Sample Character Reference Letter for a Friend

Sample Character Reference Letter for a Friend SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips This final recommendation letter example represents a character reference. A character reference might come from a friend, neighbor, or even relative. It tends to be more personal than professional and speaks to the subject's personality and character. In this guide, we'll explain what character references letters are and when they are needed, as well as how to write one and what to include in your letter. We also include a sample character reference letter so you can see what a complete one looks like, and we end with tips to help you write your own letter of recommendation for a friend. When Are Character Reference Letters Needed? There are two main situations when character reference letters are most needed. The first is for legal reasons, such as a background check or for a court case. In this case, your character reference is used to provide evidence that the person you're writing the letter about is overall a good person and should be found innocent/given a reduced sentence/be paroled, etc. You may also be asked to write a character reference for a friend who is applying for a job but doesn't have much work experience or who has been out of the workforce for an extended period of time but still needs references in order to apply to a job. Some clubs, programs, or schools may also require character reference letters, or they may be needed to sign a lease, but these reasons are less common. How Do You Write a Character Reference Letter? What Should It Include? Writing a character reference letter for a friend can seem intimidating, but it's actually quite straightforward. All you need to focus on is telling the truth about what you like about your friend and why you think they're a good person. This is the template your letter should follow: Introduction: You should always include the date at the top of your letter so people reading it can see how recently it was written. Also, be sure to use the proper honorific, such as "Ms." "Mrs." "Mr. or "Dr." Judges should be referred to as "Your Honor or "The Honorable Judge." How you know your friend: In the first paragraph, give a little background on yourself, how long you've known the person you're writing about, and what your relationship to them is. For example, "I've been Emily's next door neighbor for ten years, and we grew up spending every afternoon playing in my backyard." Your friend's character: In the next paragraph(s), discuss what your friend's character is like and what makes them so great. You can mention ways they have helped you, goals they have achieved, volunteering they've done, donations they've made, causes they're committed to, and/or ways they've helped others. Like the previous paragraph, be specific and use examples in order to make your letter as effective as possible.Writing "Emily has shown her generosity by volunteering at our local senior center every weekend for the past year" is much more effective than just saying "Emily is a generous person." If possible, tailor your examples to the reason you're writing the letter (such as examples of how a person is a great parent for a custody case). Remorse/improvement you've seen (optional):This isn't needed for all character references, but if you're writing a letter because your friend made a bad decision (such as drinking while driving), you can also include examples you've seen of remorse or steps they've taken to make better choices in the future, such as abstaining from drinking and attending AA meetings. This shows that they take their mistake seriously and are committed to being a better person. Conclusion: End your letter by thanking the person reading it for their time and offering to answer any additional questions they may have. Include your full name and contact information at the bottom of the letter. Want to provide a strong recommendation for your employee, but don't have the time to craft the perfect letter? PrepScholar's new recommendation tool, SimpleRec, takes you from good intentions and a blank page to a fully written and formatted letter of recommendation in under 5 minutes. All you need to do is give us some simple pieces of information about your employee and your experience working with them, and we'll do the rest. Try out SimpleRec risk-free today: Sample Letter #9: Written by a Friend as a Character Reference Lara Turner60 Main St.Midtown, NH 03031 April 15th, 2019 To the Honorable Judge Eva Miller, I'm writing on behalf of Rose Davidson in regards to her gaining custody of her two children. I know Rose to be an exceptional parent, and I fully support her having full custody of her daughters.Rose and I have been neighbors for eight years, and our children play together at least once a week. I see her nearly every day, either in the neighborhood or while dropping off or picking up our children from school, andI can attest to her strength of character and devotion to her daughters. I first met Rose when she and her daughters moved into the house next door to mine. We quickly found our paths crossing not just as neighbors, but also as fellow parents involved in the PTA. We and our families have become close friends, and over the years, we've frequently spent time together and set up play dates for our children. Rose and I also regularly babysit for each other, and I always feel confident that my children are safe and well taken care of when she is watching them. I have always been impressed by how dedicated Rose is to being an outstanding mother. She shifts her work schedule and completes her work late at night after her daughters have gone to bed so that she can pick them up from school and be present in the evenings with them. She encourages her daughters to pursue classes and activities they enjoy and is always willing to help with homework and drive them to their weekly soccer practice and art classes. She even goes above and beyond by regularly providing snacks to teammates and classmates during these events. She always listens to her daughters and makes them feel cared for, and I know from my own children that Rose's daughters feel secure and well-loved by her. Rose's daughters are thriving academically and passionate about many extracurricular activities, and I know that with Rose as their mother, they'll grow up to be upstanding members of society. I feel incredibly lucky to know Rose as both a friend and as an inspiration for what a great mother looks like. Ihope that my letter will help Rose gain full custody of her daughters so they can continue to lead full and happy lives. Please feel free to contact me for any further information. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Lara Turnerlara.turner@gmail.com508-726-6245 Recommendation Letter #9: The Breakdown This recommendation letter sample represents a specific type, that of a character reference. A character reference may come from a friend, neighbor, relative, or other person close to the recommendee. While some jobs ask for character references, other circumstances when they might be called for court, as in the above example, buying a house or condo, or for acceptance into a group or committee. Reference letters for a friend tend to be much more personal than a typical professional letter. If you’re asked to provide a character reference, you can describe the person’s personal qualities and character. Just as with any other letter, you should strive to give specific examples to back up your characterization of the subject of your letter. In the above sample character reference letter, Lara Turner attests to the strong character of her friend and neighbor, Rose, to help Rose with her custody arrangement of her daughters. Lara talks about her close relationship with Rose and describes some of Rose’s personal strengths. Since a custody case is specifically concerned with creating the best arrangement for the children, Lara focuses especially on Rose's dedication to her daughters and the effort and care she puts into being an exceptional mother. She states her support and gives specific examples to back up her words. Overall, her letter stands as a strong statement of support for Rose and fulfills its purpose as a character reference for Rose's custody hearing. Tips for Writing a Character Reference Letter Keep the following tips in mind to write the strongest character referenceand letter of recommendation for a friend possible. Know who you're writing to so you can address the letter properly. Know why you're writing the letter so you can better customize your writing. Keep the letter short (generally a page or less). Use specific examples to show your friend's character. Keep things positive. Focus on the positive aspects of your friend's character, and don't disparage them or anyone else in your letter. Maintain a professional tone (no slang or overly familiar language). Proofread your letter before sending it to make sure it is clear and free of errors. What's Next? Are you looking for a more professionally-oriented letter of recommendation example? Check out this job reference sample written by a manager for a full-time employee. Want to learn more? Head over to our full guide on recommendation letters for eight more samples, along with suggestions for how to write your reference. Want to provide a strong recommendation for your employee, but don't have the time to craft the perfect letter? PrepScholar's new recommendation tool, SimpleRec, takes you from good intentions and a blank page to a fully written and formatted letter of recommendation in under 5 minutes. All you need to do is give us some simple pieces of information about your employee and your experience working with them, and we'll do the rest. Try out SimpleRec risk-free today:

7 Back to School Tips for Teachers

7 Back to School Tips for Teachers Going back to school after the summer break can be exciting, nerve-racking, and hectic for teachers. The summertime is a time for refreshment and renewal. That is important as the beginning of the school year is the most critical time of the year and it can also be the most stressful. Even during the time off, most teachers are looking for ways to improve their class for the upcoming year. Going back to school gives teachers a chance to make small adjustments or significant changes depending on where they are at in their careers. Most veteran teachers have a pretty decent idea of what they need to do to get ready for the new school year. They typically plan to make a few minor tweaks to their overall approach. Younger teachers may totally revamp their approach to how they teach based on their small sample of experience. First-year teachers often come in excited and with no real idea of what it takes to teach. They have ideas that they think will work only to realize quickly that the application of those ideas is much more difficult than the theory of them. No matter where a teacher is in their career, here are some tips that will help them transition back to school quickly and effectively. Reflect on the Past Experience is the ultimate learning tool. First-year teachers will only have their limited experience as a student teacher on which they can rely. Unfortunately, this small sample does not provide them with much information. Veteran teachers will tell you that you learn more in the first few weeks as a teacher than you did during your entire time in a teacher education program. For teachers with at least one year of experience, reflecting on the past can be a valuable tool. Great teachers are constantly looking for new ideas and methods to apply to their classroom. You should never be afraid to try a new approach, but understand that sometimes it works, sometimes it needs tweaking, and sometimes it will need to be thrown out altogether. Teachers must rely on their experiences when it comes to all aspects of their classroom. A teacher must allow experiences, both good and bad, to guide their overall approach to teaching. It Is a New Year Never come into a school year or classroom with preconceived notions. Every student who walks into your classroom deserves the chance to come in with a clean slate. Teachers may pass along pertinent educational information such as standardized test scores to the next teacher, but they should never pass along information about how a particular student or class behaves. Every class and every student is unique, and a different teacher may get other behavior. A teacher who has preconceived notions can be detrimental to the overall development of a particular student or a group of students. Teachers should want to make judgments about a student or a group of students based on their own unique experiences with them and not those from another teacher. Sometimes a teacher can have a personality conflict with a particular student or class and you never want that to cloud how the next teacher handles their class. Set Goals Every teacher should have a set of expectations or goals that they want their students to reach. Teachers should also have a list of personal goals to improve in specific areas of weakness that they have. Having goals of any kind will give you something to work towards. It is also okay to set goals together with your students. Having a shared set of goals will push both teacher and students to work harder to obtain those goals. It is okay that goals be adjusted either way as the year moves along. Sometimes your goals may be too easy for a particular student or class and sometimes they may be too difficult. It is essential that you set high goals and expectations for all your students. Just remember that every student has their own unique needs. The goals you set for one student, may not be applicable for another. Be Prepared Being prepared is the most important aspect of teaching. Teaching is not an 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. job as many people outside the realm of teaching may  think. It takes a lot of extra time and preparation to do your job effectively. The first day of school for students should never be a teacher’s first day. It takes a lot of time to get ready for school to start. There is a lot of work that needs to be done with both your classroom and your instructional material. A smooth year begins with preparation. A teacher who waits until the last moment to get everything ready is setting themselves up for a rough year. Young teachers need more preparation time than veteran teachers, but even veteran teachers must spend quite a bit of time preparing for the upcoming school year if they plan to have a fantastic year. Set the Tone The first few days and weeks of school will often set the tone for the entire school year. Respect is often won or lost in those first few days and weeks. A teacher should seize that opportunity to establish a solid rapport with their students, but at the same time respectively show them who is in charge. A teacher who comes in with the mindset that they want every student to like them will lose respect quickly, and it will be a difficult year. It is virtually impossible to gain a classes respect as an authoritarian back once you have lost it. Use those first few days and weeks to drill components such as procedures, expectations, and goals. Start out hard as the classroom disciplinarian and then you can ease off as you move throughout the year. Education is a marathon and not a sprint. Do not think that you cannot spend the time to set the tone for the school year. Make these things a priority early and your students will learn more in the long run. Make Contact Getting parents to trust that you have their child’s best interest in mind is paramount. Make extra efforts to contact parents several times within the first few weeks of school. In addition to classroom notes or newsletters, try to contact each parent personally early on by setting up parent meetings, calling them on the phone, emailing them, conducting a home visit, or inviting them up for an open room night. Establishing trustworthy relationships with parents early on when things are going good will make it easier should you begin to have issues. Parents can be your biggest ally, and they can be your biggest enemy. Investing the time and effort early on to win them to your side will make you more effective. Plan Ahead All teachers should plan ahead. It is not easy, but planning does become easier as experience is gained. For example, a teacher can save lots of time by keeping lesson plans from the previous year so that they can use them for the upcoming year. Instead of redeveloping their lesson plans, they make adjustments to them as needed. Teachers can also make copies for several weeks or months of work before school begins. Planning events such as fundraisers and field trips before school starts will save time later. Planning ahead will be beneficial if an emergency occurs and you have to be gone for an extended period of time. Planning also tends to make the overall course of the school year go smoother.

