Article Review on Using What We Know about Language and...

The following paper is article review of the article titled: Using What We Know about Language and Literacy Development for ESL Students in the Mainstream Classroom by Susan Watts-Taffe and Diane M. Truscott. In the article Watts-Taffe and Truscott draw on the latest research in language learning and ESL to offer guidance to our readers for teaching second-language learners in integrated settings (Watts-Taffe Truscoot, n.d.). The article focuses on the following: what we know about literacy development, what we know about language proficiency and literacy development, what we know about entering a new culture, facilitating English language literacy development, and scaffolding instruction. Discussed under the section titled â€Å"What We Know About Literacy Development† Watts-Taffe and Truscott discuss what research shows about how children become literate. It seems that some of the most powerful lessons addressed such as language learning proceeds best when children use lang uage for meaningful purposes (Au, 1998) and what constitutes meaningful language use is influenced by an individuals prior experience, culture, motivation, and goals (Delpit, 1995) are all beneficial in literacy development to both native English speakers and students learning English as a second language (Carrasquillo Rodriguez, 1996; Donato, 1994; Fitzgerald Noblit, 1999; Perez, 1998a). This research shows that if a teacher integrates different strategies into the curriculum, it will not only

Paul Gauguin Free Essays

Paul Gauguin Danielle Arnold L. Scott Roberts Art Appreciation 11 November 2011 Paul Gauguin Like so many artists one studies, the life of Paul Gauguin was filled with internal struggles on daily matters and beliefs. Gauguin was not dealt an easy life from the very beginning. We will write a custom essay sample on Paul Gauguin or any similar topic only for you Order Now Born to French journalist and half Peruvian mother, Gauguin came to know the cruelty of life at a very young age. In 1851, he and his family moved to Peru due to the climate of the period. On the voyage to Peru, his father died; leaving him with his mother and sister to survive on their own. The family lived in Peru for four years and during that time, Gauguin came under the influence of certain imagery that would affect the rest of his life. His family then moved back to France where Gauguin excelled in academic studies. He went on to serve two years in the navy and then became a stockbroker. He married a woman by the name of Mette Sophie Gad, and proceeded to have five children. (â€Å"Paul Gauguin†). Gauguin always enjoyed art in its many forms and soon purchased his own studio to show off Impressionist paintings. He moved his family to Copenhagen to continue being a stockbroker, but felt as if he was to pursue the life of an artist full time. He moved back to France to follow his passion for art, leaving his family behind. Just like many artists, he suffered from depression and had several suicide attempts. Gauguin soon became very frustrated with the art of the 1800’s and sailed to the tropics to escape life. He then used what he saw there as inspiration for many of the works that he produced. In 1903, he got in trouble with the government and was sentenced to jail for a short time. At the young age of 54, Gauguin died of syphilis, probably contracted from the natives in Tahiti. Gauguin left a rather large impact on the world of art. He rubbed shoulders with some of the most world renown French artists. His biography states, â€Å"[Gauguin was] the first artist to systematically use these [Primitivism] effects and achieve broad public success† (â€Å"Paul Gauguin†). He created some very successful paintings such as â€Å"Fragrant Earth,† â€Å"Barbaric Tales,† â€Å"The Loss of Virginity,† â€Å"Yellow Christ,† and â€Å"Tahitian Women with Flowers. All of these paintings have specific Gauguin signatures on them in style, color, subject, and reality. Gauguin lived in the time of Impressionist art. This art movement was mainly lead by Paris based artists. At first, Gauguin embraced the essence and characteristics of Impressionism. The early works of Gauguin, as John Gould Fletcher tells us in his book, have disappeared. However, there have been descriptions of his early works by Felix Feneon (Fletcher 44). These descriptions prove and show that Gauguin was already miles ahead of Impressionism and would become a very promising and influential leader in the next movement of art. While the art of his time was characterized, by small, visible brush strokes that allowed colors to harmonize and blend together to create different and changing qualities of light of ordinary subject matters, Gauguin put his own interpretation of Impressionism. His tones were very separated from each other, creating a new way at painting landscapes. Fletcher states, â€Å"Gauguin was treating landscape at this period already as a synthesis, a decorative whole. . . not as an exercise in the analysis of atmosphere vibration† (Fletcher 45). People did not appreciate the new beginnings of this Post- Impressionism movement of art lead by Gauguin. This did not stop Gauguin at all. He continued on in finding new theories and creating his own tradition that went against the old decorative tradition. Wright and Dine share, â€Å"Gauguin was not content with the landscapes of civilization. He wanted something more elemental – scenes where an unspoilt and untamed nature gave birth to a race of simple and colourful character. He felt the need of harmonizing his people with their milieu† (Wright and Dine 300). Thus, Gauguin sought an entire new movement of art and found his inspiration in Tahiti. By using vivid colors that popped out and a thick of application of paint, Gauguin began to open the world to Post-Impressionism where real life was recorded through geometric forms. Ultimately, this lead to the Synthetist movement of art. Along with a few colleagues, this movement was created to synthesize the appearance of natural forms, the feelings of the artist on the subject matter, and the purity of line, color, and form (Wright and Dine 190). Gauguin also paved the way to Primitivism in his later years. Through the exaggerated body proportions and stark contrasts of color, Gauguin helped the return to the pastoral (â€Å"Paul Gauguin†). All of Gauguin’s paintings share similar characteristics. After Gauguin’s experience in Tahiti, he made the natives his main subject matter. Full of bright and bold colors, these women are placed in their natural surroundings with their womanly nature being exposed and exalted. Through his paintings, the truths about these women are revealed and their beauty proclaimed through the bold colors and contrasts and dark, defining lines. The beauty and popularity of Gauguin’s paintings are not just skin-deep. To truly understand the meanings and symbolism of the paintings, one must understand the man who held the brush. In his biography â€Å"Noa, Noa,† one comes face to face with a man who held such high dreams yet never achieved them. Every painting of Gauguin’s was almost a poem laced with symbolism of life, faith, and death. In Gauguin’s Paradise Lost, Wayne Anderson quotes Gauguin in saying, â€Å"In a way, I work like the Bible, in which the doctrine announces itself in a symbolic form, presenting a double aspect, a form which first materializes the pure idea in order to make it better understandable . . this is the literal superficial, figurative, mysterious meaning of a parable; and then the second aspect which gives the spirit of the former sense. This is the sense that is not figurative any more, but the formal, explicit of one of the parable† (Anderson 8). Gauguin always tried to veil his symbolism within his paintings. To the untrained eye and mind, his symbolism falls on blind eyes. However, those who are trained in his ways of symbolism appreciate the tension between the romantic sensibility and the dark drama of romantic primitivism. The emotions conveyed through his works all vary depending upon the nature and subject of the particular piece. He does have a central theme in all of his paintings and even some of his carved work. He wishes to conjure ideas of divinity and question the aspects of humanity in order to leave one with a sense of mystery and wonder (Anderson 19). The colors Gauguin uses pulls one into a life of bright and bold contrasts and tones. Someone how Gauguin uses definitive black lines that leave room for imagination in finishing the story that is told on the canvas. Gauguin was an island when it came to mentors. He did not feel the need to imitate any kind of art. If his art was imitative of any artist, it was because he had not been able to freely convey his emotions and arrive as his refined instincts (Anderson 29). Many of his artistic peers did reach out to Gauguin and try to influence his art. When he was younger, he met Camille Pissarro. These two worked together as part of an Impressionist group. For the longest time, Gauguin accepted and practice the styles of Manet, Renoirs, Monets, Cezannes, and Pissarro. Until he moved and stayed to Pont-Aven and met Emile Bernard and became a part of the Pont-Aven school. With the influence of artists, Charles Laval, Maxime Maufra, Paul Serusier, Charles Filiger, Jacob Meyer de Haan, Armand, Seguin, and Henri de Charmalliard, the birth and movement of Synthetism where bold colors were used for super spiritual subjects came about. (Fletcher 50). However, Gauguin always had a horrible temper and resulted in turning his friends into borderline enemies especially those who still clung to the Impressionist art forms and traditions. For two weeks, Van Gogh and Gauguin painted together. Their relationship was a rather weird one. Fletcher comments on this in saying, â€Å"For Van Gogh the future only held the liberating spiritual worship of the sun, which was to raise his art to its highest pitch of lyric ecstasy and to destroy the brain that had created it. For Gauguin the future held a long and stoic struggle . . . that left . . . his work only a broken fragment of what he had dreamed† (Fletcher 55). Consequentially, their art reflected these two different paradigms. Yet it was due to Van Gogh that Gauguin began to realize that great art came from a great love of life – and with that, Gauguin turned to religion, which fueled the majority of his art. Van Gogh’s art always hinted of a hope or centered upon a light. Where Gauguin used his subjects as the portrayal of light or the absence of light in the comparison to the dark and dense backgrounds. Over all, Gauguin’s works paved the way for new modern art to emerge. Some would say that Picasso was one of the most important people in the realms of abstract art. However, Gaugin married together the worlds of abstract and representational art with his works on the Tahitian women and the natives. As Gauguin’s biography reports, Gaguin left a huge and notable connection to Arthur Frank Matthews in his intense use of color palette. His works influenced many other artists but does not leave a protege to assume his role of leader in Primitivism and Synthetism (â€Å"Paul Gauguin†). Paul Gauguin was a genius with both the brush and the chisel. He believed in art as a way of life and not a mere enjoyment. He rallied for a day when symbolism would reign and art would become a synthesis. His works of the Tahitian natives and women opened up the world of naturalism and called back for a time where the pastoral would once again be enjoyed. Works Cited Andersen, Wayne. Gauguin’s Paradise Lost. The Viking Press Inc. New York, New York. 1971. Print. Fletcher, John Gould. Paul Gauguin, His Life and Art. Nicolas L. Brown. New York. 1921. eBook. â€Å"Paul Gauguin Biography. † Paul Gauguin – Complete Works. 2002-2011. 31 October 2011. Web. http://www. paul-gauguin. net/biography. html Wright, Williard Huntington and S. S. van Dine. Modern Painting, It’s Tendency and Meaning. John Lane Company. New York. 1915. eBook. How to cite Paul Gauguin, Essay examples

