The State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness

The State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) is an assessment program developed by many stakeholders in the education sector for students who are in the third grade to grade eight before they have entered high school.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on The State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This program is replaces the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS). In order to conform to the national and international assessment standards, the state of Texas has developed texts which are standardized. They are of two categories and they include the criterion referenced and the norm referenced. This paper helps to explain the validity of the test, its purpose and its effect on the funding mechanism to other districts. There are many reasons as to why the test is replacing the other tests. To begin with, the other tests are norm referenced. This means tha t they compare the performance of a specific student against other students. For instance, the student’s results are compared in three categories; above average, on average and below average depending on the number of students in the class. The performance of the student is thus limited to the classroom level at the expense of the other students who are in other schools. This also locks many students out of high school opportunities due to poor performance in their specific schools. In addition, many schools in Texas are not fully prepared to enter middle level schools due to the poor examination standards (Texas test prep practice test book, 2011). Secondly, the main purpose of having STAAR is to ensure that the student’s performance has been compared against a standard. Being a criterion based examination, STAAR holds each student accountable for failing to meet the accepted standard. The test is also meant to ensure that the student’s performance has been tes ted against the available standards of the curriculum. It thus replaces the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for each grade. The Texas Education Agency planned to ensure that by the year 2030 every state will have reviewed its standards in order to determine the assessed objectives. Many people such as parents and teachers are opposed to the STAAR tests with reasons such as that the students may fail the examinations because they are harder than the TAKS. The parents are on the other hand oblivious of the fact that the examinations will be of high standards.Advertising Looking for report on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The purpose for having achieved this standard is to ensure that the student’s performance has been compared against the general standards of the state. Moreover, the STAAR will be more rigorous and standard than any other test in the history of Texas. The examinations will be base d on accountability system for the students and the teachers to test whether the students have accomplished a specific task (Bessette, 2011). Career and college readiness is also the other objective making of the STAAR. Although the focus of the other tests was ensuring that students passed the internal tests and that they were above average. These tests are different in that they test the student’s knowledge and skills and focus on preparing the students for the future. STAAR thus presents a comprehensive program which incorporates the internal standards of the state with the international standards of student preparedness. Although the committee for test preparation considered improvement of the standards, it also sought the chance to make education in Texas to be of high quality (Pugh, 2007). There are many changes which will be reviewed in the new programs for examination testing and these include the increased assessment for many grades. This will be done by increasing m ore useful and important items which will be used to ensure that the general skills and knowledge for the students has been tested. This kind of tests will also be of high standard than the TAKS due to the fact that more rigorous items will have been increased. Apparently, not only will the student’s performance be tested but the skill acquisition level will also be tested in this new tests. Higher level of competence will also be required so as to ensure that students pass these tests to their maximum requirements (Brown, 2010). There is also a general misconception that the STAAR funding will be higher than the TAKS but the reality is that the funding will be much reduced. This means that the other states will receive sufficient funds for their welfare and also ensure that there are enough resources to support the education sector. This is because the testing will be done for students who are grade 8 and this won’t be done in many times a year thus cutting down the i mminent costs of funding the educational activities. Furthermore, the committee has also proposed software which helps to mark the examination thus ensuring that the human labor is reduced when allocating marks for the students.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on The State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In order to have quality achievement as a goal in preparation of the STAAR, the Texas Educational Agency (TEA) has stated that the new tests will be longer and that they will require high level thinking than any other test in the history of education. There will be open ended questions which will give students a platform to answering without having to choose from specified choices. Proficiency of grammatical knowledge will thus help the students to answer the tests using their own knowledge as they have covered in the curriculum. In addition, there will be less time alloc ated for each question and this makes the tests tougher than even the TAKS (Pugh, 2007). There are many critics to the STAAR test starting with the teachers, students, parents and even the teachers unions. This is because they believe that the new tests will be the end of the course examinations which are done in the system of the TAKS. On the other hand, they do not understand that the examinations are based on the scores which are cumulative over the years from sophomores to upperclassmen who finish their eighth grades. Despite of the increasing criticism against the tests, all the stakeholders should be taught that the new examinations will help to improve the educational standards in Texas and increase student motivation as they bridge to colleges from high school (Brown, 2010). In conclusion, STAAR is a new examination program which has been developed by the Texas Educational Agency to replace the existing program- the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS). STAAR is a criterion based test and this means that the student’s performance are compared against the general education standards in Texas. Although STAAR are tougher than any other form of examination, they test the students on their college preparedness and also help to conform to the national and international standards. To sum up, the long term objective of the STAAR is career and college readiness. Reference List Bessette, Joseph M. (2011). American Government and Politics: Deliberation, Democracy and Citizenship, Texas Edition. Wadsworth Pub Co.Advertising Looking for report on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Brown, L. C. (2010). Practicing Texas politics. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Pugh, S. M. (2007). TAKS Texas high school social studies exit exam. Hauppauge, NY: Barron’s Educational Series.  Texas test prep practice test book: Grade 4. (2011). United States: Test Master Press. This report on The State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness was written and submitted by user Gerardo Campos to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Sense vs. Sensibility

