Creativity in Education Essay

A school with creativity at the heart of the learning process will benefit by increasing the motivation of staff and pupils, says former head, Dave Weston. In this article and case study, he shows the way to more imaginative approaches to curriculum planning ‘Creativity is the defeat of habit by originality’ Arthur Koestler Many school leaders and teachers realise that is now time to take more control over the curriculum and to include a greater emphasis on creativity in the learning and teaching process. During the last five years, headteachers have developed the confidence to take innovative and imaginative approaches to curriculum planning and school organisation. This is due to some encouragement from central government in the light of recent perceived improvements in primary literacy and numeracy standards and to the realisation that a wider and more exciting curriculum can lead to greater levels of motivation for all pupils and staff. Creativity and innovation have now been legitimised by the DfES and primary schools are actively encouraged to develop creative ideas and actions: ‘promoting creativity is a powerful way of engaging pupils with their learning’ Excellence and Enjoyment DfES 2003 (page 31) What is creativity? Creativity is often associated with the ‘creative arts’ but in reality it is certainly not unique to the arts. It can be seen and identified in all aspects of the arts, humanities, sciences, maths and technology. The National Curriculum Handbook (1999) included creativity within the section on thinking skills. It stated that: ‘Creative thinking skills†¦ enable pupils to generate and extend ideas, to suggest hypotheses, to apply imagination and to look for alternative innovative outcomes. ’ Didn’t we always teach it? Creativity was taught in the 1970s and 1980s, often through topic-based projects, but there was a lack of accountability, detailed planning and thoroughness. Much of this perceived ‘creativity’ disappeared in the 1990s as it did not fit into a strategic box and schools thought that there was not time for it and that such an approach was not valued by central government. The difficulty in measuring the success of a creative approach to primary learning and teaching gave our education system many problems. As a result headteachers, under the pressures of Ofsted inspection and statistical league tables, became reluctant to take risks with the curriculum. However, more recently this situation has started to change, especially with the development of the creative partnership schemes. The Reggio Emilia approach The success of the Reggio Emilia approach to early years education has influenced theory and practice in the area of creativity in primary education. In schools in Reggio Emilia there is an innovative staffing structure with each early years centre having an ‘atelierista’ (a specially trained art teacher) who works closely with the classroom teachers. In Italy in the primary sector there is significant teacher autonomy with no national curriculum or associated achievement tests. In Reggio Emilia the teachers become skilled observers and they routinely divide responsibilities, so that one can systematically observe and record conversations between children while the other is teaching the class. Teachers from several schools sometimes work and learn together and this contributes to the culture of teachers as learners. The learning environment is crucial in the Reggio Emilia approach and classrooms often have courtyards, wall-sized windows and easy access to stimulating outdoor areas. Each classroom has large spaces for group activities and specially designed areas for pupils and staff to interact. Display areas are large and stimulating and reflect the creativity of the children. Teachers in early years settings in Reggio often refer to the learning environment as a ‘third teacher’ as most centres are small with just two classroom teachers. The curriculum is project-based and there are numerous opportunities for creative thinking and exploration. The teachers work on topics with small groups of pupils while the rest of the class work on self-selected activities. Projects are often open-ended and therefore curriculum planning is flexible and is sometimes teacher-directed and sometimes child-initiated. This philosophy is inspiring and can be partially transferred to the different framework of the British primary school. Whole-school approach to developing ‘creativity’ For school leaders the first step in developing a creative school is the fostering of a whole-school approach. Creativity is not an add-on and it cannot be imposed by the headteacher. There needs to be discussion, involvement and ownership. The debate should be based around some of the following points: †¢taking control of the curriculum by the school. †¢the creation of a school with creativity at the heart of the learning process †¢enhancing the motivation for staff and pupils †¢fostering the professional development of all the staff, both teaching and non-teaching †¢involving governors and parents in a whole-school approach to creativity and showing how this philosophy supports school improvement and high standards of achievement †¢getting the pupils involved in school issues (regarding the curriculum and the learning, perhaps through the school council). How does your school measure up? So how far has your school got in developing a creative approach to learning and teaching? Ask yourself: †¢Have you discussed the freedoms of developing a curriculum appropriate for your school? †¢Does your school development and improvement plan take account of creativity in learning and teaching styles? †¢Is creativity a part of your staff development programme? †¢Is the governing body committed to promoting creativity throughout the school? Is there a nominated governor involved in this approach? †¢How involved are the pupils in discussing the curriculum and in a creative approach to learning and teaching? †¢Does your school carefully plan visits to galleries and projects involving artists and craftspeople? †¢Are creative successes evaluated in the SEF? †¢Does your school celebrate and promote creativity to a wider audience? Celebrating creativity Creativity should be celebrated and the school should consider looking for outside accreditation through the ‘Artsmark’ scheme. Creative successes should be carefully evaluated, highlighted in the SEF and showcased to parents and the community. Staff should be empowered to design activities within the curriculum which are exciting, motivating and relevant to their  school and pupils. Once these seeds are sown, creativity will flourish. Case study: making our school a more creative environment At the primary school where I was headteacher, we recognised that the curriculum had become unbalanced and that we were spending too much of the ‘timetabled’ day on English and maths. Staff kept saying that too little time was being devoted to the arts and humanities. This imbalance was having an effect on the motivation of some pupils, especially in Years 5 and 6 and on the job satisfaction of the staff. Like every school, we were very anxious to maintain high standards in English and maths and to ensure that our KS2 SATs results were good. However, we decided that we were fairly secure in the core curriculum and that the time had come to reclaim the curriculum. Therefore we reviewed our whole-school curriculum plan and looked at all the ways we could make our school a more creative and exciting environment. The aspects of school life we reviewed were as follows: †¢encouraging a more flexible approach to the timetable †¢developing the school grounds to link in with the outdoor curriculum. We decided that the school grounds were under-used as a learning environment. Therefore each curriculum coordinator was given the opportunity to have a part of the grounds as an outdoor curriculum area to support ‘real learning’ in that area. Staff came up with lots of imaginative ideas such as: †¢Music – developing an outdoor music trail with differing instruments hanging from trees and fences. †¢Geography – developing an orienteering trail around the edge of the field. †¢Art – developing an outdoor sculpture area with a clay model from every pupil. †¢Languages – playground signs and rules in differing languages. †¢Science – developing an environmental area with a pond, seating in the shape of different animals and insects. †¢Design and technology – one of the most successful ‘creative’ projects was the development of a courtyard on the theme of ‘containers’. Each of our 11 classes chose a different type of container (Reception chose old wellington boots while Year 6 chose a large tractor tyre) and in the summer they were decorated and planted up. †¢Supporting the Foundation Stage curriculum with exciting outdoor areas and incorporating some of the Reggio Emilia approaches to early learning. The school decided it was important to give the early years staff the confidence to develop an exciting integrated curriculum based on the needs of young pupils rather than on the formalised curriculum. †¢Bringing in artists and craft workers to give pupils to work with adults with different skills. Each year we decided to bring artists into the school so every pupil had the opportunity to work with a ‘real’ artist at some time during their primary school career. This was an expensive approach but worthwhile as often the skills of the artists inspired school staff to try new ideas and therefore provided a professional development aspect to their work. †¢Celebrating the different languages in our school. As our school was very keen on teaching MFL to all the KS2 pupils we decided to celebrate all the languages of our school by designing a mural which showed pupils from all the countries involved saying hello in their home language. Our pupils decided that on the mural the pupils from the different countries should have hats showing the flag of their country. The large mural was painted by the pupils with the support of a professional artist and is now proudly on display by the entrance to the school office. †¢Developing the confidence and role of the art coordinator. †¢Enhancing the motivation of some pupils and giving greater ownership of the learning process to the staff. †¢Getting involved in the ‘Creative Partnerships’ scheme to get access to support and resources. Introduction 1. The HMIE report Emerging Good Practice in Promoting Creativity published in March 2006 gathered evidence from inspections of pre-school centres, primary and secondary schools and community learning and development to: †¢identify and analyse emerging good practice in promoting creativity, and †¢provide advice on a range of issues related to creativity including learning and teaching, assessment, and current practice in evaluating success in promoting creativity. 2. The Scottish Executive Education Department has agreed to supplement the HMIE report by providing a brief overview of some key national policy developments and other initiatives across the UK promoting creativity in education. The aim is to help educators and policy makers by highlighting some important advice and other support to encourage good practice. The paper is not however a comprehensive review. The bibliography is intended to assist those who wish to explore further the issues discussed. Creativity, Culture and Education (Developments in England) 3. Although focusing on England, the National Advisory Committee on Creative and Cultural Education’s (NACCCE) report All Our Futures: Creativity Culture and Education has proved influential on subsequent efforts to promote creativity in education elsewhere in the UK. 4. The NACCCE was established in 1998 to make recommendations to the then Secretary of State for Education and Employment and Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport â€Å"on the creative and cultural development of young people through formal and informal education: to take stock of current provision and to make proposals for principles, policies and practice. † The Committee was chaired by Professor Ken Robinson and its report was published in 1999. 5. The report emphasised that all children and young people can benefit from developing their creative abilities and this should be seen as a general function of education. Creativity can be developed in all areas of the school curriculum: including the sciences as well as the expressive arts. As discussed later in this paper, the NACCE’s definition of creativity was adopted as part of subsequent initiatives in Northern Ireland and Scotland. (A summary of the report’s general advice on teaching for creativity is contained in the annex to this paper.) The NACCE’s report was welcomed by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and Department for Culture Media and Sport. Although the Government did not implement all of the report’s recommendations with regard to the National Curriculum in England, many elements were taken forward. For instance, the report led directly or indirectly to important initiatives such as Creative Partnerships and Artsmark. 6. Creative Partnerships is a government-funded national initiative operating in 36 of the most disadvantaged areas in England and designed to build sustainable relationships between schools, creative individuals and organisations. It aims to transform: †¢the aspirations and achievements of young people †¢the approaches and attitudes of teachers and schools †¢the practices of creative practitioners and organisations who wish to work in schools. 7. Starting with the needs of schools and young people, creative practitioners work across and beyond the curriculum, animating the classroom and finding new ways for teachers to teach and young people to learn. Through the development of projects of varying scales, creative practitioners, teachers and young people work together as equal partners to place creativity at the heart of learning. 8. Artsmark is a recognition scheme for schools’ arts provision run by Arts Council for England and supported by DCMS. The scheme encourages schools to increase the range of arts that are provided to children in schools and raises the profile of arts education. (Further information on Creative Partnerships and Artsmark can be accessed through the links provided in the bibliography. ) 9. The educational debate has moved forward considerably since the NACCCE report was published and there is now a much wider acceptance that a broad and enriching curriculum goes hand in hand with high standards. Since September 2000, schools have been working with a more flexible National Curriculum with greater emphasis on the need for creative and cultural education. There are explicit references to the importance of creative and cultural education in the aims for the curriculum and there are explicit references to creativity – encouraging pupils to use their imagination and look for innovative outcomes. The Schools White Paper, â€Å"Schools: Achieving Success†, launched in September 2001 raised the status of creativity and the arts by pledging to provide a range of additional opportunities for creativity and curriculum enrichment. 10. DfES also hosted the Creativity and Cultural Enrichment Working Group (CACE) from May 2001 to Oct 2003. This working group was set up in response to the NACCCE report as a cross-agency reference group with a clear focus on creativity and cultural enrichment. The idea was to share information across various agencies and departments, to provide updates on key policy initiatives and projects and act as a source of new ideas. 11. CACE has now been superseded by subsequent work such as the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority’s (QCA) initiative ‘Creativity: Find it, Promote it’ and Creative Partnerships which have built up the knowledge base of creativity in education and helped spread good practice. QCA promotes creativity as an integral part of all National Curriculum subjects and identified the characteristics of creative thinking and behaviour including: †¢Questioning and challenging conventions and assumptions †¢Making inventive connections and associating things that are not usually related †¢Envisaging what might be: imagining — seeing things in the mind’s eye. †¢Trying alternatives and fresh approaches, keeping options open †¢Reflecting critically on ideas, actions and outcomes QCA advises that, with minimal changes to their planning and practice, teachers can promote pupils’ creativity. 