Key Military Strategic-leader Competencies Essay

Key Military Strategic-leader Competencies - Essay Example At different stages of one’s career, an individual has to exhibit certain set of skills and qualities, which make him, stand out like nobody else. He has to portray the best of his character and bring out what is not present in the rest of the populace. He has to lead by example, a thing which people of present times usually lack and which is not that easily found in our society. Similarly, at the top level within military it is very significant to have a clear mind whereby the person can think way beyond his understanding as well as ask of his army to carry out his commands with astuteness and wisdom. Needless to say, a leader at a senior position within the military has to understand that he is the ultimate boss and without his proper vision and goals, there can be no other person to fill the void which would be created if his thinking and mindset are just not there in the right place . There have been many a number of individuals who have had exceptional talents, both in the field of sports as well as a number of other arenas of life but here we will focus on the role of leaders within the military and that too on very strategic positions . These people have ascended on the ladder of success with sheer hard work and commitment, which in its essence, is the key to attain and achieve success and fame.

Information Security Overview Essay Example for Free

Information Security Overview Essay In this paper I will be discussing some of the benefits of having frameworks for information security management. What each of the frameworks of information security are, their pros and their cons. Which major perspectives to consider in information security management and framework choice. What organizational factors should be considered in framework choice? I will also attempt to come up with a better framework for information security. Some of the benefits of having frameworks for information security management are, that they serve as a common ground for integrating all types of information security functions. It also helps answer question of how to react to information security issues. As well as, helping identify what the important components involved in establishing and maintaining information security initiatives. Since our information faces more potential security breaches than ever before (Ma, Schmidt, Pearson, 2009 p. 58). The information security frameworks are the following: -Governance frameworks -Security frameworks -Risk management and risk assessment frameworks -Audit and assurance frameworks -Legal and regulatory frameworks The governance framework is very important because it gives us a road map for the application, evaluation and improvement of information security practices (Information Security Governance: Toward a Framework for Action). This frame work includes legislation, regulations, corporate structure, corporate culture and the importance of information security to the organization. It also acts as a mechanism to deliver value, mange performance and also mitigates risk. Another important fact about this  framework is that it gives us a way to assign accountability for each decision and performance. It ensures that policies, procedures, management and other related management techniques are all working hand in hand to achieve the organization’s goals. There aren’t many documents that define the roles, tasks and responsibilities of different senior members of an organization, just like in any other successful practice the need of support from senior management is needed. FISMA clarifies how that support has to be given. Some of the pros that governance frameworks bring to the table are as follows: It helps technology with business goals, it provided a framework for measuring and managing IS performance. It also facilitates compliance with external legislation and regulations. And last but not least, it helps ensure valuable technology solutions are delivered on time and on budget. Security standard framework consists of various guidelines, standards and regulations FISMA, NIST 800-39, HIPAA stand out to me. Each of these cover a wide range of needs that need to be followed in order to achieve a successful security framework. While FISMA is a more broad regulation that covers many government related issues, it still provides a good understanding of the division of responsibilities. NIST 800-39 delves into different risk management issues, which will be highlighted as I continue this research. Information security planning or strategy should be aligned with business objectives (Peltier, 2003 p.22) According to NIST 800-39 Risk management is a comprehensive process that requires organizations to: frame risk i.e. establish the context for risk-based decisions, assess risk and responds to risk once determined, and to monitor risk on an ongoing basis. This frame work is a fundamental requirement in which senior leaders and executives need to be committed to. There are many organizational risks, some of these are: i.e. program management risk, investment risks, legal liability risk and security. Information systems is also critical to the success of organizations achieving their objectives and strategic goals (NIST 800-39 p. 2). Some of the pros for Risk Management frame works are a) reducing the risk to an acceptable level if the risk cannot be eliminated, with which the organization it is still able to function safely. b) Risk