7 Ethnic Names with Figurative Meanings

7 Ethnic Names with Figurative Meanings 7 Ethnic Names with Figurative Meanings 7 Ethnic Names with Figurative Meanings By Mark Nichol Names of ethnic groups have inspired nonliteral associations, many of them derogatory designations for the â€Å"other.† Here are seven such terms based on such names. 1. Bohemian: This word for one who adopts an unconventional lifestyle derives from the name of a historic region of Europe that now constitutes much of the present-day Czech Republic. Because many of the Romani people (see gypsy, below) had lived for a time in this area before settling in France, they were called Bohemians. In turn, this designation was attached to artists and writers who, because of poverty (voluntary or otherwise), often lived in city neighborhoods where the â€Å"original† Bohemians had concentrated. Words derived from the term include the abbreviation boho and the neologism bobo, the latter from â€Å"bourgeois bohemian,† referring to an affluent person from a mainstream background who affects nontraditional attitudes and habits. 2. Goth: This designation for a modern subculture distinguished by somber attire and demeanor and a fascination with death and the supernatural has its roots in gothic literature and horror imagery inspired by German expressionism. Gothic literature, in turn, derives its name from the standard setting of stories in this genre: castles or monasteries of the Gothic architectural style. This style, meanwhile, takes its name from a pejorative use of Gothic to mean â€Å"barbaric†; the Goths were a loose confederation of tribes from Scandinavia responsible for the conquest of Rome and other centers of civilization in the early Middle Ages. 3. Gypsy: The Romani, members of a far-flung ethnic group originally from the Indian subcontinent, were long believed to have come from Egypt, and their informal name, now sometimes considered pejorative, derived from Egyptian. The term has also been used to refer to people with nontraditional, nomadic lifestyles and is employed loosely in such terms as â€Å"gypsy dancer.† The truncation gyp, meaning â€Å"cheat,† in both noun and verb form, results from an association of the Romani with fraud and thievery. 4. Lesbian: This name for a person from the Greek island of Lesbos acquired a connotation of female homosexuality thanks to a resident named Sappho, a woman who wrote poetry expressing love and passion for both men and women. Here name also led to the use of the adjective Sapphic to describe female homosexuality. 5. Philistine: Influenced by biblical references to a people of the Near East called the Philistines as archenemies of the Israelites (the land they had lived in was later called Palestine), the term came to be used to refer to uncivilized people; later by extension, a philistine was a person lacking refined artistic or cultural tastes and values. 6. Tartar: Though the term is now used rarely, a tartar is an irritable or violent person. The name comes from a variation of Tatar, the designation for an ethnic group originating near what is now Mongolia and now found in Russia and nearby countries; the Tatars, long allied with the Mongols, were stereotyped as being ruthless. 7. Vandal: This Germanic tribe, originating in Scandinavia, came to be associated with looting and pillaging because, after migrating throughout Europe and settling in North Africa, the Vandals conquered Rome in the early Middle Ages. However, recent historians have argued that the Vandals did not destroy the late Roman civilization but rather adopted the culture. Nevertheless, the word still refers to someone who damages property. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:70 "Home" Idioms and ExpressionsAnyone vs. EveryoneTrooper or Trouper?

The 5 Best Content Marketing Tips Youll Ever Read

The 5 Best Content Marketing Tips Youll Ever Read Just a few weeks ago, I was at a social media conference speaking about one of the more advanced topics of content marketing. All went well,  until I was done speaking. As I left the stage, I was immediately greeted by an audience member who had a both a complaint and a question. The complaint was that nothing I just said made any sense to her. She was new to  this stuff. My bad. The question, on the other hand, was pretty simple how do I get started? How do I make sure my content  marketing works, and doesnt just follow the fad? Great question, and one that you should be asking as well. Whenever I get this question, there are five  best  content marketing tips  that I quickly rattle off. This  business owner was eating them up, and I soon realized that this was good stuff. More people need to know about them,  I thought. So, here they are.  This is the stuff we all need to hear  every once and awhile. This is how to write a good blog and make sure your effort actually pays off. They are my best  content marketing tips. Heres  how to write a good blog and make sure your effort actually pays off. Tip #1 – You Need A Blog To Tell Your Story Step one, you need a blog. It doesnt really matter how big you are – you need one. While youre at it, you should make sure that its built on WordPress. It will give you he most flexibility down the road. In addition, you need to know why you need a blog. If you work in a company, you are going to need to justify this blog to someone eventually. If you are a small business owner, you are going to need to justify the time invested to  yourself because lets face it – youre it. Your time is your greatest asset. Every business has a story, and its up to you to make sure your story is told. One of the first things you learn in business is that people connect to people, not your brand or a faceless corporation. A blog can tell your story, share you expertise, and provide you with a human connection to your customers. In other words, you need this. One of the first things you learn in business is that people connect to people, not brands orIn addition, your blog is one of the keys to your social media awesomeness. I often refer to this as the hub and spoke model. The content that you create on your blog  (or  website) is the hub – its the place that will set the tone for your social media messaging. Use your blog content as your platform, and let the your social media content flow from there. Tip #2 – You Need An Email Marketing Program Social media. Social media. Social media. These days, its just about all you hear about. It is super important, but it may not be the most important part of your online marketing strategy. The reality is that email marketing still converts better than social media. And, it  is easier to do well. Heres what you need to do: Make sure there is a way for your readers to follow or subscribe  to your blog when they come visit. We cover several free plugins for collecting leads  here. Connect your blog to your email marketing program. As you post new content, make sure it is sent automatically to your audience. In addition, you can also send a summary email once a week, promoting your most recent content in a newsletter style format. This is exactly what we do with our own Content Marketing Update. Another more advanced option is to work your way toward  creating an  email marketing auto responder course. These courses are a great way to build your email list and gain trust with your audience. We will often reuse our own blog posts to create these useful tools. Take note, that you can also do this with a great ebook or free downloadable worksheet. The best part of the email marketing program is that you will create constant touch points with your audience. This is good for everyone. Your audience  will get helpful and interesting information, and you will constantly ensure that your content has an audience following along. This builds trust, and thats a win-win. Tip #3 – You Need To Know What Your Customers Actually Want To Hear From You One of the biggest struggles that marketers make is not understanding their audience. What does your audience really want to hear about? What can you say on your blog that will actually  resonate with them? There are a few strategies that we emphasize here at , including using data from Google Analytics  and something that we call  expanding your content core.   Lots of new businesses get started by spending a ton of time talking about their own business. This is a mistake. Yes, you need to tell your story, but not like that. Rather, you need to figure out what your audience wants to know. There are a few easy ways to make this happen. Talk to your receptionist. What are the questions your customers ask when they first call your office? The woman I spoke to at the conference ran a salon and massage company. For her, it might be finding out the questions that her attendants are being  asked time and time again. Theres know better way to discover what your customers want to hear than asking the people that know your customers the best. Try to figure out what they are searching for. 60% of purchases made by consumers now  start with a search on  Google.  Thats astounding.  Take advantage of this and address those searches with your own blog content using a keyword-based strategy. Watch what your current customers are saying on social media. Follow your customers on social media and pay close attention to what they are talking about.  You can use a tool like Mention to monitor broad topics and industry discussion effectively. This listening strategy can be an efficient way to learn. Ask them. Sometimes all you need to do is ask  your audience what you  could write about that would hold their  interest. Their ideas might surprise you. The bottom line is that you cant do effective online marketing without understanding your audience. Spend some time researching this before you get too far. Once you can easily compile your data into reader personas youve gone far enough. Tip #4 – You Need To Learn How To Write For The Web Researcher Jacob Neilson confirmed that readers are more likely to scan our content than they are to read every word. In order to make your content consumable, you need to make sure it is properly formatted for online use. There are many ways to make sure that your content is readable. Here are a few  you can implement right away. highlighted  keywords  (hypertext links serve as one form of highlighting; typeface variations and color are others) meaningful  sub-headings  (not â€Å"clever† ones) bulleted  lists one idea  per paragraph (users will skip over any additional ideas if they are not caught by the first few words in the paragraph) the  inverted pyramid  style, starting with the conclusion half the word count  (or less) than conventional writing This is an important topic, as there are many other things to consider, such as mobile devices and outside distractions that happen when your audience is reading your content. For an in-depth look at getting your content read check out this recent post. Tip #5 – You   Need An Editorial Calendar I am a huge believer in setting goals, making a plan, and forcing yourself to stick with it. If you want your marketing to be any good, you are going to need to do  the same.  Often times, many marketers may take the more casual approach to blogging and social media scheduling – only posting when they have an idea, or at a moment of inspiration. This wont work. When you  leave your marketing up to chance, chances are it will never actually  happen. Thats why you need an editorial calendar.