12. QCA’s ‘Creativity: Find it Promote it’, and ‘Arts Alive’ websites shows how to maximise the impact of creativity and the arts in the curriculum, identifies best practice and provides case study examples for teachers containing practical suggestions in promoting creativity and the arts across the curriculum 13. OFSTED — the inspectorate for children and learners in England — carried out a survey identifying good practice in the promotion of creativity in schools (Expect the Unexpected: Developing Creativity in Primary and Secondary Schools published in 2003). They found that there was generally high quality in creative work. Any barriers that existed could be overcome if teachers are committed to the promotion of creativity, possess good subject knowledge and a sufficiently broad range of pedagogical skills to foster creativity in all pupils, whatever their ability. The active support of senior management is also important. OFSTED emphasised that â€Å"the creativity observed in pupils is not associated with a radical new pedagogy†¦but a willingness to observe, listen and work closely with children to help them develop their ideas in a purposeful way. † The report can be accessed here. 14. The latest development in England is an independent review on Nurturing Creativity in Young People jointly commissioned by DCMS and DfES to inform the basis of the Government’s future policy on creativity. The review was led by Paul Roberts, Director of Strategy from IdeA (Improvement and Development Agency). The review team published their report in July 2006. This provides a framework for creativity starting with Early Years, developing through mainstream education and leading to pathways into the Creative Industries. The report also set out what more the Government can do to nurture young people’s creativity. Particular issues discussed include the role of partnerships between schools and the creative and cultural sector, the development of a new Creative Portfolio to celebrate each young person’s creative achievements and creating spaces for creative activity through the Building Schools for the Future the school estate redevelopment programme. The Government will publish a response to the creativity review report and an action plan in Autumn 2006. Unlocking Creativity (Developments in Northern Ireland) 15. Following his work with the NACCE, Professor Ken Robinson chaired a Creativity in Education Working Group in Northern Ireland. The Working Group was a cross-cutting initiative by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL); the Department for Education (DE); the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) and the Department of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment (DHFETE) (now known as the Department for Employment and Learning – DEL). The aim was to develop a â€Å"co-ordinated strategy for the development to the full of the creative and cultural resources of the people of Northern Ireland. † The result of this work was the consultation report Unlocking Creativity: A Strategy for Development published in 2000. 16. The report adopts the definition of creativity contained in the NACCE report – Imaginative activity fashioned so as to produce outcomes that are both original and of value. Creative processes have four characteristics. First, they always involve thinking or behaving imaginatively. Second, this imaginative activity is purposeful: that is, it is directed to achieve an objective. Third, these processes must generate something original. Fourth, the outcome must be of value in relation to the objective. 17. Unlocking Creativity: A Strategy for Development made three key recommendations for education: †¢Develop continuity and progression in creative and cultural education throughout learning, teaching and youthwork. †¢The development of methods and principles of assessment and examination that recognise and value the aims and outcomes of creative and cultural education. †¢Ensure that all professional vocational and academic qualifications positively promote the importance of creative and cultural education. 18. The results of the consultation were published in a second report, Unlocking Creativity: Making It Happen, published in 2001. The vast majority of responses supported the proposals made in the consultation document and Unlocking Creativity: Making It Happen set a wide range of objectives for future work. The key objectives for education related to a review of the curriculum being taken forward by the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA). The report highlighted CCEA’s proposals to include a creative component at all Key Stages. It set a wider objective of signposting clear steps towards accredited programmes of learning for people of all ages interested and inspired by creativity and sought to encourage collaboration between various agencies and departments to ensure that creativity is fully recognised in the development of assessment methods and the curriculum. The report also highlighted the establishment of a Creativity Seed Fund which invested ? 2. 8m over three years to encourage projects that would either promote creativity in education or strengthen Northern Ireland as a competitive presence in the creative industries. The Education and Training Inspectorate produced a set of quality indicators for the Creativity Seed Fund. The indicators cover outcomes and standards, ethos, assessment and review and management arrangements. 19. A third report, Unlocking Creativity: A Creative Region, was published in 2004 and set out a series of medium term strategic measures to maintain the momentum on developing creativity across education, culture and employment. The report again highlighted CCEA’s work on Curriculum Review. The Education (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 will give effect to the revised curriculum, which will be introduced on a phased basis from September 2007. 20. The revised curriculum will be more flexible, offer greater scope for creativity to meet the changing needs of pupils, society and the economy and have a greater emphasis on developing skills. One of the Thinking Skills to be developed across the curriculum is Being Creative, where children should be able to use creative approaches, to be imaginative, to take risks, to question and explore possibilities. The revised curriculum will also provide more flexibility for teachers to tailor what they teach to meet the needs of their pupils and therefore encourage more creative approaches. Assessment will be formative, as well as summative, with pupils assessed in their progress in the skills and areas of learning and pointed towards areas for future development. This Assessment for Learning (AfL) is already being piloted. One of the most important means of promoting creativity in the revised curriculum will be through Education for Employability. Pupils will look at enterprise and creativity in the modern workplace, what it takes to be an entrepreneur and they will have opportunities to demonstrate enterprise and creativity. The pilot work for this aspect of the curriculum has involved school pupils working with local businesses and artists to develop creative solutions to business issues. 21. CCEA is also developing exemplar material and other support materials to illustrate how opportunities can be developed in all curriculum areas to promote creativity. Draft versions of the support materials have been made available to pilot schools and CCEA plans to distribute them to all schools as soon as feasible in the 2006/07 year. 22. Unlocking Creativity: A Creative Region noted CCEA’s work on auditing examination specifications in order to promote creativity in the learning and assessment associated with qualifications. This audit has now been completed and enabled areas in teaching and learning to be identified that would support a more creative approach. The results will be taken into account as specifications are revised for re-accreditation. Re-accredited specifications will be available for first teaching from September 2008 (GCE A-Level) and 2009 (GCSE). CCEA is also working with the English and Welsh regulatory bodies to review accreditation criteria and this will take account of thinking skills, such as creativity. The Department of Education is also considering an incentive and accreditation scheme for teachers, principals and schools with a view to embedding creativity across the curriculum. A pilot has been arranged to test an Artmark Toolkit involving five schools and, following evaluation, will be rolled out to all schools in September 2006. 23. An important feature of Northern Ireland’s work on creativity is the emphasis on harnessing new developments in ICT. Many of the education projects funded through the Creativity Seed Fund included developing ICT skills and linking these to creativity by, for instance, producing material for radio, making documentary films or creating digital content. Unlocking Creativity: A Creative Region seeks to embed the concept of the use of ICT to enhance young people’s creativity across the curriculum. The EmPowering Schools strategy has since been published, which incorporates the development of creativity and innovation in the use of ICT. 24. Unlocking Creativity: A Creative Region included Creative Youth Partnerships (CYP), a 3 year pilot from April 2004 to March 2007 involving the Arts Council NI, the Department of Education, the Department for Culture, Arts and Leisure and the Education and Library Boards. Through a collaborative approach, CYP aims to increase participation among young people in arts activities, develop arts infrastructure in NI and develop the contribution of artists and the arts to the learning and development of young people in schools and the youth sector. A key aspect of CYP is local partnerships to develop creative projects using a variety of art forms. The Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) is evaluating CYP and its Interim Report (September 2005, full report due October 2006) highlights the developmental nature of the evaluation of a creativity initiative. The Report pointed to some areas for development but found the project to have many strengths. Developments in Wales 25. Wales, like England and Northern Ireland, has a statutory National Curriculum. Creative skills are one of the seven common requirements in the Welsh National Curriculum. Teachers should provide opportunities, where appropriate, for pupils to develop and apply the seven common requirements through their study of all National Curriculum subjects. (The other common requirements include mathematical skills, Information Technology and problem solving skills. ) 26. The Department for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (DELLS) has produced a guidance note for teachers highlighting subject areas of the National Curriculum, from science to modern languages, where pupils can be given opportunities to develop and apply their creative skills, in particular the development and expression of ideas and imagination. 27. A review of the National Curriculum in Wales is currently underway for proposed implementation in September 2008. Findings from an initial consultation in 2004 were that: †¢there should be a clear focus on the needs of learners and effective learning strategies and approaches; †¢there is a need to identify and agree on the range of skills that should be acquired and on their development and application in a range of contexts; †¢there remains a concern regarding perceived overload in some National Curriculum subjects, especially at Key Stage 2 (covering ages 7-11), and the relevance of aspects of the curriculum to the 21st century; and †¢there is a need to ensure that a revised curriculum interests, engages and motivates all learners. 28. Currently DELLS has submitted proposals to their Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning for approval. Following this, the proposals will be open to public consultation. These will include a draft Skills Framework for children and young people aged 3-19. This framework contains the areas of Developing Thinking, Communication, Number and ICT. Within the Developing Thinking are strands highlighting creative thinking. Creativity in Education (Developments in Scotland ) 29. In Scotland, a Creativity in Education Advisory Group was established to consider ways in which creativity could be developed as an important feature of the provision that teachers and schools make for young people’s education. The Group was chaired by Richard Coton, Headteacher of Monifieth High School and its members included representatives from Learning and Teaching Scotland, the IDES Network, HMIE and the Scottish Executive Education Department. The Group’s discussion paper, Creativity in Education, was published in 2001. 30. The definition of creativity in Creativity in Education again reflects that in the NACCE report, All Our Futures, by emphasising imagination, pursuing a purpose, being original and making judgements of value. Creativity in Education, like the NACCE report, stresses the need to encourage experimentation and problem-solving together with reflection and critical appraisal as essential conditions for creativity to flourish in schools. Creativity in Education has a more overt emphasis on the need for schools to foster a personal disposition to be creative in their students. This involves the development of characteristics such as self-motivation, confidence, curiosity and flexibility. However, the publication notes the valuable contribution of group-working to encouraging creativity in, for instance, allowing pupils to build upon each others’ ideas. Creativity in Education also stresses the need for teachers themselves to be creative in the way they encourage and empower children and young people. Teachers need to judge carefully when to intervene and when to take a â€Å"hands-off† approach and to balance planning with improvisation. 31. Creativity in Education was accompanied by case studies providing practical examples of how creativity is being developed across the curriculum. These include the development of a whole school policy on creative learning and teaching (Gylemuir Primary School, Edinburgh); developing creativity in Mathematics (Pollock Children’s Centre, Glasgow/Borgue Primary School, Dumfries and Galloway and Inverclyde Council’s Education Advisory Service) and promoting thinking skills in the context of science education (Monifieth High School, Angus). 32. Follow-up work undertaken as a result of Creativity in Education included the Creativity Counts project. The aims of this project were: †¢To gather evidence of creativity in the classroom across all sectors and all areas of the curriculum. †¢To identify key approaches to learning and teaching, assessment and evaluation. †¢To identify what schools need to do to foster creativity. 27 schools from across Scotland (19 primary, 7 secondary and 1 special) participated in the project. A report of the findings was published in 2004. This was accompanied by Creativity Counts — Portraits of Practice – a publication of case studies drawn from the project. 33. The main findings were that developing creativity in education produced benefits in terms of pupil motivation, enthusiasm and enjoyment. The pupils became more independent in their learning: â€Å"rather than being told; they became more resourceful and reflective. They became good at knowing what worked for them and what did not† (p. 5). However, this freedom to experiment took place within a supporting structure of high expectations and clear outcomes: â€Å"They knew what they were expected to achieve and how to go about that† (p.10). Group working was a strong feature of the projects. This helped to support less confident children and encouraged realistic peer and self-assessment. The pupils responded well to dealing with failure and built confidence in using their imagination and developed a positive attitude to new ideas. 34. Teachers found that they were able to develop a repertoire of teaching skills balancing intervention, â€Å"hands-off†, planning and improvisation. They identified four main characteri.

