My Neighbor Alice Essays - Kingdom Hearts Characters, Alice

My Neighbor Alice I remember when I was young, about seven or eight years old, how I use to go outside in the summer and play with my stuffed animals and imaginary friends from early morning to the break of dusk. I was quite a rambuncious kid with a huge imagination. My next-door neighbor Alice, would watch and observe as I played in my backyard, then she'd laugh and go back to tending her lovely vegetable garden. Alice and my mom both had vegetable gardens and would exchange different kinds of veggies through out the season. Sometimes they laid out together trying to get a decent tan. As the years slowly past, I recall sitting on Alice's big front porch with her just chatting away for hours on end about anything we wanted to, really. She'd tell me how she used to think I was such a funny kid when I used to play in the backyard and talk to myself with my toys and animals. While I sat on the ledge of the porch and listened, intrigued by her stories, Alice would rock back and forth in her rocker happily smoking an occasional Marlboro menthol light cigarette. We'd cut up and make jokes about the papergirl she despised because the papergirl always threw her paper in the bushes, and we'd gossip about some of the other neighbors on our block. Then she'd tell me stories about her kids when they were my age and what kind of mischief they'd get into as they grew up. Everyday as soon as I saw her out on her porch, I'd fling open our front door and run over to her house. However, I never cut through her lawn! No way! I always took the long way by using the sidewalk. Her and her husband Charles spent a lot of time doing yard work, keeping their lawn looking nice and having a flowerbed by the side of the house, so I never set foot on their grass simply out of respect. No one ever told me not to walk on their grass, it was just I knew better! Sometimes in the evening after I was done hunting fireflies, I'd retreat back to Alice's porch and we'd count them out together and watch them glow. Then we'd let them go and make wishes although the wishes I made never came true, it was still fun to pretend. Charles would sometimes join us on the porch and enjoy the fresh air the early summer evening had to offer us, as he'd gather his white calico cat into his lap and gently stroke her soft furry coat until she began a sturdy relaxed purr. Now, I don't remember what exactly the cat's real name was. Alice didn't care much for her; she called the cat ?Sourpuss? while Charlie would call her in every night saying ?Come on in now ole girlfriend.? Alice would sometimes swear up and down that Charles loved that cat more then her sometimes. Alice and Charles made such a nice couple, nice looking people for their age and all around nice people. I could see that Alice had been a very nice looking woman when she was younger as she still appeared to be for her age. Light brownish blonde hair, with twinkling hazel eyes with nice glasses that framed her face well. I felt so close to Alice, I felt she was another grandmother to me. As for my real grandmother, who visits my house regularly because she lives close by, would often visit Alice as well and they'd have a nice talk. Then, I started growing up. I would still visit Alice every now and then but the visits slowly came to a stop. When I had reached my freshman year in high school, I'd walk home in the afternoon and sometimes catch her leaving to go to work. She was a LPN at Reid at the time, and had been for a long time. After my freshman year, I moved in with my Dad in Virginia for two years. Whenever I came into town to visit my mom though, I'd stop by Alice's and see how she was doing. She was always so excited

