Activities Of Ancient Hawaiian Culture Cultural Studies Essay

Activities Of Ancient Hawaiian Culture Cultural Studies Essay The ancient Hawaiians had many games and physical activities that were important to their religious beliefs and everyday life. Although many of the activities were culturally important, two activities exceedingly survived to be recognized on a global scale: surfing and hula. The uniqueness of these two activities has made them iconic of Hawaiian culture and has created a strong sense of pride and renewed sense of culture. The goal of my research is to give a history of the popular Hawaiian physical activities of surfing and hula and their significance to Hawaiian culture. The significance of such activities in relation to culture is an important subject in anthropology and the use of primary and secondary sources will be my field of study in this paper. The research will begin with the history of the Makahiki or Hawaiian New Year and its importance to games and physical activities as a religious and cultural event. The study will incorporate the two popular ancient Hawaiian activitie s, including a brief history of their relationship to the ancient Hawaiian culture and the importance of these activities to Hawaiians today. It is important to note the effect that globalization has had on these activities and how their values and meanings have shifted. Hula and surfing are important today in relation to tourism, which is the leading industry in Hawaii. Due to globalization and the power of the capitalist market economy the importance of surfing as a practice of Hawaiian culture has shifted to become a vehicle of tourism and recreation. Furthermore; Hula had been of the most important ancient Hawaiian cultural institutions and has subsequently shifted to become a vehicle of tourism and recreation. Although the effects of globalization have shifted the cultural importance of these activities, the communal existence of Polynesian people will be the force that sustains surfing and hulas cultural importance. Makahiki The Hawaiian New Year festival is called Makahiki and was a very important time of the year in ancient Hawaiian civilization. The word Makahiki translates as year in Hawaiian. The celebration marks the end of the harvest and the beginning of the new agricultural growing season. The celebration was in honor of the god Lono, and encompassed about four months from November to March. The celebration was separated into three phases: the first being hookupu, a time of taxes to the king and redistribution to the people. The second phase was welehu and was devoted to sports and gambling (Jones 1967). The creation of the second phase and the mythology behind it shows how sports and games were not only important to people as means of leisure activities but also how they were important in their relation to culture and religious beliefs. Lo-no was the fourth of the four great gods that were worshiped throughout Polynesia. He had a separate order of priests and temples of a lower grade. Traditions connected with the ancient kings Lonokawai and Lono-i-ka-makahiki, seem to have been mixed with those belonging to the primeval god Lo-no. Lono-i-ka-makahiki is reputed to have instituted the games which were celebrated during the Ma-hahi-Ri festival. He is said on some account to have become offended with his wife and murdered her; but afterward lamented the act so much as to induce a state of mental derangement. In this state he traveled through all the islands, boxing and wrestling with everyone he met. He subsequently set sail, in a singularly shaped canoe, for Tahiti, or a foreign country. After his departure he was deified by his countrymen, and annual contests of boxing and wrestling were instituted in his honor. (Cullin 1899: 203) The third phase of the ceremony was waaauhau and was a time to pay taxes to the gods. A canoe was sent adrift with a tribute to Lono and after this tribute was paid the king would also go adrift. The final act of the ceremony, according to Cullen, took place when the king with a numerous company went fishing, taking the long idol with him. On his return, he was accompanied by a warrior, expert in the spear exercise. As the king leaped ashore a man rushed forward with two spears bound with white kapa, and hurled one at him, which was parried, after which he simply touched the king with the other spear, and the ceremony was over (1899: 204). The final act was the sham battle, in which the king overcame the islanders defense of the landing which symbolized his worth and permitted him to continue to rule. Seaton assumes that, the intensity of the defense was proportional to the general dissatisfaction, for failure to land was regarded by the Hawaiians as a demonstration that the ruling c hief had lost his mana and therefore, the right to rule (1974: 201). Overall, the Makahiki is described as a period of renewal, an interval during which the divine order of the king was upturned and the regimens of socia1 rank and work were suspended. It was carnival, warfare was suspended, sociability and play were the principal activities. (Davenport 1987: 177). The ancient Hawaiians would anticipate this celebration and the entire year was in preparation for it. Therefore, it is reasonable to speculate that practice of games and physical activities were common throughout the year and common in the daily life of ancient Hawaiians with particular importance being placed on the practice of surfing and hula because of their relation to the economy and religion of ancient Hawaii. Surfing Hee Nalu (surfing) originated in ancient Hawaii and was important in ancient culture because of its relationship to economy and religion. Surfing was a very popular sport, so popular in fact that it is the only sport of Hawaiian origin to flourish at an international level today. The history of the sport is very hard to discern because of diffusion and the fact that all ancient Polynesians had a mastery of oceanic skills, although most scholars agree that it was in Hawaii that this activity flourished. The Surfers Almanac discusses the evolution of surfing by means of diffusion by settlers of Hawaii from other parts of Polynesia: The Marquesans brought to their new Hawaiian home their ancient sport of paipo-riding a wave on a small, rounded board while lying prone, the sport today called belly boarding or knee boarding. The Tahitians also brought their favorite aquatic pastime to Hawaii. They rode the incoming waves while standing in a waa (canoe), an activity they called paka. When did it