Free Homeschool No-Cost Homeschool Resources

One of the biggest concerns for new homeschool parents – or those who’ve gone through job loss or divorce – is the cost. There are many ways to save money on homeschool curriculum, but what about parents who find themselves in the position of needing to homeschool for free or almost free? Believe it or not, it can be done! Free Homeschooling Resources Homeschooling doesn’t have to be expensive. Thanks to the Internet (along with smartphones and tablets), high-quality, low-cost homeschooling resources are available to anyone anywhere. 1. Khan Academy Khan Academy has a long-standing reputation as a quality resource in the homeschooling community. It is a non-profit educational site started by American educator Salman Khan to provide free, quality educational resources for all students. Organized by topic, the site includes math (K-12), science, technology, economics, art, history, and test prep. Each topic includes lectures delivered via YouTube videos. Students can use the site independently, or parents can create a parent account, then set up student  accounts from which they can track their child’s progress. 2. Easy Peasy  All-in-One Homeschool Easy Peasy  All-in-One Homeschool is a free online resource created by homeschooling parents for homeschooling parents. It contains full homeschool curriculum from a Christian worldview for grades K-12. First, parents choose their child’s grade level. The grade level material covers the basics, such as reading, writing, and math. Then, the parent selects  a program year. All of the children in a family will work together on history and science covering the same topics based on the program year chosen. Easy Peasy is all online and free. Its all planned out day by day, so children can go to their level,  scroll down to the day they are on, and follow the directions. Inexpensive workbooks are available to order, or parents can print the worksheets from the site at no cost (other than ink and paper). 3. Ambleside Online Ambleside Online is a free, Charlotte Mason-style homeschool curriculum for children in grades K-12. Like Khan Academy, Ambleside has a long-standing reputation in the homeschooling community as a quality resource. The program provides a list of books that families will need for each level. The books cover history, science, literature, and geography. Parents will need to choose their own resources for math and foreign language. Ambleside also includes picture and composer studies. Children will do copywork or dictation on their own for their level, but no additional resources are needed since the passages can be taken from the books they’re reading. Ambleside Online even offers an emergency-plan curriculum for families homeschooling in the midst of crisis or natural disaster. 4. YouTube YouTube isn’t without its pitfalls, especially for young viewers, but with parental oversight, it can be a wealth of information and a fantastic supplement to homeschooling. There are educational videos for nearly any topic imaginable on YouTube, including music lessons, foreign language, writing courses, preschool themes, and more. Crash Course is a top-rated channel for older kids. The video series covers topics such as science, history, economics, and literature. There is now a version for younger students called Crash Course Kids. 5. The Library Never take for granted the gift of a well-stocked library – or a moderately stocked one with a reliable intra-library loan system. The most obvious use for the library when homeschooling is borrowing books and DVDs. Students can choose fiction and non-fiction books related to the topics they’re studying – or those about which they’re curious. Consider the following series resources: The American Girl, Dear America, or My Name is America series for historyThe Magic School Bus series for scienceThe Magic Treehouse series for history or scienceDiscover America State by State for geographyLife of Fred for math Some libraries even stock homeschool curriculum. For example, our library has the Five in a Row series for preschool and young elementary students. Many libraries also offer fantastic online classes through their websites, such as foreign language with resources like Rosetta Stone or Mango, or practice tests for the SAT or ACT. Also, many libraries offer other onsite resources such as information on genealogy or local history. Most libraries also offer free wi-fi and make computers available to patrons. So, even families who don’t have internet access at home can take advantage of free online resources at their local library. 6. Apps With the popularity of tablets and smartphones, don’t overlook the usefulness of apps. There are several language learning apps such as Duolingo and Memrise. Apps like Reading Eggs and ABC Mouse (both require a subscription after the trial period) are perfect for engaging young learners. Apple Education is an excellent resource for iOS users. There are over 180,000 educational apps available. 7. Starfall Starfall is another free resource that has been around as long as my family has been homeschooling. Launched in 2002, the website now includes an app for smartphone and tablet users. Originally started as an online reading instruction program, Starfall has expanded to include math skills for young learners. 8. Online Education Sites Many online education sites such at The CK12 Foundation and Discovery K12 offer free courses for students in grades K-12.  Both were started to provide access to a quality education to students everywhere. CNN Student News is an excellent free resource for current events. It’s available during the traditional public school year, from mid-August to late-May.  Students will enjoy using  Google Earth to study geography or learning computer coding through Khan Academy or Code.org. For nature study, the best free resource is the great outdoors itself. Couple that with sites such as: National GeographicNatGeo KidsThe Handbook of Nature StudyU.S. Forest Service Try these sites for high-quality free printables: Enchanted LearningTeacher Pay Teachers (Offers free and paid printables)CurrClickFree Homeschool Deals   And, of course, ThoughtCo! 9. Local Resources In addition to the library, keep other local resources in mind. Many homeschooling families like to suggest museum and zoo memberships as holiday gifts from grandparents. Even if parents purchase the memberships themselves, they can still prove to be inexpensive homeschooling resources long-term. Many zoos, museums, and aquariums offer reciprocal memberships, allowing members to visit participating locations at a free or discounted rate. So, a local zoo membership may also provide access to other zoos throughout the country. Sometimes there are also free nights for similar venues within a city. For example, years ago when my family had a membership at our local children’s museum, there was a free night which allowed us to visit the other museums (art, history, etc.) and the aquarium using our children’s museum membership pass. Consider scouting programs such as  Boy or Girl Scouts, AWANAS, and American Heritage  Girls. While these programs aren’t free, the handbooks for each usually contain very educational material that can be incorporated into the lessons you’re teaching at home. Cautions When Trying to Homeschooling for Free The idea of homeschooling for free may sound  like a proposition with no downsides, but there are some pitfalls to watch out for. Make Sure the Freebie Is Useful Homeschooling mom Cindy West, who blogs at Our Journey Westward, says parents should have â€Å"a plan in place to make sure homeschooling is thorough, sequential and appropriate.† Many subjects, such as math, require that  new concepts are built on previously learned and mastered concepts. Printing off random free math printables is likely not going to ensure a strong foundation. However, if parents have a plan in mind for the concepts a child needs to learn and the order in which he needs to learn them, they may be able to successfully pull together the right series of free resources. Homeschooling parents should avoid using printables or other free resources as busy work. Instead, they should make sure that the resources have a purpose in teaching a concept that their child needs to learn. Using a typical course of study guide can help parents make the best choices at each stage of their student’s educational development. Make Sure the Freebie Is Really Free Sometimes homeschool vendors, bloggers, or educational websites offer sample pages of their material. Often these samples are copyrighted materials that are meant to be shared with a specific audience, such as subscribers. Some vendors may also make their products (or product samples) available for purchase as a pdf download. Usually, these downloads are intended only for the purchaser. They are not meant to be shared with friends, homeschool support groups, co-ops, or on online forums. There are many free and inexpensive homeschool resources available. With some research and planning, its not difficult for parents to make the most of them and provide a quality home education for free - or almost free.