Why IQ Tests Dont Test Intelligence Essays - Psychometrics

Why IQ Tests Dont Test Intelligence Essays - Psychometrics Why IQ tests don't test intelligence Psychology The task of trying to quantify a person?s intelligence has been a goal of psychologists since before the beginning of this century. The Binet-Simon scales were first proposed in 1905 in Paris, France and various sorts of tests have been evolving ever since. One of the important questions that always comes up regarding these tools is what are the tests really measuring? Are they measuring a person?s intelligence? Their ability to perform well on standardized tests? Or just some arbitrary quantity of the person?s IQ? When examining the situations around which these tests are given and the content of the tests themselves, it becomes apparent that however useful the tests may be for standardizing a group?s intellectual ability, they are not a good indicator of intelligence. To issue a truly standardized test, the testing environment should be the same for everyone involved. If anything has been learned from the psychology of perception, it is clear that a person?s environment has a great deal to do with their cognitive abilities. Is the light flickering? Is the paint on the walls an unsettling shade? Is the temperature too hot or too cold? Is the chair uncomfortable? Or in the worst case, do they have an illness that day? To test a person?s mind, it is necessary to utilize their body in the process. If everyone?s body is placed in different conditions during the testing, how is it expected to get standardized results across all the subjects? Because of this assumption that everyone will perform equally independent of their environment, intelligence test scores are skewed and cannot be viewed as standardized, and definitely not as an example of a person?s intelligence. It is obvious that a person?s intelligence stems from a variety of traits. A few of these that are often tested are reading comprehension, vocabulary, and spatial relations. But this is not all that goes into it. What about physical intelligence, conversational intelligence, social intelligence, survival intelligence, and the slew of others that go into everyday life? Why are these important traits not figured into intelligence tests? Granted, normal standardized tests certainly get predictable results where academics are concerned, but they should not be considered good indicators of general intelligence because of the glaring omissions they make in the testing process. To really gauge a person?s intelligence, it would be necessary to put them through a rigorous set of real-life trials and document their performance. Otherwise the standardized IQ tests of today are testing an extremely limited quality of a person?s character that can hardly be referred to as intelligence. For the sake of brevity, I will quickly mention a few other common criticisms of modern IQ tests. They have no way to compensate for cultural differences. People use different methods to solve problems. People?s reading strategies differ. Speed is not always the best way to tackle a problem. There is often too much emphasis placed on vocabulary. Each of these points warrants individual treatment, and for more information refer to The Triarchic Mind by RJ Sternberg (Penguin Books, 1988, p18-36). It is possible to classify all the reasons that IQ tests fail at their task into two main groups. The first grouping is where the tests assume too much. Examples of this flaw are the assumption that speed is always good, vocabulary is a good indicator of intelligence, and that different test taking environments won?t affect the outcome. The second grouping comes because the tests gauge the wrong items. Examples of this are different culture groups being asked to take the same tests as everyone else, and the fact that the tests ignore so many types of intelligence (like physical, social, etc). These two groupings illustrate where the major failings of popular IQ tests occur and can be used as tools for judging others. IQ tests are not good indicators for a person?s overall intelligence, but as their use has shown, they are extremely helpful in making predictions about how a person will perform in an academic setting. Perhaps the problem comes in the name intelligence tests when it is obvious this is not what they really are. The modern IQ test definitely has its applications in today?s society but should be

How to showcase your cognitive aptitude in job interviews

How to showcase your cognitive aptitude in job interviews When it comes to hiring, companies are beginning to focus less on resumes and work experience alone to evaluate candidates. Instead, many employers are looking at more data-driven hiring factors, like cognitive aptitude.   Cognitive aptitude is the ability to think, process, and react nimbly to solve problems or learn new information, and it is fast becoming a key metric for many hiring managers. This shift stems from the fact that while resumes can lay out a person’s history in a role or industry, they rarely provide insight into a person’s full potential. Cognitive aptitude delivers this broad perspective, allowing companies to evaluate the long-term potential of an applicant by assessing their ability to learn quickly, adapt, and grow within a role. Some companies achieve this with cognitive aptitude assessments administered before the interview stage. These tests gauge abilities that are relevant to job performance, focusing on the main aspects of cognitive aptitu de, like creative thinking, problem solving, attention to detail and learning ability. But how can you prove that you have these skills if the company didn’t give you an aptitude test? By demonstrating these key components in your interview:Showcasing Your Intellectual CuriosityWhy it Matters: Having the desire to know more about the world around you and how things work creates ever-evolving employees, workers who are always striving to improve both themselves and the business. The intellectually curious will grow with a company and be able to think outside the box to solve any issues that arise in the workplace.How to Show it: Demonstrate a thirst for knowledge in your interview by first researching the company and the role as much as possible. Then, during the interview, ask insightful questions based on your digging.You can also mention a time when you independently learned a new skill. For anyone who doesn’t have a lot of work experience, this can be a great opport unity to bring up hobbies or extracurriculars that aren’t directly related to the job. Maybe you play a musical instrument or enjoy woodworking. Your hobbies provide insight into unique ways that you flex your creativity in everyday life, with the added bonus of making you more memorable to your interviewers.Putting Your Problem-Solving Skills on DisplayWhy it Matters: Being able to think critically and provide unique solutions drives business innovation, which is why problem solving is an invaluable resource for employers. A problem-solver, especially a proactive one, combines creativity, efficiency, and pragmatism to find the best solution for the situation at hand. A great creative thinker can identify the opportunity that lies within the dilemma.How to Show it: Advertise your talent for finding solutions by talking about a previous experience where you overcame an obstacle. Make sure to detail the problem you identified, the way that you worked to improve the situation, a nd how your fix made an impact.   Bonus points if you’re able to quantify your accomplishments in a tangible way.Highlighting Your Attention to DetailWhy it Matters: Identifying the small but vital details that might otherwise be overlooked is a game-changer. It’s a skill that employers look for across all industries because it can make the difference between success and failure of a business. A problem can’t be effectively tackled if you can’t get down to the nitty-gritty; the devil is in the details, but if you hone in on the fine points that others miss, you’ll be highly regarded as a fastidious and dependable coworker.How to Show it: Being detail-oriented coincides with many other traits hiring managers look for: focus, discipline, and work ethic. To demonstrate these traits in an interview, research the company ahead of time and ask detailed questions that show that you took the time and care to familiarize yourself with the company. Call at tention to your meticulous nature by taking care in how you present yourself during the interview. Being neatly dressed, on time, and attentive will go a long way in making a lasting impression. During the interview, make sure you engage in active listening. Make sure you understand your interviewer’s questions and respond with relevant answers.Touting Your Learning AbilityWhy it Matters: Whenever a company brings in a new employee, they invest an incredible amount of money and time in training the new hire and getting them up to speed. Hiring a fast learner means that businesses can hedge their bets when bringing a new employee into the fold, taking comfort in the knowledge that their new hire will swiftly become a productive member of the workforce. Those who learn and apply new information quickly are more able to pick up new skills than others. These are the employees who will be able to grow within a company and adapt to changes and challenges that all businesses invaria bly face.How to Show it: Demonstrating your learning ability is especially important for job seekers who are new to the workforce or entering a new career field, especially if your resume is light. Sometimes you may be interviewing for a job for which you don’t fulfill all of the job requirements. One way to convince your interviewer that you’re up to the challenge is to talk about what you consider to be learning targets for this role if you were to be hired. What skills would you be most interested in acquiring, and how would you go about learning them? Try to think of examples in your past roles or even in your extracurricular activities where you had to learn something new and were able to wield your new skill to reach a certain goal. Highlighting this ability will give your interviewer a vision of how you will fit in and grow within the company landscape, both in the short and long term.Whether you focus on showing off one of these crucial elements of cognitive ab ility or weaving them all together, doing so will demonstrate your full potential as an amazing hire, far beyond the experience listed on your resume. The best way to get your point across, however, is through preparation. Come up with examples and stories ahead of time that reflect these cognitive abilities.   It may take time and effort, but it’s a sure-fire way to impress hiring managers and get you that much closer to landing that sought-after new job.About the author:Josh  Millet is the  Founder CEO of  Criteria Corp., a pre-employment testing company  backed by a Scientific Advisory Board from Harvard and Stanford. He is also the Founder of the recently launched  JobFlare, brain games app  a  brain  games  app that connects entry-level job seekers to jobs via ZipRecruiter based on their cognitive abilities.

