spring! semester!

spring! semester! Were well into Quarter 3 and my first midterms are quickly approaching, so to procrastinate for them, I’m going to talk about my spring semester. Without further ado Classes: 18.065 (Matrix Methods in Data Analysis, Signal Processing, and Machine Learning) This class is taught by the legend Gilbert Strang, whom you may know for his 18.06 videos on MIT OCW. These videos saved me when I was taking Linear Algebra in high school, so I sent Professor Strang fanmail, and he responded to me recommending that I take this class! I’ve been waiting to take it ever since. This class definitely meets my expectations. I haven’t taken a math class since Linear Algebra in my junior year of high school, so reviewing important concepts took a while, but the class is really well-paced, so I didn’t struggle too much. I can’t wait to leave the realm of matrix methods and learn how they’re applied to probability and statistics, deep learning, and optimization. 21G.038 (China in the News: The Untold Stories) This class is fascinating. I decided to take it because it will (eventually) contribute to my Chinese minor and also because it’s a CI-H. I, uh, I needed to take one of those or I’d be put on a credit limit next fall. I had a bit of a rocky start in the class, but now that I’ve gotten used to it, I love it. It’s really, really interesting. It focuses on the politics of framingâ€"in other words, how people, whether consciously or subconsciously,   choose to portray issues. The first unit was about reframing Mao Zedong, who is illustrated in a very negative light in the West, and the current unit is about various elements of Chinese culture. I’m loving this unit because the similarities between Chinese and Indian culture are pretty profound, and making comparisons between Chinese, Indian, Japanese, and American culture is really intriguing.   Also, the assignments aren’t like anything I’ve experienced in a class beforeâ€"the homework for each class is to do readings/watch documentaries and to write two questions about the content that show your critical thinking. We then discuss everyone’s questions in the next class. It’s a lot of fun!! 21G.102 (Chinese II) And now for the actual Chinese language part of my minor! This class meets every day except Wednesday for an hour, and even though I thought it would be impossible to wake up at 10 am, it’s totally doable. I’m actually happy to come to class since it’s super engaging; I already feel my Chinese improving. There’s homework every day, and we also have to memorize 6-7 line dialogues before class quite often, but it’s not hard at allâ€"the homework takes a maximum of 30 minutes every night, and I memorize the dialogue on the 10-minute walk to class. Overall, the class seems like a lot more work than it is since there’s homework every day, but I like how doing it gives me a chance to decompress every night.   Also, the class is frickin hilarious, no joke. It’s such a friendly environment that everyone can attempt to say things at any time, which means that there are a lot of slip-ups that have me dying with laughter at least once a day.   15.276 (Communicating With Data) This class is a CI-M (aka a communication-intensive in your major) so damn, I am COMMUNICATING this semester. It’s pretty chill and it covers some essential skills in being a functioning human in the workplace, which is lit. A lot of it is intuitive, but having multiple opportunities to put everything into practice is nice. Also, I love that we get to work in groups since I havent gotten a chance to do that in a class here yet. It’s also a Sloan class, which is nice because Sloan has a lot of good places to work. It’s overhyped as being really far from campus, but it’s just a five-minute walk, so 8.02 (Physics II) Oh, jeez. I’m really behind in this class and there’s a midterm in two daysbut we’ll figure that out soon.   8.02 is in good ol’ TEAL format, so we work in groups and answer questions during class. Again, TEAL is effective for helping people apply concepts to problem-solving, but when you have no idea what’s going on, it’s pretty ineffective. I’ve missed a lot of lectures because 1. I was sick for the first two weeks of the semester and 2. I fell so far behind that going to lecture was essentially meaningless. and i oop I took AP Physics I in high school, so I kind of knew what I was doing in 8.01. 8.02, on the other handyikes. I really just did not know what was going on for the first three weeks of this semester. There hasn’t even been that much content covered so far, which is the scary partbut I’m using the many resources available to catch up before the midterm!! pray for me lol Extracurriculars: Cardio Drumming (PE): Yall. You should take this PE class. It’s incredible. Cardio drumming is quite the conceptâ€"you basically use drumsticks to drum on a yoga mat to hype songs. As you drum, you do ab curls and squats and a ton of other exercises that I would hate to do in literally any other context.   