How to Earn Living with Publishing Ebooks on Amazon Kindle

How to Earn Living with Publishing Ebooks on Amazon Kindle Some say that a book is waiting to be written in all of us. In the past such inclinations might have been given up on due to the difficulties, not only those related to creativity or capability, but also those rising from the outside â€" in reference to publishing, making a name of oneself and reaching out to readers.However, in the past few years, with the growing popularity of accessible independent publishing platforms such as the Amazon Kindle, anyone can show imagination, knowledge and authority in matters of his/her interest and actually make a living out of it. © Shutterstock.com | Erlo BrownIn this article, we will examine the Amazon Kindle publishing process and provide insights which can make a successful entrepreneur out of any literary aspiration through sections 1) Amazon Kindle â€" Direct Publishing Platform; 2) Publishing an Ebook on Amazon Kindle and 3) Ebook as a Part of Content Marketing.AMAZON KINDLE â€" DIRECT PUBLISHING PLATFORMAmazon Kindle is an ebook reader enterprise launched in 2007 by Amazon.com. It was given the name Kindle as a representation of lighting a fire of reading and the pursuit for knowledge. The hardware platform has come to comprise of multiple devices intended for enabling consumers to shop, download and read ebooks, newspapers and magazines at reasonable prices. From E-Ink electronic paper displays to Kindle applications for smartphones, bookworms now have a variety of choices for approaching and using more than 3.2 million of ebooks available in the database.Moreover, Amazon Kindle offers numerous oppor tunities for independent authors to directly publish their ebooks on the platform for agreed percentages of royalties. As Amazon Kindle’s market share in ebook reader shipping reaches more than 73% and has an ebook sales revenue of more than 647 million dollars in the United States (statistical reports from 2010), it becomes the most accessible and (potentially) profitable way of publishing and reaching a wide circle of readers. In addition, ebooks have become a feature of content marketing and can thus participate in overall revenues of any business owner.PUBLISHING AN EBOOK ON AMAZON KINDLEEntrepreneurship of any sort depends on customers. Technology and internet have come to comprise a large part of managing a business in diverse ways. Presenting and defending authority and expertise in your niche is what will make the difference among countless competitive and similar businesses. Ebooks are tools which proved to be increasingly significant in such efforts (along with other asp ects of inbound content marketing).In addition to the fact that you can avoid time-consuming search for publishers and the difficulties of actually getting your hard-copy books to the bookstores, ebooks are less costly to produce (no printing or storage costs) and as such can be offered for purchase for smaller amounts of money. Consequently, people will be more willing to buy your product â€" even if you are not an established author. Your ebooks are going to be accessible and visible to extremely high numbers of people. On the other hand, it can be difficult to differentiate and form circles of readers with the multitude of authors who are doing the same. In this section, we will disintegrate a functional process of writing and publishing ebooks on Amazon Kindle and offer some advices on how to form your marketing strategies so as to enhance your chances for success.Target Audience TopicTarget audience is one of the key elements in entrepreneurship. Defining interests, needs and desires of your potential customers and constructing your offer according to these notions is essential for productivity â€" in the meaning of placing a useful product on the market. It is the same with ebooks: you have to write something knowledgeable, interesting and utile.As an entrepreneur, you should define your audience and your topic according to you niche. It has been shown in various studies that comprehensive and specified niche-oriented ebooks have a substantially higher percentage of success (in opposition to fiction, for example).Once you have made a decision on your audience and content which you intend to present, you should choose a compelling yet clear title for the ebook. The title will determine frequency and ranking of your ebook in search results. It should, therefore, be unique so as not to get buried. Use Search Engine Optimization tools to ensure optimal representation of your ebook.Ebook WritingStructureMost online publishing sites have formatting tools whic h correspond well with files written in Word, so this might be your best choice, especially if you will be taking care of formatting and editing by yourself.Your material should be prefaced with a Table of Contents. Make sure you insert ‘Page Break’ after each of the chapters and in between sections (you can locate the tool in the ‘Insert’ menu). These will allow readers to undisturbed scroll through the pages and eliminate redundant white space.StyleWith regard to a simplified formatting process later on, useStandard FontsHeadingsBoldItalicand avoidExtravagant fontsHeadersFootersProofreading/EditingThe written draft must be revised in matters of focus and organization of specific sections, chapters, and paragraphs as well as a whole.Further on, you should attend to proofreading â€" finding and correcting mistakes in grammar, style and spelling, as well as typographic errors.Editing is an important and complex part of preparing your ebook for the audience and should be done conscientiously. There are countless copy editors and book consultants who can help you with constructive suggestions and advice in this process (for example, Independent Editors Group).Illustration Formatting Your EbookFormattingHiring someone to do itThere are many ebook conversion services available with different price ranges among themselves as well as according to the amount of words in your file.Doing it yourselfYou will need to use some HTML skills, and it might be confusing for the first time â€" but it can be done! Use Kindle’s Simplified Guide to Formatting Your Ebook and follow the steps.You will need to download KindleGen and Kindle Previewer tools so you could check if you are satisfied with your formatted file.IllustrationsImagesYou can insert images in your file in the JPG format.CoverCover of your ebook is essential for its successful placement. As most people are going to come across your ebook in the thumbnail format, it is important you design it accordingly. Make sure that it sends a clear message because if readers cannot deduct what the book is about in the first ten seconds there is a good chance they will simply scroll over it. Additionally, do not place a picture of yourself on the title page. Unknown personas smiling from the covers are not going to attract readers (on the other hand, it is a great strategy for celebrities).Create a Professional EbookIt is easy to publish a book independently, but all the above-stated procedures (i.e. editing, formatting, illustrations) are extremely hard to do right, especially for someone who has no prior experience in such endeavors. Of course you can do it on a satisfactory level if you put enough time and effort in it, but if you cannot leverage these conditions, it would be better to invest some money and at least consult with professionals. Bear in mind that with large amounts of motivated, independent publishers comes the greater necessity of differentiation and that quality stands out mor e than everything else (in most cases).Uploading Your EbookISBN PurchaseInternational Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a unique 9 digit reference number which serves as a book identifier. Amazon Kindle does not require ISBN because it provides your ebook with the 10 digit Amazon Standard Identification Number (AISN). Many other publisher platforms also provide their ISBN’s for independently published ebooks.On the other hand, you can purchase your own ISBN for around 100$ and become your publishing company. That way you can insert the number during the publishing process in Amazon Kindle and be enlisted as the publisher of your work.Amazon Kindle Direct PublishingNow that you have finished all the work behind the scenes, it is time to upload your ebook.Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is the basic program Amazon Kindle offers to independent publishers. It is the most populous publisher today and hence an unmissable point in the journey of your ebook.The account creation is free of cha rge while the pricing of the ebook ranges from 0.99$ to 200$. Royalties are from 35% to 70% depending on the price you set for the ebook â€" it must be priced at least 2.99$ in order for you to maximize your royalties (70%).Upload ProcessCreate an Amazon account and sign in.Register your tax information for royalties.Insert the title.Fill out the form including book title, description, and keywords you want people to search to find your book.Upload the cover file (JPG format).Upload the book file.Click “Save and Continue” and proceed to the “Rights and Pricing” page.Choose ‘Worldwide Rights’ and opt for a royalty rate and pricing according to your inclinations.Click ‘Save and Publish’.Amazon will email you when the book is ready to be published (from 24 to 48 hours).KDP Select or Not?Kindle Direct Publishing Select program is a 90 day period during which Amazon has exclusive rights to your ebook (meaning you cannot present your ebook anywhere else for 90 days). Howe ver, it gives you the opportunity to offer your ebook at no cost for five days of your choice which can be useful for acquiring large numbers of readers, as well as word-of-mouth marketing and beneficial reviews.Moreover, your ebook is placed in Kindle Owner’s Library, which is accessible only to Amazon Prime Members. They are allowed to borrow any book in the Library for a whole month at no cost. Each time your book is borrowed, you get paid around 2$. After the period has expired, you can opt for it again, under the same conditions, or continue to be published on Amazon without the special features.While it was a popular strategy in 2011, the KDP Select has been criticized in relation to exclusivity. You cannot advertize your ebook on any of your platforms, and it is more of a one-channel strategy. Bearing in mind the importance of juggling various channels nowadays it might be a not-so-productive option for your ebook management. Of course, the choice is up to you!Alternatives to Amazon KindleAs the ebook market widens and becomes more and more popular for readers as well as publishers, the web of independent publishing platforms grows in numbers. Aside from Amazon Kindle, you can choose from a myriad of others which can be used for placing your ebook on the online purchase skyline.Here we present a list of some alternatives to Amazon Kindle along with the percentage of royalties each of them offers:Apple â€" 70% (regardless of the price of the ebook)Lulu â€" 90% (regardless of the price of the ebook)Smashwords â€" from 60% to 85% (depending on the price of the ebook)Scribd â€" 80% (regardless of the price of the ebook)Kobo Writing Life â€" between 80% and 90% (depending on the price of your ebook)Setting the Price of Your EbookThe price you set for your ebook must be done according to three things:The (more or less) objective value of the ebookPrice accessibility to readersRoyaltiesOf course, you can set the price at the minimum because that way it will be extremely accessible to potential buyers. However, if you have written your book with a dedication and invested time and money in its realization, it is somewhat discouraging to put such a low-cost rate. Even more so if you bear in mind that increasing its price does not have to mean setting the bar inappropriately high. Most ebooks on Amazon Kindle are within the 2.99$ and 9.99$ price range.Royalties differ between platforms (as we have stated above) but are reasonable.The objective is hence to balance out the value of the book, the price you will sell it for and the amount of money you will receive for it.Marketing Your Ebook â€" How to Make Your Ebook Successful?In addition to marketing-oriented features you can apply to your ebook before and upon publishing â€" format, design and choice of publisher; the process of ‘getting the word out’ for your ebook does not end with mere postulation of the product on a platform. The publishing platform is not going to actively promote your ebook. Hence, you have to prepare a great marketing strategy.Leverage your platformsAmazon Product Pages.  It is surprising how many people neglect their product pages on Amazon. Put the tools which are offered such as ‘Tags’, Listmania, reader reviews and other in motion so as to create a comprehensive overview of your product at the site of purchase. Amazon’s Author Central is a helpful base which you can consult in order to fully use the features.Blog.  As ebooks are a product, you should employ the omnipresent content marketing strategies in order to promote it. Blogs are an excellent platform for such endeavors: they contain your work, your information and provide credibility to your ebook. Moreover, they serve as a communication channel for your readers â€" they can give opinionated constructive feedback, ask questions and monitor your further undertakings.Social Networks and Google Keywords.  Social networks are also a great channel for communication and promotion of your work. On Twitter, you can grow a circle of followers with similar interests and passions which will become a marketing device in itself. Furthermore, the readers will be easily updated and ready for more!Facebook ads and Google keywords can drive a substantial amount of traffic to your other platforms and thus bring in new prospects and leads.EBOOKS AS A PART OF CONTENT MARKETINGContent marketing is all about cross-promotion in a subtle and qualitative way. Wherever you read about it, same channels and means are stated. In order to develop a functional (online) marketing strategy, you have to establish platforms such as websites and social networks in order to have a place for promotion of your products or services. The process is nowadays achieved by introducing knowledge and information in the niche of your business which corresponds to interests of your targeted customers. Presenting reading materials in the form of ebooks and blogs can broaden, brand and firmly connect your enterprise to customers.Ebooks which you have published on Amazon Kindle can be offered for sale on your other pages as well (after the 90 day exclusive period and if you have not opted for KDP Select program) and serve as one of the pillars of the marketing temple for you products or services.After you have integrated yourself as an author for the first time, you should continue to write and publish. Statistics show that multiple books, especially series tend to have a higher success and profitability rates. With the help of the marketing apparatus you have constructed, readers of your first ebook will be ready for more in no time!

Kidney Stones ( Renal Lithiasis ) - 949 Words

Kidney stones (renal lithiasis) are small hard deposits,made of mineral and acid salts, that form inside your kidneys. Kidney stones form when the urine becomes concentrated, and minerals crystallize and bind together. Usually the chemical balance in urine prevents the crystals from forming. If the crystals stay small , they will pass out of the body through the urine. This is not always the case for everyone,so some people form stones. A common variety of stone contains calcium plus other chemicals which is a part of our regular diet and are important parts of the body,like bones and muscles. What causes kidney stones Kidney stones can be caused by dehydration, urinary tract infections, kidney disorders and certain metabolic disorders such as over active thyroid glands. Developing stones may also be hereditary. Indinavir, a medicine used to treat HIV infection, can also be a factor in the development of kidney stones.Struvite stones can form as a result of a urinary tract infection. High calcium levels in the urine creates crystals of calcium oxalate or calcium phosphate to form in kidneys or in the urinary tract. Stones may also form in individuals who experience chronic inflammation of the bowel or have had an intestinal bypass, or ostomy surgery. People with a history of forming calcium oxalate stones are usually advised to limit or eliminate high-oxalate foods which include rhubarb,spinach,beets,swiss chard,wheat germ,soybean crackers,peanuts,okra,chocolate,blackShow MoreRelatedUrinary Tablets And Urinary Tract Stone Disease1282 Words   |  6 Pagesafflicted by urinary stones (Urolithiasis) since centuries, and it is proven to be an important cause of renal failure. Even in the 4th century B.C., Hippocrates noted the presence of the renal stone together with renal abscess and he has mentioned that in his Hippocratic oath â€Å"I will not cut, even for stone, but leave such procedures to the practitioners of the craft.† A kidney stone, also known as a renal calculus is a solid concretion or crystal aggregation formed in the kidneys from dietary minerals

Report on future trend of Japanese Yen over the next month Free Essays

The aim of this report is to make a future trend prediction of Japanese Yen based on the economic data and experts’ opinions from SYNC for the next month. Further Yen weaknesses is going to continue, and Japan is staying with the protection under the market, said by Mike, according to the Bank of Japan Meeting. The dollar and Euro made their largest percentage gains against the yen since BOX announced aggressive easing measures and they plan to double holding of bonds and stocks in two years. We will write a custom essay sample on Report on future trend of Japanese Yen over the next month or any similar topic only for you Order Now From the previous statistics and graphs, we can see that, the dollar rose as high as 96. 41 yen on Router’s data, near a three and a half year peak of 96. 71 set on March 12. The Euro traded at 124. 51, up 4. 2 percent, higher than Yen for two or three months. And also, the yen weakened against other currencies, with the Australian dollar rising above 100 yen for the first time since 2008. Kyle Bass, the Founder of Hyman Capital said that what Japan Is trying to do Is to devalue the currency in order to become slightly more trade from competitors, like South Korea, and make the economy better. Jon added that, short (ME) emerging market or go long puts to play Yen weakness. The Bank of Japan Is embarking on a monetary easing campaign more aggressive than anything it has attempted In years. This means that there Is still a further weaknesses of Japanese Yen In the future months. How to cite Report on future trend of Japanese Yen over the next month, Papers

Medical Marijuana California theunioncollective.org

Medical Marijuana Program was established by the Medical Marijuana California to provide a voluntary medical identification card and register qualified patients and caregivers.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Medical Marijuana California: theunioncollective.org specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The web based program allows the law enforcers to access and verify the validity of the patients possessing the registered card. These cards allow qualified patients and caretakers to be in possession of marijuana. They are also allowed to grow transport and use medical marijuana in California. Under the Senate Bill 420, the medical marijuana program is administered to patients only in their county of residence. According to California Department of Health (para 2) a physician is mandated with issuance of a recommendation to help the patient obtain marijuana for medication purposes. The patient is then given a card for ide ntifying him/herself as legally allowed to have medical marijuana. It is upon both the state and county to cater for the expenses involved in the program. On 5th November, 1996, the residents of California passed the proposition 215 and an initiative measure was added to the Health and Safety Code also known as the Compassionate Use Act of 1996. The main purpose of the act was to improve the health of people who have serious ailments in California through giving them the right to use and possess marijuana for medical purposes where it is deemed appropriate by a physician. There should be reason to administer the marijuana if it would benefit the patient in the treatment of including chronic pain, AIDS, spasticity, arthritis, and many more ailments (ProCon.org para 3). Secondly, the act was formulated to ensure both the patient and the caregivers who obtain and use marijuana are not liable to criminal prosecution for being in possession of the drugs. Generally marijuana is an illegal drug; both growers and users that do not have a license to grow and use marijuana are in violation of the law and serious consequences are imminent if one is found. The health and safety code provides protection for physicians who are participating in the implementation of the act.Advertising Looking for report on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The provision states that no physician will be punished or be denied rights for prescribing medical marijuana, given that he does it within the legal framework (Medical Board of California para 4). Medical Board of California formulated the above statement due to the rising and emerging treatment modes using medical marijuana. The statement is a relief to physicians since it assures them that they will not be prosecuted or be subject to investigation by the Medical Board of California if they recommend medical marijuana as part of their regular practice of medicine t o their patients. A physician cannot be investigated without substantial information or additional information being produced against the physician for not complying with the accepted standards. For a physician to offer recommendation for the use of marijuana by his or her patients, the physician must first follow reasonable and prudent steps for approving the medication just like any medication. These accepted standards include the following: The physician should first check the history of the patient and the appropriate prior examination of the patient. The physician should also develop a treatment plan for the patient with medical objectives. They should also discuss the possible side effects of using medical marijuana and should probe for informed consent. The physicians should also do a periodic review of the treatment and how the patients respond to the medical marijuana. They should also ensure that the consultation is a necessity for prescriptions and lastly, physicians shou ld keep proper records which support their decision for prescribing the use of medical marijuana. Union Collective is an organization that grows, tests, sells, and delivers medical marijuana to patients who have been recommended to use it by a physician. The patient and the caregiver must possess identification from the Medical Marijuana Program for one to qualify to use and even grow medical cannabis. The Union Collective strives to ensure availability of high quality organic medicinal cannabis to qualified patients only. They also aim to eliminate use of harsh chemicals and pesticides and to enhance a fine taste medicine. Furthermore, the union is a caregiver that provides services to ailing patients suffering from ailments such as terminal cancer, glaucoma, autoimmune diseases, sleeping disorders, nausea, and anorexia among others.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Medical Marijuana California: theunioncollective.org specifically for you for only $ 16.05 $11/page Learn More The Union Collective medical marijuana is organically grown and is local and found in the hills of North California. The medical marijuana is only restricted to patients who are qualified and recommended by a physician for the medical marijuana program. The members of Union Collective have an advantage since the medical marijuana has been made readily available and consistently offer supply of quality organic medicine. Union Collective has grown sufficient medical marijuana to ensure that they meet the market needs. The number of patients has been increasing yearly, hence Union Collective keeps on expanding their growth and production services. Secondly, they have an unparalleled delivery services through conserving hygiene, attention, and good services to their patients. The delivery services come with several benefits and advantages. They offer very unique services that are very catchy to the caregivers and the patients. These advantages ar e as follows: One is that they offer free delivery throughout the purchase process; no additional costs are included and the patient or the caregivers who order them pay only the stated price. Second is that there is a short time span for delivery. Placing an order between 11am and 8:30 pm will enable a purchaser to get it within two hours from the time of ordering. The quick delivery is done so as to increase efficiency and to help in cases of emergency (Union Collective para 3). Thirdly, payment is only done after the order has been delivered and inspection has been done by the patient. Medical marijuana should be of great quality and should be carefully inspected by the patient to ensure it is of the right specification as the patient ordered. Fourthly, all their products are free of molds, fungus, and other contaminants. They guarantee quality through lab-tests and ensuring that they are untainted. Through the lab-tests, they ensure that the risks of health problems are reduced or minimized by testing that the medical marijuana is fully fit for consumption by the patients. Fifthly, pre-sale viewing is allowed through inspection of products using UV light for moulds and fungus.Advertising Looking for report on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This ensures that its users are certain of the quality of the products they are purchasing, hence avoiding health risks pertaining to medical marijuana that is contaminated or fungi infested. Sixthly, professional caregivers in the Union Collective are highly knowledgeable and they consistently offer good services to their patients. It is important that medical marijuana be used very well and for medicinal purposes only. Recreational use of the medical marijuana is not allowed and only qualified patients should use them. Therefore, a professional caregiver is important for advice or monitoring the use of the drug by qualified patients. Finally, Union Collective also deliver clones for patients to grow their own top-grade and untainted medical marijuana. They also provide advice on how to grow the clones safely and how to avoid cases of contamination and infestation by pests. The clones are also provided so that the patients and caregivers can efficiently avail medical marijuana for themselves (Union Collective para 3). Union Collective delivers their medical marijuana over a wide scope of area in California. The places that Union collective delivers in San Francisco includes Atherton, Belmont, Pacifica, Burlingame, San Carlos, Redwood City, San Francisco Bay, South San Francisco and many others. The supply of tested and quality medical marijuana has greatly benefitted the patients in the places they are supplied; they benefited from sufficient availability of the medical marijuana apart from its quality and safety. Union Collective has produced a variety of medical marijuana and their latest products include Jack Herer, Skywalker OG Wax, Sour Diesel, Head Band, L.A Confidential, Bubba Kush, Big Pete’s Treat, Durban Poison Wax and Pot of Gold. These varieties of medical marijuana are of different shapes sizes and purposes. The wide variety offers treatment for various illnesses as recommended by the organization (Union Collective para 1). Union Collectiv e has evaluated the arguments against the recreational use of marijuana. They have determined that most people are not aware of the dangers of using medical marijuana recreationally. In San Francisco, medical marijuana is commonly used and is readily available for patients. However, there is the tendency of people using the medical marijuana for recreation purposes rather than for medicinal purposes. The use of medical marijuana poses a great unseen risk to non prescribed users and also prescribed to a great extent. They warn that medical marijuana especially in the San Francisco bay area is of poor quality due to the use of chemicals to reduce insect infestation and microbial contaminants such as powdery mildew, fungi, and moulds. Use of chemicals such as the chloramine is used to treat powdery mildew, however, it is highly toxic when ingested by burning and affects patients suffering from cancer and who are undergoing treatment such as chemotherapy. Moreover, insects are a menace during flowering and development of the medical cannabis plant. In the event of insect infestation most grows will resort to use AvidTM to stop spider mites due to frustration and fear of losses. Spraying or watering with the chemicals to curb infestation leads to serious health effects when medical marijuana is used by patients from these growers (Union Collective para 4). Furthermore, medical cannabis users face a major problem because they access their majority of medical marijuana from dispensaries that do not test the medical marijuana since they are not required to do so. Cities such as San Jose and San Francisco have the majority of dispensaries in Northern California but have exposed the users to great health risks by not requiring them to do screen tests on the medical cannabis. In San Mateo County medical cannabis is more dangerous since it has no store front and relies only on delivery. Dispensaries in big cities have even offered to test the medical marijuana voluntarily to reduce the risk of intense effects of low quality medical marijuana. Union Collective has many dispensaries operating in San Jose and San Francisco. Statistically, 90 percent of the marijuana in California is not tested which is very worrying. Some other laboratories stated off the record that approximately 50 to 70 percent of the medical cannabis that is consumed is not of high quality and are contaminated in one way or another. Comparing to other states, California is far much better in regulation and screening of medical marijuana. There is also better control of the medical marijuana in terms of using and growing it (Union Collective para 2). In Colorado, medical marijuana requires screening in dispensaries hence improving the safety of the patients. However, the problem with Colorado is that there is no specific standard of the application of chemistry in testing standards. In conclusion, Union Collective recommends the importance of legal and illegal users to realize that medical grade cannabis is dangerous both in high quality and poor quality. The support of collectives – such as Union Collective – that test their medical marijuana should be supported until appropriate public health measures are taken into account by the relevant authorities (Union Collective 3). SWOT Analysis A SWOT analysis of California has been done to provide information about the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and possible threats against marijuana. Union Collective has various strengths including its compliance with the required standards of administering the drugs to the patients. Firstly, drugs are only given to qualified patients who have a genuine identification card from the Medical Marijuana Program. This has reduced the number of cases where medical marijuana is abused in California; cases of recreational use of medical marijuana are very common in California. Secondly, the drugs are of high quality and they have a wide variety of medical marijuana. Their delivery services are quick and sufficient for all its customers. Furthermore, they are quiet cheap due to non-additional costs of transport and they are readily available for the market. Thirdly, they supply their products in many places especially San Francisco has largely benefitted from the extensiveness of the availability of medical marijuana. Fourthly, Union Collective has knowledgeable caregivers who enhance safety and advice to qualified users. Lastly, they have taken an initiative to ensure that health risks emanating from the use of contaminated medical marijuana. Contamination and fungus infestation of medical marijuana is a serious issue on health and it may lead to complications for patients. Through the safe measure for production of marijuana, its users can comfortably use the drugs without worrying about intoxication. Weaknesses that Union Collective has are that there is a large amount of medical marijuana that is still in the market that is not tested. This poses a challenge to its users since they have not been able to convince the large number of users the importance of using tested medical marijuana. Secondly, the delivery of clones to caregivers and patients who want to grow them could easily commercialize the marijuana and sell them to recreational users. Union Collective has availed various opportunities that Union Collective has taken into account. Since they offer quality services for their patients, they should take advantage of various opportunities to expand their dispensaries throughout California. Due to the growing acknowledgement and recognition of medical marijuana they have an opportunity to further their services in the sector. Medical marijuana is a growing treatment modality, and Union Collective should use the media to attract and to advertise the existence of safe and high quality medical marijuana. Moreover, they should also increase the number of professional personnel to improve the services and assurance (Legalize Medical Marijuana para 6). Lastly, an analysis of the threats that Union Collective face is that there is a huge number of proliferated medical marijuana in the market that are not of great quality. This untested medical marijuana might lead to health problems and hence lead to a negative view of the medication it leads to questions of the side effects of using medical marijuana. Recreational users also pose a threat to the medical marijuana; many use it without the recommendation of the physician or force the physician to administer the medical marijuana unnecessarily. There is also less support that is given by the government to address the intensity of the issues regarding health risks of using untested medical marijuana. The government also has not supported collectives that genuinely test the medication (Debatepedia para 4). Some people sell the medical marijuana illegally due to the influx of dispensaries and has lead to federal threats (Klare para 1). Social Media Social media has been used by Union Collective to reach out to its customers; their website offers room for asking questions and online registration. Their website provides information about the existence of their medical marijuana products and their prices, quality, and their services in general. Moreover, providing information on who is allowed and who is not allowed the medical marijuana and the effects of its use (Stryker 307). Their web also contains reports covering issues concerning the safety and dangers of using medical marijuana for both recreational purposes and medicinal purposes (Union Collective para 6). Works Cited California Department of Health. Medical Marijuana Program. n.d. Web. http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/mmp/Pages/Medical%20Marijuana%20Program.aspx Debatepedia. Debate: Medical marijuana dispensaries. n.d. Web. http://debatepedia.idebate.org/en/index.php/Debate:_Medical_marijuana_dispensaries Klare, Joe. MPP and LEAP react to new federal threat s to medical marijuana in CA. 2011, October 7. Web. http://the420times.com/2011/10/mpp-and-leap-react-to-new-federal-threats-to-medical-marijuana-in-ca/ Legalize Medical Marijuana. Use SWOT analysis business. n.d. Web. http://www.legalizemedicalmarijuana.info/use-swot-analysis-business/ Medical Board of California. Medical marijuana. n.d. Web. http://www.mbc.ca.gov/medical_marijuana.html ProCon.Org. Should marijuana be a medical option? n.d. Web. http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/ Stryker, Joe Ellen. Articles media and marijuana: a longitudinal analysis of news media effects on adolescents’ marijuana use and related outcomes, 1977-1999. Journal on Health Communication 8.4 (2003): 305-328. Union Collective. Medical marijuana delivery in San Francisco bay area. n.d. Web. http://theunioncollective.org/ This report on Medical Marijuana California: theunioncollective.org was written and submitted by user Skyler Miles to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Commonplace Books and Their Uses

Commonplace Books and Their Uses A commonplace book is a writers personal collection of quotations, observations, and topic ideas. Also known as topos koinos (Greek) and locus communis (Latin). Called florilegia (flowers of reading) in the Middle Ages, commonplace books were especially popular during the Renaissance and well into the 18th century. For some writers, blogs serve as contemporary versions of commonplace books. Examples and Observations It was none other than the foremost Humanist of his day, Erasmus, in his De copia of 1512, who set the mold for making commonplace books, in a passage advising how to store collections of illustrative examples in retrievable form. One should make oneself a notebook divided by place-headings, then subdivided into sections. The headings should relate to things of particular note in human affairs or to the main types and subdivisions of vices and virtues.-(Ann Moss, Commonplace Books. Encyclopedia of Rhetoric, ed. by T.O. Sloane. Oxford University Press, 2001)Cobbled together by literate people, commonplace books served as repositories for whatever someone thought fit to record: medical recipes, jokes, verse, prayers, mathematical tables, aphorisms, and especially passages from letters, poems, or books.(Arthur Krystal, Too True: The Art of the Aphorism. Except When I Write. Oxford University Press, 2011)Clarissa Harlowe. Have read 1/3 of. Long books, when read, are usually overpraised, because the reader wants to convince others and himself that he has not wasted his time.(E.M. Forster in 1926, excerpt from Commonplace Book, ed. by Philip Gardner. Stanford University Press, 1988) Reasons to Keep a Commonplace Book Professional writers still carry notebooks that resemble commonplace books. In keeping with this practice, we suggest that aspiring rhetors carry a notebook with them so that they can write down ideas that occur to them while they are engaged in doing other things. And when you are reading, or talking, or listening to others, you can use the notebook as a commonplace book, writing down comments or passages that you want to remember, copy, or imitate.(Sharon Crowley and Debra Hawhee, Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students. Pearson, 2004)The commonplace book derived its name from the ideal of a common place where useful ideas or arguments might be gathered. . . .[T]here are still good reasons for writers to keep commonplace books the old-fashioned way. In copying by hand a masterful construction from another writer, we can inhabit the words, grasp their rhythms and, with some luck, learn a little something about how good writing is made. . . .Author Nicholson Baker writes of keepi ng a commonplace book that it makes me a happier person: My own bristling brain-urchins of worry melt in the strong solvent of other peoples grammar. Its a lovely passage, and I couldnt help entering it into my own commonplace book.(Danny Heitman, A Personal Trove of Prose. The Wall Street Journal, October 13-14, 2012) William H. Gass on Ben Jonsons Commonplace Book When Ben Jonson was a small boy, his tutor, William Camden, persuaded him of the virtue of keeping a commonplace book: pages where an ardent reader might copy down passages that especially pleased him, preserving sentences that seemed particularly apt or wise or rightly formed and that would, because they were written afresh in a new place, and in a context of favor, be better remembered, as if they were being set down at the same time in the memory of the mind. Here were more than turns of phrase that could brighten an otherwise-gloomy page. Here were statements that seemed so directly truthful they might straighten a warped soul on seeing them again, inscribed, as they were, in a childs wide round trusting hand, to be read and reread like the propositions of a primer, they were so bottomed and basic.(William H. Gass, A Defense of the Book. A Temple of Texts. Alfred A. Knopf, 2006) Commonplace Books and the Web John Locke, Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Coleridge and Jonathan Swift all kept [commonplace] books, copying down proverbs, poems and other wisdom they encountered while reading. So did many women, often excluded from public discourse at the time. By appropriating others nuggets, writes cultural historian Robert Darnton, you made a book of your own, one stamped with your personality.In a recent Columbia University lecture, the writer Steven Johnson drew parallels between commonplace books and the web: blogging, Twitter and social bookmarking sites such as StumbleUpon are often held to have sparked a renaissance of the form. . . . As with commonplace books, this linking and sharing create not just a hodgepodge, but something coherent and original: When text is free to combine in new, surprising ways, new forms of value are created.(Oliver Burkeman, Make a Book of Your Own. The Guardian, May 29, 2010)

Understanding Depth of Knowledge

Understanding Depth of Knowledge Depth of Knowledge (DOK) was developed through research by Norman L. Webb in the late 1990’s. It is defined as the complexity or depth of understanding that is required to answer an assessment question. Depth of Knowledge Levels Each level of complexity measures a students depth of knowledge. Here are a few keywords as well as descriptors for each depth of knowledge level. DOK Level 1 - (Recall - measure, recall, calculate, define, list, identify.) This category involves basic tasks that require students to recall information and/or reproduce knowledge/skills. This may involve simple procedures or working with facts or terms. Students do not need to figure out this level of DOK they either know the answer or they dont. DOK Level 2 - Skill/Concept - graph, classify, compare, estimate, summarize.) This DOK level requires students to compare and contrast, describe or explain, or convert information. It may involve going beyond describing, to explaining how or why. At this level, students may need to infer, estimate, or organize. DOK Level 3 - (Strategic Thinking - assess, investigate, formulate, draw conclusions, construct.) At this level students are required to use higher order thinking processes. They may be asked to solve real-world problems, predict outcomes, or analyze something. Students may need to access knowledge from multiple subject areas to reach a solution. DOK Level 4 - (Extended Thinking - analyze, critique, create, design, apply concepts.) Higher order thinking skills are essential at this level of DOK. Students must employ strategic thinking to solve problems at this level. Students will need to conduct, and synthesize as well as manage at level 4. Possible (DOK) Depth of Knowledge Stem Questions Possible Activities to Correlate Here are a few stem questions, along with potential activities that correlate with each DOK level. Use the following questions and activities when creating your common core assessments. DOK 1 Who Was ____?When did _____ happen?Can you recall_____?How can you recognize_____?Who discovered_____? Possible Activities Develop a concept map describing a topic.Create a chart.Write a summary report.Paraphrase a chapter in a book.Retell in your own words.Outline the main points. DOK 2 What did you notice about_____?How would you classify____?How are ____ alike? How are they different?How would you summarize_______?How could you organize______? Possible Activities Classify a series of steps.Create a diorama to illustrate an event.Explain the meaning of a concept or how to perform a task.Create a game about the topic.Make a topographical map. DOK 3 How would you test_____?How is ____ related to_____?Could you predict the outcome if____?How would you describe the sequence of_____?Can you elaborate on the reason of_____? Possible Activities Conduct a debate.Create a flowchart to show changes.Classify the actions of specific characters in a story.Explain a concept in abstract terms.Research and design an investigation to answer a question. DOK 4 Write a research paper on a topic.Apply information from one text to another to develop a persuasive argument.Write a thesis, drawing conclusions from multiple resources.Gather information to develop alternative explanations.What information can you gather to support your idea about _____? Possible Activities Create a graph or table to organize information.Create an idea and sell it.Write a jingle to advertise a product.Apply information to solve a problem that is in a novel.Develop a menu for a new restaurant. Sources: Depth of Knowledge s and Question Stems for Increasing Depth of Knowledge in the Classroom, and Webbs Depth of Knowledge Guide.

Is political art possible In your response, concentrate on three works Essay

Is political art possible In your response, concentrate on three works with political claims and objectives - Essay Example Particularly when the artist chooses to depict recognizable subjects, future generations of viewers are able to glean some sense of how the people lived by thoroughly examining changes in depictions from one generation of artists to another, watching for deliberate misrepresentation of images and juxtaposition of elements, all of which can provide clues as to the underlying social and political structures of the era. Attempts to understand these deeper elements of art can be improved by coming to a greater understanding of literature, whose expression is closely connected to the concepts underlying artistic practices. Social theorists and academics commonly look to literature as a means of achieving greater understanding of events such as massive cultural shifts like that experienced during the post-war period and cultural hybridity. Because these concepts are difficult to define or explain, literature offers the necessary examples and analogies which bridge gaps in understanding and pose new questions to be watched for in the artworks produced. The idea of cultural hybridity has taken on great significance since the mid-20th century as social and cultural shifts prompted by globalization have had increasing impact on our world. Although commonly employed to refer to the effects of pre-war colonialism, in which a technologically dominant society overpowers a less developed nation, the concepts that have emerged from studies into cultural hybridity have taken on new significance in light of globalization and transnationalism as the artist attempts to depict the mood of an entire nation. The concepts and aftereffects of colonialism became a subject of great consideration during the postwar period particularly within the academic world and have recently, within the past few decades, become the focus of a number of political artworks and artists. â€Å"Colonialism is a practice of domination, which involves the subjugation of one people to another† (Kohn). O riginally, colonialism was thought to apply only to the specific action of moving people from a dominant territory, like England, to a new territory, like Africa, for permanent purposes. This type of relocation effort is also commonly characterized by the expectation that those relocated individuals will continue to cling to their home rule standards of living even within the bounds of the new location. In other words, settlers were expected to adhere to their former modes of dress, behavior styles and observe the cultural standards of their original home country rather than attempt to in with or adopt the standards of the people already living in the area. Regardless of their status in the home country, these settlers were given the impression that it was their task to convince the local people to change their ‘heathen’ or ‘uncivilized’ ways so they might come into compliance with the colonizing culture’s ideals and thus be able to compete on the 'h igher' or 'better' level. Although there were reasons why this deliberate attempt to replace entire cultures was considered justifiable, the attempt was also perhaps unavoidable. The practice of colonization was considered to be important to the global community because â€Å"a temporary period of political dependence or tutelage was necessary in order for ‘uncivilized’ societies to advance to the point where they were capable of sustaining liberal institutions and self-government†