How Bills Become Laws in the US Congress

How Bills Become Laws in the US Congress Article I, Section 1 of the United States Constitution grants all legislative- bill making- powers to the U.S. Congress, made up of a Senate and a House of Representatives. In addition to its legislative powers, the Senate has the power to â€Å"advise and consent† in matters of treaties negotiated with foreign nations and nominations to non-elected federal offices made by the President of the United States. Congress also has the legislative power to amend the Constitution, declare war, and to approve all matters concerning the federal government’s expenditures and operating budget. Finally, under the Necessary and Proper and Commerce Clauses of Section 8 of the Constitution, Congress exercises powers not explicitly enumerated elsewhere in the Constitution. Under these so-called â€Å"implied powers,† Congress is allowed, â€Å"To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by th is Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof.† Through these constitutionally-granted powers, Congress considers thousands of bills each session. Yet, only a small percentage of them will ever reach the top of the presidents desk for final approval or ​veto. Along their way to the White House, bills traverse a maze of committees and subcommittees, debates, and amendments in both chambers of Congress. The following is a simple explanation of the process required for a bill to become a law. For a complete explanation, see... How Our Laws Are Made (Library of Congress) Revised and Updated by Charles W. Johnson, Parliamentarian, United States House of Representatives. Step 1: Introduction Only a member of Congress (House or Senate) can introduce the bill for consideration. The Representative or Senator who introduces the bill becomes its sponsor. Other legislators who support the bill or work on its preparation can ask to be listed as co-sponsors. Important bills usually have several co-sponsors. Four basic types of legislation, all commonly referred to as bills or measures are considered by Congress: Bills, Simple Resolutions, Joint Resolutions, and Concurrent Resolutions. A bill or resolution has officially been introduced when it has been assigned a number (H.R. # for House Bills or S. # for Senate Bills) and printed in the Congressional Record by the Government Printing Office. Step 2: Committee Consideration All bills and resolutions are referred to one or more House or Senate committees according to their specific rules. Step 3: Committee Action The committee considers the bill in detail. For example, the powerful House Ways and Means Committee and Senate Appropriations Committee will consider a bills potential impact on the Federal Budget. If the committee approves the bill, it moves on in the legislative process. Committees reject bills by simply not acting on them. Bills that fail to get committee action are said to have died in committee, as many do. Step 4: Subcommittee Review The committee sends some bills to a subcommittee for further study and public hearings. Just about anyone can present testimony at these hearings. Government officials, industry experts, the public, anyone with an interest in the bill can give testimony either in person or in writing. Notice of these hearings, as well as instructions for presenting testimony, is officially published in the Federal Register. Step 5: Mark Up If the subcommittee decides to report (recommend) a bill back to the full committee for approval, they may first make changes and amendments to it. This process is called Mark Up. If the subcommittee votes not to report a bill to the full committee, the bill dies right there. Step 6: Committee Action Reporting a Bill The full committee now reviews the deliberations and recommendations of the subcommittee. The committee may now conduct further review, hold more public hearings, or simply vote on the report from the subcommittee. If the bill is to go forward, the full committee prepares and votes on its final recommendations to the House or Senate. Once a bill has successfully passed this stage it is said to have been ordered reported or simply reported. Step 7: Publication of Committee Report Once a bill has been reported (See Step 6:) a report about the bill is written and published. The report will include the purpose of the bill, its impact on existing laws, budgetary considerations, and any new taxes or tax increases that will be required by the bill. The report also typically contains transcripts from public hearings on the bill, as well as the opinions of the committee for and against the proposed bill. Step 8: Floor Action Legislative Calendar The bill will now be placed on the legislative calendar of the House or Senate and scheduled (in chronological order) for floor action or debate before the full membership. The House has several legislative calendars. The Speaker of the House and House Majority Leader decide the order in which reported bills will be debated. The Senate, having only 100 members and considering fewer bills, has only one legislative calendar. Step 9: Debate Debate for and against the bill proceeds before the full House and Senate according to strict rules of consideration and debate. Step 10: Voting Once debate has ended and any amendments to the bill have been approved, the full membership will vote for or against the bill. Methods of voting allow for a voice vote or a roll-call vote. Step 11: Bill Referred to Other Chamber Bills approved by one chamber of Congress (House or Senate) are now sent to the other chamber where they will follow pretty much the same track of committee to debate to vote. The other chamber may approve, reject, ignore, or amend the bill. Step 12: Conference Committee If the second chamber to consider a bill changes it significantly, a conference committee made up of members of both chambers will be formed. The conference committee works to reconcile differences between the Senate and House versions of the bill. If the committee cannot agree, the bill simply dies. If the committee does agree on a compromise version of the bill, they prepare a report detailing the changes they have proposed. Both the House and Senate must approve the report of the conference committee or the bill will be sent back to them for further work. Step 13: Final Action - Enrollment Once both the House and Senate have approved the bill in identical form, it becomes Enrolled and sent to the President of the United States. The President may sign the bill into law. The President can also take no action on the bill for ten days while Congress is in session and the bill will automatically become law. If the President is opposed to the bill, he can veto it. If he takes no action on the bill for ten days after Congress has adjourned their second session, the bill dies. This action is called a pocket veto. Step 14: Overriding the Veto Congress can attempt to override a presidential veto of a bill and force it into law, but doing so requires a 2/3 vote by a quorum of members in both the House and Senate.  Under Article I, Section 7 of the U.S. Constitution, overriding a presidential veto requires both the House and Senate to approve the override measure by two-thirds,​ a  supermajority vote of the members present. Assuming that all 100 members of the Senate and all 435 members of the House are present for the vote, the override measure would need 67 votes in the Senate and 218 votes in the House.