can be transferred by using insurance policies by insuring that the company’s assets are protected for theft or destruction. Audit and assurance frameworks includes assessing and comparing what is actually happening in an  organization against what is actually supposed to be happening. Auditors can also be called to assess compliance with corporate security policies, standards, procedures and guidelines. Some times as contractual commitments, either as a specific audit or solely in the course of routine audit assignment. Legal and regulatory frameworks, ensure that organizations are abiding by the requirements given by the different regulations like, FISMA, HIPPA and others. Failure to comply with the standards listed on these and other regulations can affect organizations in various ways; ranging from fines to jail time depending of the severity of the violation and the state where the violation is being committed. The some of the pros to this framework are that organizations will be more apt to follow what is required of them all the while protecting not only the customers’ sensitive informations but also the employee’s vital information. Some of the cons to these frameworks â€Å"A secure system is one that does what it’s supposed to† (Eugene Spafford). There is no way to ensure that all systems have the same state of security. Because not all systems do the same things. Therefore each individual organization or user must choose what type of security is important. In some cases security clashes with itself. Controls that might enhance confidentiality doesn’t necessarily support integrity. With all the time it takes to control integrity and confidentiality and how complex they each are, the availability is impacted. It does not come as a surprise that it is impossible to create a universal checklist of the items once implemented, will guarantee security. Security risks aren’t necessarily measurable, since the frequencies and impacts of future incidents are dependent on many different things that tend to be out of our control. If we don’t know what skills whoever is attempting to intrude or hack our systems is working with, it would be difficult to fight it, let alone predict it. Opposite to what some might believe, according to BOA’s Smith, â€Å"senior management is not the biggest hindrance to better security. Rather, th e middle management might represent one of the largest challenges because they impact the organization daily.† Many organizations find it difficult to stay in compliance with different government laws and regulations like Sarbanes-Oxley Act and HIPAA in addition to Payment card industry Data security Standards. It does not help the fact that there is a scarcity in security professionals who have the technical and engineering skills that  know how to explain the risks/rewards and the trade-off and can sell solutions within the organization. When choosing a framework in information security management we have to keep in mind different factors in order to have a successful framework. Some of these factors are, the goals of the organization; we have to establish the information security objectives, these should be strategic, organizational focus and made by executive-level management, since they have a better grasp of the whole business goals and limitations. We also have to be aware of the fact that organizational goals, structure and information security management strategy has to change as different environmental factors like, technology business and legislation frequently evolve. Another important factor is the culture of the organization need to be the same for everyone involve, from the CISO to the administrative assistant. After all the extensive reading, my framework would have a continuous risk management and risk assessment frame work, security controls that align perfectly with the goals of the business and the culture of not only the organization but the entire workforce. I would achieve this by implementing quarterly training on the importance of ISM and how it affects everyone involved. I believe that everyone should be kept informed as to what our IS goals are by showing them how we have failed or succeeded. On the chance that we have failed we can have the employees propose how we can make it better. When we involve everyone affected they will take it more seriously. There are different types of frameworks that make up the information security management framework. Which address the needs for a functional ISM framework and details the obligations of those in an organization while providing the standards, guidelines, legislations and regulations the all have to abide by. And how the lack of a proper framework can affect those in the organization. Reference Ma, Q., Schmidt, M., Pearson, J. (2009). An integrated framework for information security managemtn. doi: Review of Business Dempsey, K., Chawla, N., Johnston, R., Jones, A., Orebaugh, A., Scholl, M., Stine, K., Johnson, A. U.S Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology. (2001). Information security continuous monitoring for federal information systems and organizations (800-137). Gaithersburg, MD D. Smith (Jonson, M., Goetz, E. (2007). Embedding information security into the organization. 17.) Eugene Spafford. (I’m sorry, but I lost the article where I got his quote from)

Comparison of Kafkas Metamorphosis and Dali’s Illumined Pleasures Essa