The Nature Looking At The System Of Nature Essay

The Evolution of Nature: Looking at the System of Nature in Aristoteles â€Å"Poetics† Aristoteles â€Å"Poetics† appears to be a straight forward piece about what defines good and bad poetry. Throughout the work, he explains the minuet features of tragedy, epics, and representation that have naturally come to be the best. He even goes to great lengths to list out each of the features of these representations and the ways they can be implemented. Behind this seemingly simple idea, however there is the great implication of poetry as a naturally occurring representation and, therefore, good practice. Yet, natural does not appear to refer to our standard definition. The meaning goes beyond existing outside us to an almost Plato style of truth where one is waiting for the true form of the practice to revel itself. This complex evolution of nature and truth can be seen in comedy’s and tragedy’s origins, features, and reception. The presence of nature as the na tural world being the deciding factor for weather something is good or bad seems to be the obvious interpretation of the text. Throughout the reading, Aristotle brings up the fact that specific forms, types of representations, and even representations themselves are â€Å"natural† (Aristotle, 90, 91). Taking a closer look at the use of the word, it first appears to coincide with our definition. One example of this is when he believes there are two reasons representations should be, â€Å"representation is natural to human beings fromShow MoreRelatedLeadership From A Natural Sciences Standpoint1255 Words   |  6 Pagesmany studies and papers written about leadership by looking at all sorts of perspectives. More recently, researchers have started to look at the keys to leadership from a natural sciences standpoint. The world is starting to understand that our views of leadership in organizations have to be consistent with the nature of the world outside. Richard Wielkiewicz and Stephen Stelzner go so far to say that the key to effective leadership is by looking at and having a fair representation of all perspectivesRead MoreSilent Spring By Rachel Carson1083 Words   |  5 Pagesbring. In comparison to Carson, I perceive myself to have developed my perception of nature through books however, my culture did not allow me to have a one on one interaction with nature. Carson fails to comprehend how traditional values potentially promote an anthropocentric ideology that attributes to the way humans treat the natural world. The author’s modes of argumentation mirror my own perception of nature only to a certain extent because she fails to mention the relationship between cultureRead MoreCharles Mills And The Political Theory Of Gender And Race1689 Words   |  7 Pagesamongst our society and how he opposes racial realism. He guides his perception through dividing his argument through examples of racial classifications. Such examples include â€Å"q uace†,†horizontal†, and â€Å"vertical† systems. He is interested answering how racial classification applies to basis of nature. Mill`s main goal of his argument is to show how race raises metaphysical issues, These issues might answer the question who and what we are as individuals. Racial Classifications Matters According to CharlesRead MoreNature Vs. Nurture Essay1612 Words   |  7 PagesNature vs. Nurture Essay Throughout many years, scientists have been debating about whether nature or nurture is the driving force that shapes a person’s cognitive abilities and personal traits. Before the ongoing debate can be explained, it is necessary to understand what nature and nurture actually are. Nature is loosely defined as the genetics one inherits and tendencies that influence development. Many things in an individual are hereditary, for instance; gender, disease, height, eye color,Read MoreThomas Hobbes Philosophical Political Piece1317 Words   |  6 Pagesand commonwealth is delegated by an all powerful sovereign, and that without it we are in a state of chaos, otherwise titled by Hobbes as the state of nature (Thomas Hobbes, 2002, p. 181). I will argue that it is not possible to acknowledge what life is like in the state of nature without fully acknowledging that life in the state of nature leads to an all-powerful sovereign that ultimately leads to the benefit of the people due t o humanity s innate fear of death and desire for civilizationRead MoreThe Value Of Nature Within Our Everyday Lives1379 Words   |  6 PagesIn order to further understand the value of nature within our everyday lives both the passages of Leanne Simpson, David Chambers and Helen Watson address the importance of perspectives and the ways in which different knowledge is viewed within the world. In Land As Pedagogy: Nishnaabeg Intelligence and Rebellious Transformation written by Leanne Simpson she highlights the importance of indigenous traditions and knowledge as a way to obtain decolonization through sharing Nishnaabeg stories. She allowsRead MoreThe Physiological Effects Upon the Brain and Body During Processes of Spirituality1509 Words   |  7 Pagesthat open up vast amounts of discussion on cognitive ability and spirituality. Finally, neurobiologists and neuropsychologist are researching and looking at spirituality and meditation to determine answers to questions about brain activities during spiritual processes. Through the use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI,s), these researchers are looking at the physiological effects upon the brain and body during processes of spirituality. Nevertheless , researchers are trying to understand the religiousRead MoreDivine Command And Natural Law Theory869 Words   |  4 Pageshave developed my own code stemming deeply from my religion. For this reason, I believe that divine command/natural law theory are the closest related ethical systems to my own ethical code even though there are many flaws that come with them. Divine command is an ethical system that derives heavily from a religious background. This system believes that since God is the creator and ruler of all, he is the one who decides the ethical and moral principles. It can be simply put as â€Å"â€Å"morally right†Read MoreThe Great Ideas Of Thomas Hobbes Leviathan, And Adam Smith s The Wealth Of Nations1083 Words   |  5 PagesThomas Hobbes’ Leviathan, and Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations, the most important ideas deal with human nature and social order. In this paper, I will argue Hobbes’ lack of optimism, and Smith’s lack of pessimism in their theories of human nature, and will also discuss how our idea of social order changes once these aspects are taken into consideration. Hobbes’ theory of human nature begins with him stating that all men are created equal. With all men being created equal, this means that everyoneRead MoreThe Retributive And Utilitarian Theory Of Punishment1478 Words   |  6 Pagespsychology. These theories were formed in the past and have molded the basis of the legal system that exists today. In this essay, we will examine the views of different sociologists and their theories and what should be an ideal punishment be like. Society, in which we live, is responsible for making rules for its inhabitants and any violation thereof should be viewed sternly. If a crime is of heinous nature and it affects a large section or basic laws of the society, the punishment should

