University of Phoenix Material Essays (404 words) - Education

University of Phoenix Material Essays (404 words) - Education University of Phoenix Material Stages of Critical Thinking Part 1: Stages of Critical Thinking Complete the matrix by identifying the four beginning stages of critical thinking as detailed in Critical Thinking. |Stages of critical |Stage description | |thinking | | |The Unreflective |These are the thinkers that are basically | |Thinker |unaware of the role of thinking in their | | |lives and of potential problems with their | | |own reasoning. Mostly these thinkers may be | | |educated, they tend to be unable to resolve | | |problems in thinking or find new strategies | | |to solve problems. | |The Challenged Thinker|A challenged thinker has become aware of the | | |role thinking plays in their lives. They have| | |an understanding of the basic elements of | | |reasoning. They may think they have critical| | |thinking skills, but they may not recognize | | |that they apply these critical thinking | | |skills in their lives, and making it tough | | |for them to improve their thinking abilities.| |The Beginning Thinker |The beginner thinker realizes that they | | |sometimes experience tough times in their | | |reasoning or problem solving; and they take | | |great measures to monitor and improve their | | |thinking. | |The Practicing Thinker|Theses thinkers understand that the human | | |mind tends to be self-deceit, and they | | |attempt to assess and critique their own | | |conclusions, beliefs, and opinions. | Part 2: Your Thinking Write a 75- to 150-word explanation of your current level of critical- thinking development, and explain why you placed yourself at that stage. I believe I am a practicing critical thinker, because I don't always think critically and do have to often remind myself of the habits that I need to change when it comes to thinking. I am enthusiastically working hard to change my negative thinking habits into positive thinking habits. I tend to procrastinate often and get work done at the last possible minute with everything that I do. I recognize that I do have worthy habits and I do my best to apply them when solving issues. I am a person, who is afraid change, and I do realize the need for change in my life and in the way I problem solve. It is a battle to analyze all of the information and options available to me before solving issues and I sometimes try to take the easiest route. I understand I have personal issues to work on as far as my own beliefs and reasoning, but I do try my best to better my thinking.

Fort William Henry The Savages Explored essays

Fort William Henry The Savages Explored essays Fort William Henry: The Savages Explored The massacre of Fort William Henry occurred in the year 1757, when Frances Native American allies captured, tortured, or killed 308 surrendered English. The incident was brutal, it has been told and retold throughout history by an array of authors, historians, and media agencies. Although every re-telling of the massacre has inevitable variations, the writings of James Fenimore Cooper and Francis Parkman, and the Hollywood film The Last of the Mohicans with the portrayal of Native Americans as inferior, vengeful savages in an attempt to explain the tragedy of the historical event. James Fenimore Cooper used negative descriptions of Native Americans in his novel The Last of the Mohicans to dramatize the massacre at Fort William Henry. This helps the reader make sense of the tragedy. Cooper depicted the Huron Indians as raving savages that were both wild and untutored in their nature (Cooper 207). It is easier to understand the massacre when Cooper blatantly indicates to the reader that revenge is an Indian feeling (217). The presuming way that Cooper characterizes Native Americans as animalistic and unintelligent inadvertently dehumanizes the Indians, and creates a plausible reason for the slaughtering. By stating that the Indians became heated and maddened by the sight of blood, and even drank freely...of the crimson tide that covered the ground, the motive for the massacre becomes obvious: primitive vengeance (208). A passage which clearly evokes the strongest understanding of Indian savagery is stated below: ... [the Indians] bantering but sullen smile changing to a gleam of ferocity, he dashed the head of the infant against a rock, and cast its quivering remains to [its mothers] very feet (207). Cooper undoubtedly used the worst possible trait of a savage: the ability to murder infants shame...

