10 Best Alternatives to Student Loans

10 Best Alternatives to Student Loans Getting into the college of your dreams is only the first hurdle many students need to overcome. By far the most difficult part of going to college is coming up with the money to pay for it. With student loan problems splashed across every newspaper, blog and financial website in the universe, many students are beginning to explore alternatives to traditional student financing. Weve rounded up the 10 most promising alternatives. 1. Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Lending Peer-to-peer lending, often abbreviated to P2P, is a type of private loans which takes place between two individuals, or peers. Some characterize P2P lending as the corporate worlds spin on one friend loaning another some money†. While perhaps an oversimplification, thats essentially what it is. In peer-to-peer lending there are no credit checks, bank or government involvement in the loan itself. Private lenders offer loans for a set interest rate and its conducted as a private business. The largest lending platforms in the United States are Prosper and Lending Club. 2. Work Study Programs If youre already working part-time, you may qualify for the Federal Work Study (FWS) Program. This is a fund maintained by the government to help students who work part-time and go to school full time. Applications can be submitted through your schools Student Office as well as directly through the programs website. 3. Tuition Reimbursement Many companies offer a tuition reimbursement program. These program pay students back a portion of their school tuition, but does not include fees or textbook costs. This kind of program is typically offered in companies that traditionally promote from within and have various options for career growth. 4. Scholarships You dont always need to have the best grades or crazy athletic skills to land a scholarship. Scholarships are awarded by schools, companies, organizations, clubs and churches. There are thousands of scholarships that range from a few hundred dollars and go up to $10,000 and more. Local scholarships can be found through community organizations, churches and private businesses. Check your local library, community swim team and the local businesses that support softball, baseball, football or other local teams. Have your parents ask at work – many companies offer special scholarships to the children on employees. National and international scholarships can be found easily online or with the help of a high school or college adviser. 5. Grants In contrast to scholarships, grants are typically need based and are offered through the Federal Government. These grants can be applied for directly through the student aid website of the US Government. Several grants are also available at the state level. Grants do not have to be repaid and can be applied for either once a year or, in some cases, during each quarter or semester. 7. The Military Every branch of the US Military offers a number of grants, scholarships and financial aid opportunities for active and former servicemen and women as well as the families of those soldiers. If youre willing to postpone college a few years and enlist yourself, you could easily get a free ride, no matter what your degree. As a bonus youll get plenty of hands on experience in your chosen field and a history of military service makes a great impression on resumes and in an interview. 8. AmeriCorps AmeriCorps is a program maintained by the US federal government. It aims to get people more involved with various non-profit charities, schools and other community centered organizations on both a state and national level. It could involve working with the homeless, teaching children how to read, working with at risk teens or any other kind of public service. A 12 month stint with AmeriCorps snags you a living allowance, help with housing and, once youre done, some nice Education Credits you can apply to your tuition and other education costs. 9. Cap in Hand Where do people turn to in times of trouble and need? The internet, of course! Hitting up people for small (or large) donations online is nothing new, but plenty of people never consider it when looking into ways to pay for college. From asking for financing on a specific university project through a website like Kickstarter to just taking up a page and using it to ask for donations, the internet can be a great way to raise funds. Alex Tew made history in 2005 when he set up the Million Dollar Homepage and sold ad space online for $1 per pixel in order to pay for his university education in Wiltshire, England. The ploy paid off and, in 2006, Tew grossed $1,037,000. 10. Rich Relatives or Winning the Lottery Perhaps a bit less pragmatic than our other options but, hey, if you havent seen Great Uncle Norbert for awhile, this might be a great time to catch up! Failing that, hit the Bingo haul with Grandma and dont forget to borrow one of her lucky troll dolls!

Modifying Words and Phrases to Express Opinions

Modifying Words and Phrases to Express Opinions There are a number of words and phrases that can help express your opinion. These words and phrases are common in creative writing, writing reports, and other types of writing intended to persuade. Giving Your Opinion Using a modifying word can help you express your opinion when making a statement. For example: Investing in high-tech stocks is risky. You could agree or disagree with this statement. Using a word such as undoubtedly expresses your own opinion about the statement. Here are some other modifying words and phrases that can help: (Most) assuredly adjective: ​These investments will most assuredly help to build equity.Without a doubt clause: Without a doubt, this investment is risky.It is doubtful that clause: It is doubtful that we will succeed with this attitude. Qualifying Your Opinion Sometimes, when giving an opinion it is important to qualify what you say by leaving room for other interpretations. For example, There is hardly any doubt that we will succeed. leaves room for other interpretations (hardly any doubt a little room for doubt). Here are some other modifying words and phrases that can help qualify your opinion: Almost/nearly adjective: Its nearly impossible to make a mistake.Largely/mainly noun: Its largely a matter of getting the facts right.Many ways/some ways it/this/that, etc: In many ways, ​its a sure bet. Making a Strong Assertion Certain words mark strong opinions about something you believe. For example, It is not true that I implied you were wrong. is strengthened by adding the word just: It is just not true that I implied you were wrong. Here are some other modifying words and phrases that can help strengthen an assertion: Simply/just adjective: It is simply wrong to believe that about John.Mere noun: That is a mere distraction from the main point.Merely/only the first, last: This is merely the last in a number of problems.Sheer/utter noun: The sheer idiocy of the project speaks for itself. Emphasizing Your Point When stating that an action is increasingly true, these phrases help to emphasize. For example, We have decided over and over again that we need to continue down this path. Here are some other phrases that help to emphasize your point: More than adjective: It is more than likely he will fail.More and more adjective: Im afraid it is becoming more and more difficult to believe you. Giving Examples When stating your opinion it is important to give examples to support your statements. For example, It is more than likely he will fail. In the case of Mr. Smith, he failed to follow-up and caused us to pay heavy fines. The following phrases are used to give examples to back up your opinion. Such as noun: Critics of this policy, such as Jack Beam of Smith and Sons, say that ...This is an example of clause: This is an example of our need to diversify investments.In the case of noun: In the case of Ms. Anderson, the company decided to ... Summarizing Your Opinion Finally, it is important to summarize your opinion at the end of a report or other persuasive text. For example: In the end, it is important to remember that ... These phrases can be used to summarize your opinion: All in all,: All in all, I feel we need to diversify due to ...In the end,: In the end, we must decide quickly to implement this plan.In conclusion,: In conclusion, let me repeat my strong support for ...