Brain drain free essay sample

?Brain Drain refers to the emigration (out-migration) of knowledgeable, well-educated and skilled professionals from their home country to another country. This can take place because of several factors. The most obvious is the availability of better job opportunities in the new country. Other factors that can cause brain drain include: war or conflict, health risks, and political instability. Brain drain occurs most commonly when individuals leave less developed countries (LDCs) with fewer opportunities for career advancement, research, and academic employment and migrate to more developed countries (MDCs) with more opportunities. However, it also occurs in the movement of individuals from one more developed country to another more developed country. The Brain Drain Loss The country that experiences brain drain suffers a loss. In LDCs, this phenomenon is much more common and the loss is much more substantial. LDCs generally do not have the ability to support growing industry and the need for better research facilities, career advancement, and salary increases. We will write a custom essay sample on Brain drain or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page There is an economic loss in the possible capital that the professionals may have been able to bring in, a loss in advancement and development when all of the educated individuals use their knowledge to benefit a country other than their own, and a loss of education when educated individuals leave without assisting in the education of the next generation. There is also a loss that occurs in MDCs, but this loss is less substantial because MDCs generally see an emigration of these educated professionals as well as an immigration of other educated professionals. Possible Brain Drain Gain There is an obvious gain for the country experiencing brain gain (the influx of skilled workers), but there is also a possible gain for the country that loses the skilled individual. This is only the case if professionals decide to return to their home country after a period of working abroad. When this happens, the country regains the worker as well as gains a new abundance of experience and knowledge received from the time abroad. However, this is very uncommon, particularly for LDCs that would see the most gain with the return of their professionals. This is due to the clear discrepancy in higher job opportunities between LDCs and MDCs. It is generally seen in the movement between MDCs. There is also a possible gain in the expansion of international networking that can come as a result of brain drain. In this respect, this involves networking between nationals of a country who are abroad with their colleagues who remain in that home country. An example of this is Swiss-List. com, which was established to encourage networking between Swiss scientists abroad and those in Switzerland. Brain Drain Example: Russia In Russia, brain drain has been an issue since Soviettimes. During the Soviet-era and after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, brain drain occurred when top professionals moved to the West or to socialist states to work in economics or science. The Russian government is still working to counter this with allocation of funds to new programs that encourage the return of scientists that left Russia and encourages future professionals to remain in Russia to work. Brain Drain Example: India The education system in India is one of the top in the world, boasting very few drop-outs, but historically, once Indians graduate, they tend to leave India to move to countries, such as the United States, with better job opportunities. However, in the last few years, this trend has started to reverse itself. Increasingly, Indians in America feel that they are missing the cultural experiences of India and that there are currently better economic opportunities in India. Combating Brain Drain There are many things governments can do to combat brain drain. According to the OECD Observer, Science and technology policies are key in this regard. The most beneficial tactic would be to increase job advancement opportunities and research opportunities in order to reduce the initial loss of brain drain as well as encourage highly-skilled workers both inside and outside the country to work in that country. The process is difficult and it takes time to establish these sorts of facilities and opportunities, but it is possible, and becoming increasingly necessary. These tactics, however, do not address the issue of reducing brain drain from countries with issues such as conflict, political instability or health risks, meaning that brain drain is likely to continue as long as these problems exist.

