The Most Traumatic Night of My Life :: essays papers

The Most Traumatic Night of My Life It happened about a month ago on a warm Tuesday night in august. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but I was soon to find out differently. I was about to experience the most traumatic event of my life. I was at my boyfriend Will’s band practice in downtown with him and his three friends. We decided to go check out some abandoned rooms in the old, run down three-story apartment building in the search of cool stuff for their practice spot. We walked into one room that turned out to be an old after hours club that was no longer in use. There were some useful things, someone grabbed a couple chairs, someone else took a couple speakers that looked like they would still work, and I carried a full-length mirror. As we proceeded into the hallway, I led followed by the rest of the crew and we headed back to their room. When we were about ten feet from where I was going to put the mirror down, for some reason the mirror just broke in half in my hand. I tried saving the other half from smashing on the ground and a jagged piece sliced deep into my wrist. Everyone saw the mirror smash but didn’t realize what had happened to me. I could barely speak. I was so shocked I just pointed down to my wrist. It all happened so quick probably in a matter of about 5 seconds. Every time my heart beat, blood would gush out of the wound. Everyone was talking to me but their words were sort of blurred together. My boyfriend took his shirt off and wrapped it tightly around my wrist. He said to hold my arm above my heart to slow the bleeding. Luckily we were only about five minutes away from Mercy Hospital. So we got in the car I was feeling really light headed and was afraid I would pass out. My mother used to work in the emergency room so I got in pretty quickly. I was still in horrible pain though. Then a nurse came in and put an antiseptic liquid on my wrist I asked her what it was for and she said â€Å"the doctors going to be in soon to stitch you up.

Evaluation Paper on People with Disabilities

? Why it is important to believe in change for individuals with disabilities in today’s community. (Hader)Developmental Services, Inc. is a nonprofit agency established in 1975 to help children and adults with mental, physical, and emotional disabilities reach their greatest potential at home, work and in the community. DSI provides early intervention services as well as job training and job placement, independent and group living, life skills training, respite care and family support. DSI currently provides service to individuals in 27 South Central Indiana counties. DSIs Web-Site Article) Everyone deserves to be treated with kindness and dignity. There are several reasons for choosing to work for or use DSI as a service provider for a loved one. The staffs are trained with specialists that have a vast amount of knowledge about working with people with disabilities. The people that DSI provides for are often in need of local support, obtaining a job, or to give a family membe r a chance away from home knowing that there loved is in the best hands possible. There are many services available for families to choose from at DSI. Weather the situation calls for a job placement or a full time service staff DSI can help individuals with disabilities in many ways. The staffs go through vigorous training before being placed on the job. The training never really ends as doctors and specialists find new and exciting ways to better life for individuals with disabilities, or special needs. When placed with DSI the individual with needs becomes a client and has their very own staff people, or staff person. Every effort is made to insure the client and family’s needs are met. There are many services that DSI can do that help make lives better, and families happier in life. Weather it is a short period of time or a family has made a decision to have an individual live in a twenty four hour group home DSI can provide the daily life style everyone has. We encourage people with disabilities to have many activities, obtain a job or volunteer, and be a versatile part of the community as anyone else would be. Since DSI is a non-for profit organization many services are ordered through a doctor’s order. Families can receive this with a regular visit, or they may need to visit a specialist where tests are ordered. When an individual with disabilities comes to DSI there is also an orientation type visit where the family helps to decide which services would be the best for the individual. The staffs meet with the families to tell what experience they have with people with disabilities and see if the family would like to have that particular staff care for the individual. Staffs are trained in blood borne pathogens, and are responsible for providing support in the homes during all hours that residents or clients are present. This ensures the residents of group homes receive the training they need to be as independent as possible. Staff also assists the residents with meal preparation, housework, laundry, good hygiene and recreation activities. Other members of the team include a QMRP (Qualified Mental Retardation Professional), registered nurse along with social workers. Along with the doctors the team effort that DSI provides ensures the client gets into the community and has life skills needed to be a functioning part of society, and thrive in their own lives. Events are held to help raise money in the community to help support the many people with financial needs. There are over 31 companies located in Indiana that bring work to clients of DSI. This is an essential need for everyone including any individual with disabilities to be able to earn an income. For a person with a disability to have a job and earn a pay check every week makes them know how important they are, and bring joy to their life. The money they earn goes back into the community and provides opportunities to learn and grow. When a client gets a pay check, they then get the opportunity to go to the bank and cash it. This builds life skills threw doing and acting as a part in the community. After the check is cashed then the individual gets to spend their money, and who doesn’t like to go buy something you want or need. There are many events held to help clients learn life skills, and daily living skills as well. Our responsibility to the client as staff is to make every learning opportunity and life experience available as it would be to anyone else in the community. The support that DSI provides to people with disabilities is always growing along with the need of good trained staff. Being a non for profit company means many people depend on the state being able to help with financial needs of the individuals receiving services. There are fundraisers held every year to help raise funds, and keep DSI going. The DSI Company has been in business for over 30 years along with over 130 outside company’s providing stable and good employment for those with disabilities. DSI has helped hundreds of families with special needs and support. With the DSI company being an accentual need in every community DSI will only to continue to grow and help support thriving families for years to come. At this time we serve over 30 counties in Indiana. We expect to grow larger every year with the support of the community, and the ever growing demand of services that we provide. Hader, Bill. â€Å"DSI. org. † 18 Jan 2009. DSI. org. March 2010 .

