POLK Surname Meaning and Origin

POLK Surname Meaning and Origin The Polk surname most commonly originated as an abbreviated form of the Scots surname Pollack, Gaelic Pollag, meaning from the little pool, pit or pond. The name derives from the Gaelic word poll, meaning pool. Surname Origin: Scottish Alternate Surname Spellings: POLLACK, POLLOCK, POLLOK, PULK, POCK Where the Polk Surname Is Found The Polk surname is by far the most common in the United States, according to  WorldNames PublicProfiler, especially in the state of Mississippi. Polk is generally common throughout the southern U.S., including also the states of Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and the District of Columbia. Outside of the United States, the Polk last name is found most frequently in Canada, Germany (especially Baden Wà ¼rttemberg, Hessen, Sachsen, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommen),  and Poland. Surname distribution data from Forebears  agrees that the Polk surname is found primarily in the United States, but it is actually found in the highest density based on the percentage of the population in Slovakia, where the surname ranks as the 346th most common surname in the nation. It is also somewhat common in Poland, Germany, and the Philippines. Within the United Kingdom, where the name generally originated, it is was most prevalent in Surrey, Devon, and Lancashire during the period 1881–1901. The Polk surname did not make an appearance in 1881 Scotland, however, the original Scottish version Pollack was most common in Lanarkshire, followed by Stirlingshire and Berwickshire. Famous People with the Last Name Polk James K. Polk  - eleventh president of the United StatesBenjamin Polk  - American architect and designerEzekiel Polk  -  American surveyor, soldier, and pioneer; grandfather of President James K. PolkCharles Polk Jr. - American farmer and politician; member of the Federalist Party, followed by the Whig Party Genealogy Resources for the Surname Polk Polk-Pollock DNA Project: Learn more about the history and origins of the Polk surname by joining this Polk Y-DNA surname project. Group members are working to combine DNA testing with traditional genealogy research to learn more about shared Polk ancestors.President James K. Polk Home Museum: About the Polks: Learn about the upbringing and ancestral home of U.S. President James K. Polk, along with the history of his wife Sarah.How to Trace Your Family Tree in England and Wales: Learn how to navigate through the wealth of records available for researching family history in England and Wales with this introductory guide.Presidential Surname Meanings and Origins: Do the surnames of U.S. presidents really have more prestige than your average Smith and Jones? While the proliferance of babies named Tyler, Madison, and Monroe may seem to point in that direction, presidential surnames are really just a cross-section of the American melting pot.  Polk Family Crest - Its Not What You Think : Contrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Polk family crest or coat of arms for the Polk surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male-line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. FamilySearch - POLK Genealogy: Explore over 440,000 historical records and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Polk surname and its variations on the free FamilySearch website, hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.Polk Family Genealogy Forum: Search this popular genealogy forum for the Polk surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Polk query.POLK Surname Family Mailing Lists: RootsWeb hosts a free mailing list for researchers of the Polk surname. Post a query about your own Polk ancestors, or search or browse the mailing list archives.DistantCousin.com - POLK Genealogy Family History: Explore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Polk.The Polk Genealogy and Family Tree Page: Browse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the popular last name Polk from the website of Genealogy Today. References Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998.Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003.Hanks, Patrick, and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997.Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

Repairing a MySQL Database With phpMyAdmin

Repairing a MySQL Database With phpMyAdmin Using MySQL with PHP expands and enhances the features you can offer on your website. One of the most popular methods of managing a MySQL database is through phpMyAdmin, which is already on most web servers. Occasionally, database tables become corrupt and you are no longer able to access them or they dont respond as quickly as youd like. In phpMyAdmin, the process of checking the table and repairing it  so you can access the data again is fairly simple. Before you begin, make a backup of the database in case phpMyAdmin cant repair it. Checking Your Database in phpMyAdmin Log in to your web host.Click the phpMyAdmin icon. If your host uses  cPanel, look there.Choose the affected database. If you only have one database, it should  be chosen  by default so you dont need to do anything.In the main panel, you should see a list of your database tables.  Click  Check All  to select all of them.At the bottom of the window just below the list of tables, there is a drop-down menu. Choose  Check Table  from the menu. When the page refreshes, you will see a summary of any table that may be corrupted. If you receive any errors, repair the table. phpMyAdmin Repair Steps Log in to your web host.Click the phpMyAdmin icon.  Choose the affected database.  In the main panel, you should see a list of your database tables. Click Check All to select all of them.Choose Repair Table  from the drop-down menu at the bottom of the screen. When the page refreshes, you should see a summary of any tables that were repaired. This should fix your database and let you access it again. Now that it is fixed, its a good idea to make that database backup.

'Britain does not really have a constituton at all, merely a system of Essay

'Britain does not really have a constituton at all, merely a system of goverment.' - Essay Example Traditionally a constitution is taken as a written document clearly establishing principles and rules governing a given political body. It guarantees specified rights to nationals, establishes duties, the level of powers and important political principles of each government. With constitutions from many countries from the common wealth being written, British constitutions has never been written down. What the Britons have as their constitution is a combination of statute law, convention and common law. The 1982 Reform Act which was responsible for the parliamentary representation reforms, Magna Carta (1215) protecting the community rights against the crown and the Bill of Rights (1689) that made it impracticable for the sovereign to ignore the government wishes by extending the powers of the parliament. Though it has never been well defined, common law is presumed to come from legal precedents or customs and interpreted in court cases by the judges. Practices and rules which are not legally enforceable are called conventions but regarded as crucial to the smooth working of the government. It is from the historical events through which the British system of government has originated that conventions are extracted. For example, there is a convention holding ministers accountable and responsible for what happens in their dockets although it is not legally enforceable. A general agreement Act of parliament can amend a convention thus amending the constitution. Unlike many constitutions in the world the British â€Å"constitution† is very flexible a thing that has led to it realizing full development over the decades. Rulings of the European court of justice have coded and determined British la sections under areas covered by numerous treaties where Britain is involved. This is making the legal and constitutional document is the Magna Carta. It has sixty one classes that set out vivid community

Employability skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Employability skills - Essay Example The company offers a range of products to clients depending on clients needs. They run care homes, health centers, dental centers, and hospitals, offer personal and company health insurance and provide home health care, workplace health services, health assessments and chronic disease management services including health coaching. The organization employment structure ranges from the top echelon to the bottom depending on employees skills such as professional level. As an erstwhile employee of the institution (saved as a financial adviser), I was tasked with the responsibility of marketing policies of the company to the clients. It is a position that requires certain skills and competencies as well as professionalism to effectively and efficiently deliver in terms of performance ( Bupa, 2015). Personal skills in the modern workforce especially in private institutions are considered to be profitable. There are those who subscribe to the school of thought that personal skills are generic hence its passed from one generation to the other. It is further from the truth as scientific proof show that traits can be acquired. As a financial adviser, I developed my responsibilities by grooming appropriately and in an acceptable manner to the eyes of the clients as well as to the codes and ethics of the institution. Besides that, reporting punctually to workstations would give ample time for proper preparation. Punctuality and strict time observation enable a financial adviser(FA) to identify the appropriate client prospecting methods with the sole purpose of meeting the client’s needs and convincing them into consenting on preferred products. In addition to that it enhances the self-respect, good self-management, honesty to the unit manager and team members and ones work. Ca rrying out duties responsibly boosts confidence in ones work, and that correlates with the

