Effective Assessment Methods Help The Learner And The...

Effective Assessment Practices Assessment is a very important and crucial step in the learning process. Effective assessment methods help the learner and the educator identify learning needs and also the effectiveness of the education program being given. There are advantages and disadvantages to these methods. Educators use a myriad of assessment methods to help them identify what the learners are retaining and also to help guide the education program. Students can use assessment methods to reflect on their learning and collaborate with educators to identify learning goals. Strategies such as rubrics, case studies, simulation, observation, and performance checklists are assessment methods. This paper will discuss the effectiveness of rubrics, case studies, and simulation. Rubrics Rubrics are one of the many assessment methods used to assess and evaluate a student’s work. A rubric clearly identifies what is expected from the student on an assignment (Watland, 2012). In addition, rubrics can be utilized as a method of providing direct feedback to the students by evaluating the quality of a skill performed or a specific outcome (Birky, 2012). Birky also states that rubrics provided great versatility in assessing things such as teacher effectiveness, student performance, and quality of programs. These are some of the advantages when utilizing rubrics. The rubric is divided into smaller sections with detailed explanations of what the educator expects. The educator canShow MoreRelatedThe Adult Learner Essay On Learning Styles1437 Words   |  6 PagesAdult Learner Essay on Learning Styles Between the practice of education and the conducting of research in educational psychology, there is a divide that has formed around the effectiveness of utilizing learning styles while teaching and learning. Learning styles are defined as an individual’s mode of gaining knowledge, especially a preferred or best method (Learning Styles). Common examples of learning styles include visual learners, auditory learners, kinesthetic learners, verbal learners, andRead MoreEvaluating A Bridge Between Teaching And Learning1093 Words   |  5 Pagesaim to construct a bridge between teaching and learning in order to enable children to progress. When we assess children, we need to use professional judgement, but this must be informed by evidence’ (Cooper, 2014, p.82) Assessment has a number of roles in the life of a student as well as the life of an educator. It’s commonly acknowledged that student learning patterns, educational dynamics and time is directly influenced by assessment. Assessment is a fundamental part of teaching as it definesRead MoreAssessment And Evaluation Strategies For Nurses Educators Essay859 Words   |  4 PagesAssessment and Evaluation Strategies for Nurse Educators Introduction Kizlik (2014) describes assessment and evaluation as fundamental elements of the knowledge base of professional teachers. 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As future educators, we should all have the same goal; in helping students reach their potential by providing an effective learning experience which caters for student diversity, by creating a positive learner-centred environment that promotes their success and nurtures their individual desires to learn. My understanding of effective learning is developed from theRead MoreMain Elements Of Andragogy As An Anonymous Evaluation Form Essay1864 Words   |  8 Pagesthe skills together, gain feedback and personally identify areas for growth. After everyone completed their assessments and are back in one large group, ask participants how they feel about what they learned. Ask them how we can use what was learned today in the future. Ask them what they feel worked well or where they need more practice. Have participants complete an anonymous evaluation form (found in the Appendix) of the in-service to help the facilitator develop future in-services. 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As educators we need assessment to improve the qualityRead MoreEvaluating Learning Programs2336 Words   |  10 PagesEvaluating Learning Programmes Learning outcomes On completion of this unit a learner should: 1 understand the principles of evaluating learning programmes 2 understand and use appropriate evaluation methods 3 understand how to collect and analyse data for the purpose of evaluating learning programmes 4 understand how evaluation results can be used to improve learning programmes 5 understand how to evaluate the effectiveness of own practice. 1. Understand the principles of evaluating learning programmesRead MoreMy Philosophy Of Education It Is Student Centered1660 Words   |  7 PagesMy philosophy of education it is student centered, where teachers are facilitators contributing to optimize student’s potential. Educators should be equipped to serve, prepare, and help students to build a promising future full of opportunities. My vision as an educator is to optimize human potential. As an educator, I believe that students have the potential to learn, to apply in real life experiences what they have learned, and to serve equitably a diverse world. All students should have the access

Family Counseling Services Of Northern Utah - 1054 Words

Mission Statement: Family Counseling Services of Northern Utah (FCS) is a non-profit agency which has been dedicated since 1966 to improving the quality of life for residents of Northern Utah by providing affordable counseling to individuals, couples, and families regardless of their income. FCS first opened its doors on February 2, 1966 at a small apartment office in Ogden, Utah. The agency was founded in response to community surveys that recognized the need for a counseling agency to keep families together. Its first executive director, and only counselor, saw 170 clients in 1966. Since then our agency has helped thousands of children, individuals, couples and families. In 1993, FCS assisted 350 clients; in 2010, we assisted 2,400†¦show more content†¦A 2015 article in the Salt Lake Tribune Utah had the fourth highest suicide rate last year, coming in behind Montana, Alaska and Wyoming. The deaths of 562 Utahan’s last year were ruled as suicides, a number that s been climbing. Mental health of Utah (2015) reported, â€Å"30% to 70% of suicide victims who suffer from major depression or bipolar (manic depressive) disorder† and â€Å"eight out of ten people considering suicide give some sign of their intentions.† Poverty and mental health correlate significantly, people with economical disadvantages have inconsistent access to proper mental health agencies and resources. With poverty increasing the number of mental health related concerns FCS has made a commitment to offer services to individuals and families who have expressed the need for services but are unable to pay for requested sercices. FCS exists to fill the counseling needs of the residents of Northern Utah; notably 95% of the time the population served by FCS could not afford to pay for the services received. FCS is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization committed to making a positive impact on the community by promoting wellness, strengthening families and improving lives. FCS has addressed the community mental health the developing Healing lives for Success. The purpose of the Healing Lives for Success program is to address this barrier of mental health therapy by providing a