Extended Critical Response Final Draft Free Essays

The amount of women who join or even are a part of science related fields, are few and the percentages are lowering over time. The question is why? Why aren’t women pursuing careers in these fields? The combination of stereotypes in society and the lack of education on this matter is the answer. They get in the way of a woman’s judgment and choices. We will write a custom essay sample on Extended Critical Response Final Draft or any similar topic only for you Order Now This is the argument that the article ‘The Persistence of Gender Myths in Math† by Roseland Chat Barnett Carry Rivers published in October 2004, in the newspaper Education Week supports. I reasonably am in favor of Barnett and Rivers position. Not only because they are against the stereotype which is implanted in our society, that math is only suitable for men but also because they believe that if women where properly educated without bias they could achieve things they are capable of instead of being discouraged. To support my views on this matter will be using evidence from other sources that will be presented later on. One reason I agree with Barnett and Rivers is because on one hand although they acknowledge the fact that â€Å"men far out number women in math related fields† (par. , on the other hand they argue that this has nothing to do with innate differences but rather with stereotypes. In other words the authors do not believe that genes are the reason why women do not choose to study math but are rather deterred from biased people and circumstances which discourage women in succeeding in these fields. When girls grow up in an environment which is bi ased and supports that men are better than women in jobs or math related studies and avert them from doing the same they will end up believing that men are better than them and that â€Å"erodes their confidence in their own ability to succeed† (par. . In plain English when a girl has been discouraged throughout her life from doing cometh inning that is considered unsuitable to her gender she will not have confidence in achieving a goal and she will believe that she IS not good. It will always seem hard, even if she has the capability of achieving it. Moreover, I could not agree more with Barnett and Rivers that ‘culture has convinced them that girls don’t belong in these fields† (par. 0), because a biased culture and the influence of stereotypes may avert girls from choosing what they are good at but rather choose what they are mostly suited for. But doesn’t culture consist of education and family? On one hand the article â€Å"Reinforcing Gender S tereotypes: How Our Schools Narrow Children’s Choices† by Athena Donald published in January 2014 in the newspaper The Guardian the author supports that the reason girls are not interested in â€Å"manlier† subjects is not due to innate differences but propaganda in school. As Donald puts it â€Å"children learn sexism at school†. Barnett and Rivers are Of the same mind. They believe that teachers do not encourage girls in choosing courses that are more popular with boys. On the other hand, Steven Pinker the author of The Science of Difference† published in February 2005, in the newspaper The New Republic talks about this topic in a more psychological prospect and is a firm supporter that biology has to do with what we like (nature), but partly agrees with Barnett and Rivers that people’s preferences are caused by their social environment (nurture). This is where family comes in. When the author says â€Å"children are born unisex and are molded into male and female roles by their parents† it shows us that children have the same abilities in achieving things but society is what teaches kids that humans are different due to their ex, which applies, to my beliefs as well as Barnett and Rivers. The authors of † The Persistence of Gender Myths in Math† offer a solution, which think is reasonable. A combination of teachers helping kids in the school environment and enhancing the girls’ natural talents rather than eliminating them because they don’t apply to their sex and the elimination of bias from our society, is what the authors believe to be the solution. Firstly, they believe that teachers can contribute to their female students and help them believe that they are equally likely to succeed in the fields of math. To do so, the educators need to â€Å"examine the degree to which they themselves may have – unconsciously- accepted the math-male equation† (par. 1). Agree with the authors because, since teachers are the ones who have a part of â€Å"molding† a child’s personality they need to educate themselves too on this subject. Children cannot be trusted with a teacher who does not encourage them equally. Moreover, I could not agree more with Barnett and Rivers when they say that when we stop believing in the stereotype that men are better that women at math and finally see that it has nothing to do with innate differences (par. ) but rather judge correctly a human and his capabilities by â€Å"their individual merits rather than the statistics of their group† (Pinker par. 6) that is when we will have a clear idea of each individuals capabilities despite of their sex. TO sum up, I am a firm supporter of Barnett and Rivers, because they are of the same mind as me which is that achievement in math has nothing to do with sexual characteristics but this is our society’s false belief that men can do better in math fields. The consequence of which, ends up affecting women negatively, it does let them acknowledge their own abilities and flourish in these fields. Moreover, the authors do not stand idly towards this topic but proceed in offering a solution in eliminating this bias specifically in the school environment, which is that educators should eliminate this inhabited stereotype so they can judge the abilities of their students in math, based on their performance and not according to their sex which will result in encouraging them equally. Finally, a stereotype cannot stand in the way of a woman’s pursuit of her dreams just because her sex according to statistics does not do well in math. All humans despite of their ex, deserve the same encouragement and support in achieving their goals, so it’s time for society to work off this bias and judge equally peoples’ achievements rather than having a false idea of women’s capabilities. How to cite Extended Critical Response Final Draft, Papers

