Sex Pressure Essays - Fertility, Sexual Acts, Sexual Health, RTT

Sex Pressure Essays - Fertility, Sexual Acts, Sexual Health, RTT Sex Pressure sexual weights The media is only one of the variables answerable for the expansion in high schooler sexuality. All through a people young people years they are dependent upon various sexual weights. Through research I have discovered that friends are among the most powerful. An immature isn't constrained to peer pressure however. They face pressures from the media too. I accept that media pressure is only a compelling as companion pressure. There is likewise other weight, from individuals, for example, more established companions, guardians, and only grown-ups when all is said in done. Companions is a term that can be characterized as companions. I have discovered that numerous teenagers have companions that are competitors. In secondary schools, kid competitors outscore the entirety of different young men with the girls(Elias 1). Then again , young ladies on sports groups are substantially less explicitly dynamic than different females who don't play sports(Elias 1). This shows male competitors ar e unmistakably all the more compelling each other on the issue of sexuality. So for guys who are into sports they are exposed to a large group of weights and can thus do things they would not ordinarily do. Despite what might be expected, I found that females who do sports are far less constrained and affected about sex. Truth be told they are far less inclined to be explicitly dynamic than high schooler females who don't take an interest in sports. I accept that all youngsters as a rule should know the aftereffects of being an explicitly dynamic high schooler. There are numerous results of being explicitly dynamic, one of the significant one being explicitly transmitted ailments. An explicitly transmitted illness probably won't sound so terrible in any case, some can cause sterility and far and away more terrible , passing. In any event, when condoms are utilized, a STD can at present be transmitted. Contingent upon the sort of sexually transmitted disease they can or can not be re lieved. A couple of sicknesses that can not be restored incorporate herpes, HPV, And HIV, which later transforms into the infection AIDS. The malady HPV can cause cervical malignant growth and HIV brings about a long, difficult passing. Right around 33% of explicitly dynamic youngsters gotten another STD inside a minor a half year, announced one investigation, even among condom users(Terilliger 2). When an adolescent has become explicitly dynamic the individual in question must expect new jobs. Guys must consider the issue of maybe turning into a dad coincidentally of deliberately. In addition, females must consider all the results of having intercourse. No sex happens to be the most secure type of sexual action. It isn't difficult for a condom to break of for conception prevention pills to be overlooked a few times during a cycle to cause a pregnancy. Furthermore, when a female gets pregnant there are scarcely any alternatives she can investigate. In a like way, grown-ups are an ef fect on a youngsters sexuality. Most adolescents admire a grown-up and respect them. In like manner, they need to attempt to resemble there icon. This is the reason a grown-up can profoundly affect a youngster attempting to adapt to the weights of sexuality. That is the reason all grown-ups in all classes of society should watch what they do or say comparable to teenagers. For instance, The President of the United States was two-faced and lied about it. We as society state so what? at the point when the allegations surfaced at first(Kavanagh 13). In a similar manner, the media has a tremendous influence of sexual weights applied on a teenager. One way being TV. TV right now is loaded with indecency and sex. Most definitely is more secure to watch old re runs of the Lucy Show and the Cosby Show. they ere from a time where sex was not such a prime time staple(Riley 186). This show how much society has changed concerning sex. In the bygone eras sex was not an approach to show signs of improvement appraisals like it is today. So also, music affects a young people sexuality. Rap verses at the present time are brimming with obscenities and words concerning sex. In the rapper Eminem's melody Role Model , he says, Im going to assault her and leave her, when I get close to her(mathers

The characteristics of a growing and a mature product market Essay

The attributes of a developing and a develop item showcase - Essay Example Under this stage, there are quickly rising deals volume and benefit, and the generally development is at an exceptionally quick paced way (Kotler, 2002, p.173). For instance, shopper electronic markets, especially amusement gadgets, are in the developing item advertise. Convenient DVD player is the most sweltering, slanting classification and â€Å"derives its fame from its convenientce and minimal size† (Atico International, n.d.). It additionally establishes a yearly development pace of 25% in the greetings fi item advertise along with turntable, enhancer and computerized radio tuner, MP3 players, four-unit speaker and wi-fi ability. During this stage, the normal creation cost of convenient DVD player is being surveyed with respect to what the organization could continue. Samsung Electronics is one of the unmistakable makers of purchaser electronic gadgets, but since it isn't the principal mover, it needs to do broad research to upgrade the quality and highlights of its item . It has propelled the world’s littlest compact DVD with a smallest DVD position, quality screen design and a decent battery life. Furthermore, the high creation cost during the presentation stage is at first recouped in the development stage in view of scale economies or expanded yield. Clients at this stage are early adopters and old-clients on the grounds that the previous will get mindful of item benefits and take an interest while the last will expand their utilization level or use rate. This stage is extremely appealing to new participants since productivity and piece of the overall industry are sure; along these lines, the business must anticipate a developing rivalry. A higher deals volume and benefits that Samsung have picked up from its versatile DVD players make contenders, for example, Sony, Philips and LG to rise. For the item to contend and acquire predominant deals rate and piece of the overall industry, its item highlights ought to be special and unique, and t he expense of advancement ought to be expanded. Methodologies. Deals and promoting techniques ought to be reinforced by giving the market section the vital data about the item. The item quality, component, style, and configuration ought to be improved to expand the utilization rate and brand character. It is likewise a preferred position if the business will include in new market portions, for example, first-time purchasers or non-clients to extend its circulation inclusion as request increments. Moreover, the first cost ought to be kept up in light of the fact that the interest is rising, and it should utilize an instructive advancement to draw in a wide market crowd. 