Tuesday, November 26, 2019

How to Play the Taxi Cab Improv Game

How to Play the Taxi Cab Improv Game The Taxi Cab improv game can be played with three to six performers. Its a fun icebreaker game for parties or you can use it as a classroom activity for theater, drama, or improv classes. It is suitable for all ages and can be played by children or sharp-witted members of improv groups. No matter what the level, it is fun to watch and fun to perform. How To Play the Taxi Cab Game Select one performer as the taxi cab driver and two or more performers as passengers.Set up one chair for the taxi-cab driver and several chairs for the passenger seats.One performer plays the role of the cab driver. He/she starts the scene by pantomiming driving. Feel free to develop a funny, quirky cab driver character. After a few moments of driving, the performer spots a customer.The passenger hops into the back of the cab. Now, heres where the game begins. The second performer playing the role of the passenger should have a distinct personality. This should be assigned before the start of the game and known to the other performers.The gimmick is that the cab driver adopts the personality traits of his customer. When a new performer (a new passenger) enters the scene, the cab driver and the other passengers emulate the new personality/behavior. The passengers explain to the driver where they are going and what they plan to do.After the passengers have interacted with one another, the cab driver will start to drop off his/her customers. When a passenger is dropped off and exits the scene, everyone switches personality again, until  eventually, the cab driver character is alone again and back to the original personality. A director or teacher may want to use a timer to cue when the next passenger will enter or exit the cab to keep the game flowing. This can be varied. If the performers are on a roll, the director can let it continue longer. If they arent doing well with a  character, the director can cue the next passenger swap to keep the game lively. Passenger Personalities The personalities can be prepared in advance by the director or teacher or they can be taken as audience suggestions before the beginning of the game. A secretive British agent.A snobby opera singer.A hyper 4-year-old.A friendly, overly talkative old woman. For advanced improv groups, each performer may come up with their own passenger personality and not reveal it until they enter the cab. This presents more of a challenge for the others to emulate it. Another wrinkle is to take audience suggestions during the game. For the best flow, it can be good to assign audience members to call out a passenger personality rather than have several people competing with suggestions. Dramatic Skills Used in the Taxi Cab Improv Game This activity develops a performers emulation ability. How well can the actor mimic the style of another performer? How quickly can an actor change his or her character? What ranges of emotions can the actors express? Teachers and directors should encourage their cast to try as many new personalities and emotions as possible. Have fun with the game and dont forget to give the cabbie a decent tip.

Friday, November 22, 2019

How is the SAT different from a high school test

How is the SAT different from a high school test SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Obviously, the main differences between the SAT and the classroom test is that the SAT is much longer and much more important. In order to understand the more subtle differences between high school assessment and the SAT, we’re going to look at the inherent differences between theclassroom and the SAT test room. The Classroom The test maker: The person who makes your test is the person responsible for teaching and assigning all the material covered in the class. If the teacher is concerned about students listening, he or she might include questions specifically from lectures. Likewise, if the reading is especially challenging, a test might include a question from some of the harder parts that will stump many students. The bottom line, however, is that the teacher is in complete control of the coursework, the classroom, making the test and scoring it. The test length: Most class periods are an hour long, and many students’ attention spans are much shorter. Thus, the high school test tends to be an hour long or less, and this makes it much easier than the SAT. The test content: This is where the high school test differs most greatly from any standardized test. The high school teacher is in total control of both the curriculum and the test, as well as answering students’ questions about gaps between the two after grading. This centralized control allows for any mistakes to be corrected after the test is given, as well as for the material to coincide perfectly with what’s been taught. The SAT The test maker: The authors of the SAT have the huge job of trying to summarize all necessary college skills and content in a 4-hour test. More limiting, though, is the need for the test to remain as fair and consistent as possible. So while a teacher can just omit questions that weren’t covered in class, the SAT must ask about the exact same skills in every test until it announces a redesign that will give all students a fair chance at mastering the new test. The test length: The SAT is trying to test every aspect of academic college readiness, so it’s a long test. Duh. Even with breaks, sitting at a desk for that long is difficult and stressful for most students. Fortunately, practice can help with this discomfort as well as running out of time on specific sections, but the length remains an obstacle for many on the SAT. The test content: The SAT claims to test a stable set of skills and content that indicate students’ readiness for college academics. This means that the same types of questions show up year after year, testing the same material, regardless of the progress made by individual classes, schools, districts, counties, or even states. If your state’s overall grades and statewide testing scores drop one year, the SAT will be the same. This creates gaps in knowledge for many students, especially at schools in low-income districts, where limited resources make effective learning for every student especially difficult. The Biggest Difference: Format and Preparation The content challenge has also led the SAT to a quite odd question format, in an attempt to eliminate any possible technicalities that might make the test unfair. At PrepScholar, our hundreds of hours of examining the test has made clear very specific standards that the SAT always follows to be completely precise and correct every time, from using the word â€Å"mostly† and â€Å"primarily† a lot to including complex instructions at the start of every section. Thus, while your teacher can explain his or her test questions’ format (and they are unlikely to change over the tests you take in the course), in the SAT you’ve got one chance, and they have to cram all that extra info into the test itself. And if you’ve got questions about it on test day, tough luck. If you found this article useful, please consider joining our email list at right. Your information will never be shared or sold. Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article! Tweet Laura Registrato About the Author Laura has over a decade of teaching experience at leading universities and scored a perfect score on the SAT. Get Free Guides to Boost Your SAT/ACT Get FREE EXCLUSIVE insider tips on how to ACE THE SAT/ACT. 100% Privacy. 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Thursday, November 21, 2019