Credence

Credence Credence Credence By Maeve Maddox I started wondering about the use of the word credence when I noticed the following headline on an entertainment news site: Al Pacino gives credence to James Gunns ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ The noun credence (KREE-dns] usually functions as a synonym for credibility or believability. For example, â€Å"The premise of the argument lacks credence.† As much as I enjoyed the Gunn film, I find nothing believable about a tree creature that wins everyone’s affection by saying the same three words again and again, or a genetically engineered raccoon with anger issues. I decided to find out if credence has another meaning that fits the context of that headline. Credence belongs to a family of English words that derive from the Latin verb credere, â€Å"to believe.† For example: credo: a religious belief, a guide to behavior. credible: believable. credential: official documentation indicating that a person may be trusted. credit: favorable reputation; trustworthiness in financial matters. creditable: that which does a person credit, praiseworthy. credulity: a readiness to believe. credulous: inclined to believe on the basis of little evidence. The noun credence occurs most often in the idiom â€Å"to lend (or give) credence to†: It really gives credence to the live singing in the movie to see them actually do it live onstage, Meron said. We  seem to live in a celebrity world. A world where being famous has more credence than being brilliant or a good person. During the McCarthy Era, suspicions were often given credence despite inconclusive or questionable evidence. The study lends credence to what scientists have long suspected: â€Å"If you want to recover birds, you need to recover the food that they’re eating.† Less used is the phrase â€Å"to pay credence to.† It occurs where the verb â€Å"to respect† would usually be clearer and more succinct: Alas, I am a liberal. I am honour-bound to pay credence to the rantings and ravings of other people and not simply discard them for being ridiculous. People dont  pay credence  to cultural health, Simmons said.   Originally, the idea was to  pay credence  to those in our lives who help us succeed. University administrators have become more mediators than foes, as they negotiate how to balance the principles of free speech, to which they pay credence, with students safety and well-being.   I continue to puzzle over the headline. Here are some adjectives that can serve to convey one’s feeling that a thing is believable: creditable probable possible feasible reasonable rational sound admirable 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:100 Mostly Small But Expressive InterjectionsWhenever vs. When EverList of Prefixes and Suffixes and their Meanings

PSYCHOLGOY ( MOTHERS WHO KILL THEIR CHILDREN) Assignment

PSYCHOLGOY ( MOTHERS WHO KILL THEIR CHILDREN) - Assignment Example Since, this is abnormal and unacceptable for a sensible mother. However, the discussion coupled with much time and money spend to yield to a valid reason why infanticide occurrences; this rests with forces of society, besides health complications. Primarily, society contributes immensely to infanticide than one’s mental incapability, which emanates from stress prompted by child’s responsibilities involved (White & Meyer 24). Psychologists, medical practitioners and scholars, via numerous researches from the past, have lacked valid reason why a mother would opt for an infanticide. All what they hold to are speculations, which range from social to medical disorders, and they normally recommend medical check up as an absolute remedy (White & Meyer 73). Conversely, a paternal killing prompts the society to wail loudly for a speedy and tough action against the offender. Speculations arrived at for an infanticide especially from mother’s perspective encompass societal, like depression emanating from salvaging a breaking relationship due to the childs presence (Ian 75). Other occasions may be due to harsh treatment by her spouse where she wants to retaliate to what she has undergone, hence killing the baby. Mothers sometimes due to their immense mercy may opt for infanticide due to what they speculate the child will suffer in the absence of required necessities (Shelton, Yvonne & Kathleen 23). To date, despite numerous and intensive studies, they have not concluded concrete reasons meant for maternal killings. Since, this remains a mystery bearing in mind that the safest people with a child are the biological parents. The world elite to date and in the future will remain to be making mere speculations regarding the causes and remedy for infanticide (White & Meyer 20). Shelton, Joy Lynn E., Yvonne Muirhead, & Kathleen E. Canning. Ambivalence Toward Mothers Who Kill: An Examination Of 45 U.S. Cases

