The Briley Brothers Killing Spree

In 1979, Brothers Linwood Briley, James Briley Jr., and Ray Briley went on a seven-month  killing spree  in their hometown of Richmond, Virginia. When they were finally caught, there were 11 people dead, although investigators believed that there were as 20 victims. Childhood Years James and Bertha Briley were a hard-working couple when their first child, Linwood Earl Briley, was born in 1995.  Their second child, James Dyral Briley, Jr. was born about 18 months later followed by their youngest and last child, Anthony Ray Briley. From the outside looking in, the Briley family seemed well adjusted and happy. They lived in a nice two-story home located on Fourth Avenue in downtown Richmond. Unlike a lot of kids their age, the Briley boys came from an unbroken home where both parents were directly involved with their lives. Helping Hands During their preteen years, the boys would lend a hand to some of their senior neighbors by helping tend to their yards or help start a car.  The general consensus around the neighborhood was that the brothers were polite, helpful and all around good kids. That same opinion was not shared by their schoolmates. At school, the brothers harassed and bullied the other kids. The brothers seemed indifferent towards adult authority and would tend to ignore  whatever the punishment  was that was handed out by a teacher or the principle. But when they got home, their father James Sr., was clearly the one in charge and managed to invoke a level of fear in his sons. Bertha Moves Away   The Briley brothers had two major interests. They enjoyed collecting exotic spiders and snakes like tarantulas, piranhas, and boa constrictors and they habitually cut and saved newspaper stories about gang activity.   When the boys reached their teenage years, Bertha and James split up and she moved away. The split was apparently  amicable  and without drama. It was also during this time that James Sr. was weighed down with growing concerns about how Linwood was acting and the influence he had over the other boys. He developed a sense of fear of his sons. Worried for his own safety,  he began locking his bedroom door at night from the inside with a deadbolt.   Orline Christian On January 28, 1971, Linwood Briley was 16 years old and home alone, when he saw his neighbor,  57-year-old Orline Christian, outside hanging up her laundry. For no apparent reason, Linwood got a rifle from the closet, aimed it out his second-floor bedroom window towards Christian, and pulled the trigger,  fatally shooting  Christian. Somehow no one noticed that she had a gunshot wound in her back and it was assumed that stress led to her death after having recently buried her husband. Then during a viewing her body, some of her relatives noticed a spot of blood on her dress. Curious as to why the family asked for a second examination. It was during the second examination that a bullet was found lodged in her back and a murder investigation was opened. An investigation of the murder scene led the police straight to Linwoods bedroom window. A search of the house produced the murder weapon. With the solid evidence staring him in the face, Linwood confessed to the murder.  In a flat, unemotional voice, the 16-year old said to the detective:  I heard she had heart problems, she would have died soon anyway. Linwood was found guilty and sentenced to one year in reform school. The Murder Spree Begins In March 1979, the Briley gang had a plan to do a series of random burglaries and home invasions. The plan was that the group would get in and out fast and not leave any witnesses alive. William and Virginia Bucher March 12, 1979- The Briley gang went to  Henrico County and randomly selected the  home of William and Virginia Bucher. Linwood knocked on the Buchers door, and when William answered it Linwood claimed that he had car trouble and needed to borrow a phone to call Triple A. Williams said he would make the call and asked Linwood for his Triple-A card, but when he opened the screen door to get the card, Linwood rushed towards him and forced his way into the house. The rest of the gang followed behind Linwood and they took control of William and Virginia and tied them up in separate rooms. They then went through each room and took any valuable that they wanted and saturated the rooms with kerosene. When they were finished stealing what they wanted, Linwood poured kerosene all over Williams legs, then lit a match as he was leaving the house. The Buchers were left tied up inside to burn to death alive. Somehow William Bucher managed to untie himself and he was able to get himself and his wife to safety. The Buchers are the only known victims of the Briley gang that survived their attack. Michael McDuffie March 21, 1979- Michael McDuffie  was the victim of a home invasion. The Briley gang forced themselves into his home, assaulted McDuffie and robbed the home and then shot McDuffie to death. Mary Gowen April 9, 1979 - Mary Gowen was walking home from a babysitting job when the Briley gang spotted her and followed her to her home. They then forced their way into her home and beat, robbed and raped her repeatedly, then shot her in the head. The 76-year-old woman managed to survive the attack, but fell into a coma the next day and died a few weeks later. Christopher Philips July 4, 1979 -  Christopher Philips, age 17, lingered around Linwoods car a minute too long. Assuming that he was planning on stealing it, the Bailey brothers forced the boy to a field where they beat and kicked him and then Linwood killed him by crushing his head with a  cinderblock. Johnny G. Gallaher   September 14, 1979 - Popular disc jockey John Johnny G. Gallaher was playing in a band at a nightclub when he went outside during a break. The Briley gang saw him and forced him into the trunk of his  Lincoln Continental, then drove to an old paper mill out by the James River. Gallaher was pulled from the trunk, robbed and shot in the head at close range. His body was discovered floating in the river two days later. Mary Wilfong September 30, 1979 - Mary Wilfong, age 62, was working as a private nurse when the Briley gang saw her and followed her home. Just as she was about to enter her apartment, the Brileys assaulted her, then beat her to death with a baseball bat, after which they burglarized her apartment. Blanche Page and Charles Garner October 5, 1979 - On Fourth Avenue, not far from the Briley home, the brothers  assaulted  then  bludgeoned to death 79-year-old Blanche Page, then beat and stabbed to death her boarder, 59-year old Charles Garner. According to investigators, the beating and murder of Garner was one of the most brutal that the investigators had ever seen. The Wilkersons October 19, 1979 -  Harvey Wilkerson and his wife, 23-year-old Judy Barton and her five-year-old son lived around the corner from the Brileys home. Wilkerson and the Briley brothers had known each other for years and were friends. The four would often talk about snakes since, like the Briley brothers, Wilkerson also owned pet snakes.   On October 19, the Brileys were in a celebratory mood. J.B., the middle brother, had been paroled earlier that day. Throughout the day the brothers had been hanging out on Fourth Avenue, drinking and smoking pot, and as night fell they began to talk seriously about finding another victim that night. They decided on Harvey Wilkerson, possibly because they thought he had been dealing drugs and wanted the money or his customers or both. Wilkerson was outside when he saw the Briley brothers and 16-year-old Duncan Meekins headed his way. He went inside and locked the door, but the group kept coming. When they got to Wilkersons apartment, they knocked on the door and despite his fears, Wilkerson opened the door and let them inside. As soon as the gang got inside they began attacking the couple. They bound them with duct tape and gagged them, and then Linwood Briley raped Judy while in close proximity to her son and husband. When he was finished, Meekins, who was considered one the gang, continued to  sexually assault  and sodomize  the pregnant woman. The gang then went through the house and took whatever personal belongs that they wanted. Linwood put J.B. in charge and left the apartment with some of the stolen goods. J.B. told his brother Anthony and Meekins to cover Wilkerson and his wife with sheets. They left 5-year-old Harvey on the couch. J.B. then ordered Meekins to shoot Wilkerson. Meekins grabbed a pillow and shot through it multiple times and killed Wilkerson. J.B. then shot Judy, killing her and her unborn child. Anthony allegedly shot and killed the boy. The Brileys didnt know that the police had the area under  surveillance  and were aware that the gang had gone into Wilkersons apartment. When the police heard gunshots go off, they could not tell where the shooting was coming from and started canvassing the area. They spotted Meekins and two of the Briley brothers leaving Wilkersons apartment. They did not think that it was connected to the gunshots that they heard. Arrest Three days later the police received a request to do a welfare check on Wilkerson and Judy. As they approached the apartment, they found the front door was slightly ajar. Entering the apartment they walked into a macabre scene that, for even hardened police officers, was hard to handle. Apparently, before leaving the apartment the Briley brothers had let loose Wilkersons pet snakes. Also left inside for three days to fend for themselves were two Doberman puppies. Before the forensic team could begin their work, animal control had to come and clear the apartment. But the crime scene was so badly compromised by the puppies that much of the evidence collected was of little value. Having seen the Briley gang leaving the Wilkersons apartment on the day that the Wilkersons were murdered, made them the prime suspects in the murders. An arrest warrant was issued for the three brothers and for Meekins. When the police went to serve the warrants, Linwood, his father and Meekins took off in a car with the police following close behind. Linwood was the driver and he refused to pull over and continued to lead the police down several streets. Concerned about public safety, the police finally decided to force the car into a pole. Once the car crashed, Linwood continued to make run for it but was soon captured. Later, they found out that the other two Briley brothers had turned themselves into the police. Interrogation At this point, the only crimes that the police connected the Bailey brothers to were the Wilkerson murders. With so much tainted evidence, they knew that their best shot for convictions would be if one of them would enter into a plea agreement in exchange for pointing the finger at the killers. Duncan Meekins was just 16 year old and his background did not fit that of a cold-blooded killer. He lived with his parents in a nice home; he was a good student and attended church regularly. With the encouragement of his parents, he accepted a plea deal where he would be given a life sentence with the possibility of parole in exchange for all the details surrounding the crime. If he kept himself out of trouble in prison, he was looking at doing 12 to 15 years behind bars. As agreed, Meekins began talking and not just about the Wilkerson murders. He also provided details about other unsolved murders that had gone on during the worse crime spree that had ever hit Richmond. Prior to Meekins confession, investigators had not connected  what they thought were random acts of crime. The rapes and murders happened in different areas around Richmond. The race, sex and ages of the victims seemed to be random. Victims of serial killers often share a physical quality. Gang-related murders are usually rival gangs. When looking at the people raped and murdered by the Bailey brothers, the only major link that could be found was the brutality and  viciousness that had been shown by the murderers themselves.   Interrogating the Bailey brothers was frustrating. They were arrogant, defiant, and liked to push the patience of the interrogators. When questioning Linwood Bailey about the murder of  Johnny G. Gallaher, he mocked the investigator and told him he would never be convicted of the murder because there was no evidence linking him to it. The investigators then brought in a retired detective to interrogate Linwood. He had been a longtime friend of Gallahers.  As the interview began, the detective noticed Linwood was wearing a  turquoise  ring that belonged to Gallaher and one that he always wore. In fact, the detective had been with his friend when he bought it. With that evidence and more that was slowly uncovered, the Bailey brothers were charged with various crimes and some of the murders. Guilty Linwood Bailey was found guilty and given multiple life sentences and the death penalty for the murder of Gallaher. J.B. Bailey was also given multiple life sentences and two death penalty sentences for the murders of Judy Barton and her son. Anthony Bailey was given a life sentence with a possibility of parole. It could not be proven that he was directly responsible for any murders. Linwood and J.B. Briley  were sent to death row at Mecklenburg Correctional Center. It wasnt long before the pair had profitable drugs and weapons racket going on from the confines of death row. Escape It has been said that Linwood Briley had a certain magnetism about him and the prisoners and some of the guards liked to be on his good side. The guards probably thought it was of little consequence to keep him happy. After all, they were in a prison that had the most sophisticated security system in the state. But Linwood had spent several years paying attention to how things worked, the wording that guards would use when making requests to other prison units, and which guards were the least attentive and those who were friendly towards the inmates. On May 31, 1984, Linwood managed to get a guard to keep the door of the control room opened, just long enough for another inmate to rush in and release the locks on all of the death row cells. This allowed for there to be enough manpower to overtake the 14 guards that were assigned to that block. Ordered to strip down, Linwood, J.B. and four other inmates put on the guards uniforms and after a series of events were able to drive away from the prison in a prison van.   The plan was to go to Canada, but when the escapes reached Philadelphia, the Briley brothers separated from the group and met up with their uncle who had made arrangements for a place for them to stay. The brothers managed to stay free until June 19, 1984, when information retrieved from a wiretap placed on the uncles phone left the authorities to their hiding place. Executions Within months of being returned to prison, both Linwood and James Briley exhausted their appeals and execution dates were set. Linwood Briley was the first to be executed. Depending on which version you read, he either walked to the electric chair without assistance or he had to be sedated and dragged to the chair. Either way, on October 12, 1984, Linwood was executed. James Briley followed in his older brothers path as he had always done and was electrocuted in the same chair that his brother had died in months earlier. On April 18, 1985, James Briley was executed.   Anthony  Briley  remains in a Virginia prison. All efforts for his release have been denied by the parole board.

