What Is Summer Institute for the Gifted Should You Join

What Is Summer Institute for the Gifted Should You Join SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Want to challenge yourself this summer? Interested in showing colleges some of your academic interests? If so, you might heave heard about the Summer Institute for the Gifted. In this post, we'll explain what the Summer Institute for the Gifted is all about; cover logistics such as application materials, cost, and dates; and help you decide whether it's a good fit for you. Feature image:Alfred Hutter/Wikimedia What Is Summer Institute for the Gifted? The Summer Institute for the Gifted (SIG) is an academic summer program for the â€Å"gifted and talented† aged 5-17. "Gifted and talented" basically means that you have been placed in a gifted program in school or that you have tested above the 95th percentile on a nationally normed test (we'll go over the eligibilityinfo in more detail below). You don't have to take a special test or submit an elaborate application to be considered. The program consists of three-week sessions held on various campuses around the country. Some camps are residential (meaning you live on-campus for the entire session) but also allow for commuter students, whereas others are exclusively day programs. Each program has its own dates. The earliest programs begin in late June and run through mid-July, while the latest programs run from late July to mid-August. (See specific dates for the residential programs and day programson SIG’s website.) If you're in a residential camp, you take a series of courses during weekdays and participate in recreation during evenings and weekends. What Are SIG Classes Like? Your classes will be a mix of academic (in subjects from the humanities, science, and math) and recreational. Courses vary by location and are mostly separated by age level. So you might be in some academic classes with only students of your grade but in recreation classes with students of various ages. You sign up for your classes before you get there, but you can change your courses in the first two days. This gives you a chance to get a feel for different classes and hopefully come up with a schedule that’s a good balance for you. Schedule and Residential Life at SIG You take your classes during the day from 8:45 am to 4:15 pm with a lunch break, followed by a recreation period, dinner, and a study tutorial in the evenings. So in some ways it’s kind of like your schedule during the school year, but a bit more intense since you’re living with other students and taking more challenging classes. On the weekends, there are local excursions, planned activities, and free time. You live in a residence hall with students of your same age and gender, and also have a roommate (it’s possible to request a single room, but it’s a bit more expensive). While the layout and size will vary, you can expect your typical dorm room to have a bed, dresser, desk, and, of course, a roommate! The day programs consist of the academic portion of the program, but you don’t stay in a residence hall or have weekend activities. The day program could be a good option if you want the academic experience but have other extracurricular or social commitments over the summer. Locations for Summer Institute for the Gifted SIG has a variety of locations all across the country. The residential programs are housed at universities, and the day programs are housed at a mix of universities and local schools. See below for a complete list. Residential Program Bryn Mawr College (Pennsylvania) Emory University (Georgia) Northeastern University (Massachusetts) Princeton University (New Jersey)* University of California, Berkeley University of California, Los Angeles University of Chicago (Illinois) University of Miami (Florida) Yale University (Connecticut) *Does not allow for commuter students. Day Program Boston University (Massachusetts) Bryn Mawr College (Pennsylvania) California Lutheran University Chatham Day School (New Jersey) Echo Horizon School (California) Emory University (Georgia) Fairfield University (Connecticut) The Overlake School (Washington) Sarah Lawrence College (New York) Stuart Country Day School (New Jersey) University of Miami (Florida) The Woods Academy (Maryland) The Wesley School (California) How to Get Into SIG You can apply online or by mail for SIG. To apply, you'll need topay a $99 application fee and send in an application form. The application form is pretty straightforward - you give your personal and demographic info, say which program you want to attend, and list your course preferences. Finally, if it’s your first year, you must also submit eligibility info. You have to meet at least one of the following criteria: Score at the 95th percentile or higher in one of the major content areas of a nationally normed standardized test administered by your school (this includes a lot of state testing or the SAT/ACT). See a full list of tests here. Participate in an academic talent search. Be identified as gifted orparticipate in a local or school gifted program. Score at least two standard deviations above the mean, or at the 95th percentile level or higher, on any individual or group-administered, nationally normed standardized intelligence assessment. If none of the above are available for you (your district doesn't have a gifted program, you haven't taken any of the standardized tests listed by SIG, and there are no talent searches you can participate in), you can have two teachers at your school fill out letters of recommendation for you instead. You should apply early in the year as programs, especially the ones at Princeton and Yale, tend to fill up before summer.Admissions are rolling,so you need to apply to popular programs as early as possible. Less popular locations might still have open spaces through June. If you're interested in attending SIG in future years, try to apply as early as possible to maximize your chances of getting your first-choice location. Cost of SIG SIG costs between $3,000 and $5,800, depending on the location, for the three-week residential option. The day programs are cheaper: between $1,200 and $4,500. A chart of costs for the residential SIG camps, via the SIG Application Form. You can apply for financial assistance using this form. Try to apply early if you anticipate needing financial assistance, as funds for these types of programs tend to run out closer to the start dates. Is SIG Worth It? You can definitely get a challenging academic summer experience by doing SIG. Many former participants say good things about the experience on online forums and blogs. In particular, many participants say it can be rewarding for students to meet other academically gifted students and make friends from different parts of the country. That said, your time is very scheduled and the program is expensive, so you might want to consider other opportunities closer to home if you want more flexibility. You certainly won’t be penalized in the college admissions process for not doing a program like SIG. Especially if you live in a district where you have access to challenging classes or a gifted program, the benefits might not be that substantial. Other great summer options include participating in local music competitions, volunteering, doing research, or taking classes at local community colleges or universities. Explore both local options and programs like SIG before deciding what's right for you. The main goal is to use your time over the summer to dig deeper into an academic or extracurricular interest. SIG is one way to do that, but make sure you consider other possible options to get the most out of your summer! What’s Next? Curious about other summer programs? Learn about the programs at Johns Hopkins (CTY)and Stanford (EPGY). Read about a range of academic summer programs so you can decide which one might be right for you! Wondering when you should start studying for the ACT/SAT? Get a guide for both tests so you can maximize your score (click here for ACT and here for the SAT). Trying to decide which high school to attend? Learn about AP and IB programs to help you decide which is the best one for you. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Holistic Medicine Essays - Alternative Medicine, Holism, Acupuncture