A Comparison of Franz Kafka's novel, Metamorphosis, and Salvador Dali’s Painting, â€Å"Illumined Pleasures† In Franz Kafka novel, Metamorphosis, we are introduced to the disappointment that Greg Samsa feels as a result of feeling inadequate through the middle class life he is leading. In this novel, Kafka uses a build up of emotion caused by his own internal struggle and expresses it through this rather perverse story. Like Kafka’s complex and daunting tale, many surrealist painters have used the same emotion and theme through their artwork and through the use dimension, have brought this feeling to life. In the Salvador Dali’s painting, â€Å"Illumined Pleasures†, this same morbid appeal can be found as well. Both of these works of art are similar in that there is a loss with the sense of the real world and there is a more dominate representation of a world that would reflect that of a dream. In Franz Kafka novel, Metamorphosis one can easily perceive the dissatisfaction faced by Greg Samsa somewhat dull and repetitive life. In spite of his unhappiness towards leading his proletariat life-style his feels an obligation with having to the be backbone of his family and provide them with the financial support Starting off as being believing that he was the backbone of his family, Samsa soon discovers when he is transformed into a rather grotesque bug, his family complete neglect towards his contributions and how helped them with their overall survival. When transformed into a bug overnight, Greg Samsa experiences struggle and anguish not only through the new form his body has taken but also the through the discovery and realization of his family member’s demeanor. As a result of being turned into a bug, Samsa starts to find a new taste... ...rightening than the last. The thoughts in this painting are scattered and don’t necessary follow a straight sequence. One can conclude from this that through his painting, Dali incorporates many factors similar to those one would experience when dreaming. In both these works we are introduced into a somewhat distorted sense of reality. Though in thought we can imagine ourselves feeling as small or worthless as a bug a times, it is pretty accurate to say that the possibility of someone suddenly transforming into a bug is highly unlikely. Like Dali’s painting, we also find ourselves examining something that seems to be off course with our general sense of reality. With its gory and disturbing imagery, Dali’s painting and Kafka’s novel both seem to have captured a common nightmare brought to life either through elaborate story telling or through vibrant painting.

Literacy Narrative

Kyle Crifasi Richard English IV, 1B 31 August 2011 Literacy Narrative Typically, people think of reading when they see a novel or a short story, but I think of reading when I’m out on the baseball field. When I hear the word â€Å"reading†, unlike most people, I think of a green grassy baseball diamond at night, with the lights lighting it up, filled with fans in the stands. Believe it or not, I read all the time on the field. I read the ball coming off the bat when I’m playing in the field. When I hear the â€Å"ding† of the metal bat and hard, rubber ball colliding, I know that there is a chance I could make a great play. I can see the ball getting bigger and bigger as in approaches me. I read the ball coming out of the pitcher’s hand, picking up the spin as soon as I can so I can know when and where to swing to make solid contact with the ball. I even read people’s body language when I’m pitching. I can tell a lot about the batter by how he’s standing and the facial expression on his face. Learning how to read all of these things took lots of practice and discipline. Throughout the years, all of my coaches have stressed how important it is to react to what I see through my â€Å"readings†. I learned to read these things when I was just a little four foot tall, 60-pound kid. A bit after I started to learn how to read words on paper, I was learning to read on the field, too. I find the reading that I do on the field much more fun than reading a book or story. I believe that my love for baseball grew because I felt a connection with the type of reading it involved rather than the kind of reading done with books. These readings are important to me so I can do my job and be the best player I can be on the field. When I’m at bat, I have to read the spin on the ball as it comes out of the pitcher’s hand as fast as I can so I can react with the perfect swing at the best time in the right location. If I don’t read it correctly or if a pitch fools me, I swing and miss. I’ll have to deal with striking out for the rest of the game until I get my next chance to show what I can do. When I’m in the outfield, my job is to catch anything that’s hit into my area. I have to be able to read the ball right when it makes a connection with the opposing batter’s bat. I have to know how high its going, how hard its hit, which way it’s spinning, and which way the wind will blow it. If I read one of these things wrong, it could turn out to be bad for the team and embarrassing for me if I miss it. Coach Broussard would always tell me to look into the opposing batter’s eyes when I pitch. That intimidating look that a pitcher can give will really get in the batter’s head. He will be wondering hundreds of different thoughts before I throw the ball exactly where I want it. I’m the one in control and he is just going through his mind trying to figure out, or guess, which pitch I’m about to throw him. After a couple pitches, when I have him right where