Marlee Matlin - Deaf Actress, Cultural Icon - 1249 Words

Perry Miles Professor Parker English 1010 Composition 1 24 June 2009 Paper I: Marlee Matlin - Deaf Actress, Cultural Icon Marlee Beth Matlin was born on August 24, 1965 in Morton Grove, Illinois to Libby and Donald Matlin. She is the youngest and the only female of three children. She is an Academy Award winning actress and a world renowned spokesperson for various organizations. Marlee lives in the greater Los Angeles area with her husband, law enforcement officer Kevin Grandalski, and their four children, Sarah, Brandon, Tyler and Isabelle. These facts are not very different from millions of other Americans across the country. The one fact about Marlee that makes me admire her is that at the tender age of 18 months, she had a†¦show more content†¦It was here that Marlee auditioned for and was cast into their production of the Wizard of Oz as the only character suitable for her personality, Dorothy. She later attended college and got a degree in Criminal Justice, preparing for a real world career but continuing to perform throughout the Midw est in pursuit of her dream of becoming an actress. After one of her performances, Marlee got an opportunity to meet Henry Winkler, who would eventually become her mentor. Unashamed and not intimidated by this famous actor, Marlee approached him and told him that she wanted to be an actor as well. He encouraged her that she could be whatever she wanted to in life. All she had to do was imagine it in her heart and her dreams would come true. I am sure that the ‘Fonz’ had no idea how big of an impact his words of encouragement would have on Marlee’s life. That this young lady would be the first Deaf actress to win an Academy Award for Best Actress at the age of 21. Not only did Marlee become the first Deaf actress to win an Oscar for her performance of ‘Sarah’ along side actor William Hurt in the 1986 movie â€Å"Children of a Lesser God†, but she was also the youngest actresses to win an Oscar and one of only four actresses to win an Oscar in h er debut role. Marlee Matlin not only deserved the attention of the

Kotler Ch. 1 Jetblue Company Case 14th Edition Free Essays

1. The need being met by JetBlue is mainly transportation. In today’s world consumers need to be able to travel long-distances quickly and JetBlue’s practices ensure customer comfort/satisfaction along the journey. We will write a custom essay sample on Kotler Ch. 1 Jetblue Company Case 14th Edition or any similar topic only for you Order Now The wants of JetBlue’s customers are to safely and quickly travel on an airplane. They also want to be comfortable and treated well. JetBlue accomplishes this by providing leather seats and entertainment with great customer service. The demands of this airline’s customers are pretty low. They are already flying on a â€Å"discount airline,† yet they have great amenities such as more legroom. There are not really any wants that money needs to back in this scenario. JetBlue has done a good job at ensuring everything from email is available at no extra charge. 2. Consumers exchange money and time for a flight with JetBlue. They also give up the ability to fly with another airline. In exchange, however they get the â€Å"happy jetting† experience. This includes amenities such as plush seats and snacks combined with excellent customer service. From the terminal, to the plane, JetBlue employees are courteous and nice. This overall experience is highly valued by JetBlue and is supported by all the smaller facets of their market offering. 5. JetBlue should certainly be able to continue building customer relationships successfully. While Southwest is a competitor, JetBlue does have the competitive edge in cost. Also, their fun culture combined with loyal customers who spread the word certainly helps continue this success. It’s not easy to offer such great amenities while also having low fares, but JetBlue also places a lot of value on their intangible wonderful customer service. How to cite Kotler Ch. 1 Jetblue Company Case 14th Edition, Essay examples

Elements of Financial Management

Question: Discuss about the Elements of Financial Management. Answer: Some of the measures to Minimize the Opportunities for Fraud and Abuse are as follows:- Development of a corporate culture- A little amount of fraud is inevitable for every organization. However, a major concern is the fraud in which the top management is involved which may result in an overall damage to the business reputation and operations as well. The early detection of fraud and its prevention at every level brings a sense of satisfaction and trust among the customers, employees, vendors and stakeholders. The exposure of a serious fraud may cause long term adverse effects on the business. For a sound ethical environment and culture, BOD should consider formulating a mission statement which defines the expected culture, the policy statements which defines certain anti-fraud activities which needs to be maintained, a channel which is able to identify a fraud when it penetrates within the system and a board who will be responsible to oversee the maintenance of such policies.(CIMA, 2009) Separation of Authority and Responsibility- This is the major issue which needs consideration. The authority responsibility relation within the organization should be adequate. When an individual gets more authority compared to its responsibilities in the organization he is expected to commit some fraud. Such frauds should be prevented. There should be chain system of authority which provides a proof of correctness of each and every level. Such system should inculcate a culture of cross checking and allocating authority to different individuals or rotating authorities. Implementation of continuous Auditing and monitoring- A proper control mechanism plays a very important role in early detection of fraud and their continuous monitoring. The implementation of continuous and independent auditing can test the efficiency of business decisions. This process initiates by setting up standards of working, then testing the actual work against the standards and monitor the deviations. This process helps in maintaining a continuous check on the working of the enterprise.(Millar, 2010) Whistleblower Hotline(AICPA, 2016)- The whistleblower Hotline is made effective by the Sarbanes Oxley Act, 2002. This hotline provides continuous and trending tips on detection of organizational risk by effective control measures. Further, the knowledge of application of such hotline by the organization may inculcate a sense of fear among the staff and clients that their actions are under continuous check by the directors. Such hotline encourages the working staff to deliberately come forward a pin point an existing fraud which is very favorable for the business going concern policy. Hiring of Certified Professionals- Certified professionals like Certified Public Accountants, Certified Fraud Examiners and Certified Financial Forensics can play an important role in fraud detection and prevention. They can establish certain anti fraud policies and provide a number of services which assists in effective internal and external audit procedures.(Reed, 2014) Practice of Exception Reporting- Exception reporting means highlighting those transactions which are different from the regular nature of transactions. They help in identifying the events which does not fall within the set parameters or standards. Different individuals may be assigned the responsibility of reporting such exceptions to the audit committee so that appropriate audit plan can be made to check the operating effectiveness of the business.(Intranet, n.d.) Computation of comparative Ratios of performance of Quick Sell Electronics Limited for two years:- Gross Profit Percentage- The gross profit percentage is calculated to measure the trading efficiency and the basic profit generating capacity of the business. The higher side of this ratio indicates that the business is able to cover the trading costs and has a visible margin. This is also known as Margin Ratio.(Agrawal, 2017). Gross Profit Percentage = Gross Profit X 100 Net Revenue from Operations = Sales-COGS X100 Sales Inventory Turnover- The Inventory Turnover shows that how many times the inventory in the form of finished goods has been converted into the sales. This reveals whether the inventory lying with the business is under the limit. Higher the ratio is the better since it indicates that less inventory is required to earn more revenue reflecting the earning efficiency of the business.(Agrawal, 2017) Inventory Turnover = Cost of Revenue from Operations (COGS) Average Inventory at cost Accounts Receivable Turnover- Receivable Turnover ratio shows how many times the average receivables have been converted into sales. It shows the liquidity of the receivable i.e. how quickly they can convert into cash. The higher ratio is an indication of collection efficiency and increased liquidity position of the business. (Agrawal, 2017) Accounts Receivable Turnover = Net Credit Revenue from Operations (Sales) Average Trade Receivables The given table represents three ratios of Quick Sell Electronics Limited according to the information provided- Quick Sell Electronics Limited Ratio Year2015 Year2014 Gross Profit Ratio (%) 34.00 33.11 Inventory Turnover (times) 4.50 4.00 Average Receivable Turnover (times) 5.00 6.10 Interpretation of Ratios- The ratios computed above indicate that the performance of the company in terms of its operating activities has enhanced in one year. The company has been able to improve its trading activities by 0.89%. Further, the Inventory Turnover has also increased by 0.50 times which shows that companys effectiveness has increased. The operating efficiency is positive according to these two ratios. However, the declining receivable ratio is an indicator of accepting longer credit duration to the debtors. Thus, the liquidity has declined over one year but working efficiency has enhanced. Bibliography Agrawal, M., 2017. Ratio Analysis. In: S. Computers, ed. Elements of Financial Management. Jaipur: Garima Publications, p. 794. AICPA, 2016. Managing the business risk of fraud: A Practical Guide. [Online] Available at: https://www.acfe.com/uploadedFiles/ACFE_Website/Content/documents/managing-business-risk.pdf [Accessed 12 February 2017]. CIMA, 2009. Fraud risk management- a good practice. [Online] Available at: https://www.cimaglobal.com/Documents/ImportedDocuments/cid_techguide_fraud_risk_management_feb09.pdf.pdf [Accessed 12 February 2017]. Intranet, G.-t. B., n.d. Exception Reporting. [Online] Available at: https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140122145147/https:/www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Exhibit-BBC166.pdf [Accessed 14 February 2017]. Millar, P., 2010. 7 STEPS TO JUMP START YOUR ANTI-FRAUD PROGRAM. [Online] Available at: https://www.corporatecomplianceinsights.com/7-steps-preventing-detecting-fraud/ [Accessed 14 February 2017]. Reed, S., 2014. Six strategies for fraud prevention in your business. [Online] Available at: https://www.cgteam.com/blog/six-strategies-for-fraud-prevention-in-your-business [Accessed 14 February 2017].