Sense vs. Sensibility Sense vs. Sensibility Sense vs. Sensibility By Maeve Maddox A reader asks about the words in a Jane Austen title: You may already have discussed sense and sensibility, but if not, could you program an entry. I am not sure if Jane Austens word meant something particular to that time. Is there a distinction to meanings between/among sensibility, sensitivity and sensitiveness, and add in sense too? Sense has twenty-nine numbered definitions in the OED, several of them with subsections. Sensibility has seven numbered definitions, four of them with subsections. I shall confine the remarks in this post chiefly to the words as Austen used them in the title of her 1811 novel. The word sense occurs dozens of times in the novel, with various connotations, including these: sense of honor sense of merit in one’s right senses sense enough to call for help As used in Austen’s title, sense refers to what modern speakers still mean by â€Å"common sense†: â€Å"combined tact and readiness in dealing with the everyday affairs of life; general wisdom.† The novel focuses on the love life of two sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. Elinor represents the Sense of the title. Even when her heart is breaking, she maintains a polite faà §ade of courtesy and tact, reasoning that what can’t be helped is not to be agonized over. Marianne represents the Sensibility of the title, what modern speakers might call sensitivity, or even hypersensitivity. When Marianne suffers emotional anguish, everyone knows about it. Austen sets up the differences between the sisters in her description of the way they deal with the death of their father. Elinor feels the same grief as her mother and sister, but, unlike them, she is able to govern her feelings and attend to practical matters. Marianne and their mother, on the other hand, wallow helplessly in their sorrow and refuse to be comforted: Mariannes abilities were, in many respects, quite equal to Elinors. She was†¦clever; but eager in everything: her sorrows, her joys, could have no moderation. She was generous, amiable, interesting: she was everything but prudent. The resemblance between her and her mother was strikingly great. Elinor saw, with concern, the excess of her sister’s sensibility; but by Mrs. Dashwood it was valued and cherished. They [Marianne and her mother] encouraged each other now in the violence of their affliction. The agony of grief which overpowered them at first, was voluntarily renewed, was sought for, was created again and again. They gave themselves up wholly to their sorrow, seeking increase of wretchedness in every reflection that could afford it, and resolved against ever admitting consolation in future. Sensibility in the sense of the quality of being easily and strongly affected by emotional influences was still a fairly new usage in Austen’s day, giving the title a certain up-to-date catchiness. The plural, sensibilities, is current in modern usage to mean â€Å"feelings as to what is appropriate or decent†: The treatment of low, disgusting, unpleasant, though not necessarily evil, subjects should always be subject to the dictates of good taste and a regard for the sensibilities of the audience.- The Hays Motion Picture Production Code, 1930. And while the boundaries have clearly been pushed way back, movies continue to emerge which challenge our notions of what is acceptable, depicting acts of sex and violence in increasingly graphic style and often offending the sensibilities of the prudish and conservative.- Recent blog post about 21st century films. Related post: Sense and Nonsense 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:20 Types and Forms of HumorBetween vs. In BetweenPresent Participle as Adjective

