Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Whats a Good PSAT Score for 2018

What's a Good PSAT Score for 2018 SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The 2018 PSAT is coming up in mid-to-late October,and scores should come out by mid-December. When you get your score report, you'll see a bunch of different kinds of scores, including your total score (out of 1520), your section scores (out of 760), and your Selection Index (out of 228). Sorting through all of this data to figure out what's a good PSAT score can be tricky, so we've written this guide to understanding your PSAT score report. We'll begin with a quick run-through of the different types of PSAT scores, then get into how you can figure out how your score compares to that of other students. Breakdown of PSAT Score Types When you first look at it, your PSAT score report might seem a bit intimidating. All the information in it is intended to help you, but it can be hard to figure out what it means and how well you did if you don't understand what each score type actually shows. PSAT score reports have six main kinds of data: scaled total scores, section scores, raw scores, subscores, Selection Index, and percentiles. Here’s a quick rundown of what all of these terms mean and what their ranges are: Scaled total score: Your total score on the PSAT, ranging between 320 and 1520. Half of your total score comes from Math and the other half comes from Evidence-based Reading and Writing (which is a combination of the Reading and Writing and Language sections). Scaled section scores: Two scores, one for Math and one for Evidence-based Reading and Writing. Both of these scores fall between 160 and 760. Section (test) scores: Three scores: one for Math, one for Reading, and one for Writing and Language. All section scores fall between 8 and 38. Subscores: Seven scores, each on a scale of 1 to 15. Subscores tell you how you did on certain types of questions, some of which appear across two or more sections of the PSAT. You’ll get a subscore for questions that fallinto these seven categories: Command of Evidence, Words in Context, Expression of Ideas, Standard English Conventions, Heart of Algebra, Problem Solving and Data Analysis, and Passport to Advanced Math. Raw scores: Three scores, one for each PSAT section, representing the number of questions you got right. The ranges for raw scores vary by section. You can get a maximum raw score of 48 for Math, 47 for Reading, and 44 for Writing and Language. Selection Index: One score that ranges from 48 to 228. Your selection index is the sum of your three section scores between 8 and 38 multiplied by 2: (Math section score + Reading section score + Writing section score) x 2 = Selection Index The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) uses the Selection Index to determine whether test takers qualify as Commended Students or Semifinalists. Percentiles: Ranking of your performance compared to that of other test-takers. Percentiles tell you what percentage of other students you scored the same as or better than. If you score in the 80th percentile, then you scored the same as or better than 80% of other test-takers. There it is- all of the categories of data on your PSAT score report, explained. The next step is understanding what information in your score report matters the most for you. Out of all six kinds of data, which are the most important? Which PSAT Scores Are Most Important? All of the data on your PSAT score report is useful in one way or another, but the most important numbers are your scaled total score and scaled section scores. As you saw above, the highest you can score on the PSAT is 1520 overall or 760 on Math and 760 on Evidence-Based Reading and Writing. While as you take the test there are separately timed sections for Reading and Writing and Language, your scores on these sections are combined into one scaled section score (Evidence-Based Reading and Writing). As a result, your total PSAT score is 50% Math and 50% Evidence-Based Reading and Writing. Another piece of information that's important for students competing for a National Merit Scholarship is your Selection Index. To make sure students from across the country are represented in the National Merit Scholarship contest, the NMSC sets different cutoffs in each state to determine which students become Commended Scholars and which become Semifinalists. The top 1% of scorers in each state are named Semifinalists, who then apply to become Finalists and win scholarship money. As for the other score data on your score report? We recommend using your non-scaled section scores, raw scores, and subscores to get detailed insight into how you did on each section and question type on the PSAT. Understanding what kinds of PSAT questions you got wrong is especially helpfulwhen you go on to study for the SAT, as this understanding of your strengths and weaknesses as a test-taker can point you towards where you need to focus your studying. For example, having a higher Math score and a lower Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score indicates that you need to focus more on the Reading and Writing sections. This is fine, but still kind of broadthat's 2/3 of the test! However, if you go deeper into your score report by checking your raw scores and subscores, you might discover that what you