Creating my own religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Creating my own religion - Essay Example All these faiths teach people how to believe in themselves and understand the true meaning of one’s existence on this planet. However, a person can always wonder, what is it like to create one’s own religion? This question comes in because of the idea that all the religions that people do follow today, have been set down and created by people who wanted to help others comprehend the meaning of living and the art of existence. This paper helps to provide an insight regarding how an individual might take to creating a religion of their own, as well as the kind of personal theological beliefs that I possess with respect to a religion of my own. Religion is the base of a cultural system that a human being follows and this very faith helps to provide him with a sense of assurance and security and helps to provide a meaning to his or her life. Religions help a man to soul search and understand the purpose of his own existence. They may consist of symbols of worship, doctrines and scriptures that consist of wisdom and regulations, as well as morality and ethics with respect to the law of nature and survival. If one thinks about it, many years ago, there was someone who thought about the kind of philosophy that a man must follow his life by and helped to gather followers with the help of a story that consisted of faith in the supernatural; human beings gain assurance by knowing that there is a higher power that exists somewhere in the universe so that whenever something goes wrong, they will be able to have someone to answer to, or have someone who is accountable to them for doing something or carrying out a specific action. Religion thus forms the base of a man’s faith and thinking and helps him to understand the meaning of life and all its subsidiaries. On a basic grass root level, it is easy for a person to ‘form’ a religion. All one has to do is to understand the

Transforming Leadership Analysis Essay Example for Free

Transforming Leadership Analysis Essay Introduction â€Å"The strategic environment, national guidance, and operational requirements demand that todays US Army forces conduct operations of a type, tempo, and duration that differ significantly from those of the past. The late 20th century required a force able to execute a fixed number of deliberate war plans and prepared to provide small forces for infrequent contingencies. The 21st century requires a force able to conduct sustained operations against several ongoing contingencies while remaining prepared to execute a number of deliberate war plans. Sustained operations and readiness to meet both old and new threats will be normal for the foreseeable future.   This situation requires changes in both structure and mindset. The Army is rapidly transforming itself to meet both requirements. The War on Terrorism has given the Army a strategic opportunity to reshape itself. It is leveraging its wartime focus to build campaign quality Army forces with joint and expeditionary capabilities. It is shedding inefficient processes and procedures designed for peacetime and re-examining institutional assumptions, organizational structures, paradigms, policies, and procedures. (Kane Tremble 1994) This ongoing transformation is producing a better balance of capabilities. When complete. Army forces will be able to deploy more promptly and sustain operations longer to exercise decisive land power across the range of military operations. The Armys goal is to transform itself into a more responsive, effective expeditionary force capable of sustained campaigning any where in the world. Meanwhile, it continues to sustain operational support to combatant commanders and maintain the quality of the all-volunteer force†. (Our Army at War Relevant and Ready) Within the last century, the scale of war has made necessary a different type of leader. We no longer fight for our farms, villages, and hunting lands. Our interests have shifted from straits and mountain passes. In our current world, as a result of technological revolutions and ever growing political instability, we live in the threat of a global war. Actions have the potential to resonate in many continents subsequently influencing the economies, policies, and war strategies of nations worldwide. For these reasons, leaders must study the past and integrate historys lessons learned with the new challenges of leading within a heightened threat. Military leaders must maintain their grasp and focus on the technical mastery of war fighting, personal courage, and the ability to inspire men to fight for a common cause. Victory will lend itself to the commander who can master the terrain and find new or creative ways to employ his weapons and men. Leaders must be technically proficient with the arms they use to wage war. In a broad example, the Spartans studied the natural tendency of phalanx formations to shift right and employed special tactics to break off part of their formation and bring it upon the flank of their enemy. Even here with similar weapons and tactics, the Spartans pursued the mastery of their war fighting system and stood victorious on the field of battle. (Bass 1990) For a more detailed analysis, in 480 BC, during the Greco-Persian wars, a Spartan leader named Leonidas used terrain to his advantage to inflict incredible damage upon his Persian enemy. The Persian army numbering between 200,000 and 250,000 men marched towards the northwest pass into Greece. Leonidas moved his forces to block the vital passage at Thermopylae, a narrow passage with high walls. Though he reinforced his army along the way, Leonidas could muster only 7,000 men. He immediately began building a wall between the pass to further narrow it and channel his enemy. Overwhelmed, the Spartans lost the pass but managed to kill 20,000 Persians to their 1,000 lost. Several centuries later in the US civil war, General Lee used his mastery of terrain at the Maryes Heights during the battle of Fredericksburg, Maryland. Mid-November in 1862, union forces under General Burnside began to occupy positions outside Falmouth near Fredericksburg to meet Lee. In response, Lee entrenched his forces at Maryes Heights, a higher ground outside the town. In addition, the armies were now separated by the Rappahannock River. In December Burnside began his assault. Lee allowed the union forces to cross the river and then instructed his entire army to open fire, which pinned Burnside between the Heights and the Rappahannock River. Lee managed to inflict 3 to 1 casualties upon the northern armies during several futile, uphill charges and Burnside is forced to call off his offensive. He would try again in January 1863, but would be repulsed by Lees army in their superior position. (Kane Tremble 1994) Army Transformation â€Å"Transformation describes the process by which the current force is becoming the future force. It occurs as the Army incorporates new capabilities into its force structure and trains soldiers to use them. The future force is what the Army continuously seeks to become. It will be strategically responsive and joint interdependent. It will be capable of precision maneuver and able to dominate adversaries and situations across the range of military operations envisioned in the future security environment. The future force will be lighter, more lethal and agile, and optimized for versatility. It will be capable of seamlessly transitioning among the different types of military operations. Army transformation is more than materiel solutions. Adaptive and determined leadership, innovative concept development and experimentation, and lessons learned from recent operations produce corresponding changes to doctrine, organizations, training, materiel, leadership and education, personnel, and facilities (DOTMLPF). DOTMLPF is a problem-solving construct for assessing current capabilities and managing change. Change is achieved through a continuous cycle of adaptive innovation, experimentation, and experience. Change deliberately executed across DOTMLPF elements enables the Army to improve its capabilities to provide dominant land power to the joint force. Authoritative basis that sets into action the Armys transformation strategies, It provides specific objectives, assigns responsibilities for execution, and synchronizes resources. It directs the planning, preparation, and execution of Army operations and Army transformation within the context of the nations ongoing strategic commitments. These commitments and resource availability dictate the synchronization and pace of change. The Army Campaign Plan also sustains operational support to combatant commanders and maintains the quality of the all-volunteer force†. (FM 1) In contrast, when in history a leader has demonstrated cowardice, it has stripped them men of their warrior spirit, unity, and willingness to fight. When Antony fled the battle at Actium, his unit became disorganized and confused and subsequently lost the battle. The same result occurred when Napoleon abandoned his army at Waterloo. (Kane Tremble 1994) These characteristics of valor and moral courage are illustrated in the battles of General Washington. He sat with the remnants of the Continental Army at Valley Forge starving, inadequately sheltered, and with their only clothing rotting off their backs. Though he had been successful earlier on, Washington now found his army suffering through one of the worst American winters and troubled by low morale and desertion. In response to his pleas for additional funds and supplies the American congress suggested he quarter his troops in the nearby towns. Quartering was an acceptable practice and certainly expected given his circumstances, but Washington feared the impression his troops would have upon the American public and how it would affect the support for the war and the resulting government. After much moral deliberation, he gathered his troops and spoke to them. His decision to stay in the blistering cold and suffer the winter was unpopular at first, but his men began to understand his reasons and responded to his exemplary leadership. Washingtons personal actions and moral courage renewed his mens faith, convinced them to stay the course, and above all to do the right thing. In the combat action of the Revolutionary war Washington had a dozen mounts shot out beneath him, and was once missed by a round that struck through his overcoat and he narrowly escaped injury. His morality was accompanied by his physical courage in battle inspiring his men to fight on despite their hardships. (Tremble 1992) Literature Review Nearly a century later, the moral courage and personal character of its commanding general held together an undersupplied, undermanned, yet confident Confederate army. In the final battle of the Civil War, Lee demonstrated his dedication to his men and willingness to sacrifice himself over his command. The opposing armies were prepared for battle in a field near the town of Appomattox. Near the beginning of the assault Lees lines began to give way forcing him into a moral dilemma that affected the overall course of the war. In this moment Lee replaced his personal drive for victory with the sobering realization of defeat. Understanding the futility of further efforts against his enemy, Lee sent a flag of truce to his counterpart, despite the war cries and urging of his men to return to battle. He sacrificed personal pride and commitment to victory for his duty and loyalty to his men. General Lees character and obligation to do the right thing tied together and motivated the armies of the south and his soldiers understood that Lee acted for the benefit of the Confederacy and not for personal gain. In WWII, 80 yrs after Lees surrender, the US was at the height of submarine patrols against Japan in WWII, and Commander Howard Gilmore set a course from Brisbane, Australia into Japanese waters to interrupt their shipping lanes in the USS Growler. While surfaced to charge the submarines batteries, Gilmore was engaged and rammed by a Japanese ship. Attacking the crippled and idle Growler, enemy gunners quickly sprayed the bridge of the submarine killing the Assistant Officer of the Deck, lookout, and wounding Gilmore. The submarine remained under still heavy fire from the enemy machine gunners. Aware that the Growler would be sunk in the time needed for him to crawl below decks, Gilmore made the supreme sacrifice for his shipmates. Commander Gilmore put his command before himself and through his selfless and courageous act saved his crew at the cost of his own life. His ordered his crew to, Take her down! and then perished at sea. Perhaps the most decisive aspect of moral leadership is the ability to inspire a fire within people to fight for a common goal or unit objective. Moral courage and technical expertise and skill are the enabling devices