5 Tips on Self-Publishing an Ebook

5 Tips on Self-Publishing an Ebook 5 Tips on Self-Publishing an Ebook While we’re still fond of the old-fashioned papery versions, no one can deny that digital self-publishing has made it much easier for authors to find an audience for their writing. But how does self-publishing an ebook work? And what do you need to do? We have a few tips to share. A library in tablet form! 1. Edit, Edit, and Edit Some More! If you want to impress readers, typos and bad formatting have to be avoided. But many ebooks fall into this trap due to a lack of editing and proofreading. Make sure your manuscript is ready before you even think about publishing. This means seeking feedback and redrafting until it is perfect, as well as formatting it correctly. Getting the final draft proofread is essential, too, so get in touch with us when you’re ready! 2. Cover Art We’re told not to judge a book by its cover, but not everyone listens to this advice. As such, you’ll want to think about how you present your ebook. Your cover art should look professional and work as a thumbnail. And remember to write a short, catchy blurb to use on the back cover. 3. Picking a Platform There are plenty of services self-published authors can use, including major industry players such as Kobo, Amazon KDP, and Smashwords. Amazon KDP also has a â€Å"Select† service, which offers extra benefits in return for publishing exclusively on Kindle. This can be great for new authors, but once you are more established, you may want to publish on multiple platforms to reach as wide an audience as possible. 4. Creating an Ebook File Some self-publishing services automatically create an ebook file when you upload a Microsoft Word document. However, for extra control over the process, you may want to do this yourself! The biggest decision here is which file format to use. A PDF is fine if your ebook will be read on computers, but for mobile devices you’ll need a dedicated ebook format. Your options here are ePub and MOBI (Amazon KDP only accepts MOBI files, so keep this in mind if using this service). You cannot create ePub or MOBI files in MS Word, but there is software available to do this. 5. Selling Your Ebook Once your ebook file is ready, you need to find an audience and promote your book! Part of this will be done on the publishing platform (e.g., writing a blurb, picking keywords, setting a price). The rest will come once your book is available for purchase. Think about setting up a blog and social media accounts, sending a free copy to reviewers, or limited giveaway and discount promotions. The point of all this is to get people talking, as word of mouth and positive reviews will help more than anything else!

I Hate My Job How to Work Hard When You Dont Care Anymore

I Hate My Job How to Work Hard When You Dont Care Anymore The Internet is plagued with clichà ©d articles telling you the corporate world is basically like Disneyland, where everything is golden  and all you have to do is use a little elbow grease and you’ll be okay. Well, I’m here to spill the beans on this facade. It’s simply not true. Sometimes your job sucks and no amount of top 7, top 8, or top 10 lists on how to get ahead will change that.The problem is that you still need to make money. You hate your job and you’re disenfranchised with  the corporate world, but you still need to get paid in order to support yourself.So what do you do? If there is anything I’ve learned from my time on reddit, it’s that redditors are brutally honest- regardless of what that honesty entails. So I’m going to be brutally honest with all of you.  I’m not gonna sit here and give you advice like â€Å"cheer up† or â€Å"shift your mindset† because we all know that’s  common sense, and you could and would do it yourself if it were possible.Instead, I’ll speak from my own personal experiences. Hopefully, it will help some of you look at your job in a new light.1.  Don’t work longer than you’re supposed toIf you’re expected to work 9-5, work 9-5. Don’t waste extra time in that hellhole. My reasoning for this is simple: it will affect your overall happiness and productivity. Think about it, you’re miserable for 8 hours a day, every day. That’s 40 hours of misery a week. Imagine if you stayed an hour late every day. That would bump the number up to 45 hours of misery a week. Don’t do that to yourself. You’ll probably get more work done working 40 hours than 45, anyway.2. Find a side projectPart of the reason you’re miserable is because you’re not really being fulfilled creatively. If you picked up a side project to work on, you would at least be able to find something to look fo rward to during the day. You could start a blog. Take up cooking. Start a YouTube channel. There are tons of options out there. And who knows, one day that side project might become your main source of income.3. Learn  while you workAt this point, we’re assuming your job is dull and unfulfilling. So why not learn something while you work? Listen to a podcast about science (my personal favorite is StarTalkRadio), nature, or anything you find interesting. You can even teach yourself a new language while you enter data into that spreadsheet. As long as your hands do the work, your brain can focus on learning Spanish, French, etc.4. Take a napWhat better way to rejuvenate your energy and productivity than by taking a nap? Can’t take a nap in your office because your boss is a fire breathing dragon? You can download  breather  from the app store, an app that lets you rent quiet spaces for 30+ minute intervals. Each comes furnished with a table, sofa, and most importan tly: silence. While this app should be used sparingly because it can cost anywhere from $20-$40 an hour, taking a nap once a week can work miracles for your overall mindset.So basically what I’m getting at is that even if your job sucks, there are things you can do to rejuvenate your enthusiasm and productivity. All of these things, when used together, can provide you with the ability to work hard at your job even if you no longer care. Because at the end of the day, you don’t need to care about your job in order to bring home that  bacon. You just need to rig the game in your favor.

