Construction and Validation of a General Science Aptitude Essay Example

Construction and Validation of a General Science Aptitude Essay Example Construction and Validation of a General Science Aptitude Essay Construction and Validation of a General Science Aptitude Essay Ilorin Journal of Education, Vol. 27 August, 2007 CONSTRUCTION AND VALIDATION OF A GENERAL SCIENCE APTITUDE TEST (GSAT) FOR NIGERIAN JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL GRADUATES Ariyo, Akinyele Oyetunde (PhD), International Centre for Educational Evaluation, Institute of Education, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. [emailprotected] com +2348034292924 Abstract This paper is a report of a study whose major purpose was to develop and validate a General Science Aptitude Test (GSAT) for Junior Secondary School graduate seeking admission into senior secondary school one in Nigeria. The specific objectives were to describe the various stages in the development and validation of GSAT and also to determine the psychometric properties of the instrument. The Pearson Product Moment Correlation, Test difficult index, discriminative index and the KuderRichardson 21 statistics were used for the analysis of results. The results of analysis show that the GSAT was moderately difficult for the sampled students (average item difficult is 0. 39), while the instrument was found to be reliable since internal consistency was found to be 0. 90. The inter-correlation among the GSAT‘s sub-scales was found to be substantial . GSAT is recommended for use in other parts of the world. Introduction There is a strong agreement among educationist and psychologist on the utility of aptitude tests in the process of educational and vocational decisions, about placement, streaming, admission and classification of students and job seekers (Gay, 1980; Macklem, 1990). According to Gay (1980), aptitude tests help the teacher to test more realistic expectations of students’ abilities and facilitate the identification of under achievers. The terms intelligence, ability, and aptitude are often used interchangeably to refer to behaviour that is used to predict future learning or performance. However, subtle differences exist between the terms. The tests designed to measure these attributes differ in several significant ways. Like intelligence tests, aptitude tests measure a students overall performance across a broad range of mental capabilities. But aptitude tests also often include items which measure more specialized abilities such as verbal and numerical skillsthat predict scholastic performance in educational programs. Compared to achievement tests, aptitude tests cover a broader area and look at a wider range of experiences. Achievement tests tend to measure recent learning and are closely tied to particular school subjects. Aptitude tests tell us what a student brings to the task regardless of the specific curriculum that the student has already experienced. The difference between aptitude and achievement tests is sometimes a matter of degree. Some aptitude and 20 Ariyo, Akinyele Oyetunde achievement tests look a lot alike. In fact, the higher a student goes in levels of education, the more the content of aptitude tests resembles achievement tests. This is because the knowledge that a student has already accumulated is a good predictor of success at advanced levels. In literature there is no single definition of aptitude. Some investigators defined aptitude as the characteristics of a person that are regarded as indices of his capacity to acquire, through future training some specific set of responses (Aiken, 1988; Gronlund, 1981). On the contrary some other investigators see it as natural or innate capacity for a particular performance (Yejide, 1973; Thorndike Hagen, 1977). Aptitude tests are cognitive (intellectual) measures used to predict future performance in some activities such as school learning and other forms of accomplishment (Aiken, 1988; Gronlund, 1981; Sax, 1980). Aptitude tests are widely used in schools and industries. Teachers might want to administer aptitude test to help them identify students who have potential to perform well in physics in the future so that they could be offered physics instruction. This is in line with previous research findings, whereby a positive link had already been established (Aiken, 1988; Gagne Briggs, 1979; Gronlund, 1981; Thorndike Hagen, 1977). The United States Employment service developed the General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB) which is widely used in the United States by State Employment offices and has been made available as a model or starting point for the development of aptitude batteries in other countries (Tittle, 1990). The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) is the most widely used aptitude battery in United States high schools. The Differential Aptitude Tests (DAT) was designed primarily for educational and vocational counselling in U. S. A. secondary schools (Tittle, 1984). An early ork on the differential test is a battery devised for the selection of apprentices in the metal trades. Aptitude testing derived prominence when it became apparent that intelligence tests were rather limited in their coverage of special abilities or talents (Denga, 1987). Ikeotuonye (1986) validated the Differential Aptitude Test (DAT) in Kaduna State of Nigeria. The DAT battery consists of eight independent tests, n amely: Verbal Reasoning (VR), Numerical Ability (NA), Abstract (CSA), Mechanical Reasoning (MR), Space Relations (SR), Language usage: Spelling (LU-I) and Language usage: Grammar (LU-II). The specific objective of the study was to determine whether the location of schools, in terms of ruralurban categorization, had any effect on the students’ scores on the Differential Aptitude Tests. The sample was made up of 75 girls and 325 boys (400 students) from eight secondary schools in Kaduna State. The results of the study showed that the students in urban areas performed better than the students in rural areas. It was then established empirically that the experiential background of the students had observable effects on their aptitudes. Attempts have been made to develop tests of intelligence and creativity (Bakare, 1972; McCarthy, 1973; Ohuche Ohuche 1973; Yoloye, 1973) adapted various standardized tests of intelligence in measuring pupils’ achievements. Also, Akinboye (1977) developed a test aimed at measuring the creative abilities of post primary students. 21 Ilorin Journal of Education, Vol. 27 August, 2007 In Nigeria, the Federal Government established the Nigerian Aptitude Test Unit (NATU) in 1963 which has helped the West African Examination Council (WAEC) in constructing and administering aptitude tests (WAEC NEWS, 1989). In order to reduce the dependence on foreign tests, the Test Development and Research office (TEDRO) a branch of WAEC came into existence in 1963. TEDRO has designed over twenty-one (21) types of aptitude tests. W. A. E. C. aptitude tests were designed for selection of candidates into various education programmes such as: secondary schools, Vocational /Technical schools, Schools of Nursing, the Polytechnics and Occupational services. The tests are useful in streaming students into various courses of study, for example, the scholastic or purely academic science, technical and commercial (Soriyan, 1978). Yejide (1979) indicated that the predictor tests for science ability designed by W. A. E. C. are a battery of eight aptitude tests. It consists of verbal Analogies (VAL), the reading comprehension (RDL), the memory Test (MEM), Graph (GPH), Arithmetic (RTA), Tables (TAB) and science information (SCI) subtests. They are called I-D tests, specifically designed for use in Africa. They were developed during 1960 1964 in a project supported by the U. S. Agency for International Development which gave the contract to the American Institute for Research. The introduction of the 6-3-3-4 system of education in Nigeria in 1982, constituted a major boost for psychological testing. The Guidance and Counselling Unit of the Federal Ministry of Education, Nigeria commissioned experts from the Nigerian universities and representative from W. A. E. C. to develop and standardize aptitude tests for use in counselling and placement of students after junior secondary education. The tests were standardized in 1986 (Denga, 1987). As at present in Nigeria, the administration of aptitude tests is a yearly exercise in the Federal unity schools. The National Examinations Council (N. E. C. O. ) based at Minna usually administers a series of Aptitude Tests on junior secondary three (JSIII) students in Federal unity schools for the purpose of placement in different classes such as Arts, commercial, science and technical classes at the senior secondary school one. The developmental trend in Aptitudes testing revealed the need to conduct more studies in the country that involve aptitude testing especially that will cut across the Federal, State and Privately owned secondary schools. Uses of Aptitude Tests In general, aptitude test results have three major uses: Instructional: Teachers can use aptitude test results to adapt their curricula to match the level of their students, or to design assignments for students who differ widely. Aptitude test scores can also help teachers form realistic expectations of students. Knowing something about the aptitude level of students in a given class can help a teacher identify which students are not learning as much as could be predicted on the basis of aptitude scores. For instance, if a whole class were performing less well than would be predicted from aptitude test results, then curriculum, objectives, teaching methods, or student characteristics might be investigated. Administrative: Aptitude test scores can identify the general aptitude level of a high school, for example. This can be helpful in determining how much 22 Ariyo, Akinyele Oyetunde emphasis should be given to college preparatory programs. Aptitude tests can be used to help identify students to be accelerated or given extra attention, for grouping, and in predicting job training performance. Guidance: Guidance counselors use aptitude tests to help parents develop realistic expectations for their childs school performance and to help students understand their own strengths and weaknesses. According to Macklem (1990), research data shows that individually administered aptitude tests have the following qualities: They are excellent predictors of future scholastic achievement. They provide ways of comparing a childs performance with that of other children in the same situation. They provide a profile of strengths and weaknesses. They assess differences among individuals. They have uncovered hidden talents in some children, thus improving their educational opportunities. They are valuable tools for working with handicapped children. Research indicates that self-awareness and self-control are the building blocks upon which people skills are built. In other words, without awareness and control of your emotions and knowledge of how emotions affect your behaviors, there is little, if any, foundation upon which to build people skills (Emotional Intelligence Screening EQ test01). People skills† is a term that encompasses a number of important competencies such as social and organizational awareness and the ability to manage relationships well. People skills are more a product of environment than of genes. The fact is that no one is too old to learn, practice and acquire new people skills, or emotional intelligence. On account of aptitude test considerable utility, therefore, several approaches have been tried in the overall efforts to produce valid and reliable instruments for the measurements of aptitude. Among the various approaches available for the construction of aptitude tests are: 1. The differential test approach, the component ability test approach, the work sample test approach and the analogous (Horrocks and Schoonover 1968). 2. The process of similarities, verbal analogies, memory, comprehension boxes approaches (WAEC I-D). 3. Comparison approaches (Cooley, 1958). In the differential approach a number of relatively distinct abilities believed to be of major importance in assessing and predicting human behaviour in areas of general and special bilities are measured. The component ability test is a test of a single ability, the analogous test either by duplicating the pattern in miniature or by simulating the job without presenting the examinee with an exact reproduction of it. One particular advantage of the analogous test is that it is not necessary to identify the abilities, which underline the task since at least part of the actual job performance is stimulated. The work sample test requires the examinee to perform all or part of the working operations of a given job under non-testing condition. The WAEC I-D approach consists of using similarities, analogies, 23 Ilorin Journal of Education, Vol. 27 August, 2007 memory, comprehension, and boxes among others in the construction of aptitude test items. The comparison approach involves specific abilities needed by practicing scientists. One of the methods of statistical analysis useful for this approach is a factor analysis, which analyses the interrelationships among a battery of test. For the purpose of construction of SGAT an attempt was made by combining the various approaches discussed in the literature. This study developed and validated and a General Science Aptitude Test for Junior Secondary School graduates seeking admission into Senior Secondary School. Research Questions 1. What is the internal consistency of General Science Aptitude Test (GSAT)? 2. What is the discrimination index of GSAT? 3. What is the difficult index of GSAT? 4. What are the relationships among GSAT subscales? Methodology In constructing the present Science Aptitude Test, an extensive review of literature was first undertaken to unearth the various de-limitations of aptitude test and aptitudes construction techniques by different authors. Five broad areas of science aptitudes were identified which formed the five component parts of the instrument. They are Biology (BIO), Chemistry (CHE), General Reasoning (GER), Mathematics (MAT) and Physics (PHY). After obtaining these broad science areas, the next step consisted of writing items bearing in mind the building principles in the various types of aptitudes test construction approaches. The items obtained in this way were then subjected to vigorous editing and formulation. The items judged satisfactory on these bases were then grouped into the existing ive subset areas of SGAT in terms of logical and content analysis. This grouping produced 16 items in each of the five areas making up to 80 items in all. With respect to the mode of response to the test items, it was decided that the multiple-choice items with four option alternative format should be used. Sampling Procedure for Trial Testing At this stage, an experimental version of the Science General Aptitude Test (GSAT ) was trial tested. Five Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) in Jos, Nigeria (1 Federal School type – 2 State Schools type and 2 Voluntary Agency School type) were randomly chosen for the trial testing. In each of the five schools, 10 students in Junior Secondary Three (JS 3) were chosen making a total of 25 boys and 25 girls. The SGAT was administered to those 50 students and a score of 1 was assigned to each correct option of each item. The discrimination and test difficulty indices of each item as well as the average discrimination index and difficulty index in each subsets of the test were obtained in order to determine the value and position of each item and each sub-test in the whole test. Based on these results, the SGAT items were 24 Ariyo, Akinyele Oyetunde eviewed. Using the test difficulty indices, the subset were re-arranged in order of difficulty, thus the BIO sub-test of SGAT was found mostly easy and PHY sub-test was found more difficult. Then, BIO was put first in the test while PHY items were put last. Similarly, in each sub-test, the items were re-arranged in order of difficulty level. The easier items (i. e. the items that many students passed) were put before the difficult items (i. e. the items many students failed). Bloom (1976), suggested that good item difficulty should fall within the range of 0. 40 to 0. 60. To maximize the psychometric properties of GSAT items the lowest and highest discriminative and item difficulty indices using 27% upper scorers group and 27% lower scorers group results were eliminated until 10 items remain in each subsets. The final form of the GSAT therefore consists of 50 items, 10 in each sub-test area. Reliability and Validity of the Science General Aptitude Test (SGAT) Reliability In determining the reliability of GSAT, three groups of secondary school students in JSS 3 whose ages range between 12 and 18 years were used. Group 1 consisted of 44 JSS 3 students (24 boys and 20 females). Group 2 consisted of 44 JSS 3 students (16 males and females). Group three consisted of 135 JSS 3 (86 boys and 49 girls). The group one students represented the Federal owned School Type while Group 2 students represented the state owned school type and group three students represented students from Voluntary owned school Type. In all, 221 JSS III students in Jos were involved in the exercise. The performance of these students on SGAT and its subsets were analysed using the Kudar Richardson formular 21 in order to estimate the internal consistency of the Test. The internal consistency estimate, which is a measure of reliability, is shown in a table 1 below. Table 1: Internal Consistencies of GSAT and its Subscale GSAT and its Subscales GSAT Biology Chemistry General Reasoning Mathematics Internal Consistency Using Kr 21 0. 9 0. 68 0. 62 0. 61 0. 43 No. of Items 50 10 10 10 10 Table 2 shows the summary of discrimination indices of GSAT and its subscales. 25 Ilorin Journal of Education, Vol. 27 August, 2007 Table 2: Discrimination Indices of SGAT and its Subsets Discrimination Index GSAT Biology Chemistry General Reasoning Mathematics Physics Discrimination Index 0. 8 0. 51 0. 43 0. 43 0. 28 0. 22 Average 0. 37 Table 3 shows the result of test difficult of GSAT and its subsets. Table 3: GSAT Difficulty Index Table GSAT and its Subjects GSAT Biology Chemistry General Reasoning Mathematics Physics Test Difficulty Indices 0. 39 0. 52 0. 43 0. 49 0. 29 0. 31 Average Test Difficulty 0. 39 Validity of the Instrument One of the more cherished valid ity for aptitude test is predictive validity. The provision of any predictive data would involve following up subject for a number of years and the relative of GSAT precludes furnishing such data at the moment. Other types of validity usually, established for aptitude tests are content validity or face validity. A look at GSAT shows that items in the test are science oriented which lies within the experience of Junior Secondary School (JSS) students in Jos, Nigeria. One other aspect of validity pertains to the inter-correlation among five subjects of GSAT. Table 4 shows such inter-correlation. Table 4: Inter-correlations among the five GSAT’S Subjects N – 21 GSAT Sub-Test Biology Chemistry General Reasoning Mathematics Physics Biology 0. 47 0. 54 0. 28 0. 26 Chemistry 0. 42 0. 22 0. 30 General Reasoning 0. 25 0. 7 Mathematics 0. 22 Physics 26 Ariyo, Akinyele Oyetunde The correlation coefficients were found to be statistically significant. As one would expect, there is substantial inter-correlation among the pairs of sub-tests and they all cluster on one common factor called science aptitude. Nominative Data for the SGAT In this instrument provisions are made for obtaining ipsa tive scores and normative scores (ipsative scores permits comparisons of the relative strength, of characteristics within the individual while the students’ performance based on normative scores permit external comparisons with a normative sample). The first step in the provision of normative data has been completed by administering the GSAT to a random sample of JSS 3 students in the three secondary school types Federal, State and Voluntary agency owned schools in Jos. Table 5 shows the means and standard deviation (SD) on overall students’ performance on GSAT according to the school types. Table 5: Summary of the Means and Standard Deviations on Overall Students’ Performances according to School Types School type Statistics Biology Chemistry General Reasoning Mathematics Physics SGAT Voluntary Agency Federal State N X SD N X S. D. N X S. D 132 5. 1 2. 53 42 6. 52 1. 92 47 4. 30 2. 51 132 4. 21 2. 42 42 5. 50 2. 20 47 2. 96 1. 62 132 3. 83 2. 45 42 4. 90 1. 83 47 2. 60 1. 70 132 2. 77 1. 72 42 3. 45 2. 02 47 2. 28 1. 73 131 2. 86 1. 89 42 4. 05 1. 85 47 3. 09 2. 01 132 19. 34 7. 75 42 24. 33 5. 64 47 15. 40 5. 19 Note: N = number of subjects; X = Mean score and S. D. = Standard Deviation. From Table 5, it could be observed that the students from the Federal school type has the highest means score both in the overall students’ SGAT scores and its’ sub-tests. This was followed by the performance of students from the Voluntary agency school type. The students from the state school type were found to perform least in all the sub-tests except physics. This result has great implication to educational practitioners and policy makers. Both student, school, and out of school factors that have been found to be detrimental to student’s performance and aptitude in science need to be addressed. Discussions The present study constructed and validated a general science aptitude test for junior secondary school graduate as an psychological instrument to assist in placing students into different arms of Senior secondary one classes. The finding of the present study reveals that GSAT test items constructed and validated have internal consistency. This suggests the fact 27 Ilorin Journal of Education, Vol. 27 August, 2007 that the instrument is reliable. It could be adopted and adapted in the country and in other parts of the world to place students into senior secondary schools one. The average discriminative and difficulty index of GSAT were found to be 0. 37 and 0. 39 respectively. This also attests to validity of the instrument in line with Bloom (1976) assertion that good item difficulty fall within the range of 0. 4 to 0. . It was also discovered that there was a substantial inter-correlation among GSAT subscales. This also buttresses the fact that the present instrument is both valid and reliable. Therefore the present instrument is relevant and applicable to Junior Secondary School graduates. The instrument could be obtained by users from the author. Recommendations Placement of Junior Secondary School Gra duate into senior secondary one class should be based on their performance in aptitude test. Students that do well in GSAT for instance are expected to be placed in science classes in senior secondary one. A student who does not do well in GSAT may be given some other types of aptitude tests that will predict their future learning and capability. Researchers should concentrate more efforts on factors that could improve students’ aptitude since previous researches have identified aptitude as a key factor on student’s performance in school. For instance, Ariyo (2006) findings revealed that physics general aptitude has the highest causal influence on senior secondary school students’ physics achievement in Oyo State. Out of the nine predictor variables, hypothesized to exert causal influence on achievement in physics, four variables: school type, student gender, student attitude to physics and physics general aptitude significantly exert such causal influence directly. Of the four variables, physics general aptitude has the highest contribution to achievement in physics; it was followed by students’ gender, then the students’ attitude towards physics, and school type factor. Physics general aptitude accounted for 50. 87% of the total effect on criterion variable and 46. 6% of the direct effect. Similar work like the present study should be done in arts and humanity to make the present study more robust. There should also be closer monitoring services in state school type across the country and in other parts of the world. Both science students and teachers from the state school type should be given incentive that will motivate them to do well in science subjects. Positive attitude t owards science subjects should be reinforced among students.