happen that a young Marquesan using a paipo board to surf prone, watched a newcomer from Tahiti surfing erect in his canoe and decided to stand upon his paipo, discovering that if he had enough speed he could do so? That moment was the birthdate of surfboarding. (Filosa 1977: 2). Like many aspects of ancient Polynesian culture, surfing was stratified based on social rank. Filosa explains, the Hawaiian nobility, the alii, used the great olo (heavy) board. The makaainana, the commoners, used the alaia (thin) board. The nobles liked slow, undulating waves such as those found at the mother beach of surfing, Waikiki; the commoners preferred fast-breaking steep waves such as those at Waimea Bay (Filosa 1977: 3). Surfing reached its pinnacle in ancient life with King Kamehameaha II who abolished the tabus on surfing. All people from that point on could surf however they pleased. Surfing became a national sport and very important to the society. Like many Hawaiian activities the ancients would create competitions based on skill and mastery of the craft. The relation of surfing to ancient Hawaiian culture was based on these competitions which in turn had an effect on the economy. In terms of the gambling side of the sport, Malo and states that: Surf riding was a natio nal sport of the Hawaiians, on which they were very fond of betting, each man staking his property on the one he thought to most skillful (1951: 223). It was because of gambling and the arrival of Congregationalist missionaries from Boston that the activity nearly became extinct. The religious taboos on gambling and the confiscation of land by the missionaries caused a dramatic drop in the population and in effect so did the sport of surfing, Filosa describes the decline and reason for its revival: With the death of so many Hawaiians, the sport of surfing slowly declined, until in 1898 when the islands were annexed to the United States, less than fifty Hawaiians still surfed, and these used the great olo boards. By 1900, there were fewer than ten surfers, but among them was a boy born in 1890 of royal blood. He was destined to salvage the national sport of his people and become the father of modern surfing. His name was Duke Paoa Kahinu Makoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku, son of Duke Halapu Kahanamoku and Julia Paakonia Lonokahikini Paoa. He is still revered by surfers worldwide simply as the Duke.' (Filosa1977: 4) Surfing as a physical activity had its foundation in Hawaiian religion and culture. It was Kamehameha the Great who made surfing the national sport of Hawaii. Kamehameha II, his son, who abolished the tabu system so that all Hawaiians could participate in the sport. Last but not least, Duke Kahanamoku kept the sport alive and transported it around the world. The diffusion of ancient surfing and modern surfing has undoubtedly created opportunity and pride due to the ever growing popularity of this cultural pastime which has become a powerful global industry. Hula Whereas surfing gained its popularity today because of its function as a sport, hula is much more than just a physical activity done for enjoyment. The hula can be viewed as a distinctive and integral facet of the Hawaiian culture (Williams 1973: 177). Hula is translated as to dance and make sport to the accompaniment of music and song. Unlike surfing and other sports and activities hula was something that was taken very seriously and practiced in everyday life. Mitchell (1975) states that the strict and rigorous training for the professional male and female dancers extended over a period of years. (pg 85). Although the hula may have been practiced in everyday life, the ancient Hawaiians did not use it for their own amusement as it is done today. The hula had great religious importance and dances were performed for kings, chiefs, or the public during important ceremonies like the makahiki. The dancers were specially chosen and were held in high regard throughout Polynesia. These danc ers required special education and arduous training in traditions, songs, and dance. Those persons who were chosen to become dancers were specifically chosen because of hulas relationship to religion. Emerson explains that it (hula) was a religious affair and the participants therefore had to guard against profanation by a conservative system of tapus and priestly rites(1965: 13). The dancers were initiated into a school which was more of a cultural institution called a halau. The halau functioned according to a very strict set of regulations and rules. In ancient Hawaii the strict tapus and importance of the hula required the halau to be a built by the entire surrounding population and the united effort regularly made it possible for a halau to be built in one day. Williams (1977) demonstrates the importance of the hula to ancient Hawaiians when she states: The hula not only was an embodiment of the beliefs and values of the people but also served as the keeper of tradition and as a vehicle of communication for passing on religion, history, and legends. The hula functioned as a cultural transmitter because it embodied, within the dance movements and the dance songs and chants, knowledge and productive skills, social sanctions, genealogies, personal and community experiences and the imagery arising from mans relation to nature. (pg 177) Like ancient forms of surfing, the dances and the games were largely discontinued after the introduction of foreign ways into Hawaii. Fortunately during the mid 19th century, King Kalakaua sponsored a revival of the hula while there were experts still living in the kingdom. Due to tourism and to a greater extent globalization hula as a symbol of Hawaiian culture but is not nearly as important as it once was. It is a uniquely Hawaiian activity but it is seen primarily as a physical activity and not as an important cultural institution. In Hawaiian Hula: an Institution, Williams (1973) writes: The hula, once a proud, vital institution of religious origin, has wandered so far that now the memory of it is either totally forgotten or is associated with the riotous and passionate ebullitions of Polynesian kings and the amorous posturing of their voluptuaries. A distinction must be made between the traditional forms and the gestures, bodily contortions, and words uttered by men and women actors of the hula today. Many actors in the hula no longer understand the meanings of the words, or suit the action to the word. The hula songs of old were performed in large measure in a way untainted with grossness'(1973: 182). Although some may view hula