Information Systems Management (Travel and Tourism) Essay

Information Systems Management (Travel and Tourism) - Essay Example Today, computer programs are being designed to recognize patterns in large amounts, make decisions, and solve problems. Intelligence agents are knowledge banks, since they have knowledge of certain things. Generally, there are two types of artificial intelligence, including, weak AI and strong AI. The weak AI allows machine to work independently; however, it cannot compete with human intelligence, such that, computer cannot have a mind or conscious. However, computer with weak AI can only solve some types of problems, but not all. Strong AI is also the artificial general intelligence, which thinks cognitively, and functions like the human brain. However, for a strong AI to exist there is need for software that functions like human brain, a computer that can make billions of calculations per second. Q1 (ii): Communities of practice Communities of practice are groups of people who share a passion for something in particular and learn how to do it best; it mainly involves collective lea rning such as solving problems. They can vary in different forms, for instance, a group of engineers working on a particular issue or a group of managers concerned with a particular organization problem. This proves that learning is the main reason why people interact; however, not every community is a community of practice. For instance, a group of friends cannot be defined as a community of practice. A community of practice usually involves a domain of interest; therefore, membership entails commitment to the domain. Members normally engage in discussions and activities that help towards their interests. Unless people with the same interests interact, a community of practice cannot be formed. Activities involved may vary from problem solving, discussing development, visiting, mapping knowledge, and identifying gaps among others. Moreover, community of practice is mainly applied in organizations, government, educational institutions, and development projects among others. Q 1 (iii) : Data mining Data mining is the process of analyzing and extracting large data sets by using both artificial intelligence and statistics, in order to summarize the data in an understandable and useful way to the data owner. The wide use of information system leads to the accumulation of large data in businesses and on the website. Businesses can learn from the data transaction about the behavior of their customers in purchasing and they can therefore find ways of improving on their business through the acquired knowledge. Hence, data mining uses methods that allow extraction of useful data from large data that can be useful in decision-making. However, data mining is associated with the problem of market basket analysis, whereby, a business gathers information on the items that are mostly purchased by customers. Creating an effective layout of the business is important, for instance, it was discovered that most customers who purchase diaper especially the men always purchase a beer too and chips. Therefore, today, in most stores, beer is close to diapers and chips are close to beer, making it easier to meet their customer’s interests. The problem here is when applying the data mining technique of ‘association rule mining’. To be able to mine data, the data must first be collected from the

Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Economics - Essay Example In 2010 the government debt was at 1105.8 billion pounds, which was 76.1% of the GDP. Of that public sector net borrowing was 10.3 billion pounds in 2010 and the public sector net debt was at 58% of the total GDP (Economic Indicators, 2011). The growth predictions by IMF have been 1.75% in 2011 and the interest rates in 2011 have been at a record low at 0.5% (UK interest rate held at record low of 0.5%., 2011). The British Chancellor George Osborne has announced plans to reduce the government spending in public sector. Restrain will be enforced on government spending like benefits for the retired, higher education, flood defenses (Spending Review 2010: George Osborne wields the Axe., 2010). As part of the plan some surgery procedures will be restricted like cataract operation, some common orthopedic surgeries. Nursing homes for aged people will be closed and funds will be rationed for IVF procedure and obesity cures (Donnelly, L. ,2010). There will be other austerity measures like bu dget cuts for many facilities like libraries, trusts, theatres, counseling and advice centers on the country (Pubic Sector Cuts: Where will they Hit?, 2011). Prior to the budget the Chancellor had said that with this budget he wanted to take the country from a course of rescue to the course of reform. According to Cameroon the level of debt and the credit crunch are the main causes for the recession. So he preferred the strategy of monetary activities to control the recession. There was a tremendous opposition for the reduction in VAT by the Gordon Brown government, which led to a loss of revenue for the government facing a shortage of fund. On the contrary, the previous government relied on borrowing to increase government expenditure. According to them it would push the economy back on a path of growth. The Gordon Brown government strongly believed in adopting fiscal changes to tackle the recession. The key features announced by Gordon Brown were a 500 billion pound plan to save t he banks and 21 billion pound of tax cuts and increase in government expenditure (Sparrow, 2009). Gordon Brown reduced the VAT by 2.5% from 17.5% to boost the household consumption. This reduced 12.5 billion pounds of tax revenue from the treasury annually. The other cuts announced by the then Chancellor Alistair Darling included extending the 120 billion pound annual rebate for the people paying tax at basic rate. Increases in the excise duty for vehicles were delayed. To discourage the foreign companies from shifting their businesses abroad tax was exempted on foreign dividends. Billions of pounds were assigned to construct roads, schools and housing projects. All these policies were framed keeping in mind the Keynesian theory of Aggregate Demand. The Aggregate Demand is the total demand for goods and services in the economy. The right hand side of the following equation gives it. Y + T = C(Y-T) + G + I(r, (Y-T)) + (X – M) Where, Y = Real Income T= Tax C(Y – T) = Con sumption which is a function of real disposable income, i.e., difference between real Income and tax. G = Government Expenditure which Is Exogenous I = Investment which is a function of real disposable income and interest rate r = rate of interest which can be flexible (endogenous) or fixed (exogenous) X = Export Income M= Import Income Therefore, (X – M) = Balance of Payment. So if we consider the price level in the vertical axis and the national output in the horizontal axis and plot the aggregate demand curve, it will be downward