Analysis Of Religious Cults Essay Example For Students

Analysis Of Religious Cults Essay There are many types of cults in the world, cults are everywhere but you just do not see them. Every person in the world has been in contact with them in one way or another in many cases you cannot see them. The closest cult we know of is on Rice Lake called the Moonies led by Reverend Myung, where I have currently visited. Cults can be involved in churches and even are earliest religions are called cults. Cults are not the strongest groups sects are the strongest group. When you join a sect you cannot get out of them but a cult you can leave without having any problem or commitment. Sects will not let you out because many times its illegal and they are afraid that you will say something to the public. Cults sometimes are illegal to. Religious cults are in every town and village there is no definition of a cult that is accepted by sociologists and psychologist or religion many types of activities will take cult like structures, an example would be any popular trend like physical exer cise this is called the physical fitness cult. Famous athletes are a big figure when it comes to cults, many times Movie stars, professional athletes will endorse a product and a trend will start, making it turn into a cult. Also people who generate beliefs of something like flying saucer, aliens or any unknown figures can be cult. In religion when people call a church they are referring to a sacred organization having a highly structured or formalized dogma and hierarchy, but also allowing a bit of flexibility about membership requirements allowing you to go to a church and leave church when you want to. Although sects are against church attempts to accommodate to secular society. Sects believe that they are protecting a true faith or belief. Sects tend to stay away from world events , and also they believe in a strong strict behavioral code and demand a commitment out of their people. The differences between cults and sects are sometimes the same. Many scholars do not make distinc tions between the two. Cults are different because they do not expect as much commitment. Many times cults do not expect couples to become apart. Cults do not last as long as sects. Many times cults survive through a decade, and also cults allow you to come and go as you want. Leaders of cults build around a charismatic leader who has a lifestyle dedicated to a specific spirituality group that they know other people will follow. The word Mormonism began as a small cult then grew bigger until it became a sect and eventually into a church. All the new religions followed the same thing by beginning small and getting bigger than becoming a church. Cults go back as far as we know of life, cults began to get bigger and be known throughout the world in the late 1960s and early 70s as people were better educated and better understood how they were formed and how they were run and people began to join. During this time Youths and middle class people began to join cults because of the in thing to do and they felt more secure about themselves. Cults really started to fascinate people when Jimmy Jones cult began in November of 1978 when all attention was focused on the mass suicide in Jonestown, a similar event happened in 1993 when federal agents engaged in a shoot out with cult leader David Koresh.Modern cults have many different practices and many different ways of leadership. Some cults have a flexible functional leadership, like the groups in the charismatic movement coming from the mainland Christian religion, other cults have people who run and orchestrate cult events, like Reverend Myung Moon leader of the unification church. The reason people are attracted to modern cults because it puts emphasis on community and on direct experience with the divine. In cults participants often find a level of social support and acceptance that they do not find in a nuclear family. This makes and generates a sense of belonging to something profound and a feel of being somebody. People who often join cults such as this, join because they think they are getting something the world did not give them. Several factors have been looked at to figure why people like are modern youths join cults. Factors that were looked at were drugs war assignation of many unpopular presidents.Cults have been questioned about brainwashing people, and found it to be true. .ueb13f0c143e2156b75f0e9a1676d2abc , .ueb13f0c143e2156b75f0e9a1676d2abc .postImageUrl , .ueb13f0c143e2156b75f0e9a1676d2abc .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ueb13f0c143e2156b75f0e9a1676d2abc , .ueb13f0c143e2156b75f0e9a1676d2abc:hover , .ueb13f0c143e2156b75f0e9a1676d2abc:visited , .ueb13f0c143e2156b75f0e9a1676d2abc:active { border:0!important; } .ueb13f0c143e2156b75f0e9a1676d2abc .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ueb13f0c143e2156b75f0e9a1676d2abc { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ueb13f0c143e2156b75f0e9a1676d2abc:active , .ueb13f0c143e2156b75f0e9a1676d2abc:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ueb13f0c143e2156b75f0e9a1676d2abc .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ueb13f0c143e2156b75f0e9a1676d2abc .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ueb13f0c143e2156b75f0e9a1676d2abc .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ueb13f0c143e2156b75f0e9a1676d2abc .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ueb13f0c143e2156b75f0e9a1676d2abc:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ueb13f0c143e2156b75f0e9a1676d2abc .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ueb13f0c143e2156b75f0e9a1676d2abc .ueb13f0c143e2156b75f0e9a1676d2abc-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ueb13f0c143e2156b75f0e9a1676d2abc:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: THE THREAT OF BIOLOGICAL WARFARE AND POSSIBLE PREV EssayCargo cults are usually neutralist and are in it for money. The word cargo refers to foreign goods possessed by Europeans. Cult members believe that goods belong to themselves and that , with the help of ancestral spirits, the goods can be returned to them through magic religious means. Brainwashing is the process of deliberately subjecting people to physical and psychological hardship in order to alter their thoughts and attitudes, and actions. It also is a process of totally cleaning a mind of one set idea and replacing them by another thought or belief. This is called to indoctrinate cleaning a thought and putting a completely new thought in mind. Indoctrinating can take place without brainwashing. There are 2 aspects of brainwashing they are confessions of past crimes or errors of the past and re-education to new beliefs. Prisoners sometimes are made to confess by lack of sleep and food and other forms of intense physical discomfort, also isolation from victims families and from familiar surroundings.Cult leaders show obedience, and humility and make other members give social pressure to the new member to make them join. And the last thing they do is make mutual criticism and self criticism sessions, which make them have a generalized guilt feeling that all peop le have acceptance of new ideas is again fostered by group pressure and the anticipated reward of freedom. People who have a better underezding of psychology and neuophysiology have made larger groups create extremely effective brainwashing programs. Their techniques however have been used for centuries as inquisition making people give excited confessions from alleged heretics. Religions sometimes use these methods like scourging, rhythmic dancing and drumming and sometimes inducing a trance like state in which the individual is open to conversion. In the 20th centuries, most noticeably by the peoples temple of Guyana, whose membership committed mass suicide. Mystery Cults are usually in the ancient times whose members believed that by means of the performance of particular secret rituals they would gain knowledge that people in the normal world would not have and that would make a mystical union with the divine. Mystery cults make their members feel they are god and give them a feel of immortality that they cannot be destroyed. Many times in mystery cults, cult leaders feel they died and were brought back to be god or Jesus. In todays society, cults are one of the many unfortunate aspects endure in life. Leaders of Cults should be dealt with in a more serious matter. Cult leaders are con-artists and are people that like to control others. Cults should be controlled to protect innocent citizens from being taken advantage of. BibliographyCDROM: Religious Cults. Grolier Electronic Publishing Inc.. 1993CDROM: Contemporary Cults. Grolier Electronic Publishing Inc.. 1993. CDROM: Cargo Cults. Grolier Electronic Publishing Inc.. 1993. CDROM: Contemporary Cults. Grolier Electronic Publishing Inc.. 1993. CDROM: Religious Cults. Grolier Electronic Publishing Inc.. 1993. CDROM :Contemporary Cults. Grolier Electronic Publishing Inc.. 1993. CDROM :Contemporary Cults . Grolier Electronic Publishing Inc.. 1993. CDROM :Cargo Cults . Grolier Electronic Publishing Inc.. 1993.

