Monday, August 24, 2020

Web search (see instruct) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Web search (see teach) - Essay Example Research has indicated various educational program models as viable. Imaginative educational program is a methodology, which depends on hypothesis and research of seeing how kids learn (teachingstrategies.com). It centers around hands on youngster focused methodology with imagination being the catchphrase. In a class when kids are recounted to a tale about boats in seas, rather than envisioning the scene they are educated and urged to set their vessels in water. This is a case of innovative educational program set up during the homeroom guidance. Then again, bank road educational plan centers around building communication among understudies and teaching a feeling of network feeling and social obligation in them (bankstreet.edu). The exercises are intended to transform youngsters into social people who care for and work for the prosperity of others. The endeavor is to familiarize the youngsters with the physical world, which is educated through playing with squares, paint, dirt, water and so forth. The possibility of making youngsters cooperate for example by getting them to work with squares, clears path for social connection and furthermore manufactures their relationship with the outside world. The Montessori technique has faith in investigating, self-study and concentrates more on setting up nature than the kid. (michealolaf.net) It isn't the instructor who teaches the youngster however the earth and friends around him. Subsequently the instructor must plan and adjust to the earth so as to build up the learning open door for the youngster. One more fascinating element is that the class size is moderately bigger than different classes in this way expanding the extension for autonomous learning. As indicated by the methodology, when a kid is left in a stay with other youngsters and instructive materials for organization, the learning is more than through cognizant exertion. This curricular model can be applied in class by setting a period for such an action. This strategy has been enormously fruitful, as research shows significant impact on

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Travel Restrictions to Cuba :: essays research papers

The US travel arrangement confines Cuban-Americans to venture out to Cuba once at regular intervals. Some concur that this assaults Family Values. Others concur with the movement limitation. Many feel its the best way to quit subsidizing the Communist Dictatorship. As of late an approach is the US venture out limitations to Cuba. The strategy has numerous limitations, But the most questionable states that Cuban American residents may visit Cuba just once at regular intervals( Farley and Thale, pg.1 ). The Policy speak to a fixing o f the US ban against Cuba( Farley and Thale, pg.1 ). This arrangement quits supporting the Cuban Economy and bans Americans from purchasing fine stogies and modest sugar, on different things at the expense of our national respect, however with regards to family issues, the approach is extremely viable in an incorrect manner. The new approach conflicts with family esteems. Â Â Â Â Â Through the History , The United State residents have in a roundabout way upheld the Cuban economy ( Sullivan, pg. 1 ). This arrangement stops the progression of cash into the Cuban Economy. In powerful harms the connections between Cuban-Americans and their families in Cuba. However, the strategy viably quits offering cash to Castro, and his fear based oppressor and deadly ways( Farley and Thale, pg.1 ). The arrangement claims it stops endeavors to impact conditions in Cuba. Halted states of supporting Castro, essentially halting the progression of data and abbreviating the privileges of standard American( Sullivan, pg. 2 ). Â Â Â Â Â Through the years the arrangement has experienced numerous updates. New alterations have been included includes new limitations and has left past piece of the strategy set up. The New arrangement rules are professed to assault family esteems. While some unequivocally contend that new modification are vital request to quit financing a socialist autocracy( Farley and Thale, pg.2 ). The arrangement has experienced an exceptionally later and disputable change. The arrangement Now just permit Cuban - Americans to visit Cuba just once since forever Three years, as contradict to at whatever point you needed. Fundamentally before ongoing corrections, you had the opportunity to travel every which way to Cuba however you wanted. Â Â Â Â Â The arrangement over has experienced powerful modifications. Cuban-Americans are the ones who are generally affected by the strategy. Fundamentally the individuals who have Cuban-American family in US with family in Cuba. The approach impacts the families in Cuba in light of the fact that as far as possible the measure of helpful help that Cuban-American families can provide for their family.

Thursday, July 16, 2020

How to Stop Overthinking With ADHD

How to Stop Overthinking With ADHD ADHD Living With ADD/ADHD Print How to Stop Overthinking When You Have ADHD By Jacqueline Sinfield facebook twitter Jacqueline Sinfield is an ADHD coach, and the author of Untapped Brilliance, How to Reach Your Full Potential As An Adult With ADHD. Learn about our editorial policy Jacqueline Sinfield Updated on January 13, 2020 ADHD Overview Symptoms Causes Diagnosis Treatment Living With In Children Anthony Harvie / Getty Images If you are living with ADHD, you are probably familiar with the concept of ‘overthinking’. It’s when your thoughts get caught in a loop,  and you go over and over the same thoughts without feeling better or finding a resolution. Your thinking might get stuck on day to day worries  or on future events. However,  a large portion of your overthinking is probably to do with events that happened in the past. Whether it was something that happened last week or decades ago, you keep wishing you had done or said something different. Feelings of shame or regret sweep over you. Because your brain works faster than people without ADHD, you can do more thinking loops than your non-ADHD peers. This  means you experience more of these negative feelings. It is helpful to reflect back on a situation and see what worked and what you would do differently next time.  On the other hand,  overthinking is damaging and can result in sadness or depression. It can make you feel anxious and lower your confidence in your ability to navigate the world.  It can also make you less social because you are self-conscious about what you say and do. Tips for Avoiding Overthinking Even if you have been an over-thinker your whole life, you can change. Here are four suggestions to help. Notice the Times You  Overthink Notice the specific times in the day when you do your overthinking.  For example:  in the shower, driving home from work,  etc. Then,  create a plan to stop the overthinking before it starts. You might set a timer for a 4-minute shower. That way,  you don’t have a chance to get lost in thought. In the car,  you might listen  to  an engaging podcast. Know Your Triggers There could be triggers in your life that make you more likely to overthink. For example:  feeling sad, sleep-deprived, hungover, or stressed. You might not be able to completely avoid those things, but if you know when you are more likely  to  overthink,  you can be more vigilant during those times. Actively  Process Your Concerns While overthinking  isn’t  good, actively processing your concerns or worries is very helpful. Sit down with a pen and paper and write down everything that is on your mind. On the other side of the paper, write down any concrete actions you could take that would help. For example,  if you constantly worry about doing presentations at work, join  Toastmasters. If you need to plan your vacation, break it into small actions to take. Such as  rent a car, book a hotel. If you overthink the past, is there something proactive you can do,  so it doesn’t happen again? Find Distraction Even after you have created a plan addressing your concerns, you might still overthink;  which is where distraction is helpful. Create a list of possible activities to distract yourself  rather than overthink. These activities need to be compelling and interesting enough for you to engage in them fully rather than thinking. What works for one person might not work for you, so you can personalize your list. Here are some suggestions: Have a conversation with a friendWatching a film or  TV  showPlay  a computer game or board gameExercisePerform an act of kindness for someone elseListen to music