really need to work on is a specific type of question in the Writing and Language section (e.g. Command of Evidence questions). Now that you have the tools to sort through your PSAT score report, let’s go back to our original, million-dollar question: what makes a good score on the PSAT? Read on to find out. What's a Good Score on the PSAT? What Does That Mean? Before we can answer thequestion of what a good score on the PSAT is, we need to define what we mean by a "good score."Since everyone has different goals for the PSAT, a good score for one student may be a disappointing score for another. To figure out what a good PSAT score is, let's consider a couple of different ways a score could be "good." First, we could define â€Å"good† as meaning that you scored better than 50% or more of other test-takers. Based on this definition, we can use percentiles to figure out what makes an above-average PSAT score. Second, we can define â€Å"good† PSAT scores as scores thatqualifyfor National Merit. Actually, qualifying for National Merit means that you got excellent, amazing, near-perfect PSAT scores. What the exact scores you should aim for to qualify for National Merit is something we'll talk about in a little bit. Finally, because the PSAT is very similar to the SAT, we can use the PSAT to determine whether or not you're on track to get the SAT scores you need for the colleges you want to apply to. Figuring this out means understanding what kinds of SAT scores colleges are looking for. Let’s start by considering PSAT percentiles. How do PSAT scores correspond to percentiles? Full Chart of PSAT Score Percentiles PSAT percentiles tell you how well you did in comparison to others who took the test. For instance, if your score is in the 81st percentile, you did as well as or better than 81% of test takers (and worse than 19% of test takers). The top percentile on the PSAT is the 99th percentile. However, you don’t need a perfect PSAT score to get into the 99th percentile. We don’t have percentile data yet for the October 2018 PSAT, but we can get an idea of what to expect by looking at percentiles from the 2017 PSAT. Here’s the full chart that shows how PSAT scaled section scores compare, usingpercentiles: PSAT Section Score Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Percentile Math Percentile 760 99+ 99+ 750 99+ 99 740 99 98 730 99 97 720 98 97 710 97 96 700 96 95 690 95 95 680 94 94 670 93 93 660 91 92 650 90 91 640 88 90 630 86 89 620 84 87 610 82 85 600 79 84 590 77 81 580 74 79 570 71 75 560 67 72 550 64 68 540 60 65 530 57 61 520 53 58 510 50 55 500 46 52 490 43 47 480 40 43 470 36 39 460 33 35 450 30 32 440 28 28 430 25 25 420 22 23 410 19 19 400 17 16 390 15 13 380 12 10 370 10 8 360 8 7 350 6 4 340 5 4 330 3 3 320 2 2 310 2 2 300 1 1 290 1 1 280 1 1 270 1- 1 260 1- 1- 250 1- 1- 240 1- 1- 230 1- 1- 220 1- 1- 210 1- 1- 200 1- 1- 190 1- 1- 180 1- 1- 170 1- 1- 160 1- 1- Via CollegeBoard.org As the chart above shows, percentiles are distributed slightly differently for Math and Evidence-based Reading and Writing, with Math being a little more competitive at most score levels. For example, an Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score of 730 ranks in the 99th percentile, whereas you’d need a 750 to get into the 99th percentile for Math. This difference shows that more students get higher scores in Math than they do in Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (indicating that EBRW is in fact harder to do well on for most students). Using the PSAT percentile chart as a reference, we'll next discuss what you have to score in each section to get a "good" PSAT score (aka a score in a higher-than-average percentile). What Is a Good 2018 PSAT Score, Based on Percentiles? If we define a good PSAT score as a score that fewer than half of students get, we can use percentiles to figure out what exact score you'd need to rank higher than the majority of other test-takers. For the PSAT, to rank in the 50th percentile, you’d need at least a 510 in Reading and Writing and a 500 in Math. What if you want to rank in the 70th, 80th, 90th, or even 99th percentile? Here are the section scores you’d need to score as well as or higher than other students at those levels. Percentile Reading and Writing Score Math Score Composite Score 70% 570 560 1120 80% 610 590 1180 90% 650 640 1280 99% 730 750 1450 Oddly enough, you have to score slightly higher in Evidence-Based Reading and Writing than in Math to make it into the 70th, 80th, and 90th percentiles. To make it into the 99th percentile, though, you’d have to score 20 points higher in Math than in Evidence-Based Reading and Writing. If you’re a strong test-taker aiming for National Merit, then a good PSAT score for you will be one that qualifies you for Commended Student or Semifinalist. Read on to learn what is a good PSAT score for National Merit distinction. What’s a Good 2018 PSAT Score for National Merit? The National Merit Scholarship Corporation awards students who get top scores on the PSAT a couple of different titles. Students who score in the top third to fourth percentile of all PSAT test takers are named Commended Students, while students whose PSAT scores are in the top 1%ile are named Semifinalists. However, rather than relying on PSAT percentiles, NMSC uses students' Selection Index to determine which students qualify for which