IT’S SO FUN. NO JOKE. I am ENJOYING doing cardio!!!! I look forward to every class!!!!!!!! Also, the teacher is lovely and extremely accommodating. She has so much energy and an AMAZING taste in music. TAKE THIS PE I SWEAR TO GOD YOU WON’T REGRET IT Mocha Moves: Yep, I’m still dancing :) Mocha is only six hours a week during the semester, which seems very light compared to the 20+ hours a week we had to endure during IAPI love Mocha so much and am really excited for another semester on the team! Dance Troupe: I’m both choreographing and dancing in DT this semester. I’m choreographing the beginner hip-hop dance with my living community big (who is also the DT president), so we can hang out in a kitchen and make choreo, which is hellaaa convenient. Choreographing and teaching is SO much fun! It’s tiring since there are over 40 people in our dance, but seeing how much everyone is enjoying it makes me really happy.   (CAMI IS IN MY DANCE 3333) As for the one dance I’m in, it’s a fusion piece that’s being choreographed by a lot of cool people, so I’m v v excited about it.   Transition Team: I’ve talked about this before, but Burton-Conner is being renovated, which is a BIG sad. All the living communities within BC are being split up during the two-year period of renovation, so student voices during the transitioning processes are integral to preserving the dorm’s culture. We meet every two weeks to share updates on the transition and to discuss how we can help the student body through this process. Being a member is hard since it breaks my heart that my living community is being split up, but it’s really, really important. Burton-Conner Vice President: Ayy I’m on exec! Currently, I don’t have huge responsibilities besides attending UA Council meetings, helping the president out, and staying informed about everything going on with Burton-Conner, but that’ll change when the transition gets more underway Global Languages Advisory Group: Since I’m a Chinese minor, I was invited to join an advisory group that helps the Global Languages department figure out how to better meet student needs. It’s a really chill commitment that has the potential to help a lot of people, which is great. We’re currently working on planning World Languages Day (April 8)! 21G.012 (Exploring Globalization Through Chinese Food): I TA for this class! It’s a 1-unit freshman exploratory class that my professor from last semester teaches, so she invited me to help her out with it. The class is suuuuper chillâ€"you basically get to eat Chinese snacks and learn about various aspects of Chinese culture. There are only six lectures and also a free trip to Chinatown and a cooking workshop, so it’s a pretty incredible deal.   (ALSO CJ IS IN MY CLASS AND HES A STELLAR STUDENT) Sloan Business Club Social Chair: I get to help plan cool events for cool people :)   and thats, uh, it!

Annotated Bibliography On Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking

Annotated Bibliography: Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Clark County Washington. â€Å"Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking (DMST) Commercially Sexually Exploited Children.† Clark County Washington. Juvenile Court. 2016. Web. 17 Feb. 2016. This website is bringing awareness to domestic minor sex trafficking in Washington. They have identified that domestic minor sex trafficking is serious problem in their community. They have developed a year long training program to help equip their community so that they will have a response when they find a victim. They also have stated that domestic minor sex trafficking victims are victims not criminals. They have also created a very informative powerpoint that goes through key ideas on warning signs, identifying, and resources to call. This website is government based. It is Clark County official website so it should be very reliable. This website is very current in that all the links work and the website is up to date. They offer information on multiple subjects that affect their community. Countryman-Roswurm, Karen, and Brien Bolin. Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking: Assessing And Reducing Risk. Child Adolescent Social Work Journal 31.6 (2014): 521-538. Sociological Collection. Web. 17 Feb. 2016. This Scholarly article focuses on a study that is being conducted for a three months. The volunteers for this study are runaways, homeless and people who have experienced some kind of abuse. The age group resulted in twenty-three fourteen

Observations Of A Child Development Lab - 1966 Words

Introduction This paper will discuss the observations made at the Child Development lab, and how they are connected to various types of development learned throughout this course. Question One During the beginning of my visit with the 36-month classroom, I observed a boy for fifteen minutes. Throughout the duration of this time, he was one of the first few children up from nap, so he proceeded to walk around, and get out toys to play with. However, he was asked repeatedly by the teachers to be quiet, as others were still napping. At one point, the teacher got down on is level, and had to confiscate his toy food. His face got an expression of shock, and then it gradually grew upset, with his eyebrows arching, and his lips grew into a†¦show more content†¦Question Two The