1.2 Mature Product Market The develop item showcase is the third item life cycle stage. During this level, the pace of deals and benefits is high, however beginning to level-off on the grounds that the general development is at a moderate way (Kotler, 2002, p.174). For example, Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola are the two not able rivals in carbonated sodas (CSDs) showcase wherein the previous is the main deals and market investor in the early long periods of rivalry. Be that as it may, in the latest soda pop deals, Pepsi has all out deals of $43.23 billion while Coca-Cola has $30.99 billion (Dlugosch, 2010). The

Impact of Agricultural Changes in Goa

Effect of Agricultural Changes in Goa Presentation Etymologically the term Agriculture is determined as follows †‘Agri’ implies field or soil and ‘culture’ implies the consideration of or working. It incorporates all such human endeavors as are helpful for the snappy and better development of vegetables and creature items to serve man. Over the most recent fifty years of freedom, the state has experienced and seen in the horticulture segment. At the hour of freedom, almost two third of the populace was engaged with agribusiness as their essential occupation. Paddy was the transcendent yield of the state followed by cashew and coconut. The circumstance presently changing and today we have cashew nut which is developed in almost 55,000 Ha with paddy 31,000 Ha. The development of agriculture crops these days are picking up significance because of the great returns, lower hazard and resilience of these yield for low maintenance cultivating are incredibly impact. The province of Goa is giving help to horticulture at all levels to give generous comes back to rustic people.The Agriculture Department gives help for rancher from land readiness of the degree of promoting of the produce. The Department of Agriculture with is head quarter at Tonca, Panaji executes formative program through zonal agribusiness workplaces situated in each talukas level and preparing focus at area level. Research facilities are set up at region level to test the dirt where soil wellbeing cards are given for major and miniaturized scale Goa being a dynamic express, the ranchers face huge lack of work who could take a shot at the fields . The reliance of machine for exercises in agribusiness is developing pattern. Goan ranchers having little land holding and about 80% of ranchers own under 1 ha of land. The administration favored littler machine to ranchers and gives money related help to such machines. In the territory of Goa agribusiness is one of the most significant financial action. . Lies between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats, to take care of its own kin Goa faces issues . The beach front zones are presented to saltiness and not reasonable for farming , while the inland zones are not beneficial enough. So for its everyday needs of rural produce like vegetables, Goa is reliant on Karnataka and Maharashtra for its everyday needs of horticultural produce like vegetables. Be that as it may, around 33% of the absolute land in Goa falls under woods territories and returns significant benefits. The legislature, be that as it may, has done a lot to improve and create agribusiness in Goa to make it increasingly profitable, along these lines empowering the ranchers to show signs of improvement return for their work. Rice and fish being the staple eating regimen of the individuals, paddy turns into the unmistakable harvest in the situation of agribusiness in Goa. The significant yields, other than paddy, are maize, ragi, bajra, jowar and beats. Money crops like mango aerecanut jackfruit, banana pineapple, cashew nut coconut, are additionally developed in bounty. Cashew is one of the most significant harvest in Goa. One sort of inebriating drink called Feni is delivered from cashew. Sugarcane development has been late wonders and a sugar processing plant has likewise been set up in Goa. There are diverse assortment of mangoes are developed in Goa. A portion of the well known Mango assortments are mancurade, mussarade, fernandine, xavier, alfonsa, colaco. Kapo (hard) and Rasal (d elicate) are two assortments of jackfruit are become here. The vegetables that are normally part of the horticulture in Goa are ladys fingers, radish, brinjol, pumpkins, cucumber, drumsticks, breadfruit and various assortments of gourds. Yams, chillies, onions are likewise accessible in Goa. Paddy being the chief harvest of Goa, it is developed in two seasons, to be specific Kharif or sorod and the rabi or vaingan. The yields which are developed in storm are known as the kharif crops and the winter crops are called rabi crops. The primary wellsprings of water system for winter crops are the nallahs, waterways and streams, tanks, wells and channels. Yields which are developed in the Kharif season comprise of paddy, ragi (privately called nachani) and a few heartbeats. Yields developed in the rabi season are involved paddy, beats like pony gram (kulith), dark gram (udid), an assortment of beans and a few vegetables. Anyway despite the fact that one fourth of the populace is continued by agribusiness in Goa, it adds to just 15 to 16 percent to the pay of the state. Because of fast urbanization the accessibility of rural land is diminishing. In Goa, moving development is privately known as Kumeri and it is this type of farming that is to a great extent answerable for delivering Goas yield of nachne, different millets and heartbeats. In any case, horticulturally prepared ranchers, researchers or foresters censure kumeri development as naturally harming and continued exertion have been made by the timberland and Agriculture office to stop such development. There are fundamentally 5 phases in Kumeri development. Felling a territory of backwoods, fixing the dead vegetation, planting or planting seeds without the furrow, weeding; and in the end collecting. Despite the fact that virgin backwoods give better returns, kumeri development inclines toward an optional woods for development. This is on the grounds that clearing essential backwoods is a significant perilous errand, requiring more labor and requesting a bigger drying period for the felled