I want him, I can play around with his mind even more. I can throw anything I want and I can even waste a couple bad pitches hoping he’ll swing and miss, just to make him look stupid. When I can read all of these things correctly, that’s when I can play the best and it’s because of my coaches and what they have taught me that have made me so great at â€Å"reading†. Reading is important in my life not only on the field but in the classroom as well. Without learning how to truly read and write, I would not be able to accomplish anything in life. I remember when I first learned to read. I was about three years old and my mom would read books to me and I would follow along with her. She would read the books with the gold spines and they were always books that made me happy and I was always happy to read them. I always enjoyed reading back then more than I do now. The books that I read now, I’m usually forced to read and they usually aren’t interesting to me. To me, reading means many things, not only the reading of text on a page but actions of others and myself as well. Most other people may not say that they will think of baseball games when thinking of how they read in real life, but I view the game of baseball that way and I like to share about how I can read in many different ways in life. Reading books is definitely not one of my favorite hobbies to do, but every once in a while I will find a good book that will catch my interest for the next couple of months. My learning experience from reading on the field has taught me another meaning of literacy that I would not have realized if I had not thought about what reading really meant to me. I can now understand how I use reading in all different aspects of my life better, and not just in the classroom but throughout my everyday activities, like baseball. Words: 1000 Literacy Narrative Literacy Narrative Learning to read, write, and compose is a major part of every human beings life and if your guided and/or helped to becoming a good reader, writer, or composer that is double the excellence. Learning to read, write, and compose is a privilege. Not all humans get this privilege of learning these special qualities. These qualities not only help you with other humans but with yourself in the rest of your life. These qualities or traits you obtain help you in everyday life to help you live a life at ease without the struggle of not being able to read, write, compose, and such. When I was very young, my parents would read to me every night I went to sleep. They would tell me â€Å"Austin, it’s time for bed,† and I would run to my room to my blue bookshelf that I had in the corner of my room. Now, they would be following close behind me and re-emphasize that I could only choose two books, but usually I convinced them to let me pick out three books instead. I loved having a ton of books when I was young and all of them made it to my bookshelf. My favorite books were â€Å"The Little Engine That Could† and another book that was about a bear that went outside to play and got ants in his pants. This book usually got a little giggle out of me as a child and oh how I loved my parents reading it and all the other books to me. This explains my sprint to my room every night as a youngster. Having my parents read to me at a very young age somewhat jumpstarted my brain and led me to learn lots of words and phrases as a kid. Being that they read to me every night, I always was listening and hearing words and even sometimes having an image to relate words to. I believe that the reading that was done for me every night before I went to bed was a large part of my learning to read. At this age, it was almost as if I’d rather not see the words, but just listen to them and look at all the pictures. As I grew up I started to really enjoy reading. I think that all the reading my parents did for me, encouraged me to become an avid reader then. At this age, I became the biggest fan of â€Å"The Magic Tree House† series by Mary Pope Osborne. I read these books from cover to cover and enjoyed every one of them. After finishing one of the books, I would love going and telling my parents all about the story line and what happened in it. When I would finish the last book that was published, I would pre-order the next book that was coming out and start reading it the day I got it. These books always drew my attention and most definitely sparked my likings for reading in elementary and middle school. In elementary and middle school my mom would always pick me and my little brother up. One thing I would always seem to notice is that my mom was usually on the phone so I couldn’t tell her about my day the second I got in the car, but when she eventually got off; my brother and I were full of words. We both loved talking and telling stories about our days. Whenever my dad would arrive home after work around 6 pm every night, I would notice he always got in and hit his desk with piles of papers and work to do that night. He would have some leisure time to read the paper and eat dinner but then he was paying bills and getting his deadlines met for work. My mom and dad always had these big complicated conversations in the kitchen too when I was around, usually about my dad’s work drama, with these words that I had no idea existed. As I grew up, my interest for books started to somewhat slip off the map. I didn’t always have a book that I was working on and I wasn’t ever really as excited to read like I was when I was much younger. The