adults in the room talk to children on their level, meaning that when an adult must say what a child did wrong, they make sure that they get down on their level, and talk to them in a calm yet firm manner. They promoted the well-being of the children by engaging in play that was challenging for them, but with the help of the teachers, it became possible. This is supported by Vygotsky’s theory of the zone of proximal development, which is the concept of seeing what a child can do with help, and what a child cannot yet do (Berk, 2013). A specific example of this is when a child was trying to complete a puzzle, and the teacher showed them how to complete the difficult puzzle, and then the child, with some occasional help from the teacher, was able to complete this puzzle. This will help support the child’s development because it helps the child overcome challenges. Another observation I made was during their reading time. A teacher was reading them a book, I believe the book was If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, and the teacher was taking turns reading and then helping the students read small passages. 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Pop Art Was Simply a Reflection of Consumer Society and Mass Media Free Essays

Pop art was simply a reflection of consumer society and mass media, not a critique. Discuss with reference to the work of 3 artists. Pop Art was one of the major art movements of the twentieth century. We will write a custom essay sample on Pop Art Was Simply a Reflection of Consumer Society and Mass Media or any similar topic only for you Order Now It brought art back to the material realities of daily life, in which ordinary people derived most their visual pleasure from popular mass culture, such as advertising, television, magazines, or comic books and comic strips. As it emerged from the experiments of the fifties, was the ideal instrument for coming to grips with the American urban environment. Stangos, 1997) As the post-war generation and the stable political situation, it drove people back to the qualities of life. At the same times, America urban environment was influence by industrialism, consumer society and the mass media explosion. The pop artists have found subjects, which have previously been ‘invisible’ because they are so much a part of our surroundings that we don’t see them. These things now begin to appear, once the artists have pointed them out, and we discover that the world is full of ‘Pop object,’ which are expressive of our times and our values for better or for worse. M ahsun, 1989, p. 163) Pop art was established from the reality of basic consumer society; therefore, it was accepted by the society easily. Pop art is said to be a reflection of culture as artists are giving new interpretation to different ordinary objects in their art works. Jasper Johns establish his career in art in 1954, he uses flags, numbers, letters and maps these kind of common symbols in daily life as element or theme of his art work. Jasper talks about his work, ‘Flags’ (fig. ), in which he thinks that flag this kind of most ordinary objects ‘can be dealt with without having to judge them, they seem to me to exist as clear facts, not involving aesthetic hierarchy. ’ (Harrison and Wood, 2001, p. 721) He adds that ‘one thinks it has forty-eight stars and suddenly it has fifty stars; it is no longer of any great interest. ’ ‘The painting of a flag is always about a flag, but it is no more about a flag than it is about a brush-stroke or about a color or about the physicality of the paint, I think. (Harrison and Wood, 2001, p. 723) People will not care anymore about the cultural meaning of a flag, such as the meaning behind the number of stars of flag, but it transforms to a new representation of merely art element—- brush-stroke, color and paint. The deform of ordinary objects is reformed into a new image using oil and collage on fabric. By looking at the quality of work, one may say it is unfinished, however Jasper said it is his intention. ‘I think a painting should include more experience than simply intended statement. I personally would like to keep the painting in a state of ‘ shunning statement’, so that one is left with the fact that one can experience individually as one pleases; that is, not to focus the attention in one way, but to leave the situation as kind of actual thing, so that the experience of it is variable. ’ (Harrison and Wood, 2001, p. 726) Besides he is interested in deforming objects, he also intended to leave the painting not ‘perfect’ as people usually conceived, to let viewer to ‘experience’ and interpret the painting in their own way. Lippard (1966) also said that he has neutralized the gap between life and art by composing ‘imperfect synthesis of motif and treatment’. The question about is it a painting or flag is no more important. He integrates art and life with the use of ordinary objects and the imperfect way to treat his art. The new interpretation of ordinary culture is arousing resonance of viewers rather that a voicing out a statement to challenge the society. Andy Warhol, another master of pop art giving a new interpretation