for which a leader may instill confidence and trust among his troops, but it is the ability to produce a common objective that will inspire men to fight. A free and voluntary army requires an indisputable cause. (Tremble 1992) For example, General Washington was able to contain the rivaling factions of the American Revolution and then unite and direct them towards a common purpose. Unable to agree amongst them as to an appropriate course of action, it was Washingtons decisive and assertive leadership that unified their purpose. Despite their conflicting ideas, the Americans believed unanimously in the ability of Washington. In much the same way, Robert E. Lee fused and gave purpose to the Confederate states in the Civil War and Winston Churchill unified the rivaling factions of the British government during WWII. One of the better examples of inspirational leadership is from recent history. Al-Qaeda forces draw their strength and morally rationalize their terrorist attacks through their fanatical belief in the justness of their cause. The terrorist leaders harness the energy created by this fanaticism in their culture and focus it towards a common goal. This leadership style establishes a purpose and allows for a transition into active fighting spirit. These leadership traits are fundamental and remain at the foundation of successful military leadership. They remain a leadership challenge for all fighting men in the worlds militaries and occur at all levels within the military force. Those who master and arm themselves with these concepts are positioned to succeed while those who ignore them are destined to fail. Transformational Leadership and Subordinate Outcomes on Army a Case Study Basss (1985a, 1985b) ideas have enthused Ð ° substantial amount of study. The mass of this study has investigated the foundation line or Ð ° circuitous effect of transformational behaviors on Ð ° leader or unit recital and effectiveness. Research on the hypothesized straight effects of ordinate outcomes: admiration, respect, and Ð ° trust of the leader, motivation and commitment to Ð ° shared goals and visions; innovative and creative approaches; and growth reflecting the unique needs and desires of Ð ° individual followers. According to Bass, Ð ° follower outcomes promoted by transformational behaviors result in Ð ° levels of organizational attempt and recital over and further than what are possible by Ð ° transactional behavior. These effects of Ð ° transformational leadership on Ð ° subordinate outcomes defines the augmentation hypothesis, which has Ð °, guided empirical testing of Basss ideas about transformational leadership.   Basss (1985a, 1985b) ideas are particularly striking to organizations, like todays military, in which Ð ° success depends on the participation and Ð ° active participation of all organizational members. U.S. Army doctrine, for instance, mentions leadership as the most essential component of combat power or the ability to fight and win. This doctrine more envisions that leaders add to effectual unit recital by inspiring Ð ° purpose, direction, and Ð ° will to win. Basss ideas for the expansion of successful army leaders have been so striking that the U.S. military in recent times published Ð ° volume discussing issues and insinuations raised by the distinction among transformational and transactional behaviors (Bass, 1996). Study in U.S. Army units has Ð ° supported these doctrinal views relating to the significance of the interactions between leadership, soldier circumstances, and unit performance. Siebold (1994), for instance, measured the work enthusiasm of soldiers 2 to 4 weeks earlier to their units contribution in replicated battle exercises. Strong, optimistic correlations were obtained among pre-exercise modes of soldier enthusiasm and rated success of units throughout the exercises. In adding, the motivation-unit-performance association was moderated by leader efficiency. So as to, when units were grouped by discernments of leader efficiency, strong, optimistic correlations were obtained for units with the uppermost leadership ratings but not for units with Ð ° lowest ratings. Savell, Teague, and Tremble tested the connection among leader-follower characteristics. They reported that Ð ° positive association existed among the enthusiasm levels of leaders and followers and that the force of that association augmented as followers reports of Ð ° Leader’s overall ability also increased. (Tremble 1992) Organizational Level and Transformational Behaviors Bass (1990) argued that the principles of Ð ° transformational leadership apply to all organizational levels. Consistent with Ð ° argument, transformational research has Ð ° examined samples ranging from cadets at military institutes to executives and Ð ° world leaders. Potentially inconsistent with Basss (1985b) quarrel, though, is the deviation in results obtained across organizational settings. For example, Spangler and Braiotta (1990) reported that transactional scope was slightly more strongly correlated with audit committee efficiency than were transformational features. In this framework, monitoring mistakes and satisfying accuracy may have been essential for leader recital. As such, lively management by omission and dependent reward predicted recital as powerfully as did transformational actions. Spangler and Braiotta as well found that active, management by omission was as powerfully connected with the transformational scales as those scales were connected between one another. In difference, Howell and Avolio reported that active management by omission was unconstructively connected with unit recital and transformational leadership in monetary institutions.   (Bass 1986) How to report for these unreliable effects is not overall clear. Relationships among leaders and followers vary crosswise organizations. As leaders move on in organizations, they grow carefulness and authority, use less time intimately supervising followers, and take on broadened responsibilities. Crossways levels, followers frequently vary in status, carefulness, independence, and promise. In adding, the progressive understanding and training conventional by organizational personnel might generate diverse expectations between junior leaders, more senior leaders, and followers about actions that comprise suitable leadership actions. Therefore, the unreliable effects obtained for transformational and transactional behaviors could reproduce a number of issues, together with the suitability of a single-form device, for instance the MLQ, for recitation variations across levels in leadership roles, in function relationships, or in contexts. (Bass 1986) Though the connotation of leader actions and of follower prospect concerning that behavior might modify crosswise organizational levels, the regularity of precise types of behavior might also vary. Kuhnert and Lewis explained that adults are extra liable to connect in transformational behaviors after they have attained advanced stages of ethical growth. Behind this outlook, increased transformational behavior (but not essentially transactional behavior) was originated for other senior Army leaders (Bass et al., 1987b). On the contrary, transactional behavior was originated to typify victorious cadets all through their pre-commissioning preparation and learning at a state military college. Contrary proof was obtainable by Lowe et al. (1996), who completed in their meta-analysis that transformational leadership did not considerably vary as a purpose of organizational level. (Bass 1996) Our current National Security Strategy (NSS), National Military Strategy (NMS) and existing Army force structure were ill conceived for the future of the Army. As a result of the Bottom-Up Review (BUR), the Army was right sized and structured to meet the requirements to fight and win two major theater wars (MTWs). However, this force structure was never intended to support current deployment levels for military operations other than war (MOOTW). In fact, the BUR warned that, Protracted commitments to peace operations could lower the overall readiness of US active duty forces over time, and in turn, reduce our ability to fulfill our strategy to be able to win two nearly simultaneous major regional conflicts. Increased MOOTW deployments such as Somalia, Haiti and Bosnia have driven the Armys operational tempo (OPTEMPO) to historically high levels. As prophesied by the BUR, the Armys overall readiness is declining. Moreover, given our current NSS, a turbulent international community ripe with MOOTW opportunities and continuing fiscal pressures, it is unlikely the Army can expect a reduction to OPTEMPO in the near future. In short, the Army is faced with a strategy and force structure mismatch. To compound this mismatch, the Army faces another pressing problem in its responsibilities to support joint war fighting. As joint war fighting doctrine continues to evolve and improve, deficiencies concerning critical missions such as rear area protection of the joint logistics and sustain base and the need for a war-termination force have surfaced (US Department of Defense, 1995, pp.1-9). These unique Army missions pose a difficult challenge. How can the Army correct these joint war fighting deficiencies in an environment that already overtaxes its capabilities and resources? Late in the Cold War, the Armys strategy for using its Reserve Component (RC) forces was totally different from todays. Born of the joint vision of General Creighton Abrams and Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird, the Total Force concept was embraced by an Army all too aware of the problems created by not using significant RC forces in either the Korean or Vietnam Wars. The Armys overall readiness is declining. Moreover, given our current National Security Strategy, a turbulent international community ripe with opportunities for military operations other than war and continuing fiscal pressures, it is unlikely the Army can expect a reduction to OPTEMPO in the near future. In short, the Army is faced with a strategy and force structure mismatch (1993). It is time to abandon the conflict between the active Army and Army National Guard (ARNG) over Guard readiness and look at ARNG maneuver unit utility from a new perspective. The search for a new paradigm properly begins by considering the connection between readiness and risks. Reserve Component (RC) units cannot attain the readiness levels of equivalent Active Component (AC) units in 39 days of yearly pre-mobilization training. Therefore, some degree of risk will always be associated with early deployment of RC units. The key question is: how much risk is acceptable? If the risk of deploying ARNG maneuver units early is within acceptable limits, the Army could benefit greatly. (Bass 1996) The decision to deploy these units meant that the Army was accepting some degree of tactical risk that units could not perform some of the missions for which they were organized. Even during the defense build-up in the mid-80s, the Army maintained its strategy of early deployment of RC maneuver forces. In a security environment of high threat and increasing resources, the Army was willing to accept the tactical risks associated with deploying these RC units (Noyes, 1995, pp.8-9). Today, the Army faces no peer competitor such as the massive Soviet Army, just a small group of ill-trained, ill-equipped regional armies. Army and joint capabilities for precision deep attack of enemy forces have revolutionized the ground combat concept of battle space. No longer must the enemy be reduced in a desperate fight by maneuver elements along the forward line of troops (FLOT). Deadly surface and air joint operational fires, many miles away, can now reduce enemy maneuver units from the FLOT. Although resource constraints have reduced the active Armys relative maneuver combat power by nearly half since the RC units cannot attain the readiness levels of comparable AC units in 39 days of yearly pre-mobilization training. Therefore, some degree of risk will always be associated with early deployment of RC units. The key question is: how much risk is acceptable? If the risk of deploying ARNG maneuver units early is within acceptable limits, the Army could benefit greatly. (Waldman et al 2001) In November 1999, US Army Chief of Staff Eric K. Shinseki directed the US Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) to undertake a comprehensive review of the Army force structure. In response, the TRADOC commander, General John Abrams, began developing a brigade-sized force capable of rapid deployment, yet with the staying power of the current heavy force (1993). This force would have to be able to respond to the growing number of peacekeeping and small-scale conflicts, as well as, facing the problems of nontraditional threats and the likely hood of terrorist threats. The Army today is built on a heavy force and a