Thursday, May 21, 2020

Essay on Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown and its Author

Initially, of course, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s literary works went unranked among those of other American and British writers. But his reputation grew gradually even among contemporary critics, until he was recognized as a â€Å"man of genius.† Edgar Allen Poe, in a review of Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† which had been written 12 years prior, said in Godeys Ladys Book, November, 1847, no. 35, pp. 252-6: It was never the fashion (until lately) to speak of him in any summary of our best authors. . . . The peculiarity or sameness, or monotone of Hawthorne, would, in its mere character of peculiarity, and without reference to what is the peculiarity, suffice to deprive him of all chance of popular appreciation. But at his†¦show more content†¦. . . The author considers that now, â€Å"after cycles of struggle and scathe,† Hawthorne is finally emerging into recognition for his work. In 1850 Herman Melville wrote â€Å"Hawthorne and His Mosses† for The Literary World, August 17 and 24 editions, in which he humbly acknowledges the genius of Nathaniel Hawthorne: Where Hawthorne is known, he seems to be deemed a pleasant writer, with a pleasant style,--a sequestered, harmless man, from whom any deep and weighty thing would hardly be anticipated:--a man who means no meanings. But there is no man, in whom humor and love, like mountain peaks, soar to such a rapt height, as to receive the irradiations of the upper skies;--there is no man in whom humor and love are developed in that high form called genius; no such man can exist without also possessing, as the indispensable complement of these, a great, deep intellect, which drops down into the universe like a plummet. . . . Who in the name of thunder, (as the country-people say in this neighborhood), who in the name of thunder, would anticipate any marvel in a piece entitled Young Goodman Brown? You would of course suppose that it was a simple little tale, intended as a supplement to Goody Two Shoes. Whereas, it is deep as Dante; nor can you finish it, without addressing the author in his own words--It isShow MoreRelated Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown – Poverty in the Tale and in the Life of the Author1565 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Young Goodman Brown† – the Poverty in the Tale and in the Life of the Author  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚   Henry Seidel Canby in â€Å"A Skeptic Incompatible with His Time and His Past† mentions of Hawthorne that â€Å"human failures and their causes were more interesting to him than prophecies of success, one might truly say than success itself. †¦He was not, I think, really interested in escape, except in moods of financial discouragement. . . . (57). Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† embodies traits of theRead MoreAnalysis Of Young Goodman Brown1179 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Young Goodman Brown† is an odd story with a deeper meaning than is apparent on the surface. Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote his short story â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† in 1835 with what seems like the intentions of gothic and romance features. However, looking further into the story of â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† it is clear to see that there is a possibility that the imagery displayed can lead to some interesting theories behind Hawthornes purpose, imagery, and symbolism in the text. Throughout the story, HawthorneRead MoreNathaniel Hawthorne s Young Goodman Brown1492 Words   |  6 PagesIn Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story of Young Goodman Brown, the author uses symbolism and allegories in order to showcase the Puritan faith as well as man’s conflict between good and evil. This analysis will breakdown the techniques that the author uses to critique the puritan society, and to show the difference between how people appear to be in society and the true colors that they are hidden inside of them. There has been a lot of great authors in our time, but none more interesting than NathanielRead More Ambiguity in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown Essay1743 Words   |  7 PagesAmbiguity in â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚         There is no end to the ambiguity in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†; this essay hopes to explore this problem.    Peter Conn in â€Å"Finding a Voice in an New Nation† makes a statement regarding Hawthorne’s ambiguity:      Almost all of Hawthorne’s finest stories are remote in time or place. The glare of contemporary reality immobillized his imagination. He required shadows and half-light, and he sought a nervous equilibriumRead MoreAnalysis Of Hawthorne s The Man s Fall 1438 Words   |  6 PagesCalvinistic, and ancient beliefs that form the basis of Hawthorne’s work (Hawthorne 392). Besides, the researcher notes that Hawthorne’s life is authentic although fictional. There is a psychological aspect of the story in that the man’s fall is unavoidable. The narration contains metaphoric and literal journey of the newlywed male character. However, he is making the treacherous journey with the devil himself therefore creating a spiritual crisis. Goodman Brown’s decision is ambiguous to his audience becauseRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Young Goodman Brown And The Devil And Tom Walker 1219 Words   |  5 PagesNathaniel Hawthorne and Washington Irving are two of the mo st prolific and successful writers of their era. Hawthorne’s, â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† is a story about a man, Goodman Brown who happens to set out on a trip for an evil purpose. On the way he meets a man who offers him his staff, saying that it might help him walk faster, but Goodman Brown refuses and wishes to return back to his village for the sake of his wife, Faith. On the other hand, Irving’s, â€Å"The Devil and Tom Walker† is about an individualRead MoreShort Story Analysis: Young Goodman Brown Essay1115 Words   |  5 Pagesmany a great author, but none more intriguing than Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hawthorne’s ability to weave stories through the use of complex language and early puritan society narratives has long been a topic of study amongst scholars and young adults, alike. â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† explores the idea of good vs. evil and draws many parallels to the life of Nathaniel Hawthorne. It is often debated whether man is born innately good or evil. In â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† it is possible to see Hawthorne’s stance onRead MoreAnalysis Of Nathaniel Hawthorne s The Great Gatsby 1416 Words   |  6 PagesMassachusetts, the Dark Romanticism author lived with some injuries, such as the death of his father. Yet, the wealth of his uncles helped him follow the dreams of becoming a writer. Hawthorne originally had no â€Å"w† in his name, yet he wanted to separate himself with the connection of one of his ancestors, John Hathorne, who was accused of using witchcraft. Edgar Allan Poe, born in the year 1809, in Boston, Massachusetts, was also a writer in Dark Romanticism. An orphan at a young age, Poe was going throughRead MoreThe Dichotomy of Self Reliance and Conformity1169 Words   |  5 Pages This was the Romanticism Period. An incredible number of miraculous masterpieces were contrived during this period of enlightenment, including Nathaniel H awthorne’s dramatically thematic and ambiguous short story, â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†, as well as Ralph Waldo Emerson’s intriguingly influential and uplifting essay, â€Å"Self-Reliance†. Hawthorne’s writing aspires to implicate theories and themes about the reality of the world we live in and to illustrate our individual limitations through the art ofRead MoreThe Brown s A Forest, And The Devil !1742 Words   |  7 PagesThe Brown’s, A Forest, and The Devil! Oh My Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† tells a tale of when man, who is supposedly good in nature, faces temptation and evil head on. The story, much like the tale of Adam Eve, is an allegory for the evil and selfishness of mankind; for young Goodman Brown s fight with his inner temptations and his outward struggle with the devil himself represents mankind s lost encounter within the battle of good and evil. Though it is not clear whether the events in

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

African American Women s Assimilation Into White Culture

This quote by Malcolm X was trying to spark deep internal thought to African-Americans, especially African-American women, audience about why African-American hated themselves and wanted to be white. This self-hatred and desire to be white stems from the pressure to absorb and assimilate to white culture, which calls for African-American women to deny their race completely. This is perpetuated by which is proliferated practices and rhetoric that suggest that being African-American is equated to being inferior. Thus African-American women have sustained an inferiority complex , which has become internalized through the consistent measuring of African-American women in comparison to white women. African-American women’s assimilation into†¦show more content†¦Slurs of racism to suggest that one group is superior will not be mentioned, but the undermining of other groups through various systemic practices of standards by visual/verbal rhetoric will be discussed. Problem: Detrimental Psychology As stated above, African-American women have been subjected to measure themselves against white women. White women are viewed, in this society and since the beginning of the concept of race, as the epitome of beauty. Logically, African-American women attempt to emulate the white standard. This creates an inferiority complex, because the epitome of beauty is white woman, than any other race can be deemed as inferior; this deteriorates African-American women’s self-worth. To remedy worthlessness, many body modification techniques have been made to fully mimic white women in terms of beauty. This emulation still is being done and it is continuous, because of the psychological ‘white fantasization . This white fantasization begins with the comparison of the African-American woman to the white woman in countenance who have pale complexions and finer hair, which is directly contrasted with African-American women’s more curly-coiled hair and varying complexions that are darker than those who have mostly a European racial background. To achieve thisShow MoreRelatedMulticultural Perspectives Of Practice : Msw 5531633 Words   |  7 Pagesexperienced spinal cord injury, which resulted in permanent paralyses such as paraplegia or quadriplegia. Ms. Cynthia Jackson was one of my clients that had an enormous impact on me. Ms. Jackson is 55 year old African American. Ms. Jackson served in the United Air force in the late 1970’s post-Vietnam War and was based in Germany. While serving in Air force, Ms. Jackson severely injured her back in tanker truck accident which resulted in paralysis in her lower exterminates. Ms. Jackson is wheelchairRead MoreBlack Cultures And Subcultu res Within The United States1091 Words   |  5 Pagesis a true melting pot of ethnicities and cultures. For many members of minority groups a certain hybridity is readily adopted, but for others, cultural assimilation can be quite difficult. Chicana author, Sandra Cisneros described this phenomenon as â€Å"always straddling two countries†¦ but not belonging to either culture† (Doyle. 54). African American author, Alice Walker shared Cisneros’ sentiment, but focused her attention on the assimilation of black cultures and subcultures within the United StatesRead MoreRace, Hegemony, and Cultural Participation1699 Words   |  7 PagesThere are many experiences and perspectives within a society and a culture. This paper will outline some of the experiences of African American women through American history. The paper connects sociological theories as a way to explain and contemplate hegemony, equality, and social relations. The paper analyzes two quotations from r eal and fictional characters that aptly circumscribe their experience in relation to White American hegemony. The paper concludes that theories such and Hegemony TheoryRead MoreThe Classification Of Native Americans1457 Words   |  6 PagesThe classification of Native Americans by the United States government has long produced tension. Native Americans within the United States are classified using standards that differ from those used to classify other racial or ethnic minorities, specifically African Americans. While, historically, the classification of African-Americans as relied upon the â€Å"one-drop† rule, the classification of Native Americans over the past hundred years has relied upon varying, complicated, and ultimately arbitraryRead MoreSocial Injustice: Invisibility and Suppression Among Minorities1254 Words   |  6 Pagespost-1865 American literature is the recurrent motif of suppression among minority groups in the United States. The literature provided in t he Heath Anthology reflects minority citizens like African Americans, Hispanics, and women. American literature during the 20th century serves as a critical lens to examine the social injustices faced by minority groups. Minority artists use literature to examine and redefine their pre-determined role in society. The critically acclaimed African American scholarRead MoreInterracial Relationships in American Society Essay652 Words   |  3 PagesInterracial Relationships in American Society Interracial Relationships in America should not surprise anyone in today s society, but are they considered ethically Wright. In Websters dictionary the meaning for ethics is Having to do with a group of people who have the same language and culture and share a way of life (Macmillan 1) . Prejudice and Discrimination are an all to common part of our cognitive social being, but many social psychologists believe that it canRead MoreThe Pursuit Of The American Dream1250 Words   |  5 Pagesof the American Dream in A Raisin in the Sun The American Dream embodies the ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity. However, there are several interpretations of the American Dream because the idea explores the personal values of individuals. The differentiation between priorities and contrasting views of success amongst individuals can often effect how one defines the American Dream. In A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry, the play addresses the struggles of African AmericansRead More Becoming American: Maintaining Identity Essay836 Words   |  4 Pages America is made up of every nationality on this planet. There is at least one person of each race and nationality on this continent. Immigrants impact our way of life more than we really know. America is assimilation and a multiculturalism collection of this world’s people. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;When the Americas were first discovered, it was just mere occasions where a fisherman had landed in the Americas and was not aware of what he had found. The actual finding that this was a new continentRead MoreAssimilation of Jews in the Interwar Period1374 Words   |  6 Pagesimmigrants and American born Jews faced increasing ant-Semitism and discrimination. The external pressure of anti-Semitism and discrimination led to many Jews facing internal anxieties and conflicts about being Jewish and fitting into American society. Assimilation during this period meant fitting into the white gentile majority’s standard of appearance, mannerisms, and middle class ideals. Common stereotypical images from the time depict Jews with large noses and curly hair, women were often portrayedRead MoreInterpretation Of Everything That Rises, Must Converge986 Words   |  4 PagesInterpretation of â€Å"Everything That Rises, Must Converge† â€Å"Everything That Rises, Must Converge† by Flannery O’Connor is a short story about a generational gap created by social conflict within 1960s and the Civil Rights Movement. Jillian is a young educated white male who begrudgingly accompanies his once prestigious Southern mother as she takes public transportation to her class at the Y. Julian’s mother is descended from a rich and cultured slave owning family who once owned a mansion. Unfortunately she and