in this context, elucidating the differences between modern and ancient hula, the fact that it has such deep rooted uniqueness and cultural symbolism is important to Hawaiians and Polynesians in general. Conclusion Of the many physical activities and games that ancient Hawaiians had, very few survived to be important to Hawaiians today. Surfing and hula are two Hawaiian pastimes that have survived and their history is testament to their importance in Hawaiian culture. Surfing, initially a leisure activity that was practiced daily and used in religious ceremonies such as makahiki has become a very large international industry. Due to globalization this industry has proven to be very important to Hawaiian culture because of its relation to tourism. Surfing and surfing events such as the triple crown attract millions of persons each year to the islands. Tourism is the leading industry in Hawaii and like many other island communities tourism and surfing are creating new frontiers and opportunies. Hula, although not as popular globally as surfing, has remained a vital part of Hawaiian culture. This institution was of the utmost importance to the ancient Hawaiians daily existence and functioned as a tool to aid their religious beliefs (Williams 1973:177). In fact, hula was so important that it is said that every activity of the ancient Hawaiians had its own hula, from waking in the morning to carving a canoe. Due to globalization the importance of the Hawaiian hula has shifted from a religious and cultural activity to an activity that has its roots in Hawaiian culture but is used primarily for tourist spectacles and physical exercise. Although globalization has shifted the importance of these activities, the Hawaiian culture in its ancient and present forms and the close communal and co-operative type of existence of the people (Jones 1967:204) have shown to be the reason for the creation of these activities and that alone sustains their cultural importance.

Poisonous Weeds Essay -- Plants Poison Nature Essays Papers

Poisonous Weeds From the book Common Poisonous Plants and Mushroom of North America by Nancy J. Turner and Adam F. Szczawinski comes a very interesting story. â€Å"In April 1980, a five-year-old child was fatally poisoned in Victoria, British Columbia from eating Poison Hemlock while at play with her sisters. Her babysitter was not even aware that she had eaten the plant. The little girl felt sick and would not eat. She laid down, and within an hour fell into a deep coma. It was only at this point that her sisters recalled that earlier she had eaten a plant. She was rushed to the hospital, but despite all efforts to save her life, she died six days later† (Szczawinski, Turner, xi). Poison Hemlock is just one of the thousands of plants that are poisonous to humans as well as animals. In addition, the plants Jimsonweed and Deadly Nightshade can also have extremely harmful effects on humans. All three of these poisonous plants can turn up anywhere from hiking trails to backyards to fie lds, so therefore it is important to be able to identify them and understand how deadly they potentially can be. In order to prevent what happened in the story at the beginning, let’s look more closely at Poison Hemlock (Conium Maculatum). When mature, this carrot-like plant can get up to six feet or greater in height with triangular, fern-like leaves (Szczawinski, Turner, 129). The plant possesses white flowers, which are grouped in numerous umbrella-like clusters. Small, grayish brown, and flat with five curvy ridges running lengthwise describe the fruit of Poison Hemlock. However, beware of ever crushing or even touching this plant because a strong mouse odor will be emitted. Originally from Europe, Poison Hemlock is now an obnoxiou... ...ipedia.org/wiki/Datura_stramonium http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deadly_Nightshade http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poison_Hemlock Natural Resources Conservation Service-http://plants.usda.gov Research and Extension Center: Virtual Herbarium-http://uvalde.tamu.edu/herbarium/dain.htm National Capital Poison Center- http://www.poison.org/prevent/plants.asp Ophthalmic Kew Garden- http://www.mrcophth.com/plants/minipicturesofplantsforeyes.html Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University-Bozeman and MSU Extension Services Noxious Weed Specialist, respectively- http://www.montana.edu/wwwpb/pubs/mt200013.html Poison Hemlock Site- http://museum.gov.ns.ca/poison/hemlock.htm

International Business Essay

Q.2 a) Evaluate the different ways in which Bata has interacted with foreign political systems in its investments and operations abroad. ANS – Multinational enterprises (MNEs) like Bata must operate in countries with different political and legal conditions, so the political impact on the foreign investments is very important. This paper explains this issue based on the Bata case in three parts. The first part evaluates the different ways in which Bata has interacted with foreign political systems in its investments and operations aboard. In the second part, the advantages and disadvantages, which MNEs bring to their company and the host-country when doing foreign direct investment, are analyzed relating to the Bata case. And the last part gives a detailed analysis of the complex political impact on international business with reference to the political environment in general; also supply the way of formulating effective political strategy. * Bata’s effective organizational structure and managing style With activities in 60 countries, Canada-based Bata Shoe Organization has much operational experience both in developed countries and developing countries and can deal with different political systems. It has an effective organization structure, which consists of  · Bata Limited located in Toronto, Canada, acts as headquarters of the operating companies. Regional offices exist in Toronto, Mexico City, Singapore, Paris, Calcutta and Harare.  · The International structure: a decentralized organization, where operating companies are independent businesses, supported by a global management team.  · Private Ownership: Bata shoe organization companies have also entered into a number of joint ventures, retail franchising and brand licensing agreements [1]. By and large Bata’s operations are independent units established in each country where the firm does business. As such, Bata is able to decentralize control of its political strategy–giving subsidiaries significant autonomy in managing relations with their respective government. b) Should Pizza Hut put more of its efforts in expanding in Brazil or somewhere in South East Asia? Why? ANS – Pizza Hut, one of the most popular food chains, opened their 10000Th shops in the Brazilian market in 1994. Pizza Hut’s parent company is PepsiCo. PepsiCo was trying to penetrate in Brazilian market in various ways. However, the path was not as easy as assumed. Pizza Hut faced decline in the Brazilian market. Experts said that there were two probable reasons for this. One is Pizza Hut’s less successful introduction of new products and the second is the low price strategy of the competitors. However, Pizza Hut had a high hope to make Brazils their second or third major market because Brazil had many location specific advantages like urbanization, size, population, Gross National Product etc. Brazil endured erratic political situations since 1964. After a long military dictatorship, a stable political reformation was done by the year 1997.Economically; Brazil has a mixed history as well. It has a very good economic potential. It has access to several natural resources and well knit infrastructures. However, inflation affected the economy very badly. Pizza Hut entered in Brazil in 1988, during the period of high inflation. It followed the practice of corporate franchise. Later, Pizza Hut bought some of the franchises. But still different problems arose like- difference in cultures, cost of maintaining large pool of employees and of course inflation. Gradually, the inflation rate of Brazil normalized. People made more informed decisions and Pizza Hut began to flourish. However, in 1995, sales of Pizza Hut dropped. As a mean of counterattack, Pizza Hut took two different strategies. One was to cut the price by 25% and another was to announce various sales related decisions by mingling with local cultures like Samba dance. But both of the plans failed miserably. In these ways, Pizza Hut struggled to succeed in the Brazilian market. Q.3 a) what factors threaten India’s future competitive positions in cashew nut productions? ANS – Since the opening of China’s doors to world trade in the late 90’s, it has become an emerging super power. Hence, China may be a threat to India’s current competitive position in the cashew nut production because it is also capable to support cashew processing with its abundance of human resources, low-wage rates, and possible training in the manual dexterity required in the premium cashew nut production. China is currently engaging in new markets and providing cheap manual labor to other manufacturing. With this, China can see that the increasing profitable cashew nut industry and decide to enter it because it has the capability to do so. Moreover, the current formulation of the European Union (EU) provides that its members eliminate trade barriers for imports and exports between each other may be a possible threat to India’s United Kingdom market. Since the UK can virtually import anything from its neighboring countries without any cost, it might affect the demand of cashew nuts –the Europeans may divert their attention from cashew nuts to other products popular in its neighboring countries. India’s competitiveness could also be threatened by the increased Research and Development improvement that countries worldwide are engaging in nowadays. Brazilians (India’s most prominent competitor in the cashew nut industry) may possibly find machinery that can be substituted for the needed hand dexterity for the flavor that India’s cashew nut has. b) Should the United States seek to tighten the economic grip on cube? If so, how should it be done? ANS – U.S. should not seek to tighten economic grip on Cuba as it is already a weak economy as compared to U.S. due to the political environment of the country for the past few decades. For U.S. industries and companies Cuba is a very potential market. Also the workforce is efficient, so there is a possibility of efficient labor at lower cost for U.S. industries. Also, other countries of the world started favoring Cuba and also doubted the rationale of U.S. on imposing the embargo. 1. Attitude: An attitude may be defined as a learned disposition to behave in a consistently favourable or unfavourable way with respect to a given object (Schiffman and Kanuk, 2000). Stated differently, it positions people into a frame of mind of liking or disliking things, of moving toward or away from them‘ (Kolter and Armstrong, 2008: p144). It is acknowledged that people have attitudes toward almost everything – religion, politics, clothes, music, food (Kotler, 2003). For instance The demand for life insurance in a country may be affected by the unique culture of the country to the extent that it affects the population‘s risk aversion (Douglas and Wildavski, 1982). Henderson and Milhouse (1987) argue that an individual‘s religion can provide an insight into the individual‘s behaviour; and understanding religion is an important component of understanding a nation‘s unique culture. Also, Zelizer (1979) notes that religion historically has provided a strong source of cultural opposition to life insurance as many religious people believe that a reliance on life insurance results from a distrust of God‘s protecting care. But historically, some form of social insurance existed in Nigerian and Africa society long before the introduction of the modern insurance in Nigeria (Osoka, 1992). These social schemes evolved through the existence of extended family system and social associations such as age grades, and other unions. The simplest form of the â€â€"social insurance‘ was practiced by means of providing cash donations, materials or sometimes organized collective labour to assist members of extended family and members of social or communal associations who suffer a mishap. 2. Lack of Knowledge of Insurance Culture: In a recent study of quality of life in developing countries with reference to South Africa (Moller, 2004), income and social security (own wages, ability to provide for family, insurance against illness/death and income in old age) have been treated as one of the major indicators of quality of life. This standpoint stresses the significance of insurance to human life. Ironically, insurance services seem not to have been so accepted enthusiastically in developing countries. The abysmal level of insurance culture in developing economies has attracted relative interests among researchers and practitioners alike. Risk has been identified as a central fact of life in the rural areas of less-developed countries (Udry, 1994). Some of the problems associated with this have been marketing. For example, Omar (2005) assesses consumers‘attitudes towards life insurance patronage in Nigeria and found out that there is lack of trust and confidence i n the insurance companies. Other major reason for this attitude is lack of knowledge about life insurance product. 