George Rogers Clark in the American Revolution

George Rogers Clark in the American Revolution A notable officer during the American Revolution (1775-1783), Brigadier General George Rogers Clark earned fame for his exploits against the British and Native Americans in the Old Northwest. Born in Virginia, he trained as a surveyor before becoming involved with the militia during Lord Dunmores War in 1774. As the war with the British commenced and attacks on American settlers along the frontier intensified, Clark obtained permission to lead a force west into present-day Indiana and Illinois to eliminate British bases in the region.   Moving out in 1778, Clarks men conducted a daring campaign that saw them take control of key posts at Kaskaskia, Cahokia, and Vincennes. The last was captured following the Battle of Vincennes which saw the Clark use trickery to aid in compelling the British to surrender. Dubbed the Conqueror of the Old Northwest, his successes significantly weakened British influence in the area.   Early Life George Rogers Clark was born November 19, 1752, at Charlottesville, VA. The son of John and Ann Clark, he was the second of ten children. His youngest brother, William, would later gain fame as the co-leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Around 1756, with the intensification of the French Indian War, the family left the frontier for Caroline County, VA. Though largely educated at home, Clark did briefly attend Donald Robertsons school along with James Madison. Trained as a surveyor by his grandfather, he first traveled into western Virginia in 1771. A year later, Clark pressed further west and made his first trip to Kentucky. Surveyor Arriving via the Ohio River, he spent the next two years surveying the area around Kanawha River and educating himself on the regions Native American population and its customs. During his time in Kentucky, Clark saw the area changing as the 1768 Treaty of Fort Stanwix had opened it to settlement. This influx of settlers led to increasing tensions with the Native Americans as many tribes from north of the Ohio River used Kentucky as a hunting ground. Made a captain in the Virginia militia in 1774, Clark was preparing for an expedition to Kentucky when fighting erupted between the Shawnee and settlers on the Kanawha. These hostilities ultimately evolved into Lord Dunmores War. Taking part, Clark was present at the Battle of Point Pleasant on October 10, 1774, which ended the conflict in the colonists favor. With the end of the fighting, Clark resumed his surveying activities. Becoming a Leader As the American Revolution began in the east, Kentucky faced a crisis of its own. In 1775, land speculator Richard Henderson concluded the illegal Treaty of Watauga by which he purchased much of western Kentucky from the Native Americans. In doing so, he hoped to form a separate colony known as Transylvania. This was opposed by many of the settlers in the area and in June 1776, Clark and John G. Jones were dispatched to Williamsburg, VA to seek aid from the Virginia legislature. The two men hoped to convince Virginia to formally extend its boundaries west to include the settlements in Kentucky. Meeting with Governor Patrick Henry, they convinced him to create Kentucky County, VA and received military supplies to defend the settlements. Before departing, Clark was appointed a major in the Virginia militia. The American Revolution Moves West Returning home, Clark saw fighting intensify between the settlers and Native Americans. The latter were encouraged in their efforts by the Lieutenant Governor of Canada, Henry Hamilton, who provided arms and supplies. As the Continental Army lacked the resources to protect the region or mount an invasion of the Northwest, defense of Kentucky was left to the settlers. Believing that the only way to halt Native American raids into Kentucky was to attack British forts north of the Ohio River, specifically Kaskaskia, Vincennes, and Cahokia,   Clark requested permission from Henry to lead an expedition against enemy posts in the Illinois Country. This was granted and Clark was promoted to lieutenant colonel and directed to raise troops for the mission. Authorized to recruit a force of 350 men, Clark and his officers sought to pull men from Pennsylvania, Virginia, and North Carolina. These efforts provided difficult due to competing manpower needs and a larger debate regarding whether Kentucky should be defended or evacuated. Kaskaskia Gathering men at Redstone Old Fort on the Monongahela River, Clark ultimately embarked with 175 men in mid-1778. Moving down the Ohio River, they captured Fort Massac at the mouth of the Tennessee River before moving overland to Kaskaskia (Illinois). Taking the residents by surprise, Kaskaskia fell without a shot fired on July 4. Cahokia was captured five days later by a detachment led by Captain Joseph Bowman as Clark moved back east and a force was sent ahead to occupy Vincennes on the Wabash River. Concerned by Clarks progress, Hamilton departed Fort Detroit with 500 men to defeat the Americans. Moving down the Wabash, he easily retook Vincennes which was renamed Fort Sackville. Back to Vincennes With winter approaching, Hamilton released many of his men and settled in with a garrison of 90. Learning that Vincennes had fallen from Francis Vigo, an Italian fur trader, Clark decided that urgent action was required lest the British be in a position to reclaim the Illinois Country in the spring. Clark embarked on a daring winter campaign to retake the outpost. Marching with around 170 men, they endured severe rains and flooding during the 180-mile march. As an added precaution, Clark also dispatched a force of 40 men in a row galley to prevent a British escape down the Wabash River. Victory at Fort Sackville Arriving at Fort Sackville on February 23, 1780, Clark divided his force in two giving command of the other column to Bowman. Using terrain and maneuver to trick the British into believing their force numbered around 1,000 men, the two Americans secured the town and built an entrenchment in front of the forts gates. Opening fire on the fort, they compelled Hamilton to surrender the next day. Clarks victory was celebrated throughout the colonies and he was hailed as the conqueror of the Northwest. Capitalizing on Clarks success, Virginia immediately laid claim to the entire region dubbing it Illinois County, VA. Continued Fighting Understanding that the threat to Kentucky could only be eliminated by the capture of Fort Detroit, Clark lobbied for an attack on the post. His efforts failed when he was unable to raise enough men for the mission. Seeking to regain the ground lost to Clark, a mixed British-Native American force led by Captain Henry Bird raided south in June 1780. This was followed in August by a retaliatory raid north by Clark which struck Shawnee villages in Ohio. Promoted to brigadier general in 1781, Clark again attempted to mount an attack on Detroit, but reinforcements sent to him for the mission were defeated en route. Later Service In one of the final actions of the war, Kentucky militia was badly beaten at the Battle of Blue Licks in August 1782. As the senior military officer in the region, Clark was criticized for the defeat despite the fact he had not been present at the battle. Again retaliating, Clark attacked the Shawnee along the Great Miami River and won the Battle of Piqua. With the end of the war, Clark was appointed superintendent-surveyor and charged with surveying land grants given to Virginian veterans. He also worked to help negotiate the Treaties of Fort McIntosh (1785) and Finney (1786) with the tribes north of the Ohio River. Despite these diplomatic efforts, tensions between the settlers and Native Americans in the region continued to escalate leading to the Northwest Indian War. Tasked with leading an force of 1,200 men against the Native Americans in 1786, Clark had to abandon the effort due to a shortage of supplies and the mutiny of 300 men. In the wake of this failed effort, rumors circulated that Clark had been drinking heavily during the campaign. Incensed, he demanded that an official inquiry be made to repudiate these rumors. This request was declined by the Virginia government and he was instead rebuked for his actions. Final Years Departing Kentucky, Clark settled in Indiana near present-day Clarksville. Following his move, he was plagued by financial difficulties as he had financed many of his military campaigns with loans. Though he sought reimbursement from Virginia and the federal government, his claims were declined because insufficient records existed to substantiate his claims. For his wartime services Clark had been awarded large land grants, many of which he was ultimately forced to transfer to family and friends to prevent seizure by his creditors. With few remaining options, Clark offered his services to Edmond-Charles Genà ªt, the ambassador of revolutionary France, in February 1793. Appointed a major general by Genà ªt, he was ordered to form an expedition for drive the Spanish from the Mississippi Valley. After personally financing the expeditions supplies, Clark was forced to abandon the effort in 1794 when President George Washington forbade American citizens from violating the nations neutrality. Aware of Clarks plans, he threatened to dispatch US troops under Major General Anthony Wayne to block it. With little choice but to abandon the mission, Clark returned to Indiana where his creditors deprived him of all but a small plot of land. For remainder of his life, Clark spent much of his time operating a gristmill. Suffering a severe stroke in 1809, he fell into a fire and badly burned his leg necessitating its amputation. Unable to care for himself, he moved in with his brother-in-law, Major William Croghan, who was a planter near Louisville, KY. In 1812, Virginia finally recognized Clarks services during the war and granted him a pension and ceremonial sword. On February 13, 1818, Clark suffered another stroke and died. Initially buried at Locus Grove Cemetery, Clarks body and those of his family were moved to Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville in 1869.

