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Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Expert Guide Which SAT Subject Tests Should You Take

Expert Guide Which SAT Subject Tests Should You Take SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Feeling lost and confused about which SAT Subject Test to choose? There are a lot of options - 20 to be exact - so it can be bewildering to know which ones will be best for your college applications. Not to worry! We've gathered the most important considerations in selecting an SAT Subject Test. As long as you approach your decisions with these ideas in mind, you'll be sure to choose the best SAT Subject Tests to take for you. We're going to go step by step through the most important questions to consider. First and foremost, what do your colleges require? Then, which subjects are you good at and which will you score highest in? What SAT Subject Tests Are There? Before we begin discussing which Subject Tests you should take, let's first go over all your options. There are currently 20 Subject Tests, and they're each listed below. Biology E/M Chemistry Chinese with Listening French French with Listening German German with Listening Italian Latin Literature Japanese with Listening Korean with Listening Math Level 1 Math Level 2 Modern Hebrew Physics Spanish Spanish with Listening US History World History What Do Your Colleges Require? First, you need to understand your colleges' specific requirements. Do they want to see one, two, or three subject tests? Are you applying to technology schools that want you to showcase your achievement in math and science? Or are you aiming for liberal arts schools that want to see a range of academic knowledge, including both literature and math? More often than not, selective colleges prefer the latter - they like to see that you possess a diversity of knowledge across various domains. More and more colleges are adopting test optional and test flexible policies, which offer you the option of sending Subject Test scores in place of the general SAT or ACT. If you feel that these specialized tests could better represent your skills and abilities, then you may want to take advantage of these flexible policies. Check out the full list of test optional and test flexible schools here. Finally, some schools use the SAT Subject Tests for placement purposes, like in a language level once you arrive on campus, or to make up for lower than desired SAT scores. Research your college of interests' approaches by checking out their admissions website or calling their admissions office and speaking to an officer directly. It will help your application to leave no stone unturned, and most admissions officers are happy to help and will appreciate your detail-oriented approach. You probably have a lot of strengths, but which ones are your best? Take SAT Subject Tests to reflect your greatest ones. Which Subjects Are You Best At? Once you've figured out what your colleges require, you need to figure out which tests will most strengthen your application. The SAT Subject Tests are a chance for you to demonstrate subject mastery, that you know a subject really well and have devoted a good deal of time to learning all about it. The subject tests are less about general reasoning skills and more about specific knowledge of content, whether it's in Math, Biology, Chemistry, Spanish, or U.S. History, among many others. Since you're demonstrating your knowledge in a particular subject, you have to ask yourself: What do I know well? What have I studied? Which classes have I excelled in? Do you love reading and writing and have always been excited to go to English class? Then the Literature test is likely for you. Do you immerse yourself in understanding the natural world and have taken at least one year of Biology in high school? Then you should direct yourself toward the Biology Subject Test. Within these subjects, there may be variations of tests among which to choose. For example, there are two versions of the Biology Subject Test, one with an ecological focus and another with a molecular focus. Math offers Level 1 and Level 2, and some Language Tests offer Listening and non-Listening options. For a more detailed explanation of the various formats of the Subject Tests, check out this article. So once you have your subject chosen, you may have to decide where your knowledge is most specialized. Are you more interested in populations and energy flow or cellular division and photosynthesis? Are you confident with trigonometry and pre-calculus or do you prefer to leave those subjects off the test, as in Level 1 Math? Are your listening skills extremely strong in your understanding of another language? By understanding where your knowledge is specialized, you'll be able to narrow down your choice to the right subject and the right format. Finally, if you have taken and feel you excelled in several subjects, then you should ask yourself which subjects you felt most connected to and interested in. Like with the rest of your college application, your choice of Subject Tests communicates something about you to admissions officers. It indicates your own unique interests, interests that you might pursue further in college. So if you're having trouble narrowing down your choices, consider which subjects you like the most and want to highlight in your applications. Which Exams Are You Most Prepared For? You may have taken several classes in the subjects covered by the Subject Tests. Which ones are most fresh in your mind? The best time to take a Subject Test is often at the end of a school year in which you have been studying that subject. May and June are popular dates, and it can help to schedule your Subject Test close to a final or AP exam so you're fully immersed in studying that subject. Read more about the best dates to take the SAT Subject Tests and schedule them in and around the general SAT or ACT. Since the Subject Tests are about content readiness, you don't have to wait until junior year to take them. You might be prepared to take Biology at the end of freshman year for example, or perhaps you're ready for Math Level 1 or Level 2 by the end of sophomore year. If you familiarize yourself with the tests and plan ahead, then you might be able to get these tests over and done with before the busy spring and fall of junior and senior year. Most colleges should take your highest scores, so you can always retake a Subject Test if you're not totally satisfied with your score. What are your future goals? What Are Your Future Goals? If you have a sense of what you would like to study in college or what professional field you want to pursue, then you might want to take a Subject Test related to that area. If you'd like to study engineering, for example, then the Math and Physics Subject Tests could demonstrate your relevant interest and talent. If you're gearing up for pre-med, then the Biology Subject Test is a good bet. As mentioned above, liberal arts schools, especially the selective ones, often like to see diversity in your choice of tests, one from the humanities and another from math or sciences. So make sure you ask for advice from the school as to what scores and tests will most impress them in your application. What Are Your Language Abilities? If you are fluent in a language other than English, then the SAT Subject Test in that language could be a fantastic way to showcase your multilingualism. You still need to prepare and familiarize yourself with the test, to make sure you know what to expect. Since the majority of students tend to score highly on many of the language tests, you will have to achieve a high score to compare favorably with the other test-takers. As long as you make time for test prep and have strong language skills, then you should be able to get a great score and highlight this additional asset on your applications. If you're not very confident in your language abilities or have only studied the language in the classroom without much exposure to or development of your speaking and listening skills, then the language tests may not be the best choice for you. Since native and fluent speakers will be taking the test, you may end up in a low percentile even with what seems like a relatively high score in the upper 600s or even 700s. College Board recommends at least two years of study of a language. If you'd like to take a language test but aren't sure if your language skills are sufficient, definitely read over the content and try some practice questions. If you're still not sure, then a different Subject Test is probably your best bet for achieving a high score. Which Subject Tests Are Easiest? Another consideration when choosing a Subject Test is how students score on average. A low average score may suggest the test is particularly challenging. If scores show a large standard deviation, then it means that students scored across a broad range. Overall, students show very high averages on the Math Level 2, Chinese with Listening, and Korean with Listening tests, meaning you have to very confident and prepared to take these tests as you'll be compared with high-achieving students. You can also take a look at our more in-depth analysis ofthe easiest SAT Subject Tests. To Sum Up When asking yourself, "What SAT Subject Tests should I take?" you can find your answer by considering these questions: What exactly do my colleges require and want to see? What do I know? What classes did I do well in? You can even ask your family and teachers for feedback here. What classes am I currently taking that will prepare me for the Subject Test by the end of the year? How advanced are my language abilities? What do I want the admissions committee to know about my academic interests and strengths? How does this Subject Test relate to my future academic and professional goals? Which Subject Tests have the most favorable scoring curve? You have likely already chosen or been placed in classes that will help to determine your content readiness. Plus by answering all these questions, you should have a clear sense of what Subject Tests are best for you and your college applications. Now it's up to you to study so you can best demonstrate your knowledge and interests on the SAT Subject Tests of your choosing. What's Next? For a more detailed look into all the SAT Subject Test options and their different formats, check out our article here. Another important consideration about SAT Subject Tests iswhen to take them, especially when you have to schedule around the SAT or ACT and all your other activities. Check out our article on thebest dates to take the SAT Subject Tests. Are you also taking the SAT or ACT? Find out exactly when you should start preparing so you can balance your SAT prep with your Subject Test prep and achieve your best target scores. Need a little extra help prepping for your Subject Tests? We have the industry's leading SAT Subject Test prep programs (for all non-language Subject Tests). Built by Harvard grads and SAT Subject Test full or 99th %ile scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so that you get the most effective prep possible. Learn more about our Subject Test products below:

Friday, November 22, 2019

Learn How to Calculate Molarity of a Solution

Learn How to Calculate Molarity of a Solution Molarity is a unit of concentration, measuring the number of moles of a solute per liter of solution. The strategy for solving molarity problems is fairly simple. This outlines a straightforward method to calculate the  molarity of a solution. The key to calculating molarity is to remember the units of molarity (M): moles per liter. Find the molarity by calculating the number of moles of the solute dissolved in liters of a solution. Sample Molarity Calculation Calculate the molarity of a solution prepared by dissolving 23.7 grams of KMnO4 into enough water to make 750 mL of solution. This example has neither the moles nor liters needed to find molarity, so you must find the number of moles of the solute first. To convert grams to moles, the molar mass of the solute is needed, which can be found on  certain  periodic tables.​ Molar mass of K 39.1 gMolar mass of Mn 54.9 gMolar mass of O 16.0 gMolar mass of KMnO4 39.1 g 54.9 g (16.0 g x 4)Molar mass of KMnO4 158.0 g Use this number to convert grams to moles. moles of KMnO4 23.7 g KMnO4 x (1 mol KMnO4/158 grams KMnO4)moles of KMnO4 0.15 moles KMnO4 Now the liters of solution is needed. Keep in mind, this is the total volume of the solution, not the volume of solvent used to dissolve the solute. This example is prepared with enough water to make 750 mL of solution. Convert 750 mL to liters. Liters of solution mL of solution x (1 L/1000 mL)Liters of solution 750 mL x (1 L/1000 mL)Liters of solution 0.75 L This is enough to calculate the molarity. Molarity moles solute/Liter solutionMolarity 0.15 moles of KMnO4/0.75 L of solutionMolarity 0.20 M The molarity of this solution is 0.20 M (moles per liter). Quick Review How To Calculate Molarity To calculate molarity: Find the number of moles of solute dissolved in solution, Find the volume of solution in liters, andDivide moles solute by liters solution. Make certain to use the correct number of significant figures when reporting your answer. One easy way to track the number of significant digits is to write all your numbers in scientific notation.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Dell Inc Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Dell Inc - Research Paper Example rs (agents) manage to obtain support of directors concerning their practices, which do not deliver optimum level of value to the shareholders (principals) then the problem of agency, aggravates into corporate governance problem(Kashyap, Antia and Frazier). Therefore, governments use to intervene in these kind of cases because, shareholders simply do not have sufficient resources and competencies to pinpoint a fraud on a directorial level. However, law bounds organizations to announce their financial performance publically. At the same instance, governmental financial law enforcement agencies analyze the organizational practices of corporations in order to quantify their compliance with the general premises of maximization of shareholders wealth(Wojcik). However, modernly governments are planting their representatives in board of directors, so that they can monitor the fulfillment of the promises made by managers to shareholders in real time. Another purpose of this paper is to define hybrids of widely accepted organizational structures worldwide. However, for this purpose it is important to note that there are two basic organizational structures known to the world, which are centralized and decentralized formations of organizations(Homburg, Jensen and Haiin). The former one is characterized with centric leadership and authority therefore, all of the departments take orders and instructions from a formalized chain of command. On the other hand, the latter one can be defined as something, which is attributed with delegation of authority and job autonomy. Under this mechanism, top management is only responsible for providing broad objectives for middle and line management to achieve. Nevertheless, top management in this case does not concern itself to the operational layout through which intended goals are being fulfilled. But, with the passage of time, centralized organizational setting evolved into as structure with a se parate department for innovative project

