresser, transsexual people have to master up their courage to undergo sex reassignment surgery as it is not as easy as we think. In fact, it is a long process. They have to first get a referral letter from doctors, social workers or psychologists and they must pass the two-year mental and psychological evaluation process including living as another sex for one year. Next, they can be defined as gender identity disorder. After that, they are referred to public hospital to undergo surgery. In fact it is dangerous for them to undergo sex reassignment surgery, especially the FtM people. There is a high risk of injury in penile reconstructive surgery and the success rate is low. Also, they have to take hormones. According to some medical studies, there will be some long-term side effects of taking female hormones. For example, the risk of having breast cancer will be higher and the load of the liver will be increased (Transgender handbook, 2012). I appreciate their determination that they would rather sacrifice their health in order to be their true selves. As Goffman said, gender is something that an individual actively do, we can choose to be a man or a woman, as we like. In this post-modern age, queer theory suggested that gender is fluid. A picture of the genderbread person shows that there are more than eighty combinations that an individual can be. For example, she can be a female but identifying herself as a man  and she can express herself as androgynous and bei ng a bisexual. I know that when we do not understand an issue clearly, we have no right to criticize it. After knowing what transgender is, I choose to respect. We should be open-minded to accept the existence of diversity of gender in society or at least we should respect so that we all can live in a society with harmony. I have a friend who is a bisexual. I was once reluctant to befriend him. But now, I always show him my support and I am willing to listen to his difficulties in daily life to help him release stress. Also, I realized that I do not need to do something to fulfill what society expects me to do as a girl. For example, I do not need to be tender; I do not need to have long legs, big breasts or a slim body to impress men. I just have to be myself, which is unique. Work cited 1.Leung , J.(2012). Gossip boys and girls[Brochure]. Hong Kong: Transgender Resource Center. 2.Medical services provided for Gender Identity Disorders patients. (2013, October 9). Retrieved from http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201310/09/P201310090465.htm3.Rainbow of Hong Kong. (2012). Transgender handbook[Brochure]. Retrieved from http://rainbowhk.org/tg/handbook-p.html

Does the SAT Essay Matter Expert Guide

Does the SAT Essay Matter Expert Guide SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips In days of yore, the SAT Essay was very different. For starters, it was a required portion of the exam, scored as part of the writing section. You had a measly 25 minutes to give and support your opinion on such deep philosophical issues as the importance of privacy or whether people perform better when they can use their own methods to complete tasks. Things are very different now. Along with the SAT itself, the SAT Essay has been completely revamped and revised. Among other things, it is now an optional portion of the exam.In light of this SAT Essay renovation, many schools will no longer require that students take the SAT Essay when they take the exam. But what do all these changes mean for you? Is the SAT Essay important?Read on for a breakdown of the new SAT changes, information on which schools continue to require the SAT Essay, why schools do and don’t require this portion of the exam, and how to figure out if the SAT Essay is necessary or important for you. The New SAT Essay The SAT was revised in March 2016. The aspect of the exam that is most changed is the essay. Instead of writing a 25-minute opinion piece, you will have 50 minutes to analyze how the author of a given passage constructs his or her argument. Additionally, instead of having the exam integrated into your composite score, you will receive a separate score for your exam that does not affect your 1600-point score. The new exam is graded out of 24 points - 8 points each in â€Å"Reading† (essentially reading comprehension), â€Å"Analysis,† and â€Å"Writing† (writing style). See our breakdown of the new rubric here. Finally, the new essay is a completely optional portion of the exam. You don’t have to take it, and you’ll still get your 1600-point score. In this way it’s a lot like the ACT, which also has an optional essay. If you wish to register for the SAT Essay, you’ll pay an extra $.50. Because the essay is now optional, colleges have the option of not requiring students to send SAT Essay scores. Thus, many colleges have dropped this requirement.So who still requires the SAT Essay? Let this creepy happy pencil guide you through the SAT Essay! Who Requires the New SAT Essay? According to a Kaplan poll in which 300 schools were surveyed, most schools will not require the optional SAT Essay. However, some still do recommend or require it, particularly in the most selective tier of institutions. Notably, elite schools like the Ivy League, Stanford, MIT, and the University of Chicago are divided on the issue, with some requiring the essay and some neither requiring or recommending it. In the Ivy League, Harvard, Princeton, Dartmouth