The Prompt Is Describe And Evaluate One Experience That Significantly

The prompt is: Describe and evaluate one experience that significantly influenced your academic interests. Be sure to explain how this experience led to your setting the goals you know have for yourself and why you think the academic program for which you are applying will help you to reach these goals. He Opened the Door to Anywhere and Anything Mr. Trimble- the tall, bike-riding Calculus teacher who truly made me realize the value of education. As far as academics were concerned, I believed I had always tried my best in reaching my full potential. That is, until I met Mr. "T." He made me understand that I was not going as far as I was capable ofMr. Trimble offered to help me out on a couple of problems I had been experiencing with Pre-Calculus, and after a short while he became not only a tutor, but a true friend. I cannot even begin to imagine how many hours I spent in his classroom after the last school bell had rung. Posters of music legends and helpful math mnemonics covered his walls. It was a very spirited room for the lively man he stood to be. He went over the math in great detail while also informing me of how eminently important it was for academics to be my top priority. As an avid swimmer and loyal friend, I was greatly dedicated to the sport and my social surroundings, but Mr. Trimble would always be there to tell me to slow down and repeat his key phrase, "Studying always comes first." Although Mr. Trimble's main purpose was to perfect my Pre-Cal, he did so much more that he was unaware of doing. He convinced me into believing that anything was possible if I put my mind to it and had a brain-full of determination. If I wanted to be the first woman President, he would say "Hey, the sky's the limit." After the year ended, my goals had unconsciously changed for the better. I believed in myself, my capability, and accomplishing anything as though the world was an open door to endless possibilities. I did not just want to be a newspaper reporter, my desire was to be sports editor of the New York Times. Since the University of Texas ranks as having one of the best academic curriculums in the nation, participating in such a program will challenge me tothe best of my ability, probably more than anything ever will. Under the mentoring and guidance of Mr. Trimble, I do not fear the intimidation that college puts forth, I welcome and look forward it.

The Opposing Characters Of Virgil Gillespie †Literature Essay

The Opposing Characters Of Virgil Gillespie – Literature Essay Free Online Research Papers The Opposing Characters Of Virgil Gillespie Literature Essay John Ball’s In The Heat Of The Night introduces us to the two characters, Virgil Tibbs and Bill Gillespie. In the novel they are shown as two completely opposite characters whose personalities differ. The apparent theme in the novel is racism and how people would deal with it in the 1960s. Some terms and methods talked about in the book are quite different from those used today. Although there are the occasional people who one would disagree with, this book seems quite appropriate for today. In general, teenagers find themselves having to cope with racism and prejudice in our society. The novel, In The Heat Of The Night, besides dealing with the issue of prejudice, focuses on the major differences that exist between the two main characters. In the beginning of In The Heat Of The Night, we are introduced to Virgil Tibbs. Virgil is shown as a police officer that is wealthy, proper and an intelligent young black man. He is first brought into the story as a suspect for the murder of Enrico Mantoli, in the city of Wells. Soon after, he is introduced as a police officer from California, and slightly embarrasses Gillespie and Wood with their false accusations. Tibbs is a very well-educated man who is patient with others and rarely talks back to those addressing him in a rude manner. Just after Gillespie had been awfully rude and had a little temper tantrum, Tibbs politely replies â€Å"Good morning, Chief Gillespie† (45), right before he walks out of Gillespie’s office. Then when he is talking to Gillespie once more, he kindly says â€Å"After you sir† (25), as Gillespie walks through the doorway in front of him. Even though there is very little respect shown towards Tibbs despite all his help, he still continues to act in a civilized and well-behaved manor towards his peers. On the other hand, the character Bill Gillespie is quite different. He is an older, narrow-minded and racist chief of police from the city of Wells. Gillespie thinks that Tibbs is a nuisance and a distraction to the city. He has never met someone who is better then he is at his own job, especially a black man. â€Å"Nobody could tell him (Gillespie) that a coloured man could do anything he couldn’t do† (27). The problem is that not only is Tibbs more competent then Gillespie, but he is better educated. Also, his initial reaction to having Tibbs work on the case with their police force is very negative. He expresses these feelings quite often in the book. â€Å"Who in hell asked you to open your big black mouth† (45), Gillespie demanded. More over, racial comments and remarks such as this are found throughout the novel and are often expressed by the characters. In addition, there are numerous differences that clearly distinguish the main characters from each other. For example Gillespie is known as the uneducated, big-headed and racist character, â€Å"At that precise moment Bill did not want to see the Negro detective-as a matter of fact he did not want to see him at anytime† (74). On the other hand, Tibbs is the educated, forgiving and decent one. However, both these characters are achievers and are concerned about high status. Although tension exists between the two of them, they still have some respect for one another, as shown in the following, â€Å"Thank you, sir,† Tibbs said, â€Å"Is there anything else you wanted to ask me?† (104). Another example is when Gillespie thought, â€Å"And while he did not like to admit it to himself, he knew that Tibbs had something on the ball.† (76) In conclusion, the novel deals very effectively with the issue of prejudice. Moreover, the differences that exist between the two main characters are expressed very clearly and distinctively. Despite the fact that these two characters have ill feelings towards one another, they manage to gain respect for each other in the end. Research Papers on The Opposing Characters Of Virgil Honest Iagos Truth through DeceptionWhere Wild and West MeetThe Fifth HorsemanBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm X19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraUnreasonable Searches and SeizuresHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoCapital PunishmentThe Hockey Game