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Iran's Foreign Policy Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Iran's Foreign Policy - Research Proposal Example The election of President George Bush in 2000 dampened these hopes as he left moderate Iranians puzzled by his demonizing of Iran and the inclusion of the country in the 'axis of evil' along with North Korea (Katz, 2005, p.59). This set the stage for the election of the conservative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, an Islamic nationalist that is suspicious of the US and capitalist countries, and has increased the tensions between the countries and elevated the risk of direct confrontation (Pirouz & Reed, 2005). The possibility that Iran may have a nuclear weapons program has made them a threat to the national security of the US. Iran poses a significant threat to the US national security from Islamic extremists that have considerable influence on the Iranian government. This has placed the advocates of a 'Holy War' against the United States in a position to disrupt trade or Iran's vital supply of petroleum. Regional disputes could spill over into Iran and involve a nation that may have nuclear capability. The current administration has professed the belief that Iran is going to get a nuclear weapon or the necessary resources to build one sometime in the near future (Sagan, 2006). If the US administration believes that Iran poses a significant economic or military threat there is a risk of the US taking preemptive action to prevent Iran from destabilizing the region or the world economy. The last 60 years have seen considerable swings in our relations with Iran. In 1951 Iranian Premier Ali Razmara, who was open to trade and favorable relations with the West, was assassinated and replaced by Mohammad Mossadeq. Mossadeq was a hardliner that planned to nationalize the country's oil reserves and limit the power of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, a pro-western Shah (Chronology US-Iran relations, 2005). In 1953 a joint operation between the CIA and British intelligence overthrew the Mossadeq regime in a military coup that put the Shah into power (Chronology US-Iran relations, 2005). This began a period of favorable relations with Iran that lasted until the Shah's removal in the Iranian Revolution of 1979. The Iranian Revolution was accompanied by the taking of the American embassy and the kidnapping of its occupants in Tehran. This resulted in the Carter administration implementing sanctions against Iran and an embargo on Iranian oil. In 1995, Clinton banned all trade with Iran. These tough sanctions were temporarily eased as companies were allowed to sell food and medical supplies in 1999 (Chronology US-Iran relations, 2005). The current US policy has labeled Iran a terrorist nation and in 2002 Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld stated that Iran was responsible for, " inspiring and financing a culture of political murder and suicide bombing" (as cited in Chronology US-Iran relations, 2005). This policy has continued with tougher sanctions and a policy of non-negotiations. The Bush administration has continued to escalate the rhetoric against Iran and Iran has responded by taking provocative military actions against the US and British interests in the region. This has led to the curren t policy of economically and politically isolating Iran in an effort to get them to curb their nuclear ambitions (Katzman, 2007, p.2). Faced with a hostile nation that may possess a nuclear weapon in the near future highlights the importance of having an effective policy in regards to

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Hymn to Labor Essay Example for Free

Hymn to Labor Essay Assessment process of setting a value on real or personal property, usually for the purpose of taxation. It is carried out either by central government agencies or by local officials. Property may be assessed on the basis of its annual rental value, as in Britain, or its capital value, as in the U.S. Various methods are used to determine capital value, including analysis of market data to estimate the propertys current market price, estimation of the cost of reproducing the property minus accrued depreciation, and capitalization of the propertys earnings. Because educators have used the word â€Å"assessment† in a variety of ways, it’s important to understand its specific definition in education today. The Higher Learning Commission (HLC), has identified five fundamental questions for institutions to use in discussing and defining assessment: 1. How are your stated student learning outcomes appropriate to your mission, programs, and degrees? 2. What evidence do you have that students achieve your stated learning outcomes? 3. In what ways do you analyze and use evidence of student learning? 4. How do you ensure shared responsibility for assessment of student learning? 5. How do you evaluate and improve the effectiveness of your efforts to assess and improve student learning? The HLC’s complete statement on assessment can be found at: www.ncahlc.org/download/AssessStuLrngApril.pdf Using these questions as a guide, OCC has developed its own definition of assessment, which is broadly published in various college documents including the College Catalog (p. 43), Student Handbook, Schedule of Classes, and the assessment website: Assessment is an on-going process aimed at understanding and improving student learning. It involves making our expectations clear to students and setting appropriate outcomes for learning. It helps determine how well student performance matches those outcomes. It uses the resulting information to improve student learning. The assessment process helps to support OCC’s shared academic culture dedicated to assuring and improving student learning. Assessment of student learning occurs at various academic levels. The goals at each level are different. Classroom Assessment The goal of classroom assessment is to enhance student learning. Instructors use a variety of methods in the classroom to get feedback about student learning in terms of course objectives. Program Assessment Every degree, diploma, and certificate program has a statement of purpose and learning outcomes. Each learning outcome is measured by the faculty in the program through a variety of assignments, tests, practicum’s, projects, and licensing examinations. Also, in some cases program graduates are surveyed to get feedback about how well the program prepared them for their jobs. The goal of program assessment is to revise and improve the curriculum of the program and to insure student success. General Education Assessment Students come to college for a variety of reasons. Regardless of the reason, it is the goal of the college to give its students an education including general skills and knowledge critical for success in life. Therefore, the OCC faculty have identified ten General Education Outcomes and have incorporated them into the general education requirements of the college. These outcomes are assessed in the same way as course learning objectives in the classroom. Additionally, Student Assessment of General Education (SAGE) occurs college-wide each year.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Essays --

Rachel Toby 1/14/14 Research Paper â€Å"Homelessness In America† ‘Homelessness’ is when an individual or family cannot afford permanent housing. Homelessness is a common problem in human history. There are many reasons why people reached the state of homelessness such as; physical, economic, social and political. These problems continue to interfere with people’s lives. In the early stages of the American colonial settlement, homelessness became a huge problem in America. Most recently homelessness has been caused by the high cost of housing, alcoholism and drug addictions, mental health issues, joblessness and military veterans coming home. Many people who have jobs here in America still cannot afford permanent housing because the minimum wage which is $7.25 is not enough money to make a good living. The people who gets pay $7.25 an hour struggles because by the time they’re done paying all their bills they have very little to buy groceries, so most of the times people buy food for them and their family which means even tually they’re going to owe a lot of money for rent, which is going to lead to eviction. The United States needs a comprehensive plan to end homelessness in the richest country in the world once and for all. Homelessness in the United States has been a problem for at least 200 years. â€Å"In the early 1800s, the rank of homelessness increased for many reasons such as; Migration to the frontiers, displacement caused by the Civil War, immigration from Europe, seasonal employment patterns in agriculture, construction and mining, and severe economic slumps in the 1870s and 1890s† ( Macmillan). This shows that homelessness started to become a huge problem in the 19th century. To help the situation, â€Å"Cities developed shelt... ...step up to take care of their responsibilities, then a lot of young women wouldn’t be homeless. Also there’s not enough affordable daycares. The solution require strong government action and the help of private enterprises. The government can help by building low cost housing for poor people. Veterans need jobs when they return from serving for their country. The government can help with job training. Businesses can help by making the hiring of vets a priority. We also need more centers for treating drug addicts and alcoholics. Homelessness is a huge problem in the United States. The richest country in the world should solve this problem. Low-cost housing, jobs for veterans, centers for addicts and alcoholics and low-cost daycares are all plans that would allow the young women to work or go back to school. If America had the will, we could fix this growing outrage. Essays -- Rachel Toby 1/14/14 Research Paper â€Å"Homelessness In America† ‘Homelessness’ is when an individual or family cannot afford permanent housing. Homelessness is a common problem in human history. There are many reasons why people reached the state of homelessness such as; physical, economic, social and political. These problems continue to interfere with people’s lives. In the early stages of the American colonial settlement, homelessness became a huge problem in America. Most recently homelessness has been caused by the high cost of housing, alcoholism and drug addictions, mental health issues, joblessness and military veterans coming home. Many people who have jobs here in America still cannot afford permanent housing because the minimum wage which is $7.25 is not enough money to make a good living. The people who gets pay $7.25 an hour struggles because by the time they’re done paying all their bills they have very little to buy groceries, so most of the times people buy food for them and their family which means even tually they’re going to owe a lot of money for rent, which is going to lead to eviction. The United States needs a comprehensive plan to end homelessness in the richest country in the world once and for all. Homelessness in the United States has been a problem for at least 200 years. â€Å"In the early 1800s, the rank of homelessness increased for many reasons such as; Migration to the frontiers, displacement caused by the Civil War, immigration from Europe, seasonal employment patterns in agriculture, construction and mining, and severe economic slumps in the 1870s and 1890s† ( Macmillan). This shows that homelessness started to become a huge problem in the 19th century. To help the situation, â€Å"Cities developed shelt... ...step up to take care of their responsibilities, then a lot of young women wouldn’t be homeless. Also there’s not enough affordable daycares. The solution require strong government action and the help of private enterprises. The government can help by building low cost housing for poor people. Veterans need jobs when they return from serving for their country. The government can help with job training. Businesses can help by making the hiring of vets a priority. We also need more centers for treating drug addicts and alcoholics. Homelessness is a huge problem in the United States. The richest country in the world should solve this problem. Low-cost housing, jobs for veterans, centers for addicts and alcoholics and low-cost daycares are all plans that would allow the young women to work or go back to school. If America had the will, we could fix this growing outrage.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Pidgins and Creoles Essay