Sounds and Imagery of Human Emotion

Sounds and Imagery of Human Emotion In Marge Piercy’s â€Å"The Secretary Chant†, the author uses images and sound to both dehumanize and mechanize the female speaker, while John Updike uses imagery and sounds to make the â€Å"Player Piano† come to life. Piercy uses images of the speaker, connected with various office equipment to give a vision to the reader of a woman living her life through the office equipment that is part of her very being. Piercy uses personification in reverse and other metaphors, such as metonymy, and paradox, to give an actual picture of the office machines actually performing their functions.And also through the operation of the office equipment attached to the speaker showing her only purpose in life. Sounds are important in â€Å"The Secretary Chant as onomatopoeia, alliteration, and the descriptions that show the speaker little by little becoming more mechanized until filed away for another day. Updike also uses personification to m ake the â€Å"Player Piano† come alive. Through rhyme, alliteration, consonance, cacophony, diction, and meter the poem sounds like music. The images that the speaker brings forth when the poem is read out loud, is melodic.The perfectly played â€Å"Payer Piano† only works within the constraints of the human-made machine. John Updike’s poem, â€Å"Player Piano† and Marge Piercy’s â€Å"The Secretary Chant â€Å"convey through sound and imagery the personification and dehumanization of mechanical speakers, with Updike doing a better job by saying that people are irreplaceable because of emotion. The title of Piercy’s â€Å"The Secretary Chant† gives a good indication of the list of statements that begin with: â€Å"My hips are a desk. From my ears hang / chains of paper clips† (lines 1-3), metaphors that make the reader visualize that the speaker is only a place where office machines connect together to form her purpose at the firm, as an object to perform tasks. The first six lines, as well as, lines eight through thirteen vividly describe in detail where each office supply and machine connects. And, there are, of course, as in any office, a list of things that the speaker would be commanded to do. Would you get me a cup of coffee? Make a copy of this report, please. Have you typed that letter up for my signature?To me the speaker states a list of things she is comprised of, just like the boss gives her a list of things to perform. And the list continues on and on and on. In the first line the speaker gives the reader a vision that her hips are just a place to put things, when no other work is being performed. The lines paint a picture of the frustration and the monotony the speaker’s body parts have become. Even when the speaker complains: â€Å"From my mouth issue canceled reams† (16). The paradoxical complaint falls on deaf ears as if any one would listen to a machine that needs to get back to performing its tasks.The speaker has become one with her desk, supplies, and office equipment. This goes on to reinforce the theme that the speaker’s only usefulness is to perform the tasks that are asked for the speaker as an object, and as the office machines. Marge Piercy’s â€Å"The Secretary Chant â€Å"conveys through sound and imagery the dehumanization, while doing a good job of showing emotional frustration with the performance of tasks in the office. Piercy uses sound in two lines â€Å"The Secretary Chant† by using onomatopoeia to give the reader’s imagination of the speaker becoming a machine through words that sound like what machines sound like: â€Å"Buzz.Click† (7). And also the cash register sound of: â€Å"Zing. Tinkle† (14). The sound of the speaker’s brain frying on overload can be felt through the explicit mental image in the lines: â€Å"My head is a switchboard / where crossed lines crackle. † ( 9-10). Piercy uses alliteration, To drive home the point, in the last four lines of â€Å"The Secretary Chant† in which the speaker breaks down in a hopeless heap of printed emotion copied and delivered from herself saying: File me under W because I wonce was a woman. (21-24)Piercy visually shows the last true part of the speaker giving up her emotion and placing it only where the reader can find out about by looking somewhere else in the office machine that takes over. Marge Piercy’s