Article Analysis Week 1 Economics 365 Free Essays

Week One Article Analysis ECO/365 January 16, 2012 Week One Article Analysis David Colander defines economics as â€Å"the study of how human beings coordinate their wants and desires, given the decision-making mechanisms, social customs, and political realities of the society† (Colander, 2010, p. 4). Coordination in this definition refers to production content, method, recipients, and even quantity. We will write a custom essay sample on Article Analysis Week 1 Economics 365 or any similar topic only for you Order Now To think like an economist one must analyze every situation by comparing the costs and benefits and make any decisions based on those findings (Colander, 2010). The study of microeconomics zeroes in on the individual and analyzes how economic forces affect the choices he or she makes. Economic forces will ensure that what people want and will pay to get will match what is available. This is the concept of supply and demand. If the prices are such that people are not willing to pay it to obtain an item or service, they will choose to buy less of it, not buy it, or buy a substitute. This is the working of the law of demand. The price affects both supply and demand. When prices increase, the demand decreases, and when prices decrease, the demand increases. In the law of supply, however, if prices increase, individuals and companies will increase the supply because the opportunity cost of not producing the product rises with the price (Colander, 2010). There are factors other than price that can lead to changes in supply as well as changes in demand. These could be government policies, taxes, income, social norms or expectations, political forces, tastes, and prices of other goods, to name a few. Four Steady Trends In the Harvard Business Review, Beinhocker, Davis, and Mendoca discuss 10 trends emerging in this economy. They consist of four trends that are steady, five that are accelerating, and one that is decelerating (Beinhocker, Davis, Mendonca, 2009). The four steady trends can be summarized as a scarcity of resources, the science of management, the economic growth of Asia, and progress in technological innovation (Beinhocker et al. , 2009). Because of the recession investment in the production of oil has been limited, and the prices on that which is available has climbed steadily over the last few years. Water resources are also seeing a strain because of the growth in population, industrialization, and changes in climate. The use of advanced quantitative tools to make managerial decisions continues to be a steady trend. Companies will continue to make decisions through analytical methods using data and computing rather than gut instinct as research has proven it to be effective. Asian countries have shown significant growth in modern technology, industrial practices, and organizational methods. Although the current recession has slowed the economic growth in Asia, it has not stopped it, and they continue to show remarkable development within their economy. The final trend that remains steady in their outline is the use of research and development. Companies will continue to budget for research and development to improve upon processes and increase proficiency. The payoff for this practice is too large for companies to ignore. Five Accelerating Trends Beinhocker et al. (2009) determined the five trends that are accelerating as loss of trust in business, government involvement in business, changing consumer-spending habits, reshaping of industries, and an unstable price environment. Companies are concerned with the decline of trust citizens have expresses toward corporations. This type of environment can make doing business difficult and more expensive. It is more difficult for businesses to attract and retain customers and talent. It also can lead to negative publicity or even boycotts. Leaders in corporate America need to demonstrate their understanding of citizens’ concerns relating to high-level compensation within their organizations, and their treatment of staff facing layoffs, among other things. Government has begun playing a much larger role in businesses since the turn in the economy started. Policy makers are taking part in decision-making processes previously conducted by managers and officers on the board. As in the past, when government becomes involved it most likely will mean a permanent change in its role (Beinhocker, Davis, Mendonca, 2009). The change in consumption patterns is due to the fact that the 80’s and 90’s saw high consumption by baby-boomers financing their purchases. As the recession began the boomers faced retirement buried nder large amounts of debt. This easily brought buying to a halt and with the aging population and depleted savings it will be a more slowly rise back to normal patterns. All industries are generally affected by a recession. The trend outlined here is that businesses will continue to reshape themselves during these times at an even higher rate. Taking advantage of opportunities that become present can reshape a busine ss’s competitive environment and give them an advantage in this economy. The final accelerated trend reviewed is the pattern of price instability. Over the past thirty years companies grew to expect an overall steady price environment. This is no longer the case. The article suggests that â€Å"rather than trying to accurately forecast inflation or deflation – an impossible task – companies should focus on how they might manage price instability† (Beinhocker et al. , 2009 p. 60). They recommend reviewing contracts with suppliers, wage agreements, policies on pricing, and hedging strategies to locate any dangers to the company in this area. Companies should make it a priority to refine their purchasing practices. The Single Decelerating Trend The final trend outlined in the article is the decelerating trend of globalization. Globalization seemed secure before the recession; however, some aspects of this trend are now questionable. Although the globalization of goods and services may slow for a period because of a decline in international trade and demand, it will not reverse entirely. The globalization of talent will also continue. Financial globalization is the area of most concern to strategists and is less likely to continue at its previous rate. It is suggested that companies test their business models under various globalization scenarios to uncover situations that may arise with tariffs, capital constraints, or restrictions on the movement of people. These are all very real possibilities outside of our country and help to explain the deceleration in the trend of globalization. References Beinhocker, E. , Davis, I. , Mendonca, L. (2009, July). The 10 trends you have to watch. Harvard Business Review, 87(7/8), 55-60. Retrieved from http://www. hbr. org Colander, D. C. (2010). Economics (8th ed. ). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. How to cite Article Analysis Week 1 Economics 365, Papers

Saturday, April 25, 2020

Memorisation then rote rehearsal Essay Example

Memorisation then rote rehearsal Paper The aim of my investigation was to investigate whether imagery was a better form of memorisation then rote rehearsal. Different psychologists have found one method to have a different level of effectiveness than the other. The one-tailed hypothesis for this investigation would be which is a better form of memorisation, imagery or rote rehearsal? The hypothesis was mainly concerned with investigating which factor, either imagery or rote rehearsal was the better form of memorisation. To investigate this, my aim is to use a group of 6th form students and examine which is the better form of memorisation. The study used repeated measures design. The sample I used was the opportunistic sample whereby I obtained those participants who were available to me at that time. I will be testing a representative sample of 20 students. The study will be carried out in a field setting. There will be some ethical issues that I will need to into consideration such as participants consent, right to withdrawal e. t. c. The results were collected on a sheet (appendix ). The words that were correctly remembered with the associated word were written down on the sheet. The participants were taken into a separate room so that other participants were not around, thus avoiding conferring and distraction. The results obtained showed that imagery is a better form of memorisation then rote rehearsal. It was found that more people INTRODUCTION There are various ways in which we can encode stimulus inputs. It may be stored as a visual representation so that you form a visual image of either the printed word itself or a pictorial image of it, or you could form an acoustic representation by saying the written word aloud. We will write a custom essay sample on Memorisation then rote rehearsal specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Memorisation then rote rehearsal specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Memorisation then rote rehearsal specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Alternatively you could form a semantic representation of the word, this would depend on your knowledge on the meaning of the word. My aim for this coursework is to find out weather imagery is a better form of storing information than rote rehearsal. Craik and Watkins distinguished between maintenance rehearsal and elaborative rehearsal. Maintenance rehearsal, in which material is rehearsed in the form in which it was presented (rote) Elaborative rehearsal, which elaborate the material in some way, e. g. by giving it a meaning or linking it with pre-existing knowledge Many psychologists have done research to suggest the procesess of encoding information. Atkinson and Shiffrin proposed the multi-store memory model, it attempted to explain how information from one storage system to another. The multi-store model sees rehearsal as the key control process, which transfers which helps to transfer information from short term-memory to long-term memory. The Brown-Peterson technique shows that STMs duration is very short and in the absence of rehearsal. However, information can be held in long-term memory almost indefinitely through maintenance rehearsal. Other Psychologists have tried to explain that imagery is a better technique for memorisation rather then rehearsal. Some psychologists who have done this are: Wollen et al (72). Bower and Springston Richardson et al (74). AIM My aim is to replicate the research carried out by Bower and Winzenz. They found that the imagery is a better technique for memorisation rather then rehearsal and that the participants of their research recalled more words using the technique process of imagery rather then rote rehearsal. The aim of the research is to see if the my findings will be the same as Bowers et al. HYPOTHESES Experimental hypothesis: There will be a significant difference between the number of words recalled using imagery rather than rote rehearsal, participants will remember more words using the technique of imagery rather than rote rehearsal. Null hypothesis: If any difference occurs between the number of words recalled using imagery and the number of words recalled using rehearsal, it will be due to chance alone DISSCUSSION From the experiment I found that recall was better when participants memorised the word using imagery. These results allow me to reject the null hypothesis, that all results will be due to chance alone and accept the experimental hypothesis. I have been able to fulfil my aim to find out if my findings will be the same or different as Bowers, the results are similar: that imagery was a better form of memorisation then rehearsal. Although this is true for the general results if we look at the individual results: participant 6 re-called three words using rehearsal but only one using imagery, this is true for several other participants. This could be due to the fact that the participants were actually using the imagery technique instead of rote rehearsal even though we had asked them not to. This is a point that needs to be taken into consideration if a repetition of the experiment is to be done. However it could be that rehearsal may actually be a better technique of memorisation, as some psychological research has found this to be correct. Some psychologists who found rehearsal is better technique for recall are Atkinson and Shiffrin, they found that rehearsal was a better technique for memorisation rather then imagery. They believed that memory traces in STM are fragile and can be lost within about 30 seconds unless they are repeated (rehearsed), if this is done them the materials remain for a lifetime. Richardson (72) supported the fact that imagery was a better technique compared to rehearsal. I think there are several ways for me to improve the research that I conducted if I were to re-do it. Instead of using sixth form students I will use adults, as some of the participants were not taking it seriously enough, that way the response is more likely to be more accurate. The research that I carried out did not take place in a natural environment so this could have affected the participants in some way, as they were aware this was an experiment. I could not have carried out my experiment in any other way, however if that was possible I would have had to break ethical issues such as consent and debriefing the participants: it would have been deception. I carried out the research in school, even though it was a classroom with its doors closed the participants were still affected by the noise made by other students walking past the classroom who were not participating in the experiment. Another limitation is that the number of participants involved was very small, to generalise I would need a much bigger sample as this way I would not be taking into account individual differences. Implications of the research: I could re-do this experiment but test imagery with other memory aids such as mnemonics and colour coding. As even though generally participants did better using imagery there were still some participants who did not, so it would be interesting to explore if other methods of recall are even better then memory Also I could use a much bigger participant sample, as this would allow mw to generalise my findings. My findings support and strengthen bowers research but question other researchers such as Anderson and Atkinson and Shiffrin. More Research is needed to discover what is the best method for recall.