Anne Frank Essays (568 words) - Women In World War II,

Anne Frank These "Annex" people could live with hope by remembering all of the good times they had together, before they had to go into hiding. They had hope because they knew one day this would all have to end. Although the "Annex" people were probably stronger than most other people would be, this is because some people just can't live knowing that there can be some people in the world who have such hatred in them, that they would just want to see you die! The families of Mr. and Mrs. Frank and Mr. and Mrs. Van Daan did this by staying together as a family and of all the things going on outside, still being able to be happy and have some fun in the Annex. It was a very hard accomplishment for them, but they did it for their family. Mr. and Mrs. Frank had to be strong to show Anne and Margot that they still had faith and hope. This was as well for Mr. and Mrs. Van Daan and for Peter. After all they've gone through, they weren't about to give up just right there. These two families were very faithful. They strongly believed in their Jewish religion. This is another main reason they still had hope. They believed in God and knew that he was watching over them, and he would take care of them. As each day went by, the families hope grew, they knew that they were one day stronger and they survived one more day. They thanked God for this. These families found out the true meaning of life, how precious life was. With all of the violence outside and the people dying it was hard for them to have hope. Yes they were afraid, who wouldn't be. These Germans were waiting to kill them. If someone was waiting to kill you, you would be terrified! This was the way they felt, and above all this they still had hope! The two families of "Annex" people can still live with hope, because the world has some peace inside of it. They see the world as a beautiful place that is unfortunately being shattered in the wrong way with the Germans. They have hope because they know that inside of each and every German man there lives a place in there heart where they all want to live in a world that has peace over every city and countryside. This is inside everybody's hearts, we just wish we could imagine it that way. Mr. Kraler and Miep gave both families hope. This gave the two families a chance to realize that some people in the world that they live in do care for the Jews. Mr. Kraler and Miep were two very generous people, who took their time wisely and devoted it to people who needed help the most! For my conclusion to as why these two families had hope or could have hope was because... they were desperate and scared. They needed to have hope, for if they didn't they would be depressed. This was a time when all had gone wrong and people had gone mad. It was a time where all Jews had lost everything and all they had inside of them was hope. Hope that one day this would all end and that they could live in peace. This was all the Jews really ever wanted, they wanted to live in peace. They never did hurt a soul, they were just living the life that God gave them. And all they could do was hope, hope that one day this would all end.