Website for Cavite State University-Silang Campus

INTRODUCTION1.1 Background of the StudyA newspaper refers to a printed publication consisting of folded unstapled sheets and containing news, feature articles, advertisements, and correspondence. It occupies an important place in our life. It plays an important role in shaping the destiny of a country. Every morning a newspaper brings up news from every corner of the world. A good newspaper is a sign of good civilization and progress of a country. It satisfies the demands of the literates, it covers a wide range of subjects like sports, advertisement, education, trade etc. the government makes important announcements only through a newspaper. It plays a very important role in a democratic country.It is a true mirror of the public opinion. The importance of newspapers can’t be ignored in the social uplift of the country. Hence, newspapers still enjoy an integral part in the society (Prajwal N., 2010). The Sumilang Group of Publications, the publisher of The Sumilang Chronicles and other scholastic newsletters, is the official publication of Cavite State University – Silang Campus. The organization is built under Republic Act No. 7079 or the Campus Journalism Act of 1991. According to Section 2 of R.A. 7079, â€Å"It is the declared policy of the State to uphold and protect the freedom of the press even at the campus level and to promote the development and growth of campus journalism as a means of  strengthening ethical values, encouraging critical and creative thinking, and developing moral character and personal discipline of the Filipino youth.In furtherance of this policy, the State shall undertake various programs and projects aimed at improving the journalistic skills of students concerned and promoting responsible and free journalism.† It is the responsibility of the organization to provide the members of the academic community with all the current news and updates happening around the campus which includes university and academic n ews, development news, community news, features, sports news, literary, opinion and photo essays. However, release of newsletter inside the university is not frequent unlike other schools, resulting to lack of information on the latest happenings inside the university.To address this problem, the proponents have come up with a proposed study to develop a website for The Sumilang Group of Publications, in which the current news and events of the university can be read and accessed anytime and anywhere by the students, faculty members, and administrators of the university.1.2 Statement of the ProblemAccording to some interviews conducted to the members of the The Sumilang Group of Publications, they are experiencing difficulties with their operations. With the traditional process in communicating with other members, they are affected in terms of reaching out to its members, thus resulting in miscommunication. The manual system of checking and passing of news articles are also affectin g the operations of the organization.Some articles are not following the proper process in proofreading, thus resulting to multiple unseen errors. As observed by the proponents, developing a website for The Sumilang Group of Publications of Cavite State University – Silang Campus will greatly benefit the organization. With this, the students, faculty members and administrators, will now have access to information on the latest news and updates inside the university online. The organization will also have the ability to import and manage their data and articles with the help of the website.1.3 ObjectivesThe general objective of this study is to create a website for The Sumilang Group of Publications of Cavite State University – Silang Campus. Also, this study has the following specific objectives: a. To design a website that will highlight the official publication of the university; b. To disseminate the latest news and events inside the university in real time; c. To d evelop the system as intended, and;d. To test and implement the system.1.4 Significance of the StudyThe project design, â€Å"Website for the Sumilang Group of Publications in Cavite State University – Silang Campus†, was developed in order to address the need of the organization in managing updates about the latest news and events happening inside the university. Also, this was intended for the rapid processing of articles to elevate their services.This study is also intended to benefit the writers of the Sumilang Group of Publications because it will let them post their articles in a more secure and convenient manner. Also, the students and instructors of Cavite State University – Silang Campus will benefit with this website because they can now coordinate and contribute in ensuring that all information found are correct and well-updated.Multitasking will also be more efficient with the help of this project design. The members will now be able to save time in submitting their articles, while other staffs and members can now handle other tasks, thus making their operations more efficient. Also, the university can save resources, time, and energy in producing accurate reports that in return, will eliminate time hindrances and data inconsistencies.As for the students and instructors that will serve as the readers, this system can assure that all data found on the website are timely and accurate; Giving the impression that the Sumilang Group of Publications is a credible organization that will result in more confidence for the members of  the organization in order for them to continue serving the academic community. Scope and LimitationThis project design is only limited in the development of a website for The Sumilang Group of Publications of Cavite State University – Silang Campus with the following features: Add, edit, and feature news articles, display news and announcements, and highlight the Sumilang Group of Publications as t he official publication of Silang Campus. In order to develop the project design, the researchers used a single unit of computer with the following specifications: Intel ® Atomâ„ ¢ processor N270 (1.60 GHz, 533 MHz FSB, 512 KB L2 cache) processor, 2GB memory and 500GB hard disk storage. For the software, the researchers used Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate (32-bit) operating system, PHP for the scripting language, and MySQL for the database.In order to properly address the problem of the organization and to produce software that will meet certain standards, the researchers used the Rapid Application Development (RAD). RAD is a software development process used to speed the overall development time of a system. The objective of RAD is first to decrease development time, which will decrease expense, by involving end-users in every phase of the software development life cycle. There are four phases in RAD as shown in Figure 1. The first phase is requirements planning.Requirement plan ning is the process of identifying the solution to the current problem. The user design phase is the phase when the end-user gives thoughts on how the system should be designed. This would be a non-technical design. It is a local design of the system. The next phase is the construction phase, which is the actual building of the system. The final phase is the installation of the system, which is called the cutover phase. Included in this phase is the testing and training of the users.

Ancient Mayan Civilization

The ancient Mayan civilization of the ancient Mayan civilization was built on a strict social structure based on religious beliefs. They use caste social structure where differences are based on wealth, inheritance level, privilege, occupation or occupation. Their beliefs are based on the fact that elements of nature have the power to help and hurt. Ancient Mayas used their social structure and beliefs to shape their daily lives. Maya is a very devout person. They believe in many gods. Maya's ancient Mayan civilization settled in Yucatan Peninsula around 900 AD. This civilization was one of the most advanced civilization of those days. They created their own religion, language, mathematical structure, highly accurate calendar and many other things. Maya's lifestyle is their religion. They have polytheism praising many gods. Every God has something to worry about whether they rule. Chac is the god of rain, Kinich Ahau is droughty. Sweat covered his whole body and made him shine under the noon sun like the god of glory which comes down from the sky. But he is not a god. He participated in the architectural project of the famous Mayan town of Copan with an unintentional slave. Maya rose in the year 250 AD and had a huge civilization that fell around the year 900 AD. They live in an area called Central America consisting of South America, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras. As a country, Maya is known for their numerous achievements. The ancient Mayan civilization contains about two-thirds of the Central American civilization. This area is also known mainly from volcanic mountains to porous limestones, as a lowland in the central area. Maya civilization extends from the northern Belize and the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico to Honduras in the south. It is their complex society far beyond the current construction and modernization in the tropical rainforest climate that makes the Maya the most prominent (Aissen, 1992). General

Should gay marriage be legal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Should gay marriage be legal - Essay Example One thing, which needs to be considered is that the number of gays living in the United States is very less as compared to the people who like to have relationship with the opposite gender. Therefore, giving freedom to such people to develop relationships with the same gender does not make a big difference. From the perspective of gays, some of the reasons that support gay marriages include strengthening of social concept of marriage, sexual freedom, and freedom of choice. Gay marriage has least concern with the morality since it promotes justice, freedom, and equality. If a person wants to spend his life with a person belonging to the same gender, no one should oppose it because every person has the right to do whatever he wants to do as long as his actions do not affect the rights of any other person. Therefore, gay marriages should be held legal because it does not affect the rights of others. Warren, Patrick. â€Å"Same Sex Couples Can Avoid Unnecessary Problems By Getting These Documents In Order Now.† Ezinearticles.com, 03 Aug. 2011. Web. 23 Sep. 2011.