vegetation. In Goa, Kumeri development turned into an issue for 2 reasons. To beg in with, during Portuguese system, huge lump of uneven territories have been proclaimed as backwoods and later by the Goa government along these lines lessening radically the Kumeri patterns of the tribals. Besides timberland Department cleared felled backwoods with in the non-ensured territories and changed over these to monoculture types of eucalyptus and teak, in this way influencing woodland accessibility to Kumeri development. The end of Kumeri development has prompted an uncommon decrease in the accessibility of millets like nachne which have remained the customary eating regimen of the monetarily unprivileged populace in Goa. Goa being a little state in region, horticultural land is some of the time utilized for nonagricultural purposes. Enormous zones are utilized to fabricate transport stands, parkways, structures and so on. Being arranged in the waterfront belt, the land business in Goa has developed a lot higher during the most recent couple of years and the land costs ar e taking off high, along these lines tricking the ranchers to keep their territory neglected and afterward auction it at a colossal market cost. It is additionally discovered that the expansion in local location has prompted expanded dumping exercises which may incorporate mud and rubble. These exercises lead to rain water obstructing rather than it racing into the ocean. This factor also shields the ranchers from developing their properties and they want to keep it decrepit as improving the waste can be an exorbitant undertaking. Cultivating in Goa is predominantly subject to the appearance of storms. The quality and amount of cropd by opportune required downpours . Now and again the ranchers are powerless with the late appearance of rainstorm which thus prompts deferred planting and hence low yield. On occasion there is a drought which additionally influences the development of yields. This calls for better water system offices. The way that travel industry in Goa has prospered, h as had its suggestions on horticulture as well. The travel industry gives progressively worthwhile proposals to the current day youth, subsequently furnishing them with ordinary business. What's more, this angle prompts the following issue looked by ranchers for example accessibility of work and high work cost. With the more youthful age not having any desire to soil their hands in the land and paying special mind to cushy employments and green fields abroad, lack of work has driven ranchers to enlist work from different states. This thusly has expanded the expense of cultivating. The neighboring conditions of Goa like Maharashtra and Karnataka have plenteous of 4 rural movement and in this way the farming items are low estimated. Therefore bringing in these items turns out to be a lot less expensive than developing them. Writing REVIEW Agreeing Olekar Ramesh (2008) farming has been one of the significant piece of our economy. There are over 60% of our kin rely on agribusiness for their job. It is a lifestyle, a custom; horticulture will keep on being integral to all the methodologies for financial advancement of the nation. Quick development of horticulture won't just guarantee proceeded with food security yet additionally help in development in industry and the GDP. To keep up development in agribusiness credit assumes a significant job. The measure of agribusiness credit given by the bank to the ranchers has expanded from throughout the year. This has been an amazing advancement in banking credit area, considering the way that there are a few issues like getting to kudos for agriculturist and issue giving advance by the bank. Chand Ramesh et. al (2010) discusses agriculturalproduction and ranch salary in India include a few dangers. One and only instrument accessible to protect against creation dangers is crop protection. For eg.the conspire called as NationalAgriculturalInsuranceScheme(NAIS) working in the nation and has proposed a few alterations to make crop protection progressively viable. However, the inclusion of this plan as far as harvest territory, number of ranchers and worth ofagriculturaloutput is very small.To make horticulture chance administration increasingly successful the current degree of inclusion must be improved. Such an improvement has monetary ramifications and will affect current protection practices.Therefore it requires recharged exertion with respect to the administration as far as planning fitting component and offering help regarding finance.,to horticultural protection. Kumar and Sameer(2009) centers around the usage Kishan Credit Card (KCC)Schemein India.The Government of India talked with the Reserve Bank of India, and National Bank forAgriculturaland Rural Development to set up KCC. Giving credit backing to the ranchers through financial framework opportune and satisfactorily way is

Hip replacement Essays

Hip substitution Essays Hip substitution Essay Hip substitution Essay Helper roll was put leg length Tanat Eden everlasting operatively Ana a let lower furthest point was prepared and hung in the typical sterile style. No consecutive pressure was put on the non-usable leg. The patients left hip was moved toward utilizing the standard postural parallel careful entry point and approach the similar sounding word usage band and the glutens most extreme sash were etched and in fixed with the cut. Profound charley retractor was put. The patients back parallel delicate tissues were raised from the postural sidelong femur and stretching out along the femoral head into the executable in a rearranged hockey stick design. The sciatic nerve has been distinguished, palpated, and was kept secured during the strategy. The patients hip was disjoined. The femoral neck stilettos was performed at the level operatively endeavoring. Femoral head was evacuated was expelled without trouble. The executable was uncovered and the basic labium was extracted. The executable was reamed utilizing mm and mm reamers. They estimated mm set of three trolley shell was unblemished into a situation with 45 degrees of kidnapping and around 20 degrees of inner-directedness. On account of the patients back divider inadequacy there was roughly 1 5 percent of the back part of the segment revealed. The patients cup was steady and it was chosen for enlarge obsession with 2 auxiliary screws set into the Ilium. Great commitment of the two screws was noted. The executable was inundated before impaction of the cup. A 32 mm 10 degree back left basic liner was then stuffed into position with great commitment of the strolling system noted. The femur was the set in inward revolution and planning of the femoral trench was performed utilizing front box stepped and charley all. Successive reaming from mm to mm at 0. Mm augmentations were cultivated. The waterway was suggested with 10, 1, and 12 introduces with great rotational steadiness noted with the mm propose. Preliminary decreases was performed utilizing the standard neck off stud and a +3. Mm femoral head. It was checked for dependability and full augmentation with outside pivot. 