Internationalisation of Business and Promising Areas of Investment Term Paper

Internationalisation of Business and Promising Areas of Investment - Term Paper Example While preparing a project on the internationalization of business, one cannot avoid the term ‘globalisation’. This report starts with an introduction to this term from the perspective of building up growth opportunities for the organizations worldwide. As the company wants to expand its business to the European countries, it is quite important to know about the countries which are prospective enough to let the foreign investments flow in. This report contains a description of the five major economies in Europe. The reasons, supporting the potential of these countries to emerge as prospective economies for business investments, have been articulated for each of the countries. The business potentials and opportunities of different countries may lie in different areas and products. So it is important to have an idea which products in which countries would reap the highest return for the investors.   The prospective areas, industries, products, and services have been descr ibed for each of the countries. Different countries can have different government rules and regulations in place for foreign investments; some of which can hinder in the way of foreign investments. Sometimes there can be a hindrance to entering into some particular industries. This can even define the entry mode; the investor should take to enter in the respective market. This report contains the suggestion for the preferred entry mode for each of the prospective markets. At later part, the report articulates the European regulations and the national laws which can help or oppose the entrance in the respective countries. In all, the report puts forward suggestions for the prospective countries, the prospective products, and services in those countries, the preferable entry modes and the related rules and regulations prevailing in those prospective business markets.

Amazon Incorporation analisys Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Amazon Incorporation analisys - Research Paper Example art from this, Amazon.com also presents millions of ethnic and unique as well as refurbished items of varied categories such as books, movies, music & games, electronics and computers; home & garden; toys; kids and baby; grocery; apparel; shoes and jewelry; health and beauty; sports and outdoor; and tools, auto and industrial and many others. This is one of the prime causes that lead to the development of Amazon.com and also improved its portfolio within the minds of the customers. Side by side, technological innovation also enhanced the growth of Amazon.com in the world among others. Other than this, due to wide range of products, international retail websites, worldwide network of fulfillment along with customer service centers enhanced its growth to a significant extent. This helped Amazon.com to become a Fortune 100 company. Due to which, the economic performance of the organization improved to a certain extent as compared as shown in the below graph: Economic performance of Amaz on.com Thus, due to its vision to expand in numerous countries with the help of internet enhanced the goal of becoming the number one organization in the entire world. 2. SWOT analysis Strength: Amazon is one of the most reputed and profitable organization. In 2005, it enhanced a significant growth due to its wide range of products at a competitive price. Although due to implementation of huge initial set up costs, Amazon suffered high level of loss. However, in order to increase its profit margin, it presented wide range of products at a competitive cost. This acted as a boon for the organization to increase its portfolio and popularity in the online sector. The high level of promotion also helped the customers of Amazon.com to increase its awareness about the products. Customer... Amazon is one of the most reputed and profitable organization. In 2005, it enhanced a significant growth due to its wide range of products at a competitive price. Although due to the implementation of huge initial set up costs, Amazon suffered the high level of loss. However, in order to increase its profit margin, it presented wide range of products at a competitive cost. This acted as a boon for the organization to increase its portfolio and popularity in the online sector. The high level of promotion also helped the customers of Amazon.com to increase its awareness about the products. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is also another renowned business strategy that improved its net sales and profit margin. Information Technology (IT) also supported Amazon.com to improve its economic performance and growth. Along with this, it also helped the customers to access the site from varied locations in order to attain the products. Amazon is also a global brand and also the original dotcoms due to the presence of the huge range of customer in the entire world. It became the first online retailer due to the presence of e-commerce techniques. This enhanced the performance and ROI of the organization in the world that proved extremely significant for it