Free Essays on Rise Of The Roman Empire

Rise of the Roman Empire The legend about Rome’s origins puts the founding of the city at around 735 B.C. It is said that a Vestal Virgin gave birth to twin boys, Romulus and Remus, and claimed that they were the sons of the god Mars. The Vestal Virgin was the sister of a king. The king believed that she was lying and imprisoned her. He put her two boys in a basket and threw it into the Tiber River. A she-wolf found the twins and raised them. The twins, Romulus and Remus, came back and killed the king and founded the city of Rome. Afterwards Romulus and Remus fought and Remus was killed. Romulus was Rome’s first king and after he died, he became a god and vanished. The Romans were tribal people who lived in central Italy and like other Latins; they tilled small plots of land pastured cows, pigs and goats and tended flocks of sheep. Moreover, they had a council of elders who chose the Chiefs of the tribes. Around 600 B.C the Etruscans a much more advanced people from the north conquered Rome. Consequently, from that time on, Rome was ruled by kings. The Romans learned many crafts from the Etruscans such as the use of bronze. They borrowed the Etruscan twelve-month calendar, the use of first and last names and developed their alphabet from an Etruscan adaptation of Greek. The Romans adapted many agricultural practices such as the growing of grapes and olives. From the Etruscans the Romans learned military strategy including the use of the unit called the legion which fought in phalanx positions. In 509 B.C however, the Roman nobles revolted against their king, Tarquin the Proud, and established a republic. By this time, Rome’s society was already divided into two groups, the common people called the Plebeians, and the nobles called the Patricians. The Patricians were the heads of the leading families of Rome. Instead of the king, they elected two consuls. The consuls ruled the state and led the armies, but they h... Free Essays on Rise Of The Roman Empire Free Essays on Rise Of The Roman Empire Rise of the Roman Empire The legend about Rome’s origins puts the founding of the city at around 735 B.C. It is said that a Vestal Virgin gave birth to twin boys, Romulus and Remus, and claimed that they were the sons of the god Mars. The Vestal Virgin was the sister of a king. The king believed that she was lying and imprisoned her. He put her two boys in a basket and threw it into the Tiber River. A she-wolf found the twins and raised them. The twins, Romulus and Remus, came back and killed the king and founded the city of Rome. Afterwards Romulus and Remus fought and Remus was killed. Romulus was Rome’s first king and after he died, he became a god and vanished. The Romans were tribal people who lived in central Italy and like other Latins; they tilled small plots of land pastured cows, pigs and goats and tended flocks of sheep. Moreover, they had a council of elders who chose the Chiefs of the tribes. Around 600 B.C the Etruscans a much more advanced people from the north conquered Rome. Consequently, from that time on, Rome was ruled by kings. The Romans learned many crafts from the Etruscans such as the use of bronze. They borrowed the Etruscan twelve-month calendar, the use of first and last names and developed their alphabet from an Etruscan adaptation of Greek. The Romans adapted many agricultural practices such as the growing of grapes and olives. From the Etruscans the Romans learned military strategy including the use of the unit called the legion which fought in phalanx positions. In 509 B.C however, the Roman nobles revolted against their king, Tarquin the Proud, and established a republic. By this time, Rome’s society was already divided into two groups, the common people called the Plebeians, and the nobles called the Patricians. The Patricians were the heads of the leading families of Rome. Instead of the king, they elected two consuls. The consuls ruled the state and led the armies, but they h...

Analysis of Neoclassical and Romantic Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Analysis of Neoclassical and Romantic Art - Essay Example He mostly worked with historical paintings and portraits. "Portrait of Colonel Guy Johnson" represents the British commissioner of Indian Affairs in the American colony. Next to him is represented a figure with the "peace pipe" in his hand, contrast to the Englishman, holding a gun. In the background we can see a large waterfall, Niagara. In the picture, the figure of the colonel is highlighted, while the aborigine is hidden in the shadow. In this way, the painter contrasts illuminated mind to the civilization located in the darkness of ignorance culture. In general both pictures represent the spirit of â€Å"antiquity†. â€Å""Visions of Antiquity" broadens our understanding of neoclassicism.† (Pagel, D., 1993). The picture of Francisco Goya is definitely a representation of romantic Art. â€Å"In Romantic art, nature—with its uncontrollable power, unpredictability, and potential for cataclysmic extremes—offered an alternative to the ordered world of Enlightenment thought.† (Galitz, K. C., 2000). Comparing two pictures, we can see that they are performed in the same color pattern. The authors mostly use dark background and light items of closing in order to highlight the personalities. In terms of shape, both pictures are presented in two dimensional areas, separating the images of the characters from the surrounding world by the invisible boundaries. Talking about space, the authors used the method of overlap in order to make people on the pictures closer to the viewer. Taking into consideration the art principles, it is necessary to state that the elements of graphic design are expressed in a united and harmonious way. The balance is revealed through the proportional placement of the main elements. The dominance is created by means of the contrasting figures on the first place and the elements behind. Pagel, G. ART REVIEW: A Progressive Definition of Neoclassicism in Visions: LACMAs

Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words - 1

Research Proposal Example This sentiment is supported by Van Belle (2000) who argues that political figures within a government structure are pressured to make socially-relevant decisions within the constant presence of the camera, hence media serving as a force to drive political transparency in decision-making and communications. Without media serving as a medium for educating political thought and providing society members with knowledge regarding the behaviors of political representatives, the public would have inferior knowledge about governance activities and political decision-making. In the early 2000s, after the events of September 11, 2001, political ideology in American society changed as a result of media coverage of the George W. Bush political administration and its efforts to curb the spread of terrorism in the United States. In Western nations, such as the United States, the slaughter of civilians is believed, at the social level, to be barbaric and monstrous (Atawneh, 2009). The acting President Bush led a media-driven campaign to publicize his stance on terrorism which emphasized that these terrorist actors were evil and reprehensible, with this discourse influencing American society members to view Middle Easterns as malevolent and immoral (Graham, Keenan & Dowd, 2004). The President, using media as a forum to spread this politically-motivated ideology, utilized the phrase us versus them, where â€Å"us† was representative of peaceful individuals and â€Å"them† as foreign opponents of democratic lifestyle and peace-loving society (Leuda r & Marsland, 2004). Media coverage of Bush’s ideology toward terrorism influenced American society to adopt his political views related to the terror campaign, giving Bush more social clout which ultimately led to society’s political action to elect Bush for a second term. The media, hence, served as the fundamental influence to change political thought of American citizens, with media-covered political rhetoric

Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 32

Philosophy - Essay Example As the children learn new concepts, their brain cells form synapses among themselves (Ghaye, 21). Gradually, these connections define the knowledge base of infants. As shown, learning can occur from a very early age regardless of the background or social status. Therefore, such children should also be actively taught by their guardians. Good manners should be among the first things that children get to learn. Such excellent forms of conduct can form cornerstone for the development of character and personality. Language is yet another aspect that can be learned and taught from infancy. Children learn to speak like their parents or guardians. In many instances, children under five years of age show admirable ability to speak the entire language system (Ghaye, 32-35). However, teaching and learning ought to extend beyond the basics of language and articulation. Elementary schools are the first step towards proper teaching and learning. They imbibe children with valuable speaking and writing skills. Each language has certain rules that govern its speakers. Language rules ensure uniformity and consistency. They also facilitate proper understanding and communication between regular speakers. The alphabet forms the fundamental part of language. Subsequent teaching and learning depends on the grasping of all language rules inclusive of the alphabet. Other subjects such as mathematics hinge on the foundation laid by learning and teaching of language. Other languages have modified forms of the alphabet to guide their speakers. For instance, Chinese-speaking persons rely on characters instead of an alphabet (Jadrich and Bruxvoort, 56-59). In addition, other languages focus on phonetic sounds rather than individual letters. Teaching and learning ought to be a gradual and continuous process. This implies that teachers have to be careful not to impart too much information. Learners too need to exercise restraint so as not to attempt to grasp much more than they

Persuasive Power of Neuroimages

Persuasive Power of Neuroimages Neuroimage effect and repeated exposure:  The contextual origin of neuroimage’s persuasive power Bethany Waites Erica Chastain If you were to open up a newspaper, or visit an online news source, there is good chance that you will come across a media coverage story of a scientific research study, and that article will probably contain an image to help facilitate complicated scientific information to the reader (McCabe and Castel, 2008). Many of the popular media articles describing the latest scientific research simplify the findings for the general public, accompany these findings with neuroimages, and more often than not, these findings are oversimplified or misrepresented (Morling, 2012, p.18). In 2008, it was suggested that judgments on the credibility of scientific reasoning behind research conclusions can be positively influenced (or persuaded) by the supplementary presence of neuroimages depicting cognitive processes described in the scientific research presented by media research articles (McCabe and Castel, 2008) – a finding which many have focused on replicating and discovering the for this p ower (Schweitzer et al., 2013; Weisberg et al., 2008; Schweitzer et al., 2013). If the contextual origins of the documented significant power that neuroimages exert on the credibility judgments of the scientific reasoning (henceforth called the Neuroimage Effect or NIE) can be discovered, there would be implications not only in the fields of psychology but across the scientific field in general. The scientific community is dependent on the popular media to correctly facilitate scientific information and findings to the general public, and if there are in fact contexts out of which NIE can arise, it would be imperative for the scientific community to discover and prevent them from occurring in popular media so that scientific information has a better opportunity of being correctly conveyed to the general public. In 2008, McCabe and Castel’s groundbreaking study introduced the idea of NIE after explicitly examining the persuasive power neuroimages had on the perceived credibility of cognitive neuroscience data and argued that the tendency for images to be intuitively interpreted as scientifically credible representations of various cognitive activities may be due to the reductionist nature of humanity. In their tri-experimental study, they: (1) examined whether the presence of the neuroimages led to higher ratings of flawed scientific reasoning in cognitive neuroscience research compared not only to their absence, but also to the presence of another widely-used visual representations of data such as bar graphs and a text-only control group; (2) examined whether brain images affected credibility judgments because they were more visually complex than bar graphs and whether it was this complexity that influenced judgments, and (3) attempted to generalize the findings of the first two expe riments by using a real news article with scientifically sound reasoning to depict material encountered in the real world (McCabe and Castel, 2008). They concluded that the presence of neuroimages had a statistically significant positive influence on judgment ratings of the credibility of scientific reasoning (NIE) than with the presence of bar graphs and text-only groups, and that they may be more persuasive not because of their visual complexity but because they provide tangible physical explanations of cognitive processes appealing to the reductionist nature of humanity. Following the publication of McCabe and Castel’s study, several research studies have attempted to replicate these findings, some with over-exaggerated success (Michael et al., 2013), while others failed to do so overall (Michael et al., 2013; Schweitzer et al., 2013). While a general failure to replicate the original findings of McCabe and Castel’s original study is prominent, these failures were not complete and have produced interesting and surprising results that have prompted the exploration into finding the origin of the marginal persuasive influence of the presence of a neuro-image on the judgments of scientific reasoning (Schweitzer et al., 2013). There are a handful of speculated contextual sources of the persuasive power of neuro-images including: the methodological design of repeated measures (Schweitzer et al., 2013; Weisberg et al., 2008), the quality of the article’s scientific reasoning (Schweitzer et al., 2013; Weisberg et al., 2008), and the pres ence of criticism, which calls into question the validity of the article’s conclusions (McCabe and Castel, 2008; Michael et al., 2013). The first two speculated sources of NIE previously mentioned were examined in the fifth experiment of the Schweitzer et al. (2013) study. The repeated measures effect (RME) is the suggested underlying contextual variable which produces NIE by introducing a comparative opportunity for participants in which they base their judgments of scientific reasoning in subsequent articles on the quality of scientific logic presented in the initial article (Schweitzer et al., 2013, Weisberg et al., 2008). The second mentioned underlying source, the quality of the article’s scientific reasoning, has been argued by Weisberg et al.(2008) to play a role in the influential power of neuroscience information and that the optimal condition for NIE was the use of non-scientific language, a weak argument, and high-impact images (Schweitzer et al., 2013) Schweitzer et al. (2013) designed the fifth experiment to satisfy the optimal conditions presented by Weisberg et al. and others as well as to test RME, and argued its presence would be found in the 2nd block of the experiment, as participants would have been previously exposed to scientific reasoning of the 1st block. They concluded that the study demonstrated a significant NIE in the presence of weak scientific reasoning, but only in the 2nd block after participants were presented with a comparison on which to base their judgments of scientific reasoning credibility, indicating RME as a critical contextual origin. Because there was not a significant NIE in the first block, the authors concluded that faulty arguments were not a critical contextual source. However, it is noteworthy to again mention the fact that McCabe and Castel (2008) used faulty scientific reasoning as a control within their first two experiments which did produce a significant NIE, and coupled with the arguments of Weisberg et al. (2008), it would be unwise to not deem it a potential source of NIE. The final potential source of NIE within the scope of this study is effect that the presence of criticism has on NIE which was introduced by McCabe and Castel (2008) but was iterated upon by Michael et al. in 2013. The original study’s design allowed the researchers to control the participant’s level of reasonable doubt about the credibility of scientific reasoning behind research conclusions by the presence of obviously flawed scientific reasoning within the first 2 articles, and by the presence of criticisms in the last experiment which called into question the validity of the article’s conclusions and counteracted NIE (McCabe and Castel, 2008; Michael et al., 2013). McCabe and Castel (2008) reported that the presence of criticism did not influence the participant’s ratings on the credibility of the article’s conclusions, but upon further investigation of the original data, Michael et al. (2013) discovered that the brain images were more influenti al when critiques were present to question the validity of conclusions – a notable find which counteracted the claims made by the original investigators (Michael et al., 2013). While Michael et al. discovered the discrepancy regarding the role criticism played in NIE and conducted five experiments that included a criticism manipulation, they did not elaborate on the effects of criticisms as they performed a meta-analysis of the original 2008 data and the data from their 10 experiments, to more precisely estimate NIE (Michael et al., 2013). Because this interesting discrepancy was not explicitly investigated, it does pose an intriguing possibility that neuroimages are more influential as they provide evidence against a criticism contradicting the article’s conclusions. The present study attempts to not only examine the persuasive power that neuroimages exert on the perceived credibility of the conclusion’s scientific reasoning (or the Neuroimage Effect; NIE) but also the relationship between NIE and the three potentially critical contextual origins. It is our goal to demonstrate that neuroimages exert a statistically significant positive influence on participant’s ratings of scientific reasoning, and based on prior research, expect to find a significant NIE in each of the three contextual variables. It is also our goal to discover which of those variables produces the most significant NIE, and purpose that NIE is the most influential when participants are presented with a comparative opportunity in which they are able to base their ratings on the credibility of scientific reasoning in subsequent articles on the quality of the reasoning presented in the initial article. References McCabe, D. P., Castel, A. D. (2008). Seeing Is Believing: The Effect of Brain Images on  Judgments of Scientific Reasoning. Cognition, 107(1), 343-352. Michael, R. B., Newman, E. J., Vuorre, M., Cumming, G., Garry, M. (2013). On the  (non)persuasive power of a brain image. Psychonomic Bulletin Review, 20(4), 720-725. doi:10.3758/s13423-013-0391-6 Morling, Beth. Research methods in psychology: evaluating a world of information. New York,  NY: Norton, 2012. Print. Schweitzer, N. J., Baker, D. A., Risko, E. F. (2013). Fooled by the brain: Re-examining the  influence of neuroimages. Cognition, 129(3), 501-511. doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2013.08.009 Weisberg, D., Keil, F. C., Goodstein, J., Rawson, E., Gray, J. R. (2008). The Seductive Allure  of Neuroscience Explanations. Journal Of Cognitive Neuroscience, 20(3), 470-477.