Job description Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Job description - Essay Example responsible for the management of social media sites by tracking and monitoring the companys presence in the social media including Facebook, Twitter, Google plus and others. He or she ensures that only valuable and engaging information is shared to the social sites. He or she monitors the changing social media trends to ensure that the company stays on top of its competition. He or she bears the responsibility for designing and writing protocols, report forms for cases and consent forms used in clinical trials. He or she approves the Ethics committee, develops recruitment strategies for the increment of patient randomization into trials, and manages clinical trials. He or she ensures compliance of the Good clinical practice (GCP) by providing training during start-ups and initiation meetings for the clinical trials. He or she is responsible for the planning and implementation of activities necessary for conducting and monitoring clinical trials. He or she coordinates monitoring of trials by selecting and managing qualified personnel. He or she keeps CVs and training materials for each protocol, and also submits documents that are necessary for initiating the study including CVs and Food and drug administration forms. He or she identifies audit procedures and ensures that only clean data is entered into the clinical database in the appropriate time (Clinical research manager). Social media director can work with the head of human resource department in management of staff within the company. The social media director is responsible for the identification of the companys social media staff and thus may work in the Human resource department as recruitment manager or in the interviewing panel. The human resource department is responsible for personnel activities including the staffing, development, training, rewarding and performance evaluation in every department of the company. The social media director works with the human resource department to ensure that

Information Literacy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Information Literacy - Assignment Example This quotation is appealing as it captures everything about information literacy. This is so because information literacy does not mean just the mere knowledge of information that is in existence but the use of that information to solve problems and make decisions for the present and future. In this age unlike a few decades before, information has increased abundantly and especially in the internet which is currently the main source of information worldwide. This much information is petrifying and confusing to people. It therefore needs sorting out to find out which of the information is relevant and which is not depending on the needs of the person. When an individual is information literate, it means that they have the ability to be able to do that sorting out and as swiftly as possible without having any worries, requiring assistance or even taking a lot of time to do so. Information literacy is a skill therefore that everyone needs to have so that to be at par with the current technological trends and especially as it relates to communication with people not only within one’s area but globally as

Background and Methodology of the Research Process to Problems in Health Care Essay Example for Free

Background and Methodology of the Research Process to Problems in Health Care Essay Background and Methodology of the Research Process to Problems in Health Care Childhood Obesity HCS/465 August 2, 2012 Donald Steacy Introduction The purpose of the paper is to show how to develop and understand methodology of the research process when pertaining to health care. The process consists of retrieving a peer-reviewed article and applying the research methodology to the article selected. The article selected for the research methodology was Childhood Obesity: A Global Public Health Crisis written by Sameera Karnik and Amar Kanekar written January 2012. Based on the information in the article will help determine the methods of defining the problem, the purpose of the study, research questions, hypothesis, study variables, conceptual model, the review of related literature and the study design of the selected article. Definition of Problem The problem addressed in the article is childhood obesity. â€Å"Childhood obesity is a major public health crisis nationally and internationally† (Karnik amp; Kaneka, 2012, para. 1. ) The concerns for childhood obesity have grown to a government level requiring action to help children to eat healthy and encourage physical activity. One of the causes for childhood obesity is an imbalance between calorie intake and calories utilized. Several factors such as genetics, behavioral and environmental can enhance the chances of childhood obesity. The concerns for childhood obesity have grown as well as the number of children suffering from this condition. The importance to educate parents and children on eating healthy has become vital to children’s health. The urgency to stop the epidemic of obesity is because children can develop long-term illnesses. The illnesses contracted due to childhood obesity are diabetes, heart disease, physical and social health problems. Purpose of Study The purpose of the study is to determine how to tackle childhood obesity at a population level by education, prevention, and sustainable interventions (Karnik amp; Kaneka, 2012). Further education is required for parents and children to help promote healthy eating and provide nutritional facts. Parent education is vital to help parents understand how their practices for healthy eating may not be effective and how to improve parenting skills in nutrition. Educating parents, facilities and children is required to show how to promote healthy eating; physical activity can prevent long-term illnesses. Intervention for parents of those children currently suffering from childhood obesity is vital to help with knowing good nutrition vs. bad nutrition. Intervention will also help parents understand about how to help their children eat healthy, help with physical activity and eliminate the chances of long-term illnesses Research Questions Is childhood obesity about a matter of genetics, poor eating habits, behavioral factors or lack of physical activity? Hypothesis Why is childhood obesity a growing concern for the United States and internationally? a. Childhood obesity can be a genetic issue b. Childhood obesity exists due to lack of physical activity c. Childhood obesity can cause diabetes, heart disease, social and psychological issues d. Childhood obesity exists because of poor eating habits Study Variables The independent variable would consist of the following question: poor eating habits leads to childhood obesity? The dependent variable consists of child hood obesity can lead to diabetes, heart disease, social and psychological concerns. Conceptual Model The meaning of a conceptual model is a type of diagram, which shows the relationship between factors that impact or lead to a target condition or a diagram that shows the theoretical entities and the relationship between them. The conceptual diagram above reflects the relationship between poor eating habits, genetics and poor physical activity that leads to childhood obesity. The contributing factors listed above all contribute to childhood obesity if not properly taken into consideration by parents. Literature Review Childhood obesity has become an epidemic over the years nationally and internationally. The increasingly amount of children suffering from childhood obesity has grown over the years. One or more factors contribute to the development of childhood obesity. Such factors are genetics, behavioral (poor eating habits) and environmental (physical activity). Childhood obesity can cause physical, psychological, and social health problems (Karnik amp; Kaneka, 2012). On the other hand, the most recent strategy used is interventions to prevent and control childhood obesity (Karnik amp; Kaneka, 2012,). The purpose of the article is to discover the factors influencing childhood obesity as well as the use of various interventions and governmental actions addressing obesity while getting an understanding of the challenges for managing the epidemic. Study Design The study design used in the article research was he historical study design. The authors of the article used scholarly articles from Medline, Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) to determine the factors of childhood obesity (Karnik amp; Kaneka, 2012). The authors also collected data from a time span of 1999 – 2011 to further gain details from the selected sources to draw a conclusion of analysis. The utilization of the scholarly resources was used to determine the contributing factors for the epidemic of childhood obesity. If interventions such as school based, family based, community based, play based and hospital based are an effective way to address childhood obesity (Karnik amp; Kaneka, 2012). The authors did not study a particular organization but rather used a variety of sources to further their research method. Conclusion Overall, the research process is very extensive and certain methods are used to help gather information. The process starts with retrieving a scholarly peer-reviewed article pertaining to healthcare. After determining, what topic to use it is important to use these methods gain knowledge of analysis.