Racism in Australia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Racism in Australia - Essay Example A massive collection of literature now states publicly that Australia is post-colonial; however, it cannot yet be illustrated in this manner although it does have a number of post-colonial components. Ken Gelder and Jane Jacob’s modern ‘Uncanny Australia: Sacredness and Identity in a Postcolonial Nation’, for instance, conceives Australia as post-colonial and determines the current wave of racism as postcolonial racism. However, this conception will no do, for it represses understanding that Australia is in several manners still a colonial society (ibid, 98). The concept of postcolonial may submit to an analysis of colonial structures of power and discourse, or, when portraying a form of society, then to those previous colonies, such as Malaysia, India or Indonesia, that achieved political sovereignty after the Second World War. Yet in connection to migrant societies such as Australia and New Zealand there is no equivalent or definite instance of decolonization. From the perspective of the aforesaid postcolonial societies, Australia is, to borrow Theresa Millard words, â€Å"the last country in the region to be decolonized, the place where the story didn’t end happily, where the colonizers didn’t go home† (Docker & Fischer 2000, 32) Racism is a significant and yet wide-ranging societal dilemma. It has assumed specific forms in societies such as Australia and New Zealand, where substantial flow of immigration and the multicultural foundation of current immigration regulation has led to progressively more racially diverse populations. In the contemporary period, racism in Australia has been mainly talked about during the supposed race debates in the latter part of the twentieth century, related to the ascendance of Pauline Hanson and her One Nation Party. On the other hand, the investigation of racism in the 1990s has been pioneered by cultural

Russian Marketplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Russian Marketplace - Essay Example The positive side to the bakery/coffee market is it is a growing market in Russia. For an American keen on establishing bakery/coffee outlet in Russia, the difficulties may not be more than what you may encounter in any other growing economy. The distribution system in Russia does not appear to be well-organized and there are queues to make most purchases. The trend is changing with budding entrepreneurs coming up with marketing skills that, given the political nod, could easily upset the lethargic traditional system (Smilor, Ray; 2002). There are encouraging signs for anyone in America considering an entry into the bakery/coffee market in Russia. There is enormous potential for growth in this market. The annual per capita consumption of coffee in Russia is 500 gm as compared to 12 kg in neighbouring Scandinavian countries (Nestl to start coffee processing in Russia, 2004). Statistics are not available for bakery items which comprise large range of products comprising cakes, bread, biscuits, and other savouries. However, there is the eagerness to taste new assortment of baked items. There are also trade fairs and exhibitions for bakery items. So it should not be difficult for American entrepreneurs to participate in these fairs and exhibitions and glean information for starting bakery outlets in cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg to begin with (Event Profile, 2010) This does not mean that starting a bakery in Russia is a cakewalk. There are going to be difficulties and obstacles in the form of competition as well as other unknown problems. The iron curtain may not exist any longer. However, Russia is still going through teething problems and the transition to a free market is experiencing a pull between traditional radicals and budding entrepreneurs (Smilor, Ray; 2002). You got to stick to the budding entrepreneurs. While on the subject of bakeries, it is pertinent to make mention of Fazer's successful operations in Russia. "Fazer is one of Russia's leading bakery companies. During the past three years, Fazer's bakery operations in Russia have grown at an average rate of ca 40 per cent annually, and today they constitute 14 per cent of the Group's turnover. Fazer has during the past ten years invested ca 130 M in its operations in Russia and the Group's four bakeries in Russia employ 3 500 people. Fazer is a leading contract catering company in the Nordic and the Baltic countries, offering customers delicious food and tailor-made service solutions. The company operates in the Nordic countries, Estonia, Latvia and Russia." (Fazer's

Animals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Animals - Essay Example The blatant and abhorrent obliviousness with which we exploit animal's poses a threat not only to their survival but any further imbalance in nature will start the downfall of mankind itself. Modern medicine owes its advancement to the lives of thousands of animals who were used to experiment the effects of these drugs upon throughout centuries. All the modern drugs and cosmetics were developed through trial and error. Animals have been used for medical testing as far back as the Greek and Roman times. Aristotle was one of the earliest academics to record the used of animals for medical research around 384-322 BC.The practice of vivisection(operating on living animals in order to gain knowledge of pathological or physiological processes) was a necessary evil of the development of medical science and surgical methods. The phenomena of animal medical research has been there for the last two centuries and was started and emphasised upon when research was being carried out upon cardiovascular and nervous systems Darwin's theory of evolution paved the way for scientists to cut up and experiment upon live animals in the name of better understanding of the human body. A movement to prevent such use of animals in the late nineteenth century was stifled by the great advances in medical research being made through animal experimentation.1In the 1950's animal research paved the way for the discovery of Kidney transplants, replacement heart valves ,polio vaccine and hip replacement surgery. In the 1960s and later on animal research produced the cure to heart disease, transplant problems and life saving systems for new born babies. With the issue of animal testing comes the question of ethics. Do we really need animal testing anymore The use of (non-human) animals by humans, particularly for medical experiments, has become a been a topic of heated debate in practical ethics for a long time now and academics debate whether and to what extent animals of various species are " conscious and self-conscious" "Consciousness refers primarily to perception, non-reflective cognition (such as beliefs) and emotion (such as feelings). In the ethical context, its most important components are feelings of pleasure and suffering, and derivatively more particular feelings, such as sexual gratification and fear, respectively. Self-consciousness refers to thinking about one's consciousness. In the ethical context, its most important component is thinking about one's beliefs and feelings, and derivatively about their implications, such as intentions."2 Peter Singer, a prominent animal rights activist has argued that "If a being suffers, there can be no moral justification for refusing to take that suffering into consideration. No matter what the nature of the being, the principle of equality requires that the suffering be counted equally with the like suffering - in so far as rough comparisons can be made - of any other being."3 He goes on to state furthermore that , The claim that self-conscious beings are entitled to prior consideration is compatible with the principle of

Management skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Management skills - Essay Example As evaluated, the areas of greatest strengths are in: developing self-awareness; communicating supportively; motivating others; managing conflict (especially in the areas of responding and mediating); as well as in building effective teams, teamwork; and leading positive change. The only identified areas where improvements are needed are in the areas of managing stress (eliminating stressors and developing resiliency); in rational problem solving; and in delegating. The score given by one’s associates generated 400 which likewise categorizes me also under the second quartile. This confirms my initial reaction that I was actually viewed by colleagues and associates to have basically the same management skills as I personally perceived. The small variance could be rationalized from one’s greater understanding of personal skills; as opposed to the understanding of others. Upon comparison, associates provided marginally lesser scores in the areas of stress management and leading teams. Further, some questions regarding the ability to motivate others generated variance in terms of identifying personal ability to address other people’s needs and drives. The marginal variance was noted in the area of stress management: I rated myself as score of 28 as opposed to associate’s rating of 23. It could be explained that the variance was due to one’s personal perception that managing stress was differently viewed by others. When faced with stressful or time pressured situations, I tend to give the best possible way of coping and adjusting to the situations. However, those who know me well acknowledge that although I fair well and have manifested more than above average in addressing and managing stressful scenarios, I believe I still am the one who would determine the accuracy in assessing coping with stressful or time pressured situations. In the area of leading

Owning My Own Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Owning My Own - Assignment Example Social responsibility in business also ensures that the company has a positive impact on its customers, stockholders, community, employees and the environment. Social responsibility helps guide a business on its mission and what it stands for and will uphold for its consumers, employees, stockholders and the community (Werther and Chandler, 2010). Discussed below are ways and procedures put in place to ensure that incorporation of self responsibility in business will satisfy consumers, employees and stockholders. Consumers are a vital part of business since they purchase the company’s products. To ensure social responsibility on consumers, the company has to strive and produce high quality and standard goods. In ensuring the quality of products, a company addresses ethical and quality standards expected in business (Werther and Chandler, 2010). A company has to produce high quality products which meet the satisfaction of the consumer. The products should not be harmful to cons umer health. The company should also meet set standards expected of the product. It should offer the product at fair prices to their consumers. In order to meet consumer social responsibility, a company should have a quality control department that checks on the product and service quality. By having a quality control department, the company addresses and ensures consumer satisfaction by producing quality products and services to its customers. Employees provide the company with the workforce or labor needed for creation of products and services in the business. In pursuit of the business missions and goals, social responsibility incorporates employees. A company should be able to ensure that its employee’s needs become met. Social responsibility in ensures that matters such as employee remuneration, bonuses, hiring and training or education get addressed (Werther and Chandler, 2010). A company should ensure that its employees get paid in time and according to labor laws. The company should be able to meet the required labor laws. The company should also enhance employee training and education. Employees should get to attend workshops and seminars to gain more knowledge in order to produce quality products and services. Hiring of employees should be conducted as par the companies required rules and regulation and only qualified candidates should become hired. To ensure that employee social responsibility is met within the business, the company should set up a human resource department which should look up at all matters concerning employees. Stockholders refer to persons or corporation that own shares or equity within a company. The expectation of a stockholder is that the company makes a return on investment (Werther and Chandler, 2010). Stockholder may also be referred to as shareholders or owners of the company. Social responsibility in business gets concerned with ensuring that the expectations of stockholders are met. To ensure that the stockholder s get return on their investment, the company should seek at ways of maximizing its profits. To ensure maximum profits, the company should employ competent management that runs the company smoothly and ensure that it competes fairly and effectively. The company management becomes encompassed with the responsibility of ensuring that all departments work hand in hand to ensure that the company is successful financially to maximize profits. Profits become

Arabic Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Arabic Culture - Essay Example Religious beliefs and traditions give ample freedom to the males in Muslim culture so that they can control or regulate the freedom of the Arabic women. â€Å"Koran says girls must stay home and that it is right to beat women if they disobey their husbands† (Chu). In other words, Koran undoubtedly gives the authority to men over women in Arabic culture. It is difficult for the Arabic females to engage in all types of activities as their men counterparts do. Driving is prohibited for Saudi women even though it is allowed in other Arabic states. â€Å"A Saudi woman sentenced to be lashed 10 times for defying the countrys ban on female drivers. The woman, named as Shaima Jastaina and believed to be in her 30s, was found guilty of driving without permission in Jeddah in July, 2011†(Jones). Even though the Saudi King interfered in the matter and removed the punishment of Shaima Jastaina, the above incident revealed the extent of oppression faced by women in Saudi Arabia and in other Arabic countries. No Arab women, especially the Saudi women, can go out without covering their entire body. It should be noted that in countries like America or Britain, women have the right to wear any clothes they like. In fact women in western countries cover their body less, compared to their male counterparts. Women in western countries take part in kind of social activities just like men whereas in Arabic culture, it is difficult for the women to enjoy such freedom. It should be noted that Arabic men can marry more than one girl and keep more than one wife at the same time. However, Arabic women do not have the right to keep more than one husbands at the same time. In other words, in Arabic culture, all the customs and norms were formulated to safeguard the interests of the male community whereas in other cultures, the interests of both the males and females are respected in equal measures. To conclude, the status of