â€Å"The Secretary Chant† uses sounds to show that human emotion can be filed away and replaced. In John Updike’s â€Å"Player Piano† personification is used to wake up an inhuman piano that plays itself, sort of like the poem itself does when read aloud. Updike uses assonance and consonance in the first couple of lines to give musicality to the lines.The devices are first used with a repetition of â€Å"-ick† sounds to mimic the keys on the piano. Onomatopoei a is used throughout the poem to as words make the sounds musically and mimic the â€Å"Player Piano. † The author follows those sounds with a repetition of â€Å"-uck† sounds. There are a lot of sound going on in the first stanza, including alliteration internal rhymes, diction and meter with all coming together with the smooth â€Å"s† sounds a pleasant melody. Updike uses a connotation for life when the speaker says: â€Å"Light-footed, my steel feelers flicker† (line 3).The connotation of the word flicker means life, as long as the flame is burning and the denotation means to move with a fast or jerky motion. The combination of the two meanings gives the feeling that the piano is alive. John Updike’s poem, â€Å"Player Piano† shows through sound and images that the personification of the mechanical speaker is alive and lively. In the second and third stanza build on the personification with the â€Å"Player Piano† speaker says: â €Å"My paper can caper; abandon (5).An internal rhyme that suggests that the paper can leap and jump about like it is alive, followed by abandon which adds to the unrestrained movement like someone young and full of energy. Updike uses onomatopoeia, alliteration, internal rhyme and assonance when describing lines five through eight. But there is a little change in the tone when the reader says: â€Å"Is broadcast by dint of my din, / And no man or band has a hand in / The tones I turn on from within† (6-8). Dint means force or effort; the speaker’s power of a jumble of loud, discordant sounds, followed by what I think the poem means perfect alone on his own.This is irony at its best, because the piano was created by a man, the music played, composed by a human. Then, through the speaker saying in the last two lines: â€Å"But never my numb plucker fumbles, / Misstrums me, or tries a new tune† (11-12). Cacophony is used on line eleven, lines that are discordant and difficult for a human to pronounce the piano does so with ease and perfection, But it can’t compose anything new, teach itself how to play a new song, play with feeling and emotion. And it is this very human thing that it cannot replace.John Updike’s poem, â€Å"Player Piano† conveys through sound and images the personification of the mechanical speaker is alive, but explains that a machine cannot replace human emotion. In Marge Piercy’s â€Å"The Secretary Chant†, the author uses images and sound to both dehumanize and mechanize the female speaker, while John Updike uses imagery and sounds to make the â€Å"Player Piano† come alive. Piercy uses images visualizing the speaker’s dehumanization to make some valid thoughts of only being viewed as an object, and only being good at tasks the speaker is hired to perform.Piercy through sound and description, with vivid detail, became just another task only good for what the job descripti on entailed. The speaker by giving up, because no one listened, showed that humans with emotions can be replaced. â€Å"Player Piano† through rhyme, alliteration, consonance, cacophony, diction, and meter make the poem sound and read like music. The images that Updike’s speaker brings forth when the poem is read out loud are melodic and, a perfectly played piano only works within the constraints of the human-made machine.The best use of sound and imagery goes to John Updike’s â€Å"Player Piano. † Updike through sound and imagery, and the musical feeling shown through the personification of the speaker, conveys that humans with emotion cannot be replaced.Works Cited Pierce, Marge. â€Å"The Secretary Chant. †The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. 9th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2012. 550. Print. Updike, John. â€Å"Player Piano. †The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. 9th e d. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2012. 708. Print.