Venezuela’s Culture Essay Example for Free

Venezuela’s Culture Essay The culture of Venezuela is primarily a mixture of Spaniard, African and Indian traditions which was common known as criollo (Creole) (Palmerlee, 825). Their culture also has a strong influence coming from the United States appearing in the middle of the twentieth century. But the influences coming from the original Indian inhabitants were neglected because of the long Spanish colonization. The principal Venezuelan folk type is the llanero, or plainsman, which is similar to the gaucho of Argentina, the cowboy of the United States, and the vaquero of Mexico. The llanero’s folklore, songs, dances and legends are popularized throughout the country. Venezuela’s national song and dance is the joropo, a gay and syncopated invention of the llaneros, danced with a lively, jig-like movement (Kohnstamm, 230). It employs such native instruments as the maraca, a rattle made of dried gourd shells; a small harp; and the cuatro, a small, four-string guitar. The tono llanero, or melody of the plains, is a folk dance which embodies Venezuelan popular feeling at its purest. Other popular dances include the pasillo, similar to the pasillo of Columbia; the merenque, which came from Santo Domingo; and the corrido, from Mexico. The tanquito, a Venezuelan version of the Argentine tango, is also very popular in the country. As of this date, Venezuela has no traditional dress mainly because of the different cultures they inherited from the numerous races they had in the country. But some of them use the dresses that the indigenous people (like the tribes who lives in the Amazon areas) used along time ago. A good example of this is the Liqui-liqui this is usually worn by Venezuelan men. A traditional Liqui liqui is made up of white linen cloth, it has a full length trousers and a long sleeve jacket with a rounded Nehru-style collar, which is fastened and decorated by a junta, it also has around 5-6 buttons. It can also have a pocket. This dress is traditionally worn with an alpargata (it is an open-toed kind of sandal) and can be accessorized with a llanero hat. According to some stories, Liqui liqui was also worn by the rich and famous of Venezuela. A good example of this is the mayor of the Caracas district of Chacao, Leopoldo Lopez which he wore Liqui-liqui in wedding celebration last March 2007. This can also be worn by the women but instead of pants they use a skirt. A joropo dress is also used by the women of Venezuela; it has a very colourful skirt that they used to wave back to their partners during the dance ball. The Roman Catholicism is the predominant faith in the country. It is estimated that 95 percent of their present population adheres to the Roman Catholic faith (Dydynski, 376). However, religious freedom is guaranteed to all faiths, and no mention of the Roman Catholic Church is made in the constitution. In 1980’s the Protestants catches the attentions of a few Venezuelan but the Evangelist and Adventist has more followers than the Protestant. There were also few Mormons and Jewish. But most of the indigenous religion practices were vanished because they were introduce and converted to Catholicism. Although there were some of it survived and still active in their culture society, one good example of this is the culto of Maria Lonza. According to their stories and legends, Maria is a witch or healer which was born with an Indian father and a Spanish mother. She symbolizes the other two figures, black henchman, el Negro Felipe, and of an Indian cacique (chief), Guaicapuro which makes them the Tres Poderes or the Three Powers. Though the country is composed of different races and ethic groups, majority of Venezuelans practices the Catholicism, which they owed from their Spanish colonial heritage. They held mass everyday but has an obligatory worship day which is every Sunday, it was said that in this ritual they believe that the simple bread and wine will be turning into the body and blood of Jesus Christ. They believed in the sacrament of baptism and confirmation, most of the Venezuelan children carries a name of a saint and celebrates their saint’s day and their own birthdates separately. They practice a straight nine days prayer for their beloved who had just passed away; this was usually attended by the immediate family members and close friends of the deceased person. Every December 25th they celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ which was commonly known as Christmas. They also commemorate Ash Wednesday were in they put ashes in form of a crucifix in their forehead in preparation for the Holy Week. One of their famous rituals is the Devil Dance (Baynham, 378). They celebrate this annually during the Corpus Christi. They do this by dancing in a drumbeat along the streets of Venezuela with a bloody red costume and a devilish mask. In this said rituals the devil or the evil spirit fights back against the good spirit and he also visit the graves of their ancestors, but of course the good spirit will won the battle after an exhausting antagonism on the part of Satans henchmen for the whole day. It usually run 35 miles of dancing before it will end up at the foot doors of the church to hear mass. According to the people of Venezuela this rituals attracted many tourists all over the world and sometimes they would participate during the dance. In 1999, the Constitution of Venezuela declared that the Spanish and other 25 surviving indigenous languages belonging to three linguistic families: Caribans, Arawak, and Chibcha as the official languages of Venezuela. Wagyuu, Piaroa, Panare and Nhengtu are some of the 25 surviving indigenous languages. They also consider English as their second language since this is now widely used in their culture promotions and business negotiations particularly in their Oil and Petroleum Industry. Arabic, Chinese, Italian, and Portuguese are also commonly spoken foreign languages in Venezuela. Summary Venezuela is composed of different races and ethnic groups; this is very evident in their culture. Joropo is their national song and dance, according to historians they got this from the llaneros or the plainsman (the cowboy version of Venezuelans). Other popular dances include the pasillo, similar to the pasillo of Columbia; the merenque, which came from Santo Domingo; and the corrido, from Mexico. The tanquito, a Venezuelan version of the Argentine tango, is also very popular in the country. As of this date Venezuela has no national costume, instead they use the different dresses coming from the indigenous people in Venezuela. A good example of this is the Liqui liqui, this is fondly worn by the Venezuelan men with alpargata (an open-toed kind of sandal). Most of the women wear a joropo dress but others also wears the liqui liqui but instead of the pants they traded it with a layered skirt. Taking from their Spaniard colonial heritage; Roman Catholic dominates the population of Venezuela although there were no restrictions from their constitution with regards in choosing their religion. One of the popular rituals they have in Venezuela is the Devil Dance, where in the evil spirit fights over the good spirit. It is a 35 miles of dancing and ending the day with a mass this is celebrated during the Corpus Christi. Most of their traditions and rituals are coming from the Catholic doctrines. In their 1999 constitution it was clearly stated that Spanish is their national language together with the other 25 surviving indigenous languages. They also consider English as their second language. They use this language to communicate with their investors and tourist visitors. Works Cited Baynham, Angela. Insight Guides Venezuela. 4th Upd Sub Edition. Insight Guides, 2003 Dydynski, Krzysztof. Lonely Planet Venezuela. 4th edition. Lonely Planet Publications, 2004 Kohnstamm, Thomas. Venezuela. 5th edition. Lonely Planet, 2007 Palmerlee, Danny. South America. 10th Edition. Lonely Planet, 2007

Native American Essay -- Essays Papers

Native American The story of the pilgrims and Native Americans was always taught in elementary school during the Thanksgiving holiday. The teachers frequently called Native Americans â€Å"Indians†. It never crossed my mind that the word â€Å"Indians† was the politically incorrect way of labeling Native Americans until a student shouted it out to the teacher in 5th grade. It finally clicked in my mind that Indians are people from India not America. Native Americans were always portrayed to be accepting culture when confronted with the Europeans during Thanksgiving. In elementary school, everything is happy. I don’t even remember learning American history. Columbus sailed the ocean blue, thought he was in India, and started the trend of labeling Native Americans as â€Å"Indians†. In junior high school, I learned more about the Native American’s view on the colonization of America. They were people who were forced out of their land to make room for European settlements. Most Native American tribes were at war with the incoming settlers. Native Americans are people who celebrate and wor...