Justinian and the Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Justinian and the Law - Essay Example It means that considering law as a phenomenon, peculiar only to the certain socio-economic structure, and which keeps the same nature at establishment of basic concepts, principles, categories and institutes during all existence of human civilization is not correct. That is why there is a general growth of interest to researches, which under such point of view are of not only historical interest, but also help to define the character and tendencies of transformations of law in the process of historical development of humanity, and consequently to find out consistent patterns of its development, which must be taken into account in modern conditions. Experience of development of law of legal system at Justinian's being in power can be very useful for the awareness of genetic root of many institutes of our legal system, establishment of possible prospects of its development, using of accomplishments and taking into consideration of lacks of conducting of those or other measures on perfection of the legal system, most grandiose from which is a systematization of law, conducted in the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine) in the first half of the sixth century by Emperor Justinian. Let us appeal to the history as "the history of law, inseparable from the history of the State, because the growth of a legal system both determines and is determined by the general condition and civilization of the nation, finds in these same epochs its most natural divisions"1. An imperial aspiration of Justinian has negatively reflected on socio-economic position of the state, as a load of military charges came upon the population of Byzantium, destroying not only its economy but also the economy of neighbor countries. At the same time, objectively his political direction had certain positive maintenance, as he to a certain extent operated in light of general tendency of competition of ancient culture with the barbarian world from Northern East, which threatened fully to destroy odds and ends of old Roman and ancient Greek cultures. The main directions of domestic policy of emperor Justinian were: gradual liquidation of last republican institutes and strengthening of individual p ower of emperor; creation of an authoritarian state based on enormous centralized state and conducting of related administrative reforms; achievement of unity of faith (confession unity) in the state with recognition of emperor as a main leader in this sphere; realization of economic measures, directed on multiplying commodity turnover and revival of production; circumscription of proprietary rights of main landowners, economic influencing of which sometimes outgrew in political power. Limitations of rights of big landowners have been accompanied with measures, directed on encouragement of development of yeomanry (for example, by means of establishment of preferential taxes). Justinian pursues also a policy of encouragement to settling on new territory, and also to settling of earths which were before mastered, but then abandoned. What is important is that domestic and foreign policy of Justinian required not only the armed efforts