Discuss Theories of Communication Free Essays

P2: Discuss theories of communication. Part A The communication cycle is a commonly used theory of communication. It was first developed by Charles Berner in 1965; it was then modified by Michael Argyle, who was a social psychologist, in 1972. We will write a custom essay sample on Discuss Theories of Communication or any similar topic only for you Order Now The concept of a ‘communication cycle’ makes it clear that, in order to have effective communication, it must be a two way process. As well as transferring messages to others in a definite, clear way, health care professionals must be able to respond to the verbal feedback as well as the non-verbal feedback. So, effective communication has to involve effort from both participators (both the sender as well as the receiver) in the communication. The communication cycle has six stages. Stage one is when ideas occur, this makes us think and assess the situation that we are in before we start to communicate. We need to think about what we are trying to say, and how to say this in a clear, effective way. Stage two is when the message is coded and here we have to be aware of the different methods that we can use to send our message. We should try and consider the most effective communication method depending on the situation and the person with whom we will be communicating. Stage three is when the message gets sent. We need to make sure that we have chosen the most effective method of communication, and that we have used this communication method in the most correct way. We should not try and rush the message being sent because that could cause misunderstanding between the two people who are communicating. Stage four is whenever the message gets perceived by the receiver. The service user has to make sense of the message given to them. As health care professionals, we should be aware of the potential difficulties and be aware of how to take steps in order to lessen these difficulties. Stage five is when the message gets decoded. The service user tries to make meaning of what you have just communicated to them. Here, we have to clarify and check out how much of the information is being understood. This clarification should be carried out on a continual basis, not just at the end of the conversation. Finally, stage six is whenever the message gets understood, and then the receiver of the message then becomes the sender of the new message in the form of feedback. You must allow plenty of time for feedback, remembering that it will be both verbal and nonverbal; this involves listening with your eyes, ears and body language. Part B Mrs Hedges is a resident in a nursing home. Recently, her hearing has declined and she now relies on a hearing aid to enable communication. Three weeks ago, Mrs Hedge’s granddaughter was involved in an accident and since been in hospital. Her family have been reluctant to tell Mrs Hedges of her granddaughter’s condition as they do not want to upset her. Mrs Hedges was used to seeing her granddaughter on a regular basis; she often popped in on her own to spend time with her granny. Mrs Hedges has started to worry about her granddaughter and the family have asked that you help them break the news. . â€Å"A relationship without communication will definitely fail. If you attempt to have a relationship without communication, both people involved in the relationship will have different goals and objectives. ANGEL, G, 2010. Title [The importance of the communication cycle]. [16. 10. 12]. Available from World Wide Web : lt;http://www. helium. com/items/1746915-communication-cyclegt; The importance of the communication cycle cannot and should not be underestimated. Below, I am going to discuss why I think it is important to follow the communication cycle and why it is important for effective communication. The sender should be aware that the person with whom they will be communicating is hard of hearing, and are wearing a hearing aid. The dispatcher of the communication should be able to select the most effective form of communication in order to communicate the message at hand. The sender must think about how to communicate the message in a sensitive way that the receiver will understand. The communicator should be on the same level as the receiver of the communication; this allows the receiver (Mrs Hedges) to read facial expression and, if possible, lip read. Being on the same level as the receiver of the communication, also allows them to focus and listen more efficiently. The speaker must thoroughly think through what he or she is going to say, and the method in which they want to say it. They must evaluate and decide whether to use verbal or nonverbal communication, or a mix of the two. If they have chosen verbal communication, they must figure out a way to communicate in a non-patronising way that will still be as effective. If nonverbal communication is chosen, the correct method of nonverbal communication should be chosen. Effective communication must happen in order to meet Mrs Hedges’ needs, to help her feel re assured, safe and secure. In this particular case, I think that a mixture of both verbal and nonverbal communication is requisite. Using speech along with caring and reassuring touch will be effective in making Mrs Hedges feel cared for and safe. The communicator should speak in a normal fashion that Mrs Hedges will not find condescending, but that you speak in a slightly slower pace than usual; this makes your speech clearer. Communicate the message to Mrs Hedges at a time when she is least likely to be tired, as when you are tired, your hearing is decreased anyway. Verbal communication is so important, especially when delivering such a delicate message, so make sure to use simple, short sentences, and make sure that MRs Hedges has understood, you could do this by asking questions such as ‘are you following me? ’ or ‘Do you have any questions, Mrs Hedges? ’. If she hasn’t understood the message, refrain from repeating the same sentence over again, instead the sender of the message should try re-phrasing the sentence. Nonverbally, facial expression and hand movements, body language and touch are vital. If Mrs Hedges gets upset, it is important that the communicator re assures her by caring gestures, such as gentle, friendly touch, the carer could put their hand on Mrs Hedge’s shoulder, to comfort her. The carer must be able to communicate effectively to Mrs Hedges so that Mrs Hedges fully understands the message. This is also important as it is useful to know how to effectively communicate so that Mrs Hedges’ needs are met and that she feels safe, secure and re-assured. This will also help her feel valued, and her self-esteem will be boosted by default as the communication is 100% effective. Part C Another theory of communication is Tuckman’s theory of group development. First developed by Bruce Tuckman in 1965, it is one of the more well-known group/team development theories and has been the basis of many other ideas since its birth. Tuckman’s theory focuses on the way that a team tackles a task from the initial formation of the team right the way through to the completion of the given project. Tuckman’s theory is relevant in particular to team building challenges as each individual phase can affect the completion of the task at hand. Basically, Tuckman’s model explains that, as the team develops maturity and ability, the relationships within the team get more established, and the leader changes his or her leadership style, according to the developmental stage of the group. In this group development cycle, there are four main stages although later on, Tuckman added a fifth stage to the cycle (although this is not used by everybody). The first stage, forming, is the stage where the group is put together for the first time, and where all the group members meet one another for the first time, so naturally, this is the most awkward stage of the developmental cycle. The group is thought to be at the â€Å"honeymoon stage†- the group members are all naturally shy, and are all aware of their feelings and the feelings of others. In this stage, there is a high dependence on the leader by most of the team members, for guidance and direction. There is little agreement between team members on the aims and purposes of the team, other than what is given by the team leader. Individual roles and responsibilities of team members are somewhat unclear. The leader should be prepared as the team members will have a lot of questions to ask, and the leader will have to be confident so that the team members can feel confident too, and also they will have a sense of security. The second stage, storming, is the stage where the most conflict occurs. The team will begin to gain comfort with one another, and so the team will start to address the task suggesting possible ideas, and different ideas may compete for the favour of the group, and if this is badly managed, it can result in being very destructive for the team. This phase is described as the ‘make or break’ moments for the team, as in the team relationships will either me made or broken. In this stage, it is essential that the team has a strong facilitative leadership in this phase. There is a stronger clarity of purpose, but plenty of uncertainties persist. Cliques and factions form and there might be power struggles within the group. The third stage, Norming, is where the team begins to ‘find their feet’ a bit more. The norming phase is a gradual move towards harmonious team-working. The team becomes more united and begins to agree on rules, purposes, values and aims on which they all agree to operate. In an ideal world, teams will begin to trust themselves more and each member will begin to value the contribution of other team members. In this phase, you will find that the team leader is able to take a step back as individual members become more comfortable with each other and so take on greater responsibility. A potential risk during the norming stage is that the team will become complacent and will lose their creative edge or the motivation that brought them to the team in the first place. The group on a whole is able to make larger decisions, and smaller decisions get delegated to individual team members, adding to the harmony of the group. Outside of the ‘team environment’ the team members may engage in social activities together. The fourth stage, performing, is when the team members are working at their optimum level as a united body. The group can be described as being in ‘flow’ – all of the team members are contributing equally to the team and as a result of this; the team is making excellent progress. When I think of a good team working together as one, I think of the metaphor of a human body; every part of the human body is required for the body to work properly and at optimum level, and this is the same as a team working together. In this stage of group development, each group member can help the other members out by giving them advice, instruction and constructive criticism where necessary. Teams that are performing at optimum level are identified by high independence levels and motivation is evident as well as each team member being highly competent and knowledgeable in the aims they want to achieve, and the main ideas of their team project. Decision making within the team is done as one entity and each team member has a high level of respect for each individual team member. †¦PART D†¦ (TO BE DONE NEXT WEEK) http://www. teambuilding. co. uk/Forming_Storming_Norming_Performing. html http://www. businessballs. com/tuckmanformingstormingnormingperforming. htm How to cite Discuss Theories of Communication, Papers