Last Sacrifice Chapter Eight

IT TURNED OUT I WAS wrong about the local police department comprising of one guy and a dog. When Dimitri and I walked back to the motel, we saw flashing red and blue lights in the parking lot and a few bystanders trying to see what was happening. â€Å"The whole town turned out,' I said. Dimitri sighed. â€Å"You just had to say something to the desk clerk, didn't you?' We'd stopped some distance away, hidden in the shadow of a run-down building. â€Å"I thought it would slow you down.' â€Å"It's going to slow us down now.' His eyes did a sweep of the scene, taking in all the details in the flickering light. â€Å"Sydney's car is gone. That's something, at least.' My earlier cockiness faded. â€Å"Is it? We just lost our ride!' â€Å"She wouldn't leave us, but she was smart enough to get out before the police came knocking on her door.' He turned and surveyed the town's one main road. â€Å"Come on. She has to be close, and there's a good chance the police might actually start searching around if they thought some defenseless girl was being chased down.' The tone he used for â€Å"defenseless' spoke legions. Dimitri made an executive decision to walk back toward the road that had led us into town, assuming Sydney would want to get out of there now that I'd blown our cover. Getting the police involved had created complications, but I felt little regret over what I'd done. I was excited about the plan that had occurred to me in the woods and wanted, as usual, to get moving on it right away. If I'd helped get us out of this hole of a town, so much the better. Dimitri's instincts about Sydney were right. About a half-mile outside of town, we spotted a CR-V pulled off on the road's shoulder. The engine was off, the lights dark, but I could see well enough to identify the Louisiana plates. I walked over to the driver side window and knocked on the glass. Inside, Sydney flinched. She rolled down the window, face incredulous. â€Å"What did you do? Never mind. Don't bother. Just get in.' Dimitri and I complied. I felt like a naughty child under her disapproving glare. She started the car without a word and began driving in the direction we'd originally come from, eventually merging with the small state highway that led back to the interstate. That was promising. Only, once we'd driven a few miles, she pulled off again, this time at a dark exit that didn't seem to have anything at it. She turned off the car and turned to peer at me in the backseat. â€Å"You ran, didn't you?' â€Å"Yeah, but I got this–‘ Sydney held up a hand to silence me. â€Å"No, don't. Not yet. I wish you could have pulled off your daring escape without attracting the authorities.' â€Å"Me too,' said Dimitri. I scowled at them both. â€Å"Hey, I came back, didn't I?' Dimitri arched an eyebrow at that, apparently questioning just how voluntary that had been. â€Å"And now I know what we have to do to help Lissa.' â€Å"What we have to do,' said Sydney, â€Å"is find a safe place to stay.' â€Å"Just go back to civilization and pick a hotel. One with room service. We can make that our base of operation while we work on the next plan.' â€Å"We researched that town specifically!' she said. â€Å"We can't go to some random place–at least not nearby. I doubt they took down my plates, but they could put out a call to look for this kind of car. If they've got that and our descriptions, and it gets to the state police, it'll get to the Alchemists and then it'll–‘ â€Å"Calm down,' said Dimitri, touching her arm. There was nothing intimate about that, but I still felt a spark of envy, particularly after the tough love I'd just had being nearly dragged through the woods. â€Å"We don't know that any of that's going to happen. Why don't you just call Abe?' â€Å"Yeah,' she said glumly. â€Å"That's exactly what I want. To tell him I messed up the plan in less than twenty-four hours.' â€Å"Well,' I said, â€Å"if it makes you feel better, the plan's about to change anyway–‘ â€Å"Be quiet,' she snapped. â€Å"Both of you. I need to think.' Dimitri and I exchanged glances, but stayed silent. When I'd told him I knew a way to seriously help Lissa, he'd been intrigued. I knew he wanted details now, but we both had to wait for Sydney. She flipped on the dome light and produced a paper map of the state. After studying it for a minute, she folded it back up and simply stared ahead. I couldn't see her face but suspected she was frowning. Finally, she sighed in that woeful way of hers, turned off the light, and started the car. I watched as she punched in Altswood, West Virginia into her GPS. â€Å"What's in Altswood?' I asked, disappointed she hadn't entered something like Atlantic City. â€Å"Nothing,' she said, pulling back onto the road. â€Å"But it's the closest place to where we're going that the GPS can find.' A passing car's headlights briefly illuminated Dimitri's profile, and I saw curiosity on his face too. So. I wasn't the only one out of the loop anymore. The GPS read almost an hour and a half to our destination. He didn't question her choice, though, and turned back to me. â€Å"So what's going on with Lissa? What's this great plan of yours?' He glanced at Sydney. â€Å"Rose says there's something important we have to do.' â€Å"So I gathered,' said Sydney dryly. Dimitri looked back at me expectantly. I took a deep breath. It was time to reveal the secret I'd been holding since my hearing. â€Å"So, it, um, turns out Lissa has a brother or sister. And I think we should find them.' I managed to sound cool and casual as I spoke. Inside me, my heart lurched. Even though I'd had plenty of time to process Tatiana's note, saying the words out loud made them real in a way they hadn't been before. It shocked me, hitting me with the full impact of what this information truly meant and how it changed everything we'd all come to believe. Of course, my shock was nothing compared to the others'. Score one for Rose and the element of surprise. Sydney made no attempt to hide her astonishment and gasped. Even Dimitri seemed a little taken aback. Once they recovered, I could see them preparing their protests. They would either demand evidence or simply dismiss the idea as ridiculous. I immediately jumped into action before the arguments could start. I produced Tatiana's note, reading it aloud and then letting Dimitri look at it. I told them about my ghostly encounter, where the queen's troubled spirit made me believe there was truth to this. Nonetheless, my companions were skeptical. â€Å"You have no proof Tatiana wrote the note,' said Dimitri. â€Å"The Alchemists have no records of another Dragomir,' said Sydney. They each said exactly what I thought they would. Dimitri was the kind of guy always ready for a trick or trap. He suspected anything without hard proof. Sydney lived in a world of facts and data and had total faith in the Alchemists and their information. If the Alchemists didn't believe it, neither did she. Ghostly evidence didn't convince either of them. â€Å"I don't really see why Tatiana's spirit would want to deceive me,' I argued. â€Å"And the Alchemists aren't all-knowing. The note says this is a pretty heavily guarded secret from Moroi–it makes sense it would be secret from the Alchemists too.' Sydney scoffed, not liking my â€Å"all-knowing' comment, but otherwise remained silent. It was Dimitri who pushed forward, refusing to take anything on faith without more evidence. â€Å"You've said before that it's not always clear what the ghosts are trying to say,' he pointed out. â€Å"Maybe you misread her.' â€Å"I don't know †¦' I thought again about her solemn, translucent face. â€Å"I think she did write this note. My gut says she did.' I narrowed my eyes. â€Å"You know it's been right before. Can you trust me on this?' He stared at me for several moments, and I held that gaze steadily. In that uncanny way of ours, I could guess what was going on. The whole situation was far-fetched, but he knew I was right about my instincts. They'd proven true in the past. No matter what he'd been through, no matter the current antagonism between us, he still knew me enough to trust in this. Slowly, almost reluctantly, he nodded. â€Å"But if we decided to search for this alleged sibling, we'd