and Yale will continue to require the SAT Essay, and Columbia, Cornell, UPenn, and Brown will not. Big state schools are similarly divided: for example, the University of California system and the University of Michigan both require the essay, University of Illinois and Purdue University recommend it; and Penn State, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Indiana University neither require nor recommend the essay. For the most up-to-date information on a school’s position on the SAT Essay, check the College Board. If the school isn’t on the list, check their admissions website.Those schools that do require the essay have gone on the record with specific reasons for doing so; I’ll break those down in the next section. Schools are divided, like this egg. Why Do Schools Require the SAT Essay? Given that so many schools won’t require the essay going forward, you may be curious about those that do still require it. What’s their reasoning?Based on public statements from school officials, it seems to boil down to three main reasons: #1: More Information Is Better Some colleges seem to feel that all of the information they can get from applicants is helpful in painting a complete picture of the applicant. Certainly the SAT Essay presents a somewhat unique data point in that there are no other standardized elements of a college application that would include specific information on an applicant’s timed writing skills. It makes sense that schools that value having all the information that it is conceivably possible to obtain about a student would require the SAT Essay. #2: The Revised Test Is Similar to College Work The old SAT Essay involved a fairly arbitrary task and bore no resemblance to any work students do in college. However, the revised essay engages a student’s rhetorical analysis skills and requires the kind of analytical thinking students will perform in college. Thus, some colleges require the new SAT Essay because they feel it gives valuable insight into how a student might perform with college-level work. #3: Sending a Message on the Importance of Writing Institutions may also require the SAT Essay simply because they wish to telegraph to the world that they believe writing is important. This was part of the rationale given by Yale as to why they would continue to require the essay. That’s why schools require it- but what about schools that don’t require the essay? What’s their reasoning? Cats or dogs: another hot-button issue at elite institutions Why Don't Schools Require the SAT Essay? There are four main reasons that schools have given for not requiring the SAT essay going forward: #1: Consistency Many schools already do not require the optional writing portion of the ACT. So now that the SAT Essay is also optional, it makes sense to not require it, either. This simply makes testing guidelines consistent for those schools. #2: The Essay Is Redundant Some schools feel that they already have sufficient evidence of an applicant’s writing capability through application essays. This is particularly true at institutions where multiple essays are required as part of the application. #3: The SAT Essay Does Not Predict College Success In the past, the old SAT essay has been shown to be the least predictive element of college success on the SAT. While there is not yet data on the new SAT essay’s predictive capabilities, schools have taken this opportunity to shed what they feel is basically dead weight in an application. #4: Requiring the SAT Essay Presents a Burden to Underprivileged Students Columbia’s primary concern is that the extra cost of the essay may be a deterrent to underprivileged students. University of Pennsylvania has made similar statements- minority and underprivileged students are least likely to have a â€Å"complete testing profile.† So, they’ve eliminated the SAT Essay requirement in the hopes of attracting a more diverse applicant pool. A diverse tomato pool. So Does theSAT Essay Matter to Your College Chances? I’ve gone over how and why schools use or don’t use the SAT Essay. But what does all of this mean for you? There are two main questions you need to answer to determine how important the essay is for you: first, should you take the SAT Essay section, and second, how important is your score? Should I Take the SAT Essay? This comes down mostly to whether or not you are applying to schools that require or recommend the SAT Essay. (In college applications, I would generally err on the side of treating recommendations as nicely-worded requirements.) If you are truly not interested in a single school that requires/recommends the essay, and you don’t see yourself changing your mind, go ahead and skip it.However, if there’s even a chance you might be interested in a school that does require/recommend the essay, you should take it. And if you’re applying to highly selective schools, definitely take the essay portion, because around half of them require the essay. So if you change your mind at the last minute and decide you’re applying to CalTech as well as MIT, you’ll need that essay. I advise this because if you don’t take the essay portion and then end up needing it for even one school, you’ll have to take the entire test over again. If you’re happy with your score already, this will be a big four-hour drag for you. You might also want to take the essay portion if you are particularly good at rhetorical analysis