Holistic Medicine Essays - Alternative Medicine, Holism, Acupuncture Holistic Medicine In a lot of conditions, medical cures and treatments have proven more harmful than the disease itself. In looking for other options, people all over the world have been turning back to the holistic way of health and healing. Holistic medicine is the art and science of healing the WHOLE person, or in holistic terms, the mind body and spirit. The practice of holistic medicine integrates conventional and alternative therapies to prevent and treat diseases and promote optimal health. This condition of holistic health is defined as the ultimate free flow of life energy force throughout the mind, body, and spirit. As I mentioned before, three parts make up the whole person. Based on a common law of nature, whole parts are made up of independent parts. The body, which is treated and cared for through nutritional medicine, fitness medicine, and environmental medicine. The mind (mental and emotional health) which is basically behavioral medicine. The spirit is treated with spiritual attunement and social health. When one of these three parts isnt functioning correctly or is impaired for some reason, the other parts of the person are affected. For example, a person growing nervous or anxious about an upcoming exam can literally give themselves a headache or stomachache. Even Socrates, one of the greatest philosophers in history of time said in order for the whole of a person to be well, the individual parts must be well also. This can be achieved by many things. For example, acupuncture is used to identify and treat disease and improve well being. During acupuncture, needles are inserted into the meridian points of the body. Sickness occurs when the flow of blood or chi is blocked at these points. The pressure applied to these points relieves blockage and buildup thus leaving the patient feeling better. Acupuncture can treat anything from allergies, headaches, sinus infections, stress, insomnia and chronic pain. For those people who dont enjoy needles or wont tolerate needles at all there is colorpuncture. Colorpuncture is basically acupuncture without needles. Meditation is another accepted form of holistic health. Meditation is using different methods of relaxation to calm yourself and make you healthier inside. Candles, salves, oils and incense are all commonly used during meditation. Meditation is an accepted form of recovery and health promotion in the medical field. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing is yet another form of holistic healing. This helps remove conflict and stress from your life and promote success and happiness. Reflexing and resetting is the vibrating and stimulation of the bodys reflexes. It is most commonly done through the feet and can help with sleep disorders. Biofeedback is recognizing and manipulating the bodys signals. It helps to treat migraines, panic attacks, anxiety, hypertension, and A.D.D. Some of the most common methods of holistic healing are resurfacing just about everywhere. Aromatherapy is therapy using scents to relax the mind, body, and soul. There is a line of products in Wal-Mart now called aromatherapy and even well known companies such as Delias manufacture aromatherapy pillows. Chiropractors are a readily accepted form of holistic treatment. Chiropractors manipulate the bodys muscles and bones to relieve pain and stress. Massage and is a big part of holistic life. There are deep tissue massages, Swedish massages etc All of which help muscular posture, balance, stress reduction, increase of circulation and energy flow. Nutrtiion is also an important part in a holistic lifestyle. Health food stores such as GNC are popping up everywhere. With nutritionists come herbalists who also deal with weight management and vitamins. There is holistic dentistry which is generally mercury free and has less exposure to x-rays and harmful chemicals. There is even Holistic Veterinary care which treats pets in the same way as humans. Pets said to be lost cases are sometimes revived by this form of veterinary care. Anything from arthritis, skin infections, and allergies can be cured. Feng Shui is not as common in the US yet. It is Chinese consultancy in arrangement of objects in the home or office to achieve harmony. It is said your outer world is a mirror of your inner world. Lots of water fountains are used. Spiritual Psychics, Astrologists, Child Birth, Tai Chi, Yoga, even health and beauty are all reviving to holistic methods. These different treatments all fall under

Reflective Portfolio Coursework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Reflective Portfolio Coursework - Essay Example At the initial stage, my general idea regarded ageing population as a highly detrimental scenario. However, with progressive studies and analysis, I developed greater understanding and my perception changed significantly. Ageing population is a by-product of development and luxurious lifestyle and hence, cannot be eliminated. The primary objective for society should be to increase birth rates so that proportion of youngsters remains compatible with ageing population. Upon the subject matter of ageing population, as a student, my general perception is that this is an unavoidable factor in rising economies across the globe. I feel that many countries in the world are likely to face the problem of ageing population in the near future. Countries of Europe and Asia are increasingly showing signs of ageing population. The world has never recorded such high growth in ageing population as has been observed since past few decades; this trend is expected to stay on in the future. An aging population is characterized by decline in the population of children and rise in that of the elderly. An ageing population scenario arises when life expectancy levels are seen to rise and birth rates appear to fall. Population ageing is generally associated with two main demographic factors: As per my initial analysis, ageing population can lead to multiple problems in the future. Elderly people who have enough savings, but cannot work, do not contribute sufficiently towards social development. Due to scarcity of young population, labour will not be cheaply available; as a result, there will be a huge scarcity of fresh skills. This reflective report incorporates my significant analysis upon the subject of ageing population and its effects; its current standing globally; and ways in which ageing population is likely to impact the future. This reflective report has been prepared on basis of the strategic foresight technique. Strategic foresight is a method by which possible