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Only Murder

Only Murder Only Murder Only Murder By Maeve Maddox A reader commenting on Persian Is a Lovely Word wonders about the difference between assassination and murder: Maybe Farsi is a racist word like hashassin is. I mean, why use assassin when the word is only used for VIPs? Why are ordinary people only murdered? Where do we draw the line? Certainly political speech writers, advertisers and religious leaders know how to choose words for emotional impact, but i have to disagree with the notion that murder is somehow a lesser word to describe the act of taking a persons life. The word assassination has a specific meaning that has nothing to do with class perceptions. By VIP I assume that the reader means any kind of wealthy celebrity, for example an actor or a star athlete, and not just a corporate executive, senator, or president. According to this definition, both President McKinley and John Lennon were VIPs, but McKinley was assassinated, while Lennon was murdered. The word assassin derives from an Arabic word. 1531 (in Anglo-L. from c.1237), via Fr. and It., from Arabic hashishiyyin hashish-users, pl. of hashishiyy, from hashish (q.v.). A fanatical Ismaili Muslim sect of the time of the Crusades, under leadership of the Old Man of the Mountains (translates Arabic shaik-al-jibal, name applied to Hasan ibu-al-Sabbah), with a reputation for murdering opposing leaders after intoxicating themselves by eating hashish. The pl. suffix -in was mistaken in Europe for part of the word (cf. Bedouin). Online Etymology Dictionary In English the word has retained its political associations. The most usual targets of assassination attempts are presidents, kings and other high-ranking political leaders. The hope of the assassin is to bring about social change on a large scale by eliminating a person perceived to be not just famous, but powerful. By extension, assassination can apply to a murder committed for ideological reasons. The murder of obscure employees of an abortion clinic could be classed as assassination if the murderer acted from a desire to put a stop to the activities of the clinic. The connotation that assassin has for English speakers may not translate to other languages. French, for example, has two words for murderer: meurtrier and assassin. As far as I can tell, they are used interchangeably. Murder is one of the most dreadful and powerful words in the language. The Old English word morà °or meant the secret killing of a person. Even in a society in which killing was common because of war and the tradition of the blood feud, the word murder was reserved for the most contemptible and horrendous of cowardly acts. Both assassination and murder refer to the deliberate taking of a life, but to me the word murderer carries a stronger emotional punch than assassin. More words to describe deaths resulting from other than natural causes: manslaughter: c.1300, from O.E. mannslà ¦ht (Anglian), mannslieht (W.Saxon), from man (q.v.) + slà ¦ht, slieht act of killing. Etymologically identical with homicide, but in legal use usually distinguished from murder and restricted to simple homicide. homicide: killing, c.1230, from O.Fr. homicide, from L. homicidium, from homo man + cidium act of killing. The meaning person who kills is also from O.Fr., from L. homicida, from -cida killer. execution: c.1360, from O.Fr. execution, from L. executionem agent noun from exequi follow out, from ex- out + sequi follow (see sequel). Sense of act of putting to death is from M.E. legal phrases such as don execution of deth carry out a sentence of death. suicide: deliberate killing of oneself, 1651, from Mod.L. suicidium suicide, from L. sui of oneself Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Comma After i.e. and e.g.What is Dative Case?The Two Sounds of G

Sunday, March 1, 2020

Transition Metals †Properties of the Element Group

Transition Metals - Properties of the Element Group The largest group of elements is the transition metals. Here is a look at the location of these elements and their shared properties. What Is a Transition Metal? Of all the groups of elements, the transition metals can be the most confusing to identify because there are different definitions of which elements should be included. According to the IUPAC, a transition metal is any element with a partially filled d electron sub-shell. This describes groups 3 through 12 on the periodic table, although the f-block elements (lanthanides and actinides, below the main body of the periodic table) are also transition metals. The d-block elements are called transition metals, while the lanthanides and actinides are called inner transition metals. The elements are called transition metals because the English chemistry Charles Bury used the term in 1921 to describe the transition series of elements, which referred to the transition from an inner electron layer with a stable group of 8 electrons to one with 18 electrons or the transition from 18 electrons to 32. Location of the Transition Metals  on the Periodic Table The transition elements are located in groups IB to VIIIB of the periodic table. In other words, the transition metals are elements: 21 (scandium) through 29 (copper)39 (yttrium) through 47 (silver)57 (lanthanum) through 79 (gold)89 (actinium) through 112 (copernicium) - which includes the lanthanides and actinides Another way to view it is that the transition metals include the d-block elements, plus many people consider the f-block elements to be a special subset of transition metals. While aluminum, gallium, indium, tin, thallium, lead, bismuth, nihonium, flerovium, moscovium, and livermorium are metals, these basic metals have less metallic character than other metals on the periodic table and tend not to be considered as transition metals. Overview of Transition Metal Properties Because they possess the properties of metals, the transition elements are also known as the transition metals. These elements are very hard, with high melting points and boiling points. Moving from left to right across the periodic table, the five d orbitals become more filled. The d electrons are loosely bound, which contributes to the high electrical conductivity and malleability of the transition elements. The transition elements have low ionization energies. They exhibit a wide range of oxidation states or positively charged forms. The positive oxidation states allow transition elements to form many different ionic and partially ionic compounds. The formation of complexes causes the d orbitals to split into two energy sublevels, which enables many of the complexes to absorb specific frequencies of light. Thus, the complexes form characteristic colored solutions and compounds. Complexation reactions sometimes enhance the relatively low solubility of some compounds. Quick Summary of the Transition Metal  Properties Low ionization energiesPositive oxidation statesMultiple oxidation states, since there is a low energy gap between themVery hardExhibit metallic lusterHigh melting pointsHigh boiling pointsHigh electrical conductivityHigh thermal conductivityMalleableForm colored compounds, due to d-d electronic transitionsFive d orbitals become more filled, from left to right on the periodic tableTypically form paramagnetic compounds because of the unpaired d electronsTypically exhibit high catalytic activity

Friday, February 14, 2020

Causes of income inequality in the UK and evaluate the measures that Coursework

Causes of income inequality in the UK and evaluate the measures that could be used by the UK government to achieve a more equal distribution of wealth - Coursework Example income may involve engagement in jobs resulting to wages and salaries, self-employment, benefits accruing from welfares as well as incomes emanating from asset ownerships (Anderton, 2008, 38). On this perspective, it is significant to mention that there exists a notable difference in the structural division and distribution of income on global perspective. However, concerning the United Kingdom, it is evident that the issue of income inequality may feature in the poverty perspective. This involves absolute as well as relative poverty. The issue of income inequality in the United Kingdom has taken greater heights. There are several causes of such income inequalities evidenced in the United Kingdom. Some of these include the issues regarding employment of individuals in certain sectors of work in the United Kingdom. It is a fact that there exists a significant pay differentials amongst those people under employment schedules in all the countries in the world. This significant pay differential is also evident in the United Kingdom. This has led to difference in wages as well as salaries earned by the employees. This causes a significant inequality in income experienced in the United Kingdom (Anderton, 2009, 67). The difference in wages and salaries experienced by the employees follows the levels of differential in kills and expertise that each employee possesses. However, other reason that may lead to income inequality relevant to employment includes employee discrimination in the companies in which they are employe d. This leads to differences in payments thereby translating to income inequality. The other reason behind the inequality of income in the United Kingdom is associated with the differences in wealth amongst the individual members of the country (Harjes, 2007, 57). It is true that a wealthy person can rent his possessions to other prospective individuals and get huge amounts of income as opposed to the less wealthy individuals. This brings in the issue of

Saturday, February 1, 2020

Team Development Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Team Development - Research Paper Example After a few practices, I was beginning to question whether I was right to take on the role of the leader of a dance group. The initial few meetings with the group can best be described by Woodcock’s analysis of team development. During this time, the objectives of the group were unclear and feelings were not expressed among group members. This stage of team development is otherwise known as the â€Å"Undeveloped Team† (Woodcock 1979). The group members were more interested in checking their cell phones or simply chatting with each other. Because of this, everything that I said had to be repeated more than once so that everyone could follow along with the lesson plan. This inevitably led to two, three, or four-hour classes instead of just the usual hour. I was the one responsible for making the decisions of the group, and I felt like I wasn’t getting through as I would have liked. The experience that I had with this group was in direct contrast to the work of Wheelan et al. (2003), who state that the first stage of group development is dependency and inclusion (p. 224). In this theor y, group members are unsure of where they are heading and rely on the leader to provide direction. The first part of this statement is true except that the group that I was working with had no interest in performing at any great level; if they had the motivation to achieve highly, then I am sure that they would have warmed to me at the beginning. As time progressed, I began to grow weary at my attempts to try and get the group to take hold of what I was teaching them. Before the lessons began, many of them seemed interested in taking the class; there weren’t any other youth activities in the church for them to participate in. Perhaps it was simply that they took dance lessons for granted because there was nothing else to interest them. However, for me personally it felt as though I was banging my head against a brick wall. I knew that I had to do something to