Entrepreneur Reflection Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Entrepreneur Reflection - Research Paper Example The need to meet the specific demands of the clients is one of the most important indicators of success. Another issue that appears to engage the substance of the information is the value of communication within the discourse of entrepreneurship. In the course of doing business, situations arise that will require the judgment and communication ability of the entrepreneur to resolve (Kuratko, 2008). From the interview, it might be deduced that entrepreneurship generally involves a high element of risk. The case of Efendy Susanto brings into perspective the various challenges that relate to the entire aspect of entrepreneurship. As a Customer Service Representative, Efendy finds himself with the difficult task of ensuring the satisfaction of the customers without compromising on the company’s profits (Efendy, 2012). As he explains, some mistakes can cause enormous loses and might have lasting negative impacts to the stability of the customers and the retention of their levels of trust. Efendy gives the example of a wring shipment, which would have double negative consequences on both the organization and the clients. Normally, according to his explanation, shipments take about two months to reach the customer. This would imply that a wrong delivery would cost the customer two months of waiting and that the company would have to incur yet another shipping expense as it attempts to deliver the correct product. Ultimately, this would mean that the deliveries require utmost attention in order to eliminate possibilities of losses and customer dissatisfaction. One of the issues that come to the fore from this information is that the art of entrepreneurship is delicate and must involve the engagement of a vast network of skills in order to be successful. For instance, Efendy cites the difficulty in making customers to understand some aspects of business such as changes in prices. Occasionally, the company finds itself in a position in which it must change its pri ces in order to accommodate the effects of some unforeseen developments on the market. Communicating such changes must be done in a manner that is understandable to the customer in order to avoid losing him or her to competitors. It might be argued that the effects of the changes on the market are necessarily brought about by certain forces that may not be easily predictable to the company (Baron & Shane, 2007). The findings from this interview are consistent with various studies that have argued in favour of a strategic combination of speed and skill as some of the factors that determine the success levels of entrepreneurship. The corporate world is largely controlled by these variables. Efficiency is determined by the manner in which a business manages to meet its targets within a given time frame (Baron & Shane, 2007). This time frame may encounter challenges that expose the processes to delays and other commercial inconveniences. This exposes the business to the risk of lawsuits from dissatisfied customers and other forms of damages. In order for businesses to avoid such inconveniences, it is important for them to develop a systematic structure

Explore Joe Gargerys role in Great Expectations Essay Example for Free

Explore Joe Gargerys role in Great Expectations Essay In Great Expectations, Joe acts as a father figure to Pip, when he is in fact his brother-in-law, as Joe married Pip’s sister, Mrs Joe Gargery. We are introduced to Joe as a â€Å"mild, good-natured, sweet-tempered, easy-going, foolish, dear fellow†. Pip describes him as a kind and gentle man, making the reader immediately like him. â€Å"Good-natured† and â€Å"sweet-tempered† give Joe an endearing quality, so the reader is drawn to him. However, â€Å"foolish† introduces a potentially negative side to his character, like he is stupid, although this too could be considered endearing. Perhaps Dickens does this so that we can understand Joe’s actions better, or at least don’t view him too negatively when he can’t protect Pip from Mrs Joe. In contrast to his gentle personality, he is a blacksmith, and therefore a strong man. Pip thinks of him â€Å"like the steam-hammer, that can crush a man or pat an egg shell†. He is likening Joe to a machine in the forge, giving Joe a sense of power. Although, â€Å"crush† is quite a violent word, suggesting Joe to be violent, which he definitely is not. Perhaps Dickens included this detail to make us respect Joe, which is important for later on in the novel, so we don’t just view him as a â€Å"sweet-tempered† man. But there is a sense of this good natured man in the word â€Å"pat†, it could potentially have paternal connotations. Perhaps this links to the image of the egg shell as well, as it is a fragile protector of life. Furthermore Joe could almost be seen as the protector of Pip’s life, as he saves him several times. Also egg shells can be strong, but have weak sides if they are put under stress, just like Joe has a weak side he can’t protect Joe from Mrs Joe Gargery. As well as this, there is the idea that Joe is in control, in the words â€Å"can† and â€Å"or†, he can choose which side of himself to be, strong or gentle. This is a very adult concept, but Joe can sometimes be very childlike. Joe can’t deal with the idea of death, despite being a strong blacksmith. When Pip asks Joe if Miss Havisham died, he eventually replies â€Å"she ain’t living†. This is a very backward way of saying it, a way we don’t normally use, showing Joe’s childish innocence. He avoids the subject of death again, when Pip asks him if he had heard of Magwitch’s death. Even though Joe never knew him personally, he avoids saying the words, instead he says he heard â€Å"something or another in a general way in that direction†. The vagueness of this statement is almost humorous, he can’t even just say â€Å"yes†. Joe is unable to confirm a person’s death, he just brushes over the subject, not fully acknowledging or possibly understanding it, like a child would. Another way Dickens portrays this childishness is through making Joe illiterate. Pip writes him a letter, and all he can read is his name: â€Å"Why, here’s three Js, and three Os, and three J-O, Joes, in it, Pip! † The exclamation mark at the end implies he is excited and proud that he has managed to read, and that he is wanting Pip to recognise his achievement, like a child would want their father too. This childishness makes Joe a lovable character, the reader wants to see him do well. Perhaps it also makes Pip’s behaviour towards him seem worse, from the reader’s perspective, as Joe is such an innocent character. Whilst Joe may not have great knowledge or academic skills, he possesses something most of the other characters dont have, self-knowledge, he recognises he is illiterate and ‘stupid’. He tells Pip on two separate occasions that he is â€Å"most awful dull†. He is accepting of himself, he knows he is not the cleverest, in fact â€Å"awful† suggests that he thinks he is very stupid. Moreover, â€Å"dull† could imply many things, not only that he is stupid, but also that he isn’t sharp. Perhaps this is a reference to him being a black smith, that he is like one of his hammers, only good for physically things, he’s not sharp witted or clever. â€Å"Dull† could also intimate that he thinks he is boring, perhaps why he struggles to talk to, or be in the presence of people in a higher class to himself, because he considers himself boring and unworthy. But this ‘dullness’ does not stop him from being wise. Throughout the novel, Joe gives Pip many pieces of advice, for example â€Å"if you can’t get to be oncommon through going straight, you’ll never get to do it through going crooked†. Joe, even though he is perhaps the most uneducated character (shown in the wording of the sentence) he can sometimes be the most wise and honourable. Because of this he acts as a hidden role model for Pip. Not only is he honourable and wise, he understands his place: â€Å"I am wrong out of the forge† he tells Pip at their awkward reunion. Dickens suggests (through Joe) that people should stay in their class, and not aspire or try to move up; he argues for social immobility. Joe tells Pip that if he ever came back to the forge he’d â€Å"see Joe the blacksmith, there, at the old anvil, in the old burnt apron, sticking to the old work. † Joe labels himself â€Å"the blacksmith† implying that he believes it is all he is good at. The repetition of â€Å"old† makes him seem experienced, as he has been doing it a long time. There is also the idea that he clings or latches onto his work, in the word â€Å"sticking†, he fixes himself onto it so much that it has become how he defines himself. The fact that he feels himself â€Å"wrong† when not in the forge could be the reason why he can’t talk to Miss Havisham: â€Å"Joe persisted in addressing me. † It is like he cannot deal with the formality of he occasion, as he feels he doesn’t belong there. Dickens humiliates Joe here, presenting him as a shy and awkward character, making the reader sympathise with him. This is another negative quality, helping to balance out the character of Joe.