How green are electric car batteries Research Paper

How green are electric car batteries - Research Paper Example However, this trend is yet to be noticed as most of the vehicles in this 21st century are still powered by traditional fuels; electric cars are yet to become popular among the masses. The Electric Battery An electric car along with all its accessories is powered by its battery. The electric battery drives a controller which is used to run the main electric motor of the car. Cars driven by gasoline and diesel also have batteries, but they are mainly used to start the engine of the vehicle and also power some of its accessories like the radio, television or the air-conditioner. Just like fuel-driven cars need to be reloaded, once they are exhausted of their fuel reserves, the electric car batteries are required to be recharged when they are depleted of their initial power. Therefore, electric batteries need to be strong and enduring in terms of their power and longevity. Till recently, battery manufacturers were yet to invent dependable electric batteries that could bring electric vehicles at par with the fuel-driven cars. However, the production of electric cars have become more affordable in recent times and the main automobile manufacturers are expected to produce such electric cars on a large scale (Lampton, 2011). First Automobile powered by a Battery In 1873, R. Davidson of Edinburgh showed that a road vehicle could be driven by an electric battery. He experimented by driving a four-wheeler truck powered by a primary battery made of iron/zinc. After this, in 1881, G. Trouve of France constructed a tricyle, weighing 160 kilograms (350 pounds), which became the first vehicle to be driven with the help of a â€Å"secondary Plante battery†. Trouve utilized two customized Siemens motors to drive a huge propelling wheel with the help of two chains which in turn drove the tricycle. The Plante battery helped the motors to develop the strength of 1/10 horsepower which enabled the tricycle to move at a speed of 12 kilometres per hour (7 miles per hour). Later, Trouve demonstrated that electric batteries could be used to drive other forms of vehicles too. During the same year, he experimented by operating a motor boat on the river Sienne which was powered by electric batteries. In the following year (1882), Professors William Ayrton and John Perry of England, also demonstrated the utility of electric batteries in driving transport vehicles. They had also developed a tricycle powered by an electric battery which had a capacity of 1 ? kilowatt hour. This battery consisted of ten Plante type battery cells made up of lead/acid. Apart from this, the tricycle had a direct current (DC) motor having the strength of ? horsepower, which was fitted under the driver’s seat. The electric battery supplied a current of 20 volts to the DC motor which in turn propelled the vehicle. The tricycle could travel at a speed between 16 and 40 kilometers per hour (between 10 and 25 miles an hour), the speed varying according to the type of land terrain traversed. This speed could be regulated by switching the batteries sequentially in series (Westbrook, 2001, pp.9-10). How Electric Car Batteries are Made In the present-day world, the two most popular forms of electric car batteries are the â€Å"advanced nickel metal hybride ba ttery (NiMH)† and the â€Å"advanced automotive lithium ion (Li-ion) battery†. Majority of these two types of batteries are produced by firms in China,

The Lovely Bones Detailed Quote Synopsis Essay Example for Free

The Lovely Bones Detailed Quote Synopsis Essay My quote is â€Å"Had my brother really seen me somehow, or was he merely a little boy telling beautiful lies? † on page 95. Susie had said this while she was observing her brother from heaven. This quote has significance because I believe that Susie wants to be remembered, because as she said on page 91, â€Å"I had never even let myself yearn for Buckley, afraid he might see my image in a mirror or a bottle cap. Like everyone else I was trying to protect him†. Perhaps the reason Buckley was so casual with pointing out that he saw his sister was because he had already seen her before, he mentions he does on page 92 when he tells Nate, â€Å"Last night she came in and kissed me on my cheek†. I think the reason we don’t hear of Buckley seeing Susie earlier is because Susie does not focus her attention on Buckley in order to protect him, instead she is watching the rest of her family more closely. Buckley wouldn’t be telling his parents or sister this because the family believes that he is to young and cannot understand what has actually happened to his sister. Therefore, Susie would not have seen or heard any talks of it amongst the parents. Buckley had kept seeing his sister to himself. So he resorted to saying it to his friend Nate, who is of the same age and won’t hold it against him. I think that by her trying not to be seen and not paying much attention to Buckley it causes him to actually see her. I believe that this quote will continue to connect to the characters throughout the story based on the fact that she hides herself from Buckley because she wants to protect him, but she wants to show herself to her father, when he’s upset she wanted to be there and help him but she couldn’t. As Susie states on page 46, â€Å"It was then that, without knowing how, I revealed myself. In every piece of glass, in every shard and silver, I cast my face. † She didn’t mean for her dad to see her when he did. I think when she is not meaning to be seen, that is when someone really does see her. But when she really wants to be there and help out the people she loves, she won’t be seen. The quote of Susie revealing herself to her father also did state that she didn’t know how she revealed herself. If this is possible, she may have revealed herself to Buckley without her knowing it either. I believe that the quote , â€Å"had my brother really seen me somehow or was he merely a little boy telling beautiful lies? † will continue to connect to the story because Susie will continue to have herself revealed to the people on Earth without her knowing it, so long as she is still there watching everyone on it.

Cognitive Psych Review :: essays research papers

THE BASICS 1. The role of computation in cognition 2. Marr's levels (barn owl experiment) 1. Computational theory: What is the goal of the computation, why is it appropriate, and what is the logic of the strategy by which it can be carried out? 2. Representation and algorithm: How can this computational theory be implemented? In particular, what is the representation for the input and output, and what is the algorithm for the transformation? 3. Hardware implementation: How can the representation and algorithm be realized physically? 3. The brain as a multidimensional space 4. Awareness and consciousness (Chapter 2) PERCEPTION 5. Generalization (Shepard’s Law states that the further away in psych. Space, the less of a chance of generalization). 6. Categorization categorization: recognize objects as belonging to the same category, without losing information about their differences. categorical perception as distortion of the representation space sigmoidal curve 7. Statistical nature of cognition (Mathematical averages of beauty) 8. Adaptation (page 77) adaptation compensates for the statistical regularities of the world; MEMORY 9. Cognitive maps 10. STM and LTM 11. Meta-memory 12. Schemata LANGUAGE 13. Speech 14. Sentence processing (p. 301-303) 15. Semantic holism Instead, they have meanings only when they hang out with other sentences. Statements about the external world face the tribunal of experience not individually but only as a corporate body." 16. Acquisition the transitional probability from one sound to next will be highest when the two sounds follow one another within a word, whereas transitional probabilities spanning a word boundary will be relatively low. THINKING 17. The frame problem This presented the "frame problem": how to design a system that could, unlike poor C3, infer the persistence of nonchanges, but that could do so automatically — that is, without explicitly storing or accessing frame axioms for them. 18. Modes of reasoning deduction, induction, abduction Inductive reasoning performance will be better when the subjects are asked to judge a frequency instead of the probability of a single event. 19. Impediments to reason (conjunction fallacies [bank teller problem], overconfidence) intuition pumps, 20. Creativity (preparation, incubation, insight, evaluation, elaboration). Preparation - It is almost impossible to have a good new idea without having first been immersed in a particular symbolic system or domain. Creative inventors know the ins and outs of their branch of technology, artists are familiar with the work of previous artists, scientists have learned whatever there is to know about their specialty. One must also feel a certain unease about the state of the art in one's domain.