projects and homework started to pile up a lot more once school progressed from elementary school to middle school to high school and I feel that it almost eats away at my free time to do any casual reading anymore. When I did have a project or an interesting reading for homework though, I would enjoy doing the research and learning new things about the certain topics. When my love for books continued to fade away, I picked up a new hobby of reading magazines and the newspaper. I love reading things in the paper that I know have to do with my city and me and love reading an interesting magazine whether it’s the new edition of Sports Illustrated or the Hunting Gear Magazine full of cool articles about new weapons across the globe. I started reading the paper every morning and subscribing to interesting magazines on the internet that I just couldn’t get enough of. I believe that all my life experiences and my classes as a young child led me to being a very successful reader and writer. I feel that the reading and writing I learned and accomplished really helped me to be able to write more civilized and professional and allowed me to hold more professional conversations with my parents, friends, other adults, and so on. My early experiences with reading really led me to a more successful life in reading thanks to all the reading my parents contributed to me when I was younger. Like I said, I believe that the reading they did was the biggest help to my learning in reading and will lead me to having successful college years and having a successful career later in life. Literacy Narrative Kyle Crifasi Richard English IV, 1B 31 August 2011 Literacy Narrative Typically, people think of reading when they see a novel or a short story, but I think of reading when I’m out on the baseball field. When I hear the word â€Å"reading†, unlike most people, I think of a green grassy baseball diamond at night, with the lights lighting it up, filled with fans in the stands. Believe it or not, I read all the time on the field. I read the ball coming off the bat when I’m playing in the field. When I hear the â€Å"ding† of the metal bat and hard, rubber ball colliding, I know that there is a chance I could make a great play. I can see the ball getting bigger and bigger as in approaches me. I read the ball coming out of the pitcher’s hand, picking up the spin as soon as I can so I can know when and where to swing to make solid contact with the ball. I even read people’s body language when I’m pitching. I can tell a lot about the batter by how he’s standing and the facial expression on his face. Learning how to read all of these things took lots of practice and discipline. Throughout the years, all of my coaches have stressed how important it is to react to what I see through my â€Å"readings†. I learned to read these things when I was just a little four foot tall, 60-pound kid. A bit after I started to learn how to read words on paper, I was learning to read on the field, too. I find the reading that I do on the field much more fun than reading a book or story. I believe that my love for baseball grew because I felt a connection with the type of reading it involved rather than the kind of reading done with books. These readings are important to me so I can do my job and be the best player I can be on the field. When I’m at bat, I have to read the spin on the ball as it comes out of the pitcher’s hand as fast as I can so I can react with the perfect swing at the best time in the right location. If I don’t read it correctly or if a pitch fools me, I swing and miss. I’ll have to deal with striking out for the rest of the game until I get my next chance to show what I can do. When I’m in the outfield, my job is to catch anything that’s hit into my area. I have to be able to read the ball right when it makes a connection with the opposing batter’s bat. I have to know how high its going, how hard its hit, which way it’s spinning, and which way the wind will blow it. If I read one of these things wrong, it could turn out to be bad for the team and embarrassing for me if I miss it. Coach Broussard would always tell me to look into the opposing batter’s eyes when I pitch. That intimidating look that a pitcher can give will really get in the batter’s head. He will be wondering hundreds of different thoughts before I throw the ball exactly where I want it. I’m the one in control and he is just going through his mind trying to figure out, or guess, which pitch I’m about to throw him. After a couple pitches, when I have him right where I want him, I can play around with his mind even more. I can throw anything I want and I can even waste a couple bad pitches hoping he’ll swing and miss, just to make him look stupid. When I can read all of these things correctly, that’s when I can play the best and it’s because of my coaches and what they have taught me that have made me so great at â€Å"reading†. Reading is important in my life not only on the field but in the classroom as well. Without learning how to truly read and write, I would not be able to accomplish anything in life. I remember when I first learned to read. I was about three years old and my mom would read books to me and I would follow along with her. She would read the books with the gold spines and they were always books that made me happy and I was always happy to read them. I always enjoyed reading back then more than I do now. The books that I read now, I’m usually forced to read and they usually aren’t interesting