The Impact of Terrorism on Liberty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The Impact of Terrorism on Liberty - Essay Example Yet, to be effective in the fight against terrorism, the terrorist must be well defined and the target needs to be focused. Terrorism is by its nature an act that feeds on the public's fear of violence more than it relies on the violence itself. To confront these fears we react in numerous ways to diminish the possibility of a senseless and unwarranted attack on our population. In a free society, we leave ourselves open to be penetrated and we remain perpetually at risk. Our freedom of movement, loose borders, and laws guaranteeing individual liberty place a heavy burden on the organizations the public expects to protect them from a surprise attack. To reduce the terrorist threat, it becomes necessary to erode the liberties that the same organizations are sworn to protect. This dilemma manifests itself in a debate over this tradeoff as liberty is sacrificed for security. At what point does the security become more troublesome than the fear Is the security worth the cost To sufficiently analyze the debate that surrounds this question, it is first necessary to frame the question with a well-focused definit ion of terrorism. The objectives of the terrorist must be considered as well as their motivation. ... The importance of the debate can not be overstated. The founding principles that reside in the Constitution of the United States are at stake. Freedom of speech, association, and movement become at risk as laws are enacted which silently chill the document's intentions. This slow creep into heightened security does not repeal, but rather steps on and renders meaningless the 4th Amendment. The debate is a high stakes debate and one we can not afford to get wrong. It is generally accepted that the public wants universal freedom as guaranteed by the Constitution. It is also understood that the public requires security and is willing to compromise their liberty when necessary in extreme and demanding circumstances. Determining the point that additional security is no longer worth the loss of liberty is an arduous task that is of great concern to everyone. Getting it wrong could mean the meaningless and unnecessary loss of lives or liberty. The necessary information to analyze the debate that surrounds this issue comes from a consensus viewpoint of government and international agencies as it pertains to the definition of terrorism. A recent study from the University of Chicago and other relevant academic works will be used to define the motivation of terrorism. Laws such as the Patriot Act and Homeland Security Act will be analyzed to grasp their reach. The viewpoints of the Department of Defense, Department of Justice, and State Department will be considered as well as credible opposing viewpoints. A realistic assessment that the increase in security has had on the daily lives of Americans will be considered as well as the implications it has on the future. An attempt will be made to separate the reality from the political rhetoric as the question is

Statements of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) 116 and 117; Assignment