Mabel McKay Weaving the Dream Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mabel McKay Weaving the Dream - Essay Example Mabel was a very quiet and observant child. She always stared about the things. She was so weak that Sarah had to told to the people who said the girl looked like she was starving to death. When she began to speak a strange thing happened that she started restless nights and she began to say things those were not supposed to be known by her. She talked about her step - mother the big lady. Every one was surprised that how could she has known anything about that as she was an infant child then. Sarah considered her special child with unique qualities. When the Mabel was at the age of twelve years, her mother Daisy returned back and tried to handover her to an old Colusa man. Sarah had to shift Mabel McKay to Mrs. Spencer’s house who was a very nice lady and mostly hired the Indian to cut the grapes at each fall. There were many ways by which the local inhabitants following the indigenous practices and views. They expressed their views and followed traditional customs in different gathering and festivals. For example when Sarah went to see her sister Belle, both â€Å"sat on the floor, in the old style, even though Belle had a new table with four perfectly comfortable wooden chairs. And when they got sleepy, they camped right there, folding up their shawls for a pillows† (Sarris, 16). The life in valley till was very simple yet few things were changed. There were Roads every where. where. Also the large oak tree along the Creek looked dry and along the water where sweet clover grew year round, there was nothing but, dusty earth, and cow dung (Sarris, 17). Following were the common ways by which the people follow the indigenous practices and views.

Mgt f2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Mgt f2 - Essay Example One can manage a diverse staff in the company by inculcating into the culture of the organization the concept of managing diversity. When creating individual work groups and teams in the organization, diversity of the workforce should be encouraged. Training the staff on the benefits of diversity would be of paramount importance in the company. Bringing different personalities and abilities together is an important thing. However, diversity can pose serious threats if not adequately managed. It is particularly necessary that a company acquires a diverse workforce. The diversity of the workforce if properly maintained and positively utilized has the potential to improve tremendously productivity and performance through combined abilities and personalities. For diversity management and training to bear fruits in a company, the manager must find proper means to integrate the training into the daily tasks. Giving a mere lecture on diversity to the employees may not help in its implementation (Mor-Barak 73). Diversity training and management in an organization should start by ensuring the availability of active personnel policies that promote equality. A company-wide diversity training seminar should be conducted to review the unacceptable and acceptable behavior. The importance of diversity training should be well known to both the management and the employees. A complaint resolution with standard procedures for the employees should be established. There are myriad benefits that accrue from a diverse and inclusive workforce. People with different backgrounds and lifestyles challenge each other to produce more. Diversity helps create dissent. A diverse workforce helps the company reach its heterogeneous customer base more efficiently. An inclusive workforce better understands the needs of their employees, which make them feel better, appreciated and respected. The

Report on the Case Study of the Red Bull Brand Essay - 1

Report on the Case Study of the Red Bull Brand - Essay Example Although Red-Bull is a single product offering, it has been able to achieve brand equity across the world through its uniqueness and other factors that enable customers to identify it as unique and different from other soft drink and energy drink offerings on the market. In summary, it's unique packaging (the blue, silver and red 250ml can) is famous around the world. Also, the unique content and effects on users is a very strong element of brand equity since it gives consumers a very positive physical, mental and health advantages that most competitors do not give. The Burnett model states that a brand equity has four main facades: personality image, source, differences and functions (Randall, 2000). In terms of personality image, customers around the world feel good about the health and mental alertness that Red Bull provides. They respect it as a premier energy drink because it does what a normal cup of coffee would do but with a very positive impact on the individual. Secondly, Red Bull seems to stand for good health, vitality, and productivity and that is exactly how it is promoted and packaged as a revitalized. Also, Red Bull was originally created to be different from all other soft and energy drink offerings on the market. Now that several similar products are available, Red Bull still maintains its distinct packaging and content which keeps it embedded in the mind of consumers. In spite of the universal nature of Red Bulls brand, there was the need for some variation in the brand offering in markets around the world. Dunn (2004) points out that there are six main processes that a business needs to go through before they can create brand equity and they are: Market analysis involves scanning the dominant environmental factors in a country before offering your products in a country.