Major Obstacles in the Economic Development of Iraq Essay

Major Obstacles in the Economic Development of Iraq - Essay Example Thirty years of economic destruction has left the country devastated. Iraq is very rich in the energy sector and it also benefits from having amongst the lowest production costs in the world (Grose, 2012). However, obstacles in the economic development are many and include a tenuous political system, concerns about security and societal stability, rampant corruption, outdated infrastructure, insufficient essential services, skilled labor shortages, and outdated commercial laws (Index Mundi, 2013). All of these factors have continued to stifle growth even in the non-oil private sectors. In fact, if the situation does not improve and if Iraq fails to overcome the obstacles in its path, the world economy may suffer, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), an independent organization that was founded during the Arab oil embargo in the 1970s (Grose, 2012). The country is currently undergoing widespread uncoordinated institutional change. The pre-war socialist structure is turn ing into a market economy but the progress and planning is uneven (Gunter, 2012). However, the obstacles to the economic growth of Iraq is linked to its past and a review of the past occurrences would help evaluate the obstacles to economic development. Iraq has been suffering for decades as a result of long war with Iran (1980-88), two Gulf wars with the United States (1991 and 2003), and almost a decade of harsh international sanctions between these two wars which resulted on economic toll. Prior to this, the British forces had invaded Iraq in 1918 but a rebellion in June 1920 against the colonial power resulted in a new political project for the country when a new Iraqi cabinet was formed under the leadership of Faisal (Alnasrawi, 2000). The early nationalists continued to be under the patronage of Britain and France. The colonial power created a new class of landowners aimed at harnessing backing for the monarchy. However, the social classes had undergone major changes by the ti me the World War II came to an end. Saddam Hussein assumed offices as the President of Iraq and as the Chairman of Revolutionary Command Council in 1979. Following this, the Iran-Iraq war from 1980-88 severely devastated the economy of Iraq (Infoplease, 2013). While the country took pride in having the largest military establishment in the Gulf region, Iraq was left with huge debts and opposition from the Kurdish from the northern provinces of Iraq. Covert action from the US such as support for a Kurdish rebellion in Northern Iraq and supplies of arms to Iran during the Iraq-Iran war changed Saddam’s perception of the world and Brands (2011) argues that perhaps that led Saddam towards conspiratorial thinking. Covert initiatives from the US occurred at a time of great vulnerability for Iraq which posed a threat to its government. US aid during the 1970s helped sustain a separatist movement against the Baathist regime. In the 1980s, the US empowered Iran in trying to ouster the Saddam government in Iraq. Such covert actions led to a hostile perception of the United States as far as Saddam was concerned (Brands, 2011). The government used weapons of mass destruction on civilian targets, which only worsened the situation. Iraq was expelled from Kuwait in 1991 by a US led coalition under the UN’s resolution. Whenever the Kurds from the north and the Shi’a Muslims from the south rebelled, the government retaliated by killing thousands. The UN Security Council prevailed upon Iraq to surrender its weapons of mass destruction for UN inspections. Another US led coalition in 2003 ended the regime of Saddam Hussein, thereby bringing to an end decades of defiance of UN Security Council resolutions (Infoplease, 2013

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Art style research and two artist researches Paper