20 Research Paper Topics on the History of the Middle East

20 Research Paper Topics on the History of the Middle East In our previous guide, 10 facts for a research paper on the history of the Middle East, we discussed facts that could help you compose a competent research paper, however, picking a suitable topic out of many for your research paper can be a daunting task. Our second guide focuses on providing you with 20 topics for the Middle East research paper that are suitable for your research. You can select any one you see appropriate to write upon or even come up with your own. Besides mentioning these 20 topics, we have also written a structured essay that contains credible information. This short sample essay will help you get a clear picture on how to write an essay or research paper on the topic you have chosen. We have also mentioned a few references at the bottom to help you discover more information on a particular topic. This last guide holds all the keys and tips on how to write a better research paper to help you score top notch marks. So, here are our 20 topics you can consider when you’re writing a research paper on the history of Middle East:   How has the Great Pyramid of Egypt Managed to Stay Undamaged for over a Century?   How the Discovery of Oil Changed The Middle Eastern Economy   A study on Increasing Population of the Middle East and The Risks It Causes   Why Was Turkey Unaffected During World War II   Why America’s Interest in the Middle East is Growing Day by Day   A Study on how and when Middle East Political Disputes Began.   A Research on the Impact of Media in Middle Eastern Wars.   How the Palestine Conflict Started.   Why Saudi Arabia Remain Safe During World War II   The Role of Foreign Countries in the Prevailing Unrest in the Middle East   A Conceptual Study of the Traditional Islamic Ideology in the Middle East.   A Study on Influence of Religious History in the Middle East.   The Impact of War on the Middle East.   How Historical problems originated in the Middle East?   A Study on Overgrowing Refugee Problem in Middle East.   How and Why Turkey Adopted to both Western and Islamic Principles.   How the Ottoman’s Got Out of the Middle East Are Foreign Forces a Cause of Palestine-Israel Conflict How Saudi Arabia Became a Leader in the Middle East Why Jews Started to Settle in Palestine These topics would without a doubt help you grasp the initial idea on how to begin composing your research paper. To make things much simpler, we have picked one of the topics from the 20 given topics to create an essay that will help you understand the dynamics better. Here is a sample essay to help you understand. Sample Essay: How and Why Turkey Adopted to Both Western and Islamic principles? The Middle East was always a home to some religions and customs. Cultural conflicts were on the rise and people used to follow in the footsteps of their ancestors, without giving it a second thought. During this time, a revolution strike pushing some people to try what others had to offer, and Turkey was one such country. It started to learn more about the western world and understand its customers. Many say this also has to do a lot with the country’s geographical location as it is a part of Europe as well. If we have a look a Turkey now, after 200 years, it is centered around the western ways and traditions to quite an extent. However, deep down it is following Islamic ways. The everyday lives of the Turks have been a mixture of both eastern and western cultures. Turks are descendants of Djingis Khan, and they fall into the family of Uzbeks. They were influenced by the rulers of Ottoman Empire. Ottomans had been trying to adapt to the western ways as they thought westernization was important to survive in that era, especially when they were falling out of favor. The historical background of the people of Turkey doesn’t completely fall under one category. They have adapted to a little of every culture since the very beginning. Turkey can be labeled as the bridge between the Europe, Asia, and Arabia, however not just geographically, but also when it comes to customs and traditions. Accommodating western culture into the Turkish society was a well-thought-out move. However, neighboring Islamic states did not approve of it. Islamists see western culture as an opposing force towards Islam, but the Turks think otherwise. They think that adapting to a bit of western culture would allow them to grow more. Hayat is one of the oldest magazines that served in Turkey back in the days, and Hollywood movie actors are still quite famous in Turkey as they were before. During 1957 1958, the Hayat magazine was on the rise in popularity,   such famous artists as Ava Gardner, Brigitte Bardot, Elizabeth Taylor, Sylvia Lopez, Ingrid Bergman and Susan Hayward were found on the covers of the Hayat magazine and Hollywood’s love among the Turks kept on increasing with time. The Turks began to follow the lifestyle of the American actors. Western literature also influenced Turkish literature. Immersed in the western ideologies and styles, Turkish writers love following the western style of writing. They are found to be translating western work into Turkish work. A Turkish social thinker called Ziya Gokalp once wrote: â€Å"We belong to the Turkish nation, Islamic community, and western civilization. Our literature must direct itself to the people and, at the same time, to the West. † Turkish people are American food lovers as well. You can also find alcohol and pork easily in the country, despite it being a Muslim nation and Islam prohibiting drinking and pork. However, according to experts, this is largely due to the nation’s wish to promote tourism and welcome international guests. There you have it, let us now move on to our third and final guide which focuses on how to write a good research paper on a specific topic. But before that, let’s have a look at the references mentioned below. References: Regan Austin, Jesse DeLauder, Rebecca Luhrs, Laura Adriance, Austin Stockwell Tese Wintz Neighbor (2008), Turkish Culture and Society: Where East Meets West. https://www.world-affairs.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/turkey_resource_packet__study_unit__cba_-_web_version_final.pdf Douglas Arthur Howard (2013). The History of Turkey. Greenwood Publishing Metz, Helen Chapin, ed. (1996). Turkish Origins (fifth ed.). Imber, Colin (2014). The Ottoman Empire, 1300–1650, The Structure of Power Schaller, Dominik J; Zimmerer, Jà ¼rgen (2008). Late Ottoman genocides: the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire and Young Turkish population and extermination policies – introduction Rafis Abazov (2009). Culture and Customs of Turkey. Mango, Andrew (2000). Atatà ¼rk: The Biography of the Founder of Modern Turkey