light force. The heavy force has the necessary firepower and sustainability but require too much time to deploy. The light force can deploy quickly, but lack the power and sustainability to remain for extended periods of time. (Waldman et al 2001) Under this new transformational plan, there would be a combat force comprised of elements of the active Army heavy and light forces, along with, elements of the Army National Guard and Army Reserve forces. This would provide a mix of forces that could deploy fast, pack the necessary combat power, and be able to sustain contact for an extended period of time without direct support. It would also provide our part-time soldiers with the necessary additional training to sustain their combat readiness and confidence. This will bring the armed forces to the realization of an Army of one. As we can see from the events of today, that the conventional Army of the past is no longer the Army of the future. The forces have to be ready to react to any possible action or conflict that may arise. Terrorism is an entity that has a broad hand. The multitude of the armed forces has had to come together to provide the necessary force to not only fight abroad, but to secure to home front from attack. The part-time soldier has stepped up in this new transformational Army to take to job of homeland protectors while the specialized forces have taken on the challenge of rooting out the evil. Did the US Army Chief of Staff Eric K. Shinseki have a premonition of the events that unfolded over the last few months? He may or may not, but the fact is that he new that the Army of old could not fight the battles of the future. Transformation was inevitable, and he was the man to see the emerging trend of modern day warfare. Present The observations illustrated above show how far the Army has come in the past 15 years concerning civilians in the Total Army. The new FM 22-100 is the latest indicator that the Total Army must depend on all its components in performing todays missions.   The Army is smaller today than at any time since before World War II and it continues to downsize. In less than a decade, the Army reduced its ranks by more than 630,000 people, closed more than 700 installations and changed from Ð ° forward-deployed force to a Continental United States-based, power-projection force. The number of deployments in that same period increased by 300 percent accordingly, missions were realigned and force structures changed. The bottom line is that DACs have assumed responsibilities in the Total Army that were not even envisioned a couple of decades ago. The Army simply cannot mobilize, deploy or sustain itself without its civilian component. The old ways of doing business do not work anymore. The outdated paradigms that endure about DACs should be revisited. DACs roles, responsibilities and leader challenges are in constant flux. Emphasizing the need to develop civilian leaders for positions of greater responsibility, Reimer stated, We cannot leave the development of our civilian leaders to chance. The development of civilian leaders starts with the accession and training of interns. We must hire the best and train them to meet the challenge,; of the 21st century . It is important that we continue the emphasis on professional development for all civilians through the executive level. (Waldman et al 2001) It was only a little more than a decade ago that the Army began providing progressive and sequential competency-based leadership training for civilians through the Center for Army Leadership (CAL), Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and the Army Management Staff College, Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Before the mid-1980s, a career track comparable to those for officers and noncommissioned officers (NCOs) did not exist for DACs. Historically, the career program functional chiefs for about 25 percent of DACs who were in career programs determined their technical requirements. Supervisors determined the appropriate training for those not in career programs. Not enough attention was given to identifying civilians with potential for advancement or systematically determining the skills needed to prepare high-caliber individuals for progressively more responsible leadership roles. In essence, leader development for DACs was not a consideration. (Tremble et al 1997) The difficulty of creating a civilian training program was compounded by the fact that civilians enter the federal work force at various levels based on their qualifications for specific jobs, rather than at a single point as officers and enlisted personnel do at the start of their careers. An individual is hired with a presumption of having the training needed for the position he is to occupy. Additional training is provided only after finding that the person needs to enhance the skills required by the job. Bringing such a person to a high-performing level in a reasonable amount of time is a tremendous challenge for any commander or leader. Historically civilian training does not compete with military training for resources. The Army has made considerable progress in the past 15 years in modernizing civilian personnel management. Programs such as the Army Civilian Training, Education and Development System (ACTEDS) and the Total Army Performance Evaluation System (TAPES) have eliminated many of the earlier systems complexities, resulting in some civilian developmental programs more closely resembling those for officers and enlisted personnel. ACTEDS provides a career progression road map for developing and training civilians from entry to senior level. The development of civilian leaders, like that of their uniformed colleagues, is a blend of institutional training, operational assignments and self-development. The Civilian Leader Development Action Plan provides similar frames of reference as plans developed for officers, warrant officers and NCOs. ACTEDS specifies training in two areas: professional technical career training and leadership and training. There are some underlying concepts that are common to all three courses. The content in each course is embedded in the Armys leadership doctrine and values. Participants experience leadership in its purest formexperience being the operative word. Experiential learning permeates the course from the moment class begins and continues until the participants depart. CLTD courses are the only ones the Army offers that employ experiential learning. Adults learn better if they experience a situation rather than simply hearing about it from others. In experiential learning, everyone in a situation has his own personal experience. Human nature being what it is, no two experiences are exactly the same because of individual backgrounds, prior experiences, biases, values, beliefs and attitudes. Once the common experience is complete, participants examine the varied perspectives in the group and look at why those different views exist. Through discussion, participants begin to discover the factors that came together to create the behaviors others saw. They consider the lessons they can take away from the experience and then examine possible new courses of action. Through this process, greater and deeper understanding develops, trust grows and teams build. (Kane Tremble 1994) The focus is on how people work together, as contrasted to what they may be working on. Participants examine how the group made decisions and how those decisions affected members commitment to the final product, how conflicts were resolved, how people communicated with one another and how groups dealt with common issues or problems. In doing this, the participants learn more about themselves and others. Many opportunities arise throughout each course for participants to discover how influential they can be with other members. They live the Armys values and come away with a real understanding of those valuesnot merely slogans that are little more than bumper stickers. They polish influential communication skills and gain a better understanding of their individual strengths and the areas where they may want to change. Opportunities abound for those who desire to practice new behaviors and receive feedback from others in the group. They also examine the choices they have in their lives, which often yield surprises. If individuals see that they are empowered to influence their own behavior, then they can do a better job of influencing and motivating others. Leaders also learn how to diagnose the culture in their organizations, develop visions for their organizations and lead change. Class participants learn what works for them personally and do not simply take home cookie-cutter recipes for leadership. Condition: Peace and War The previous debate was concerned mainly with serving leaders comprehend how the leadership equation develop as Ð ° leader moves from strategic leadership to superior levels. As Ð ° general rule, the wartime mission is more serious and Ð ° result of breakdown takes on Ð ° potentially disastrous consequences. Therefore, the arrow under the assignment column is considerably bigger than the other arrows. A unit that breakdowns to convene its peacetime tasking might ruined an operational readiness inspection (ORI) or acquire a commander fired. Over time of Ð ° war, the mental state of followers takes on superior meaning since terror complicates their aptitude to execute. Leaders have to take this aspect into reflection when transitioning from tranquility to war. To recompense for fear and the superior significance of mission achievement, leaders might understandably turn out to be more demanding.   In case we deduce too much from the above case, we would propose that a demanding style is not Ð ° routine response to a battle environment. Under usual conditions, a leaders style wont transform simply as the bullets are flying. It depends on the circumstances and the leader. If one has never individually practiced combat, one cannot recognize in what the difficulties continuously mentioned actually consist, nor why a commander should need any brilliancy and outstanding skill. . . . Everything in war is straightforward, but the simplest thing is not easy. The difficulties build up and end by producing Ð ° kind of resistance that is unthinkable if one has experienced war, Ð ° last war versus peace related issue should be addressed at the present. As we change to a more follower-oriented, empowering leadership model in peace for example TQM, there are possible pitfalls for us when busy in battle operations. The basic principle of essential training over the years has been to smash down the individuals civilian mind-set that is obviously opposed to subsequent potentially life-threatening battleground orders. In place of the inhabitant mind-set, we replacement military discipline throughout fundamental training, an automatic compliance to Ð ° strict leadership style. The objective of Ð ° QAF is just the contradictory. It seeks to move authority from the leader to subordinates and to Ð ° solicit ideas and insights from followers in a very friendly, benign atmosphere. How will the methodically indoctrinated and empowered QAF follower react if the units control takes on a more despotic style during battle? This is a matter that prospect leaders, mainly at the unit level, need to address. (Spangler Braiotta 2000) Condition: Combined Leadership One more difference in the leadership equation that will turn out to be more and more significant in todays atmosphere involves the mixture of friendly forces. A single-service process is comparatively simple to organize since like-minded persons are concerned in accomplishing the task. Their communication is facilitated by an ordinary dictionary and a ordinary orientation to their exacting way of combating. One time we comprise members of an additional service, though, additional considerations and sensitivities require to be addressed. Differences in service doctrine and operational methods not merely aggravate working jointly but can have a harmful, even deadly consequence on operations. Additionally, inter service rivalries have intricate and will carry on to confuse mission achievement. The rivalry between Gen Douglas MacArthur and a admirals Ernest J. King/Chester W. Nimitz in the World War II Pacific Theater led to a less than best harmonization of operations. Alternatively, Army general Omar Bradley and an Air Force general Elwood R. Quesada worked fine jointly. The circumstances become especially multifaceted when allies are drawn in. Additionally to doctrinal and service mismatching, cultural and chronological differences complex efforts to organize joint operations. In an Airpower Journal article The Staff Experience and Leadership Development, Gen John Shaud noted that a likelihood of your contribution in a joint alliance staff in this post-cold war world has augmented by an order of magnitude. He