and timed writing. Even for colleges that don’t require the essay, a stellar score will look good. How Important Is Your SAT Essay Score? This is a little more complicated, as it does depend to a certain extent on the schools you are applying to.I spoke to admissions officers from several schools, and some themes emerged as to how important they consider your essay score to be, and how they use it in evaluating your application: The general consensus was that the essay was the least important part of the SAT overall. Admissions offices will look much more closely at your composite score. The SAT Essay is primarily looked at in combination with your other writing-based application materials: your admissions essay and your high school English transcripts are also used to determine your writing and language skills. Essentially, it’s a part of a facet of your application. That said, bombing the essay would be a red flag to admissions officers that you might not be fully prepared for college-level work. Overall, I would advise you not to sweat your essay score too much. The most important thing is that your essay score is more or less consistent with your other test scores. It certainly doesn’t have to be perfect- if you get a 1600 and an 18 out of 24, I wouldn’t stress too much. But if you, say, have a 1500 and get a 9/24 on the essay, that’s a little more concerning, as it may cause concern among admissions officers that you aren’t prepared for college-level work. In general, then, schoolsreally look at the score, but it’s not one of the most important parts of your application or even your SAT score.Your best bet if you are interested in a given school that requires the essay and you want more specific guidance how they use the essay is to call the admissions office and ask. To learn more about what a good SAT Essay score is, check out our guide to the average SAT Essay score. Not this kind of score! How Can I Succeed on the SAT Essay? Luckily, it’s very possible to learn the skills to hit the SAT Essay out of the park every time. Here are some general tips: Learn specific persuasive and argumentative techniques that you can reference in your essay. If you can’t identify what devices authors can use to make arguments, how will you write an essay about it? Make sure you have a clear thesis that can be defended with evidence from the passage. Include an introduction and a conclusion. This will help â€Å"bracket† your great points and show that you know how to structure a solid piece of writing. Rely on evidence from the passage to build your argument. Don’t give your opinion on the issue! The new SAT essay is not opinion-based. Make sure you use correct grammar and academic language. (No â€Å"This passage, like my brows, is on fleek.†) Write at least a page. Also see this guide to getting a perfect SAT Essay score and this one on improving your score. Tips to success: don't fold up the Essay section into origami boats. Final Summary and Actionables With the new SAT making the essay section optional, many schools have chosen to neither require nor recommend that students take it. Most schools will no longer require the essay, but highly selective schools are divided on the issue. Among those schools that do require the SAT Essay, many have gone on the record to say that they feel the essay provides a valuable additional piece of information on an applicant’s potential for college-level work. They plan on using the essay as a way to further evaluate an applicant’s writing skills, although for most of these schools it is considered the least important part of the SAT score. At schools where the SAT Essay is not required, the essay has been eliminated for a variety of reasons: for more consistency with ACT requirements, because the Essay seems redundant or poorly predictive of college success, or to attract a more diverse applicant pool. What does all this mean for you?If there’s even a chance you’ll apply to a school that requires or recommends the essay, take the SAT with Essay. If you don’t and end up needing it later, you’ll have to re-take the entire exam. If you do take the SAT Essay, don’t stress too much about getting a perfect score, but do prepare enough that you are confident you won’t get a very low score compared to your composite. What's Next? If you're thinking about test scores and college, check out my article on the minimum SAT score for college. Ready to get started with practice essays? Check out our thorough analysis of the SAT essay prompt and our complete list of prompts to practice with. Aiming for a perfect SAT essay score? Read our guides to get strategies on how to get an 8/8/8 on your SAT essay. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep classes. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our classes are entirely online, and they're taught by SAT experts. If you liked this article, you'll love our classes. Along with expert-led classes, you'll get personalized homework with thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step, custom program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Try it risk-free today:

The 29 Colleges With the Best Financial Aid