Reflective Statement

Introduction This project involved creating a strategic report covering all aspects of the operation of the Walt Disney Group. The report entailed drawing on a relatively broad analysis of the workings of the Walt Disney Group, with each member of the team contributing certain parts of the report, before then coming together to undertake an overall analysis. This reflective statement looks at how I personally worked within the team and any areas that I feel I could improve upon, in the future. The reflective statement will also describe the way in which I worked within the team to assist others and how we dealt with any conflicts which occurred, during the length of the project. Individual Contribution I was personally responsible for specific aspects of the actual research and for writing up the project. At the outset, we sat down with the team to allocate certain areas of work, with a view to meeting regularly to combine our findings and to ensure that the report, as a whole, read as if it were one voice. As the project involved some form of strategic analysis, I was particularly concerned that if each individual simply worked on their own section, it would not come together as a sensible whole (Forsyth, 2009). I personally felt that I took the lead, when it came to communicating amongst the team and also when ensuring that we met up regularly to discuss progress. I myself as one of the other team members took the lead in arranging these meetings. Whilst this was successful, initially, we soon found that other members of the team were not responding to the suggestion of meetings and were not sending their own work in good time, thus creating difficulties amongst the team and also making it harder for me as an individual to complete my element of the project (Boud & Walker 1993) If I were to undertake the project again, I would ensure that, from the outset, much greater emphasis was placed on setting out the full scope of each individual’s work assignment, as it quickly became apparent that each individual within the team was relying on others to undertake their part of the report. Therefore, when one individual was failing to keep pace with the rest of the team, this created a much greater problem than simply one person not â€Å"pulling their weight†. As a relatively strong individual, I would personally put myself forward as more of a co-ordinator, at the outset, to ensure that this lack of cohesion did not happen in future (Jarboe & Witteman, 1996). When we encountered difficulties at the end of the project, with one individual not being available in the few days prior to the deadline, I took on another section of the writing in order to ensure that we were then able to meet the deadline, something which put me under increased personal pressure. Based on the problems that we were having, at that point in time, it was the only reasonable solution available; however, better team management, at an earlier stage when it became apparent that some individuals were not going to make the deadline would have prevented such a high level of personal pressure and this additional workload could then have been spread more evenly. Working with Others and Resolving Conflicts As noted above, it became apparent, as the project progressed, that there were certain key individuals within the team who were becoming increasingly unresponsive to setting up meeting times and were not presenting their work when requested. This could have put the entire project in jeopardy and was exacerbated when one individual was not available at all, in the few days prior to the deadline. The fact that some of the key individuals were not responding to requests for meetings or submitting their work on-time became apparent midway through the project. Yet, action was not positively taken by myself and the other organising team members who were still responding until just a few days before the deadline (Coleman, 2011). Effectively, our approach to dealing with this matter was to ignore it and simply continue with our own activities, something which potentially jeopardised the project in its entirety. With a project of this nature, merely ignoring conflict was not an option. Furthermore, although regular negotiations were attempted by suggesting meeting times, communication between team members had already broken down. In reality, this conflict could have been resolved, at the outset, before any difficulties emerged, by setting out a team leader who was going to be responsible for keeping everybody on track and ensuring that the meetings took place as arranged. As soon as it became apparent that the timeframe for the project was not being kept, the appointed team leader could then have taken a more aggressive stance to ensure that such failings did not jeopardise the overall project. It was arguably this failure that was instrumental in creating a last-minute panic and rush. Individual Improvement for the Future Bearing all of this in mind, I feel that my own areas for improvement, in the future would be to take a much more active stance, in terms of project management, from the outset (Schon 1996). I would also ensure that all team members complied with the timeframes set out. I became personally aware that there were difficulties with communication and timeframe, at a relatively early stage, yet I largely chose to ignore this in the hope that matters would improve of their own accord. This approach led to me personally being put under considerable pressure, towards the end of the project and, as such, my own individual performance was not as good as it could have been, particularly with the last section of the project being rushed, over a period of 2 to 3 days. I therefore feel that I could have improved my own personal performance by taking a much more active role in project management. This would enable me to ensure that each individual was working within the timeframe and I was not requ ired to rush during the last few days of the project, potentially sacrificing the quality of the work. References Boud D & Walker D (1993) Barriers to Reflection on Experience. In Boud D,. Cohen R & Walker D. Using Experience for Learning. Buckingham: Society for Research into Higher Education & Open University Press. Coleman, P (2011). The Five Percent: Finding Solutions to Seemingly Impossible Conflicts. Public Affairs. New York, p.26 Forsyth, D. R. (2009). Group dynamics (5th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole. Jarboe, S. C., & Witteman, H. R. (1996). Intragroup conflict management in task-oriented groups: The influence of problem sources and problem analysis. Small Group Research, 27, 316–338. Schon D. (1996). From Technical Rationality to Reflection in Action, In: Edwards, R., Hanson, A., and P Raggatt (eds) Boundaries of Adult Learning, London, Routledge.