Art style and two artist researches - Research Paper Example They wanted to produce two-dimensional canvass and used multiple vantage points. According to Rewald (2001), Picasso and Braque had common favourite instilling â€Å"musical instruments, bottles, pitchers, glasses, newspapers, playing cards and the human face and figure† in their art works. Cubism was not only adopted in paintings, but it was also popular in architecture and sculpture during the twentieth century (rewald, 2001). Nesic (n.d.) discussed that Cubism was once just an idea before it really became a style. The cubism is an approach to art which wanted to represent the reality of the world in concepts and not about perceptions (Nesic, n.d.). Paul Cezanne is one of the most influential painters during the nineteenth century (Galenson & Weinberg 2001). Cezanne enumerated ingredients of cubism which include geometry, simultaneity and passage and tried to introduce the concept of the Fourth Dimension (Nesic, n.d.). There are two distinct phases of cubism: analytical and synthetic. The Analytic cubists create artworks with multiple and overlapping planes while synthetic cubists produce artworks made of colored papers cut out in shapes (Rewald 2001). Analytical cubism which lasted until 1912 used geometric framework to create a subject image as an overall effect (Cubism, n.d.). Synthetic cubism on the other hand was mainly influenced by the introduction of collages, both simple and bold (Cubism, n.d.). Unlike analytical cubism, this phase is appear to be more abstract but characterized by a more direct, vibrant and attractive style (Cubism, n.d.). For this paper I will discuss the work of three contemporary cubist painters: Susanna Sharp and Luiza Vizoli. There paintings are characterized by collages of abstract geometric forms which characterized the style of cubism. There subjects are more on human face and musical instruments like the great founders Picasso and Braque. Luiza Vizoli is a fulltime contemporary professional artist

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Othello and Race Essay Example for Free

Othello and Race Essay In Shakespeare’s literary creation â€Å"Othello,† the protagonist, Othello, is a high ranking black soldier in a community of white people. Though he had gained his high marks by sheer perseverance and dedication, as it is in the old times, there are the people’s doubts. He was, after all, still a black man. Shakespeare, through this tragedy had shown the stereotypes of our modern times; that being white presents superiority or a sense of control over people of a different race, specifically those of a darker color. Shakespeare, however, did not mean to degrade or discriminate but rather, he seemed to point out the common mistakes of people that ultimately caused racism. Othello’s race and basically his skin color had played a major factor in the story’s main theme, progress and twists. The story mainly revolve on the struggle of a black man and how he found his happiness, but was cut short by other people’s jealousy and deceit. In his fight for love, the fact that he was black was used against him. It was presented to the woman’s father in a sense that generalizes black people as untrustworthy. It was also the main reason Iago used to point out that his wife Desdemona betrayed him for the love of another man, a man who happens to be of pure white ancestry.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

The Mafia: Wealth and Politics in the 1920 Essay -- Essays Papers

The Mafia: Wealth and Politics in the 1920 MAFIA - "a secret association having for its object the illicit control of any enterprise, legitimate or illegitimate, which it decides to infiltrate" (Allen 6). The decade of the 1920s was full of deception, corruption, and degeneration. The very embodiment of these qualities was the institution of the Italian-American Mafia. The syndicate began in Sicily and spread to encompass United States politics and the national economy. The post war era left the nation in a recession and vulnerable to organized crime. Changes in the country's attitudes and outlooks on the future paved the way for organized crime on a large scale. People were too preoccupied with bootleg booze, sexual promiscuity, and get-rich-quick schemes to notice the downward spiral of the government's respectability and integrity. The decadence of the decade and the feel good mentality of America's youth provided opportunities the industrious underworld leaders sought in order to gain control of the syndicate. The Mafia supplied America with the vices it longed for and in return America let the Mafia get away with murder. Not only did the syndicate accumulate power but a lso profited financially through prostitution, gambling, and bootlegging. These activities were the foundations of the Outfit's financial and political empires. Mafia power soon began to eclipse the authority of the law enforcement agencies, and the struggle between responsibility and autonomy began. Governmental corruption was a standard practice in the 1920s. In reference to a question on the underworld's power Don Calo, a Mafia chief replied, â€Å"†¦ between the law and the Mafia, the former is not the most to be feared† (... ...h (Allen 14). Many informants are willing to testify to a specific incident but not to the entirety. Their fear of retribution from the Outfit is much greater than their fear of the government. Even today, the only thing known with any degree of certainty is that the influence of the Mafia did not end with the 1920s. Works Cited - Allen, Edward J. Merchants of Menace-The Mafia: A Study of Organized Crime Springfield, Ill: Thomas, 1962. - Bequai, August. Organized Crime Washington: Library of Congress, 1979. - â€Å"Charles ‘Lucky’ Luciano.† http://www.well.com/user/mod79/gangsters/luciano.html (3-25-98). - â€Å"Contempt of Court.† Alphonse Capone, aka. Al, Scarface. http://www.fbi.gov/famcases/capone.htm (3-27-98). - Gardiner, John A. The Politics of Corruption New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 1970.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