A.1 THE DEFINITION OF PIDGIN The etymology of pidgin is uncertain. The Oxford English Dictionary derives it from the English word business as pronounced in Chinese Pidgin English, which was of course used for transacting business. Other possible sources derived pidjom ‘exchange, trade, redemption; a Chinese pronunciation of the Portuguese word ocupaà §Ãƒ £o ‘business’; or a South Seas pronunciation of English beach as beachee, from the location where the language was often used (Mà ¼hlhà ¤usler, in Holm, 2004). A pidgin is a language with no native speakers: it is no one’s first language but is a contact language. That is, it is the product of a multilingual situation in which those who wish to communicate must find or improvise a simple language system that will enable them to do so. Very often too, that situation is one in which there is an imbalance of power among the languages as the speakers of one language dominate the speakers of the other languages economically and socially. A highly codified language often accompanies that dominant position. A pidgin is therefore sometimes regarded as a ‘reduced’ variety of a ‘normal’ language, i.e., one of the aforementioned dominant languages, with simplification of the grammar and vocabulary of that language, considerable phonological variation, and an admixture of local vocabulary to meet the special needs of the contact group (Wardhaugh, 2006, pp. 61). According to Holm (2004, pp. 4–5) a pidgin is a reduced language that results from extended contact between groups of people with no language in common; it evolves when they need some means of verbal communication, perhaps for trade, but no group learns the native language of any other group for social reasons that may include lack of trust or close contact. Usually those with less power (speakers of substrate languages) are more accommodating and use words from the language of those with more power (the superstrate), although the mea ning, form and use of these words may be influenced by the substrate languages. When dealing with the other groups, the superstrate speakers adopt many of these changes to make themselves more readily understood and no longer try to speak as they do within their own group. Winford (in Wardhaugh, 2006, pp. 63) points out that ‘pidginization is really a complex  combination of different processes of change, including reduction and simplification of input materials, internal innovation, and regularization of structure, with L1 influence also playing a role.’ Pidgin is words thrown out, there is no structure, and usually it is not long lasting. However, adults who learn pidgin usually speak it for the rest of their lives, and consequently, they do not develop grammar. A pidgin is a restricted language which is used to communicate between two social groups of which one is in a more dominant position than the other. It involves situations in which a population speaks several different languages and is required to communicate on a regular basis, but none of the languages of the population has primacy over the others. This situation is often found where multiple societies trade or where slave populations from multiple locations are brought into one area. The speakers create a mutual language using words from the speakers’ mother tongues and an extremely flexible, simplified grammar. Most linguists do not consider a pidgin to be a full-fledged language, but something that is used together due to circumstances and omitted when it is no longer needed. Todd (2005, pp. 17) mention there are various theories about the origin of pidgins which have been proposed in the last hundred years or so. These can be presented as a basic group of five theories which show a degree of overlap; note that a mixture of origins is also a possibility which should also be considered. 1.The Baby-Talk Theory At the end of the last century Charles Leland, when discussing China coast pidgin English, noted that there were many similarities with the speech of children such as the following features: a.High percentage of content words with a correspondingly low number of function words. b.Little morphological marking. c.Word classes more flexible than in adult language (free conversion) d.Contrasts in area of pronouns greatly reduced. e.Number of inflections minimised Later linguists, notably Jespersen and Bloomfield, maintained that the characteristics of pidgins result from ‘imperfect mastery of a language which in its initial stage, in the child with its first language and in the  grown-up with a second language learnt by imperfect methods, leads to a superficial knowledge of the most indispensable word, with total disregard of grammar’ (Jespersen 1922: 234). The evaluative nature of such views would be rejected by linguists today. 2.Independent Parallel Development Theory This view maintains that the obvious similarities between the world’s pidgins and creoles arose on independent but parallel lines due to the fact that they all are derived from languages of Indo-European stock and, in the case of the Atlantic varieties, due to their sharing a common West African substratum. Furthermore, scholars like Robert Hall specify that the similar social and physical conditions under which pidgins arose were responsible for the development of similar linguistic structures. 3.Nautical Jargon Theory As early as 1938 the American linguist John Reinecke noted the possible influence of nautical jargon on pidgins. It is obvious that on many of the original voyages of discovery to the developing world many nationalities were represented among the crews of the ships. This fact led to the development of a core vocabulary of nautical items and a simplified grammar (at least as regards English). Later pidgins show many of these lexical items irrespective of where the language varieties are spoken. Thus the word capsise turns up with the meaning ‘turn over’ or ‘spill’ in both West Atlantic and Pacific pidgins. So do the words heave, hoist, hail, galley, cargo. One of the shortcomings of this otherwise attractive theory is that it does not help to account for the many structural affinities between pidgins which arose from different European languages. 