honor. Each state has its own Selection Index cutoff that students need to make to qualify for National Merit. Before we go through the cutoffs for each state, though, let's quickly review how to calculate your PSAT Selection Index. How Is the Selection Index Calculated? Once you know your 8-38 scale Math, Reading, and Writing and Language scores, you can easily calculate your Selection Index score. Simply add your section scores for Reading, Writing and Language, and Math together, and then multiply the entire sum by 2 to get your Selection Index Score. Let’s say you got a 37 in Reading, a 38 in Writing and Language, and a 31 in Math. Here’s how you would figure out your Selection Index. Section Score Sum x 2 Selection Index Score Reading 37 (37 + 38 + 31) x 2 = 212 Writing and Language 38 Math 31 By adding together and doubling your section scores, you get a Selection Index of 212. Does this score qualify you to be a National Merit Semifinalist? It depends on where in the U.S. you live. Keep reading for the full chart that shows the qualifying cutoff scores for National Merit in each state. Qualifying PSAT Scores for National Merit, State by State We've created a chart that shows the Selection Index score you need to qualify for Semifinalist in everystate. While NMSC doesn't release a full list of cutoffs, they will tell you what the score cutoff is for your state (if you took the PSAT as a junior that year). Because of this, the data in the chart below is crowdsourced from individuals across the country. If any of the cutoffs are wrong, let us know in the comments! You can also confirm your own state's Selection Index cutoff by calling NMSC at (847) 866-5100. Here’s the full list of state cutoffs to qualify for National Merit Semifinalist. State PSAT Cutoff for National Merit Semifinalist Alabama 216 Alaska 215 Arizona 220 Arkansas 214 California 223 Colorado 221 Connecticut 222 Delaware 222 DC 223 Florida 219 Georgia 220 Hawaii 220 Idaho 214 Illinois 221 Indiana 219 Iowa 216 Kansas 218 Kentucky 218 Louisiana 217 Maine 217 Maryland 223 Massachusetts 223 Michigan 219 Minnesota 220 Mississippi 215 Missouri 217 Montana 214 Nebraska 216 Nevada 218 New Hampshire 219 New Jersey 223 New Mexico 215 New York 221 North Carolina 220 North Dakota 212 Ohio 219 Oklahoma 215 Oregon 221 Pennsylvania 220 Rhode Island 220 South Carolina 216 South Dakota 215 Tennessee 219 Texas 221 Utah 215 Vermont 216 Virginia 222 Washington 222 West Virginia 212 Wisconsin 216 Wyoming 212 Average Score 218 On average, students need a Selection Index score of 218 to become National Merit Semifinalists. If you live in California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, or Washington, DC, then you need to meet the highest cutoff of 223 to qualify for National Merit. The highest possible Selection Index is 228, so getting a 223 or above requires getting at least a 37 (out of 38!) on all three PSAT sections. If you haven't taken the PSAT yet and are aiming for National Merit, I'd recommend aiming for a PSAT score that's at least two to five points higher than your state's cutoff on this list. The cutoffs can fluctuate a bit from year to year, depending on how students around the country do on the PSAT/NMSQT. Once you know what the Selection Index cutoff is for your state, how can you figure out what scores you need to qualify for National Merit? Your cutoff score for National Merit depends on what state you live in. How to Calculate Your Target Scores for National Merit If you haven't taken the PSAT yet and are aiming for National Merit, this section is for you. Earlier, you learned how to convert your PSAT section scores into the Selection Index. If you know what Selection Index you’re aiming for, all you need to do now is work backwardto figure out your target section scores. Remember how you needed to add your section scores together and then double that sum to get your Selection Index? Working backward just means dividing your Selection Index by two and then further splitting that quotient into three. Let’s say you live in North Dakota. To qualify for National Merit, students who took the PSAT in 2017 needed a Selection Index score of 212. To be on the safe side, you'll want to aim for at least a 216 as your target score (just in case the cutoff fluctuates). Our first step, then, is to divide 216 by 2. 216 / 2 = 108. Now you know that your section scores in Reading, Writing and Language, and Math need to add up to 108. You can also figure out what section score you need for each section (Math, Reading, and Writing and Language) by dividing 108 by three. 