3. Low Level of Education: Educational status of Nigerians has significant influence on their attitude towards insurance. Educated people have more positive attitude to insurance than less educated ones. In a recent insurance conducted in Lagos, Nigeria. The choice of Lagos is due to its nature as a metropolitan city where most Nigerian ethnic groups are largely represented. Fact shows that respondents with higher education outperformed others even though no statistical significant difference was observed with vocational education. 4. Unemployment Issue: Employees working status has a significance effect on Nigerians attitude towards insurance. Retired and Employed Nigerians with means attitude scores of 28.50 and 28.14 respectively outperformed their competitors. No significant difference was observed between retired, employed and Self-employed respondents. On the other hand, self-employed people have significantly higher attitude towards insurance than unemployed, student and part time workers. This result is quite similar to findings in most developed world. In Conclusion, The findings of this study suggest some major implications for marketing of insurances services in Nigerian businesses environment which is a big market. Given that attitude is strongly linked to behaviour, marketers of insurance services targeting Nigerians are confronted with the challenge of encouraging people to embrace insurance institution and its associated benefits. Based on the findings, this article confirms negative attitudes of Nigerians to insurance services further. But apart from this broad finding in respect of the negative attitudes to this line of business, this study suggests some specific findings based on different demographical factors of the respondents. The findings serve as inputs to marketers of insurance services on how they formulate and implement relevant marketing strategies towards addressing the nonchalant attitude of Nigerians to insurance. For instance, specific marketing strategies are required to encourage the young generation below 46 years of age, the divorced/separated, and the less-educated to embrace and appreciate the role of insurance. Since, the basic issue associated with this lack of interest rests mainly in their lack of appreciation of the roles of benefits of insurance services; it is recommended that significant marketing communication activities with instant compensation to both marketers be targeted more at this set of people highlighted. This will help to kindle their interest in the business and brings the insurance institution to the highly exalted position it belongs in their perception.

A Massive Collection of Free SAT Practice Tests

A Massive Collection of Free SAT Practice Tests SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Whether you’re building your own SAT prep program or justsupplementing a class, finding SAT practice tests and questions can pose a serious challenge. This article will go through every type of practice SAT test, how to best use them, and, most importantly, where to find them. What You Need SAT Practice Tests For Before we get into the many different sources of SAT practice tests, let’s talk about why you need a deep well of practice material to draw from and the different ways you’ll use these resources. RealPractice Tests A key part of SAT prep istaking full-length practice tests in realistic conditions. Since you want to mimic the SAT experience as closely as possible,you’ll need to use real SATs.Using official testsfor SAT practice questionsalso gives you a better prediction of your score and can help you determine what areas you need to focus on. You’ll want to use at least three tests for this purpose and make sure they’re the most current version of the SAT (from 2016 onward). Question Analysis Official SAT questions have their own style and logic, which other test writers aren’t always great at imitating. Unsurprisingly, then, the best way to understand the SAT is to studywith actual SATs. As part of your testprep,spend some time looking really closely at official SAT questions and thinking about what they’re asking and how each question is constructed.Themore familiar you become with the unique structure and language of SAT questions, the less daunting the test will seem. Subject Practice The final type of SAT prep is practicing with the various types of test questionsto hone your section-specific strategies and grasp of the content.Subject-targeted practice will also ensure that you know how to employ your math and grammar knowledge effectively to answer SAT-style questions. Though official SAT questions are the ideal materials for this type of practice, it's less important that you focus exclusively on real SAT questions. Using unofficial materials to practice general strategies will help you save official SATsto use as full practice tests. Now that you know what you'll need SAT practice tests for, let's go through the different places you can find each type of them- starting with official College Board tests. Instead of a map of the world, you need a map of SAT practice tests. Where to Find Current and Old Official SATs As I described above, there are a number of types of practice that you shouldonly use official SAT questions for. As such, they’re the most valuable type of SAT prep material and you’ll want to build up as large of a collection as possible. I’ve divided these tests up by which version of the SAT they are: Current (2016 and onward) Old 2400-scale format (2005-2016) Very old format (pre-2005) You’ll want to focus mostly on the current tests, but the other versions can still provide helpful extra practice. For more info on how to get the most out of older SAT practice tests, check out our complete guide to old SATs. Most of these materials are free, but I've included the best materials for sale as well. After all, spending $10-$20 dollars on great practice tests can be well worth the investment! Current SAT Practice Tests Below are all the official practice SATs for the current version of the exam. 10 Official Free Practice Tests The College Board has released 10 practice SATs for the current version of the test. You can download them below or take them online at Khan Academy (see next section