to me. To me, reading means many things, not only the reading of text on a page but actions of others and myself as well. Most other people may not say that they will think of baseball games when thinking of how they read in real life, but I view the game of baseball that way and I like to share about how I can read in many different ways in life. Reading books is definitely not one of my favorite hobbies to do, but every once in a while I will find a good book that will catch my interest for the next couple of months. My learning experience from reading on the field has taught me another meaning of literacy that I would not have realized if I had not thought about what reading really meant to me. I can now understand how I use reading in all different aspects of my life better, and not just in the classroom but throughout my everyday activities, like baseball. Words: 1000 Literacy Narrative Literacy Narrative Learning to read, write, and compose is a major part of every human beings life and if your guided and/or helped to becoming a good reader, writer, or composer that is double the excellence. Learning to read, write, and compose is a privilege. Not all humans get this privilege of learning these special qualities. These qualities not only help you with other humans but with yourself in the rest of your life. These qualities or traits you obtain help you in everyday life to help you live a life at ease without the struggle of not being able to read, write, compose, and such. When I was very young, my parents would read to me every night I went to sleep. They would tell me â€Å"Austin, it’s time for bed,† and I would run to my room to my blue bookshelf that I had in the corner of my room. Now, they would be following close behind me and re-emphasize that I could only choose two books, but usually I convinced them to let me pick out three books instead. I loved having a ton of books when I was young and all of them made it to my bookshelf. My favorite books were â€Å"The Little Engine That Could† and another book that was about a bear that went outside to play and got ants in his pants. This book usually got a little giggle out of me as a child and oh how I loved my parents reading it and all the other books to me. This explains my sprint to my room every night as a youngster. Having my parents read to me at a very young age somewhat jumpstarted my brain and led me to learn lots of words and phrases as a kid. Being that they read to me every night, I always was listening and hearing words and even sometimes having an image to relate words to. I believe that the reading that was done for me every night before I went to bed was a large part of my learning to read. At this age, it was almost as if I’d rather not see the words, but just listen to them and look at all the pictures. As I grew up I started to really enjoy reading. I think that all the reading my parents did for me, encouraged me to become an avid reader then. At this age, I became the biggest fan of â€Å"The Magic Tree House† series by Mary Pope Osborne. I read these books from cover to cover and enjoyed every one of them. After finishing one of the books, I would love going and telling my parents all about the story line and what happened in it. When I would finish the last book that was published, I would pre-order the next book that was coming out and start reading it the day I got it. These books always drew my attention and most definitely sparked my likings for reading in elementary and middle school. In elementary and middle school my mom would always pick me and my little brother up. One thing I would always seem to notice is that my mom was usually on the phone so I couldn’t tell her about my day the second I got in the car, but when she eventually got off; my brother and I were full of words. We both loved talking and telling stories about our days. Whenever my dad would arrive home after work around 6 pm every night, I would notice he always got in and hit his desk with piles of papers and work to do that night. He would have some leisure time to read the paper and eat dinner but then he was paying bills and getting his deadlines met for work. My mom and dad always had these big complicated conversations in the kitchen too when I was around, usually about my dad’s work drama, with these words that I had no idea existed. As I grew up, my interest for books started to somewhat slip off the map. I didn’t always have a book that I was working on and I wasn’t ever really as excited to read like I was when I was much younger. The projects and homework started to pile up a lot more once school progressed from elementary school to middle school to high school and I feel that it almost eats away at my free time to do any casual reading anymore. When I did have a project or an interesting reading for homework though, I would enjoy doing the research and learning new things about the certain topics. When my love for books continued to fade away, I picked up a new hobby of reading magazines and the newspaper. I love reading things in the paper that I know have to do with my city and me and love reading an interesting magazine whether it’s the new edition of Sports Illustrated or the Hunting Gear Magazine full of cool articles about new weapons across the globe. I started reading the paper every morning and subscribing to interesting magazines on the internet that I just couldn’t get enough of. I believe that all my life experiences and my classes as a young child led me