Network Security Essay

Since the last two decades there has been an overwhelming increase in the number of organizations that rely on data communication networks for their daily business communications, resource sharing, database information retrieval so on and so forth. Previously most computers were centralized and managed in data centres. Computers were kept in locked rooms and links outside a site were unusual. Computer security threats were rare, and were basically concerned with insiders. These threats were well understood and standard techniques were used to deal them. The scenario has changed and now systems are connected to the Internet. The Internet is a network of networks and has no boundaries whatsoever. The Internet provides these organizations with a world of business opportunities. Information on the Internet can be accessed from anywhere in the world, unfortunately it has also allowed for the â€Å"proliferation of malicious information†. It does not take long for an expert programmer to break into a system. The value of the data stored on most organizations’ networks and the value provided by the application systems in use far exceeds the cost of the networks themselves. Network security has become of the most important issues for these business organizations and aims at protecting the organizations’ data and application software. What is Network? A â€Å"network† has been defined as â€Å"any set of interlinking lines resembling a net, a network of roads an interconnected system, a network of alliances. † This definition suits our purpose well: a computer network is simply a system of interconnected computers and peripherals. Essentially there are three basic hardware components of a data communication network. Server: The server or the host computer houses all the data and the software that is to be accessed by the clients. Client: A client can be referred to as an input/output hardware device that lies at the other end of the communication circuit. It enables the user to have an access to the network and the data and software on the server. Circuit: The circuit is the route or the medium through which the message travels. Nowadays the fibre optic cable and wireless transmission are becoming increasingly common. A peer-to-peer network lacks a central server. There is a set of computers, which are linked together by a cable. Each computer is an equal, or â€Å"peer,† of the others, and has the ability to share the files and peripherals of other computers that are connected to the network. This type of network is essentially designed for a very limited number of users (five or less) in a business organisation. Some of the benefits of a peer-to-peer network are low-cost and easy-to-install solution. If anyone of the user turns of its workstation the other users are not able to access this particular user’s information and peripherals. Furthermore, accessing data and applications from another person’s workstation can cause performance problems for that user. Client/Server Networks Client/server networks are a lot more than peer-to-peer networks. The presence of a dedicated server in the network ensures that the users are able to access information and share peripherals without being dependent upon other user(s)systems. There is room for installing a tape backup that enables the users to back up data on both the server and all workstations. Client/server networks are primarily used when there is a constant need to access large files and applications or when peripherals have to share between a numbers of users. Thin-Client Computing Thin-client (server-based) enables centralized application deployment and management on a server. Because of this technology system updates and maintenance can be done on an enterprise-wide level instead of on a physical desktop-to-desktop basis. This not only enhances the productivity and efficiency of both end users and system administrators, but also lowers the total cost incurred. http://www. premiopc. com/networking/types/default. html Need of Security over Business Networks There are certain things in any business, which must be kept, confidential and secure. With the use of computers, everything is now on PC and PCs when connected to each other become vulnerable to many threats. The most common threats discussed below: Business Network Threats and Their Effects There are essentially two kinds of network threats that business organizations have to guard against: Disruptions Disruptions can be referred to as loss or reduction in network service. For instance a network switch might start malfunctioning leading to a breakdown of a part of the network. Although the part that has not been affected will be functioning perfectly, but the organization will have to replace immediately otherwise there would be a loss in employee productivity. For example finance manager failing to retrieve the information regarding the upcoming project. A virus could also lead to disruptions. For instance, an employee opens an email from an unknown sender. A virus could prove to be very fatal and may result in loss of valuable time on part of the employees(s). Natural calamities can also lead to disruptions. Fires, flood and earthquakes are common examples. It is good idea not to have company headquarters in areas that are vulnerable to such calamities. Unauthorised Access Unauthorised access is basically gaining access to organizational data files and resources, which you are not supposed to have an access to. Common term used for such offenders is hackers. Unfortunately in most of the cases the hackers are organizations’ own employees and can do a significant amount of damage to the organization if that valuable piece of information is leaked to organization’s close competitors. If the hacker happens to be a competitor, he can do an unimaginable amount of damage to the organization. He could access all the information regarding the latest products, which are under development, sales figures, company’s strength and weaknesses, financial position, future plans and a lot more. There are several types of unauthorized access. They are discussed briefly discussed.