The Use of Metaphors in Information Systems :: Technology Computer Science

Metaphors: Here, There, and Everywhere Designing for the Average Joe A metaphor can be defined as â€Å"a figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing is used to designate another, thus making an implicit comparison† (dictionary.com). We use metaphors in our everyday language more than most people realize. But metaphors are also vital in the field of Information Systems, especially in the design of user interfaces. To the â€Å"Average Joes† of the world, or those people who have difficulty understanding the complicated concepts of digital storage, information transmission, and processing, metaphors provide them with relevant concepts to which they can easily relate. Therefore, metaphors allow a significantly larger amount of the worldly population to use many of the common technologies that we take for granted today. Metaphors â€Å"Right Under Our Nose† Every person in that worldly population can relate to the use of metaphors in everyday speech, no matter what their language. It is not uncommon for someone to encounter metaphors multiple times in one day, though many times they go unnoticed even if they are â€Å"right under our nose.† These metaphorical phrases are not meant to be taken literally. For example, when someone tells you to â€Å"bite the bullet,† they are not requesting that you actually put a bullet in between your teeth. In fact, they are asking you to bravely face up to something unpleasant just as many soldiers were asked to clench a bullet in between their teeth (in lieu of anesthetics) to transfer the pain of the amputation or surgery (something very unpleasant indeed) that they were about to undergo (â€Å"Expressions and Sayings†). You may also hear someone refer to a person as â€Å"blowing their own trumpet.† Again, this is not to mean that they are playing a brass instrument, but that they are boasting about themselves, as if they were providing their own fanfare for their arrival (â€Å"Expressions and Sayings†). If anyone were to claim that such phrases were to be taken literally, they would be â€Å"pulling your leg.† In other words, they would be teasing you and not telling the truth. This particular metaphorical phrase originates in Scotland, where someone may have â€Å"withdrawn the legs† from under someone in order to put the person at a disadvantage, perhaps to rob him (â€Å"Expressions and Sayings†). The saying is used in a much lighter sense today, but still remains a very common metaphor.

Appendix D

Associate Program Material Appendix D Selecting a Topic and Brainstorming Worksheet Complete the following and post as an attachment. |List two objects, people, subjects, or concepts you are going to | | |compare and/or contrast. | | | |Hamburgers,French fries, Milk shakes | |What are the similarities between the two objects, people, |They’re both fresh.They’re both fast food. | |subjects, or concepts? List as many similarities as you can. | | |What are the differences between the two objects, people, |Burger king has onion rings and frozen slushy’s. | |subjects, or concepts? List as many differences as you can. | | |Are you going to focus on similarities, differences, or both? | | |Explain your rationale. Im going to do both because they are both good resturaunts but I | | |prefer certain items from both resturaunts. | | | | |What do you want your readers to learn and understand after |After reading my essay I want you to learn the healthy foods from| | reading your essay? What is the purpose of your essay? the bad foods at the resturauns and the different services you | | |receive. | | | | | | | |What three or four parallel points of comparison and/or contrast |The neatness of the sandwhiches. The grease they use to cook | |will you address in your essay? For example, if you were going to|their foods.The customer service you receive. The score from the| |compare and contrast two teachers, your parallel points might be |inspectors for their cleaness. | |each teacher’s homework policy, classroom conduct policy, and | | |demeanor. | | |Explain why this is an appropriate and workable topic selection | | |for the final assignment. Because there are so many different things in the fast food | | |business some people are filthy and people actually are eating | | |the foods they don’t really take the time to research the | | |background of where there meats are coming from if they are | | |processed or what. | | | Reflect on what you learned in Ceridwen Dovey’s video. Write a 100- to 150-word paragraph describing how your own writing process is changing as you complete the activities in this course. My own process is changing because I am getting a lot of good advice from the videos and my fellow classmates.They are giving such great ideas on how to write a good paper. I think that my writing is going to be good because I have a lot of good methods that I’ve always used like brainstorming and clustering and I think that those methods on top of the ones I’ve learned from the videos and classmates is going to give me the capability of writing a perfect paper that is in sequence order with the subject and each paragraph will stick to the topic and not jump to a different subject.