Difference of Marketing Product and Service Essay Example for Free

Difference of Marketing Product and Service Essay A product is normally a thing that sold to people and mostly is tangible. Basically, the marketing of product is particularly focused on 4P’s in marketing mix namely product, price, place, and promotion (Ehmke Fulton Lusk, n. d. ). The marketer needs to analyze the major demand of customers in a specific market in order to find out a product that can respond the market demand. Firstly, it is necessary for marketers to focus on the strength as well as eliminate the vulnerabilities of marketed products in order to improve products to meet customer’s demand as much as possible. Secondly, the price is an important factor in product marketing because of the price must be set to match with the purchasing power of a target group. The marketer should understand the nature price of selling products. For example, the perfume price might be high because it is considered as luxury good and the instant-noodle price might be low because of it is considered as convenience good. Thirdly, the place of product marketing refers to distribution channels to deliver and sell the product to customers. Lastly, the marketer also needs to create the promotion on the product in order to persuade customers and motivate the sale in a short term. On the other hand, a service is the action that provide for customers and also has a different characteristics from the product (Milliman, 1997). Therefore, the service marketing is somewhat different from product marketing. The service marketing is generally used service marketing mix or 7P’s which is extended from 4P’s by adding people, process and physical evidence (Rafiq Ahmed, 1995). It is essential for any service industry to employ appropriate staffs or people. Hiring and training a good staff will impact positively on the organization because most of customers will judge the quality of service from staffs. Therefore, a company should hire a staff that has interpersonal skills, communication skills and good service know ledges in order to provide high quality of service to customers. In addition, process is a system used to support a company in delivering the service. Process also demonstrates the overall performance of the organization. For example, Macdonald consumers will get the order within 2 minutes. The marketer needs to focus on the process due to meet the customer’s satisfactory getting the service on time. Lastly, physical evidence is external factors that related to the environment around a service area impacting the customer’s impression. Fir Example, a Thai massage and spa uses eye-catching advertising billboard locating in front of the shop and traditional decoration and atmosphere to attract foreign customers. To sum up, the marketer generally uses 4P’s in product marketing including product, price, place and promotion. On the other hand, the service marketing involves 7P’s which people, price and physical evidence were added. Because of the difference in characteristics, there are more factors in service marketing and the marketer must more concern about the customer’s satisfactory during service time. Hence, the service marketing is somewhat different and also more complicated than product marketing. I think product and services marketing are significantly different because of characteristic of itself. The first characteristic of services marketing is intangibility; it cannot be seen, touched or felt prior consumption. On the other hands, product marketing is tangible, the customer is able to touch, feel, taste or smell the product either before or after purchasing. For example, when customers walk through a restaurant, they might get the food smell from the restaurant but they cannot know how well of service if they do not buy the menu. Secondly, products can be stored in order to sell to the customer in the next time whereas services marketing mostly are unable to be inventoried, they are perishable. Hence, the value of service always exists at the point when it is required. Therefore, it seems to be very difficult to match supply with demand in service marketing. Thirdly, the other difference of product and services marketing is the level of relationship between the client and provider. Undoubtedly, there is much more personal contact required in services marketing than product marketing. In case of product marketing, customers and sellers may face each other just once time when they are dealing products and they might have no chance to see each other again. However, in services marketing, consumers and service providers may have to see each other frequently throughout until the contract is ended or until the last thing that consumers expect to gain from a service provider. There is a difference in price setting between both marketing. With product marketing, the price is easy to set by calculating from value, the strength of a brand, the quality of material and the demand in market. Furthermore, the customer can ask for discount from vendors so there is high flexibility and a standard in the price setting of product marketing. On the other hand, service marketing is quiet difficult to set fairly price. Mainly, service companies have to calculate from the cost of hiring employees and servicing time. Some companies also charge initial fee and service taxes to customers. Additionally, the service price is considered less flexible because mostly consumers cannot ask for discount from service providers. Reference http://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/EC/EC-730.pdf

Sam Strutt and the Magic Bat Essay Example for Free

Sam Strutt and the Magic Bat Essay Sam Strutt was the best baseball player in the world. He could throw the ball farther and hit the ball harder than any other baseball player. He could catch any ball that was hit or thrown, and he ran so fast that he was a blur on the bases. Sam was a big man. He was almost seven feet tall. The muscles in his arms bulged. The muscles in his legs bulged. Sam played for a team called the Hometown Heroes. Sam was the star. Thousands of people came to see Sam Strutt play ball. They cheered every time he stepped up to the plate. They cheered when he hit the ball. They cheered when he ran around the bases. Mr. Dollars, the owner of the Hometown Heroes, gave Sam a silver bat. Sam hit 50 home runs with his silver bat. The next year, Sam went to Mr. Dollars. I am a star, he said. I want a better bat. Mr. Dollars gave him a platinum bat. It had dollar signs made of emeralds on the barrel. Sam hit 75 home runs that year. When spring came again, Sam said to Mr. Dollars, Give me a better bat. I can hit a hundred home runs if you give me a golden bat. So Mr. Dollars gave Sam a solid gold bat. On opening day, Sam arrived at the ballpark in a limousine. The crowd roared as he stepped up to the plate with his splendid new bat. Sunlight flashed off the golden bat as Sam took his practice swings. The crowd hushed as the pitcher wound up. He reared back and threw a splitter. Sam swung the mighty bat and missed. Again, the pitcher wound up. He tossed a curveball. Sam swung even harder and missed. The crowd began to murmur and mumble. Sam had two strikes on him. This was unthinkable. The pitcher wound up, kicked his leg way up high, swung his long arm way around, and fired a fastball. Sam took a mighty swing. He swung so hard he fell down. But he missed. Strike three! the umpire called. The huge crowd was silent. Sams bat had failed. Sam had failed. Sam had struck out. Sam struck out three more times in that game. The Heroes lost. In the next game he struck out four more times, and in the game after that, he struck out five times. The fans stopped coming. They didnt want to see Sam strike out. Sam tried his old silver bat. He struck out ten more times. He tried his platinum bat with emerald dollar signs. He struck out fifteen more times. Sam just could not hit the ball. Mr. Dollars was very angry. The people have stopped coming, he said to Sam. You have to hit home runs again. You must find a bat that works. The word went out. Sam Strutt needed a new bat. He needed a bat that would hit home runs. Men, women and children brought bats to the ballpark. They brought aluminum bats and manganese bats and oak bats and plastic bats. They brought long bats and short bats. They brought thin bats and fat bats. All the bats failed. Sam could not hit the baseball with any of the bats. On the day of the big Fourth of July game, only twenty-three people were in the stands to watch the game. Excuse me, Mr. Strutt. Sam looked down and saw a small boy holding a bat out to him. Is that a bat or a toothpick? Sam bellowed at the boy. The boy looked up at Sam. Its a magic bat, he said quietly. Sam took the bat from the boy. It didnt look magic. It looked plain and ordinary a beat-up old wooden bat with tape on the handle. Take your bat and go home, Sam snarled. I cant use an ordinary little bat like that. It is a magic bat, the boy insisted. Sam scowled. It doesnt look like a magic bat. Please try it, the boy pleaded. Sam took the bat. 3He held it up over his head and squinted at it. In Sams big hands, it did look like a toothpick. The boy smiled as Sam took the bat and stepped up to the plate. The pitcher wound up, kicked his leg way up high, swung his long arm way around and fired a fastball. Sam swung. Craaack!!! The ball soared over the center field fence. In the third inning, Sam hit another home run. In the sixth inning, he hit a triple off the left field wall. In the eighth inning, he hit the ball over the parking lot. The Heroes won the game. Where did you get this magic bat? Sam asked the boy as he handed him an autographed baseball. Peel back the tape on the handle, the boy said. Sam pulled at the tape. When it came loose, he pulled it off. He looked down at the handle of the bat. Sams eyes got wide. He looked at the boy. This is my bat, Sam said. This is my very first bat that I had when I was a boy like you. Scrawled on the bat in smudged pencil letters was the name Samuel Strutt. You tossed it over the fence into my yard when you joined the Heroes, the boy said. Sam spun the bat around in his big hands. He studied it as it rotated. Then he smiled. When I used this bat, baseball was fun. I loved to play the game. It really is a magic bat. Thank you. Sam sold the silver bat and the platinum bat and the solid gold bat. With the money he got for the bats, he built ten new baseball fields for the children in his hometown. He bought balls and bats and gloves and hats for all the girls and boys. He bought himself a new wooden bat. He hung the magic bat on pegs in the back of the dugout so he would never forget where the magic was. Sam hit 101 home runs that year. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE JRR Tolkien section.

