The Society effects of Drugs in the community of Milwaukee Essay

The Society effects of Drugs in the community of Milwaukee - Essay Example 2). This report also found that heroin and other opiates have come into play which means that the population of abusers has changed. Now Caucasian males and females from small towns and suburban areas come into Milwaukee to purchase these higher scale drugs. Unfortunately, the mean age of the abusers has also change; adolescents are now experimenting with these stronger drugs. This report suggests that most of the activity is through Hispanic gangs with Asian and African American drug dealers as secondary problems. The Hispanic and African American gangs create problems for residents in the local neighborhoods as they spend time recruiting from those neighborhoods as they distribute their drugs. The drug dealing is often brought into the neighborhood by gangs and distributed. The dealers often come from Chicago and other nearby cities. As an example, a drug bust just found 19 people who were distributing drugs within the city limits. These dealers had a distribution going that came out of Chicago and distributed in Milwaukee each week (Halter, 2008, par. 5). This problem is difficult because many of the street gangs operate in a very sophisticated way. As an example, the National Drug Intelligence Center reports that the Hispanic gangs are very well organized, they have a hierarchical structure and they have established manifestos ("Drug Trafficking Organ izations"). This enables them to distribute drugs faster. They are also using prepaid cellular phones and social networking sites like MySpace to connect with buyers and each other. There are also turf wars from gang problems. Law enforcement predicts that there will be an increase in heroine abuse among young offenders by prescription opiate users because it is cheaper and easier to access. (p. 18). The residents in this area are suffering and have been told by the police to keep their doors locked and

President Bush and President Clinton Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

President Bush and President Clinton - Essay Example ar threat from North Korea , blown open the federal budget deficit, presided over economic recession and weakness, overseen an historic gap between corporate profits and worker compensation, and ignored menacing environmental issues such as pollution and global warming. There is no doubt that Bill Clinton was a far superior leader and far more worthy of the respect, admiration and gratitude of Americans. The reputation of the United States is the first area in which the difference between Bush and Clinton is stark. Under Clinton, the United States respected multilateral agreements, sought consensus among the international community on matters of great import, projected the power of the United States in a non-arrogant manner, and respected human rights. For example, Clinton pursued and successfully achieved treaties that grew and strengthened international trade, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). He also helped negotiate the Kyoto Protocol against global warming. In addition, he utilized U.S. military power when necessary and within the context of NATO, as was the case in Kosovo. Because of his active solicitation of and respect for the opinions and influence of other nations, the United States enjoyed a high degree of respect and admiration throughout the world. On the contrary, Bush has led the U.S. to an all-time low in its image abroad. Virtually from the beginning of his presidency, he has pursued an all-out assault on the international progress that took eight years to achieve during the Clinton administration. He immediately backpedaled on security assurances that had been made to North Korea, effectively provoking that country to resume nuclear weapons development and causing them to return to caustic anti-American propaganda and posturing. In addition, he pulled out of the Kyoto accord on global warming, effectively leaving much of the rest of the world high and dry when it comes

Summitry Analysis and Diplomacy

Summitry Analysis and Diplomacy This essay represents the perfect and imperfect world of summitry and it also discusses on how summitry can be integrated as a constructive mode of diplomacy. Summitry has indeed changed the landscape of political interactions between states and political leaders across the globe over the past years. In respect to this, Churchill questioned the crowd during one of the House of Commons meeting in 1953, if there is not at the summit of the nations the wish to win the greatest prize of peace, where can men look for hope? (Churchill cited in Eban, 1983, p. 360). The idea behind Churchills statement is that, it explains on how summitry can be an instrument in getting states actors to gather at one place to discuss on international political issues among them (Dunn, 1996, p. 4). Ideally, summits not only have been used as a tool to break down intense barriers between nation states leaders, but it has also helped state leaders to be more focused in addressing issues of their concerns in the best possible way. Although, in the real world of summitry, this is not always the case. As Plischke argues in Modern Diplomacy: It should not be regarded as an instant elixir for the assuagement of crisesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦to dissimulate relief from the realities of inter-governmental ailment (1979, p. 186). To begin with, this essay will discuss both on some of the possible strengths and flaws of the different types summits. It also argues on how summitry can be infused as a tool of a constructive means of diplomacy and it will also unearth some factors that could help determine the success of summits. The first part of this essay discusses on how summitry could be a tool in the engagement of public diplomacy and followed by with an insight on how timing is crucial in initiating a summit. Meanwhile, the second part of this essay details on how summitry could provide an opportunity for state leaders to administrate and show their capabilities in winning a summit. The perfect and imperfect world of Summitry Summits are designed in such a way where each and every one of them has various themes and different objectives to be fulfilled. One must be able to segregate the different types of summits and its goals in order to further the understanding on the roles of summits. For instance, bilateral, multilateral, regional and global summits. Now, this boils down to one question, how effective are these summitries in resolving the targeted issues? The answer to this is rather subjective. Since each summit has its different purpose, the measure of success would vary as well and therefore it is difficult to layout the positive and negative aspects of summitry in general (Melissen, 2003, p. 4). For instance, the Yalta summit in 1945 and the Paris Conference of Parties 21 (COP 21) in 2015 are seventy years apart and may have little significant in common. Hence, generalising summits into one big picture would be very difficult. Looking at the different types of summits, the Rio Earth Summit or also known as United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) was one of the largest intergovernmental global climate conference ever organised. It was represented by over one hundred and eighty countries and participated by over one hundred states and government leaders across the globes. It was indeed a media magnet event that catches the attention of the news and broadcasters from all over the world (Dunn, 1996, p. 220). This calls for an engagement in public diplomacy for state and government leaders. The purpose of the summit was to synthesise the global economic landscape or development towards a more forward looking context which takes into account on the preservation of the environment (The Editors of Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica, 1998). Dunn also mentioned in Diplomacy at the Highest Level: It was hoped that this serve as a blueprint for how the nations of the world could preserve the environment and achieve sustainable development in the twenty-first century (1996, p. 222). In relation to this, the Rio Earth Summit were seen to be a quite symbolic kind of summitry (Dunn, 1996, p. 249). This is due to the nature of the summit in which it possesses a propaganda value to it that could be either used for good purpose or just for the sake of winning the hearts of the domestic and general audiences through their participation. Not only it was the largest and the most costly climate change summit that was ever held, but it was also attended by hundreds of state leaders from all over the world. Hence, the opportunity to engage in public diplomacy was pretty massive (Palmer, 1992). To put it briefly, attending such an eventful summit was worth every moment of being noticed by the public considering the number of media coverage during that time was enormous. According to Dunn, attending the summit was very much an attestation to these state leaders in showing their relentless commitments towards the preservation of the environment regardless if they did not agree upon the discussed agendas during the meeting. They want to be perceived as a leader who cares about just everything and they wish to give an impression to the general public that they are trying to make some changes (1996, p. 249). This approach is often used as a form of public diplomacy and indeed, it can be considered as a constructive mode of diplomacy. For example, Bush used the opportunity to be seen as a good leader by attending the summit despite of the series of situations that was going on in the US during that time. His hands were tight with different kinds of issues including his upcoming re-election. Hence, to be seen under the limelight were one of the many ways for him to attain more credits from the domestic audiences (Dunn, 1996, p. 233). As stated by Hamilton and Langhorne in The Practice of Diplomacy, air travel and television cameras have made world statesmen of the humblest party hacks (1995, p. 221). Having said that, summit has not only been beneficial for s tate leaders but also for the politicians in hope to enhance their status in the public from meeting all these world leaders. In respect to this, symbolic summits are not just limited to this kind of agenda, but it could also exemplify the relations between nations through summits. To support this statement, as documented by Dunn in Diplomacy at the Highest Level: The handshake on the White House lawn between Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin in 1993 was equally important as an attempt to symbolize the new era of relations between Israel and the Palestinian people (1996, p. 248). On the other side of this coin, level of preparation process in terms of timing also matters in ensuring the success of a summit. Regardless of its positive strand in the engagement of public diplomacy, Rio Earth Summit was barely a mere success. For instance, Rio Earth Summit was not a perfect timing for countries like the US. Considering that US was perceived to be the paramount actor in this conference, but in the actual fact, the US delegations were really keeping their heads down throughout the meetings (Dunn, 1996, p. 233). How does timing has got anything to do with this? In the case of the US, the countrys economy was going through a recession and as mentioned earlier, President Bush was also due for his nearing re-election. One of his main concerns were also the risk of committing into any agreement on the sustainable developmental programmes that was discussed during the summit. The potential results from agreeing to any agreements from the summit were rather ambiguous as i t could jeopardise the USs employment level even further and also, his fear for losing the trust and his wealthy conservative supporters from both the political parties the US (Dunn, 1996, p. 233). Hence, this explains for the quiet actions from the US delegation at Rio Earth Summit. Therefore, the summit could have been more favourable if the US did not have to hold back due to their situations back home. In addition to this, US was not the only one who were torn in leading the conference, the EC (European Community) could have also done a greater job at it but of all the EC state members, only Germany was set on making an equitably significant amount of commitment towards the agreement. The rest of the other EC state members like Italy and France were on the same boat as the US due to their respective issues in their home countries (Dunn 1996, p. 233). As articulated by Weihmiller, Doder and Newsom in U.S.- Soviet Summits, that, timing of a summit has been seen as one of the criti cal factors in ensuring the success of a summit (1986, p. 98). In retrospect, the issue on timing were noticeably reflected during the Kennedy Khrushchev summit in 1961 at Vienna which severely affected the resolution to the root of the problem. It was too soon to be holding another summit as the Paris summit of the year before that were not settled yet and to top it all, the issues with Berlin previously has lead this summit to a total flop (Weihmiller et al., 1986, p. 99). In this context, when summit is initiated at a wrong time, it could lead to a waste of resources and also, affecting diplomatic relations between state leaders as the subject discussed during the conference remains unresolved. Therefore, it remains debateable to as whether or not if summitry can be an elixir or regarded as an effective mode of diplomacy. On a brighter side, summits could also provide room for state actors or non-state actors to show their capabilities in leading a summit especially on international level that could not be consummated on a lower level (Dunn, 1996, p. 251). This has been seen on some climate change conferences such as the recent Paris Agreement (COP 21), Kyoto Protocol (COP 3) or even Copenhagen Agreement (COP 15) in 2009. The European Union (EU) in particular. The EU has tremendously manifested the world with their pro-climate change leadership. What they are doing is an incontestably positive in attracting other state members to follow their footsteps. As Maljean-Dubois and Wemaera states in their journal, Carbon Climate Law Review, EU has always claimed a climate leadership role in the climate negotiations, leading by example with its ambitious climate policy (2016, p. 3). That said, summitry is not only impactful in terms of public diplomacy, but it is also a constructive method in improving diplo matic relations through positive movements by a bold leader such as the EU. Although to be fair, the United States were one of the first and the most powerful supporters of international climate change and environmental agreements. However, the limelight has shifted to the EU as the major leader in global environmental scene (Kelemen and Vogel, 2009). In light of this, summitry can also give a fair opportunity for leaders from small nations to represent themselves on the highest league table and hence, making them more noticeable in the global diplomatic arena. This was proven when the Small Island Developing states (SIDS) and the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) managed to turn the table at the COP 15 at Copenhagen in 2009 (de à gueda Corneloup and Mol, 2013). Climate change is a threat for small island nations especially those of which nations which are prone to extreme weather conditions. As stated by de à gueda Corneloup and Mol in International Environmental Agreemen ts, The raise of sea temperature threatens marine ecosystems, on which small island populations usually strongly depend (2013, p. 282). The SIDS were able to negotiate through the representative organisation, AOSIS and be heard by the rest of the other state members at COP 15. Being in a vulnerable position themselves, this has helped them to initiate action plans through several leadership skills and remained as significant as other state members at the summit. Their perseverance has lead them to some fairly successful negotiations especially on the 1.5 ÃÅ'Ã…  C target as it was finally embedded in the Copenhagen Accord (de à gueda Corneloup and Mol, 2013). However, summits on climate change are often being seen as highly sensitive area and often associated to the level of power that the state actors have. For instance, considering SIDS state members are seen to be on a weaker side as they have very little power on the international level, structural power of state actors is oft en regarded as a determining factor in any international negotiations (de à gueda Corneloup and Mol, 2013). As disclosed by Ambassador Dessima Williams of Grenada at the COP 15 summit: We went in, AOSIS fought for everything we could come out withà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦as you could see we didnt come out with much (Wasuka cited in de à gueda Corneloup and Mol, 2013, p. 291). To put it briefly, no matter how much effort has been pumped into these summits by these weaker states, level of structural power of state actors is still one of the major determinant in negotiation process on any international summits. Summit: yes or no? What can be concluded based on the arguments above is that, despite of its contestations on the effectiveness and its constructive role in diplomacy, summitry has become an indispensable means of convention both on regional and international level. As Dunn argues in Diplomacy at the highest level: Summitry has evolved considerably in the post-war period. From being an exceptional and therefore high-profile event, summitry has developed to become a frequent and routine instrument of international diplomacy (Dunn, 1996, p. 265). However, one cannot deny that summitry has its substantive risks particularly on how the timing matters in initiating a summit especially involving states from all across the globe. The aim of a summit is not to only discuss on the subject of interests, but also to produce a fair outcome by the end of the meetings. Or else, the effort of organising a summit will be in vain if nothing comes out of it. Hence, it is crucial to take into account timing as one of the important factors during the preparation period. Although to be fair, factors like economic recessions and political instability of other state members are something that is rather inevitable. In this respect, the power position of ones state has also been a major determinant in ensuring the success of reaching the summits objectives. On a lighter note, summitry has been proven to be an effective mechanism for some weaker states to be prominent in the global arena despite for its limited structural power. In addition to this, summitry also has a unique nature that it could be use as tool in promoting public diplomacy especially in a global scale summit. This has been utilised as a best practice by state leaders and diplomats in pursuit of grabbing the attention of the public eye including the media. Especially in an era of free flow of information, state leaders and diplomats find summits to be quite amusing as public opinions matters in todays world of politics. Regardless of the outcome of the summit, these leaders do not walk out of the conference with empty handed. Some walk out of the summit with pride and several accomplishments, but in many instances, most of them walk out with just one thing, a free publicity to themselves. Which how I would like to put it as, free-riding at its best.