be going against Lissa's instructions to stay put.' â€Å"You believe that note?' exclaimed Sydney. â€Å"You're considering listening to it?' A flash of anger lit up within me, one I worked to hide. Of course. Of course this would be the next obstacle: Dimitri's inability to disobey Lissa. Sydney feared Abe, which I could kind of understand, but Dimitri's concern was still the lofty vow of chivalry he'd made to Lissa. I took a deep breath. Telling him how ridiculous I thought he was behaving wouldn't accomplish what I needed. â€Å"Technically, yes. But if we could actually prove she wasn't the last in her family, it would help her a lot. We can't ignore the chance, and if you manage to keep me out of trouble while we do it'–I tried not to grimace at that–‘then there shouldn't be a problem.' Dimitri considered this. He knew me. He also knew I would use roundabout logic if need be to get my way. â€Å"Okay,' he said at last. I saw the shift in his features. The decision was made, and he'd stick to it now. â€Å"But where do we start? You have no other clues, aside from a mysterious note.' It was deja vu and reminded me of Lissa and Christian's earlier conversation with Abe when they were figuring out where to start their investigation. She and I lived parallel lives, it seemed, both pursuing an impossible puzzle with a sketchy trail. As I replayed their discussion, I attempted the same reasoning Abe had used: without clues, start working through obvious conclusions. â€Å"Obviously, this is a secret,' I said. â€Å"A big one. One people have apparently wanted to cover up–enough that they'd try to steal records about it and keep the Dragomirs out of power.' Someone had broken into an Alchemist building and taken papers indicating Eric Dragomir had indeed been funding a mystery woman. I pointed out to my companions that it seemed very likely to me this woman was the mother of his love child. â€Å"You could look into that case some more.' Those last words were spoken toward Sydney. Maybe she didn't care about another Dragomir, but the Alchemists still wanted to know who had stolen from them. â€Å"Whoa, hey. How was I not even part of this decision process? † She still hadn't recovered from our conversation suddenly running away without her. After the way our night had gone so far, she didn't look too pleased about being sucked into another of my rogue schemes. â€Å"Maybe breaking Lissa's orders is no big deal for you two, but I'd be going against Abe. He might not be so lenient.' It was a fair point. â€Å"I'll pull in a daughterly favor,' I assured her. â€Å"Besides, the old man loves secrets. He'd be into this, believe me. And you've already found the biggest clue of all. I mean, if Eric was giving money to some anonymous woman, then why wouldn't it be for his secret mistress and child?' â€Å"Anonymous is the key word,' Sydney said, still clearly skeptical of Zmey's â€Å"leniency.' â€Å"If your theory's right–and it's kind of a leap–we still have no idea who this mistress is. The stolen documents didn't say.' â€Å"Are there other records that tie into the stolen ones? Or could you investigate the bank he was sending money to?' The Alchemists' initial concern had simply been that someone had stolen hard copies of their records. Her colleagues had discovered which items were taken but hadn't given much thought to the content. I was willing to bet they hadn't searched for any other documents related to the same topic. She affirmed as much. â€Å"You really have no idea how â€Å"researching records' works, do you? It's not that easy,' she said. â€Å"It could take a while.' â€Å"Well †¦ I guess that's why it's good we're going somewhere, um, secure, right?' I asked. Struck with the realization that we might need time to put our next step together, I could kind of see the disadvantage of having lost our out-of-the-way hideout. â€Å"Secure †¦' She shook her head. â€Å"Well, we'll see. I hope I'm not doing something stupid.' With those ominous words, silence fell. I wanted to know more about where we were going but felt I shouldn't push the small victory I'd made. The victory I thought I'd made, at least. I wasn't entirely sure Sydney was 100 percent on board but felt certain Dimitri had been convinced. Best not to agitate her right now. I looked at the GPS. Almost an hour. Enough time to check back on Lissa. It took me a minute to recognize where Lissa was, probably because I'd been expecting her to return to her room. But no, she was in a location I'd only been once: Adrian's parents' home. Surprising. In a few moments, though, I read the reasoning from her mind. Her current suite was in guest housing, and in the ensuing panic over my escape, her building was swarming with visitors now trying to leave. The Ivashkov townhouse, situated in a permanent residential area, was a bit quieter–not that there weren't a few fleeing neighbors there too. Adrian sat back in an armchair, feet carelessly resting on an expensive coffee table that some interior designer had probably helped his mother choose. Lissa and Christian had just arrived, and she caught a whiff of smoke in the air that made her think Adrian had been sneaking in some bad behavior beforehand. â€Å"If we're lucky,' he was telling Lissa and Christian, â€Å"the parental units will be tied up for a while and give us some peace and quiet. How rough was your questioning?' Lissa and Christian sat on a couch that was prettier than it was comfortable. She leaned into him and sighed. â€Å"Not so bad. I don't know if they're fully convinced we had nothing to do with Rose's escape †¦ but they definitely don't have any proof.' â€Å"I think we got in more trouble with Aunt Tasha,' said Christian. â€Å"She was kind of pissed off that we didn't tell her what was going on. I think she probably wanted to blow up the statues herself.'IT â€Å"I think she's more upset that we got Dimitri involved' pointed out Lissa. â€Å"She thinks we screwed up his chances of ever being accepted again.' â€Å"Shes right,' said Adrian. He picked up a remote control and turned on a large, plasma screen TV. He muted the sound and flipped randomly through channels. â€Å"But no one forced him.' Lissa nodded but secretly wondered if she had forced Dimitri inadvertently. His dedicated vow to protect her was no secret. Christian seemed to pick up on her worry. â€Å"Hey, for all we know, he never would have–‘ A knock interrupted him. â€Å"Damn,' said Adrian, standing up. â€Å"So much for peace and quiet.' â€Å"Your parents wouldn't knock,' said Christian. â€Å"True, but it's probably one of their friends wanting to sip port and gossip about the terrible state of today's murderous youth,' Adrian called back. Lissa heard the door open and a muffled conversation. A few moments later, Adrian returned with a young Moroi guy that Lissa didn't recognize. â€Å"Look,' the guy was saying, glancing around uneasily, â€Å"I can come back.' He caught sight of Lissa and Christian and froze. â€Å"No, no,' said Adrian. His transformation from grumpy to cordial had happened as quickly as a light switch being flipped. â€Å"I'm sure she'll be back any minute. Do you guys all know each other?' The guy nodded, eyes darting from face to face. â€Å"Of course.' Lissa frowned. â€Å"I don't know you.' The smile never left Adrian's face, but Lissa picked up quickly that something important was going on. â€Å"This is Joe. Joe's the janitor who helped me out by testifying that I wasn't with Rose when Aunt Tatiana was murdered. The one who was working in Rose's building.' Both Lissa and Christian straightened up. â€Å"It was a lucky thing you turned up before the hearing,' said Christian carefully. For a while, there'd been panic that Adrian might be implicated with me, but Joe had come forward just in time to testify about when he'd seen both me and Adrian in my building. Joe took a few steps back toward the foyer. â€Å"I really should go. Just tell Lady Ivashkov that I came by–and that I'm leaving Court. But that everything's set.' â€Å"What's set?' asked Lissa, slowly standing up. â€Å"She–she'll know.' Lissa, I knew, didn't look intimidating. She was cute and slim and pretty, but from the fear on Joe's face–well. She must have been giving him a scary look. It