History Of United States Coinage (coins) Essay -- essays research pape

History of United States Coinage Through United States history presidents like Lincoln, Roosevelt, Washington, Kennedy, Eisenhower and others have been displayed on U.S. Coin heads. The United States mint has also been responsible for designs such as the Indian head, the buffalo, and the ever famous lady liberty. Through the years the U.S. Mints have extended into three branches San Francisco, Denver, and Philadelphia (Yeoman, 2001 edition 101). Those branches are responsible for making certain marks on the coins to show that they are not counterfeit. The mints have also come up with what they call their proof standards. Coins have been around for many years, they have had changing mints, designs, and variety's which have all been represented by past events and presidents. The U.S. Mint has it's own standards as in how good of a state the coin is in after wear and tear. The best a coin can ever be is called the proof state which is a specially made coin distinguished by sharpness of the detail and usually with a brilliant mirror like surface (Yeoman, 1999 edition 5). The next state down is the mint state (ms) these coins show no trace of being worn nor blemishes or color loss (Yeoman, 1999 edition 6). Third down is called perfect uncirculated (ms-70) these coins show perfect new condition, showing no trace of wear, no evidence of scratches, handling or contact with other coins, very few regular issued coins are ever found in this condition (Yeoman, 1999 edition 7). The fourth down state is choice uncirculated (ms-65) which is an above average uncirculated coin which may be brilliant or lightly toned and has very few contact marks on the surface or rim (Yeoman, 1999 edition 8). The fifth state down is the uncirculated (ms-60) which has no trace of wear, but may show a number of contact marks, and surface may be spotted or lack some luster (Yeoman, 1999 edition 9). The sixth state down is choice about uncirculated (au-55) it bears evidence of light wear on only the highest points of the design, most of the mint luster remains (Yeoman, 1999 edition 10). The seventh state down is about uncirculated (au-50) this coin has traces of light wear on many of the high points and at least half the mint luster is still present (Yeoman, 1999 edition 11). The eighth state down is choice extremely fine (ef-45) the design is lightly worn through, but all features are shar... ...d for 14 years.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  B.The half dollar is worth two quarters in the U.S. .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1.The Walking Liberty half dollar was minted for 31 years.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2.The Franklin half dollar was minted for 15 years.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3.The Silver Kennedy half dollar was only minted in 1964.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   4.The Bicentennial Kennedy half dollar was minted for one year.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  C.The Silver dollar was the most admired coin in the U.S. Mint.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1.The Morgan Silver dollar was minted for 43 years.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2.The Peace Silver dollar was minted for 14 years.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3.The Eisenhower Silver dollar was minted for seven years.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   4.The Bicentennial Silver dollar was minted for one year.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

An Analysis of Freytag’s Five Steps in Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” Essay