Marketing an Example of the Topic Education and science by

Marketing by Expert Dr. Kaylor | 16 Dec 2016 Introduction Planning is an exercising foresight regarding the anticipated outputs of an organization in order to maximize the inputs available. If the required inputs in terms of advertising, promotion, production and personnel are beyond the firms capability then the goal should be modified to reflect available resources. Need essay sample on "Marketing" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed For our marketing plan to be effective, the following should be implanted; investigate the present situation, consider alternative causes of action, select one of the alternatives, provide both human and material resources, communicate with everyone involved so that each knows his or her particular role in the process and evaluate progress periodically in order to ensure that action is taking place according to the plan. OBJECTIVES AND MISION STATEMENT. D-Tach is a device that is used to enhance an existing OVR to enable customers to send favorite programs to their friends. The product is a chip that is clipped into the client OVR and then programmed to send programs that are recorded to other people. The major objective is to come up with a quality product that assists customers who have a DVR to add a feature that can help them to send recorded programs to friends at a small fee. This product is to be used by customers who already have a DVR and because of the partnership with (TIVO), the clients who have a TIVO-DVR will have to be directed to consumers who have an existing DVR system. This will rapidly increase the market share and profitability of both D-Tach and TIVE because of the partnership. It is also a good plan to increase the companys sales to existing TIVO clients because this will be the stepping-stone to the development of a client base in order to assist the company to introduce the product to a new market. The companys sales will also increase because of the option to buy a TIVO-DVR and then a chip is inserted or customers also have an option to but a combination (combo) of (TIVO with a chip). This feature will enable new (TIVO) customers to go for products that have an already included feature, and hence D-Tach will extend sales to all two customers, to Q409 and Q 208 new customers. The objectives of introducing this product to the market is to give customers an add-on feature that is not in other competitor products, this will increase the annual rate of return on investment of the company. The other objective is to come up with innovations on latest product features that will be used by customers that are incorporate classes and groups as well as organizations. As a company, the other objective is to increase the market base by agreeing both the management objectives and those of the product. The other objective is to solve customer need through satisfaction, this will be done by identifying those needs or creating the needs, by making customers to have that urge to use the D-Tach product, then trying to solve the needs through investments in good research and development in order to add new product features to the D-Tach product. Good compensation plan is also essential to the staff who come up with good ideas for product feature enhancement. The other objective is to come up with reliable products through product testing and ensure reliability through good warehousing and distribution. CUSTOMER TARGETS In order to identify and serve customer targets well, there is a great need to understand their needs and wants. This is how that particular product will serve the needs. Take for example D-Tach: most people will not have enough time to watch all programs and hence the need for the D-Tach chip. This will also assist those who want to buy more than one TV set because they can receive favorite programs or send them to friends through this feature. Once the customers see the need for the product they will also enhance the market for TV sets and related ideas. Therefore, the product targets those clients who watch too much TV or those areas like the USA where a greater population likes watching television. The company should come up with a product that is easy to operate so a s to make the customers more comfortable. Proper studies should be done to the market before coming up with new ideas. COMPETITOR TARGETS Competitors will try as much as possible to produce the same or similar products with features similar to the D-Tach features but are minimal. Competitors target in most cases will be the same target market as that of the D-Tach product market, this means that they will also target the USA TV watchers and will try to develop their product or add product features with the aim of taking over the target market and to deal with them, there should be the development of quality products and develop the sense of high quality image. The use of highly knowledgeable and well-trained sellers and dealers, having an excellent service network that consumers know they will get quick repair services. Customers understanding is also very important through face-to-face encounters and discussions with them. This is also possible through market research to understand how they feel about the product features added to the product and what influences their patterns of purchase and what motivate them to buy the product. Major competitors are identified and described in terms of size goals, market share, product quality, strategies and this enables us to understand their intentions and behaviors. PRODUCT SERVICE/FEATURES The D-Tach product & services are to send programs that have already been recorded to other people. These customers will have the ability to send a favorite program to their friends. This is a good service offered at a fee and will solve the customers need to communicate through signals, send good episodes of their favorite programs to friends via linkage. This is possible through the various product features that are evident in the D-Tach product. It is inclusive of a device chip that can be bought cheaply at selected stores that sell electronics after which customers will enroll in a DVR transfer club and pay a fee to transfer favorite programs. The other option is to have a TIVO-DVR that has the D-Tach feature attached to it as a combo. Perhaps the most important factor is that feature that prevents other competitors from viewing the customers selection of programs. This feature will supplement the products basic functions and it is important to note that the best way to compete is being the first to come up with new valued features. Great consideration should be given however to how many people want each feature and how long it will take to come up with each feature and whether competitors will easily cope with the feature. CORE STRATEGY Target market: - TV watchers who have that problem to deal with & that is to share their favorite programs with other subscribers hence D-Tach will enable them record their programs and send them to other people. Positioning - D-Tach is the most superior and best and most reliable device with high quality and day-to-day product development features added to enable customer satisfaction. Distribution: - The product has two options where a customer has the option of purchasing a TIVO combo or purchasing a D-Tach chip to attach to his DVR that is available at the local electronic store like (Radio shack). Service: - Quick and available services. MARKETING MIX Marketing is vital in all types of organizations and in order to be successful, there is the need to incorporate the marketing mix. The marketing mix elements are product, price, place and promotion. Our product is D-Tach and we have looked at the product features that make it stand out from its competitors. We have also looked at place. That is how the product will reach the consumers. Good strategies for products should also consider the price. Promotional mix is important in this case because good advertising, personal selling, sales promotion and publicity skills should be employed to enhance the sales for D-Tach and expand the market. This will ensure that the bundle of benefits a customer gets from a product serve the purpose for which he bought it. This will also assist the company to alert customers to be aware of the product i.e. in advertising. There are many ways of advertising. Communication that can be used on D-Tach are visual adverts- newspapers, magazines, e.t.c. other ways are audio-visual- T.V, videos and cinemas and audio where advertisers use the radio. Another very good form of promotion to use is via the internet where D-Tach products can be placed online for customers to be aware of and purchase. Good promotions aimed directly at the customers can also enhance sales just like direct mails, fliers or posters that can keep the customer updated about the product. For this case of D-Tach where the product is sold in retail, electronic stores, personal selling is essential but there is need to employ effective sales people to sell the product and explain the important product feature. PRICE The pricing of products is pided into two. One is purchase of the special devices that will be inserted in the existing DVR systems that is, fixed price per chip and on the other hand, we have the price depending on the number of shows a customer sends per month. This varies according to the usage of the service and this pricing is rather psychological because it encourages the customers to use more product because the more programs, they send the less the cost per program and those with unlimited shows per month pay still less per month and this type of pricing tends to reward loyalty of customers to the products. The price discounts are also used as promotional methods to encourage the customers to join in as groups and organizations. This is corporate pricing. REFERENCES Armstrong G. & Kotler P. (2007). Consumer Markets: Influences on consumer behavior, Principles of Marketing. ICMR Case Studies and Management Resources. (2007). Consumer Behavior. Retrieved January 20, 2008 Kotler, P. (2005) Principles of Marketing. New York.Melbourne Press Schaik J.L., (2002); The Task of Marketing Management; J.L. van Schaik (Pity) ltd Winer, R.S. (2007). Marketing Management, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. Television & Health. Retrieved January 21, 2008 from http://www.csun.edu/~vceed002/health/docs/tv&health.html