United States History Essays - Monopoly, Market Structure

United States History Essays - Monopoly, Market Structure United States History "From 1790 to the 1870?s, state and national governments intervened in the American economy mainly to aid private economic interests and promote economic growth. Between 1890 and 1929, however, government intervention was designed primarily to curb and regulate private economic activity in the public interest." Assess the validity of this statement, discussing for each of these periods at least TWO major areas of public economic policy. The statement is essentially true, in the time of 1790 to 1870?s private business was at its peak, government and state did little to control or usually was in favor of big business. Laissez-faire was the common policy towards regulations and business dealings in general. However form 1890 and 1929 the attitudes changed, more people were concerned with the well being or the people, concerned with the ever growing power of big businesses; government and state started to regulate them in the very ways that the previous time period. I. 1790-1870 a. regulation 1. many businesses were free to do as they pleased i. Carnegie Steel ii. RR 2. monopolies were established i. multimillion dollar industries were formed a. Standard Oil b. Carnegie Steel ii. little done to regulate these "big businesses" a. not until Sherman Anti-trust Act was there an attempt made to regulate monopolies 1. even that didn?t have teeth 3. with the monopolies prices can be fixed, nothing was done to stop this until the late 1800?s 4. laissez-faire policies were favored at the time b. business in general 1. conducted in the way the top 1% saw fit i. Andrew Carnegie ii. John D. Rockefeller iii. J.P. Morgan 2. big business prospered while the small business owners were left to the mercy of the big guys 3. economy was based on the few people that had all the money i. this resulted in many poor, few rich ii. yet again government/state didn?t do a thing till after the late 1800?s 4. strikes and unions illegal at the time II. 1890 - 1929 a. regulation 1. Acts begin to show their teeth i. Sherman Anti-Trust Act ii. Interstate Commerce Act 2. Monopolies started to be broken up i. "Trust Busters" a. Teddy Roosevelt b. Woodrow Wilson ii. regulation of business more strict 3. People start to realize the evils of a laissez-faire economy i. no one but big business would profit 4. old styles of thing are soon taken over by a new thinking i. all people are important ii. economy which was mainly directed towards the few wealth was now being directed towards the majority, not the minority b. business in General 1. unions legal i. AFL 2. per capita income rose from $450 to $567 3. even presidents view changed with the election of Roosevelt i. " President was steward of the people" ii. Hepburn Act a. regulated RR b. moved to rid laissez-faire 4. Corrupt business tactics reformed i. Pure Food and Drug Act a. to control the unscrupulous tactics of the big businesses and to help the conditions of life. 5. important people are more concerned with the poverty of the country i. presidents a. Taft b. Wilson ii. some rich iii. writers 6. policies changed towards rich being all important to a more conscious moralistic view of the people being important In conclusion I believe that the economic policies during 1790 to 1870 were in fact set up to aid private interests of the few wealthy in the U.S. because of the ever prevalent growing wealth in individuals such as Rockefeller and Carnegie. Monopolies and securities grew without restraint in this time period. Things fundamental to the peoples needs were neglected, such as unions and price regulations Whereas in the 1890 to 1929 policies and views were shifted to a more central focus on the public interests and monopolies were starting to be toppled by "trust busters" and laws and regulations set against them such as the Sherman Anti-trust act and the Interstate Commerce Act which were first made effective with president Roosevelt.