How to Write a Free Will Philosophy Essay

How to Write a Free Will Philosophy Essay Free Will Philosophy Essay Features of writing a philosophy essay on Free Will How to start writing Tips on how to start How to write an outline How to write a thesis for a philosophy essay on Free Will How to write an introduction Tips on how to write an introduction and thesis How to write body paragraphs Tips on body writing How to finish a philosophy essay on Free Will Tips on conclusion writing Tips on revision Sample Essay on Free Will Features of writing a philosophy essay on Free Will Writing about free will might seem easy but you may face a few challenges. First of all, for students who are not in the philosophy class, it would be vital to get familiar with the diverse schools of thought. As a writer, you must always have a position, especially when your essay is argumentative. Your position must always be substantiated by clearly elucidated points or arguments. As you will come to realize, philosophy papers require a lot of research so keep digging until you get arguments you find convincing. Ensure your paper is persuasive and that your readers will eventually either be forced to argue against your argument or will agree with your argument. How to start writing When you interact with accomplished writers, they will tell you to never be in a hurry when you want to start writing any paper or article. Additionally, they will caution you on how you start the writing process because it determines your grade. The first thing you need to know when you are writing an essay on Free Will is that it needs a lot of research. For you to determine your position and to develop persuasive arguments, you need to immerse yourself deeply in research. However, unlike what many students do, avoid the temptation of reading too much without making or taking relevant notes down. Therefore, make short notes while reading and especially any argument or point which you find convincing or relevant to your article. Remember also to develop an outline because it will make your work easier. Separate the sections (introduction, body, and conclusion) while you are creating the outline. Most importantly, however, determine your position. Tips on how to start Here are a few tips to help you start an essay on Free Will: Conduct extensive research. Take notes as you research. Develop a position or stance. Determine relevant arguments to help you write your essay. Develop or create an outline for your paper. How to write an outline Developing an outline is an important step in the writing process. Essentially, it contains the sections of your writing (introduction, body, and conclusion) and the points you will include in your paper. An outline should be thorough and contain all the points and arguments you wish to include in your paper. The thorough it will be, the better and easier it will be for you when you start creating your essay. However, remember it should be deeply grounded in research. So, below is a sample of an outline for an essay on Free Will. Introduction Define free will. History of free will. Thesis statement – free will does not equal free choice. Body First argument + evidence. Second argument + evidence. Third argument + evidence. The fourth argument – an opposing argument. Conclusion Restate your thesis. Enhance the argument by including something that will further the debate or discussion on Free Will. How to write a thesis for a philosophy essay on Free Will A thesis is simply your main point or argument. It includes your position and should be clearly written and included in the introduction. How to write an introduction The introduction indeed the most important section of your paper. This is because it is after reading your introduction that most writers will either be bored and quickly move on to something or will be highly interested and continue reading. Therefore, you need to start strongly and keep your readers yearning for more. Remember that your introduction should be brief and to the point. Accomplished writers will ask you to disclose enough to arouse your readers’ interest but make it brief to make them want and yearn for more. This tactic will keep them reading. Tips on how to write an introduction and thesis While writing the introduction and thesis, consider the following: Start with a hook, something to arouse the interest of your readers. Make it brief but with enough points. Include the thesis statement. Narrow the focus or scope of your thesis. How to write body paragraphs The body paragraphs mainly contain the supporting points or arguments. As stated earlier, the thesis statement contains your position or main argument. However, your paper will not be complete if it lacks supporting arguments or evidence to back up your thesis. The body section, therefore, is also another important piece in an essay. Each body paragraph must have a point that it is trying to communicate. Additionally, every point or argument must also be followed by ample supporting evidence. However, before you proceed to the conclusion (and this is mainly if you are writing an argumentative paper on Free Will), remember to include one last paragraph which elucidates further on the strongest argument against your position. Tips on body writing To write a perfect body, consider the following tips: Each paragraph must start with a topic sentence which holds the supporting argument. Every supporting argument must be followed by supporting sentences or ample evidence. Make use of transition words to show when you are moving from one point to another. Tie your points to the thesis statement and ensure they all help to further explain your position. Be thorough and always cite whenever you include information which is not original. For an argumentative essay, include an argument that is against your stance. How to finish a philosophy essay on Free Will When you are writing, the energy you start with must be coherent and be rationally and evenly distributed in your entire paper. Therefore, your conclusion must be as strong as your introduction and body. For a philosophy essay on Free Will, you will need to restate your position and also include the main points from your essay. However, instead of the clichà © ending, you can also include something like an anecdote to help further the discussion on free will. Tips on conclusion writing Consider the following tips while writing your conclusion: Restate your position or thesis statement. Mention the main points from your essay. Include an anecdote or a few sentences to help further the discussion on Free Will. Tips on revision Revising an essay simply entails the processes which help you to get a perfect essay. Accomplished writers will always stress this step because many students are usually in a hurry and often forget to revise their papers before they submit them. However, ensure that you always take this step seriously. Below are some tips to help you revise your paper the next time you write an essay: Read through your work several times after you have finished writing while making the necessary corrections. Ask a friend or a relative to read your work and to pinpoint any mistakes they might come across. Use some of the online revising tools to help you discover any mistakes you might have missed as you were proofreading. Philosophy Essay Sample: Free Will Almost every webpage or book written about free will seems to continue or further the various debates and disagreements brought by the term. All philosophers seem to want to say something regarding free will and each comment is always met with a certain response. However, one argument regarding the term always seems quite shallow to me. Often, you will hear some accomplished philosophers say that human beings do not have free will because God knows what we will do even before we do it. The simple fact that God is all-knowing and that he knows whichever choice we make means we are not free and are, therefore, not making any free choices as we would like to think. However, I believe this argument is irrelevant, and this is because of three things: knowing what happened, what happens, and what will happen does not necessarily equal to any interference; having a God who knows everything including our choices does not mean we are limited in the choices we make but that He knows what we wi ll choose in the future; God is also not limited to the past, present or the future and time is not in any way part of His being or nature. Free will is often defined as man’s innate ability to make equal or unrestricted choices. God knows all our choices, and this includes the ones we made, ones we are making, and the ones we will make. However, Him knowing these things is not equivalent to Him preventing or allowing some to happen. Every human being has an infinite number of options at every turn, but everyone always chooses among the ones he/she is familiar with. Unless in countries where dictatorship exists, my choice of an option is never restricted, but I always choose from a pool of options that I know of. However, the consequences or results are never affected, restricted or even impacted by God knowing the choice I will make. Him knowing never affects me. Additionally, God knowing also does not mean my choices are limited but that He knew beforehand what I would be up to today. God knew I would write this article, but I had the option of refusing to write it or even delegating it to someone else. My other options are still intact, and I am the one who decided to write the paper and Him knowing had nothing to do with the decision I made. My natural ability to choose or to make a choice is not affected and remains intact. I can choose to leave this article here and ask a friend to finish it for me. However, I am making a conscious choice to continue writing it. God knowing that I will write it or give it to a friend to finish has nothing to do with the choice I will make. Finally, a majority of the people with this notion believe that time is part of God’s nature or being. However, if the future like the present exists for God, then God is not part or does not exist in man’s time realm. Additionally, it means God is not restricted to the past, present, or the future. His being is everywhere hence our future choices are known to Him like our present choices are. Additionally, this only means that He knows what we, in our freedom, will choose come the time to make certain choices. This, however, does not take away our free will or our freedom to act or think as freely as we might like.

Analysis of the movie The Help Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Analysis of the movie The Help - Essay Example She uses their experiences in writing a book that highlights the struggles of the civil rights era. The book is from the view of the two house helps. It exposes the racism that they encounter in their daily working life. The book covers the existing relationships between the white employers, and their black house helps. This is especially considering that the black maids raise the children of their white employers. These children tend to have prejudiced attitudes towards their parents when they become adults. The daily interactions between the maids and their white employers reveal the various intercultural communication concepts and behavior between two different races with different cultural backgrounds. Institutional Collectivism is the first concept that is evident in the film. It is an intercultural concept in which the practices or the norms of a particular culture encourage and reward collective action (Jandt 201). Cultures with institutional collectivism have certain characteristics. Such a culture, for example, has its members assuming and believing that they are highly interdependent within the social organization. Group loyalty is highly encouraged even if it is against the pursuit of individual goals. The concept of Institutional Collectivism tends to maximize the interests of the social grouping and the collective as a whole. The concept allows for organizational collaboration and cooperation in achieving collective goals. The concept is seen in the film because they are certain groups advocating for the cooperation and collaboration of social groupings. They advocate for the achievement of social and economic gains of the group. For example, the white women led by Hilly hold regular meetings in which their collective interests are discussed. Moreover, they plan how to accomplish and achieve their interest. This group is known as the Bridge Club. During one of their regular

Sustainable development practices in civil engineering projects Essay

Sustainable development practices in civil engineering projects - Essay Example Therefore, civil engineers should play a very big role in sustainability since they are responsible for designing and building structures that support the society’s daily lives. [2] Sustainable Development In any professional career, there are a set of code of ethics that guide the practices in that field and thus must always be followed. Almost all countries in the world have these set of ethics and relevant bodies that ensure they are followed. For instance, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Code of Ethics in the USA defines how Civil Engineers should be practice professionally. Sustainable development is the pillar of any engineering practice since if it is followed strictly, then other ethical practices will immediately fall in to place. [1] Sustainability can be defined as a way of using a resource in way that it is not depleted permanently. In construction, it can also be referred to as green construction since it is concerned with socio-economic and environ mental impact of creating structures that can be reused. Therefore to ensure sustainability, contractors and engineers are required to design and build structures that will not cause long-term damage to the environment. Sustainable structures are supposed to energy efficient, ensure health safety of people living in around it and also reduced pollution and waste release. [1] Sustainable Development Practices Civil Engineers play a very important role in sustainable development. A civil engineering project will require the incorporation of a various professionals from various disciplines i.e. geologists, biologists, surrounding community and agencies concerned with the enforcement of the code of ethics. All these groups have interest in the project and are supposed to ensure that the project meets all the sustainability practices and also ensure their interests are not put at risk. It is the responsibility of a civil engineer to combine all the interested disciplines and parties in o rder to produce a design and build a structure that meets the goals of the client. [5] For instance, if a new building structure is to be built in an area that was initially used for crop farming, the surrounding area must be able to continue support crop farming even after the completion of the project. Also, if the area is surrounded by a major water body and is used for recreation, these water body need not to be polluted and recreation has to continue after completion of the project. This therefore requires aspect of sustainability practice. A civil engineer will have the responsibility of determining if the characteristics of the soil, layout of the facility, the drainage of the site and the past usage of the land will support the characteristics of the new facility. The engineer will also determine if the available modes of transport system to the facility are adequate, come up with a design that will take into consideration both the aquatic habitat, flora and fauna and design the structure in a way that it has minimal environmental impact to the people living in the surrounding. The design of this facility should also meet the set code of ethics standard. Therefore for such a successful evaluation, an engineer must have an understanding and knowledge of these multiple disciplines and this is brought out by the concept of sustainable devel