In this essay I will analyze William Shakespeare’s â€Å"The Tempest† using Gustav Freytag’s five phases which are: exposition, point of conflict, rising action, climax, and denouement.   I will first begin with the exposition phase.   The exposition phase includes a description of the chief protagonist and antagonist as well as a description of their conflict and setting.   I will also pinpoint the inciting moment, which is an incident that must occur for the story to happen. (www.reference.com)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The chief protagonist of the play is Prospero, the rightful duke of Milan.   The main antagonist is his brother, Antonio, the usurping duke of Milan.   Antonio overthrew Prospero and sent him and his young daughter Miranda out to sea.   They land on an island, which will be the central setting of the play, where Prospero learns magic and frees a spirit named Ariel who is indebted in servitude to him.   Prospero uses his magic to stir up a storm and moor a ship that his brother Antonio is on.   Ariel makes sure that the occupants of the boat arrive on the island unscathed.   The inciting incident is the arrival of Antonio and the rest of his party on the island.   The main conflict is between Prospero, who wants his dukedom reinstated, and Antonio, who wants the dukedom for himself.   Next, I will describe the rising action in the play.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The rising action includes related secondary conflicts. (www.reference.com)The first of these secondary conflicts occurs between Antonio and Sebastian, the king of Naples brother, and Gonzalo, a counselor, and Alonso, the king of Naples.   These gentlemen had been traveling together on the boat, but when they come to the island Antonio and Sebastian plan to murder Alonso and Gonzalo so that they can seize the power of the crown for themselves.   Alonso believes his son, who had been traveling with them as well to be dead and Antonio and Sebastian see this as a chance to eliminate Alonso and usurp the crown.    Alonso’s son Ferdinand really isn’t dead and is busy falling in love with Prospero’s daughter while this is happening.   The last secondary conflict begins with Caliban, Prospero’s unwilling slave, and Stephano and Trinuculo, a jester and a drunken butler who were traveling with the party on the boat, meeting each other on the island and deciding to kill Prospero.   Ariel hears this and informs Prospero thus avoiding catastrophe.   Now, I will discuss the falling action, climax, and denouement.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The climax takes place in â€Å"The Tempest† when Prospero charms the party from the boat and Caliban, Stephano, and Trinuculo into immobility.   Prospero, who is joyous at the thought of his daughter’s upcoming marriage to Ferdinand, has a change of heart and releases everyone from the spell.   They are all repentant and the falling action occurs at this point with a monologue from Prospero chastising the king of Naples and Antonio for the part the played in the usurping of his dukedom. He also chastises his slave and the butler and jester for trying to kill him.   The denouement encompasses the happy marriage of Miranda and Ferdinand and the reinstatement of Prospero’s dukedom.   The play ends happily with the protagonist better of at the end than at the outset because it is a comedy rather than a tragedy.   Thus, I have analyzed â€Å"The Tempest† and have discerned Freytag’s five phases within the play. Bibliography www.reference.com

Five paragraph essay Essay

Essays begin with the prompt. Make sure students understand what the prompts are asking them to do. Students may be asked to analyze, assess, evaluate, compare, contrast, describe, discuss, and explain. Know the difference between these words. Additionally, prompts can be multi-tasking in that they ask the writer to perform several actions. Make sure students answer all parts of the prompt, or they may fail. All essays should have five paragraphs. The first should be a thesis paragraph. It need consist of only one sentence – a thesis statement. If students have any other sentence, an attention grabber similar to the headlines of a newspaper called a hook should precede their thesis. Students should not waste time and effort on long theses’ paragraphs. Students should come to the point – their thesis – immediately, and go on to prove their argument. All theses should include their argument with three methods or points they will use to prove their argument. For example, if the prompt asks about the Mongols, a superior thesis would be â€Å"The Mongols were efficient governors because of their political, economic, and social policies.† The first portion of the thesis, â€Å"The Mongols were efficient governors,† is a simple, acceptable thesis. At the bare minimum, all essays should include this type of thesis. The second part, â€Å"because of their political, economic, and social policies† turns a simple thesis into a clear, analytical, and comprehensive thesis. Better essays follow this second format. Read more:  How much sentences in a paragraph. The conclusion paragraph need only consist of one sentence. While a conclusion resembles a thesis, students should not copy or paraphrase the thesis. They should write a sentence that sums up what they have learned or proven in their essay. The other paragraphs form the body of the essay and are critical. Within three of the paragraphs, students prove their argument. Set up body paragraphs in an order parallel to the structure within the thesis sentence. Students should organize points from the strongest point to weakest point. Strength is based on the amount of evidence presented and the thoroughness of the argument. The weakest point should be last. Based on the above thesis, this means â€Å"political policies† should be the topic of the first body paragraph, while the second point will be â€Å"economic policies† and the last paragraph will cover â€Å"social policies.