for more details): Practice Test 1:Questions | Answers | Answer Explanations | Essay Practice Test 2:Questions | Answers | Answer Explanations | Essay Practice Test 3:Questions | Answers | Answer Explanations | Essay Practice Test 4:Questions | Answers | Answer Explanations | Essay Practice Test 5:Questions | Answers | Answer Explanations |Essay Practice Test 6:Questions | Answers | Answer Explanations |Essay Practice Test 7:Questions | Answers | Answer Explanations |Essay Practice Test 8: Questions | Answers | Answer Explanations | Essay Practice Test 9: Questions | Answers| Answer Explanations Practice Test 10: Questions | Answers| Answer Explanations Unfortunately, the practice tests in The Official SAT Study Guide, 2020 Edition are the same as those above (except that the book doesn't include practice tests 2 and 4 and does include essays for tests 9 and 10), so these are really all you have in the way of full official new SATs. Plan accordingly! Official SAT Prepat Khan Academy There are a bunch of official SAT practice questions available as part of Khan Academy’s free SAT prep.You’ll need to sign up for an account to access these resources, but it's completely free and tracks your progress over time. The lessons and practice questions are all divided by type, so they're very helpful for more targeted studying. While thestrategies and suggestions aren’t super useful for the Reading and Writing sections, there’s a lot of Math content if you want to brush up on any concepts you might have missed or forgotten. You can see a sample question below: Practice Questions on the SAT Website Finally, there are someextra practice questionsavailable on the College Board website: 24 Reading questions with two passages 22 Writing and Language questions with two passages 30 Math Calculator questions 18 Math No Calculator questions Keep in mind that some of these questions also appear in TheOfficial SAT Study Guide. Older SATs Although the 2016 overhaul involved big changes to the format of the test, previous versions of the SAT can still provide you with helpful study material. Free Full Practice Tests There are fourolder practice tests you can download for free: SAT Practice Test (2013-2014)Questions| Answers SAT Practice Test (2012-2013)Questions| Answers SAT Practice Test (2007-2008)Questions| Answers SAT Practice Test (2004-2005)Questions| Answers Unfortunately, these tests don't have explanations for the answers,so you'll have to figure out why the correct answer is correct on your own or ask a friend, family member, or tutor for help. If you really run out of practice materials, you can turn to the pre-2005 SATs: SAT Practice Test (2004-2005)Questions| Answers SAT Practice Test (2003-2004)Questions| Answers SAT Practice Test (2002) Questions + Answers SAT Practice Test (2001) Questions + Answers You’ll notice some question types that no longer exist on the SAT, so make sure that you know which questions to use and which to ignore. The Official SAT Study Guide, 2nd Edition This official book offers10more full official old SATs and can be worth buying if you're studying aggressively and needsome extra practice tests. Just remember that they are all in the old format, so there will be some irrelevant content and question formats. You can usually get this prep book for around $10-$20 on Amazon. Other Resources for Official SAT Practice Tests You might also be able to find official SATs through unofficial channels.Try searching for "old SATpractice test" or a similar phrase on Google and clicking through the results. If you're lucky, you might find some PDFs of previously administered SATs (though they'll likely use the old test format). Be aware that there's no guarantee these are real SATs. One helpful website you can use for this purpose is CrackSAT.net. They offer a huge collection of (what they claim to be) official SATs and practice questions.While the website can be tricky to navigate, it's definitely worth looking at if you want more realistic-looking SAT questions to practice with. X marks the spot- where you can find SAT practice tests. Want to learn more about the SAT but tired of reading blog articles? Then you'll love our free, SAT prep livestreams. Designed and led by PrepScholar SAT experts, these live video events are a great resource for students and parents looking to learn more about the SAT and SAT prep. Click on the button below to register for one of our livestreams today! Where to Find (and How to Use) UnofficialSATs Sadly, there aren’t a ton of official SAT practice tests available, so if you’re planning 40+ hours of studying, you’ll probably need some supplementary materials. Notethatpractice materials not sanctioned by the College Board can vary wildly in quality: some are very similar to the actual SAT, whereas others don’t even share the same basic structure as the test! I've collected the most helpful resources and provided some suggestions on how to get the most out of them in your SAT prep. This list is extensive but not exhaustive- there are a lot of SAT books and tests out there. Be aware, however, that many of them aren’t very high quality, so use your judgmentwhen deciding whether to incorporate something you find into your prep. Unofficial SAT Prep Books SAT prep books are a good alternativefor extra content review and practice.Their questions aren’t always quite right- for example, they might cover material you don’t really need to know or are easier or harder than those on the real SAT- but prep books can be a great resource for both reviewing concepts and trying out different strategies. I've provided some suggestions for general SAT prep books below. These each cost between $10 and $20, but you might be able to find them for free at your local or school library. Just make sure that they aren't written in before you check them out. Also, note that many of the best SAT books cover only one subject, so buying books can get expensive quickly. Best Book for High Scorers: Barron’s SAT, 29th Edition Barron’s SAT, 29th Edition hasa lot of in-depth study material that's particularly helpful for high scorers looking to fine-tune their test-taking strategies and ensure that they know every concept that might appear on the test. That said, the questions (especially those for Reading) tend to be much more difficult than those on the actual SAT, so this prep book isn't a good choice for students who get easily frustrated. You'll get a total of five full-length practice tests (including one diagnostic test) with this book. Best Book for Low Scorers: Kaplan's SAT Prep Plus 2020 