How Advertising Help to Sell the Product Essay

Advertising of products and services is a crucial market tool for enhances the competitive advantage of an organization in the marketplace. This is because advertising creates awareness among the public of the availability of the company product in the market (Hood, 2005). Another importance of advertising is that it serves the ultimate purpose of drawing public attention to a new product in the market. In addition to these, the practice of advertising can promote customer-organization communication, an element that functions to enhance mutual relationship with consumers and improve customer loyalty to the organization (McKay, 2006). The author of this essay seeks to identify and discuss the numerous advantages brought by advertising in selling a company product. The process of advertising company products is aimed at search to attract new customers into purchasing the products. Through advertising, the public get to know of the availability of a new product in the market (Hood, 2005). The sole purpose of producing new products in an organization is not only to meet the demands of customers but also to gain a strong market share for the organization. On the other hand, failure to inform the public of new technologies and products serves the ultimate purpose of delaying the marketing frequency of the product. Just to be appreciated is the fact that customer tend to go for products they have heard or seen before. Another important aspect of advertising a product is that it helps the targeted customer have a hint of the expected qualities and advantages of the product over other similar products in the market (American Business Media, 1999). It is commonly asserted that advertising is a game of playing with the human psychology. On the contrary, available statistical evidence has it that the human community is increasingly driven by advertisement of products and services. This is because through adverts, potential customers get to gain knowledge of the kind of product, its qualities, and how it could positively influence their lives. Advertising defines the reputation of an organization and its products to the general public. Effective advertising processes are instrumental in influencing a positive attitude of potential customers towards a given product. It is a common claim by some business analysts that buffing is part and parcel of the process of gaining competitive advantage in the marketplace for a business. On the contrary, failure by an organization to provide accurate information on the qualities of the advertised products risks its long-term marketing power of the products (McKay, 2006). Therefore, engaging in ethical advertising practices serves an important role in safeguarding the reputation of the organization in the public, thus opening a continuous demand for its products. In addition, advertising of products promotes customer loyalty to a particular organization. Just like any other business operation, customer relations are significantly guided by the responsiveness of an organization in meeting their demands (Hood, 2005). Such are also influenced by the effectiveness of the organization in informing its customers of new developments. This is because information distribution to the public instills some sense of care and appreciation of the customer as an important component of the organization. Therefore, advertising as a form of distributing information to the public on current product developments will enhance customer loyalty to the products of the organization. Still, it is worth noting that advertising is instrumental in allowing for customer reaction assessment practices in an organization (McKay, 2006). Like other product marketing practices, advertising functions the purpose of encouraging a company to evaluation the responsiveness of the target customers both to the adverts design and the product itself. Effective advertising should entail either two-way asymmetric model or two-way symmetric model of public relations management. This is because these models allows for having public feedback on the information communicated in the advert. Such are vital in devising more effective and reliable advertising approaches to win the confidence of the public. The practice of advertising functions to increase customer base of an organization beyond its geography boundaries (American Business Media, 1999). In the modern day economy, competition calls for ensuring continued expansion of the customer pool of an organization. To achieve this, numerous advertising techniques such as internet and the media are quite efficient. This is because they can be used to reach a large population within a short span of time. It is worth noting that internet marketing guarantees reaching of big numbers given the fact that it is accessible in almost all parts across the globe. Product advertising is fast, cost effective, reliable, and convenient. Compared to marketing practices such as road trip product demonstration, media and internet advertising is quite cheap and fast. On reliability, multimedia advertising practices boast of the advantage of be robust in delivering the information to the public compared to other forms of marketing practices. It is a common assertion that advertising brings convenience to the organization by reducing unnecessary movements of staff, an element that saves resources for other applications. Therefore, advertising is instrumental in overseeing the efficient and convenient selling of a company product.