Right of Revolution essays

Right of Revolution essays As John Locke believed, I too believe the right of revolution has but one meaning and that is; that the people in a society have the right to choose who will represent them in government. They have the right to elect another government or leader when the one originally in control is not doing what is in the peoples best interest. We call this right democracy. A recent example which best illustrates this is the election in Serbia where President Slobodan Milosevic has allegedly lost the election but is refusing to turn over power to the newly elected official, violating every principle of the right of revolution or democratic selection process. In order to fully understand what is happening we must examine historically the event leading up to the election. Reporters and politicians have touted the Serbia-Kosovo problem as being the result of ancient ethnic hatred but that is not the case. The people of this region lived together peacefully for centuries and any conflicts that have arisen amongst them were based not on ethnic origin but on other things like class and ruling party, just to name a few. In the late 1980s, Slobodan Milosevic came into power in Serbia. His first actions were directed against Kosovo Albanian dominance in the province. He removed virtually all of the Albanians rights, their leadership role in government, their party, and their parliament. He further removed their control of their Albanian-language library and the administration of their school system. This was the classic case of human rights violations. Milosevic took away their right to govern themselves and as a result, he gained the att ention of the United States Congress under the interest of human rights. Annual human rights reports submitted to the White House by the Department of State read like a prison record when it came to Serbian abuses of the people of Kosovo. ...