served as a chief of staff for the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR) until lately and as of that skill made the following observation: On the alliance staff, as is the case with some new management position . . . my main assignment was to organize the activities of the workforce. . . . Additionally to what you might usually wait for that to entail, I originate that I also had to be a negotiator, diplomat, taskmaster, and cheerleader. I learned also that on the SHAPE staff (as well as on most coalition staffs), some of the most significant factors to be measured were appreciating intrinsic differences in culture and speech and possessing a solid intellect of history. Future Operating Environment Challenges and Recommendations â€Å"The Army is preparing today to meet the four types of challenges: Traditional, Irregular, Catastrophic, and Disruptive. To address traditional challenges, the Army is extending its mastery of major combat operations. It is maintaining the ability to counter todays conventional threats while preparing for tomorrows anti-access environments. The ability to prevail in major combat operations is a crucial responsibility and primary driver of capabilities development. Many capabilities required for major combat operations apply across the range of military operations. Those capabilities include: Strategic and operational mobility; Advanced information systems to support command, control, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; Precision weaponry; Force protection: and Sustain. The Army is broadening and deepening its ability to counter irregular challenges. However, because the Nation cannot afford two armies, the Army is meeting this requirement by increasing the versatility and agility of the same forces that conduct conventional operations. In many situations, the combination of traditional and irregular threats presents the most demanding challenges to military effectiveness. This combination requires soldiers and units able to transition between the operations required to counter conventional and irregular threats. Preempting catastrophic threats includes deterring the use of, or destroying weapons of mass destruction. It is increasing its ability to rapidly project forces and decisively maneuver them over both global and theatre distances. It is seeking minimal reliance on predictable, vulnerable deployment transition points (intermediate staging bases) or ports of entry. To prepare for disruptive challenges, the Army is maintaining and improving a range of capabilities, minimizing the potential for single point strategic surprise and failure. It is also developing intellectual capital to power a culture of innovation and adaptability, the Armys most potent response to disruptive threats. While preparing for irregular, disruptive, and catastrophic challenges, the Army is retaining its ability to dominate land operations in traditional conflicts. American land forces clearly occupy a commanding position in the world with respect to defeating traditional military challenges. The Army must retain a superior position, particularly in the face of modernizing armies that might challenge US partners and interests. Failure to maintain a qualitative edge over these traditional threats would promote instability and create vulnerabilities that adversaries might attempt to exploit. While technology will be crucial to achieving greater operational agility and precision lethality, the human dimension will continue to be the critical element of war. The soldier will remain the centerpiece of Army organizations. As the complexity of operations increases, well-trained, innovative, and disciplined soldiers and leaders will become more important than ever. Recruiting, training, educating, and retaining of soldiers is vital to maintaining land power dominance in all forms of conflict†.   (FM 1) Conclusion The research of Bà  ss, Burns, Kà ®uzà ¥s and Pà ®snà ¥ had one major preliminary task, then, was to assemble a list of behaviors that seemed to be critical. That list would be used in surveys and discussions with the study participants. While this study focused on division commanders, the requisite behaviors were typically relevant to any level of the organization, and discussions with participants, who ranged in grade from captain to lieutenant general, went beyond the exclusive behavior of division commanders. (As one indicator of the relative universal applicability of basic leader behaviors, an Army Research Institute study a few years ago on leader effectiveness in light infantry platoons showed many critical behaviors at that level were similar to those seen important for division commanders.) An interesting but not surprising finding from that exploration of previous studies was that certain behaviors kept surfacing as crucial to good leadership. There is no doubt that Army officers over the years have had a solid feel for what good looks like. While there are some differences of opinion on the relative importance among behaviors, there is remarkable agreement across grades and branches on which set of behaviors really make a difference. It is also important to note that in distinguishing good leaders from others, the distinction did not fall between leaders on one side, who focused on mission, and leaders on the other, who focused on people. Rather, it was how leaders approached mission and people that accounted for the perceived differences in the quality of their leadership. The team that created the study also recognized that operations in Iraq present an environment that epitomizes two fundamental challenges for leaders of all organizations: the need to attain immediate tactical success while maintaining the long-term health of the force; and establish the necessary centralized control to ensure integration of operating systems while encouraging and supporting the required initiative at subordinate levels. The study team eventually isolated 29 behaviors, derived from current leadership doctrine and the synthesis of prior studies. That preliminary list was further reviewed by a number of active duty and retired officers who had extensive leadership experience. An Army War College class and some scientists familiar with Army leadership principles and methods also helped to refine the list. The final list became one of the survey instruments used in the study. These 29 behaviors were seen as relevant and comprehensive by the 77 officers from the four divisions, who eventually participated in the study at their home stations within a few weeks of returning from OIF. To gain an external view of division mission accomplishment, two corps commanders and a deputy corps commander were queried about the combat performance of the divisions and the styles of the division commanders (individual or unit data was not specified in the report; subordinate participants provided survey input anonymously). In each division, the division commander, the assistant division commanders (when available), the chief of staff, eight members of the division staff, and from six to ten subordinate commanders completed survey instruments and participated in lengthy and wide-ranged discussions with study team members. These participants had observed the division commander during most or all of the divisions deployment to OIF. (Waldman et al 2001) The study report provided a number of conclusions and recommendations. The study concluded that we have a lot of impressive people in todays very busy Army! The study further concluded that we still have some development and selection work to do. In particular, we must have the interpersonal skills to gain trust and build the essential horizontal and vertical teams needed to take full advantage of the high level of tactical and technical competence that typically exists in our Army. Twelve behaviors, validated by officers returning from a combat theater, were selected as the most important factors in creating a command climate that supports operational excellence and motivating competent people to continue their military service. These behaviors, referred to in the study as the Big 12, also best differentiate between good and poor leaders. Note that the criterion included both short- and long-term mission requirements: tactical success today; a strong Army tomorrow. Army doctrine should explicitly acknowledge that being a good manager is not the same as being a good leader. FM 22-100 and related publications ought to provide all officers and NCOs with textual resources to clearly articulate the differences between supervising, administering and creating leadership within their units, and they should suggest ways in which the skills and aptitudes that contribute to each of these complementary, but distinct, competencies can be independently trained and appraised. The Officer Evaluation Report and Noncommissioned Officer Evaluation Report and their governing regulations must also be modified to reflect leadership-management distinctions and provide means to separately evaluate performances in each of these areas. To determine pure leadership competency, in particular, serious thought should be given to incorporating nontraditional forms of assessment such as 360-degree evaluations into the rating process. Here, the observations of peers and subordinates are factored into the rated soldiers performance review. When properly interpreted, such data can be useful in matching the right person to the right job, as well as helping to focus leaders attention on truly serving their teams and organization, rather than just pleasing their boss. Impressive gains in performance and productivity are being reported by civilian companies such as Frito Lay and Intel, which have successfully merged 360-degree and similar assessment methods into their human resource systems (Champy). Armed with such tools and an expanded accent upon critical self-evaluation, those in command or other positions of responsibility can then more accurately identify strengths and weaknesses in their own personal inventory of people skills, as well as in the collective inventory of their staff, and make appropriate adjustments. Finally, the importance of participative, emotionally engaged followers in the leadership process can hardly be overstated. Because all military leaders are also followers in some context, leadership doctrine must explicitly consider the characteristics of effective followers and instruct leaders how best to forge and encourage them at all levelsfrom the fire team on up. Creating wide parameters within which followers may exercise judgment and make decisions, exploring/aligning the personal goals and values of soldiers with those of the organization and providing meaningful, responsive incentives to excel must be stressed as critical leadership tasks. When effectively executed, these musts will combine to create teams with genuinely shared vision and commitment, operating via an influence connection between leaders and followers that transcends the tacitly coercive nature of military relationships. In this way, authentic leadership will underpin effective command in our Army, attracting and retaining the high-quality soldiers so vital to future operations. (Waldman et al 2001) References Bass, B. M. (1985a). Leadership and performance beyond expectations: New York: Free Press. Bass, B. M. (1985b). Leadership: Good, better, best Organizational Dynamics, 3(3), 26-40. Bass, B. M. (1990). From transactional to transformational leadership: Learning to share the vision. Organizational Dynamics, 18(3), 19-31. Bass, B. M. (1996). A new paradigm of leadership: An inquiry into transformational leadership. Alexandria, VA: U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences. FM 1 http://www.army.mil/fm1/chapter4.html Accessed, May 22, 2007 Kane, T. D., Tremble, T. R., Jr. (1994) the impact of leader competence and platoon conditions on platoon performance in simulated combat exercises (Tech. Rep. No. 1001). Alexandria, VA: U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences. Our Army at War Relevant and Ready http://www.army.mil/thewayahead/intro.html Accessed, May 22, 2007 Spangler, W. D., Braiotta, L., Jr. (2000) Leadership and corporate audit committee effectiveness: Group and Organization Studies, 15, 134-157. Tremble, T. R., Jr. (1992) Relationships of leadership competence with leader and unit performance effectiveness (Res. Rep. No. 1625). Alexandria, VA: U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social: Sciences. Tremble, T. R., Jr., Kane, T. D., Stewart, S. R. (1997). A note on organizational leadership as problem solving (Res. Note No. 97-03) Alexandria, VA: U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences. Waldman, D. A., Bass, B. M., Yammarino, F. J. (2001). Adding to contingent reward behavior: The augmenting effect of charismatic leadership: Group and Organization Studies, 15, 381-394.