45 degree flexing with inward pivot at 90 degrees and flexing at 90 degrees with no impingement noted t 80 degrees of inside revolution. The hip could be flexed to roughly 110 degrees also without proof of shakiness. The breaking point on flexing was because of the patients delicate tissues. The leg length was then reconsidered and felt to be suitable. The femur was disengaged. Preliminary suggest and embeds were expelled. The femoral trench was set up for influence. A size 12 femoral Steen was then embedded it was shown to a last settled position which was around mm from being completely situated. Preliminary decrease was performed with a +mm femoral head Page 3 ND astounding dependability was noted in all situations as recently depicted. The preliminary femoral head was expelled and Morse tighten was cleaned and dried and a size mm pearl +Mum closes pearl Temporal nana was Impacted heroic ten Morse tighten. I en head was moved. The hip was completely flooded with throb influence. The postural sidelong delicate tissue structures were fixed to the postural horizontal femur through drill openings utilizing 5. 0 Othello stitch. The site and region was palpated and noted to be liberated from the fix. Profound reemission channel was set. The Laotian band was shut utilizing 1. Triumph stitch in an emitted manner.

Visual Forms in “The Red Wheelbarrow” - Literature Essay Samples

The period of modernism in the literature has brought the new forms and the new ways of expressing the ideas. With the development of the imagist movement in the poetry, the free verse and the clarity of expression as well as clear language came to the foreground. The poem â€Å"The Red Wheelbarrow† by William Carlos Williams is one of the best examples of true imagist poem since it places value on the simplicity of the created image and on the imagery in general, instead of prioritizing some abstract ideas and sophisticated words. The most important point in the poem is the picture of the farm that arises in front of the reader and is created by only 14 words. This simple and still engaging scene on the farm is, however, more than just a description of the rainy day, considering the sense that the author has placed in his visual images and the form of the poem. First of all, the situation that the reader can imagine after reading the poem is rather vivid and bright. This is one of the peculiarities of the imagist poetry when the most important task is to create a picture. Nevertheless, the beginning of the poem does not allow to perceive this poem as descriptive only. Conforming to the idea that a poem can be transformed into a painting, the author created a piece of poetry that creates a visual scene while the first stanza about depending plays a role of the frame, encouraging the reader to immerse in the latter imagery. Moreover, starting the writing with the idea of dependency, William Carlos Williams prepares the reader that there is something behind the picture. Not characteristic of this literature movement, the poet makes an attempt to indicate another layer in his poem. Having read completely, the readers realize that it is not about a thing itself, but about a farmer who suddenly realizes the importance of the thing that he might h ave believed was not of high value to him and on which he is dependent. Another important aspect to consider in this poem is the power of its structure. Consisting of four stanzas, the poem contains only a single sentence. However, it is divided into four parts that follow one another and provide additional information regarding the setting involved in the poem. Such structure puts emphasis on the most important words, making them appear on the neutral background. Moreover, splitting the complex nouns into two parts was also the way for the author to give those words additional and even stronger meaning besides slowing down the readers and making them reconsider the ideas hidden behind those words. While the reader, having composed the word â€Å"wheelbarrow† sees the respective image, he realizes that wheels are the essential basis of this device. The same happens with the use of the word â€Å"water† after the â€Å"rain†. In this way, the author emphasizes the role of the water within that setting, which might be connected with th e symbolic meaning of cleaning since there is no dirt in the depicted scene. The symbolic meaning of the separate elements of the setting created by the author allows to notice the deeper meaning, sometimes even multiple meanings, of the poem. Here, an important point for consideration are the colors. The author accents the red color of the wheelbarrow, which might be interpreted in a range of ways. However, considering the setting of the farm and the meaning of red color as a symbol of distress, it is possible to conclude that the red color symbolizes the turmoil which the farmer has to overcome. Furthermore, the red color builds contrast with the white color of the chicken surrounding it. This might be used to show the innocence of the farmer’s work or nature when compared to the man-made devices or objects. Here, it is possible to speak also about the opposing of the controlled by a person society with nature. Even more, since the wheelbarrow is the central image of the poem, this opposition could be characterized by the higher importance of the soc iety rather than nature. Besides, a symbolic meaning could also be ascribed to the glazing of the rain which, to some extent, reminds of the process of art creation or polishing something, making it perfect. Therefore, the symbolism of the poem distinguishes it from the merely descriptive one. â€Å"The Red Wheelbarrow† by William Carlos Williams presents an outstanding example of the imagist poetry creating a bright and vivid scene. Making the readers observe such a real picture is possible through the use of respective colors and images as well as trough the structure of the poem. Comprising of a single sentence only, the poem flows smoothly from one image to another, making the readers completely immersed in the process of visualizing and reconsidering the ideas. Nevertheless, the poem is not about the scene itself, it might also be regarded as symbolical due to the symbolism of colors and images, enabling a range of different interpretations.