Should You Take the PSAT 10 or PSAT NMSQT

Should You Take the PSAT 10 or PSAT NMSQT SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The two tests are very similar, but not identical. So which one should you take? Back in my day (when dinosaurs roamed the earth), there was just one version of the PSAT, a.k.a. the Practice SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. But now, the College Board has multiple versions of the PSAT, including the PSAT NMSQT (National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) and the PSAT 10. So what are the differences between the two tests? And which one should you take? Read on for an exclusive guide. What's the Difference Between PSAT 10 and PSAT NMSQT? Before we give you any advice on which version of the PSAT to take, we're going to quickly review the difference between the PSAT 10 and PSAT NMSQT. Seeour in-depth post about the PSAT 10 here. So What’s the PSAT 10? You’ve probably heard of the PSAT NMSQT – it’s the practice SAT that also gives juniors a chance to qualify for the National Merit competition. (Read more about National Merit over here.) So what is the PSAT 10? Like its name implies, the PSAT 10 is another practice SAT. It has SAT question types and the same content: Reading, Writing, and Math. But the PSAT 10 is specifically designed for sophomores, whereas the PSAT NMSQT is written with juniors in mind. We’ll go over some of the similarities and differences between the tests to help you decide which one to take. Similarities Between the Tests There are more similarities than differences between the PSAT 10 and the PSAT NMSQT. Both tests are SAT practice tests. That means both are shorter than the â€Å"real† SAT but contain similar question types to help you prepare for it. The timing of the tests is also the same. Both the PSAT 10 and PSAT NMSQT are two hours and 45 minutes long. The Reading section is 60 minutes and has 47 questions. The Writing section is 35 minutes long and has 44 questions. And finally, the Math section is 70 minutes long and has 48 questions. And while two hours and 45 minutes is a long time, it's a walk in the park compared to the marathon experience that is the SAT. Both tests present each sub-area (Math, Writing, and Reading) as a single section, like the SAT. Additionally, neither test has an essay, unlike the SAT. Both tests are primarily designed to introduce students to SAT content, so the question types and content are very similar to the SAT. However, both tests are easier than the real SAT. The Math section won’t be as difficult (expect less trigonometry, plus easier geometry and algebra questions), the Reading passages will not include college-level texts, and the Writing section will have more straightforward passages. The two tests also have the same scoring scale: you will be scored between 320-1520 for PSAT 10 and PSAT NMSQT, as compared to 400-1600 for the â€Å"real† SAT. This comes out to between 160 and 760 per section. Differences Between the Tests There are two differences between PSAT 10 and PSAT NMSQT: The first is difficulty. The PSAT 10 is designed for sophomores, and PSAT NMSQT is designed for juniors, so the PSAT NMSQT is slightly harder. Unfortunately, while College Board has released some specifications as to what the new SAT and PSAT questions will be like, they haven’t gone into detail about how the difficulty level varies between tests. In general, you can expect the PSAT NMSQT to have harder math including geometry and trigonometry, reading passages designed for 11th graders as opposed to 10th graders, and trickier grammar rules. For a more detailed breakdown of what you can expect on the PSAT 10, see our post. The second difference between the tests is the National Merit Competition. Only taking the PSAT NMSQT during your junior year can qualify you for the National Merit competition. Taking the PSAT 10 will never qualify you for National Merit, even if you take it as a junior. And taking the PSAT NMSQT in any year other than your junior year will also not qualify you, even if you get a high enough score. If you’re hoping to qualify for National Merit, that goal will be a pretty big part of your decision between the two tests. We’ll look at both your options in detail and help you decide which test to take. Should I Take PSAT 10 or PSAT NMSQT? This advice varies by grade level, so find your current grade below to get our advice. The College Board recommends that juniors take the PSAT NMSQT, sophomores take the PSAT 10, and freshmen take the PSAT 8/9 (yep, there is yet another version of the PSAT designed for even younger students!). We’ll go over some reasons why you might want to take a different PSAT level than College Board recommends. Get a step ahead. Decision for Seniors You should not be taking any version of the PSAT at this point! Study for the SAT! Decision for Juniors The vast majority of juniors should take the PSAT NMSQT if they take any version of the PSAT. Even if your school allows students to take the PSAT 10 as a junior, the NMSQT is your best bet. Even if you think you won’t do well, this is your shot at qualifying for National Merit, so you might as well take it. Plus, regardless of how well you do, the PSAT gives you practice for actual SAT questions – and the PSAT NMSQT is the hardest PSAT you can take. That means it’s a great way to either jump-start your SAT studying, or continue it if you’ve already begun. You can use your PSAT score to help create goals and guidelines for your SAT studying. (Read more about how to get the most out of your PSAT score here.) This can help you get the best possible score on the SAT, which opens doors to selective colleges and scholarships. In rare cases a junior might consider the PSAT 10 – since it’s slightly easier, it might be a good option if you’re an English Language Learner and want an easier introduction to the SAT (particularly the reading section), or if you’re seriously behind in one subject. The PSAT 10 will still introduce you to SAT content and question types and help prepare you for the SAT. If you’re a junior but think you might benefit from a slightly easier introduction to the SAT, talk to your guidance counselor to see if your school will let you take the PSAT 10 instead of the SAT NMSQT. Want to improve your PSAT