108 / 3 = 36 However, not everyone is equally strong at math and reading and writing. You might be able to aim a little higher in Math and a little lower in Reading and Writing and Language, or vice versa. As long as your section scores still add up to 108, you’ll still get a Selection Index of 216 and potentially qualify for National Merit. Once you understand what total section scores you need, you can adjust your target scores among the three PSAT sections however you want. Set realistic goals for yourself based on your own math, reading, and writing skills. Of course, only a small fraction of students who take the PSAT do so with the intent of becoming National Merit Semifinalists. And only 16,000 of the 1.6 million who take the PSAT will receive this distinction. Disappointed with your PSAT performance? Want to improve your PSAT score by 150 points? We have the industry's leading PSAT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and SAT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so you get the most effective prep possible. Check out our 5-day free trial today: We've already discussed how a good PSAT score could be one that is better than what most students get or one that qualifies you to become a National Merit Semifinalist. We'll now go into the third and final way of defining a good PSAT score, which is a score that shows you’re on track to achieving your SAT goals and getting into college. What Is a Good PSAT Score for College? Since the PSAT is extremely similar to the SAT, your performance on the PSAT can help predict your SAT score. Almost everyone's score goes up if they take these kinds of standardized tests more than once, sothe PSAT is a useful trial run. As a result, if you take the PSAT first you'll likely score higher on the SAT than you would if you hadn't taken the PSAT. You can use your PSAT score report to see your current scoring level and findout what skills you need to improve to hit your target SAT scores. To figure out your target SAT scores, you'll need to do some college research. Find schools that you’re interested in and look up the average SAT scores of accepted students. You can then use this information to set your own SAT score goals. Once you know what scores you need to get into your colleges of interest, you can use your PSAT score report to design a study plan. Use the data provided by section scores and subscores to pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses, then type yourself up a personalized SAT study plan that targets your weak areas. Depending on how much you want to improve, you can roughly predict how much time you'll need to set aside to prep. Here’s an estimate of how many hours you need to study to improve different increments on the SAT. 0-50 SAT composite (out of 1600) point improvement: 10 hours 50-100 point improvement: 20 hours 100-200 point improvement: 40 hours 200-300 point improvement: 80 hours 300-500 point improvement: 150 hours+ If you’re already scoring close to your target SAT scores on the PSAT, then you can feel satisfied with your PSAT scores. But if you fell short by a hundred points, then you need to kick your test prep into gear and devote several hours a week to getting ready for the SAT. Fortunately, if you have months to prepare and use that time effectively, you can definitely see a big improvement in both your skills as a test-taker and your SAT score. Your PSAT score report offers a useful starting point for your SAT prep. Whether or not you think you did well on the PSAT, you can still achieve a good score on the SAT with enough commitment. In closing, we'll go over the key points you need to remember about what a good score for the 2018 PSAT is. What SAT score do you need to be a good candidate for your dream school? Your PSAT scores can help you achieve your dream. 2018 PSAT Scores: Key Takeaways If you take the PSAT in 2018, you'll get your scores back mid-December. The score report you get might be confusing at first, but you now know what PSAT scaled scores, section scores, and subscores mean (and you can always use this article as a refresher if you forget!). Students aiming for National Merit should also check Selection Index score to see if it's above past years' qualifying scores for their state. Everyone has their own definition for what is aâ€Å"good† PSAT score. For example, what you might think a good score could simply be one that's higher than most other students' scores. In that case, you can use percentiles to figure out what makes a good score on the PSAT. If you’re a high-achieving student who has spent time prepping for the PSAT, then a good score for you might mean receiving National Merit distinction. National Merit is extremely competitive and only top scorers across the country get named Commended Scholars and Semifinalists. Before taking the PSAT, you should use the Selection Index cutoff for your state to set your PSAT score goals. Finally, scoring well on the PSAT can inform how you prep for the SAT. You can set a PSAT score goal based on the SAT score you'll need for your eventual college applications. If you make it, then great; if not, you'll then know you need to put in more time prepping for the SAT to get into the sweet spot for the colleges you want to apply to. Taking the PSAT can tell you about your strong and weak areas (which you can use for the PSAT prep) as well as qualifying you as a National Merit Semifinalist. In the end, you should decide what a good PSAT score for you is based on your personal goals and plans. What’s Next? Once you're named a National Merit Semifinalist, what's the next step? Find out how to move on in the competition and win scholarship money with our complete guide on how to become a National Merit Finalist. How does the PSAT differ from the SAT? Should you prep for both at once or one at a time? Learn more about the similarities and differences between the PSAT and SAT here. How much time do you need to set aside to get a killer SAT score? We advise you how much ahead of time to start prepping and how long you need to study for the SAT. 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:

Friday, November 22, 2019

Share Your Writing Tips

Share Your Writing Tips Share Your Writing Tips Share Your Writing Tips By Sharon It was about time to get our wonderful readers involved with the blog. Instead of writing an article with one hand, therefore, lets group our knowledge and see what comes out of it. The topic I want to cover is Tips to Become a Better Writer. All you need to do is to send one tip that you used to become a better writer. You can do this either by posting a comment below or by sending me an email via the contact form. Next Monday I will publish all the tips in a single article, so that we can use it as reference. In order to kick start it below you will find my tip: Pay attention to punctuation; especially to the correct use of commas and periods. These two punctuation marks regulate the flow of your thoughts, and they can make your text confusing even if the words are clear. What methods have you used to improve your writing skills? What technique helped you to increase your vocabulary or correct your grammar? Dont be shy and share them with us! 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 General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Apply to, Apply for, and Apply with75 Idioms and Expressions That Include â€Å"Break†20 Slang Terms for Law Enforcement Personnel

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Long-Term Investment Decisions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Long-Term Investment Decisions - Essay Example The consumer will have to consume the commodity as normal even if the prices are increased. The managers thus should consider the reactions from the competitors before raising prices. Since consumption of the food is maintained, increasing prices may lead to rival firms to sell more units than the firm. This will reduce its sales and market share and hence loses a lot to the competitors. Consumers usually have believed that high prices are associated with high quality. If the firm wants to attract more sales, they should consider increasing quality or rebrand the product as this would change the consumer’s perception of the product in a positive way. They would thus increase their purchasing power making the firms to have high sales. Managers should also have a good timing as to when to increase the prices. During low seasons of the business, they can keep the prices low so that they keep with the increased customers demand however little it may be. These losses can then be recovered in off seasons through producing more units at high prices. For example, during festive seasons and holidays, consumers spend more than expected. The government usually enters into the production process majorly by providing incentives and changes in taxation. Providing subsidies lowers the production cost of the company. The company is able to produce more and increase the market supply (Tisdell & Hartley, 2008). To increase production, they will hire extra labor leading to employment in the economy. As supply increases, demand is relatively constant leading to low prices to the consumers. However, if the government does not provide subsidies, the company operations cost will be high and hence reduce output and will lay off workers leading to unemployment in the economy. This decreases supply and since demand is high, prices will increase leading to inflations in the economy. The government can decide to use tax

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

English writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

English writing - Essay Example They later form the leadership tables in the kingdoms and dynasties, regarded as heroes, master’s, kings and so forth , but do these titles come with social, economic, cultural or political obligation to the beholder? In other words, what is the role of social relationships and other human interactions and how do the titleholders or the leaders approach the sometimes-conflicting obligations that come with the titles? William Deresiewicz’s ideas on leadership and the sacrifices that one has to make in order to change the position he is in and/or change the society’s perception over a phenomenon can is an analytical tool to evaluate the heroic traditions in these films. In addition, by evaluating the role of social relationships and their sometimes conflicting obligations will help us understand the real cost of heroism and the consequences involved in case the hero/the leader misses a point in his words or actions (Finch, 2). For instance, in Seven Samurai, the conflict of the chief and the village elder on their social/security obligation to defend the farming village creates a row between the residents of the village on the best strategy to apply. Deresiewicz’s view on the kind of leadership that the society requires is based on solitude and independent thought, which may not favor every party in a particular setting. For instance, the chief decides to spare marauding bandi ts until the harvest because he had attacked the mountain before while on the other hand the village elder declares they must find a samurai to protect the village (Seven Samurai Video). Each of the decision had the better part of it and repercussion but which one was more prudent, timely and comprehensive from a leader to his fellow followers? The role of social relationships and the sometimes conflicting obligations will take preference in this case in that for the village elder’s decision to find hungry samurai since they have nothing to offer but food, which is about to be

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Turture Case Essay Example for Free

Turture Case Essay This world is full of crimes and war. There isn’t one country out there that doesn’t have some sort of confliction with other countries. Is it normal? Is it ok to be committing all these war crimes? Honestly there isn’t any reasonable answer for that. Several people argue differently about the situation on war crimes. The author of â€Å"Thinking about Torture†, also film critic for National Review, and author of many other books; Ross Douthat talks about what he thinks about war crimes, which he believes they are not correct but the war crimes could be justified. In the other hand the author of â€Å"Committing War Crimes for the ‘Right Reasons’†, Glenn Greenwald who was also a constitutional law and civil rights lawyer has his own opinion. He believes war crimes are not acceptable for any reason. Sometimes it’s difficult to decide what side is correct. The question here is, is torture ok? In â€Å"Thinking about Torture†, Douthat writes â€Å"It doesn’t excuse what was done by our government, and in our name, in prisons, in detentions, cells around the world. But anyone who felt the way I felt after 9/11 has to reckon with the fact that what was done in our name was, in some sense, done for us.† This illustrates that Douthat has somewhat mixed feelings about torture. He feels that there is no excuse for the use of torture and what the government has done. But the way he felt after the attack of 9/11 what the government did was done for us to feel some form of justice. In â€Å"Committing War Crimes for the ‘Right Reasons†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢, Greenwald makes it clear when he states â€Å"but we don’t accept that justifying reasoning when offered by other. In fact those who seek merely to explain – let alone justified the – the tyranny, extremism and/or violence of Castro, or Chavez, or Ha mas, or Slobodan Milosevic or Islamic extremists are immediately condemned for seeking to defend the indefensible, or invoking â€Å"root causes† to justify the unjustifiable, or offering mitigating rationale for pure evil.† With this he is saying that many people will always find some kind of defense to justify the use of torture, but in reality there is no justification for an act of malevolence. Douthat finds justifications to the tortures that could reasonable to some while Greenwald finds no justification and believes the excuses are poor. Even though Douthat and Greenwald may have different views they also have some similarities. They both agree in some way that it is not correct. Douthat states in paragraph 9, â€Å"here I am more comfortable saying straightforwardly that this should never have been allowed – that it should be considered impermissible as well as immoral, and that it should involve disgrace for those responsible, the Cheneys and Rumsfelds as well as the people who actually implemented the techniques that the Vice President’s office promoted and the Secretary of Defense signed off on.† Douthat is stating that the torture should have not taken place at all to beg in with and is unforgiveable. The people behind all of this should be ashamed of their actions. Greenwald states in paragraph 12, â€Å"What determines whether a political leader is good or evil isn’t their nationality. It’s their conduct. And leaders, who violate the laws of war and commit war crimes, by definition, aren’t good, even if they are American.† Greenwald is simply and clearly is stating that it doesn’t matter what nationality a leader is from to determine whether they are good or bad leaders, but what determines if they are good or bad leaders are by their actions. They both agree that a leader should be responsible with what actions they choose. And if a leader chooses an unpleasant action they should be ashamed and considered terrible leaders. As people may have their own views and opinions like Douthat and Greenwald one finding a justification for torture and the other finding no excuse for it. Everyone will always have their own view, opinion, and answer, but at the end the real answer will never be known. For example Douthat could convince with the justifications he finds but Greenwald will also convince some on how there is no justification. The correct decision should always be chosen to avoid all this conflicts some people will argue. But how does somebody actually what the â€Å"correct† choice is? With people like Douthat and Greenwald arguing their sides it’s difficult to choose the correct one.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Essay --