Finals Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Finals - Assignment Example Malthus identified the substance wage, with foodstuff the workers’ wages is what workers eat. Rapid increase of food crops is not possible because supply of fertile land is limited and technical improvements do not come fast enough. To Ricardo, economic rent is paid to the owner of the land for the use original and indestructible power of the soil. This rent is not the same as returns derived from improvements made on the land that result to rise of the profit rather than rents. Malthus considered higher rents for landowners as salutary thing. Ricardo believed rent to be unearned income. Landowners who have to work longer hours for the bushel of wheat, sell it at same price as farmers who own the richest delta land. Rent does not determine the prices of grain rather than grain decides the amount of the rent. Answer to question 5. Both contemporary and modern critics have very often regarded Malthus, as an eminently inconsistent writer. Not only was he accused of not reasoning well (Ricardo himself wrote for instance, His arguments are not very cogent; indeed, I am often puzzled to find any connection between the premises and conclusions of his propositions’ Ricardo’s was highly influenced by sparked spare abstraction of English economy of parliamentary debate than proposed corn laws which prohibited importation of grain until the price of domestic grain increased to a specific amount. The central conflict arose from industrialist against landowners who had expanded cultivated acreage. Corns laws had favored only a few at expense of their own capital accumulation thus higher prices meant industrialists had to pay for higher wages. Since most of landowners were parliamentary, thus Corn Law passed easily, debate on these law defined interest of various economic units (groups).Malthus lavished praise on land lords and Ricardo attached the consequences, thus legislative issues become context in economic analysis and revelation of class conflict- how national income to be distributed among landlords manufacturer and workers. Malthus argued that taxation reduces disposable income thus are left worse off. Thus, Corns laws are unfavorable. Answer to question 6. Mill turns economics into a viable philosophical area of inquiry by exploring what people really want and what economics can measure and assess. Mill’s approach to economics is based on his belief in the superiority of socialism, in which economic production would be driven by cooperatives owned by the workers. To this end, Mill argues that the laws of production may be natural laws, but the laws of distribution are created and enacted by human beings. In other words, wealth is the natural product of labor, but the distribution of wealth is determined by the decisions and the will of actual people (the elite) and is not simply part of the order of nature. Mill carries this view quite far, maintaining that human laws and institutions can and should determine how w ealth is distributed. Thus, for Mill, economics is closely tied to social philosophy and politics. Private property being assumed as a fact, we have next to enumerate the different classes of persons to whom it gives rise; whose concurrence, or at least whose permission, is necessary to production, and who are therefore able to stipulate for a share of the produce. We have to inquire, according to what laws the produce distributes itself among these classes, by the spontaneous

Remember the Titans Essay Example for Free

Remember the Titans Essay Healthy relationships are made not born, and the movie â€Å"Remember the Titans† has proven that. A healthy relationship is a relationship which has respect, honesty, trust, communication, equality and acceptance for who the other person or people may be. On the other hand, an unhealthy relationship is a relationship which has selfish, abusive, irresponsible, aggressive and manipulative behavior. I will be discussing how the relationship of Gerry Bertier and Julius Campbell transformed from an unhealthy relationship to a healthy relationship. As well as a theme from the movie that is equality. â€Å"Listen, I’m Gerry, you’re Julius. Let’s just get some particulars and get this over with,† Gerry said. â€Å"Particulars? Man, no matter what I tell you, you ain’t gonna know nothing about me. † Julius responded. Their relationship started off by not acknowledging one another, they were like enemies. They looked at each other with disgust and intimidation. They both lived their own separate lives with their own race and did not want to bond with the other race. If they did join with another race it was like a crime. But as the movie went on, the characters developed and learned to bond. They learned to appreciate the meaning of trusting a man’s soul rather than the color of their skin. They worked to overcome the racial issues and heal the conflict. I feel that the scene where, Julius had gone to visit Gerry in the hospital after his accident showed most development. Julius walked into the room, â€Å"Only kin’s allowed in here,† said the nurse. â€Å"Alice, are you blind? Don’t you see the family resemblance? That’s my brother. † Gerry indicated. This is where they fought the battle of Gettysburg. Fifty thousand men died right here on this field, fighting the same fight that we are still fighting among ourselves today. This green field right here, painted red, bubblin with the blood of young boys. Smoke and hot lead pouring right through their bodies. Listen to their souls, men. I killed my brother with malice in my heart. Hatred destroyed my family. Yo u listen, and you take a lesson from the dead. If we dont come together right now on this hallowed ground, we too will be destroyed, just like they were. I dont care if you like each other of not, but you will respect each other. And maybe I dont know, maybe well learn to play this game like men. † Coach Boone said to the team. This quote has the most significance to the theme. Coach Boone explained that coming together would be the only option and they had to learn to accept each other no matter what, that they are all equal. From my point of view, the themes are equality and acceptance. No matter what your race is, your gender is or the religion you follow you should not be treated different than any other human. Beneath the skin we are all the same, we all have a heart and that is what truly matters. â€Å"Everywhere we go -Everywhere we go-, people wanna know -people wanna know-, who we are -who we are-, so we tell them -so we tell them- We Are The Titans! -We Are The Titans! The Mighty Mighty Titans! -The Mighty Mighty Titans! † they sang as they came together as a team and brought the entire city of Alexandria together too. The movie taught me about unhealthy relationships and how they can become healthy ones. Also, the movie taught me about acceptance and equality.