The Beatles Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Beatles Analysis - Essay Example The band managed to produce many films that include A Hard Day’s Night, Help, Magical Mystery Tour, Yellow Submarine,  Abbey road, and  Let It Be (Neaverson, 1997, p.1). The band had immense  influence on  rock and roll music that saw them to greater commercial success and a controversial change of US global dominance from  rock and roll to UK acts, changes in fashion, from soloists to groups, and from professional  songwriters to self-penned songs (Medhurst, 1995, p 65). In addition, Ringo Starr who was one of the Beatle members left an impact in the film industry. In addition, many tales area also associated with the band. Their unique way of narration, characterization, music, and performance made them legends in this industry. However, the band separated later on in 1970 because of the death of the Beatles' manager, disagreements on his replacement, Brian Epstein in 1967,the marriage of Lennon and Yoko Ono, the release of let it be, and participation of Lennon in the Toronto Rock 'n' Roll Revival Festival. The remaining members were called The Silver Beatles.† This essay will analyze the A Hard Day's Night and Yellow Submarine films by the Beatles. A Hard Day's Night The film came out on 10 July 1964, and comprised of seven sound tracks. The Beatles had reasons to be skeptical about appearing in pop musicals and specifically on the A Hard Day's Night. The bands lacked any formal acting experience and hence, were initially not ready to participate in the film. Due to their demeaning confidence in the cast and subsequent profitability of the film, the United Artists' budget for  A Hard Day's Night  was considerably set at a low ?200,000 where the Beatles were to receive ?20,000, and 7% of the net profits. music The soundtrack of the film contained Can't Buy Me Love’, ‘Tell Me Why’, ‘If I Fell’, ‘I Should Have Known Better’, ‘I’m Happy Just to Dance with You’, and â €˜And I Love Her’. A Hard Day's Night became the opening title and its recording took place shortly before the completion of shooting. Indeed, the song came because of the film lacking an original title. As such, the music used especially, A Hard Day's Night develops the stars and film. Actually, Lennon had one evening to write the song and one day to play it to the producer of the film. Due to dangers posed by the railway transport, the cast had to change routes to avoid risky actions of their fans. Characterization shows the character's appearance, displays the character’s actions, reveals the character’s thoughts, lets the character speaks, and, gets the reactions of the audience. The cast of the film took place at various London locations and its recording took place at Twickenham studios in a record eight weeks. The haste involved and the short time limits created a work backlog for the Beatles. The members had a number of commitments that included atten ding awards ceremonies, making appearances on British television, shooting the film, and completing the soundtrack album. Indeed, Lennon took one evening to compose the soundtrack and present it while Lester had to shoot parts of a group sequence without Lennon, who was committed somewhere else. At some point, the information on the film would have leaked as the Beatles travelled by train from locations to studios and other

Latinos non-violent protests demanding changes in the New Immigration Essay

Latinos non-violent protests demanding changes in the New Immigration Law - Essay Example Importantly, this concerns the reservations some of you have expressed with regards to Latinos non-violent protests demanding changes in the New Immigration Law. First, let me acknowledge that the issue of illegal immigration in USA remains a concern of everybody in our society, and Latinos are not excluded (Boundary of the United States Para. 1-4). American Latinos suffer in the same way their fellow non-Latinos suffer when illegal immigrants impact on the social, economic, and political security become overwhelming and less manageable. Just like white Americans, legal and genuine American Latinos wants a free society; that is equal in its dealing with everyone, and that is just in treating everyone fairly and not because of his or her race. This is in addition to rewarding all people equally depending on their hard work and success without discrimination; indeed, that is the same thing American Latinos want to see in America. My brothers and sisters, let me remind you that the issu e of illegal immigration in USA has not started with Latinos, but remains historical in nature, starting even before the independence of this great nation. Throughout this period, efforts, visions, and mechanisms to deal with immigrants has not been fair at all; rather, it has tried to pursue, promote, and institutionalize discrimination in our Nation to particular groups of our nation. This discrimination has further been transferred and implanted in our society’s instruments of justice, economy, education, political, and legal environment to an extent that they largely draw a thin line between genuine American Latinos and the illegal immigrants. Latinos who call America home should remember that they have not been spared in this wide discrimination and segregation, and this has not been their fault but the ignorance, laxity, and cruelty of our various social institutions and structures that continuously ‘refuse’ to accept these people as part of American people . The presence of American Latinos in this great country cannot be questioned or doubted, specifically if one had to revisit the history of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 and Gadsden Treaty of 1854 (Englekirk and Marin p.1). For those who may appear to be ignorant of these two treaties and only view Latinos in the perspectives of illegal criminals in USA, part of Mexico was curved off and became USA territory through constitutional recognition. People in these territories therefore had no choice but to call USA their home; yes, their home to enjoy all privileges entitled to all Americans. They did not force their way to become Americans, but it is America that made them part of this society. Becoming Americans further did not deny the Latinos their cultural identity, their cultural belonging and also their cultural freedom. They still remained part and parcel of their brothers and sisters at ‘home’. What I have noticed with majority of you fellow Americans is t hat, we sparingly visit and reflect on out constitution, which is the supreme custodian of our actions. Our constitution remains clear and candid that all people of God are endowed with certain unalienable rights, which remain inherently natural and part of human being. Nobody can boast, claim, or even seek credit that human rights are privileges granted by the government or any form of mechanism. Therefore, it greatly saddens when the rights of Latinos are grossly violated in the name of dealing with illegal immigrants. Let me express here that, being objective and rational in your mind as I am will allude to the fact that the issues and problems facing Americans in terms of security, economy and social welfare

Proposal to avoid managerial derailment and failure Essay Example for Free

Proposal to avoid managerial derailment and failure Essay Southwest Airlines strict adherence to its mission to provide the highest quality of customer service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and company spirit is a key factor to the company’s success (About Southwest Airlines Co, 2013). The airlines ability to commit to employees to provide them with a stable work environment that ensures equal opportunity for learning and personal growth. Southwest prides itself on allowing all within the company to be creativity and innovative to help improve the effectiveness of Southwest Airlines. The most important benefit, employees will be provided the same concern, respect, and caring attitude within the organization that they are expected to share externally with every Southwest Customer. Southwest uses an unorthodox leadership style created by Herb Kelleher. The basic idea is that the organization works like an upside down pyramid. The upper management is at the bottom and supports the front line employees, who are the experts. This strategy works for Southwest Airlines because management decisions are made by everyone in the organization, not just the head executives. The company’s emphasis on creativity and innovation bodes well for a company that stresses free will over structure and titles (About Southwest Airlines Co, 2013). While Southwest Airlines offers the bare minimum in flight options, it does meet and exceed customer expectations when it comes to service. They base their model on the motto, which states that if theyre happy, satisfied, dedicated, and energetic, theyll take real good care of the customers. When the customers are happy, they come back. And that makes the shareholders happy, (About Southwest Airlines Co, 2013). Southwest Airlines have managed to keep a happy medium between labor unions and contract employees by maintain a healthy relationship with its employees. It is an added benefit to offer employees longer hours with more than just competitive pay. Southwest has had the ability to succeed because of the vision to realize and obtain its goals in business. The focus on bare essentials for flight is the catalyst for its low cost business model. A low cost plane with short travel between major cities has equally allowed Southwest Airlines to focus on a specific type of consumer. The customer base for Southwest Airlines is largely the business class will take service or luxury when it comes to being efficient and cost effective. The ability to focus that theidea that customers, can be satisfied without having expensive options available for them, Southwest Airlines has successfully lured those consumers away from the bigger airlines. Combined with the influences of the internet, Southwest Airlines can continue to excel in the industry by bypassing travel agents and their fees ensuring to avoid any managerial derailments or failures. Reference About Southwest Airlines. (2011). Retrieved October 12, 2013, from Southwest Airlines: http://www.southwest.com/html/about-southwest/index.html

Foundation, Foundation and Empire, and Caves of Steel, by Isaac Asimov

Everyone is faced with difficult obstacles at some point in his or her life, whether or not they are able to overcome them can define them as a person. Every story has a plot, but a plot is determined by the characters and their actions to events that take place in the story. According to the article â€Å"Science Fiction Images of Computers and Robots† written by Patricia S. Warrick, many of the plots in Asimov’s novels depend on â€Å"computers and robots [along with] space exploration and development† (54). Characters in the novels written by Isaac Asimov have to figure out the capabilities of new technology, understand other characters, and find solutions to problems with no end in sight. Characters’ actions and responses to problems play large roles in the plot of a story. The characters in Asimov’s novels have to solve problems that could affect the future of humankind. With such great advancements in technology, the humans begin to worry tha t technology such as robots will take over and become the primary race. In Isaac Asimov’s novel, Foundation and Empire, one of the themes is deception and some characters use deception to get what they want, and in a world of power, they became the most powerful of all. When the structure of organizations and countries begin to fall apart in the world, there are some people who will do almost anything to gain power. In Asimov’s eyes, the future world is going to be enormous expanding across galaxies, having unlimited technology, and billions of people. Asimov is one of few writers who has had success writing novels containing science fiction and mystery. Isaac Asimov depicts similar themes of power and deception by using the plot, characters, and setting, while the use of all these makes him an i... ...simov. Ed. Joseph D. Olander and Martin Harry Greenberg. N.p.: Taplinger, 1977. 32-58. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Jean C. Stine. Vol. 26. Detroit: Gale, 1983. 41-45. Print. Short, Sue. "The Measure of a Man? Asimov's Bicentennial Man, Star Trek's Data, and Being Human." Extrapolation 44.2 (2003): 209. General OneFile. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. Warrick, Patricia S. "Science Fiction Images of Computers and Robots." The Cybernetic Imagination. N.p.: The MIT, 1980. 53-79. Rpt. in Contemporary Lieterary Criticism. Ed. Jean C. Stine. Vol. 26. Detroit: Gale, 1983. 53-56. Print. Watt, Donald. "A Galaxy Full of People: Characterization in Asimov's Major Fiction." Isaac Asimov. Ed. Joseph D. Olander and Martin Harry Greenberg. N.p.: Taplinger, 1977. 135-73. Rpt. in Contemporary Lieterary Criticism. Ed. Jean C. Stine. Vol. 26. Detroit: Gale, 1983. 45-50. Print.