Essay --

Introduction When World War II finally came to a close on May 7, 1945, a new war was just beginning. The Cold War symbolized the evident, yet unorthodox rivalry that stemmed between the United States and Soviet Russia, including their respective allies. (This war was fought on economic, political, and propaganda scales , with limited alternatives to weaponry, largely due to the fact that they had fear of a nuclear genocide.)^1 This expression, â€Å"The Cold War†, was initially used by Presidential Adviser, Bernard Baruch, in a â€Å"legislative debate in 1947.†("Bernard Baruch Coins the Term "Cold War"" History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.) Intelligence operations governing this war have been conducted by the Soviet State Security Service (KGB), and the C.I.A representing the two powers, Russia and the United States respectively, that arose from the echoes of World War II. Both have steered a pool of operations from large scale military intrusion and treas on to secret spying and scrutiny missions; they have experienced both success and failure. The Bay of Pigs fiasco was soon followed by Kennedy's handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The decisions he made were helped immensely by intelligence congregated from critical examination photos of the U-2, a plane that soars at high altitudes. With these operations put into consideration, citizens of the United States, as well as Soviet Russia, were immensely effected politically, economically and ideologically. Politically, it was apart of an American standard that we shall have a foreign enemy; this would lead to the Capitalism vs. Communism debacle. Furthermore, extensive events, such as the ‘Red Scare’, put the American people in a state of paranoia and vulnerabilit... ...the age we live in today to scrutinize the enemy and ally alike so as to be able to understand their capabilities and weaknesses without intelligence agencies. The CIA and KGB by themselves can not guarantee freedom from war, but with great knowledge within each of the organizations’ leaders, intelligent decisions can be made in the interest of the public. Furthermore, the way things are now and the foundation of political power seems to be remaining at a stand-still in-which the Easterners and Westerners are on opposing sides. There can never be legitimate and absolute complete freedom from war, but these intelligence agencies will continue to thrive contrary to the despicable ideals of the public for a complete utopia; their simply can not be peace, as one side believes in the power of government over all and the other supporting individualism/capitalism.