The Overview Experiencing Windows 8 Computer Science Essay

The Overview Experiencing Windows 8 Computer Science Essay Windows 8 is the newest member of the Windows family designed to replace its very successful sibling, Windows 7. If youve used Windows XP, Vista and 7 for the last 10 years, it will definitely take time to get used to keyboard-and-mouse Windows 8 but it will grow on you if you approach it correctly. One of the biggest gripes about Windows 8 is the removal of the all familiar Start Menu. It is true the Start Menu has been replaced with the Start Screen (also referred to as the Metro or Modern UI) making things look and feel quite different on first impression. C:UsersAndrewAppDataLocalTempSNAGHTML27ac075.PNG Just how often do you use the Start Menu in Windows 7 and how do you use it? At the time of writing this I have been using Windows 8 for a few weeks and Ive used the new Start Screen only a handful of times and almost immediately was using Windows 8 fluently despite the absence of the Start Menu, though as a power user I know the shortcuts around Windows to make the transition easier. If you are getting stuck I promise by the end of this program you will wonder what all the fuss was about! There are ways to simply avoid the Start Screen if you wish, nonetheless this wouldnt be a learning experience if we didnt explore it and its features just a little. After which you can decide how you use or dont use it. Chances are if you speak to something who is unhappy with Windows 8 their gripe will be with the Start Screen implementation, we will learn that this is simply a premature reaction since its use is optional. Another complaint may be the user-unfriendly nature of Windows 8 on a desktop computer with keyboard and mouse. This is a somewhat legitimate criticism, it is true Microsoft have Tablets firmly in their sights with the release of Windows 8 and with this in mind Windows 8 naturally feels good on a Tablet and a little foreign on a PC. Its perfectly normal to have misgivings about something that appears to be incredibly different but with further exposure you will find it is actually very similar to Windows 7. It works well on low-powered laptops and tablets, Windows 8 is fundamentally faster and more efficient than Windows 7. On a higher-powered desktop, Windows 8 flies! http://cashback-online-casino.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/different-cashback.jpg Why Windows 8? C:UsersAndrewAppDataLocalTempSNAGHTML26aa50c.PNG Windows 8 is faster than 7 First off, Microsoft stripped out a lot of what bloated Windows editions in the past. Things like DVD playback and other extraneous features that can easily be added on via third-party apps were dropped in an effort to slim down the OS. Its not surprising, then, that Windows 8 uses less memory compared to 7. The reduced memory consumption and overall smaller footprint of Windows 8 has corporate significance in that aging corporate desktops can continue ticking that little bit longer. If you were initially planning on replacing more of your PC fleet than you hoped, Windows 8 may save your company some decent cash. Technical jargon: The biggest improvements to Windows 8 are under the hood. The new graphics subsystem, which uses DirectX to render all text and windows, makes the OS more responsive as you move windows or scroll through the Start Screen. Internet Explorer 10 and Microsoft Office 2013 feel faster, too. Faster start times Albeit less significant in the corporate environment, if there is one thing that annoys the home user it is waiting for Windows to boot up. Hurry up darn you! Couple Windows 8 with a decent SSD (Solid State Drive) a PC start-up of just 5-6 seconds is achievable with Windows 8 on a fast computer. A shutdown in three seconds is also possible. Microsoft went back to the drawing board to redesign the boot process for speed and the difference is substantial. Technical jargon: What they came up with was a hybrid of cold brooding and hibernate mode essentially the internal Windows processes use hibernate all the time, but the drivers start up like they would on a cold boot. In English this simply means Windows 8 will boot up faster than any of the previous Windows OSs ever have. In fact some people are complaining that it boots up too fast, more on this can be found in the troubleshooting section. http://www.howtogeek.com/geekers/up/sshot4e69c238a9767.jpg Stay current Windows rollouts take 12-18 months; why fall further behind on your upgrade cycle? Most estimates on a business migration from one Windows version to another are pitted at a 12 to 18 month timespan. Think about this purely from a ROI perspective for a second: if you havent even begun a migration to Windows 7, where will you be time-wise when you finally finish? Keep in mind that Windows 7 came out in mid-2009 which means if you are pondering whether to begin a move to Win 7 just now, you wont be finished until about late 2013 if not well into 2014. Windows 7 will already be an OS that has been on the market for 4-5 years at that point, meaning you will be eyeing your next Windows move in the not-so-distant future. Touch Windows 8 offers true ten-point multi-touch that works well. Sceptical PC users may remember past Microsoft Tablet PC efforts that were clunky and cumbersome to work with, but Windows 8 is a different animal altogether. Touch is an integral part of the experience, not a bolted-on afterthought. A whole new world of apps Windows 8 gives PC users a whole new world of full-screen, touch-friendly, Web-connected apps to explore. And these new apps can even display relevant information on their Windows Start Screen tiles, something impossible in Windows 7 or just about any other operating system around, save Windows Phone. The new Windows Store-analogous to Apples iTunes App Store-makes discovering and installing these new-style apps a breeze. The update process is simple, and you can install purchased apps on multiple Windows 8 devices without paying again, provided youre signed in. Finally, uninstalling the apps is streamlined by the Store, with no Registry complications as in past Windows versions apps. SkyDrive integration (Cloud) Microsofts cloud service has become way, way more than just online storage. Sure, it still lets you save and access files to an online space thats accessible from a Web browser or apps that run on not only Windows, but also Mac OS X, iOS, Android, and Windows Phone. But with Windows 8, SkyDrive is accessible to any app that wants to use it, just as though it were a local drive. It also backs up your PCs settings, letting you replicate your environment should you get a new PC. Better Security, Less-intrusive updates Microsofts focus on security in Windows 8 is readily apparent. If the performance aspects of Windows 8 arent enough to sway you from 7, then perhaps all of the investment in security features will get you over the line. While there are too many to name in here, a few of the most important ones must be mentioned. Technical jargon: Secure Boot is a core feature of Windows 8 security that in essence locks down the OS initialization process to the point where rootkits and other popular malware will no longer have a place to hide. Microsoft couples validated secure firmware to help authenticate the boot process and get rid of the back door that has existed for so long. Windows To Go is a new feature that replicates what we have come to know in the Linux world as Live CDs. How does this fit into a business usage of Windows 8? This enables an IT department to hand out Windows To Go powered flash drives (not all flash drives are compatible though) to contractors and other short-term workers who need access to a standardized instance of Windows 8. In the past, IT had to provide the hardware and software for end users. Not so much anymore. Improved Printer Driver support Sick of managing printer drivers? Corporate and home users can sympathise with this. Windows 8 does away with the mess associated with its older siblings. Anyone who has tried to manage a modern print server, its fairly well known that making end-users lives easier entails a lengthy process of finding proper drivers, testing them, and deploying them centrally hoping nothing screws up in the process. Microsoft realised this and built an entirely new backend for getting Windows 8 and printers to talk. Multi-monitor support finally done right Corporate workers tend to use multiple monitors now to get their work done. Its a simple fact of life. Windows 7, whilst fairly decent was never perfect with how it handled multiple screens. Initial detection was often hit and miss; the taskbar never quite figured out how to span across all screens; and moving applications between screens was sometimes a chore when perfect placement was necessary. Luckily, Microsoft has done a great deal to address the issues with multiple screen usage in Windows 8. Using multiple monitors shouldnt be a chore, and has been simplified in many regards. For example, you can now easily tell Windows 8 to span the common taskbar across all your screens. Customisation of the various desktops is vast, with the ability to span large wallpapers or have separate wallpapers for every monitor. You can even move Modern UI apps over to different screens to your liking. Windows 7 desktop remains You dont have to miss the old Windows Desktop with Windows 8. Simply press the Escape key and your back at the Desktop just the way you liked it on 7. The Windows Desktop will look almost exactly the same as it did under Windows 7, and if youve upgraded to Windows 8, it will contain all your old shortcuts. Whats changed since Windows 7? The list of differences is long but not all of them are noticeable at first. Windows 8 is essentially a slimmed down version of Windows 7 with a new appearance added primarily in the form of the new Start Screen which can appear daunting to some first time users. Windows 8 has been designed to work on a range of different devices from desktops, laptops and tablets and that is why it has been designed to run faster because Windows 7 in its current form would be bloated and slow on a tablet (assuming it could directly run in the first place, which it cant) Windows 8 performance can be pushed even faster by simply running it on a computer with an SSD (Solid-State Drive) installed, it also generally runs faster on newer hardware compared to 7. Windows eight not only supports, but was essentially designed with touch screens in mind. Displays from the size of 10.6 inches to 82 inch screens are supported as well as improved support for multiple displays. A brief rundown of new features can be observed below: A New Login Screen The Login Screen of old is, the simple blank has been replaced with a feature rich lock screen. (shown below). This displays the time and date and can also show additional information such as weather, unopened emails and even your daily agenda if you like. Windows 8 : Lock Screen A New Start Screen (goodbye Start Menu, hello Start Screen!) This is certainly the biggest visual change in Windows 8, despite the new appearance it can still be used in much the same way as the Start Menu has functioned since Windows Vista/7. It also data is quite a bit more such as displaying live data (e.g. latest weather reports, stock market prices, remaining cloud storage and many more). There is no denying this has been designed for tablet/touchscreen operation however it can work perfectly fine with the traditional keyboard and mouse. Windows Store This will be more familiar to those who have owned or used an iPhone or Android device. It is a place where you can install apps and games from a vast and growing collection, the vast majority of which are free. Internet Explorer 10 Internet Explorer has not been left out either with many improvements it is faster, safer and the most compliant version of inert explorer ever made. Online Microsoft Account The end user is now encouraged to use Windows 8 with a Microsoft account that synchronises data and settings across all your Windows 8 devices. If for some reason you lock yourself out of a computer or device help can be requested via email to get you back up and running as quick as possible. A New File Explorer At first glance Windows Explorer looks much the same as it always has however the old drop-down menu boxes have been replaced with a ribbon-based interface just like the one used in Microsoft office 2007, 2010 and 2013. Improvements have also been made in the file copying system with respect to performance and appearance (as shown below). Windows Defender Windows defender has been further improved in Windows 8 to better protect against antivirus and anti-spyware. Task Manager Task Manager has essentially remained much the same since Windows 95/98, operating systems from almost two decades ago. Windows 8 brings in a completely new overhauled Task Manager which can still do all the things the old Task Manager plus a lot more. (shown below) C:UsersAndrewAppDataLocalTempSNAGHTML1198c0c.PNG Multi-Language support You are no longer required to purchase different versions of Windows to display a particular language, Windows 8 allows you to alternate between languages on the fly. Windows Media Center No longer part of Windows 8 out-of-the-box, this has been a victim of the aforementioned slimming down of Windows, it can however still be purchased as an optional extra. File History This is a new feature that provides an easy way to make automated backups of your data. Enhanced Parental Controls The parental controls in Windows 8 offer many improvements from their Windows 7 counterparts. This list is by no means complete. To discover all the new features in Windows 8, read this book and experiment with all the new things Windows 8 has to offer. Which Edition of Windows 8 Should I Buy? The answer depends on how you plan to use Windows 8. If you are a casual user who needs to browse the web, use productivity applications, play games, watch movies, and view pictures, then the basic Windows 8 edition will work just fine. If you are a more knowledgeable user who wants to use more advanced features such as BitLocker encryption or make Remote Desktop connections to your computer, Windows 8 Pro is a good choice. For small businesses that dont need an expensive enterprise version, the Windows 8 Pro edition is a very good choice. The next question worth clarifying is: 32-bit or 64-bit? If you plan to use Windows 8 on an older computer with less than 4 GB of RAM, the 32-bit edition works just fine. However, on newer computers, you should always use the 64-bit edition. You get a bit more performance and security, but most importantly, you get support for large amounts of RAM. The 32-bit version cannot manage more than 4 GB of RAM memory (in actuality its a little bit less). If you plan to use more than that (such as running virtual servers), you should use the 64-bit edition. Windows 8 upgrade path Windows 7 edition Can upgrade to Windows RT? Can upgrade to Windows 8? Can upgrade to Windows 8 Pro? Can upgrade to Windows 8 Enterprise? Enterprise No No No Yes Ultimate Yes No Professional Yes Home Premium Yes No Home Basic Starter Comparison of Windows 8 editionshttp://www.pallareviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/compare-windows-8-versions_26D5/compare_windows_8_versions_thumb.jpg Starting Windows 8 You open the lock screen by swiping upwards on the screen with your finger if you have a touch display, or by pressing any key on the computers keyboard. When you first started using your computer, you may have set a password for your user account. If you did, you will be asked for this before you can unlock the computer. You can also create a number password for Windows 8 or use a Picture Password. If all this security is too much for you (as it may be for a home user) then there is a way to remove this screen completely, well look into that later. Finding your way around the new Start Screen The Start Screen (shown below), in Windows 8 is based around square and rectangular coloured blocks called Tiles, each one when clicked or tapped starts an app, which will perform a specific task such as sending and receiving email, viewing web pages, editing photographs, or play a game. The Start Screen pans left to right across your screen. Swipe left and right with your finger to pan across the Start Screen. If you are using a mouse, you will see a scroll bar at the bottom of the screen when you move the mouse. Click/Touch and drag this left and right to look around the Start Screen. You can also use the scroll wheel (up and down) on your mouse to move left and right on the Start Screen. http://www.bleepstatic.com/tutorials/windows-8/introduction-start-screen/windows-8-start-screen.jpg As you look around the Start screen you will see that some Tiles change occasionally to display text or images. These are Live Tiles, which give you information from inside the app or show you what is new or changed, such as giving you a message. These messages can include details of new emails or social network messages, informing you of the number of updates that are available for your apps in the Windows Store or giving you news headlines. You can rearrange Tiles on the Start screen by dragging them around and dropping them into a new location, which can help you organize them to best suit you. Not all the apps and software in Windows 8 will appear on the Start screen. For example, you may have chosen to hide a Tile to keep your Start Screen tidy, or perhaps you dont use it regularly. There is a lot more to the new Start Screen than a pretty page with tiles, it can be manipulated in different ways and accesses other areas of Windows 8. Well look at all of these later. Starting Windows 8 When Windows 8 starts, you will see the lock screen (Figure 1-1). This displays the time and date and can also show extra information including how many emails you have and what your next calendar appointment is. You open the lock screen by swiping upwards on the screen with your finger, if you have a touch display, or by pressing any key on the computers keyboard. When you first started using your computer, you may have set a password for your user account. If you did, you will be asked for this before you can unlock the computer. You can also create a number password for Windows 8 or use a Picture Password. I will show you how to do this in Chapter 12. First, lets deal with the contentious Start Screen. Ill admit that I had some reservations on this score initially. But once you realise the Windows 8 Start Screen simply replaces the old Start Menu your reluctance about moving to Windows 8 will disperse. The Start Screen is flat, rather than hierarchical, as earlier Windows OSs are. Whether you use a touch-enabled screen, a laptop touchpad, or the scroll wheel on a mouse, practically everything you need for launching and managing applications is right there, within reach. And if youre a Start Menu diehard, you can right-click the lower left portion of the Start Screen to bring up a simplified Start Menu.