Challenges of Raising a Disabled Child Essay

Caring for a child with a disability can be challenging due to parenting responsibilities and the difficulties they encounter when interacting with an often unreceptive environment. Consequently, parents can be at increased risk for excessive levels of personal distress which in turn can adversely affect the well being of the child and the entire family unit (Plant & Sanders, 2007). Parents of children with disabilities can be at an increased risk for psychosocial distress (Parish, Rose, Grinstein-Weiss, Richman & Andrews, 2008; Plant & Sanders, 2007). The parenting responsibilities for parents of children with disabilities often require a significant amount of time to complete, can be physically demanding, can disrupt family and social relationships, and can adversely affect caregiver employment (Brannen & Heflinger, 2006; Seller & Heller, 1997). Perhaps as a consequence of these additional impacts, family caregivers of children with disabilities can be at increased risk to experience depression, physical health problems, and decreased quality of life (Feldman, et al. , 2007; Ones, Yilmaz, Cetinkaya, & Calgar, 2002). The added challenges of caring for a child with a disability may lead to more stress and greater physical and emotional health risks for parents and their families (e. g. , increased conflict with spouse; Murphy, Christian, Caplin & Young, 2006) compared to families without a child with a disability (Feldman et al. , 2007). This topic is particularly personal for me because I know first hand the psychological affects and challenges that a handicap child could have on parents, family members, and friends. My son was two months when I notice that something just wasn’t right with him. I noticed him favoring one side instead of looking straight ahead. I mentioned my concerns to our family doctor. His doctor didn’t see it as a problem. She said to just continue to watch him. Two months passed and still no change, so at his next appointment I expressed my concern again. I insisted that she run tests on my son immediately. I knew something seemed different; I just couldn’t put my finger on it. I had already had two other boys so something just didn’t sit right with me. The doctor sent my son to be tested at University of Maryland Hospital and my son was diagnosed with Hydrocephalus Dandywalker Malformation with Palsy. He had to have surgery at six months to have a shunt placement to drain the water from his brain. I was devastated. My husband and I went through several defense mechanisms. The first I believe was denial. We didn’t want to face the fact that something was wrong with our child, our baby. He seemed so perfect when he was born just a few months ago. We went through repression, rationalization and intellectualization. We couldn’t wrap our minds around the fact that our child would be different from other children. Nobody wants to believe that something is wrong with their child. I felt a little embarrassed for fear of what people might think about our child or what someone would say. So many things raced around my mind. We wanted to blame the doctors; maybe they did something wrong in my prenatal care. I went over in my mind again and again of every little thing I did when pregnant to ensure that I had did everything I was supposed to do. I didn’t drink, smoke or do drugs. What happened? We tried to search our family history genetics. We just came up empty. My husband and I became depressed, frustrated, and angry. I felt helpless about my son’s condition. I wasn’t sure what to do. Finally, I began to investigate my son’s condition. I read all I could get my hands on. I searched for schools and other medical resources to help me address my son’s needs. In the back of my mind I was still trying to make sense of the fact that my son had a developmental and neurological problem that would affect him for the rest of his life. I wondered what restrictions we would face now and in the future. I still wasn’t sure if I could cope with his lack of development neurologically, physically, mentally or emotionally. I began to question God. I wondered why me. I wasn’t sure if I would have to stop working. I wondered how we as a family would work together to stay a family. I had so many questions, but no answers. I prayed asking God for help and guidance. Later, I began to realize that I had to be strong. I had to accept what the reality was with my son and his disability. It hasn’t been easy. We faced many financial problems, medical issues, several hospitalizations for my son, divorce; daycare issues especially since my son needed twenty four hour daycare. Day care is very expensive as well as diapers and wipes for disabled children. Insurance covers some things but not enough. A person has to be making next to nothing in order to get any assistance from the government; we needed assistance regardless of what we made monetary. I would have never known what disabled families went through to get their voice heard and children’s needs assisted unless I had to face these great challenges myself. So much goes into raising a child with disabilities. There are many variables that factor into taking care of a disabled child. Financial hardships are another important factor that influences parents’ wellbeing. In general families with children with disabilities experience much higher expenditures than other families (Newacheck and Kim, 2005) found that, on average, the total annual health care expenditures for children with disabilities were more than three times as much compared to children without disabilities. The financial strain incurred by families of children with disabilities is likely due to increased expenses related to the child’s needs as well as loss of employment or inability to work because of parenting responsibilities (Murphy et al. , 2006; Parish et al. 2008; Worcester et al. , 2008). Inability to engage in employment can also lead to feelings of isolation, a lack of fulfillment and low self-esteem (Shearn & Todd, 2000). Families of children with disabilities often report feeling isolated from the community (Freedman& Boyer, 2000; Worcester et al. , 2008). What I’ve learned from researching the challenges of raising a child with disabilities; as well as bein g a parent of a disabled child is that there is still so much more to be done. There is still research that hasn’t been touched regarding parents and their disable children. We the parents have to be the voices for our disable children. We have to be better informed about what our disabled children rights are. We have to be willing and ready to fight on behalf of our disable children. Parents and state officials have to work to get better laws passed to accommodate disabled children. Disabled children need better health care programs, better schools; a place for them to be themselves. Parents need a place to relax and not have to worry about dirty looks that people who don’t have disabled children give them. Parents shouldn’t have to feel ashamed that they have disabled children. We shouldn’t be looked down upon because our children are different. Our children shouldn’t be bullied or treated like they are worthless. Our children are special. They deserve the best that we can help them to achieve in life. They deserve a chance like the rest of us. We’ve got to come together and help each other to provide a better life for all! The questions we should ask researchers to study are many. One could be what’s being done to assist parents with disabled children? Are there programs to assist parents in child care for disabled children? Normal daycare centers are for infants through 12 years of age. As of today my disabled son is 16 years old and there’s really no day care for children his age. Another question is why do they go according to parents’ income in order to assist with social security disability? A parent shouldn’t have to be jobless in order to obtain assistance from social security disability. Yet a person who walks into social security disability and say my back hurt or that they have a condition can obtain money; work the system while the truly disabled suffer. There are so many people working the disability system and really aren’t disabled. We have to help the programs we have for our disabled children actually help the disabled children. In conclusion caring for a child with a disability can be challenging, but many of these challenges are likely due to a lack of necessary environmental supports. Future research should expand on these findings and policy makers, scientists and providers should give particular attention to the environmental support needs of parents in order to create policies and interventions that are more family centered.