4.Monogenetic/Relexification Theory According to this view all pidgins can be traced back to a single proto-pidgin, a 15th century Portuguese pidgin which was itself probably a relic of the medieval lingua franca (also known as sabir from the Portuguese word for ‘know’) which was the common means of communication among the Crusaders and traders in the Mediterranean area. Lingua franca survived longest on the North African coast and is attested from Algeria and Tunesia as late as the 19th century. The theory maintains that when the Portuguese  first sailed down the west coast of Africa in the 15th century they would have used their form of lingua franca (sabir). Afterwards in the 16th and 17th centuries when the Portuguese influence in Africa declined, the vocabulary of the then established pidgins would have been replaced by that of the new colonial language which was dominant in the area, say English or French. As the Portuguese were among the first traders in India and South East Asia a similar situation can be assumed to have obtained: the vocabulary of the original Portuguese pidgin was replaced by that of a later European language. Note that with this theory the grammatical structure of pidgins would not have been effected by the switch in vocabulary (this is what is meant by the term relexification). Thus the obvious similarity in structure of all pidgins would go back to the grammar of the proto-pidgin coming from the Mediterranean area. What this theory does not explain is why the structure (analytic) should be of the type it is. Furthermore there are a number of marginal pidgins (Russenorsk, Eskimo Trade Jargon) which cannot conceivably be connected with Portuguese and which are nonetheless analytic in structure just as the pidgins based on the main European colonial languages are. 5.Universalist Theory This is the most recent view on the origin of pidgins and has elements in common with the other theories. However, the distinguishing mark of this theory is that it sees the similarities as due to universal tendencies among humans to create languages of a similar type, i.e. an analytic language with a simple phonology, an SVO syntax with little or no subordination or other sentence complexities, and with a lexicon which makes maximum use of polysemy (and devices such as reduplication) operating from a limited core vocabulary. To put it in technical terms, a creole will be expected to have unmarked values for linguistic parameters, e.g. with the parameter pro-drop, whereby the personal pronoun is not obligatory with verb forms (cf. Italian capisco ‘I understand’), the unmarked setting is for no pro-drop to be allowed and indeed this is the situation in all pidgins and creoles, a positive value being something which may appear later with the rise of a rich morphology. A.2 THE DEFINITION OF CREOLE The origin of the term creole is more certain. Latin creAre ‘to create’ became Portuguese criar ‘to raise (e.g. a child)’, whence the past participle criado ‘(a person) raised; a servant born into one’s household’. Crioulo, with a diminutive suffix, came to mean an African slave born in the New World in Brazilian usage. The word’s meaning was then extended to include Europeans born in the New World. The word finally came to refer to the customs and speech of Africans and Europeans born in the New World. It was later borrowed as Spanish criollo, French crà ©ole, Dutch creools and English creole (Holm, 2004, pp. 9) Just like a pidgin, a creole has no simple relationship to the usually standardized language with which it is associated. However, speakers of creoles, like speakers of pidgins, may well feel that they speak something less than normal languages because of the way they and others view those languages when they compare them with other languages. Winford (in Wardhaugh, 2006, pp. 63) points out that creolization involves expansion of the morphology and syntax, regularization of the phonology, deliberate increase in the number of functions in which the language is used, and development of a rational and stable system for increasing vocabulary. But even though the processes are different, it is still not always clear whether we are talking about a pidgin, an expanded pidgin, or a creole in a certain situation. For example, the terms Hawaiian Pidgin English and Hawaiian Creole English may be used by even the same creolist (Bickerton, in Wardhaugh, 2006, pp. 64) to describe the same variety. Likewise, Tok Pisin is sometimes called a pidgin and sometimes a creole. A creole has a jargon or a pidgin in its ancestry; it is spoken natively by an entire speech community, often one whose ancestors were displaced geographically so that their ties with their original language and sociocultural identity were partly broken. Such social conditions were often the result of slavery. The term ‘creole’ is now mainly refer to languages which derive from pidgins and which, in many instances, share most of their vocabulary to other languages. A creole language differs from a pidgin language by the fact that it is a native language for the majority of its speakers. Vocabulary is extensively borrowed from other languages, but the grammar often shares few traits with the languages that contributed vocabulary. Grammar and syntax are as fully developed as any other  long-established tongue. From those definitions, we can say that creole is the structured pidgin. B.THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPMENT FROM PIDGIN TO CREOLE Originally, by the definition, all pidgins were restricted with regard to user and use. In the early stages they would have had small vocabularies and few syntactic rules; they would have been capable of dealing with only a limited range of subjects, with commands, yes/no questions, and with the simplest of explanations. They would have utilized gesture to reinforce or clarify meanings and they would have proved inadequate for sustained conversation. From these origins they developed either as extended pidgins or as creoles and became capable of expressing the views and beliefs of their users, became capable of permitting intergroup communication in areas where it had not existed before, became capable of sustaining a considerable literature. Not every pidgin eventually becomes a creole, i.e., undergoes the process of creolization. In fact, very few do. Most pidgins are lingua francas, existing to meet temporary local needs. They are spoken by people who use another language or other languages to serve most of their needs and the needs of their children. If a pidgin is no longer needed, it dies out. It may also be the case that the pidgin in a particular area must constantly be ‘reinvented’. Creolization occurs only when a pidgin for some reason becomes the variety of language that children must use in situations in which use of a ‘full’ language is effectively denied them. A creole is the native language of some of its speakers. Professor Loreto Todd (2005, pp. 32 – 40) illustrate the creolization into four phases. Here is the brief description: a.Phase 1 : Marginal Contact This phase would have involved casual and unsustained contact between English speakers and the local people. From such contact a marginal pidgin evolves; capable, with the help of gestures, of communicating physical needs and trading arrangements, etc. A marginal pidgin is inadequate for more than the most rudimentary forms of communication. Since it is largely supplemented by gesture, discussion is limited to tangible objects, especially those in the immediate vicinity. Such a mode of communication is of limited value only.  