Road to Hell

Baker, bothered by this, feels he needs to raise the issue and break-through he seams at the last meeting with his successor. Unfortunately, do to the lack of importance of communicating across cultures portrayed by Baker and his unawareness when it comes to his ladder of inference, Baker has unintentionally created a hostile atmosphere which has left the company with no successor as Chief Engineer. The ladder of inference is a common mental pathway of increasing abstraction, often leading to misguided beliefs. The ladder of inference begins with observable data and experiences. Ross, 1994). For example, Baker, as he begins thinking of the credits† and â€Å"debits† associated with Rentals, he claims because Rentals spent four years at London university It has heightened his sensitively to any sign of Dallas coming from expatriates. Baker, by observing what was going on in the work place (Jackson's complaints about Rentals' rudeness), has selected certain data from what he observed and put personal meanings behind it that may be untrue. This has caused him to make assumptions after the meanings he has added to his observations.Rentals' claims that if a Barracking had behaved in an equally obstruct manner he would have reacted in the same way. He claims there are also other people in the company, also expatriates, who felt the same. Baker assumed because Rentals was a Barracking that he would not get along with expatriate senior managers and he was racially conscious. When, In reality, he was of a new Barnacle generation, who was well educated and professional, open to people of other cultures. Because of Baker's assumptions about Rentals he took action without adjusting or realizing his ladder of Inference, damaging the relationship further.Lastly, the reflexive loop, which determines our beliefs that influence what data we will select next time, influences the way Baker continuously feels about Rentals. He continuously feels as thought he has to c orrect Rentals way of being racially conscious without asking Rentals what exactly is going on or how he feels about the situation. Communicating across cultures can be difficult and challenging for all employees in a company, including senior level management. No two groups see the world exactly the same way (Island & Turner, 2011) and through analyzing the case â€Å"The Road to Hell†¦ E can see that this is In fact true. If the ideas behind cross cultural misconception, cross cultural misinterpretation, and cross-cultural miscalculation, are not recognized as Important, companies, Like Continental Ore, can be left with a disastrous situation among managers which leads to poor performance for the company over all. When talking about being aware of cross-cultural selective (Island & Turner, 2011), Baker only noticed how Rental's acted with his fellow Barbarians and only took into account Jackson's complaint. Baker did not care to ask Rentals what was going on.Perception is al so culturally determined (Island & Turner, 2011). Because Baker is European, and Europe has been developed industrially for almost 300 years, he felt that his race was superior to that of the Barbarians because Barbarians had Just begun tapping into the industrial growth that the rest of the world had already seen. Although this may have been accurate, making a stereotype that all Barbarians are â€Å"behind† offended Rentals and his culture. Although Baker may have not intended to offend Rentals, Rentals may have misinterpreted what Baker was actually trying to say.This is an example of cross- cultural misinterpretation: this occurs when an individual gives meaning to observations and their relationships (Island & Turner, 2011). Because Rentals studied in London and represents the professional educated Barracking, he is sensitive to racial issues and he misinterpreted Baker's casual references to European history as putting down his country. What Baker did was stereotype all Barbarians when really Rentals' was part of the professional, well educated, new generation of Barbarians with different viewpoints.Stereotyping, a form of disintegration that organizes our experience and guides our behavior toward ethnic and national groups, is only effective when people understand other cultures but act appropriate in new situations. Baker failed to do this. Baker also miscalculated Rentals. People often use their own culture as a standard of measurement; they label their own culture as â€Å"good† and other cultures as â€Å"bad† (Island & Turner, 2011). Baker labeled the European culture as good and the Barracking culture as bad because they have not been developing identical to the way European nations have developed.The first action I would take, if I were Baker, would be to think about why Rentals could possibly feel this way and I would also consult a friend or colleague. Once I figured out what I did to cause this I would call Rentals and ask him to come in and speak with me again and attempt to apologize and explain that you know exactly what you did to upset him and explain how big of an asset he is to the company. I would also investigate further what is really going on between Rentals and the expatriates working for the company and have a potential meeting with all employees involved. Samaritan Mahoney Road to Hell Baker, bothered by this, feels he needs to raise the issue and break-through he seams at the last meeting with his successor. Unfortunately, do to the lack of importance of communicating across cultures portrayed by Baker and his unawareness when it comes to his ladder of inference, Baker has unintentionally created a hostile atmosphere which has left the company with no successor as Chief Engineer. The ladder of inference is a common mental pathway of increasing abstraction, often leading to misguided beliefs. The ladder of inference begins with observable data and experiences. Ross, 1994). For example, Baker, as he begins thinking of the credits† and â€Å"debits† associated with Rentals, he claims because Rentals spent four years at London university It has heightened his sensitively to any sign of Dallas coming from expatriates. Baker, by observing what was going on in the work place (Jackson's complaints about Rentals' rudeness), has selected certain data from what he observed and put personal meanings behind it that may be untrue. This has caused him to make assumptions after the meanings he has added to his observations.Rentals' claims that if a Barracking had behaved in an equally obstruct manner he would have reacted in the same way. He claims there are also other people in the company, also expatriates, who felt the same. Baker assumed because Rentals was a Barracking that he would not get along with expatriate senior managers and he was racially conscious. When, In reality, he was of a new Barnacle generation, who was well educated and professional, open to people of other cultures. Because of Baker's assumptions about Rentals he took action without adjusting or realizing his ladder of Inference, damaging the relationship further.Lastly, the reflexive loop, which determines our beliefs that influence what data we will select next time, influences the way Baker continuously feels about Rentals. He continuously feels as thought he has to c orrect Rentals way of being racially conscious without asking Rentals what exactly is going on or how he feels about the situation. Communicating across cultures can be difficult and challenging for all employees in a company, including senior level management. No two groups see the world exactly the same way (Island & Turner, 2011) and through analyzing the case â€Å"The Road to Hell†¦ E can see that this is In fact true. If the ideas behind cross cultural misconception, cross cultural misinterpretation, and cross-cultural miscalculation, are not recognized as Important, companies, Like Continental Ore, can be left with a disastrous situation among managers which leads to poor performance for the company over all. When talking about being aware of cross-cultural selective (Island & Turner, 2011), Baker only noticed how Rental's acted with his fellow Barbarians and only took into account Jackson's complaint. Baker did not care to ask Rentals what was going on.Perception is al so culturally determined (Island & Turner, 2011). Because Baker is European, and Europe has been developed industrially for almost 300 years, he felt that his race was superior to that of the Barbarians because Barbarians had Just begun tapping into the industrial growth that the rest of the world had already seen. Although this may have been accurate, making a stereotype that all Barbarians are â€Å"behind† offended Rentals and his culture. Although Baker may have not intended to offend Rentals, Rentals may have misinterpreted what Baker was actually trying to say.This is an example of cross- cultural misinterpretation: this occurs when an individual gives meaning to observations and their relationships (Island & Turner, 2011). Because Rentals studied in London and represents the professional educated Barracking, he is sensitive to racial issues and he misinterpreted Baker's casual references to European history as putting down his country. What Baker did was stereotype all Barbarians when really Rentals' was part of the professional, well educated, new generation of Barbarians with different viewpoints.Stereotyping, a form of disintegration that organizes our experience and guides our behavior toward ethnic and national groups, is only effective when people understand other cultures but act appropriate in new situations. Baker failed to do this. Baker also miscalculated Rentals. People often use their own culture as a standard of measurement; they label their own culture as â€Å"good† and other cultures as â€Å"bad† (Island & Turner, 2011). Baker labeled the European culture as good and the Barracking culture as bad because they have not been developing identical to the way European nations have developed.The first action I would take, if I were Baker, would be to think about why Rentals could possibly feel this way and I would also consult a friend or colleague. Once I figured out what I did to cause this I would call Rentals and ask him to come in and speak with me again and attempt to apologize and explain that you know exactly what you did to upset him and explain how big of an asset he is to the company. I would also investigate further what is really going on between Rentals and the expatriates working for the company and have a potential meeting with all employees involved. Samaritan Mahoney

AP Biology Photosynthesis Lab

Photosynthesis is affected by light intensity, water, and temperature. Plants grow more abundantly because the weather is warm. Carbon Dioxide given off by animals is consumed by plants that replace the oxygen animals take it. Experimentation will help understanding how plants are vital because of the oxygen they release. If leaf disks in the experiment release oxygen, they will undergo photosynthesis and float. If there is no temperature buffer of water, the higher temperature will cause more leaf disks to float at a faster rate. (Experiment Central)Methods:This lab required 100 ml of water, 3 grams of baking soda, several leaves, a single hole punch, a plastic syringe with a removable stopper, a beaker large enough to hold 100+ ml of liquid, a beaker large enough to block out the prior, a light fixture, and a thermometer.This experiment began by preparing 100 ml of bicarbonate solution for each trial. To do this, 3g of baking soda was dissolved into 100ml of water. The bicarbonate served as an alternate dissolved source of carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. Then 12 leaflet disks (leaf chads) were cut for each trial. Single hole punches were used to cut these out. The disks were then placed in the bottom of an empty syringe. As the syringe filled with the bicarbonate solution, the leaf disks were immersed in the solution. A finger was placed over the opening of the syringe, and as the plunger was pulled down it created suction. The goal of this step was to create a vacuum, so the empty air pockets in the leaf chads that made them buoyant were filled with water (so they would sink).The disks were poured into  the 100ml solution, and sank to the bottom. The temperature of the water was recorded. A heat buffer that consisted of a larger beaker filled with water was placed in between the solution and the light fixture, and the light was then turned on. Over the course of 8 minutes the leaf chads underwent photosynthesis and began to float back to the surface of the water. The number of floating disks was recorded each minute and then the process was repeated without the heat buffer. While being repeated without the heat buffer, the temperature was checked every minute and recorded.Data and Results:Conclusions:The rate of photosynthesis was measured by floatation of leaf disks when oxygen was released. The hypothesis was not supported because the leaf disks did not float at a higher rate when the temperature was slightly higher. Figure 1 shows this because the rate of floating leaf disks did not increase as predicted. The change in heat did not affect the amount of floating leaf disks, perhaps due to a large margin of error. The margins for error include the clumps of leaf disks, too much water in the buffer, too many air pockets in the leaves and not having stronger temperatures. A follow up experiment would test the same leaf disks with a stronger heat source. This follow up would most likely support the current hypothesis.

Definition of an Aliphatic Compound

Definition of an Aliphatic Compound An aliphatic compound is an organic compound containing carbon and hydrogen joined together in straight chains, branched chains, or non-aromatic rings. It is one of two broad classes of hydrocarbons, the other being aromatic compounds. Open-chain compounds that contain no rings are aliphatic, whether they contain single, double, or triple bonds. In other words, they may be saturated or unsaturated. Some aliphatics are cyclic molecules, but their rings are not as stable as those of aromatic compounds. While hydrogen atoms are most commonly bound to the carbon chain, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, or chlorine atoms might also be present. Aliphatic compounds are also known as  aliphatic hydrocarbons or eliphatic compounds. Examples of Aliphatic Compounds Ethylene, isooctane, acetylene, propene, propane, squalene, and polyethylene are examples of aliphatic compounds. The simplest aliphatic compound is methane, CH4. Properties of Aliphatic Compounds The most significant characteristic of aliphatic compounds is that most of them are flammable. For this reason, aliphatic compounds are often used as fuels. Examples of aliphatic fuels include methane, acetylene, and liquefied natural gas (LNG). Aliphatic Acids Aliphatic or eliphatic acids are the acids of nonaromatic hydrocarbons. Examples of aliphatic acids are butyric acid, propionic acid, and acetic acid.