to being a very successful reader and writer. I feel that the reading and writing I learned and accomplished really helped me to be able to write more civilized and professional and allowed me to hold more professional conversations with my parents, friends, other adults, and so on. My early experiences with reading really led me to a more successful life in reading thanks to all the reading my parents contributed to me when I was younger. Like I said, I believe that the reading they did was the biggest help to my learning in reading and will lead me to having successful college years and having a successful career later in life. Literacy Narrative Kyle Crifasi Richard English IV, 1B 31 August 2011 Literacy Narrative Typically, people think of reading when they see a novel or a short story, but I think of reading when I’m out on the baseball field. When I hear the word â€Å"reading†, unlike most people, I think of a green grassy baseball diamond at night, with the lights lighting it up, filled with fans in the stands. Believe it or not, I read all the time on the field. I read the ball coming off the bat when I’m playing in the field. When I hear the â€Å"ding† of the metal bat and hard, rubber ball colliding, I know that there is a chance I could make a great play. I can see the ball getting bigger and bigger as in approaches me. I read the ball coming out of the pitcher’s hand, picking up the spin as soon as I can so I can know when and where to swing to make solid contact with the ball. I even read people’s body language when I’m pitching. I can tell a lot about the batter by how he’s standing and the facial expression on his face. Learning how to read all of these things took lots of practice and discipline. Throughout the years, all of my coaches have stressed how important it is to react to what I see through my â€Å"readings†. I learned to read these things when I was just a little four foot tall, 60-pound kid. A bit after I started to learn how to read words on paper, I was learning to read on the field, too. I find the reading that I do on the field much more fun than reading a book or story. I believe that my love for baseball grew because I felt a connection with the type of reading it involved rather than the kind of reading done with books. These readings are important to me so I can do my job and be the best player I can be on the field. When I’m at bat, I have to read the spin on the ball as it comes out of the pitcher’s hand as fast as I can so I can react with the perfect swing at the best time in the right location. If I don’t read it correctly or if a pitch fools me, I swing and miss. I’ll have to deal with striking out for the rest of the game until I get my next chance to show what I can do. When I’m in the outfield, my job is to catch anything that’s hit into my area. I have to be able to read the ball right when it makes a connection with the opposing batter’s bat. I have to know how high its going, how hard its hit, which way it’s spinning, and which way the wind will blow it. If I read one of these things wrong, it could turn out to be bad for the team and embarrassing for me if I miss it. Coach Broussard would always tell me to look into the opposing batter’s eyes when I pitch. That intimidating look that a pitcher can give will really get in the batter’s head. He will be wondering hundreds of different thoughts before I throw the ball exactly where I want it. I’m the one in control and he is just going through his mind trying to figure out, or guess, which pitch I’m about to throw him. After a couple pitches, when I have him right where I want him, I can play around with his mind even more. I can throw anything I want and I can even waste a couple bad pitches hoping he’ll swing and miss, just to make him look stupid. When I can read all of these things correctly, that’s when I can play the best and it’s because of my coaches and what they have taught me that have made me so great at â€Å"reading†. Reading is important in my life not only on the field but in the classroom as well. Without learning how to truly read and write, I would not be able to accomplish anything in life. I remember when I first learned to read. I was about three years old and my mom would read books to me and I would follow along with her. She would read the books with the gold spines and they were always books that made me happy and I was always happy to read them. I always enjoyed reading back then more than I do now. The books that I read now, I’m usually forced to read and they usually aren’t interesting to me. To me, reading means many things, not only the reading of text on a page but actions of others and myself as well. Most other people may not say that they will think of baseball games when thinking of how they read in real life, but I view the game of baseball that way and I like to share about how I can read in many different ways in life. Reading books is definitely not one of my favorite hobbies to do, but every once in a while I will find a good book that will catch my interest for the next couple of months. My learning experience from reading on the field has taught me another meaning of literacy that I would not have realized if I had not thought about what reading really meant to me. I can now understand how I use reading in all different aspects of my life better, and not just in the classroom but throughout my everyday activities, like baseball. Words: 1000

Tok Essay Can We Trust Our Emotions in the Pursuit of Knowledge?