High School Drops Outs Essay -- Education

The number of people dropping out of high school is on the rise. A high school drop out is more likely to be subjected to poverty. The high school drop out will historically be less likely to obtain a high paying job. Many high school dropouts will be less likely to become a productive or beneficial member of society, but will instead create a burden for the community for which he or she is a member. According to the National Center for Education, in 2001 the dropout rate was approximately, 10.7 percent for people between the ages of 16 to 24. Studies showed that dropout rates were higher for people in the 10th grade, due to the fact that children over the age of 16 were no longer required to stay in school. Upon completion of the `Leaver Survey', many students said the leaving school was a process, no a sudden decision. Over 20 percent of all dropouts interviewed indicated a preference for working over school, as the most important reason for dropping out. Several other reasons were pregnancy, marriage, and boredom. A staggering 30 percent of all high school dropouts had an A or...

Tda 3.19

TDA 3. 19 Support disabled children and young people and those with special education needs. 3. Be able to support the inclusion of disabled children and young people and those with special educational needs. 3. 1 Obtain information about the individual needs, capabilities and interests of disabled children and young people and those with special educational needs with whom they work. It is important to me that I get to know pupils and find out their capabilities and interests as soon as possible, this will help me to best support them through the curriculum in extra ways.As I didn’t work with them from the beginning of their St. Felix schooling I didn’t visit them at home to speak to their parents about their needs, but I did obtain the information that I needed from their class teachers when we went through the children’s files and targets to discuss the next steps. Not long into the school term the SENCO also set up a meeting with the parents and outside agenc ies, (in the cases of the children that I work with, this included social worker, speech and language therapist and visual impairment adviser).In some cases the child themselves would be included but with the children I work with it is felt that this is not suitable, but I do work with them previous to the meeting to discuss what they enjoy, find difficult, would like to change etc. In these meeting we discuss the children’s individual plans and targets for the year and how we can work together to get the best results and experience for the child. At St. Felix we feel that partnerships with parents are crucial to the process of working with pupils who have special educational needs.I work 1 to 1 with 3 different children although I was able to obtain lots of academic information about the children form colleagues that had already worked with the children, including the speech therapist, visual impairment advisor, occupational health and more recently the Autism advisors, I ha ve found it just as important to get to know them on a more informal level by getting to know their interests so I can support them through a greater awareness of their personality.TDA 3. 19 Support disabled children and young people and those with special education needs. 3. Be able to support the inclusion of disabled children and young people and those with special educational needs 3. 2 Identify barriers to participation for disabled children and young people and those with special educational needs with whom they work. All pupils, whatever their needs and abilities have an equal right to educational and learning without barriers.This should also include access and provision and to facilities outside the school settings. Schools and other organisations which offer educational provision must by law ensure that all pupils have access to a broad and balanced curriculum. Physical barriers There should be no reason that a child or young person who has a disability or special educatio nal need should not be able to gain access to an educational institution or to its facilities.As I support children that have additional needs, I make it my responsibility to make sure that all staff are aware of the provision which needs to be made to ensure that they are able to participate. One little girl that I support needs to have all her written resources blown up to A3, and I ensure that all staff know that she needs to be sat at the front to learn from the interactive board and where possible she has her own book to follow when the class are on the carpet being read to by a member of staff.She has light blue paper to write on as she finds it easier to see writing on this and also uses a pen instead of a pencil, again because it is easier for her to see. Although we use a lot of visual resources with all the children in year 1 and 2 especially in numeracy, for this little girl we make sure she has her own set rather than sharing because of her Autism this allows her to keep routine and aids her to organise and become more independent in her learning. In P.E and playtimes her main disability is her sight and although she is very confident with moving around the school, staff and children are reminded to keep areas clear and she needs a slightly larger personal area in P. E as due to her poor gross motor skills her physical actions require lots of room! If she is to fall especially onto reflex areas such as her knees she usually falls into a fit, although I am her 1 to 1 all staff know about her condition and also know how to deal with it if they were with her when it happens.If we didn’t share with other colleagues the needs of this child and the immediate staff that work with her were absent due to illness or on a course etc, she would not be able to be doing what all her classmates are doing through the day. This is not acceptable and also would be very difficult for her as she needs to keep her routine as much as possible due to her Autism. I also work with twin boys that have Dyspraxia, and again all staff are advised on what they need in the classroom to make sure the are able to access the curriculum with as little amount of disruption as possible.The boys find it hard to sit on the carpet and concentrate on input without fidgeting, one finds it helpful to sit on a blown up wedge on his chair, it seems to help keep his posture and allow him to concentrate as without it he finds it hard to control his core and is nearly rolling around the carpet! His brother struggles more academically as well so if necessary especially with numeracy he will sit with me and we will do the same as the other children but what they are learning from the teacher and the interactive board, we will do the same on a wipe board, this way I am also able to take it back a step if its too difficult for him.The boys also use pens rather than pencils this helps with their writing because of their poor fine motor skills, they have other small resou rces that allows to keep up with the pace of their peers such as pots to put things in that they have cut out as they struggle with organisation, they also use pincer type scissors as they are unable to cut accurately with normal scissors. In P.E they will join in with the rest of the class but I will just observe them more than others to give them help if needed but I also observe to see the areas they need more help with and then when the rest of the class have finished we stay on and play different gamed that will work on particular skills. Organisational barriers At St. Felix we have an up to date equal opportunities policy which sets out our priorities for developing inclusion. It also ensures that all staff who are working with pupils who have additional needs are fully trained and able to do so with the full support of the school.We are encouraged to source out courses that will be beneficial to us and our children. For the children I work with I have been on a lot of speech and language courses including Elklan, which for the boys, as they have poor speech allows me to give them extra time giving them therapy under the advise of the therapist and for the little girl it has given me knowledge of using different strategies when her poor language understanding has given a barrier to her understanding the work.In the near future I am learning how to teach them to touch type as we feel especially when they are older that they will find it much easier to keep up with the curriculum to type their work rather than write. Barriers in the attitudes of the school community This barrier can sometimes be more challenging to overcome and we did have some problems with parents in the past in relation to the little girls sight condition and autism that lead to her sometimes being aggressive to other children.To get over this we worked with her parents who wrote a piece on her explaining her needs and conditions, they included pictures of her in different activities an d also paper clippings as the family had recently been interviewed by the Daily Mail about their fight to get a diagnosis. This was given out to the parents in the same class and it encouraged them to speak to mum in the playground if they had any questions.The feedback we got was very positive, it stopped them from focusing on the negative things and allowed them to see her as a happy 6 year old that was interested and loved the same things as their 6 year old but found it difficult and sometimes needed support and understanding. It is important to remember that the needs of the child or young person come first and I will always stand up for the rights of the children I support.