A Dramatistic Analysis of the Sandy Hook Shootings

A Dramatistic Analysis of the Sandy Hook Shootings Identification of the Problem Background On the morning of December 14, 2012, a mentally disturbed youth named Adam Lanza gained access to Sandy Hook Elementary School and killed 26 individuals using a Bushmaster rifle, before taking his own life with a single shot from a Glock handgun (Barron, 2012; Chaney Robertson, 2013; Semeiks, 2013).Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on A Dramatistic Analysis of the Sandy Hook Shootings specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Although the unprecedented shootings took 11 minutes to complete, they attracted widespread condemnation as various media outlets published as much information as possible, some even without following the protocols for accurate reporting. For example, some reputable media outlets such as CBS and Fox News wrongly reported that the killer’s mother worked at the school’s kindergarten and that she was killed as she taught the children (Folkenflik, 2012 ). However, school administrators later clarified that Lanza’s mother was not an employee of the school and had been killed at her home. The proposed project uses Kenneth Burke’s theory of dramastitic pentad to undertake an analysis of the Sandy Hook shootings with the view to illuminating the local and national media coverage of the massacre. Rationale The proposed project is embedded in the justification that whatever is published by mainstream media outlets heavily influences how Americans perceive events, policies, individuals and groups, and that there is an urgent need to analyze how these media outlets primarily exhibited the diverse groups of individuals in the tragedy as well as the various policies that allowed the shooter to have access to guns. Lastly, it is felt that understanding how an individual with a mental condition was allowed to purchase guns is critical to understanding how blame shifted from particular social systems to the shooter as a single en tity. Value of Project The proposed project has immense contribution to the existing literature, particularly in distilling the knowledge on media reporting of shooting incidents, American gun rights, and employment of mental illness to explain national tragedies.Advertising Looking for case study on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Burke provides useful insights in his dramastitic pentad criticism model, where he focuses on â€Å"a flawed individual and an imperfect society as rhetoric dominated by scene-agent ratio† (Zafis, 2013, p. 5). Drawing from this elaboration, the Sandy Hook massacre can be explained within the realms of gun control supporters assuming that the American society (scene) permits individuals (agents) to arm themselves with dangerous weapons, hence making shooting incidents to be perceived within the context of imperfect systems or a deficient gun rights scene (Rosen berg, 2014). Conversely, gun rights advocates employ the mental illness frame to insinuate that an imperfect society allows mentally flawed agents to slip through a damaged mental health system and have access to guns, leading to incidences such as Sandy Hook (Chaney Robertson, 2013). Statement of Problem Available scholarship demonstrates that â€Å"recent mass shootings by persons seemingly afflicted with serious mental illness (SMI) have received extensive news media coverage and prompted national dialogue about the causes of, and policy responses to, mass shootings† (McGinty, Webster, Jarlenski, Barry, 2014, p. 406). But while such news media framing of serious mental illness as a cause of Sandy Hook shootings may influence public attitudes about individuals with mental illness and support for gun violence prevention proposals, questions proliferate about the role of the media in dealing with gun rights, flawed agents, and the various policies that seem to place weapons at the hands of the mentally ill (Rosenberg, 2014). The proposed project aims to fill these gaps in the literature. Purpose of Project and Key Research Questions The purpose of the proposed project is to use Burke’s theory of dramastitic pentad to explore the rhetoric surrounding Sandy Hook’s shootings as reported in the media. The proposed research questions are as follows:Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on A Dramatistic Analysis of the Sandy Hook Shootings specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More RQ1: With reference to Sandy Hook shootings, how does the media reports the shift in focus from a gun rights scene to a flawed agent? RQ2: Does the media use mental illness as a scapegoat for why national tragedies occur? These research questions will be addressed by analyzing primary literature on mental health issues and gun crimes in America as well as secondary literature (newspapers) on Sandy Hook’s incidence and how it was reported. Method Research Design The proposed project will use the dramastitic pentad form of criticism as the method of exploration. Originating from philosopher, critical theorist and rhetorician Kenneth Burke (1897-1993), the pentad operates â€Å"grammatically as a means of articulating the relationships among ideas [and] how words about motives fit together to explain human action† (Blakeslay, 2001, p. 8). Burke developed the five key terms to dramatism (act, scene, agent, agency, purpose) and argued that these terms not only generate the principle of our investigation, but also determine what person or kind of person (agent) performs the act and what means or instruments are used (agency) to perform the act. Additionally, Burke, comprehensively cited in Blakeslay (2001), argues that â€Å"any complete statement about motives will offer some kind of answers to these five questions: what was done (act), when or where it was done (scene), who did it (agent), how he did it (agency), and why (purpose)† (p. 24).Advertising Looking for case study on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In the context of the proposed project, the media may incessantly disagree about the purposes behind the frequent shootings in the United States, why individuals choose to perpetuate shootings in a particular place (scene), as well as the character of individuals who perpetuate the shootings (agents). Owing to the fact that the pentad is perceived as a strategic technique for analyzing discourse by focusing on how it attributes motivation to human action, it is evidently clear that both simple and complex statements about why individuals engage in certain things are potential material for dramatistic analysis (Blakeslay, 2001). As such, the pentad can be used as a form of rhetorical analysis or as a method that can be employed by readers to identify the rhetorical nature of any text that explains or represents human motivation, implying that the method can be used to dramastitically analyze how media outlets in the United States reported the Sandy Hook’s shootings as well as the repercussions of their reporting on different groups of individuals and social systems. In undertaking a dramastitic analysis of the Sandy Hook shootings, the proposed project will use Burke’s pentadic concepts of agent (names what person or kind of person who performed the act) as well as scene (the background of the act or the situation in which it occurred). As demonstrated by Demikiw (2010), Burke’s model not only allows a critic to achieve multiple perspectives or perceptions on the same scenario by attributing diverse terms of the pentad to the same components of the situation under investigation, but also provides users with a means for understanding motives, attitudes and perspectives by undertaking an analysis of language use. Understandably, therefore, Burke’s theory of dramastitic pentad can be applied in efforts aimed at not only analyzing how the media reports shift in focus from a gun rights scene to a flawed agent in the Sandy Hook shootings, but also understanding why the media employs mental illness to explain the occurrence of national tragedies in America. Materials The proposed project will employ online newspapers and articles as the basis for data collection, in large part due to the fact that the researcher is interested in dramatistically analyzing how local and national media outlets covered the Sandy Hook shootings. It is the information contained in the online newspapers and articles that will be analyzed using Burke’s theory of dramatistic pentad to provide responses to the stated research questions. Primary resources such as peer-reviewed research articles will also be used to provide an evidence base on mental health and gun crimes in America, American gun laws, as well as media reporting of violent crimes in America. Some of the advantages of using secondary sources (online newspapers) include ease of use, low cost of acquisition, capacity to clarify research question(s), as well as capability to p rovide responses to the stated research questions. Conversely, some of the advantages of using primary sources (e.g., peer-reviewed articles) include capacity to develop critical thinking skills as well as propensity to construct knowledge (Scheuler, 2014). Secondary sources (newspapers) need to be carefully selected, as available literature demonstrates that â€Å"not all information obtained from secondary sources is equally reliable or valid† (Stewart Kamins, 1993, p. 17). This predisposition is also applicable in the collection of primary sources (peer-reviewed articles), thus the need to exercise caution. Drawing from this elaboration, the following procedure will be used for gathering materials: â€Å"(1) what was the purpose of the study? (2) Who collected the information? (3) What information was actually collected? (4) When was the information collected? (5) How was the information obtained? (6) How consistent is the information with other sources?† (Stewart Kamins, 1993, p. 17). In sampling, the researcher is of the opinion that representativeness of the artifact set (online newspapers and articles) will be balanced with considerations for the attainment of homogeneity for the sampled artifacts not only to facilitate replication of results, but also to enhance credibility as well as validity. Discussion and Conclusion Anticipated Findings The first research question relates to how the media reports the shift in focus from a gun rights scene to a flawed agent within the context of Sandy Hook shootings. Available scholarship is consistent that mass shootings can enhance mental health stigma, entrench stereotypes that individuals with mental conditions are violent, and influence public policy (Rosenberg, 2014), that gun violence perpetuated by mentally unstable individuals has been and continues to be a serious public health concern in American schools and communities (Ruggles Rajan, 2014), and that many gun violence prevention groups h ave underscored the relationship between mental illness and aggression and called for policies to prevent individuals with mental illness from having guns (McGinty et al., 2014). Using the agent (Adam Lanza) and scene (American society) continuum of Burke’s theory of dramastitic pentad, it is anticipated that the ratios between the two elements will lean more toward the exploration of the flawed agent in newspapers and other media outlets. The application of these ratios to any rhetorical scenario permits the rhetorician (in this case, the researcher) to constrict an analysis from a bigger picture to a more defined one (Blakeslay, 2001; Demikiw, 2010), implying that the researcher will have the capacity to come up with responses as to how the American media has shifted attention to the flawed agent and failed to account or advocate for the gun rights scene even after repeated gun-related massacres. The second research question relates to why the American media uses mental ill ness as a scapegoat for the routine occurrence of national tragedies. Again, research is consistent that the rhetoric about the relationship between poor mental health and controlling access to firearms in the American society appears to be most predominant in the wake of mass shootings (Ruggles Rajan, 2014), that mass shootings often lead to widespread public anger, renewed debate on gun control as well as implementation of several mental health policies at the state and federal level (Rosenberg, 2014), and that many gun policy proposals across the United States are based on the common conjecture that mental illness is an important cause of violence (Chaney Robertson, 2013; McGinty et al., 2014). Using Burke’s theory of dramastitic pentad as the basis for analysis and following the stream of research indicated above, the anticipated findings are likely to reinforce the assertion that the American media indeed uses flawed agents (individuals with mental illness) to form the basis for justifying the constant occurrence of national tragedies such as the one that happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Such a finding will be instrumental in assisting the researcher to look for gaps in the various gun laws and policies which undoubtedly allow flawed agents to gain access to automatic weapons. Additionally, the analysis and findings will assist the researcher to delineate the reasons as to why American media is increasingly shifting blame from the failure of specific social systems to the debilitating mental effects of the shooter as a single entity. Limitations The expected results are likely to be limited by (1) complexity of analysis using Burke’s theory of dramatistic pentad as the two components (agent and scene) may overlap or be applied to another part, (2) difficulties in generalizing findings due to lack of scientific rigor, (3) potential for the researcher to fail to exercise objectivity in examining various discourses with the view to u nderstanding how they function to influence an audience, and (4) difficulties in establishing the correct ratios within the context of the relationships formed between the components of the pentad (Blakeslay, 2009; Smith, 2009). Overall, the anticipated conclusions of the proposed project will not be lacking as the researcher will take all the necessary steps to ensure reliability and validity of findings. Such steps include (1) familiarization with the Burke’s theory of dramastitic pentad, (2) reference to other research studies that use similar methodology and approach, (3) ensuring representativeness of the artifact set, and (4) ensuring adequate knowledge of, and familiarity with, Burke’s dramatistic tools and cluster analysis techniques. It is the conviction of the researcher that the conclusions of the proposed project will provide important insights on how local and national newspapers and media outlets cover shooting incidents and if such coverage is to blame f or reinforcing the flawed agent perspective at the expense of restructuring gun laws to ensure that individuals with mental illness do not have access to weapons. Using the contextual framework of the Sandy Hook shootings, it is also the conviction of the researcher that the conclusions of this project will provide important insights on whether the American media use the mental illness concept to hide the realities on why national tragedies keep on occurring. The findings of this study will go a long way in informing policy directions on mental health issues, American gun laws, mass school shootings, as well as media reporting of violent crimes in the United States. References Barron, J. (2012, December 14). Nation reels after gunman massacres 20 children at school in Connecticut. New York Times. Retrieved from nytimes.com/2012/12/15/nyregion/shooting-reported-at-connecticut-elementary-school.html?_r=0 Blakeslay, D. (2001). The elements of dramatism. Harlow: Longman. Chaney, C., Ro bertson, R.V. (2013). Media reporting of the Sandy Hook elementary school angels. Journal of Pan African Studies, 5(6), 74-114. Demikiw, J.J. (2010). Taking rhetoric to work: A dramatistic analysis of organizational leadership in the office (Master’s thesis, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon). Retrieved from http://ecommons.usask.ca/bitstream/handle/10388/etd-12052010-122034/Demkiw_Julian_MA_thesis_December_2010.pdf Folkenflik, D. (2012). Coverage rapid, and often wrong, in tragedy’s early hours. Retrieved from npr.org/2012/12/18/167466320/coverage-rapid-and-often-wrong-in-tragedys-early-hours McGinty, E.E., Webster, D.W., Jarlenski, M., Barry, C.L. (2014). News media framing of serious mental illness and gun violence in the United States, 1997-2012. American Journal of Public Health, 104(3), 406-413. Rosenberg, J. (2014). Mass shootings and mental health policy. Journal of Sociology Social Welfare, 41(1), 107-121. Ruggles, K.V., Rajan, S. (2014). Gun possession among American youth: A Discovery-based approach to understand gun violence. PLoS ONE, 9(11), 1-12. Scheuler, S. (2014). Primary and secondary sources in history: A primer for undergraduates, challenges for librarians. Reference Librarian, 55(2), 163-167. Semeiks, J.G. (2013). We the paper confront Sandy Hook. Confrontation, 113, 11-17. Smith, C.R. (2009). Rhetoric and human consciousness: A history (3rd ed.). Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press. Stewart, D.W., Kamins, M.A. (1993). Evaluating secondary sources. In D.W. Stewart M.A. Kamins (Eds.), Secondary research (pp. 17-33). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Ltd. Zafis, N.S. (2013). The deadliest school shooting in American History: A dramatistic analysis of the Virginia Tech massacre. Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1138context=comssp