The Canadian Center of Science and Education and Andrew Worsley are to be given credit for the work done in this paper. Also, there are references to a project done in 2,000 called the MACHO project. The paper was developed by testing if, â€Å"advances in black hole physics can be used to accurately model both CDM associated with the super massive black hole at the center of the galaxy, and cosmological cold dark matter† (Worsley, 2012). They analyzed different sets of data and used a series of mathematical equations to find the proof of the existence of cosmological dark matter in the atmosphere. A strength of this article is that they put the distance to the LMC at 40kpc. This allowed the core radius of the halo to be as big as 25 kpc, which is like the MACHO project Model F predicted that as much as 40-60% of the halo mass could be accounted for by MACHOs, which implies that a portion of the halo could be primordial black holes. However, other models showed a lower percen tage 20 % of the core halo mass because they only kept it at 5 kpc, which limited their results. What has become c...

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan: The Great Teacher Essay

5 September is celebrated as TEACHER’S DAY in India. Different countries celebrate the ocassion on different dates like 11 September in Argentina, 15 October in Brazil as Teacher Appreciation Day etc. UNESCO recognises October 5 as World Teacher’s Day. Teacher’s day is a day to honour our teachers and thank them for all that they have done for us in our educational lives. Specially 5 September is the birth day of India’s 2nd President as well as great philosopher cum teacher Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. One of India’s most influential scholars of comparative religion and philosophy, Radhakrishnan built a bridge between the East and the West by showing how the philosophical systems of each tradition are comprehensible within the terms of the other. He wrote authoritative exegeses of India’s religious and philosophical literature for the English-speaking world. His academic appointments included the King George V Chair of Mental and Moral Scie nce at the University of Calcutta (1921–1932) and Spalding Professor of Eastern Religion and Ethics at Oxford University (1936–1952). Radhakrishnan was awarded the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award in India, in 1954. Among the many other honors he received were the British Knight Bachelor in 1931 and the commonwealth Order of Merit (1963), but ceased to use the title â€Å"Sir† after India attained independence. His birthday is celebrated in India as Teachers’ Day on 5 September. He was also awarded the Templeton Prize in 1975 in recognition of the fact that â€Å"his accessible writings underscored his country’s religious heritage and sought to convey a universal reality of God that embraced love and wisdom for all people†. In April 1909, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was appointed to the Department of Philosophy at the Madras Presidency College. Thereafter, in 1918, he was selected as Professor of Philosophy by the University of Mysore, where he taught at its Maharaja’s College, Mysore. By that time he had written many articles for journals of repute like The Quest, Journal of Philosophy and the International Journal of Ethics. He also completed his first book, The Philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore. He believed Tagore’s philosophy to be the â€Å"genuine manifestation of the Indian spirit†. His second book, The Reign of Religion in Contemporary Philosophy was published in 1920. In 1921 he was appointed as a professor in philosophy to occupy the King George V Chair of Mental and Moral Science at the University of Calcutta. He represented the University of Calcutta at the Congress of the Universities of the British Empire in June 1926 and the  International Congress of Philosophy at Harvard University in September 1926. Another important academic event during this period was the invitation to deliver the Hibbert Lecture on the ideals of life which he delivered at Harris Manchester College, Oxford in 1929 and which was subsequently published in book form as An Idealist View of Life. In 1929 Radhakrishnan was invited to take the post vacated by Principal J. Estlin Carpenter at Harris Manchester College. This gave him the opportunity to lecture to the students of the University of Oxford on Comparative Religion. For his services to education he was knighted by George V in the June 1931 Birthday Honours, and formally invested with his honour by the Governor-General of India, the Earl of Willingdon, in April 1932. However, he ceased to use the title after Indian independence, preferring instead his academic title of ‘Doctor’. He was the Vice-Chancellor of Andhra University from 1931 to 1936. In 1936 Radhakrishnan was named Spalding Professor of Eastern Religions and Ethics at the University of Oxford, and was elected a Fellow of All Souls College. In 1939 Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya invited him to succeed him as the Vice-Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University (BHU). He served as its Vice-Chancellor till January 1948. When India became independent in 1947, Radhakrishnan represented India at UNESCO (1946–52) and was later Ambassador of India to the Soviet Union, from 1949 to 1952. He was also elected to the Constituent Assembly of India. Radhakrishnan was elected as the first Vice President of India in 1952. He was elected as the second President of India (1962–1967). When he became President, some of his students and friends requested him to allow them to celebrate his birthday, 5 September. He replied, â€Å"Instead of celebrating my birthday, it would be my proud privilege if 5 September is observed as Teachers’ Day.† Since the time we have been civilised education has become part of our life and after the parents in home our teachers in school ,colleges take care of us. They are emotionally attached to us. It is our prime duty to obey them with great gratitude. Not only one day in a year; but also in each moment we should behave gently and respect our teachers. Teachers also should follow the ideals of great teacher Radhakrishnan. A good teacher is one who is always ready to share his knowledge to his disciple with love and like a frie nd.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Congress grills execs on ‘cascade of failures’ behind Gulf oil spill