of mass production. For the most 1950s he was a successful graphic designer, particularly in the field of shoe illustration. In 1960, Warhol, produced his first canvases depicting comic strip characters. The canonical repeated Soup Cans, Disaster, Elvises and Marilyns followed in 1962. Warhol talks about his work, ‘Campbell’s Soup Cans,’(fig. 2), for the reason he start painting soup cans ‘because I used to drink it. I used to have the same lunch every day, for twenty years, I guess, the same thing over and over again. ’(Harrison and Wood, 2001, P. 732) Painting usually reflects the painter’s mind, which is happening around them. And the Soup cans totally reflect what Warhol’s life had and what he concerned. Daily objects are used again as the theme of art work which is reminding viewers about very common objects, which Warhol is placing a new value and thought into them through his work. Another series of painting, the death series (fig. 3), and the reason to start this series is because there was lots of disaster news from the mass media. Warhol realized that everything he was doing must have been Death. That started it. But he believed when one see a horrible picture over and over again would lose the effect (Harrison and Wood, 2001, P. 732). He even wants to repeat the images like what a machine does. In the 60s, most of the American similar to Warhol repeating their life likes a machine. No one would like to be a machine, but Warhol does. Warhol said that ‘I want to be a machine, and I feel that whatever I do and do machine like is what I want to do. ’ (Harrison and Wood, 2001, P. 732) In 1963 Warhol was mass-producing the images by silkscreen technique, for the repeated images ‘makes us aware again of objects which have lost their visual recognition through constant exposure. We take a fresh look at things familiar to us, yet uprooted from their ordinary contexts, and reflect upon the meaning of contemporary existence. ’(Stangos, 1997, P. 229) Warhol wants an art that will appeal to everybody, and his ‘products’ range from soup to cheesecake, Brillo to Marilyn Monroe, nose surgery to Jacqueline Kennedy, as he mention ‘everything is beautiful, Pop is everything. ’ (Stangos, 1997) Once again, his art work reflects the mundane daily life of Warhol. It becomes widespread and popular because of the objects are so attached to everyone’s common life in America, which recalls people’s memory. It is more probably that he is playful to ordinary materials, giving new look to them, mass producing them, rather to give a critical statement to the contemporary society. Roy Lichtenstein, who was a founder and foremost practitioner of pop art, he interest in the comic-strip cartoon and blown-up enlargements of things as an art theme probably began with a painting of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, ‘Look Mickey’ (fig. 4). Although he was initially dissatisfied with his technique and uncomfortable with direct appropriation, he took great pleasure in presenting well-known comic-strip figures in a fine art format. He thinks that Pop art is commercial art which is used as subject matter in painting. (Franciz, Mark and Foster, 2005) He is interested in signs and comic strips because they are ‘usable, forceful and vital about commercial art†¦. We are using those things—- but we are not really advocating stupidity, international teenagerism and terrorism. ’ (Franciz, Mark and Foster, 2005, p. 229) The use of ‘comic strips’ itself already brings the cultural effect which everyone could digest easily, while he did not intend to give a judgment to the culture or society. Roy also said that he painted directly. To express the things in a painterly style would dilute it; the techniques he uses are not commercial, they only appear to be commercial and the ways of seeing and composing and unifying are different and have different ends. Roy believes pop art looks out into the world; it appears to accept its environment, which is not good or bad, but different-another state of mind. And the tension between apparent object-directed products and actual ground- directed processes is an important strength of pop art. Mahsun, 1989,) When the curator at the modern museum has called pop art fascistic and militaristic, ‘the 1st televised war’ (fig 5), Roy said that ‘The heroes depicted in comic books are fascist types, but I don’t take them seriously in these paintings- maybe there is a point in not taking them seriously, a political point. I use them for purely formal reason, and that’s not what those heroes were invented for†¦. Pop art has very immediate and of the moment meanings which will vanish- that kind of thing is ephemeral- and pop takes advantage of this ‘meaning’ which is not supposed to last, to divert you from its content. I think the formal statement in my work will become clearer in time. ’ (Mahsun, 1989, P. 113) It is clear that Roy does not take the heroic effect of cartoon strip itself seriously, even agrees with the fading meaning of pop art it may convey. It does not matters to him whether the effect will be long-lasting. He takes the immediate effect of cartoon images which are popular and influential