Simple Guide How to Apply for Financial Aid

Simple Guide How to Apply for Financial Aid SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips You’ve taken the SAT or ACT (or both). You’ve researched a list of safety, target, and reach schools. You’ve written what seems like 100 college essays, and nailed down several letters of recommendation. You think you finally have a minute to take a breather, and then you remember: you have to figure out how to pay for all of this! Most students know that financial aid is an option, but the whole financial aid application process can be confusing. What counts as financial aid? Where do you get it? What’s the typical application process like? How much can you get? It’s enough to make your head spin, especially if you don’t have much guidance on the subject. In this post, I’ll answer all those questions (and more) to start you off on the right foot. Heading off to college should be an exciting new adventure, not a stressful financial burden- this guide will help you get all the financial aid you need to make this upcoming college transition a pleasant one. Before we jump into that, though, I'll talk more generally about college expenses and overarching financial aid strategy. Paying for College: The Basics So you're about ready to head to college- or at least, you're thinking about whether you can afford it. How does the cost of your education and the financial aid application process factor into your experiences at school and beyond? College Costs Every year that you attend school- whether you're getting a BA, a Master's, or a professional degree- costs a certain amount of money. The biggest expenses associated with attending college include tuition, room, and board. If you don't cover your tuition costs, you won't be able to register for classes or actually attend school. If you can't afford living expenses associated with attending school (room, board, other personal expenses), you can't actually be present on campus to attend classes. Ultimately, all of these costs need to be covered every year or you won't be able to attend college. To learn more about how much money it takes to get an education, read our guide on the explicit and hidden costs of college. Where Does Financial Aid Come In? For many students, there will be a difference between what college actually costs and what they can afford to pay. For every year that you anticipate this deficit, you apply for financial aid for your school to cover as much of this cost as you can. In general, this process includes submitting a federal financial aid application. Your school receives the information from this application and puts together a financial aid package, which could include federal aid and/or school-based aid. Your grants and loans (if you choose to accept them) will be laid out for you in this financial aid offer. You're then able to make a decision about whether the remaining difference in cost, after taking aid into account, is something that you can afford to pay. If you choose to accept an offer from a particular school, and there is a difference between the aid offered and total college costs, it is your responsibility to pay the remaining amount. You may not have to pay it all up front- some schools offer payment plans throughout the semester- but if you do not make timely payments, you will not be allowed to register for classes, and you won't receive any college credits. Some students use family savings, private loans, student jobs, or a combination thereof to cover these costs. Worrying about paying for college can be an enormous burden- often, students don't feel prepared or informed enough to make such big financial decisions. If you're in this boat, rest assured that with some good intel and a little experience you'll be able to navigate financial aid as well as anyone else. When I entered college as a freshman, I felt pretty lost when it came to understanding financial aid- I was unfamiliar with a lot of the language, and I wasn't sure where to get good objective advice. I came out on the other side, and I'm happy to say it's not as scary as it first seems. So let's get started! What Is Financial Aid? The term "financial aid" is thrown around as a monolithic term that seems to cover anything that helps pay for college. There are different types of financial aid, though, and they're not all created equal- they come from different sources and with different "catches." Types of Financial Aid There are several types of financial aid available- some are better than others. Here, I'll go over all the major types of financial aid, their perks, and their drawbacks. Grants Grants are lovely little monetary awards that you don’t have to pay back. For this reason, they are awesome- if you get a grant, you are literally getting free money. The catch? They’re usually based on your financial need. Free money is generally hard to come by, so eligibility criteria for grants tend to be stricter than for loans. Student loans can be important financial assets, as long as you can support the monthly payments after graduation. Loans A loan is a sum of money that is given to you when you need it (i.e. when you need to make tuition, room, or board payments) which you pay back after graduation. You also pay back an additional percentage of money, known as interest. Loans can be really helpful, but also a burden post-graduation if you take on a lot of student debt. Some loans are better than others: for example, loans that are subsidized or have low-interest rates, subsidized loans are generally preferable because you end up paying less in the long run. To learn more about these types of loans, read our guides to the Perkins and Direct Subsidized loan programs. Scholarships Scholarships, like grants, are sums of money that are awarded to you to help pay for school. They're a bit different from grants and loans in a few important ways, so I won't spend much time addressing them in this post. First, they'renot reliable. Most scholarships are very competitive, which means that students shouldn’t expect to be able to pay for the bulk of college expenses with scholarship awards. Second, they havewidely varying eligibility criteria, award amounts, and application processes- grants and loans are much more standardized in these respects. In sum, scholarships areawesome bonuses if you get them, but the meat and potatoes of financial aidaregrants and loans. Financial Aid Sources Financial aid can come from a variety of sources. Your funding source can affect your type of aid, your award amount, your eligibility criteria, and the application process. Here, I'll address the three main sources of student aid: federal, institutional, and private. I'll also briefly address some loan basics, like what to expect in terms of student loan payments and affordability. Federal Federal student aid is financial aid that is sponsored or subsidized by the US federal government. It's widely available and pretty easy to apply for- there's one application for all federal aid programs called, aptly, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is also useful for more than just federal aid- I'll explain why later on in the post. Some federal aid programs include the Pell Grant, Perkins loan, Stafford loan, and Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized loans. Eligibility criteria for most federal aid programs tend to be very clear- if you meet the criteria, you should get the aid award. Interest rates on federal loans are also very competitive and tend to be lower than those on private loans (lower interest rates = less money you shell out in the long run). Institutional Colleges will sometimes have their own financial aid programs. Some schools even claim to meet all financial need- basically, everything that your family can’t afford to pay. Generally, the better a school’s endowment, the better its financial aid program. Much of the institutional aid that's awarded is in the form of grants, which are primarily need-based. Some merit-based scholarships are given out by some institutions to entice particularly competitive students. Usually, schools don't serve as loan lenders (with a notable exception being in the case of the Perkins loan program). Schools use information generated from your FAFSA to determine what (if any) financial aid you'll get from the institution, in addition to the federal aid you're eligible for. Schools may also use an application called the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE to award nonfederal financial aid. I'll talk more about the PROFILE in the section on the federal aid application process. Private When people discuss private aid sources, they're usually referring to banks that are funding private loans. This is the third level of financial aid: if grants and low-interest federal loans don’t cover enough of your expenses, you can get a private loan to make up the difference. Theterms on these loans usually aren’t as good as those on federal loans, but you can get decent interest rates if you (or the person who's signing on the loan) have good credit. Loans: How Much Should You Take Out? Student loan debt is a big concern for current college students and recent graduates alike. To avoid taking on debt that you can't afford to pay back, you mustconsider loan amounts, interest rates, and repayment plans to determine what you can handle. What amount of debt is worth the education you'll be receiving? To answer this question as effectively and as accurately as possible, consider the following: taking your future career plans and future income into account, what do you anticipate being able to afford in terms of monthly loan payments? Be as realistic as possible. Now, monthly loan payment amounts will vary based on things like interest rates and whether the loan is subsidized or unsubsidized. What you can actually afford to pay will also depend on factors like your income, cost of living, and how much you want to save and spend. Even though all of these factors are (probably) currently unknowable, this chart lays out some general rules about loan payments and affordability: Total Student Loan Debt Monthly Payment Minimum Annual Income Needed to Afford Monthly Payment $5,000 $61 $7,320 - $9,150 $10,000 $122 $14,640 - $18,300 $15,000 $184 $22,080 - $27,600 $20,000 $245 $29,400 - $36,750 $25,000 $306 $36,720 - $45,900 $50,000 $612 $73,440 - $91,800 $100,000 $1,222 $146,660 - $183,300 The general