reminded me of the earlier encounter with Abe. â€Å"Really,' he added. â€Å"I need to go.' He started to move again, but suddenly, I felt a surge of spirit burn through Lissa. Joe came to a halt, and she strode toward him. â€Å"What did you need to talk to Lady Ivashkov about?' demanded Lissa. â€Å"Easy, cousin,' murmured Adrian. â€Å"You don't need that much spirit to get answers.' Lissa was using compulsion on Joe, so much that he might as well have been a puppet on strings. â€Å"The money,' Joe gasped, eyes wide. â€Å"The money's set.' â€Å"What money?' she asked. Joe hesitated, as though he might resist, but soon gave in. He couldn't fight that much compulsion, not from a spirit user. â€Å"The money †¦ the money to testify †¦ about where he was.' Joe jerked his head toward Adrian. Adrian's cool expression faltered a little. â€Å"What do you mean where I was? The night my aunt died? Are you saying †¦' Christian picked up where Adrian couldn't. â€Å"Is Lady Ivashkov paying you off to say you saw Adrian?' â€Å"I did see him,' cried Joe. He was visibly sweating. Adrian had been right: Lissa was using too much spirit. It was physically hurting Joe. â€Å"I just †¦ I just †¦ I don't remember the time †¦ I don't remember any of the times. That's what I told the other guy, too. She paid me to put a time on when you were there.' Adrian didn't like that, not at all. To his credit, he remained calm. â€Å"What do you mean you told â€Å"the other guy'?' â€Å"Who else?' repeated Lissa. â€Å"Who else was with her?' â€Å"No one! Lady Ivashkov just wanted to make sure her son was clear. I fudged the details for her. It was the guy †¦ the other guy who came later †¦ who wanted to know when Hathaway was around.' There was a click from the foyer, the sound of the front door opening. Lissa leaned forward, cranking up the compulsion. â€Å"Who? Who was he? What did he want?' Joe looked like he was in serious pain now. He swallowed. â€Å"I don't know who he was! No one I'd seen. Some Moroi. Just wanted me to testify about when I'd seen Hathaway. Paid me more than Lady Ivashkov. No harm †¦' He looked at Lissa desperately. â€Å"No harm in helping them both †¦ especially since Hathaway did it †¦' â€Å"Adrian?' Daniella's voice rang down the hall. â€Å"Are you here?' â€Å"Back off,' Adrian warned Lissa in a low voice. There was no joking in it. Her voice was just as soft, her attention still on Joe. â€Å"What did he look like? The Moroi? Describe him.' The sound of high heels clicked on the hall's wooden floor. â€Å"Like no one!' said Joe. â€Å"I swear! Plain. Ordinary. Except the hand †¦ please let me go †¦' Adrian shoved Lissa aside, breaking the contact between her and Joe. Joe nearly sagged to the ground and then went rigid as he locked gazes with Adrian. More compulsion–but much less than Lissa had used. â€Å"Forget this,' hissed Adrian. â€Å"We never had this conversation.' â€Å"Adrian, what are you–‘ Daniella stopped in the living room's doorway, taking in the strange sights. Christian was still on the couch, but Adrian and Lissa were inches from Joe, whose shirt was soaked with sweat. â€Å"What's going on?' Daniella exclaimed. Adrian stepped back and gave his mother one of those charming smiles that captivated so many women. â€Å"This guy came by to see you, Mom. We told him we'd wait until you got back. We're going to head out now.' Daniella glanced between her son and Joe. She was clearly uneasy about the scenario and also confused. Lissa was surprised at the â€Å"heading out' comment but followed Adrian's lead. Christian did too. â€Å"It was nice seeing you,' said Lissa, attempting a smile to match Adrian's. Joe looked totally dazed. After Adrian's last command, the poor janitor had also probably forgotten how he'd ended up at the Ivashkov home. Lissa and Christian hastily followed Adrian out before Daniella could say much more. â€Å"What the hell was that?' asked Christian, once they were outside. I wasn't sure if he meant Lissa's scary compulsion or what Joe had revealed. â€Å"Not sure,' said Adrian, expression dark. No more cheery smile. â€Å"But we should talk to Mikhail.' â€Å"Rose.' Dimitri's voice was gentle, bringing me back to him, Sydney, and the car. He'd undoubtedly recognized the expression on my face and knew where I'd been. â€Å"Everything okay back there?' he asked. I knew â€Å"back there' meant Court and not the backseat. I nodded, though â€Å"okay' wasn't quite the right word for what I'd just witnessed. What had I just witnessed? An admission of false testimony. An admission that contradicted some of the evidence against me. I didn't care so much that Joe had lied to keep Adrian safe. Adrian hadn't been involved with Tatiana's murder. I wanted him free and clear. But what about the other part? Some â€Å"ordinary' Moroi who'd paid Joe to lie about when I'd been around, leaving me without an alibi during the murder window? Before I could fully process the implications, I noticed the car had stopped. Forcing the Joe-info to the back of my mind, I tried to take stock of our new situation. Sydney's laptop glowed in the front seat as she scrolled through something. â€Å"Where are we?' I peered out the window. In the headlights, I saw a sad, closed gas station. â€Å"Altswood,' said Dimitri. By my estimation, there was nothing else but the gas station. â€Å"Makes our last town look like New York.' Sydney shut her laptop. She handed it back, and I set it on the seat beside me, near the backpacks she'd miraculously grabbed when leaving the motel. She shifted the car into drive and pulled out of the parking lot. Not too far away, I could see the highway and expected her to turn toward it. Instead, she drove past the gas station, deeper into darkness. Like the last place, we were surrounded by mountains and forests. We crept along at a snail's pace until Sydney spotted a tiny gravel road disappearing into the woods. It was only big enough for one car to go down, but somehow, I didn't expect we'd run into much traffic out here. A similar road took us in deeper and deeper, and although I couldn't see her face, Sydney's anxiety was palpable in the car. Minutes felt like hours until our narrow path opened up into a large, dirt-packed clearing. Other vehicles–pretty oldlooking–were parked there. It was a strange place for a parking lot, considering all I could see around us was dark forest. Sydney shut off the car. â€Å"Are we at a campground?' I asked. She didn't answer. Instead, she looked at Dimitri. â€Å"Are you as good as they say you are?' â€Å"What?' he asked, startled. â€Å"Fighting. Everyone keeps talking about how dangerous you are. Is it true? Are you that good?' Dimitri considered. â€Å"Pretty good.' I scoffed. â€Å"Very good.' â€Å"I hope it's enough,' said Sydney, reaching for the door's handle. I opened my door as well. â€Å"Aren't you going to ask about me?' â€Å"I already know you're dangerous,' she said. â€Å"I've seen it.' Her compliment offered little comfort as we walked out across the rural parking lot. â€Å"Why'd we stop?' â€Å"Because we have to go on foot now.' She turned on a flashlight and shone it along the lot's perimeter. At last, it flickered across a footpath snaking through the trees. The path was small and easy to miss because weeds and other plants were encroaching on it. â€Å"There.' She began to move toward it. â€Å"Wait,' said Dimitri. He moved in front of her, leading the way, and I immediately took up the back position in our group. It was a standard guardian formation. We were flanking her the way we would a Moroi. All earlier thoughts of Lissa flitted from my mind. My attention was totally on the situation at hand, all my senses alert to the potential danger. I could see Dimitri was in the same mode, both of us holding our stakes. â€Å"Where are we going?' I asked as we carefully avoided roots and holes along the path. Branches scraped along my arms. â€Å"To people I guarantee won't turn you in,' she said, voice grim. More questions were on my lips when brilliant light suddenly blinded me. My eyes had grown attuned to the darkness, and the unexpected brightness was too abrupt a change. There was a rustling in the trees, a sense of many bodies around us, and as my vision returned, I saw vampire faces everywhere.