Corporate Governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 2

Corporate Governance - Essay Example Another function of the corporate governance to ensure the imposition of Islamic values and principles to the daily lives and the corporate activities of the people. Another undertaking of corporate governance is to ensure that there is a challenge to the Islamic social justice concepts. At the same time, to encourage the Muslims to live their lives according the Quran and attract the blessing of God. As such, this chapter will explore the concept of corporate governance from the point of view of the Islamic world. The principle target of this section will be an examination of whether or not the Islamic laws supplement the concepts of corporate governance. In the event that the work shall identify a relationship between the two concepts, the work will measure the extent to which they supplement each other. Therefore, the work will examine the level to which the Saudi Arabian Kingdom takes advantage of the laws to the corporate activities. There is a need to consider that the Saudi legislators consider Islamic legislation as the first and the national law of the Kingdom. Another consideration is the fact that the Muslim world perceives the Sharia laws as the most vital inclusion of all laws. There varied sources of the Sharia laws that exist within the Saudi jurisprudence. All Muslims across the world consider the Quran and Sunna as the most fundamental of such sources. There are other sources as well, but the two commonly used in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are Ijma and Qiyas. Additionally the sources of Islamic legal matters mentioned are the cornerstone of support and proof of the principles of corporate governance from the perspectives of Islam. The sources of the same law are among the most relevant material for the sustainability of policy aspects of corporate governance from the views of Islam as well as the development of a corporate governance ideal. Additionally, the laws mentioned are the reference points of the laws that apply in the

Decision Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Decision Analysis - Essay Example The essay refers to â€Å"Case Study of Rural Health Care in the Economic Downturn" by North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center. Healthcare facilities have energy-intensive buildings and use more energy than other forms of buildings per square meter. Energy efficiency is critical to freeing capital trapped within conventional hospital infrastructure. Approaches to energy efficiency will provide clean, cheap, and abundant to Ashe Memorial Hospital in the delivery of immediate hospital savings. The hospital will improve financial performance through making advanced decisions to energy management. Ashe Memorial Hospital should focus on achieving sustainable utility cost reductions and savings across the building’s life cycle (Borkowski & Deckard, 2013). The approach generates new cash and increased capital continuously. It is important to note that hospital investment in efficient procedures has appreciable impacts on hospital financial performance. However, there is a need to have consistency in implementing the stability of cost per case and cash flow. The reduced of penalties and carbon taxes grows the energy efficiency in the future while Ashe Memorial Hospital endorses the ability of full compliance with regulators and accreditation organizations in its operations. The reduced potential for preventable adverse events includes infant abductions as well as unexpected patient departures for improved security of patients, staffs, and assets without extra costs (Twaddle, 2002). Lower levels of power failure and patient injuries as well as death due to electrical fires or power failure reduces the potential for higher costs. The application of intelligent healthcare solutions provides Ashe Memorial Hospital with an opportunity of improving hospital’s financial performance. Other benefits of automation include higher productivity level and overall patient satisfaction, safety, and security. In addition,

The most compelling problems facing youth in the 21st Century Essay Example for Free

The most compelling problems facing youth in the 21st Century Essay Preparing Americas children for the 21st century is among our most important national priorities. Todays children face the promise of a new century of unparalleled opportunity in which new technologies, improvements in health, expanding economies, and other advances create the hope that their future will be the brightest of any generation in history. Yet, too many of them face obstacles that obscure that bright future, including poverty, violence, child abuse, limited educational opportunity, and unhealthy behaviors. The devastating economic, social, and human costs of these obstacles are indisputable. Addressing these challenges to their future and investing in opportunities so that all children can reach their full potential. An essential component of this strategy is undertaking research to provide new knowledge of ways to improve their futures and to provide sound guidance for policy makers to assure that efforts to help are likely to succeed. Numerous indicators of the well-being of our children and families paint a mixed picture of successes and shortcomings. Our national infant mortality rate is declining rapidly and is at a record low, but is still higher than that of many other countries. Our childrens test scores in reading and science are improving but still trail those of several other industrialized nations. Our school dropout rate is unacceptably high, costing over $250 billion each year in lost earnings and foregone taxes, as well as lost human potential. Our teenage pregnancy rate is declining slightly, but is still the highest in the developed world. Our national vaccination coverage is the highest ever, but in many communities less than 50 percent of two-year-olds are adequately immunized. A similar picture of gains and unmet goals exists with respect to youth violence, child poverty, smoking, and other substance abuse. Much of the progress achieved in these and other areas is the result of critical research efforts that have advanced our understanding of how children and youths develop into healthy and productive individuals. Research has helped to inform policy decisions and program development, track outcomes, and identify strategies that work and those that do not. The Federal investment in research has clearly paid dividends in terms of improved outcomes for children and a healthier and brighter outlook for the entire Nation. Despite such important achievements, much remains to be done: Significant gaps  persist in our understanding of how children grow up to be healthy, well-educated, and responsible members of society. Given the profoundly changing nature of our communities and Nation, strengthening the Federal research enterprise on child and adolescent development and expanding its role in shaping relevant policy are especially crucial to serving national goals.