Is Internet Addiction Real Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Is Internet Addiction Real - Essay Example Statistics further show that persons between the ages 19-29 cover has a high percentage of users an approximate of 91%. The time spent on the internet keeps increasing. Experts argue that time spent on the internet is a problem even in the workplaces workers tend to create time for internet surfing. The society is being warned for the rise in this issue because the children in their effort to learn computer skills are also exploring the internet. In view of all this, are people addicted to the internet? Experts describe the internet to be as destructive as drug craving and alcoholism. Yes, people have an addiction to the internet, however, to some it is a matter of choice, and this depends on an individual’s choice on how to utilize his extra time. The press has made many stories on the online situation; DeAngelis describes some of these stories, which include men fascinated by online pornography other stories that make headlines are women who abandon their families for online affairs, and people wasting their money on online gambling (DeAngelis 24). The attraction to the internet has led to pitiful situations such as problems in marriages work and even in social settings. However, researchers state that the problems caused by the internet are avoidable, but it depends on the user who if he or she desires can control the use of the internet. According to DeAngelis most of the internet addicts stated that they use the internet to regulate their mood. They also stated that once they were on the net they did lose control. In relation to the greater issue is that a 2010 report showed that the American kids face an obsession with the internet and the various forms of entertainment media. The estimates show that kids ranging from 8-18 years devoted an average of 53 hours a week to the use of the internet. It this devotion was for educational matters then there would be no problem. However, this time is spent on social networks and entertainment sites. The risk is that the network when, not under observation the children explore all sources of information which is unhealthy for these kids. Etengoff reports that 3 out of 10 children state that their parents restrict their use of the internet, watching TV and playing video games. Research proves that both men and women can fall addicts into internet use. Experts show that men and women get attracted to sites that fit behavioural typecast of their own sex. Men get attracted to sites that offer them sexual fantasies, whereas women become addicts to sites that offer them relationships and an area where they can interact. However, Isaac does differ with the issue of addiction he states that addiction is a matter of choice and people have the ability to chose not to become slaves to the internet. Isaac states that most people indulge on the internet due to, and idleness he gives a situation where one can use the time spent on chat rooms and social networks to make some money (DeAngelis 24). Acco rding to Isaac, if people took their job seriously and restricted themselves from surfing then the issue of addiction would not be an issue. He also thinks the choice is a critical part of trying to avoid falling to addiction to the internet. This is possible by avoiding spending free times on the internet. If one uses the internet as an escape to boredom or loneliness, then it is high time to choose a different activity that does not involve the internet.