Blue and White Size free essay sample

For each lecture, there is a prefecture web quiz which is due on the day of the lecture and a post-lecture web quiz with a due date after the lecture that can be found under the Class Schedule link as well. Each pre-lecture web quiz contains mostly simple and straightforward questions designed to ensure that you have picked up the major points from the assigned reading so that you can better participate in the in-class discussions. The post-lecture web quiz contains the more challenging questions that require you to digest the material you should have learned from each lecture.Detailed rules for the re and post-lecture web quizzes are at the Quiz Instructions link on the home page. You may take these quizzes ten times to improve your grade. Your highest grade on a quiz is the only grade recorded. We drop the lowest of your Pre-lecture, Post-lecture and Lab quizzes. Pre-lecture, post-lecture and lab quizzes are given in a time frame near the delivery of the related course material. After the deadline for a quiz, you will not be able to take it resulting in a grade of zero. See your instructors Class icon for the details of the scheduling of these quizzes.You may take the quizzes five times to try to improve your grade. You will receive the highest of the grades you score on a quiz. For the Learning Styles and Pre-Assessment Survey, you will receive 100% for taking these surveys, but that credit will not appear under My Grades on the day you take them. On the Post-Assessment Survey, you will earn 0. 25 points for each correct answer to a maximum of five points that will be added to your rounded final exam score as extra credit. Abs and Lab Web Quizzes Ten labs are held at the LAB Rooms. The lab sessions serve the purpose of familiarizing students with various Excel commands needed to complete the arioso lab quizzes. There will be a lab web quiz for each lab session mainly to test the materials presented during the lab. The due dates of the lab web quizzes are under your instructors Class Schedule link. You can use the PCs in the FCC student lounge room 203 when you are not in your assigned lab. You may also use the Learning Resource Center (building #61) during the week and on the weekends. Check their door for open hours. You may take these quizzes ten times to improve your grade. Your highest grade on a quiz is the only grade recorded. We drop your lowest of your Pre-lecture, Post-lecture ND Lab quizzes. Lecture Exams and Final Exam Both the lecture exams and final exam will be in multiple-choice and fill-in- the-blank format. These exams include material similar to that found in the Post-lecture and Lab quizzes along with the individual Lecture Review Exams (optional). Many of the questions include the use of Pastas and Excel including calculations that you copy and paste into answer blanks. The exams are open Speedster and textbook. All exams are in the Lab Rooms. The final exam is comprehensive.The dates of the lecture exams and final exam are under your instructors Class Schedule link. There is one Lecture Exam per lecture. They are available only during lab under exam environment. You may attempt a Lecture Exam one time only. These exams take the place of midterm exams. We record a zero when the exam deadline passes without a record that you have taken it (See Class Schedule for beginning dates and deadlines). You have until the date of the next exam to supply us with a legitimate documented excuse to have the grade changed to dropped (not used to calculate the exam average grade).You will not be able to see your exam nor your raw score when you have completed the exam. You view your exam results during the next scheduled lab. After the grades are rounded, we post your grade to B Learn (see Rounding of Grades above). We drop your lowest lecture exam grade at the end of the semester. Prior to a Lecture Exam, we release Review Exam that contains questions similar to those found in the Lecture Exams. They are under the Assessments folder in B Learn. The Review Exams are for feedback only without the recording of grades.You may take them an unlimited number of times to review the lecture material. Use these exams to study for the Lecture Exams and the Final Exam. Projects The team project constitutes a crucial component in this course. This project not only attempts to expose you to the use of statistics in real life situations, it also serves the purpose of training you in the presentation of results. Therefore, your grade will depend on your ability to present results in a way that will be appropriate in a business setting. We require you to translate statistical jargon into everyday language in this process. A project score consists of three components. Ten % comes from the project web quiz, 20% from self-peer evaluation and 70% from the report. For students with a self- peer evaluation score below 80%, the report score is then multiplied by the score on the self-peer evaluation. Please refer to Getting Started found under the Projects icon on the homepage of the class web site. Anybody who does not complete the Self-Peer Evaluation form online gives a strong indication that he/she does not care about the project or the evaluation process.Hence, that person loses the opportunity to help their own grade and to evaluate the contribution of the other members of the team. Please refer to Self-Peer Evaluation found under the Project folder on the amoebae of the class web site. Every team needs to make an appointment with the Business Communication Center (BCC) to have their first draft checked and corrections made prior to submission. At least 50% of the team members must be present at the meeting. The first draft must be reviewed by BCC. It is optional for any team to have the final draft reviewed by BCC prior to submission.This could serve to improve the teams final grade. Any first draft that has not been read/approved by the BCC will not be graded and, hence, no comment will be provided. To sign up for an appointment tit the BCC, look for the link under the Class Schedule on B Learn. For more information regarding the BCC, go to www. Franken. Ana. Du/ Strenuousnesss/commenter. Schedule of Class Activities, Quizzes, Exams and Projects See the Class Schedule link found on the homepage of the class web site. You will find topics, resources, reading assignments and important dates and deadlines for the entire semesters work.For the starting dates and ending dates of the pre-lecture, post-lecture and lab quizzes, also consult the Class Schedule. You may complete any quiz that has an active link. Professionalism Recognition Program All CEO 201 classes participate in the Fibs Professionalism Recognition Program. Students who demonstrate professional behaviors in and out of class are eligible for high ratings through that program. Students who receive overall high ratings in the program will receive a letter from the Dean indicating that they ex. bibbed high professional conduct a useful tool to distinguish yourself with employers as you seek a job.In order to receive a high professionalism rating in this course, students must have: (I) missed no more than 1 class; and, (ii) received at least a 95% score on the projects self- ere-evaluation. To receive a Professionalism rating, students need to have: (I) missed no more than 3 classes; and, (ii) received at least an 85% score on the projects self-peer-evaluation. In addition to the above requirements, students will also be assessed on their participation in the classroom, timeliness to class, use of appropriate language (both written and spoken), demonstration of respectfulness, etc.The determination of a students rating for professionalism is a subjective determination by the faculty member. Additional Rules of the Course Makeup Exams There will be no makeup offered for lecture exams. We drop a missing lecture exam score only for those students with institutional excuse, proper documentation or a legitimate excuse (and tell us in advance of missing the regularly scheduled lecture exam). You must deliver the institutional excuse or documentation before the next lecture exam is given. Otherwise, we record a zero for missing exams.You have the option to take a makeup for a missed lecture exam only if you have an institutional excuse. If you decide on this option, the makeup exam must be taken before the next lecture exam. Attendance Name cards and the clicker are used to take attendance. You will receive 1. 5 percentage points credit added to your course average for perfect attendance; 1. 25 percentage points credit added to your course average for missing no more than 2 classes; 1. 00 percentage points credit added to your course average for missing no more than 4 classes; 0. 5 percentage points credit added to your course average for missing no more than 5 classes; 0. 50 percentage points credit added to your course average for missing no more than 6 classes; and, 0. 25 percentage points credit added to your course average for missing no more than 7 classes. We add this attendance score to your course average at the end of the semester before assigning a letter grade. If you do have legitimate excuses for being absent, bring proper documentation and come speak with your professor in the next class and he or she will consider removing the penalty.The maximum amount that can be added to your course average is 1. 5 percentage points. While class attendance is required per the above stated policy, please be cautious about attending class if you are feeling ill. Please inform your professor by email if you are feeling unwell; if you are experiencing flu-like homonyms, you should not attend class; please take precautions not to infect others, and seek medical attention if your symptoms worsen Seating Arrangement In the 2nd week of the semester, we form teams to facilitate in-class discussions and team activities, and assign seating arrangement in the lectures and labs.If you have particular preferences on sitting location, please speak with your professor as soon as possible and he will try to accommodate your request. Where is the homework? We designed this course to substitute web quizzes for the homework that is usually associated with a statistics course. It is important that you do work in addition to taking the quizzes. After you have mastered the material by making 100 on each quiz, you should use that quiz as a study aid. Go to Assessments. Find the quiz of interest. Click the View Results button. Under Attempts-number find your attempt on the quiz for which you made 100.Click on the number for that quiz. Read each question and critically evaluate why each correct answer is correct and why each wrong answer is wrong. If you do not know why an answer is correct or not correct, then you need to do extra study in the textbook, the Speedster or the Powering slides. You must have read the required text material and studied the Powering slides before coming to lecture. Student Responsibility Taking a statistics course is challenging. You will be taking pre-lecture quizzes due before the lecture is presented, post-lecture quizzes due after the lecture is completed and lab quizzes due after the lab is completed.You must have a personal schedule that allows you to keep up with the class. We are here to help you in any way we can, but you are responsible for your education. You must be able to take the quizzes on time, complete the assigned readings on mime, complete the team projects and attend class. According to the Arizona Board of Regents policy statement on Academic Credit (use Control-click), a minimum of forty-five (45) hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit during a semester.So for a 3-credit course, each student is required to put in at least 9 hours per week including class time. To meet this policy during summer classes means that you will need to work more than full time. Cell Phones and Music Players We do not allow cell phones and music players in lectures, labs or exams. Turn off cell phones when in class. Academic Honesty We have a zero tolerance policy in this course. We encourage students to work together, especially in lab sessions, to improve their understanding of the concepts and processes covered in this course.This does not extend to lecture exams or the final exam. Any instance of cheating on a lecture exam or the final exam will result in immediate and automatic failure for the course, irrespective of the performance Of the student or students up to that point. Aside from the straightforward copying of answers, cheating also includes any discussion during the exam. Cell phones are not allowed anywhere on the desktop during exams. In addition to these punitive measures, a report will be filed with r-CB and the University. Plagiarism is also a form of cheating.This relates, in particular, to the semester project that you will prepare as part of this course. You should be aware that we have thoroughly read all the projects that have been prepared for this class in the past. In addition, the data used for the analyses are changed from time-to- time. Thus, it is an easy matter for us to determine whether submissions have been popularized from previous submissions. Any confirmed instance of legalism on the project will result in all members Of the team receiving a grade of zero for the exercise.