Abortion Essay -- essays research papers

Abortion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to Planned Parenthood, â€Å"millions of women per year sought out illegal abortions, thousands died. There are two kinds of abortion; one is what we call spontaneous abortion. This type may be more familiar as a miscarriage. When an embryo or fetus stops developing the body expels it. If a woman wants to end her pregnancy then she can have what is called an induced abortion, this can be done either surgically or medically. It terminates the fetus so that the mother doesn’t have to raise a child. Three reasons why abortion is a critical issue are moral, financial, and health. These are very important in the decision to have an abortion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first reason why abortion is a critical issue is moral. The definition of moral is the distinction between right and wrong. People only think of abortion as being the right thing to do or the wrong thing to do. In some peoples minds it is either the killing of a child or saving it from having a horrible life. For instance the Catholic Church is so against abortion they go as far as trying to terminate the hospitals. They think of it as the killing of a human being while the woman who is having the abortion is just not fit to raise a child. Or in more extreme circumstances, rape or incest occurs. In this situation what do you do, probably have an abortion. In the mind of people all these are reasons why people think abortion is right or wrong, it just depends on ...

Society Exposed in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World Essay -- Aldous Hux

Society Exposed in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World One may think that the society in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World is a gross representation of the future, but perhaps our society isn’t that much different. In his foreword to the novel Brave New World, Aldous Huxley envisioned this statement when he wrote: "To make them love it is the task assigned, in present-day totalitarian states, to ministries of propaganda...." Thus, through hypnopaedic teaching (brainwashing), mandatory attendance to community gatherings, and the use of drugs to control emotions, Huxley bitterly satirized the society in which we live. The way the fascist and totalitarian regimes of the past used mass propaganda techniques to â€Å"brainwash† their people was very similar to the way Huxley described the hypnopaedic teachings in his novel. He also thought, however, that the present-day totalitarian states' methods were still "crude and unscientific." For example, in the novel the different classes had been brainwashed since birth to believe that they all contributed equally to society. Therefore, the people wouldn't try to think for themselves because they had never been trained to think anything differently. In addition, they didn't have any knowledge of a society that they could compare themselves to. In our society, many great lessons have been learned from the mistakes of rulers in the past. This is revealed when the Director said, "History is bunk." In our society, the dictators attempted to g...

Blackened Soul :: essays research papers

America is said to be the land of opportunity, the land of freedom. Much of that freedom is used for expression, which most of it comes from writing. Many great writers have been a part of our history, sharing their creative thoughts, ideas, and opinions with everyone. Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allen Poe are two writers who come to mind. In his stories, such as â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil† and â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† Hawthorne shows how he believes that man is always living in denial of their true condition, and that pride keeps them separated from everyone, including God. Poe, on the other hand, expresses his ideas of mankind in a slightly different way. In two of his pieces, â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† and â€Å"The Black Cat,† Poe explains in a dark manner how humans have a conscience with two sides, the â€Å"life instinct† and the â€Å"death instinct.† Seeking to do violence is what the so-called â€Å"death instinctà ¢â‚¬  does, and Poe was the first to ever believe this. Both authors have attempted to describe the darker side of human nature. Many questions arise when reading Poe and Hawthorne’s pieces, most of which can only be answered through analysis. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil† is a great example of humankind’s struggle with evil. This story revolves around pride, which is an inherent evil of humans, as Hawthorne believed. The black veil worn by Reverend Hooper represents the evil of humans, which essentially separates people from everyone, including God. Hooper decides to teach the people this very fact by wearing a black veil over his face. To show the people that they are prideful and sinful becomes a trickier task than he believed. The people responded in a frightened manner, such as Goodman Gray who, on page 104, cried, â€Å"Our parson has gone mad!† This clearly shows that Gray, along with the other people, missed Hooper’s point in wearing the black veil. But the congregation wasn’t alone in their misinterpretations, and soon Hooper realizes that he needs to be taught himself, so he believes that he must wear the veil for the rest of his life . He realizes his mistake when, on page 107, it says, â€Å" At that instant, catching a glimpse of his figure in the looking glass, the black veil involved his own spirit in the horror with which it overwhelmed all others.† He finally realizes he is just like the rest when he noticed his reflection with the veil covering his face. Blackened Soul :: essays research papers America is said to be the land of opportunity, the land of freedom. Much of that freedom is used for expression, which most of it comes from writing. Many great writers have been a part of our history, sharing their creative thoughts, ideas, and opinions with everyone. Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allen Poe are two writers who come to mind. In his stories, such as â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil† and â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† Hawthorne shows how he believes that man is always living in denial of their true condition, and that pride keeps them separated from everyone, including God. Poe, on the other hand, expresses his ideas of mankind in a slightly different way. In two of his pieces, â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† and â€Å"The Black Cat,† Poe explains in a dark manner how humans have a conscience with two sides, the â€Å"life instinct† and the â€Å"death instinct.† Seeking to do violence is what the so-called â€Å"death instinctà ¢â‚¬  does, and Poe was the first to ever believe this. Both authors have attempted to describe the darker side of human nature. Many questions arise when reading Poe and Hawthorne’s pieces, most of which can only be answered through analysis. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil† is a great example of humankind’s struggle with evil. This story revolves around pride, which is an inherent evil of humans, as Hawthorne believed. The black veil worn by Reverend Hooper represents the evil of humans, which essentially separates people from everyone, including God. Hooper decides to teach the people this very fact by wearing a black veil over his face. To show the people that they are prideful and sinful becomes a trickier task than he believed. The people responded in a frightened manner, such as Goodman Gray who, on page 104, cried, â€Å"Our parson has gone mad!† This clearly shows that Gray, along with the other people, missed Hooper’s point in wearing the black veil. But the congregation wasn’t alone in their misinterpretations, and soon Hooper realizes that he needs to be taught himself, so he believes that he must wear the veil for the rest of his life . He realizes his mistake when, on page 107, it says, â€Å" At that instant, catching a glimpse of his figure in the looking glass, the black veil involved his own spirit in the horror with which it overwhelmed all others.† He finally realizes he is just like the rest when he noticed his reflection with the veil covering his face.