Bible as Literature Essay

One of the central arguments of the Old Testament book Genesis is its credibility as a historical account. Nobody may never really know if the events written in this book actually happened or not, especially parts (or chapters) where hints of culture and detailed places can be read. Except maybe chapters 1 and 2 which is the beginning of existence itself. Then again, details may have been passed through oral tradition, but considering the eternity of years between the time of creation and the time words were even put on to the most primitive of ways, details may be greatly distorted. After the creation story (Chapters 1 and 2) virtually all introductions of all chapters start out with the father siring a son, and that’s son’s son. A family tree in other words. An elaborate one at that, because the writer can trace back up to Adam. The Chapter starts out as, again, that familiar family tree starting from the children of Abraham and Keturah, Abraham’s other wife, up to the twins Esau and Jacob. By this, Genesis chapter 25 provides evidence that it should be taken as part of history and not as fiction. Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah. And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshirim, and Letushim, and Leummim. And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epherm and Hanochm and Abidahm and Eldaah . All of these were the children of Keturah. (Genesis 25: 1- 4) It is not clear whether Abraham married Keturah when he was still with Sarah or after her death. At any rate, Keturah seemed to be more fruitful, which just helped Abraham seal his place as the Father of All Nations. Patriarchal Theme Indeed Abraham is the father of all nations, heck, we even have a nursery rhyme to prove it, but what about the mother of all nations? Or in this case the mothers of all nations? The patriarchs are always one of the great figures in history and literature, which what the Bible actually is, a piece of (very old) history and literature. Patriarchy is the accepted system in most societies since people evolved into social creatures. Social groups are based in this system, governments, religion, and the family alike. Perhaps the most controversial of all, would be in religion, God is branded as â€Å"He† even though no one can ever really tell. But if Jesus and God are one in the same, logic tells us that the Supreme Being is also male. There’s a popular saying that in order to be of worth in this world; one must either write a book, plant a tree, or sire a son. Sons were always cherished by families, especially fathers since they would be able to inherit the family’s wealth and continue the blood line. In fact, during biblical times, and in some countries, even today, people are addressed by their names following who their father is: I am (name) son of (name of father), or I am from the house of (name of father) They only recognize who the father is. The theme of Patriarchy is a sensitive topic today, especially when women now are becoming more and more involved in the society, and sometimes more successful than most men. It has long been argued what the role of women are in the world. If they are fit in every position the world has to offer. Tradition (and our patriarchal society) tells us that men are supposed to be the leaders, but things has changed since Abraham’s time. There’s no doubt that men should hold high positions in the church, that’s just the way it is. Feminists can’t argue with that, but with everything else, men and women should have fair chances in finding their place in society. Covenant Theme Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your country, and from your your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so, you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. (Genesis 12:1-3) This is the covenant that God made with Abraham, it’s more like a promise of God to Abraham than a mutual agreement since Abraham benefited a lot from this covenant regardless of his future actions. As long as he leaves his country, his relatives, and his father’s house, all of God’s promises to him would be fulfilled This covenant making business isn’t new to God, e has done this in a couple of occasions. First was his covenant with Adam and Eve after they ate the forbidden fruit and was expelled from Paradise, God cut them some slack so they could still live and procreate. Another was during Noah’s time after God destroyed the rest of Mankind, except Noah’s family, He promised Noah that he would no longer destroy man by the use of flood. Then came Abraham. (Genesis 6-9) Abraham lived a comfortable life before God called upon him. What God was asking Abraham wasn’t easy. Nomads were considered inferior during that time plus the fact that God didn’t specify where exactly He wanted Abraham to be. Regardless of this uncertainty, he followed God’s will, and left the city, with all its comforts, to live the life of a nomad in the desert plains. (Genesis 12:1-3,7; 13: 14-18; 15: 4, 5, 13-18; 17-19; 22: 15-18) The covenant that God made Abraham is known as an Unconditional Covenant, for the promises that God made to Abraham would not be revoked even if he does not continue to comply on his side of the bargain. As long as Abraham leaves the city, all the conditions would be fulfilled by God. There’s more to it than God blessing Abraham’s descendants and making them more numerous than the stars. Let’s see what are some of the things that Abraham got from this deal: 1. Abraham will become the father of all nations (technically just Israel) 2. Abraham would inherit Canaan 3. He would be blessed 4. His name would be great 5. He would be a blessing to others 6. He and Sarah would have a son despite their old age Brewer, David, God’s Covenant with Abraham These promises however aren’t instantaneous, some are in the distant future ranging from Isaac’s birth, about 20 years later, and the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, which is a good 400 years later after the covenant. Critical Analysis of the literary, cultural, and religious issues The first issue that may be noticed in this chapter is from the first verse. Abraham taking a new wife, Keturah. The author does not say if Keturah was concubine of Abraham or if she was â€Å"taken† by Abraham after his wife’s death. One thing’s for sure, God is fulfilling His promise that Abraham would have descendants more numerous than the stars. It might sound a bit odd for a Christian to read about a Christian figure having concubines, but apparently, Abraham have had lots of concubines, and have had many sons with them. Another issue is Abraham’s death. Genesis tells us that he died one hundred and seventy five years old probably three times, on average, of today’s life expectancy. Sure, people back then lived a lot longer than today, but 175 is way too old. The calendar year then may have been different from today. Abraham gave gifts to his sons and sent them away towards the country to the east, while everything else he gave to Isaac. There’s Hebrew story that Abraham sent the other sons away fearing that they might begin conflicts. He might be right, because Islam can be traced back from the other sons of Abraham. On the family level, favouritisms were already a part of the family during that time. Isaac preferred Esau while Rebecca likes Jacob. Isaac probably liked Esau more, because he was a hunter, he provided the family with his game. Esau would make any typical dad proud. Esau liked the outdoors and was very masculine . Jacob on the other hand stayed at home, tending to the tents or in modern day terms, doing household chores. Of course mothers would have loved this. (Genesis 25: 27-28) Divine election is the power of God to choose whoever He desires, to do something or receive his blessing. God had already chosen Isaac and Jacob to be the recipients of Abraham’s blessings way before they were born. However this doesn’t mean that God chose them because he already knew that they would be more pious than the others. In Jacob’s case, Esau might have been more worthy of God’s blessing since Jacob took advantage of his brother’s weakness. Esau sold his birth right to Jacob for food, saying that he doesn’t need it since he is dying. God had chosen them simply because it is his will. He is God after all. (Deffinbaugh, Th. M, Divine Election) Arguably the most controversial issue is Jacob, as mentioned, Jacob schemed to buy his brother’s birth right so he can have most out of the inheritance he would get from his father. He need not do this because he was already chosen by God. Which Rebecca probably revealed to him already since he is her favorite. (Genesis 25: 31-33) Genesis’ Author The author of Genesis was probably a nomad just like Abraham, who raised livestock like cattle, and sheep on the plains of their land. The author may have written the book out of the urge to tell a story to trace their roots, or if it’s true, really trace his family tree up to Abraham. The author must have felt that he had to write into account his family’s heritage. What Genesis is, is really just an extensive family tree from Adam, to his last descendant in the book. The author might have written the chapters of the book, sitting under a shade of tree after tending to his flock. To pass time, he might have decided that he might as well do something productive during his break. It’s possible that these stories were later told at his household and soon became popular that it was told to every tent in the community. There’s also a chance that the author was a scholar, born several hundreds of maybe a thousand years after the estimated date of its last chapter. He (assuming he was a man) maybe the very first ethnographer of the world. If in deed, he was, he was very successful. He gathered a large number of information; from traditions/cultures: what the ancient people actually do during those times and how they lived, what they wore†¦etc. , history; detailed accounts of what happened, including probable conversations that might have happened between the people and God, and among themselves. What the author has done is simply astonishing, generations upon generations of ancient history, written in just one book, and its not even as thick as today’s novels. which may hypothesize that the book wasn’t just made by a single author but by the family historian in each generation. Works Cited Deffinbaugh, Th. M. â€Å"The Principle of Divine Election† bible. org. September 1, 2008 http://www. bible. org/page. php? page_id=104 New American Bible. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops 3211 4th Street, N. E. , Washington, DC 20017-1194 (202) 541-3000