Performance Analysis of Algorithms on Shared Memory

Performance Analysis of Algorithms on Shared Memory Performance analysis of algorithms on shared memory, message passing and hybrid models for stand-alone and clustered SMPs INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION Parallel computing is a form of computation that allows many instructions to be run simultaneously, in parallel in a program. This can be achieved by splitting up a program into independent parts so that each processor can execute its part of the program simultaneously with the other processors. This can be achieved on a single computer with multiple processors or with number of individual computers connected by a network or a combination of the two. Parallel computing has grown outside of the high-performance computing community due to the introduction of multi-core3 and multi-processor computers at a reasonable price for the average consumer. Recent desktop and high performance processors provide multiple hardware threads technically realized by hardware multithreading and multiple processor cores on a single chip. Programmers will be faced with hundreds of hardware threads per processor chip as exploitable instruction level parallelism in applications is limited and the processor clock frequency cannot be increased any further due to power consumption and heat problems exploiting thread level parallelism becomes unavoidable if further improvement in processsor performance is required and there is no doubt that our requirements and expectations of machine performance will increase further. This means that parallel programming will actually concern a majority of application and system programmers in the foreseeable future even in the desktop and embedded domain. A model of parallel computation consists of a parallel programming model and a corresponding cost model . A parallel programming model describes an abstract parallel machine by its basic operations such as arithmetic operations spawning of tasks reading from and writing to shared memory or sending and receiving messages. Their effects on the state of the computation the constraints of when and where these can be applied and how they can be composed in particular a parallel programming model also contains at least for shared memory programming models a memory model that describes how and when memory accesses can become visible to the different parts of a parallel computer. The memory model sometimes is given implicitly a parallel cost model that associates a cost which usually describes parallel execution time and resource occupation with each basic operation and describes how to predict the accumulated cost of composed operations up to entire parallel programs A parallel programming model is often associated with one or several parallel programming languages or libraries that realize the model Parallel algorithms that are usually formulated in terms of a particular parallel programming model. OpenMP (Open Multi-Processing), Message passing Interface (MPI) and Hybrid OpenMP/MPI is a parallel programming model where communication between processes is done by interchanging messages. OpenMP is an API that supports multi-platform shared memory multi-processing programming in C,C++ and Fortran on most processor architectures and operating systems, including Solaris Linux,, AIX, HP-UX, Mac OS X and Windows platforms. MPI is a model for a distributed memory system where communication cannot be achieved by sharing of variables. The Message Passing Interface (MPI) is the de-facto standard for programming distributed memory systems as it provides a simple communication API and eases the task of developing portable parallel applications. Hybrid OpenMP+MPI facilitates cooperative shared memory programming across clustered SMP nodes. MPI provides communication among various SMP nodes whereas OpenMP manages the workload on each SMP node. MPI and OpenMP are used in tandem to manage the overall concurrency of the application. MOTIVATION As individual processors are not capable of solving the most significant computational problems because of their inherent complexity, the idea of putting multiple processors to work on a single program came into existence thus motivating the idea of parallel computing. Parallel computing is the use of a parallel computer to reduce the time needed to solve a single computational problem. it is a multiple-processor computer system supporting parallel programming. Two categories of parallel computers are multi-computers and centralized multiprocessors. Multi-computer is a parallel computer constructed out of multiple computers and an interconnection network where the processors on different computers interact by passing messages to each other. Centralized multi-processor( also called as symmetrical multiprocessor or SMP) is one where all the CPUs share access to a single global memory. EXISTING SYSTEM AND ITS LIMITATIONS Applications were designed to run on a single systems. But individual systems are not capable of solving the significant problems efficiently because of their inherent complexity. The limitation is that it cannot harness the capacity of a multi-core processor. Hence multi-threading the applications must be done. PROPOSED SYSTEM Parallel programming combines the distributed memory parallelization on the node interconnect with shared memory parallelization inside each node. The challenges and the potentials of the dominant programming models on hierarchically structured hardware is described : Pure MPI (message passing interface), pure OpenMP (with distributed shared memory extensions) and hybrid MPI+OpenMP in several flavors. We identify few cases where the hybrid programming model can indeed be the superior solution because of memory consumption or improved load balance and reduced communication needs. Hybrid programming introduces OpenMP into MPI applications makes more efficient use of the shared memory on SMP nodes, thus mitigating the need for explicit intra-node communication. Introducing MPI and OpenMP during the design/coding of a new application can help maximize efficiency, scaling and performance. At the recent time, the hybrid model has begun to attract more attention, for at least two reasons. The first is that it is relatively easy to pick a language/library instantiation of the hybrid model: OpenMP plus MPI. While there may be other approaches, they remain research and development projects, whereas OpenMP compilers and MPI libraries are now solid commercial products, with implementations from multiple vendors. The second reason is that scalable parallel computers now appear to encourage this model. The fastest machines now virtually all consist of multi-core nodes connected by a high speed network. The idea of using OpenMP threads to exploit the multiple cores per node (with one multithreaded process per node) while using MPI to communicate among the nodes appears obvious. Yet one can also use an â€Å"MPI everywhere† approach on these architectures, and the data on which approach is better is confusing and inconclusive. PROBLEM STATEMENT AND OBJECTIVES Multithreading of applications on a clustered system using hybrid methodology. The objective is to increase the performance of application on clusters using Hybrid methodology. APPLICATIONS Network intrusion detection, cryptography, multiparty computations are some of the core users of parallel computing techniques. Embedded systems increasingly rely on distributed control algorithms. A modern automobile consists of tens of processors communicating to perform complex tasks for optimizing handling and performance. conventional structured peer-peer networks impose overlay networks and utilize algorithms directly from parallel computing.