What Does Education Mean to You? Reflective Piece

What Does Education Mean to You? Reflective Piece Education, in my opinion, is something that has an enormous scope. It does not only covers academics, but also every aspect of a persons character and mentality. For instance, a man, with moral integrity, even without education academically wise, may be someone yearned for in the society but a man, equipped with just academic excellence may become a pest in the society. Those who think of education narrowly would presume that all of it is just about studying and achieving good academic results. Education is wide and to me, it is the thing that makes me alive. Since young, my parents mould my character and attitude. In school, teachers educate me academically and aid me in my character development. Stepping into the outside world, my experiences educate me every moment. In my point of view, Singapores education is generally fine However, in early stages of academic education, it seems to focus way too much on books and examinations. This sets the mentality of academic education slightly haywire in the young minds. They may think that cooping themselves up in a room studying is the only way to be first in academics. To me, education is way much more than simply just sitting in a classroom and reading textbooks. It is about experiencing the world, discovering and learning through different ways. Education in academics should not be based on conformity. For instance, learning mathematics is one which does not stimulate creativity in students mind. The steps needed to solve a question are actually similar throughout every other questions of its same topic. This may result in students having apathy towards such subjects as it is nearly all repetitive. Prior to this, I think that a new subject could be introduced into secondary school curriculum to help students develop much better academically and that is critical and creative thinking skills. This subject would get students to think unconventionally and look at questions from different perspective, allowing them to reach a new level of innovativeness, problem-solving and mind philosophy. A university degree will give people a competitive edge in the workforce and it is only achievable by education. However, in this fast-changing world of ours, even with a degree, one may still be losing out to others. This is because these degree-holders may be held onto their conventional way of thinking while others, even those with lower academic qualifications, have proceed far ahead with their creativity. Increasingly, employers want employees who are creative problem-solvers. Problems creep up in the workplace everyday, particularly regarding customer service. Employees need to be able to think on their feet and must be willing to try fresh approaches to solving problems. Cited from a website, this is something that I absolutely agree with. This aspect of employee is extreme important to an employer as it will prevent their business from stagnating. Hence, the demand for creative talents has escalated immensely. Despite that, it is important to have good attitude and moral integrity in order to be wanted by employers. This is something that academic education by a teacher is unable to achieve. In educating one in his attitude and character, the teacher is himself. Often, it is extremely difficult for someone else to drill in these characteristics into him though they still do play a small part in aiding his character development. In this day, our academic education system has become an instrument for one to earn a livelihood and climb the corporate ladder. The objective has shifted drastically from all-rounded education to making the student more viable in the job market at the shortest time possible. It is more emphasized on mere textbook knowledge rather than overall development of student. Thus, creativity, veracity and social values have been lost in this transformation. In conclusion, complete education is something that helps one in utilizing ones senses confidently and innovatively. Good education would be one that aids the learner in differentiating right from wrong, making the accurate choice and transcending the boundary of conformity. Self-discipline is a trait that only complete education can impart and it is of upmost importance to anyone who wants to become someone great one day.

Leadership transformation

The authors determined that team values are an influencing factor, which has an effect on the team member's response o the transformational leader, and in turn to the team's performance. Research question(s) (Article 1) What questions(s) does the author present? Hypothesis 1. â€Å"Mediated moderation exists when the Interaction between two variables (diversity and transformational leadership) affects a mediator, which then affects a dependent variable† (Morgan-Lopez & MacKinnon, 2006). Hypothesis 2.Task-relevant information has an effect on the relationship between leader and follower performance with regards to the team's educational diversity, age, and nationality. Hypotnesls 3. How tne team views Olverslty 0T Tellow team memoers ana leader as a â€Å"collective† team in regards to performing as a team. Research Question(s) (Article 2) How does the subordinate's performance have anything to do with the leader's values and behaviors? Do transformational leaders enhanc e team performance?The â€Å"transformational leader inspires others to go beyond self-interest, impressions, and limitations in order to motivate followers to become more effective in reaching common goals† (Bass, Avolio, Jung, ; Berson, 2003). The authors focus on team alues, and the effect that those values have on the performance of the team by comparing and contrasting results from results of study done on team members in the United States and Hong Kong. Literature Review —How is this organized? What are the main themes found in the review? Who are the main authors used?