† The first sentence in the body paragraphs should expand upon the sub-point from the thesis. An example about the Mongols could be â€Å"Politically, the Mongols were tolerant governors, who insisted upon honesty, efficiency, and equality in their policies.† Within each paragraph, there should be two or three facts or pieces of historical support material. While grammar is important, the essay is a rough draft. It does not have to be perfect. Graders know that 50 minutes does not allow students much time to perfect grammar, syntax, and diction. While it is imperative that the essay be readable and intelligible, national graders will not deduct for grammatical mistakes. The Document-Based Question (DBQ) Document based essays are designed to test a student’s ability to use documents to support a historical argument. It corresponds roughly to writing a research paper and duplicates the work of historians, where the student is given the evidence and asked to write a paper – in one hour. And a DBQ essay may include compare and contrast, and/or change over time. The Document-Based Question consists of a prompt with between five and nine primary source documents. The question is not designed to test a student’s knowledge about world history, so much as the student’s ability to use documentary evidence to make and to support a written argument. Critical to this process are the concepts of bias (reliability) and use of all documents to support a thesis. The graders will grade by the following criteria. An acceptable thesis requires a simple thesis stating the point of argument, or what you will prove. An expanded thesis, which earns an additional point, requires a comprehensive thesis statement with point of argument and three ways you will prove it. Students need to use all or all but one of the documents in the essay. Use is defined as citing, quoting, paraphrasing, listing, summarizing, mentioning, analyzing, interpreting, or critiquing the documents in any way. Students must support the thesis with appropriate evidence from the documents. Students must analyze, interpret, and critique the documents. Quoting, listing, summarizing, citing, or mentioning a document does not qualify for this criterion! Students should support their thesis through the use of outside material not mentioned in their documents. If students know of facts and information relevant to the topic, which were not mentioned in the documents, they should include them. Students must understand the basic meaning of the documents cited in the essay. Students may misinterpret one document but two or more will cost one criterion point. Mistakes involving dates and names are not critical but misrepresenting a document can be fatal. Placing a document in a wrong group that leads to a wrong conclusion also counts as a misunderstanding. Analyze point of view or bias in three documents. The rubric says students need to analyze only two documents but this is too few. Students should do three or more. In order to earn this point, students should attribute and analyze point of view, bias, purpose or intent, tone, or audience in an attempt to determine reliability. Analysis of point of view also constitutes supporting the thesis with appropriate evidence from the documents and using the documents, too! One method of analysis (and use) is based on the acronym, S.O.A.P.P.S. Students must analyze documents by grouping them depending on the DBQ prompt. If the DBQ identifies groups in the prompt, students must use the mentioned groups. Students must have three groups. If the prompt only specifies two, students should create a third category. Once again, students must organize the evidence and arguments into three groups. These groups could be mentioned in the thesis statement. The better writers will create their own groups or categories based on the documents. Nevertheless, students might use the acronym P.E.R.S.I.A.N. or S.C.R.I.P.T.E.D. to help structure their thoughts. Evidence should fit into three of these categories. Other methods of grouping include organizing by gender, time, social class, occupation, geography, nationality, similar points of view, or religion. When grouping a document, each group must contain at least two documents. If possible, use three because it prevents a failed group if you misinterpret one document. Students will be asked to identify one additional type of document they could have used to support the essay prompt. One useful way to accomplish this is to identify a point of view or group missing from the discussion. For example, an essay on gender rights that does not include a woman’s point of view is weak. You should mention this failing. At the same time, if all of the documents in the same essay are by women, a man’s point of view might help balance the essay. Students should decide what is missing and mention what specific type of document or point of view might improve the essay. And they should ideally state how it would help the essay. They should place this sentence in whichever body paragraph will be most effective. This could also include bringing in outside information relevant to the topic. Other typically missing documents include charts, maps, or statistical information, social classes, and opposite points of view. Students will have 50 minutes to write their essays. They should use 10 minutes to read the documents and to structure or outline their essay. They should spend 30 minutes writing and 10 minutes reviewing what they have written. Student should make sure they have used all the documents, have three groups, and performed all activities they are required to do. They should especially check their prompt to see that they have addressed all parts required.