Friday, January 24, 2020

The Guardian vs. The Mirror :: Papers

The Guardian vs. The Mirror I am doing an investigation into the statistical differences between the daily tabloid newspapers, and the weekly broadsheet newspapers. My overall hypothesis is that the daily tabloid papers - here represented by the Saturday edition of The Mirror, a daily tabloid - make an easier read than the more comprehensive broadsheet - here represented by the Guardian, a weekly broadsheet - To reach a conclusion, I plan to test three hypothesise in specific area. I will use a range of sampling methods, and presentation of data, in order to form valid conclusions. Planning 1 - My hypothesis is that the number of letters per word will be greater in the Guardian than in the Mirror. Number of letters - I will count the number of letters in every fourth word. In order to make my calculations accurate enough to reach a valid conclusion, I must collect a minimum of twenty pieces of data from each newspaper. I was planning to collect data from fourth word, in the first sentence on each page. However, if my second hypothesis is correct, then the sentences in the Guardian will be longer than those in The Mirror. This would corrupt the results, as some would be more accurate than others. So, I have decided to take the fourth and the eighth word from the first article on each page. The sections of each paper I have chosen are twenty-five pages long, so this will provide more than enough data to support any conclusion I reach, and should incorporate all sections of each newspaper. I will display my results in a data frequency chart. Then I will use averages and histograms, to compare the results and draw my conclusion. 2 - My second hypothesis is that the number of words per sentence will be fewer in The Mirror than in the Guardian. Number of words - I'll count the number of words in the first sentence, on each page. In order to make my calculations accurate enough to reach a valid

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Chapter 19 The Hungarian Horntail