Internet - Cybersex and the Online Gender Gap :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Cybersex and the Online Gender Gap    Introduction of a New Concept Sex. This is one of the most commonly discussed topics face-to-face and online that stirs up controversy. The introduction of the Internet and its mass appeal and use has only kindled the flame of the ever-burning fire of the controversy of sex related material and the ever-present gender battle between men and women. Victor J. Vitanza’s Cyberreader contains a section entitled â€Å"Sexual Politics† that explores the issues of computers and sex, and the gender gap in the cyber world between men, women, and computers. After viewing these materials, I would like to discuss the behavior patterns of men and women when it comes to talking and learning about computers, the stereotypes with computers, and sex in the virtual/cyber world. Men and women are capable of learning the same subject matter, but apparently neither gender wants to admit or state the obvious. The genders separate themselves in the computer/cyber world like they do in the real world. The predetermined stereotypes and prejudices that began with the invention of the computer and Internet are still the standards we hold today; men dominate the computer/cyber world. Another log on the fire of the gender battle is sex and the Internet. The behaviors displayed by men and women both bring the two genders together and split them apart. Gender shouldn’t matter online because it can be hidden in the sense that screen names don’t always hold a gender related characteristic. The Gender Gap Computers and everything that relates to them has always been perceived as â€Å"a man’s job† or a male dominated field. This so called gender gap got its roots from this misconception, and the following essays give some insightful information to help clear up these misunderstandings in the computer/cyber/virtual world. According to Barbara Kantrowitz the gender gap begins at an early age when children begin learning about computers. â€Å"Girls get subtle messages--from society if not their parents--that they should keep their hands clean and play with their dolls. Too often, they’re discouraged from taking science and math†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Kantrowitz, 177) Kantrowitz goes on to discuss how around the fifth grade these subtle little messages kick in with girls because computers are â€Å"not quite feminine topics†, so girls don’t dive into the computer world like boys do.

Succesful Business Man

Different businessmen have different ways to build their own careers. When faced with the decision of what some of qualities of a successful businessman are, each person has his/her own opinion. From my point of view, I consider that common sense, specialized knowledge, and good communication skills are the qualities of a prosperous businessman. The primary characteristic which every entrepreneur needs to have in order to do well is common sense. It is defined as an ability to make judgments on the issues, which he/she encounter in every day situations.A good common sense often called as practical intelligence empowers he/she act more quickly and wisely, especially in many complex issues. Successful businessmen are always able to be aware of the dangers surrounding him, anticipate and make sensible decisions. The second most significant quality is specialized knowledge about his/her fields. The entrepreneur who is incompetent at his job will never become profitable. Worked out ambiti on and money invested are not enough to make the business an effective and flourishing one; he must always accumulate his needed knowledge before jumping into business world.What is more, it is indispensable to accomplish success without communication skills. Being able to gain customers’ confidence is an absolute art and entrepreneur who can do it is bound to be successful. Furthermore, good communication methods can lay an intellectual foundation for strong relationships with colleagues partly lead to succeed in business. A prosperous businessman is must not only an affluent person, but also a prestigious person whose advice is always regarded by the others.In a word, to be a successful businessman is not an easy thing, but with a lot of effort, each entrepreneur can reach up to the success from day-to-day. From what I have stated above, I truly believe that common sense, specialized knowledge and good communication skills are the qualities of a successful businessman. A bu siness man is someone taking risk in a certain company for the purpose of producing revenue from a combination of human, financial, or physical capital. An entrepreneur is an example of a business man. Sometimes it can mean someone who is involved in the management of a company, especially as an owner or an executive.A successful business man must apply certain strategies in order to achieve different goals. So, what are the strategies that must be accomplished? First of all, to become a successful business man an entrepreneur should possess the basic business skills in order to adopt a winning business strategy. For example a business man in Fattal company is very organized always plan his business in every step and analyze it by writing a business plan to achieve the goals of the company properly this what make fattal one of the succeed company.So, a business man should always evaluate himself before taking any decision in business. Secondly, a business man must be an intelligent communicator who can gain confidence of others and a good listener to run the business easily. However, when I was doing my training in Pharma Group a medical company I really did appreciate the boss because he had the art of a good communication by being clear about what he was trying to explain whether he was informing or negotiating with us.In this case, the business person should be fluent in languages to be an expert in communication. Thirdly, Entrepreneurs need to deal with customers and suppliers with honesty to build a better reputation and must deliver the product or the service that add value to the business by focusing on the customers’ needs. Actually, Apple Company does have a good reputation because of the sincerity of the entrepreneur dealing with customers and buying them an efficient product that may satisfy their needs.