Andragogy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Andragogy - Research Paper Example Just as importantly, defining what makes an individual an adult has meaning when determining how they will perform when trying to learn. The seven steps to creating a learning planning for adults is called the progress model which means that solving problems is the focus of how learning is accomplished. The following paper will examine the assumptions that define andragogy and the meaning behind them as they support adult learning and the differences between adult and child level learning capacities. Andragogy The origins of andragogy can be traced back to a German educator in 1833 who used the term to define adult education from child education. Alexander Kapp created the term which specifically means man-leading, which is in contrast to the term pedagogy which means child-leading. In the 20th century American education theorists defined three different types of adult learning. The first is andragogy, the second is self directed learning, with the third being transformative. Andrago gy is used as a description of adult learning as a concept in which the learner is motivated by a series of assumptions that end with the learner developing solution to problems in order to learn in the context that an adult learns best (Melik & Melik, 2010, p. 108). Defining andragogy is a bit difficult as it has been presented through a variety of different ideas and is therefore not quite a firm theory through which to filter ideas. Andragogy was originally presented with three assumptions. Some criticisms of the ideas behind andragogy is that it is focused on the individual and not a critical evaluation of the social perspective on adult learning. The concept of andragogy has been correctly criticized for not informing the social perspective, but Knowles suggests that it does not have to promote the social perspective in order to have value in developing a structure of ideas about adult learning. One of the main proponents of andragogy as a theory of learning for adults is Malco lm Knowles. Knowles introduced the idea in the 1970s in response to the fact that most theory on learning was focused on children (Utley, 2011, p. 32). He broke down the assumptions about the motivation for adult learning it six basic concepts. The following is a list of those concepts: 1. Adults need to know the reason for learning something (Need to Know) 2. Experience (including error) provides the basis for learning activities (Foundation). 3. Adults need to be responsible for their decisions on education; involvement in the planning and evaluation of their instruction (Self-concept). 4. Adults are most interested in learning subjects having immediate relevance to their work and/or personal lives (Readiness). 5. Adult learning is problem-centered rather than content-oriented (Orientation). 6. Adults respond better to internal versus external motivators (Motivation) (Pierson, 2011, p. 182). These six principles outline the motivations that adults need in order to create a meaning ful learning experience. The development of andragogy was through recognition that adults learn very differently than children. This type of learning is problem solving oriented rather than based upon the idea of content based learning as is more often the situation with children. Andragogy begins with the notion that adulthood comes through a psychosocial perspective rather than through â€Å"a specific biological, social, legal, or chronological age group (Utley, 2011, p.