The Issues For Building Resilient Communities Environmental Sciences Essay

The Issues For Building Resilient Communities Environmental Sciences Essay Hazards are found everywhere and so the onus is always upon the communities involved to find ways to deal with such hazards (Benini et al 2008), some of which may have serious consequences while others may be less serious. Harzards which are posed by disasters may however, have far reaching effects on the local communities and in most cases there may not be adequate ways of tackling these and the communities must learn to live with such hazards. This essay will make an attempt to evaluate the nature of harzards their effects that call upon certain measures of resilience to be affected to deal with the same. It is the view of this essay that in areas where disasters are prone, there may be more hazards and hence also, more resilience responses by the members of the communities than in areas where such disasters and hence harzards are less (Garg et al 2007). But this view is only limited to the extent where natural disasters are common and not necessarily in areas where other disasters might occur, because, while natural hazards may be common place in certain areas for instance flooding and cyclone in Bangladesh due to its geographical position, fire hazards may occur in any country irrespective of its geographical location and hence the scope of this discussion will be limited to the kind of hazard that will be used (Berkes, Colding, Folke 2003, Zhou H., et al 2008). Disasters which often lead to hazards may be defined as those occurrences that are unplanned and are sudden or even anticipated and whose effects are often widespread (Benini et al 2008). Disasters have over the years struck different parts of the world and as much as they are not anticipated, there is never a guarantee that they have stopped. The essay will also present ways in which resilience communities might be build to deal with several hazards, which might arise in such a way that when such hazards arise the effects may not be too great to bear. According to Hollings (2004) and Hewitt (2004) resilience is important when dealing with hazards fro a number of ways; First, it creates a holistic approach to dealing with hazards on the basis of common notion or scientific suggestions, second, it provides the community with a multi-hazard response approach where the society will always know how to approach a hazardous situation from different perspective and lastly, being a forward looking approach, it can help a society to build response policy for dealing with hazards as and when they occur. Vulnerability of communities When a community is faced by disasters, there may either be resilience or vulnerability. In the view of this paper, resilience is the ability of the society to deal with such disasters and to overcome with little or not casually whatsoever, while vulnerability is the situation where the society is resigned to the harm caused by the disasters and the occurrence of the same will often come with devastating effects (Berkes, Colding, Folke 2003). Hazards, which are often a result of disasters, must hence be deal with using systematic or had-oc mechanisms (Islam , Deegan 2008). According to Backoff (2001), the people who live in stressed conditions are often more predisposed to cope that those in other conditions, and in the view of this report and according to (Jordan 2009), the levels of coping with such conditions may often change due to changes in the intensity of the conditions (Garg et al 2007). Different communities hence have different ways for dealing with hazards as they arise and while some may have a holistic approach to dealing with hazards for instance, tackling all hazards in the same way, others might have specific approach to dealing with the same (Zuberi 1988). There may hence be a debate as to which approach is the best. The nature of intervention build by a community may hence be viewed as a matter of tradition and culture than as a matter of snap policy. The Coast of Bangladesh This area of Bangladesh is considered the most hazardous due to the problems that are posed by environmental hazards to the residents each year (Islam , Deegan 2008). When the cyclone roars, it causes with it death and unimaginable injuries to the people living in these areas . What often happens here is that when the anti-clockwise cyclone starts offshore as a result of low atmospheric pressure, it increases the height of the water to a few meters and with a wind of about 190km/ hour, when such water is pushed to the land, it causes massive destruction (Garg et al 2007). Official figures showing the history of such disasters in Bangladesh indicates that this cyclone killed 0.5 million in 1970, and it was known as the great cyclone. Also, this coastal area is not strange to tornadoes and between 1877 and 1987, Bangladesh suffered a total of 19 serious cyclones with such tornadoes often carrying properties and depositing them tens of kilometres away and in the course of doing so, leaves masses of people, dead, injured or homeless (Salman 2009). The government records indicate that in 1987, 1988, 1998, 2004 and 2007, several floods have raved Bangladesh leading to serous deaths. In 2004, 40% of the capital city was affected, the experts have warned that the effects of global warming will become the cause of hazard in the recent times, and that Bangladesh must be ready to face it or deal with it (Salman 2009, Islam, Deegan 2008). Hazards and Vulnerabilities Bangladesh faces many problems occasioned by disasters which are both natural and man-made (Zuberi 1988), including flooding, silent but rampant spread of HIV-AIDS, Child Malnutrition and of course poverty. With relations to flooding, which will form our main subject matter, there are many contributory factors that have made this country and especially the coastal region to be most vulnerable to disasters (Kumar, Reddy 2007), first, as stated earlier, the country sits on the path of hot air and cold air meeting points making it vulnerable to cyclones and torrential rains which often cause havoc to the people in the region, Bangladesh is geographically placed on an estuary where the sea curves into the masses of land on either side at the bay of Bengal (appendix 1) and when the moist air from the sea meets with dry air on the land then the results is heavy rainfall, that may be up to several millimetres higher in a day that most places get in a several days (Salman , 2009), secondly, Bangladesh has probably the highest concentration of river estuaries within a small mass of land, than any other country, making it vulnerable to flooding when the rivers break their banks, thirdly, Banglade sh also has one of the highest population densities in the world with a density of 1045 per square kilometre (AsiaInfo 2010). With such a high population density, (Salman 2009, Malone 2009), noted that any occurrence in hazard will definitely have devastating effect on the masses. This explains why whenever there is flooding in this county, the number of deaths will always running to several hundreds if not thousands. Fourth, this country has one of the highest poverty levels in the world and certainly one of the poorest in South East Asia region (Medical News 2008, Jordan 2009), with dowry payment that often runs to more that hundreds of times of average daily wages, being blamed for such levels since families try to save a lot of money in a lifetime and luxury or even mere subsistence is non existence (Mahmud , Amin 2006, Garg et al 2007). With such levels of poverty, it is the view of this report that the government does not also have any resources to provide for its population, indeed if there are no provisions to support the population in normal times, then, such may not be available when hazards strike. Fifth, the levels of ignorance in this area and especially at the coastal regions is extremely high that the population has not ideal whatsoever about issues of climate change, or weather conditions (Martin et al 2006, Berkes 2007), and this has led to late reaction when floods are developing since people go about their businesses as if nothing is happening and by the time they begin to react, it is often very late. According to (Hudson 2008), when a society does not appreciate the issues surrounding their safety, especially when such issues are caused by natural catastrophes, then the results are often catastrophic as such societies are often well placed on the time-bomb of prolonged danger and destruction. But, lack of awareness is often related to the levels of poverty in the society and this can hence be attributed as a secondary issue of vulnerabilit y in this region of Bangladesh, since it is a result of general levels of poverty, but not necessarily of ignorance, as the people in the cities are often more informed than those in the rural areas (Martin et al 2006). But (Zuberi 1988), argued that disasters have not subjective effects, and levels of ignorance have never spared or saved a society when disasters are about to strike, however, these views are subjective, since, the nature of destruction and hazards posed by disasters largely depend on the kind of hazards in question (Malone 2009). Building resilience In an area where flooding hazard is an issue that has continued to affect the society for decades, resilience is crucial. According to (Berkes 2007) , it is important to build good resilience to ensure that the hazards are reduced and their effected minimised. Resilience, provides a society with ways of avoiding suffering not only for the present but also for the future (Kumar, Reddy 2007). However, this has to be carried out systematically, lest it fails. There is a need to ensure that there is greater acceptability of the resilience mechanism by the society in such a way that programs being given immediately take off with general consensus of the masses (Hudson 2008). It should however be noted that for issues affecting cultural