score by 150 points? We have the industry's leading PSAT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and SAT full 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. Check out our 5-day free trial today: Decision for Sophomores Sophomore year is the year you will probably have the hardest time deciding which test to take. You could feasibly take either the PSAT 10 or PSAT NMSQT, depending on your goals. I called College Board and verified that sophomores can take the PSAT NMSQT as long as it’s ok with their high schools. So make sure to double check with your guidance counselor whether or not you can take the PSAT NMSQT as a sophomore before proceeding! Take the PSAT NMSQT If: You’re a high-achieving student aiming to get into Ivy Leagues or similarly competitive schools. You’re aiming for a National Merit Scholarship. You have any previous exposure to high-stakes testing (for example you took the ACT/SAT for a talent competition in middle school, you took AP tests freshman year, or you have already taken the PSAT in some form). Why is the PSAT NMSQT better for high-achieving tenth graders? Because taking the PSAT NMSQT gives you more rigorous SAT practice early on, and increases your chances of doing well enough on the PSAT NMSQT to qualify for National Merit your junior year. I actually took the PSAT NMSQT as a sophomore (this was long before PSAT 10 existed). Although my scores were much lower sophomore year than junior year, having that extra practice run helped me score well enough junior year to qualify for National Merit since I knew what was coming for me junior year. While you can definitely get good practice with the PSAT 10, getting previous exposure to the National Merit qualifying test can be more helpful. Take the PSAT 10 If: You’re not aiming for a top 20 school but you’re still looking to score well enough on the SAT to get into other good colleges and/or get scholarships. You don’t have any previous exposure to high-stakes testing and want an easier introduction to SAT content and question types. In terms of qualifying for National Merit, keep in mind that you can take the PSAT 10 and still study for the PSAT NMSQT for junior year. However, you should study extra hard to be prepared for the slightly harder PSAT NMSQT in junior year. Decision for Freshmen For freshmen, the choice is between the PSAT 10 and PSAT 8/9 (The PSAT 8/9 is an easier version of the PSAT 10 and PSAT NMSQT, with very similar question types and content). The PSAT NMSQT will likely have content beyond your reach and be frustrating. It will be more productive for freshmen to take a test designed for their grade level, or close to it. You’ll still get excellent practice on the PSAT 10 and PSAT 8/9 and build up to take the PSAT NMSQT for the first time sophomore year. Take the PSAT 10 If: You’re a high-achieving student aiming for a top college. You took the PSAT 8/9 in eighth grade and want a bigger challenge. You have past exposure to high-stakes testing (for example, you took the SAT or ACT for a talent competition in middle school, or tested into a competitive school or gifted program). Take the PSAT 8/9 If: You haven’t taken the PSAT 8/9 before. You don’t have any exposure to high-stakes tests yet. You want an introduction to the SAT without quite as much stress. Though College Board has yet to invent a stress-free test. Maybe that will be in the next batch of assessments. And remember, if you're just a freshmen, qualifying for National Merit and taking the real SAT aren't immediate concerns. Whichever test you take, remember that it's just practice. And focus on doing well in your core classes, especially math and language arts, so you can build the skills you'll need to do well on the SAT in a few years' time. Bottom Line The PSAT NMSQT, PSAT 10, and PSAT 8/9 are all quite similar - their only difference is the slightly ramped up difficulty for each successive test. That means each test is going to give you excellent practice for the real SAT. You should aim to take the harder test for your grade level (PSAT NMSQT in 10th grade, PSAT 10 in 9th grade) if you are set on getting a National Merit scholarship and/or getting into a top college. Otherwise, taking the test designed for your grade level is a great way to get introduced to the SAT and prepare for the college admissions process. What’s Next? The PSAT 10 and PSAT 8/9 were created as part of an expanded line of SAT assessments, including the new SAT. Read about the new SAT to get a detailed breakdown of what it tests and how it asks questions – these specifications apply to all the new SAT assessments. Early achievers, are you already thinking about when to take the SAT? Learn the optimal time in your high school career to take the SAT. Also hoping to fit in AP or IB courses to your high school career? Read about how many AP courses you should take and the difference between AP and IB. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

How did abolitionism, women's movement rights, and immigration change Essay

How did abolitionism, women's movement rights, and immigration change the nations of the Western Hemisphere - Essay Example (http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/robert_ingersoll/civil_rights.html) The 13th Amendment built up for the country, after the amendment was adopted the slave pen at that time was destroyed and in its place they put the Statue of Liberty. The amendment wasn't just about freeing slaves, but more on the side of making equal rites for everyone, making colored and whites the same. The amendment caused the damage of every incriminating evidence of 'slaves', ignored the reports against freedom, took away the word 'white' and its meaning, and took away the right to own a man. Prior to the Civil War, the constitution didn't have specification for voting because laws weren't governed by the constitution or the federal law, but only a few of the northern states allowed the free 'colored' men to register and vote. But right after the War, congress adopted the Military Reconstruction Act of 1867, which let the confederate states be a part of the union under the condition of universal male suffrage. The 14th Amendment, in 1868, gave citizenship to everyone born in the US, which in turn meant that only males could vote.