The Importance of Jade in Precolumbian America

The Importance of Jade in Precolumbian America Jade occurs naturally in very few places in the world, although the term jade has been often used to describe a variety of minerals used since ancient times to produce luxury items in many different regions of the world, such as China, Korea, Japan, New Zealand, Neolithic Europe, and Mesoamerica. The term jade should be properly applied to only two minerals: nephrite and jadeite. Nephrite is a calcium and magnesium silicate  and can be found in a variety of colors, from translucent white, to yellow, and all shades of green. Nephrite doesn’t occur naturally in Mesoamerica. Jadeite, a sodium and aluminum silicate, is a hard and highly translucent stone whose color ranges from blue-green to apple green. Sources of Jade in Mesoamerica The only source of jadeite known so far in Mesoamerica is the Motagua River valley in Guatemala. Mesoamericanists debate over whether the Motagua river was the only source  or ancient peoples of Mesoamerica used multiple sources of the precious stone. Possible sources under study are the Rio Balsas basin in Mexico  and the Santa Elena region in Costa Rica. Pre-Columbian archaeologists working on jade, distinguish between â€Å"geological† and â€Å"social† jade. The first term indicates the actual jadeite, whereas â€Å"social† jade indicates other, similar greenstones, such as quartz and serpentine which were not as rare as jadeite but were similar in color and therefore fulfilled the same social function. Cultural Importance of Jade Jade was especially appreciated by Mesoamerican and Lower Central American people because of its green color. This stone was associated with water, and vegetation, especially young, maturing corn. For this reason, it was also related to life and death. Olmec, Maya, Aztec and Costa Rican elites particularly appreciated jade carvings and artifacts and commissioned elegant pieces from skillful artisans. Jade was traded and exchanged among elite members as a luxury item all over the pre-Hispanic American world. It was replaced by gold very late in time in Mesoamerica, and around 500 AD in Costa Rica and Lower Central America. In these locations, frequent contacts with South America made gold more easily available. Jade artifacts are often found in elite burial contexts, as personal adornments or accompanying objects. Sometimes a jade bead was placed within the mouth of the deceased. Jade objects are also found in dedicatory offerings for the construction or ritual termination of public buildings, as well as in more private residential contexts. Ancient Jade Artifacts In the Formative period, the Olmec of the Gulf Coast were among the first Mesoamerican people to shape jade into votive celts, axes, and bloodletting tools around 1200-1000 BC. The Maya achieved master levels of jade carving. Maya artisans used drawing cords, harder minerals, and water as abrasive tools to work the stone. Holes were made in jade objects with bone and wood drills, and finer incisions were often added at the end. Jade objects varied in size and shapes and included necklaces, pendants, pectorals, ear ornaments, beads, mosaic masks, vessels, rings, and statues. Among the most famous jade artifacts from the Maya region, we can include funeral masks and vessels from Tikal, and Pakal’s funeral mask and jewels from the Temple of the Inscriptions at Palenque. Other burial offerings and dedication caches have been found at major Maya sites, such as Copan, Cerros, and Calakmul. During the Postclassic period, the use of jade dropped dramatically in the Maya area. Jade carvings are rare, with the notable exception of the pieces dredged out of the Sacred Cenote at Chichà ©n Itz. Among Aztec nobility, jade jewelry was the most valuable luxury: partly because of its rarity, since it had to be imported from the tropical lowlands, and partly because of its symbolism linked to water, fertility, ​and preciousness. For this reason, jade was one of the most valuable tribute item collected by the Aztec Triple Alliance. Jade in Southeastern Mesoamerica and Lower Central America Southeastern Mesoamerica and Lower Central America were other important regions of the distribution of jade artifacts. In the Costa Rican regions of Guanacaste-Nicoya jade artifacts were mainly widespread between AD 200 and 600. Although no local source of jadeite has been identified so far, Costa Rica and Honduras developed their own jade-working tradition. In Honduras, non-Maya areas show a preference for using jade in building dedication offerings more than burials. In Costa Rica, by contrast, the majority of jade artifacts have been recovered from burials. The use of jade in Costa Rica seems to come to an end around A.D. 500-600  when there was a shift towards gold as the luxury raw material; that technology originated in Colombia and Panama. Jade Study Problems Unfortunately, jade artifacts are hard to date, even if found in relatively clear chronological contexts, since this particularly precious and hard-to-find material was often passed down from one generation to another as heirlooms. Finally, because of their value, jade objects are often looted from archaeological sites and sold to private collectors. For this reason, a huge number of published items are from unknown provenience, missing, therefore, an important piece of information. Sources Lange, Frederick W., 1993, Precolumbian Jade: New Geological and Cultural Interpretations. University of Utah Press. Seitz, R., G.E. Harlow, V.B. Sisson, and K.A. Taube, 2001, Olmec Blue and Formative Jade Sources: New Discoveries in Guatemala, Antiquity, 75: 687-688