A Day at the Beach in Cape Hatteras, North Carolina

When I woke up in the morning my mind began to run wild; imaging my fun filled day at the beach.   I imagined the warm sun wrapped around my back, as the warm sand rolled through my toes.I smelled the salty sweetness of the ocean waves that would soon carry me to bliss.   I saw parents with their children laughing and playing along the shore, as small waves crashed against their ankles.  Ã‚   I could not wait to get to the beach.After my mind calmed down, I quickly jumped out of bed and ran to the window to see the sun of my thoughts.   To my dismay, the sun was not there.   My eyes moved rapidly, searching for any possible sign of the sun’s rays.   All I could see was numerous thick gray clouds suffocating the sun and its rays.I told myself I would not let a few clouds interfere with my day at the beach.   I moved with haste, as I put on my favorite orange swim trunks outlined with blue stripes.I threw on a white tank top, grabbed my float, threw my big blue bea ch towel across my back and headed for the beach.   When I got out the door I heard the faint sounds of thunder in the distance.   I then turned up my nose and sniffed the air for any odor of rain to come. I only hoped that lighting was not far behind.I did not know how the weather was going to behave so I grabbed my float and tucked it under my arm and ran into the ocean.   My body began to shiver as I felt the cold waves rush against my feet. While my body adjusted to the temperature change, I sat on my float legs dangling on each side and waded close to the shore. I watched parents as their faces changed from gleeful smiles to concerned glares, as their eyes searched the dubitable sky.All of a sudden a loud crack of thunder pierced my ears. My body reacted immediately, as I jumped and slipped off of my float. I wasn’t too far from the shore, which enabled my feet to hit the surface.   I eagerly looked at the sky and saw a flash of lighting.   I grabbed my float a nd began to swim back, as I saw disappointed children reluctantly go inside from the beckoning call of their parents.Before I could put my feet back on sand, the sky immediately cleared up.   The sun came roaring out from behind the clouds announcing its return.   The gray clouds dispersed quickly as if they were afraid of the sun’s strength.   I gazed throughout the sky looking for any sign of bad weather.   To my surprise the day began to turn into my early thoughts of the beach.I was extremely happy with the new turn of events.   I reached shore and threw down my float and began to run through the sand.   I was so ecstatic that I stepped on three sandcastles, and tripped over a red shovel and bucket that one of the children left in the sand.   I rejoiced, as I ran down the beach along the shore.   My feet were moving swiftly, as I swung my arms to catch as much wind as possible.I stopped a half a mile down the stretch of the beach, when something clear and shiny caught my eyes.   I walked over slowly to the unknown object, careful not to disrupt its peace.   The closer I got, the more I began to realize what was before me.  Ã‚   This was my first encounter with a jellyfish.The jellyfish washed up close to shore because of the slight storm.   The waves must have carried it in. I was about to examine the jellyfish, when the tide rushed in and pulled it back into the ocean.   Just being able to see a real jellyfish in its natural habitat made my day at Cape Hatteras beach one the best.

The Rise of Jacksonian Democra essays

The Rise of Jacksonian Democra essays Between the years of 1828 and 1840, American politics underwent rapid and drastic changes. Subsequent to the Era of Good Feelings, there were no two distinct political parties as the Federalist party had seen its demise and only the poorly defined Republican party remained. As Andrew Jackson began to take a leadership role in America, new styles of campaigning were taking hold, voter turnout was on the rise, and the newly formed Democratic party was seeing opposition in the conservative Whigs. Under his guidance in presidential office, the party took a firm stance in the American political atmosphere. Jackson was a very popular candidate in the 1824 election because of his wartime successes. He was running against John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, and William H. Crawford. Though Jackson won the popular vote, he failed to take the electoral majority. Henry Clay was out of the running, and as Speaker of the House, he led the decision to appoint Adams over Jackson. Adams had obtained only a small percentage of the vote to begin with, and he was very unpopular in office. Critics accused him of striking a corrupt bargain with Clay to receive the appointment. Surprisingly, Adams did not make vacancies in the cabinet for his supporters. His presidency what a reasonably successful yet highly unpopular one. Jackson had begun campaigning for the 1828 election on February 9, 1825, the day his loss to Adams was announced. He utilized all the modern campaign tactics: banners, badges, parades, barbecues, free drinks, baby kissing, and the like. Mudslinging between the two candidates reached an all-time low with accusations of gambling, adultery, and even serving as a pimp. Jackson attempted to appeal to the demographic that primarily made up his constituency; he portrayed himself as a simple farming man raised in the west, when in fact, he was at the time a wealthy plantation owner born ...