rule of thumb is that you should aim for 10% of your income to be spent on student loans. You can certainly live frugally and pay your loans with 30% of your income, but just remember about 30% of your income goes to taxes, another 30% will go to rent, and you'll need to budget for living expenses too. The Financial Aid Application Process The process is so much more manageable if we break it down step by step. So you have a good idea of the financial aid basics- you know all about the types of financial aid and their various sources. The next step? Actually learning how to apply for financial aid! The process and timeline will be a bit different for everyone, but here I’ll focus on the process for (1) first-time college freshmen who are (2) proactive about applying for financial aid. It’s generally better to apply earlier rather than later for financial aid programs (so, don’t wait until application deadlines if you can help it) because some programs run out of funds. One notable example of a program with limited funds is the Perkins loanprogram. You generally don’t have to worry about the financial aid application process until the bulk of your college application work is done. Here, I’ll outline a comprehensive financial aid process in chronological order of applications you should complete- the CSS/Financial Aid Profile is listed first because you might have to complete it while working on some college apps (unfortunately). Step 1: The CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE The CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE is an application for nonfederal financial aid used by almost 400 different colleges and scholarship programs. Even if you don’t think you’ll apply to one of these colleges or programs, it may be wise to fill it out, so you don’t preemptively limit your funding options. Check out the list of participating programs before deciding not to complete it- you might find a program or school you're interested in! If you’re applying to any of the participating schools (or scholarships), they’ll have their own deadlines for submitting the PROFILE. It’s very important that you meet this deadline if you want to be considered eligible for institutional financial aid. Some schools may ask for it around the time college apps are due. Submitting the PROFILE If you plan on completing the PROFILE,you’ll need to enter detailed student and parent financial information. Gather the following paperwork for both you and your parents to expedite the application process: Current and previous years' tax returns W-2 forms and other records of current year income Records of untaxed income and benefits for current and previous tax years Current bank statements Records of savings, stocks, bonds, trusts, etc. There are fees associated with this application- one fee to actually submit it (which includes a single school report), and a $25 fee to generate reports for additional schools. There are fee waivers available for low-income students. To learn more about the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE, check out this comprehensive guide or interactive presentation. Step 2: The FAFSA The FAFSA: Perhaps the most important part of the financial aid process. The FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Like I mentioned earlier, this one application will open up a lot of potential aid opportunities. The FAFSA opens up October 1 each year for the next academic year (for example, if you’re startingcollege in the fall of 2020, you can submit your FAFSA on October 1, 2019, at the earliest). A few days after you submit your application, you’ll get what’s called a SAR (student aid report) outlining different types of federal aid that you’re eligible for. If you’re interested in the Perkins loan, you’d have to be offered the loan directly through your school. Many schools use the information generated from the FASFA to award their own aid, especially if they don’t use the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE. So when should you actually submit your FAFSA? Even though the deadline is pretty late (e.g. deadline for 2019-2020 academic year is June 30, 2020) apply as close to October 1 as possible. Some programs are first-come, first-serve, so if you apply early, you won’t end up losing out on any potential funding opportunities. Submitting the FAFSA To complete the application, you’ll need detailed financial information for both yourself and your parents, including: W-2 forms Tax returns Records of untaxed income and benefits The application itself should take 2-3 hours, and can be submitted online. It should take about threedays to get your "results"- the student aid report outlining your federal aid eligibility. You can even estimate your eligibility before you apply using the FAFSA4caster. For detailed information on how to submit a FAFSA, check out our Pell Grant guide. Step 3: The Financial Aid Award Letter After you’ve been admitted to a college, the school will put together a financial aid award letter- if you noted that you want financial aid, that is. You will not have to accept or reject any offer of admission until you’ve been able to go over a school’s financial aid package. You can use the award amounts to calculate your net cost, or what you have to pay out of pocket to attend that school. If there are loans offered on your financial aid letter, you don’t have to accept any that you’re not comfortable with. You tell your financial aid office what awards you want to take (pro tip: take all the grants and scholarships) and what awards you don’t. Calculating Your Net Cost Figure out the school’s CoA (Cost of Attendance). This figure includes tuition, fees, books, transportation, room, and board. If it's not listed on the financial aid letter, turn to Google or the financial aid office. Learn more about expenses in our guide on what college really costs. Subtract any grants and scholarships listed on the financial aid package from your CoA. This is free money that your school and/or government is awarding you. The figure you have right now is your out-of-pocket cost. If this isn't affordable, this isn't necessarily what you have to payright now to attend this school. Subtract any federal loans offered from the out-of-pocket cost. These loans tend to have low-interest rates and good repayment terms. Subtract any work-study award amounts. Many students have jobs during the school year to help cover some college expenses. Work study helps facilitate the job search. The remaining amount is what you have to pay to attend school for one year. If this amount is still not manageable, and you're comfortable with the idea of taking out more loans, you can consider private loans to cover some of the balance. How Much Aid Can You Get? Let's figure out how much aid you can get your hands on. This is the real question, right? If you're going to go through all the trouble of applying for financial aid, you want the results to be worth it in the end. The amount of aid you can get depends on two main factors: #1: Your financial need, and#2: Where you go to school Students with very low family incomes who attend schools with good financial aid programs can get all of their financial need covered- with all grants, no loans. Harvard, for example, expects no family contributions from families who make less than 60k a year, although they still expect students to contribute a small amount via a student job. There are other schools that claim to meet all students’ unmet need. If you have high financial need but choose a school with a less generous financial aid program, you might be expected to pay a lot out of pocket. State schools, in particular, tend to have much higher sticker prices for out-of-state residents, so even if you get the maximum amount of federal Pell grant money ($5,500) you could be on the hook for a very large sum of money. If you don’t have much financial need, you can still get financial aid through schools with good programs. Harvard, again as an example, gives some sort of financial aid to about 70% of its students. You might not be eligible for many grants, but you could potentially be eligible for low-interest government loans, like the Direct Subsidized, Unsubsidized, and PLUS programs- they have less strict eligibility criteria. What If You Don't Receive Enough Financial Aid? Sometimes, even though students do everything right, they still end up stuck with a price that they or their families just can’t afford. Here are some steps you can take to close the gap between what you can afford and what you owe. Check in With the Financial Aid Office See if they can work with you on your financial aid package. Don’t treat it like a bidding war- for example, going to a school with another college’s financial aid package and demanding they match it won’t generally fly. Tell them that you’re grateful for the package, but as is, your family can’t afford it. Take this opportunity toexplain any extenuating circumstances or hardships that make paying for college difficult. Bring concrete numbers and calculations to back up your claims, and be prepared to discuss what you can afford. Apply to Scholarships Ideally, you’d start looking at scholarship programs early on in your junior year. Apply to scholarships as a Hail Mary or backup plan- don’t count on any scholarship earnings before you’ve actually earned them. With that being said, scholarships (even small ones) can help make college more affordable. Ronald McDonald, Gates Scholars, and Hispanic Scholarship Fund awards are good places to start. Consider Schools with Better Aid Packages Sometimes, the heavy burden of student loans isn’t worth attending one particular school, even if it’s your dream school. Do a cost-benefit analysis to objectively think about whether one school will be worth the extra dollars up front and/or in loans in the long run, versus another school that’s more affordable. What's Next? If you want to increase your chances of getting more financial aid, you can start with steps that will also help with your college applications. Getting your SAT scores up or investing time in community service hours will make you a more attractive college applicant, but it will also make you eligible for more scholarships. In order to prepare for scholarship applications, read our guides to the National Merit Scholarship, Walmart Scholarship, and Coca-Cola Scholarships. 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:

HOW WAS THE TRIPARTITE FINANCIAL SYSTEM CREATED IN THE UNITED KINGDOM Essay

HOW WAS THE TRIPARTITE FINANCIAL SYSTEM CREATED IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND IT'S ROLE IF ANY IN THE CREDIT CRUNCH (BUSINESS AND LAW SUBJECTS) - Essay Example In fact it is found that the credit crisis is actually the result of poor regulatory process of these countries’ financial systems. This research is all about the Tripartite Financial System which was developed in UK in 1997. Prior to the period of recent financial crisis, it was apparently seemed that the system is quite effective in maintaining the stability in the UK financial system. However once the credit crisis started the actual effectiveness of the tripartite system came out. This research is started with a proper plan. A specific research statement is developed. Aims and objectives of the research are then properly identified. Precise research strategy and philosophy have been followed throughout the research. Data are collected in the pre-defined ways. A well structured literature review includes the detailed description of the topic. Finally the research ends with a proper conclusion. This research mainly focuses on the Tripartite Financial System and its role in the recent credit crunch in UK. The specific research statement is â€Å"how tripartite financial system was created in UK and its part in credit crunch†. The major aim and objective of this research is to identify all those processes and incidents that led to the formation of tripartite financial system. Furthermore the research also aims to find out the significance of this system in the recent credit crisis situation in United Kingdom. Each and every research is based on certain philosophy. In fact researches can be categorized into different types according to their philosophy. There are mainly two philosophical paradigm – phenomenological and positivist. In the first type of research, world is considered as an external object. Furthermore he/she should be independent. Most importantly in this type of research focus should be on facts. Furthermore the researcher should also focus on

Overview of the Television Show Glee Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Overview of the Television Show Glee - Essay Example The essay "Overview of the Television Show Glee" talks about a very popular television show ‘Glee’ that has been broadcast all over the world in the recent past; it speaks of a high school atmosphere with children belonging to different backgrounds, coming together to spread love through the gift of music. The children that belong to the Glee Club are not even accepted by the other students going to the school because they may not be as ‘popular’ or pretty as the others in order to be a part of the so-called ‘cool’ social scenes. This is a vast issue that has been affecting children not only across America but on a global basis, merely because peer pressure and social acceptance is something that children coming from different backgrounds and having different opinions have been facing for a long time. The main goal of this show has been spreading social justice among young adults and helping them understand that it is alright to accept different people into their groups. The show has also been able to do an excellent job by cultivating and displaying how its children and students are not able to love themselves and be truthful with themselves about how to deal with life. The first season is based on the social issue of teenage pregnancy and helps to portray how women are thought of when they are going through such problems. Quinn underwent a major amount of hardships when she was pregnant because at first, her fellow students did not support her decision of going ahead with having the baby.

Evaluate the current uses of 3D printing. Discuss the potential future Essay

Evaluate the current uses of 3D printing. Discuss the potential future of 3D printing based on current issues identified in the literature - Essay Example 3D technologies include building images layer by layer using powder and raw materials such as resins, plastics and super alloys rather than multi-coloured ink as in conventional printers (Berman 2012, p. 155). 3D printing presents many future possibilities, albeit some clearly not for the foreseeable future, including the manufacturing of final objects closer to consumers or even by the consumers themselves, with significant implications for both the society and economy. On the other hand, there are also issues ranging from social to practical, legal and economic aspects. This paper will evaluate the current uses of 3D printing and discuss its potential future based on the issues associated with them. 3D printing has evolved since the first functional 3D printer was created in 1984. The 3D printing or additive manufacturing process is a form of rapid-prototyping that fabricates three-dimensional objects using the technology of ink-jet printing. The process joins materials from three-dimensional model data to make or ‘print’ objects, usually placing layer upon layer unlike subtractive manufacturing that include cutting and moulding raw materials into objects (Stahl 2013, p. 3). Further, it mainly uses systems of 3D scanning and computer-aided design (CAD) models for production. Objects printed using the 3D technology are fabricated after successive layers of materials are solidified, fused or deposited on top of each other, whereby each layer corresponds to the objects’ cross-sectional shapes. FDM (fused deposition modeling) and SLS (selective laser sintering) are currently the most common 3D printing technologies. Technological developments have made the conce pt more accessible and affordable, widening the range of current and potential users beyond the previous rapid prototyping systems that fundamentally targeted engineering and industrial applications. According to Stephens, Orch & Ramos (2013, p. 334), 3D printing may better be understood by viewing what

Resume Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 16

Resume - Essay Example A proven capacity for flexibility in creative and innovative management solutions with an ability to balance budgets, labor, and to adapt to the many challenges of managing in a food and beverage business. As a senior project, I worked with a team in order to create the best possible recommendations for an online company that was expanding from selling books into selling resources for entertainment such as movies and music. Through an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the company, in connection to the strengths and weaknesses of the competition, a series of business oriented recommendations were made to the company to facilitate growth and expansion in a highly competitive field. In coming to understand the needs of a business that had begun with no solid plan and was not appropriately defining their goals, the project created a better understanding of the advantages and pitfalls that can emerge during business building exercises. Through a focus on consultation with the business, the manners and etiquette used to convince the company of the many ways in which improvements could be made with a benefit realized from those benefits through language that was supportive and resp ectively of the position the company held provided context for how to build strong business relationships while exploring constructive

Management and marketing within business Organization Essay - 1

Management and marketing within business Organization - Essay Example On the other hand, marketing is a process of informing the customers about the value or utility of a product or service, and to encourage the customers to purchase it. â€Å"It is defined as the process of determining the needs and wants of consumers and being able to deliver products that satisfy those needs and wants. Marketing includes all of the activities necessary to move a product from the producer to the consumer† (What Is Marketing?, n.d, p.13)2 Management is a process which helps to achieve; group goals, Optimum Utilization of Resources, reduction of costs. It is a process which establishes sound organization and equilibrium. Moreover, it helps the society to achieve prosperity (Importance of management.2012)3. Man, material, machine, and money are the four most important resources of an organization. Management is the process, which helps the coordination of all these organizational resources. For example, finance department is responsible for the management of money in an organization. Same way, human resource department look after the manpower resources whereas engineering or production department look after the machineries and materials. Even though different departments are controlling the organizational resources, it is the process of management, which helps them to utilize these resources judiciously so that the organization benefits from these resources. Many people have the illusion that management is a function restricted only to the executives of an organization. In fact, Management is a function usually undertaken by people of all calibre. For example, a housekeeper is responsible for managing the resources of a house properly whereas a construction worker is responsible for managing the works assigned to him. A housewife manages the education of her children while her husband manages other family matters. In short,

A passage to India Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

A passage to India - Essay Example Aziz and friends longs for the company of an English man, the common wish of the Indians during that time. Both, Aziz and Fielding have similarities in their behavior that they are curious in Indian mysteries. Moreover, Fielding has high respects for Indian tradition and is high tolerant. It may be this common fact that befriends them. The western similarity of Aziz is clear when Moore explains her experience with Aziz in the mosque. Only much later Ronny and others realize that she was speaking about a Muslim, who exactly follows the western way of living. The words of Miss Quested are notable in this context when she exclaimed, â€Å"A Mohammedan! How perfectly magnificent!† (Foster 9). 2. What do you think really happened to Adel Quested in the cave? What might the echo signify symbolically in the novel? Adel Quested had a wild experience in the Marabar Caves where she was overcome with claustrophobia like Mrs. Moore. When she entered the cave alone, the echo of the sound a nd loneliness might have frightened her. This actually caused for her fainting and misunderstanding that Aziz molested her. However, the echo in the cave has symbolic significance in the novel with various propositions. There have been many inferences among the critics regarding this symbol. But one can see echo representing climax of horror of the novel.

Management and marketing within business Organization Essay - 1

Management and marketing within business Organization - Essay Example On the other hand, marketing is a process of informing the customers about the value or utility of a product or service, and to encourage the customers to purchase it. â€Å"It is defined as the process of determining the needs and wants of consumers and being able to deliver products that satisfy those needs and wants. Marketing includes all of the activities necessary to move a product from the producer to the consumer† (What Is Marketing?, n.d, p.13)2 Management is a process which helps to achieve; group goals, Optimum Utilization of Resources, reduction of costs. It is a process which establishes sound organization and equilibrium. Moreover, it helps the society to achieve prosperity (Importance of management.2012)3. Man, material, machine, and money are the four most important resources of an organization. Management is the process, which helps the coordination of all these organizational resources. For example, finance department is responsible for the management of money in an organization. Same way, human resource department look after the manpower resources whereas engineering or production department look after the machineries and materials. Even though different departments are controlling the organizational resources, it is the process of management, which helps them to utilize these resources judiciously so that the organization benefits from these resources. Many people have the illusion that management is a function restricted only to the executives of an organization. In fact, Management is a function usually undertaken by people of all calibre. For example, a housekeeper is responsible for managing the resources of a house properly whereas a construction worker is responsible for managing the works assigned to him. A housewife manages the education of her children while her husband manages other family matters. In short,