Grade awarded: B Criterion A6 Criterion B7 Criterion C6 Criterion D7 Total26 This is a good essay. Despite some localized difficulties (for example, lines 10–11, confusion with the truth tests, line 76, error with â€Å"a priori†) there is some sense of personal engagement and the essay does consistently identify relevant knowledge issues. Criterion A: Understanding knowledge issues Mark awarded: 6 The essay is consistently relevant to the title and there is evidence of real ambition and some attempt to use profound ideas (specifically Godel’s ideas (lines 20–26) and the evolutionary ideas of lines 96–97).However, the ideas are not always used effectively; there is clearly some understanding but it falls short of a â€Å"good† understanding. In particular, there is awareness that the idea of â€Å"truth† is problematic (for example, the introduction and lines 18–19) and its meaning is explored in different areas of knowledge (ma thematics, art, history, ethics, religion) and everyday events (the Iraq war, the table), but the handling of the issue is uneven and at times inconsistent. Criterion B: Knower’s perspective Mark awarded: 7The essay has a clear student voice, starting with an engaging introduction which understands—but is not prepared to countenance—total skepticism; despite the clumsy formulation (lines 4–5) one senses an awareness of alternative perspectives and a personal stand. The examples are appropriate, varied and reasonably effective (for example, lines 31–33, the gamelan; lines 20–26, a brave, if not entirely successful, attempt to concisely explain Godel’s ideas; lines 51–55, Texan law; lines 56–75, Iraq; lines 39–41, Hiroshima and Nagasaki).The quality and quantity show that the student can independently link the ideas to personal, academic and real-life situations, and are a strong feature of this essay. Criterion C: Quality of analysis of knowledge issues Mark awarded: 6 The analysis of issues is weaker than their identification, and the precise links between â€Å"context† and â€Å"truth† are not specified (for example, the examples of the gamelan and Dawkins are both potentially rich but undeveloped).While there is a sense of exploring the idea of truth in different contexts, the inquiry lacks depth and detail, and some conclusions are not adequately supported (for example, line 18, the conclusion â€Å"However†¦ contexts† is supported by examples from non-mathematical contexts; line 13, â€Å"make four because†¦Ã¢â‚¬  is an apparently unaware argument from authority; lines 20–26, Godel’s ideas are not used adequately; lines 28–30, â€Å"Perceptions†¦ view and place† is asserted rather than argued for).It might be argued that the extensive treatment of the Iraq war, while certainly showcasing the student’s perspective o n the issue, might be somewhat polemical rather than carefully argued. Claims of â€Å"emotive language, colourful†¦ fallacies† (lines 67–68) are not elaborated upon and, in the overall picture of the essay, this example seems to contradict the overall conclusion that â€Å"Margaret Atwood was right when she said that context is all† (line 101). Criterion D: Organization of ideas