On 15th may 2010, Congress conveyed a meeting with executives from BP, Transocean and Halliburton companies, and the executives were grilled on why better measures were not put in place to stop oil spewing along the Gulf of Mexico. Congress demanded an explanation for the â€Å"cascade of failures† behind the spillage, concentrating mostly on the vital events at the deep-sea wellhead just before a blast devoured the rig and set off an appalling rapture.BP America chairman, MacKay Lamar said that their main obligations were to stop the spillage, clean up the mess and compensate the impacts of the spillage but not to play a blame game with the partners. Policymakers compared the tragedy to some historical catastrophes from sea to space. The hearing was also attended by environmentalists who were clad in black T-shirts saying â€Å"Energy shouldn’t cost lives† with some wearing black teardrops symbolizing agony caused by the spillage.Chairman of the Energy and Natur al Resource committee, Jeff Bingaman, said that they were likely to discover a cascade of failures and technological and human and regulatory errors if the calamity was anything like other catastrophic failures of technological systems in modern history. Senator Murkowski admonished that everyone one was intertwined in the process of trying to shut off the leakage and finding a safer way of exploiting energy.She added that the incident has reminded everyone that production of energy is never without risks or environmental costs. Murkowski added that if operators are found to have violated the law they will not be excused. Failure to cap the spillage has caused anxieties everywhere from congress to the Louisiana beach which is anticipating the hurricane season. Congress required pledges that BP and its partners would pay what could amount to billions in economic and environmental reparation.The spillage is thought to have been caused by a methane gas surge from deep within the well. The executives did not disclose why a heavy â€Å"mud† compound was replaced with much lighter sea water thereby reducing the wells’ downward pressure. MacKay told congress that a key piece of safety equipment suitably called blowout preventer which was owned by Tranoacen failed to work. Steven Newman the president of Transocean disclosed that Halliburton was in the process of tipping cement into the pipe to plug it but the final cap had not yet been put in place.Tim Probert, the executive that was representing Halliburton indicated that his company followed BPS drilling plan, industrial practices and federal regulations. Work cited Harry, R. , Matthew Daly and Frederic J. Frommer. â€Å"Disasters†. 11th may 2010. Fox News. 24 May 2010

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Dreams Movie Review Essay essays