French Pronominal Verbs Require a Reflexive Pronoun

French Pronominal Verbs Require a Reflexive Pronoun French  pronominal verbs are accompanied by the reflexive pronoun  se  or  s  preceding the infinitive, thus, the grammatical term pronominal, which means relating to a pronoun. All conjugated  verbs, with the exception of the imperative  form, require a  subject pronoun.  Pronominal verbs also need a reflexive pronoun, like this: Nous nous habillons.   Were getting dressed (dressing ourselves).Tu te baignes.   Youre taking a bath (bathing yourself). There are a few kinds of French pronominal verbs. But in general, we can say the action and, thus construction, of the pronominal verb is reflexive, reciprocal or idiomatic.  Ã‚   Three Types of Pronominal Verbs Reflexive verbsReciprocal verbsIdiomatic pronominal verbs There are two steps in conjugating pronominal verbs. First, take the reflexive pronoun se, make it agree with the subject of the verb, and place it directly in front of the verb. Then, as with all verbs, conjugate the infinitive according to whether its a regular  -er, -ir, -re  verb or an irregular verb.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Elle se brosse les dents.  Ã‚  Shes brushing her teeth.Vous vous levez tard.  Ã‚  You get up late. Review what pronominal verbs look like when conjugated in all the simple tenses  and use examples to practice recognizing and using them.   French Reflexive Verbs   The most common pronominal verbs are reflexive verbs (verbes sens rà ©flà ©chi), which indicate that the subject of the verb is performing the action upon himself, herself, or itself. Reflexive verbs mainly have to do with parts of the body,  clothing, personal circumstance  or location. Note that when referring to parts of the body, the French  possessive pronoun  is rarely used; instead, the owner is indicated with a  reflexive pronoun  and a  definite article  precedes the body part. Some common reflexive verbs:   Ã‚  Ã‚  sadresser   Ã‚  to address, speak to  Ã‚  Ã‚  sapprocher de  Ã‚  to approach  Ã‚  Ã‚  sasseoir  Ã‚  to sit down  Ã‚  Ã‚  se baigner  Ã‚  to bathe, swim  Ã‚  Ã‚  se brosser (les cheveux, les dents)  Ã‚  to brush (ones hair, ones teeth)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se casser (la jambe, le bras)  Ã‚  to break (ones leg, ones arm)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se coiffer  Ã‚  to fix ones hair  Ã‚  Ã‚  se coucher  Ã‚  to go to bed  Ã‚  Ã‚  se couper  Ã‚  Ã‚  to cut oneself  Ã‚  Ã‚  se dà ©pà ªcher  Ã‚  Ã‚  to hurry  Ã‚  Ã‚  se dà ©shabiller  Ã‚  to get undressed  Ã‚  Ã‚  se doucher  Ã‚  to take a shower  Ã‚  Ã‚  sà ©nerver  Ã‚  to get annoyed  Ã‚  Ã‚  senrhumer  Ã‚  to catch a cold  Ã‚  Ã‚  se fà ¢cher  Ã‚  to get angry  Ã‚  Ã‚  se fatigue  Ã‚  to get tired  Ã‚  Ã‚  se fier  Ã‚  to trust  Ã‚  Ã‚  shabiller  Ã‚  to get dressed  Ã‚  Ã‚  shabituer   Ã‚  to get used to  Ã‚  Ã‚  simaginer  Ã‚  to imagine  Ã‚  Ã‚  sintà ©resser   Ã‚  Ã‚  to be interested in  Ã‚  Ã‚  se laver (les mains, la figure)  Ã‚  to wash (ones hands, ones face)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se lever  Ã‚  to get up  Ã‚  Ã‚  se maquiller  Ã‚  to put on makeup  Ã‚  Ã‚  se marier (avec)  Ã‚  to get married (to)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se mà ©fier de  Ã‚  to mistrust, distrust, beware of/about  Ã‚  Ã‚  se moquer de  Ã‚  to make fun of (someone else)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se moucher  Ã‚  to blow ones nose   Ã‚  Ã‚  se noyer  Ã‚  to drown  Ã‚  Ã‚  se peigner  Ã‚  to comb ones hair  Ã‚  Ã‚  se promener  Ã‚  to take a walk  Ã‚  Ã‚  se raser  Ã‚  to shave  Ã‚  Ã‚  se refroidir  Ã‚  to cool down, get cold  Ã‚  Ã‚  se regarder  Ã‚  to look at oneself  Ã‚  Ã‚  se reposer  Ã‚  to rest  Ã‚  Ã‚  se rà ©veiller  Ã‚  to wake up  Ã‚  Ã‚  se soà »ler  Ã‚  to get drunk  Ã‚  Ã‚  se souvenir de  Ã‚  to remember  Ã‚  Ã‚  se taire  Ã‚  to be quiet Examples: Tu te reposes.   Youre resting.Il se là ¨ve 8h00.  Ã‚  He gets up at 8:00. Reflexive Verbs With a Nonreflexive Use Note that many reflexive verbs also have a nonreflexive use; that is, they can describe someone performing the action of the verb on someone or something else:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Elle se promà ¨ne.  Ã‚  Shes taking a walk.vs.Elle promà ¨ne le chien.  Ã‚  Shes taking the dog for a walk; Shes walking the dog.Je me lave les mains.  Ã‚  Im washing my hands.vs.Je lave le bà ©bà ©.   Im washing the baby. Note that some verbs that are normally not pronominal may be used with a reflexive pronoun in order to avoid the passive voice.  This construction is known as the passive reflexive. Reflexive verbs are the most common type of pronominal verb. But there are also two lesser-known types: reciprocal verbs and idiomatic pronominal verbs.   French Reciprocal Verbs   While reflexive verbs tell you that one or more subjects are acting upon themselves, reciprocal verbs (verbes sens rà ©ciproque)  indicate that there are two or more subjects acting on one another. Here are the most common French reciprocal verbs:   Ã‚  sadorer   to adore (one another)  Ã‚  Ã‚  saimer  Ã‚  to love  Ã‚  Ã‚  sapercevoir  Ã‚  to see  Ã‚  Ã‚  se comprendre  Ã‚  to understand  Ã‚  Ã‚  se connaà ®tre  Ã‚  to know  Ã‚  Ã‚  se dà ©tester  Ã‚  to hate  Ã‚  Ã‚  se dire  Ã‚  to tell  Ã‚  Ã‚  se disputer  Ã‚  to argue  Ã‚  Ã‚  sà ©crire  Ã‚  to write to  Ã‚  Ã‚  sembrasser  Ã‚  to kiss  Ã‚  Ã‚  se parler  Ã‚  to talk to  Ã‚  Ã‚  se promettre  Ã‚  to promise  Ã‚  Ã‚  se quitter  Ã‚  to leave  Ã‚  Ã‚  se regarder  Ã‚  to look at  Ã‚  Ã‚  se rencontrer  Ã‚  to meet  Ã‚  Ã‚  se sourire  Ã‚  to smile at  Ã‚  Ã‚  se tà ©là ©phoner  Ã‚  to call  Ã‚  Ã‚  se voir  Ã‚  to see Reciprocal verbs can also be used without the pronoun for a nonreciprocal meaning:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Nous nous comprenons.   