Stationery, Cemetery, and Shepherd

Stationery, Cemetery, and Shepherd Stationery, Cemetery, and Shepherd Stationery, Cemetery, and Shepherd By Maeve Maddox Stationery Both stationery (n.), meaning writing paper, and stationary (adj.), meaning not moving, go back to the same source that gives us the noun station (a stopping place; a place where someone or something stands). In the Middle Ages a stationer was a tradesman who had a shop, as opposed to one who carried his stock around with him. Originally the word was used in a general sense to denote any shopkeeper, but came to be associated with booksellers in particular. Finally, stationer came to mean someone who sells writing materials, i.e., stationery. TIP: Stationery, like paper, is spelled with er. A parked car is stationary. Like park, the adjective stationary is spelled with ar. Cemetery This seems to be an especially endangered spelling. I have a local real estate map that spells cemetery incorrectly dozens of times. Ive even seen an official cemetery sign with the incorrect spelling. TIP: Knowing that cemetery comes into English from French cimetià ¨re may help writers recall the correct er spelling. German Shepherd Browse the pets for sale in any classified section and you will see the word for the dog spelled sheperd, shepard, and shephard. At least two of these misspellings for the dogs name are common spellings for family names. For the dog, however, the spelling is shepherd. TIP: The dog was originally bred to help in the herding of sheep or cattle. The word shepherd comes from sheepherd. A shepherd herds sheep. Think herd. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Good At, Good In, and Good With35 Genres and Other Varieties of FictionComma Before Too?

Ivy League MOOCs - Free Online Classes from the Ivies

Ivy League MOOCs - Free Online Classes from the Ivies Most of the eight ivy league universities are now offering some form of publicly available free online classes. MOOCs (massively open online classes) offer learners everywhere the opportunity to learn from ivy league instructors and interact with other students while completing their coursework. Some MOOCs even provide students the opportunity to earn a certificate that can be listed on a resume or used to demonstrate ongoing learning. See how you can take advantage of no-cost, instructor-led courses from Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, UPenn, or Yale. Keep in mind that free MOOCs are different from registering as a student at a university. If you would prefer to earn an official degree or graduate certificate from an ivy league online, check out the article on How to Earn an Online Degree from an Ivy League University. Brown Brown offers several no-cost MOOCs to the public through Coursera. Options include courses like â€Å"Coding the Matrix: Linear Algebra Through Computer Science Applications,† â€Å"Archeology’s Dirty Secrets† and â€Å"The Fiction of Relationship.† Columbia Also through Coursea, Columbia offers a number of instructor-led MOOCs. These online courses include â€Å"Economics of Money and Banking,† â€Å"How Viruses Cause Disease,† â€Å"Big Data in Education,† â€Å"Introduction to Sustainable Development,† and more. Cornell Cornell instructors offer MOOCs on a wide variety of subjects through CornellX - a part of edX. Courses include topics such as â€Å"The Ethics of Eating,† â€Å"Civic Ecology: Reclaiming Broken Places,† â€Å"American Capitalism: A History,† and â€Å"Relativity and Astrophysics.† Students can audit the courses for free or earn a verified certificate by paying a small fee. Dartmouth Dartmouth is still working on building its presence on edX. It currently offers a single course: â€Å"Introduction to Environmental Science.† The school also offers the Trustees of Dartmouth College seminar series, featuring livestream seminars for health care professionals every other Wednesday. Past seminars have included: â€Å"Behavioral Economics and Health,† â€Å"Letting Patients Help Heal Health Care: Extents and Limits of Patient Contributions,† and â€Å"Characteristics and Consequences of Hospital Closures.† Harvard Amongst the ivies, Harvard has led the way toward greater open learning. HarvardX, a part of edX, offers over fifty instructor-led MOOCs on a wide variety of subjects. Notable courses include: â€Å"Saving Schools: History, Politics, and Policy in U.S. Education,† â€Å"Poetry in America: Whitman,† â€Å"Copyright,† â€Å"The Einstein Revolution,† and â€Å"Introduction to Bioconductor.† Students may choose to audit courses or complete all coursework for a verified edX certificate. Harvard also provides a searchable database of their online courses, both current and archived. Finally, through their Open Learning Initiative, Harvard offers dozens of video lectures in Quicktime, Flash, and mp3 formats. These recorded lectures were created from actual Harvard courses. Although the recordings are not complete courses with assignments, many lecture series provide a semester’s worth of instruction. Video series include â€Å"Intensive Introduction to Computer Science,† â€Å"Abstract Algebra,† â€Å"Shakespeare After All: The Later Plays,† and more. Students can view or listen to the courses through the Open Learning Initiative site or subscribe through iTunes. Princeton Princeton provides a number of MOOCs through the Coursera platform. Options include â€Å"Analysis of Algorithms,† â€Å"Fog Networks and the Internet of Things,† â€Å"Imagining Other Earths,† and â€Å"Introduction to Sociology.† UPenn The University of Pennsylvania offers a few MOOCs via Coursera. Notable options include: â€Å"Design: Creation of Artifacts in Society,† â€Å"Principles of Microeconomics,† â€Å"Designing Cities,† and â€Å"Gamification.† UPenn also offers their own database of current and upcoming online courses, searchable by date. Yale Open Yale offers learners the opportunity to review video / audio lectures and assignments from previous Yale courses. As courses are not led by an instructor, students may access the material at any time. Currently available courses include subjects such as â€Å"Foundations of a Modern Social Theory,† â€Å"Roman Architecture,† â€Å"Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Faulkner,† and â€Å"Frontiers and Controversies in Astrophysics.† No discussion boards or opportunities for student interaction are provided. Jamie Littlefield is a writer and instructional designer. She can be reached on Twitter or through her educational coaching website: jamielittlefield.com.

Intelligence Collection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Intelligence Collection - Essay Example The subsequent retrieval operations in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatist rebels was the result of intense diplomatic negotiations to allow access but the importance of this request was to gather additional incriminating evidence as to who really shot down the airplane. An implication of materials and biologic collection techniques was to detect any traces of chemicals used in the shooting down of that plane using a missile (BBC News Europe para. 4). Chemical evidence as to what type of missile it was (a Buk or SA-11 version) can complement eyewitness accounts on the ground (HUMINT) as well as data from the radar systems in the flight path (COMINT). Part 2. Materiel Acquisition – the value of acquiring sensitive materials like that of what happened during a mid-air collision between a Chinese fighter jet and an American spy plane is to gain intelligence about what materials were used on the manufacture of the plane (sensitive or light-weight metals or other materials that deflect radar) or the extremely sophisticated electronic systems and avionics used on the spy plane. It allows China access to all these materials and be able to study them later in their own laboratories. The particular spy plane was made by the firm of defense contractor Lockheed and forced to land in Hainan Island after being damaged. But the plane was eventually returned to the U.S. in its dismantled form already (Eckert, 2002). Its value in intelligence was allow the Chinese to study as they cannot have it due to arms

Can terrorism ever be morally justified Research Paper

Can terrorism ever be morally justified - Research Paper Example The demands could be socio-economic or political. According to Igor Primoratz, terrorism can be defined as: ‘The deliberate use of violence, or threat of its use, against innocent people, with the aim of intimidating some other people into a course of action they otherwise would not take’ (Primoratz, 2011). These definitions however, form more of a general perspective to this whole idea, are simply unsatisfactory. They don’t delve into the root cause and what the ultimate objectives are behind these motives, but rather focus on what is done. The issue in its entirety is far more subtle. Virtually, in every historical era and society, there have been extremists who have used terror as their tactics to advance their cause. Of thousands of such groups that exist or have existed, the validity of their cause is often questioned. However, one element has remained consistent throughout the time, and that is their belief of being denied all the resources and opportunity to advance their cause through conventional means and that terrorism is the only way to voice their concerns and give them relief (Vague, 2007). Some studies suggest that poverty and one’s perception of unfairness and moral debauchery of Western capitalism play an integral part in forming these terrorists. Not only because they have had no other means to make their opinions heard, but also to show their hopelessness and frustration towards their oppressors.