How to Make Homemade Slime (Classic Recipe)

How to Make Homemade Slime (Classic Recipe) There are lots of recipes for slime. Which one you choose depends on the ingredients you have and the type of slime you want. This is a simple, reliable recipe that produces classic slime. Tip Store your slime in a zip-lock bag in the fridge to prevent it from developing mold! What You Need to Make Slime Borax powderWater4 ounce (120 ml) glue (e.g., Elmers white glue)TeaspoonBowlJar or measuring cupFood coloring (optional)Measuring cup How to Make Slime Pour the glue into the jar. If you have a big bottle of glue, you want 4 oz or 1/2 cup of glue.Fill the empty glue bottle with water and stir it into the glue (or add 1/2 cup of water).If desired, add food coloring. Otherwise, the slime will be an opaque white.In a separate, mix one cup (240 ml) of water into the bowl and add 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of borax powder.Slowly stir the glue mixture into the bowl of borax solution.Place the slime that forms into your hands and knead until it feels dry. Dont worry about the excess water remaining in the bowl.The more the slime is played with, the firmer and less sticky it will become.Have fun! Playing with homemade slime. Welcome to buy my photos/Getty Images How Slime Works Slime is a type of non-Newtonian fluid. In a Newtonian fluid, viscosity (ability to flow) is only affected by temperature. Typically, if you cool a fluid down, it flows more slowly. In a non-Newtonian fluid, other factors besides temperature affect viscosity. Slime viscosity changes according to pressure and shear stress. So, if you squeeze or stir slime, it will flow differently than if you let it slide through your fingers. Slime is an example of a polymer. The white glue used in the classic slime recipe is also a polymer. The long polyvinyl acetate molecules in glue allow it to flow from the bottle. When polyvinyl acetate reacts with the sodium tetraborate decahydrate in borax, protein molecules in the glue and borate ions form cross-links. The polyvinyl acetate molecules cant slip past each other so readily, forming the goo we know as slime. Tips for Slime Success Use white glue, such as Elmers brand. You may also make slime using the clear or translucent school glue. If you use white glue, you get opaque slime. If you use a translucent glue, you get translucent slime.If you cant find borax, you can substitute contact lens solution for the borax and water solution. Contact lens solution is buffered with sodium borate, so its basically a pre-made mixture of the key slime ingredients. Dont believe internet tales that contact solution slime is borax-free slime! Its not. If borax is a problem, consider making slime using a truly borax-free recipe.Dont eat the slime. Although it isnt especially toxic, it is not good for you either! Similarly, dont let your pets eat the slime. While boron in borax isnt considered an essential nutrient for humans, it actually is an important element for plants. Dont feel bad if a bit of slime falls into the garden.Slime cleans up easily. Remove dried slime after soaking with water. If you used food coloring, you may need bleach to remove the color. Feel free to jazz up the basic slime recipe. The cross-linking that holds the polymer together also helps slime hold mix-ins. Add tiny polystyrene beads to make the slime more like floam. Add pigment powder to add color or to make the slime glow under black light or in the dark. Stir in a bit of glitter. Mix in a few drops of fragrance oil to make the slime smell good. You can add a bit of color theory by dividing the slime into two or more chunks, coloring them differently, and watching how they mix. You can even make magnetic slime by adding some iron oxide powder as an ingredient. (Avoid magnetic slime for very young children, because it contains iron and theres a risk they might eat it.)Ive got  a YouTube video of the slime showing what you will get if you use glue gel rather than white glue. Either type of glue works well.