Antenna Systems For Radar Applications Information Technology Essay

Antenna Systems For Radar Applications Information Technology Essay The project will examine a variety of beam forming techniques which can be used in order to make radar electronic beam steering feasible. Commonly used mechanical rotating antennas for a 360 degrees views coverage are difficult to operate and expensive to implement. Thus, electronic beam forming is an attractive solution. This report is mostly interested in radar applications performing in 24 GHz frequencies, which can be used by car industries, in order to avoid obstacles on the road, for example, or security radars, covering 360 degrees views. Radar 2.1. Radar Definition Radar means radio detection and ranging, determining thus the original and still significant application of radar. The main reason for using radar is to estimate certain characteristics, such as the position, motion and presence of the specific surroundings in which the user is interested. Radar is actually a sensor which transmits electromagnetic energy into the surroundings and detects energy which is reflected by objects. If a directive antenna transmits electromagnetic energy through a narrow beam it is easy to predict the bearing of an object because of the energy reflected of it. The time needed for the transmission and reception of the energy represents the distance between the radar and the object. [21] Kinds of Radar There is a great variety of radars. Some radars provide navigation aid and safety on small boats and their size might be less than 15cm. Others are widely used by the police in order to measure the speed of the vehicles. Moreover, there are some radars so large as to cover many kilometers of land, long arrays of antennas and they all work together in order to supervise the flight of astronomical bodies or space vehicles. In addition, there are many radars at airport, with a more common size and rotating antennas. Finally, there are several radars, more complex, for mobile use. [21] Radars can be classified in many categories. As much as the waveforms are concerned, radars can be classified in 2 categories, they can be either Continuous Wave (CW) or Pulsed Radars (PR). CW radars use different antennas for transmission and receiving, and they emit electromagnetic energy continuously. Unmodulated CW radars precisely determine the target radial velocity and angular position, while information about the target range have to use some form of modulation in order to be gathered. In order to search and track target velocity, primarily unmodulated CW radars are used. Pulse Radars (PR) use a series of pulsed waveforms, mostly with modulation and can be separated based on the Pulse Repetition Frequency (PRF) in 3 categories, high, medium and low PRF radars. CW and PR radars are both able to determine target range and velocity by using different forms of modulation. [23] Continuous Wave Radar (CW) CW radar sets continuously transmit a high-frequency signal. Then, the received signal is permanently processed. In such a system, two problems have to be solved: avoid a direct connection between the transmitted and received energy (feedback connection), conduct the received echoes into a time system capable of doing run time measurements. A feedback connection can be prevented by: spatial separation   between the transmitting and receiving antenna frequency dependent separation  by the  Doppler-frequency  during the measurement of speeds. [4] Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave Radar (FMCW) CW radars are not capable of measuring distance, because the timing mark necessary lacks, preventing thus the system to time precisely the transmit and receive cycle and exchange the measured round-trip-time into range. This problem can be solved by using phase or frequency shifting techniques. As far as the frequency shifting method is concerned, a signal is used, which continuously changes in frequency around a specific reference, in order to identify stationary objects and measure the range. In order to achieve an up-and-down or a sawtooth-like alternation in frequency, Frequency-Modulated  Continuous  Wave radars (FMCW) are used, changing the frequency in a linear fashion. By constantly changing the frequency, there will be a difference between the frequency of the echo signal and the one transmitted. Thus, the difference  transmitters frequency shift will be relative to round trip time  and so the range  of the target too. The frequencies can be examined, when a reflec tion is received, and by comparing the received echo with the actual step of transmitted frequency, a range calculation like using pulses can be done. Consequently, the range of the stationary objective is given by comparing the transmitted and received frequencies. It is difficult to make a broadcaster able to send out random frequencies cleanly, and as an alternative, this frequency-modulated continuous-wave radar, use an easily changeable ramp of frequencies up and down. If the frequency modification is linearly over a broad area, by making a comparison among frequencies within this region, the distance can be easily determined. It is possible to measure only the complete value of the difference and thus, the results with increasing frequency modification signify a decreasing frequency change at a static scenario. [4] Characteristics e of FMCW radar: measuring the distance is potential by comparing the definite frequency of the received signal to a given reference (regularly direct the transmitted signal) the time required for transmitting a signal as longer than the duration of the measurement of the installed maximum range of the radar [4] By selecting the appropriate frequency deviation per time unit, the radar resolution can be different, and choosing the frequency shift duration, the maximum range can be varied. For instance, if the linear frequency of radar increases over 1  ms duration, the time-limited maximum range might be 150  km. If the maximum frequency deviation is 65 MHz, then stay about 433 Hz per meter for the filter for analysis. It is important that the amount of frequency modulation is considerably greater than the estimated Doppler shift otherwise, the outcome will be affected. The most common and easy way to modulate the wave is by linearly increasing the frequency. In this way, the transmitted frequency will change at a continuous rate. If a single antenna is used, a ferrite circulator has to separate the transmit and receive. However, using to different antennas, one for transmission and one for reception, is easier and cheaper to perform. On a ordinary substrate transmitting and receiving ant enna are placed exactly above each other as an antenna array. The direction of the linear  polarization  is rotated against each other by 180  degrees. An extra shielding plate reduced a direct cross talk (i.e. a direct coupling of both antennas) usually. From this direct coupling, arises a signal, which is suppressed due to the same frequency, since the measurement is performed to as a frequency difference between transmit and receive signal. [4] Radar Beamforming In order to create a beam with the appropriate and desired characteristics, radar beamforming, which combines signals from a set of sources, is essential. As much as an RF antenna system is concerned, each source may be a single array element or a subarray. A steerable beam is able to control the combination process electronically. Moreover, it can be replicated so as to create various independent beams, limited by hardware difficulty, complication and losses. [22] 3.1. Analog Beamforming A feed system is a network used in order to connect the antenna input to its radiators. The main reason for using such a system is to transmit power to the elements or collect signal from them. (transmit mode, or receive mode). While being on transmit or receiving mode, the required phase and amplitude excitations needed for the radiation performance must be maintained. The feed network is able to scan the beam, select among different antenna beam shapes and communicate with active sectors, by containing several switches and other devices, appropriate to execute such processes. Moreover, the feed network may contain amplifiers and other active devices. There are also many new developments, such as Switch matrix systems, Butler matrix feed systems and Vector transfer matrix systems, but the most significant are the RF lens feed systems. [1] 3.1.1. RF Lens One of the biggest problems when using a transmission line feed network is that amount of losses. Therefore, systems which are based on RF/optical principles are preferred. There is a large variety of RF Lens and many RF/optical feed systems also incorporate different types of beam scanning functions. RF refractive lenses are similar to their classical optical counterparts, which function by using the refraction amongst different materials. When using constrained lenses, the waves are forced to follow some specific paths, like in a geodesic lens. Another type of lens is the bootlace lens which in which the signals between the input surface and the output surface are routed on transmission lines. Occasionally, a conformal array feed uses different combinations of lens types, or lenses and matrices. Small array antenna elements are used by an RF lens as input/output probes that couple to the lens region. These probes exist in an array environment which is characterized by reflections a nd mutual coupling and the associated design problems. In particular in circular lens designs, there can also be standing waves caused by reflections from the opposite side of the lens. Another problem is the variation of the element phase center with frequency. [1] Rotman Lens A Rotman lens is a parallel-plate structure used as the beam forming network (BFN) for a linear array of radiating antenna elements. It is easy to form a beam forming network suitable for use with a planar array, by stacking numerous lenses. Rotman lenses are preferred because of the advantages that they offer, such as ease of manufacture, light weight, low cost, monolithic construction and availability of many beams at the same time. Rotman lens is capable of extremely wide-band operation, because it is a true time-delay device which produces frequency-independent beam steering. Because of these characteristic, Rotman lens is a possible candidate for use in multi-beam satellite-based applications. [2] The electrical area that a Rotman lens occupies is very large (usually hundreds of square wavelengths) and because of this, an entirely precise analysis is not possible. The planar circuit approximation applies to structures which are electrically thin in one dimension, like parallel-plate lenses. The effort required for their analysis is reduced to that of solving a (line) integral equation for the relationship between the RF voltage and current at the periphery of the structure. [2] The R-2R Lens The R-2R lens feed (Figure 1) has feed ports on the perimeter of a parallel-plate lens with radius R, in order to illuminate the output ports on the opposite side of the lens. These output ports are linked to the element ports on the 2R radius circular array with cables of equal length. The number of feeding ports is half the number of element ports. This type of arrangement allows all feed points to be ideally focused, resulting in a plane-phase front. In order to scan the antenna beam at angle ÃŽÂ ¦, the feed point has to be moved an angle 2ÃŽÂ ¦. One illumination taper can be achieved, by combining three to four adjacent feed ports, resulting in lowered sidelobes. [1] Figure1: The R-2R lens feed system [1] It is essential to add several switches on the lens ports, in order to scan the beam. One has to be allowed to use numerous beam ports at the same time in order to achieve a multiple beam generation. This problem could be solved by using half the lens for beam ports and connect the other half to a 90 ° arc array. R-2R lens are considered to be a special case of the Rotman lens, which is typically used for linear array feeds. Furthermore, for circular arcs up to 90 °, the Rotman lens can be used. Actually, the curvature does not have to be circular, as the design in general, curvature of lens input and output lines, cable lengths, and so on can be optimized together with the array shape. It is possible to achieve ideal focusing in the Rotman lens only for three beam directions. [1] The R-kR Lens The R-kR lens feed system has as much ports on the lens as there are radiators on the circular array. In order to cover 360 ° views, the lens ports have to be used more than once, both as feeding points and for connecting to the radiating elements. In order to achieve this, switches are used, circulators (Figure 2), or two lenses at the same time. The radiators placed on radius R are connected by cables of the same length to the ports of the circular lens with radius kR. When k is about 1.9, a planar phase front for rays within a sector of about 120 ° is obtained. This shows that the lens is nearly two times the size of the circular array, thus, it cant fit inside the circular array if it is not filled with a dielectric with permittivity more than 4. If broadband radiators are used, the R-kR lens-fed circular array can be very broadband. The bandwidth could be limited by using switches or circulators. The phase center of the radiators is a design parameter of critical importance and must be located on the design radius R. [1] Figure 2: The R-kR lens, here with circulators. [1] In order to limit the focusing performance, several types of element have a phase center which is able to change position with frequency. [1] Mode-Controlled Lenses A radial transmission line which forms a circular parallel-plate lens is possible to act like a circular array feed. If it is excited by several probes placed close to the center, the modes generated will direct the energy toward a part of the lens periphery. Therefore, by controlling the modes using phase shifters or a hybrid network connected to the input probes commutates the excitation. Then it is easy to connect these pick-up probes to the radiating elements, via additional phase shifters if needed. [1] Luneburg lenses In order to achieve wide angle scanning, the Luneburg lens, is the appropriate and desired device. As far as land mobile operations are concerned, an antenna able to scan in a two-dimensional (2D) plane is required, particularly if the scan angle is large. The Luneburg Lenses are used in order to provide single or multiple mechanically scanned beams, at microwave frequencies. Nevertheless, because of the advent of phased arrays the lenses are now usually used for radar applications as a wide angle passive reflector. This is why nowadays there are appropriate lens configurations which can be established by permitting the inclusion of controllable dielectric material into a Luneburg Lens so as to make the lens suitable for electronic scanning at 24 Ghz. [1] Digital Beamforming When performing beamforming in the digital area, it is called digital beamforming. The realization can demand huge volumes of digital information to be processed at extremely high rates, but current improvements in processing hardware have made Digital Beamforming a useful alternative to RF combining in many ways. Moreover, it has allowed the formation of systems which were not practical with legacy technologies. Below are presented the benefits of Digital Beamforming. [22] Simplicity of hardware If the RF and analog hardware becomes a minimal device, collecting data, it would be an ideal case. Then, all the difficult and complicated process of the signal is done in firmware, which is a more flexible and gainful way of processing comparing to RF plumbing. In addition, it is possible that the overall size of the system, as long as its weight, will be reduced a lot, and this is particularly significant in airborne systems. [22 Replication Digital beamforming is the best option when many independent beams are needed. By using digital beamforming, it is easy to form each beam completely digitally, without any analog or RF hardware further required. The quantity of beams like these is then partially limited by power, speed and synchronization of the processing elements, which become even more cost-effective and flexible each year. [22] Scanning and Tracking It is not possible to steer electronically each beam (e.g., to track a moving source). However, by using the precisely same stream of digital samples from each antenna element, it is potential to turn each independent beam to a different source. Thus, it is easy to reduce extremely difficult receiver scenarios to firmware buildings blocks which are now usual. [22] Flexibility These digital systems can be adapted without any difficulty to varying requirements, such as multipath combination, application bandwidth, tracking requirements or interference rejection. A SMOP (Simple Matter of Programming) is able to perform numerous adaptations. [22] Radar An array antenna which is a low Cost Transmit/Receive one provides agile beams to track multiple targets at the same time. [22] Anything that can be done by using an analog beam forming can easily be done digitally too. Choosing to do everything digitally might lead to several difficulties because of the extreme requirements on data transmission, storage, and signal processing. However, nowadays such problems are easily solved because of the rapid growth of computer power, either software or hardware. When using an analog reception beam forming, the element signals are combined with weights determined by feed networks and/or phase and amplitude controlled receiver modules. In digital computer, it is possible to do the same operations on the element signals just by converting analog signals to digital ones. Thus, the formation of many receive beams can take place at the same time, without feed losses, which are common when using analog systems. Moreover, the element modules in the digital systems have low noise amplifiers (LNA) preceding the analog-to-digital conversion. A lossless beam forming is created as t he LNAs set the signal-to noise ratio, so that it is not affected by transmission losses. The advantages of a digital beam forming in this case are not so obvious. After the transmission of the beam, it is not possible to change the beam shape or to perform any other signal processing. Nevertheless, digital synthesis of the transmitted waveform on the element level combined with DBF on reception can offer remarkable system capabilities in terms of, for example, LPI (low probability of intercept) radar with jamming resistance. A wide transmission beam illuminating the area of interest and multiple, narrow, digitally formed receive beams has also been suggested for LPI systems-ubiquitous radar and OLPI radar (Omnidirectional LPI). There are many aspects which can best be performed digitally, such as the need for amplitude and phase control, polarization control, switching of the active sector, compensating for element patterns in the beam steering algorithms and calibration. A DBF ant enna system has a combination of numerous subsystems and components. Receiver channel imbalance, , A/D converter offset errors, amplitude and phase errors and frequency dependent errors are some of the possible imperfections in these subsystems and component which can influence the performance of the overall system. The type and requirements of each processing used influence the importance of such imperfections. Usually, array calibration and special error correction schemes are included in the antenna system design. [1] 3.3. Beamforming Transmitter Architectures Several beamforming transmitter architectures exist, suitable for integrated circuit implementation as well as many well-known topologies for separate implementations of phased array transmitters. The goal is topologies appropriate for performance in consumer products at 24 GHz. Electrical beamforming is achievable if the phase of the signal to each antenna element in the array is separately set. Moreover, a larger number of patterns can be achieved and the sidelobe level can be reduced compared to uniform power distribution if the power to each antenna element is set individually. [3] 3.3.1. Baseband Phase Shifting In the baseband phase shifting architecture the phases and amplitudes of the signals are created in the digital baseband. The phase control is very accurate, but the architecture demands an entire signal path between the baseband and the antenna for each element (Figure 3). Also, the architecture can be called digital array, because the beamforming is being performed in the digital domain. Such an architecture lead in a large hardware cost and power spending because there are many signal paths, but also in big flexibility. As a result, this architecture is perhaps very complex for radar at 24 GHz. In order to transmit individual information in various directions, in MIMO systems (multiple input multiple output), the flexibility of the architecture with parallel paths is available too. [3] Figure 3: Transmitter architecture for baseband phase shifting [3] 3.3.2 Local Oscillator Phase Shifting Phase shifting can occur in the LO path as well (Figure 4) Moreover, it is likely to use phase shifters in the signal path, at IF or RF. Whether performing the phase shift at LO or RF or place them at different places, the same amount of hardware is achievable. If they are placed in the LO path, amplitude variation among dissimilar phase settings is less significant if the mixers are driven hard. In this way, amplitude variation in the LO path will not influence the signal path a lot. Thus, it is easier to implement the phase shift in the LO path. [3] Figure 4: Transmitter architecture for phase shifting in the local oscillator path, polar modulation [3] 3.3.3. Offset Local Oscillator Phase Shifting If the power amplifier and local oscillator are used at the same frequency, injection pulling is possible to occur. It might not be easy to accomplish a sufficient isolation so as to avoid the corruption of the oscillator signal by the PA. To moderate this on an architectural level, offset LO phase shifting may be used as shown in Figure 5. Beamforming transmitters have applications like radar (24 GHz and 77 GHz) and WLAN (60 GHz) which are placed at high frequencies. It is valuable to use the lowest frequencies possible on the chip, and multiply the frequency close to the PA. A reduced VCO frequency makes allows a wider tuning range, and the increasing MOS varactor quality factor. [3] Figure 5: Offset local oscillator phase shifting for beamforming transmitter [3] 3.3.4. Ring Oscillator Based Phase Shifting A ring oscillator which has a tunable phase shift among the oscillating elements is used in such architecture (Figure 6). The tuned oscillators in the ring are separately detuned from their center frequency. The LC-loads is capable of sustaining up to +-90 degrees phase shift. It is important that the phase shift around the ring is constantly equal to 360 degrees, or a multiple thereof. The phase shift among consecutive elements is zero degrees if each oscillating element is non-inverting, and no excess phase shift is introduced in the loop. By putting an excess phase shift of KÃŽÂ ´ degrees it will have as a result a phase shift of ÃŽÂ ´ degrees in each of the equal K oscillators in the loop. [3] Figure 6: Transmitter architecture for variable phase ring oscillator in a phase locked loop [3] 3.3.5. Radio Frequency Phase Shifting The phase shifting which is the most hardware efficient, including numeral building blocks, is to carry it out just before the power amplifier. The power amplifiers are the only circuit components that have to be duplicated (Figure 7). The disadvantage is that the phase shifting is being performed at the highest frequency and signal level in the system. When an envelope modulation scheme is used, the linearity of the phase shifters may be a problem while noise is not as significant when the power level is high. It might be useful to implement the phase shifters at the highest frequency. If transmission lines are used as separate phase shifters, they become shorter with frequency. This is an ordinary architecture in radar systems. Several fixed phase shifts are in that case implemented and switches controlled by selection logic determine the phase shift. Certainly, the transmission lines are linear and thus, these phase shifters can easily be used in envelope modulated systems. Moreover, the delay is stable over a wide bandwidth. A set of fixed phase shifts is then implemented and switches controlled by a selection logic choses the phase shift. Of course the transmission lines are linear so these phase shifters can very well be used in envelope modulated systems. Another advantage is that the delay is constant over a wide bandwidth. [3] Figure 7: Transmitter architecture for phase shifting in the radio frequency path. [3] Applications for 24GHz Radar Sensors Modular 24 GHz Radar Sensor for Digital Beamforming on Transmit and Receive In order to increase the angular resolution, numerous switched transmitters are preferred, as they need less hardware effort. The FMCW radar sensor is the best solution, providing up to eight transmitters, switchable ones, and eight receiving channels which provide parallel receiving, and they all allow digital beadforming. An innovative switching technique via switchable amplifiers is preferred. [5] Four Channel 24-GHz FMCW Radar Sensor with Two-Dimensional Target Localization Capabilities Results on the angular measurements are improved when using an FMCW radar sensor, compared to standard beamforming methods, as far as the target localization is concerned. Furthermore, the determination of other characteristics required will be allowed, such as the range or velocity. [6] . 24-GHz Automotive Radar Transmitter with Digital Beam Steering in 130-nm CMOS (Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) Many Pas are connected to different antenna elements so as to control the steering of the beam. The output phases of the PAs are controlled separately through 360 degrees by binary weighting of quadrature phases. The circuit has 18 PAs,and each one of them delivers 0 dBm to the antenna, ensuring an output power of 13 dBm. The antenna array, which is constituted of 18 elements, will be 11 cm at 24 GHz and will have 12 dB directivity and a half power beam width of 5 degrees. [7] Design and Performance of a 24-GHz Switch-Antenna Array FMCW Radar System One transmitter, one transmitting antenna, four receiving antennas, one receiving channel and an SP4T switch (single-pole four-throw) are the elements which compose a 24-GHz FMCW radar system. In order to increase the inter-connection loss and create a compact whole size, radio-frequency (RF) and intermediate-frequency (IF) circuits are integrated in the antennas. The receiving antennas are sporadically switched to the receiving channel. Beamforming methods are used in order to evaluate the performance of such a developed system, by estimating the angle, velocity and range. [8] Imaging Radar Sensor Front-End with a Large Transmit Array Automotive applications need medium range imaging radars, such as the 24 GHz imaging radar front-end. In this radar, a large switched transmit antenna array is combined with a coherent FM-CW architecture. It permits two dimensional electronic scanning in range and cross range with excellent crass range resolution over a wide angle of new using very low EIRP. The advantage of using such radar is that it requires just a small number of active millimeter wave components. [9] Novel Photonic Rotman-Lens Design for Radar Phased Array Antennas A new microwave photonic implementation of a Rotman-lens is proposed in this project, providing superior performance and functionality. The scanning unit presented is an optical element, where photo-detectors attached to the transmitting/receiving antennas are the interfaces, doing conversions among the RF signals and their particular optical waves. Actually, the optical module is a photonic Rotman lens, designed like its RF complement. Despite the advance of practicing the solution in a photonic module, the recommended photonic Rotman lens superior design is able to realise a linear phase profile with a varied slope at the output of the lens for any potential spot at the input to the lens. This is contrary to what is presently accessible with the usual RF Rotman lens, where output phase front linearity is achieved for a small quantity of input spots. A better performance is achieved by increasing the curves of the photonic input and output surfaces of the lens, having an off-centere d elliptical profile, and not the typically used spherical curvatures. [10] Virtual Antenna Beamforming (VAB) for Radar Systems by Using Orthogonal Coding Waveforms An original way of creating virtual transmitting and receiving radar antenna beams at the same time is to use orthogonal coding waveforms from the antenna elements and deal out digitally their echoes at the receiver. Many virtual transmitting-receiving radar antenna beams can be produced at the same time by using the same quantity of beamforming filters with no any increase on the transmitted power or antenna gain or resolution loss. Both virtually formed antenna beams and common phased arrays of equal size are able to achieve the same antenna gains and spatial resolutions. Since the antenna radiation pattern can be completed almost isotropic, the original system has low probability of intercept (LPI) property. While the transmitting and receiving beams are both virtually implemented through digital filtering, expensive radiation phase shift used in phased arrays is unnecessary for beam scanning in this actual system. [11] Compact Two-Layer Rotman Lens-Fed Microstrip Antenna Array at 24 GHz A new way of realizing a compact Rotman lens-fed antenna array is presented in this paper. The lens-fed antenna has the construction of two layers, which is an original option of reducing the Rotman lens size. This is performed at 24 GHz approaching automotive sensing radar. The lens has a metal layer on the top, a dielectric, a regular ground, a dielectric, and a metal layer on the bottom, in sequential order. The antennas are put on the top layer, while the layout of the lens body is positioned on the bottom layer. They are both connected electrically via slot transitions. This structure, composed of two layers, offers many advantages, because it reduces the entire size of the lens, as well as the total loss of the delay lines, as the lines can be as short and straight as possible. This two-layer Rotman lens-fed antenna array is evaluated in terms of scattering parameters and beam patterns. [12] Cylindrical arrays with electronic beam scanning In order to provide a continuously 360 degrees scan by the directional pattern of a cylindrical array using electronic means, there are several methods proposed. It is important that the circular aperture distribution related to the far-field directional pattern is subjected to rotation comparative to the fixed array. With the intention of synthesizing appropriate forms of directional pattern, there are various techniques describing the independent control of the amplitude and phase of the aperture distributio

