Critical Thinking Week 5 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Critical Thinking Week 5 - Research Paper Example The downsizing was managed successfully in a way that job cuts were necessary and it was in the employee’s best interest to accept a buy out for their job. Events to handle the situation were what had to be done and managed in the best manner. The management leading up to the downsizing could have been handled better and prevented such a large loss. Challenges still remain in the auto industry in the sense that the auto industry has a lot of making up to do. Since filing bankruptcy, consumers and employees can no longer put their trust in the industry. The Force Field analysis website shows great tools that can be used to change initiative. The tool could be used in a change initiative at work for many different scenarios. The tool would be used during a strategic analysis project. A SWOT analysis could be performed and used as a tool to analyze whether or not there is more or less opposing forces for the change. The SWOT analysis will show strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats. These different areas can show where there is the less resistance and the most intensity. This can be very beneficial to changing initiative in the work place and can apply to many

FINAL Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

FINAL - Essay Example â€Å"The moral structure of discretion remains essentially the same for all officials because they are all charged to obey and implement the law and respect legal process in exercising their power and judgment† (Victoria 1). Discretion is involved in every matter of professional life for a street-level government employee. A front line officer is usually more involved in dealing with public matters because he/she has to deal with public more than the higher ranked officials do. A front line government officer should exercise his/her discretion in resolving public matters instead of sending every simple case to higher authorities. For example, a police officer should have the power to decide whether he/she should resolve a conflicting situation on his/her own or he/she should send the case to the court to decide on it. However, it depends on the nature of the case. If a case is not very complex and both conflicting parties come to the police officer to suggest a solution for t hem, then the police officer should make the decision on his/her own. Such discretions in day-to-day work not only enhance the ability of front line government offices to the critical decisions but also reduce the load of work for the government agencies. For example, if a police officer resolves simple conflicts between people on his/her own, it will reduce the workload for the court which is usually already burdened with a number of cases. However, sometimes discretion in day-today activities does not work well for the society. The reason is that the reasoning and logic that a person at a higher level can give related to public administration matters is different from the mindset of a person working as a front line government employee. Higher appointments are done based on the level of qualification and intellectual ability of people. Such people can take wise decisions by looking all aspects of matters. For example, a decision that a judge can take is more wise and merit-based th an the decision that a front line police officer takes. Similarly, a decision that the manager of an organization can take for employees is more applicable and rational as compared to the decision that an employee takes for his/her work. Therefore, we can say that the consequences if street-level bureaucrats have discretion in their day-to-day activities vary from case to case. However, the negative consequences are not able to overcome the benefits associated with discretion to day-to-day works, such as, enhanced intellectual ability and reduced workload for government agencies. â€Å"Every elected, appointed, and career official must exercise judgment and discretion in carrying out the duties and responsibilities of office† (Victoria 1). Part: B The fundamental assumption of administrative reformers in the late 1800s and early 1900s that politics could have only adverse effects on administration was true up to some extent. The reason is that the politics of that time had in corporated such elements which could have disturbed the administrative approaches and systems of almost every department. Some of such elements included thirst of power, reducing the rights of others, and political instability. All of these elements played their roles in running the political matters of Central European countries. Such elements could have broken the