Kaplan's SAT Prep Plus 2020, as well as its other SAT prep books, are better for students who need a basic foundation on what to expect on the test and how to approach it.The questions skew easier, so it doesn't provide great preparation for the more challenging aspects of the exam. This book is a good place to start if you have a low baseline score and want to increase it by a lot,since it will let you save official tests and more challenging practice for later in the process. This book offers five full-length SAT practice tests(two in the book and three online). Free Online Practice SATs from Test-Prep Companies Since these tests are free, they’re often (though not always) of a lower quality than the tests in books. If you really need more free practice materials, stick to using these for untimed content review and don’t worry if something seems weird or unusual. If you’re a high SAT scorer, trying to figure out how the test is different from an official SAT can be a good exercise and will help you understand exactly what makes the real thing tick. Ivy Global Ivy Global offers two free SAT practice tests, which are pretty decent in terms of quality. As you can see in the example below, both tests mimic the style of the official test very closely. Given the scarcity of materials for the current version of the SAT, these practice test PDFs could be a helpful addition to your prep- as long as you keep in mind that neither are official resources. MajorTests.com This website has a large selection of SAT practice questions divided by type. They're in thesame basic stylesas oldSAT questions, though the online format is less streamlined than that of the College Board or Khan Academy websites. You can see an example below: These SAT questions are best used sparingly- to test knowledge of math and grammar content and to practice general strategies (such as plugging in answersor numbers). Keep in mind that they might contain some errors. Varsity Tutors The format on these SAT practice questions isn’t especially accurate, and they sometimes ask about concepts that aren’t tested on the SAT. I generally wouldn’t recommend using them, but you can if you really want more questions to help test your general SAT knowledge. Here's an example of a question: Other Free Unofficial SAT Practice Tests Big test-prep companies, such as The Princeton Review and Kaplan, often offer a free practice test if you register for an account on their website. Sometimes you can even sign up to take the practice SAT at one of their test centers. As always, keep in mind that the qualityof the practice SAT will vary wildly, and the companymight aggressively pitch you their services. You'll probably end up using a mix of books and online resources for your SAT prep. Making an SAT Study Plan: 3 Essential Tips Now that youknow where tostart compiling the materials you'll need to prepare for the SAT, let's discuss how best to use these resources in a study plan. For more details on how to plan your SAT prep, check out our guide on how to build a prep plan that fits your schedule. #1: Find Your SAT Baseline Score Make sure to take a real SAT to determine your baseline score- unofficial diagnostic tests won’t give you a realistic sense of what the SAT is like or what your actual strengths and weaknesses are. Take the test in a quiet room without any distractions, and be sure to follow the official time limits. #2: Practice Skills and Review Content With Supplementary Materials Because there’s a limited number of official SATs available, you should supplement these tests with practice materials focused on specific subjects or question styles, including the official questions on Khan Academy and the SAT website, as well as those from unofficial sources. Making strategic use of these materials will allow you to try out new strategies and drill specific skills without having to worry about how many full official tests you have left. #3: Focus On Using Official SATs as Full-Length Practice Tests Again, because your supply of official SATs is limited, you want to use them judiciously. Don’t waste these tests by taking them in bits and pieces or while you’re distracted or stressed out. Instead, use most of the official SAT practice tests as full-length practice tests under real testing conditions: timed, all in one sitting, in a quiet room, etc. Once you’ve taken a test, take time to carefully go over the questions you missed and the ones you guessed on, analyzing why you got each one wrong and how the question is actually solved. Rememberto also save one or two official SATs for the end of your prep schedule! What's Next? Taking an SAT practice test is only the first step- you also need to go over your answers.Make sure that you know the best wayto review your mistakes. If you want to focus on a specific SAT section, check out our guides to the best practice materials for Reading, Math, and Writing. Want to improve your SAT score quickly? Try our 20-hour SAT prep planor our one-month SAT study plan, depending on how much time you have left before test day. Want to improve your SAT score by 160points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes your prep program to your strengths and weaknesses. We also feature thousands of practice questions, official SAT practice tests, and personal feedback on your essays from an expert instructor. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Growing and Caring for Norfolk Island Pine

Growing and Caring for Norfolk Island Pine Araucaria heterophylla, or Norfolk Island pine or Australian pine, is a southern hemisphere conifer native to the Norfolk Islands and Australia. Technically, its not a real pine. Norfolk Island Pine is one of the few conifers able to adapt to inside the home and is able to tolerate relatively low light levels. In its native habitat, this tree may reach 200 feet in height with 15-pound cones. The tree will grow outside in the United States but only in the semi-tropics of Florida. Specifics Scientific name: Araucaria heterophyllaPronunciation: air-ah-KAIR-ee-uh het-er-oh-FILL-uhCommon name(s): Norfolk Island Pine, Australian PineFamily: AraucariaceaeUSDA hardiness zones: South tip of Florida and California, zone 11Origin: not native to North AmericaUses: specimen, house plantAvailability: generally available in many areas within its hardiness range - especially during Christmas holidays. Pruning As Norfolk pine grows upward, the trunk thickens and the pine limbs increase in size. You should never cut their growing tips off and only rarely trim side branches for balance. A