Philippines Essay Example for Free

Philippines Essay Aquino evoked the people of the phili to awaken their senses that freedom is possible. I guess it means that he was willing to die in order for the Filipinos to stand up to the Marcos dictatorship. He believed that Filipinos are worth dying for because he is the future of this nation. Ninoys death one incident that had brought so many changes in our society. It was the turning point because a few years later, Marcos was thrown out by a peaceful and popular revolt How would the Philippines look today, if it wasn’t for Ninoy’s love for freedom and for the people that he went against Marcos. Instead of putting our country at a battle, he chose to suffer long years of solitary confinement. Because he much value human life especially those Filipinos who would be sacrificed at the altar of revolution. we should also ask ourselves whether Ninoy’ death have made us worthy as Filipinos. In sacrificing his own life for Filipinos, Ninoy made the ultimate noble act nobody among us could ever repay. Death for the love of the country is the highest form of personal sacrifice only heroes are destined for. This is the land of our birth, the only place we Filipinos could truly call our home. If only, we understood well and took these words of Ninoy into our hearts and minds, †The Filipinos are worth dying forâ€Å", perhaps, our country would have been the greatest nation on earth. I think the death of Ninoy we were all to blame. If only we fought earlier for our freedom. Does it takes a mans life to be sacrificed for us to be awaken to the truth and fight for justice?

Fly Away Peter :: essays research papers

Dear Journal Jim, Jim, Jim - thinking about the senseless murder of Jim by men who never knew him or disliked him except for his nationality. I began to realise that the world is changing everyday and I can’t stop it. I started to stroll down the undulating dunes of the gold coast towards the vast desolate beaches. My feet sunk down into the sand and the thousands of tiny white sand grains slipped down into my shoes. I reached the pounding shore and lay my equipment on the ground. Jim, Ashley and I where completely different people in terms of our social standing’s but our undying love and compassion for the birds brought us together. Nothing could take that from us. All I could think of is, â€Å"What am I doing,† on this sphere they call Earth, â€Å"why am I here† and more importantly why was Jim taken off this planet. Is life a metaphor for something bigger and if so, what is it? There is some comfort that I feel knowing that Jim has gone to a better place, a place that he knows is a sacred haven. As I looked at the perfectly formed white and peaceful dunes stretching endlessly along the coast I think of how transcendental and peaceful the beach is compared to where Jim was before he died. When I think about the waste and lives that this war has ravaged, I feel like yelling out. I contemplate about how upset Jim’s father was when I saw him and I couldn’t bear it, I felt like breaking down and weeping.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The waves are the most perfect creation of God; the ocean is one huge swell that rushes towards of beachfront, searching for a special place were they might show their power and life purpose. They may spend a lifetime roaming the ocean and when they finally reach the shore, their force spent and not even a single man may see it, and if so, is it a wasted wave? The power, force and beauty of those waves last only a few seconds and yet how many humans appreciate those seconds. These thoughts that were roaming around in my head made me think of Jim and his life. To me, Jim’s life was a short but significant one. Where he touched so many of us, but mostly Ashley’s and I. Whenever, I think of the first time I met Jim, I visualise a man who seemed so confident and always had his own firm opinions. Fly Away Peter :: essays research papers Dear Journal Jim, Jim, Jim - thinking about the senseless murder of Jim by men who never knew him or disliked him except for his nationality. I began to realise that the world is changing everyday and I can’t stop it. I started to stroll down the undulating dunes of the gold coast towards the vast desolate beaches. My feet sunk down into the sand and the thousands of tiny white sand grains slipped down into my shoes. I reached the pounding shore and lay my equipment on the ground. Jim, Ashley and I where completely different people in terms of our social standing’s but our undying love and compassion for the birds brought us together. Nothing could take that from us. All I could think of is, â€Å"What am I doing,† on this sphere they call Earth, â€Å"why am I here† and more importantly why was Jim taken off this planet. Is life a metaphor for something bigger and if so, what is it? There is some comfort that I feel knowing that Jim has gone to a better place, a place that he knows is a sacred haven. As I looked at the perfectly formed white and peaceful dunes stretching endlessly along the coast I think of how transcendental and peaceful the beach is compared to where Jim was before he died. When I think about the waste and lives that this war has ravaged, I feel like yelling out. I contemplate about how upset Jim’s father was when I saw him and I couldn’t bear it, I felt like breaking down and weeping.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The waves are the most perfect creation of God; the ocean is one huge swell that rushes towards of beachfront, searching for a special place were they might show their power and life purpose. They may spend a lifetime roaming the ocean and when they finally reach the shore, their force spent and not even a single man may see it, and if so, is it a wasted wave? The power, force and beauty of those waves last only a few seconds and yet how many humans appreciate those seconds. These thoughts that were roaming around in my head made me think of Jim and his life. To me, Jim’s life was a short but significant one. Where he touched so many of us, but mostly Ashley’s and I. Whenever, I think of the first time I met Jim, I visualise a man who seemed so confident and always had his own firm opinions.

Ashitaba herb Essay

Ashltaba Is a large herb that grows primarily In the central region of Japan. Its root, leaf, and stem are used to make medicine. Ashitaba is used for â€Å"heartburn, stomach ulcers, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, gout, constipation, and fever. It is also used for cancer, smallpox, fluid retention, blood clots, and food poisoning. Women use it to increase the now ot breast milk. The fresh leaves and dried powder are used as food. There is not enough information to know how ashitaba might work. Some chemicals in ashitaba seem to work as antioxidants. Other chemicals might block secretions of stomach acid. But most research has been done on animals or in test tubes, not people. *Disadvantages Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Not enough is known about the use of ashitaba during pregnancy and breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use. The appropriate dose of ashitaba depends on several factors such as the user’s age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for ashitaba. *Advantages One of the fundamental actions of Ashltaba Is that It is great at activating Blood. The application for this is apparent in the treatment in the menstrual problems. It removes stagnation in the uterus, which will help with many menstrual difficulties. It also increases blood flow. Ashitaba is a useful Lactagogue, that is, an agent which Induces the secretion of mother’s milk. There Is anecdotal evidence from Japan of a cow that was fed Ashitaba and had record milk production. By analogy, Ashitaba could be used with mastitis or low milk production after delivery.