Biography of Fannie Lou Hamer, Civil Rights Leader

Biography of Fannie Lou Hamer, Civil Rights Leader Known for her civil rights activism, Fannie Lou Hamer was called the spirit of the civil rights movement. Born a sharecropper, she worked from the age of six as a timekeeper on a cotton plantation. Later, she became involved in the Black Freedom Struggle and eventually moved on to become a field secretary for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).   Dates:  October 6, 1917 - March 14, 1977Also known as:  Fannie Lou Townsend Hamer About Fannie Lou Hamer Fannie Lou Hamer, born in Mississippi, was working in the fields when she was six and was only educated through the sixth grade. She married in 1942 and adopted two children. She went to work on the plantation where her husband drove a tractor, first as a field worker and then as the plantations timekeeper. She also attended meetings of the Regional Council of Negro Leadership, where speakers addressed self-help, civil rights, and voting rights. Field Secretary With the SNCC In 1962, Fannie Lou Hamer volunteered to work with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) registering black voters in the South. She and the rest of her family lost their jobs for her involvement, and SNCC hired her as a field secretary. She was able to register to vote for the first time in her life in 1963 and then taught others what theyd need to know to pass the then-required literacy test. In her organizing work, she often led the activists in singing Christian hymns about freedom: This Little Light of Mine and others. She helped organize the 1964 Freedom Summer in Mississippi, a campaign sponsored by SNCC, Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), and the NAACP. In 1963, after being charged with disorderly conduct for refusing to go along with a restaurants whites only policy, Hamer was beaten so badly in jail, and refused medical treatment, that she was permanently disabled. Founding Member and VP of the MFDP Because African Americans were excluded from the Mississippi Democratic Party, the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) was formed, with Fannie Lou Hamer as a founding member and vice president. The MFDP sent an alternate delegation to the 1964 Democratic National Convention, with 64 black and 4 white delegates. Fannie Lou Hamer testified to the conventions Credentials Committee about violence and discrimination faced by black voters trying to register to vote, and her testimony was televised nationally. The MFDP refused a compromise offered to seat two of their delegates and returned to further political organizing in Mississippi, and in 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act. Delegate to the Democratic National Convention of 1972 From 1968 to 1971, Fannie Lou Hamer was a member of the Democratic National Committee for Mississippi. Her 1970 lawsuit, Hamer v. Sunflower County, demanded school desegregation. She ran unsuccessfully for the Mississippi state Senate in 1971, and successfully for delegate to the Democratic National Convention of 1972. Other Accomplishments She also lectured extensively, and was known for a signature line she often used, Im sick and tired of being sick and tired. She was known as a powerful speaker, and her singing voice lent another power to civil rights meetings. Fannie Lou Hamer brought a Head Start program to her local community, to form a local Pig Bank cooperative (1968) with the help of the National Council of Negro Women, and later to found the Freedom Farm Cooperative (1969). She helped found the National Womens Political Caucus in 1971, speaking for the inclusion of racial issues in the feminist agenda. In 1972 the Mississippi House of Representatives passed a resolution honoring her national and state activism, passing 116 to 0. Suffering from breast cancer, diabetes, and heart problems, Fannie Lou Hamer died in Mississippi in 1977. She had published To Praise Our Bridges: An Autobiography in 1967. June Jordan published a biography of Fannie Lou Hamer in 1972, and Kay Mills published This Little Light of Mine: The Life of Fannie Lou Hamer in 1993. Background, Family Father: Jim TownsendMother: Ella Townsendyoungest of 20 childrenborn in Montgomery County, Mississippi; family moved when she was two to Sunflower County, Mississippi Education Hamer attended the segregated school system in Mississippi, with a short school year to accommodate fieldwork as a child of a sharecropping family. She dropped out by 6th grade.   Marriage, Children Husband: Perry Pap Hamer (married 1942; tractor driver)Children (adopted): Dorothy Jean, Vergie Ree Religion Baptist Organizations Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP), National Womens Political Caucus (NWPC), others