buy custom Social Meanings of a New Technology essay

buy custom Social Meanings of a New Technology essay David Nye traces the up hill process through which electricity was integrated into Americas everyday life. Muncie in Indiana was the touchstone used by the author to analyze how the use of electricity seeped into the American culture and redefined it. He provides a thought provoking panorama of a fundamental technology to modern life. He emphasizes the experiences faced by ordinary men and women instead of inventors and entrepreneurs lives. The book is primarily about the contributions of electricity to the history of modern technology. It gives a thorough analysis on the socio-cultural impact of electricity. A variety of approaches not usually found in histories of technology is put into play. The approach can be described as that of the social historian and its extended approaches is inspired by: - literature, art history, record of material culture and anthropology. The book is both a coherent and fascinating narration on how the average American responded and adapted to a new-fan gled technology. Nye approaches electrification as a technical possibility set that was partially adopted to create the street car suburb, the assembly line, the industrialized farm, the amusement park and the Great White Way. He brings to book how electricity affected all spheres of American life and its extensiveness in political ideologies. He strives to prove how it has created the image of the modern city virtually and its marriage with new colloquial speech, therefore confirming values of high energy and standards in the twentieth century that have become hallmarks. He makes it his quest to pursue social meanings regarding electrification expressed in utopian ideas and exhibitions at world fairs. He furthermore examines the evocation of electrical landscapes in photography, literature and painting. Chronology and topicality in the analysis of important forms of light and power as they came to use, are combined by the author. It portrays that in the city, electricity prompted the possibility of new art appearances and new consumption environments by virtue of a more varied landscape development. Electricity brought about a restructuring of the size and scale of operating in factories, making power to be shifted away from shop floors to managers. Moreover, electric appliances redefined domestic work thereby transforming the landscape of the home. He traces electricity as having laid a foundation to modern age agribusiness. However, Nye stresses out that it is inappropriate to deem electricity as an external force that influences both humans and their social material institutions that are passive objects. He chooses to see electricity as a social construction. It would be of interest to observe that social construction is part of the greater structural functionalism theory. This theory bases its foundation on the different components of a society, which can give birth to a new one. If there is a structure that is not utilized oftenly in the society, then it is bound to burn itself out. Nye also points at the electric technology and its symbolic nature. Symbolic interactions mean that umans define the world in terms of symbols, which are interpreted differently by individuals. For instance, the color red may mean one thing in one community but have an entirely dissimilar meaning in another community. He expresses his dissatisfaction with those who claim that the social history of electricity should be explained in purely functional terms. Such objections are not entirely new, but it is the way Nye sheds some new light on the need for a non-functional history of technology that is intriguing. Having addressed the strong points and premises contained in the book, we are also able to contrast them with the shortcomings of the literary piece. First of all, the book gives much coverage on: - motors, refrigerators, electric medicine and washing machines among other utilities that immediately impact our lives. However, telephony and telegraphy receives no attention at all even though these branches of electricity were of no less importance. The book is also found to be wanting in terms of not focusing on traditional aspects such as;- the invention and development of new technologies. These aspects should have been included by the author because; their omission has narrowed the number of facts that would have given the reader a broader perspective regarding the discipline. Contrary to that, it is more engrossed to the attitude of ordinary people towards the technology and the utilization of a particular technology. The author struggles throughout the thesis to back up his ideologies and this is reflected in the text. This is not to say that the book excludes more technical and innovative approaches like other related works but, it is the same subject matter approached from a different angle. Looking at the history of electrical technology, there is space for the inventions of Thomas Edison and the attitudes of the unknown citizens of the town, which was used as a case study. The use of Middle town has its host of weaknesses which are also overlooked in the book. A good instance of the unprecedented dangers of relying on the residents of Middletown is the fact that it does not include the poor, blacks and Hispanics but rather the white folks in the middle income bracket and the wealthy few aristocratic families. Nye should have improved his argument that electrical technology was socially specific at the time he authored the book by including the minority communities and groupings in this society as well. Nye fails to factor in the importance of religious, social differences and geographic differences and how these factors affected the history of electricity. Electrification process is also not compared with the progress, technologies and cultures existing in other parts of the world such as: - Europe and Asia. The omission is fatal because, it would have provided depth in his findings. In America, electrification of the family Christmas tree was incorporated into the culture while in Denmark, it was almost regarded as blasphemous to electrif y the same tree. In this regard, the restriction of his analysis to the American scene misses a whole new aspect and variations that should have been covered. We are only able to see the attitudes expressed by one culture. The only olive branch that he stretches out is when he notes the differences in the ownership of appliances between Europe and America and mentions the fact that Europe was in the lead in terms of rural electrification, but the buck stops there in terms of a comparative analysis. Nyes understanding and explanation of new technologies as being social constructions have to be re- examined as he refrains from explicitly expounding and explaining on the said subject. His many examples also fail to save the situation. A social constructivist theory is what this thesis approaches because; there are more than enough similarities between the two although the extensiveness in usage of this school of thought is unclear. Most of the given examples tend to imply that ways through which electricity was incorporated into the everyday experience or specific use of electrical technology in the societal forms were social constructions. If this is what is being insinuated by Nye, then the thesis is either non-controversial or it is warranted to be somewhat trivial. Nye, as a consequence of the idea of technology being a socially constructed reality therefore, objects all manner of technological deterministic thoughts. What Nye should take into account is that technology should not be seen as an abstract force with its own developmental logic. In other words, technology should be seen rather as a technical potentialities set. Parts of this of this set should inculcate the decisions made by ordinary people. In essence, this ordinary citizen and not the researcher, inventor, scientist or manager, is responsible for the creation of a given technology by virtue of their own free will. The choices of what technological devices to use and how to assign the meaning should also be selected by this individual. A strong inclination towards voluntarism is taken by the author when it comes to assessing the consumer. This is because, there is an over estimation of an individual consumers impact on technology. Globalization and the general tendency of uniformity in technology around the globe makes it a hard task to easily accept Nyes position. The issue of technological determinism is not exorcised easily from the mind of a critic reader. A clearer and more analytic discussion of some fundamental historiography of technology questions are omitted in the text that the book implicitly addresses. The hoard of weaknesses notwithstanding, Electrifying America isan impressive, carefully documented exploration and a work of art regarding the ordinary American's cultural and material interaction with electricity. The work spans a period of six decades, which means that it takes into account the effects of time on the cultural aspect and integration of electricity to a local community. Disregarding the uncivilized methodologies used, the works of Nye are highly rated and recommendable in terms of reading in order to attain the ancient developments in this field. It is also a plus for the reader because, Nye helps us to look at the world through his eyes and we find ourselves face to face with an ideology different from what we are accustomed to. Buy custom Social Meanings of a New Technology essay

How to Write For a Global Audience [16 unexpected examples]