WordPress Plugin Check How to Check Plugins for Compatibility Issues

The huge variety of available plugins is a big part of what makes WordPress so great. But because there are so many plugins from third-party developers, you can occasionally run into compatibility issues. To find those issues, youll need to know how to perform a WordPress plugin check.By choosing your plugins, themes, and other tools carefully, you can prevent most problems before they happen. What’s more, diagnosing and dealing with compatibility errors if they do occur isn’t difficult.In this post, we’ll discuss what plugin compatibility means for your site. Then we’ll talk about how to handle errors as soon as you notice them, and how to carry out a WordPress plugin check to find incompatible plugin in the first place. Let’s jump right in! What does a compatibility error look like? This question can be difficult to answer, since the specific problem you’ll see will be based on the plugins involved. However, in general, these errors cause a specific feature on your site to function incorrectly or stop working.This feature may be inherent to the plugin causing the problem. Alternately, it might belong to another plugin, theme, or WordPress itself. In rare cases, incompatible plugins can even break your site – so this is an issue to take seriously.How to diagnose a potential plugin compatibility errorIf you think you may have a plugin compatibility problem on your site, don’t panic. In most cases, it’s easy to diagnose and deal with these errors. You can simply perform a WordPress plugin check, to see whether one of your plugins is actually causing the issue you’re seeing.The best way to do this is to disable your plugins, one at a time. We highly recommend doing this on a staging site for safety reasons. So you’ll want to start by creating a copy of your live site first (if you don’t already have one). Next, log in and navigate to the Plugins tab in your dashboard:Here, youâ₠¬â„¢ll see a list of all the plugins installed on your site. Under each one, you’ll see an option labeled Deactivate. The following process will help you carry out a WordPress plugin check for compatibility errors:Deactivate one of your plugins – preferably the one you most recently installed or updated.Check out your site on the front end, test whatever feature wasn’t working, and see if it’s fixed.If the problem has gone away, you’ve found your culprit! If not, reactivate the plugin and deactivate the next one on the list.Repeat the previous steps until you find the plugin causing the issue, or until you’ve gone through every plugin on your site. If none of your plugins are to blame, you’re likely dealing with a different type of WordPress error.Once you’ve figured out which plugin is giving you trouble, you have a few options. You can try uninstalling and reinstalling it, and see if that resolves the issue. If it doesnt, you ’ll either need to contact the developer for help fixing the error, or find a replacement plugin that does the same thing (more on this in the next section).Finally, it is possible for a plugin compatibility error to prevent you from logging in to your site at all. In this scenario, you can still carry out a WordPress plugin check. Youll just need to use File Transfer Protocol (FTP) to access your site’s files directly. You can find more details on how to do this in our article on the subject.Automate your WordPress plugin checkWhile the manual process above is simple, it can still take some time to manually deactivate all of your plugins, especially if youre using a lot of plugins. To automate the process, you can try the free Plugin Detective plugin: Plugin Detective Troubleshooting Author(s): N SquaredCurrent Version: 1.1.6Last Updated: June 11, 2019plugin-detective.1.1.6.zip 92%Ratings 22,276Downloads WP 4.4+Requires This plugin, which won  WordCamp Oran ge County’s 2018 Plugin-a-Palooza contest, basically does exactly what we described abovejust automatically.Once you install it, you can use the new  Troubleshoot option on the WordPress toolbar.How to prevent plugin compatibility errors in the first placeThe WordPress Plugin Directory will let you know if a plugin is out of date and risky to install.While its certainly possible to diagnose compatibility issues after-the-fact, its better to try and figure out if a plugin will break your site  before you actually install it.While you can never 100% guarantee this, there are ways to significantly decrease the chance  of encountering any compatibility issues.Before installing any new plugin, you’ll want to:Make sure the plugin is compatible with your version of WordPress. This information is listed on each entry in the WordPress Plugin Directory, and on most other sites that sell plugins.Check to see if the plugin has been updated recently. In general, avoid plugins that havent been updated within the past six months.Take a look at the plugin’s user reviews and ratings. These will give you a general idea of its quality. Plus, people will often mention any compatibility issues they’ve encountered in their reviews.Consider whether the plugins functionality overlaps with anything already installed on your site. Having two plugins that affect the same feature doesn’t guarantee there will be a problem, but it does increase the risk.If you’ve gone through this list and the plugin you’re looking at satisfies each point, you’re probably safe installing it. Just to be certain, however, it’s still smart to activate it on a staging site first. That way, you can run a WordPress plugin check and catch any issues before you install the plugin on your live site.ConclusionBy using plugins, you can modify WordPress to add just about any feature you want. While this is great news, it’s also important to be aware of the risks involved. The more plugins you install on your site, the more likely you are to run into a compatibility error at some point.Fortunately, most compatibility problems are easy to deal with via a simple WordPress plugin check. You can diagnose them by systematically deactivating each plugin on your site until you find the one at fault. Of course, we all know that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. For this reason, you’ll also want to vet each new plugin carefully before adding it to your site.Do you have any questions about how to diagnose or prevent plugin compatibility errors on your site? Let us help in the comments section below! Here's how to check new or existing #WordPress #plugins for compatibility issues at your site