The eNotes Blog Reading Comprehension as anAsset

Reading Comprehension as anAsset A couple years ago, The New York Times published a piece titled How to Get Your Mind to Read. Since we’re all about reading here at , we eagerly devoured the post and have revisited it many times. Since improving reading comprehension is an active part of our work, I’ve shared several of the key points in the article below. Let us know if you have any other recommendations! 1. Comprehension Requires Broad Vocabulary and Factual Knowledge This first point is straightforward. Of course we need vocabulary and factual knowledge to comprehend what we read. However, the article points out that classrooms that focus almost exclusively on literacy skills- to the detriment of other subject areas- are not benefiting students; they’re hindering students’ opportunities to succeed. The article suggests that spending more time on other subject areas- such as current events, history, science, music, etc.- will aid reading comprehension because students will not only expand their vocabulary, but also they’ll gain a broader field of factual knowledge. This is one of the reasons why we focus so much on developing quality analysis and historical context sections within our study guides and on our annotations. Much of the historical context in Jane Eyre or the philosophy of Crime and Punishment are difficult to understand without having the vocabulary or factual knowledge to follow Brontà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s and Dostoevsky’s ideas. 2. All Texts Have Information Gaps Readers Must Fill Less experienced readers often expect the writer to provide them with all the knowledge they need in a given passage. This expectation isn’t necessarily wrong: many tests expect students to answer questions from a text without considering the knowledge gap between writer and reader. However, the writer can’t include everything for us, and so when she writes for her audience, she is counting on readers to meet her halfway by decoding meaning. This shows up in allusions and references, which rely on a common, shared knowledge. At , we strive to help readers gain access to these information gaps to bolster their understanding of allusions and references. As enjoyable as â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† is, without an understanding of Eliot’s allusions, students will find themselves reading the poem but failing to fully comprehend it. 3. Reading Comprehension Is More Than Just a General Skill This final point really got me thinking about our teaching approaches. The article relates a misunderstanding with current education practices, which claim that reading comprehension should be treated â€Å"like a general skill that can be applied with equal success to all texts.† The article illustrates the impact of this misunderstanding, sharing evidence that test scores haven’t improved in 30 years. However, as discussed above, with the information gaps and broad knowledge required, reading comprehension is much more than just a simple one-size-fits-all skill. We need to shift our attitudes from reading as a skill to reading as an asset, particularly as more companies, even those in tech industries, are hiring strong readers and writers. When we can fully accept the complexity of developing reading comprehension, our goals forward for curriculum development and lesson planning are to focus on the relationships among texts. Reading is a skill that is in constant development, with no ceiling. We as educators need to look to present reading comprehension to students as an asset that will grow over time with thoughtful practice. Proposed Changes in Teaching Reading Comprehension The article concludes by proposing three significant changes in our school systems: â€Å"First, [significant changes point] to decreasing the time spent on literacy instruction in early grades.† â€Å"Second, understanding the importance of knowledge to reading ought to make us think differently about year-end standardized tests.† â€Å"Third, the systematic building of knowledge must be a priority in curriculum design. The Common Core Standards for reading specify nearly nothing by way of content that children are supposed to know- the document valorizes reading skills.† supports these proposed changes. We hope that our annotations and analysis help students expand their vocabularies, build their knowledge bases, and draw connections among texts- all practices integral to becoming better, more conscientious readers. So while we could cast blame on the influences of social media and technology, this simply ignores the main issue. The NYT article says that we should blame ignorance in failing to appropriately teach reading comprehension. I’d like to go a step further and offer that we should make changes by re-evaluating how we approach the teaching of reading comprehension. Let’s not only focus on institutional changes in curriculum but also model this behavior ourselves. Doing so will help us all better understand how our minds comprehend what we read, and this knowledge will allow us to develop more appropriate approaches, methods, and tests for our students. Only this will help give our students the necessary tools to change their reading for the better.