Marketing Essay

Having read the chapters from Lovelock, Wirtz, Key & Lu (2005) and Masterson & Pickton (2010), what did you find most interesting about services marketing and why? Answer:In this chapter, the most interesting about services marketing is the growth of the service economy. In numerous countries, increased productivity and automation in agriculture and industry, combined with growing demand for both new and traditional services, have jointly resulted in a continuing increase over time in the percentage of the labor force that is employed in service. In recent years, the development of technology, especially IT and telecommunication, has became more crucial in services. The opening up of the service economy means that there will be greater competition. In turn, more competition will stimula innovation, not least through the application of new and improved technologies. Having read the chapters from Lovelock, Wirtz, Key & Lu (2005) and Masterson & Pickton (2010), what concepts or ideas relating to services marketing did you find most difficult to understand and why? Answer: In my opinion, the most difficult to understand concept is â€Å"People are often part of the product†. The difference between ones service and another often lies in the quality of employees who serve the customers. Service firms need to devote special care to selecting , training,and motivating those employees who will be serving customers directing. At the same time, firms have to manage and shape customer behavior, as the type of customers who patronize a particular service business can shape the nature of the service experience. I think it only proof that the people is very important in doing service. Why people are part of product? It make me confused. Having read the chapters from Lovelock, Wirtz, Key & Lu (2005) and Masterson & Pickton (2010) outline four generic differences between good and services. How do these differences impact on the marketing of service products? Answer: there are 4 generic differences between good ans services. First, goos are tangible while services are intangible. As a result, services can not be inventoried, easily patented and readily displayed or communicated. In addition, pricing is more difficult. Second, goods are standardized while services are heterogeneous. So service delivery and customer satisfaction depend on employees and customer actions. Service quality depend on many uncontrollable factors. Third, for goods, production separate from consumption, but for services, simultaneous production and consumption. As a result, people participated in will affect each other. Fourth, goods are nonperishable while services are perishable. So it is difficult to synchronize supply and demand with services. And services can not be returned or resold. Having read chapter fourteen of the prescribed text – Armstrong et al (2012) – what did you find most interesting about socially and ethically responsible marketing and why? Answer:The most interesting about socially and ethically responsible marketing is the marketing’s impact on society as a whole. There are several impacts, such as false wants and too much materialism, too few social goods, cultural pollution. For false wants and too much materialism, critics have charged that the marketing system urges too much interest in material possessions, and that the Western world’s love affair with worldly possessions is not sustainable. People often are judged by what they own,rather than by who they are. The critics do not view this interest in material things as a natural state of mind, but rather as a matter of false wants created by marketing. Marketers stimulate people’s desire for goods and create materialistic models of the good life. Having read chapter fourteen of the prescribed text – Armstrong et al (2012) – what concepts or ideas relating to did you find most and why? Answer: the most difficult to understand relating to socially and ethically responsible marketing is that critics charge the marketing system with creating cultural pollution. Commercials interrupt serious programs; pages of ads obscure magazines; billboards mar beautiful scenery; spam fills our inboxes. However, why say these interruptions continually pollute people’s minds with messages of materialism, sex,power or status. Most ads have its culture of products or companies, and some of them can bring a good culture value about consumption to people. In addition, advertisers are making their ads more entraining and informative. Outline and discuss four social criticisms of marketing. How would adopting a societal marketing orientation help to overcome these criticisms? Answer: the societal marketing orientation is the idea that the organisation should determine the needs, wants and interests of target markets and deliver the desired satisfaction more effectively and efficiently than competitors, and in a way that maintains or improves society’s wellbeing. Sustainable marketing calls for products that are not only pleasing but also beneficial. Products can be classified according to their degree of immediate consumer satisfaction and long ran consumer benefits. Marketers should take the whole society into account when they doing marketing. Deficient products have neither immediate appeal nor long-run benefits. Pleasing products give high immediate satisfaction but may hurt consumers in the long run. What the society wants is desirable products, which give both high immediate satisfaction and high long-run benefits. Concentrating more on social interests can help to overcome these criticisms. Based on your own experiences, what are the advantages for marketers in using social media as part of their marketing communications strategies? Answer: there are several advantages for using social media marketing. First, it is much cheaper. Traditional advertising methods can be costly for businesses while It’s free for businesses to sign up for popular social media networks, so it’s an affordable way to promote products and services, while building relationships with customers. Second, instant. With social media, you can announce a sale or special event as soon you finalize plans. Social media gives business owners the ability to share information, such as blog posts, tips and ideas and coupons instantly. third, interact. People can interact with consumers directly through social media, and social media marketing enables people to provide them with assistance on-the-spot. Social media networks also gives people a chance to interact with other entrepreneurs and leaders in their industries. Fourth, using social media marketing can get a huge database of ideas. On the social sites, there are many looking for answers to their problems. People are looking for solutions and one of the places they are looking is in social media where they might be following one of their teachers such as a blogger or mentor. Based on your own experience, what are the disadvantages or risks for marketers in using social media as part of their marketing commuications strategy? Answer: there are several disadvantages of using social media marketing. First, the wrong online brand strategy could put people at a viral social disadvantage and may even damage people reputation, i. e, when person makes a mistake offline, a few will know but when he make a mistake in front of hundreds or thousands of his online audience, most of them will know. Second, in order to get social media’s full effect, you need to understand how it works, when and how to use it and which channels to focus on depending on your end goal of using social media. Third, social media can have a negative influence on worker productivity. Employees may waste valuable time using social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter. They can also use social media to attack the company’s reputation. Fourth, when social media is used excessively or in the wrong way, it could have serious detrimental outcomes on both mental and even physical health of individuals. In addition, social media may open possibility for hackers to commit illegal crime such as fraud, spam and virus attacks. People falling prey to online scam may also increase, resulting in data or identity theft.