College Entrance Essay: Moving to the US :: essays research papers

University of Washington Admissions Essay The challenging family situation I would like to share with you is our move from Korea to the United States. In 1989, my life was changed when my family immigrated to a new country, hoping for a better future. My life in Korea was hopeless, because I was a failing student with not much interest in school. I spent the majority of my time in Arcades, wasting my coins on video games. Rather than studying with my friends, as I had told my parents I would, I obsessed over the games. The only positive aspect to my life was my private computer programming lessons. Programming in Apple BASIC presented me with an opportunity to create my own world. One day, my parents told me that we were going to move to the United States of America, and I developed a strong feeling that my life soon would change forever. After spending eleven years in Korea, our family moved a totally different environment. This I knew would be my toughest challenge to date. As a fifth grader attending a new elementary school in a new country, I felt left out because of my inability to communicate. Some kids assumed that I did not understand them at all, so they made rude remarks about me. I understood them, maybe not completely, but I knew the intent of their messages. All that I had was my Apple II computer at which I just sat and programmed when I came home from school. At home, my parents pressured me to study all of the time, but I was frustrated and wanted to return to Korea. I wanted to go back and talk freely with my friends and play games with them. My parents often told me that they decided to move here because of the educational opportunities, yet I continued to rebel and refused to listen to what they said. Over time, my English improved. I moved on to regular sixth grade classes; some of which were challenging, but tolerable because of my teachers whom were willing to help. I always enjoyed class trips to the computer lab, where I would start programming on the computer. Other kids would start to gather around and treat me like a genius. Before long, I made more friends and found that I was enjoying school. Thoughts of going back to Korea faded, and my grades rose to a satisfactory level. This pleased my parents who now encouraged me to invite friends to dinner.

