Should You Take a GRE Test Prep Course

Regardless of whether you dread it, the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is required for entry to most graduate programs. The test is challenging, designed to measure your aptitude for grad school. Subscales measure competence in verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing skills. Your GRE score will influence not just whether you get into grad school but can influence whether you get funding. Many graduate departments use GRE scores as a method for allocating scholarships, fellowships, and tuition remission grants. How should you prepare for the GRE? It depends on your needs and learning style. Some students study alone and others take a test prep course. There are several course options, of course, but first, you need to determine if a GRE prep course is for you. Why Take a GRE Test Prep Course? Helps you identify your strengths and weaknesses to sharpen your focus.Provides structure, leadership, and a timetable for studying so that you do not get stuck.Shows you how to prepare using proven strategies so that you do not waste your time.You’ll learn alongside other students.Guidance in reviewing and correcting mistakesYou’ll have one-on-one instructionExternal motivation. You will be surrounded by other people that are on the same page as you and can serve as motivators.Helps you generate a systematic study plan and alter it as your capacities and needs change. Despite these advantages, not everyone needs a GRE prep course. Some of the cons of taking a GRE prep course include the following: Expensive. Most in-person classes cost about $1,000Good self-study methods are available – you may not need a classLarge classes may not offer enough focus on you as an individual.Your success might rest on the expertise of your teacher.Requires a great deal of homework and out of class study. Most people will do well with that much practice regardless of whether they take a class. Diagnose Yourself Success on the GRE is largely about knowing the test and a prep class will help you learn that, but do you really need a GRE class? Take a diagnostic GRE test. Several test prep companies, such as Barron’s, offer free diagnostic tests to help applicants figure out their capacities and their needs. A good diagnostic test will give you the information to determine your present skill level and areas of strength and weakness. Consider the following after taking your diagnostic test Overall scoreScore across different types of questionsScores for each sectionTime taken for the overall testTime taken  for various question types and sectionsList of specific weak areasList of specific stronger areas How many areas are you deficient in? If there are many you might consider taking a GRE prep course. A good course can direct you as to how to study, what areas, and help managing time to study most efficiently and effectively. What to Look for Should you look for a GRE course seek one that has experienced faculty who have scored in the upper percentiles of the GRE. Look for classes that offer a range of study materials, online and in print. Look for courses that give students opportunities to take multiple exams and to revise their studying strategies and scope after each. Seek opportunities for one-on-one instruction. If you choose to enroll in a GRE prep class recognize that it is not a magic wand for your GRE score. Success is not simply a matter of enrolling, but doing the work. Without doing the homework and prep outside of class you will not get much out of the class. Listening to lectures without doing the work will not help you. Like other things in life, such as college, GRE prep course is as helpful as you make them. To improve your score you will have to work hard. The class can teach you how and offer evaluation but ultimately the work is your own.

Traditional Holiday Terms in German

Whether youre celebrating Christmas in a German-speaking country or you want to bring a few old-world traditions home, these German phrases and traditions will make your holiday truly authentic. The first two sections below contain general German Christmas  and New Years greetings followed by the English translations. The subsequent sections are grouped alphabetically, with the English word or phrase printed first, followed by the German translations. German nouns always start with a capital letter, unlike English, where only proper nouns or nouns that begin a sentence are capitalized. German nouns are also generally preceded by an article, such as  die  or der, which means the in English. So, study the tables, and youll be saying  Frà ¶hliche Weihnachten! (Merry Christmas) as well as many other German holiday greetings in no time. German Christmas Greetings German Greeting English Translation Ich wnsche I wish Wir wnschen We wish dir You Euch You all Ihnen You, formal deiner Familie Your family Ein frohes Fest! A joyous holiday! Frohe Festtage! Seasons Greetings! / Happy Holidays! Frohe Weihnachten! Merry Christmas! Frohes Weihnachtsfest! [A] joyous Christmas celebration! Frhliche Weihnachten! Merry Christmas! Ein gesegnetes Weihnachtsfest! A blessed/joyous Christmas! Gesegnete Weihnachten und ein glckliches neues Jahr! A blessed Christmas and a happy new year! Herzliche Weihnachtsgre! Best Christmas greetings! Ein frohes Weihnachtsfest und alles Gute zum neuen Jahr! A joyful Christmas (festival) and best wishes for the new year! Zum Weihnachtsfest besinnliche Stunden! [We wish you] Contemplative / reflective hours during the Christmas celebration! Ein frohes und besinnliches Weihnachtsfest! A merry and reflective/thoughtful Christmas! German New Year’s Greetings German Saying English Translation Alles Gute zum neuen Jahr! Best wishes for the new year! Einen guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr! A good start in the new year! Prosit Neujahr! Happy New Year! Ein glckliches neues Jahr! Happy New Year! Glck und Erfolg im neuen Jahr! Good fortune and success in the new year! Zum neuen Jahr Gesundheit, Glck und viel Erfolg! Health, happiness, and much success in the new year! Advent to Baumkuchen Advent (Latin for arrival, coming) is the four-week period leading up to Christmas. In German-speaking countries and most of  Europe,  the first Advent weekend is the traditional beginning of the Christmas season  when open-air Christmas markets (Christkindlmà ¤rkte) appear in many cities, the most famous ones being in Nuremberg and Vienna. Baumkuchen, listed below, is a  tree cake, a layered cake whose interior resembles tree rings when cut. English Word of Phrase German Translation Advent calendar(s) Adventskalender Advent season Adventszeit Advent wreath Adventskranz Angel(s) der Engel Basel chocolate balls Basler Brunsli Baumkuchen der Baumkuchen Candles to Crà ¨che (Manger) Candles, with their light and warmth, have long been used in German winter celebrations as symbols of the sun in the dark of winter. Christians later adopted candles as their own symbols of the Light of the World. Candles also play an important role in Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights. English Word or Phrase German Translation Carol(s), Christmas carol(s): Weihnachtslied (-er) Carp der Karpfen Chimney der Schornstein Choir der Chor Crche, manger die Krippe Christmas to Crescent Christ Child translates into German as  das Christkind or das Christkindl.  The moniker Kris Kringle is actually a corruption of  Christkindl. The word came into American English via the Pennsylvania Germans, whose neighbors misunderstood the German word for the bringer of gifts. With the passage of time, Santa Claus (from Dutch Sinterclaas) and Kris Kringle became synonymous. The Austrian town of  Christkindl  bei  Steyr  is a popular Christmas post office, an Austrian North Pole. English Word or Phrase German Translation Christmas das Weihnachten, das Weihnachtsfest Christmas bread/cake, fruit cake der Stollen, der Christstollen, der Striezel Christmas card(s) Weihnachtskarte Christmas Eve Heiligabend Christmas market(s) Weihnachtsmarkt, Christkindlesmarkt Christmas pyramid die Weihnachtspyramide Christmas tree der Christbaum, der Tannenbaum, der Weihnachtsbaum Cinnamon star(s) Zimtstern: Star-shaped, cinnamon-flavored Christmastime cookies Cookies Kekse, Kipferln, Pltzchen Cradle Wiege Crib Krippe, Kripplein Crescent(s) Kipferl Father Christmas to Glass Ball In the 16th century, Protestants, led by Martin Luther, introduced Father Christmas to replace Saint Nicholas and to avoid the Catholic saints. In the Protestant parts of Germany and Switzerland, Saint Nicholas became  der Weihnachtsmann  (Christmas Man). In the U.S., he came to be known as Santa Claus, while in England children look forward to a visit from Father Christmas. English Word of Phrase German Translation Father Christmas (Santa Claus) der Weihnachtsmann: Fir tree der Tannenbaum (-bume) Fruit bread (Christmas bread) der Stollen, das Kletzenbrot Garland die Girlande Gift(s) das Geschenk Gift giving die Bescherung Gingerbread der Lebkuchen Glass ball die Glaskugel Holly to Ring   In pagan times, Holly ( die Stechpalme)  was believed to have magical powers that kept evil spirits away. Christians later made it a symbol of Christs crown of thorns. According to legend, the holly berries were originally white but turned red from Christs blood. English Word or Phrase German Translation Holly die Stechpalme King(s) der Knig Three Kings (Wise Men) die Heiligen Drei Knige, die Weisen Kipferl das Kipferl: An Austrian Christmas cookie. Lighting die Beleuchtung Outdoor lighting die Auenbeleuchtung Lights die Lichter Marzipan das Marzipan (almond paste candy) Midnight mass die Christmette, Mitternachtsmette Mistletoe die Mistel Mulled, spiced wine der Glhwein (glow wine) Myrrh die Myrrhe Nativity die Krippe, Krippenbild, die Geburt Christi Nut(s) die Nuss (Nsse) Nutcracker(s) der Nussknacker Organ, pipe organ die Orgel Ornaments, ornamentation die Verzierung, der Schmuck Poinsettia die Poinsettie, der Weihnachtsstern Reindeer das Rentier Ring (bells) erklingen, klingeln Saint Nicholas to Wreath Saint Nicholas is not Santa Claus or the American Saint Nick. Dec. 6, the Feast of St. Nicholas, is the day upon which the original Bishop Nicholas of Myra (now in Turkey) is commemorated and is the date of his death in the year 343. He was later granted sainthood. The German  Sankt Nikolaus, dressed as a bishop, brings gifts on that day. According to legend, it was also Bishop Nicholas who created the Christmas tradition of hanging stockings by the fireplace. The kindly bishop is said to have thrown bags of gold for the poor down the chimney. The bags landed in stockings that had been hung by the fire to dry. This Saint Nicholas legend may also partly explain the American custom of Santa coming down the chimney with his bag of gifts. English Word or Phrase German Translation Saint Nicholas der Sankt Nikolaus Sheep das Schaf (-e) Shepherd(s) der Hirt (-en), der Schfer Silent Night Stille Nachte Sing singen Sled, sleigh, toboggan der Schlitten Snow (noun) der Schnee Snow (verb) schneien (Its snowing - Es schneit) Snowball der Schneeball Snowflake die Schneeflocke Snowman der Schneemann Snow sled/sleigh der Schlitten Snowy schneeig Snow covered schneebedeckt Stable, stall der Stall Star(s) der Stern Straw star(s) der Strohstern (Strohsterne): a traditional Christmas decoration made of straw. Tinsel das Lametta, der Flitter Toy(s) das Spielzeug Wreath der Kranz

Fashion Industry Free Essays

Essay question: Does the fashion industry exist mainly to persuade people to spend money on things they do not need? In my opinion,the fashion industry do not not exist mainly to persuade people to spend money on things they do not need. Everybody is free to decide if they want to spend money on fashion or not. First of all, we have to understand: what is fashion industry? With its beginnings in the late 17th century, the fashion industry is a globalized sector that works to meet the demand for apparel and dictates the trends for what should be worn. We will write a custom essay sample on Fashion Industry or any similar topic only for you Order Now This industry consists of five distinct and separate levels. These levels are haute couture, luxury wear, affordable luxury wear, mainstream clothing, and discount clothing. The production part of the industry, that which takes the concept for a piece of apparel all the way to the hands of those who purchase it, is made up of four basic sectors. These sectors include producers of the goods necessary to make the apparel, those who create the pieces, those who advertise and market the goods, and those who sell the goods. According to the concept of fashion industry, we realize that the fashion industry based on man’s demand to exist. The demand is higher so the fashion industry is higher too. The market is government by the law of supply and demand. That is why we can not agree with the essay question. In the society, there are many living standards. People who live in or below poverty line they use mainstream clothing, and discount clothing. People who have high living standard they can spend money on haute couture, luxury wear, affordable luxury wear whatever they think its suitable with their pocket. Some people look at fashion as another form of artistic expression, and as a way to allow people to express their individuality. Without the fashion industry, we wouldn’t have a field of business where first a person can create unique forms of apparel, and then be able to sell them to those who want to do more with their clothes than just to protect from weather or prevent public indecency. And the fashion industry is like any other businesses. A business needs sales to stay afloat, so they will do whatever they can to convince a person to buy more, whether that’s through advertisement, or sales promotion. That does not automatically make a business evil. Corruption and greed are what make a business evil. If simply wanting sales made a business evil, why are not businesses in the food industry under hot water? Restaurants try to get people to eat food they really do not need; most people have food at home already. Businesses are businesses. They need to make their profits and earn a living. But that does not mean the sole existence of a business is to just make money. Same goes for businesses in the fashion industry. Not all of it is about spending excess amounts of money on luxury items. Without the fashion industry, we would not have apparel for separate events, like work or a party. We would not have special apparel that make us feel confident and boost our attractiveness. And we would not have a fun way of expressing who we are as individuals, without using words. Furthermore, fashion can help you fit in with everyone. No one wants to follow a person who has a bad sense of fashion. i know that this sounds mean and shallow, but it’s true. This is the Real world! Also,when you go to school or work, the right uniform or clothes can make everyone recognise that you belong with them, this helps you fit in easily as well. Finally,Spending money on fashion it totally depends on the person. â€Å"FASHION† is there, to somewhat inspire people to feel and look good. However, we should also control ourselves on what our eyes sees, if you do not have the budget. In conclusion, the fasion industry exists because people need it. Not because it exists to persuade people to buy things that they do not really need. Again this may not be the way we want the world to be, but it is true for the real world. Ps:i would like to get some advices . My essay has many mistakes How to cite Fashion Industry, Papers Fashion Industry Free Essays Pakistani fashion industry has grown by leaps and bounds in last twelve to fifteen years. Many famous fashion designers are working in this field and contributing their work to the progress of the industry. With opening of the new institutes and fashion schools our industry has found new horizon with new talent pouring in. We will write a custom essay sample on Fashion Industry or any similar topic only for you Order Now As Pakistani fashion industry has many talented and creative fashion designers. Every fashion designer has new and creative ideas which make them distinguish from each other.Famous Pakistani fashion designers names are Ammar Belal, Nomi ansari, karma, Lajwanti, khaddar, Asifa and Nabeel, Sobia Nazeer, HSY, Maria B, Bee jees and more. And I selected two designers for my case study, Ammar Bellal and Tazeen Hasan. Ammar Bellal is basically my inspiration in this case study; he is doing a lot of work on men’s wear. Like other Pakistani fashion designers he didn’t opt for bridle wear designing. And my 2nd selected designer Tazeen Hassan says† I design my cuts with people from real society in mind and not just models†.Her designs are very simple. She sells Pakistani women wear embroidered dresses,bridle dresses, kameez shalwar and lehnga chooli. Although Tazeen hasan is also working good and creating style and designs according to the Pakistani culture but I like Ammar Bellal most. Ammar Bellal’s success story is as follow. Ammar Bellal Ammar Belal started his career in 2003 with his street wear brand A B C D, which offered Basic casual wear with a quirky sense of design. [pic] Pakistani fashion designer Ammar Belal is son of khwaja Belal, a textile industry owner.Ammar is a famous Pakistani fashion designer. With in few years he established himself. This Pakistani fashion designer launched his high-end men’s wear store. Ammar is doing good work in the field of men’s wear. Collections by Ammar Belal Ammar has created many collections. Especially he is doing good work on men’s wear. In Pakistan he is the designer who is working on men’s wear instead of bridle wear. ABCD casual wear Ammar’s previously launched his ABCD casual wear line. This line catch the attention of the many, as many likes it very much. His collection helped him to gather good clientele. [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] There is only a slight design factor incorporated in each garment that Ammar’s label ABCD produces. Men’s wear Ammar’s men wear includes †¢ Shoes †¢ Sunglasses †¢ Shirts †¢ Ties and others accessories [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] Ammar felt that the local market seeks designs and quality with foreign fashion taste.After realizing these needs and wants of the local market he decided to launch a men’s wear store, with high quality and low price. Recent collection of 2010 Recently he launched his â€Å"king of Pop† collection, as the title suggests, inspired by Michael Jackson. More specifically, the â€Å"Thriller† era and subsequent punk rock look complete with zipping and studding detail for both men and women. [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] His collection is symbolized through military style embroideries and various silhouettes. His collection ranges from casual and street wear to cocktail dresses and gowns Running Projects Ammar belal is also doing work on many projects including Ammar Belal men’s wear, ABCD, AS jeans, Sarah’s and ABCD Ethnic. Further he is also planning to make and international corporate empire. Awards His progressive approach t showcasing fashion through music videos and films has earned him various awards that include †¢ Best Emerging Designer (lux 2005) †¢ Best men’s wear Designer (Indus 2006) †¢ Best Pret Designer (Sunday 2008) †¢ Best English song (MTV/indus 2006)Apart from fashion designing Ammar has also performed in a film and released a music video. Ammar’s opinion about future of fashion industry At PFDE sunsilk fashion week 2010 in Lahore Ammar Belal said, â€Å"I am very excited to be a part of the fashion week in Lahore showcased my work with some of the finest designers in our country. I also believe that this is just the begi nning of Pakistan’s exposure to the international fashion scene. It was the learning experience for us and we as an industry have a long way to go after this initial step†.Ammar is very hopeful about the good future of the Pakistan industry as designers are showing their good talent and creative work. Conclusion I am very hopeful about the best future of Pakistan industry as new and talented designers are coming in this field, and industry has found new horizon on the sky of the fashion. Business of Pakistan fashion industry is going very good, as it ran well in the bad economic condition of international fashion industry.References www. Fashioncentral. com www. bargello. com www. meraforum. com www. scribd. com How to cite Fashion Industry, Papers

The Book Snow Falling On Cedars Is About A Japanese Man Kabuo Miyanmot

The book Snow Falling on Cedars is about a Japanese man Kabuo Miyanmoto who is on trial for murder. He is accused of murdering a white man, Carl Heine. Much of the story is told through the memories of various characters. It is set in the 1050's in Puget Sound on a fictional island called San Piedro. I think Snow Falling on Cedars was an excellent book. I felt that the author was able to present an unbiased view of the internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII. He presented many diverse viewpoints of this period of time and explained why they thought the way they did. For example, Kabuo Miyamoto, the defendant, had fought with the US army in WWII. Kabuo was deeply affected by his experience in the war, and it changed his perspective of the world. On the other hand, Carl Heine's mother, Etta, is extremely prejudiced against the Japanese, She feels that all of the dirty Japs as she calls them, are lazy and untrustworthy. She judges all Japanese people by their race. The author also represents the American friends of the Japanese. Etta's husband was friends with Kabuo's father, and when the family was sent to an internment camp, he offered to take care of their land. However, when he died, Etta sold the land to someone else. By including all these different viewpoints of that period of time, the reader is given a more complete pictu re. Another reason I enjoyed this book was because the characters were flawed, making them more realistic. For instance, the reporter, Ishmael, had a few character flaws. He had fought in the war and had his arm amputated. He had also been in love with Hatsue before she married Kabuo. Therefore, when he found evidence that could exonerate Kabuo, he waited until the very last moment to show it to the judge because he was debating whether or not he should use it. Another flawed character was Kabuo himself. His experiences in the war had made him emotionally distant. When he was in the courtroom, he showed no emotion, even though he could have hanged. He thought that his death would be atonement for the people he killed in the war. The last flawed character is the coroner. He is portrayed as a nice, normal guy. However, after he finishes his autopsy on the victim, he tells the sheriff to look for a right-handed Jap. The author showed that even the nicest people can have prejudices against o ther people. By having his characters be flawed, it made them and the book more fun. Snow Falling on Cedars proved to be an excellent book. It presented many different viewpoints of WWII and its effect on Japanese-Americans. The book was unbiased and allowed you to form your own opinions, which made it more educational. Also, the characters in the book were flawed. They seemed more real and helped the story come alive. This was a great book, and it is an important piece of literature.

Afroamerican essays

Afroamerican essays The American people have a serious identity crisis. Its rare while in the country to hear someone say that they are American. People say that they are Irish, Scottish, German, Italian, African, English, West Indian, etc. Often people are a combination of these. For black Americans it becomes even more complicated. Many want to identify as African but others would never dream of such a thing because its so foreign to them. I was speaking to a man at a party I had at my apartment. He was telling me about how he plays African drums, traveling around to different towns and performing. He had even been to my part of Cape Cod, Wellfleet. I asked him if he was African and his reply was vague. He couldnt really say yes but he wasnt about to say no. I thought that maybe he was second generation and that his parents were born there so I asked if his parents were African. He said, well I cant really say no, you know what I mean. It had come up earlier that I was An Afro-Am major and after that point as far as he was concerned we had some kind of connection. I was glad that it never became my turn at 40 questions. I am BI-racial and people react to that differently than others. To some its a scar on my blackness being that Im also half-white. To some it aint no thing black is black even if your not 100%. Of course finding a person whose 100% of anything these days can be a challenge. In the states if you are a small part black then you are black. We have this system, thanks to the good old days of slavery where no matter how white you looked and no matter how much you resembled the masters children, you were still black enough to be a slave. In other parts of the world the tables are turned. If you are even a small percent white then thats what you are. The past thirty years have seen many changes in the lives of black people in America. With the c...

The 6 Cases of Latin Nouns, Pronouns, and Adjectives

The 6 Cases of Latin Nouns, Pronouns, and Adjectives There are six  cases of Latin nouns that are commonly used. Another two- locative and instrumental- are vestigial and are not often used.   Nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and participles are declined in two numbers  (singular  and  plural) and in six principal cases. The Cases and Their Grammatical Position in Sentences Nominative (nominativus):  Subject of the sentence.Genitive (genitivus):  Generally translated by the English possessive, or by the objective with the preposition  of.Dative (dativus): Indirect object.  Usually translated by the objective with the preposition  to  or  for.Accusative (accusativus): Direct object of the verb and object with many prepositions.  Ablative (ablativus): Used to show means, manner, place, and other circumstances. Usually translated by the objective with the prepositions from,  by,  with,  in, at.Vocative (vocativus): Used for direct address. Vestigial Cases: Locative  (locativus):  Denotes the place where. This vestigial case is often left out of Latin noun  declensions. Traces of it appear in names of towns and a few other words: RÃ… mae (at Rome)  /  rÃ… «rÄ « (in the country). Still another vestigial  case, the instrumental, appears in a few adverbs.​ All the cases, except the nominative and vocative, are used as object cases; they are sometimes called oblique cases (cÄ sÃ… «s oblÄ «quÄ «). Five Declensions of Nouns and Their Endings Nouns are declined according to gender, number, and case (a declension is essentially a fixed pattern of endings). There are only  five  regular declensions of nouns in Latin; there is a sixth for some pronouns and adjectives that end in -ius in the genitive case form.  Each noun is declined according to number, gender, and case. This means that there are six sets of case endings for five declensions of nouns- one set for each declension. And students have to memorize them all. Below are brief descriptions of the five noun declensions, with links to the full declension for each, including the case endings for each declension. 1.  First declension nouns: End in -a in the nominative singular and are feminine. 2. Second declension nouns: Most are masculine and end in -us, -er or -ir.Some are neuter and end in -um. Esse: The all-important  irregular verb esse (to be) belongs to this group.  Words associated with it are in the  nominative  case. It does not take an object and should never be in the accusative case. The following is a sample paradigm* of the second declension masculine noun somnus, -i (to sleep). The case name is followed by the singular, then the plural. *Note that the term paradigm is frequently used in discussions of Latin grammar; a paradigm is an example of a conjugation  or  declension showing a word in all its inflectional forms. Nominative somnus somniGenitive somni somnorumDative somno somnisAccusative somnum somnosAblative somno somnisLocative somni somnisVocative somne somni 3.  Third declension nouns:  End in -is  in the genitive singular.  Thats how you identify them. 4.​ Fourth declension nouns: Ending  in  -us are masculine, apart from manus and domus, which are feminine. Fourth declension nouns ending  in -u are neuter. 5. Fifth declension nouns: End in -es and are feminine.The exception is  dies, which is usually masculine when singular and always masculine when plural.

Composition in the Humanities, How has humanitys use of the Written Research Paper

Composition in the Humanities, How has humanitys use of the Written Word Evolved Over Time - Research Paper Example As they prospered due to plentiful food and water they had a growing tendency to use surpluses to build impressive and complex cities for trade and emerging industries. It is thought that these complex city societies invented writing in order to help them keep track of their goods and property, and of their business deals. The Sumerians took the material that was most plentiful in that area, and one that they used to make the bricks that built their homes: the clay from the delta. Another plentiful commodity was the reeds which grew by the water and these were sharpened so that they could be used to make small marks in the clay. The distinctive wedge shaped format of the reed stem is what gave its name to this earliest form of writing: cuneiform. The clay tablets that cuneiform was written on were very cheap to produce. They could also be left to harden in the sun, or in an oven, so that they became more permanent records, and they proved very popular because of this. The system of w riting depended on tiny symbols being used to represent items in the real world. These early symbols were called â€Å"pictograms† because they were mini pictures that recalled the sounds or shapes of things in the world. (Harry Ransom Center Website). Archeologists have found vast libraries of these cuneiform tablets, containing laws, literature, and huge numbers of lists and business records. One of the disadvantages of clay are that it is brittle and liable to cracking and breaking, which makes it a risky medium for permanent records. The Egyptians solved this problem by carving their most important writing onto permanent stone monuments. Their writing is called â€Å"hieroglyphics† which means â€Å"scared carving† (Harry Ransom Center Website) and it had much more elaborate pictograms which resemble birds, animals and objects which are recognisable even today. Stone is extremely heavy, and it takes a very long time to carve, and so the Egyptians also looked for lighter, cheaper and more flexible ways to record everyday things. They used a kind of plaster on walls, and painted onto that with colored pigments, and they also invented papyrus, which is a type of processed reed that could be made up into a light and flexible surface. The design of the scroll, which allows the the papyrus to be rolled up into a tube, made transportation and storage much easier. Depending on the purpose of the writing, Egyptian scribes used three different scripts: â€Å"there is one, the most formal, for religious documents; one for literature and official documents; and one for private letters.† (Historyworld website) In other parts of the world such as central and northern Europe, America and China there were different geographical conditions. Societies here developed their own methods of writing using local materials. Manuscripts of the finest quality were produced in the ancient period and right through the middle ages using the scraped skins of animals, called parchment or vellum (University of Michigan Library website). Scripts such as Latin and Greek moved away from pictograms and into a system using a stylized alphabet based on sounds, which could be written speedily. Germanic tribes lived in areas with huge forests, and so they chose a simple script based on straight lines that could be carved on wood. In China rice paper was invented for painting and writing. These systems could be written left to right, right to left, and in a