Eric Owen Moss Samitaur Tower Culver City, California Essay - 1

Eric Owen Moss Samitaur Tower Culver City, California - Essay Example ome to terms with something that vehemently challenges the status quo, giving way to forms and features that defy preconceived notions and set views about the relationship between functionality and form. It would not be wrong to say that ‘Samitaur Tower’ in Culver City is an apt representative of the typically Californian constructivism, which accomplishes, energizes and animates the surrounding landscape with its bold defiance, almost naà ¯ve and innocent tendency to challenge set notions and the innate tendency to redefine architecture by going for the possible and phantasmagoric permutations and combinations resulting out of the interplay between form and functionality. Of course, it would be totally simplistic to say that ‘Samitaur Tower’ is merely an information tower located at one corner of Hayden Avenue and National Boulevard, near the primary entry point to the redeveloped section of Culver City (Anderton 29). In fact, ‘Samitaur Tower’ is much more than this (Anderton 29). It is not merely a landmark representing the entry into a newer section of the Culver City, but rather boldly and somewhat audaciously represents entry into a new era of modern architecture, where an architectural innovation supersedes over all the requirements of form, functionality, environment and even user. The Tower marks an initiation of the era where the form, functionality, landscape and the end user stand subservient to a marvel of abstraction that though being under control, leaves no stone unturned to project an image of defiance, rebelliousness and one-upmanship. An architectural wonder that though in its very essentials intends to serv e a set and preconceived function, somehow manages to explode in the yearning to give way to something that is much more than mere functionality. In that context the ‘Samitaur Tower’ could be interpreted as being the extreme of something both good and bad, a beautiful building signifying the unrestrained expression of Id, and

Analyse the Ofsted report in light of what you have observed to be Essay

Analyse the Ofsted report in light of what you have observed to be current practice in your school - Essay Example in both GCE and GCSE, challenges faced in the implementation of the project and the recommendations made to the national curriculum developers as well as the individual schools. Key to note is that pupils refer to years 1- 6 while students refer to people in secondary schools. A case study of 167 secondary, primary and special schools has been adopted for this Ofsted report in a span of 3 years in 2008 to 2011. Also the use of computing instruction files is both a specialty and across the wider school curriculum. The report reflects issues arising from the application of ICT in schools namely: curriculum and qualifications of Key Stage 4 and 6, staff professionalism where ICT is concerned, e- safety, application of virtual learning environments, resource availability and getting best value of the ICT application (Taylor 2001). Among the schools highlighted ICT was better adopted in primary schools as compared to their secondary counterparts with two thirds of the primary schools showing outstanding progress compared to one third of the secondary schools (Mohanty 2006). Other challenges are that few students advancing to secondary school had the basic ICT knowledge to engage in ICT business later, inadequate or complete lack of ICT infrastructure such as c omputer, laptops and teachers tired with the workload of students. Schools adopting ICT were seen to have a comparative advantage over their counterparts which do not among the Key Level 4 and 6 pupils considered, it was evident that it increased their creativity levels with some embracing and arranging music using computers through the virtual learning environment (Mohanty 2006). Slow learners were seen to get fluent with use of computers almost as fast as the fast learners. Children with autism and Down’s syndrome responded dramatically well to ICT application files where the respective schools made specific modifications on the program to handle their learning experience (Meadows 2000). A positive response