Biography of George Pullman, Sleeping Rail Car Inventor

Biography of George Pullman, Sleeping Rail Car Inventor George Mortimer Pullman (March 3, 1831–Oct. 19, 1897) was a cabinet-maker turned building contractor turned industrialist who developed the Pullman sleeping car in 1857. Pullmans sleeper, designed for overnight passenger travel, was a sensation that revolutionized the railroad industry, replacing the uncomfortable sleeping cars that had been used on American railroads since the 1830s. But he paid a price in labor union animosity that followed him to his grave. Fast Facts: George M. Pullman Known For: Developing the Pullman railroad sleeper carBorn: March 3, 1831 in Brocton,  New YorkParents: James Pullman, Emily PullmanDied: Oct. 19, 1897 in Chicago, IllinoisSpouse: Harriett SangerChildren: Florence, Harriett, George Jr., Walter Sanger Early Life Pullman was the third of 10 children born to James and Emily Pullman in Brocton, New York. The family relocated to Albion, New York, in 1845 so that Pullman’s father, a carpenter, could work on the  Erie Canal. James Pullmans specialty was moving structures out of the way of the canal with jackscrews and another device he patented in 1841. Move to Chicago When James Pullman died in 1853, George Pullman took over the business. He won a contract with the state of New York the next year to move 20 buildings from the canals path. In 1857, Pullman opened a similar business in  Chicago, Illinois, where much help was needed in raising buildings above the  Lake Michigan  flood plain. Pullman’s company was one of several hired to lift multistory buildings and whole city blocks by four to six feet. Ten years after he moved to Chicago, he married Harriett Sanger. They had four children: Florence, Harriett, and twins George Jr., and Walter Sanger. Working on the Railroad Pullman realized that new buildings with better foundations would reduce the citys need for his services and decided to go into manufacturing and leasing railroad cars. The railroad system was booming, and although the greatest need was for transporting raw materials and finished goods, he had a different idea. He frequently traveled by railroad in pursuit of business but found regular cars to be uncomfortable and dirty. The sleeping cars were just as unsatisfactory, with cramped beds and poor ventilation. He decided to focus on the passenger experience. Partnering with  Benjamin Field, a friend and former New York state senator, he decided to build a sleeper that was not just comfortable. He wanted luxury. He persuaded the Chicago, Alton, and St. Louis Railroad to let him convert two of its cars. The Pullman Sleepers debuted in August  1859 and were a roaring success, with reviewers comparing them to luxury  steamboat  cabins. Pullman briefly succumbed to gold fever, relocating to Colorado and catering to miners before returning to Chicago in the 1860s. He devoted himself to making the sleepers even more luxurious. A Better Sleeper The first made-from-scratch Pullman- the â€Å"Pioneer,† developed with Field- debuted in 1865. It had folding upper berths and seat cushions that could be extended to make lower berths. The cars were expensive, but they gained national attention and increased demand when several of them were included in the train that took Abraham Lincoln’s body from Washington, D.C., back to  Springfield,  Illinois, following his assassination in 1865. (The slain president’s son,  Robert Todd Lincoln,  succeeded Pullman as president of the Pullman Co. after Pullmans death in 1897, serving until 1911.) In 1867, Pullman and Field dissolved their partnership and Pullman became president of the new  Pullman Palace Car Co. In 12 years the company was offering 464 cars for lease. The new company also manufactured and sold freight, passenger, refrigerator, street, and elevated cars. As the railroad industry continued to develop and Pullman prospered, he paid $8 million in 1880 for construction of the town of Pullman, Illinois, on 3,000 acres adjacent to his factory west of Lake Calumet. It provided housing, shops, and other amenities for his company employees at all income levels. Union Strike Pullman, which eventually became a neighborhood of Chicago, was the site of a vicious labor strike beginning in May 1894. Over the previous nine months, the Pullman factory had reduced its workers wages but did not lower the cost of living in its houses. Pullman workers joined labor organizer and American socialist leader Eugene Debs American Railroad Union (ARU) in the spring of 1894 and shut down the factory with a strike on May 11. When management refused to deal with the ARU, the union prompted a nationwide boycott of Pullman cars on June 21. Other groups within the ARU started sympathy strikes on behalf of the Pullman workers in an attempt to paralyze the nations railroad industry. The U.S. Army was called into the dispute on July 3, and the arrival of soldiers sparked widespread violence and looting in Pullman and Chicago. The strike unofficially ended four days later when Debs and other union leaders were jailed. The Pullman factory reopened in August and denied local union leaders an opportunity to return to their jobs. Following the strike, the Pullman Co. continued to thrive. While his factory maintained production of railroad sleeping cars, Pullman also ran the company that built the elevated railway system in  New York City. Death Pullman died of a  heart attack  on Oct. 19, 1897, at the age of 66. The bitter strike left Pullman reviled by the labor movement. So deep was the lingering animosity and fear that, to ward off vandalism or desecration of his body, Pullman was buried in a lead-lined coffin inside an elaborately reinforced, steel-and-concrete vault with walls that were 18 inches thick. Over this were laid steel rails placed at right angles to each other and bolted together. Everything was then covered in tons of concrete. The pit dug for the elaborate vault was the size of an average room. Legacy The Pullman Co. merged with the Standard Steel Car Co. in 1930 and became the Pullman-Standard Co. In 1982, the company built its last car for  Amtrak, and soon afterward the company faded away. By 1987, the assets had been sold off. Pullman transformed the railroad sleeping car from a smelly, cramped mess into rolling luxury, making overnight train travel more appealing to those who could afford it. He created an enormous business that made his name synonymous with a major component of the railroad industry. Sources George M. Pullman: American Industrialist and Inventor. Enclopedia Britannica.George Mortimer Pullman. Pullman-Museum.org.

Evaluation Essay on movie Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Evaluation on movie - Essay Example The movie is directed by Francis Lawrence, produced by Andrew Tennenbaum, source material by Sara Gruen and screen play by Richard LaGravenese. The Main actors are Marlena (Reese Witherspoon), Jacob Jankowski (Robert Pattinson), August (Christoph Waltz) and Charlie (Paul Schneider). From the onset, the movie gives an air of self satisfaction because of its source; a bestseller novel as the source material. Unlike other movies that the industry and viewers have witnessed before that have viewer discretions especially due to language, sex and violence, this movie definitely qualifies to be a broad-based and popular entertainment for the whole family. However, the novel and the ingredients in the movie are very promising that the viewer has the feeling that it could have been better. Despite its uniqueness and richness of the story, there lacks a convincing romantic chemistry in the film and therefore, the emotional connection that one feels should be there cannot be found. Being set at the back of a circus story which in most stories is an epic, majority of all generations being targeted by the movies can identify with. The costume designer should take much credit in the making of a costume that convincingly takes the movie back to the 1970s when circus was popular among the North Americans (Turan). By placing a love triangle deep into the heart of the film in a circus story, the film is able to bring that special aura and romance that remains relevant despite the passing of time. Set against the background of depression in the United States that characterized those times, Jacob had hoped to become a good vet with a Cornell degree. Therefore, in the desperation of unsatisfied dreams, he hops into a circus that forms the skeleton of the film. Therefore, the movie is set against a credible background that especially the older generation all know too well about and especially the depression that comes with lack of job opportunities