How to Write For a Global Audience [16 unexpected examples] As businesses become more international, so must our writing. Most of the time, good business writing skills transfer very well to global audiences, but there are some things that you want to keep in mind aboutintercultural relations. Lots of research has been done on this topic, so I’ll include links for further reading. I am hesitant to add in examples because they may not be true even five years from now - I have seen so much change in the time that I have been teaching! With that said, I will add in some examples to make these concepts clearer. Do your research on honorifics and attitudes towards hierarchy The way that we show respect to our superiors and our coworkers varies dramatically across cultures. From the outside, the U.S. looks like it has a fairly casual and egalitarian work structure. For example: We are comfortable working on teams and in groups with people older and younger than us, and with more and less seniority. We tend to address people the same way throughout an organization. We would say, â€Å"Good morning, John!† to the boss and to the janitor. Eye contact is a sign that we are paying attention to someone, i.e. that we respect them enough to listen to them. You may be interested in our English Business Writing Course for non-native writers (ESL). This is not the case in many other cultures/countries. In some places, hierarchy, class, status, and rank are very important, and they require you to act and speak very differently depending on the content. For example: Japanese culture is a good example of this. The language itself requires different grammatical structures, and sometimes completely different words, depending on the hierarchical relationship between the speaker(s) and the listener(s). These grammatical differences reflect the cultural attitudes towards hierarchy and status. Indian culture is similarly stratified. It is often inappropriate for a lower level worker to speak or work with more senior employees. In many parts of Latin America, it is (or was!) socially inappropriate to make eye contact with your superior. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(41482, '213460bb-69d3-4e2a-a04c-3c219b7fe780', {}); Use the key words â€Å"honorifics + country name† or â€Å"attitudes towards hierarchy + country name† to do a bit of research when starting a new project with a global group. This could avoid a lot of problematic misconceptions about your team mates and how they are responding to you! Be flexible in how you think about time management Ideas about time are tied to culture. It could be the culture of your particular workplace, or the culture of the larger society, but how we think about time varies dramatically. Some places value how many hours you work, while others value how much work you complete in those hours, and still others are a mix of the two. Some places value making decisions quickly, while others put much more time into making a decision. Some places see due dates and start times as if they are absolute, while others see them as if they are flexible suggestions. These are often cultural differences, but they can vary widely across work places. (I work in higher ed, and the decision making process is painfully slow compared with the private sector places I worked before!) It’s important to remember that a missed deadline may not be due to laziness, but a difference of opinions about what deadlines actually mean. If you find yourself getting frustrated with your global team, take a deep breath and do some research on time management and decision making. Use the key words above, as well as attitudes about time, + country name. Doing this before a meeting or project begins can prevent a lot of frustration. Honor ideas about change Depending on where you work, ideas about change can vary widely, even within the U.S. For example: Some cultures or workplaces value innovation and new ideas. This attitude is common in the U.S. Other places value and respect tradition and the time-tested ways of doing things. This attitude is more commonly found in places with more hierarchical societies. Clearly, a group with different ideas about change will have difficulty finding a suitable solution! Finding a middle ground that values the traditional approach while allowing for innovation is tricky, but invaluable when working with global teams. This could be as simple as acknowledging that the current innovation wouldn’t be possible without the groundwork laid by the traditional approach. Write simply, but powerfully We'vewritten several other blog posts onhow to improve your business writing skills, but the overall message is this: Write simply and directly. Do not use colloquialisms, idioms, highly technical language, or complicated grammatical structures. Use lists and headings to help break up content and make it easy for the reader to know what to do. (like I am doing here!) Do not rely on implicit messages, or something mentioned in a meeting or previous email. Say everything you need to say clearly, directly, and in language that someone outside of your field could understand. A combination of straightforward written communications and consideration for cultural differences will greatly improve your business communications, increase effectiveness, and save time. Instructional Solutions offers Business Writing Coursesthat can help you to achieve this type of writing. More info here: Further reading: â€Å"Managing Multicultural Teams† The Harvard Business Review â€Å"Global Teams that Work† The Harvard Business Review â€Å"How to Run a Meeting of People From Different Cultures† The Harvard Business Review

Political Socialisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Political Socialisation - Essay Example One of the major criticisms against the process of political socialization has been that it adversely affects the large numbers of women in politics and the recent evidences from the politics of world nations substantiate this view. Politics is all about power and power relationships and the people who enjoy power have always been superior in politics. The process of political socialization has the power of defining the relationships among the members of the society and this process decides the matters and topics of political discussions. â€Å"The process of political socialization invariably involves the power to define relationships ‘including the capacity to nominate others as equal or unequal memorable or abject, discusser or the discussed.’ In the social system of the day, men are always regarded as the superior gender that has the potential in determining the course of political and social destinies of a nation and the role of women has been sidelined. The impact of the process of political socialization on the status of the large number of women in politics is largely due to the interference of society in the long process of political socialization. Political and feminist thinkers from time to time have been in criticism on the process of political socialization which deteriorates the role of female politicians all over the world. Kate Millett has been an acute critic of this process which, according to her, subjugates the female gender to the superiority of the opposite gender.... s been that it adversely affects the large numbers of women in politics and the recent evidences from the politics of world nations substantiate this view. Politics is all about power and power relationships and the people who enjoy power have always been superior in politics. The process of political socialisation has the power of defining the relationships among the members of the society and this process decides the matters and topics of political discussions. "The process of political socialisation invariably involves the power to define relationships 'including the capacity to nominate others as equal or unequal memorable or abject, discusser or the discussed.'" (Mangan P. 2). In this process of political socialisation, the involvement of women in the political matters is greatly affected. In the social system of the day, men are always regarded as the superior gender that have the potential in determining the course of political and social destinies of a nation and the role of women has been sidelined. The impact of the process of political socialisation on the status of the large number of women in politics is largely due to the interference of society in the long process of political socialisation. Political and feminist thinkers from time to time have been in criticism on the process of political socialisation which deteriorates the role of female politicians all over the world. Kate Millett has been an acute critic of this process which, according to her, subjugates the female gender to the superiority of the opposite gender. Thus, Millett has described the female's 'consent' to the male-over-female paradigm "as a process of socialisation in which women were constrained to be passive, ignorant, valued if at all for bearing children, a function shared with