Biometric Identification

Biometric Identification BIOMETRIC IDENTIFICATION Introduction The escalating threat of global terrorism and narcoterrorism in the twenty-first century has generated massive changes in the identification of suspected criminals. One of the technological highlights in this regard has been biometric identification. Biometrics refers to the science of identifying human being by analyzing biological traits or physical characteristics (Bolle, 2004). This paper describes the most widely-used forms of biometric identification and presents the advantages and disadvantages of each. Advantages and Disadvantages of Biometric Systems Biometric identification is an automated method used to recognize a person based on behavioral or physiological characteristics (Tipton Krause, 2004). Behavioral characteristics include voice or handwriting. Physiological characteristics include fingerprint, iris, or hand geometry. 1. Fingerprint analysis The most commonly known biometric system is a the fingerprint analysis (Bolle, 2004). The principle here is that each individuals set of fingerprints is unique. This method requires a user to place his or her finger onto a reader. The persons fingerprint is scanned and sent to a database where it will be compared, identified, and verified. Fingerprint technology is widely used today in law enforcement, banking, and in merchandising. The biggest strength of this method is its high accuracy and low incidence of false acceptance and its low cost. However, fingerprint technology is said to have a high false rejection rate (where valid users are incorrectly rejected access). Sometimes, the technology does not recognize accurately in case of hand trauma, age, or disease. 2. Hand geometry The hand geometry identification method is the second most commonly used biometric tool (Jain, Ross, Pradhakar, 2004). Basically, it analyzes finger length and the edge of a hand. Hand biometric requires a person to place his or her hand on the device which has pegs to lay the hand on. When the hand is put properly in place, the device scans and checks the database for identification or verification. While the hand biometric device is easy to integrate, use, and can even work despite dirty hands, the technology is expensive, has low accuracy level, cannot read when hand is injured or has suffered from trauma, or when a person has arthritis. 3. Retina technology The concept is that it is practically impossible to counterfeit a human retina. The scanner analyzes capillary vessels situate in the back of the eye. Retina biometrics requires the person to place his or her eye close to a scanner and as the device scans, to focus on a specific point while being still (Jain, Ross, Pradhakar, 2004). The process takes 10-15 minutes. Retina technology has a very high accuracy rate. However, it is a sensitive process, expensive, and quite uncomfortable for those who wear glasses. 4. Voice technology Voice biometrics analyzes the pitch or tone of a persons voice. Voice biometrics fall into two categories: voice recognition and speech recognition. Voice recognition analyzes quality of the voice while speech recognition interprets what a person says (Jain, Ross, Pradhakar, 2004). The advantages of this system is that is it non-invasive and not susceptible to error due to a cold. However, its accuracy may be compromised with the presence of acoustics in the room and increased age. Conclusion Biometric identification includes methods such as fingerprint technology, hand geometry, retina analysis, and voice recognition. Although biometric identification is undeniably cutting edge technology, there are disadvantages present that is inherent with any modern technological systems. References Bolle, R. (2004). Guide to biometrics. New York: Springer. Jain, A. K., Ross, A., Prabhakar, S. (eds.) (2004). An introduction to biometric recognition. In IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems for Video Technology (14th ed.). New York: Springer. Tipton, H. K. Krause, M. (eds.) (2004). Information security management handbook. New York: CRC Press.