Jetstar Airways Essay

Jetstar Airways is an Australia low-cost carrier airline based in Melbourne, Australia. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Qantas Group. Qantas established Jetstar in 2003 as a response to main competitor airline Virgin Australia (formerly known as Virgin Blue). Despite its low cost, Jetstar operates an extensive domestic network and is the world’s largest long-haul low cost carrier. Jetstar operates to destinations in Asia the Pacific Ocean, with future plans of expanding their services throughout Europe. Jetstar currently offers a limited number of connecting services without through baggage checking, and it became the first Australia airline to allow customers to select their seat upon booking. The airline, which participates in the Qantas Frequent Flyer Programme, operates a fleet of Airbus A320-family and A330 aircraft. Mission Statement Jetstar’s mission is to offer all day, every day low fares to enable more people to fly to more places, more often (Jetstar, 2012). Company Objectives  Jetstar is part of the Qantas Group’s two-brand growth strategy, where Qantas competes at the premium and business market and Jetstar focuses on leisure markets. The Jetstar Group is a value based, low fares network of airlines operating in the leisure and value based markets. Jetstar aims to have Australia’s lowest fares on all the routes it operates on. Jetstar has backed its airfares with a Price Beat Guarantee. If any customers find a lower fare elsewhere online, provided it is on the same day, the same route and at a within the same time frame, Jetstar will beat the quoted fare by 10 per cent. Slogan – Low fares, all day, everyday Market Overview Definition of the market Jetstar operates in the low-cost carrier market within Australia. Their target market is the general public, who seeks cheap and accessible airfares and flight availability to travel within Australia. Major competitors include Virgin Australia and Tiger Airways Australia. Market Size Jetstar is currently the third largest domestic Australian airline (by market share) and fifth largest international airline (by capacity share) serving international routes to-and-from Australia (Jetstar, 2011). Jetstar shares its parent’s strong competition with Australia’s biggest low-cost carrier Virgin Australia. Domestic travel accounts for 75% of the airline industry revenue in Australia (Taylor Woodings, 2011) Market Potential The market is currently in the decline stage. From 2007, Australian domestic air travel started with buoyant demand for air travel and high fuel prices boosted ticket prices. However, domestic airlines faced major hurdles when the global economic downturn hit. Higher unemployment and a decline in discretionary income slowed demand for air travel in Australia. In particular, business travellers abandon air travel in favour of teleconferences and e-mail. Demand also weakened as Australians have started to plan travelling internationally. Market Structure The domestic flights market can be considered as an oligopoly. The 3 main companies that have the most market share are Virgin Australia, Jetstar and Tiger Airways Australia. Trends Demographic: Australia is an underpopulated country and is also an ageing. However, over the years the numbers of migrants have been increasing. With the rising number of migrants, there will most likely be an increase in the number of domestic flights demanded since they may want to visit other cities Economic:  Australia currently has the strongest economy in the developed world and it is expected to outperform all comers for at least the next two years, according to the International Monetary Fund (2012). The IMF also forecasts Australia’s unemployment rate to remain low at 5. 2 per cent in both 2012 and 2013. With the Australia having an unemployment rate of only 5. 2%, it can be assumed that people are more likely to have surplus cash and may have plans of flying domestic, whether it be for a holiday or business. Natural: Australia’s changing natural environment has had an impact on the customers, nvestors and Jetstar. Jetstar is committed to minimising its impact on the environment and has introduced various initiatives to address this important issue. On 19 September 2007, Jetstar introduced a passenger Carbon Offset scheme facilitated through the Australian Government’s Greenhouse Friendlyâ„ ¢ initiative. Through the Carbon Offset scheme, Jetstar’s passengers can choose to make their journey carbon neutral by purchasing carbon offsets on all domestic and international services via a seamless single step process at the time of booking at Jetstar. com. Jetstar’s Carbon Offset program is now one of the most successful programs in the Australian airline industry and has raised almost $600,000. About 12 per cent of all passengers booking at Jetstar. com currently choose to offset their share of flight emissions. Jetstar’s Carbon Offset program has proven to be particularly successful on a number of domestic routes, including Sydney-Ballina Byron, which in 2008 has averaged 24 per cent of passengers booking via the web opting to carbon-offset their flight, Melbourne-Ballina Byron (20%), Adelaide-Melbourne Avalon (16%), Melbourne- Hobart (15%) and Sydney-Melbourne Avalon (14%). Our carbon offsets are purchased through Climate Friendly, who has been ranked as the number one carbon offset provider in Australia by the Carbon Offset Watch and is a founding member of the International Carbon Reduction and Offset Alliance (ICROA). Technological: Technology plays a vital role in both the airline industry. In order to have a competitive advantage, it is required that the technology used is up to date. Jetstar is equipping its fleet of A320 and A321 aircraft with the latest satellite-linked navigation system to improve safety and on-time performance. Aircraft fitted with the system known as Required Navigation Performance (RNP) can safely navigate around cloud-shrouded mountains, through valleys and over high terrain when low visibility would increase the chance of flight disruptions. Air Services Australia reported those 4,200 minutes of flying time and 17,300 nautical miles was saved during 1,612 RNP assisted approaches. As a result more than 200,000 kg of jet fuel was saved and carbon emissions were reduced by 650,000 kg. The new navigation aid reduces the time spent circling due to bad weather, which helps passengers arrive on time and cuts our fuel use. Political/Legal: Over the years the rising carbon tax in Australia has affected future plans of Jetstar. Maintaining and running an aircraft is bound to produce a lot of carbon dioxide. As a result Jetstar has started to reduce the amount their carbon footprint by introducing new technology.