Statements of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) 116 and 117; sample Executive Summary - Assignment Example The first has permanent restrictions whereby the donor avails funds to the beneficiary for a particular use only. The second imposes temporary restriction that limits the use of the resource for specific purpose and time. As long as the recipient meets the specified condition they are free to use the available resources without further limitations. Finally, the standard may be unrestricted thus allowing the recipient to use the donor’s resources to satisfy their needs unconditionally (McCarthy et al., 2012). On the other hand, SFAS 117 illustrates how non-for-profit organizations should account for their donations in the financial statements (McCarthy et al., 2012). The standard stipulates three financial statements that can be used by not-for-profit organizations to report their financial information. They include, â€Å"statement of financial position, statement of cash flows and statement of activities† (McCarthy et al., 2012). In the statement of activities income and expenditures focus on the entire organization and individual

Four stages of the learning cycle Essay Example for Free

Four stages of the learning cycle Essay During our final chapter, we discussed the four stages of the learning cycle. The four stages of transformational learning are as follows: recognizing a significant problem, confronting it intensely, finding a solution, then integrating a new perspective and a new set of assumptions into ones’ life pattern. I think that a lot of times people go through life not realizing when they have a problem. Therefore, acknowledging your problem is most definitely the first step in learning from it. When you realize that there is a problem, you must confront the problem head on to find a solution. Once you have found a solution, you need to incorporate it into your life. These four stages are important in any learning experience. The transformational experience that I will use for my example is very personal. I used to be in a very abusive marriage. My marriage was damaging to me as a person, and damaging to my children because it prohibited me from making anything of myself. I would always make excuses for my lack of productivity, stating that I couldn’t do anything with my life because my husband wouldn’t let me. Finally, in 2011, I realized that I was wasting my life. The only thing that my daughter was ever going to learn from me, was how to let someone else run there life and impact her choices. We would never have had a normal life! When I realized what I was doing to myself and to my kids, I knew that I had a significant problem. I confronted the problem, and I was very intense about it. I tried marriage counseling, personal counseling, and biblical counseling. I tried talking with my ex, and I sought advice from many people whom I really believed could help. After exhausting my resources, I knew that the only logical solution was to take my children out of the abusive situation and start from scratch. I chose to go first to the police for help, and then to battered women’s shelter. The women’s shelter helped us to move away and start over. I have now been away from him for a little over two years, and I am in my first healthy relationship. By integrating my new perception, I was able to go farther in the past year than I ever did in all of the years of my former relationship. I am now a business owner, I am in school, and I am getting married to a wonderful man who loves me and my children. My children now get to grow up in a loving family and a healthy environment. I am now able to say with confidence that I am doing my best to be an example for them. This was most definitely a transformational learning experience for me. I think that in my experience the main stage that applied in my life, was the integration stage. It is often easier to recognize a problem, and even to find a solution, than it is to follow through on change. Often times the follow through is not so simple. There were numerous times during that relationship where I knew the problem, and the solution was apparent, however I didn’t believe in myself to integrate the solution it into my life. I believe that truly integrating a new perspective, and changing your assumptions is a very difficult stage to master. I am glad that I was able to make it through that final stage, and to become the person I am today. I still have a long way to go, but I am proud to be so far from who I once was.

Essay Of Eukaryotic Organelles :: Biology, Health, Human Body

The mitochondria has an eggshape structure. The mitochondria consists of an inner and outer membrane. The outer membrane is what shapes the organelle to its egglike shape. The inner membrane which folds inward makes a set of "shelves" or cristae that allow the reactions of the mitochondria to take place. The more the mitochondria makes these reactions the more the inner membrane folds. This happens because the mitochondria now has more surface area connecting it to its surroundings. The processes that the mitochondria make are to break down the high energy organic molecules into smaller more useful packages. The endoplasmic reticulum is a network of tubes and channels that transport and with the help of ribosomes produce proteins. The rough endoplasmic reticulum contains ribosomes which are not present in the smooth endoplasmic reticulum. The rough endoplasmic reticulum allows the cell to produce proteins. The smooth endoplasmic reticulum is used in the detoxification processes in the cell and the transitional endoplasmic reticulum is used to breakdown glycogen to glucose. The endoplasmic reticulum is versatile and grows and shrinks according to the cell's activities. Chloroplasts which are found in plant cells are used in the process of photosynthesis. They fall into the category of plastids but they are differentiated in that they contain chlorophyll. These organelles produce chemical reactions from the energy that the sun gives them. The Golgi complex's structure is made up of many flattened membranes sacs that are surrounded by tubules or vesicles. These are called the cisternae. The golgi complex accepts vesicles from the endoplasmic reticulum and modifies them for usage in the cell.