Talking testing with UPenn Dean of Admission on SiriusXM show The Process

One of the benefits of having relocated to New York City to support our office here is being more readily available and able to say yes when media opportunities arise. A few weeks ago I was invited to join UPenn’s Dean of Admission, Eric Furda and Dwight-Englewood School’s Director of College Counseling, Eileen Cunningham Feikens on their call-in radio show â€Å"The Process.† The shows airs monthly on SiriusXM  and covers all things college admissions. I arrived at the bustling studio in Rockefeller Center for my half-hour slot, was whisked into the soundbooth, threw on a set of headphones, and off we went on a wide-ranging conversation that was peppered with questions from callers all over the country. I was impressed with Dean Furda’s openness and candor throughout our conversation. Please feel free to give it a listen on their Soundcast channel. I come on at 30 minutes in and finish out the hour. Or if you don’t have time to listen to the whole thing, below are some portions of the transcript that may be of interest. The Process (10-26-18) Eileen Cunningham Feikens:   Hey, welcome back to The Process on SiriusXM Stars. This is Eileen Cunningham Feikens. Im the director of college counseling at the Dwight-Englewood School. Im joined by my partner on The Process, Eric J. Furda, Dean of Admissions at the University of Pennsylvania. We have some callers on the line. I want to remind everyone that we have a great guest here on our second half of the show, Adam Ingersoll, founder and principal of Compass Education Group, which provides the highest quality one-on-one test prep and academic tutoring. Before we go to Adam, I want to go to the calls. We have Meghan in Chicago. Eric J. Furda:   Welcome to The Process, Meghan. Meghan:   Hi. Thank you for taking my call. One of the reasons I decided to call today was my son went Early Decision. Hes a senior in high school. He applied Early Decision at the University of Pennsylvania. Eric:   Here we go. What am I doing up in New York? I should be down reading your sons application right now. Eileen:   Youre in the hot seat right now, Furda. Meghan, whats your question? Meghan:   This summer we went to another topnotch institution and heard their admission chair speak. He flat-out said that if something is listed as optional, it simply isnt. That its that competitive, that even though it says its optional, you should do it. Regarding University of Pennsylvania, when it came to the SAT subject tests, we did call the office and ask, Is this truly optional? Yes, your admissions department said it is truly optional. Eric:   They better have. Otherwise Id have to go to the phone room and figure out whats going on. Eileen:   Heads would be rolling. Eric:   Meghan, its a great question. We know how families read into this. Adam, as you see this testing landscape, what do you think? Adam Ingersoll:   A classic example of â€Å"recommended† being coded language for â€Å"expected† would be Georgetown and their position on Subject Tests. They are very reluctantly I might add only â€Å"strongly recommending† subject tests. They would prefer to flat-out require them, but no one in their peer group does so it’s politically and competitively untenable for them to do so. Eric:   Thats interesting. Adam:   On this question of formal policy versus unofficial expectations, University of Chicagos new test-optional policy is maybe the real 800 pound gorilla to talk about. On the one hand its a sincere position on their part, they want to lower barriers for underrepresented kids. On the other hand, the language in their press release said explicitly that they still expect to see and like to see scores from the vast majority of their applicants. Eric:   How do you think that will play out this year as youre working with families and just the behavior? What behaviors are in play? Adam:   The assumption, correct or incorrect, by families, especially affluent families who are approaching this process knowing they need to get in based on grades and scores relative to their peers in the pool of overrepresented kids, they would look at Chicagos position and say, Thats probably not as much for me. If I do apply to Chicago without scores, theyll make the logical assumption that my scores would not have been competitive.† It better be something else that makes a student in that part of the pool a compelling candidate. Eileen:   Got it. What Im hearing between the lines is if youre a strong tester youre going to send those scores. Its really affecting those students who dont feel that they can present their strength through the tests. There lies the rub. Adam:   I love the test-optional movement for the students that it is most primarily designed to serve, students who are underrepresented, who dont have access to the kind of things (sophisticated intensive test prep) that Compass provides. Its wonderful. For students who do have access to those advantages, but aren’t able to show strong scores, everyone knows whats going on. It’s great that they have the option to withhold scores too, but then they need to be especially competitive on every other front. Adam:   Meghan, great question. Obviously, theres a lot of different pieces to consider here. For the University of Pennsylvania, the Subject Tests are optional. You dont have to take them. Its up to you. [Note that UPenn continues to require either the SAT or ACT of all applicants.] Eileen:   [laughs] Eric has a really big smile on his face right now when hes like, Whew. Eric:   We really thought about this policy. Meghan, thanks for the call. Adam, while we have you here and before we go back to the calls, my fifth-grade son and I know you have some children around the same age what about some of their testing? Because with your work, you also look at some of these independent school exams as well, the ERBs required for independent school admission in lower grades. Adam:   Three months ago, I moved my family from Iowa City, Iowa to the upper-west side of Manhattan. So what used to always be theoretical or something I experienced vicariously via our clients suddenly became very personal. All four of my kids went through the independent school admission process, including the tests. It was very surreal for me to experience this with my own kids after helping other families through