3 Easy Content Optimization Tips Every Blogger Should Focus On

3 Easy Content Optimization Tips Every Blogger Should Focus On You may be producing regular content as a way to drive traffic to your blog, but are you testing that content just like you would test any other landing page? Content marketing- or using your blog as a tool for traffic growth- is a great way to encourage readers to visit your site, share your content with others, and hopefully become a verified lead that you can follow up with. But this doesn’t happen automatically. You need to make sure that your content creation process has a suitable content optimization layer. Just like the rest of your site and business. Here’s the key thought- you know that good optimization and A/B testing works on landing pages, home pages, and product pages, but are you properly testing things where your regular content lives? On your blog, for example? With all of the knowledge out there about content optimization, it can be easy to apply the same scientific process to optimize your content marketing. There are  three simple methods you can use to optimize your content, and help you introduce an optimization layer to your blog. The result? More traffic, more shares, and more leads- it’s as simple as that. 3 Ways To Optimize Your Content For More Traffic And ConversionsTip  1: Optimize Your Content To Get More Traffic If you use a blog to create content and as a marketing tool, then one of your key metrics for success is the inbound traffic that comes in at the top of your funnel. While traffic  isn’t the only metric that matters, it is an important place to start. Its also one of the areas that deserves some heavy content optimization. There are three primary sources of traffic that you can optimize. Source #1- social media When new content goes live, you should be sharing it across all of your social media properties. Did you know that this process can be tested so that it will bring in more traffic? One of the ways to test this is to create a social sharing schedule that simply distributes  your social messages more than once on each network. Share your content more than once on social media. You can see the different times well share this post on different social networks. For this, you should be testing different times to post your content and different messages that may drive better results. We were able to double our own traffic with this process. Use a #socialmedia sharing schedule to share your #contentmarketing at just the right time.Source #2- email marketing Most email marketing software makes it super easy to A/B test your email subject lines, or pretty much any of the content within the email itself.  This is an important practice that is easy to implement. In fact, we never send out a major email that doesn’t have an A/B test built in. Always A/B test your email subject lines. After A/B testing our own email subject lines for months, we’ve been able to draw several conclusions about how to make our audience more likely to consume and share our content. The results for your audience will be different, but it is such an easy place to do testing,  itss  almost a no-brainer. Source #3- SEO and  SEM Most of us are regularly optimizing our blog content based on keywords that potential customers and readers might search for on Google. This is a smart practice, and one that you can easily A/B test. What you need to do is narrow your content down to one or two different keywords or keyword phrases that you think your visitors are the most likely to use. From there, optimize your content accordingly and make a small AdWords campaign for each keyword phrase that you are testing. After you run the paid campaigns for a few weeks, you should get a clear picture of what keyword will bring the most click-throughs, and you can optimize your content according to that keyword. For more tips on A/B testing your SEO pages, check out this excellent guide on the KISSmetrics blog. Optimize your current #blog content by #ABtesting with an AdWords campaign.Tip 2: Optimize Your Headlines  To Get More Shares After reaching a milestone of more than one million headlines in our database, our team started to wonder if we could find a way to predict how likely a headline was to be shared on social media. To our surprise, we found a little secret. Emotional headlines are in fact more likely to be shared via social media. With that in mind, we decided it was time to build a new tool to combine that data with everything else we know that makes up the best headlines. Thats the headline analyzer. Content with headlines scoring 70 or better with the headline analyzer  are  some of the most likely to be shared. This means that one of the best ways to get more shares is to write better headlines, and there are some easy ways to test those headlines as you learn. A/B test your headlines. Buffer, for example, has outlined their own process for A/B testing headlines on their blog. Their method is simple. By sending out a couple tweets with two alternate headlines, they are able to see which headline gets the most attention on Twitter. From there, they can adjust their post to accommodate the winning headline. Another option for A/B testing your headlines is by using the KingSumo Headlines WordPress Headline tool, which allows you to test multiple headlines at once. Over time, the tool will automatically select the best headline to use permanently going forward. It is a great ‘set it and forget it’ option. Write Better Headlines With A  Free Headline Analyzer The headline analyzer  will help you: Use headline types that get the most traction for social shares, traffic, and search engine ranking. Make sure you have the right word balance to write readable headlines that command attention. See the best  word and character length for search engines like Google and email subject lines, while also seeing  how your readers will scan your headlines. Try The Free Headline Analyzer Now Optimize your #headlines to increase your #socialmedia shares.Tip 3: Optimize Your Content To Get More Leads So, you’ve optimized your content to get more traffic and more shares, but what are you doing with all of those new visitors? Hopefully, youre converting some of those visitors into leads. This is another area that begs for some efficient A/B testing. Test different lead collection methods. There are several methods you can use to collect email leads, and even a few simple plugins that will help you with the process. But don’t take the default settings for granted. You need to test the methods for finding leads. For example, Noah Kagan recently shared his extensive pop-up box testing. He was able to determine the best time to display a pop-up box and learned exactly how often he could display it without annoying his readers. A few of the things that you should be A/B testing include: The overall look and feel of your lead collection area. We were able to increase conversions by switching from a blue to an orange option form. A simple change with a big result. The copy and content displayed on your lead collection form. Can you increase conversions by adding social proof? How long a user needs to be on your page before seeing your lead collection form. Noah Kagan found the magic number to be 5 seconds. Various methods and locations for lead collection. For example, does a pop-up or slide-in lead collection form perform better? Test different signup offers. Another thing you can test is the offer you make visitors in exchange for signing up. For example, does offering them a valuable piece of content improve conversions? We found that by offering a free e-book or download, we were able to double our conversion rate over night.