Tom Cruise Essay Example

Tom Cruise Essay Example Tom Cruise Essay Tom Cruise Essay Tom Cruise was born on 3 July 1962, Syracuse, New York, USA.Originally, Cruise wanted to become a Priest at the age of 14, an ironic concept, compared to what his true career was to become.If you were to hear the name Tom Cruise, two words would generally come to mind, these words being Small and Scientology.Fortunately for Cruise, the latter term brought his fame up a level, not altogether in a positive way however.An example of this is in 1992, where, in an interview, Cruise claimed that Scientology has cured his dyslexia. More information on Cruises fame through Scientology can be found in Chapter 2.In 2006, Cruise, married Katie Holmes (his 3rd wife), however after finding his new love, he appeared to become deluded into thinking he had more public power than he actually did, shown in the Oprah scene. More information on the Oprah scene can be found in Chapter 3.2 ANALYSIS OF FAMECruises recognition came at the age of 21, in the film Risky Business.From then, he went on to Top Gu n where he came to fame in 1986. See Chapter 4.1 for in-depth analysis of Top Gun.Just 2 years later, Cruise appeared in the light-hearted drama Cocktail, where Cruise received his first nomination for a Razzie award in 1989. This will have boosted his fame furthermore, and, just at the age of 27, Cruise had appeared in 3 big hits.In 1992, Cruise appeared in A few good men, where he received a Golden Globe and MTV nominations. The Golden Globe would have brought Cruise massive respect from fellow actors, and, critics. Once more, Cruises fame was rising.12 years later, Cruise appeared in Vanilla Sky, a film, different in genre, compared to the typical action related films he usually partook in.Overall, Cruises career as an actor brought him fame, fortune, fans and finally, formidable flagging in terms of his publicity.However, his fame, combined with good acting certified him to be nominated for 3 Oscars, and caused his to win an impressive 40 nominations.3 POWER OF PUBLICITYOver tim e, Cruise has displayed several ways of publicising himself, be it positively, negatively, on purpose or just by coincidence.An example of Cruises negative self advertisement is The Oprah Scene.In 2005, Cruise professed his love for Katie Holmes upon his appearance of the Oprah show. His behaviour of jumping up and down on the couch and repeatedly hitting the floor, in the way to express his devotion for his new partner, was seen by almost everyone, as over-the-top drama. This is a classic example of a celebrity overusing their power, of which Cruise imagined he had a great deal of.Onto another topic, Cruise, seemingly inadvertently, leaks a video of him talking about his passion for Scientology.The video released on January 15, 2008, shows Cruise being interviewed, with the ironically background music from Mission Impossible playing in the background, denoting his action filled persona.4 FILM TRAILER ANALYSISIn this Chapter, I will analyse two separate films.The two films I am goin g to analyse are Top Gun and Vanilla Sky.The images above show two very juxtaposing films where, between a period of time, Cruise differentiates his genres in acting From action in Top Gun, to romance in Vanilla Sky.4.1 TOP GUNIn May 1986, Cruises big hit was released. Top Gun became the highest grossing film of the year, taking in $354 million in worldwide.Cruise plays the heroic marine pilot, a seemingly Perfect Fit role for him. Personally I believe this to be rationalised by his real life cocky mind-set.The TrailerThe trailer creates an atmosphere of fast beating action, shown by the quick-burst cuts/edits.The aspect of romance is partly shown in two parts. Firstly it is shown in the silhouette image of Cruise and his partner kissing, and again, where his partner his helping him to decide upon a perceptibly important decision. This portrays the soft, romantic side Cruise plays, to attract the female audience, whereas the action scenes entice the male audience. This was helped b y Cruises age making him an apt choice for the film.Finally, emphasis is displayed in the way of the trailer narrative to confirm that Cruise is the protagonist in the film.4.2 VANILLA SKY15 years later after the release of Top Gun, romantic thriller Vanilla Sky was released.The word Romantic instantly stands out compared to his preceding films, where his roles took on more action related parts, such as in the films Mission Impossible and War of the Worlds.The films itself is itself a remake of the 1997 movie Abre Los Ojos (Open Your Eyes).Now at the age of 39, the difference in genre seems suitable; to portray the maturity Cruise has developed over time.The TrailerImmediately, the audience will realise that, compared to most other films Cruise has appeared in, the genre in Vanilla Sky is far different.It has a far more relaxed and surreal aspect to it and as the trailer continues, the romantic side is introduced.A clever device the studio uses when creating the trailer is the prese nting of 6 separate words, which sum up the films true light. These words are as follows:1. Life2. Work3. Play4. Hate5. Death6. RealityLife describes the films as a whole, basically concentrating on the life of the role Cruise plays David Aames.Play, cleverly used as an innuendo, links in with the affair Cruise takes part in, and then associating cleverly with the words Hate, Death and finally Reality. The latter word is yet another reminder of the surrealism of the film.5 FINAL ANALYSISIn general, I believe Cruises career has been a path of ups and downs. His life outside movies brought controversy with his multiple marriages, and stories of his love for Scientology.As with most actors and actresses, he had a big break, for Cruise, being in 1986 in the film Top Gun. From then on his fame took a high, with several big hit films, starring him, being released. Over time however, his fame somewhat faltered and shrunk.The infamous Oprah scene brought about some of this disapproval in hi s self-publicity stunts.Overall, I think that Tom Cruise has led the usual Hollywood life of fame and fortune and some unfortunate events of which he will probably wish to forget.His acting brought his true fame from the start, and tradition was only to be carried on by his publicity stunts. Yet I believe there are still some uncovered truths about this iconic actor, yet to be discovered. Undoubtedly they will be one day.

The argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The argument - Essay Example Tight state budgets of the current year have drawn attention towards the efficient and effective use of taxpayer money instead of wasting it in, otherwise activities that are deemed to be used for illicit drug abuse. According to those in favor the money that is being used to help the welfare program can be saved for other public welfare expenditures where it is more needed. A Republican speaker of the Wyoming house, Edward Buchanan, said, â€Å"The idea from Joe Taxpayer is, ‘I don’t mind helping you out, but you need to show that you’re looking for work, or better yet that you’re employed, and that you’re drug and alcohol free.’ † (The New York Times). He has simply tried to put forward the motive for drug testing. To be able to be qualified to receive the welfare aid, one must be subjected to drug tests first to ensure that the taxpayer money will not be used in illegal drug activities. To support the point, Garth Everett, a Lycoming County Republican who is in support of drug testing legislation said that the workers are often tested for drug abuse by their prospective employers before their employment, however the recipients of welfare aid are never subject to such tests which may reduce the effectiveness of this program. Such drug tests will enable the government (that can be seen as an employer in this case) to ensure that the money expenditure on welfare program is being spent responsibly and in the best interest of the beneficiary. Since government can be seen as an employer of welfare recipients in this case, this shouldn’t be contrary to the law and constitution. (Hall). As opposed to those in favor of the new legislation, those against it have tried to make their point on the basis of statistical evidences and past data relating to substance abuse. The main point of their argument is that, the new legislation makes an unnecessary and unreasonable assumption about the recipients of welfare aid pr ogram that they are necessarily involved in some kind drug activity. This is strictly against the US constitution which prohibits any unnecessary search of people. Therefore testing these unfortunate citizens for drug abuse would amount to an unconstitutional search of people who sought help. Eventually this will also lead to withdrawal of public confidence in the welfare program and attract unnecessary expenses in future. Courts in US have dropped such issues in the past on the similar grounds. A Democrat state representative against the legislation, W. Patrick Goggles, said, â€Å"This legislation assumes suspicion on this group of people, it assumes that they’re drug abusers.† (The New York Times). Democrats are also of the view that the actual costs to conduct these drug tests and all other overheads preponderate the potential benefits and savings expected to be derived from it. In Idaho, such a budget analysis was conducted last year which showed that the costs of this program are likely to be more than the saving. This caused the proponents of the program to drop this idea. There are also various statistics available to support this theory, for example, one such study says that the recipients of government aid are not more likely than the general US population to abuse drugs which is 8% of the population. Maria Kayanan said, "What the states are doing