Analysis the Crime Pattern of Coastal and Hill Area in Bangladesh

Introduction: Bangladesh lies on the Bay of Bengal. She is also enriched with charming hilly areas. with the advancements of time, crime expands everywhere with its distinctive environmental, geographical & socio-demographical features. The fieldtrip we participated and visited Coast Guard, Chittagong; Cox’s Bazaar & Bandorban district opens us the vital opportunity to acknowledges different patterns of crime in the coastal and hilly regions of Bangladesh. Statement Of The Study:In Bangladesh, the Coast Guard is unique body of force that deals with the crime on the shore of Bay of Bengal and ensure secure sea zone for working & travelling; and also helps to economy on running with smooth velocity through preventing illegal trespassing & outgoing the economic martial’s including manpower. The Cox’s Bazar also a valuable economic zone with its versatility feature of criminal perspectives. The Bandorban is distinct hilly district holds the particular phenomenon†™s of crime.As a student of Criminology and Police Science we have studied the courses of different aspects of crime distributed in different geographical locations but the practical knowledge was unknown to us which are very essential for us. The visit of Coast Guard at Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar and Bandorban helped us greatly in this regard. Background of The Study: Crime is the situational & functional phenomenon that changes from place to place on basis of environment, efficiency of law and order agencies and the socio demographic characteristics of native people.Due to the urbanization and globalization influenced by the different economic factors the modulus of operandi and extent of crime become versatile. The Coast Guard agency at Chittagong region most effetely deals with the costal crime on maintaining law and order in coastal sea area ranges up to 1 km. from the coast. They face the aspects of crime that orientation is totally different on the nature & feature from the crimes crime in land. The Cox’s Bazar is most popular tourist zone with its largest unique sea beach. So it is a valuable open economic zone on road of development.Due to quick urbanization and communicational the socio demographic characteristics of people become trend to be unstable. The Cox’s Bazar is also known as a important corridor of trespassing of criminals and smuggling goods on the land of Bangladesh. The Bandorban is one of the best charming hilly districts in our country. But several geographical characteristics make it distinct from normal people of Bangladesh. At here, keep with the matching with socio demographic feature of people the nature and perspective of crime is totally different from the plane land.On participating as a member in the study tour I’ve acknowledged different patterns of crime with its social & economic consequence in that region. We also informed about the situation and preparation of law and order maintaining agencies, specially the Coast Guard & Police; to meet up these challenges and contributing a role to make Bangladesh better and safer place for working and living. Aims and Objectives: We select some aims to find out through the study- To familiar with the organization of Coast Guard. To acknowledge their role on protecting public & economy, working challenges on sea related crime, glory of achievement etc.To be informed about criminal tread & crime patterns of Cox’s bazaar district. To know about the preparation of Cox’s bazaar police in preventing crime and ensuring safety to the people, especially to the tourist. To familiar with the crime patterns in hilly areas mainly at Bandorban district. To find out entomological reasons of crime in hilly areas. To acknowledge the preparation of police on taking the challenges regarding to meet up these crime. To develop conceptual assessment by analyzing the crime patterns on costal and hilly region. Methodology:It is necessary for the one to know not only the methods but also the methodology. Methodology is a way to systematically solve any problem. Here we all collect data on qualitative process, it is concerned with qualitative phenomenon. Study Area: We visit several placeless on conducting the study tour. We first visit Chittagong coast guard base, then we proceed to Cox’s bazaar & also attended a seminar & a dinar party arranged by district police of Cox’s bazaar. At final stage we visit Bandorban district, there we also took part a discussion with the police authority of district police.Data Collection Method: As it is a qualitative research we used two methods for data collection ? Focus group discussion ?KII and ?Observational method. Findings of the study: The Bangladesh Coast Guard, is unique institution (excluding Armed Forces) fight on the sea for preserving public right and wealth though they have various fundamental deprivation in both personal & administrative context. On Cox’ s bazaar perspective, the native people are gentle & few people commit crime to meet up the demands of urbanization in different way.The crime patterns of costal area treaded to black business related including smuggling, selling drugs. Sometimes we notice some violent patterns of crime including robbery, murder. In Bandorban district, the native hilly people are really peace full. Among them violent crime is rare rather they involved few deviance type of crime. But in Bengali-hilly people mutual perspective there some violent patterns of criminal incidents including robbery, murder, abductions etc. Evolution Of Bangladesh Coast Guard: Prior to the formation of Coast Guard it is Bangladesh Navy who has been entrusted with this sacred policing task at sea.But navy has legal limitation in enforcing customs, fiscal, immigration and other laws at sea. To overcome all these difficulties Coast Guard Act 1994 was passed by parliament in September 1994 and formally the Coast Guard came into being on 22 February 1995. Organizational Organogram of Bangladesh Coast Guard (CG): Organogram of Bangladesh Coast Guard (CG): (Rank) Jurisdiction & Empowerment: Bangladesh Coast Guard has the jurisdiction over the entire sea areas of Bangladesh as declared under the Territorial waters and Maritime Zone Act 1974 and adjacent land areas along the coastal belt up to 1 km.Apart from the sea territory, the government has placed all the waterways of Bangladesh including 1-km land areas from the coasts including the waterways of world’s largest mangrove forest Sundarban. To ensure the task of Bangladesh Coast Guard is empowered to implement rules and regulations under Acts and Ordinances. It have two aspects- National: †¢Bangladesh Coast Guard Act 1994. †¢Immigration Ordinance 1982. †¢Environment Conservation Act 1995. †¢Territorial Waters and Maritime Zones Act 1974. †¢The Marine Fisheries Ordinance 1983. †¢Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1983. †¢T he Customs Act 1969. †¢Narcotics Control Law 1969. Protection and Conservation of Fish Act 1950. †¢The Forest Act 1927. †¢The Port Act 1908 International: †¢United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea III of 1982. †¢Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973. †¢Convention on Biological Diversity 1992. †¢Convention of Protection of World Culture and Natural Heritage 1972. Under the mentioned Acts and Ordinances the Coast Guard is empowered within the terms of references to arrest any person, seize any property and carryout search having reasons to believe that an offence has been committed in violation of those Acts and Ordinances.Role & function of the Coast Guard: The fundamental role of Coast Guard is to protect the public, the environment, and the national economic and security interests through law enforcement at sea. Role has been clearly defined in the Coast Guard Act 1994 as you can acknowledge: ?Preserve national interests at sea areas of Bangladesh. ?Prevent illegal fishing in sea areas of Bangladesh. ?Prevent unauthorised entry into and illegal exit from Bangladeshi waters. ?Enforce warrant of any court or any other authority against any incoming marine transport or any person onboard that within the territorial waters of Bangladesh. Search and prevent any act of environment pollution in the sea areas of Bangladesh. ?Ensure safety of people working in sea areas of Bangladesh. ?Prevent smuggling and trespassing or narcotics, drugs etc. ?Participate in relief and rescue operations during natural calamities and salvage disastrous water transport, men and materials. ?Arrange transmission of necessary information including warning signals through radio or any other media during natural calamities. ?Assist Bangladesh Navy during war. ?Carry out patrol in Bangladeshi waters. Assist concerned authorities to ensure security of seaports. ?Prevent terrorist and sabotage activities in Bangladeshi waters and ass ist other agencies in this regard. ?Carry out any other duties assigned by the government. Activities of Coast Guard: Coast Guard is involved in many activities. Their participation is in a limited scale but the success rate is praise worthy. Initially the job was limited to anti smuggling and anti piracy operations within port limits of Chittagong and Mongla. But presently they are to operate in the entire coastal belt of the country.They are conducting anti smuggling operations, anti piracy operations, fishery protection operations, catching of illegal arms, forest preservation activities including election duty in the coastal and inland areas. More it successfully conduct some special work on the glory of dignity: Fishery protection operations †¢ Participated in ‘Jatka Nidhon Protirodh Operation’ in the coastal area every year. †¢ Coast Guard received ‘Gold Medal’ in 2005 for outstanding success in Jatka Protirodh operation. Prevention of ferti lizer smuggling :To curb fertilizer smuggling Operation SABUJ DHAN carried out from Sangu, Shah Pori Dwip and Sitakunda.Assistance to Bangladesh Navy (BN): †¢Joint operation is carried out as and when required. †¢CG East Zone tok over inner patrol during Bangladesh Myanmar crisis in 2008. Election duty: †¢Coast Guard was deployed in two constituencies for General Election in 2008 at Dacope and Koira. †¢One contingent were also deployed in Sandwip for Upazilla re-election . Post cyclone relief operation: †¢ Coast Guard carries out post cyclone operation as a regular task whenever required. †¢ Our Ships have contributed by carrying out post cyclone relief operation after the devastating cyclone Sidr in badly affected area like Barishal and Barguna.Special Operations: †¢2006- Operation Nirapad Jiban. †¢20067- Operation Nirapad Upakul. †¢Coast Guard was awarded with ‘Gold Medal’ in 2005 for extra ordinary success in Jatka Protiro dh Operation . †¢In 2006 two ship carried out Joint operation with Indian Coast Guard ship at Haldia, India. †¢In 2009 Coast Guard took part in Ex Somudra Torongo predicated by British Navy ship and Bangladeshi Armed forces and Law Enforcement Agencies Constraints And Limitations of Coast Guard: ?Limited manpower specially shortage of officer. ?No High speed all weather capable ships and boats. The full time security coverage is not possible to the ships beyond outer anchorage. ?No SAR helicopter. Future Plan Of Coast Guard: ?Acquisition of Land. ?Infrastructure and Manpower Development. ?Procurement of Ships / Water craft. Two ships purchasing like CGS RUPOSHI BANGLA is in progress. ?Around 50 high speed boats like US Defender class coming in service very soon ? Air Wing. ?Salvage & Rescue Ships. THE COX’S BAZAR General Orientation of Cox`s bazaar district: Area: 2491. 