The 29 Colleges With the Best Financial Aid SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips College in the US is expensive- too expensive, in fact, for the average student to afford on their own. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about 86% of first-year students at 4-year colleges were receiving some financial aid as of a couple of years ago. Financial aid is good in all its forms, right? If it helps college students afford their educations, what could be the problem? Unfortunately, not all financial aid is created equal, and not all schools can afford to give out â€Å"good† student aid. Here, I’ll briefly talk about the types of financial aid available (the â€Å"good† kinds and the â€Å"bad† kinds) before laying out the collegeswith the best financial aid programs in the country. Financial Aid Basics: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Financial aid comes from a variety of sources and in a variety of forms. Ultimately, all of this money is meant to cover your college expenses- these costs include tuition, room, board, fees, transportation, and personal expenses. Your total, or Cost of Attendance, will vary depending on where you’re planning on going to school. You can get more detailed information on all of these costs in our guide to college expenses. So what counts as financial aid? There are three main types of aid that you should be aware of: Grants are sums of money that you don't have to pay back. They're usually awarded based on financial need. Grants can come from the federal government or from your school. Loans are sums of money that you borrow to fund your education. You pay back the sum after graduation, in addition to paying back interest charges. Ultimately, you pay back more than you borrow. Loans can come from the federal government (like Direct loans and Perkins loans) or from a private lender like a bank. Like, grants, scholarships are sums of money that you don't have to pay back. They can come from private sources (like corporations) or from your school. They can be awarded based on merit only or based on a combination of merit and financial need. Athletic scholarships and academic merit scholarships are sometimes awarded by schools to extremely competitive applicants. These awards are given to entice students to accept an offer admission; financial need isn't necessarily considered in these cases. Now that you know about the different forms of financial aid, we can talk about what aid types are more helpful than others. "Bad" Aid These types of aid won't always be wrong for everyone, but they shouldn't be your first resort. I define bad financial aid asaidthat's agood short-term solution, but a burdensome in the long term.Financial aid packages are less appealing when they offer the majority of their financial aid in the form of loans.What this means is that you’re still responsible for those college expenses, only you’ll have to pay them after you graduate instead of right now. You’re also responsible for interest charges, which are especially high when loans have high rates and/or are unsubsidized. Private Loans Private loans are not included on schools’ financial aid packages because the loan lenders are banks, not the schools. If your out-of-pocket cost is too high (i.e. if grants/scholarships don’t cover enough of your college expenses), you may consider turning to student loans to cover the difference. Private loans may be viable financial options for some students. I'm not saying that private loans are eviland that no one should ever take out student loans from banks. They should, however, be the last option you consider after grants, scholarships, and low-interest/subsidized loans. A "Bad" Financial Aid Package Less desirable financial aid packages will comprise mostly of loans, particularly high-interest loans. In these cases, a school can't or won't cover a student's unmet need, so the onus to find funding is put on the student. What this usually means is that the student has to take out loans to cover the cost of his or her education. The average student debt for graduates of 4-year BA programs in the US is about $24,000. For some students, even this average debt amount may seem unmanageable. "Good" Aid These aid options tend to be better options; they're more sustainable in the long run. I define good financial aid as aid that's a helpful and sustainable financial solution for both the short and long term. Basically, good financial aidenables you to afford the education you need without hindering you professionally, financially, or personally after you graduate. Here are examples of aid that fit this definition: Grants Any free money is good money. Because you don't have to pay back any money that you receive from grants, this award type won't hinder you in any way after you graduate. Like I mentioned earlier, they can come from both public and private sources. Check out our Pell Grant guide to learn more about federal grant options. Scholarships Scholarships are similar to grants- because it's essentially free money, you won't have to worry about repayment at any point. The major difference between grants and scholarships is that scholarship applicants are almost always evaluated on merit, even if the scholarship is need-based. To get started with your scholarship search, check out our guides to top awards for high school juniors and high school seniors. Low-Interest Loans The bad news: loans aren't as fun as grants or scholarships. You have to pay back the money + interest. The good news: loans can still be viable and manageable solutions for students who can't afford a school's net price after any grants or scholarships. What