Hamlets inexplicable fascination with death Essay

Hamlets inexplicable fascination with death - Essay Example An in-depth analysis of Hamlet’s character speaks of the fact that pathological obsession with death is one of many complex patterns of Hamlet’s psyche. This pattern will be scrutinized at-length in the following discussion to prove this argument that Hamlet’s relationship with and his attitudes towards death throughout the play an important role in destroying his reputation as a person of high social standing. If Hamlet’ action is explored in relation to death, many important aspects of the play get unraveled. This subject is very intense and open to multiple interpretations on a perceptual level due to which it is selected for this essay to be analyzed. It is worth-mentioning here that one of the most conspicuous themes of this Shakespearean tragedy is death which is evident in the way this theme interestingly influences the leading male character, the prince of Denmark. His relationship with death since the beginning of the play is very out of the ordin ary and exceptionally odd. As the story progresses, this relationship starts bordering on insanity which is why critics describe the way Hamlet reacts to death a rare experience which people do not get to witness commonly in the real world. It is claimed that â€Å"the most extraordinary of Hamlet’s universal aspects is his relationship to death† (Bloom 6). He is described as extraordinary not only because right after the news of his father’s death reaches him, he becomes filled with emotions of rage and revenge. Rather, the aspect of his personality which compels one to raise one’s eyebrows and question the equanimity of this hero is the way he becomes hopelessly interested in death on many other levels. He becomes passionate about ghosts too and develops an urge to know what happens after a person dies, how the bodies decay once buried etc. Despite being a person of high social standing and required to stay levelheaded to be an example to his people, he instead he becomes literally obsessed with the idea of death. This obsession is born first when the death of his beloved father is revealed to him by his friend Horatio. Before killing Claudius, Hamlet attempts to familiarize himself with ghosts, which speaks of his fascination for the subject of death. Instead of developing interest in other tasks to be identified as a good leader, he instead sets on finding about the reality of ghosts to know if they really live in the world after death of a person or not. He contemplates the idea of death from many perspectives which demonstrates the gradual and worrisome development of a pathological behavior which turns out to have enormous repercussions as the story unfolds. Hamlet ponders about death from a spiritual perspective when he becomes captivated by the idea of ghosts and explores it. Instead of acknowledging the concerned advances of other people who are true to him like Gertrude, he perceives them as potential antagonists preferri ng instead to look on to death as a definite solution to all his emotional and psychological problems. Little does he know that death is not the solution, but actually the driver of his gradual psychological downfall. When interpreting the enthralling idea of death on multiple levels, he is singularly most

Summative assignment on Next PLC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Summative assignment on Next PLC - Essay Example J D Wetherspoon plc incorporated in the London Stock Exchange is a firm with the operations in the development and management of public houses. Incorporated in the year 1979, the company owns and operates 927 pubs offering food and drinks throughout the United Kingdom (Yahoo. Finance, 2014a).   The overall performance of the Wehttherspoon remained improving for the past five years of assessment. The liquidity position of the company is notably low which further declines under the pressure of inventory; while the profitability of the company is the declining as a result of increasing level of costs such as labour cost, marketing expenses and other repair and refurbishment etc (Reuters, 2013). The star year the in the recent most history of the company remained the year 2012 where Wetherspoon notable grew its revenue and profits in the year 2012. The underlying reason for such growth has been Euro 2012 football  tournament and the Diamond Jubilee in which the company opened net of 37 pubs in UK (BBC, 2012a). However, the impact of this event was clearly expected not to be sustained over a period of long term (BBC, 2012b). Despite this fact, the company is expanding its business to sustain the growth. For the purpose, expansion of the retail space of pubs is increasing, and the company has also expanded with a new pub in the Ireland (Yahoo. Finance, 2013). Expansion is widely being financed by debt in addition to the retained earnings (J D Wetherspoon Plc.,2014); hence, affecting the interest coverage ratio. Also, the gap between the EBITDA and EBIT is also increasing as the depreciation and the amortization expenses are increasing. Consistent expansion and rising cost h ave affected the margins within turn is reflected in the ROE OF the company in the year 2013 and onwards (BFN News,2013). For a similar reason, the EPS of the company has also declined. In the view of the capital expenditure that company has been incurring and planning to continue