Treat Self-Publishing as a Business †Interviewing Elise Kova

Treat Self-Publishing as a Business – Interviewing Elise Kova "Treat Self-Publishing as a Business" – Interviewing Elise Kova We often hear that "the golden age of self-publishing is gone", so we like to use our blog to remind authors that, no, that's not true. There are many more indie success stories than the ones you repeatedly hear about out there, and Elise Kova's is one of them. She started writing in 2013, as a hobby, on Fictionpress. She now has 5 books out in her Air Awakens Series and the first one has over 500 reviews on Goodreads. In this interview, she shares  more about her writing process, why she self-published, and some advice for newer authors.Hi Elise! It’s such a pleasure to have you join us for the Reedsy blog. I want to start off by talking a bit about how you came to write the Air Awakens series. YA fiction has captured the heart of the public in the last few years  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  what is it about the YA fantasy genre that really appeals to you as an author?I love talking about books, so thank you for reaching out to me for this interview!I honestly didn't set out thinking tha t I was going to be a "YA Author". I've always loved writing, but I stopped doing it avidly for about four or so years during college and my MBA. When I sat down to write Air Awakens I didn't do so with the intention of being published, I just wanted to enjoy writing a story that I would want to read myself.When I began looking into publication later I toiled over if Air Awakens was "Adult" or "Young Adult" and the young adult age bracket fit better. I think there is something timeless about the "coming of age" story that we see in so much young adult fiction and many, myself included, are drawn to that. So I'm not surprised Air Awakens developed in that direction.Young adult readers can, and hopefully do, sympathize with and recognize the struggles of the protagonists. Whereas older readers remember going through those times themselves. Even more than that, I think people are constantly evolving and the questions of "Who am I?" and "What do I want?" may be more apparent during the transition into adulthood, but never really go away no matter how old we get.One of the things the series is most commonly praised for is its worldbuilding. The Solaris Empire, the Bond, the elemental magic – all of it is so well-developed! Was this a world you thought up quickly when you started actually writing Air Awakens, or had it been living and growing in your mind before that?I'm awful at planning, it's actually something I'm working on doing more in the future: pre-drafting. So much of the Air Awakens world was built as I went. As a result, there were a lot of things that didn't make sense when all was said and done; directions I thought I may take but never explored, or elements that didn't add anything.The series has gone through extensive rewrites before publication and at that point I really sat down and investigated the world and its mechanics. I cut a lot and refined the rest. 50 Book Marketing Ideas Every Author Needs to Know Read post Most indie authors struggle with getting their books discovered. What is the most important thing that you have done in terms of marketing that you think is responsible for your success?Oh, questions like this are so difficult to answer, as it's all speculation. But I think, for me, I've tried really hard to be both genuine and available to my readers. I'm constantly on my social media outlets and I'm not really shy on them when it comes to saying what I think, what I'm geeking out about, or what I'm up to. The bookish community on Twitter, Instagram, blogs, etc, is full of such amazing people that I've been so so lucky to meet.Follow Elise Kova and Reedsy on Twitter:  @EliseKova  and @ReedsyHQWhy did  you choose to self-publish? What would be  your advice for newer  authors looking to become the next "indie success story"? Do share your thoughts, or ask Elise any question, in the comments below!