86 sq. Km Population: 25 Lac. Ratio of Police & citizen is 1 : 3120 No. of Upazila: 8 No. f Union : 71 Annual Rain Fall: 3,378 mm Highest Temp. Avg. :39. 50C (Jun) Lowest Temp. Avg. :11. 80C (Jan) Islands: Moheshkhali, Kutubdia,Matarbari-Dholghata, Sonadia & Saint Martin’s. Main Rivers: Bakkhali, Matamuhuri, Reju,Naf & Kohalia Cox`s bazaar Police District jurisdiction: Circles : Cox’s Bazar (Sadar) Circle Ukhia Circle Police Stations : Cox’sBazar Model Thana Chakoria Thana Moheskhali Thana Kutubdia Thana Ramu Thana Ukhia Thana Teknaf Thana Pekua Thana. Outpost : Town Out Post Beach Out Post Chowfaldody Out Post ( temporary ) Harbang Out Post Badarkhali River Out PostKalarmarchara Out Post ( temporary ) Matarbari Out Post ( temporary ) Rajakhali Out Post ( Temporary ) Garania Out Post Himchari Out Post Eidgoar Out Post St. Martin Out Post Hoyikong Out Post Investigation Centre : ? Eidgoan IC ? Matamuhuri IC ? Baharchara IC CourtSytem of Cox’s bazaar District : ? Sadar Court (Cox’s bazaar model Thana, Ramu Thana, Ukhia Thana and Teknaf Thana ) ? Chakoria Court ? Moheskhali Thana ? Kutubdia Thana Crime Trendsof Cox’s bazaar District (Police Enlisted,2010) This scenario indicates that Narcotics crime (9. 89%),women repression (7. 76%), Smuggling (4. 64%),Theft ( 3. 4%), Illegal Arms offences ( 2. 61%), Murder ( 2. 57%), causing major threat to police. Burglary (1. 91%), Child Repression (1. 75%), Robbery (1. 01%) are causing medium level threat on public safety. Activities of Cox’s Bazaar District Police: ?Organize Community Police Assembly. ?Spontaneous participation on Change himself Change Other self programme. ?Conducting Tourist Policing service 24hours for the safety of tourist at sea beach. ?Arrange Monthly Crime Conference of Cox’s bazaar District Police ? Organize Rally for social consciousness. ?Conducting the programme on beach cleaning initiative Organize Crime Conference and Exchange View ?Organize Police-People Interaction activities e. g . Cricket Match ? Take action against Narcotics ?Acti on to Protect Forest ?Arresting most wanted Criminals ?Action against illegal Myanmar Citizen (Rohinga Issues) †¢Pushback – 442 per. †¢Arrest – 135 per. †¢Case filed – 26 Police Problems of Cox’s Bazaar District: ?Most of the Outposts & Investigation centers have no own land. ?Most of the Outposts & Investigation centers have no permanent & safe structure. ?Insufficient land of new Police line. ?Vacancy of 81 different post of District Police. Vehicle Shortage. ?Ratio of Police & citizen in Cox`sbazar district is 1 : 3120 ? A countable portion of this strength is involve in Refugee camp, BDR Magazine room, VVIP & VIP Protection, KPI`s security. ?No logistic support to prevent Sea Dacoit. ?Residence facility about nil. Analyzing The Crime Patterns In Coastal Area (Coast Guard & Cox’s Bazaar Perspective): On above discussion now we are in the platform to generalize the crime patterns in this two aspects. I proceed on following way- Due to the environmental factors smuggling is the most common crime in this coastal area.Narcotics crime, women repression, Smuggling ,Theft, Illegal Arms offences ,Murder causes threat on police activity, especially on Cox’s Bazaar. Abduction ,Robbery, Dacoit isn’t so frequent criminal feature of crime in this sea level coastal areas. Drug crimes are expanding due to torrent illicit interest for taking drug. Sea (costal) areas are the potential get-way for smuggling, trafficking, illegal Rohinga trespassing etc. Property related conflict / crime is rare to be seen. The ratio between law enforcement personal and public is very poor.So all forms of crime mainly smuggling, criminal & narcotics trespassing, drug crimes, violent crimes is trend to be high day by day. THE HILLY BANDORBAN DISTRICT GENERAL ORIENTATION OF BANDORBAN DISTRICT: ?Bandarban was established as a separate district on 18 April 1981 combining two sub divisions Bandarban and Lama. ?Geographical information : ?This district is surrounded by Myanmar in southern and eastern side. Rangamati in north, Cox’sbazar and Chittagong in western side. ?Area of District : 4,479. 03 Sq. km. †¢Bandarban Sadar : 501. 99 Sq. km. †¢Roangchhari : 442. 89 Sq. km. †¢Ruma: 616. 42Sq. km. †¢Thanchi : 896. 50 Sq. km. Lama: 671. 84 Sq. km. †¢Alikadam: 885. 78 Sq. km. †¢Naikhangchhari : 463. 61 Sq. km ?Demographical information: (As per census 2001) ?Total Population: 3,00,740 ?Male: 1,63,540 ?Female: 1,37,200 ?Tribal : 1,41,213 ?Non Tribal: 1,59,527 ?Population/Sq.. Km:: 67 ?Bangali: 53% ?Tribal: 47% ?Tribal people information: (As per census 2001) In Bandarban 11 indigenous tribes are living with harmony. They are- TribeTotalPopulation †¢Marma75,880 †¢Morong/Mro28,109 †¢Tripura10,478 †¢Tonchonga 7,030 †¢Bom 8,228 †¢Chakma 5,327 †¢Khumi 1,471 †¢Kheyang 1,823 †¢Chak 2,151 †¢Pankhu 128 †¢Losai 293 ?Administrative Units in formation: Police Circles : 02 †¢Sadar Circle: Bandarban, Ruma, Roangchori, Thanchi. †¢Lama Circle:Lama, Alikadam, Naikhongchari. ?Upazilla: 07 ?Union : 29 ?Municipality: 02 ?Police Station: 07 ?Police Investigation Center: 02 ?Police Outpost: 07 ?Police Camp: 11 ?Region(Army): 01 ?Zone(Army): 03 (Sadar,Ruma, Alikadam) ?Zone(BDR): 02 (Balipara, N. chhari) ?Ansar Battalion : 01 ?Cultural Festival information: ?Rajpunna ( Rajpunna is one kind of fair. Where the king of Bomang circle collect tax from the â€Å"Headman and the Karbari’’, Headman and Karbari collect the tax from their local area. Headman and Karbari selected by Bomang circle king. ` Rajpunna’’ fair commences once a year. ) ? Buddo Purnima ?Baisabi, (Sangrai- Marma, Biju- chakma) ?Cow Killing of Murung ?Political information:(Political parties) ?Awami league ?BNP ?Jammat ?Jatiyo Party ?UPDF (United Peoples Democratic Front. Founded on 26 December 1998. The UPDF is a Manifestation of the strong and serious reservations against the Chittagong Hill tract Accord 2 December 1997. ?PCJSS (Parbatya Chittagram Jana Samhati Samiti. Founded on 24 April 1972 by Manabendra Narayan Larma. Present Presedent Sri Jotindro Bodhy Prio Larma Law and Order Situation Of Bandorban District: The Police Force has sufficient manpower and well equipped with modern arms and ammunitions to keep daily law and order situation under control. ? The Police usually gets cooperation from local Army and BDR to secure arrest of miscreants from the remote hilly areas. ? There are rare incidents of breach of peace and amity between local tribes and Bangalis. Crime Statistics: Of Bandorban District (2005- 2009) Analyzing the Crime Trend Of Bandorban District: ?Despite its landscape, propensity of crime is much less than plain land. ?The tribal populated area is less crime prone than Bangali populated area here. There is hardly any case filed in Thanchi, Ruma and Roangchhari police stations. ?Bangali populated areas like Sadar, Lama, Naikkhongchhari, Alikadam are much crime prone. ?Tribal people commit mostly Alcohol related crimes. ?Property related crimes like Theft, Dacoity etc are less committed here. ?Few incidents of murder occur in remote hilly areas. ?The Crime Statistics indicates that theft & murder causes high risks on public safety. Major focus: ?Kidnapping /Abduction ?Extortion ?Land Dispute ?Conflict between tribe and non tribe ?Illegal entry of foreigners ?Rohinga issue. Special Type of Crime: Though evil activities of so called ‘Shanti Bahini’ is not evident, few terrorists create panic through abducting people. ? Terrorists kidnap such persons for ransom and hide themselves in remote hilly forest. ?Considering the safety of abducted persons the relatives avoid law enforcing agencies and conceal fact. They try to free the abducted by paying the ransom. District Police Efficiency in Crime Combating: ?Ensuring quality of investigation ?Effective court procedure management ?Pro-active approach of policing ?Applying appropriate preventive sections of laws like 151 of Crpc and 107 and 117 ©. Community policing; In Response to — ?Domestic Violence ?Trafficking ?Eve-teasing awareness ?Dowry ?Traffic education ?Drug abuse ?School visit for ensuring education and health care ?Tree plantation ?Preserving forest ?Community awareness ?Fire management ?Preservation of hill. Comparison of the crime pattern of coastal and hill area through Analysis : On the base of critical assessment of coastal (Chittagong & Cox’s Bazaar) and Hilly area (Bandorban) now we note as follows- The crime trend on hilly areas is lower than coastal area. Most prominent crime in coastal areas is smuggling.On the other hand, at hilly area we found abduction & murder are the most affected Crime. The hilly people commit pretty alcohol related crime, sometimes we see property conflict between hilly people & Bengali People but this feature is absent at Cox ’s Bazaar. Roninga issue is common problem in both Cox’s Bazaar and Bandorban. Due to the communication obstacle law enforcement personal have serve more hardship in Bandorban than Cox’s Bazaar. There’s no existence of crime committed by â€Å"Santi Bahini† at Cox’s Bazaar but the criminal activities are done in the name of this â€Å"Santi Bahini† at Bandorban.Overall, Hilly people are more peaceful than Bengali people of coastal area. Limitations Of The Study: Though the visit in these coastal & hilly areas helped us very much to gain empirical and practical knowledge in the field of investigation but to visit it we have faced some problems . The main limitation were- ? We didn’t get enough time on staying for collecting data at a one place. ?We collect all these information from representative administrative side, we’ve no scope to verify our findings at field level. Sometimes police representative personal seems like pay unwillingness in answering some fundamental issues. Conclusion: On visiting both these region we become enriched with the knowledge’s that we didn’t have before. This empirical and practical knowledge’s helps us to analyzes the distinct patterns of crime aspects in academic studies. Bibliography Digital documents material, provide by- ?Coast Guard Authority, Chittagong. ?Cox’s Bazaar Police authority ?Bandorban Police Administration Related internet services.