Stamp Duty: Policy Evaluation

Stamp Duty: Policy Evaluation EXAMINING STAMP DUTY: AN IDEAL GOVERNMENT REVENUE MACHINE AND A BURDEN TO BRITISH CITIZENS Stamp duty can be a costly part of any number of common transactions in Britain – from buying a home to investing in a U.K. company. In order to truly understand the degree to which this tax impacts a transaction’s bottom line, it is important to understand all the scenarios in which stamp duty is payable as well as determine what type of relief and exemptions are available. Before determining if stamp duty is an ideal tax, it is also vital to gather expert opinions on the various types of stamp duty, the reasons these taxes were created, and how recent changes are affecting British citizens and businesses. While the government may find stamp duty a perfect fulfilment of taxation principles due to its simplicity and the considerable revenue generated, stamp duty seems to be burdensome and impedes the financial success of many residents who dream of homeownership and to those companies who want to increase their market value through the stock exchange system. There are three types of stamp duty: stamp duty, stamp duty land tax, and stamp duty reserve tax. Stamp duty is â€Å"a charge on instruments† (Thomas 2003). Stamp duty is a general term for a tax that is levied on the purchase of shares and on property. While there is a flat rate for the purchase of shares, the rate for property has a range tied to different home purchase price thresholds. Considered a new tax in its own right rather than an offshoot of stamp duty, the stamp duty land tax went into effect on 1 December 2003 (Thomas 2003). This tax is charged to all land transactions whether or not it is actually stamped, or recorded, in a document (Thomas 2003). Included in these transactions are all types of property, including houses, flats, other buildings and land. What it really is considered is a land transaction but it retains the reference to stamp duty to link its activities to the original taxation system (Thomas 2003). The tax must be paid by the person buying the land and it is calculated as a percentage of the total purchase price. No stamp duty land tax is paid on any transaction under  £125,000. One per cent is paid on anything valued between  £125,000 and  £250,000. From  £250,001 to  £500,000, the tax is three per cent and anything valued at  £500,001 is taxed at four per cent (DirectGov 2006). The stamp duty land tax has been â€Å"founded on an entirely new set of concepts† and is â€Å"directly enforceable against the purchaser under a strict new self-assessment regime† (Thomas 2003). While some of the same relief provisions have been carried through from the stamp duty tax, other changes have been made to discourage certain types of transactions. For example, if the purchase price of a property is  £150,000 and the government has designated that area as disadvantaged, no stamp duty land tax is required (DirectGov 2006). Relief provisions that are retained from stamp duty include all the major provisions except that â€Å"group relief, reconstruction and acquisition reliefs, and charities relief† are now designed in a manner that prevents exploitation for â€Å"tax planning purposes† (Thomas 2003). Relief is now available for builders who make purchases in part-exchange as well as for â€Å"transactions not made for chargeable consideration † (Thomas 2003). The stamp land duty tax was designed to achieve a number of purposes. As with any tax, it was created as a way to raise more revenue for the government. The tax does this by stopping the loopholes in the stamp duty that were â€Å"exploited for planning purposes† (Thomas 2003); requiring the purchaser to file a tax return and pay the tax within thirty days of the close of the land transaction (Thomas 2003), and introducing a new upfront levy on the value of the rental stream over the â€Å"full term of the lease instead of on the average annual rent (Thomas 2003). The last of the three types of stamp duty is the stamp duty reserve tax. This tax is paid on any U.K share transactions when a person buys shares in a company that is incorporated in the UK or in a foreign company that maintains a share register in the UK (DirectGov 2006). These shares can be bought through a stockbroker and completed on paper forms or electronically through CREST, the electronic settlement and registration system (DirectGov 2006). The tax is a flat rate of 0.5 per cent based on what is paid for the shares, not what they are worth (DirectGov 2006). A higher rate of 1.5 per cent is paid when shares are transferred into a depository receipt scheme or a clearance service (DirectGov 2006). The fees are paid through the CREST system if a person uses a brokerage but are paid directly if this system is not used (DirectGov 2006). Even if a person does not pay cash but provides something else of value in exchange for the shares, the stamp duty reserve tax is based on the value of what the person gives for those shares (DirectGov 2006). Other situations that require payment of stamp duty reserve tax is when a person buys an option to buy shares, rights arising from shares and an interest in shares (DirectGov 2006).The only time the stamp duty reserve tax does not have to be paid is when shares are given to a person for nothing or a person buys foreign shares. One area where stamp duty revenue tax has been causing some dilemmas is with unit trusts, open-ended investment companies, and the structure of stakeholder pension products. The best example of this is with companies that provide CAT-marked investments: Stamp duty reserve tax arises when investors buy or sell units in the fund, and is generally paid for by the fund. It cannot be forecast accurately in advance, for the ultimate liability will depend on factors beyond the fund managers’ control. Yet this tax must be included in calculating whether charges to investors meet the CAT standard of 1 per cent a year, despite the fact that it is not a charge made by the ISA provider, but a government tax. This has led providers to question the commercial liability implied by offering a CAT-market product (Warland 2000). The net result of the stamp duty reserve tax is that it is â€Å"complex to administer, very difficult for fund investors to understand,† and did raise significant revenue (Warland 2000). It has been argued by the figures within the City of London, including the London Stock Exchange, that stamp duty reserve tax should be scrapped because â€Å"it undermines the competitiveness compared with other financial centres and distorts securities trading† (Wighton 2006). The National Association of Pension Funds says that stamp duty increases transaction costs, which are then passed onto employers (Brown-Humes 2006). Stamp duty reserve tax is also considered controversial because â€Å"it accounts for a greater proportion of overall share transaction costs†¦because broker commissions and other costs have fallen† (Brown-Humes 2006). In looking at the complete stamp duty tax scheme, the changes in the Finance Act of 2003 were intended to bring reform that was considered long overdue as well as infuse the government with much-needed revenue. Prior to that, legislation had been considered outdated and inadequate especially considering the real value that revenue from such a tax could yield (Thomas 2006). Prior to the Finance Act of 2003, the HM Revenue Customs (HMRC)did not have the power to enforce the stamp duty on any transaction that was not properly stamped (Thomas 2006). To the HMRC, â€Å"clamping down on perceived avoidance was the dominant motive for change† (Thomas 2006). To them, it was â€Å"unfair for well-advised taxpayers to avoid paying tax through good planning, as this puts an unfair share of the tax burden onto everyone else† (Thomas 2006). From this philosophy was born the most recent stamp duty requirements. In looking at the principles of taxation, stamp duty is ideal in that it is â€Å"easy to administer and collect† (Brown-Humes 2006). To everyone else outside of the government, the tax is considered less than ideal. As one of the most hotly debated government schemes and deemed a tax on the masses (Barrow 2006), it has been acknowledged by the chancellor that stamp duty land tax does place a burden on the average British citizen. According to figures released in May 2006, stamp duty is raking in revenues of  £1 billion per month (Barrow 2006) between residential and commercial transactions as well as share investment. These figures far surpass any tax amount ever demanded from citizens in Britain’s history (Barrow 2006). . In fact, one writer went as far as to say that the stamp duty has been one of the most lucrative stealth taxes developed by New Labour (O’Kelly 2006). As one economist noted, â€Å"We have now got to the level where it is hitting mainstream home-owners. It’s only going to get worse† (Barrow 2006). According to Halifax, Britain’s biggest mortgage lender, 2.6 million homeowners had to pay stamp duty land tax (Barrow 2006). That equates to fiv e out of six homeowners feeling this burden (Barrow 2006). Another way to slice and dice the figure comes from the Council of Mortgage Lenders. They found that 55 per cent of first-time buyers and 86 per cent of home-movers paid the tax in September. The government has retorted that there are a number of relief provisions in place. It was recently announced that new – no pre-existing dwellings – that are considered â€Å"zero-carbon† homes sill be completely exempt from stamp duty (Goff and Harvey 2006). While attractive to new homeowners, this is not very realistic as many first-time buyers are not prepared to inhabit in such a revolutionary dwelling or they live in an area where there is not enough renewable energy to power these homes (Goff and Harvey 2006). Another move intended to decrease the burden was the announcement last year to increase the threshold at which stamp duty is triggered (Batchelor 2006). As one finance expert noted, â€Å"If stamp duty had kept pace with rising house prices since 1993 the threshold would have been set at  £190,000† instead of  £125,000 (Batchelor 2006). It seems as if the rising house prices are making the new threshold rate seem ineffective as a relief. As Matthew Wyles of the Portman Building Society said, â€Å"Stamp duty continues to be a deeply unfair tax to all who pay it. The burden of this tax will continue to increase unless the government undertakes a radical alteration to its policy in this area and abandons its current strategy of making the occasional cosmetic tweak to the threshold to keep criticism at bay† (Houlder 2006). The chancellor decided to end â€Å"seeding relief,† which was intended to help on â€Å"transfers of property into a unit trust with immediate effect† (Batchelor 2006). Revenue from taking away this relief is expected to raise  £50 million annually (Batchelor 2006). Recent changes also involved not making partnerships that are involved in a trade or profession responsible for stamp duty for land transactions owned by that partnership (Batchelor 2006). It seems as though the government could still use this lucrative tax to levy sellers instead of buyers since it is usually the sellers who are involved in investment schemes. It might even make sense to still gain this revenue from non-residents who tend to speculate in the property market, making home ownership less feasible for the first-time resident buyer (O’Kelly 2006). While it may seem like an ideal tax in the minds of the government and a solution to stopping investors from exploiting the system, it certainly does nothing to help citizens who are already struggling to buy a home let alone pay the stamp duty required on the transaction. Recent announcements to raise interest rates alongside the intense housing price inflation only exacerbate a domestic problem that has been brewing for as long as the stamp duty policies have existed. Homeownership and investment should not create a financial burden for citizens in Britain because the government wants to resort to an overuse of its taxation powers. The concern, however, is that if stamp duty was ever scrapped and the government continued to overspend, whatever tax scheme replaced stamp duty might be a jump from the frying pan into the fire. REFERENCES Barrow, Becky 23 May 2006, Stamp Duty Rakes in  £1bn a Month, Daily Mail. Batchelor, Charles 23 March 2006, Stamp Duty, Financial Times. Brown-Humes, Christopher 21 October 2006, Stamp Duty’s Hidden Benefit: It’s the Devil-you-know Tax, Financial Times. DIRECTGOV 2006, Tax on Buying Shares, Available at: http://www.direct.gov.uk/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/Taxes/TaxOnSavingsAndInvestments/TaxOnSavingsAndInvestmentsArticles/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=10013514chk=Tac6CP. Goff, Sharlene and Harvey, Fiona 9 December 2006, Exemption from Stamp Duty Seen as Token Gesture, Financial Times. Houlder, Vanessa 7 September 2006, Amount Paid in Stamp Duty Up 30%, Financial Times. O’Kelly, Sebastian 12 March 2006, How Brown is Still Coining It with His Unfair Stamp Duty; the Chancellor is Milking Homebuyers. But Shouldn’t His Stealth Tax Target Sellers Instead? The Mail on Sunday, p. 13. Thomas, Michael 2003, Introduction to Stamp Duty Land Tax, Cambridge University Press. Thomas, Michael March 2006, Stamp Duty Land Tax, 2nd Edition, London: Cambridge University Press. Warland, Phillip 17 February 2000, How Stamp Duty Reserve Tax Threatens Low-Cost Savings, Financial Times. Wighton, David 27 July 2006, Balls Faces Calls to Scrap Stamp Duty, Financial Times. Clinical Psychology: History, Influences and Applications Clinical Psychology: History, Influences and Applications Myrto Giannakopoulou â€Å"Each student is expected to select info and produce an information pack targeted at a field/career of his/her interest in Psychology (e.g. Clinical Psychology, Educational Psychology, Cognitive Psychology – for example, you can select information via observing or/and interviewing a professional [preferable] or secondary reading). The above package will be accompanied by an academic, reflective essay supporting the choice above (e.g. explain your interest on this scientific area of Psychology, describe the basic issues of the professional’s interest in this field, refer to the basic taught psychological terms and concepts that you noticed to this scientific area, etc.)†. Nowadays, applied psychology has four main sub-categories which are clinical, educational, occupational/industrial and criminological/legal. Clinical psychology refers to treating emotional and behavioral disorders. Educational psychologists work with children and adolescents and their families and they give more importance in the efficacy of teaching and learning methods. Occupational psychology is applied into workplaces in order to improve the productivity of the employees and to increase the levels of job satisfaction. Criminological psychology is involved in the criminal and legal system and facilities such as prisons and courts or the police force. It has two branches, forensic and investigative psychology. In this project we are going to analyze the field of Clinical psychology. Clinical Psychology is a part of applied Psychology and it focuses on the treatment and understanding of behavioral and psychological problems. Clinical psychology is often confused with psychiatry because clinical psychologists also work with people with mental disorders and they use the same methods of therapies. Their difference is that psychiatrists can give medicine, thus clinical psychologists are forbidden to do so. Clinical psychology was developed in 1896, when Lightner Witmer, who is regarded as the father of Clinical psychology, established the first psychological clinic in the University of Pennsylvania. The clients of Witmers clinic were children with learning difficulties and with behavioural disorders. Next, in 1904 Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon created the Binet-Simon scale which is a test that can identify children with mental disablement and children with normal mentality and it influenced the development of clinical psychology in USA. Witmer denied the helpfulness of this scale and this is why he disappeared from the scene of clinical psychology. Later, in the early 20s, the psychiatrist William Healy established the Juvenile Psychopathic Institute, the worlds first child guidance clinic. Additionally, Healy in his clinic used the Binet-Simon scale for the children and adapted Freuds theory for the unconventional behaviour. Clinical psychology has been influenced from human physiology. For example, the term psychopathology includes the words pathology (disease) and psyche, which means that mental disorders have a biological basis. In other words, a mental disorder is considered as a dysfunction in the physiology of a person that appears in his behaviour. According to the medicine, the causes of a mental disorder are separated in three general categories: the infectious diseases (e.g. encephalitis which is an inflammation of the brain and its symptoms are familiar with those of dementia, such as memory loss), diseases that are related with the dysfunction of a human organ (e.g. diabetes) and traumatic diseases that arise from external or environmental causes (e.g. a hit in the head can cause cerebral hemorrhage and can also provoke problems in behavior such as coma, memory loss, and personality disorder). Clinical psychologists do more than talk to people who are distressed about personal matter. They often do different types of activities from teaching to psychotherapy to laboratory research and this is why they need to have a special training program in clinical psychology. After obtaining their degree, they can apply for a master course in clinical psychology, which usually lasts three years and at the same time do their apprenticeship, in order to gain experience in their field. Furthermore, research is the basis of all clinical psychology activities. Research programs, help to understand which approach could be more effective for a clinical problem such as depression, anxiety, eating, or panic disorders, personality disorders, phobias, etc. They can also focus on various populations like families, couples, ethnic minority groups such as gay, lesbians, etc. Although not all of the clinical psychologists are involved with research, they should be informed about other researches, in order to improve their own clinical work. Most of them use various tests or questionnaires to help them to their work or to their research. These tests have many measures, such as cognitive, behavioral, neuropsychological etc. On the other hand, in research there are certain problems. The most important is the fact that the researchers and the participants are human and the results are not solid, because the participants behave in a different way than their ordinary life, for example they are too defensive because they try to hide their thoughts from the researchers or they behave too normal, because they know how the experiment works. This happens because the participants are part of the society and n this way they try to be socially accepted and it is known as the Hawthorn effect. Despite all that, psychologists try to use multiple ways of reducing such effects, for example by using double-blind questionnaires. Another important practice that is used in the fields of Psychology is the Evidence-based practice (EBP). It is a process that involves â€Å"the conscientious, explicit, judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients† (Sackett, Rosenberg, Gray, Haynes, Richardson, 1996). Specifically, this practice gives to therapists a general guidance for addressing any given disorder in the best possible manner, based on research that they can use, but even if they don’t follow it to the letter is not wrong as long as they act in accordance to their professional experience. Although, it must be pointed out that these guidelines are general and do not take into account each person’s individuality and uniqueness. Another approach to EBP is the Ideograpdic one that takes into account each individual person and its singularity and is used by most health professions. Furthermore, there are three circles of Evidence Based Clinical practice, also known as the† three -legged stool†. The first circle represents the best available research proof, the second circle represents clinical expertness and finally the third circle includes the patient values, the preferences, the characteristics and the circumstances. Those three have to be combine in order to achieve the best clinical practice. Overall, Clinical Psychology is a complex field that parallels the complexity of human behavior and emotion and it combines and links human behaviour to stimulus created by people external environment such as everyday human relationships and interactions, health etc, and it explains the way it affects us. References: Barker M. (2003). Introductory Psychology: History, Themes and Perpectives, Crucial Kendall D., C., Norton Ford J., D. (1982). Clinical Psychology: Scientific and professional dimensions. New York: J. Wiley. Plante T., G., (2005). Contemporary Clinical Psychology, New Jersey: J. Wiley Sons, Inc. Sackett, D. L., Wennberg, J. E. (1997). Choosing the best research design for each question. British Medical Journal, 315, 1636. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol (2007). Evidence-Based Practice in Clinical Psychology: What It Is, Why It Matters; What You Need to Know. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 611-631