practices, it is important to tread carefully, and ensure that local community heads are put on the forefront of the program. Such activities may include; the local government representatives and religious reasons. From the information presented above, it can be seen that the coastal region of Bangladesh is extremely vulnerable to flood hazard dating back to past decades. One of the noticeable but simple and less effective ways that the people in the coastal regions of Bangladesh have been doing is to build elevated wooden structures (Zhou H., et al 2008). Of course the choice of material has nothing to do with building defences but everything to do with subjection to poverty, since, in the view of this essay, stronger housing, are necessary for creating some level of defences against flooding, but, wooden structures do not provide such resilience (Bennett et al 2010). In this region, people have also adapted to creating sandbags from soil and placing them around the vulnerable areas near the river as a way of having a sustained defence against flooding caused by overflow rivers (Malone 2009) , but these methods are carried out at micro level and there is no way they can be judged as effective. According to (Zhou H., et al 2008), the government must priorities its response mechanism and involve the local community in the process. This essay holds the view that, in order to create resilience, the following must be considered; first, the government need to start long term empowerment programs where people will be empowered economically, in Bangladesh, the United Nations bodies have continued to engage the local population in empowerment programs (Swalheim, Dodman 2008), but this has been short term and aimed at putting food on the table, rather than creating long term propensity to purchase. There is a need to ensure that self-sustaining economic activities are encouraged and this can be done through the provision of facilities for cottage industry, subsidies, tax holidays and fetching for markets for the products (Garg et al 2007). Cottage industries are preferred than agriculture which the people have for so long relied on, but without tangible success, secondly, there is a need to create a nationwide awareness for cultural change where people will be encouraged to change their attitude towards marriage and d owry (Mahmud , Amin 2006, Garg et al 2007). This will obviously be very hard to achieve, but it can be made to be part of the long-term strategy to making people to spend their money, this will result in increment in the general levels of riches in the region. Third, there is a need to ensure that the population in the coastal region avoids practices that put the environment in jeopardy and instead, engage in such practices as will lead to environmental sustenance, including, responsible disposal of non-biodegradable materials, some of which are used to make the makeshift houses, and afforestation. The premise here is that, due to higher levels of rainfall every year, it is possible to plant trees in millions in the whole region and especially by the river areas. The trees to be planted should initially be such that have a faster growth pattern, which will grow fast and act as barriers to erosion and windbreakers (Garg et al 2007). This is a sure long-term defence that will transform the region forever, and guarantee life for posterity. When the forest cover is developed, it is possible to embark on agriculture and this will develop the area further as famine will be a thing of the past, and the society, which will have also developed cottage industry will be in a good position not only to provide for their food but also housing. The view held by this essay is that afforestation and development of cottage industry are crucial in building resilience. On particular importance is afforestation, which will control climate change as Bangladesh still sits on the path of the wrath of climate change. Rampant flooding, which causes with it deaths, sicknesses, destruction of property and other problems will continue to affect this area if nothing is done to develop a long term solution (Bennett et al 2010, Garg et al 2007). Bangladesh will remain on the Bay of Bengal and if irrigation continues in India and silt is deposited in Bangladesh along river Ganges, then nothing can be done from the side of India, then activities for conservation must be undertaken in Bangladesh, and everyone should participate. Discussion and Conclusion This essay has managed to highlight the historical issues that have put Bangladesh on the path of flood and hazards. Hazards have had devastating effects on a people and their property and when it is perennial, the effects may lead to a cycle of poverty that may not come to an end. The need for resilience in the societies is therefore vital and as seen in the case of coastal areas of Bangladesh, geographical disposition of the country makes it very vulnerable and especially the coastal regions which (Garg et al 2007). The people of this country are also very poor and that translates to governments inability to provide for emergency, leaving the people exposed to floods and cyclones. In this area most people, have erected elevated houses to stay above the flood lines but when such houses are built on cardboards and polythene and even wooded materials, the defence created are very much minimised and instead, lack of sanitation and these materials, cause further problems to the environment (Garg et al 2007). As much as there are issues that can be viewed as being taboos, it is important to ensure that such taboos are gradually but surely dealt with. Most notable was the issue of dowry and issues of HIV AIDS which are also contributory to disasters in this country . What needs to be done, is to create a level of higher purchasing power and this can be done through engaging the community in cottage industries than agriculture, which can be encouraged by the government who should get the market for the people and technology too (Swalheim, Dodman 2008), along with this, there may be more acceptance to embark on tree planting activities and if the government sets targets for a certain number of trees to be planted, then this will provide impetus to the people to do the same, but they must be taught about the importance of environmental conservation (Garg et al 2007, Martin et al 2006). Later on, as economic conditions improve, and when the trees have developed, people can then be taken through responsible agricultural training. The government should work with and encourage community-based organisations to mobilise and encourage the local communities to undertake such projects. By creating an enabling economic environment in the region, most people will be willing to undertake any other conservation programs that will crate long term resilience to the hazards that have continued to affect this region (Swalheim, Dodman 2008, Berkes 2007). Bangladesh, by virtue of its location, needs long-term resilience mechanism as a country to deal with hazards that are evolving. The need to understand that the problems facing this country will increase as climate change is also becomes more serious. The local population will not, on their own develop resilience unless the government leads with its resources. References AsiaInfo (2010) Bangladesh country information [Online] available from < http://www.asianinfo.org/asianinfo/bangladesh/bangladesh.htm> accessed on 25th May, 2010. Bennett et al (2010) Exploring the meaning of health security for disaster resilience through peoples perspectives in Bangladesh. Elsevier Ltd. Newcastle upon Tyne. Benini et al (2008) Resilience and Vulnerability in Long-Term NGO Clients. Findings from an RDRS Bangladesh Panel survey. Bangladesh; Berkes F., (2007) Understanding uncertainness and reducing vulnerability: lessons from resilience thinking. Vol 41., Number 2. Netherlands. Berkes F., Colding J., Folke C., (2003) Navigating social-ecological systems: building resilience for complexity and change. Cambridge University Press. Fiona R., (2010) Social Networking and adaptation in rural Bangladesh. Vol 2. Number 1. Garg et al (2007) From Vulnerability to Resilience: The Challenge of Adaptation to Climate Change. Case studies from Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, South Africa and Korea. Hewitt K. (2004) A synthesis of the symposium and reflection on reducing risk through partnerships. Winnipeg. Hollilngs C., (2004) From Complex regions to complex Worlds. Ecology and Sociology. Hudson R., (2008) International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development. Vol 3. Number 3/4 . Durham University. Islam A., Deegan C., (2008) Motivations for an organisation within a developing country to report social responsibility information: Evidence from Bangladesh. Vol 21. Issues 6. Jordan J., (2009) Rethinking community resilience to climate change: does a social capital lens help?. Belfast. Kumar, P., Reddy S., (2007) Ecology and human well-being. Sage Publications. Mahmud S., Amin S. (2006) Girls Schooling and Marriage in rural Bangladesh. Research in the sociology of Education. Vol 15. Malone E., (2009) Resilience, Climate Change, and security: Modelling the Connections. Baltimore. Martin et al (2006) Vulnerability and Risk Reduction through a community based system for flood monitoring and forecasting. Medical News (2008) Major Cause of Poverty in Bangladesh is Marriage Dowry. [Online] available from < http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/127710.php> accessed on 26th May, 2010. Salman A., (2009) Bangladeshs economy: surrounded by deadly threats. International Journal of Social Economics. Vol 36. Issue  ½. Swalheim S., Dodman D., (2008) Building resilience: how the urban poor can drive climate adaptation. Zhou H., et al (2008) Resilience to natural hazards: a geographic Perspective. Vol 53. Number 1. Netherlands. Zuberi M., (1988) Environmental, Socio-Cultural and development linkages in a South Asia set-up. Vol 25. issue 6-8.