If the contact is prolonged and intimate a fuller form of communication must develop and the pidgin either abandoned or expanded. It is likely that since the sixteenth century several pidgin Englishes have come into existence and died out. The only two options open to a marginal pidgin are to disappear or to become more useful by the expansion of its resources. b.Phase 2 : Period Of Nativization This phase would have begun as soon as the pidgin English was used by and between local people. At this stage it could be expanded in only one way, from the users’ mother tongues. This phase helps to account for the indigenous lexical items and the numerous direct translations found in all pidgin and creole Englishes. The expansion of a pidgin is facilitated by two main factors: its developing in a multilingual area and its use not so much in non-native to native contact as in contacts between native inhabitants speaking mutually unintelligible languages. In this phase can be occured reduplications. Reduplicated forms occur in all the English-based pidgins and creoles. Besides reduplications taken over from the local languages, three types of reduplicated English forms can be attested; (a)reduplications to reduce the number of homophonous forms (b) reduplications which extend the meaning of the simple form (c)reduplications used as intensives, this type being confined to the adjective/verb class. Items borrowed from indigenous languages, the lexical items which found their way from local languages into pidgin and creole Englishes were often, not unexpectedly, related to the local culture and conditions. Word-compounding and calquing, to extend the pidgin’s vocabulary one could combine different items from the pidgin either (a) on the analogy of English patterns, or (b) in direct translations from the mother tongues. c.Phase 3 : Influence From The Dominant Language When a pidgin has evolved to phase 2 it is capable of being used as a mother tongue and it is from this point in development that it becomes hard, if not impossible, to distinguish between pidgins and creoles by purely linguistic criteria. At this time vocabularies were extended by borrowing lexical items from the ‘dominant’ language. Usually, as in Hawaii and Sierra Leone, this language was English, but occasionally, as in Surinam, it was another European language, Dutch in the case of Surinam. The pidgin’s expansion is normally closely associated with the ‘dominant’ language, by which I mean the language of government and education, and this, in turn, is almost always the language from which the pidgin’s basic vocabulary is derived. d.Phase 4 : The Post-Creole Continuum This phase is limited to areas where English continued to be an official state language. When the contact between English and the related pidgin or creole was sustained and as education in standard English became more widespread, a process of decreolization occurred. When it is remembered that most extended pidgin and creole Englishes have been in contact with some form of non-creole English for up to three hundred years it is not surprising that they have been influenced to varying degrees by the prestigious standard; though it may be only in the recent past, with the introduction of formal education and the spread of literacy in English, that the influences have really begun to make inroads. That the influence could have been a two-way traffic is dealt with later. The process of decreolization is most in evidence in the New World varieties, though it is to be found in all areas where the two types of language co-exist. As education through English was made compulsory in the West Indies long before such a policy was pursued in West Africa or even in urban areas of Papua New Guinea, it is to be expected that decreolization has proceeded furthest in the former area, and that its creoles have absorbed more and more features of standard English. C.EXAMPLE OF PIDGIN AND CREOLE Pidgins often have a short life. If pidgins develop for a restricted function, they disappear when the function disappear. In some cases, however pidgins go on to develop into fully fledged languages or creole. Creole languages develop ways systematically signaling meaning such as verb tenses, and these may develop into inflections or affixes over time. Example of pidgin : These lines are taken from a famous comic strip in Papua New Guinea: â€Å"Sapos yu kaikai planti pinat, bai yu kamap strong olsem phantom.† â€Å"Fantom, yu pren tru bilong mi. Inap yu ken helpim mi nau?† â€Å"Fantom, em i go we?† Translation: â€Å"If you eat plenty of peanuts, you will come up strong like the phantom.† â€Å"Phantom, you are a true friend of mine. Are you able to help me now?† â€Å"Where did he go?† Example of creole : This table is taken from Janet Holmes, â€Å"An Introduction to Sociolinguistics† Creole languageTranslationKind of Creole  Mo pe aste sa bananI am buying the bananaFrench based Seychelles Creole De bin alde luk dat big triThey always looked for a big treeEnglish based Roper River Creole A waka go a wosu He walked homeEnglish based Saran Olmaan i kas-im chekThe old man is cashing a checkEnglish based Cape York Creole Li pote sa bay moHe brought that for meFrench based Guyanais Ja fruher wir bleibenYes at first we remainedGerman based Papua New Guinea Pidgin German Dis smol swain i bin go fo maketThis little pig went to marketEnglish based Cameroon Pidgin Other example of creole are from Tok Pisin. Tok PisinEnglishTok PisinEnglish Bik Big, largeBikimTo enlarge, make large Brait WideBraitimTo make wide Daun LowDounimTo lower Nogut BadNogutimTo spoil PretAfraidPretimTo frighten, scare DotiDirtyDotim REFERENCES Wardhaugh, Ronald. 2006. An Introduction to Sociolinguistic. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Holm, John. 2004. An Introduction to Pidgins and Creoles. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Todd, Loreto. 2005. Pidgins and Creoles. London: Routledge Kouwenberg, Silvia & Singler, John Victor. 2008. The Handbook of Pidgin and Creole Studies. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ambarwati, Rosita. 2012. An Introductionto Sociolinguistics Modul. Magetan: Javas Grafika http://www.uni-due.de/SVE/VARS_PidginsAndCreoles.htm, (accessed at 08.36 a.m, October 4th, 2012) http://www.hevanet.com/alexwest/pidgin.html, (accessed at 08.36 a.m, October 5th, 2012)