Half the Sky Documentary Evaluation

Half the Sky is a movie that discusses the oppression of women around the world. It brings to light the issues that, even in today's society, are still occurring. Women, young adults, and children everywhere in the world are becoming victims to abuse, rape, and being deprived of getting an education. This film documents Nikolas Kristof going around the world with the help of well known people in America to show some of the issues and some organizations that are working to change the way society views women and children. Early in the documentary a shocking statistic was given. It stated that around 60 million to 100 million females are currently missing out of the population. Where are all of these women going, and how are we letting this happen in today's societies? Females all around the world are becoming victims of genital mutilation, sex trafficking, rape, and abuse. Half the Sky is shedding light into some of the cultures around the world where this is a norm, and is trying to promote awareness. It discusses the reasons why these events are still taking place in current cultures, and what we can do about it to change the way people respond to these events. Some of the issues addressed in the movie Half the Sky are talking about women being oppressed in current societies. Women are constantly being put through human trafficking, violence, are being undereducated, and catching a ton of diseases from being raped. The people in this movie are trying to look at the issues of women not being treating equally and having the same rights as men in the 21st century. One of the main reasons this is happening is because men are never even caught, and when they are most of the time are shown no consequences. Another issue that first brought these issues in countries to light was that in China many females have gone missing due to the fact that it is more accepted to have a male born into your family, not a female. Children, primarily females, are being sold at shockingly young ages to brothels and are forced to be sex slaves. In so many countries it has become a norm for men to abuse women and use them as sex slaves. There are a few reasons there has been little progress made in changing the ways some cultures view women. One reason there has been no progress is because of the lack of punishment towards those causing the abuse. An example of this from Half the Sky is when they went into Sierra-Leone. There was a case where a teenage girl told her parents about her being raped by a relative, and they decided to press charges. After the man was captured, arrested, and placed in jail the family then became almost shunned by the community. After all this occurred the father in the family kicked the wife and child out. They said it was because the child had caused â€Å"shame† upon the family. Then the child forgave the man who had raped her, and many others, and he was released free; thus, causing the cycle to begin all over again. There is a huge lack of police forces investigating crimes, and men actually having consequences to their actions. A hard problem to solve is how we can fix these problems and change the way so many people feel about women. It's a slow and grueling process, but eventually if everybody does there part we can make a difference and create equality for all women. In every culture there's at least one organization out there trying to change the way women and children are treated in their society. The greatest challenge is when you have outsiders coming into a community to talk about these issues. Many people within a culture are not going to listen to an outsider, so we really need people within the communities to help change the way that society views the way their females are treated. We need people within the culture to empower others in that society to speak up and gain more followers. Secondly, we need to train societies to prosecute and investigate these crimes more thoroughly. If these countries don't have a strong justice system no changes can be made when those committing the crime don't see it as a crime. Thirdly, we need to educate children. Girls are likely to drop out of school at an age of fourteen or before to work for their family, whereas boys are likely to drop out at sixteen. Building an educated generation will help because then they can get a career and will not be caught in poverty like so many generations before them. Lastly, we need to bring all of these issues to light in countries that can help. We need more Americans to become aware of these issues, and reach out to help make them better. Nikolas Kristof said in Half the Sky, † Once people pay attention, that's the first step towards a solution. † All of this relates to sociology in many ways. One of the main ways it relates is because you see how something so looked down upon in one culture can be so socially acceptable in another culture. When somebody is accused and prosecuted for rape in America they are put in jail for a long time, and receive consequences for their actions. If you go to say Sierra-Leone, or Cambodia the person accused of rape will almost 100% of the time walk away with no consequences. It's all a matter of perspective and your culture you live in. Everybody needs to learn to be more culturally aware, and learn to help other cultures that aren't quite were we think they should be. Sociology is also related to Half the Sky because of the idea that it chases after women and children alone being oppressed. All in all, societies are all different in one way or another. Sociology helps us to understand the reasons people may act one way opposed to another, and how we can all work together to make a difference.