The Style in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown :: Young Goodman Brown YGB

The Style in â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story or tale, â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† is an interesting example of the multi-faceted style of the author, which will be discussed in this essay.    Edgar Allan Poe in â€Å"Twice-Told Tales - A Review,† which appeared in Graham's Magazine in May, 1842, comments on Hawthorne’s â€Å"originality,† and â€Å"tranquil and subdued manner† which characterize his style:    The Essays of Hawthorne have much of the character of Irving, with more of originality, and less of finish; while, compared with the Spectator, they have a vast superiority at all points. The Spectator, Mr. Irving, and Mr. Hawthorne have in common that tranquil and subdued manner which we have chosen to denominate repose. . . . In the essays before us the absence of effort is too obvious to be mistaken, and a strong undercurrent of suggestion runs continuously beneath the upper stream of the tranquil thesis. In short, these effusions of Mr. Hawthorne are the product of a truly imaginative intellect, restrained, and in some measure repressed, by fastidiousness of taste, by constitutional melancholy and by indolence.    Peter Conn in â€Å"Finding a Voice in an New Nation† discloses a characteristic of Hawthorne’s tyle with regard to his short stories: â€Å"Almost all of Hawthorne’s finest stories are remote in time or place† (82). Nathaniel Hawthorne’s tale â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† is no exception to this rule, being placed in historic Salem, Massachusetts, back in the 1600’s.    Herman Melville in â€Å"Hawthorne and His Mosses,† (in The Literary World August 17, 24, 1850) has a noteworthy comment on Hawthorne’s style:    Nathaniel Hawthorne is a man, as yet, almost utterly mistaken among men. Here and there, in some quiet arm-chair in the noisy town, or some deep nook among the noiseless mountains, he may be appreciated for something of what he is. But unlike Shakespeare, who was forced to the contrary course by circumstances, Hawthorne (either from simple disinclination, or else from inaptitude) refrains from all the popularizing noise and show of broad farce, and blood-besmeared tragedy; content with the still, rich utterances of a great intellect in repose, and which sends few thoughts into circulation, except they be arterialized at his large warm lungs, and expanded in his honest heart.    How beautifully does this critic capture the basic attitude of Hawthorne, who avoids the â€Å"noise and show† and emphasizes his â€Å"rich utterances.