in the moment. One could hardly think about he is criticizing the culture from his own statement. In 50s to 60s America societies, pop culture is the product of the Industrial Revolution, and of the series of technological revolutions that succeed it. Nikos Stangos, 1997) The impact of Mass media from radio, television or magazine advertising was fully influenced in America urban environment, who can live without this complicated mass media element. According to impact of mass media, the commonplace objects (such as comic strips, famous star and commodities) were used as subject matter in p op art. When the pop artists discovered those ‘invisible’ objects, they realized that there were full of new interesting art element surround them. When the daily commodities become an art piece, the relationship between the commonplace objects and the consumer are resonating easily. That is the reason why pop art acceptance and recognition by the consumer society and become a fad quickly. (Harrison and Wood, 2001,) It is more prone that Pop art is reflecting the society and culture rather than judging it. ‘Everything about pop art was, and is, transient and provisional. By embracing these qualities, the pop artists held a mirror to society itself. ’ (Stangos, 1997, P. 238) | | | (Fig. 1) Flags, 1952| | (Fig. 2) Campbell’s Soup Can, 1962| | | | | | | (Fig. 3) five deaths, 1963| | (Fig. 4) Look mickey,1961| | | | | | | (Fig. 5) The 1st televised war,1972| | | Reference list: Francis, Mark and Foster, 2005, Hal (eds). Pop, Phaidon, New York Harrison, C and Wood, P 2001, Art in theory: 1900-2000: and anthology of changing ideas, Oxford, Blackwell. Honnet, K 2007, Andy Warhol 1928-1987 commerce into Art, Taschen, Germany Lippard,L. R, 1966, Pop Art, Thames and Hudson, London Livingstone, M, 2000, Pop art a continuing history, Thames and Hudson, Singapore Mahsun, C. A. R, 1989, Pop Art the critical dialogue, UMI Research Press, London Stangos, N, 1997, Concepts of Modern Art, third edition, Thames and Hudson, Singapore How to cite Pop Art Was Simply a Reflection of Consumer Society and Mass Media, Papers

Internet Censorship Essays (1650 words) - Content-control Software

Internet Censorship The freedom of speech that was possible on the Internet could now be subjected to governmental approvals. For example, China is attempting to restrict political expression, in the name of security and social stability. It requires users of the Internet and electronic mail (e-mail) to register, so that it may monitor their activities. In the United Kingdom, state secrets and personal attacks are off limits on the Internet. Laws are strict and the government is extremely interested in regulating the Intern et with respect to these issues.10 Laws intended for other types of communication will not necessarily apply in this medium. Through all the components of the Internet it becomes easy to transfer material that particular governments might find objectionable. However, all of these means of communicating on the Internet make up a large and vast system. For inspectors to monitor every e-mail, every article in every Newsgroup, every Webpage, every IRC channel, every Gopher site and every FTP site would be near impossible. Besides taking an ext raordinary amount of money and time, attempts to censor the Internet violate freedom of speech rights that are included in democratic constitutions and international laws.11 It would be a breach of the First Amendment. The Constitution of the United Stat es of America declares that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redr ess of grievances 12 Therefore it would be unconstitutional for any sort of censorship to occur on the Internet and affiliated services. Despite the illegality, restrictions on Internet access and content are increasing worldwide under all forms of government. In France, a co untry where the press generally has a large amount of freedom, the Internet has recently been in the spotlight. A banned book on the health history of former French president Francois Mitterrand was republished electronically on the World Wide Web (WWW). Apparently, the electronic reproduction of Le Grand Secret by a third party wasn't banned by a court that ruled that the printed version of the book unlawfully violated Mitterrand's privacy. To enforce censorship of the Internet, free societies find that they become more repressive and closed societies find new ways to crush political expression and opposition.13 Vice - President Al Gore, while at an international conference in Brussels about the Internet, in a keynote address said that [Cyberspace] is about protecting and enlarging freedom of expression for all our citizens ... Ideas should not be checked at the border.14 Another person attending that conference was Ann Breeson of the Ame rican Civil Liberties Union, an organization dedicated to preserving many things including free speech. She is quoted as saying, Our big victory at Brussels was that we pressured them enough so that Al Gore in his keynote address made a big point of stre ssing the importance of free speech on the Internet.15 Many other organizations have fought against laws and