The Affect Slavery Has On Family Life Essay -- Sociology

Slavery: The Affect It Has On Family Life & The Effects Of It The lives of Harriet Jacobs in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and Frederick Douglass’ Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave includes diverse experiences that allow them to share common factors to relate to each others stories. Jacobs and Douglass were born during the slavery period in the â€Å"less harsh† regions of North Carolina and Maryland. Looking at and comparing their childhood, Jacobs and Douglass both enjoy the happier moments until they both experienced the loss of their mother at an early age. Respectively, Jacobs and Douglass conclude that slavery deteriorates the relationship between families - instead of building them up. In Narrative, Douglass describes the emotions being felt after being separated from his mother. Douglass says, â€Å"Never having enjoyed, to any considerable extent, her soothing presence, her tender and watchful care, I received the tidings of [my mother’s] death with much the same emotions I should have probably felt at the death of a stranger† (1890). By being separated from his mother, Douglass was not given an opportunity to develop feelings or a relationship with his mother. Douglass relays to his audience the abnormality of slavery. He explains how slave master’s complicate the natural way of life in order to make someone a slave. Douglass says, â€Å"For what this separation is done, I do not know, unless it be to hinder the development of the child’s affection toward its mother, and to blunt and destroy the natural affection of the mother for the child. This is the evitable result† (1890). Douglass makes it apparent to his audienc e how slavery destroys the importance of maintaining a relationship... ...o? Yet, Jacobs doesn’t allow Brent to feel the captivity entirely. Brent says, â€Å"We [I and my children] are as free from the power of slavery holders†¦and though that is not saying a great deal, it is a vast improvement in my condition† (2054). Jacobs makes the reader realize that Brent still has a battle to fight after freedom. Brent is not married, therefore she will have to be the protector of her children who have been in captivity for years. In conclusion, the lives of Jacobs and Douglass aren’t necessarily identical but they both shared similarities from being slaves. From comparing and analyzing the narrative stories, it is simple to realize that the effects of slavery can be more traumatic on families and the long term effects it can cause. Works Cited Douglas, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas and Other Writings. Borders, 2009.

Rational Approach of Organizational Change Essay

Committee unanimously approved a financial fair play concept for the game’s well-being in September 2009 and on 27 May 2010 approved the UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations Edition 2010, in the presence and with the full support of the European Club Association chairman, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. The concept, which has been supported by everyone around football, looks at the long as well as short-term health of club football and individual clubs. In particular, the objectives aim to introduce more discipline within club finances and encourage responsible spending and investment. Financial fair play is a key point in the 11 values of the UEFA president presented at the UEFA Congress in Copenhagen in March 2009. Despite a background of huge and increasing public and commercial interest in European club football over the last decade, many clubs across Europe are in poor financial health, struggling to meet their financial responsibilities and commitments, and reporting repeated financial losses. UEFA has a duty to consider the systemic environment of European club football in which individual clubs compete, in particular, the wider inflationary impact of clubs’ spending on salaries and player transfer fees and increasing levels of indebtedness across European club football, as the Club Licensing Benchmarking Report shows. Therefore, as requested by and in consultation with the football family, UEFA has aimed to develop sensible and achievable club monitoring requirements to supplement the existing club licensing criteria, in order to safeguard the sustainability of European club football. To supplement and complement the former UEFA Club Licensing Regulations, the UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations, comprising both club licensing criteria and club monitoring requirements derived from the financial fair play concept, entered into force on 1 June 2010, with the various financial fair play requirements being phased in over a number of seasons. The consistent application of the club licensing criteria by licensors and the monitoring of clubs are overseen by the independent Club Financial Control Panel, which was created in 2009. If a criterion or requirement of the regulations is not fulfilled, appropriate measures will be taken against the club by UEFA’s independent disciplinary bodies. Potential disciplinary sanctions are the remit of the competent disciplinary bodies that have a palette of sanctions at their disposal including ultimately the exclusion from future UEFA club competitions. Since its creation, the Club Financial Control Panel has referred numerous clubs to UEFA’s disciplinary bodies for both club licensing and club monitoring breaches. Of course many people also believe that the dream of Michel Platini for competitive but healthy football for all the 660 football teams under UEFA’s jurisdiction will fail. But taking into consideration the fact that if the FFP fails the credibility of Michel Platini will be harmed the UEFA Club Financial Control Panel are determined to help the president of UEFA achieve its dream. The tasks of the independent Club Financial Control Panel to achieve Platini’s dream are to ensure that the UEFA club licensing system is applied correctly across all 53 UEFA member associations and that clubs have fulfilled the criteria defined in the UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations. As well as conducting and deciding on licensing compliance audits to check the awarding of licenses by the national decision-making bodies and checking that club competition integrity rules have been observed, the Club Financial Control Panel governs the ongoing club monitoring process (financial fair play) after the awarding of licenses. It was introduced at the start of the 2004/05 season with the goal of encouraging European club football to look beyond the short term and consider underlying longer-term objectives essential for the game’s continued good health. It is based on a series of defined quality standards, which each club must accomplish to gain entry to UEFA’s club competitions, and on the key principles of transparency, integrity, credibility and capability. The 36 specific criteria of the licensing system can be broken down into five main categories: 1) sporting 2) infrastructure 3) personnel 4) legal 5) financial These criteria – developed in cooperation with the national associations – have helped to improve the credibility of club operations and led to better transparency and governance by clubs and national associations. A license granted to a club by its national association proves that it has achieved a certain quality level.

Job hunting after graduation Essay

If you’ve left university and don’t yet have a job, here are tips on creating an action plan for finding work. It’s widely acknowledged that it’s harder than it used to be to land your first graduate job, and more people now find they are graduating without a job to go to straight away. If you are one of them, don’t panic. Take the opportunity for a short rest, then focus on what you can do to make things happen. 1. Keep looking The good news for graduate job hunters is that employers are now recruiting all year round. Traditionally, most graduate jobs were advertised in the autumn ‘milkround’, with many students having a job offer before they sat their finals. These days, graduate employers are more likely to advertise on an ad hoc basis, as jobs become available or as they get additional budget for recruitment. So don’t stop looking. The gradireland Summer Fair that takes place each June in Dublin is a chance to meet employers who did not fill all their jobs in the autumn or who have new vacancies. Use the same vacancy sources as when you were at university: gradireland.com, your careers service website etc. But don’t just rely on these: spread your net as far as possible. 2. Network Tell everyone you know that you are job hunting; be open to any suggestions. Start with family and friends, then build new relationships through them. The more contacts you make, the more likely you are to find out about opportunities and meet people who can help you. The majority of job vacancies are not advertised, so word of mouth can be very valuable. It can also be worth making speculative applications. These work best when they are targeted to an organisation that you have researched and know you want to work for: a few carefully-written applications are more  effective than hundreds of standard letters. Work experience or voluntary work can also widen your pool of contacts and provide a foot in the door of the industry you’d like to work in. Don’t spend all summer on Facebook. Use a range of social media to make new contacts and find out about new opportunities. Follow employers on LinkedIn, search Twitter for news of the industry you’re interested in, use everything to ‘meet’ new people. Start a blog: done well, it could be a good addition to your CV by highlighting your expertise, creativity or networking skills. 3. Apply for internships There are several internship programmes now available, many aimed specifically at graduates. These tend to vary from three months to a year. Some offer payment on top of your benefits while others carry accreditation; some even give an opportunity to work abroad for a while. Some of the main schemes currently available are:2. Network Tell everyone you know that you are job hunting; be open to any suggestions. Start with family and friends, then build new relationships through them. The more contacts you make, the more likely you are to find out about opportunities and meet people who can help you. The majority of job vacancies are not advertised, so word of mouth can be very valuable. It can also be worth making speculative applications. These work best when they are targeted to an organisation that you have researched and know you want to work for: a few carefully-written applications are more effective than hundreds of standard letters. Work experience or voluntary work can also widen your pool of contacts and provide a foot in the door of the industry you’d like to work in. Don’t spend all summer on Facebook. Use a range of social media to make new  contacts and find out about new opportunities. Follow employers on LinkedIn, search Twitter for news of the industry you’re interested in, use everything to ‘meet’ new people. Start a blog: done well, it could be a good addition to your CV by highlighting your expertise, creativity or networking skills. 3. Apply for internships There are several internship programmes now available, many aimed specifically at graduates. These tend to vary from three months to a year. Some offer payment on top of your benefits while others carry accreditation; some even give an opportunity to work abroad for a while. Some of the main schemes currently available are: Ireland JobBridge FAS Work Placement Programme IBEC Export Orientation Programme Graduates for International Growth (G4IG) Northern Ireland Graduate Acceleration Programme Applying for internships via an official programme gives you a degree of security. You may, of course, also find an internship by applying directly to the employer. It’s advisable to be aware of your employment rights and the Congress website is a useful source of information. Internships are not just a stop-gap on the way to a permanent job: as a ‘taster’ of a particular sector they can also help you to choose which career you ultimately would like to pursue. Whatever you do, you will gain new skills and experience to add to your CV. 4. Improve your employability Remember that you can still get help from university careers services after you graduate – either at your own university or, if you’ve moved back home, another higher education institution. Make an appointment if you need advice  on how to develop and market your skills or to improve your CV. Despite the downturn, there are still areas where there are skills shortages and unfilled vacancies. If you have the aptitude, consider upskilling, perhaps through a conversion course in IT, or by learning a language. ‘Lifelong learning’ is now considered essential even for those already in work, so if you have spare time use it to read and learn about the area of work you want to get into. Work on your employability skills: writing, administration, team-working, communication etc. You’ll be in a strong position if your job applications can demonstrate these qualities. Consider voluntary work as a way of adding to your portfolio of experience and learning new skills. There are opportunities for short and long-term involvement, whether it’s helping out at a local organisation or working for a national charity. 5. Be open to opportunities Realistically, it may not be immediately possible to get a graduate-level job. If something else is available – even if it is a casual or temporary job – try to use it as a stepping stone. A job in admin or customer support could lead to a more senior position in the same company later. It will let you prove that you have workplace experience and a good work ethic, and can give you transferable skills to add to future job applications. Don’t overlook small businesses. There are a lot of them, so add up to a major force as employers. They may not advertise specific ‘graduate’ vacancies but can be a good environment if you’re at the beginning of your career as there is often more flexibility to learn new skills. 6. Don’t give up Taking a year out or signing up for postgraduate study may be tempting as a way to postpone looking for work. They are worth considering if you are sure that you can demonstrate afterwards the benefits to employers. Otherwise, think carefully about whether this will help in the long term. It’s not necessarily the easy route, but the best course of action may be to stay put, stay positive and stay persistent. If things aren’t going well, review your progress and ask for help and support if you need it.