Working with calculus Assignment Essay Example for Free

Working with calculus Assignment Essay The nightmare has come to pass. All of Kelleys extensive surgeries and nasal passage scrapings have (unfortunately) gone awry, and he waits in the Ear, Nose, and Throat doctors office waiting area spewing bloody snot into a conical paper cup at the rate of 4 in3/min. The cup is being held with the vertex down (all the better to pool the snot in, my dear). The booger catcher has a height of 5 inches and a base of 3 inches. How fast is the mucous level rising in the cup when the snot is three inches deep? Investigating the problemÃ'Ž The volume of a cone V = where r is the radius of the cone and he is its height For the full cone or any part of it, the ratio of r:h remains fixed, so As we are only interested in the rate of change of the height we need to eliminate r so use r = 3h/10 for all levels So the new V = so to find h3 = and h = So making a table to find for t= 0 to 25 and hence work out roughly how long the cone takes to fill up, and the height value at each stage and also radius each time. As can be seen, the full height and radius is reached at about t 15 minutes. Lets hope the doctor is on time today! Here are the formulae used to generate the tableHere is the graph of h and r against time: Both h and r increase rapidly in the 1st 5 minutes before the rate of increase slows as t increases. Using Numerical methods Various rates of change could be investigated, including the rate of change of h with respect to V, the rate of change of r with respect to t and so on. However, the question asks about the rate of change of h with respect to t, so this will be investigated using the Leibnitz formula : to estimate gradients using a spreadsheet. The following graph was obtained: As can be seen this graph of the rate of change of height (the speed at which height changes) is not very helpful, as there is a lot of change for t = 0 to t = 2 but after that the rate of change is much less. Some investigation shows that most of the change takes place between t = 0 and t = 1. So tracing the rate of change of the 2 sections on different graphs, with the one involving the first section in much more detail, will give a better picture. The table: And the graph The reduction in speed of the heights rise is very marked The table for t = 1 to t = 14: and the graph: The question requires the rate of change at h = 3. From the table this can be see between t = 2 and t = 4, where the gradient is between 0. 46 and 0. 29 inches per minute Using differentiation V = so and we were also told So using the Chain Rule: = Filling what is known: 4 = so So when h = 3 = 0. 393 inches per minute Conclusion: The numerical method does not give a very accurate result and provided the Chain rule is used, the calculus method is much betterÃ'Ž