The Cholera Epidemic of 1832

The Cholera Epidemic of 1832 The cholera epidemic of 1832 killed thousands of people in Europe and North America and created mass panic across two continents. Astoundingly, when the epidemic struck New York City it prompted as many as 100,000 people, nearly half the citys population, to flee to the countryside. The arrival of the disease prompted widespread anti-immigrant feeling, as it seemed to flourish in poor neighborhoods populated by new arrivals to America. The movement of the disease across continents and countries was tracked closely, yet how it was transmitted was barely understood. And people were understandably terrified by horrific symptoms which seemed to  afflict  victims instantly. Someone who woke up healthy could suddenly become violently ill, have their skin turn a ghastly bluish tint, become severely dehydrated, and die within hours. It would not be until the late 19th century that scientists knew for certain that cholera was caused by a bacillus carried in water  and that proper sanitation could prevent the spread of the deadly disease. Cholera Moved From India to Europe Cholera had made its first 19th-century appearance in India, in 1817. A medical text published in 1858, A Treatise On the Practice of Medicine by George B. Wood, M.D., described how it spread through most of Asia and the Middle East throughout the 1820s. By 1830 it was reported in Moscow, and the following year the epidemic had reached Warsaw, Berlin, Hamburg, and the northern reaches of England. In early 1832 the disease struck London, and then Paris. By April 1832, more than 13,000 people in Paris had died as a result. And by early June 1832 news of the epidemic had crossed the Atlantic, with Canadian cases reported on June 8, 1832, in Quebec and June 10, 1832, in Montreal. The disease spread along two distinct pathways into the United States, with reports in the Mississippi Valley in the summer of 1832, and the first case documented in New York City on June 24, 1832. Other cases were reported in Albany, New York, and in Philadelphia and Baltimore. The cholera epidemic, at least in the United States, passed fairly quickly, and within two years it was over. But during its visit to America, there was widespread panic and considerable suffering and death. Choleras Puzzling Spread Though the cholera epidemic could be followed on a map, there was little understanding of how it spread. And that caused considerable fear. When Dr. George B. Wood wrote two decades after the 1832 epidemic he eloquently described the way cholera seemed unstoppable: No barriers are sufficient to obstruct its progress. It crosses mountains, deserts, and oceans. Opposing winds do not check it. All classes of persons, male and female, young and old, the robust and the feeble, are exposed to its assault; and even those whom it has once visited are not always subsequently exempt; yet as a general rule it selects its victims preferably from among those already pressed down by the various miseries of life and leaves the rich and prosperous to their sunshine and their fears. The comment about how the rich and prosperous were relatively protected from cholera sounds like antiquated snobbery. However, since the disease was carried in the water supply, people living in cleaner quarters and more affluent neighborhoods were definitely less likely to become infected. Cholera Panic in New York City In early 1832, citizens of New York City had known the disease might strike, as they were reading reports about deaths in London, Paris, and elsewhere. But as the disease was so poorly understood, little was done to prepare. By the end of June, when cases were being reported in the poorer districts of the city, a prominent citizen and former mayor of New York,  Philip Hone, wrote about the crisis in his diary: This dreadful disease increases fearfully; there are eighty-eight new cases today, and twenty-six deaths. Our visitation is severe but thus far it falls much short of other places. St. Louis on the Mississippi is likely to be depopulated, and Cincinnati on the Ohio is awfully scourged. These two flourishing cities are the resort of emigrants from Europe; Irish and Germans coming by Canada, New York, and New Orleans, filthy, intemperate, unused to the comforts of life and regardless of its proprieties. They flock to the populous towns of the great West, with disease contracted on shipboard, and increased by bad habits on shore. They inoculate the inhabitants of those beautiful cities, and every paper we open is only a record of premature mortality. The air seems to be corrupted, and indulgence in things heretofore innocent is frequently fatal now in these cholera times. Hone was not alone in assigning blame for the disease. The cholera epidemic was often blamed on immigrants, and nativist groups like the Know-Nothing Party would occasionally revive fear of disease as a reason to restrict immigration. In New York City the fear of disease became so prevalent that many thousands of people actually fled the city. Out of a population of about 250,000 people, it is believed that at least 100,000 left the city during the summer of 1832. The steamboat line owned by Cornelius Vanderbilt made handsome profits carrying New Yorkers up the Hudson River, where they rented any available rooms in local villages. By the end of the summer, the epidemic seemed to be over. But more than 3,000 New Yorkers had died. Legacy of the 1832 Cholera Epidemic While the exact cause of cholera would not be determined for decades, it was clear that cities needed to have clean sources of water. In New York City, a push was made to construct what would become a reservoir system which, by the mid-1800s, would be supplying the city with safe water. Two years after the initial outbreak, cholera was reported again, but it did not reach the level of the 1832 epidemic. And other outbreaks of cholera would emerge in various locations, but the epidemic of 1832 was always remembered as, to quote Philip Hone, the cholera times.