The prospect of talking face-to-face with Sirius was all that sustained Harry over the next fortnight, the only bright spot on a horizon that had never looked darker. The shock of finding himself school champion had worn off slightly now, and the fear of what was facing him had started to sink in. The first task was drawing steadily nearer; he felt as though it were crouching ahead of him hike some horrific monster, barring his path. He had never suffered nerves like these; they were way beyond anything he had experienced before a Quidditch match, not even his last one against Slytherin, which had decided who would win the Quidditch Cup. Harry was finding it hard to think about the future at all; he felt as though his whole life had been heading up to, and would finish with, the first task†¦. Admittedly, he didn't see how Sirius was going to make him feel any better about having to perform an unknown piece of difficult and dangerous magic in front of hundreds of people, but the mere sight of a friendly face would be something at the moment. Harry wrote back to Sirius saying that he would be beside the common room fire at the time Sirius had suggested; and he and Hermione spent a long time going over plans for forcing any stragglers out of the common room on the night in question. If the worst came to the worst, they were going to drop a bag of Dungbombs, but they hoped they wouldn't have to resort to that – Filch would skin them alive. In the meantime, life became even worse for Harry within the confines of the castle, for Rita Skeeter had published her piece about the Triwizard Tournament, and it had turned out to be not so much a report on the tournament as a highly colored life story of Harry. Much of the front page had been given over to a picture of Harry; the article (continuing on pages two, six, and seven) had been all about Harry, the names of the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang champions (misspelled) had been squashed into the last line of the article, and Cedric hadn't been mentioned at all. The article had appeared ten days ago, and Harry still got a sick, burning feeling of shame in his stomach every time he thought about it. Rita Skeeter had reported him saying an awful lot of things that he couldn't remember ever saying in his life, let alone in that broom cupboard. I suppose I get my strength from my parents. I know they'd be very proud of me if they could see me now†¦.Yes, sometimes at night I still cry about them, I'm not ashamed to admit it†¦.I know nothing will hurt me during the tournament, because they're watching over me†¦ But Rita Skeeter had gone even further than transforming his â€Å"er's† into long, sickly sentences: She had interviewed other people about him too. Harry has at last found love at Hogwarts. His close friend, Colin Creevey, says that Harry is rarely seen out of the company of one Hermione Granger, a stunningly pretty Muggle-born girl who, like Harry, is one of the top students in the school. From the moment the article had appeared, Harry had had to endure people -Slytherins, mainly – quoting it at him as he passed and making sneering comments. â€Å"Want a hanky, Potter, in case you start crying in Transfiguration?† â€Å"Since when have you been one of the top students in the school, Potter? Or is this a school you and Longbottom have set up together?† â€Å"Hey – Harry!† â€Å"Yeah, that's right!† Harry found himself shouting as he wheeled around in the corridor, having had just about enough. â€Å"I've just been crying my eyes out over my dead mum, and I'm just off to do a bit more†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"No – it was just – you dropped your quill.† It was Cho. Harry felt the color rising in his face. â€Å"Oh – right – sorry,† he muttered, taking the quill back. â€Å"Er†¦good luck on Tuesday,† she said. â€Å"I really hope you do well.† Which left Harry feeling extremely stupid. Hermione had come in for her fair share of unpleasantness too, but she hadn't yet started yelling at innocent bystanders; in fact, Harry was full of admiration for the way she was handling the situation. â€Å"Stunningly pretty? Her?† Pansy Parkinson had shrieked the first time she had come face-to-face with Hermione after Rita's article had appeared. â€Å"What was she judging against – a chipmunk?† â€Å"Ignore it,† Hermione said in a dignified voice, holding her head in the air and stalking past the sniggering Slytherin girls as though she couldn't hear them. â€Å"Just ignore it, Harry.† But Harry couldn't ignore it. Ron hadn't spoken to him at all since he had told him about Snape's detentions. Harry had half hoped they would make things up during the two hours they were forced to pickle rats' brains in Snape's dungeon, but that had been the day Rita's article had appeared, which seemed to have confirmed Ron's belief that Harry was really enjoying all the attention. Hermione was furious with the pair of them; she went from one to the other, trying to force them to talk to each other, but Harry was adamant: He would talk to Ron again only if Ron admitted that Harry hadn't put his name in the Goblet of Fire and apologized for calling him a liar. â€Å"I didn't start this,† Harry said stubbornly. â€Å"It's his problem.† â€Å"You miss him!† Hermione said impatiently. â€Å"And I know he misses you -â€Å" â€Å"Miss him?† said Harry. â€Å"I don't miss him†¦Ã¢â‚¬  But this was a downright lie. Harry liked Hermione very much, but she just wasn't the same as Ron. There was much hess laughter and a lot more hanging around in the library when Hermione was your best friend. Harry still hadn't mastered Summoning Charms, he seemed to have developed something of a block about them, and Hermione insisted that learning the theory would help. They consequently spent a lot of time poring over books during their lunchtimes. Viktor Krum was in the library an awful lot too, and Harry wondered what he was up to. Was he studying, or was he looking for things to help him through the first task? Hermione often complained about Krum being there – not that he ever bothered them – but because groups of giggling girls often turned up to spy on him from behind bookshelves, and Hermione found the noise distracting. â€Å"He's not even good-looking!† she muttered angrily, glaring at Krum's sharp profile. â€Å"They only like him because he's famous! They wouldn't look twice at him if he couldn't do that Wonky-Faint thing -â€Å" â€Å"Wronski Feint,† said Harry, through gritted teeth. Quite apart from liking to get Quidditch terms correct, it caused him another pang to imagine Ron's expression if he could have heard Hermione talking about Wonky-Faints. It is a strange thing, but when you are dreading something, and would give anything to slow down time, it has a disobliging habit of speeding up. The days until the first task seemed to slip by as though someone had fixed the clocks to work at double speed. Harry's feeling of barely controlled panic was with him wherever he went, as everpresent as the snide comments about the Daily Prophet article. On the Saturday before the first task, all students in the third year and above were permitted to visit the village of Hogsmeade. Hermione told Harry that it would do him good to get away from the castle for a bit, and Harry didn't need much persuasion. â€Å"What about Ron, though?† he said. â€Å"Don't you want to go with him?† â€Å"Oh†¦well†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Hermione went slightly pink. â€Å"I thought we might meet up with him in the Three Broomsticks†¦.† â€Å"No,† said Harry flatly. â€Å"Oh Harry, this is so stupid -â€Å" â€Å"I'll come, but I'm not meeting Ron, and I'm wearing my Invisibility Cloak.† â€Å"Oh all right then†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Hermione snapped, â€Å"but I hate talking to you in that cloak, I never know if I'm looking at you or not.† So Harry put on his Invisibility Cloak in the dormitory, went back downstairs, and together he and Hermione set off for Hogsmeade. Harry felt wonderfully free under the cloak; he watched other students walking past them as they entered the village, most of them sporting Support Cedric Diggory! badges, but no horrible remarks came his way for a change, and nobody was quoting that stupid article. â€Å"People keep looking at me now,† said Hermione grumpily as they came out of Honeydukes Sweetshop later, eating large cream-filled chocolates. â€Å"They think I'm talking to myself.† â€Å"Don't move your lips so much then.† â€Å"Come on, please just take off your cloak for a bit, no one's going to bother you here.† â€Å"Oh yeah?† said Harry. â€Å"Look behind you.† Rita Skeeter and her photographer friend had just emerged from the Three Broomsticks pub. Talking in low voices, they passed right by Hermione without hooking at her. Harry backed into the wall of Honeydukes to stop Rita Skeeter from hitting him with her crocodile-skin handbag. When they were gone, Harry said, â€Å"She's staying in the village. I bet she's coming to watch the first task.† As he said it, his stomach flooded with a wave of molten panic. He didn't mention this; he and Hermione hadn't discussed what was coming in the first task much; he had the feeling she didn't want to think about it. â€Å"She's gone,† said Hermione, looking right through Harry toward the end of the street. â€Å"Why don't we go and have a butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks, it's a bit cold, isn't it? You don't have to talk to Ron!† she added irritably, correctly interpreting his silence. The Three Broomsticks was packed, mainly with Hogwarts students enjoying their free afternoon, but also with a variety of magical people Harry rarely saw anywhere else. Harry supposed that as Hogsmeade was the only all-wizard village in Britain, it was a bit of a haven for creatures like hags, who were not as adept as wizards at disguising themselves. It was very hard to move through crowds in the Invisibility Cloak, in case you accidentally trod on someone, which tended to lead to awkward questions. Harry edged slowly toward a spare table in the corner while Hermione went to buy drinks. On his way through the pub, Harry spotted Ron, who was sitting with Fred, George, and Lee Jordan. Resisting the urge to give Ron a good hard poke in the back of the head, he finally reached the table and sat down at it. Hermione joined him a moment later and slipped him a butterbeer under his cloak. â€Å"I look like such an idiot, sitting here on my own,† she muttered. â€Å"Lucky I brought something to do.† And she pulled out a notebook in which she had been keeping a record of S.P.E.W. members. Harry saw his and Ron's names at the top of the very short list. It seemed a long time ago that they had sat making up those predictions together, and Hermione had turned up and appointed them secretary and treasurer. â€Å"You know, maybe I should try and get some of the villagers involved in S.P.E.W.,† Hermione said thoughtfully, looking around the pub. â€Å"Yeah, right,† said Harry. He took a swig of butterbeer under his cloak. â€Å"Hermione, when are you going to give up on this spew stuff?† â€Å"When house-elves have decent wages and working conditions!† she hissed back. â€Å"You know, I'm starting to think it's time for more direct action. I wonder how you get into the school kitchens?† â€Å"No idea, ask Fred and George,† said Harry. Hermione lapsed into thoughtful silence, while Harry drank his butterbeer, watching the people in the pub. All of them looked cheerful and relaxed. Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbot were swapping Chocolate Frog cards at a nearby table; both of them sporting Support Cedric Diggory! badges on their cloaks. Right over by the door he saw Cho and a large group of her Ravenclaw friends. She wasn't wearing a Cedric badge though†¦.This cheered up Harry very slightly†¦. What wouldn't he have given to be one of these people, sitting around laughing and talking, with nothing to worry about but homework? He imagined how it would have felt to be here if his name hadn't come out of the Goblet of Fire. He wouldn't be wearing the Invisibility Cloak, for one thing. Ron would be sitting with him. The three of them would probably be happily imagining what deadly dangerous task the school champions would be facing on Tuesday. He'd have been really hooking forward to it, watching them do whatever it was†¦cheering on Cedric with everyone else, safe in a seat at the back of the stands†¦ He wondered how the other champions were feeling. Every time he had seen Cedric lately, he had been surrounded by admirers and looking nervous but excited. Harry glimpsed Fleur Delacour from time to time in the corridors; she looked exactly as she always did, haughty and unruffled. And Krum just sat in the library, poring over books. Harry thought of Sirius, and the tight, tense knot in his chest seemed to ease slightly. He would be speaking to him in just over twelve hours, for tonight was the night they were meeting at the common room fire – assuming nothing went wrong, as everything else had done lately†¦ â€Å"Look, it's Hagrid!† said Hermione. The back of Hagrid's enormous shaggy head – he had mercifully abandoned his bunches – emerged over the crowd. Harry wondered why he hadn't spotted him at once, as Hagrid was so large, but standing up carefully, he saw that Hagrid had been leaning low, talking to Professor Moody. Hagrid had his usual enormous tankard in front of him, but Moody was drinking from his hip flask. Madam Rosmerta, the pretty landlady, didn't seem to think much of this; she was looking askance at Moody as she collected glasses from tables around them. Perhaps she thought it was an insult to her mulled mead, but Harry knew better. Moody had told them all during their last Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson that he preferred to prepare his own food and drink at all times, as it was so easy for Dark wizards to poison an unattended cup. As Harry watched, he saw Hagrid and Moody get up to leave. He waved, then remembered that Hagrid couldn't see him. Moody, however, paused, his magical eye on the corner where Harry was standing. He tapped Hagrid in the small of the back (being unable to reach his shoulder), muttered something to him, and then the pair of them made their way back across the pub toward Harry and Hermione's table. â€Å"All right, Hermione?† said Hagrid loudly. â€Å"Hello,† said Hermione, smiling back. Moody limped around the table and bent down; Harry thought he was reading the S.P.E.W. notebook, until he muttered, â€Å"Nice cloak, Potter.† Harry stared at him in amazement. The large chunk missing from Moody's nose was particularly obvious at a few inches' distance. Moody grinned. â€Å"Can your eye – I mean, can you -?† â€Å"Yeah, it can see through Invisibility Cloaks,† Moody said quietly. â€Å"And it's come in useful at times, I can tell you.† Hagrid was beaming down at Harry too. Harry knew Hagrid couldn't see him, but Moody had obviously told Hagrid he was there. Hagrid now bent down on the pretext of reading the S.P.E.W. notebook as well, and said in a whisper so low that only Harry could hear it, â€Å"Harry, meet me tonight at midnight at me cabin. Wear that cloak.† Straightening up, Hagrid said loudly, â€Å"Nice ter see yeh, Hermione,† winked, and departed. Moody followed him. â€Å"Why does Hagrid want me to meet him at midnight?† Harry said, very surprised. â€Å"Does he?† said Hermione, looking startled. â€Å"I wonder what he's up to? I don't know whether you should go, Harry†¦.† She looked nervously around and hissed, â€Å"It might make you late for Sirius.† It was true that going down to Hagrid's at midnight would mean cutting his meeting with Sirius very fine indeed; Hermione suggested sending Hedwig down to Hagrid's to tell him he couldn't go – always assuming she would consent to take the note, of course – Harry, however, thought it better just to be quick at whatever Hagrid wanted him for. He was very curious to know what this might be; Hagrid had never asked Harry to visit him so late at night. At half past eleven that evening, Harry, who had pretended to go up to bed early, pulled the Invisibility Cloak back over himself and crept back downstairs through the common room. Quite a few people were still in there. The Creevey brothers had managed to get hold of a stack of Support Cedric Diggory! badges and were trying to bewitch them to make them say Support Harry Potter! instead. So far, however, all they had managed to do was get the badges stuck on POTTER STINKS. Harry crept past them to the portrait hole and waited for a minute or so, keeping an eye on his watch. Then Hermione opened the Fat Lady for him from outside as they had planned. He slipped past her with a whispered â€Å"Thanks!† and set off through the castle. The grounds were very dark. Harry walked down the lawn toward the lights shining in Hagrid's cabin. The inside of the enormous Beauxbatons carriage was also lit up; Harry could hear Madame Maxime talking inside it as he knocked on Hagrid's front door. â€Å"You there, Harry?† Hagrid whispered, opening the door and looking around. â€Å"Yeah,† said Harry, slipping inside the cabin and pulling the cloak down off his head. â€Å"What's up?† â€Å"Got summat ter show yeh,† said Hagrid. There was an air of enormous excitement about Hagrid. He was wearing a flower that resembled an oversized artichoke in his buttonhole. It looked as though he had abandoned the use of axle grease, but he had certainly attempted to comb his hair – Harry could see the comb's broken teeth tangled in it. â€Å"What're you showing me?† Harry said warily, wondering if the skrewts had laid eggs, or Hagrid had managed to buy another giant three-headed dog off a stranger in a pub. â€Å"Come with me, keep quiet, an' keep yerself covered with that cloak,† said Hagrid. â€Å"We won' take Fang, he won' like it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Listen, Hagrid, I can't stay long†¦.I've got to be back up at the castle by one o'clock -â€Å" But Hagrid wasn't listening; he was opening the cabin door and striding off into the night. Harry hurried to follow and found, to his great surprise, that Hagrid was leading him to the Beauxbatons carriage. â€Å"Hagrid, what -?† â€Å"Shhh!† said Hagrid, and he knocked three times on the door bearing the crossed golden wands. Madame Maxime opened it. She was wearing a silk shawl wrapped around her massive shoulders. She smiled when she saw Hagrid. â€Å"Ah, ‘Agrid†¦it is time?