Demarcation Of Science And Pseudo Science Philosophy Essay

Demarcation Of Science And Pseudo Science Philosophy Essay introduction Please give a short summary of all three articles [1-3] taken together as a discussion of the difference between science and pseudo-science in general, and particularly astrology as example pseudo-science. The pseudoscience comes from a Greek prefix pseudo which means false. Pseudoscience pretends to believe in practice of methods which are not scientifically proven but appears with high probability. Pseudoscience obligation on some figures and facts are not appropriate evidence, proofs and practical tests. Science is making life of people easy and eliminates sophistication. Some people with little knowledge of science try to convince their idea without proper scientific methods in scientific domain. The following are some characteristics of pseudoscience Use of vague, exaggerated or untestable claims Over-reliance on confirmation rather than refutation Lack of openness to testing by other experts Absence of progress Personalization of issues Use of misleading language Astrology pretends to justify their work to scientist, astrologer and clients. Experiments of astrologers never be predicted and what kind of facts they will accept. Astrology tends to rely on client satisfaction arguing that if their clients are satisfied because astrology is accurate. Astrologers try to escape themselves from procedures and methods of science by saying that they can only help and guide people about their personal and hidden abilities, points that can have positive effect on their life and they can lead a better life by choosing right paths in their destination. However, science requires scientific evidence. Pseudoscience is a methodology, belief or practice that is claimed to be scientific or that is made to appear to be scientific, but it does not adhere to an appropriate scientific methodology. The word pseudo means false. The good way to find false predictions is to check it properly with best practices of scientist and researchers. Demarcation of science from pseudoscience is quite necessary. Due to high status of science, people try include their non scientific and pseudoscientific claims into scientific domain. Therefore demarcation issue is always on the pressing. Demarcation issue is important in many practical applications such as: Healthcare, Expert testimony, Environmental policies, science education etc. According to many authors, pseudoscience is a non-science claiming to be science. They also believe that to be pseudoscientific, an activity or claim has to satisfy following criteria: it is not scientific, and its major proponents try to create the impression that it is scientific. According to Popper, the theory be falsifiable, or more precisely that statements or systems of statements, in order to be ranked as scientific, must be capable of conflicting with possible, or conceivable observations. Kuhn disapproved Poppers theory of demarcation he criticized Popper for characterizing the entire scientific enterprise in terms that apply only to its occasional revolutionary parts. Paul states a two points criterion for a theory or claim to be pseudo scientific. One of these is that the theory fails to progress, and the other that the community of practitioners makes little attempt to develop the theory towards solutions of the problems, shows no concern for attempts to evaluate the theory in relation to others, and is selective in considering confirmations and disconfirmations (Thagard 1978, 228). Many authors have put forward a list of criteria as a demarcation criterion. One such list is as under: Belief in authority. Nonrepeatable experiments. Handpicked examples. Unwillingness to test. Disregard of refuting information. Built-in subterfuge. Explanations are abandoned without replacement. Why is it important to distinguish science from non-science? Describe the problem of demarcation and its significance for science according to Sven Ove Hanssons article [1] It is in general discussion that pseudoscience is non-science as brain Baigrie says what is objectionable about these beliefs is that they masquerade as genuinely scientific ones. Authors and researchers predict about two criteria. It is not scientific, and Its major proponents try to create the impression that is scientific. It is quite inevitable to distinguish between science and non science in many ways. For example, in Healthcare, Expert testimony, Environmental policies, Science Education etc. In Healthcare Pseudoscience activities can be dangerous for patients health and life. Accurate facts and figures are required in court cases. Judges decision should be based on best available knowledge. Sometimes litigants try to present non-science claims as solid science. Therefore, justice should be able to distinguish between science and pseudoscience. Environmental experts also need to differentiate between science and pseudoscience. Best available knowledge will help them to make decisions when there are valid but yet insufficient evidence of environmental hazard. State and school authorities should take measures to protect curricula from unreliable and disapproved teachings. Sconce is our most reliable source of knowledge in daily life, its quiet inevident to differentiate science from pseudo-science. Due to importance of science, some people attempt to exaggerate the scientific status of various claims, teachings, and products. In order to tackle this issue, demarcation of science is necessary. What are the characteristics of pseudoscience according to [2] Pseudoscience has following characteristics as mentioned in article. Use of vague, exaggerated or untestable claims Over-reliance on confirmation rather than refutation Lack of openness to testing by other experts Absence of progress Personalization of issues Use of misleading language Give a short account of astrotest [3] and its results. The Article was intended to proof weather astrologers can predict or not. Author invited astrologers to take part in an astrotest. He gave the astrologers the birth data of 7 anonymous test subjects and they also receive 7 questioner filled by the test subjects. They have to match each birth chart with the corresponding questionnaire. Author offered 2500 dollars for the astrologer who matched all 7 birth chart with the corresponding questionnaire. Then he looked for suitable test subjects that are not between two ascendent or if the subject was born 5 minutes late or before the registered birth date they would have been on different sign. So he rejected such subjects to avoid ambiguity for the astrologers. The astrologers sent 10 questions each and he made 25 questions and added 24 multiple questions to it and he gave the questions to 10 experienced astrologers to give their opinion on it and none of them had a big objection to it. All 50 participants were given 10 weeks to complete the astrotest and 44 participants completed the test. Many of the participants had experience in astrology. And they were asked about their expectations and half of the 36 participants who responded the questions said they expected that they have matched all correct. But the result was very different from their expectation the most successful participant only manages 3 correct matches and half of the participants didnt score a single hit. And there were a lack of similarities between the answers of the participants. There was also a difference in response to the results between the astrologers some were surprised by the lack of agreement and others admitted that the possibilities of astrology were more limited then they had thought and others say astrology only works in actual practice and sixteen still believe science can still prove astrology right. And they gave reasons like horoscopes are too much alike, the answers of the subjects were often similar, the questions were not always answered truthfully and some said about incomplete information of subjects. Astrology and science are in conflict since astrology says its methods are testable and science focuses on astrology where as astrology focuses on client satisfaction and use words that cannot be falsified What are your conclusions on science contra pseudo-science discussion? Pseudoscience is extremely dangerous for our society. Science on other side is supported by proper methods, proofs and logics. Mankind is relying more and more on scientific methods and practices in routine life. Therefore, work should be done on emergency basis to eradicate and prevent pseudoscience entrance in the demarcation of science. In my opinion, people try to take pseudoscience too easy or as a source of amusement or fun. This can at certain times be very dangerous and Quakers are encouraged by this attitude. For example: Our political system can be sabotaged by the pseudoscience. Our education system can also become a victim of pseudoscience, and can be disastrous for our youth. Hundreds of people lives can be lost if not provided appropriate treatment in time, healthcare department should be prevented from pseudoscience. Instability can be introduced in our routine life by asserting pseudoscience in the religion A very important responsibility lies on media as electronic and other kinds of medias influence are increasing day by day in our routine life.