Tim O Brien Injustice Essay Example for Free

Tim O Brien Injustice Essay Justice is the pursuit of right, the elevation of goodness, and the elimination of evil; however, such lucid definitions often lack substance when stood up to the tests of reality. Injustice is the denial of rights and the lack of morality for the embracement of barbarism. When looking for injustices in the world, what most readily comes to mind are violent crimes? Murder, theft, and rape are domestic injustices commonly recognized, but injustices, like reality, exist in perception. Therefore, to deem someone or something unjust, first agreement upon its definition must be established. When the United States declared her independence, we perceived the unjust indignities to be clear; however, to the militant king, the refusal to pay his taxes was injustice and the nullification of his law was the warrant for war. When such implied meanings come in to play, one has to determine what is just. In order to eliminate war, first all nations must outline the true meaning of â€Å"injustice† and find suitable solutions for reparation. The most diligent participant of war is the injustice done upon both sides, the backing of both by god, and the misconception that both will prevail due to their side being right and just. These differing views of injustice and justice are what cause the eventual degradation of war. (JRSOT) Tim O’Brien takes account of the injustices of war when he refers to opposing emotion and feelings. â€Å"The beauty was spelling binding as the horrific napalm burned the forest to the ground. (O’Brien) The contradicting impression, of awe and beauty combined with that of horror and grotesqueness leads one to a sense of immeasurable injustice experienced by those fighting the war. A war he hated, he still found the thrill of combat alluring, even as the fear of death overwhelmed his body, forcing his feet forward by quivering will. The emotional damage was the injustice upon the men, due to the memories that will haunt them forever. â€Å"There were many bodies with real faces, bu t I was young then and I was afraid to look. And not, twenty year later, I’m left with faceless responsibility and faceless grief. † (pg. 180, O’Brien) Injustice once more finds its discontinuous meaning bearing not only upon willful acts of corruptness, but upon the unsuspecting soldiers of piece, fighting to stay alive, sane, and together. Reflecting upon the travesty of war, one begins to realize, aside from the soldiers of opposition, there remain innocent victims, caught between the fences, killed, slaughtered, and mercilessly hunted for their unfortunate occupation of a warzone. The injustices, done upon these innocent bystanders are just one of the many costs of war. Families lose their members as well their homes. (Incite Magazine) â€Å"The old guy walked with a limp, slow and stooped over, but he knew where the safe spots were and where you had to be careful and where even if you were careful you could end up like popcorn. † (pg. 33, O’Brien) The devastation brought about by war, affects not only economic, physical, and emotional well being, but it leaves a disastrous scar upon the land. Following the Vietnam War, orange gas, a carsogenic toxin, was widely used as a biological weapon. This weapon, though severely lethal to humans, also caused permanent damage to the environment. Vietnam is of a tropical climate. It is clothed in towering rain forests and blossoming clover fields. (Incite Magazine) Animals run abundantly through the undeveloped slopes and the shadowing forest floor. Industry has destroyed many of the once beautifully adorned civilizations of the four legged and winged; however, the noxious pollution released by industry in Vietnam has been minor compared to the devastasion caused by war. In every war the assault falls most heavily on the countryside. In Germany, during WWII, mortar shells redecorated the hill sides, and tanks rolled on, crushing the fertility from the land. The chemicals released to combat each other brought with them the collateral damage. When the war was over, thousands of lives had been taken and millions of dollars had been squandered. The environment has always recovered from our stupidities. How long, though, before will it be unable to repair the atrocities of our reckless ways? Tim O’Brien refers to the Vietnam War as something incomprehensible, incalculable, and exclusive to those that lived it, breathed it, and carried it home. He attempts to convey the ambiguity of war and embellished story-telling as reflecting the actuality of combat. In order to truly understand the experience of war, one must find fiction in order to convey it properly. (O’Brien) The enemy could melt into ice, and consolidate before your very eye: such was the terrible progression of the war, and the fiction that crept into reality. The surreal seeming of war, is mixed with the reality of it. When written upon paper the occurrences recounted transcend reality, but, in actuality, the comprehension of the event, in the mind of the soldier, was, in fact, experienced that very way; as in a dream characterized by the cinematic embellishment of fiction. The contradictions that he depicts, â€Å"it was atrocious; it was thrilling,† is proof of the injustice of war, and the injustices he felt were around him. â€Å"There were time in my life when I couldn’t feel much, not sadness or pity or passion, and somehow I blamed this place for what I had become, and I blamed it for taking away the person I had once been. â€Å"(pg. 185, O’Brien)