We understand each other.vs.Nous comprenons la question.  Ã‚  We understand the question.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ils saiment.  Ã‚  They love each other.vs.Ils maiment.   They love me. French Idiomatic Pronominal Verbs   Idiomatic pronominal verbs (verbes sens idiomatique)  are verbs that take on a different meaning when used with a reflexive pronoun. Here are the most common French idiomatic pronominal verbs (and their non-pronominal meanings):   Ã‚  sen aller  Ã‚  to go away  Ã‚  Ã‚  (to go)  Ã‚  Ã‚  samuser  Ã‚  to have a good time (to amuse)  Ã‚  Ã‚  sappeler  Ã‚  to be named (to call)  Ã‚  Ã‚  sapproprier   to appropriate (to suit, adapt to)  Ã‚  Ã‚  sarrà ªter  Ã‚  to stop (oneself) (to stop [s.o. or s.t. else])  Ã‚  Ã‚  sattendre ()  Ã‚  to expect (to wait for)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se demander  Ã‚  to wonder (to ask)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se dà ©brouiller  Ã‚  to manage, get by (to disentangle)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se dà ©pà ªcher  Ã‚  to hurry (to send quickly)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se diriger vers  Ã‚  to head toward (to run, be in charge of)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se douter  Ã‚  to suspect (to doubt)  Ã‚  Ã‚  sà ©clipser  Ã‚  to slip away/out (to eclipse, overshadow)  Ã‚  Ã‚  sà ©loigner  Ã‚  to move (oneself, s.t.) away  Ã‚  Ã‚  sendormir  Ã‚  to fall asleep (to put to sleep)  Ã‚  Ã‚  sennuyer  Ã‚  to be bored (to bother)  Ã‚  Ã‚  sentendre  Ã‚  to get along (to hear)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se fà ¢cher  Ã‚  to get angry (to make angry)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se figurer  Ã‚  to imagine, picture (to represent, to appear)  Ã‚  Ã‚  shabituer   Ã‚  to get used to (to get in the habit of)  Ã‚  Ã‚  sinquià ©ter  Ã‚  to worry (to alarm)  Ã‚  Ã‚  sinstaller  Ã‚  to settle in (to a home) (to install)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se mettre    to begin to (to place, put)   Ã‚  Ã‚  se perdre  Ã‚  to get lost (to lose)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se plaindre  Ã‚  to complain (to pity, begrudge)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se refuser de  Ã‚  to deny oneself (the opportunity)o  Ã‚  Ã‚  (to refuse)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se rendre   Ã‚  to go to (to return)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se rendre  compte de  Ã‚  to realize (to account for)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se rà ©unir  Ã‚  to meet, get together (to gather, collect)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se servir  Ã‚  to use, make use of (to serve)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se tromper  Ã‚  to be mistaken (to deceive)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se trouver  Ã‚  to be located (to find) See how the meaning changes when idiomatic pronominal verbs are used with and without the reflexive pronoun.   Ã‚  Je mappelle Sandrine.  Ã‚  My name is Sandrine.vs.Jappelle Sandrine.  Ã‚  Im calling Sandrine.   Ã‚  Tu te trompes.  Ã‚  You are mistaken.vs.Tu me trompes.   You are deceiving me. Word Order with Pronominal Verbs Placement of the reflexive pronoun is exactly the same as for  object pronouns  and  adverbial pronouns:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Je mhabille.  Ã‚  Im getting dressed.Tu te reposeras.   You will rest.Il se levait quand...  Ã‚  He was getting up when... The pronoun directly precedes the verb in all tenses and moods, except the affirmative  imperative, when it follows the verb, attached by a hyphen: Repose-toi. Rest.Habillons-nous.   Lets get dressed. Pronominal Verbs in the Negative With  negation,  ne  precedes the reflexive pronoun: Je ne mhabille pas.  Ã‚  Im not getting dressed.Tu ne te reposes jamais.  Ã‚  You never rest. Pronominal Verbs in the Interrogative Questions  with pronominal verbs are usually asked with  est-ce que  and the  reflexive pronoun  once again stays directly in front of the verb. If you use  inversion, the reflexive pronoun precedes the inverted subject-verb: Est-ce quil se rase  ? Se rase-t-il  ?Is he shaving? Est-ce que tu te laves les mins  ? Te laves-tu les mains  ?Are you washing your hands? Pronominal Verbs in the Negative Interrogative To ask a negative question with pronominal verbs, you sort of have to use inversion. The reflexive pronoun stays directly in front of the inverted subject-verb, and  the negative structure surrounds that whole group: Ne se rase-t-il pas  ?Isnt he shaving? Ne te laves-tu jamais les mains ?Dont you ever wash your hands? Pronominal Verbs in Compound Tenses In  compound tenses  like the  passà © composà ©, all pronominal verbs are  Ãƒ ªtre verbs, which means two things: The auxiliary verb is  Ãƒ ªtre.The past participle may need to agree with the subject in gender and number. In compound tenses, the reflexive pronoun precedes the auxiliary verb, not the past participle: Elle sest couchà ©e minuit.She went to bed at midnight. Ils sà ©taient vus la banque.They had seen one another at the bank. Aprà ¨s mà ªtre habillà ©, jai allumà © la tà ©là ©.After getting dressed, I turned on the TV. Agreement with Pronominal Verbs When pronominal verbs are  in the compound tenses, the past participle has to agree with the reflexive pronoun when the pronoun is a  direct object  but not when its an  indirect object. So the trick is to figure out whether the reflexive pronoun is direct or indirect. 