Saturday, November 9, 2019

College Tuition Essay

In today’s society, the idea of a college education has become less of an option and more of a necessary requirement and is commonly considered the only way to acquire a successful career and life. There are many careers, in which a college education is not technically necessary, that can often be just as or even more successful. With the cost of college tuition increasing with every passing year, the controversy of whether college is really worth the cost and burden is growing too. If our society wants to continue displaying a college education as somewhat of a necessity for success, I believe the cost of it should shift to being a more realistic price, suitable for the majority of students striving to go to college. Most high school students feel pressure by not only the family, but also peers and teaching faculty to go to college because it’s â€Å"the smart thing to do†, but some may be hesitant to choose the college route because they believe their experiences will be different and the benefits of getting the job and making all their money back won’t apply to them. Economic research concludes that more students would gain from college rather than opting out from it, and choosing a different route. Yes, there are many careers that require little or no further education after high school that may be considered successful jobs, such as construction and more hands on jobs, but it is averaged that over a lifetime those who attend college make about $500,000 more than those who do not. â€Å"Seven out of ten college seniors (71%) who graduated last year had student loan debt, with an average of $29,400 per borrower. From 2008 to 2012 debt at graduation †¦ increased an average rate of six percent each year. † (The Project of Student Debt). With all of the debts, not covered by either scholarships or financial aid, accumulated over the course of an individual’s schooling, the amount of additional money made becomes less substantial; if the tuition and fees were to decrease, the additional money made would not be as affected. The costs to attend two of the leading universities in Oregon, University of Oregon and Oregon State, for four years averages at about $88,000, and that doesn’t even include everyday personal expenses. For non-residents that price is more than doubled that of a resident student. â€Å"In 1980, it cost an  average of about $56,000 (adjusting for inflation) to attend a university for four years. This figure includes tuition, fees, and the â€Å"opportunity cost,† or income one foregoes to attend school instead of holding a job. (This figure excludes room and board: one must eat and sleep whether she is in college or not. ) In 2010, four years of college cost more than $82,000, a nearly 50 percent increase over that 30-year period. †(Brookings Institute). Sure there are many scholarships and financial aid a student is able to apply for, but with so many students applying for such scholarships, you’re chances of receiving them become slimmer. A lot of scholarships also do not benefit students as a whole and either target minorities, athletes, or financial aid students. Community college is also a viable option for many, but is often looked down upon. You don’t often hear a high school student say â€Å"I want to go to a community college† or â€Å"I can’t wait to go to a community college† with loads of enthusiasm. Not only do students and their families look down upon going to a community college, but teachers as well think lesser of community colleges and often express their opinions out loud. This makes students look at community colleges as less of a viable option and more of a last option. When applying for jobs, it also looks a lot more prestigious when it is shown that one attended a university rather than a community college. Although most colleges may not consider ways to lower the costs of college, there are many ways in which a lower tuition and overall price is possible. One direct contribution to the costs of schooling is the professor’s salary. Many college educators do not actually deserve the amount of money they make. Teachers should receive a salary that accurately reflects how affective the professor is at teaching. College fees also include unnecessary additions that are not required and could easily be taken off, such as gym memberships, recreation center memberships, and other additional bonuses that are not essential. Also, although I’m a student-athlete as well, the amount of money given away in scholarships just to play sports at that school has become a bit ridiculous. If the amount of money for scholarships went back into the school directly, the cost of tuition would decrease, and the need for those said scholarships would decrease as well. It is apparent that student athletes are held to a higher regard than other students. Often, you see students that are all-state athletes that get decent grades receive more money and â€Å"special treatment† in comparison to a student that does not do related extra-curricular activities, yet gets exceedingly high grades. This is not fair in any way; the elimination or decrease of athletic scholarships given out would eliminate the inequality commonly displayed throughout colleges. College tuition is at an outrageous high right now and is not showing many signs of decreasing. The costs of college and sending a student off to college have become much of a burden for many families across America. With how necessary getting a college education is considered, the cost of it all should shift to a more suitable price. The shift would be very difficult to achieve, and would be a very long process, but I do believe it is possible, not only for my generation, but the next several generations of students on the path to attend college. Work Cited Page: Greenstone, Michael, and Adam Looney. â€Å"Regardless of the Cost, College Still Matters. † The Brookings Institution. The Hamilton Project, 05 Oct. 2012. Web. 31 Oct. 2014. . â€Å"Student Financial Aid and Scholarships. † Cost of Attendance. University of Oregon, n. d. Web. 31 Oct. 2014. . â€Å"Financial Aid and Scholarships. † Cost of Attendance. Oregon State University, n. d. Web. 31 Oct. 2014. . â€Å"State by State Data. † Project on Student Debt:. The Project on Student Debt, 2013. Web. 31 Oct. 2014. .

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Free Essays on The Gift of Life

Specific Purpose: To persuade the audience to become an organ donor. Introduction: I. If you were handed the power to save someon's life, I hope you would take it. A.What you might not realize is that you all do have the power to save someone's life. 1.We all have valuable organs that we can donate after we die. 2.There is a huge need for life saving organs. B.Many people would still be alive today if they had received a needed organ. 1.When we die, we have no need for our organs. 2.There are many people who could use our organs. II.Today, I am going to tell you how to become a life saver. A.I am going to discuss the huge need for organs. B.I am going to tell you what organs can be donated. C.I am going to tell you how to become an organ donor. D.Finally, I hope to leave you with a desire to become an organ donor. Body:I.Organ transplantation is one of the most remarkable sucess stories in the history of medicine. A.Transplantation of organs is no longer considered experimental. B. According to LifeGift, an organ donation center, there are approximately 20,000 organ transplants performed every year in the U.S. II.The need for donated organs and tissues continues to outpace the supply. A.According to an article in Hospitals and Health Networks, of the 37,609 people who needed an organ transplant in 1995, less than half received one. 1.LifeGift states that currently over 53,000 people are waiting for an organ in the U.S. 2.Every 16 minutes, another name is added to the waiting list. III.With the recent advances in medicine, almost anything can be transplanted. A.The Coalition on Donation website states that one donor can help more than 50 people. 1.A kidney can free two people from dialysis. 2.Your heart could beat for someone else. 3.Your corneas could give sight to two people. III. If a person suddenly dies, it is up to his/her family to decide if his/her organs should be donated. A.According to a Government Press Release, only about h... Free Essays on The Gift of Life Free Essays on The Gift of Life Specific Purpose: To persuade the audience to become an organ donor. Introduction: I. If you were handed the power to save someon's life, I hope you would take it. A.What you might not realize is that you all do have the power to save someone's life. 1.We all have valuable organs that we can donate after we die. 2.There is a huge need for life saving organs. B.Many people would still be alive today if they had received a needed organ. 1.When we die, we have no need for our organs. 2.There are many people who could use our organs. II.Today, I am going to tell you how to become a life saver. A.I am going to discuss the huge need for organs. B.I am going to tell you what organs can be donated. C.I am going to tell you how to become an organ donor. D.Finally, I hope to leave you with a desire to become an organ donor. Body:I.Organ transplantation is one of the most remarkable sucess stories in the history of medicine. A.Transplantation of organs is no longer considered experimental. B. According to LifeGift, an organ donation center, there are approximately 20,000 organ transplants performed every year in the U.S. II.The need for donated organs and tissues continues to outpace the supply. A.According to an article in Hospitals and Health Networks, of the 37,609 people who needed an organ transplant in 1995, less than half received one. 1.LifeGift states that currently over 53,000 people are waiting for an organ in the U.S. 2.Every 16 minutes, another name is added to the waiting list. III.With the recent advances in medicine, almost anything can be transplanted. A.The Coalition on Donation website states that one donor can help more than 50 people. 1.A kidney can free two people from dialysis. 2.Your heart could beat for someone else. 3.Your corneas could give sight to two people. III. If a person suddenly dies, it is up to his/her family to decide if his/her organs should be donated. A.According to a Government Press Release, only about h...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