Scarlet Letter :: essays research papers

Throughout The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses Nature to symbolize both the negative and positive character traits which set the mood of the novel. By doing this, Hawthorne steps out of the traditional Romantic ideals, putting The Scarlet Letter into an her genre. I will call it post- Romanticism. Traditional Romantic writings only portray the positive side of human nature. They show the positive effects of individualism, the soul and freedom as only being positive. By comparing the imagery of nat e in relationship to the characters, we see the positive and negative, which is not a traditional Romantic theme. Hawthorne uses many different negative variations of plant imagery to illustrate his ideas. First of all, living plant life, portraying the torturing of Dimmesdale by Chillingworth, remains evident throughout the novel. For example, when Chillingwo h went to the forest to gather herbs he â€Å"dug up roots and plucked off twigs from the forest trees†(1511) which symbolizes how Chillingworth was â€Å"plucking† the life out of Dimmesdale limb by limb. Also, Hawthorne describes grass as pure and without weeds o kill the grass; however, â€Å"when poor Mr. Dimmesdale was thinking of his grave, he questioned with himself whether the grass would ever grow on it, because an accursed thing must there be buried†(1495). Dimmesdale feels himself dammed. It can not be a ued that Chillingworth is doing anything positive. From the beginning, when he first sees Hester, he had only selfish and hedonistic reasons for â€Å"helping† Dimmesdale. â€Å"It Irks me, nevertheless, that the partner of her iniquity should not, at least, s nd on the scaffold by her side, But he will be known! - he will be known! - he will be known!†(1455). When Dimmesdale dies Chillingworth has no one to torment with his evil schemes. â€Å"All his strength and energy- all his vital and intellectual force- emed at once to desert him; insomuch that he positively withered up, shriveled away, and almost vanished from mortal sight, like a uprooted weed that lies wilting in the sun†(1552). During Chillingworth and Dimmesdale’s covert discussion about â€Å"the powers of nature call[ing] so earnestly for the confession of sin,[and discussing] that these black weeds have sprung up out of a buried heart, to make manifest an unspoken crime†(1 9) illustrates the idea of weeds filling the heart with sin and guilt. Moreover, â€Å"the black flower of civilized society†(1448) refers to the Puritans harsh attitude towards sinners as they view Hester’s punishment.