have succeeded. A prime example of this is the fight that various groups put on against the recent Communication Decency Act (CDA) of the U.S. Se nate. The Citizens Internet Empowerment Coalition on 26 February 1996 filed a historic lawsuit in Philadelphia against the U.S. Department of Justice and Attorney General Janet Reno to make certain that the First Amendment of the U.S.A. would not be compr omised by the CDA. The sheer range of plaintiffs alone, including the American Booksellers Association, the Freedom to Read Foundation, Apple, Microsoft, America Online, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Commercial Internet eXchange Association , Wired, and HotWired, as well as thousands of netizens (citizens of the Internet) shows the dedication that is felt by many different people and groups to the cause of free speech on the Internet.16 Words like *censored*, *censored*, piss, and tits. Words of which our mothers (at least some of them) would no doubt disapprove, but which by no means should be regulated by the government. But it's not just about dirty words. It's also about words like AIDS, gay, a nd breasts. It's about sexual content, and politically controversial topics like drug addiction, euthanasia, and racism.17 Just recently in France, a high court has struck down a bill that promoted the censorship of the Internet. Other countries have attempted similar moves. The Internet cannot be regulated in the way of other mediums simply because it is not the same as

Biography of James Hutton, Founder of Modern Geology

Biography of James Hutton, Founder of Modern Geology James Hutton (June 3, 1726–March 26, 1797) was a Scottish doctor and geologist who had ideas about the formation of the Earth that became known as Uniformitarianism. Although not an accredited geologist, he spent much time hypothesizing that the Earths processes and formation had been going on for eons and were continuing to the present. Charles Darwin was well-acquainted with Hutton’s ideas, which provided a framework for his work in biological evolution and natural selection. Fast Facts: James Hutton Known For: Founder of modern geologyBorn: June 3, 1726 in Edinburgh, United KingdomParents: William Hutton, Sarah BalfourDied: March 26, 1797 in Edinburgh, United KingdomEducation: University of Edinburgh, University of Paris, University of LeidenPublished Works: Theory of the EarthChildren: James Smeaton Hutton Early Life James Hutton was born on June 3, 1726, in Edinburgh, Scotland, one of five children born to William Hutton and Sarah Balfour. His father, who was a merchant and treasurer for the city of Edinburgh, died in 1729, when James was only 3 years old. He also lost an older brother at a very young age. His mother did not remarry and was able to raise Hutton and his three sisters on her own, thanks to the wealth his father had built before his death. When Hutton was old enough, his mother sent him to the High School of Edinburgh, where he discovered his love of chemistry and mathematics. Education At the young age of 14, Hutton was sent off to the University of Edinburgh to study Latin and other humanities courses. He was made the apprentice of a lawyer at age 17, but his employer did not believe that he was well-suited for a career in law. Hutton decided to become a physician to be able to continue his studies in chemistry. After three years in the medical program at the University of Edinburgh, Hutton finished his medical studies in Paris before receiving his degree from the University of Leiden in the Netherlands in 1749. Personal Life While studying medicine at the University of Edinburgh, Hutton fathered an illegitimate son with a woman who lived in the area. He named his son James Smeaton Hutton. Although he financially supported his son, who was raised by his mother, Hutton did not take an active role in raising the boy. Following the birth in 1747, Hutton moved to Paris to continue his medical studies. After finishing his degree, instead of moving back to Scotland, the young doctor practiced medicine in London for a few years. It is not known whether this move to London was prompted by the fact that his son was living in Edinburgh, but it is often assumed that is why he chose not to move back to Scotland. Soon, however, Hutton decided that practicing medicine was not for him. Before he had started his medical studies, Hutton and a partner had become interested in sal ammoniac, or ammonium chloride, a chemical used in making medicines as well as fertilizers and dyes. They developed an inexpensive method of manufacturing the chemical that became financially rewarding, enabling Hutton in the early 1750s to move to a large plot of land he had inherited from his father and become a farmer. Here he began to study geology and came up with some of his best-known ideas. By 1765, the farm and the sal ammoniac manufacturing company were providing enough income that he could give up farming and move to Edinburgh, where he could pursue his scientific interests. Geological Studies Hutton did not have a degree in geology, but his experiences on the farm gave him the focus to form theories about the formation of the Earth