it for two decades. It was interesting that my youngest child, now a fourth grader at Horace Mann, had to take what was was the most intense of any standardized test that Ive ever seen a kid have to take. It was extremely expensive, and it actually had a live one-on-one evaluative component with a teacher. And that evaluation was specifically trying to suss out whether the kid had been formally prepped! Eric:   Interesting. Adam:   The testing actually gets a little less crazy as you get older. At least in places like Manhattan. Eileen:   Hopefully, some of our students and families out there will take comfort in the fact that they dont have to go through that and that hurdle is behind them. Speaking about some other test questions here, how do you think that students should face and this is going back to maybe sophomores, juniors deciding which test to take, either the SAT or the ACT. Im sure you get this question a lot. How do you handle it? Adam:   Its in the top two questions that we get. Its critical not to rely on generalizations. You may have heard classic ones such as that a student whos a certain type of learner will be better at one test or the other. That kind of stuff holds no water, useless myths. You need to take practice tests as baselines and compare them very carefully. For many students, the SAT baseline is a PSAT they take at school. Many of them need to then find an opportunity to take a practice ACT. You look at what you have, and usually, those scores are enough to make a decision. Its critical to do that in advance and choose to specialize in one test, not both, rather than diving into dealing with both tests. Eileen:   When do you think is the best time for a student, perhaps freshman, sophomore, junior, to take advantage of any test prep options that might be available to them? Adam:   The trend that I see in the mostly affluent populations that we work with are to start too soon, prep over too long a period of time and ultimately, do too much. Eric:   Interesting. Adam:   Of course, there are many test prep companies that push that kind of behavior. The thing is, the data show that most students dont peak on these tests until late in 11th grade or early fall of 12th grade. So if you are trying to do this efficiently and have your test prep really be leveraged against when youre most developmentally-ready to take the test, then you would defer test prep until into 11th grade. And yet, the trend in my practice is families are calling us in 9th and 10th grade begging to get started. Eric:   They want to get started. Adam:   I feel test prep in 10th grade is really too early for most kids. The summer before 11th is typically the earliest you want to dive into it. Eileen:   The earliest. Great information. Eileen:   Ok, we have Gia in Los Angeles. Gia:   Yes, I have a senior who just took his third and final SAT. He needed, like, 50 more points in math to get his superscore where he wanted for his number one school. He just got his scores on Monday, the 19th, I believe it was. He is telling me, and this is what Im hearing from his friends, they got more questions right on this test in both subjects, and yet, his score went down. Eileen:   Crazy. Gia:   Hes telling me there is a down curve because, rumor has it, it was an easier test, and therefore, people were scoring higher, so they curved down. [crosstalk] Eileen:   Im so glad you called in. Adam, whats your take on this? Adam:   Your sons absolutely right. Theres some nuance here that we cant cover in detail (see Compass blog article for a complete explanation) but, yes, he’s onto something.. Every SAT has differing levels of raw difficulty. Its impossible to assemble a test that has exactly the same statistical difficulty across all the items. So, each test has a conversion of a raw score to a scaled score. The easier the raw level of difficulty of the test, the harsher the conversion is, so to speak. This goes to what happened with the June test. The June test was a debacle. Eileen:   There was a lot of press about that. Adam:   The June SAT was basically easier than a PSAT. It was completely without historical precedent. Eileen:   Really? Adam:   The way to think about it is on the June test, and slightly less so on the October test, there were not nearly enough hard questions to differentiate between students at the top. What you have are students who, as they miss one problem, two problems, they see much steeper drops from 800 than they are used to seeing on practice tests or other tests historically. Frankly, its unfair. I think it reflects some real weaknesses right now within College Boards test development processes. The SAT is supposed to be extremely transparent; that was one of the key promises when the test was drastically overhauled a few years ago. Unfortunately, what we saw on the June test does not reflect transparency. Eileen:   Its also a reminder that its one data point. Its one data point in the admissions process. Eric:   Youre working with students on a day-in and day-out basis, Adam. Youre working with students and families, Eileen. Gia, great question. Im glad that you brought it up. It was something that we were chatting about prior to the show. The college admission officers have to keep this in their view and understand that there are some differences with the test, which many on our staff know, while also understanding from June until now, just really the experience students are having and how families are feeling. Adam:   Eric, heres the challenge. It really goes to the heart of something very interesting right now in the college admissions world. I have tried for years to assure families that colleges use scores responsibly and one of the responsible things you must do is not split hairs finely. Eric:   [crosstalk]like within a 40-point range? Adam:   Its 40 points each side of the test on the SAT and its one to two points on the ACT. If you see a college that seems to be splitting hairs between a student whos a 33 or a 34, even a 33 and a 35, theres no statistical justification for that. We had Dean Fitzsimmons who I respect tremendously in a courtroom in Boston last week, defending Harvards practice. For the most part, I agree with his defense but, they revealed that they split hairs finely. Internally they have these groupings of applicants, and 36 is considered part of the â€Å"Magna cum laude† group, and 