Divorce Research Paper Essay

Pondering question to get reader thinking about topic II. What the problem is d. â€Å"Children do not fall behind their peers in these areas during the potentially disruptive period before their parents divorce, the study revealed. Instead, it’s after the split that kids seem to have the most trouble coping. Include this from Healthday reporter Alan mozes e. What the child feels, they feel its their fault and makes them more upset III. Statistics f. What classes children with divorced parents are struggling in g. Average grades for the kids h. What it does to teens IV. My personal experience i. How my grades were before and after j. What classes I was struggling in k. My personal feelings about it V. Conclusion l. Say how parents really need to think about how it will affect their child before going through with it. m. My views on the statistics and why it is valid info n. Opinion about parents being more involved in children’s schoolwork. Christian Startt Mrs. Pantusa English 1 A. P Prep April 26, 2013 Divorce and How It Affects Children Introduction Divorce can be the most inconvenient and hardest long-term problem of a child’s life, affecting all parts of his or her life all because of the parent’s failing marriage. 41% of first marriages end in divorce (Irvin, M), which is a substantial percentage of marriage that has not followed through with their vows and left their kid’s normality in the dust. Grades, emotions, and innocence all are changed in the process of the divorce, as well as a new set of challenge and problems these kids have to face in everyday life. Divorce isn’t just a split between a family, it’s more of a life changer. â€Å"As soon as me and my wife Terri divorced†, explains Chris Startt, â€Å"basic life changed heavily. Laundry, cooking dinner everyday, and constantly worrying about my son’s grades has really kept me busy and stressed†. I asked Chris how his son’s grades were after his divorce. â€Å"When me and my ex were still together, Christian’s grades were outstanding, strait A’s. But later (a year passes) his grades went from strait A’s to B’s and C’s later on in middle school†. According to Healthday reporter Alan Mozes, â€Å"Children do not fall behind their peers in these areas during the potentially disruptive period before their parents divorce, the study revealed. Instead, it’s after the split that kids seem to have the most trouble coping†. Research suggests that the odds of a divorce occurring in a household before the children become grown rest at about 50% (Ahilburg and DeVita, 1992), with divorce rates beginning to soar in 1963 (Jeynes, 1999). A 60-year literature review of 347 experimental studies confirmed that many studies have concluded that divorce has negative consequences for children’s academic achievement (Kunz, 1992). Most research shows that the child’s math scores were the ones that were mostly affected. â€Å"Kim found that while a divorce is in progress, first, second and third-graders experience a dip in math test scores — a decline that holds steady once the divorce is final†. (Mozes) But, at the same time reading scores didn’t really seem to be changing, as research from (Mozes) shows that â€Å"†¦however, Kim found that reading scores remain unaffected†. When my parents divorced, about 6 years ago, I was 9 years old in 3rd grade and that’s when my grades went from strait A’s, to A’s and B’s, and then a C here and there. Mathematics really begun to get more and more difficult to concentrate to and the tests were getting harder to understand. Reading, however, was my strength in elementary school, and it remained un-affected after my parents divorce. Researcher Hyun Sik Kim explains, â€Å"Reading is not that cumulative. But with math, you must understand previous things to develop. For example, if I do not understand that one plus one is two, then I cannot understand multiplication. Divorce really puts a child’s mind in motion. After the divorce the child may feel like it was his/her fault, causing stress and emotional problems. By this happening, the child will become more stressed by the moving between houses, therefor making it harder to concentrate on schoolwork and thus grades beginning to lower. My personal experiences also help support my argument. Divorce should be decided with caution; you have to think about how its going to affect your child and how its going to affect their future.