Gibbons V. Ogden :: essays research papers

After a four year hiatus in the Supreme Court docket, the court finally rule in 1824, the case of Gibbons v. Ogden, which eventually proclaimed the federally supremacy clause and the commerce clause, but it's impact of American commerce can still be felt today. The loose interpretation of the Constitution by Chief Justice Marshall had greatly infuriated and scared the Southerners because if the government could regulate interstate commerce, then it could one day regulate slavery; it's technically commerce. Therefore, states such as South Carolina passed the Negro Seamen Act, which was later struck down unconstitutional, greatly hit the issue of slavery. South Carolinians had great bases for their beliefs because of the recent Denmark Vesey uprising. Often this case is coined as the "Emancipation Proclamation of American Commerce," it should be gladly called that because of the reflection on the elasticity of the great paper known as the Constitution. The case solidified the Congress held all powers to regulate any modes of Commerce. Gibbons v. Ogden would prevail with the inventions of trains and airplanes as modes of commercial activities. Congress, with this case, was later to pass measure that would outlaw unfair price fixing on transportation of foods and pass epochal measures such as the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. Federal supremacy was also finally solidified by this case. New York said that the Federal Coasting license that Thomas Gibbons had was useless in New York waters. Thus this sets-up the great issue of the day state gov't v. federal gov't. But as New York and the rest of the United States finally gets into it's head that the Constitution is the law of the land and that in Article IV, it states that "federal laws supersedes state laws"

Reflection on Alternative Assessments Essays -- Education Assessment E

Reflection on Alternative Assessments   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Traditional and alternative assessments share some key elements, yet differ as well. All assessments, whether given as a test after a unit or alternative, should be measurable and be reliable and valid by having clear criteria to measure the learning targets. Traditional and alternative assessments generally differ in timing, feedback, student's involvement, and how the teacher uses the information.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The time in which traditional assessments such as after the unit tests are designed to provide feedback is at the end of a unit only. There is also generally a time limit to complete this type of assessment as well. These are not true of alternative assessments. A KWL or pre-test can provide feedback before a lesson or unit. Nearly all alternative assessments can also provide ongoing feedback during the lesson or unit as well as after it is completed. Also, many alternative assessments do not have a time constraint to demonstrate understanding of content.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The feedback given from a traditional assessment is a letter or percentage grade, which does not tell the content that the student knows, only a measure of quantity of knowledge from a scale of nothing to everything. This feedback is used to tell the teacher and/or school whether or not to promote the student and how they fall in comparison to the other students. With alternative assessments the feedback can be used by all parties (teacher, student, parent, and sch...