that were novel at the time. Hutton hypothesized that the interior of the Earth was very hot and that the processes that changed the Earth long ago were still at work millenniums later. He published his ideas in his book, The Theory of the Earth, in 1795. Hutton asserted in the book that life also followed this long-term pattern. The concepts in the book about life changing gradually by these same mechanisms since the beginning of time were in line with the principles of evolution well before Charles Darwin came up with his theory of natural selection. Huttons ideas drew much criticism from most geologists of his time, who followed a more religious line in their findings. The prevailing theory at the time of how rock formations had occurred on Earth was that they were a product of a series of catastrophes, such as the Great Flood, that accounted for the form and nature of an Earth that was thought to be only 6,000 years old. Hutton disagreed and was mocked for his anti-Biblical account of the Earths formation. He was working on a follow-up to the book when he died. Death James Hutton died in Edinburgh on March 26, 1797, at age 70 after suffering poor health and pain for a number of years caused by bladder stones. He was buried in Edinburgh’s Greyfriars Churchyard. He left no will, so his estate passed to his sister and, on her death, to Huttons grandchildren, the children of his son, James Smeaton Hutton. Legacy In 1830, geologist Charles Lyell rephrased and republished many of Huttons ideas in his book Principles of Geology and called them Uniformitarianism, which became a cornerstone of modern geology. Lyell was an acquaintance of Robert FitzRoy, captain of the  HMS Beagle  on Darwins voyages. FitzRoy gave Darwin a copy of  Principles of Geology, which Darwin studied as he traveled and collected data for his work. It was Lyells book, but Huttons ideas, that inspired Darwin to incorporate the concept of an ancient mechanism that had been at work since the beginning of the Earth in his own world-changing book, The Origin of the Species. Thus, Huttons concepts indirectly sparked the idea of natural selection for Darwin. Sources James Hutton: Scottish Geologist. Encyclopedia Brittanica.James Hutton: The Founder of Modern Geology. The American Museum of Natural History.James Hutton. Famous Scientists.

LSAT Logical Reasoning Sample Practice Questions

LSAT Logical Reasoning Sample Practice Questions The questions in this section are based on the reasoning contained in brief statements or passages. For some questions, more than one of the choices could conceivably answer the question. However, you are to choose the best answer; that is, the response that most accurately and completely answers the question. You should not make assumptions that are by commonsense standards implausible, superfluous, or incompatible with the passage. After you have chosen the best answer, blacken the corresponding space on your answer sheet. Question 1 Biologists attached a radio transmitter to one of a number of wolves that had been released earlier in the White River Wilderness Area as part of a relocation project. The biologists hoped to use this wolf to track the movements of the whole pack. Wolves usually range over a wide area in search of prey, and frequently follow the migrations of their prey animals. The biologists were surprised to find that this particular wolf never moved more than five miles away from the location in which it was first tagged. Which one of the following, if true, would by itself most help to explain the behavior of the wolf tagged by the biologists? A.  The area in which the wolves were released was rocky and mountainous, in contrast to the flat, heavily-wooded area from which they were taken.   B. The wolf had been tagged and released by the biologists only three miles away from a sheep ranch that provided a large, stable population of prey animals. C.  The White River Wilderness Area had supported a population of wolves in past years, but they had been hunted to extinction. D.  Although the wolves in the White River Wilderness Area were under government protection, their numbers had been sharply reduced, within a few years of their release, by illegal hunting. E.  The wolf captured and tagged by the biologists had split off from the main pack whose movements the biologists had hoped to study, and its movements did not represent those of the main pack. Answer below. Scroll down. Question 2 As any economist knows, healthy people pose less of an economic burden to society than unhealthy people. Not surprisingly, then, every dollar our state government spends on prenatal care for undocumented immigrants will save taxpayers of this state three dollars. Which of the following, if true, would best explain why the statistics cited above are not surprising? A.  The state’s taxpayers pay for prenatal care of all  immigrants. B.  Babies born in this state to undocumented immigrant parents are entitled to infant care benefits from the state. C.  State benefits for prenatal care serve to promote undocumented immigration. D.  Babies whose mothers did not receive prenatal care.are just as healthy as other babies. E.  