Self discovery and makes the decision Essay Example

Self discovery and makes the decision Essay Example Self discovery and makes the decision Paper Self discovery and makes the decision Paper Arthur Millers play The Crucible was based upon the 1950s McArthur trials. Miller was called before the House of Un-American Activities Committee in 1956 and refused to testify against his friends and associates (similar to the decision made by his main character and protagonist, John Proctor). He was then charged with contempt, but the conviction was later overruled with an appeal.  The play explores the challenge in society to stand up for what you believe in and doing good in the face of evil. Salem must have seemed a very strong basis of which to develop his play and ideas. Miller travelled to Salem and heavily researched the Puritan society existing in the 17th century. In this essay I am going to explain how John Proctor goes through a journey of self discovery and makes the decision that his pride and principles are worth dying for, which is why Miller has written the play.  In the first scene involving John Proctor, his sordid affair with Abigail Williams is exposed.  Although honest and a good man, John is very passionate which lands him in a lot of trouble. After a lot of guilt and a heavy concience he decides to end the affair with Abby. Once he is on his own with her, he declares, Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand before Ill ever reach for you again. Wipe it out of mind. We never touched, Abby. This powerful use of imagery works to add meaning to what he is saying. This is obviously hard for a man of Johns nature to come to terms with he knows he has let down his wife Elizabeth but is trying to redeem himself by ending any ties to this woman. It is this conflict which serves as one of the devices by which Miller takes his main character on a journey of self-discovery. Miller has created a simple plot where Reverend Hale is invited to Salem after no cure can be found for Reverend Parriss daughter, Betty, who after found dancing and singing in the forest with other girls in the village, had developed a strange illness. In a Puritan society such as Salem at that time, singing and dancing were strictly prohibited. The inhabitants of Salem begin to think Betty is possessed. After Hales arrival, the girls involved are questioned. Abigail (the ringleader of the group) begins calling out names of respectable members of the society, claiming she has seen them with the Devil. Betty joins in. Sarah Good and Goody Osburn are the first citizens to be accused of witchcraft. Proctor know that Abigail can manipulate people and she that shes feared by many of the girls. However, by ending the affair with Abigail earlier on in the play, it shows that John has great strength of character and has taken the first step to turn his life around and leads on to a journey of self discovery. John tries to make amends with Elizabeth by exclaiming On Sunday let you come with me and well walk the farm together. I never see such a load of flowers on the earth. This clearly shows his love for his wife as well as his genuine remorse for his liaison with Abigail. This mirrors towards the ending because Proctor turns to Elizabeth, and asks her if he should confess; her opinion obviously means a lot to him and hes asking her out of love. Referring back to the question, Proctors decision to die for his pride and principles are greatly affected by what Elizabeth told him to do. Elizabeth said that she could not judge him. Proctors principles and journey of self discovery are centered around his love for Elizabeth. Elizabeth explains to John that many people have been arrested and accused of witchcraft and a court has been set up to try them with the penalty of death. Abigail accuses Proctors wife, Elizabeth, of witchcraft. After Elizabeth is taken away, John tries to clear her good name. Ill not give my wife to vengeance. This quote shows Johns willingness to stand up for what he believes in, and his love for Elizabeth, because he believes his wife is good and pure and wont hesitate to stand up for her.  Elizabeth begs her husband to speak out and tell the court what kind of person Abigail really is. However it takes her arrest before he will do this. Proctor states I had not reckoned with goin into court. But if I must I will.