34 and 35 is â€Å"summa†, and 33 and 32 is â€Å"cum laude† etc. Thats absurd. Eric:   From a testing standpoint, that is. Adam: The SAT is not that precise a test at its best. And when the SAT is having a hard time being consistent from test date to test date, its really not that precise. Eileen:   That just muddies the water further. Eric:   It really exacerbates it. Adam:   I did not give Gia a reassuring response other than to say, I hope folks in Erics shoes are aware of this and thinking of test scores as in a band or a range, even more than they historically have, rather than as precise. Eileen:   I agree. Thank you. Eric:   I think thats exactly it on all sides of the desk, really putting this in the proper context and using these tests responsibly, as with everything. Eric:   Congratulations, too. Lets go back to the lines. Susan, in DC, you have a question for The Process. Susan:   I do, hello. My children go to a private school in Washington DC and a lot of the top-tier private schools are pulling away from offering AP courses. My worry is that my children may be at a disadvantage when theyre applying to colleges, not having taken those classes. Eileen:   Are you talking about a disadvantage in terms of their previous education and preparation for college or are you talking about for admission? [crosstalk] Susan:   If colleges are looking at two students with all things equal, my child doesnt show [crosstalk] Eileen:   Im going to stop you right there. This is such a great question. Im so glad you called in. Colleges are going to look at a student and review that student in the context of what is available at his or her or their school. Eric:   These are all rigorous schools, by the way, that are doing this. Eileen:   Very rigorous. Theyre not going to count it against a student that they dont have APs if APs are not offered at the school. They cant do that. There are no two students, even within the same school, that are going to be identical. Susan, thank you so much for the question. Its something that I think a lot of parents are concerned about, but I dont think you have to worry about it. Eric:   Thank you, Susan. Adam, let me ask you this question. I think with so many of the questions that weve received today across The Process is the connection between high school curriculum, learning and testing because I think that gets at part of Susans question, too. What are you seeing in terms of what students are exposed to in their high school and then, when they come to you in 10th or 11th grade, what their testing preparation is like? Adam:   Let me parse that a bit. Our clients are mostly affluent families with kids who attend very competitive public high schools or to rather elite private schools. The basic curricular experience, the core academic development that they need to be ready to prepare for these tests, thats almost always there. Not an issue with our typical client. However, broadly, what the test is supposed to do is, first and foremost, reveal which students are college ready. In the big picture, this is what the tests are trying to do. This is the SATs growth in the last five years, selling the test as a product to entire states or large public school districts as an assessment that reflects basic college readiness, literally, based on x score, this student has a y chance of getting at least C’s in introductory first year college coursework. At the high end of colleges, to be quite frank, Eric, at your school, minimal college readiness is not what your folks are screening for. Thats a given. Eric:   Certainly. Do you see, Adam, having these state-wide tests, starting in the eighth grade, I believe, maybe seventh, eighth, and then, the PSAT? Is this driving good learning behavior? What do you see? Adam:   It does drive up test scores. To the extent the scores still are hard currency in the college admission process, you are helping those kids in that way. Youre getting them to be even just more aware of the college process because theyve taken a test. Eileen:   And, acclimated to taking standardized tests in a way, as well, correct? Adam:   But are you teaching them what they really should learn? In the big picture, whats the most valuable use of their time at school? Training for standardized tests? Eric:   Lets go back to the lines. Katie, in LA. You have a question for The Process. Katie:   Hi, kind of along the same lines, my question. I have a mediocre student. Shes a freshman in high school. Is it better to send her to a smaller, private high school where were paying a lot of money on Cs and Bs or a larger, public high school where were not wasting our money? How does a college look at that, the size of the school and their grades? Eric:   Absolutely, and its a great question. There is an investment in not only the curriculum but, then also, the type of learning that your childs having. Adam, given that were wrapping up the show, a thought on this? Adam:   Its funny. This question gets to the heart of why test scores exist. The test scores will simply give colleges some additional context relative to her transcript. I think, honestly, with this question, youre maybe trying too hard to reverse engineer things. I would try hard to figure out right now, in which environment will she be more comfortable and successful? That will tee her up for success in the college process three or four years from now. Trying to figure out whether it is better to be a slightly bigger fish in a small pond or a small fish in a big pond? Wildly speculative as far as how thats going to play out for her in college admissions in three to four years. Eric:   Katie, thanks for the call. Eileen, any final second thoughts? Eileen:   My gosh, its October 26th. Eric:   Its the end of October, you have a deadline. Did you write all your letters? All the letters are written? Eileen:   My letters have been written. My letters are totally all done. I just want to say for every student out there who might be applying to a college under an early deadline, please dont wait until 11:30 the night before its due. Please, promise me. Eric:   11:30? 11:59 were seeing. Eileen:   No, no, no. I want at least the day before. At least a day before. You dont know what the traffic is going to be like on those websites. Good luck, everyone. Eric:   Thank you so much for tuning into The Process. Adam, great to have you.