Pregnant women who do not receive prenatal care are more likely to experience health problems than other pregnant women. Question 3 Beautiful beaches attract people, no doubt about it. Just look at this city’s beautiful beaches, which are among the most overcrowded beaches in Florida. Which of the following exhibits a pattern of reasoning most similar to the one exhibited in the argument above? A.  Moose and bear usually appear at the same drinking  hole at the same time of day. Therefore, moose and  bear must grow thirsty at about the same time. B.  Children who are scolded severely tend to misbehave.more often than other children. Hence if a child is not scolded severely that child is less likely to misbehave. C.  This software program helps increase the work  efficiency of its users. As a result, these users  have more free time for other activities. D.  During warm weather, my dog suffers from fleas  more so than during cooler weather. Therefore,  fleas must thrive in a warm environment. E. Pesticides are known to cause anemia in some people.  However, most anemic people live in regions where  pesticides are not commonly used. Answers to LSAT Logical Reasoning Questions Question 1: Most wolves range over a wide area in search of prey; this particular wolf hung around the same area. An explanation that immediately suggests itself is that this particular wolf found enough prey in this area, so it didn’t have to run all over looking for food. This is the tack taken by B. If the wolf had a large stable population of sheep on which to pray in the immediate vicinity, there was no need for it to range over a wide territory looking for food. A  doesn’t have much direct bearing on this particular wolf’s lack of mobility. While it’s true that a wolf might find it harder to move around in the mountainous  country, the stimulus says that  wolves, in general, tend to cover great distances in search of food. There’s no hint that a wolf in a mountainous area should prove an exception to this rule. C  is irrelevant: While the White River Wilderness Area may once have supported a population of wolves, knowing this does nothing to explain the behavior of this particular wolf. D, if anything, gives what seems to be a reason for our wolf to make tracks and migrate somewhere else.  Certainly,  D doesn’t explain why our wolf didn’t follow usual wolf hunting methods. E answers the wrong question; it would help explain why the naturalists couldn’t use our wolf to study the movements of the larger pack. However, we haven’t been asked that; we want to know why this specific wolf didn’t behave the way wolves usually do. Question 2 The argument relies on the unstated assumption that prenatal care results in better health and therefore less cost to society. E helps to affirm this assumption. A  is irrelevant to the argument, which makes no distinction between undocumented immigrants and other immigrants. B describes benefits that  might  decrease the overall tax burden, but only if the prenatal care program serves to reduce  the amount of  infant-care benefits paid. The argument does not inform us whether this is the case. Thus it is impossible to assess the extent to which B would explain how the prenatal care would save the taxpayers money. C actually renders the statistics  more  surprising, by providing evidence that prenatal care will add to society’s economic burden. D also renders the statistics  more  surprising, by providing evidence that the cost of the prenatal care program will  not  be offset by a particular health benefit- a benefit which would lessen the taxpayers\’ economic burden. Question 3 The correct response to Question 3 is (D). The original argument bases a conclusion that one phenomenon causes another on an observed correlation between the two phenomena. The argument boils down to the following: Premise:  X (beautiful beach) is correlated with Y (crowd  of people).Conclusion:  X (beautiful beach) causes Y (crowd of people). Answer choice (D) demonstrates the same pattern of reasoning: Premise:  X (warm weather) is correlated with Y (fleas).Conclusion:  X (warm weather) causes Y (fleas). (A) demonstrates a different pattern of reasoning than the original argument: Premise:  X (moose at the drinking hole) is correlated with Y (bears at the drinking hole).Conclusion:  X (moose) and Y (bear) are both caused by Z (thirst). (B) demonstrates a different pattern of reasoning than the original argument: Premise:  X (scolding children) is correlated with Y (misbehavior among children).Assumption:  Either X causes Y, or Y causes X.Conclusion:  Not X (no scolding) will be correlated with not Y (no misbehavior). (C) demonstrates a different pattern of reasoning than the original argument: Premise:  X (software program) causes Y (efficiency).Assumption:  Y (efficiency) causes Z (free time).Conclusion:  X (software program) causes Z (free time). (E) demonstrates a different pattern of reasoning than the original argument. In fact, (E) is not a complete argument; it contains two premises but no conclusion: Premise:  X (pesticides) causes Y (anemia).Premise:  Not X (pesticide-free regions) is correlated with Y (anemia).