† â€Å"Bong-sewer,† said Hagrid, beaming at her, and holding out a hand to help her down the golden steps. Madame Maxime closed the door behind her, Hagrid offered her his arm, and they set off around the edge of the paddock containing Madame Maxime's giant winged horses, with Harry, totally bewildered, running to keep up with them. Had Hagrid wanted to show him Madame Maxime? He could see her any old time he wanted†¦she wasn't exactly hard to miss†¦. But it seemed that Madame Maxime was in for the same treat as Harry, because after a while she said playfully, â€Å"Wair is it you are taking me, ‘Agrid?† â€Å"Yeh'll enjoy this,† said Hagrid gruffly, â€Å"worth seein', trust me. On'y – don' go tellin' anyone I showed yeh, right? Yeh're not s'posed ter know.† â€Å"Of course not,† said Madame Maxime, fluttering her long black eyelashes. And still they walked, Harry getting more and more irritated as he jogged along in their wake, checking his watch every now and then. Hagrid had some harebrained scheme in hand, which might make him miss Sirius. If they didn't get there soon, he was going to turn around, go straight back to the castle, and leave Hagrid to enjoy his moonlit stroll with Madame Maxime†¦. But then – when they had walked so far around the perimeter of the forest that the castle and the lake were out of sight – Harry heard something. Men were shouting up ahead†¦then came a deafening, earsplitting roar†¦ Hagrid led Madame Maxime around a clump of trees and came to a halt. Harry hurried up alongside them – for a split second, he thought he was seeing bonfires, and men darting around them – and then his mouth fell open. Dragons. Four fully grown, enormous, vicious-looking dragons were rearing onto their hind legs inside an enclosure fenced with thick planks of wood, roaring and snorting – torrents of fire were shooting into the dark sky from their open, fanged mouths, fifty feet above the ground on their outstretched necks. There was a silvery-blue one with long, pointed horns, snapping and snarling at the wizards on the ground; a smooth-scaled green one, which was writhing and stamping with all its might; a red one with an odd fringe of fine gold spikes around its face, which was shooting mushroom-shaped fire clouds into the air; and a gigantic black one, more lizard-hike than the others, which was nearest to them. At least thirty wizards, seven or eight to each dragon, were attempting to control them, pulling on the chains connected to heavy leather straps around their necks and legs. Mesmerized, Harry looked up, high above him, and saw the eyes of the black dragon, with vertical pupils like a cat's, bulging with either fear or rage, he couldn't tell which†¦.It was making a horrible noise, a yowling, screeching scream†¦. â€Å"Keep back there, Hagrid!† yelled a wizard near the fence, straining on the chain he was holding. â€Å"They can shoot fire at a range of twenty feet, you know! I've seen this Horntail do forty!† â€Å"Is'n' it beautiful?† said Hagrid softly. â€Å"It's no good!† yelled another wizard. â€Å"Stunning Spells, on the count of three!† Harry saw each of the dragon keepers pull out his wand. â€Å"Stupefy!† they shouted in unison, and the Stunning Spells shot into the darkness like fiery rockets, bursting in showers of stars on the dragons' scaly hides – Harry watched the dragon nearest to them teeter dangerously on its back legs; its jaws stretched wide in a silent howl; its nostrils were suddenly devoid of flame, though still smoking – then, very slowly, it fell. Several tons of sinewy, scaly-black dragon hit the ground with a thud that Harry could have sworn made the trees behind him quake. The dragon keepers lowered their wands and walked forward to their fallen charges, each of which was the size of a small hill. They hurried to tighten the chains and fasten them securely to iron pegs, which they forced deep into the ground with their wands. â€Å"Wan' a closer look?† Hagrid asked Madame Maxime excitedly. The pair of them moved right up to the fence, and Harry followed. The wizard who had warned Hagrid not to come any closer turned, and Harry realized who it was: Charlie Weasley. â€Å"All right, Hagrid?† he panted, coming over to talk. â€Å"They should be okay now – we put them out with a Sleeping Draft on the way here, thought it might be better for them to wake up in the dark and the quiet – but, like you saw, they weren't happy, not happy at all -â€Å" â€Å"What breeds you got here, Charlie?† said Hagrid, gazing at the closest dragon, the black one, with something chose to reverence. Its eyes were still just open. Harry could see a strip of gleaming yellow beneath its wrinkled black eyelid. â€Å"This is a Hungarian Horntail,† said Charlie. â€Å"There's a Common Welsh Green over there, the smaller one – a Swedish Short-Snout, that blue-gray – and a Chinese Fireball, that's the red.† Charlie looked around; Madame Maxime was strolling away around the edge of the enclosure, gazing at the stunned dragons. â€Å"I didn't know you were bringing her, Hagrid,† Charlie said, frowning. â€Å"The champions aren't supposed to know what's coming – she's bound to tell her student, isn't she?† â€Å"Jus' thought she'd like ter see 'em,† shrugged Hagrid, still gazing, enraptured, at the dragons. â€Å"Really romantic date, Hagrid,† said Charlie, shaking his head. â€Å"Four†¦Ã¢â‚¬  said Hagrid, â€Å"so it's one fer each o' the champions, is it? What've they gotta do – fight 'em?† â€Å"Just get past them, I think,† said Charlie. â€Å"We'll be on hand if it gets nasty, Extinguishing Spells at the ready. They wanted nesting mothers, I don't know why†¦but I tell you this, I don't envy the one who gets the Horntail. Vicious thing. Its back end's as dangerous as its front, look.† Charlie pointed toward the Horntail's tail, and Harry saw long, bronze-colored spikes protruding along it every few inches. Five of Charlie's fellow keepers staggered up to the Horntail at that moment, carrying a clutch of huge granite-gray eggs between them in a blanket. They placed them carefully at the Horntail's side. Hagrid let out a moan of longing. â€Å"I've got them counted, Hagrid,† said Charlie sternly. Then he said, â€Å"How's Harry?† â€Å"Fine,† said Hagrid. He was still gazing at the eggs. â€Å"Just hope he's still fine after he's faced this lot,† said Charlie grimly, looking out over the dragons' enclosure. â€Å"I didn't dare tell Mum what he's got to do for the first task; she's already having kittens about him†¦.† Charlie imitated his mother's anxious voice. â€Å"‘How could they let him enter that tournament, he's much too young! I thought they were all safe, I thought there was going to be an age limit!' She was in floods after that Daily Prophet article about him. ‘He still cries about his parents! Oh bless him, I never knew!'† Harry had had enough. Trusting to the fact that Hagrid wouldn't miss him, with the attractions of four dragons and Madame Maxime to occupy him, he turned silently and began to walk away, back to the castle. He didn't know whether he was glad he'd seen what was coming or not. Perhaps this way was better. The first shock was over now. Maybe if he'd seen the dragons for the first time on Tuesday, he would have passed out cold in front of the whole school†¦but maybe he would anyway†¦.He was going to be armed with his wand – which, just now, felt like nothing more than a narrow strip of wood – against a fifty-foot-high, scaly, spike-ridden, fire-breathing dragon. And he had to get past it. With everyone watching. How? Harry sped up, skirting the edge of the forest; he had just under fifteen minutes to get back to the fireside and talk to Sirius, and he couldn't remember, ever, wanting to talk to someone more than he did right now – when, without warning, he ran into something very solid. Harry fell backward, his glasses askew, clutching the cloak around him. A voice nearby said, â€Å"Ouch! Who's there?† Harry hastily checked that the cloak was covering him and hay very still, staring up at the dark outline of the wizard he had hit. He recognized the goatee†¦it was Karkaroff. â€Å"Who's there?† said Karkaroff again, very suspiciously, looking around in the darkness. Harry remained still and silent. After a minute or so, Karkaroff seemed to decide that he had hit some sort of animal; he was looking around at waist height, as though expecting to see a dog. Then he crept back under the cover of the trees and started to edge forward toward the place where the dragons were. Very slowly and very carefully, Harry got to his feet and set off again as fast as he could without making too much noise, hurrying through the darkness back toward Hogwarts. He had no doubt whatsoever what Karkaroff was up to. He had sneaked off his ship to try and find out what the first task was going to be. He might even have spotted Hagrid and Madame Maxime heading off around the forest together – they were hardly difficult to spot at a distance†¦and now all Karkaroff had to do was follow the sound of voices, and he, like Madame Maxime, would know what was in store for the champions. By the looks of it, the only champion who would be facing the unknown on Tuesday was Cedric. Harry reached the castle, slipped in through the front doors, and began to climb the marble stairs; he was very out of breath, but he didn't dare slow down†¦.He had less than five minutes to get up to the fire†¦. â€Å"Balderdash!† he gasped at the Fat Lady, who was snoozing in her frame in front of the portrait hole. â€Å"If you say so,† she muttered sleepily, without opening her eyes, and the picture swung forward to admit him. Harry climbed inside. The common room was deserted, and, judging by the fact that it smelled quite normal, Hermione had not needed to set off any Dungbombs to ensure that he and Sirius got privacy. Harry pulled off the Invisibility Cloak and threw himself into an armchair in front of the fire. The room was in semidarkness; the flames were the only source of light. Nearby, on a table, the Support Cedric Diggory! badges the Creeveys had been trying to improve were glinting in the firelight. They now read POTTER REALLY STINKS. Harry looked back into the flames, and jumped. Sirius's head was sitting in the fire. If Harry hadn't seen Mr. Diggory do exactly this back in the Weasleys' kitchen, it would have scared him out of his wits. Instead, his face breaking into the first smile he had worn for days, he scrambled out of his chair, crouched down by the hearth, and said, â€Å"Sirius – how're you doing?† Sirius looked different from Harry's memory of him. When they had said good-bye, Sirius's face had been gaunt and sunken, surrounded by a quantity of long, black, matted hair – but the hair was short and clean now, Sirius's face was fuller, and he looked younger, much more like the only photograph Harry had of him, which had been taken at the Potters' wedding. â€Å"Never mind me, how are you?† said Sirius seriously. â€Å"I'm -† For a second, Harry tried to say â€Å"fine† – but he couldn't do it. Before he could stop himself, he was talking more than he'd talked in days – about how no one believed he hadn't entered the tournament of his own free will, how Rita Skeeter had lied about him in the Daily Prophet, how he couldn't walk down a corridor without being sneered at – and about Ron, Ron not believing him, Ron's jealousy†¦ â€Å"†¦and now Hagrid's just shown me what's coming in the first task, and it's dragons, Sirius, and I'm a goner,† he finished desperately. Sirius looked at him, eyes full of concern, eyes that had not yet lost the look that Azkaban had given them – that deadened, haunted look He had let Harry talk himself into silence without interruption, but now he said, â€Å"Dragons we can deal with, Harry, but we'll get to that in a minute – I haven't got long here†¦I've broken into a wizarding house to use the fire, but they could be back at any time. There are things I need to warn you about.† â€Å"What?† said Harry, feeling his spirits slip a further few notches†¦.Surely there could be nothing worse than dragons coming? â€Å"Karkaroff,† said Sirius. â€Å"Harry, he was a Death Eater. You know what Death Eaters are, don't you?† â€Å"Yes – he – what?† â€Å"He was caught, he was in Azkaban with me, but he got released. I'd bet everything that's why Dumbledore wanted an Auror at Hogwarts this year – to keep an eye on him. Moody caught Karkaroff. Put him into Azkaban in the first place.† â€Å"Karkaroff got released?† Harry said slowly – his brain seemed to be struggling to absorb yet another piece of shocking information. â€Å"Why did they release him?† â€Å"He did a deal with the Ministry of Magic,† said Sirius bitterly. â€Å"He said he'd seen the error of his ways, and then he named names†¦he put a load of other people into Azkaban in his place†¦.He's not very popular in there, I can tell you. And since he got out, from what I can tell, he's been teaching the Dark Arts to every student who passes through that school of his. So watch out for the Durmstrang champion as well.† â€Å"Okay,† said Harry slowly. â€Å"But†¦are you saying Karkaroff put my name in the goblet? Because if he did, he's a really good actor. He seemed furious about it. He wanted to stop me from competing.† â€Å"We know he's a good actor,† said Sirius, â€Å"because he convinced the Ministry of Magic to set him free, didn't he? Now, I've been keeping an eye on the Daily Prophet, Harry -â€Å" â€Å"- you and the rest of the world,† said Harry bitterly. â€Å"- and reading between the lines of that Skeeter woman's article last month, Moody was attacked the night before he started at Hogwarts. Yes, I know she says it was another false alarm,† Sirius said hastily, seeing Harry about to speak, â€Å"but I don't think so, somehow. I think someone tried to stop him from getting to Hogwarts. I think someone knew their job would be a lot more difficult with him around. And no one's going to look into it too closely; Mad-Eye's heard intruders a bit too often. But that doesn't mean he can't still spot the real thing. Moody was the best Auror the Ministry ever had.† â€Å"So†¦what are you saying?† said Harry slowly. â€Å"Karkaroff's trying to kill me? But – why?† Sirius hesitated. â€Å"I've been nearing some very strange things,† he said slowly. â€Å"The Death Eaters seem to be a bit more active than usual lately. They showed themselves at the Quidditch World Cup, didn't they? Someone set off the Dark Mark†¦and then – did you hear about that Ministry of Magic witch who's gone missing?† â€Å"Bertha Jorkins?† said Harry. â€Å"Exactly†¦she disappeared in Albania, and that's definitely where Voldemort was rumored to be last†¦and she would have known the Triwizard Tournament was coming up, wouldn't she?† â€Å"Yeah, but†¦it's not very likely she'd have walked straight into Voldemort, is it?† said Harry. â€Å"Listen, I knew Bertha Jorkins,† said Sirius grimly. â€Å"She was at Hogwarts when I was, a few years above your dad and me. And she was an idiot. Very nosy, but no brains, none at all. It's not a good combination, Harry. I'd say she'd be very easy to lure into a trap.† â€Å"So†¦so Voldemort could have found out about the tournament?† said Harry. â€Å"Is that what you mean? You think Karkaroff might be here on his orders?† â€Å"I don't know,† said Sirius slowly, â€Å"I just don't know†¦Karkaroff doesn't strike me as the type who'd go back to Voldemort unless he knew Voldemort was powerful enough to protect him. But whoever put your name in that goblet did it for a reason, and I can't help thinking the tournament would be a very good way to attack you and make it hook like an accident.† â€Å"Looks hike a really good plan from where I'm standing,† said Harry grinning bleaky. â€Å"They'll just have to stand back and let the dragons do their stuff.† â€Å"Right – these dragons,† said Sirius, speaking very quickly now. â€Å"There's a way, Harry. Don't be tempted to try a Stunning Spell – dragons are strong and too powerfully magical to be knocked out by a single Stunner, you need about half a dozen wizards at a time to overcome a dragon -â€Å" â€Å"Yeah, I know, I just saw,† said Harry. â€Å"But you can do it alone,† said Sirius. â€Å"There is away, and a simple spell's all you need. Just -â€Å" But Harry held up a hand to silence him, his heart suddenly pounding as though it would burst. He could hear footsteps coming down the spiral staircase behind him. â€Å"Go!† he hissed at Sirius. † Go! There's someone coming!† Harry scrambled to his feet, hiding the fire – if someone saw Sirius's face within the walls of Hogwarts, they would raise an almighty uproar – the Ministry would get dragged in – he, Harry, would be questioned about Sirius's whereabouts – Harry heard a tiny pop! in the fire behind him and knew Sirius had gone. He watched the bottom of the spiral staircase. Who had decided to go for a stroll at one o'clock in the morning, and stopped Sirius from telling him how to get past a dragon? It was Ron. Dressed in his maroon paisley pajamas, Ron stopped dead facing Harry across the room, and looked around. â€Å"Who were you talking to?† he said. â€Å"What's that got to do with you?† Harry snarled. â€Å"What are you doing down here at this time of night?† â€Å"I just wondered where you -† Ron broke off, shrugging. â€Å"Nothing. I'm going back to bed.† â€Å"Just thought you'd come nosing around, did you?† Harry shouted. He knew that Ron had no idea what he'd walked in on, knew he hadn't done it on purpose, but he didn't care – at this moment he hated everything about Ron, right down to the several inches of bare ankle showing beneath his pajama trousers. â€Å"Sorry about that,† said Ron, his face reddening with anger. â€Å"Should've realized you didn't want to be disturbed. I'll let you get on with practicing for your next interview in peace.† Harry seized one of the POTTER REALLY STINKS badges off the table and chucked it, as hard as he could, across the room. It hit Ron on the forehead and bounced off. â€Å"There you go,† Harry said. â€Å"Something for you to wear on Tuesday. You might even have a scar now, if yon're lucky†¦.That's what you want, isn't it?† He strode across the room toward the stairs; he half expected Ron to stop him, he would even have liked Ron to throw a punch at him, but Ron just stood there in his too-small pajamas, and Harry, having stormed upstairs, lay awake in bed fuming for a long time afterward and didn't hear him come up to bed.