Franklin Roosevelt foreign policies from 1937 to 1941 Essay

â€Å"To a greater or lesser extent, three factors were involved in explaining U.S response to Japanese and German aggression, economics, national security, and democratic values,† these factors influenced Franklin Roosevelt foreign policies from 1937 to 1941. America’s Involvement in World War two not only contributed in the eventual downfall of Adolph Hitler, but also came at the precise time and moment. Had the United States entered the war any earlier the consequences might have been worse. The U.S. desired to avoid foreign entanglements of all kinds had been an American foreign policy for more a long time. The U.S. was under geographical isolation and it permitted the U.S. to fill up the empty lands of North America free from the threat of foreign conflict. As stated in Document D, that â€Å"the American people cannot put their faith in me without recording my conviction that some form of selective service is the only democratic way in which to secure the trained and competent manpower we need for national defense.† This explains how the American people need to face with in foreign nations. Also in Document H, shows that if the U.S. focuses on protecting the country, no foreign army will ever attempt to land on American shores. The health of the American economy could not be jeopardized and it was Roosevelt’s view that the United States would fare well whether Europe went to war or not. For most of the 1930 the United States traded as openly with Germany and Japan, as it did with any other country. Japan relied on fuel oil and iron until 1941. Germany was one of the United States most important markets during the 1930, American investments in Germany increased by forty per cent between 1936 and 1940. The chart from Document G shows the effect of WWII on the American industry and it shows an increase of profits and lower business failures. The real concern of American business was not the rights or wrongs of trading with fascism but the fear that commercial rivals such as Japan and Germany would exclude American goods from Europe and Asia altogether. Adolf Hitler, leading the Nazi Party, took power in Germany and eliminated its democratic government. Document C reveals that without democracy, the country will have no power to maintain the illusion of security, and shall have no business, but primitive self-defense. The Allies valued democracy because they are vitally concerned in the defense for freedom. Factors that influenced Franklin Roosevelt foreign policies are economics, national security, and democratic values. Roosevelt lead the United States every step of the way and he did a superb job in bringing America into war. If the principles of democracy mean anything at all, that is enough reason for the U.S. to stay out of the war. One of the reasons given was that unless America was directly threatened they had no reason to be involved. This reason was a valid one because it was the American policy to stay neutral in any affairs not having to with them unless American soil was threatened directly. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II Documents American Pageant Book

How Tests Affect the Student Essay Example

How Tests Affect the Student Essay Example How Tests Affect the Student Essay How Tests Affect the Student Essay Essay Topic: 8th Grade 9th Grade Students all over the nation are experiencing delays to learning. Whether children are poor or In low class families, have low school funding, are being discriminated against because of their standardized test scores, or are being tracked throughout their entire school career, they are not getting the best education they possibly can. A lot of schools are having difficulty with the No Child Left Behind law because it forces students who have learning disabilities and English as a second language students to take standardized tests. Not only is this not fair to the learning sizable students and students who dont primarily speak English, but this will also drop schools test scores. In order for all students to get the best school experience they possibly can, standardized test scores should not count nearly as much as they do, and no matter what is different about each individual child, he or she should never be discriminated against in the classroom. Lower class students should have Just as good of an education as middle to upper class students. However, this is not always the case. Lower class students are sometimes made to feel Like theyre stupid because the teachers or school itself isnt put enough attention on those students. If a difficult topic Is being taught In class, teachers are more likely to call on the upper to middle class students so they dont have to correct the answer of a wrong child because the teachers feel like the child doesnt care, when in reality its because the teachers are not teaching the children well. The background off child should not influence the way they are taught or what theyre learning. In America, the rich keep getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. Not only is this bad for our country, Its damaging the education process for the poor. Per class students always get the best education because theyre offered more advanced classes and a bigger variety of classes to take. As said by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities (2013), No matter how you slice it, when it comes to income and wealth in America the rich get most of the pie and the rest get the leftovers. I always wonder why America works like this. Why does all of the money go to the rich even though they already have money? I think It should go to the lower class citizens who have multiple jobs and are soul In a great amount of debt and others who are In animal situations. If the government wants to get out of the recession were in, they have to help out the lower, and middle, class instead of continuing to hurt them. However, even though America is in a horrible recession right now, it should not affect children going to school. If teachers are interested in their students, it shouldnt matter if theyre black or white, or rich or poor. Teachers should give every Individual student the attention they need when learning to do new things. Not every case is the teachers fault though; children could be coming to school hungry, Hereford they wont be paying too much attention on the learning. Also, if the school itself is very poor they might not have all of the materials needed to give students a great education. Lower class students always seem to be the children that get picked on more often, too. Even in the classroom, I couldnt get away from the sting of high- school poverty In History when we learned about the Great Depression and the Dust nickname. (Sapp, 2009) Children who are going through hunger and bullying constantly at school most likely dont care about learning at school, they have other wings on their mind. But teachers always need to step in and try to help them anyways. Theres a reason the child is at school and it is to learn. The schools in our country are not getting the proper funding that they should be getting. Back when I was in high school, I was constantly seeing my school beg the residents in our community for more funding for schools. However, the bill always got declined because no one wanted to pay the extra taxes; therefore we had to have things cut out of our curriculum like some arts and music classes. We also ran out of white paper and were sometimes given assignments on colored paper or scrap paper. No one was thinking about the students needs and desires only what was coming out of their pocket. And if it was happening to the high school students, it was also happening to the younger students who need art and music classes a lot more than teenagers. The people of America need to stop thinking about only themselves and think of the children. One day those children will grow up to run the United States and without the proper education, how will our country prosper? In America, schools are not funded equally. The upper class schools get high-tech equipment such as computers and digital cameras for a filming class while some other schools can barely give out paper. Kara states our schools dont get enough money, and the money they do get is not distributed fairly. (2007) I agree with Kara because Eve seen this first hand. I did not grow up in a poor town, it was middle to upper class families and we were constantly hearing the words budget cuts. School funding in America is not equitable at all. If it was equitable, every child would have the same education and be able to do amazing things. The children growing up in lower class communities do not nearly have as much opportunity as the children growing up in upper class communities because theyre not given as many subjects to take and things to find an interest in. The Unit ed States needs to find a way to make the education system across the country equitable and fair because every child should have the chance to grow and make themselves whoever they want to be. Growing up I dreaded standardized tests. Tests make me very nervous and I find myself to do poorly even on multiple choice tests because I would over analyze everything in the question. Standardized tests made this fear of tests sky rocket for me and many other students. My worst subject in school is math, so of course on math tests I was anxious. When I took the Stats and got to the math portion of the exam, I could barely pay attention. I was constantly thinking about how every answer was going to affect me in the long run and could possibly ruin my chances of getting into a good college. I had to take the Stats twice because my first score was not nearly good enough. Standardized test scores should not count nearly as much as hey do. With standardized test scores being one of the determining factors of college and moving up by grade, students abilities in other academic and creative areas are being destroyed. Not only do standardized tests make students nervous, they are Judging the students differently based on color and class. Meier says across age groups, standardized tests discriminate against low-income students and students of theyre automatically going to do worse than the student who is white and middle or upper class. Theres absolutely no sense in that at all. Every child has the potential o do amazing things and standardized tests only discourage students who dont do as well on them; especially black, lower class students. If these students know that their tests scores are lower because of the way their familys income is or because of the color of their skin, it would make them not want to do as well in school. Why would they? It doesnt matter if they get every single answer right because they have points off for being black and poor. Meier also makes a great point by saying two false assumptions En is that standardized tests are a valid measure of excellence. The second is that standardized tests can be used to improve education, especially for low-income students and students of color. (Meier, 2007) These statements are clearly false because not every subject and other things learned in schools are on standardized tests. And if a black, low-income students test scores are lower than a white, h igh-income student, then how will standardized tests improve education? Standardized tests should not be a deciding factor for students education, and they absolutely do not improve education. Just about every student in the United States today is being tracked. Whether they have a little trouble with reading, completely cant comprehend a subject, or excel in every field of study, they are tracked. Tracking starts as early as 1st grade and follows the students until they graduate high school. When I was in elementary school, I was placed in a special class for reading. Although that class helped me tremendously, it ended up causing problems for me later in my education. When I was in 8th grade all the students got to take Spanish or French, except for the students who were chosen to take reading. I was good at reading by that point but I till had to take it and skip out a year on taking a language. If I was not placed in the reading class years ago, I probably would not have had to take the reading class in 8th grade. A number of studies have found that top-tracking classes spend more class time on learning activities and less on discipline, socializing, or class routines. (Sakes, 1994) I agree with this quote because when I was taking the reading class in 8th grade, it focused strictly on getting better at reading. There were no group activities or talking together in the class. But when I started taking Spanish n 9th grade, almost everything we worked on was with a partner or we shared answers and ideas out loud. Tracking throughout all of every students education careers hurts them more than helps them. Tracking occurs because some people in the country think that the top students need the best education to become leaders in our society. I dont believe theres anything wrong with students who have had trouble in the past, got help, and can now perform the tasks they couldnt do before. Those students can also be leaders of the country one day too, because they learned from their own mistakes. Tracking will keep a record of the student not doing well and hold it to them throughout their schooling, Just like me. Tracking should be taken out of the American schooling system because it really does not help students; it hurts the ones who are trying to better themselves. The United States education system needs to stop discriminating students who children of our country will get better only by learning from a teacher who truly cares and makes children want to succeed, not by throwing standardized tests at them or tracking them until the day they graduate high school. If America cared more about its growing children then we would have a better view on the future, instead Americans are not agreeing to raise school budgets and funding. With the way the education system is going in America, I hope standardized tests and tracking will come to an end soon, or Just not be as prominent, and that students of all colors and backgrounds will have the same opportunities to grow and be whatever they dream of. Kara, S. (2007). Money, Schools, and Justice. In Supplemental Readings. Meier, T. (2007). Why Standardized Tests are Bad.