1.  For most  pronominal verbs that are not followed by a noun, the reflexive pronoun is the  direct object, so the past participle needs to agree with it. See number five  below for instances when the reflexive pronoun is an  indirect  pronoun. Nous nous sommes douchà ©s.We showered. \Marianne sest fà ¢chà ©e.Marianne got mad. 2.  Likewise, with a pronominal verb plus a preposition plus a noun, the reflexive pronoun is the direct object, so you need agreement. Elle sest occupà ©e du chien.She took care of the dog. Ils se sont souvenus de la pià ¨ce.They remembered the play. 3.  When a pronominal verb is followed directly by a noun with  no preposition in between, the reflexive pronoun is indirect, therefore there is no agreement. Nous nous sommes achetà © une voiture.NOT  Nous nous sommes achetà ©s une voiture.We bought ourselves a car. Elle sest dit la và ©rità ©.NOT  Elle sest dite la và ©rità ©.She told herself the truth. 4.  When you have a sentence with a reflexive pronoun plus  an object pronoun, the reflexive pronoun is always the  indirect object, so there is no agreement with it. However, there  is  agreement with the object pronoun, per the rules of  direct object pronoun agreement. Nous nous le sommes achetà ©.  (Le livre  is masculine.)We bought it (the book) for ourselves. Nous nous la sommes achetà ©e.  (La voiture  is feminine.)We bought it (the car) for ourselves. Elle se lest dit.  (Le mensonge  is masculine.)She told it (the lie) to herself. Elle se lest dite.  (La và ©rità ©Ã‚  is feminine.)She told it (the truth) to herself. 5.  For the following verbs, the reflexive pronoun is always an indirect object, so the past participle does not agree with it. In the abbreviations below, e.o. means each other and o.s. means oneself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  sacheter   to buy (for) o.s.  Ã‚  Ã‚  se demander  Ã‚  to wonder  Ã‚  Ã‚  se dire  Ã‚  to say (to o.s./e.o.)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se donner  Ã‚  to give (to e.o.)  Ã‚  Ã‚  sà ©crire  Ã‚  to write (to e.o.)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se faire mal   to hurt o.s.  Ã‚  Ã‚  simaginer  Ã‚  to imagine, think  Ã‚  Ã‚  se parler  Ã‚  to talk (to o.s./e.o.)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se plaire ( faire...)   to enjoy (doing...)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se procurer  Ã‚  to obtain (for o.s.)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se promettre  Ã‚  to promise (o.s./e.o.)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se raconter  Ã‚  to tell (e.o.)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se rendre compte de  Ã‚  to realize  Ã‚  Ã‚  se rendre visite  Ã‚  to visit  (e.o.)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se reprocher   to criticize, blame (o.s./e.o.)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se ressembler  Ã‚  to resemble (e.o.)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se rire  (de qqun)  Ã‚  to mock (someone)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se sourire  Ã‚  to smile (at e.o.)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se tà ©là ©phoner  Ã‚  to call (e.o.) Nous nous sommes souri.NOT  Nous nous sommes souris.We smiled at each other. Elles se sont parlà ©.NOT  Elles se sont parlà ©es.They talked to each other. Pronominal Verbs in the Infinitive or Present Participle When using pronominal verbs in the  infinitive  or  present participle, there are two things to keep in mind: The reflexive pronoun directly precedes the infinitive or present participle.The reflexive pronoun agrees with its implied subject. Pronominal Verbs in Dual-Verb Constructions Dual-verb constructions  are those where you have a verb like  aller  (to go) or  vouloir  (to want) followed by an infinitive. When using a pronominal verb in this construction, its important to remember that the reflexive pronoun goes directly in front of the infinitive, not the conjugated verb, and that the reflexive pronoun has to agree with the subject. Je vais mhabiller.Im going to get dressed. Nous voulons nous promener.We want to go for a walk. Tu devrais te laver les cheveux.You should wash your hair. Pronominal Verbs after Prepositions When you use pronominal verbs in the infinitive after prepositions, remember to change the reflexive pronoun to agree with the implied subject of the verb. Avant de te coucher, range ta chambre.Before you go to bed, clean your room. Il faut trouver un juge pour nous marier.We have to find a judge to get married. Pronominal Verbs Used as Subjects To use pronominal verbs in the infinitive as subjects at the beginning of a sentence, remember to change the reflexive pronoun to agree with the implied subject of the verb: Me lever tà ´t est une rà ¨gle de ma vie.Getting up early is a rule for me. Te moquer de ton frà ¨re nest pas gentil.Making fun of your brother isnt nice. Pronominal Verbs  as Present Participles Once again, the reflexive pronoun always has to agree with the subject, including when pronominal verbs are used as present participles: En me levant, jai entendu un cri.While getting up, I heard a scream. Cà ©tait en vous inquià ©tant que vous avez attrapà © un ulcà ¨re.It was by worrying that you got an ulcer.