What Is the National Letter of Intent for NCAA

What Is the National Letter of Intent for NCAA SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you’re a big fan of college sports, you may have seen a news conference on ESPN where a highly recruited high school athlete announces what college he is going to attend (usually in a dramatic way), and then he signs a piece of paper. That piece of paper is his National Letter of Intent; he is now legally bound to attend that college and the recruiting process is officially over. I remember the day I signed my National Letter of Intent to attend Stanford. I don’t think my mom has ever been as proud, and it’s very likely I won’t ever make her that proud again. Receiving and signing a National Letter of Intent is your reward for years of hard work and signifies the culmination of your college search. In this article, I will explain what the National Letter of Intent is, why it exists, and its terms. What Is the National Letter of Intent? The NLI is a binding agreement between a prospective student-athlete and an NLI member institution to enroll at a school in exchange for athletic aid. There are 650 NCAA Division I and II colleges that participate in the NLI program. Terms of the Agreement By signing the NLI, a prospective student-athlete agrees to attend the institution full-time for one academic year (two semesters or three quarters). The institution agrees to provide athletic aid for one full academic year. Athletic scholarships can be renewed every year, but you only have to sign the NLI once. The coach will tell you how much aid you’re being offered before you receive the NLI. The NLI will be accompanied by an athletic aid award letter that tells you the amount of aid you’re receiving. Award letters are the responsibility of the specific institution. Since 2012, schools have been able to provide multi-year scholarships (for 2, 3, or 4 years). However, most schools provide scholarships that are renewable annually. Generally, as long as you’re participating and stay in good academic standing, your scholarship will be renewed. Sometimes, if there’s additional athletic aid available, your scholarship will be increased. Penalty for Not Fulfilling the Agreement If you don't enroll in the school, you can't compete for one academic year at the next NLI institution you attend, and you lose a year of eligibility. Purpose of the NLI The purpose of the NLI is to have a written agreement that you will receive athletics aid in exchange for enrollment, provided you are admitted to the school and eligible to compete. Also, signing a National Letter of Intent signifies the end of the recruiting process. Once you sign the NLI, you can’t be recruited by other schools. If another school tries to recruit you, you have to notify them that you’ve signed your NLI. These Princeton athletes didn't have to sign an NLI Example of a National Letter of Intent It wasn't easy, but I did some digging on the internet, and I found an actual National Letter of Intent for you to check out. This NLI was from a few years ago and some of the signing deadlines have changed since then. Now, you must sign your NLI within 7 days of it being issued to you, and the NLI must be filed by the conference within 14 days. How Does a College Process the National Letter of Intent? First, the college issues an NLI and an offer of athletics aid to the prospective student-athlete. The student-athlete signs two copies. Also, a guardian must sign the NLI if the student-athlete is less than 21 years of age. Then, the student-athlete will return one copy and keep one for her records. The NLI must be signed within 7 days of the date it was issued, but the 7 day deadline will be less if there are fewer than 7 days left in the signing period. Or, the NLI must be signed by 7 days after the initial signing date if it's issued before the initial signing date. The college then verifies the required information and sends it to its conference office to be validated. The NLI must be filed by the conference within 14 days of the final signature. The NLI process is completely independent of the college admissions process. Typically, a school won't issue an NLI and offer of athletics aid until after a student-athlete has been admitted to the institution. There are some exceptions and cases where a school has to rescind an acceptance after an NLI has been signed due to a failing grade or disciplinary issue, but most often signing the NLI is the last step in a student-athlete's college selection process. NLI Signing Dates Here are the NLI signing dates for the upcoming year. Generally, these dates stay roughly the same from year to year. NLI Signing Dates for Prospective Student-Athletes Signing 2015-2016 and Enrolling 2016-2017 Sport(s) Initial Signing Date Final Signing Date Basketball (Early Period) November 11, 2015 November 18, 2015 Basketball (Regular Period) April 13, 2016 Division I: May 18, 2016 Division II: August 1, 2016 Football (Midyear JC Transfer) December 16, 2015 January 15, 2016 Football (Regular Period) February 3, 2016 April 1, 2016 Soccer and Men's Water Polo February 3, 2016 August 1, 2016 All Other Sports (Early Period November 11, 2015 November 18, 2015 All Other Sports (Regular Period) April 13, 2016 August 1, 2016 The initial signing dates are the first dates you're able to sign an NLI in a signing period and the final dates are the deadlines by when you must sign the NLI in that period. If you don't sign early, you can always sign in the regular period. Most coaches try to sign their top recruits in the early period because they don't want to lose them to other schools. In the regular period, they'll try to fill the rest of their recruiting classes with late finds, student-athletes they were previously unsure about, or top recruits who didn't want to commit in the early signing period. Football, soocer, and men's water polo don't have early signing periods because they're fall sports, and coaches are busy with their competitive seasons when the other sports have their early signing periods. Schools will often make admissions decisions sooner for athletic recruits so they can sign in the early period (or in the beginning of the regular period), but sometimes an athlete will have to apply to a college "early decision" or "early action" if he wants to sign early. Notable NLI Rules If you are under 21, a parent or guardian must sign the NLI. Athletic aid award letters have their own rules and the institution determines if you need a guardian signature. The NLI must be accompanied by an athletics aid award letter. If you are not receiving an athletics scholarship, you can't sign an NLI. The coach can't be off-campus to give you your NLI or be there when you sign. You are still bound to enroll in a school if there is a coaching change. Typical Reasons You'll Be Released From Your NLI While the NLI is legally-binding, there are situations in which you'll be granted a release from your NLI. Here are the most common situations in which you'll be released from your NLI and free to enroll in a different school. 1. You are not admitted into the university- If you don't get accepted by the university, you won't be receiving your scholarship. However, typically, the NLI will only be issued by the school after you gain admission. 2. You are determined to be ineligible by the NCAA Eligibility Center- All NCAA athletes must be certified by the eligibility center to participate in NCAA sports. A student-athlete can be deemed ineligible if he doesn't meet minimum GPA or SAT/ACT requirements. Or, he can be deemed ineligible if he has violated amateurism rules. 3. One-year absence- If you sign an NLI and do not attend any school for one year, you would then be allowed to attend another university if you file for a release with that school’s conference office. Your athletic department at the school you will be attending can help you with that process. 4. Joining the military or doing a church mission- If you join the military or go on a church mission for 12 months or more after signing an NLI, you'll be allowed to sign with another school without penalty. 5. Discontinued sport- If the school cuts the program for the sport you signed for after you have signed, you'll be allowed to sign with another school without penalty. 6. Recruiting rules violations- If it is determined there were recruiting rules violations after you have signed an NLI, you will have the choice to continue with your NLI or get a release once you have been reinstated. This process will be handled by the athletic department of your university. Finally, if there's an extenuating circumstance or compelling reason why you want a release from your NLI, you can fill out an NLI release request form on www.national-letter.org . If you join the military, you can be released from your NLI. Final Advice Don't procrastinate in signing your NLI. Generally, you'll only have 7 days from the date it's issued. All you have to do is sign it, get a guardian to sign it, and return it. However, don't stress the NLI. If you receive an NLI, you've done the hard part. You've been offered an athletics scholarship. The college will walk you through the process, if necessary. The school wants you. That's why you were offered a scholarship. Make sure you're registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center. Not only do you need to be certified as eligible before you can participate in NCAA sports, but also you need to register before you can take official campus visits during your recruiting process. Most importantly, focus on your academics. Regardless of how gifted you are athletically, you need to be admitted to college academically. Even after you sign your NLI and you've been accepted by the college, you want to make sure that you finish your senior year strong to ensure you'll be eligible to compete and so that there's no chance you'll have your acceptance rescinded. What's Next? Make sure you know the SAT and ACT scores you need to compete in NCAA sports. Also, learn what you have to do to build the most versatile college application. Finally, review this article on the college athletic recruiting process. 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:

Not Specified Yet (ACCORDING TO THE TOPIC CHOSEN BY THE WRITER) Essay

Not Specified Yet (ACCORDING TO THE TOPIC CHOSEN BY THE WRITER) - Essay Example Latin American free trade experience started in Mexico and spread out to Central and South America, and has included multiple negotiations between the United States and several countries. In this paper, I want to draw your attention into the United States-Colombia free trade agreement, its history, nature, and foundation. I will approach important data and the potential impact of this relationship; finally, I will explain different difficulties and areas of conflict that have emerged. An institution could be defined as rules, both formal and informal, that guide human activities within societies (North, Douglass 1990). An important institution is International Trade, which accelerates technological transference, competition, and productivity. The United States has put in place numerous trade agreements: the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Central America-Dominican Republic-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), and various bilateral agreements (Australia, Chile, Israel, Jordan, Malaysia, etc). For years, Colombia has been an unconditional ally of the United States of America, and has exchanged various resources with its Northern partner. The Andean Trade Preference Act-ATPA was enacted in 1991, during Bush administration, to combat drug production and trafficking in 4 Andean countries: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. It offered trade benefits to help these countries develop and strengthen legitimate industries (Office of the United States Trade Representative 2008). In 2002, the United States government extended trade preferences by a public law: the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act-ATPDEA, through which Latin American products and goods gained entrance without customs duties. According to the Office of the US Trade Representative, it â€Å"expanded trade benefits for