Labour Relations in Canada in relation to hospitality industry(It can Term Paper

Labour Relations in Canada in relation to hospitality industry(It can be any topic of interest in relation to this.) - Term Paper Example cation between workers and managers, inform managers of potential trouble, provide an outlet for complaints, and avoid slowdowns, absenteeism, strikes and damages.† Here we take a look at why grievance procedures are important in improving labor relations. The ILO states that grievance procedures help solve a variety of issues that are likely to crop up in any work environment some of which are explained as follows (â€Å"Good Practice Guide†). Many a times, problems in the work place occur when the terms and conditions of employment which were guaranteed to the employees at the time of hiring are not implemented correctly by the management. Grievance procedures help to give employees the necessary motivation and support to continue in their work place without feeling betrayed by their employer. It gives them a sense of job security and an ability to understand what they rightly deserve. It also helps them to seek legal counsel or aid in the circumstances where their terms of contract have been compromised or violated in any unfavorable way. Lack of proper health and safety measures is another major concern for employees in an industry. In some cases, workers are subjected to risky and dangerous conditions and sadly many of them are unaware of the potential hazard to their personal health and well being. However, the presence of effective grievance procedures makes sure that employees can ask for compensation in the occurrence of any form of occupational harm or injury. Sometimes, changes in policies or in the organizational structure can cause a disturbance in the flow of activities for a regular employee. In some cases, employees are not notified of crucial changes in policies which consequently lead them through the wrong path. It is the right of any employee to know of significant changes or alterations in the policies, procedures and organizational structure of the company where he / she belongs if such changes are intended to have significant direct or

Dangers of Childhood Obesity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Dangers of Childhood Obesity - Research Paper Example This increase has also been coupled with illnesses and medical conditions associated with obesity among children and it has become a matter of grave concern. The result of the increase in the prevalence in childhood obesity have been increasing calls in the political arena for more legislation to be passed at the state level to ensure that this problem is brought under control. Furthermore, Mitgang states that the appropriateness of these legislative interventions have, however, been brought into questions especially when one considers that it might be an infringement on the rights of individuals. There have been arguments for direct intervention by the state governments because a large number of obese children tend to also develop other medical complications related to their condition. Among these complications are diabetes, hypertension, as well as the risk of cardiovascular diseases which make it more difficult for the public health sector to shoulder the burden of dealing with th ese children. While this may be the case, despite the wide support for there to be legislative interventions to curb childhood obesity, there are some who believe that interventions should be limited to such instances where obese children are at a short-term risk of loss of life, or when it is judged that their condition might cause serious harm to them. Therefore, according to Mitgang (2011) in current political and medical circles, there has been a proposition for the development of a specific standard for intervention which involves the adoption of a case by case study with the intention of determining the risk factors of health problems for children with obesity. The first of these is that healthcare practitioners have to determine the severity of a child’s illness associated with obesity because this is the only way through which the risk to his health can be