These Are the Easiest AP Classes for You

These Are the Easiest AP Classes for You SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips What are the easiest AP classes and/or the easiest AP tests? Answering this question isn’t so simple as just giving you a list, since there are a lot of factors that could make an AP class easy. The easiest AP tests could have hard classes to go with them, or vice versa. You also have to think about your school, the national average scores, and your own personal strengths when figuring out which AP courses are relatively easy. But don’t worry- we’ll help you break down these factors and decide which AP tests will be easiest for you! In this article, we'll first discuss your particular situation- your skills and your school. Then, we'll look at national data on passing rates and reputation for easiness. How Do Your Skills Affect Which AP Tests Are Easiest? The very first thing you should consider when deciding which AP tests are easiest is, well, you! Any topic that you are good at or comfortable with will be easier for you than classes you are less experienced in. For example, if you’re a good writer and have always done well in Language Arts/English classes, you will probably find both AP English Literature and AP English Language will be manageable for you, even though their rates of scoring a perfect 5 are pretty low (under 11%). (Read more about AP scoring here.) As another example, if you have always liked math and have taken math classes up through pre-calculus, you may find AB or even BC Calculus fairly easy, especially if your school has a good teacher (more on that in a minute). Remember, one student’s easy AP class could be another student’s nightmare! So even as you consider things like passing rate and teachers, keep in mind you shouldn’t just go on a class’s reputation alone when choosing an AP class. Trust your own instincts and strengths! Want to get a perfect 5 on your AP exam and an A in class? We can help. PrepScholar Tutors is the world's best tutoring service. We combine world-class expert tutors with our proprietary teaching techniques. Our students have gotten A's on thousands of classes, perfect 5's on AP tests, and ludicrously high SAT Subject Test scores. Whether you need help with science, math, English, social science, or more, we've got you covered. Get better grades today with PrepScholar Tutors. How Does Your School Affect Which AP Tests Are Easiest? Another important factor to consider is your school and teachers. For example, if there is a teacher at your school who has taught AP US History for 10 years, has their curriculum down pat, and has a higher passing rate than the national average, you’ll have a high shot of passing, even though AP US History has one of the lowest national passing rates. This can even be true of other AP classes considered tough by reputation, like AP Physics, AP Biology, and AP English Literature. This also means that if you take an AP class from a teacher who has never taught it before, you might have to plan on doing more studying on your own. The new teacher might not have as much experience with timing the curriculum or working practice tests into their class schedules. Don't underestimate the importance of practice tests! So this means when signing up for AP classes, don’t just look at what your school offers. Try to find out who teaches it and figure out their reputation. But how can you do this? #1: Ask your guidance counselor. They should know about how many students take the AP class every year, what the teacher’s exam pass rate is, and if they notice students switching out of the class often. That could be a sign the course is challenging or students don’t do well with the teacher. #2: Talk to upperclassmen who have taken the class. If you have older siblings, or older friends from clubs or sports, you can ask about what they have heard about certain teachers. Don’t rely only on what other kids say about a teacher, but for example, if every student you talk to says they have heard the AP Biology teacher is amazing and all their friends have passed the AP test, that’s a good sign! #3: Talk to your current teachers. Especially if you are in an AP prerequisite class, like a biology class that feeds into AP biology, the teacher probably knows plenty of students who have gone on to take AP and has heard about how well they do. What About the AP Class Itself? Another factor to consider is how hard the class itself will be, not just the AP exam. This is something that varies based on your school and the teacher teaching the class. As an example, I took two tough AP classes my sophomore year- AP World History and AP Biology. Both exams were very hard, but the classes were two very different experiences. Even though the World History exam was hard and I studied a lot, the class itself wasn’t hard to pass. The teacher even automatically changed our grades for the last semester to an A just for taking the AP test! However, for AP Biology, our teacher assigned very tough tests and lots of homework, including making several flashcards for every single textbook chapter. It was very hard to get an A in that class. To find out how hard an AP class will be, you can use the same tips we mentioned above to learn about a class’s reputation. As a general rule, the more material there is to cover before an examination, the harder the class will probably be. Calculus BC, Biology, and English Literature have tough reputations in a lot of schools since there is more material to cover. US Government, Psychology, Human Geography, and Environmental Science tend to be easier since there is comparatively less to cover before the exam. Also keep in mind that some schools weight AP classes, so they can boost your GPA if you do well. Average AP Passing Rates: What We Can Learn The passing rate for each AP test is where many students start when trying to figure out the easiest AP classes. Check out our table below to see which exams have the most and least students pass. Exam Name Passing Rate (3+) 5 Rate Studio Art: Drawing 91.1% 20.8% Spanish Language and Culture 89% 24.9% Chinese Language and Culture 88.3% 57.2% Studio Art: 2-D Design 86.4% 21% Calculus BC 81.5% 43.2% Physics C: Electricity Magnetism 81.1% 35.9% Seminar 80.7% 6.8% French Language and Culture 76.7% 15.5% Research 76.2% 10.8% Japanese Language and Culture 75% 38.2% Computer Science Principles 72.7% 13.6% Spanish Literature 71.9% 9.1% Physics C: Mechanics 71.1% 34.6% German Language and Culture 70.5% 18.4% Studio Art: 3-D Design 70.1% 10.1% Computer Science A 69.9% 27% Microeconomics 68.4% 22.2% Gov. and Politics - Comparative 66.2% 22.2% Biology 64.6% 7.1% Italian Language and Culture 64.6% 11.8% Psychology 64.4% 20.2% Art History 63.9% 12% Physics 2 63.5% 12.6% Music Theory 63.4% 20.9% Latin 63.1% 13.1% Statistics 59.2% 14.5% European History 58.4% 11.7% Calculus AB 58.3% 18.9% Macroeconomics 57.9% 17.6% World History 56% 8.7% Gov. and Politics - United States 55.2% 12.9% English Language and Composition 55.1% 10.1% Chemistry 54.6% 10.7% United States History 54.3% 12.1% English Literature and Composition 50.1% 6.2% Environmental Science 49.6% 9.5% Human Geography 49.1% 10.7% Physics 1 44.6% 6.2% Source: College Board. For language rates, "Total" includes all students, while "Standard" includes only those students who didn't indicate they speak this language at home or spent more than four weeks studying it abroad. Notice that some of the exams with the highest passing rates, Chinese, Spanish Language, and BC Calculus, are not the easiest AP classes or tests by any estimation. They have high pass rates because the students who take those classes are ones, in general, who have had plenty of prior preparation. This also includes the AP Studio Art Classes- the AP exam is really a portfolio you submit. AP art students put in tons of work during the year preparing pieces for their portfolio. You have to have prior art experience to put together a solid portfolio; you can’t just waltz into AP art as a novice! So what does this mean? If you are strong in a subject, you have a good chance of doing well on the AP exam, even if it has a reputation of being tough. But don't just go by the national passing rates when signing up for classes! On the flip side, note that some of the exams with the lowest passing rates- Environmental Science, US Government, and Human Geography- are not necessarily the hardest AP tests. In fact, at many schools they have a reputation for being easy. So why are their passing