5 Appositive Phrases with Punctuation Problems

5 Appositive Phrases with Punctuation Problems 5 Appositive Phrases with Punctuation Problems 5 Appositive Phrases with Punctuation Problems By Mark Nichol An appositive is a noun or a noun phrase that appears in proximity to another noun or noun phrase to define or modify it. When writers employ nonrestrictive appositions, which consist of optional additional information, they sometimes fail to punctuate the sentence correctly to indicate that the phrase is parenthetical, leading to confusion. Here are five sentences in which insertion of a single comma repairs the damage. 1. â€Å"John Smith, Jones’s rival and number four on the FBI’s most-wanted list is caught.† If this sentence began with â€Å"Jones’s rival . . .,† it would be correctly punctuated. But â€Å"John Smith† is the subject, â€Å"is caught† is the object, and the phrase beginning â€Å"Jones’s rival† and ending â€Å"most-wanted list† is an appositive, and must be punctuated as a parenthetical phrase: â€Å"John Smith, Jones’s rival and number four on the FBI’s most-wanted list, is caught.† 2. â€Å"John Doe, who once led the company was indicted on eighty-five counts in a huge federal case.† The basic facts are that John Doe was indicted; the phrase â€Å"who once led the company† is an appositive parenthetical and must, like the descriptive phrase in the preceding example, be framed by commas: â€Å"John Doe, who once led the company, was indicted on eighty-five counts in a huge federal case.† 3. â€Å"Life has been rough for Jane Roe, the governor’s chief of staff ever since her controversial remark went public.† â€Å"The governor’s chief of staff† is the appositive here; without a comma following the phrase to complement the preceding comma, the statement implies that she gained her position when she made the remark: â€Å"Life has been rough for Jane Roe, the governor’s chief of staff, ever since her controversial remark went public.† 4. General Martin Dempsey, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman who just wrapped up a visit to Afghanistan, was asked whether he foresees North Korea taking military action soon. By combining the general’s title with the reference to his recent visit to Afghanistan, the sentence implies that more than one Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman exists; Dempsey is the one who had just returned from Afghanistan. The phrase â€Å"the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman† must be bracketed by a pair of commas to show that it is the first of two parenthetical phrases dividing the subject from the object: â€Å"General Martin Dempsey, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, who just wrapped up a visit to Afghanistan, was asked whether he foresees North Korea taking military action soon.† (Sometimes, one of two consecutive appositives that follow another noun or noun phrase can be separated by relocating one before the noun or noun phrase it refers to, but here, Dempsey’s title would compete with his military rank; however, the reference to the Afghanistan visit could be moved to a subsequent sentence, or even deleted because it is irrelevant to the sentence.) 5. â€Å"The next antiwar demonstration scheduled to take place on April 7 may take aim at companies outside San Francisco.† This sentence’s lack of internal punctuation will likely lead readers to assume that more than one demonstration is scheduled to take place on April 7, which is a distracting error. The reference to the date is in apposition, identifying the date of the event (it is appositive because, as a truncated version of â€Å"the one scheduled to take place on April 7,† it is another way of referring to â€Å"the next antiwar demonstration†), and could be removed without changing the meaning of the sentence: â€Å"The next antiwar demonstration, scheduled to take place on April 7, may take aim at companies outside San Francisco.† 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 Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:"Because Of" and "Due To" Connotations of 35 Words for Funny PeopleOppose and Opposed To

