Cybercrime in Today’s World Essay

I have been asked to write a paper concerning cybercrime in the world today. I will go over what cybercrime is, how much it is affecting the United States, possible ways of enforcement and why or why not enforcement would be effective. What is a cybercrime, in your own words? Cybercrime is using computers or technology in order to steal information or to create fake identities over the World Wide Web. It is a growing problem in the world today, especially in countries like China, Japan and the United States where populations are high. Phone scams are another type of cybercrime as people will try to glean vital information from another by pretending to be a grandchild or a salesman. Cyberspace allows people to invade another person’s or company’s computer and download sensitive materials such as social security numbers, birth certificates and tax information. What is the extent of cybercrime in the United States? Computerescape. om says that â€Å"Cybercrime is widespread throughout the United States with 73% of American internet users being victims of cybercrime, either through viruses, online credit card or identity theft†*. With over 300 million Americans in the US, that comes out to 219 million Americans that have been or are currently victims of a cybercriminal. Most of the victims of identity theft are infants and the elderly. My own infant cousin had his social security number stolen shortly after his death. It took several months to recover it. How do you think we should control / enforce cybercrime? I personally believe that the only way to control cybercrime is to attach a major virus to sensitive files, so that when an unauthorized person tries to access it, it attaches itself to that person’s computer, downloads any information regarding the owner of the computer, sends that information to the authorities, and finally scrambles all data on the computer. The authorities will then be able to make an arrest and unscramble the computer so that evidence can be obtained. The offender should then have an appendage cut from their body on national television, so that others thinking of committing the same crime will hopefully be deterred. If the person should offend again, then they should be stoned until dead by the people that they have stolen from. Do you think enforcement can be effective? Why or why not? I don’t think that any type of enforcement would be effective as tracking anything in cyberspace is time consuming and if the person was determined enough, they would find a way around the enforcement. Security cameras are an excellent point. You can have the main points of a store being watched by cameras, but the only places you have issues with theft is in the cameras blind spots. A security system will alert you if someone comes in through a door or window, but isn’t programmed to respond if a person decides to cut a hole in the wall or ceiling and enter the premises without ever tripping the system. If someone wanted to commit a robbery and they knew that a police patrol car passed by every 45 minutes, they would wait until 10 minutes after the patrol car had passed and then rob the business, knowing that it would be at least another 10 minutes before police could respond. Criminals will always find a way to circumvent the enforcers of the law.

An Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jamison

Kay Redfield Jamison authored An Unquiet Mind, a memoir describing the troubling existence of mental illness in her life. This autobiographical journey reached out to a world that is peopled in mental illness. She writes of her drive, emotional intensity, and passion and pain in life as she struggled with severe manic depression. This is a story with healing implications for a world that struggles to find therapeutic resolution to this debilitating illness. I will discuss some of the key elements in Jamison’s empowering voyage through life and her madness. Jamison was an ingenious and unpredictable child. Her illness slowly transfigured her state of mind in the latter chapters of her teen years. Manic depression hit her with a serious emotional meltdown at the age of 17, thereby setting the stage for the challenges to come with her brain disease. She found addiction in the manic highs that offered feelings of grandeur and omnipotence. The other side of her diseased mind sent her plummeting into the pits of depression where she contemplated suicide—sometimes with the trigger of gun and other times standing at the ledge of a building. The novel setting chronicles her life from childhood into adulthood. From the age of seven, in the second grade, she witnessed a terrifying plane crash, just on the outer perimeter of her elementary school campus. Her father, a pilot in the Air Force, added the fascination of flight and death, something that stuck with her. Jamison wrote, I never again looked at the sky and saw only vastness and beauty. From that afternoon on I saw that death was also and always there. One critical element that aided in her ability to cope, in adulthood, was her demonstrative, supportive family. Even though they were a mobile-military family, her mother did her best to secure structure, along with the support of her elder brother, father, and grandmother. Kay and her brother excelled in school and extra-curricular activities. Kay found pleasure in her adolescent years. She wrote, They were to be an extremely powerful amulet, a potent and positive countervailing force against future unhappiness. Her sister, on the other hand, was self-absorbed, defiant, demanding, and lacked compassion for the families uprooted lifestyle. However, her sister could also be witty and charming, traits passed down from dad. Ms. Jamison had an ability to cast symbolism of deft clarity, thereby creating magical images that pulled the reader in and kept their interest peaked. She described her father’s persona with eloquence, as can be seen here: When times were good and his moods were at high tide, his infectious enthusiasm would touch everything. Her mother was kind, generous, and had the role of offering counsel when life’s incidents called for it. In a nutshell, her extended family was a plethora of caring, well-liked people willing to help those in need of help. Prior to her first taste of true mental madness, her father retired from the Air Force. The family moved from Washington to Southern California. Culture-shock hit her square in the jaw, but soon she learned to enjoy the exhilaration of intellectual conversations among the financially elite of California. She got a college-aged boyfriend, a man she met at UCLA during her volunteer work in the pharmacology department. It was a standard high-school fling that petered out once she digested her high school diploma and then met the fate of her mental illness. Within a year of moving to California, her father—who still displayed high moods and great laughter—was becoming dark. His exuberant enthusiasm faded as he, too, faded into depression and a hermit-like existence. This was compounded with his new drinking problem. She didn’t realize, however, that her own flights of manic highs and depressing lows were an equally challenging personality to live with. At 17, she found herself riding the wave of her manic high: staying up night after night, writing poetry and making future plans that were unattainable. She felt exuberant beyond belief. She wore out her friends with her endless, rapid-fire discussions. They told her, â€Å"slow down, Kay. You’re wearing me out, Kay. † She did. Her halt came crashing down on her. Her initial bout with mania was light-hearted and fairly gentile in comparison to the wild out-of-control episodes to follow years later. She wrote, Then the bottom began to fall out of my life and mind. My thinking†¦was torturous. In the coming years, she began to lose to the pace of her own thought-processing. Ideas stormed across her. She was on overload. Her acceptance of her illness wasn’t apparent to her. It was slow and gradual. She described it with such empowerment in the following two, short sentences: I did not wake up one day find myself mad. Life should be so simple. At this point, she obtained her doctorate in psychiatry and a position as an assistant professor in the UCLA Department of Psychiatry. In three months of reaching this esteemed level, she became a raging psychotic. She was, eventually, treated for manic depression and prescribed lithium, back in 1974—a drug that would save her from pure delirium, a state she couldn’t admit to, due to the ramifications of the high states of mania. She stopped taking it, against medical advisors—a common quirk among manic depressives who long for the theater of the manic highs. She went through bouts of dark depression with a suicidal itch. At this time, she was in therapy two to three times per week, while still staffed at UCLA. She was losing her senses due to the stresses of co-workers and the feudal nature of staff meetings—according to Kay anyway. She, then met, David, a fellow psychiatrist. They built a relationship out of her openness and his immediate kind temperament and his diagnosis of one of her difficult patients. She, at the time, was still married; so she denied his repeated dinner offerings. Their closeness grew. She finally gained the courage to tell him of her mental illness, fearing his reaction. He soothed her. She wrote, â€Å"I say, rotten luck. † His unbridled kindness and enthusiasm formed a balance in her edgy existence. Then, he died of a heart attack at the age of 44. Kay Jamison was 32. She discovered that grief is far different from depression; for there is hope in grief. She wrote of her grieving: David had loved and accepted me in an extraordinary way†¦And now, four years after his death, I found a very different kind of love and a renewed belief in life. She met an Englishman, a man who came to know her better than anyone. At this point, she came to the realization that her life depended on lithium. Yet, she chose, through therapeutic counseling with her psychiatrists in L. A. and London, as well as with the support of her Englishman partner, to lower her dosage. She continued her courageous clinical work in the very field of mental illness that has drenched her life with manic highs and dark, lifeless lows. She worked with patients and spent much of her time in the field of research: searching, with hearty commitment, to track down the gene that causes manic depression. Yet, aside from her efforts and personal relationship with finding the gene, she, at the same times, wonders what it might mean if she were to discover the gene. There is an obvious hereditary link, but is the gene the means to a solution? That question remains to be answered and cannot be anything but speculation until research discovers the gene—if someone ever does. One question being this: is it right, if a parent were aware of a prenatal gene carrying manic-depressive gene to abort the fetus? The difficulties surrounding the ethical issues raised would be a challenging arena of debate. This situation is further complicated when one or both parents are bi-polar. Why, then, should they have the privilege to play God and determine an unborn child’s fate. From the other side, people would question a person suffering through life with such a debilitating and emotionally destructible illness. When we consider Ms. Jamison’s illness, it’s important to point out that her manic depressive illness came prior to today’s medically softened term: bipolar disorder. Most doctors and clinicians, according to Kay Jamison, feel that the term bipolar loosens the stigma associated with manic depression. However, now that the term bipolar is so common in our culture, the stigma may have resurfaced. Of course, it’s up to individual interpretation and should be left to the patients to decide. Yet, the bipolar mind is in a pretty tight corner because it is truly not up to the patient or clinician to determine what society chooses to entitle as stigmatic. If a person discovers your diagnosis, or witnesses the behaviors of mania first-hand and is wise enough to wade through the other possible reasons behind a person’s behavior, its still, in the end, mental illness. And the overwhelming tendency, today, is that so many people are medicated and self-monitored that your best friend, or lover, may harness the internal wiring of manic depression, and keep the brunt of it hidden from you. Medication and therapeutic counseling has found new avenues to aid in curtailing this beastly illness. Technology and scientific research continue to make advancements for the betterment of the individual and society as a whole. Yet, the transparent selves within a diseased mind will continue to haunt people.