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Jobs for Writer Applicants 10 Tips to Get Employment with Services Like ThePensters

Freelance writing is becoming one of the most rapidly growing employment opportunities in the country. Nearly every household has access to wireless Internet, and many jobs can even be completed through the typing and submission functions on a basic smartphone. Writing can be done anywhere, at any time of day, and by writers with a variety of experiencesnot just graduates of English PhD programs. The advent of writing services, such as ThePensters, has made jobs for writers easily accessible and readily available. However, they can be highly competitive, and it’s not uncommon for writers to be turned down due to factors such as lack of skills and relevant experiences. Luckily, there are a few tried-and-true tips to help you make sure you land the jobor jobsof your dreams. 1. Join a Range of Services This tip is pretty easy to execute. Don’t limit yourself to just one online writing service. There are hundreds of services out there. Register for and complete profiles at a variety of writing services to enhance your visibility and likelihood of being hired. As an added bonus, this helps prevent boredom and burnout while you’re waiting to hear back from various postings. 2. Select Strong Samples This should go without saying, but whatever you do, make sure you pick only the cream-of-the-crop articles to use as your samples. Writing samples are what your clients see first from you. Don’t pick the so-so piece in College English 101 that has gained you a B+. Pick the best pieces and make sure they are formatted so that they are easy to read. 3. Start Small If you have no writing experience, consider working for no or for little pay. Building up your portfolio is advantageous as you can show how strong writer you are before moving on to bigger, higher-risk projects. 4. Present Yourself Well Don’t rely on your samples to tell the full story. Include a resume or other relevant information about you, your academic background, your work experiences, and your writing history. Make sure you really sell yourself, as this is your only opportunity to do so. 5. Post a Variety of Work Samples In addition to selecting high-quality samples of writing, you should also aim to select a diverse grouping of writing samples. If you write for a wide range of audiences, don’t pick samples that only reflect articles written for a business magazine, for example. Show your future clients how diverse and flexible you can be in your writing, even if that means stepping outside of your comfort zone. 6. Use Your Website If you post regularly on a blog or another website, make sure you provide links to show how well you can manage your time and resources. 7. Network Reach out to writing buddies to revise and proofread your samples, or for recommendations for related jobs. Make connections with publishers, web editors, and other influential individuals. 8. Ask for a Referral If you’ve already built up a small or medium-sized client base, ask for a reference or a referral. Like reviews on products sold on Amazon, referrals and references help future clients see what previous clients liked best about working with you. 9. Dedicate Serious Time Finding good, reliable work takes time. Dont expect to become an award-winning, million-dollar salaried writer overnight. This is a competitive business. Be patient and diligent, and the work will come to you one day. 10. Know When to Say NO Although it doesn’t hurt to pick up the occasional low-pay job, know your overall worth. If you are regularly landing high-dollar contracts, don’t waste your time by fooling around with low-budget employers or clients. Know when your resources are stretched to the max and dont be afraid to say ‘No!’. When you’re looking for the perfect online writing job, it can, at times, seem radically overwhelming. By exercising some patience and practicing your craft of writing regularly, you’ll soon find that your applications move to the top more frequently, and you receive jobs more often than not.