rates low? One reason is that many high schools let freshmen and sophomores take these courses since they are comparatively easier. However, since they are many students’ first-ever AP exam, the students can struggle because all AP exams are challenging and tough to pass. Also, students might underestimate these exams and not study enough. Especially if they are taking multiple APs in one year, they might, say, neglect Environmental Science while trying to study for Physics. So even if an AP course has a reputation for being easy, or the class at your school isn’t that hard, do not underestimate the exam. All AP exams are difficult and you have to put in study time to do well on the test. By Reputation, What Are The Easiest AP Exams? We’ve talked about personal strengths, teachers, and passing rates. But you’re probably still wondering: across the board, which AP classes and tests tend to be easy, and which ones are hard? Easiest AP Classes and Tests: Psychology Human Geography Environmental Science US Government Some schools teach US Government as a half-year course since it has less material. Psychology is mostly memorization and only has two free-response questions on the test. (Compare that to AP Chemistry, which has seven.) Environmental Science is conceptually easier to understand than Physics, Biology, or Chemistry for most students. Human Geography centers around learning and applying models, and has less raw memorization required than the AP history exams. Statistics, Computer Science, and Economics (both macro and micro)are often also cited as easier tests if you have background in the subject and/or good teachers. Which APs are often seen as the most difficult? Hardest AP Classes and Tests: English Literature English Language BC Calculus Physics C (both Mechanics and Electricity and Magnetism) Biology Again, this can change if you are strong in any of these subjects and/or your school has a great teacher. You do still have to memorize the structure of the brain, among other things, for AP Psychology. If memorization isn't your strong suit, it might not be so easy. Are AP Language Classes Easy? Finally, we want to address the language AP exams. As we saw above, foreign languages have some of the highest pass rates of all the AP exams. AP Spanish has a pass rate of 89%, AP Chinese's pass rate is 88%, and other languages have similarly high pass rates. Why are their passing rates so high? It’s because students don’t just learn these languages in one year. Most students only take AP language if they have been taking a language for several years. Many students who take the AP language exams even speak that language at home or may have studied abroad. This explains the high passing rates. What this means: if you do have lots of experience with a language, you should definitely try to take the AP language exam. Colleges frequently use AP language scores to place you in first year language courses, or even to excuse the foreign language requirement. In other words, the AP language exams are a great way to show your foreign language skills to colleges- and will be pretty easy to pass as long as you have the experience. But don't sign up for them just because they appear easy based on their passing rates. You can't learn Chinese in a year! What Do Colleges Want? As a final note, you should keep in mind why you are taking AP classes in the first place- to get college credit, and also to strengthen your college applications. In general, colleges want to see two things out of your high school classes: that you are challenging yourself, and that you are developing specific academic interests. If you only take the AP exams with easy reputations, it might look like you’re not challenging yourself. This is especially true if your high school offers the traditionally â€Å"tough† courses like calculus and literature. In other words, don’t load up on a bunch of â€Å"easy† APs just to have them on your transcript. Colleges will see through it. Instead, take APs that are interesting to you and support what you want to study in college. This will often result in a balance between easier and harder exams. For example, a future political science major might take AP US History (challenging) and AP US Government (easier). Or a future environmental engineer might take AP Calculus BC (hard) and Environmental Science (easier). The bottom line? Play to your strengths! Want to get a perfect 5 on your AP exam and an A in class? We can help. PrepScholar Tutors is the world's best tutoring service. We combine world-class expert tutors with our proprietary teaching techniques. Our students have gotten A's on thousands of classes, perfect 5's on AP tests, and ludicrously high SAT Subject Test scores. Whether you need help with science, math, English, social science, or more, we've got you covered. Get better grades today with PrepScholar Tutors. What’s Next? Curious about what the AP tests themselves are like? Learn about how long AP tests are and how to deal with fatigue. Also studying for the SAT? Learn to improve a low math score and how to write a strong essay. Aiming for perfection? Get tips from our resident 1600 full-scorer. Going with the ACT instead? Get tips for the essay and get study tips from our perfect 36 full-scorer. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Islam and Feminism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Islam and Feminism - Essay Example Viewed as a Western ideology, feminism has both differences and similarities between Middle Eastern Muslim feminists and Western feminists, as well as third-wave feminism. Feminism is largely triggered by cultural and traditional factors and may not be fully compatible with Islam, and many groups are split as to whether Muslim feminists are trying to achieve human rights or their feminist rights like Western women. This paper will research and discuss these aspects of feminism by analyzing Duygu Asena, who was a Turkish Muslim feminist, hence the thesis: Feminism is a Western ideology and it is not compatible with Islam. Even though there is a group that understands and advocates the rights of Muslim women, there is another that hates feminism as an ideology of the Western world that is only concerned with female superiority. It is worth noting that feminism, in the sense of a Universalist faith, gained momentum in the 19th century, with the concept emerging from the Western world. I t has links with the French Revolution, during which women wanted to be considered as having the full status of citizens. In the Middle East and Muslim world in general, feminist movements appeared as women acquired literacy. Asena become an iconic as well as controversial figure in Turkey following her calls to women to escape from oppression, which she likened to a vicious circle. She urged women to fight for their equal rights with men and seek employment as a step towards freedom (Alemdar 1). In Turkey, being a predominantly Islamic nation, this was perceived by most, particularly the authorities, as a contradiction. Her role in feminism may generally have taken a diversion from what feminism in the Middle East has been focusing on. Feminism in the Middle East has basically had an emphasis on women’s role in Islam, targeting full equality in both private and public life for all Muslim faithful irrespective of gender. The rights they advocate for are founded on Islamic law , also known as Sharia. Feminist ideologies in the Middle East are inspired mainly by faith. Although Islamic feminists in the Middle East are fierce advocates for legislative interpretations and reforms that represent contemporary understanding of gender equality, they also embrace their Islamic faith strongly. However, more recently, Middle East Islamic feminists are also applying secular ideologies in their discourses, albeit strategically, having acknowledged the role played by Islamic feminism as an integral part of the feminist movement globally. This aspect creates the underlying similarity between the ideologies of the Middle East feminism and Western feminism movements. Feminism may be viewed as a global trend, but its uniqueness to every culture must also be appreciated. Western feminist’s ideologies are fundamentally different from those of the Middle East, and indeed most other parts of the world, because of the values on which the movements are formed. Being secu lar, most of the Western feminist ideologies stem from Western thoughts, principles and traditions. Western attitudes, which are mostly Christian and