Prehistoric Life During the Carboniferous Period

The name Carboniferous reflects the most famous attribute of the Carboniferous period: the massive swamps that cooked, over tens of millions of years, into todays vast reserves of coal and natural gas. However, the Carboniferous period (359 to 299 million years ago) was also notable for the appearance of new terrestrial vertebrates, including the very first amphibians and lizards. The Carboniferous was the second-to-last period of the Paleozoic Era (541-252 million years ago), preceded by the Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, and Devonian periods and succeeded by the Permian period. Climate and Geography The global climate of the Carboniferous period was intimately linked with its  geography. During the course of the preceding Devonian period, the northern supercontinent of Euramerica merged with the southern supercontinent of Gondwana, producing the enormous super-supercontinent Pangea, which occupied much of the southern hemisphere during the ensuing Carboniferous. This had a pronounced effect on air and water circulation patterns, which resulted in a large portion of southern Pangea being covered by glaciers and a general global cooling trend (which, however, didnt have much effect on the coal swamps that covered Pangeas more temperate regions). Oxygen made up a much higher percentage of the Earths atmosphere than it does today, fueling the growth of terrestrial megafauna, including dog-size insects. Terrestrial Life During the Carboniferous Period Amphibians. Our understanding of life during the Carboniferous period is complicated by Romers Gap, a 15-million-year stretch of time (from 360 to 345 million years ago) that has yielded virtually no vertebrate fossils. What we do know, however, is that by the end of this gap, the very first tetrapods of the late Devonian period, themselves only recently evolved from lobe-finned fish, had lost their internal gills and were well on their way toward becoming true amphibians. By the late Carboniferous, amphibians were represented by such important genera as Amphibamus and Phlegethontia, which (like modern amphibians) needed to lay their eggs in water and keep their skin moist, and thus couldnt venture too far onto dry land. Reptiles. The most important trait that distinguishes reptiles from amphibians is their reproductive system: The shelled eggs of reptiles are better able to withstand dry conditions, and thus dont need to be laid in water or moist ground. The evolution of reptiles was spurred by the increasingly cold, dry climate of the late Carboniferous period. One of the earliest reptiles yet identified, Hylonomus, appeared about 315 million years ago, and the giant (almost 10 feet long) Ophiacodon only a few million years later. By the end of the Carboniferous, reptiles had migrated well toward the interior of Pangea. These early pioneers went on to spawn the archosaurs, pelycosaurs,  and therapsids of the ensuing Permian period. (It was the archosaurs that went on to spawn the first dinosaurs  nearly a hundred million years later.) Invertebrates. As noted above, the Earths atmosphere contained an unusually high percentage of oxygen during the late Carboniferous period, peaking at an astounding 35%. This surplus was especially beneficial to terrestrial invertebrates, such as insects, which breathe via the diffusion of air through their exoskeletons, rather than with the aid of lungs or gills. The Carboniferous was the heyday of the giant dragonfly Megalneura, the wingspan of which measured up to 2.5 feet, as well as the giant millipede Arthropleura, which attained lengths of almost 10 feet. Marine Life During the Carboniferous Period With the extinction of the distinctive placoderms (armored fish) at the end of the Devonian period, the Carboniferous isnt especially well known for its marine life, except insofar as some genera of lobe-finned fish were closely related to the very first tetrapods and amphibians that invaded dry land. Falcatus, a close relative of Stethacanthus, is probably the best-known Carboniferous shark, along with the much bigger Edestus, which is known primarily by its teeth. As in preceding geologic periods, small invertebrates like corals, crinoids, and arthropods were plentiful in the Carboniferous seas. Plant Life During the Carboniferous Period The dry, cold conditions of the late Carboniferous period werent especially hospitable to plants—but that still didnt prevent these hardy organisms from colonizing every available ecosystem on dry land. The Carboniferous witnessed the very first plants with seeds, as well as bizarre genera like the 100-foot-tall club moss Lepidodendron and the slightly smaller Sigillaria. The most important plants of the Carboniferous period were the ones inhabiting the large belt of carbon-rich coal swamps around the equator, which were later compressed by millions of years of heat and pressure into the vast coal deposits we use for fuel today.