9 Things You Need to Know About Getting Paid to Speak

9 Things You Need to Know About Getting Paid to Speak When I first published How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile, I had big dreams of becoming a sought-after keynote speaker. Some part of me thought that just because my book was a best-seller on Amazon, speaking opportunities would be knocking down my doors. I had a magic number in my head for my speaker fee: $2,000 plus travel. It didn’t take long for me to get an inquiry from a national organization, to whom I quoted $2,000 plus travel. They didn’t blink at the price, but they decided my topic was not right for their needs. I was inundated with other speaking offers – albeit mostly free ones. I accepted them. I spoke for free for women’s organizations, educational institutions, and local networking groups. I traveled to California to speak at a Connect – Work – Thrive conference. I did radio and TV appearances, and was interviewed for several BlogTalkRadio spots. After a couple of years, I started getting more offers to speak for pay. I received $500 for a webinar, $350 for a talk for a local networking group, and $1,500 for three appearances at Project Management Institute meetings in Wisconsin. I was granted 100% of the entrance fees when I spoke at the Yale Club in Chicago, and a percentage of the fees paid when I presented for The National Resume Writers’ Association. Things were looking up. The idea with giving presentations, whether free or paid, is that you get access to potential clients. But I was not getting clients, even when I spoke to audiences theoretically comprised of my target market. Still, I kept speaking, and holding out for paid opportunities. Finally, a breakthrough happened. I was asked to speak at a software company in Madison, and they agreed to pay me close to $2,000 for a 2-hour workshop, plus an additional amount for individual coaching of their staff. Shortly following that win, I was asked for a proposal by a business school on the east coast. I submitted it, and was granted – at long last – $2,000 plus travel expenses! How I reached this milestone is a complex story. I wasn’t even clear about how I did it until I attended a webinar by Denise Hedges, presented for Career Thought Leaders. Here’s what I learned, both through my own experiences and through the webinar, about how to make money as a speaker: 1. Become an author. This one is obvious isn’t it? Right or wrong, authors are considered authorities on the topic they write about. If you can become a best-selling author, even better. I have no doubt that having written How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile is responsible for much of the interest in me as a speaker. Writing content for a blog helps too, as does creating a monthly or quarterly newsletter. Build an audience through your writing and you are more likely to attract an audience who wants to see you live. 2. Market yourself confidently as a speaker. I realized early on that if I were going to get paid to speak, I had better have a great head shot. I believe my new head shot, a vast improvement over the home-made one I had used previously, made a difference in the interest level for my services. In addition, once you reach a certain point, create a speaker brochure that includes topics you can speak about, pictures of you speaking, where you have spoken before, enthusiastic testimonials, and a persuasive bio about you as a speaker. It took me years to do this, and once I did I was able to send it to the university who hired me for $2,000. I don’t know what would have happened if I had not had that brochure to promote myself. Finally, show up professionally when you get an inquiry. Over time, I learned what questions to ask to make it clear I know what I’m doing: What is the organization’s budget if any? How big is the audience? Who will be in the audience and what are their goals? How long is the presentation? Who will pay for my travel? Who will pay for printing any materials I want to distribute? Do I need a parking pass? Asking these questions demonstrates that you are experienced and in control of the situation. You will command respect. 3. Say yes. Before I got the paid speaking engagements I so desired, I said yes to a lot of unpaid opportunities. Through those events, I became a better speaker and garnered testimonials and photographs to use in my brochure (see #2). I built credibility so that more prestigious organizations would ask me to speak. Notice I said I garnered testimonials. Yes, I asked for them! Testimonials don’t often drop in your lap. But many people will be happy to write them when you ask. Also, you never know who might be in attendance at one of your presentations. I have had attendees at a free talk connect me with future paid opportunities. 4. Choose a punchy title and write an effective program description. In your session title, describe what you’re going to speak about. Don’t be cryptic. Keep the title short – and add a subtitle if appropriate. Most important, don’t promise something and then not deliver! You want people to be satisfied that you gave them what they expected (and more). For the description promoting your session, write a paragraph or two about the problem and the solution you will provide, then list 3-5 takeaways of what the audience will get from the presentation. Here’s Denise’s well-crafted title: Build Your Business By Speaking:  What They’re Not Telling You About How to Get Started And here’s one of my upcoming session titles: The Human Guinea Pig: How to Put Personality into LinkedIn Profiles 5. Capture their attention Always start your presentations with a story! Personal stories are relatable and create likability and trust. Then tell them your objective and what they can expect to learn during the time you’re together. Set expectations not just for what you’ll be saying, but also for when they will be able to ask questions. These practices will create an attentive audience who is not distracted with wondering why you’re saying what you’re saying or when they will get to ask their questions. 6. Address the concerns of your audience. I often ask the organizer of an event ahead of time to collect questions from people who will be attending my presentation. That way I have an understanding of their needs and can craft my material accordingly. I tailor what I’m saying to the group to make sure I provide value. I don’t hold back. I provide as much value as I can provide in 45 minutes. It never works to look like you’re trying to sell something. I reserve just the last two minutes for an offer. 7. Give something valuable to your audience. Denise Hedges recommends making an offer to your audience for a complimentary consultation. If you do this right, you can get a 10-20% response from your audience, and about half of them will hire you after the consultation. I’ll admit that while I’ve sold a fair number of books after my presentations, I have not been successful in obtaining many clients from my speaking engagements. I have made offers to attendees, but based on the low response I’ve gotten, those offers have not been attractive enough to create interest. I am going to follow the advice I got from Denise from now on! Here’s what she recommends for the offer portion of your speech: Make it flow seamlessly Offer a complimentary session – talk about what difference your services can make for them Directly address the people in the room who are ready to take action. Tell them if they want certain results, you want to talk to them. 8. Watch your body language. Remember, 93% of your effectiveness is in your NON-VERBAL communication. Make sure you look good, aren’t fidgeting, make eye contact with the audience, and speak in a conversational manner devoid of â€Å"ums† and â€Å"uhs.† 9. Practice! How do you get to Carnegie Hall? You practice. While you can practice in front of actual audiences, it’s much less risky to mess up and tune up by speaking to friends and family, or in front of a video recording device, so you can see what you look like and how you sound. As painful as that can be, it’s more painful to get negative feedback during your real speeches. Do you have more tips for successfully turning speaking engagements into income streams? Please share below!