Promote Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Work with Children and Young People Essay

It provides legal rights for disabled people in the areas of: †¢ employment †¢ education †¢ access to goods, services and facilities including larger private clubs and land based transport services †¢ buying and renting land or property functions of public bodies, for example the issuing of licenses The Equality Act also provides rights for people not to be directly discriminated against or harassed because they have an association with a disabled person. This can apply to a carer or parent of a disabled person. In addition, people must not be directly discriminated against or harassed because they are wrongly perceived to be disabled. Disability Discrimination Act 1995 Protects the rights of all those with disabilities. It also places a duty on schools (and other organisations) to eliminate barriers to ensure that individuals can gain equal access to services, Disability Discrimination Act 2005 Places a duty for schools to produce a Disability Equality Scheme (DES) and an Access Plan. Schools must encourage participation in all aspects of schools life and eliminate harassment and unlawful discrimination. Special Education Needs and Disability Act 2001 The Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 (SENDA) establishes legal rights for disabled students in pre and post-16 education. The Act introduces the right for disabled students not to be discriminated against in education, training and any services provided wholly or mainly for students, and for those enrolled on courses provided by ‘responsible bodies’, including further and higher education institutions and sixth form colleges. Student services covered by the Act can include a wide range of educational and non-educational services, such as field trips, examinations and assessments and short courses.

Bush Tax Cut essays

Bush Tax Cut essays After a great 8 years under President Clintons fiscal discipline in the government, we have had a great economic surplus that included other huge surpluses as well. President Bush wants a huge tax cut that obviously can increase interest rates and recreate the loss of consumer and business confidence that had the same deficits during the late 80s and early 90s. While President Bushs proposed tax cut of roughly $2 trillion seems extremely favorable, the reality is that it will hurt the future of our country greatly. Robert E. Rubin, former Secretary of the Treasury, knows a lot about our money and can easily see that President Bushs huge tax cut can create a huge error in economic policy. When looking over the last 20 years and how we have done with fiscal discipline and without fiscal discipline, we can find many clues that our nation has benefited from fiscal discipline. First off, we have gained greatly when our nation has been committed to fiscal discipline and lose greatly when it is not. Another reason is that we have a huge duty to not pass on the burdens of a huge national debt and recession to the next generation, when we can act and stop problems from happening today. In 1993 when President Clinton restored fiscal discipline, there was a huge economic transformation. This transformation included the creation of many new jobs, rising incomes, low inflation, lower percentage of unemployment, and much of todays large current surpluses. Fiscal discipline also contributed greatly to the restoration of confidence by consumers and business that resulted in increase demand, increased investment in new technologies, increased productivity, and sustained growth in gross domestic product. These extremely favorable conditions all occurred because of fiscal discipline and by brining in a huge tax cut of $2 trillion we are seriously threatening the fiscal soundness currently in the federal governmen...