Life of Cochise, Apache Warrior and Chief

Life of Cochise, Apache Warrior and Chief Cochise (ca. 1810–June 8, 1874), perhaps the most powerful Chiricahua Apache chief in recorded times, was an influential player in the history of the U.S. southwest. His leadership came during a critical period in North American history, when shifting political relationships between Native American and European Americans resulted in a complete reconfiguration of the region. Fast Facts: Cochise Known For: Chiricahua Apache chief from 1861–1864Born: ca. 1810 in southeastern Arizona or northwestern SonoraDied: June 8, 1874 in the Dragoon Mountains, ArizonaSpouses Names: Dos-teh-seh and a second wife, whose name is not knownChildrens Names: Taza, Naiche, Dash-den-zhoos, and Naithlotonz Early Years Cochise was born around 1810, in either southeast Arizona or northwest Sonora, Mexico. He was destined for leadership: his father, most likely a man named Pisago Cabezà ³n, was the head chief of the Chokonen band, one of four bands in the Apache tribe. Cochise had at least two younger brothers, Juan and Coyuntura (or Kin-o-Tera), and one younger sister. As is traditional, Cochise received his name Goci as a young adult, which in the Apache language means his nose. There are no known surviving photographs of Cochise, who was described as a striking-looking man with black hair to his shoulders, a high forehead, prominent cheekbones, and a large, handsome Roman nose.   Cochise wrote no letters. His life was documented during a series of interviews conducted during the end of his life. The information from those interviews is somewhat contradictory, including the spelling of his name (variations include Chuchese, Chis, and Cucchisle). Education The Apaches of the 19th century followed a traditional hunting and gathering lifestyle, which they supplemented with raids when hunting and gathering alone could not feed their families. Raiding involved attacking ranches and ambushing travelers in order to steal their supplies. The raids were violent and often left victims wounded, tortured, or killed.  Although there are no specific records about Cochises education, anthropological studies and oral and written histories from the Apache community describe the learning processes for prospective warriors, which Cochise would have experienced. Young boys in the Apache world were separated from young girls and began training in the use of the bow and arrow at the age of six or seven. They played games which emphasized speed and agility, physical strength and fitness, self-discipline and independence. At 14, Cochise likely began training as a warrior, starting as a novice (dikhoe) and practicing wrestling, bow and arrow contests, and foot races. Young men played the role of trainee at their first four raids. During the first raid, they performed menial camp chores, such as making beds, cooking, and standing guard. After completing his fourth raid, Cochise would have been considered an adult. Indian–White Relations At the time of Cochises youth, the political climate of southeastern Arizona and northeastern Sonora was fairly quiet. The region was under the control of the Spanish, who had skirmished with the Apaches and other tribes in the region but settled on a policy that brought a kind of peace. The Spanish aimed to replace Apache raiding with the provision of rations from established Spanish outposts called presidios.   This was a deliberately planned action on the part of the Spanish to disrupt and destroy the Apache social system. Rations were corn or wheat, meat, brown sugar, salt, and tobacco, as well as inferior guns, liquor, clothing and other items designed to make the Native Americans dependent on the Spanish. This did bring peace, which lasted nearly forty years, until near the end of the Mexican Revolution in 1821. The war seriously depleted the treasuries, rationing broke down slowly, and disappeared entirely when the Mexicans won the war.   As a result, the Apaches resumed their raiding, and the Mexicans retaliated. By 1831, when Cochise was 21 years old, hostilities were so extensive that, unlike earlier times, nearly all of the Apache bands under Mexican influence participated in raiding and conflicts.   Early Military Career The first battle that Cochise probably participated in may have been the three-day battle from May 21–23, 1832, an armed conflict of Chiricahuas with Mexican troops near the Mogollon Mountains. Three hundred warriors led by Pisago Cabezà ³n lost after the last eight-hour battle under 138 Mexican men led by Captain Jose Ignacio Ronquillo. The following years were punctuated by a number of treaties signed and broken; raidings halted and resumed.   In 1835, Mexico put a bounty on Apache scalps and hired mercenaries to massacre them. John Johnson was one of those mercenaries, an Anglo living in Sonora. He was granted permission to track down hostiles and on April 22, 1837, he and his men ambushed and massacred 20 Apaches and wounded many more during a trading deal. Cochise was not likely present, but he and other Apaches sought revenge.   Marriage and Family In the late 1830s, Cochise married Dos-teh-seh (something at the campfire already cooked). She was the daughter of Mangas Coloradas, who led the Chihenne Apache band. Cochise and Dos-teh-seh had at least two sons- Taza, born 1842, and Naiche, born 1856. His second wife, who was from the Chokonen band but whose name is not known, bore him two daughters in the early 1860s: Dash-den-zhoos and Naithlotonz.   Cochises son Naiche, Hereditary Leader of the Chiricahua Apaches, taken by Adolph F. Muhr about 1898.   Library of Congress According to Apache custom, men lived with their wives after they married. Cochise most likely lived with the Chihenne for six to eight months. However, he had become an important leader in his fathers band, so he soon returned to Chokonen.   A (Temporarily) Settled Peace In early 1842, Cochises father - Pisago Cabezà ³n, leader of the Chokonen - was ready to sign an armistice with the Mexicans. Cochises father-in-law - Mangas Coloradas, leader of the Chihinne - disagreed. A treaty was signed on July 4, 1842, with the Apaches promising to cease all hostilities, and the Mexican government agreeing to feed them rations. Cochise drew rations with his wife in October, and Mangas, seeing that the Chokonen treaty would hold, decided to negotiate a similar treaty for his own band. In late 1842, that armistice was also signed.   This settled peace would not last long. In May of 1843, Mexican troops at Fronteras murdered six Chokonen men for no apparent reason. In late May, seven more Chiricahua men were murdered at the Presidio in Fronteras. In retaliation, Mangas and Pisago attacked Fronteras, killing two citizens and wounding another.   Deteriorating Conditions By 1844, conditions among the Apache bands in the region had deteriorated sharply. Smallpox arrived in the fall, and the supply of rations for the communities had sharply decreased. Mangas Coloradas and Pisago Cabezà ³n returned to the mountains by February 1845, and from there they conducted several raids on Sonora. Cochise would have participated in these raids.   In 1846, James Kirker, a mercenary sanctioned by the Mexican government, set out to kill as many Apaches as possible. On July 7, under the protection of a treaty, he hosted a feast at Galeana (in what is now Chihuahua state in Mexico) for 130 Chiricahuas, and then had them beaten to death in the morning. It was an ill-chosen moment, because in April of that year, fighting had broken out between the U.S. and Mexico, and Congress declared war on Mexico in May. The Apaches had a new and dangerous source of support, but they were rightly wary of the Americans.   In December of 1847, a war party of Apaches attacked the village of Cuquiarachi in Sonora and killed a longtime adversary, seven other men and six women, and captured six children. The following February, a large party attacked another town called Chinapa, killing 12 men, wounding six and capturing 42, mostly women and children.   Cochise Captured Throughout the summer of 1848, the Chokonen band carried on a siege of the fort at Fronteras. On June 21, 1848, Cochise and his Chokonen chief Miguel Narbona led an assault on Fronteras, Sonora, but the attack went awry. Narbonas horse was killed by cannon fire, and Cochise was captured. He remained a prisoner for about six weeks, and his release was only obtained by the exchange of 11 Mexican prisoners.   Apache Pass, Arizona, as viewed from Fort Bowie facing north.   Mark A. Wilson In the mid-1850s, Miguel Narbona died and Cochise became the principal chief of the band. In the late 1850s, United States citizens arrived in his country, first settling at Apache Pass, a station on the Butterfield Overland Mail Company route. For a few years, the Apaches maintained a tenuous peace with the Americans, who now provided sorely needed rations to them.   Bascom Affair, or "Cut the Tent" In early February 1861, U.S. Lieutenant George Bascom met Cochise at Apache Pass and accused him of capturing a boy who had in fact been taken by other Apaches. Bascom invited Cochise into his tent and told him he would hold him as a prisoner until the boy was returned. Cochise pulled out his knife, cut through the tent, and escaped into the nearby hills.   In retaliation, Bascoms troops captured five members of Cochises family, and four days later Cochise attacked, killing several Mexicans and capturing four Americans whom he offered in exchange for his relatives. Bascom refused, and Cochise tortured his prisoners to death, leaving their bodies to be found. Bascom retaliated by hanging Cochises brother Coyuntura and two nephews.  This event is known in Apache history as Cut the Tent. The Cochise Wars (1861–1872) Cochise became the dominant Chiricahua Apache chief, replacing the aging Mangas Coloradas. Cochises rage at the loss of his family members led to a bloody cycle of revenge and retaliation between the Americans and Apaches for the next 12 years, known as the Cochise Wars. For the first half of the 1860s, the Apaches maintained strongholds in the Dragoon mountains, moving back and forth attacking ranchers and travelers alike, and keeping control of southeastern Arizona. But after the U.S. Civil War ended, a massive influx of U.S. soldiers put the Apaches on the defensive.  Ã‚   By the late 1860s, the war continued sporadically. The worst event was an ambush and massacre by the Apaches of the Stone party in October of 1869. It was likely in 1870, when Cochise first met Thomas Jeffords (Red Beard), a stage driver for the Butterfield Overland Stage. Jeffords, who would become Cochises closest white friend, played a significant role in bringing peace to the American southwest.   