Analysis and Summary of If by Rudyard Kipling

While living in England, Kipling was inspired by the imperialistic views of the British demonstrated around the world. During his school years, Kipling had a very difficult at boarding school. He was physically abused throughout his time in college. After finishing college in 1882, he returned back to India to work as a journalist and editor. Also in 1882, Kipling married an American woman Caroline Balestier and immediately moved to America to live with her. He stayed in Vermont until 1899, and went back alone to England to write literature. The majority of his poems dealt with his opinion of inspiration and imperialism. An analysis of â€Å"If† and â€Å"The White Man’s Burden† makes it clear that Rudyard Kipling uses literary devices effectively to fortify his message of inspiration and imperialism. If† is one of Kipling’s best known poems and it contains one of his most powerful messages of inspiration. In the beginning of the second stanza in â€Å"If†, Kipling uses personification â€Å"If you can dream- and not make dreams your master. † The beginning of the stanza focuses on reality; dreaming is good, but do not let it take control of yourself. Meaning, there are other impor tant goals in life that are needed to be achieved. The second personification used by Kipling is on line 10 and 11 â€Å"If you can meet with triumph and disaster/ and treat those two imposters the same. This explains that failure is a benefit; mistakes are guaranteed to happen. No one is perfect and people learn from their missteps. The final personification on line 21 and 22 Kipling uses is â€Å"If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew/ To serve your turn long after they are gone. † This means to put your heart and nerve into your actions in the future and learn from the past. Also, having to accept the past and move on from it with your heart and gut. Alliteration is expressed twice in â€Å"If† to fortify Kipling’s thoughts and expressions throughout his poem. In line 12, the alliteration â€Å"treat those two imposters just the same. † emphasizes Kipling’s point of treating people with equity and respect. This quote implies how Kipling sees society’s disapproval towards other people and he interprets that everyone including (imposters) should be fairly treated without criticism or judging based on societal influences. Another example of Alliteration is â€Å"With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,† on line 30, expressing Kipling’s opinion of time. Meaning to try and put an effort in constantly; even when feeling exhausted. Repetition and diction is used in â€Å"If† to strengthen Kipling’s message of inspiration. First off, â€Å"you† is used repeatedly in the poem to enrich Kipling’s message directly to the reader â€Å"The white man’s burden†, is one of Kipling’s best views of imperialism throughout the poem. In lines 19 and 20, Kipling uses the personification â€Å"Fill full the mouth of famine/ and bid the sickness cease. † Thus Kipling proclaims that the imperialist nation is going to aid and feed the conquered land. Kipling uses another personification in the sixth stanza â€Å"Nor call too loud on freedom/ To clock your weariness†. Thus, Kipling explores the meaning of individual freedom and that the use of individual freedom should not be an excuse to cover up ones weariness. Also, not aiding others by refusing to â€Å"Take up the White Man`s burden†. Anaphora is used in â€Å"The White Man’s Burden† to give emphasis to Kipling’s points. The first example is found in the fourth stanza, â€Å"The ports ye shall not enter, /The roads ye shall not thread,† have the same â€Å"The _ ye shall not _†. This represents Kipling’s repetitive thoughts of the imperial nation being denied to enter and live in the captured nation. Another example of anaphora is used in the sixth stanza â€Å"By all ye cry or whisper, / By all ye leave or do†. Kipling is poetically conveying the ruling of the conquered nation founded by the bequest of the imperial territory. Kipling also expresses the poems theme of Imperialism with the significant use of repetition and allusion. The line â€Å"Take up the White Man’s Burden-† is used at the start of each stanza establishing the basis of the poem. Analysis and Summary of If by Rudyard Kipling While living in England, Kipling was inspired by the imperialistic views of the British demonstrated around the world. During his school years, Kipling had a very difficult at boarding school. He was physically abused throughout his time in college. After finishing college in 1882, he returned back to India to work as a journalist and editor. Also in 1882, Kipling married an American woman Caroline Balestier and immediately moved to America to live with her. He stayed in Vermont until 1899, and went back alone to England to write literature. The majority of his poems dealt with his opinion of inspiration and imperialism. An analysis of â€Å"If† and â€Å"The White Man’s Burden† makes it clear that Rudyard Kipling uses literary devices effectively to fortify his message of inspiration and imperialism. If† is one of Kipling’s best known poems and it contains one of his most powerful messages of inspiration. In the beginning of the second stanza in â€Å"If†, Kipling uses personification â€Å"If you can dream- and not make dreams your master. † The beginning of the stanza focuses on reality; dreaming is good, but do not let it take control of yourself. Meaning, there are other impor tant goals in life that are needed to be achieved. The second personification used by Kipling is on line 10 and 11 â€Å"If you can meet with triumph and disaster/ and treat those two imposters the same. This explains that failure is a benefit; mistakes are guaranteed to happen. No one is perfect and people learn from their missteps. The final personification on line 21 and 22 Kipling uses is â€Å"If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew/ To serve your turn long after they are gone. † This means to put your heart and nerve into your actions in the future and learn from the past. Also, having to accept the past and move on from it with your heart and gut. Alliteration is expressed twice in â€Å"If† to fortify Kipling’s thoughts and expressions throughout his poem. In line 12, the alliteration â€Å"treat those two imposters just the same. † emphasizes Kipling’s point of treating people with equity and respect. This quote implies how Kipling sees society’s disapproval towards other people and he interprets that everyone including (imposters) should be fairly treated without criticism or judging based on societal influences. Another example of Alliteration is â€Å"With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,† on line 30, expressing Kipling’s opinion of time. Meaning to try and put an effort in constantly; even when feeling exhausted. Repetition and diction is used in â€Å"If† to strengthen Kipling’s message of inspiration. First off, â€Å"you† is used repeatedly in the poem to enrich Kipling’s message directly to the reader â€Å"The white man’s burden†, is one of Kipling’s best views of imperialism throughout the poem. In lines 19 and 20, Kipling uses the personification â€Å"Fill full the mouth of famine/ and bid the sickness cease. † Thus Kipling proclaims that the imperialist nation is going to aid and feed the conquered land. Kipling uses another personification in the sixth stanza â€Å"Nor call too loud on freedom/ To clock your weariness†. Thus, Kipling explores the meaning of individual freedom and that the use of individual freedom should not be an excuse to cover up ones weariness. Also, not aiding others by refusing to â€Å"Take up the White Man`s burden†. Anaphora is used in â€Å"The White Man’s Burden† to give emphasis to Kipling’s points. The first example is found in the fourth stanza, â€Å"The ports ye shall not enter, /The roads ye shall not thread,† have the same â€Å"The _ ye shall not _†. This represents Kipling’s repetitive thoughts of the imperial nation being denied to enter and live in the captured nation. Another example of anaphora is used in the sixth stanza â€Å"By all ye cry or whisper, / By all ye leave or do†. Kipling is poetically conveying the ruling of the conquered nation founded by the bequest of the imperial territory. Kipling also expresses the poems theme of Imperialism with the significant use of repetition and allusion. The line â€Å"Take up the White Man’s Burden-† is used at the start of each stanza establishing the basis of the poem.

The Impact of Postmodernism and Live Art on the Simpsons Essay

The Impact of Postmodernism and Live Art on the Simpsons - Essay Example The essay "The Impact of Postmodernism and Live Art on the Simpsons" investigates how postmodernism and live art influenced on "The Simpsons". In most Simpsons episodes, and certainly virtually all of them past a certain age within the franchise, the scene opens to Bart writing on the board, writing something new, then moves on through the rest of the family until the last part where the family sits down to watch the show. The couch sequence and the board-writing sequence are always different, but tend to follow a circumscribed pattern. The Banksy segment undermines this. The board-writing sequence has Bart writing outside of the lines, and distorting the perspective, writing on impossible areas. For example: The writing goes over the clock without warping. This undermines the reality of the animation. Baudrillard reminds us that everything, even live television, is a simulation: It is showing some parts of reality and clipping off others, and in so doing providing a selective treatm ent of reality. Kant might add that even our own senses are a simulation of the world's simulacra, a representation of reality formed by the eyes, nose, ears, tongue, body and brain. The brain constantly edits and makes choices. The reality we experience, the phenomena, are all rather distinct from the underlying ontological reality, if there even is one. The Banksy opening in this regard undermines our belief in the â€Å"reality† of the representation of the cartoon and thus problematizes our assumption.

RETIREMENT ASSIGNMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

RETIREMENT ASSIGNMENT - Essay Example The benefit is based on the ending salary. This means that the real dollar value of the retirement benefit will reduce during retirement. Imagine the same situation as above, but now you work for two employers during your career: You work for Employer A for the first 24 years, and Employer B for the second 24 years. Everything else in the problem is the same. Calculate your retirement salary from Employer A, from Employer B, and the total of the two retirement salaries. (Note that throughout your career, you receive a raise of 5.0% every year, even if you change employers, and you never loose salary when you change employers. Is a defined benefit a good plan if you do not stay with the company for your whole career? A defined benefit is not good if you do not stay with the company for your whole life because once you leave before the benefits are they vested, you may even lose the whole benefits or part of it if you worked for less than five years. If you work at a company for a whole career, you retire on your defined benefit salary, and the firm goes bankrupt, can the firm’s obligation to retirees like yourself be lowered, i.e. can retirees be left with a lowered retirement salary by the bankruptcy judge? Once the employer decides to offer the defined befits the company has no obligation to take back the benefit since it belongs to the retirees, hence incase the company goes bankruptcy, the retirees retirement benefits will not be

Equity and the law of trusts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Equity and the law of trusts - Essay Example Family lives and also the rules and regulations related to family evolved in Scotland laws.2. Scotland Act 2006 is basically talking about the rules and regulations which are reflecting the family life and are a part of the lives of the people. There are majorly three areas which the reforms cover which include covering the rules and regulations regarding children safety and the safety of the rights of children and their interest. Promotion of stable families along with supporting a firm family system. The rules and regulations should reflect the family life of Scotland and should depict the real and true family life of Scotland. Cohabitant refers to couple who are living together as husband or wife or even as civil partners. As per the Scotland rule and regulations if someone is living with their parents for many years they still do not have right over their property like married people. Act 2006 abolished the rules made for the couple who lived together and thought of getting marri ed. Scotland Act 2006 safeguards the rights of cohabitants particularly referring to cases where the relationship breaks down or if one partner dies. It clearly distinguishes between the rights of people who are married , are civil partners with those who were living together.3 There is a booklet which is based on the marriage which is produced by the Scottish executive along with civil partnerships based in Scotland which was produced by Scottish Executive which needs to be clearly read and understood by the people who are preparing to start a living in relationship or people who are trying to move in with their partners thus a proper formal commitment is essential to be established.4 1 Hugh James solicitors (2009).   2 LegalBeagles.info (2012) 3 Family Law (Scotland) Act 2006." 4 Scotland Act 2006." Scotland Act 2006. The rules and regulations in the Scotland Act 2006 covers the rules and rights of opposite sex partners living in together and it excludes the couples which are of same sex. The law of Scotland talks about the commodity distribution and sharing as well between the couples , when the couple was living together and when it separated. 5 If the couples are not able to come up with a mutual consent of the commodity distribution which includes the household goods the law will make an assumption that it is for both of them and it should be jointly shared. 6 There should also be an equal distribution which is made of the money from the allowances which are made by the couples of the expenses and property of the house. The house where the couple is living in is excluded from this. Here also financial provisions are kept in mind once the relationship ended which basically means that if one partner left his/her job so that she/he can take care of the house or even the children if any, here the partner can ask the court to keep in account the ability of the partner to earn money which he/she ignored for the benefit of the house and relationship after the relationship ended. 7 If the partners had any children while they were living together , the cost of the child care will be equally sharing the cost just like they were before the relationship ended. If one of the partner dies without a proper will, in that care there is a right which is applied by the court

Term PAper D Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Term PAper D - Essay Example Hence, in our organization much attention was given for the training and development of the workers. How to make these training and development programmes more effective is a challenge to the human resource department. Hence, alternate strategies were tried and tested. This paper explains the nature of our organization and the challenges faced by the human resource department and the level of success achieved. With the huzz and buzz created by globalization, there is opportunity everywhere because of the world becoming a small market place, thanks to internet! So when everybody talks about global competition or global standards, the focus of any organization should be on human resource. The human resource is one resource that controls other resources in an organization. In the new economy there is a lot of attention given on the development of human resource and knowledge management. Welcome to my world. With this scenario as the backdrop, I want to tell you about my company. My company is a textile yarn manufacturing company. You may ask what is yarn Yarn is the thread that is made from polyester or cotton. The thread is then dyed, woven into cloth, which is then stitched into garments. But in our company we buy polyester and make the yarn and supply them to the customer. To make this yarn, we have nearly fifteen hundred workers divided into various departments according to the various processes of production. I work in the human resource department as training and development coordinator. Our department is responsible for recruiting, staffing, counseling, separation and training and development. Of all the activities in our department the management allocates a lot of resources for the training and development part. Why is that so Firstly, our management has realized that the quality of the people decides the quality of the product. Secondly, there is a high chance of accidents happening on the job which may result in temporary and permanent disabilities of workers. Thirdly, the yarn we produce are exported to very quality conscious customers who may reject the whole order if the product is not of the specified quality. OUR TRAINING PROGRAMMES We organize workshops and panel discussions every Saturday. The main objective of these sessions are to improve the motivation of the employees, to keep them updated on the latest technology and trends and to create workable relationships to facilitate efficient functioning. The topics include quality control and assurance, better shop floor safety, machinery maintenance, excellence in a team, effective leadership, etc, etc. it is compulsory for the shop floor workers and the middle level management to attend these programmes. The resource persons for these programmes include us, i.e., from the human resource department and external faculty and sometimes professional and technical consultants. These programmes often serve as a platform for exchanging information between us and the workers. In this process we also come across various issues which were overlooked by the management and we also get an insight into those issues. ONE WAY TRAFFIC First it was difficult to make the employees come to the workshops. And then it was made compulsory and we had full attendance, but the workers tried to avoid these

How Do We Know What We Think We Know Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

How Do We Know What We Think We Know - Essay Example Most of us get our daily news from a variety of sources. At one time, these sources were limited to perhaps one of three nightly news programs and/or one of a few available newspapers. Everyone essentially read or heard the same thing. Today, news is available everywhere, from serious news programs to satire comedy to internet web pages to Twitter text messages. What holds true for our general news also holds true for what we think of scientific news. New approaches, policies, and inventions are quickly reported on and then we're off to a new topic. If they've managed to capture our attention at all, we always have the option of Googling for them during the commercial breaks and are then at the mercy of the search engine spiders, delivering ranked results based on the highest bidder or the most popular. What we know about the world of science today is largely based on where we get our information from. This, in turn, strongly influences our decisions when voting in elections, when ch oosing to support various non-profit or beginning businesses, and in shaping our overall view of the world and where it's heading. Yet how do we know that information is correct? What is it about the way that the news is conveyed that convinces us we have been given the truth? In order to resist naive belief and make better decisions for ourselves and the world at large, we need to carefully examine the scientific stories we read, such as those which warn of global warming, as a means of understanding the various ways journalists use words to shape our understanding. The problem of global warming has been written about since at least the 1970s, but it is starting to gain some ground in more recent years as evidence becomes harder to deny or refute. For example, an article in the New York Times published in March 2012 uses terms that make it clear the author is still trying to convince his readers that global warming is occurring as a result of human activity and yet provide few opti ons as to what else might be contributing to the evidence found. The evidence that the author is attempting to convince his audience is found in the second sentence of the article: "Warnings from the scientific community are becoming louder, as an increasing body of science points to rising dangers from the ongoing buildup of human-related greenhouse gases - produced mainly by the burning of fossil fuels and forests." Not only does the author squarely place blame on "human-related greenhouse gases," leaving no room for argument or other possibilities, the sources of these gases are specifically named, further removing any possibility for argument. While it is possible that the author simply chose this form of expression as a means of concisely identifying his topic in keeping with Grice's (1975) maxim of quantity, to provide just as much information as necessary to make the meaning clear, it also reveals evidence of previous conversation. For example, it is not necessarily important that the term human-related be included in the above-quoted sentence to remain in accord with Grice's maxim, yet the inclusion here suggests either recency (Garrod and Anderson, 1987), in that the author may have been recently discussing the issue.

OSHA class Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

OSHA class - Research Paper Example Employers need to ensure that they provide an environment free from hazards for employers to be able to work comfortably. The occupational safety and health act (OSHA) has come in as a guideline on measures that industries need to take to ensure that they reduce hazards and accidents while maximizing their profitability. Employers need to train their staff on safety measures that they can take to avoid accidents also how they can reduce the damage of accidents when they occur. Before, undertaking any training on occupational safety and health, the company needs to note down some factors, which are essential in organizing the training program. These will include the following factors: Assessment of whether training is needed. An essential factor to perform training is to know, whether companies problems can be solved through the training. In most cases it is assumed that when employees do not perform up to the required standards, training is required to improve their skills. Health and safety training should be done from the beginning, to reduce the risks of accidents and safety hazards. Researchers have found out that most accidents happen to new employees of the company. Some of the reasons that have been given for this occurrence are that they have not fully adapted to the environment and may also not know the right way of using the equipments. Training on how to use equipments and execute tasks correctly can also be helpful to minimize safety hazards. Training on the other hand, can be less effective when the causes for poor work performance may stem from lack of motivation for the workers. Identification of training requirements. Once the need for training has been established, training needs need to be determined. To choose adequately the training program, trainers needs to know the specific tasks of the employee are and how they need to perform these tasks.

Is obesity a disease Essay Example for Free

Is obesity a disease Essay Is obesity a disease? Thirty tlve percent ot people believe that obesity is a disease, but I believe that It Is a life choice. The reason I believe that obesity Is a life choice Is because there are many ways to avoid obesity; getung plenty of exercise, eaung right, and there are surgeries that can be performed to counter obesity and be healthy. Thirty eight of Americans are obese, due to that percentage, most doctors dont consider being skinny healthy and believe that you should be close to overweight but not obese. The average weight for a teen girl that Is 5, 1 Is 100 pounds which is nderweight to doctors they believe that the average teen girl that is 5, 1 should be 125 pounds. In 1979 the average weight for a teen girl that is 5, 1 was 109 pounds and due to the increase of obesity and weight change that now would be considered underweight and you would be considered not healthy. Many people say that obesity is caused by thyroid problems yet there are many ways to avoid this, there are foods that cant be avoided that can stop the thyroid problem, There are medicines that will eliminate or control the problem. The thyroid causes the body to ake too many proteins that the body does not need, and this can cause increased body weight and swelling. It also controls metabolism, and can cause you to lose weight too slowly or cause you to lose weight too fast. The thyroid is the number medical cause of weight gain but this can be completely avoided in many ways, the thyroid cannot be blamed for causing obesity. obesity Is caused by many things such as poverty and the society In which we live In. any fast food places angle advertising towards kids and show them toys and characters form their favorite hows to get them to eat there. Most parents allow them to eat there because It makes then happy and they want to give them what they want because it Is very easy and very affordable. The percentage of kids that have obesity has risen since the kids meals were invented in 1987. Many fast food restraints have taken notice of this and gotten rid of the toy and introduced books in kids meals The places th at tried this noticed that kids brought fewer fast foods because there was no toy in their meal. I dont believe that kids meals make kids fat but I believe Its the prices and how easy hey are to get causes not only kids but adults to gain weight and become obese, Obesity is a life choice even if you do have the medical condition hyperthyroidism there is no excuse for being fat because there are so many ways to avoid it. If obesity was a disease then that would mean something that requires medical treatment but that would also but someone doing heroin is a disease when in reality It is a life choice you either control the problem or you dont and obesity is something you can control obesity is just caused by an eating habits. Work cited is obesity a disease By Adrivatal Thirty five percent of people believe that obesity is a disease, but I believe that it is a life choice. The reason I believe that obesity is a life choice is because there are many ways to avoid obesity; getting plenty of exercise, eating right, and obese. The average weight for a teen girl that is 5, 1 is 100 pounds which is are foods that cant be avoided that can stop the thyroid problem. There are Obesity is caused by many things such as poverty and the society in which we live in. any fast food places hows to get them to eat there. Most parents allow them to eat there because it makes then happy and they want to give them what they want because it is very easy gotten rid of the toy and introduced books in kids meals. The places that tried this dont believe that kids meals make kids fat but I believe its the prices and how easy they are to get causes not only kids but adults to gain weight and become obese. that would also but someone doing heroin is a disease when in reality it is a life control obesity is Just caused by an eating habits.

Ecotourism In Dominican Republic Tourism Essay

Ecotourism In Dominican Republic Tourism Essay Ecotourism has grown rapidly since the late 1980s, which is the fastest development of all the events in the tourism industry. The word ecotourism is from ecological tourism. According to the definition of ecotourism is Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people.'( Martha Honey,1990).Furthermore, ecotourism also includes that traveling to natural destinationsà £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ building environmental awarenessà £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ respecting local culturesà £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ supporting human rights and democratic movements Nowadays, more and more countries and national organizationsà £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ including many individuals show high respect for worldwide ecotourism. Some countries like Kenyaà £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Nepalà £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Australiaà £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Antarctica and Dominica. There are also many famous organizations such as World Tourism Organization (WTO)à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ United Nations Environmental Programmers (UNEP)à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ The International Ecotourism Society (TIES). It is considered that that is the reason why ecotourism can develop so fast that it can affect the world and our planet Earth greatly. (Transitions abroad, n.d.) The Dominican Republic, as the name Natural Isle of the Caribbean goes, the country which is an island nation in the Caribbean Sea. As well as having many mountainous rainforestsà £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ it is home to many rare plantsà £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ birds and animals in its limited 754  square kilometers. This is the reason that led to the Dominican Republic becoming an ecotourism island. Many people still believe that the lack of terrain and development funding is the other key why many people and global organizations claim that the Dominican Republic is well-known for its ecotourism industry. Although the Dominican Republic has many different cultures and customs like French cultureà £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Spanish custom and local culture, for example, traditional Aztec culture and traditional Indian culture ,these different cultural phenomenon did not affect the natural system .Otherwise, natural ecotourism plays an important part in the Dominican Republics economy. All in all, people can learn more about Ecotourism in Dominican Republic. This research paper will examine four main aspects of ecotourism in the Dominican Republic: International and national organizations supportà £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Advantages Disadvantagesà £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ the success of Ecotourism programmes and Future developments. With the remarkable improvement of peoples living standards ¼Ã…’ecotourism has aroused wide public concern. USAID ¼Ã…’an American organization, has put a lot of efforts into developing ecotourism. USAID programs brought the public and personal sectors together, in order to support sustainable ecotourism development. USAID also gave a helping hand to creating a vision and seeking a key to ecotourism in the Dominican republics future. Laying emphasis on increasing leadership roles of local small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), increasing the communication of society à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ developing marketing toolsà £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ reopening the local airport ,and strengthening the quality of the services of ecotourism while using natural resources.(USAID ¼Ã…’2009) The Tourism Sector Development Program, funded by the European Special Framework of Assistance ¼Ã‹â€ SFA,2006 ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °is an ecotourism program which is two years old, being implemented by the Ministry of Tourism and Legal Affairs (MT LA). Improving on the competitiveness of the tourism sector  in the Dominican Republic is an important part of this program. Another aim of this program is to seek to build the main connection of the society and ecotourism between tourism and the agricultural and rural parts. Furthermore, it aims to improve the Dominican Republics position in the market place through increased marketing and promotions. The Tourism Sector Development Programme focuses on society tourism products development in the Dominican Republic. Help is given to these communities in the areas of foundation development; human resources development and business planning; package and tour development and marketing. The main developing marketing is in the key markets of Europe and Caribbean and a range of additional materials to aid in the marketing of the ecotourism in the Dominican Republic. (ODT, n.d.) In many peoples opinion, ecotourism is the symbol of ecosystem and ecology. It cannot be denied that ecotourism benefits not only our society, but also the nature system. Firstly, people who have ecotourism in some natural places can educate others by teaching them about plants and animals, which promotes conservation of natural assets. Secondly, ecotourism can give people a deeper understanding of the local nature, and many professors predict that ecotourism can bring people closer to nature. Ecotourism can enhance the cultural integrity of the local people. Thirdly, it is considered that ecotourism can open peoples minds and broaden their horizons. Furthermore, countries and governments also get finical achievements. Many people think that visitors may become more aware of the surrounding environmental wealth. With the emphasis laid by governments, ecotourism will attract many people from home and abroad, so local people and visitors have to spend money during the activities in ecotourism. Money can go back into the country through this cycle, the more energy governments put on it, the better this system will go back to the country. Moreover, this cycle system can provide employment. In addition, this cycle system provides financial incentives to encourage local people to protect their environment.(Heritage, n.d.) One of the extra ecotourism industries is called ecotourism business. Human beings have little or no adverse impact on environment. Just what is mentioned in the financial ecotourism cycle system, ecotourism business provides local employment. It is thought that little waste is generated. In the end, ecotourism business provides human beings with educational and enlightening experiences. Ecotourism is a responsible tourism to the natural environments. Although ecotourism is one of the fastest growing additions to the tourism industry, some people predict that ecotourism has a large number of disadvantages, such as costs to the peopleà £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ community and the ecological balance. Many local people firmly believe that how to protect the ecotourism system is the largest problems in the environmental development. It is undeniable that there are also many other elements affecting this system. Another major element is the increasing human activity. People like jogging and relaxing in the natural environment, which means agricultural clearance. That is the reason why so many professors think the ecotourism are the production waste and effluent pollution. Ecotourism tends to Imaging if a place became an ecotourism tourist attractions, many businessmen want to attract many people, so the environment may be damaged. Increasing use of environmental resources by the humans leads to pollution, even in the smallest places, causing environment problems. Different places have different cultures. There may be competition for ecotourism income between various groups leading to social disharmony. The bar graph has drawn great public attention in the Dominican Republic, which has compared the economic freedom and world average. Thanks to the Dominican Ecological Corridor Network, developed in 1995 ,as a key to connect the paradigm of the new trends for the recovery of the ecological balanceà £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ the natural resources and the sustainable production of these materials. Although the figure of economic freedom vs. world average looks very large, the figure is decreasing day by day. In fact, many figures is closer to world average like property rightsà £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ .corruptionà £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ labor freedom and monetary freedom. To peoples amazement, there are also many figures surpassing world average. For example, investment freedoms has surpassed at roughly 5%;government size has surpassed about 28%;others like facial freedom has surpassed about 6% ,and trade freedom has surpassed 2%. No matter how closer the economic freedom to the world average, how larger the declining of the Dominican republics economic freedom to the world average, people always see the distance not only between economic freedom and world average, but also between ecotourism and peoples According to the WTO line graph for the period between 1989 and 1998, there was a stable growth of international tourism arrivals at 10% and international tourism receipts at 9%. (Weaver, 2001) This tabular data compares tourist arrival numbers in the different parts of the world from 1995 to 2020. Annual percentage increases a significant declining in all markets during 1995 to 2020 in the whole world. In fact, international arrivals are forecasted that the growth from 673 million in 2000 to 1.05 billion in 2010, and 1.6 billion in 2020. Factually, these projections are based on increasing figures rates every year of 4.2% to the end of the 1990s and the figures will at between 4% and 5% during first decade of the 21st century. Europe was the first since 1995. According to the research, the tourist arrivals in Europe will still higher than other places, such as Pacificà £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Americaà £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Africa and Middle East. People in the Dominican Republic are serious about making the country into a model of ecotourism in the Caribbean areas. It is necessary for human beings to further understand the expectations and behavior of visitors to natural areas and features. People can gain further experience from their trips without bringing about any negative effects on the tourist attractions that they visit, so people must be prepared to try their best to educate people in handling the issue of sustainable development and conservation as the relations to the specific sites. People have the potential to take on the challenge and realization of the chances that ecotourism is the way forward. ¼Ã‹â€ Xavier ¼Ã…’n.d. ¼Ã¢â‚¬ ° Ecotourism attracts ecological professors and socialists, focusing on individual growthà £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ volunteering and environmental responsibility. Responsible ecotourism means minimizing the negative aspects of traditional tourism on the environment and improving cultural integrity of local people. Furthermore, environmental evaluationà £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ cultural factors and promotion of recycling are also playing important roles in ecotourism. Ecotourism allows the government to have more chance to preserve the natural environment. It is obvious that ecotourism has a high sense of responsibility when it comes to promoting harmony between human beings and nature.

Cia Covert Operations: Panama And Nicaragua :: essays research papers fc

CIA Covert Operations: Panama and Nicaragua In the 1950's, the repression of domestic political dissent reached near hysteria. In the process the CIA's covert operations, already in progress in Europe, expanded worldwide. By 1953, according to the 1970's Senate investigation, there were major covert programs under way in 48 countries, consisting of propaganda, paramilitary, and political action operations. In 1949, the agency's covert action department had about 300 employees and 47 stations. In the same period, the budget for these activities grew from $4.7 million to $82 million. In this paper I will discuss the United States' use of covert actions using Panama and Nicaragua as examples. I had planned on writing my paper on Manuel Noriega and his connections with the CIA but the more I read into him I found the major topic outlying him was much more interesting. So with that I will continue on with this paper showing my findings on the CIA and thier covert operations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Covert operations have become a way of life and death for millions of people world wide who have lost their lives to these actions. By 1980, covert operations were costing billions of dollars. CIA Director William Casey was quoted as saying â€Å"covert actions were the keystone of U.S. policy in the Third World.†(Agee, 2) Throughout the CIA's 45 years, one president after another has used covert operations to intervene secretly, and sometimes not so secretly , in the domestic affairs of other countries, presuming their affairs were ours. Almost always, money was spent for activities to prop up political forces considered friendly to U.S. interests, or to weaken and destroy those considered unfriendly or threatening.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The friends were easy to define, they were those who believed and acted like us, took orders and cooperated. Until the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, enemies were also readily recognized: the Soviet Union and its allies, with China having ambiguous status since the 1970's. But there were other countries the CIA took actions against who were not associated with the Soviets. Iran in 1953, Guatemala in 1954, Indonesia in 1958, Cuba in 1959, Ecuador in 1963, Brazil in 1964, Chile in 1970, Nicaragua in 1979 and Grenada in 1983 to name a few.(Agee, 2) These governments, and others attacked by the U.S., were left, nationalist, reform-minded, populist or uncooperative and U.S. hostility drove some of them to seek arms and other support from the Soviet Union. Usually, the CIA mounted covert operations to weaken and destroy the programs supporting communism by leading and advertising anti-Communist solidarity. The local elites, whose privileged position was also threatened by movements for

Emily Brontës Wuthering Heights :: essays research papers fc

What usually comes to mind when one thinks of Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights? Most will visualize tortured lovers against the extraordinary moors. Perhaps one will even recall the scene of one lover, Heathcliff, opening the grave of his Catherine to dig a space where they can be joined eternally. Yet another equally powerful emotion appears throughout the novel as an antithesis to love, that of revenge. Revenge first forms the basis of the actions of Hindley, the Earnshaw son, toward Heathcliff. Later revenge is mirrored in the vengeful actions of Heathcliff after he loses Catherine. In the process of gaining revenge, both characters lose their own humanity and their souls.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hindley Earnshaw, the son and heir, reacts badly to his father’s bringing home a stray gypsy boy from the streets of Liverpool and to demands that Heathcliff be treated like his own brother. Both Catherine, his sister, and Hindley refuse â€Å"to have it in bed with them, or even their own room† at night so that Heathcliff has to sleep on the landing outside (Bronte 41). While Catherine learns to love Heathcliff, Hindley spends his days in revenge toward the intruder, especially after Heathcliff becomes Mr. Earnshaw’s â€Å"favorite† (42). Hindley’s beatings of Heathcliff further alienate Mr. Earnshaw, who is infuriated â€Å"when he discovered his son persecuting the poor, fatherless child, as he called him† (42). Hindley regularly beats Heathcliff and threatens to turn Heathcliff out in the cold when Mr. Earnshaw dies (43). When Heathcliff blackmails Hindley into swapping colts for the secret beatings, Hindley shows reas ons for his jealousy toward Heathcliff, â€Å"Take my colt, gipsy, then, and I pray that he may break your neck, you beggarly interloper! And wheedle my father out of all he has† (43). When Mr. Earnshaw dies and Hindley returns from college to claim his inheritance, he takes his revenge unchecked. â€Å"He drove him from their company to the servants, deprived him of the instructions of the curate, and insisted that he should labour out of door instead, compelling him to do so as hard as any other lad on the farm† (49). He also orders floggings for Heathcliff and deprives him of even speaking to Catherine, whom he loves dearly, after an adventure at the Lintons. All these punishments Heathcliff could have stood except when he finally realizes that Hindley has made it impossible for Catherine to marry him. He overhears Catherine explain to Nelly, â€Å"If the wicked man in there had not brought Heathcliff so low, I wouldn’t have thought of it [marriage to Edgar Lindley].

Priotities of Gene Therapy Essay -- Genetics Science Medicine Papers

Priotities of Gene Therapy Gene therapy is a relatively new area of medicine that attempts to apply recent advances in molecular biology, genetics and biotechnology to the treatment of human diseases. Gene therapy uses a set of approaches to the treatment of human disease based on the transfer of genetic material (DNA) into an individual. Gene delivery can be achieved either by direct administration of gene-containing viruses or DNA to blood or tissues, or indirectly through the introduction of cells manipulated in the laboratory to harbor foreign DNA. As a sophisticated extension of conventional medical therapy, gene therapy attempts to treat disease in an individual patient by the administration of DNA rather than a drug. (1) Genetic manipulations, such as replacing defective or missing genes with healthy ones, can be used to alter germ cells (egg or sperm) and somatic cells. Theoretically germ-line gene therapy appears to have more advantages since it aims at preventing a genetic defect from being transmitted to future generations. However, the prospects of germ-line gene therapy look more remote due to many unresolved ethical and social problems as well as technical obstacles. (2) What is presently understood as gene therapy is, mostly, somatic cell gene therapy. By altering the genetic material of somatic cells onetime cures of devastating, inherited disorders may be potentially achieved. But, "in principle, gene therapy should be applicable to many diseases for which current therapeutic approaches are ineffective or where the prospects of effective treatment appear exceedingly low." (1) However, gene therapy is still extremely new and highly experimental. The number of approved clinical trials is smal l, and relativ... ...scarbamylase deficiency. Hum Gene Ther 10(14):2419-37. 5. Lehrman, S. 1999. Virus treatment questioned after gene therapy death. Nature 401(6753):517-8. 6. Federico M. 1999. Lentiviruses as gene delivery vectors. Curr Opin Biotechnol 10(5):448-453. 7. Iwakuma, T, Y. Cui, L.J. Chang. 1999. Self-inactivating lentiviral vectors with U3 and U5 modifications. Virology 15;261(1):120-32. 8. Ropert, C. 1999. Liposomes as a gene delivery system. Braz J Med Biol Res;32(2):163-9. 9. Lanzov, V.A. 1999. Gene Targeting for Gene Therapy: Prospects. Mol Genet Metab 68(2):276-282. 10. Kren, B.T., R. Metz, R. Kumar, C.J. Steer .1999.Gene repair using chimeric RNA/DNA oligonucleotides. Semin Liver Dis 19(1):93-104. 11. Zanjani, D., W. French Anderson.1999. Prospects for in Utero Human Gene Therapy. Science 285(5436) p.2084-8. 12. New York Times, August 4, 1998.

Literature: Spanish Language Essay

Philippine literature is the literature associated with the Philippines and includes the legends of prehistory, and the colonial legacy of the Philippines. Most of the notable literature of the Philippines was written during the Spanish period and the first half of the 20th century in Spanish language. Philippine literature is written inSpanish, English, Tagalog, and/or other native Philippine languages. ————————————————- Classical literature in Spanish (19th Century) On December 1, 1846, La Esperanza, the first daily newspaper, was published in the country. Other early newspapers were La Estrella (1847), Diario de Manila (1848) and Boletin Oficial de Filipinas (1852). The first provincial newspaper was El Eco de Vigan (1884), which was issued in Ilocos. In Cebu City â€Å"El Boletà ­n de Cebà ºÃ¢â‚¬  (The Bulletin of Cebu), was published in 1890. On 1863, the Spanish government introduced a system of free public education that had an important effect on the ability of the population to read in Spanish and further in the rise of an educated class called the Ilustrado (meaning, well-informed). Spanish became the social language of urban places and the true lingua franca of the archipelago. A good number of Spanish newspapers were published until the end of the 1940s, the most influential of them being El Renacimiento, printed in Manila by members of the Guerrero de Ermita family. Some members of the ilustrado group, while residing or studying in Spain, decided to start a literary production in Spanish with the aim of serving the autonomy and/or independence projects. Members of this group included Pedro Alejandro Paterno, who wrote the novel Nà ­nay (first novel written by a Filipino); the Philippine national hero, Josà © Rizal, who wrote excellent poetry and two famous novels in Spanish: Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not), and El Filibusterismo. A potent tool in promoting Filipino nationalism in Spanish was the foundation of La Solidaridad (more fondly called La Sol by the members of the propaganda  movement) in 15 February 1885. With the help of this organ, Filipino national heroes like Josà © Rizal, Graciano Lopez Jaena, Marcelo H. del Pilar, etc. were able to voice out their sentiments. Poetry and metrical romances * Ladino Poems – Were natives of first Tagalog versifiers who saw print: highly literate in both Spanish and the vernacular. * Corridos – Were widely read during the Spanish period that filled the populace’s need for entertainment as well as edifying reading matter in their leisure moments. * Awit – like corridos, these were also widely read during the Spanish period as entertaining, edifying, reading manner in their leisure time. It is also a fabrication of the writers imagination although the characters and the setting may be European. The structure is rendered dodecasyllabic quatrains. Prose The prose works of the Spanish Period consisted mostly of didatic pieces and translations of religious writings in foreign languages. [edit]Dramas [edit]Religious drama * The Panunuluyan– Literally, seeking entrance, the Tagalog version of the Mexican Las Posadas. Held on the eve of Christmas, it dramatizes Joseph’s and Mary’s search for Bethlehem. * Cenaculo – Was the dramatization of the passion and death of Jesus Christ. * Salubong – An Easter play that dramatizes the meeting of the Risen Christ and His Mother. * Moriones – Refers to the participants dressed roman soldiers, their identities hidden behind colorful, sometimes grotesque, wooden masks. * The Santacruzan – Performed during the month of May which have the devotion for the Holy Cross. It depicts St. Elena’s search for the cross on which Christ died. * Pangangaluwa – An interesting socio-religious practice on All Saint’s Day which literally means for The Soul. Secular dramas These were generally held during the nine nights of vigil and prayers after someone’s death, on the first death anniversary when the family members put away their mourning clothes. * The Karagatan – comes from the legendary  practice of testing the mettle of young men vying for a maiden’s hand. The maiden’s ring would be dropped into sea and whoever retrieves it would have the girl’s hand in marriage. * The Duplo – A forerunner of the balagtasan. The performances consist of two teams; One composed of young women called Dupleras or Belyakas; and the other, of young men called Dupleros orBelyakos. * The Comedia – It is about a courtly love between, a prince and a princess of different religions. It is about a Christian-Muslim relationship. * ————————————————- Modern literature (20th and 21st century) The greatest portion of Spanish literature was written during the American period, most often as an expression of pro-Hispanic nationalism, by those who had been educated in Spanish or had lived in the Spanish-speaking society of the big cities, and whose principles entered in conflict with the American cultural trends. Such period of Spanish literary production—i.e., between the independence of Spain in 1898 and well ahead into the decade of the 1940s—is known as Edad de Oro del Castellano en Filipinas. Some prominent writers of this era were Wenceslao Retana and Claro Mayo Recto, both in drama and essay; Antonio M. Abad and Guillermo Gomez Wyndham, in the narrative; Fernando Marà ­a Guerrero and Manuel Bernabà ©, both in poetry. The predominant literary style was the so-called â€Å"Modernismo†, a mixture of elements from the French Parnassien and Symboliste schools, as promoted by some Latin American and Peninsular Spanish writers (e.g. the Nicaraguan Rubà ©n Darà ­o, the Mexican Amado Nervo, the Spaniard Francisco Villaespesa, and the Peruvian Josà © Santos Chocano as major models).

Culture Clash in “Two Kinds” and “Dead Mans Path” Essay

The culture clash in Two kinds occurs between Amy Tan who has become â€Å"Americanized† and her mother who is still very much under Chinese influence. Amy’s mum believes strongly in â€Å"The American Dream† â€Å"My mother believed you could be anything you wanted to be in America† Shows the large amount of Aspiration and hope in her mother’s mind about the future for Amy. Her mother continues the idea that Amy could be a star in America when she says â€Å"You can be best anything† Not only does the statement reflect her ambitions for Amy and beliefs but also her broken English represents that she is still very much Chinese. Amy takes a rebellious stance when her hair cut goes wrong, and claims she likes it as it was not what her mother wanted â€Å"I liked the haircut; it made me look forward to my future fame† The phrase not only shows her rebellious side but also that she believes what her mother has said about being famous. Amy’s views are filled with a degree of irony in being what her parents wanted her to be â€Å"I was filled with a sense I would soon become perfect† The italics in the phrase represent the irony of it and also the certain amount of insecurity Amy feels. Amy’s mother is also ironic to a degree although she may not mean to be â€Å"Searching for stories about remarkable children† The irony continues as Amy is not remarkable, and her mother thinks she can be. The fact Amy is not remarkable is brought up when she is asked to recall what she remembers from a page in the bible. â€Å"Now Jehosophat had riches and honor in abundance. That’s all I remember ma'† The phrase shows that Amy’s memory is poor and she is not exceptional. Amy soon begins to dislike her mother methods of trying to turn her into a child prodigy, and the cultures start to clash as Amy’s mum still believes that she can be, but the Americanized Amy starts to dislike it. â€Å"I hated the tests, the raised hopes and failed expectations† This shows Amy’s dislike of her mother’s methods, and the feeling that she has failed again and again. Amy then begins her rebellion in her feeling that she wont be who she’s not. â€Å"I promised myself, I won’t be what I’m not† This shows Amy’s determination to succeed against her mothers will and not become a prodigy. The view that a Chinese girl could succeed in American is brought back to her mum three months later when she sees a little Chinese girl playing a piano on TV when Amy defends the girl her mother takes the traditional view that she isn’t trying and that’s why she’s failing â€Å"Not the best because you’re not trying† The phrase emphasis’s the mother’s feelings towards her daughter as in traditional Chinese culture it must be the child’s fault. The culture clash is emphasized when Amy refuses to rehearse properly for her performance and play’s badly as a result her mum is deeply ashamed as she has in Chinese terms at least â€Å"shamed the family’s name† her father shares a similar view He says: â€Å"That was something else† In ambiguous phrase, her mum has a look on her face which rattles Amy and brings home what she’s done â€Å"But my mother’s expression was what devastated me: a quiet blank look that said she had lost everything† The phrase is powerful as her mum had lost everything, and Amy was her last hope. Her mum continues her methods of Chinese belief a few days later when in an argument she shouts at Amy on the basis that daughters in China are obedient â€Å"Only one type of daughter can live in this house, obedient daughter!† This is one of the more important lines as it really shows the Chinese culture that children should be obedient and Amy is not. Amy’s American beliefs and nature are brought up when she says â€Å"For unlike my mother I did not believe I could be anything. I could only be me† This emphasizes the fact she is not a traditional Chinese daughter the way her mum wants her to be instead she has her own beliefs and lifestyle. The first line of Dead Man’s Path emphasizes a culture clash, as the headmasters name is Michael Obi. Michael being a western name. So he obviously has western influence. And his clash begins with his views â€Å"He was outspoken is his condemnation of the narrow views of these older and often less educated ones† Michael is critical of the older generation, which is probably a western influence but in most Nigerian towns the elders are to be respected showing a clash between his and African views. His ideas and views are summarized and appear to be the opposite of the village in which the school is situated when he says â€Å"Everything will be modern and delightful†¦..† The word modern is italicized to show that it is the opposite of the current village and the change Michael Obi wants to create. Michael also tried to disassociate himself with the locals, and make himself sound better. â€Å"We’ve got a chance to show these people how a school should be run† Shows not just disassociation in the phrase â€Å"these people† but arrogance, in believing he can show them how to run a school. Michael’s western influence is also shown in the plants which are planted around school â€Å"Beautiful hibiscus and allamanda hedges† Both the plants are traditionally western showing Michael wishes to westernize the school. Michael’s amazement at the actions of the locals also shows his intolerance for both local traditions and respect for the old â€Å"He was scandalized to see and old women hobble right across the compound† The phrase scandalized shows just how amazed he is that the event has occurred; it also shows his feelings about tradition, that it needs to be removed. To be replaced by his modern ways. Michael then shows his ignorance to their culture by separating the incident and the school and exclaiming â€Å"And what has that got to do with the school?† The phrase is both pompous and patronizing and shows his ignorance in thinking that the two should be divided and religion/culture should be kept away from schools. The priest when talking to Michael has a feeling of power and looks down on Michael. â€Å"Look here my son† The priest uses this opening phrase to create a feeling of inferiority to Michael he also bangs his stick on the ground to emphasize his point. Michael responds to the whole conversation in a very arrogant way, â€Å"Our duty is to teach your children to laugh at such ideas† Shows his intolerance towards the priests and villages beliefs, and shows how he plans to change traditional ways. The conversation later grinds to a halt with neither parting with their idea’s or culture â€Å"I have no more words to say† Shows the priest has been defeated by ignorance, and that the conflict between the cultures will not be resolved. Both stories have culture clashes neither ending with particularly happy endings, However I feel that in Dead Man’s Path the culture clash is more straight forward in that it is traditional against modern. However two kinds is slightly more complicated as at first Amy seems to be trying to be traditional and try hard where as Michael never wanted any sort of tradition right from the start. Both culture clashes involve arguments and verbal disagreements, and some degree of action. Amy ruining her piano piece in Two Kinds and the Michael blocking off the path in Dead Man’s Path. These are followed up by more action from the other culture; Amy’s mum continues to make Amy learn claiming she could still be a prodigy whilst the villagers tear the school apart. In Dead Man’s Path it is an antithesis however I feel that Two Kinds is less so and the ideas are more intertwining however I still feel there is a large culture clash. In both stories however it is clear to see that both traditional and modern views find it hard to live side by side.

The returning of the moon man

One Autumn evening of the same year, Griffith ‘s family heard a noise, they went to the street and they noticed that a spacecraft departed from London, it would be the first expedition to the moon but It had crashed and an astronaut was Injured so they needed someone to go In his place _ Grandfather didn't let Deal go with them and took the place of the injured man, so he went to the moon. He was there for a long time so Grand married another man, as she believed that her husband would not return from space, and they went to 1954 for they honeymoon.However, Grandfather came back and when e discovered what had happened, he chased them to 1954, where he smashed the Time Machine and imprisoned Grand in a nunnery. 9. Write the names of the characters. Grandfather Griffith; Grand; Deal my father; Browne, the narrator; Mother; Electric Plumber Williams, Uncle Space-ship-Repairs Jones; Auntie Space-ship-Repeals Jones; The Moon Men; Lonely Time Machine. 10. Choose two characters that h ave impressed you the most and build up their profiles: Name: Grandfather Griffith Role in the story: He is a main character. Description (appearance, personality, actions): He is tall, fiery, old and hard. Great shining rocket. He shot out his long arm and grasped a chopper†. Name: Grand Role in the story: She is a main character. He is like Description (appearance, personality, actions): She uses black clothes, pathetic- looking little woman. She is sad, progressive, persistent, ignorant and angry. â€Å"Grand shivered and sighed†. 11. Describe the setting of the story (time and place). Time- A. D. 2500. Place- Pen-Y- Craig Farm in Rural Wales. 12. Describe the main action/topic/theme of the story. The story occurs in the Rural Wales when the light appeared. C. 13. Explain the meaning of the story title.Grandfather goes to the Moon for a long time and then he returns. 14. Give it another title. Grandfather goes to the Moon. 15. Give the story a different ending. When Grandfather came back from the Moon and discovered Grand had married with another man, he chased them. After having held them, he found a convent to leave Grand. Grandfather wanted to return to the moon with intentions of staying there to live so past few days he went to the moon and never returned, leaving everyone to think that his life was on the moon. 16. Write two quotes from the story that you liked and explain your choices. â€Å"She

Abiotic and Biotic Factors Review

In time immemorial living things (the biotic factors) and non-living things have been interacting with one another for one reason, which is to survive. Both factors Interact in one grandiose community where-in all forms of ecosystems, such as: desert, savanna, tundra, tropical rain-forest, and the like; are deem to be found and this community Is our planet earth.As found In many textbooks and other science oriented reading materials, the earth Is also considered as an ecosystem as well because it has been a place where both non-living and living things coexist and intermingle with each other to set balance in planet earth because the absence of either the biotic or biotic factors, especially the biotic factors, would set a great impact to the hierarchy of living creatures. But ever wonder how these two factors work together to maintain equilibrium in this planet we live in?Biotic factors as mentioned earlier are the life forms composing an ecosystem like humans, animals, fungus, bact eria and viruses. Biotic factors also include the byproducts created by these living things such as excretes of human, animals and Insects, honey created by the bees, dry leaves that falls off the trees, and even these living things bodies as these creatures decay when they die. On the other hand Biotic factors are those things that are non-living yet contribute to sustain the lives of each and every living things that lives on land, water, and in air.Some samples of biotic factors are the atmosphere where fundamental gases needed by living organisms are found, the soil where we step on, the climate of an area, the four seasons (namely: winter, spring, summer, and fall the water we drink, pollutants, eight intensity, temperature, humidity, and etcetera. These two factors co-exist in an ecosystem in a way that one way or another both or one will benefit from each other and have a symbiotic relationship. From this symbiotic relation interaction of biotic factors and biotic factors hap pen.When we say relationship we talk about the bond between two or a group of anatomic or polyatomic matter. The word atom was used to emphasize that formation of bond doesn't only includes living matters because a relation can take lace also between living and non-living matters or even with both non-living matter where-in either one will only benefit or both will be bona fide beneficiaries in the process of surviving. Relationship of biotic and biotic factors may come in deferent ways.It can be in the form of mutuality where both suffice each other needs. Like for instance, the relationship of an explorer (a kind of bird) with a rhinoceros or a zebra. The explorer cleans the top of the rhinoceros or zebra and get rid of the lice's that rhino and refer have and In return the rhino or zebra provides food to the explorer because the dirt and Insects on top of them already serve as the birds food. Another form of relationship In an ecosystem Is commercialism where one organism benefit s from the other without harming it.An example if this is the interaction of sea anemones which commercialism relationship, the clownish is protected from their predators because the tentacles of the sea anemones keep these predators away from the clownish by stinging them. Other class of relationships are parasitism, where one benefits the there by harming the other organisms such as the relationship of human and tape worms, and nationalism in which one strives to survive by inhibiting or destroying the other specie but not harming it.Unlike commercialism, the relationship that takes place in an nationalism relationship are somehow mutual however in this relationship strong species are believed to survive over weak ones like when a herd of cows competes with a few number of horses in a grassland. In this scenario the greater number of species (in this case, the cows) will greatly consume almost all the odds (the grass) while the less number will have less of the hundred percent foo d.Noticed that the aforementioned relationships and examples involves interactions of biotic factors. How about the interaction of biotic and biotic factors? Wonder how these two intersects to built a bond? Apart from what we know about how biotic factors that these pertains to the non-living bodies of an ecosystem, involvement of biotic factors in maintaining balance to ecosystem is said to be very essential because without it the whole system would not become functional thus crushing whatever follows on the system.The reason behind this is that these biotic factors are the primary agent in sustaining life because they are the sources if energy of all the living bodies and they compliment with biotic factors in the formation of the food web. An example of this is the sun, sun is a non living body and the source of energy of every living body specially plants. Sunlight is needed by plants in manufacturing its food via the process if photosynthesis. Also other biotic factors such as water and air contributes to the process of photosynthesis.Later on this plant will be eaten by a at or other animals that are herbivorous or plant eater then this creature that has eaten the plant will then be eaten by another specie and transfer of energy takes place. Furthermore as the process of energy transfers ensues there will be a time that the last consumer who receives the least energy will be decomposed and turn into nutrients, which is also a biotic factor, and finally will be useful again for the manufacturing of foods for the plants then the whole cycle continues. This is how biotic and biotic factors interact to stabilize balance in an ecosystem.

Infection Control Practice in Acute Care Centers Research Paper

Infection Control Practice in Acute Care Centers - Research Paper Example The study will, therefore, try to answer several questions including what factors have led to such high infection rates and what is the relationship between skills and experience of caregivers and these escalating rates of infection. The essay will also analyze questions such as how can caregiver be supported in order to reduce the level of infection, and what strategies need to be implemented to make hospital environments safer? This study will be based on Kurt Lewin’s theoretical model of change. This is a classical three-step change framework for initiating change in healthcare environments. The three steps are unfreezing, change and freezing (Ziegler, 2005). Unfreezing, which is the first step, entails determining the main reasons for change and the necessity of change given the current circumstances. Change involves initiating the change process and transitioning to the next desired state. The final stage, freezing or refreezing is about finding stability after the change process (Ziegler, 2005). Using this theory, this study will first determine the reasons as to why change is necessary in order to reduce HAIs, initiate various change processes and establish stability. Hospital-acquired infections undermine the main objectives of treating patients and restoring their health through favorable environments such as healthcare setting like hospitals. Patients go to hospitals in the hope of recovering from their various ailments. However, due to different factors in the hospital environment, patients often end up acquiring other infections while still undergoing treatment (Gould, & Meer, 2011). This greatly affects the rate of recovery for these patients and threatens their lives. There have been several measures taken over the years to reduce the rate of these infections, but challenges still exist in both developed and developing countries. Among the

Two Recent Merger and Acquisition Cases Research Paper

Two Recent Merger and Acquisition Cases - Research Paper Example Verizon shareholders were the winners in the deal in that the new wireless unit was expected to have an annual income of 21.8 billion as operations income, a major boost to Verizon wireless coffers. The implication would be that Verizon wireless would have huge capital for investment in its wireless network infrastructure to take over competition wars to new levels. The deal was particularly of much importance to Vodafone shareholders as the company was not in a position to control operations and dividends in the U.S market. As such, the deal liberated Vodafone to focus more on reinventing and improving its operations in the European market where they have total control of their operations. Concentrating on the European market would improve the value of the company to its shareholders. In other words, the company made efforts to concentrate in smaller market segment hence improved performance and obtaining a competitive edge. The move to sell Vodafone U.S to Verizon was a response to the dwindling fortunes in the European market, which was badly affected by the debt crises. As such the buyout would leave Vodafone in improved financial status for boosting its network in the European market, which would be a win to Vodafone shareholders after several years of misfortune. The lucrativeness of the deal was evident by the fact that Verizon had agreed to sell its 23% stake in Vodafone Italy back to Vodafone at a cost of $3.5 billion. The amount is a fraction of what Verizon churned out for Vodafone US. On the other hand, the deal was a major boost to Verizon shares in the market. Verizon was expecting at least 10% gain per share since the buyout, a major surprise in the U.S communication market. However, the deal was not without a cost to Verizon. The company faced a major downgrade risk from S & P due to its high debt, with its credit rating being downgraded by one level and risking sinking deeper towards

Case plan scenario Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Case plan scenario - Essay Example This is the basis of this case plan. The purpose of the plan is to move the client to the point where they recognize the need to change their unhealthy eating and drinking habits for their benefit. One of the best ways of treating lifestyle diseases is for the patient to abandon their unhealthy way of life that led to or worsens the effects of the diseases. In the case of the patient that is the subject of this plan, it was established that their lifestyle disease is attributable to their eating fatty, junk foods and heavy drinking. When advised to quit that lifestyle in favour of a healthy one, they protested bitterly to the point of claiming that they rather die and stop eating junk food and drinking. Two possibilities arise. Either the patient does not understand and appreciate the contribution of their lifestyle to their disease or they do, but there are certain forces that drive them to refuse to cooperate with the dietician. Either way, the task ahead is to get the patient to cooperate with the dietician for the sake of their health. However, the patient has made it clear that they will not cooperate with the dietician. Thus, it may be necessary to enlist the help of a third party. Arguably, this is the best and first third party to approach the patient’s immediate family, if they had one. The fact that the client leaves alone further complicates the situation. Functional families are known to offer the highest moral, emotional, psychological and other forms of support in difficult moments such as when a member of the family suffers from a life-threatening disease or condition. The effective treatment of a lifestyle disease or any other disease takes the joint effort of both the patient and the health practitioner (Malcher, 2009). Otherwise, left to one party, the process of administering treatment is an exercise in futility. Suppose a patient visits a

National Assemblies of Kuwait Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

National Assemblies of Kuwait - Essay Example The opposition lobbied for a parliament, by petitioning the government in 1950s, via the leadership of Ahmad al-Khatib and his movement, National Culture Club. 1967 elections were marred by irregularities on the part of the government, which necessitated the need for fresh elections. As such, new election was held in 1971, yielding an acquiescent assembly with just four members of the opposition, excluding the leader of opposition, Al-Khatib. The assembly proved a major opposing force for the amir administration. The fourth assembly elections occurred in 1975 giving birth to an assembly that passionately opposed the government than its predecessor. Unhappy with the opposition of the assembly, amir dissolved it in 1976 issuing new ultimatums for press and public conventions. The fifth assembly existed between 1981 and 1985. It also produced an active opposition like the previous assemblies. However, divisions over constitutional changes among other issues led to the demise of the assembly fueled by intense religious opposition determination. The sixth assembly election was held in 1985, in which the government reviewed its Islamists support by encouraging Beduin contenders to bar Islamists. Unlike before, the government gave the nationalists room to participate, which saw the revival of Al-Khatib. Al-Khatib and three other nationalists emerged victorious in the elections. Following its vehement opposition to the government and determination to remove corrupt ministers from office, the sixth a ssembly also faced the possibility dissolution. Seeing that the assembly had dug too much into the ruling family, amir suspended the assembly. The assembly was eventually dissolved following violence experienced in 1985. However, the assembly remained influential opposition symbol even after its closure and limited scope. Of all the assemblies, the 1981-1985 assembly seemed more interesting. Apart from being vociferous like its predecessors, the assembly was far

Conserving Soil Quality On Farms In Hawaii Research Paper

Conserving Soil Quality On Farms In Hawaii - Research Paper Example By the time measurable damage to the soil quality has occurred, crop yield may already be irrecoverably failing (Stocking, 2003). This relationship can even hold true in areas that with volcanically-enriched soil such as the tropical islands of the state of Hawai'i. To understand soil conservation for farming in Hawai'i, the first step is to understand the background of soil quality conservation, with a focus on the issues specific to the tropical islands. Only then can workable solutions be found and analyzed for suitability to the specific situation found on the Hawai'ian islands. A clear definition of soil quality is necessary for a conservation project to be undertaken. Unless soil quality is clearly and definitively described, it is impossible for researchers to design tests and measurements to study the current state of the soil quality. However, soil quality has proven a very difficult concept to define, especially as soil quality has so many different parameters in many diffe rent spheres of scientific study. Defining soil quality as a term is not the same as defining other widespread environmental terminology such as air quality or water quality. This is due to the fact that air quality or water quality are not based on the usage of the material or its relationship relative to a â€Å"natural† state, but merely on the lack of specific pollutants or on the levels of such pollutants (Sojka & Upchurch, 1999). Since pure soil cannot exist by definition, and clean soil varies dependent on location, pollutants within soil can be limited only to specific non-natural products, such as industrial wastes or household chemicals (Cowan & Talaro, 2006). Soil quality, on the other hand, is determined by the soil's ability to support certain usage and by healthy levels of bacterial, animal, and plant life (Sojka & Upchurch,1999). Measuring soil quality in tropical regions, on the other hand, is simplified because of the reduction in the number of related variab les. Many attributes of topsoil quality in tropical regions of the world, including Hawai'i, are quantitative and measurable. Assuming those conditions to be true, soil quality can then be measured using a fertility capability soil classification system (Sanchez, Palm, and Buol, 2003). Other single-attribute measurements of soil quality are such concerns as soil compactability or erodibility based on location or use, but the fertility classification most affects the ability of the soil to support intensive crop farming, which is the concern of this review (Parr et al., 1992). The fertility capability classification systems are not without their faults, but they provides a starting point for measuring the success of a given conservation program by providing a quantitative standard. A measurement that makes use of this system would be comparable to future measurements under the same system, allowing a researcher to compare numerically the success of the method under study (Sanchez, Pa lm, & Buol, 2003). Soil systems in tropical regions tend to be extremely dynamic, changing rapidly over short periods of time. Within these systems, soil quality may vary widely from location to location even between patches of soil in the same forest (Parr et al., 1992; Stocking, 2003). In such a dynamic system, nutrients rarely have time to accumulate in the tropical

Contract for an Independent HR Contractor and the Importance of Having Research Paper

Contract for an Independent HR Contractor and the Importance of Having A Contract - Research Paper Example As the paper declares when a company employs independent contractors, it has to be categorically established that there is no â€Å"employer-employee relationship† between the worker and the company, and the better way to make this clear-cut is by entering into a contract that may be called, Independent Contractor’s Agreement. It is very essential that a contract should be executed, wherein all the terms and conditions should be clearly stated that could strengthen what had been verbally agreed upon by the employer and the independent contractor. In reality, when there is a contract, it could easily prevent the misclassification of the other regular employees. A contract would easily differentiate the independent contractor from the regular employee. This report stresses that all contracts should start by declaring the identities of the parties who will be the signatories in the contract, and they are the independent contractor, who could be the freelancer or the agency who will supply contingent workers, and the company who will be hiring the independent contractor/s. This should be followed by the establishment of what the independent contractor can do, and what he is equipped with, and it is at this point that it should be mentioned whether the contractor possesses a license or not, when it is specifically required, and that the company is desirous of engaging the independent contractor’s skills or expertise.

Business decision making Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business decision making - Assignment Example Decision making process is a very significant function to any company that must attain success in the market. It stipulates the areas that the company can easily penetrate in the market without enormous incurrence on costs and any impending risks. Data collection is the approach that wills open doors for such a company to make an adequate decision from the analysis they arrive at as per the data segments (Carroll, 2008). In this paper is stipulated that data analysis is a significant faction which every company ought to adopt. The report revolves around a fashion industry selling fashion clothes, shoes, jeans and other related fashion components whose main target is the youth generation. It possesses a challenge since the youths are dynamics in their desires, this call for constant review of its products to meet the demand of its market segment. A group comprising of 20 youths is sampled from Coventry region who are interviewed on a major market trends about fashion and their take on how fashion impacts the development of new products in the market. Their involvement in the changes is the key factor that is considered (Bazerman& Moore, 2013). Decisions amount to the most significant components to business in the market regardless of its current position. For a business to start it must involve decision making processes and growing business must always apply different decisions for its growth purposes, otherwise growth and start-up will never be met. An agglomeration of factors must be taken into consideration on the particular field of the company. A company ought to ask such questions like what is my market size. What is the market trend? Who are my consumers? What is the market perception? Among other critical questions which will drive the company to undertake proper steps. Quality, quantity, location, size and other structural characteristics are influenced by the decisions made by management in a company (Teale,

My Self-Assessment as a Writer Essay Example for Free

My Self-Assessment as a Writer Essay Up to this point I’ve never really considered myself a writer at all. After skimming through the chapters and reading about all the processes, my assessment is, as a writer, I’m probably not very good. So this brings me to, what are you able to bring to the class? Well that’s easy. I’ve really wanted to learn how to write correctly. I’m extremely excited about all the information our textbook has to offer. I’ve wondered in the past how to do certain things and how they’re supposed to be done. This whole class is going to bring the pieces together. So I guess I bring excitement and enthusiasm to learn. My Strengths and Weaknesses in writing are hard to identify. Since I don’t write a lot, there’s not much to relate to. My sentence structure and vocabulary are weak areas. Sometimes when I write an e-mail, and then come back to re-read it; it just doesn’t sound or flow right. I’m uncertain and feel embarrassed by my use of grammar and punctuation, so I tend to make every attempt to avoid writing at all. My spoken thoughts are much easier to transform into what I’m trying to communicate. Strengths are an active imagination. I have thoughts or can take a side on almost anything. I could just pick any topic and write about whatever. Discovering material, planning out my ideas, and drafting it all together would also be strengths. Learning from others in the class will require interaction with the class. The discussion board will offer those opportunities. I hope to learn how others chose a topic or decide how they layout their work. I’d like gain some knowledge from their perspectives and ingenuity.

Multi-Cultural Paper Essay Example for Free

Multi-Cultural Paper Essay Introduction Finding a â€Å"multicultural† experience that brings me out of my comfort zone is something I found difficult. I moved to the city but am a small town girl at heart. I grew up riding a dirt bike, partying in fields, listening to country music, and hosting birthday parties that my friends and I built tree forts at. My first vehicle was a rear-wheel drive manual Chevrolet pick-up truck that I had to put weight in during the winter so I would not slide across the road. I lived on 140 acres of land, and the closest town was 15 minutes away. Since then, I have moved to the city and began, enjoying the convenience of everything like, bringing clothes to the dry cleaners, riding my bike to work, and preferring to lounge by the pool on a summer day, rather than explore like I used to. In college, I studied abroad in Scotland for a semester and had the opportunity to travel around Europe to England, Switzerland, Spain, and France. This experience exposed me to a number of different cultures, currencies, and experiences. It was the highlight of my college experience, but I became extremely homesick after a month and a half and, since then, have had no desire to visit anywhere abroad for longer than a couple of weeks. In addition to being familiar with both the small town and city lifestyles,not many things turn me off or make me uncomfortable. On the other hand, because I come from a small town, there are a few things I am unfamiliar with. I am not as familiar with different races or cultures, the wealth and fashion that comes with living near city suburbs, or the religion of anyone who isn’t Catholic. This is excluding the Europe experience, when I spent most my time in English speaking Scotland. Because of this, I chose three events that would expose me to new things in each one of those categories. Event #1: A Brazilian Carnival The first event took place at the Fine Line Music Cafà © in downtown Minneapolis. Classmate, Sarah Holman and I went to a Brazilian Carnival. I was interested in this sort of event because, in college, I worked at Afton Alps Ski and Snowboard, where they had a Brazilian exchange program and brought a number of Brazilians up for the winter to work. They became the best part of working there most years because they were so much fun and lived life to the fullest during their time in the United States. The event was fun, colorful, active, and something I had never been to before. There were dancers, drummers, people dressed up in costumes, and a band. After the introduction of drummers and dancers, a band began to play. Since we chose to attend on a Sunday afternoon, it was more of a family function but, if we had decided to attend on the Friday or Saturday evening before, I imagine the setting would have become a little wild after a few drinks because the music was so much fun. Instead, kids, parents, and couples were out on the dance floor dancing away innocently. When looking at what I know personally about Brazilians and comparing it to the event, it is clear that they typically like to have a good time. Their music is good, the people are often good looking, and they are extremely passionate about where they come from and their culture. My behaviors will not change in the workplace because of this event but the carnival did confirm the impression I had of Brazilian culture. Event #2: Omaha Fashion Week The second event took place in Omaha, Nebraska, where my youngest sister now lives. Once we found out that she would be walking in two of the shows, on both Friday and Saturday night, my mom, sister, her husband, and my boyfriend and I began planning our trip right away. When planning for the shows, I had no idea what to expect. I have never been to a fashion show, know nothing about fashion and, most importantly, I had no idea what to wear! Going into the first night we had been traveling all day, were hungry, and the guys weren’t around yet to stay at the hotel and babysit so we had to bring my two-year old nephew. One of the things that I am most insecure about is not knowing what to do and, worse, looking like I do not know what to do, in any given situation. To explain, I am always tentative to try new restaurants because I know that each one has a different culture that I may not fit in with. The way they do things, like the way one orders, dresses, and acts, are always altered. This doesn’t mean I avoid the experience but, when deciding to go somewhere new, I always get a nervous feeling with some immediate regret, wishing I had chosen to go somewhere familiar. This is something I am working on because, every time the experience is done, I’m glad it happened and always want to try something else new as soon as possible. This is how I felt going into Omaha Fashion Week. This time, I was more excited to see my sister but, since I was with my mom, sister and a two-year old at an adult event, and since they also had no clue what was going on, I was mortified. The first night felt like a warm-up, and I began to understand the scenery, people, what was happening, and everything else that was going on. There were individuals who were much more casual looking than me, but there also many who were more dressed up. By the end of the night I felt like I could pick out the more important faces by just looking around the crowd. My method probably wasn’t very accurate, but it led to some excellent people watching. The second night was a girl’s night, consisting of my mom, sister, and me. We were able to leave the boys and nephew at the hotel for the evening. Learning from the first night, we showed up right when the event was supposed to begin, which means that we only had to wait half an hour for the show to start, instead of an hour, like the night before. We made sure to get some pictures on the red carpet and relax while enjoying a couple drinks in advance. The challenge for me going into this event was having to go somewhere new, where I had no idea what the culture was going to be like. When looking at the event in a professional context, I was intimidated, going in, by those whom I thought were â€Å"better† than me. Meaning, those who know fashion, have money, status, and the wealthy (not so nice) personalities you see on teenage television shows. I did not encounter any of these stereotypes when at the event. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and not judging, as I would have thought. This makes me think of those who are more successful and intimidating than I in a professional environment. As I have always been taught, treat others as you would like to be treated. This is something I will remember in the workplace for future reference. If I go in treating someone with the respect I would like to get in return, chances are they will treat me with the same respect. I feel that going to this fashion show cemented this lesson for me. I need to not concentrate on my insecurities as much, and, instead focus on treating everyone the same. This event did not confirm the stereotypes I had imagined like everyone being snobby, rich, and over the top. Looking back on the weekend, I think of it as one of the best times I’ve had yet for year 2013, all because I stepped out of my comfort zone. Interview #1 In attempt to deepen the Omaha Fashion Week experience, I interviewed a friend’s sister, Michelle Olson, who is an extremely successful plus size model, living in New York City. Michelle has experienced a much different lifestyle that is very foreign to me; one that I can relate to class and to the multi-cultural experience above. I was able to ask the questions and get the answers below: Michelle Olson Interviewee #1 Michelle Olson Interviewee #1 Q: In class we talked a lot about one’s personal brand. As a model, I assume your personal brand is extremely important and somewhat determines your reputation in the industry. Is this true? Do you have any examples of this you can expand on? A: Personal brand is important in modeling because we have to show our personality somehow with only a few minutes. So its important to just be yourself and wear what you like. A lot of clients are particular about a models personality because they want to show their brand a certain way and target a certain customer. We also cant be too eccentric or too trendy because some clients are just looking for a blank canvas and one that they know their clothes will look good on without being too distracted by the person and their own style. Q: In the business environment one usually has to work hard to advance or know someone to get ahead. Is this true in modeling as well? How do you climb in your industry? A: Eventually a model can [achieve this ] by booking big clients and then having them like you enough to re-book you again. People and clients also tend to take notice, usually if a model books editorials in big magazines. Q: Is it difficult to keep your values in this industry? Is it difficult while keeping a positive image for yourself amongst peers? A: I have been lucky so far in my career in that I have only had good experiences as far as boundaries and my personal values go. Everyone I have worked for have been very respectful and professional. Its important to have an agent that cares about you and will only send you out to legit, professional companies. Q: We also discussed virtual groups/communication in class. Is this a common form of communication in this industry or is it usually easier to do things in person? A: Email is a very important communication tool in my industry. Most of my communication with my agents is by email. All my job details are always emailed to me before the job. When I am in New York, I usually have to actually go in and see and talk to the agents in person at least once a week, sometimes more. Castings however are always in person. They are usually just quick little interview type things where you go and meet the client, have them look at your portfolio, and sometimes maybe take a couple pictures and try on some clothes. If you are unable to see them in person then our agents usually just send our portfolio for them to look at. Q: With the perspective of models being stick thin, does this pressure you to be this way? A: Working as a plus size model is another world than working as a straight size (0-6) model. Plus size is usually like a size 12, so we still have to stay around that size. We still eat very healthy and exercise so that we have good skin and feel good, etc. However, most of us are at our natural size, and therefore theres a lot less stress about size. Its great! Q: Are there â€Å"leaders† in your industry? Or are they always changing because your jobs are always changing? What is that like? A: Our agents are like our bosses. They get us our job so its important to have good relationships with them. We have three of them, and they are all cool and friendly so its quite nice! Obtaining this information from Michelle has provided me with interesting insight on a completely different business environment, than of the corporate life I am used to. Event #3: Scientology Church Tour My third event was a tour and question and answer period at the Saint Paul Church of Scientology. I went to this with three classmates, Sarah, Cody, and Andrea. As mentioned at the beginning of this paper, I am not familiar with many different kinds of religion, beside Catholicism. Through Tom Cruise, I have heard a lot of wonderful things about Scientology. I have also heard the opposite about the religion from his ex-wives. From what I was told, saw, and learned, the experience had a positive impact that made me curious and left me wanting to learn more about the religion. The interesting part about the church is that it focuses on the here and now, versus the Christian religion where their beliefs are based on the Bible, which is many centuries old. The self-guided tour consisted of watching videos to obtain information about the religion. There were different categories, so we could watch the topics we were most interested in. After watching a couple of videos, we felt it would be most beneficial to speak to the tour guide and ask questions about her experiences. From her answers, I gathered that Scientologists like to help people. If you are having troubles in your marriage or need help finding where to go in life, you can join counseling groups. If there is a natural disaster in the world, Scientologists will travel to the location and help out where they can. The part that interested me most is their passion to help individuals with any issues that individual might be having. In a book recommended by Andrea that provided an opposite perspective of Scientology, Jenna Miscavige Hill writes about her â€Å"secret life inside scientology and her harrowing escape† (Beyond Belief, Cover). This is something I wish I would have known about before going into the tour because I would have asked questions in regards to this book. In the book, Jenna explains about her life as a member of the Sea Org, the church’s most devoted core group of Scientology. She describes how she was sent away as a child to receive an education in Scientology, the manual labor she was forced to perform, and the coercion she faced from officials. Nothing about children being sent away to Scientology school was brought up or asked about throughout our time at the Church. After reading the 10 Juiciest Bits about Scientology from Jenna’s book, it made me think twice about what I found out while at the church. Hearing both the positive and negative sides of Scientology will not change the way I act in a professional environment because, knowing both sides of the religion will not diminish the respect I have for other’s personal religious choices. I think the main challenge for the Church of Scientology is the extreme difference in viewpoints you can have on the religion. Those who are Scientologist think it’s the most wonderful thing, but those who know about it and have gotten out have nothing good to say about it. Interview #2 The second interview I conducted did not relate to any of my multicultural experiences, but was instead with a coworker, Violet. Violet is from Uganda, Africa, and came to the United States in January 2000 to attend school at the University of Minnesota. Violet’s experience relates to the â€Å"Chimamanda Adichie: The Danger of a Single Story† video watched in class. Violet Interviewee #2 Violet Interviewee #2 Since this was an in person interview, not many structured questions were asked. Instead, there was a lot of back and forth conversation, unlike the interview with Michelle. When explaining her experiences growing up, Violet made a point on how the way she was raised and lived is only one view, and not everyone was able to live the way she did. Violet comes from a very successful family. She explained how she lived a very privileged life, in Uganda, and does not know what poverty is when asked about it. When her family came to Minnesota, they brought their maid with them, which is not common for many when traveling to the States. Violet came on a student visa. Due to the fact that she was from out of the country, she had to pay almost three times more per semester than most students attending the university. This is something her father paid for so, unlike me and many others, she graduated with no student loans. I asked Violet about the manifestation of personal brand of Africa and she explained that it is very different. One in Africa is unable to choose their personal brand. When interviewing for positions, the question is always, â€Å"Whose son or daughter is that?† not â€Å"How smart or qualified are they?† In Uganda, there is a strong British influence, so class and tribal system is what makes you who are you. It is all about whom you know or who you are related to. Violet never professionally worked in Africa, but states that one’s choices are limited regarding what they can decide to grow up to be. You either plan to be a doctor, lawyer, dentist, or anything else with a designate d path. There are few opportunities and many talents are wasted. Marketing or human resource careers aren’t options or even thought about in Africa when choosing an education path. When Violet came to Minnesota to begin school, she had it in her mind that she was going to become a lawyer. Not until she was almost done with her Bachelor’s degree did she begin to realize that becoming a lawyer was maybe something she didn’t actually want to do. She went on to complete her MBA, with the mind set of beginning to work toward a law degree. She is now a Senior Human Resources Recruiter, and sometimes wishes she had received her Bachelor’s degree in Marketing or Communications, instead of Business, realizing that she was still living in the African career mentality when choosing her education. While people in the US think that an 8% unemployment rate is high, Africa has over 50% unemployment. This is partially because there are not enough businesses to employ everyone. Unlike in the US, there are no government services to help the poor. There is also not as much access to goods like in the US. Not everyone has the convenience to go to stores like Target or Wal-Mart. Lastly, when asked if people treat her different based on what the average American knows about Africans – that they are poor – she admitted that people sometimes do. Some are surprised to learn that she speaks English very well, others reject her when they realize that she is not a suffering African, and the black community does not always accept her as black. She has wondered if she had come over as an African refuge; how things might be different in the way people treat her. The interview with Violet was a further look into what I don’t know about Africa. It gave me knowledge and taught me never to judge based what I see on television or read in books. As Violet made clear at the beginning of our interview, she has only one view point regarding Africa, and not everyone was raised like her. This reminds me to never judge when only hearing one side of the story. This is a lesson that can be brought into the workplace every single day. The two interviews and three multi-cultural experiences opened my eyes to things I would never have known about. I learned about what it was like to attend a fashion show, a different culture, and religion. These experiences changed the way I look at life and the way I approach professional environments. Due to this project, I will search for new experiences that will bring be out of my comfort zone, just like the activities above. References Adichie, Chimamanda, perf. Chimamanda Adichie: The danger of a single story. 2009. Film. March 2013. http://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story.html. Fallon, Kevin. 10 Juiciest Bits From Ex-Scientologist’s Tell-All ‘Beyond Belief’. (2013): n. page. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. Miscavige Hill, Jenna. Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape. 1. 1. Harpercollins, 2013. 404. Print. Nassalo , Violet. Personal Interview. 9 Apr 2013. Olson, Michelle. E-mail Interview. 4 Apr 2013.