makes a loan a good financial option? Low-interest rates, primarily. Many federal loan programs have low-interest rates, including Direct loans and Perkins loans.You may be able to get private loans with low-interest rates if you have good credit - generally, though, federal loans are better financial options. Start learning about federalDirect Subsidized, and Direct Unsubsidized loans. Subsidized Loans Subsidized loans can save you some serious money in the long run because they don't accrue interest while you're in school and for 6-10 months after you graduate. See exactly how much money you'll save with a subsidized versus an unsubsidized loan. The Perkins loan is one special example of a subsidized loan - not only do youforgo interest charges while you're in school, but you could also be eligible for loan cancellation. A "Good" Financial Aid Package Ultimately, good financial aid packages are made up of a healthy percentage of grants and/or scholarships. If loans are included, they’ll be low interest (5% or lower) and may even be subsidized. They'llcover some of your financial need and maybe throw a scholarship or grant your way. The best financial aid packages will cover all of your financial need. What this means is that the school itself funds your education after any federal grants without making you take out loans. In the next section, you'll get a list of schools that claim to meet all of its students’ financial need - the best kind of financial aid. Want to build the best possible college application? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. Colleges With Best Financial Aid The following is a list of schools that claim to meet all of its students’ financial need without having them take out any loans. What that means is that your family will only be asked to pay what they can afford, and the school will cover the rest of the costs with their institutional financial aid funding. (Note that there are other schools that are need-blind that offer small loan amounts as part of their aid package.) You don’t necessarily need to be low-income to have all of your financial need met. For example, Harvard doesn’t ask families for any contribution if family income is less than 65k, and families will only need to contribute up to10% of their income if they make between 65k and 150k. Aid amounts operate on a sliding scale for families that make more than 150k. Students with the most financial need tend to get the most aidbecause many of these schools’ financial aid initiatives are based on removing barriers to college access based on finances. If you're interested in any of the schools listed, just click the link to get information on admissions requirements: Amherst College Bowdoin College Brown University Colby College Columbia University Dartmouth College (No loans for family income less than $100,000) Davidson College Duke University (No loans for family income less than $40,000; sliding scale after that) Harvard University Haverford College(No loans for family income under $60,000) Lehigh University (No loans for family income under $75,000; sliding scale after that) MIT (No loans for family income under $90,000) Northwestern University (All first-year aid packages are loan-free) Pomona College Princeton University Rice University (No loans for family income below $80,000; small loans above that) Stanford University Swarthmore College University of Chicago University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill (low-income North Carolina students may qualify for aid without loans through the Carolina Covenant) University of Pennsylvania University of Richmond Vanderbilt University Vassar College (No or limited loans for low-income families) Washington and Lee University Washington University in St Louis (no loans for family income below $75,000) Wellesley College(no loans for family income below $60,000; sliding scale after that) Williams College (no loans for family income below $75,000) Yale University Why Do These Schools Offer the Best Financial Aid? You might have noticed that the schools on the list above are all pretty competitive private institutions. These private schools tend to be pretty elite, with strong alumni networks. Successful alumni tend to donate more to their alma maters, leading to more financial aid funding and better financial aid programs. They may have higher sticker prices than many public schools, but they tend to be less expensive than public schools for many students due to their financial aid programs. Many of the above schools only offer need-based aid. They don’t offer merit-based scholarships because, like I mentioned earlier, their financial aid initiatives focus on removing barriers to education access. They don’t have to offer merit-based scholarships to entice applicants because their applicant pool is already so strong. What If You're Not Eligible for Need-Based Aid? Some students may want to seek out financial aid even if they aren'teligible for many need-based programs. If you're one of these students, there's one important thing you need to know: if financial aid isn't need-based, then it's merit-based. There are a couple of ways you can earn money for college regardless of financial need. 1. Apply for merit-based scholarships. Many scholarship programs don't consider applicants' financial need at all when giving out awards. Start your scholarship search with our guide to awards for high school seniors - just read over eligibility requirements carefully to make sure financial need isn't taken into account. 