Best Summary and Analysis The Great Gatsby, Chapter 2

Best Summary and Analysis The Great Gatsby, Chapter 2 SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If The Great Gatsbywere college, Chapter 2 would be the drunk frat party that gets way out of control, with Tom Buchanan as that guy yelling at everyone to chug. That’s because this chapter is all about Tom’s double life: Nick meets his mistress, gets wasted at her small apartment party in Manhattan, and gets an up close and personal view into Tom’s violent tendencies. Read on for a fullThe Great Gatsby Chapter 2summary, plus explication of connections to the book’s main themes and analysis of important passages! Quick Note on Our Citations Our citation format in this guide is (chapter.paragraph). We're using this system since there are many editions of Gatsby, so using page numbers would only work for students with our copy of the book. To find a quotation we cite via chapter and paragraph in your book, you can either eyeball it (Paragraph 1-50: beginning of chapter; 50-100: middle of chapter; 100-on: end of chapter), or use the search function if you're using an online or eReader version of the text. The Great Gatsby: Chapter 2Summary Nick describes the â€Å"valley of ashes† that is the area between the rich suburb of West Egg and Manhattan. This is the gray and dirty part of the borough of Queens that you drive through to get from Long Island to NYC. Above this bleak, smoky, unpleasant landscape is a giant billboard advertising Dr. T. J. Eckleburg, an eye doctor. The billboard is a set of giant eyes that seems to be surveying or judging everything below. Tom’s mistress lives in this â€Å"ash heaps† area. One day, when Nick takes the train with Tom to Manhattan, Tom suddenly makes him get off at a random stop to meet her. They go to a garage owned by George Wilson, who seems to be in the middle of buying a car from Tom.Myrtle Wilson, George’s wife, comes down to the garage. She isn’t beautiful, but is attractive because she is plump and lively. Tom quickly makes a plan to meet her in the city. He and Nick leave, and Tom explains that George has no idea that Myrtle is having an affair with Tom. Tom insists Myrtle meet him in Manhattan, so she boards the same train as Tom and Nick, but she sits in a different car to be discreet, and they then meet up at the station. Myrtle decides she would like a dog, and Tom buys her a puppy from a condescending passing salesman. Nick tries to leave Tom and Myrtle, but they insist he come up to their apartment very far uptown. The apartment is small, gaudily decorated, and uncomfortable. Tom brings out a bottle of whiskey. For the second time in his life (or so he claims), Nick gets drunk, so his memory of what happens next is somewhat hazy. Nevertheless, we get the sense that Tom and Myrtle have sex while Nick politely reads a book in the other room. Then some guests come over: Myrtle’s sister Catherine, as well as a photographer named McKee and his horrible wife.Myrtle lords it over her guests. The McKees fawn over her and Tom, complimenting her dress and devising ways of photographing her artistically. Tom plies them with alcohol.Meanwhile, Catherine tells Nick that she’s been to a party at Gatsby’s house. According to her, Gatsby is so rich because he is Kaiser Wilhelm’s cousin. Catherine then tells Nick that both Tom and Myrtle hate the people they’re married to; she wonders why they don’t divorced and marry each other instead. When Myrtle overhears, she says something obscene about George Wilson. According to Catherine, these divorces don’t happen because Daisy is Catholic. Nick, who knows that Daisy is not Catholic, is shocked by what has obviously been Tom’s lie. Nick then remembers Mrs. McKee using an anti-Semitic slur to talk about a failed suitor.Myrtle responds that her own mistake had been to marry the suitor that she should have ignored. Nick keeps trying and failing to leave the party. Myrtle tells him the story of how she first met Tom on the train. He picked her up by pressing himself against her when they got out on the platform. Later that night, Myrtle and Tom have an argument about Daisy and Tom hits her so hard that he breaks her nose. Nick leaves the party and goes home with McKee, the photographer. The narrative gets harder and harder to follow as Nick’s inebriation really catches up with him. Nick somehow ends up at the train station, waiting for the 4 am train to get back to West Egg. One interpretation of Nick going home with the photographer is that Nick is actually gay. We delve into this theory on NIck's character page. Key Chapter 2 Quotes About half way between West Egg and New York the motor-road hastily joins the railroad and runs beside it for a quarter of a mile, so as to shrink away from a certain desolate area of land. This is a valley of ashesa fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air. (2.1) Every time anyone goes from Long Island to Manhattan or back, they go through this depressing industrial area in the middle of Queens. The factories located here pollute the air and land around them - their detritus is what makes the â€Å"ash† dust that covers everything and everyone. This is the place where those who cannot succeed in the rat raceend up, hopeless and lacking any way to escape. Check out our focused article for a much more in-depth analysis of what the crucial symbol of â€Å"the valley of ashes†stands for in this novel. The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantictheir retinas are one yard high. They look out of no face but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a nonexistent nose. Evidently some wild wag of an oculist set them there to fatten his practice in the borough of Queens, and then sank down himself into eternal blindness or forgot them and moved away. But his eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless days under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground. (2.2) There is no God in the novel. None of the characters seems to be religious, no one wonders about the moral or ethical implications of any actions, and in the end, there are no punishments doled out to the bad or rewards given to the good. This lack of religious feeling is partly what makes Tom’s lie to Myrtle about Daisy being a Catholic particularly egregious. This lack of even a basic moral framework is underscored by the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg, a giant billboard that is as close as this world gets to having a watchful authoritative presence. Mrs. Wilson had changed her costume some time before and was now attired in an elaborate afternoon dress of cream colored chiffon, which gave out a continual rustle as she swept about the room. With the influence of the dress her personality had also undergone a change. The intense vitality that had been so remarkable in the garage was converted into impressive hauteur. Her laughter, her gestures, her assertions became more violently affected moment by moment and as she expanded the room grew smaller around her until she seemed to be revolving on a noisy, creaking pivot through the smoky air. (2.56) This chapter is our main exposure to Myrtle Wilson, Tom’s mistress. Here, we see the main points of her personality - or at least the way that she comes across to Nick. First, it’s interesting to note that aside from Tom, whose hulkish physique Nick really pays a lot of attention to, Myrtle is the only character whose physicality is dwelt on at length. We hear a lot about her body and the way she moves in space - here, we not only get her â€Å"sweeping† across the room, â€Å"expanding,† and â€Å"revolving,† but also the sense that her â€Å"gestures† are somehow â€Å"violent.† It makes sense that for Nick, who is into the cool and detached Jordan, Myrtle’s overenthusiastic affect is a little off-putting. But remember this focus on Myrtle’s body when you read Chapter 7, where this body will be exposed in a shocking way. Some time toward midnight Tom Buchanan and Mrs. Wilson stood face to face discussing in impassioned voices whether Mrs. Wilson had any right to mention Daisy's name. "Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!" shouted Mrs. Wilson. "I'll say it whenever I want to! Daisy! Dai" Making a short deft movement Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand. (2.124-126) This bit of violencesuccinctlyencapsulates Tom’s brutality, how little he thinks of Myrtle, and it also speaks volumes about their vastly unequal and disturbing relationship. Two things to think about: Why doesn’t Tom want Myrtle to mention Daisy? It could be a way of maintaining discretion - to keep secret her identity in order to hide the affair. But, considering everyone in town apparently knows about Myrtle, this doesn’t seem to be the reason. More likely is the fact that Tom does actually hold Daisy in much higher regard than Myrtle, and he refuses to let the lower class woman â€Å"degrade† his high-class wife by talking about her freely. This is yet again an example of his extreme snobbery. Tom is a person who uses his body to get what he wants. Sometimes this is within socially acceptable boundaries - for example, on the football field at Yale - and sometimes it is to browbeat everyone around him into compliance. It’s also interesting that both Tom and Myrtle are such physically present characters in the novel - in this moment, Myrtle is the only character that actually stands up to Tom. In a way, they are a perfect match. In my fanfic reworking of this scene, Myrtle would get to really go to town on Tom, MMA-style. Chapter 2 Analysis So how does this chapter contribute to our understanding of the novel's themes? And what are the most significant character beats to remember? I'llanswer those questions in this section. Themes and Symbols Love, Desire, and Relationships. At the party, the guests discuss love and marriage. Two separate threads in this conversation stand out: In Catherine’s eyes, the situation between Myrtle and Tom couldn’t be clearer: both don’t like their spouses, both are into each other, so the obvious solution would be for the two of them to run off together. Of course, we see that Tom would never leave Daisy for Myrtle - she is just someone he can feel free to abuse, since he can always buy her compliance with more cheap gifts. Myrtle describes her decision to marry Wilson as a case of mistaken identity. She thought he was a gentleman, but his veneer of class - exemplified by the fact that he â€Å"He borrowed somebody's best suit to get married in and never even told me† (2.6) - was almost immediately dispelled after the wedding. This is very reminiscent of both what happens to Daisy, as Tom cheats on her during their honeymoon, revealing his MO; and what almost happens to Daisy and Gatsby, who is yet another man who seems like a gentleman but is actually living in a borrowed â€Å"suit† and a borrowed identity. Society and Class. After seeing the heights of the upper classes on East Egg and the lows of the factory workers in the valley of ashes, this chapter shows us what life is like for a segment of the middle class. Myrtle is desperate to get as far away from her depressing life with Wilson at the gas station as she can, surrounding herself with the material trappings that Tom can provide: an apartment, clothes, and an accessory dog. The American Dream. In a novel that is all about the American drive to get ahead, Myrtleis one of the strivers, willing to put up with terrible treatment in exchange for a chance to climb higher. So are the people hanging on her coattails, like the McKees and Catherine. Seeing her with this shows us just how striated (separated into layers) society is, as Myrtle grabs every tiny opportunity to demonstrate her slightly higher status to her entourage. The Eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg.This world is defined by its lawless amorality, and there is no voice of moral authority to pass judgment on the bad behavior of the characters. All we get is an inanimate object that hints at the possibility of a divine watcher. But, even though these disembodied eyes do make wrong-doers feel uncomfortable under their gaze, they can't actually prevent anything. For example,Tom is entirely comfortable lying. He maintains a mistress, lying to Daisy about his phone calls. And it turns out that he is lying to Myrtle as well, telling her that the reason he can’t divorce his wife is that Daisy is a Catholic. He winces under the eyes of the billboard, but it doesn't deter him in any way. The Valley of Ashes. There are those who live in palaces in West and East Egg. There are those who party in apartments in Manhattan. But this chapter shows us what happens to the people who get left behind, and who can't muster up the luck and energy needed to "win." They end up in the gray wasteland of industrial Queens, enabling the rich to get richer through their depressing, polluted, and monotonous labor. Are there any happy marriages in this book? Like, how are Nick’s parents doing? Or that random horseback riding couple we’ll see later? Anybody? Crucial Character Beats Tom drags Nick to meet Myrtle at Wilson’s gas station, in the middle of the â€Å"valley of ashes† that is industrial Queens. They arrange to meet in Manhattan, where Myrtle hosts a little party in her apartment. Myrtle lords it over her guests and reveals how miserable she is in her marriage. It’s also clear that Tom has been lying to Myrtle about his own marriage in order to string her along. The party breaks up after Tom punches Myrtle in the face and breaks her nose. He does it because she mentions Daisy’s name. What’s Next? Get deeper into the characters of Tomand Myrtleto really dig into what function they play in the novel. Draw comparisons between Myrtle and Daisyto see how these two almost diametrically opposed women actually have some important things in common. Also, explore how each perceives her relationships with men. Move on to thesummary of Chapter 3, or revisit the summary of Chapter 1. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Auto-ethnography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Auto-ethnography - Essay Example This was the exact description of my childhood days. No limits to govern me and no color to choose from all the children were my friends and I really boasted to have them. Going back home from school one afternoon, my friend and I were waiting for the usual train at the station. When the train arrived and we were rushing to get in one young man shouted at my friend, ‘hey, negro get in fast’. At the moment that did not click in my mind that it was a racial attack and as I tried to calm my really offended friend I embarked to know what was wrong with it. My friend is black and this was the first outright racial abuse that I had seen directed at her. As the days progressed I learnt much about racial discrimination and the selection by race that is so much engrossed in our society. I had been brought up from a background that had no racial bias and when I joined college I found that some students really discriminated others and even went ahead to choose their friends from the filtered group of friends from the ‘favored race’. This is why I decided I had to start a campaign against racism. Race should not be a factor to measure so meone’s ability or determine her strengths. Today I am glad for the step I took some years back to sensitize my friends against racism. We have a group of multiracial students and we are doing great in the field. Our first step is to fight individualism. Tocqueville defines individualism as ‘calm and considered feeling which disposes each citizen to isolate himself from the mass of his fellows and withdraw into the circle of family and friends, with this little society formed to his task; he gladly leaves the greater society to look after itself’ (39). With this understanding we have to take the initiative and impact change on the society as it is solely our mandate to ensure that