Dreams Movie Review Essay essays After watching the movie Dreams, I feel that it is to complicated and in depth for the average person. Akira Kurosawa, who lived in Japan from 1910 to 1998, directed the movie. Akira was a very respected director, but is criticized for his films being too intellectual. The movie Dreams is set in a series of eight different vignettes. Each vignette goes by very slowly and when watching the movie you lose interest and attentiveness. In the vignette The Blizzard, men are walking thorough a blizzard to get to there next campsite. While walking there is not talking for almost five minutes straight, all you see on the screen is four men walking through snow. When watching this, I lost interest and my mind started to wander. Also, in the vignette The Tunnel, a man hears a bunch of footsteps walking thorough a tunnel coming toward him, this goes on what seem like an eternity and I felt like pushing fast forward to get to the point. This was very mad it very difficult for me to keep my focus and not fall asleep. This film spent way too much time doing nothing on the screen, when it needed actions to get to the point. The movie takes place in unrealistic settings and plot, which get really confusing as you are watching the film. Like in the first vignette Sunshine through the Rain, a little boy is told not to go to the forest when it is raining and the sun is shining at the same time because this is when the foxs hold there wedding. The boy goes to the woods and walks around. A foxes wedding. The boy observes a fox having there wedding in the middle of the forest. The unrealistic storyline makes the movie lose the point it is trying to make. Later during the vignette Crows, where the main character starts off looking in what seems to be an art museum. Then, the main character drifts into one of the paintings he is looking at and meets Vincent Van Gogh. The whole setting takes place in a painting, w ...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

The Difference Between Discreet and Discrete

The Difference Between Discreet and Discrete The Difference Between Discreet and Discrete The Difference Between Discreet and Discrete By Maeve Maddox discreet adj. Showing discernment or judgement in the guidance of ones own speech and action; judicious, prudent, circumspect, cautious; often esp. that can be silent when speech would be inconvenient.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   discrete adj. Separate, detached from others, individually distinct. Opposed to continuous. Both discreet and discrete derive from the same Latin word discretus, separated, distinct. Old French discret meant discreet, sensible, intelligent, wise. In the 17th century, the spelling discreet became attached to the sense of careful or prudent. The spelling discrete, used in such disciplines as philosophy, medicine, and music, retained the original Latin meaning of separated. Examples of the incorrect uses of discreet and discrete: †¦ but if this brief and discrete affair ever really happened it was never in the public eye†¦ I just arrived in Dubai and was wondering if anyone knows of a discrete internet cafe, ideally with private rooms†¦ Ive always thought about breaking down ICs back to their discreet components Examples of correct uses of discreet and discrete: Sometimes people need to be discreet when it comes to the contacts in their iPhones. Having a discreet affair isnt easy. †¦designed to help a nursing mother have a bit more privacy and to be able to nurse discreetly†¦ The Times claims these scores can validly peg the discrete effect of each teacher on their students growth. A statistical distribution whose variables can take on only discrete values†¦ 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 Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Synonyms for â€Å"Leader†Driver License vs. Driver’s License12 Misunderstood and Misquoted Shakespearean Expressions

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Embedded Systems Engineering Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Embedded Systems Engineering - Assignment Example If the blood alcohol content (BAC) of the driver is more than the defined value, the system locks the ignition disabling he vehicle from starting. For many years the society has experienced drunk driving as a major problem which has claimed so many innocent lives apart from just the drunk drivers. The system not only prevent drunken drivers from driving while intoxicated, but also save many innocent lives who may fall victims of drunk driving. Executive summary An automated breathalyzer in most countries is fixed in convicted drunken drivers vehicles in order to control the vehicle ignition under the conditions that the driver’s blood alcohol content is from the sample breath is below a certain defined alcohol level. The automated breathalyzer engine ignition switch will act as safeguard ensuring that drunken drivers who are not fit to drive are out of the road. It is highly accurate as compared to the manual ways of preventing drunken drivers from driving in that it does not the ignite the car in case the blood alcohol content is above the defined amount. ... That is, if the level of blood alcohol content is higher than the defined value, then the system automatically locks the vehicle’s ignition preventing the engine from starting. It therefore ensures that drunken drivers who are not fit to drive are eliminated from the road thus prevent accidents. Problem statement Public safety calls for the elimination of drunken drivers from the road in order to reduce accidents mostly related to alcohol. Statistics indicate that about 38% of the road accidents are alcohol related. Loopholes exists in the current system used to test drunken drivers on their ability to drive in that a driver who might be breaking the legal limit for blood alcohol still has the potential to pass the roadside sobriety tests. This is because the roadside sobriety tests such as testing if the drunken driver can walk in a straight line are manually done and their accuracy is quite questionable. Objectives A general objective of the automobile breathalyzer ignition interlock system is to prevent drunk drivers who are not fit to drive from driver by automatically locking the car’s ignition system unless the driver’s BAC value is lower than the defined limit meaning that the driver is sober enough to drive. Nearly 38% of road accidents are alcohol related while curbing the problem of drunk driving has proved difficult through the use of the other manual ways, the automobile breathalyzer ignition interlock system precludes the possibility of an accident and other incidents related to drunk driving such as revoking offenders’ licenses altogether. The system should be able to disable the car’s ignition system should it be found that the BAC value of the driver is higher than the defined limit depending on the state or country.