Phenomenology of Death Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Phenomenology of Death - Thesis Example The paper "Phenomenology of Death" analyzes the relationship between the ‘self’ and ‘temporality’ as it explains the notion of Heidegger. The general approach of this paper is to present ‘temporality’ in terms of ‘finitude’ and to define and examine the ‘authentic’ and ‘inauthentic’ modes of selfhood. Heidegger argues that ‘das man’ is ‘being towards death’ and is inauthentic as a result. Those who do not ‘act’ like ‘das man’ are in some sense authentic? This latter point will be taken up in the later half of the following analysis, and it is going to be argued that ‘determining what qualifies as ‘everydayness’ is a very seriously ambiguous notion. This paper will begin with the general discussion of ‘being’ and its opposite, namely, non-being, proceed to a discussion of ‘finitude’ in relation to inauthenticity, and discuss the relationship between an authentic and inauthentic self in relation to the temporality. According to Heidegger, the external world of ‘extension’ or as he states the world of the â€Å"senses† is largely understood as â€Å"quantitative modifications of the modes of extensio itself†. By contrast, the world can be characterized in qualitative rather than quantitative terms. By quantitative, he is implying the basic units of scientific measurement. However, these discrete units of measurement and the application of these as a means of both understanding extension along with distinguishing it from the subject are forms of abstraction.

Gay Marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Gay Marriage - Essay Example Massachusetts became the first state to legalize marriage between same-sex couples on May 17, 2004, as a result of a November 2003 decision by the state’s highest court that denying gay and lesbian couples the right to marry violated the state’s constitution. (Smith, 2005:2) Though homosexuality has been being practiced for centuries in almost all parts of the earth, both explicitly or secretly, and men and women belonging to various age groups get indulged into it, yet an overwhelming majority of human societies apparently denounce the same provided it challenges the moral values prevailing in the culture as well as unrestricted permission of the same may put the reproduction system as well as survival of human race at grave jeopardy. Marriage’s role in upholding respect for the transmission of human life is the first event in procreation. Humans undergo unprecedented challenges to that respect because of new techno-science that opens up unprecedented modes of t ransmission of life. (Somerville, 2003:3) The religious leaders including rabbis, monks, priests and bishops particularly condemn and censure same sex relations and marriage due to the very reality that the Scriptures do not allow it at any cost. According to Bible, if a man also lies with mankind, as he lieth with a woman; both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. (Leviticus, 20:13) It is therefore, the Abrahamic faiths, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam, rebuke gay sex without granting any space to this activity. Though several western countries, having Christians in majority, have displayed relaxation to voluntary gay sex, yet the Muslim states are still reluctant to bestow such rights upon their subjects. They cite the example of the people of Prophet Lot, tale of whom has manifestly been narrated in the Holy Qur’an, who were pelted with stones from the heavens and destroyed en masses for transgr essing from the right path for openly developing male-male relationships and thus ignoring their women and putting reproduction at stake subsequently. (Al-Aaraf: 80-82)Â  Moreover, other conservative faiths including Hinduism and Confucianism also denounce gay marriage on religious grounds, without giving slightest way to the same. Gay sexual union observes opposition beyond religion too, as a large proportion of scholars, thinkers and philosophers consider it as the violation of morality and thus perversion in the real sense. They declare homosexuals as mentally retarded patients, who are undergoing psychological and emotional collapse or disorder because of some deprivation or incident they have undergone in their past. They are of the opinion that the children who were ransacked, abused and molested could turn as murderers, child molesters, pederasts and rapist as well while adopting criminal line on becoming grown ups. It is therefore the homosexuality cannot be tolerated or ne glected as a curse for society. The price of toleration of serious deviance from a society’s constitutive morality is the loss of a distinctive form of interpersonal integration in community understood as something worthwhile for its own sake. (George, 1993:65). The opposition of gay rights is not confined to the