Definition and Examples of Organization in Composition

Definition and Examples of Organization in Composition In composition  and speech, the organization is the arrangement of ideas, incidents, evidence, or details in a perceptible order in a paragraph,  essay, or speech.  It is also known as the elements  arrangement  or  dispositio,  as in  classical rhetoric.  It was defined by  Aristotle in Metaphysics  as  the order of that which has parts, either according to place or  potentia  or form. As Diana Hacker wrote in Rules for Writers, Although paragraphs (and indeed whole essays) may be patterned in any number of ways, certain patterns of organization occur frequently, either alone or in combination: examples and illustrations, narration, description, process, comparison and contrast, analogy, cause and effect, classification and division, and definition. There is nothing particularly magical about these patterns (sometimes called methods of development). They simply reflect some of the ways in which we think.  (Diana Hacker, with Nancy I. Sommers, Thomas Robert Jehn, and Jane Rosenzweig, Rules for Writers with 2009 MLA and 2010 APA Updates, Bedford/St. Martins, 2009) Choosing a Format Basically, the goal is to choose an organizational method  that enables your report, essay, presentation, or article to clearly convey your information and message to your audience. Your topic and message will dictate that. Are you trying to persuade, report findings, describe something, compare and contrast two things, instruct, or tell someones story? Figure out the thesis statement or message you want to get across- boil it down in one sentence if you can- and  what you aim to do will help you to choose your essays structure. If youre writing instructional text, youll want to go in chronological order. If youre reporting findings of an experiment or your conclusions after analyzing a text, youll start with your thesis statement and then support your ideas with evidence, explaining how you came to your conclusion. If youre telling someones story, you may have a chronological organization for much of the piece, but not necessarily right at the introduction. If youre writing a news story for a publication, you may need to work in reverse-pyramid style, which puts the most immediate information up top, giving people the gist of the story even if they read only one or two paragraphs. Theyll get more detail the further into the story they read. Outlines Even if you just sketch a rough outline on scratch paper with a topic list and arrows, making it will help the drafting of the paper go more smoothly. Putting a plan in place can also save you time later because youll be able to rearrange things even before you start writing. Having an outline doesnt mean things wont change as you go, but just having one can help ground you and give you a place to start. Dwight Macdonald wrote in The New York Times, [T]he  great basic principle of organization:  put everything on the same subject in the same place. I remember when an editor, Ralph Ingersoll I think, casually explained this trick of the trade to me, that my first reaction was obviously,  my second but why didnt it ever occur to me? and my third that it was one of those profound banalities everybody knows after theyve been told. (Rreview of Luce and His Empire,  in The New York Times Book Review, 1972. Rpt. in Discriminations: Essays and Afterthoughts, 1938–1974, by Dwight Macdonald. Viking Press, 1974) Introductions and Body Text Whatever you write, youll need a strong introduction. If your readers dont find something to hook their interest  in the first paragraph, all your research and effort into making your report wont achieve their goal of informing or persuading an audience. After the intro, then you get into the meat of your information. You wont necessarily write your intro first, even though your reader will see it first. Sometimes you need to start in the middle, just so youre not overwhelmed with a blank page for long. Start with the basics, the background, or boiling down your research- just to get going- and come back to writing the intro at the end. Writing the background often gives you an idea of how you want to do the intro, so you dont need to fret over it. Just get the words moving. Organizing Paragraphs  Structure Dont get too hung up on a particular formula for each paragraph, though. Stephen Wilbers wrote, Paragraphs range from tightly structured to loosely structured. Any scheme will do as long as the paragraph seems to hold together. Many paragraphs begin with a topic sentence or generalization, followed by a clarifying or limiting statement and one or more sentences of explanation or development. Some conclude with a resolution statement. Others delay the topic sentence until the end. Others have no topic sentence at all. Each paragraph should be designed to achieve its particular purpose. (Keys to Great Writing, Writers Digest Books, 2000) Conclusions Some pieces that you write may need a wrap-up type of conclusion- especially if youre out to persuade or present findings- where you give a quick summary of the high points of what youve just presented in detail. Shorter papers may not necessarily need this type of conclusion, as it will feel overly repetitive or belabored to the reader. Instead of a straight-out summary, you can come at it a bit differently  and discuss the significance of your topic, set up a sequel (talk about its potential in the future), or bring back the scene from the beginning with a little added twist, knowing what you know now, with the information presented in the article. Speeches Writing a speech or presentation is similar to writing a paper, but you may need a bit more bounce back to your main points- depending on the length of your presentation and the detail you plan to cover- to make sure that the crux of your information is solidified in the audience members mind. Speeches and presentations likely do need highlights in a summary conclusion, but none of the repetition need be long- just enough to make the message memorable.

Cluster Analysis Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Cluster Analysis - Research Proposal Example The coefficient of stage one is 1788. The cluster under stage two has one group under it and cluster has two groups under it. The coefficient under stage two for both clusters is 33445. Based on the criteria of years as member of the club, distance from the club and club membership, The cluster with the most population is the distance from the club group. The next cluster belongs to the group years as member. The last cluster belongs to the group club membership. This only shows that the nearness or the long travel time is a big factor in decision making for both the customers the management. Therefore, since distance is big factor in the invitation for new members to use the beautify facilities of the club, then the club must first entice people living near the club. This also shows that there are not as many member presently because only a few members as compared to the total guests of the club. It is noticed that the club membership cluster is the lowest of the three criteria. This statistical data shows that it is the difficulty of companies to maintain or even increase the present members. Based on the criteria importance of pool facilities, importance of tennis facilities and importance of challenge of golf, the cluster no. one has two groups under it and cluster two has three groups under its wings for the same stage. ... one has two groups under it and cluster two has three groups under its wings for the same stage. The coefficient of stage one is 479.295. The cluster under stage two has one group under it and cluster no. two has two groups under it. The coefficient under stage two for both clusters is 2015.879. Based on the criteria importance of pool facilities, importance of tennis facilities and importance of challenge of golf, there is a big cluster around importance of pool facilities. Then the second cluster is belongs to the importance of tennis facilities criteria. The last cluster belongs to the importance of golf criteria. The above shows that the importance of pool facilities is a very strong marketing tool to increase the company sales. This also shows that more people in the club prefer to go and while away the sunshine at the pool area while the other members prefer to go tennis. This is a very powerful tool to help increase the profitability of the business. It is also relaxing to do business thinking while splashing that pool water onto the face to refresh the tired thinker. More people prefer pool because it is relaxing. Also, it is so nice to look at the beautiful bodies of men and women as the wear their swimwear. We can think of a possible business like, swimwear. Whereas, the people who love tennis and gold will have to sweat it out to enjoy. Tennis is mostly for the teenagers or below forty year old population. Whereas gold, is only for the rich man, real rich that is. The golf clubs cost so much. The golf bag and other gold accessories are sold at very prohibitively high prices. This shows that more people

Psychedelic Rock Concert Posters Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Psychedelic Rock Concert Posters - Essay Example There were kinds of agreed upon art, music, literature, religion, lifestyles as well as social patterns (Albright 234). This brought about the capability of all of this aspects being combined into some fresh kinds which could have no limitations. With the superficial trappings of the happenings going to influence the styles and famous cultures of the world, most of the participants felt that there was no deeper import in this practice. One of the most influential rock guitarists of that time, Gary Duncan and his band moved out of that culture citing that the culture was something different that the people never understood. What was underground was more than what was not known. The rock band who were seen to be forefront on several reordering carried out in the society, most of the philosophical changes were seen more in the body of the posters that the artists produced as they were advertising their concerts. The rock bands turned out a big series of the images which called for changes in the musical, social and cultural creations happening during that time.