The History of the Brassiere - Mary Phelps Jacob

The History of the Brassiere - Mary Phelps Jacob The first modern brassiere to receive a patent was the one invented in 1913 by a New York socialite named Mary Phelps Jacob. Jacob had just purchased a sheer evening gown for one of her social events. At the time, the only acceptable undergarment was a corset stiffened with whaleback bones. Jacob found that the whalebones poked out visibly around the plunging neckline and under the sheer fabric. Two silk handkerchiefs and some pink ribbon later, Jacob had designed an alternative to the corset. The corsets reign was starting to topple. An unhealthy and painful device designed to narrow an adult womens waist to 13, 12, 11 and even 10 inches or less, the invention of the corset is attributed to Catherine de Mà ©dicis, wife of King Henri II of France. She enforced a ban on thick waists at court attendances during the 1550s and started over 350 years of whalebones, steel rods and midriff torture. Jacobs new undergarment complimented the new fashion  trends  introduced at the time and demands from friends and family were high for the new brassiere. On November 3, 1914, a U.S. patent for the Backless Brassiere was issued. Caresse Crosby Brassieres Caresse Crosby was the business name Jacob used for her brassiere production line. However, running a business was not enjoyable to Jacob and she soon sold the brassiere patent to the Warner Brothers Corset Company in Bridgeport, Connecticut for $1,500. Warner (the bra-makers, not the movie-makers) made over fifteen million dollars from the bra patent over the next thirty years. Jacob was the first to patent an undergarment named Brassiere derived from the old French word for upper arm. Her patent was for a device that was lightweight, soft and separated the breasts naturally. History of the Brassiere Here are other points in the history of the brassiere worth mentioning: In 1875, manufacturers George Frost and George Phelps patented the Union Under-Flannel, a no bones, no eyelets and no laces or pulleys under-outfit.In 1893, a woman named Marie Tucek patented the breast supporter. The device included separate pockets for the breasts and straps that went over the shoulder, fastened by hook-and-eye closures.In 1889, corset-maker Herminie Cadolle invented the Well-Being or Bien-à ªtre, a bra-like device sold as a health aid. The corsets support for the breasts squeezed up from below. Cadolle changed breast support to the shoulders down.World War I dealt the corset a fatal blow when the U.S. War Industries Board called on women to stop buying corsets in 1917. It freed up some 28,000 tons of metal!In 1928, a Russian immigrant named Ida Rosenthal founded Maidenform. Ida was responsible for grouping women into bust-sized categories (cup sizes). Bali WonderBra The Bali Brassiere Company was founded by Sam and Sara Stein in 1927 and was originally called the FayeMiss Lingerie Company. The companys best-known product has been the WonderBra, marketed as The One And Only WonderBra. Wonderbra is the trade name for an underwired bra with side padding that is designed to uplift and  add  cleavage. Bali launched the WonderBra in the U.S. in 1994. But the first WonderBra was the WonderBra - Push Up Plunge Bra, invented in 1963 by Canadian designer Louise Poirier. According to Wonderbra USA this unique garment, the forerunner of todays Wonderbra push-up bra had 54 design elements that lifted and supported the bust to create dramatic cleavage. Its precision engineering involved three-part cup construction, precision-angled back and underwire cups, removable pads called cookies, gate back  design for support  and rigid straps.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

The Country Overview of The Iceland Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Country Overview of The Iceland - Essay Example Transportation: Railways: 0 km. Highways: total: 13,004 km paved: 4,331 km unpaved: 8,673 km (2004). Ports and harbors: Grundartangi, Hafnarfjordur, Reykjavik, Seydhisfjordhur. Airports: 98 (2004 est.) Vegetation: 23,805km (9,191mi) Lakes: 2,757km (1,065mi) Glaciers: 11,922km (4,603mi) Wasteland: 64,538km (24,918mi) Weather: Despite its name and latitude, warm Gulf Streams keep southern Iceland snugger than many central European countries. Summers are pleasant with average July temperatures around 12C (53F). Winters, however, are significantly blunted and while fresh enough to put some rose in the cheeks, it will not be freezing them solid. The higher altitudes and northern coast face early year Arctic winds so are naturally colder. Snow turns to rain around spring but is never too heavy. Climate is cool, temperate and oceanic, influenced by the country's location where the polar front separates air currents of polar and tropical origin. Fluctuations in average annual temperature are more pronounced in Iceland than most other places. In Reykjavik, the average temperature is 11C (52F) in July and -1C (30F) in January. For two to three months in summer there is continuous daylight in Iceland, and early spring and late autumn enjoy long twilights. The really dark period that is three to four hours of daylight lasts from about mid-November until the end of January. Iceland is located on both a geological hot spot caused by a mantle plume, and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This combined location means that the island is extremely geologically active, having many volcanoes, notably Hekla, Eldgja, and Eldfell. There are also geysers a word derived from the name of one in Iceland, Geysir. Glaciers: The most distinctive features of... Iceland is located on both a geological hot spot caused by a mantle plume and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This combined location means that the island is extremely geologically active, having many volcanoes, notably Hekla, Eldgja, and Eldfell. There are also geysers a word derived from the name of one in Iceland, Geysir. The most distinctive features of Iceland are its glaciers, which cover over 4,500 square miles (11,800 km ²) or 11.5% of the total area of the country. The largest of the glacier caps is Vatna glacier in southeast Iceland with an area of 3,240 square miles (8,400 km ²), equal in size to all the glaciers on the European mainland put together. Avalanches are common in the northwest, north and east, where the steep mountain slopes, covered with deep snow.Iceland is richer in hot springs and high-temperature activity than any other country in the world. Steam vents, mud pools and precipitation of sulfur characterize high-temperature activity. The main high-temperature ar eas are Torfa glacier east of Hekla and Grim's lakes in the Vatna glacier. Hengill near Reykjavik is utilized to provide hot water for space heating in the capital. The widespread availability of geothermal power because of the numerous rivers and waterfalls are harnessed for hydropower. The total power output of the Torfa glacier area is estimated to be equivalent to 1,500 megawatts. Hot springs are found all over Iceland. There are about 250 low-temperature geothermal areas with a total of about 800 hot springs.