Sonnet 72 Essay -- essays research papers

William Shakespeare Sonnet 18 Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? a Thou art more lovely and more temperate: b Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, a And summer’s lease hath all too short a date: b Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines c And often is his gold complexion dimmed, d And every fair from fair sometimes declines, c By chance, or nature’s changing course, untrimmed; d But thy eternal summer shall not fade, e Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st; f Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade, e When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st: f So long as man can breathe, or eyes can see, g So long lives this and this gives life to thee g 3 Sentences: 1st sentence: line 1 2nd sentence: lines 2 - 8 3rd sentence: lines 9 - 14 This is a Shakespearean sonnet with no characteristics of a Petrarchan sonnet. GLOSSARY Temperate moderate Darling very dear Lease the term during which possession is guaranteed Date the time during which something lasts Complexion colour, visible aspect, appearance To decline to diminish, decrease, deteriorate Untrimmed not carefully or neatly arranged or attired Fair beauty, fairness, good looks Eternal infinite in past and future duration, without beginning or end To brag to declare or assert boastfully ‘SHALL I COMPARE THEE TO A SUMMER’S DA... ...tent iambic pentameter, encapsulates the idea of eternal life through versification. The meter is iambic pentameter and the rhythm is fairly regular throughout the sonnet. However, in a number of lines there are spondaic feet, used to emphasise threats to the beauty and the idea of eternity. Clear examples of this are the "Rough winds" in line 3 and the "death" that will not "brag" in line 11. In the latter example the threat of death is reinforced by the assonance between the words "death" and "brag". Line 9 is an interesting line as regards the rhythm. For the last two feet reinforce the turn, introduced by the "But". A regular rhythm would have a stress on "shall", followed by an unstressed "not". However, the opposite is true. This clearly adds to the contrasting quality of this line: after two regular iambic pentameters the stress on the "not" following the introductory "But" leaves no doubt about the turn the reader witnesses in this line. A truly beautiful e xample of a Shakespearean turn.

Movies at theaters preferred than at home

Watching movies in theaters has been the trend since so long which could not be affected by the developments in technology. There are various alternatives for watching movie in the present day situation. Nowadays, most of the families own a DVD player or a VCD player. There are people who even own home theater systems which create an f eel of a theater. One of the main reasons for the audience opting theaters to watch movies is the ambience. Theaters have good facilities with latest technology in entertainment. People go to movie theaters to see movies, but that is not the whole story. Although the shift has been rather gradual, the movie theater has ceased to be a place for only viewing films. When an audience goes to the cinema, they are often seeking something beyond the movie itself. Nowadays, for instance, while it is very unlikely that a movie theater would use words such as â€Å"fully air-conditioned† in its advertising which gives the audience a pleasure in watching movie at theater. Going to the movies is not merely for enjoying the film, but also for taking pleasure in the facilities beyond just the projection equipment. People go to movie theaters not only to drown themselves in the dream on the screen, but to escape the cold in winter and the heat in summer. While freeing audiences from reality on an imaginary level through incredible stories and spectacular visions, movie theaters also offered them refuge from the natural harshness outside the theater. Some of the main reasons for why audiences prefer movies at theaters than watching at home in VCRs or DVDs are explained as below: Most of the movie-goers are desperate to watch their favorite movie at the earliest possible and in most of the countries a new release is available only at theaters. Fans have no option other than going to the theaters on the very first day if its their favorite actor’s movie. The screen makes the whole difference between watching a movie at theater and at home. The large screen gives a great feel for the viewers. The ambience also is good at most of the theaters which encourages audiences to go to movies at theaters. People who love to have uninterrupted entertainment prefer theaters which have an excellent facility of uninterrupted play. There is no bothering of the advertisements in middle of the movie. The digital sound effect that a theater can offer is truly amazing. The DTS system of audio provided by most of the theaters is incomparable. The surround sound system gives the real feel for the audience as if the play is going just around them. When its time to party, if a large group of friends want to watch a movie together, like colleagues, classmates, large family, the only option they can have is the theaters. Everyone cannot afford a home theater system. So it is the best idea for those who cannot afford all the facilities like DVDs at home. Theaters offer various classes of tickets so that even the lower middle class and poor can afford a movie. The extra facilities like fully air conditioned interests the low class audience a lot and comforts the upper class audience. There is a special type of movies; 3D movies which are to be watched only in the theaters for the 3D feel. This technology cannot be brought home by a normal person The cost of a movie ticket is very less compared to the cost of a DVD of the movie. Since a library of all the movies is not a appreciable decision, the theaters would be the right choice for movie than at home. By taking all the factors specified in to account the reason or why people see movie in theaters instead staying home and watching movies or playing movies in VCRs and DVDs is clarified.