Fuzzy Logic

Overview The reasoning in fuzzy logic is similar to human reasoning. It allows for approximate values and inferences as well as incomplete or ambiguous data (fuzzy data) as opposed to only relying on crisp data (binary yes/no choices). Fuzzy logic is able to process incomplete data and provide approximate solutions to problems other methods find difficult to solve. Terminology used in fuzzy logic not used in other methods are: very high, increasing, somewhat decreased, reasonable and very low. [4] [edit]Degrees of truth Fuzzy logic and probabilistic logic are mathematically similar – both have truth values ranging between 0 and 1 – but conceptually distinct, due to different interpretations—see interpretations of probability theory. Fuzzy logic corresponds to â€Å"degrees of truth†, while probabilistic logic corresponds to â€Å"probability, likelihood†; as these differ, fuzzy logic and probabilistic logic yield different models of the same real-world situations. Both degrees of truth and probabilities range between 0 and 1 and hence may seem similar at first. For example, let a 100 ml glass contain 30 ml of water. Then we may consider two concepts: Empty and Full. The meaning of each of them can be represented by a certain fuzzy set. Then one might define the glass as being 0. 7 empty and 0. 3 full. Note that the concept of emptiness would be subjective and thus would depend on the observer or designer. Another designer might equally well design a set membership function where the glass would be considered full for all values down to 50 ml. It is essential to realize that fuzzy logic uses truth degrees as a mathematical model of the vagueness phenomenon while probability is a mathematical model of ignorance. edit]Applying truth values A basic application might characterize subranges of a continuous variable. For instance, a temperature measurement for anti-lock brakes might have several separate membership functions defining particular temperature ranges needed to control the brakes properly. Each function maps the same temperature value to a truth value in the 0 to 1 range. These truth values can then be used to determine how the brakes should be controlled. Fuzzy logic temperature In this image, the meaning of the expressions cold, warm, and hot is represented by functions mapping a temperature scale. A point on that scale has three â€Å"truth values†Ã¢â‚¬â€one for each of the three functions. The vertical line in the image represents a particular temperature that the three arrows (truth values) gauge. Since the red arrow points to zero, this temperature may be interpreted as â€Å"not hot†. The orange arrow (pointing at 0. 2) may describe it as â€Å"slightly warm† and the blue arrow (pointing at 0. 8) â€Å"fairly cold†. [edit]Linguistic variables While variables in mathematics usually take numerical values, in fuzzy logic applications, the non-numeric linguistic variables are often used to facilitate the expression of rules and facts. 5] A linguistic variable such as age may have a value such as young or its antonym old. However, the great utility of linguistic variables is that they can be modified via linguistic hedges applied to primary terms. The linguistic hedges can be associated with certain functions. [edit]Example Fuzzy set theory defines fuzzy operators on fuzzy sets. The problem in applying this is that the appropriate fuzzy operator may not be known. For this reason, fuzzy logic usually uses IF-THEN rules, or constructs that are equivalent, such as fuzzy associative matrices. Rules are usually expressed in the form: IF variable IS property THEN action For example, a simple temperature regulator that uses a fan might look like this: IF temperature IS very cold THEN stop fan IF temperature IS cold THEN turn down fan IF temperature IS normal THEN maintain level IF temperature IS hot THEN speed up fan There is no â€Å"ELSE† – all of the rules are evaluated, because the temperature might be â€Å"cold† and â€Å"normal† at the same time to different degrees. The AND, OR, and NOT operators of boolean logic exist in fuzzy logic, usually defined as the minimum, maximum, and omplement; when they are defined this way, they are called the Zadeh operators. So for the fuzzy variables x and y: NOT x = (1 – truth(x)) x AND y = minimum(truth(x), truth(y)) x OR y = maximum(truth(x), truth(y)) There are also other operators, more linguistic in nature, called hedges that can be applied. These are generally adverbs such as â€Å"very†, or â€Å"somewhat†, which modify the meaning of a set using a mathematical formula. [edit]Logical analysis In mathematical logic, there are several formal systems of â€Å"fuzzy logic†; most of them belong among so-called t-norm fuzzy logics. edit]Propositional fuzzy logics The most important propositional fuzzy logics are: Monoidal t-norm-based propositional fuzzy logic MTL is an axiomatization of logic where conjunction is defined by a left continuous t-norm, and implication is defined as the residuum of the t-norm. Its models correspond to MTL-algebras that are prelinear commutative bounded integral residuated lattices. Basic propositional fuzzy logic BL is an extension of MTL logic where conjunction is defined by a continuous t-norm, and implication is also defined as the residuum of the t-norm. Its models correspond to BL-algebras. Lukasiewicz fuzzy logic is the extension of basic fuzzy logic BL where standard conjunction is the Lukasiewicz t-norm. It has the axioms of basic fuzzy logic plus an axiom of double negation, and its models correspond to MV-algebras. Godel fuzzy logic is the extension of basic fuzzy logic BL where conjunction is Godel t-norm. It has the axioms of BL plus an axiom of idempotence of conjunction, and its models are called G-algebras. Product fuzzy logic is the extension of basic fuzzy logic BL where conjunction is product t-norm. It has the axioms of BL plus another axiom for cancellativity of conjunction, and its models are called product algebras. Fuzzy logic with evaluated syntax (sometimes also called Pavelka's logic), denoted by EVL, is a further generalization of mathematical fuzzy logic. While the above kinds of fuzzy logic have traditional syntax and many-valued semantics, in EVL is evaluated also syntax. This means that each formula has an evaluation. Axiomatization of EVL stems from Lukasziewicz fuzzy logic. A generalization of classical Godel completeness theorem is provable in EVL. edit]Predicate fuzzy logics These extend the above-mentioned fuzzy logics by adding universal and existential quantifiers in a manner similar to the way that predicate logic is created from propositional logic. The semantics of the universal (resp. existential) quantifier in t-norm fuzzy logics is the infimum (resp. supremum) of the truth degrees of the instances of the quantified subformula. [edit]Decidability issues f or fuzzy logic The notions of a â€Å"decidable subset† and â€Å"recursively enumerable subset† are basic ones for classical mathematics and classical logic. Then, the question of a suitable extension of such concepts to fuzzy set theory arises. A first proposal in such a direction was made by E. S. Santos by the notions of fuzzy Turing machine, Markov normal fuzzy algorithm and fuzzy program (see Santos 1970). Successively, L. Biacino and G. Gerla showed that such a definition is not adequate and therefore proposed the following one. U denotes the set of rational numbers in [0,1]. A fuzzy subset s : S [0,1] of a set S is recursively enumerable if a recursive map h : S? N U exists such that, for every x in S, the function h(x,n) is increasing with respect to n and s(x) = lim h(x,n). We say that s is decidable if both s and its complement –s are recursively enumerable. An extension of such a theory to the general case of the L-subsets is proposed in Gerla 2006. The proposed definitions are well related with fuzzy logic. Indeed, the following theorem holds true (provided that the deduction apparatus of the fuzzy logic satisfies some obvious effectiveness property). Theorem. Any axiomatizable fuzzy theory is recursively enumerable. In particular, the fuzzy set of logically true formulas is recursively enumerable in spite of the fact that the crisp set of valid formulas is not recursively enumerable, in general. Moreover, any axiomatizable and complete theory is decidable. It is an open question to give supports for a Church thesis for fuzzy logic claiming that the proposed notion of recursive enumerability for fuzzy subsets is the adequate one. To this aim, further investigations on the notions of fuzzy grammar and fuzzy Turing machine should be necessary (see for example Wiedermann's paper). Another open uestion is to start from this notion to find an extension of Godel’s theorems to fuzzy logic. [edit]Fuzzy databases Once fuzzy relations are defined, it is possible to develop fuzzy relational databases. The first fuzzy relational database, FRDB, appeared in Maria Zemankova's dissertation. Later, some other models arose like the Buckles-Petry model, the Prade-Testemale Model, the Umano-Fukami model or t he GEFRED model by J. M. Medina, M. A. Vila et al. In the context of fuzzy databases, some fuzzy querying languages have been defined, highlighting the SQLf by P. Bosc et al. and the FSQL by J. Galindo et al. These languages define some structures in order to include fuzzy aspects in the SQL statements, like fuzzy conditions, fuzzy comparators, fuzzy constants, fuzzy constraints, fuzzy thresholds, linguistic labels and so on. [edit]Comparison to probability Fuzzy logic and probability are different ways of expressing uncertainty. While both fuzzy logic and probability theory can be used to represent subjective belief, fuzzy set theory uses the concept of fuzzy set membership (i. e. , how much a variable is in a set), and probability theory uses the concept of subjective probability (i. . , how probable do I think that a variable is in a set). While this distinction is mostly philosophical, the fuzzy-logic-derived possibility measure is inherently different from the probability measure, hence they are not directly equivalent. However, many statisticians are persuaded by the work of Bruno de Finetti that only one kind of mathematical uncertainty is needed and thus fuzzy logic is unnecessary. On the other hand, Bart Kosko argues[citation needed] that probability is a subtheory of fuzzy logic, as probability only handles one kind of uncertainty. He also claims[citation needed] to have proven a derivation of Bayes' theorem from the concept of fuzzy subsethood. Lotfi Zadeh argues that fuzzy logic is different in character from probability, and is not a replacement for it. He fuzzified probability to fuzzy probability and also generalized it to what is called possibility theory. (cf. [6]) [edit]See also Logic portal Thinking portal Artificial intelligence Artificial neural network Defuzzification Dynamic logic Expert system False dilemma Fuzzy architectural spatial analysis Fuzzy associative matrix Fuzzy classification Fuzzy concept Fuzzy Control Language Fuzzy Control System Fuzzy electronics Fuzzy mathematics Fuzzy set Fuzzy subalgebra FuzzyCLIPS expert system Machine learning Multi-valued logic Neuro-fuzzy Paradox of the heap Rough set Type-2 fuzzy sets and systems Vagueness Interval finite element Noise-based logic [edit]Notes ^ Novak, V. , Perfilieva, I. and Mockor, J. (1999) Mathematical principles of fuzzy logic Dodrecht: Kluwer Academic. ISBN 0-7923-8595-0 ^ â€Å"Fuzzy Logic†. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Stanford University. 2006-07-23. Retrieved 2008-09-29. ^ Zadeh, L. A. (1965). Fuzzy sets†, Information and Control 8 (3): 338–353. ^ James A. O'Brien; George M. Marakas (2011). Management Information Systesm (10th ed. ). New York: McGraw Hill. pp. 431. ^ Zadeh, L. A. et al. 1996 Fuzzy Sets, Fuzzy Logic, Fuzzy Systems, World Scientific Press, ISBN 9810224214 ^ Novak, V. Are fuzzy sets a reasonable tool for modeling vague phenomena? , Fuzzy Sets and Systems 156 ( 2005) 341—348. [edit]Bibliography Von Altrock, Constantin (1995). Fuzzy logic and NeuroFuzzy applications explained. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall PTR. ISBN 0-13-368465-2. Arabacioglu, B. C. (2010). â€Å"Using fuzzy inference system for architectural space analysis†. Applied Soft Computing 10 (3): 926–937. Biacino, L. ; Gerla, G. (2002). â€Å"Fuzzy logic, continuity and effectiveness†. Archive for Mathematical Logic 41 (7): 643–667. doi:10. 1007/s001530100128. ISSN 0933-5846. Cox, Earl (1994). The fuzzy systems handbook: a practitioner's guide to building, using, maintaining fuzzy systems. Boston: AP Professional. ISBN 0-12-194270-8. Gerla, Giangiacomo (2006). â€Å"Effectiveness and Multivalued Logics†. Journal of Symbolic Logic 71 (1): 137–162. doi:10. 2178/jsl/1140641166. ISSN 0022-4812. Hajek, Petr (1998). Metamathematics of fuzzy logic. Dordrecht: Kluwer. ISBN 0792352386. Hajek, Petr (1995). â€Å"Fuzzy logic and arithmetical hierarchy†. Fuzzy Sets and Systems 3 (8): 359–363. doi:10. 1016/0165-0114(94)00299-M. ISSN 0165-0114. Halpern, Joseph Y. (2003). Reasoning about uncertainty. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press. ISBN 0-262-08320-5. Hoppner, Frank; Klawonn, F. ; Kruse, R. ; Runkler, T. (1999). Fuzzy cluster analysis: methods for classification, data analysis and image recognition. New York: John Wiley. ISBN 0-471-98864-2. Ibrahim, Ahmad M. (1997). Introduction to Applied Fuzzy Electronics. Englewood Cliffs, N. J: Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-206400-6. Klir, George J. ; Folger, Tina A. (1988). Fuzzy sets, uncertainty, and information. Englewood Cliffs, N. J: Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-345984-5. Klir, George J. ; St Clair, Ute H. ; Yuan, Bo (1997). 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