symmetrical look can be maintained by turning the plant regularly toward the sun. The lower branches and limbs tend to shed dry, brown needles when dehydrated and need pruning. The dry needles will not come back nor will lower limbs. These drying needles and dying limbs suggest drying out so follow watering instructions. The only maintenance pruning to be done is the removal of dead lower branches. Comments From Experts Extension Nursery Specialist Dr. Leonard Perry: If you want to invest in a houseplant with a future, buy a Norfolk Island pine. It requires minimal care, and because it grows slowly will remain small and attractive for many years indoors. Horticulturist Rosie Lerner: The Norfolk Island pine has grown in popularity as a live indoor Christmas tree. Its lush green twigs of soft needles provide a lovely backdrop for festive holiday ornaments. Moisture Norfolk pines have distinctively flat, whorled snow-flake like branches and short soft needles. They enjoy humid environments. As they age, and with the lack of humidity, the needles along the trunk will fall off. Mist spraying and a rocky moisture bed can increase humidity but never leave moisture around the roots. Just like under-watering, too much water will result in sporadic bright yellow needle clusters that come off very easily and dont come back. Check to make sure the plant is not standing in lots of water. It is actually inhibiting root water uptake, increasing root rot and, like lack of moisture is not good. These plants do best with consistency so stay on a weekly watering schedule - not too much and not too little h2o. You can get by with less during the dormant winter months. Fertilization Norfolk Island pines dont require frequent fertilization but when you do, use only at half the normal recommended rate. You can also use any complete soluble fertilizer including liquid foliar plant food applied as a mist for enhanced foliage response. Fertilize older plants every three to four months and repotted or newly purchased plants every four to six months. Try to limit the times you move your tree to a  new container as they have a weak root system which can be harmed by rough movement.  Norfolk Island pines need only be repotted every three to four years using a commercially available potting mixture. Culture Light requirement: tree grows in full sunSoil tolerances: clay; loam; sand; acidic; alkaline; well-drainedDrought tolerance: highAerosol salt tolerance: moderateSoil salt tolerance: good In Depth Although Norfolk pines provide some shade, they are not suitable for patios or terraces because they are too large and large surface roots are common. Obviously, this only applies to people growing the tree in south Florida. For the rest of us, moving a potted tree outside to partially shaded sun through spring and summer is a good thing. Many people forget how tall these trees grow. They often have an attractive pyramidal form (like a fir or spruce tree) when they are small, but they quickly grow too tall for most residential sites. They can live as a houseplant for a long time if not over-watered but rarely grow more than 5 or 6 feet tall. Growing best in full sun locations, this tree thrives on a variety of soils and is moderately salt tolerant. Young plants should be watered well, especially during periods of drought. Be sure to prune out multiple trunks or leaders as they should be grown with one central leader.​​ Propagation is by seeds or cuttings of erect shoot tips only.

Project management-Scenario Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Project management-Scenario Assignment - Essay Example Measure of the extent to which a company’s benefits are achieved is known as value and this should be at optimum cost. As a manager of the battery manufacturing company, Bart Erry Ltd, I would employ risk management and assessment for evaluation of risks in order to take remedial actions in line with achieving these benefits and minimising loss of value to hazards and uncertainties. Risk profile is a defined set of risks that an organization is exposed to and describes when a risk should be considered acceptable as well as how the risk is affecting decisions of the organization and corporate strategy (Woodhead, 2001)1. Risk profiling involves outlining the risks according to priority and can be developed during risk analysis and used for the management of these risks. It enables the company to measure the likelihood of the threats occurring and the extent of disruption that can be caused by each type of risk. Profiling hence involves identification and quantification of risks where identification is simply finding or recognizing a particular risk that could affect the organization in achieving its goals. While in quantification the identified risks are evaluated and a data developed to help in outlining a disaster recovery plan (Loosemore, Raftery, Reilly & Higgon, 2006)2. The battery manufacturing company, Bart Erry Ltd are currently facing a number of risks such as legal suit may be filed against them by the local community because of the chemical effluent which found its way into the river and killed fish. They also face relocation from their current location by the government. They as well face health hazard risk not only to the local community but to the company too because they may also depend on water from the contaminated river for several uses. The company may also face destruction of property by the angry local fishing community whom have been affected because the effluent from the

DEFEATING THE LOGIC OF ISLAMIST TERRORISM Assignment

DEFEATING THE LOGIC OF ISLAMIST TERRORISM - Assignment Example The findings mentioned in the article actually highlights the overall weaknesses in the ideology of Islamic terrorist organizations and US can actually take efforts to help modern elements within Muslim countries to encourage such thinking. As discussed in the article, the overall battle is not only fought based upon the physical strength of the enemy but also upon the overall psychology, beliefs and ideas of the enemy too. US, due to its military and political power can subvert the governments however; the war on terror is relatively a different war. Islamic terrorist organizations are also making efforts to win it through ideas and raising general sentiments against West and US. Winning the battle of ideas therefore is of critical importance as it will not only allow US to reduce the number of supporters but can also help in future to actually allow more Modern Muslims to become the voice of Islamic world and not the