Making Peace On October 1, 1872, true peace efforts were established at a meeting between Cochise and Brigadier General Oliver Otis Howard, facilitated by Jeffords. Treaty negotiations included a cessation of hostilities including raiding between the U.S. and Apaches, the safe passage of his warriors to their homes, and the creation of a short-lived Chiricahua Apache reservation, located initially in the Sulphur Spring Valley of Arizona. It was an agreement not on paper, but between two highly principled men who trusted one another.   The brigadier general Otis Howard made a lasting peace agreement with Cochise on October 1, 1872.   Hulton Archive/Getty Images The agreement did not include cessation of raiding in Mexico, however. American troops at Fort Bowie were prohibited from interfering with the Chokonens activities in Arizona. The Chokonens kept the terms of the treaty for three and a half years, but continued conducting raids in Sonora until the fall of 1873. Quotes After the Cut the Tent affair, Cochise is reported to have said: I was at peace with the whites, until they tried to kill me for what other Indians did; I now live and die at war with them.   In a conversation with his friend Thomas Jeffords, then the agent for the Chiricahua reservation, Cochise said: A man should never lie... if a man asks you or I a question we do not wish to answer, we could simply say I dont want to talk about that. Death and Burial Cochise became ill in 1871, probably suffering from abdominal cancer. He met with Tom Jeffords for the last time on June 7. In that final meeting Cochise asked that control of his band be passed on to his son Taza. He wanted the tribe to live in peace and hoped that Taza would continue to rely on Jeffords. (Taza went on to keep his commitments, but eventually, the U.S. authorities broke Howards covenant with Cochise, relocating Tazas band out of their homes and into Western Apache country.) Cochise died at the Eastern Stronghold in the Dragoon Mountains on June 8, 1874. The Eastern Stronghold in the Dragoon Mountains of southeastern Arizona. Mark A. Wilson   After his death, Cochise was washed and painted in war style, and his family buried him in a grave wrapped in blankets with his name woven into them. The sides of the grave were walled up about three feet high with stone; his rifle, arms and other articles of value were laid beside him. To give him transportation in the afterlife, Cochises favorite horse was shot within 200 yards, another killed about one mile away, and a third two miles away. In his honor, his family destroyed all the clothing and food stores they had and fasted for 48 hours. Legacy Cochise is known for his significant role in Indian-White relations. He lived and prospered by war, but died in peace: a man of great integrity and principle and a worthy leader of the Apache people as they experienced massive social change and upheaval. He is remembered as a fierce warrior as well as a leader of sound judgment and diplomacy. Eventually, he was willing to negotiate and find peace despite suffering the great loss of his family, tribe members, and way of living. Sources Seymour, Deni J., and George Robertson. A Pledge of Peace: Evidence of the Cochise-Howard Treaty Campsite. Historical Archaeology 42.4 (2008): 154–79. Print.Sweeney, Edwin R. Cochise: Chiricahua Apache Chief. The Civilization of the American Indian Series. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1991. Print.- -, ed. Cochise: Firsthand Accounts of the Chiricahua Apache Chief. 2014. Print.- -. Making Peace with Cochise: The 1872 Journal of Captain Joseph Alton Sladen. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1997. Print.

Quotes and Jokes From Dumb and Dumber

Quotes and Jokes From 'Dumb and Dumber' For moviemakers, comedy is not an easy genre, yet the two leading characters in Dumb and Dumber make comedy seem like a cakewalk. They really know how to get under your skin with their inane behavior. Here are some Dumb and Dumber movie quotes that demonstrate the great comic timing of Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. Lloyd Hey, look, the Monkees! They were a huge influence on the Beatles. Excuse me. Could you tell me how to get to the medical school? Im supposed to be giving a lecture in 20 minutes, and my drivers a bit lost. We got no food, no jobs... our pets heads are falling off! Thats what were gonna call it. I got worms! Were gonna specialize in selling worm farms. You know, like ant farms. Hey, I guess theyre right. Senior citizens, although slow and dangerous behind the wheel, can still serve a purpose. Ill be right back. Dont you go dying on me! Harry [after Lloyd trades the van in for a moped] Just when I thought you couldnt get any dumber, you go and do something like this... and totally redeem yourself! I cant believe we drove around all day, and theres not a single job in this town. There is nothing, nada, zip! What if he shot me in the face? According to the map, weve only gone 4 inches. Joe Mentalino Shut up! Now we dont even know who the hell they are! You dont kill people you dont know. Thats a rule.

The Best Way to Study and Practice for ACT Science

The Best Way to Study and Practice for ACT Science SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The ACT Science is like a double rainbow: unique,complicated to understand, and people freak out when they see it.Unlike a double rainbow, which tends to freak people out because of its awesomeness, the ACT Science section tends to freak people out because ofthecrazy time crunch with only 35 minutes to answer 40 questions. Even so, if you want to do well on the ACT Science, you can't avoid it. You have to buckle down and create a greatstudy plan. The good news is there are several easy steps to take to make sure you are studying for the ACT Science section in the right way. Here is an overview of what this guide covers: Which study materials to use The importance of using realistic timing How you should be reviewing your practice tests Memorizing whatthe ACT Science expects you to know Step 1: Study With Official Materials This step may seem obvious, but in order to get the most out of your studying, you need to study with ACT Science specific material. As I said before,the ACT Science section is unlike other science tests you've taken; your AP or IB sciencestudy materials will not help you here. You need to find ACT study materials that you like working with and that fit your study schedule. The highest quality source of practice tests is almost always official ACT practice tests. If you like my approach below, you’ll love PrepScholar’s program.We do the heavy lifting for you, by splitting up our prep material into specific skills. We'll detect your weaknesses automatically and give you focused lessons and quizzes to improve those skills. Also, check out our article on recommended ACT prep books. You should takea minimum of four full-length practice ACT Science sections before your test date. Step 2: Stick to the Real Timing The ACT Science section is the tightest time crunch of any section of the test: 7 passages, 40 questions, 35 minutes, leaving only 52.5 seconds to answer each question. You need to keep yourself to a five minutes per passage pace.If you do not do this in your practice, you will not be able to do it the day of the test.You should be taking a minimum of four practice tests, but I'd argue you should take around seven to eight practice ACT Science sections to nail this timing. Don't disturb the dragon. Step 3: Review Your Mistakes This is the MOST important step of all. After taking your practice test, don't just score your test and move on to the next one. You need to actuallyreview your mistakes. When reviewing practice tests, people tend to have some or all of these wrong impulses: Impulse 1: Focusing on what you did well and ignoring what you did wrong (not helpful). Impulse 2: Disregarding questions you got wrong because they were just "careless mistakes" (not helpful). Impulse 3: Focusing on the fact that you got things wrong and ignoring review in favor of self-loathing (popular among some overachievers, and yet...still not helpful). These impulses are not helpful!Review is the most important step in your study process.It is how you learn and improve. Your review of your ACT Science questions should be different depending on the type of passage.If you do not know the three types of ACT Science Passages, I recommend reading our other article first before continuing to read this article. As a brief review, there are three types of ACT Science Passages: 3 Data Representation Passages 3 Research Summary Passages 1 Conflicting Viewpoints Passage Data Representation Passages and Research Summary Passages are very similar. Both use visuals (graphs, tables, etc.) as the primary way to convey information. We willevaluate your mistakes for both in the same way. Conflicting Viewpoints Passages are the most unique since theytypically do not have any visuals.We will use a different approach for evaluating your mistakes. Reviewing Research Summary and Data Representation Passages We can't always be invincible. Start by analyzing your confidence for each question.Categorize each question as skipped, guessed (after process of elimination), or (you thought you) knew.Do this for all questions even the ones you got right.Be sure to review all questions that you skipped or guessed (even if you got some of the guessed ones right). For the skipped questions: Why did you skip? Did you run out of time?You should never skip on the ACT since there is no penalty for guessing.Make sure you leave yourself enough time at the end to at least pick a letter to bubble in for the remaining questions. For the guessed questions: Why did you guess right? Why did you guess wrong? Is there a difference in the way you approached the guessed questions you got right versus those you got wrong? Next, understand the reason you got the question wrong.Categorize your mistakes into 1 of 6 areas. Misreading the visuals Not understanding a trend Not understanding the setup of the experiment Misreading the passage Not knowing a science fact Careless error I will go into more detail on each type of mistake below. Mistake Type 1: Misreading the Visuals This is one of the most common mistakes since it's easy to do, and it applies to a lot of questions in ACT science. If you read our article on the three types of act science passages, this mistake is usually connected to factual questions and interpreting experiments questions.Did you not read the graphs, tables, scatterplots or diagrams correctly?If so, what did you misread? What did you not understand?Make sure to drill this skill, as it