2. Apply to schools where merit-based aid is common. Few public universities or top private schools offer large amounts of merit-based aid- public universities can’t afford to, and top private schools don’t have to. That being said, there are schools where merit aid is much more common. These schools use merit-based aid to stay competitive by attracting strong applicants. The following schools tend to award merit aidto a high percentage of students: Rhode College Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering New England Conservatory of Music John Brown University University of Puget Sound Samford University University of Mary Trinity University The New School Denison University Hillsdale College Furman University Gonzaga University Birmingham - Southern College University of Tulsa UT-Permian Basin Centre College Oberlin College San Francisco Art Institute Savannah College of Art and Design DePauw University What's Next? Now that you know where to send in your college applications, you can start putting together a strategy for your financial aid applications. To get an overview of the financial aid process, check out our simple guide to applying for financial aid. If you already have a financial aid strategy, check out our detailed info on submitting your FAFSA. Looking for other ways to go to college without taking out loans? Check out these 13 amazing full-ride scholarships you could get. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Aboriginal Women and Lesbians Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Aboriginal Women and Lesbians - Essay Example Aboriginal women are not given much protection by the law. The number of aboriginal women in prisons is higher than that of men, which shows discrimination against them. When Europeans arrived, aboriginal women were even deprived of their right to vote. European economic and cultural development proved to be catastrophic for them, since they were enjoying equal rights as men before the Europeans arrived. Their children were sent to residential schools at very early ages, to return after many years or never to return. Likewise, lesbians have been facing discrimination in Canada since a long time ago. They have been treated as psychologically ill persons, and are often subjected to electroshock therapies. They have not been allowed to get admitted to armed forces, and have been facing sexism at workplaces and public places. They have also been victims of anti-lesbian violence and discriminatory Canadian laws. For example, before 1969, lesbianism was considered as a crime in Canada, and was offensive enough to lead to imprisonment. Aboriginal resisted the deprivation of their right to vote, enter into business contracts, and own property. They struggled hard in the twentieth century to make themselves recognized as legal citizens of Canada. Due to their struggles, only some decades ago, law recognized them as legal persons and lifted precincts upon their right to vote, enter into contracts, and own property. They fought for their equitable position at the constitutional table. Similarly, today Canada has many national laws that protect the rights of lesbians, and imposes fines and punishments on those who do or provoke anti-lesbian hatred at workplaces or public places. For example, the Canadian Human Rights Act was designed after lesbians raised their voices against discrimination against them. This law â€Å"forbids discrimination based on sexual orientation by federally-regulated employers, landlords and services† (Sexuality Information and Education Cou ncil of the United States, 1999, para.6). To conclude, aboriginal women and lesbians have been raising their voices against the marginalization that they have to face due to hatred of the society. Many laws have passed, and many associations are working, to protect their rights, but still their suffering has not completely ended, and they are considered as mentally ill and inferior persons of the society. 2. Feminism has seen four waves since feminists, and women themselves, have started raising their voices against gender discrimination they suffer from at homes and at workplaces (Rebick, 2005). This essay tends to focus on the thesis statement that the third and fourth waves of feminism differ from the first and second waves in terms of activism and understanding relations among women, by giving a brief introduction of the four waves. The first wave of feminism arose in the nineteenth century when an organized feminist movement started in Britain in the 1850s. Although many femini sts, like Mary Wollstonecraft, had already debated on the topic of female social inequality, yet there was a need for an organized movement. First wave feminists promoted their idea of giving equal rights to women in education, employment, and decisions about marriage. However, they focused only on the problems they had experienced, and not on the problems of working women. Second wave arose in the late twentieth century when feminist activities increased. Women started to contend against discrimination, in which they were given second class status. This wave focused mainly on working class of women, which was obvious from the 1968 strike of working women at the Ford car plant, protesting for equal pay. Women also started understanding their