Holiday On Mackinaw Island :: essays research papers

Audience: Vacation Takers, Recommended for Over 20 Years OldAlthough Mackinaw Island is very small, it is very beautiful and has lots of exciting activities, such as bicycling, horseback riding, buggy riding, and fudge shopping. Mackinaw Island is located in the upper part of Michigan between Lake Huron, Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. It makes a perfect place for a quick getaway. The tourist season runs from mid-May to mid-October. The Island, being only 8.2 miles around, looks like a small old-fashioned town. Mackinaw Island is usually packed with people making the main road look narrow. Often fifty bicycles or more are parked on both sides of the road every 300 feet. People are walking in every direction. Horses walk on the right side of the street and horse buggies wait to pick up passengers. The place looks very congested and it doesn't look like an enjoyable vacation spot but a little farther away from the downtown area peace and beauty exists.Mackinaw Island has beautiful scenery. One unique place, the Arch Rock, looks very neat. It towers above the tourists. The rock has a huge round hole carved in it making it resemble like a donut hole. It is about fifteen to twenty feet in diameter. Through the hole, tourists can only see the bicycle path and Lake View. The lake has clear blue water. One of the other attractive places it has is the butterfly house. Hundreds of butterflies fly around the house. When they get tired, they sit on one of the wire fences. They are in every size and color. Some of them look like ladybugs and others look like zebras with black and white stripes.Mackinaw Island has lots of activities to do from riding bicycles to horse carriage tours. Motorized vehicles are not allowed on the Island. One of the exciting activities the Island has is the bicycle riding, which is different from other bicycle rides because it is around the shoreline. The bicycle path is seven miles around the shoreline road. The path is very peaceful, unlike the Island's downtown area. Signs on brown boards on the left side of the road describe the next upcoming scenery. Wherever there is scenery to view there is a special parking place for the bicycles. When tourists get tired while riding bicycles they can just pull over on the side and sit along the lake and enjoy the sun and the Lake View.

Critical Thinking: Nine Strategies for Everyday Life Essay

Most people are not critical thinkers by nature. It takes years of practice and commitment to become a highly productive and efficient critical thinker. In order to develop the right frame of mind in becoming a critical thinker there are certain stages that can be followed to help students practice their critical thinking skills. â€Å"Stage one: The Unreflective Thinker† this stage entails students who are unaware of any problems that they might have in the critical thinking process (Paul and Elder, 2000, p.1). â€Å"Stage Two: The Challenged Thinker† this is the stage where the students begin to become familiar with any problems they might have in the critical thinking process (Paul and Elder, 2000, p.1). â€Å"Stage Three: The Beginning Thinker† in this stage the student begins to improve their skills but without much practice (Paul and Elder, 2000, p.1). â€Å"Stage Four: The Practicing Thinker† here the student begins to realize the importance of practicing their critical thinking skills (Paul and Elder, 2000, p.1). â€Å"Stage Five: The Advanced Thinker† advancement is directly correlated with practice. The more the student practices the more advanced he/she becomes (Paul and Elder, 2000, p.2). â€Å"Stage Six: The Master Thinker† at this stage, the student begins to become a highly skilled critical thinker and it becomes second nature (Paul and Elder, 2000, p.2). A question a student might want to ask themselves is, what stage best fits me? And, how can I improve myself to become a more proficient critical thinker? These stages are useless unless a student is willing to accept the fact that there is some deficit in their critical thinking skills. In order to help students progress through the rankings of these stages, a list of nine strategies has been devised to aid in the student’s progress. â€Å"Strategy #1: Use â€Å"Wasted† Time† a countless number of hours are wasted every day (Paul and Elder, 2000, p.2). This is wasted time that could have been used to improve your critical thinking skills. A student must be able to recognize when the time they are using is wasted or productive. When an individual acquires this skill, the wasted time can be put to further the individual’s critical thinking development. â€Å"Strategy #2: A Problem A Day† a student must pick a problem that can be thought out thoroughly each day (Paul and Elder, 2000, p.3). This can be done on the way to work, in the shower, or when one finds that they are wasting time. Completely think out the question and  suggest solutions to possibly remedy the problem. â€Å"Strategy #3: Internalize Intellectual Standards† Some examples of universal intellectual standards are, clarity, precision, logicalness, and accuracy (Paul and Elder, 2000, p.3). Once a week a student must take one of these standards and use it in everyday situations. For example, a student might want to use logicalness and apply it to every day life. This can be applied to every task the student is performing in order to see if it is being performed in a logical manner. â€Å"Strategy #4 Keep an Intellectual Journal† a written record of a students critical thinking experiences will be helpful in allowing the student to refer back to specific techniques that were the most productive (Paul and Elder, 2000, p.4). â€Å"Strategy #5: Reshape Your Character† A student must take one personal trait such as empathy, and apply it to their everyday life (Paul and Elder, 2000, p.5). â€Å"Strategy #6: Deal with Your Egocentrism† (Paul and Elder, 2000, p.6) it is human nature for an individual to think in terms of ones self (Gelfand et. al., 2002). A student must devise a way to be aware of this type of thinking in order to minimize egocentric actions. â€Å"Strategy #7: Redefine the Way You See Things† (Paul and Elder, 2000, p.6) students consistently bombard themselves with negative thoughts about themselves, the world, and their work. A student must lean how to turn these negative thoughts into positive thoughts. Only then will he/she be more productive in every aspect of their life. â€Å"Strategy #8: Get in Touch with Your Emotions† a student must turn negative emotions into positive (Paul and Elder, 2000, p.6). One good example is to try to find the humorous side of an occasion that might otherwise make you angry or upset (Paul and Elder, 2000). â€Å"Strategy #9: Analyze Group Influence on your Life† individuals tend to give in to group influences (Paul and Elder, 2000, p.7). A student must learn to read these influences and make a decision on what action needs to be taken. In order to become a more proficient critical thinker a student must remember these three main points. First, evaluate yourself honestly in order to realize what area needs improvement, only then can you begin to improve. Second, practice makes perfect, in order to become a master of any skill a certain amount of practice is needed in any field. Third, once a student becomes a proficient critical thinker, keep exploring new ideas in order to  improve. These steps and strategies can also be applied to the research field. In research, scientific reading and writing is an everyday process. Critical thinking is a skill that every scientist must have in order to excel in their work environment. All these strategies can be used in order to improve the critical thinking skills of every employee. References Elder, L. & Paul, R. (2000). Critical Thinking: Nine strategies for everyday life. Journal of Developmental Education, 24, 40-42. Retrieved November 2, 2003, from: http://www.apollolibrary.com/srp/gbm/COM515.asp Gelfand MJ, Higgins M, Nishii LH, Raver JL, Alexandria D, Murakami F., et al. (2002). Culture and egocentric perceptions of fairness in conflict and negotiation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 5, 833-845.