Mahatma Gandhi Essay Example for Free

Mahatma Gandhi Essay An acquaintance of mine is a highly paid professional lacking none of life’s luxuries. He plays the violin as a hobby and frequently plays in a public space, placing a jar in front of him so that passers-by can contribute money to show their appreciation. Other musicians play in that space, but they move on if another musician is already there. His actions suggest, to me, that he’s a struggling musician in need of financial assistance, but he’s collecting dollar bills from people who may be less fortunate financially than he. Your thoughts on the ethics of this? NAME WITHHELD, NEW YORK The reason this strikes you as problematic has to do with your view of what this man is doing. You see his actions as a request for undeserved charity. He sees his actions as a performance that has potential value. And he is correct. Part of your argument is based on the premise that your acquaintance is occupying a common space that could better serve a less fortunate peer. That contention would make sense if the guy were panhandling. But that is not what he’s doing. He’s creating art for public consumption; he is, by the strictest definition of the term, a professional musician. While not charging for this work, he’s still saying, â€Å"I believe my music has value — and if you agree, pay me whatever amount you think is justified.† He’s not expecting people to give him money just because he’s standing there. That people less wealthy than he is might be generating his revenue is irrelevant. If you go to a Metallica concert, you would have a hard time finding one person in the entire arena who’s richer than the band’s drummer. Does this mean Metallica should provide free tickets to every member of their audience who makes less money than they do? I suppose you could make the case that they should. But it wouldn’t be a very good one. THE GRAPE THIEF A man goes to the supermarket and passes a table of fruit. His eye meets a luscious bunch of seedless grapes. The man puts the grapes in a plastic bag and proceeds to eat one, before having them weighed to determine the price. Is this an unethical act? Is it stealing? Why is stealing even unethical? MAYA AZOURI, TORONTO The first two parts of your question are not particularly meaningful. Is this stealing? Yes (the man took something he didn’t pay for). Is it unethical? Yes (although the value of one grape is so minor that it impedes on the livelihood of no one). The third aspect of your query, however — why is stealing unethical — is intriguing. The answer seems so obvious that it’s almost never questioned, even though it might not be obvious at all. I approached this question by working though all the existing reasons people don’t steal on a regular basis. The first is that it’s illegal; we don’t steal things because we’ve communally agreed that there is a justified, enforceable penalty for doing so. Another reason has to do with the influence of religion; pretty much whatever religious text you accept tautologically states that stealing is wrong because â€Å"stealing is wrong.† A third reason is tied to the design of our economic framework: If people can just pilfer whatever they desire, nothing will have monetary value (in the example you cite, the man who harvests the grapes can’t earn a living if those grapes can be freely taken by whoever wants them). But let’s keep going. Let’s move into a â€Å"Mad Max† scenario: If we lived in a lawless, secular, money-free society, would stealing still be wrong? It would. And this is because the alternative would make us nervous and unhappy. Part of this problem has to do with the philosophical concept of ownership. Can objects truly be â€Å"owned† by someone, or is this just a word we use to describe an unreal proviso? The more you think about that question, the more complicated it becomes. But it ultimately doesn’t matter, because we’ve collectively decided to live as though ownership isreal. We believe our possessions are extensions of ourselves. So if stealing were an acceptable practice — if we lived in a world in which people just took whatever they wanted, simply because there was no clear argument for doing otherwise — our lives would be consumed by anxiety. We would live in constant fear and spend all our energy protecting our possessions. Traveling would become impossible, because we couldn’t go anywhere without bringing along everything we owned. People would be less motivated to create things, because they would have no way of stopping others from taking away those creations. Violence would increase exponentially. Though I’m not sure if we’re ethically obligated to make the lives of others better, we are ethically obligated not to make the lives of others worse. And that’s what stealing does: it makes it impossible for other people to pursue their own happiness. It destabilizes society. In your supermarket example, the level of instability is so negligible that there’s no impact; it’s almost as if that level of theft is built into our lives as a release valve from morality. But if you extrapolate the grape thief’s actions outward and upward, it doesn’t take long before

Content-based Image Retrieval With Ant Colony Optimization

Content-based Image Retrieval With Ant Colony Optimization Content-based image retrieval with skin tones and shapes using Ant colony optimization Introduction: Due to the enormous pool of image data, a plenty of data to be sort out has lead the way for analyzing and dig up the data to acquire likely worthwhile information. Heterogeneous fields cover from commercial to military desire to inspect data in a systematic and quick manner. Outstandingly in the area of interactive media, images have the stronghold. There is no sufficient tools are available for examination of images. One of the points at issue is the effective pinpointing of features in the likeness and the other one is extracting them. NEED AND IMPORTANCE OF RESEACH PROBLEM Current techniques in image retrieval and classification concentrate on content-based techniques. It seek survey the contents of the image rather than thedata about datasuch as keywords, label or properties corresponding with the image. The term content refer to shades, appearance, textures, or any other particulars that can be obtained from the image itself. CBIR with skin tones is advisable because most net-based image search engines rely purely on metadata and this turn out a lot of waste in the results.Thus a system that can sifter images rest on their content with additional property i.e., skin tone would serve better list and return more specific outcomes. Various systems like the QBIC, Retrieval Ware and Photo Book etc., have a variety of attributes, still used in distinct discipline. The color features integrated with shape for classification, the color and texture for retrieval. There is no single feature which is ample; and, moreover, a single representation of characterist ics is also not enough. Sonith et al.[1996] describes a fully automated content – based image query systems. Ioloni et al. [1998] describes image retrieval by color semantics with incomplete knowledge. Mori et al. [1999] have applied dynamic programming technique for function approximated shape representation. Chang et al. [2001] describes information driven framework for image. Mira et al. [2002] describes fact content based image retrieval using Qusi – Gabir filler Vincent et al. [2007] have developed a fully automated content based image query system. Heraw et al. [2008] describes image retrieval will an enhanced multi modeling ontology. Taba et al. [2009] have used mining association rules for the feature matrin. OBJECTIVES Moreover, speed changes in industry and databases influencing our view and understanding of the problem over time and demanding alter in problem decoding approach. Consequently, further research is required in this field to develop algorithms for pick out images with skin tone and shapes, able to cope with ongoing technological changes. Investigation of effective images with skin tone and shapes based on pixel algorithms Extracting them based on optimization algorithms. Developing computational algorithms in extracting the images. The main objective is to study the Image Identification and Optimistic method of Image Extraction for Image Mining using Ant colony optimization .ACO, good solutions to a given optimization problem. To achieve this main objective, the goals are formulated as follows: To Study the Image Mining Techniques. To Explore the Approaches used in Selecting the Images To Explore the Extracting of the Features. To apply the powerful Techniques. To Analyze the Experimental Results. To Study the Optimization Techniques. To bring down calculation and taking out time. Work Plan: I will begin my research work by investigating different methodologies available in the literature and measure their applicability in different perspectives for common benefit. After that, I prefer to limit my research interest down from general to even more specific under the guidance of designated supervisor in the course so that it fits into university doctoral program curriculum. The research tasks are grouped year wise as follows. Year-1: Literature survey on various methods to get an idea of pattern matching, shapes and classification. Implementation of algorithms in order to gauge their applicability and scalability. Mathematical modelling of Ant colony Optimization considering new objectives and constraints existing in Image processing. Submission of a paper to a major conference Develop a detailed research proposal and give oral defense to get full registration of the course Year-2 Continue and refine the mathematical model to make the problem more actual Develop single objective optimization algorithms for effective extraction of Images. Start to develop multi objective optimization algorithms for extraction by considering large scale optimization and classification Submission of two papers to international conference and journals Year-3: Implementation of developed algorithms for analysis of images and optimization problems Submission of a paper to a major journal Completing a thesis based on the PhD project Taking part in active research groups. Publication of research work. REFFERENCES Beyer K et al. [1999]: Bottom-Up computation of sparse and Iceberg CUBEs. ACM SIGMOD. Carter R et al.[1983]: CIELUV color difference equations for self-luminoudisplays. Color Res. Appl., 8(4), 252–553. Chang SF et al. [1995]: Extracting multi-dimensional signal features for content-based visual query. SPIE Symposium on Visual Communications and Signal Processing. idoni J et al. [1998]: Image retrieval by color semantics with incomplete knowledge. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 49(3), 267-282. evich V et al. [2008]: Medical Image Mining on the Base of Descriptive Image Algebras. Cytological Specimen Case. In : Proc.of the International Conference on Health Informatics—HEALTHINF, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, 2, 66–73. Huan et al.[2008]: Image Retrieval ++ web Image Retrieval with an enhanced Multi-modality ontology . Kluwer Academic Publishers. Jaba Sheela et al. [2009]: Image mining using association rules derived from feature matrix. ACM, 440-443. Jain A [1991]: Algorithms for clustering data. Englewood Cliffs, NJ, Prentice Hall. Jain A et al.[1996]: Image Retrieval using color and shape. Pattern Recognition, 29(8):1233-1244. James D [1993]: Content based retrieval in multimedia imaging. In : Proc. SPIE Storage and Retrieval for Image and Video Databases. Kantardzic M [2003]: Data Mining, Wiley-Interscience. MaW et al.[1997]: Tools for texture/color based search of images. SPIE International conference Human Vision and Electronic Imaging, 496-507. Mira P et al.[2002]: Fast content-based image retrieval using quasi gabor filter and reduction of image feature dimension. SSIAI, 178-182. Mori K et al.[1999]: Function approximated shape representation using dynamic programming with multi-resolution analysis. ICSPAT 99. Niblack W et al. [1994]: The QBIC project: Querying images by content using color, texture and shape. In : Proc. SPIE Storage and Retrieval for Image and Video Databases. Pentland A et al. [1996]: Content based manipulation of databases. Int. J. Comput. Vis., 18(3), 233-254. Rui Y et al. [1999]: Image retrieval: current techniques, promising directions and open issues. Journal of Visual Communication and Image Representation, 10(4), 39-62. Shiaofen Fang et al. [2009]: Facial image classification of mouse embryos for the animal model study of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Proceedings of the 2009 ACM symposium on Applied Computing, 852-856. Smith J et al. [1996]: VisualSEEK: A fully automated content-based image query system. ACM Multimedia, 87-98. Vincent S et al. [2007]: Web Image Annotation by fusing visual features and textual information . SIGAPP’07,2007. Zaher Al Aghbari [2009]: Effective image mining by representing color histograms as time series. Journal of Advanced Computational Intelligence and Intelligent Informatics, 13, 109-114. Zaiane O et al.[1998]: Mining MultiMedia Data. CASCON98: Meeting of Minds, Toronto, Canada, 83-96,. Zhang Ji [2001]: An Information-driven framework for image mining. In : Proceedings of 12th International Conference on Database and Expert Systems Applications (DEXA), Munich, Germany. Zhang Ji et al. [2001]: Image Mining: issues, frameworks and techniques. In : Proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Multimedia Data Mining (MDM/KDD2001), San Francisco, CA, USA.