Should I Take the PSAT as a Sophomore

Should I Take the PSAT as a Sophomore SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Is it a good idea to take the PSAT as a sophomore?Here's a spoiler: Absolutely. Affirmative. A resounding yes. When you take the PSAT as an 11th grader, there are some pretty high stakes attached in the form of National Merit distinctions and scholarships. Therefore, it's definitely a good idea to do a trial run before you sit for the one thatcounts for so much. Let's talk about all the reasons it's a smart and strategic idea to sit for the PSAT as a sophomore. Reason 1: It's GoodPractice for the Junior-Year PSAT Once again, your junior-year PSAT scores might make you eligible for National Merit distinctions- such as Commended Scholar, Semifinalist, and Finalist- and even scholarshipsif you score in the top 1%. The types of questions and skills tested on the PSAT don't change too much from year to year, so taking it as a sophomore is a great way to familiarize yourself with the test. With this valuable, realistic testing experience and your own self-studying and prep, you'll be a pro by the time you sit for the PSAT again your junior year. If you're prepping throughout your freshman year and the summer after it, taking the PSAT during your sophomore year can be a good check-in and way to gauge your progress.If you're already scoring in the 95th percentile or above, you're in a good place to bring your scores up into the top 1% the following year. Your sophomore score report will help you identify your strengths and weaknesses and show you what to focus on so you can bring your scores up over the top. It's especially smart to practice taking the PSAT as a sophomore if you are aiming for a qualifying National Merit score. The PSAT is also helpful to prepare you for the other hugely important test for college: the SAT. Reason 2: It's GoodPractice for the SAT The PSAT isa lot like the SAT. Your PSAT scores are meant to predict your SAT scores; as a result, the two tests are scored on a similar scale. While the PSAT is scored between 320 and 1520,with a range of 160-760 for both Math and Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW), the SAT is scored between400 and 1600,with a range of 200-800 for both Math and EBRW. The range for PSAT scores is slightly lower to account for the fact that it's a somewhat easier test than the SAT.Though a perfect PSAT score predicts a strong SAT score, it's not necessarily directly comparable to a full 1600 on the SAT. Apart from a similar scoring system and no point deductions for wrong answers, the PSAT and SAT are similar in the skills they highlight.Both exams focus on understanding meaning in context, commanding evidence, and interpreting and applying data from graphs and charts. Instead of asking you to answer questions about stand-alone sentences, for example, the tests will ask you about longer passages and the relationships among sentences. Because of this, prepping for and taking the PSAT will directly help you do well on the SAT. You can even use your PSAT scores to predict your SAT scoresand set goals from there. If you're doing well already on the PSAT, you might want to try prepping for and even taking the SAT as a sophomoreas well. If you do well, you could get it out of the way altogether. If not, you could just retake ityour junior and senior year to try to continue improving your scores. It is possible to do very well on the SAT as a sophomore, and by preparing earlyyou'll be ahead of the curve and can ease your workload for junior year. Want to get a head start on the PSAT NMQST? We have the industry's leading PSAT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and SAT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so that you get the most effective prep possible. Check out our 5-day free trial today: Reason 3: It's Useful for AP Class Placement and Test Success In addition to predicting SAT scores, PSAT scores have some predictive correlation with your future AP test scores. As a result, some high schools use sophomore-year PSAT scores to determine students' readiness for AP classes and to approve AP course placement. It's a good idea to speak with your school counselor to see whether PSAT scores are a consideration in planning the following year's course schedule. Regardless of your school's requirements, your PSAT performance can personally reveal whether you're ready to take on AP; they can also help you determine where you need to do some more studying and prep to strengthen your skills for the following year. Show colleges you're on the right track. Reason 4: It Shows Colleges You're on the Right Track The last reason to take the PSAT as a sophomore isthe message it sends to colleges. Putting in the effort to take the PSAT as a sophomore signals to colleges that you're doing all you can to prepare for college throughout your high school career. You can even be directly added to contact lists if you so choose, based on the personal information and interests you indicated at the beginning of the test. Therefore, taking the PSAT in 10th grade is not just helpful to you in thepresent for improving your scores and for understanding your academic strengths and weaknesses- it also has long-reaching benefits in your future by demonstrating your overall readiness for college. Summary: Taking the PSAT as a Sophomore In sum, taking the PSAT in 10th grade can be avaluable testing experience and tell you where you need to improve for junior year,especially if you're aiming for National Merit. Just like the SAT, the PSAT is all about preparation. You can absolutely do well and improve your scores through practice, but this practice needs to be specific to your needs and concentrated on the areas you struggle with the most. Your 10th grade score report can help predict your future PSAT and SAT scores. In addition, it can be a helpful measure of how effective your studying has been so far. Basically, taking the PSAT in 10th grade is both predictiveand diagnostic: it tells you where you're headedandwhat weaknesses you canturn into strengths to achieve your junior-year goals. What's Next? Want to learn more about the PSAT?Check out ourexpert guides tolearn everything you need to know about the PSAT formatand how it's scored. Hundreds of students have downloadedthese free PSAT practice tests to boost their PSAT scores. This article hastwo official PSATpractice tests for you to download and the tips you need to know to use them effectively in your prep! 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Measures of Working Capital Management Efficiency and Their Essay

Measures of Working Capital Management Efficiency and Their Relationship to Corporate Profitability - Essay Example Smith (1980) first signaled the importance of the trade-offs between the dual goals of working capital management, i.e., liquidity and profitability. In other words, decisions that tend to maximize profitability tend not to maximize the chances of adequate liquidity. Conversely, focusing almost entirely on liquidity will tend to reduce the potential profitability of the company. The most conventional measures of corporate liquidity are the current ratio and the quick ratio. Because of the static nature, their adequacy in examining a firm's efficiency in managing its working capital has been questioned by many authors (see, for example, Emery, 1984; and Kamath, 1989). Liquidity for the on-going firm is not really dependent on the liquidation value of its assets but rather on the operating cash flow generated by those assets. Gitman (1974) introduced the cash cycle concept as a crucial element in working capital management. The total cash cycle is defined as the number of days from the time the firm pays for its purchases of the most basic form of inventory to the time the firm collects for the sale of its finished product. Richards and Laughlin (1980) operationalized the cash cycle concept by reflecting the net time interval between cash expenditures on purchases and the ultimate recovery of cash receipts from product sales. The Cash Conversion Cycle (CCC) i s an additive measure of the number of days funds are committed to inventories and receivables less the number of days payments are deferred to suppliers. Gentry, Vaidyanathan, and Lee (1990) developed a modified version of the CCC called the Weighted Cash Conversion Cycle (WCCC), which scales the timing by the amount of funds in each step of the cycle. The weights are calculated by dividing the amount of cash tied up in each component by the final value of the component. Therefore, the WCCC includes both the number of days and the amount of funds that are tied up at each stage of the cash cycle. The Net Trade Cycle Although the WCCC provides a better appreciation of the complexities of the cash cycle, in this study, we use the Net Trade Cycle (NTC). First, the break-up of inventories into its three main components, i.e., raw materials, work-in-progress, and finished goods, is not readily available for the outside investigator; consequently we cannot calculate the WCCC. Second, the CCC is an additive concept, but unfortunately the denominators for the three components (i.e., number of days inventories, accounts receivable, and accounts payable) are all different, making addition not really useful. In contrast, the NTC is basically equal to the CCC whereby all three components are expressed as a percentage of sales. The NTC actually indicates the number of "days sales" the company has to finance its working capital under ceteris paribus conditions. This instrument provides an easy estimate for additional financing needs with regard to working capital expressed as a function of the projected sales growth. For example, assuming that Wal-Mart's sales would again grow with 13% during 1996 as they did over 1995, and assuming the same 40 days NTC, this would imply a $1.19 billion financing need just for