The Dark Knight Rises

Jaime Sulkowski 3-14-2013 Ms. Schmidt Copa 251 Dark Knight Rises Essay The Dark Knight Rises was one of the top movies in the year 2012. It is all about action and thrilling scenes throughout the movie. The main stars in this movie are Christian Bale as Batman, Tom Hardy as Bane, Anne Hathaway as cat woman, Gary Oldham as the police commissioner of Gotham, and Joseph Gordon Levitt as Blake. The hero in this movie is obvious Bruce Wayne who is also the Batman and the villain is Bane. The Dark Knight Rises is a narrative film.This movie is telling a fictional story using a series of events and other storylines throughout the film. The Cat Woman is introduced in this movie and it added another side story to the film. Bane the villain of this movie is trying to take over the city of Gotham. Batman must come back and help the city out from potential disaster. The Batman decides that the city of Gotham needs him to stop Bane from destroying the city. A quick summary of the main parts of th e movie are that there were several events during the movie that gave Bane more power and control and eventually was able to take control over the city of Gotham.The Cat Woman fools Batman into a trap with Bane and there was no way out for the Batman to go. He tries to fight Bane, but he was too strong for him. Bane takes Batman to where he once lived at during his childhood years. This place was referred to as â€Å"Hell on Earth† The Batman was able to gather his strength back from the help of two prisoners and he was able to escape from the prison by climbing up a steep wall out of the pit. He makes his return to the city of Gotham just in the nick of time. This is when the overall climax of the movie happens with a big battle between the Gotham police and Bane’s army of men.Batman gets to Bane at the city council building and they have another showdown between each other and this time it looks like that the Batman comes out on top, but Miranda Tate stabs the Batman in the stomach. Bane was then about to finish off the Batman, until the Cat Woman comes out of nowhere and shoots Bane to his death. She saves the Batman, which wasn’t a big surprise at all. Then they are able to chase down Miranda Tate and got the bomb, but there was no time to defuse it completely, so the Batman had o make a snap decision and flies the bomb away from Gotham and it explodes in the water miles away from the city. Everyone thought the Batman was dead. There is definitely some foreshadowing going on in this movie. In the previous batman movies there was some foreshadowing being done as well. In The Dark Knight Rises Morgan Freeman’s character mentions about the clean water project, but this is a project that is all about the bomb. It is an underground secret project that has been going on for quite some time.If the bomb got into the wrong hands there was a way that they could flood the underground area where the reactor is holding the bomb to prevent a disaster from happening. Also during the movie Bruce Wayne’s butler Alfred mentions to him that he will not bury him if he ended up dying somehow. That is foreshadowing that the Batman is not going to die in this movie. It is also foreshadowing when Alfred tells Bruce Wayne that he will see him one day at a place in another part of the world with a wife and will not speak to him and go about his business.This scene actually comes at the end of the movie. The hero of the movie is Batman also known as Bruce Wayne. He has a few flaws and weaknesses that are shown throughout the movie. One weakness that he has is that he can’t find another true love after his loss of Rachel when she died in The Dark Knight. Another weakness is that he has a lot of emotions. He can’t stop thinking about his loved ones that he has lost and can’t put them aside and they are always on his mind. He will not allow anyone to know about the clear water project he is afraid that it wi ll leak out to the public.It is hard for him to trust certain people. On the human side of things he needs to knee brace to not limp around anymore. At the beginning scenes of the movie it would show Bruce Wayne using a walking cane to get around the house and other places as well. There are a lot of transitions going on in this movie and they make it occur all at the same time throughout the movie. I think it that the producers and writers of the movie did a great job with all of the transitions. There are many different storylines going on, but they all have some sort of link to one another.It made the movie more thrilling to watch though. It also made the plot of the movie more interesting. This film is told in a linear story with some flashbacks, which help the audience understand what is going on better. The trilogy of Batman though is one long movie if you think about it. It was done episodically. Christopher Nolan decided to break it down into three different movies. He did a fantastic job of leaving the suspense of what is going to happen in the next movie after each one had ended.The movie mainly shot on location, but some of it was also shot in studio. The movie was shot in the United States in the cities of Pittsburgh and New York. The movie was also shot in the city of London, which is in Europe and the city of Hong Kong in China. For the bonus part, I was able to notice the Point Park book store sign; it was near Lawrence Hall on the corner of Third Avenue and Wood Street. The camera was shooting up Wood Street. The football field scene was shot at Heinz Field home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, which is located in the North Shore of Pittsburgh.I am pretty sure the dessert scene was shot in Hong Kong and the opening scene of the movie was shot somewhere in Europe. Towards the end of the movie when the Batman was taking the bomb to blow up away from the city, he was going over the Hudson Bay in New York towards the Atlantic Ocean. There are a few sub stories throughout this movie. They are the introduction of the Cat Woman, she starts out as an enemy towards Bruce Wayne/Batman, but in the end she becomes an ally.The next sub story is with Fox. He makes all of the Batman’s weapons and vehicles. He also helps run Wayne Enterprises. He has helped the Batman is all of the movies. Another sub story is Alfred who is Bruce Wayne’s butler. He does a lot for Bruce, but just can’t take it anymore and leaves Bruce fearing that he is going to finally fail and die. He does not think that Gotham needs him anymore and will just turn on him. A more important sub story would be the involving the officer Blake.He does not give up on believing in the Batman and towards the end of the movie it sets everything up for next movie, because Officer Blake is actually Robin, who will probably be Batman’s sidekick according to the Batman Trilogy. So it sets up an exciting way to looking forward to the next Batman movie. The last sub story that was in this movie was about Bane and Miranda Tate and how they knew each other from the prison at Hell on Earth. Bane turned out to be Miranda’s protector in jail and helped her escape from the prison.His mouth got destroyed during the struggle of her escape. So that is why Bane wears a mask to be able to control the pain. Bane is trained under the league of shadows. He ended up using Daggit to get into the tunnels and then turning on him. They try to destroy Gotham, but we all know what eventually happened to stop them from doing so. Christopher Nolan did another great job with this latest Batman film. There obvious has to be a sequel to the movie before this one which was called The Dark Knight, probably a good reason why this latest movie was called The Dark Knight Rises.He also did not want to leave the Batman as a villain and wanted to turn things for him and make him into more of a superhero. He also tried to show that evil can be taken down by the effor ts of people coming together and forgetting about the past. This is a heavy action/adventure movie, but still a powerful message can come from it though. The message he was trying to show is that evil can be taken down and forgiveness can be made for someone who may seem evil, but can actually turn out to be a true super hero if given the opportunity.