is the most tested on the ACT Science section.Here is an example of a factual question: There are several mistakes you can make when misreading graphs. Did you look at the wrong figure entirely? Example: Did you accidentally use the top graph of the percent of captured finches from Island A? You should have used the two bottom graphs that coveredthe percent of captured finches from Island B and C. Did you misread the valuesalong the x-axis or y-axis? Example: Did you think it said 8 instead of 10? Did you misread the labels along the x-axis or y-axis? Example: Did you think beak depth was measuredalong the y-axis? Did you not notice a key? Example: Many visuals will have a key with them. Keys are usually very important. Do not ignore them. You will recognize these mistakes when your answer choice is very different fromthe correct answer. If you think you may have misread the visual, start by analyzing the question. Did it refer to a specific figure? Did you look at Figure 2 when it said Figure 1? If it did not refer to a specific figure in the question, did the answer choices have numbers? For example, inquestion 1 above, the answers A, B, C, and D all have numbers: 8 mm, 9 mm, 10 mm, etc. If the answer choices contain numbers, it is a safe bet that you either needed to read a visual or understand a trend to answer the question correctly. I will explore understanding a trend mistakes next. If you think you struggle to understand visuals, you need to focus on improving this skill since it is the most tested skill on the ACT Science section. In order to improve, I'd recommend taking a few untimed ACT Science sections. Take as much time as you need to answer each question and dissect the visuals provided. Write out the control and variable(s). Write out the values at each data point. By doing this seemingly tedious step, you will be making sure you understand the information the visual is trying to convey. After reaching an acceptable score when taking untimed sections, I'd start taking timed sections immediately. As I said before, you will need to nail the 5-minute per passage timing to succeed on the ACT Science section. Mistake Type2: Not Understanding a Trend This mistake is usually connected to interpreting trends questions and calculations questions. Were you not able to describe the relationship of the data? Increasing, decreasing, direct, indirect? Were you not able to extrapolate / interpolate a trend? Here's an example of an interpreting trends question: Answering this question requires understanding what caused small seeds or large seeds to bemore abundant. In this case,this graph below and the two sentences directly above it provide the information you need. If you misread the graph or mixed up these sentences, you may have gotten the answer wrong. According to the two sentences, small seeds are abundant during wet years. According to the graph, 1984 was a wet year, so J. 1984 is the correct answer. I'd recommend the same approach to fixing this problem as with misreading the visuals. Take untimed practice sections. Try to draw on the visuals the extrapolation of the data. Draw the line as if it went out further. Follow the table. Put up and down arrows for if the data is going up from point to point or down from point to point. Once you start excelling at these interpreting trends and calculations questions, go back to the 5-minute per passage pace. Mistake Type3: Not Understanding the Setup of the Experiment This mistake is usually connected to experimental design/research intent questions and hypothetical experimental questions.Did you not understand the researcher’s intent? Did you not understand the experiment’s design? Did you not know the control versus variables? Here's an example of an experimental design question: Answering this question requires understanding what the titrant and sample solution were. In this case, the passage defines what a titrant is and what a sample solution is, but if you misread the passage, it's easy to mix it up, especially since it's just a bunch of liquid being mixed together anyway. Be sure to skim the passage for this information if you cannot figure it out from the visuals alone. Mistake Type4: Misreading the Passage Did you miss key information from the passage needed to answer the questions? Make sure you read carefully. If you are not 100% sure what the answer is, go back and skim if you have the time. Try to be 100% sure before you move on to the next question. Regarding the question in mistake type 2, it would be easy to misread the two sentences you need to answer the question correctly. If you were reading too quickly, you may think that the small seeds were abundant during dry years and answer incorrectly. Take your time and make sure you understand what you read, so you get the correct answer. Mistake Type5: Not Knowing a Science Fact If you read our article on the only actual science you need to know for the ACT science, this mistake is on those questions.These questions only appear about four times per test and require outside science knowledge. To make sure the mistake is because of a lack of outside knowledge, re-read the entire passage and make sure they do not give you the information you needed to answer the question.If you still think it is an outside knowledge question, make a flashcard with the information you didn’t know. Study the flashcards, so you get the information down.You should make flashcards for all the topics from the only actual science article and drill yourself.Also, be sure to do some additional light research to refresh yourmemory of that concept. It is not necessary to read a book on the subject, but just be sure you have a basic understanding of the concept. The question below expects you to know that protons are positively charged, electrons are negatively charged, like charges repel each other, and opposite charges attract each other. Nowhere in the passage is this property of charges stated - you just have to know this from your science class experience.Knowing what you do, you can eliminate F and H. In this case, the passage stated the reaction uses protons, so the answer is G. Knowingthis material is the only way to get a score between 31 and 36. If you are aiming for a score of 30 or below on the ACT Science section, you do not need to spend as much time focused on these questions, since they only account for about four questions per test. Mistake Type6: Careless Error Did you make a small calculation error in question that requires basic math? Did you misread the question? Did you not see a NOT or EXCEPT?Make sure to read the questions closely and circle or underline the NOT or EXCEPT so you don’t miss it. It would be very easy to read this too fast and think the question is asking which of the following is true. I have watched many of the students I tutor make that mistake, and I have made that mistake myself. Try to read carefully to avoid these careless mistakes. Reviewing Conflicting Viewpoints Passages Again, start by analyzing your confidence for each question.Label them as either skipped, guessed, or knew.Try not to skip in the future since you are not penalized for guessing on the ACT.Review all skipped and guessed problems (even if you got some guessed questions right). Understand the reason you got the question wrong.Categorize mistakes into two categories: Not understanding the point of view Not understanding the differences and similarities in the points of view Mistake Type 1: Not Understanding the Point of View If you read our article on the three types of act science passages, this mistake is usually connected to understanding of viewpoints questions. If you continue to struggle with theses types of question, circle and/or underline as you read the passage to make sure you remember the point of view of each student/scientist. What is their argument? What do they believe?Write yourself a three word or less summary after reading the paragraphi.e. â€Å"pro-comet theory,† â€Å"anti-comet theory.† Answering this question requires understanding Student 2's point of view. In this case, Student 2 said that Algol B became a part of the Algol system because Algol B intersected orbits with the original Algol system, so the original Algol system exerted a gravitational force on Algol B. Therefore, the answer is H. If you did not understand Student 2's argument, you would get this question wrong. Mistake Type 2: Not Understanding the Differences and Similarities in the Points of View This mistake is usually connected to comparing viewpoints questions.Were you able to differentiate between the two scientists/students? How were their viewpoints similar? Answering this question requires understanding both Scientist 1's and Scientist 2's point of view and knowing the similarities between them. In this case, both agreed the object explodedat 8 km above the Earth, so we can eliminate B, C, and D. Therefore, the answer is A. If you did not know this key similarity between them, you probably would have answered incorrectly. Step 4: Study the Science Subjects That the ACT Expects You to Know As I mentioned briefly above, check out our other article on the only actual science you need to know for the ACT Science section. Do some light research to make sure you have a basic understanding of each topic. Make flashcards of that material.Drill yourself until you know it.Because there are 13 topics mentioned in that article and only around four used per practice test, it is possible you may not come across all of them in your studies.You do not want to be surprised the day of the test, so make flashcards and make sure you know them! Recap to the Best Way to Study ACT Science Here are the steps to success: Study with real ACT Science materials When you take practice sections, make sure you are sticking to the real timing! (five minutes per passage) Review your mistakes from your practice tests. (Don't ignore them! This is the most important step!) Study the science subjects that the ACT expects you to know I hope you see know that the ACT Science is easy if you have a good study plan. What's Next? Study hard, review like a pro, and get a 36 on the ACT Science section! Get more helpcracking the ACT Science section. Learn the big secret of ACT Science. Find outthe science you have to know, and learn the best way to read ACT Science passages. Not sure where you want to go to college? Learn how to do college research right.Once, you know where you want to go to school, pickyour ACT target score. Aiming for a top college? Read our advice on getting into Harvard, the Ivy League, and Stanford. Like this article? Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Sciencelesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial: