Monday, September 30, 2019

Mice and Men Belonging Extract Essay

The idea of belonging in the novel ‘Of Mice and Men’ by John Steinbeck, relates to the theory of ‘attachment’ in psychology. For most human beings, having a central place they can return to, ideally with loved ones or supportive friends present also, contributes towards their feelings of calm, relaxation and security. Such a place would ideally be one which provides safety,shelter,food, warmth, affection and earning capacity. Not all those elements are always present – sometimes it is enough to live in an RV or trailer park, as long as family or the other things are present. Some nomadic people are happy to pack up and take most things with them – as long as they have support they are happy. However, George and Lennie only have each other and sometimes that’s even a liability – whatever ‘attachments’ they had in youth are gone and that leaves them adrift in a hostile, unpredictable world. That is why they yearn for ‘centredness’ or the security of a place of their own. The answer to this question lies in the character named Candy in â€Å"Of Mice and Men. An old, disabled ranch hand who is unable to stop the killing of his old friend and dog, Candy realizes that he soon will outlive his usefulness and, perhaps, go the way of his old dog. But, when he hears of Lennie and George’s dream of owning a ranch and a house, he is sweetly hopeful, offering his savings to the men. For, with part ownership, he would not fear isolation and poverty, or abandonment. From owning land, too, there is a sense of pride. The itinerant men of the Great Depression belong nowhere, they had nothing and lived in fear of losing a job, for they could not survive without any money. There is a constant stress put on these men who must few the next man as a threat to his job or security. But, if one has a place of his own, he must answer to no one else. In the early part of the novel, George explains the position of these men in the world: ‘Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place, They come to a ranch an’ work up a stake and then they go into town and blow their stake, and the first thing you know they’re pounding their tail so some other ranch. They ain’t got nothing to look ahead to. ‘ I would think that one of the most powerful lessons of Steinbeck’s work is the idea that individuals have to possess a sense of belonging. Part of this is definitely physical. When individuals have to wander from life to life, different form of physicality to different form of physicality, their ability to better understand themselves and others becomes impacted. There has to be some notion of grounding at some point and level where individuals can feel comfortable enough to call it â€Å"home† or know that this is where I belong. Despite lacking this, Lenny and George do a fairly good job of providing the belonging to one another. Certainly, Lenny sees George as essential to his conception of belonging. Yet, George does envision Lenny as a part of his own conception of belonging, a vision that appears in George’s dreams and whose faintest touch can be felt in the relationship they both share.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Child Marriage in India

To be defined at length in a later section, child marriage is most simply, for our purposes, a marriage in which the wife is below the age of eighteen at the time of consummation. The practice of child marriage in rural India is deeply rooted in cultural values and grounded in social structures. And despite laws that prohibit child marriage, the practice is still extremely prevalent in many regions. Though the statistics are contentious, it is estimated that in some parts of India, like the state of Rajasthan, nearly 80 percent of the marriages are among girls under the age of fifteen† (Gupta, 2005, p. ). In India overall, roughly 47. 6 percent of girls are married by the age of eighteen (The implications of early marriage, 2004). Despite international human rights efforts, the eradication of child marriage is greatly hindered by the intertwined social issues that often lead to and are then in turn reinforced by the practice. Various underlying social factors inform why child marriage exists, including: traditional gender norms; the value of virginity and parental concerns surrounding premarital sex; pressure of marriage transactions (or dowries); and poverty (Amin, Chong, & Haberland, 2007). The social outcomes of child marriage are also significant, and often devastate communities in which these practices take place. Societies in which child marriage takes place have higher rates of early childbearing, unwanted pregnancies, maternal and infant mortality, sexually transmitted diseases (including HIV/AIDS) and unsafe abortions. Additionally, adolescent girls placed in child marriages are often deprived of basic health care and health information, and achieve extremely low educational attainment (Mathur, Greene, & Malhotra, 2003, p. – 11; Bruce, 2007; Amin, Chong, & Haberland, 2007). Apart from these health and societal consequences, such marriages also affect girls’ individual experience as social actors. Early marriage negatively affects girls’ social networks, decision-making power, and ability to negotiate with partners—all of which do influence the health and well being of the individual (Bruce, 2007). In many ways, the social issues that emerge from the practice of child marriage also serve to reinforce it—creating a vicious cycle. This cyclical pattern is just one reason why the practice has yet to be eradicated despite international pressure and legal interventions. Each of the problems that informs child marriage intersects in complex ways and the result is an incessant and engrossing problem that impacts all aspects of the social worlds in which it takes place, from the well-being of the individual girls to the economic, political, and cultural structures of general Indian society. What is most urgent about child marriages in India, however, is the relationship between child marriage and the increasingly severe Indian HIV epidemic. The rates of HIV in India are a topic of great debate between the Indian government and both Indian and International NGOs. Yet, there is a consensus that HIV, once an urban phenomenon in India that was primarily transmitted within high-risk populations is now gaining momentum in rural areas (â€Å"Fears Over India,† 2005). These trends are alarming and suggest that the cultural contexts in which these HIV rates are climbing need to be addressed. Additionally, recent research has found links between HIV and early marriage in communities across the globe. †¦[T]he majority of sexually active girls age 15-19 in developing countries are married, and married adolescent girls tend to have higher rates of HIV infection than their sexually active, unmarried peers† (The implications of early marriage, 2004, p. 1; Clark, Bruce, & Dude, 2006, p. 79). HIV/AIDS in India The Indian HIV/AIDS epidemic is relatively new, and, once limited to high-risk urban populations, HIV is rapidly emerging as a problem for general communities within Indian society (â€Å"Fears Over India,† 2005). HIV/AIDS is becoming widespread, and as it reaches new populations, it poses new problems. As child marriage is fundamentally a rural phenomenon in India, the particular plight of HIV in rural areas must be discussed. Issues like how to educate and provide treatment for people in poor, rural areas are emerging, and new cultural pockets of Indian society must be understood in order to more effectively implement these programs. Though contentious, recent figures estimate that roughly 2-3. 6 million people in India are infected with HIV. This places India third worldwide for the number of HIV cases within a country. â€Å"Overall, 0. 36% of India’s population is living with HIV. † While this may seem low, given the vast population of India, the actual number of people who are HIV-positive is remarkably high (Overview of HIV/AIDS, 2008). And in Rajasthan, the largely rural state in which the project will be conducted, it is believed that there is a prevalence of nearly 5%–extremely high for India (â€Å"AIDS in India,† n/d). Many who work in the health sector claim that they are witnessing a rapid rise in infections to new populations. Sujatha Rao, director-general of the government’s National AIDS Control Organisation, says doctors are increasingly seeing women infected by their husbands,† a population typically not targeted by reproductive health programs (â€Å"Vast Distances a Barrier,† 2008; Santhya & Jejeebhoy, â€Å"Early Marriage,† 2007). There is also evidence that knowledge of HIV is extremely low in the rural areas where the study will be conducted, particularly among women. The National Family Health Survey reports that only 19% of ever-married rural Rajasthani women aged 15-49 had ever heard of AIDS, compared to 65% of their male counterpart. Aside from the gender discrepancy of knowledge across India, however, a rural/urban dichotomy was especially pronounced among women (2005-2006 National Family-Rajasthan; 2005-2006 National Family-India). This lack of knowledge unsurprisingly also appears to influence behavior. Among currently married rural women, aged 15-49, only 38% used any â€Å"modern method† of family planning, compared to 55. 8% of their urban counterparts. More importantly, only 3. 1% of married rural women have used a condom (the only method in the analysis that would protect against HIV), compared to 13. 3% of urban married women. Furthermore, only 14. % of ever-married rural women (ages 15-49) knew that consistent condom use can reduce the changes of HIV/AIDS, in comparison to 61. 6% of their urban counterparts (2005-2006 National Family-Rajasthan; 2005-2006 National Family-India). A recent New York Times article reports that the rural problem of HIV is made more pronounced by the difficulties that HIV-positive people in rural communities face when attempting to get tested and treated. Many patients travel long distances each month to receive government-sponsored antiretrovirals, but the cost and time required for such a journey is difficult for many to achieve. In consequence, many patients simply give up on treatment, â€Å"an anathema in HIV therapy as it gives rise to drug resistance. † One doctor notes, â€Å"Travel can affect drug compliance. Patients who don’t get family support, women who may not like to travel along will just give up† (â€Å"Vast Distances a Barrier,† 2008). Child Marriage For the purposes of our discussion, child marriage is identified as a marriage that takes place before â€Å"exact age 18†Ã¢â‚¬â€a definition adhered to by UNICEF and other international organizations (Bruce, 2007). This definition is at odds with the definition provided by India’s recent Prevention of Child Marriage Bill, which states that a â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢child’ [is] a person who, if a male, has not completed twenty-one years of age, and if a female, has not complete eighteen years of age† (The Prevention of Child Marriage Bill, 2004). While this discrepancy will be analyzed further below, given that eighteen is largely considered the age of consent, it is this standard to which our definition will be held. It should be noted that the betrothal of a marriage can happen at any time, and often will occur at birth. But that marriage is not defined as a child marriage unless the wife is given to her spousal family, and the marriage is consummated, before she reaches the age of eighteen. Furthermore, as most child marriages take place among girls who are minors, with male partners who are of age, whenever the term â€Å"child marriage† is used in this project, it is referring to a marriage that involves a female child. Child marriage has not been ignored by Indian or international policymakers, yet enforcement of these laws has been virtually impossible. The Indian government is often portrayed as uncomfortable when dealing with personal laws within distinct communities that are not derived from grassroots movements (Burns, 1998; Yadav, 2006, p. 7). Despite this, laws have been on the books for over a decade. In 1994, a Marriage Bill was introduced which â€Å"recommended†¦the enactment of a uniform law relating to marriages and [provided] for the compulsory registration of marriages, with the aim of preventing child marriages and also polygamy in society. † Yet, this law did not pass and in Rajasthan, to this day, there is no compulsory marriage registration (Yadav, 2006, p. 0). This legislation has been preceded by various attempts to limit the practice and legislate the age at which girls are married. In the 1880s, discussions of the first Age of Consent Bill began, and finally, in 1927, it was declared that marriages with a girl under twelve would be invalid. In 1929, India began to prohibit the practice of all child marriage by instituting the Child Marriage Restraint Act. In 1978, the Child Marriage Restraint Act was amended to â€Å"prescribe eighteen and twenty-one years as the age of marriage for a girl and boy respectively† (Yadav, 2006, p. 7). Due to the illegality of child marriage, the number of girls who are put into child marriage in Rajasthan is extremely difficult to know. And particularly due to differing definition employed by researches, no consensus yet exists among those who have tried to obtain a number. Researchers claim that, in Rajasthan, the number of girls married off before age eighteen is somewhere between 55. 5% and 80% and other researchers estimate that roughly 56% of Rajasthani marriages occur with girls under the age of fifteen (Yadav, 2006, pl. 10; Burns, 1998). Therefore, there is overwhelming evidence that child marriage is occurring in Rajasthan in large numbers, despite the laws against it. Why is child marriage occurring? What social, cultural, and economic contexts inform the persistence of this practice? Some assert that Rajasthani people either do not understand the law or simply ignore it (Yadav, 2006, p. 37). In a New York Times article outlining the practice of child marriage in Rajasthan, it was stated that â€Å"Each year, formal warnings are posted outside state government offices stating that child marriages are illegal, but they have little impact. In a discussion with a village elder in Rajasthan, the elder stated, â€Å"Of course, we know that marrying children is against the law, but it’s only a paper law† (Burns, 1998). Therefore, he suggests that the law is perceived as unimportant, allowing families to simply ignore it, and often without penalty. Additionally, cultural and social contexts still highly value this practice and Indian families often turn to child marriage to help cope with social conditions in disrepair. To approach this, I will first discuss the gender norms in India. How are women perceived? What are the practical implications of these norms? Secondly, I will discuss the value placed on virginity and understandings of premarital sex. Thirdly, I will discuss the economic factors that continue to promote the practice. And finally, I will briefly discuss the major consequences of child marriage, which will move us into a discussion of the links between child marriage and HIV. Child marriage is deeply embedded in ideals about the role of women and the status of girls in Indian culture (Gupta, 2005, p. 3). Understandings of the Indian family and a wife’s role more generally give huge amounts of insight to the status of women. Within the context of a patrilocal family ideology, girls are â€Å"reared to be obedient, selfsacrificing, modest, nurturant, hardworking and home loving. † In an interview with Seymour in the 1960s, â€Å"†¦one Indian gentleman expressed†¦, ‘American girls are given too much independence. A girl should marry young, before she has the chance to develop independent ideals. † By marrying girls young (and enhancing the disparity between her and her husband’s age), the male-based hierarchy is best preserved (Seymour, 1999, p. 55). Males are quite simply valued more in Indian families. They act as the head of the household, the breadwinners and the decision makers. These values are imbued from an early age and as the transition to adulthood is marked with marriage, these gender norms become particularly pronounced (Segal, 1999, p. 216; Gupta, 2005, p. 1; Yadav, 2006, p. 1; Seymour, 1999, p. 97). A woman’s primary role in the home is to produce sons, as this will bring honor to her family, and an heir for her husband. â€Å"In a society that stresses patrilineal descent, to bear children, especially sons, is critical, and girls learn from an early age that this is their responsibility† (Seymour, 1999, p. 7). Motherhood is additionally critical in order to establish the wife as a member of her husband’s family. As Indian families take collective care of children, producing a new family member is heavily prized and brings the newlywed status (Seymour, 1999, p. 99). How do women feel about their status and role in society? Seymour writes that, â€Å"Women are the moving pieces in an exchange system that creates extensive webs of kinship. Is this a hardship for them? Yes, for they must leave the security of their own family and join a different family. Do they find it oppressive? Sometimes, but not generally† (Seymour, 1999, p. xvi). Though others argue that â€Å"cultural dictation of female role and lack of continued financial and emotional support, predominantly from spouses and other family members, were influential factors in [high rates of depression among women]† (Jambunathan, 1992). The low value of girls is also reflected in traditions of female infanticide and abortions of female children and research that shows that women are by and large â€Å"neglected† by Indian society, resulting in poor health care and a high number of preventable deaths (Miller, 1981, p. 8; Segal, 1999, p. 218-220). In one survey, 52% of Indians said that they would get a prenatal diagnosis to select a male, as opposed to 30% who would in Brazil, 29% in Greece and 20% in Turkey (Segal, 1999, p. 219). These patterns have resulted in a worsening sex ratio in Rajasthan. It is estimated that between 750 to 850 girls are born per 1000 boys, a problem that not only reinforces these negative ideals about gender, but also could potentially be devastating to the longevity of Indian communities (Indian Census, 2001; Kristof, 1991). An Indian obstetrician interviewed for The Hindu stated that these days, it is extremely rare to see a family with two daughters, and some families do not even have one. In communities like Rajasthan, â€Å"people want to pretend they are modern and that they do not discriminate between a girl and a boy. Yet, they will not hesitate to quietly go to the next village and get an ultrasound done† (Thapar, 2007). And in a statement by UNICEF, the organization â€Å"†¦[says] that for most of the female fetuses that survive, ‘birth is the only equal opportunity they will ever get’† (Segal, 1999, p. 20). Additionally, child marriage is greatly informed by ideals of virginity—a cultural notion that has huge impacts on the intersections between HIV/AIDS and child marriage. â€Å"An unmarried, chaste girl symbolizes family honor and purity and is considered a sacred gift to bestow upon another family† (Seymour, 1999, p. 55). To exacerbate the outcome of these ideals, myths supposedly abound that men can be cured of various diseases, including gonorrhea, mental illness, syphilis and HIV by having sex with a â€Å"fresh† girl, a virgin. Bhat, Send, & Pradhan, 2005, p. 17; Burns, 1998) But as much as cultural ideals are echoed in the practice, â€Å"tradition has been reinforced by necessity† (Burns, 1998). Poverty is often cited as one of the major factors contributing to child marriage (Bhat, Sen, & Pradhan, 2005, p. 15). â€Å"Child marriage is more prevalent in poor household and in poor communities. Almost all countries in which more than 50 percent of gir ls are married before the age of 18 have GDP per capita under $2000 per year† (Gupta, 2005, p. 3). For families in poverty, marrying a daughter early can mean lower dowry payments and one less mouth to feed (Bhat, Sen, & Pradhan, 2005, p. 16). â€Å"An investment in girls is seen as a lost investment because the girl leaves to join another home and her economic contributions are to that home—so the earlier she is married, the less of a loss the investment† (Gupta, 2005, p. 3). What is devastating about the child marriage problem, beyond the human rights abuses, is the way in which it impacts both the individual and the community and the manner in which the practice reinforces itself. Impoverished parents often believe that child marriage will protect their daughters. In fact, however, it results in lost development opportunities, limited life options, and poor health† (Child marriage fact sheet, 2005). Child marriage continues to be immersed in a vicious cycle of poverty, low educational attainment, high incidences of disease, poor sex ratios, the subordination of women, â€Å"and most significantly, the inter-generational cycles of all of these† (Bhat, Sen, & Pradhan, 2005, p. 21; Gupta, p. 1-2).

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Analyse Conan Doyles The Hound of the Baskervilles Essay Example for Free

Analyse Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles Essay Baskervilles (7) , The Hound of the Baskervilles (6) company About StudyMoose Contact Careers Help Center Donate a Paper Legal Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Complaints These two findings are very important as they provide the reader with shocking information. This is because we discover that Mr and Mrs â€Å"Stapleton† are actually husband and wife. Even more we realise that Mr and Mrs â€Å"Stapleton† are actually the Vandeleurs. As a result of this great deception the finger points to Mr and Mrs Stapleton as being the murderers. This information is the most vital information which will help to solve the mystery. There are points in the novel where events simply provide Watson and Holmes with information. The events which provide information are almost always false leads which create a sense of uncertainty as to who is the criminal. â€Å"Go back to London! Start tonight!†¦ Hush my brother is coming! † chapter 7 This quote is said by Miss. Stapleton to Dr. Watson as she mistakes him for Sir Henry. This prompts Watson to investigate further into the Stapletons as it is very mysterious as to why she would like Sir Henry to go back to London. This is because she doesn’t want her brother Mr. Stapleton to find out that she has said this and when she discovers that she was actually talking to Watson she takes back her comment. This was actually a false lead as we discover in the later part of the investigation, which was put in by Conan Doyle so the reader is kept in suspense as to whether she had a hand in the death of Sir Charles until the di nouement. Even though there is the interviewing of people in â€Å"THOTB†, they don’t provide their own version of events of the crime. Dr. Mortimer is the only person who really provides Holmes with information of what he thought happened at the murder scene. Conan Doyle has used a different approach to the nature of the investigation because most of the information is gathered behind the scenes or events provide information. By doing this Conan Doyle has made his novel unique and perhaps more interesting than the typical investigation as there is a greater anticipation as to whom the killer could be. Sherlock Holmes fits the profile of a classic detective very well and this is evident in â€Å"THOTB† from the start of the novel. The detective is usually more or less socially isolated and referred to as a â€Å"loner†. We can see this in â€Å"THOTB† from the fact that Holmes only â€Å"socialises† with Watson, but then one could argue that he only socialises with Watson because he enhances his intellect by comparison. Holmes does not have any family and the fact that he rests upon the moor for a lengthy period of time suggests that he is used to being alone. â€Å"I knew that seclusion and solitude were very necessary for my friend in these hours of intense mental concentration in which he weighed every particle of evidence†¦ â€Å" Analyse Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles. (2017, Oct 04). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

Friday, September 27, 2019

Short answers for the communication class Essay

Short answers for the communication class - Essay Example I will also use information from winemaking books. For the second and third essays, I will use Google Scholar and online library databases. I will use academic articles for â€Å"What Happens to the Brain When It Is in Love† because it involves credible evidence. For my visual aids, I will use pictures of materials needed and the stages of making wine for the first topic. For the second topic, I will use pictures of the brain and illustration tables or diagrams. For the third topic, I will use tables or diagrams. 2. How would you rate your Informative Presentation? What were things you did well? What were things you would improve? Be specific in your responses. I would rate my Informative Presentation based on the effectiveness of my hook in the introduction, the sensibility of the conclusion, the clarity of explanation for steps/stages, good grammar, spelling, and other writing mechanics, good transition sentences, proper delivery with the right use of voice and gestures, and a strong thesis. I did well in the content of my presentation, as well as my paralanguage. I explained the steps well, in a way that is engaging and helped my audience understand the steps. I also used good language that will be comprehensible to my audience. I employed proper grammar and word choices. I made to sure to have a topic and content that will keep my audience interested. Furthermore, my paralanguage did not distract my audience from my speech. I used proper pauses and other voice effects that will keep my audience on track on what I am saying and what I plan to say next. 3. What is meant by the term "paralanguage?" Is it important in delivering an effective speech? Why or why not? Paralanguage involves vocal communication that does not include actual words (Wood 137). It is made of sounds such as murmurs and pauses, as well as vocal qualities, such as volume, rhythm, pitch, and inflection (Wood 137). Paralanguage refer to the vocal cues that help the audience understand what we mean when we say something. It includes feelings that layer another meaning on vocal words. Paralanguage is important in an effective speech because it helps others interpret what speakers are saying. For example, a sentence can seem like a joke or a threat, depending on how I said it. In addition, effective speakers are experts in modulating their volume, rhythm, pitch, and inflection to engage their audiences and to keep them interested in the entire speech (Wood 137). Furthermore, paralanguage can exhibit the identity of the speaker. It can say something about their gender and culture, which are important aspects of ethos, when discussing a topic that is relevant to their sexual orientation or culture. 4. What are your top three topic ideas for the upcoming Persuasive Presentation? Are they questions of fact, value, or policy? Which method of organization do you intend to use? Where do you plan to get your research information? What will you use for a visual aid? My top three topic ideas for the upcoming Persuasive Presentation are: 1) â€Å"Our children Are Overmedicated,† 2) â€Å"We Would Benefit from Learning a Third Language,† and 3) â€Å"High School Students Should Volunteer as Part of Their

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Portrait of a Women with a Man at a Casement by Fra Filippo Lippi Research Paper

Portrait of a Women with a Man at a Casement by Fra Filippo Lippi - Research Paper Example Also the couple shown is believed to be Ranieri Scolari and Angiola di Bernardo Sapiti. The portrait was painted in 1440 and the couple is recorded to have been married in 1936; therefore the interpretation that the portrait is a commemoration of a wedding is plausible. Barnet asserts that in the formal analysis of portraits, one needs to consider how do the background, the angle of the tilt of the head, the furnishings etc help to develop the overall impression of the figure (2008). When scrutinizing this portrait, one can appreciate that the bride is laden with lavish clothes and jewelry typical of a newly-wedded woman. The laws of Florence required that a woman, unless she was the wife of a foreigner, knight or a doctor, would only wear expensive dresses for a limited period of time (The City Review 2009); therefore a special occasion is shown in the portrait. The overdress has fur lining its edges whereas the underdress has loops of gold embedded in the sleeves. The headdress, se lla, has pearls embellished into it and are also present throughout her dress. The pattern in which they are embedded makes the word lealta, meaning loyalty. The couple glances in an expressionless way although the gazes do not interlock (The Metropolitan Museum of Art 2011). Another interpretation of the portrait is that it may represent the birth of a child.

Social problems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Social problems - Essay Example Families are affected by globalization, unemployment, downward mobility, changing economy, fashion and trend etc that are characteristics of a society. Thus the authors' comment that the society shapes the family means that today's families are controlled and influenced by the social system tremendously so that the family system is determined by the rules and characteristics of the society rather than the other way around. Though the role of the family has changed greatly over the years and there are many hurdles in the cohesive existence of family, nobody can deny the significant role that a family plays in the development of the individual and the society. The primary function of a family is the overall development of a human being and thereby assisting the society to achieve progress and growth. To exemplify this with my own family, it is the agency that has shaped the person I am today. It taught me the primary lessons of social life and individual growth and established a right basement for my entire progress. The same system helped me in my character formation and behavioral pattern that enables me to distinguish right from wrong and good from evil. In my view the coexistence of different individuals for a common cause is the most significant element of the family life. There is no family life when individuals are parted and seek their own interest.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Perfact reflection for a refer dissertation Essay

Perfact reflection for a refer dissertation - Essay Example I discovered I have poor time management skills because of the fact that I was unable to fully adhere to the time schedule that I had set for myself and in most cases I was forced to carry forward certain tasks beyond the deadline that I had previously set. I should great strengths in regards to records keeping and management since I was able to refer back easily to all the records that I had collected before starting to write the dissertation. Secondly, I showed great strengths in handling people since none of the respondents was harsh to me or refused to cooperate. This showed that I knew how to convince people and engage them in conversation up to the point they willingly agree to participate in my research project. The main problem that I encountered was limited secondary resources that directly touched on my research topic or objectives. This is to say that the number of scholarly books and articles that touched of personal selling and in stores, sales of Blackberry in stores that are located in China were not easily available. The lack of scholarly books and articles that directly covered my dissertation topic or objectives did not discourage me, but rather it confirmed that my research project was unique and it was bound to help in building the body of knowledge in marketing studies. That said, I solved the problem by relying on scholarly books and articles that indirectly touched on the subject, for example sources that touched on direct marketing and personal selling were completely relevant and useful. Secondly, I applied the use of internet sources from credible sites that touched on my research topic directly or indirectly, these sources helped to bridge the gap caused by limited scholarly books and articles. The methodology that I chose incorporated the application of both primary and secondary research, which validated the research findings in the sense that secondary data were used to validate

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Globalization Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 6

Globalization - Research Paper Example A leader should be able to adopt changes that suit different markets and countries in order to attain organizational missions. In this regard, some leaders do not know how to change strategies due to inexperience and lack of exposure (Walker, Walker & Schmitz, 2003). The other leadership challenge in a global world is international politics that shape the external factors of an organization. These comprise of the legal and political aspects that influence operations of firms in international economies (Walker, Walker & Schmitz, 2003). Developing a global mindset in the general perspective entails the use of a strategy that can suit different markets and organizations. For instance, adopting a strategy that incorporates all cultures and suits the market demands (Bikson, et al, 2003). The global mindset in an organizational life can be developed by having an organizational culture that describes the values and procedures. The work style global mindset is developed through directing workers to provide unique and quality services that differentiate the company (Bikson, et al, 2003). The view of change concept is the approach given to operations in international markets by being flexible to emerging trends. The learning concept can be developed in global mindset by developing employees to improve their skills and

Monday, September 23, 2019

Data Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Data - Assignment Example Other career specialties the school is developing include environmental education, disciplinary literacy, fine arts, and personal financial literacy education. The School Progress Index (SPI) is developed to evaluate the school’s achievements, growth, and gap reduction between elementary and middle schools as well as determine the college and career readiness for high school. The index (SPI) for the grades 3 – 12 is 0.9772 in 2012. The school improvement is measured using the accountability system whereby the school’s compliance to the set goals and objectives are continuously monitored over time. In order to ensure improvements, the school encourages teamwork, sets, clear and measurable goals, and regularly collects and analyzes the performance data in order to monitor progress over time. Annual measurable objectives are those objectives that can be quantified over time. They include objectives set to improve examinations results, school entry, and the number of students excelling from the school annually (Chin, 2007). There are disparities in the performance between subgroups as noted in the analysis with the FARMS indicating advanced performance, the Hispanics/ Latinos showing proficient performance and the rest falling under the basic performance category. According to the observations, the school should focus much on the groups that perform below the proficient level. I would, however, spend my money on the groups that performed below the proficiency level in order to alleviate their performance. This will be in demand to improve the performance of the entire school without living the majority behind. In conclusion, Maryland High School has established a firm and focused strategies to be used in monitoring and improving the performance of her students. A great variety of students has been motivated and harnessed to develop career opportunities in the

Saturday, September 21, 2019

International Management Essay Example for Free

International Management Essay Relationships developed by New-Zealand and Australia to other countries, differ from the rest of the Asian countries. Other Asian countries like Indonesia prefer to build long term relationships that will make more profit for a long time rather then have quick short term money. Another difference is that, most of the Asian countries feel as if the westerns don’t really care about their culture and beliefs, which is somewhat true. We only tend to care about what revolving around America. And this really affects how they look at us. 2- There are so many reasons as to why Indonesian archipelago is unique in Asia. There are 17,000 islands all together in Indonesia. Each island has its own unique features that differ it from another. Some of the island are very rich , meaning, they produce iol, gas etc. While some islands are very dry and dormant. Climate is also different between these islands. Some islands experience heavy rainfall while other islands are experiencing drought. 3- There are many characteristics that the Indonesian workplaces are referred to here. I think that the article is only concentrating on the minimum wage jobs, the type of jobs that do not really need education to do. The article also emphasizes on how businesses have failed and are still failing up to now in Indonesia. The business opportunities that were written in the article are the type of jobs that needs an outsourcing employee, which are of course cheaper. Further on, Indonesian workplaces also experience problems when it comes to foreign management vs locals. 4- The Republic of Indonesia, the worlds fourth most populous nation, has 203 million people living on over one thousand permanently settled islands. I personally think that for a place which has a large population number to be socially stratified like Indonesia isn’t very rare. Simply because people are the same. Some tend to be more intelligent than other some more ambitious. Others are just lazy but others also work hard. Those who possess good character will move to a place that has people with the same characteristics as theirs. They will settle there and produce offspring with the same characteristics as theirs. Those who posses bad characteristics, i. e drug addicts, dumb etc will move to lower stratification. Hence, I think this is why Indonesia seems to socially stratified. 5- Many countries have realized that Indonesia is a good country to do business in and /or being a business partner. Businesses around the world also enjoy the vast markets of goods in Indonesia. There are a lot of business opportunities in Indonesia, For example; agribusiness, automotive industries, construction and infrastructure and many more. One has to keep in mind that even though New Zealand and Australia are in the same Asian sphere with Indonesia, they have very different cultures and the way they do business. Therefore, New Zealanders and Australians have to explore the culture difference and learn how indonesians do things in order for them to be business partners.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Dell Followed A Hybrid Focus Strategy Commerce Essay

Dell Followed A Hybrid Focus Strategy Commerce Essay Porters theory of generic strategies, the Ansoff Matrix, the strategy clock and the TOWS Matrix are the important tools that are needed to produce strategic options (Proctor, 2000, p 37) (Williamson, et al, 2003, p 78) Based on Porters generic strategies, it can be said that Dell followed a hybrid focus strategy. A hybrid strategy is a combination of both differentiation and cost leadership strategy (Johnson et al, 2008, p.230). Dell is constantly structuring its business to be seen more than a PC business and is focusing on different areas of business such as security, business logistics and applications as well as minimising on its costs as far as possible. Based on the Ansoff matrix, Dell can be said to have adopted market development mainly to encourage growth. Selling directly to customers enable dell to enter market development phase by selling new products through new distribution channels. The strategy is based on selling existing products in new markets by reaping the majority of market share. The Ansoffs will be used to suggest the strategic direction for Dell. By investing in RD can be beneficial to Dell as it can continuously develop new products with the latest technology on the market before its competitors, thereby benefitting from first mover advantage. Its strong brand name can enable Dell to impose insurmountable barriers to its competitors. Moreover, it can expand its customer base and retain its customers. As discussed above, people also want the latest technology, thus there is high opportunity of growth in this market. However, focussing on RD will mean diverging from the direct sales model as innovative products necessitate various channels of distribution to ensure speedy delivery. As a result, RD can move Dell away from its mass customisation which is one of its core competencies. Dell can move into business consulting which may be a good source of revenue streams. The biggest opportunity which Dell can leverage is its efficient value chain. Its efficient value chain enabled it to achieve lot of success and therefore by moving into consulting can further strengthen its reputation. By entering into consulting, it will enter a new market and reach new customers which will help it expand its customer base. However, Dell only has specific knowledge but it is not equipped with the necessary expertise to enter into consulting and serve the market profitably which can tarnish the image of the business in the future. This strategy encourages Dell to return to its core competencies and calls for the company to get back to basics. It pushes the company to improve upon those competencies. The strategic direction can be market development and method here can be strategic alliance and joint ventures. The company can form alliances with consulting companies. This method is good in the sense that it does not require much investment. Dell can reinvigorate on its core competencies and further integrate in the market. Dell can strengthen its core competencies further by including more suppliers, improving its customer service, engaging in more marketing and promotion initiatives and expanding the turnkey solutions. By adopting this strategy, dell can improve its value chain, concentrate on the existing market and expand its customer base. Moreover, this strategy do not require much investment as Dell does not have to reinvent itself and product new products. Dell is dependent on Intel processor gives it limited choice to satisfy all its customers. Therefore, by adding more suppliers, Dell can offer more configuration choices to its customers. The growth of enterprise solutions and service businesses has led to a change in the revenue stream of the business in 2010. Dell therefore can leverage on that important asset by providing more predictable solutions to customers and hence strengthen its position in the market. By following this strategy, dell can continue to maintain its position in the market as a pioneer and differentiate itself from its competitors. The proposed method here can be Strategic Alliances and Organic Development. Therefore, by engaging into alliances, Dell can make use of the resources of its alliances to provide new goods and services to its customers more easily. Using strategic alliances in the existing market will enable Dell to improve and increase its retailing of products. Financial position Dells financial position shows a stellar performance which can be shown by its ratios. Revenues in May 2012 fell below the forecast due to high fall in sales as new technologies tablets and iPad have taken a larger share of the market. Therefore to overcome this gloomy outlook, Dell is diversifying into other line of business so as to remain competitive in the market. This clearly explains its recent waves of international mergers and acquisitions it has taken over the last two years (The New York Times, 2012). Dells profits slid by 47% in the third quarter of 2012. This is because Dells business is considered to be a static one which is tied to the sale of PCs, while consumers want the latest technology. This has led  to the continuous increase in demand for tablets and smartphones which have spurred growth in the market (Bloomberg businessweek, 2012). Dell has recently adopted storage as part of its business. Coupled with that, it is now aligning its storage portfolio to provide non-stop, fluid data solutions. There was an increase in revenue of 16% from 2010 to 2011 mainly due to an improvement in the economy. During a recession, people usually decrease their demand for luxury goods which clearly shows the decline for 2009. The growth of enterprise solutions and service businesses has led to a change in the revenue stream of the business in 2010. There was an increase in revenue from 14.3% in 2009 to 18.7% in 2011. Compared to the poor net income performance in 2010 due to a big fall in revenue, that of 2011 was pretty good. There has been an increase of 84% in net income in 2011 from 2010. This resulted from an increase of 1.6% and 2.5% in profit margin and ROA respectively. The improvement in growth can also be attributed to the increase involvement of Dell in service operation. As a result, Dell continues to invest a lot in its service aspect of business (Part 2, Item 7, Form 10-K, Dell Inc. 2011). Dell has touted an increase in growth mainly from its acquisitions. There was an increase in current assets by $4,776 billion from 2010. This resulted mainly from due to an increase in cash and cash equivalents which represented 4.4% of total assets. Cash and cash equivalents rose mainly due to an increase in revenue and a decrease in cash in investing activities. There was an improvement in fixed asset turnover from 24.3 times in 2010 to 31.5 times in 2011 which shows clearly that Dell has used its fixed assets more effectively to generate revenue. This represents a shift in their revenue streams (Part 1 2, Item 2 8, Form 10-K, Dell Inc. 2011). Both current ratio and quick ratio improved from 2010 to 2011 which shows that Dell managed its assets efficiently so as to maintain a good liquidity position. Due to a rise in retained profits in 2011, equity rise to $2billion. Equity rose from 28.9% in fiscal 2010 to 39.3% in fiscal 2011 mainly due to the purchase of shares and stock price variations. (Part 2, Item 8, Form 10-K, Dell Inc. 2011) Based on the BCG matrix, Dells PC can be classified as a cash cow. Its market continues to expand. To maintain its position as a cash cow, Dell has to come up with products to meet the needs and provide value to its customers. The star can be its server business and needs to be upgraded continuously so as to maintain its position. The question mark can be its service business and to turn it into a star, Dells has to increase its market share in that sector. GE matrix- dell PC can be said in the high segment as it has earned high growth in both the US and other countries by now. Its server business also has earned consistent growth till now. The service business is growing but not as much as that of server and PC business. This sector needs to be developed more so as to have a greater portion of its portfolio. Dells peripheral business which includes printers has significant growth in sales but is facing competition from its competitors hence placing it in the medium growth segment. Evaluating strategic options Strategic options can be evaluated by using assessment of Johnson Scholes (1999) who had put forward three criteria mainly suitability, feasibility and acceptability. Suitability takes into consideration whether the strategic direction chosen by the organisation fit the issues in which the organisation is operating and its appropriateness to the strategic positioning of the organisation, (Johnson Scholes, 2008). To evaluate the feasibility of the strategy, it is necessary to assess the capability of the business in terms of competencies. Concerning the market penetration, it can be said the strategy is feasible in terms of resource deployment. This is because Dell is not doing anything new. It already has a high market share in the industry and is just expanding its customer base. Thus, it does not need extra manpower. Also, by engaging into alliances it has the possibility to use the resources of its alliance. Product development- Focussing on RD to produce new innovative products require a lot of investment and new competencies. This can prove to be costly in the long run. Market development- Dell will have to hire more resources and even employ more staff to monitor the new business and also recruit expertise in this field. As a result, it can be costly. ACCEPTABILITY It is concerned with the future outcomes and it can be measured in terms of risk and return and impact on shareholders. After analysing the financial position of the company, it can be said that Dell has a good performance and though the market and product development needs sufficient investment, the company is well placed to undertake the option. Market penetration- Dell has a high position in the market and thus by adopting this strategy will not need much investment in terms of financial and human resources. After analysing Dells strengths and opportunities, it is found that Dell can adopt this strategy without much risk and can use the resources of its alliances to serve the new market Product development can be quite risky for Dell as it has to invest a lot on RD and also its competitors have already move ahead with innovative products. Hence, its products can fail thereby tarnish its image. Dells return on investment (5 yr avg) is 18.64 compared to that of the industry which is 14.96 (Reuters, 2012). This shows

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Rates of Reaction - Magnesium and HCL :: GCSE Chemistry Coursework Investigation

Rate of reaction of Magnesium and HCL In order to find a good set of results for this experiment I need to decide what molars i am going to use, and also how i will make them. Once i have found which molars i would like to use i will give evidence of why i have chosen them, i will also decide which variables are important to considerm e.g The Values of Mg, Volume of acid. I also need to think about how i am going to measure the speed of the reaction in order to get a table of reliable results. Plan  · Equipment needed for experiment:  · Bowl  · Hcl  · 2 Measuring cylinders (1 big/1 small)  · Mg strips  · Flask  · Beaker  · Tube  · Stop clock  · Goggles  · Beehive shell Step One All of the above equipment must be gathered. Step Two The Beehive shell sould be placed in the centre inside the bowl, then the bowl is to be filled up with water until the beehive shell is covered.Then the big measuring cylinder is to be filled to the top with water and then turned upside down onto the beehive shell. Step Three The tube should be placed directly over the hole in the beehive shell, where the tube(which goes through the hole in the beehive shell and is connected to the flask) is placed into the cylinder. Step Four Then the flask needs to be filled with 20 cm3 Hcl acid, the acid is measured in a measuring tube and then poured in, once the flask is filled the magnesium strip is to be placed inside. In order to get the Magnesium strip as accurate as possible it is to be measured with a ruler to the size in which desired. Step 5 As soon as the magnesium strip touches the acid it starts to react, so the plastic plug should be put on to the flask quickly, then start the stopclock and record the amount of gas every 10 seconds. One person should read the results at eye level to the tube, so they can get an accurate reading, and another person should note down the times whereas one keeps there eye on the time. Things that will effect the rate of reaction  · Concentration of Hcl  · Surface area of Magnesium  · Temperature of reaction  · Catalyst  · Length of Magnesium  · Volume of Hcl The concentration can be increased or decreased to effect the rate of reaction. The higher the concentration, the more particles, therefore a higher rate of reaction. The surface area of magnesium can effect the rate of reaction. The larger the surface area, the faster the reaction will be as the

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Imitation and Literature :: Literature Essays Literary Criticism

Imitation and Literature    Imitation is a foundational concept in the creation and study of literature. The fundamental assumptions embedded in imitation create a distinct and divisive method of perception. Imitation requires a basic belief in separation: appearance apart from reality, form apart from content. Literary works possess a dual existence, where the surface becomes most useful   in its ability to reveal the substance contained within. Because the truth remains concealed, it can only be discerned or discovered through imitation. Thus imitation exists as an intermediary in a variety of artistic representations, each aspiring for an accurate depiction of   meaning, perhaps even the basic truths of human existence. For Plato, however, art imitates a world that is already far removed from authentic reality, Truth, an inherently flawed copy of an already imperfect world. Art as an imitation is irrelevant to what is real. Many critics since Plato have attempted to reestablish the essential value of art by redefining or renegotiating the boundaries between imitation and authentic reality, between the text itself and meaning.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   From ancient to more modern critics, art is defined, vilified, or redeemed by its ability to imitate. Aristotle values imitation as a natural process of humanity. Tragedy is simply a manifestation of the human desire to imitate. He asserts that every person "learns his lesson through imitation and we observe that all men find pleasure in imitations" (44). Unlike Plato's world of Forms, knowledge of truth and goodness are rooted in the observable universe to Aristotle. Because imitation strives to create accurate particularized images of the real world, it is a source for potential discovery and delight. Neoclassical criticism accepts as givens Aristotle's statements about the nature of art and reality. Art is valuable precisely because it is imitative. As Sir Philip Sydney states, "Poesy is an art of imitation...with this end, to teach and delight" (137). Imitation not only entertains, but gains a moral/ethical purpose: to teach virtue. Ar tists must, in addition to possessing great creative skills, also bear moral responsibility for shaping their imitations. Samuel Johnson seems to revisit Plato's attack upon art with his admission that an accurate imitation of morally questionable subject matter is not only unacceptable, but potentially harmful to those who encounter it. In order to accommodate a strong moral sense, Johnson describes imitation as a process of interpretation.   "The business of a poet... is to examine, not the individual, but the species.

Analysis - Second to Last Paragraph in Flannery O’Connor’s A Late Encou

An Analysis of the Second to Last Paragraph in Flannery O’Connor’s A Late Encounter with the Enemy This essay analyzes the first full paragraph on page143 (the second to last paragraph in the story) that begins with â€Å"The speaker was through with that war†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . This passage appears to be what is going through ‘General’ Sash’s head right before he dies. The passage begins by saying â€Å"The speaker was through with that war and had gone onto the next one and now he was approaching another†. The general goes on to state that all his words are vaguely familiar. This is because he has lived through all of these wars and as the speaker mentions them they all go by in the General’s mind as blurred events of the past. The General calls the graduates passing by in their robes a â€Å"black processional†; th...

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Stefan’s Diaries: The Craving Chapter 11

The following morning, I clutched the soft linen sheets up to my neck, as I had when I was a child. With my eyes squeezed shut, I could almost pretend I was home again. That Damon and I were still human and having our usual brotherly quarrels. That our father was somewhere on the plantation, working. That Katherine was alive. No – wait. That we had never met Katherine. Or†¦ maybe I was in bed at Lexi's house, unsure about my new life, but accepted in this new home of fellow vampires. I slowly came fully awake, and my fantasies crumbled against reality. I was in the Sutherlands' house, still a captive of their generosity and my brother's threats, an uneager groom being run quickly into an unwanted wedding. The Sutherlands weren't terribly formal but nevertheless expected everyone to show up at breakfast. My dressing went perhaps slower than it might have normally, as I adjusted my sock garters until they were perfect, fiddled with my cuffs, and ran my hands through my hair. I didn't much like looking in mirrors in those days. I hated who I saw there. By the time I finally made it downstairs to breakfast, the entire family was well into their meal. Mrs. Sutherland greeted me with a warm maternal smile that tore at my insides. Though I felt genuinely fond toward her, she was compelled to accept me. â€Å"Good morning,† I mumbled, slinking into my place. â€Å"Is there any coffee?† â€Å"You seem a bit down today, m'boy,† Winfield said, tucking his watch into his breast pocket. â€Å"And a bit thin, may I add. You definitely need fattening up before the wedding – I think I'll take you to the club today. They do a wonderful lamb and pudding.† Lydia gave me an apologetic smile. With a shock I realized that a pretty rose-pink scarf encircled her neck, neatly covering the usual spot for a vampire bite. Damon had fed on her. I turned my head from the coffee that had been placed before me, my stomach churning. Unconsciously, I touched my neck where Katherine used to bite me, remembering the pain and pleasure all wound up together so sickly. Was it a message to me? To remind me of what would happen if I failed to marry Bridget? â€Å"Stefan! Don't go to the club until later! We have a full day today,† Bridget warned. â€Å"We absolutely must, must, must go visit Bram's family. They just love Damon – Brammy's been taking him to all of the latest places, like that bar that serves real English-style Pimm's Cups! I'll have to wear my new blue muslin. To their house, not to the bar, naturally. It isn't a suitable place for ladies. Fanny wanted blue muslin for her trousseau, but her engagement didn't work out, poor thing†¦.† The door to the kitchen opened, and Damon stepped through. â€Å"Good morning, all,† he crowed, bright-eyed and chipper. He looked rested and sated as he gave Lydia a flirty bow and me a nasty wink. My shoulders clenched. â€Å"What are you doing here, Damon?† I asked in as innocent a tone as I could muster. â€Å"You didn't hear?† He sat down at the table and unfolded his napkin with a flourish. â€Å"Winfield begged me to move in.† â€Å"Oh.† I pushed my chair back from the table, plastering a wobbly smile on my face to mask my anger. â€Å"Er, Damon, would you mind joining me in the foyer for a moment?† Damon grinned at me. â€Å"But I just sat down and I'm ever so hungry.† â€Å"It will take but a minute,† I said through clenched teeth. Lydia looked at me curiously, but after a beat, Damon scraped his chair back and followed me to the foyer. â€Å"Milady, I'll return shortly.† The second we were out of earshot, I turned to my brother. â€Å"You are unbelievable. You're moving in now?† â€Å"Why thank you,† Damon said with a facetious bow. â€Å"And yes. Were you not listening last night when I talked about all the amazing†¦ amenities the Sutherland abode has to offer?† The room began to spin around me as rage overtook me. My patience with Damon's game was over. â€Å"Why bother with all of†¦ this?† I demanded. â€Å"These shenanigans? If you're so powerful, why not just go into a bank and make them give you all of the gold in their vaults?† â€Å"I suppose I could, but where's the fun in that?† â€Å"The fun?† I echoed in disbelief. â€Å"You're doing this for fun?† Damon's eyes hardened. â€Å"Tracks, brother. You're not thinking ahead.† He frowned and brushed some imaginary lint off my jacket. â€Å"Yes, I could just steal the money and leave town. But we're going to be around forever. Or at least I am. And compulsion doesn't always take. In case you didn't notice, Margaret remains quite stubborn, and having her or Winfield, should he ever shake my Power, go around waving my picture and calling me a thief†¦ well, I can't have that. It's much easier – and more fun – just to inherit it.† I gazed at the door that separated us from the happily dining Sutherlands. â€Å"Inherit it? As in, upon death?† â€Å"What? Why, brother, what exactly are you implying?† he asked, pretending to be hurt. â€Å"You keep your half of the bargain, and I don't go on a killing spree. Remember? I gave you my word.† â€Å"No, Damon,† I said. â€Å"You said if I didn't marry Bridget you would start killing everyone in that room. You specifically did not say anything about what would happen after we were married.† â€Å"Good point,† Damon said, nodding. â€Å"I'd like to kill a few people in their circle. Starting with that sycophant Bram. I think he has a thing for my Lydia, you know,† he added with mock anger. â€Å"Damon,† I growled. His eyes narrowed. â€Å"You take care of your wife. I'll take care of mine.† I looked at my brother sharply. â€Å"So then you do plan to kill Winfield after he signs over his fortune?† â€Å"For that, you will just have to stick around and see.† â€Å"I won't let you hurt any of them,† I promised through a clenched jaw. â€Å"You can't stop me. Whatever I choose to do,† Damon hissed back. We glared at each other. My hands curled into fists. He shifted his stance, ready for a fight. At that moment Mrs. Sutherland poked her head into the foyer. â€Å"Boys? Everything okay out here?† â€Å"Yes, ma'am,† Damon answered graciously. â€Å"We were just acquainting ourselves.† He pointed the door to the kitchen and gave a slight bow. â€Å"After you, Stefan.† Reluctantly, I passed back into the kitchen, Damon close on my heels. â€Å"So tomorrow we pick out our suits,† Damon said. He was acting as though we were continuing a mundane discussion from the foyer, rather than just having ended an argument over the fates of everyone in the room. â€Å"Stefan, we should match! Why, Bridget, weren't you just saying last night how someone, I forget who, matched her sister at another wedding? Silk or something?† He knew. He was my brother and he knew precisely how to torment me. Eternally. â€Å"Yes, of course, Damon,† Bridget said with a gratified smile, turning to me. â€Å"Stefan, you have to hear this. I thought about matching me and Lydia, but I'm not sure the effect would be as dramatic, what with Lydia's figure†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I slowly sank down at the table, drowning in her words – and the knowledge that Damon was right. I had never been able to stop my brother, especially not when it mattered most.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Gardening as a Relaxing Hobby Essay

Amidst the problems with climate change and the food shortage in some parts of the world, certain hobbies may become beneficial to humankind. In my personal attempt to help in alleviating this environmental dilemma, I recently engaged myself in a hobby that is useful for myself and to the environment. Gardening is a hobby that I am quite interested in. This hobby is important to me as I am trying to go organic and help the environment in my own little way. Since I am just a beginner in this hobby, I know only little in this particular field and I have plenty of questions that need answers. Gardening may look easy at the start but tending the garden is actually a task that needs knowledge in plants and soil composition. I am moving towards in creating an organic garden that I find beneficial, since I can grow food in my backyard. However, I need to know what plants are best to plant in a particular season. In addition, I need to be knowledgeable on how I will be able to manage pests in my garden without using chemical pest control and how I will be able to add necessary nutrients in my garden soil to assure plants holistic growth. I managed to answer some of my queries through reading and researching about the particular topic. The main research tool that I used is the internet where I managed to find sites that are credible and reliable. They provided tips and suggestions on how to manage an organic garden effectively and efficiently. Also, I managed to find reading materials like magazine and books that contain articles on managing an organic garden. These are also reliable sources of information about the hobby. As a form of evaluating the sources, I assure that the material comes from an expert or someone who is knowledgeable in the topic. Gardening is a hobby that is beneficial to humankind and to the environment.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Johnny Depp †A Philosopher Among Actors Essay

â€Å"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.† In simple terms, this quote is referring to those who do not conform to the standards placed on them by their culture or subculture. In Hollywood, the way one becomes an A-List actor is by conforming to the Hollywood system: take the roles that provide the largest paychecks. Ben Affleck did not become a superstar celebrity by following his passion; Reindeer Games and Gigli are perfect examples of that. However, there is one actor who has consistently chosen his own roles, much to the dismay of his agent, based solely on his interest in the character he will portray. This actor has never taken a role that he did not feel passionate about, regardless of the flack he received from critics or the general public, and he is now one of Hollywood’s finest. Johnny Depp stands out from the crowd because rather than conforming to the Hollywood standard he has become an A-List actor by following his own muse, or walking â€Å"to the beat of a different drummer.† A perfect example of Johnny Depp’s passion for his work is his starring role in the movie, â€Å"Ed Wood,† about Ed Wood, a filmmaker best known for making bad movies. It sounds ironic, but Johnny was insistent that this was a great movie. Despite, at the height of his career, being told that making this movie would ruin his professional image, he pursued the role. The movie was made, and it went on to win an Academy Award. Another example of Johnny Depp’s dedication is the movie â€Å"Once Upon A Time In Mexico† filmed in the heat of the summer of 2002. Because he wanted this role, Johnny agreed to film for seven consecutive days at 12-16 hours per day! A typical A-List actor will, under no circumstances, work for more than 8 hours per shooting day. Other movies that Depp was warned not to do, which went on to become successful were: â€Å"Edward Scissorhands,† â€Å"Dead Man,† â€Å"What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,† and â€Å"Pirates of the Caribbean,† for which he is nominated for Best Actor at the Academy Awards this year. Johnny Depp is renowned for his choice of movie roles. He does not simply work for the paycheck; he is truly pursuing his passion, and he has done it  quite successfully. Roger Ebert, a well-known film critic, has called Depp â€Å"a modern Thoreau – a philosopher among actors.† At the 76th Annual Academy Awards, Johnny Depp was recognized specifically for his success in taking part in only films that he truly wanted to be a part of. Considering the standards that the industry places on actors, the fact that Johnny Depp has not sold out and taken a role simply for the money, is an admirable quality. If everyone possessed such commitment in their work, and more so, such conviction, life would be much more enjoyable to live.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Coyote Blue Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22 Sprinkling the Son of the Morning Star Santa Barbara After almost twenty years as a salesman, Sam found that when he was confused his head filled with homilies that pertained to the profession. Win an argument, lose a sale. If you look hungry, you will be. You can't sell if you don't pitch. There were hundreds of them. He'd been running them through his mind for hours, trying to find some clue as to what he should do. The one that kept returning was Never confuse motion with progress. To leave the house in search of Calliope without a clue as to where she might be would be movement for the sake of movement. Progress would be actually finding a clue to her whereabouts. He had no idea where to start looking for clues, so he lay on his bed and smoked, and tried to convince himself that he didn't want her. She's probably found some other guy, he thought. Losing the kid is just an excuse, a cowardly Dear John letter. It was just a one-night stand and I refuse to let it mean more to me than it meant to her. I've got my life back, intact, and there's no room for a young girl and a child. Nope. I'll rest up today and get back to work tomorrow. After I close a couple of deals, this week will just seem like a bad dream. It was a good rationalization. Unfortunately, he didn't believe a word of it; he was worried about her. Sam closed his eyes and tried to imagine the pages of his appointment book. It was a visualization he used to relax, a salesman's version of counting sheep. He saw the days and weeks spread out in front of him, and he filled in the blanks with lunches and prospects. By each of the names he made mental notes on how he would approach the pitch. Before long he was lost in a world of presentations and objections; the image of the girl faded away. As he started to doze off he heard the sound of heavy breathing. He rolled on his side and steamy hot dog breath hit him in the face. He didn't open his eyes. There was no need to. He knew Coyote had returned. Perhaps if he feigned sleep the trickster would go away, so he lived there in the land of dog breath. A wet nose prodded his ear. At least he hoped it was a nose. With Coyote's sexual habits it could be†¦. No, he still smelled the breath. It was the nose. I'm asleep, go away. I'm asleep, go away, he thought. He'd seen opossums try the same method to fool oncoming semi trucks, and it was working about as well for him. He felt the coyote climb onto the bed. Then he felt a paw on each of his shoulders. He groaned as he thought a truly sleeping guy might groan. Coyote whimpered and Sam could feel the canine nose press against his own. Dog breath, Sam mused, seems to have no distinction to it, yet it is distinctly dog breath. You could be at the cologne counter at Bloomingdale's, and someone could mist your wrist with an atomizer, and a single whiff would reveal the elusive scent to be dog breath as surely as if it had been squozen straight from the dog. Yet, what a wide spectrum of foulness dog breath can span, both in odor and humidity. This particular version of dog breath, he felt, is especially steamy, and carries a top note of stale cigarettes and coffee, as well as the usual fetid meat and butthole smells found in more common dog breath. This, he thought, is supernatural dog breath. I'm not likely to be breathed upon by another dog in my lifetime that has recently enjoyed a Marlboro over a cup of Java. Despite his effort to distract himself with dog breath aesthetics, Sam's tolerance was wearing out and he thought he might sneeze or throw up any second. Coyote licked him on the mouth. â€Å"Yuck!† Sam sat upright and wiped his mouth on his arm. â€Å"Ack!† He shivered involuntarily and looked at the big coyote, who grinned at him from the end of the bed. â€Å"There was no need for that,† Sam said. Coyote whimpered and rolled over on his back in submission. Sam got up from the bed and grabbed his cigarettes from the nightstand. â€Å"Why are you back? You said you were gone for good.† Coyote began to change into his human form. No longer afraid, Sam watched the transformation with fascination. In a few seconds Coyote sat on the bed in his black buckskins wearing the coyote-skin headdress. â€Å"Got a smoke?† he asked. Sam shook one out of the pack and lit it for the trickster. Sam took a small plastic box from his shirt pocket and held it out to Coyote. â€Å"Breath mint?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"I insist,† Sam said. Coyote took the box and shook out a mint, popped it in his mouth, and handed the box back to Sam. â€Å"The girl is going to Las Vegas.† â€Å"I don't care.† The lie tasted foul in his mouth. â€Å"If she tries to take her child from the biker she will be hurt.† â€Å"It's not my problem. Besides, she'll probably find another guy to help her out.† Sam felt both righteous and cowardly for saying it. This role he was playing no longer fit. Quickly he added, â€Å"I don't need the trouble.† â€Å"In the buffalo days your people used to say that a wife stolen and returned was twice the wife she had been.† â€Å"They aren't my people and she's not my wife.† â€Å"You can be afraid, just don't act like it.† â€Å"What does that mean? You're worse than Pokey with your fucking riddles.† â€Å"You lost Pokey. You lost your family. You lost your name. All you have left is your fear, white man.† Coyote flipped his cigarette at Sam. It hit him in the chest and hot ashes showered on the bed. Sam patted out the embers and brushed himself off. â€Å"I didn't ask for you to come here. I don't owe the girl anything.† But he did owe her. He wasn't sure what for yet, except that she had cut something loose in him. Why couldn't he cut loose the habit of fear? Coyote went to the bedroom window and stared out. Without turning he said, â€Å"Do you know about the Crows who scouted for General Custer?† Sam didn't answer. â€Å"When they told Custer that ten thousand Lakota and Cheyenne warriors were waiting for him at the Little Bighorn he called them liars and rode on. The Crow scouts didn't owe Custer anything, but they painted their faces black and said, ‘Today is a good day to die. â€Å" â€Å"The point?† Sam bristled. â€Å"The point is that you will never know what they knew – that courage is its own reward.† Sam sat down on the edge of the bed and stared at Coyote's back. The red feathers across the buckskin shirt seemed to move on the black surface of Coyote's shirt. Sam wondered if he might not be light-headed from prolonged dog breath inhalation, but then the feathers drew a scene, and in a whirl of images and feathers, Sam was back on the reservation again. There were three of them: boys hiding in the sagebrush by the road that led into the Custer Battlefield National Monument. Two were Crow, one Cheyenne. They were there on a dare that had started in ninth-grade gym class. The largest boy, the Cheyenne, was from the Broken Tooth family – descendants of a warrior who fought with Crazy Horse and Red Cloud on this very land. â€Å"You going to do it?† said Eli Broken Tooth. â€Å"Or are you full of shit like all Crows?† â€Å"I said I'd do it,† Samson said. â€Å"But I'm not going to be stupid about it.† â€Å"What about you, breed?† Eli asked Billy Two Irons. â€Å"You a chickenshit?† Broken Tooth had been taunting Billy about his mixed blood for the whole school year and citing his own â€Å"pure Indian† lineage. The fact was that in buffalo days the mortality rate had been so high for young plains warriors that a woman might have three or four husbands in her lifetime, and have children by them all. Sometimes one of the husbands was a white man, yet since they all traced their kinship through their mother's line, the white ancestor could easily be forgotten. Billy said, â€Å"I'll bet you got a few whiteys in your wigwam you don't even know about, Broken Dick.† Samson laughed and the others shushed him. The security guard was making a pass by the monument's high wrought-iron gate. They ducked their heads. A flashlight beam passed over them, paused, and moved on as the guard turned to walk up the hill toward the Custer burial site. â€Å"You going to do it?† Eli asked. â€Å"Once he's past the grave he has to go check on the Reno site. He'll take the jeep for that. When we hear the jeep, we'll go.† â€Å"Sure you will,† said Eli. â€Å"You coming?† Samson asked. He was more than a little afraid. The monument was federal land, and this was a time when an Indian causing trouble on federal land was something the government was going to great lengths to discourage after the Alcatraz takeover and the killings at Pine Ridge. â€Å"I don't have to go,† Broken Tooth said. â€Å"My people put him there. I'll just sit here and twist up a doobie while you girls do your thing.† He grinned. â€Å"The gate will be the bitch,† Billy said. They looked at the fifteen-foot iron spears suspended between two stone pillars. There were only two cross members they could use as footholds. They watched the guard amble the hundred yards down the hill to the visitor center. When they heard the jeep fire up, Samson and Billy took off. They hit the gate at the same time. The gate swung with the impact and clanged against the chains and padlock that held it closed. They scrambled up the bars, then hung over spearpoints and dropped to the asphalt. As they let go the chain sent a loud clang ringing down the valley. They both landed on their butts. Samson looked to Billy. â€Å"You okay?† Billy jumped to his feet and dusted off his jeans. â€Å"How come the Indians in the movies can do this shit in complete stealth?† â€Å"Vocational training,† Samson said. He started running up the hill toward the monument. Billy followed. â€Å"Snake ahead,† Samson said as he ran. â€Å"What?† â€Å"Snake,† Sam repeated breathlessly. He leapt into the air over the big diamondback rattler that was lying in the road, warming itself on the asphalt. Billy saw the snake in time to pull up and slide on some loose gravel within striking distance. When he heard Billy's shoes sliding he stopped and turned. Billy said, â€Å"You were saying ‘Snake, right?† â€Å"Back away and go around, Billy.† Samson was so out of breath he could hardly talk. The rattler coiled. â€Å"I thought you were saying ‘Steak. I was wondering, Why is he yelling ‘Steak' at me?† â€Å"Back away and go around.† â€Å"‘Snake. Well, I guess this explains it.† Billy backed slowly away, then once out of striking distance ran a wide arc around the snake and up the hill. Samson fell in beside him. The monument was still a hundred yards away. â€Å"Pace yourself,† he said. â€Å"Did you say ‘Snake' again?† Billy said between pants. Rather than answer, Samson fell into a trot. The monument was a twenty-foot granite obelisk set on a ten-foot base at the top of a hill that overlooked the entire Little Bighorn basin. â€Å"Let's do it,† Samson said, heaving in breaths. The hill had been longer and steeper than he'd thought. Billy unzipped his pants and stood beside Samson, who had already bared his weapon. â€Å"You know,† Billy said, â€Å"it would have been easier to gang up on Eli and beat the shit out of him.† â€Å"I think I hear the jeep coming back,† Samson said. A long yellow stream arced out of Billy and splashed the side of the monument. â€Å"Then you better get going.† Samson strained. â€Å"I can't.† Billy grunted, trying to force his urine to run faster. â€Å"Go, man. That's headlights.† â€Å"I can't.† Billy finished and zipped up, then turned to face Samson. â€Å"Think rivers, think waterfalls.† â€Å"It won't come.† â€Å"Come on, Samson. He's coming. Relax.† â€Å"Relax? How can-â€Å" â€Å"Okay, relax in a hurry.† Samson pushed until his eyes bugged. He felt a trickle, then a stream coming. â€Å"Push it, Samson. He's coming.† Billy began to back down the hill. â€Å"Push it, man.† The jeep's headlights broke over the hill and descended toward the monument. â€Å"Duck!† Billy said. Samson squatted by the base of the monument and managed to stream urine down both pant legs before he got himself reaimed. Billy dove for cover next to Samson. â€Å"Did you say ‘Duck'?† Samson whispered. â€Å"Shut up,† Billy snapped. Despite his fear, the adrenaline had made Samson giddy. He grinned at Billy. â€Å"I thought you were saying ‘Truck, which would have made more sense, but-â€Å" â€Å"Would you shut up?† Billy risked a peek at the road. The jeep was coming toward them, rather than returning to the visitor center where it had started. As the jeep approached the monument, they worked their way around its base, keeping the obelisk between themselves and the guard. â€Å"He won't stop, will he?† Billy said. Samson could hear the jeep slowing as it passed the monument on the other side of them, not twenty feet away. They held their crouch until the jeep descended the hill and stopped halfway to the gate. â€Å"He sees footprints,† Billy said. â€Å"On asphalt?† â€Å"He saw us. I'm going to end up in jail like my brother.† â€Å"No, look, it's the fucking snake. He's waiting for it to get out of the road.† Indeed, the guard was inching the jeep forward slowly enough for the rattler to slither off into the grass. When the snake was gone the jeep revved up and continued down the hill, by the iron gate, and back around to the back of the visitor center. â€Å"Let's go,† Billy said. They ran down the road, Samson almost falling while trying to zip his pants and run at the same time. As they reached the gate Samson grabbed Billy's shoulder and pulled him back. â€Å"What the fuck?† Billy said. Samson pointed to the chain. Billy nodded in understanding. The clanging. Samson went to the center of the gate and grasped it. â€Å"Go,† he said. â€Å"When you get over, hold it for me.† Without hesitation Billy leapt to the gate and climbed over, sliding down the opposite side instead of dropping as before. He held the gate and Samson started over. As Samson reached the top of the gate and was working his feet between the spearpoints, he heard Eli's laughing from down the road and he looked up. A second later he heard a metal fire door slam at the visitor center. The quick turn took his balance and he tried to jump, but one of the spearpoints caught his jeans leg and he was slammed upside down into the gate. Billy held the chain, but there was a dull clank as Samson's forehead hit the bars. It took Samson a second to realize that he was still hanging from the gate, his head still eight feet off the ground. â€Å"Unhook your leg,† Billy said. â€Å"I'll catch you.† In this position Samson was facing the visitor center. He could see some lights going on inside. He struggled to push himself up on the bar, but the spearpoint was barbed. â€Å"I can't get it.† â€Å"Shit,† Billy said. He held the gate with one hand and drew a flick knife from his back pocket with the other. â€Å"I'll come up and cut you down.† â€Å"No, don't let go of the gate,† Samson said. â€Å"Fuck it,† Billy said. He let go of the gate and it clanged with Samson's swinging weight. Billy jumped on the bars and as he climbed Samson could hear the fire door open and slam again, then footsteps. Billy stood at the top of the stone pillar and put the knife to Samson's pant leg. â€Å"When I cut, keep hold of the bars.† Billy pulled the knife blade through the denim and Samson flipped over and slammed the bars again, this time right side up. The gate clanged again. Samson heard the jeep starting and saw the beams of the headlights come out from behind the visitor center. He looked to Billy. â€Å"Jump!† Billy leapt from the fifteen-foot pillar. As he hit the pavement he yowled and crumpled. â€Å"My ankle.† Samson looked to the visitor center, where the jeep was pulling out. He grabbed Billy under the armpits and dragged him down into the ditch. They waited, breathlessly, as the jeep stopped and the guard, gun drawn, checked the lock and chain once again. After the guard left they crawled down the ditch toward Eli. When he came into view, Samson helped Billy to his feet and supported him while he limped up to the big Cheyenne, who was taking a deep hit on a joint. â€Å"Want a hit?† he croaked, holding the joint out to Billy. Billy took the joint, sat down in the grass, and took a hit. Eli let out a cloud of smoke and laughed. â€Å"That was the funniest fucking thing I've ever seen in my life.† Then he spotted the wet streaks on Samson's pants. â€Å"What happened, Hunts Alone? I thought you were going to piss on Custer's grave. You get so scared you wet yourself?† He threw back his head to laugh and Samson wound up and tagged him on the jaw with a vicious roundhouse punch. Eli dropped to the ground and didn't move. Samson looked at his damaged fist, then at Eli, then at Billy Two Irons. He grinned. Billy said, â€Å"You couldn't have done that twenty minutes ago and saved us all this trouble, could you?† â€Å"You're right,† Samson said. â€Å"I couldn't have done that twenty minutes ago. Let's get out of here before he comes to.† Samson helped Billy to his feet, then out of the ditch onto the road. As they headed toward Crow Agency it seemed to get darker as they walked, then darker still, until there was no light at all and Sam was in his bedroom staring at the back of a black buckskin shirt trimmed with red woodpecker feathers. â€Å"It was a stupid thing to do,† Sam said. â€Å"It was brave,† Coyote said. â€Å"It would have been stupid if you had failed.† â€Å"We found out later that Custer wasn't even buried there. His body was taken to West Point, so it was all for nothing.† â€Å"And what about the night on the dam? Was that all for nothing?† â€Å"How do you know about that?† Coyote turned and stared at Sam with his arms crossed, his golden eyes shining with delight. â€Å"That was nothing but trouble,† Sam said finally. â€Å"Would you do it again?† â€Å"Yes,† Sam said without thinking. â€Å"And the girl is nothing but trouble?† Coyote said. Sam heard the words echoing in his mind. Going after the girl was the right thing to do. After all the years of doing the safe thing, it was time to do the right thing. He said, â€Å"You really piss me off sometimes, you know that?† â€Å"Anger is the gods' way of letting you know you are alive.† Sam got up and stood face-to-face with the trickster, trying to read something in his eyes. He moved forward until their noses almost touched. â€Å"All you know is that she's going to Las Vegas? No address or anything?† â€Å"Not so far. But if she misses them there, the biker is going on to South Dakota. She'll follow. I'll tell you the rest on the way.† â€Å"I don't suppose you could change into a Learjet or something practical.† Coyote shook his head. â€Å"Just living things: animals, bugs, rocks.† Sam reached into his shirt pocket, pulled out the box of breath mints, and handed them to Coyote. The trickster raised his eyebrows in query. Sam said, â€Å"Eat those. I can't handle dog breath through an eight-hour drive.†

Friday, September 13, 2019

Economic Chartacteristics of the Airlines Research Paper

Economic Chartacteristics of the Airlines - Research Paper Example Here are some of these characteristics. The high levels of capital intensities are associated with airlines. The range of various equipment required to run an airline cannot be compared to the budgeting of a regular size office. We have basic equipment like the ticketing computers, scanning equipment, and other necessities ranging all the way to the planes themselves and the maintenance equipment (Gordon, n.d.). The industry then proves to be a capital-intensive business when you keep in mind the cost of all these fundamental airline equipment. Therefore, most airliners will end up procuring this equipment through loans or even hiring them from other companies. Airlines are also characterized by a high level of labor intensity. For a standard airliner to function well, it will need to hire a number of highly skilled personnel to make it work. This skilled personnel is inclusive of the pilots, flight attenders, plane mechanics and engineers, baggage handlers, security officers, the catering department, managers, accountants and this list has also included lawyers of late (COMPANY BRIEF: Airlines, 2008). All these laborers, as they might be termed as, require to be paid, and as we all know, skill does not come cheap. This character associated with airlines has a great economic implication in the industry. Airlines are also characterized by their nature to be seasonal. This translates to just that, ‘seasons’. It is known that most of the worlds’ masses travel a lot particularly during the summer season. This is because most of them are going on vacations, which create what can be termed as a ‘good season’ in the airline industry (Borenstein, 2011). The winter season, on the other hand, does not involve a lot of traveling leading to a notable decrease in the market of the airline industry. These seasons create an

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Answering Questions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 9

Answering Questions - Research Paper Example Funs get to know the names of the scorers, who helped in different goals, how the team performed in every move, and what it can do to better future games. Kofi Anan uses this analogy of competition to depict a different world and drive his points home. Annan suggests that if countries would come out and compete for respect of human rights, child survival rates, and enrolment in secondary education, then the world would be a better place. Like many who come out to make suggestions and analyse football, Annan argues that the same energy should be used to debate on critical issues like HIV and AIDS affecting countries. In addition, world cup happens on a level ground where each country has an equal chance of participating. In the same manner, other global issues need to be levelled to allow growth and development in all countries of the world. Tim Bowling is a hockey sport lover. He especially remembers some crazy things he has done out of love for this sport. NHL is his main spectator entertainment of this sport. Although he had to give up so much to watch hockey, Tim now realises that this is just a sport. He uses this analogy to pass a message to fanatics of hockey. Apparently, to my shock, some fanatics will go ahead and shed blood just to see their teams reach their intended levels. In reality, too much love for something results in some idolizing it and one will even shed blood to defend it. Besides that, hockey being a major sport that Canada is known for all over the world gives citizens pride associating with this nation. People derive nationhood from association with a country that does so well in a particular sport. In addition, there is a strong connection between hockey and Canadian citizens because it is a shared story. I agree with some politics about sports in that every citizen is entitled to talk about i t and take pride in it. However, hockey sport has considerably changed over time

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Learning English in Terms of Globalization Essay

Learning English in Terms of Globalization - Essay Example As such, the advantage in this scenario goes to employees or applicants from countries such as the United States or the United Kingdom, who have been utilizing the English language as their primary language since childhood. However, for one originating from a country such as Iran, in which English is generally not used as the lingua franca, this has some implications. For one thing, these English language learners need are prone to experiencing more difficulty in learning the language that is inversely proportional to its relationship with the student’s mother tongue. For instance, whereas German students should find it easy or at the very least manageable to learn to speak English due to its close relationship with the German tongue, their Chinese peers may have more trouble due to their own language being completely different in comparison (McKay and Schaetzel, 2008). Aside from this, the intricacies of their culture may necessitate favoring one approach to teaching them, as can again be seen in how Chinese students were found to derive more benefit from teacher-led lectures as compared to more unorthodox methods of instruction, such as classroom discussion and learning activities (Jin and Cortazzi, 1998). Needless to say, would-be teachers of English to speakers of other languages need to be especially sensitive to the learning styles and preferences of their students. This being the case, this student has come up with a lesson plan, in line with the standards espoused by TESOL.org, which shall be used in an attempt to teach the English language to speakers of other languages. Besides this, the findings of authoritative studies on the subject were also taken into account in order to come up with a more appropriate, comprehensive and effective lesson plan. The Integration of Content and Language The lesson plan adopted a Content-Language integrated approach, which entails unique structuring of one’s day-to-day lessons. For instance, this require s a working knowledge on the teacher’s part of the 6 characteristics that support learning, as well as of the objectives behind such an approach and the nature of language and content input. The teacher also needs to be able to activate the stock knowledge of his students, in part so he can teach them new words in such a way that they will be retained. The guided practice also needs to be conducted, as do appropriate independent practice activities. Last but not least, the learning achieved by students needs to be assessed, both by the teacher as well as the students themselves. Of course, to better understand what the integration of the Content- and Language-based approach entails, one would be wise to first understand the aims and objectives of the individual approaches.  

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Ismg 11 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ismg 11 - Essay Example Laptops or PCs and other technology equipments are among some of the most frequently stolen company items. However, installing locks, which tether them to desks, can decrease the likelihood of stealing. Finally, IVK could imprint metal tags with company information on the equipments. Tying to remove these metal equipments will harm of spoil the equipments, and hence, people will not steal the equipments. According to Barton, exposing too much information of their IT Company to regular customers is both an advantage and a disadvantage to them. It is an advantage in the sense that exposing information to customers will likely improve the proceeding of their company (Austin, Nolan and ODonnell 182). For instance, using websites to expose a company’s information will likely attract more clients than companies that do not use the internet to advertise themselves. However, giving out too much information might also attract hackers to the company. This makes the company extremely vulnerable (Austin, Nolan and ODonnell 182). Hackers are able to note weak points of a company’s information system using the slightest information they can get. Therefore, what to disclose to regular clients is only the information that regards them, which will not enable them to exploit the company. Barton still has his job because of the admiration he receives from the Board of Directors (Austin, Nolan and ODonnell 184). According to the board, even though Barton is not acting as fast as they expected, he still brings in innovations to the company that no other CIO has ever done. Barton, at every board meeting, has been able to capture the attention of the key leaders who always seek for his advice. Barton’s boss, Williams, always asks Barton to advice him whenever he wants to incorporate something new in the company (Austin, Nolan and ODonnell 184). According to Williams, Barton was extremely talented in his job. Therefore, losing such a person

Monday, September 9, 2019

Gender Reassignment Surgey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Gender Reassignment Surgey - Essay Example The first one is that newborns may be born with sex deformities and must then be assigned to either the male or the female sex at the earliest possible time (Encyclopedia of Surgery, 4). The second reason is that some men or women may believe that they were physically born of a sex different from their mental and emotional make-up. This belief is powerful enough to trigger their desire to have the surgery (Encyclopedia of Surgery, 4). Some considerations for the surgery affect the sex change and often dictate its progress. Many of these surgeries are being performed in the US and are estimated to number about 100 to 500 on an annual basis (Encyclopedia of Surgery, 6). The conversion from male to female involves the removal of the penis, the reshaping of the tissue to make them appear more female, and the construction of a vagina; the vagina is often constructed through skin grafting and through an isolated loop of the intestine (Encyclopedia of Surgery, 7). Female hormones are taken by the patient in order to reshape the contours of the body and stimulate breast enlargement. The other side of the coin – female to male sex change – has not had as much success as male to female sex change, primarily because of the difficulty in creating a functioning penis from the small clitoral tissue in the female genitalia (Devor, p. 51). Penis construction is often carried out after a year from the primary surgery to remove the female organs. The breasts are also modified in order to give them a more masculine appearance. Before sex change operations are carried out, patients are often asked to undergo an in-depth psychological counseling in order to determine what their intentions are and whether or not they are prepared to meet the consequences and the implications of their choice. It is after all an irreversible procedure; therefore, the patient must not have any second thoughts or doubts about the surgery (Encyclopedia of Surgery, 15). It