The Anvil Rule How NASA Keeps Its Shuttles Safe form Thunderstorms

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASAs) Anvil Cloud Rule is a set of rules that keep space shuttles weather safe during severe thunderstorms. It is one part of the Weather Launch Commit Criteria -- a set of rules created by NASA that defines weather conditions during which shuttle launch and landing are prohibited. Rules Regarding Anvil Clouds Do not launch through an attached anvil cloud. If lightning occurs in the anvil or the associated main cloud, do not launch within 10 nautical miles for the first 30 minutes after lightning is observed, or within 5 nautical miles from 30 minutes to 3 hours after lightning is observed. Do not launch if the flight path will carry the vehicle... through non-transparent parts of a detached anvil for the first three hours after the anvil detaches from the parent cloud, or the first four hours after the last lightning occurs in the detached anvil.within 10 nautical miles of non-transparent parts of a detached anvil for the first thirty minutes after the time of the last lightning in the parent or anvil cloud before detachment, or the detached anvil after its detachment.within 5 nautical miles of non-transparent parts of a detached anvil for the first three hours after the time of the last lightning in the parent or anvil cloud before detachment, or the detached anvil after detachment, unless there is a field mill within 5 nautical miles of the detached anvil reading less than 1,000 volts per meter for the last 15 minutes and a maximum radar returns from any part of the detached anvil within 5 nautical miles of the flight path have been less than 10 dBZ on radar (light rain) for 15 minutes. Whats an Anvil Cloud? Named for their likeness to an iron anvil, anvil clouds are the icy upper portions of cumulonimbus thunderstorm clouds that are caused by a rising of air in the lower portions of the atmosphere. When the rising air reaches 40,000-60,000 or more feet, it tends to spread out in a characteristic anvil shape. Generally, the taller the cumulonimbus cloud, the more severe the storm will be. The anvil top of a cumulonimbus cloud is actually caused by it hitting the top of the stratosphere—the second layer of the atmosphere.  Since this layer acts as a cap to convection (the cooler temperatures at its top discourage thunderstorms (convection), the tops of storm clouds have nowhere to go but spread outward. Why are Anvil Clouds So Dangerous? The anvil rule is meant to protect space shuttles and the sensitive electronic equipment aboard them from three main dangers associated with cumulonimbus clouds: lightning, high winds, and ice crystals. In fact, shuttle​s  are not only at risk from any lightning occurring within the anvil cloud itself, but it can also trigger more lightning to occur. When the space shuttle goes high into the atmosphere, the long plume from the exhaust gives a pathway through which lightning can flow. In addition, the plume will reduce the electrical field necessary to trigger natural lightning. Sources Space Shuttle Weather Launch Commit Criteria and KSC End of Mission Weather Landing Criteria. NASA. http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/pdf/423407main_weather-rules-feb2010.pdf