Water In the Middle East: Prospects for Conflict and Cooperation Essay

Reasons and origins of the conflict for water are dating back in the late 40s and the Arab-Israeli conflict. More precisely, the countries involved that represent potential conflict are Israel and Syria, as well as Israel and Palestine. For example, what can be mentioned here are Israeli aspirations to keep tight control over the economically important areas. This is directly linked to the water issues and diverting the water from one to another region. Other Arab countries are strongly opposing such shift as this will increase Israel’s industrial and agricultural capacities and, consequently, will encourage further Jewish immigration to the country. There have been plans to prevent such discourse, but Israeli`s military strikes have prevented these intentions back in 1965−1966 (Kershner, 2013). Even despite the fact that Israel and Jordan have settled their water disputes in the 1994 peace agreement (ibid), the water remains an important source of tension between Israel and Syria and, by default, between Israel and Lebanon. Water disputes are contributing towards failure of the peace talks between Israel and Syria in the 1990s, as well as those between Tel Aviv and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) (ibid). Many of the water resources in the peninsula have been under Israeli control and some of the construction works of the other countries have been the first significant attempts to challenge the above mentioned status quo. On the other hand, apart for the prospects for conflict, the role of the international community has been from great importance, as it is trying hard to impose a middle ground between the conflicting countries. It is clear that no final agreement is possible until there are agreed-upon borders betw... ...er. The University of Michigan, 1997. 11. Jordan Times, 1 June 1994. 12. Juusola, H. Water Conflicts in the Middle East. December, 2012. 13. Kershner, E. (2013). A Rare Middle East Agreement, on Water. New York Times, Middle East. 14. Middle East International, â„â€" 458, 10 September 1993. 15. Monday Morning. No. 448, September 2002. 16. Muhammad al-Baba Shaaban, Abdallah Khoury et al al-Dzhugrafiya. 1988, Beirut, page 55; US Army Corps of Engineers, Water in the sand: A survey of Middle East water issues. 17. Palace, Z. (2013) â€Å"Business and Water: New Channels for Breaking the Impasse in the Middle East?†. Business and water, panel summaries and transcripts. Forum 2000 18. PBS Online edition: â€Å"A Struggle for Water Resources in Middle East Conflict†. October, 2010. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/2010/10/a_struggle_for_water_resources.html