In-house Network design vs. third party network design Research Paper

In-house Network design vs. third party network design - Research Paper Example Additionally, the method promises continuous and effective to the company. Firstly, since the department is part of the organization the personnel in the department have adequate experience with the company and have absolute access to its every department. This implies that they offer faster services owing to the unlimited access of the organization unlike a third party that will often seek permission to access certain aspects of the organization thereby resulting in inefficiencies and communication flaws. Â  The inception of the department as part of the organization further instils a spirit of patriotism in the employees. The freedom of interaction among the personnel of the department and those of other departments creates a seamless environment without resentment, as is the case with third party designers. The in-house department will integrate seamlessly with the other departments thereby creating a holistic organization with similar management structures. The patriotism within the members of the department will compel them to safeguard the interest of the organization thus availing their knowledge and skills for use in other departments should any need arise. However, this may rise issues of misuse since the management of the company may use some of such employees especially when they are not engaged in their professional work to run other tasks irrelevant to their professional. Depending on the nature of the information systems requirement in an organization, in house departments are often more cost effective.... The patriotism within the members of the department will compel them to safeguard the interest of the organization thus availing their knowledge and skills for use in other departments should any need arise. However, this may rise issues of misuse since the management of the company may use some of such employees especially when they are not engaged in their professional work to run other tasks irrelevant to their professional. Depending on the nature of the information systems requirement in an organization, in house departments are often more cost effective. This requires large organizations that need constant management of the information system. The departments may however prove expensive for smaller companies that may not have adequate finances to afford the personnel and the equipment. Information management employs automated programs that can easily operate automatically without the personnel. This implies that should a department employ more personnel, they will prove more co stly to maintain yet not directly productive. Most organization have often redeployed such personnel to other departments a feature that kill careers thus inhibiting personal growth. Additionally, managing the in-house departments thus becomes unnecessarily expensive for the company. Consultancy firms on the other hand are private companies that specialize in the creation and management of the information systems. A company in need of the services thus consults them with specific needs for which they charge an adequate amount and deliver the particular service before again cutting links with the company. Third party companies are effective since most all of their employees are experts with professional skills in the

Human Rights Act in UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Human Rights Act in UK - Essay Example This is because freedom of speech permits or facilitates an individual to have a complete and dynamic role in the aspects of politics and public life. Moreover, how a person views himself and others profoundly depends upon his attitude to free speech (Barendt, pp. 230-245, 2005). While on the other hand, the subject matter of privacy, it can come under communication that the concept, perception and notion of privacy over the period have witnessed a vital and intense change across the cultures. Privacy is a condition that an individual do not intend to share or disclose in public that comes under relation to his or her identity, autonomy, or dignity. In other words, privacy is a situation or circumstance where the person wants to be uninterrupted, unaccompanied or with no public attention and can have the freedom from interference of others. Moreover, privacy has a connection with the concept and idea of secrecy that can be noteworthy, momentous or worth mentioning events or occurrenc es in the life of an individual (Barendt, pp. 230-245, 2005). ... The ideas, way of thinking and philosophies of people are the key features that leads to what sort of life that an individual wants to have, which entirely depends upon his or her attitudes to view the factors of privacy and publicity. Moreover, the ways that a person wants to symbolize or represent him in front of public also leads to the person’s attitude to privacy and publicity (Mayes, pp. 2-9, 2002). The records of contemporary society disclose the verity that numerous people in order to survive and make their livelihood, they publicize themselves. These personalities include the famous celebrities, television stars, pop stars, sports personalities, and several others. However, with this publicity, the concern of invasion to private lives has been the most critically raised issue. The records make the information public that the decades of 1980 and 1190 has been two most critical years for the journalist, as they have come under severe criticism by the politicians for the invasion of private lives of the renowned people (Sanders, pp. 77-80, 2003). Nevertheless, the recurrently analyzed current trends of the twenty first century reveal the piece of information that private disclosure or exposure about the personal lives of few people that includes politicians or celebrities has progressively become the basis for public conversations or discussions. It has also come to an examination on recent times that the celebrities and the public figures have been increasingly making complaints regarding their private lives that have come under offensive attack by the media. Furthermore, it has also come under observation that apart from the public figures, the normal people who are not in the public watch have also made such