The Hotel Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Hotel Industry - Essay Example the customers. For any commercial organization it is then a people versus people equation for its survival. Unlike other resources which an organization deploys people or its staff are live resources that think, have feelings, aspirations, motives and emotions which get nurtured, developed ,frustrated or stunted every now and then. No human would be willing to work with frustrated aspirations or stunted and suppressed feelings. Thus it becomes incumbent on an organization to nurture and develop the feelings, aspirations, emotions of its employees. This is the traditional function of the human resource management function in any organization. Present day literature, however lays more emphasis on strategic human resource management wherein the human resource management function is aligned in such a manner that fulfilling human resource management function automatically ensures reaching strategic objectives of the organization. In short the human resource management function is woven wi th in the overall strategy of the organization. ... tivities that are undertaken consciously or unconsciously, internally or externally to an organization whereby human resources of the organization are developed and utilized in a manner to maximize achievement of organizational goals. One important precept of entire human resources' management exercise is the recognition of the fact that the most valuable resource for any organization is its human factor; it is the only live factor and thus the only truly mouldable factor. Therefore human resource management (HRM) is a term used to represent that part of an organization's activities concerned with the recruitment, development and management of its employees (Wood & Wall, 2002). Employee empowerment is an important piece of strategic initiatives in human resource management in any hotelling organization. Empowerment if adopted as a conscious strategy has important implications for employee motivation, performance and the quality of the service offered by the hotel. This paper seeks to examine the issue of employee empowerment in some star hotels in Jordan in the back drop of a comprehensive literature review. The Hotel Industry Parks (2003) states with abundant clarity the role of human interface in hotel industry in following words," The hospitality industry is obviously customer-service driven. If your employees aren't satisfied in their jobs, their unhappiness is bound to spill over into their attitudes and behaviors toward clients and guests. Most hospitality positions require people to be in constant communication with the public while servicing guests. Because of this, employee satisfaction is vitally important to the success of your business. Everyone knows that it costs much more to hire and train a new employee than it does to keep an existing employee.

The Development of Marine And Wildlife Tourism In Scotland Essay

The Development of Marine And Wildlife Tourism In Scotland - Essay Example For example, the David Fleay Wildlife Park on the Gold Coast breeds rare and endangered animals (Moscardo et al, 2001), which means that the native species are being cared for and tourists are being offered the opportunity to see something unique. Scotland can definitely learn from this in future development by emphasizing the fact that the Moray Firth and other Scottish marine areas are the best places to see dolphins and whales in the UK (Wilson et al, 1997). Offering something which is unique to the customer will enhance the profits of the area and ensure that visitors keep coming back. The Australian organisation Wildlife Tourism Australia is also an important reference point for many countries wishing to expand on their marine and wildlife tourism sectors. This organisation acts as an important mediator between tourism and conservation of the area. It also encourages donations to wildlife parks that may make conservation efforts easier (Moscardo et al, 2001). This may be particu larly useful in future development; using some of the money made from wildlife and marine tourism to promote the conservation of the local environment. This direction would help ameliorate some of the problems that come from expanding the tourism industry in such important conservation areas. It would also be a selling point to the consumer who wants to make sure that they give back to the environment. Then evaluate the social, economic and environmental value of marine and wildlife tourism that can be gained by Scotland from the development of this specialist tourism. Marine and wildlife tourism holds a spectacular amount of value for Scotland.... This paper stresses that perhaps the most important part of developing the wildlife and marine tourism of the area needs to be ensuring that the wildlife and marine environment is protected. This is to fall in line with some important UK environment laws, and to ensure that the area which is attracting these tourists remains in a state to continue to be an attraction for years to come. Development in the area, particularly around the coastline, needs to be kept to a sustainable level, although growth will be needed if plans are to make Scotland and Moray Firth into wildlife and marine tourist attractions. Additionally, this growth will need to fall in line with UK regulations. This report makes a conclusion that development for tourist provisions will need to be kept well away from these areas to ensure that full protection is given to the wildlife. A good idea for getting visitors involved in the natural environment without damage would be to offer conservation holidays, which would allow them to be part of the work going on in these areas. A good marketing point could be to emphasize the fact that the area has unique species within the UK, and tied into the dolphin and whale spotting mentioned previously. A final way of marketing the area would be to encourage visitors from Scotland and other parts of the UK. This would be good in the current economic climate as many people are choosing to take cheaper holidays. The author talks that co-operation with the society would mean that the preservation of the area in the way most appropriate for the natural environment could be attained whilst also developing it as a visitor attraction.

The Benefits Of Strategic Planning Business Essay

The Benefits Of Strategic Planning Business Essay Formal strategic planning is affected by the macro-environment and this is the highest level layer in the framework, this consists of a wide range of environmental factors that impact to some extent on almost all organisations. The PESTEL framework can be used to identify how future trends in the Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environment and Legal environments might affect an organisation. Pestel analysis provides the broad date from which key drivers to change can be identified. By using these key drivers organisations can envision scenarios for the future. Scenarios can be used to help organisations decide if change needs to happen depending on the different ways in which the business environment may change. It is important for managers to analyse these factors in the present and how they are likely to change in the future. By analysing these, managers will be able to draw out implications for the organisation. Pestel factors are sometimes linked together i.e. technological factors can impact on economic factors. It is necessary to identify the key drivers of change these are environmental factors that are likely to have a high impact on the success or failure of the strategy. Key drivers vary by industry i.e. Primark may be concerned by social changes that can change customer tastes and behaviours. The critical issues are the implications that are drawn from the understanding in guiding strategic decisions and choices. The next stage is drawn from the environmental analysis specifically strategic opportunities and threats for the organisation. Having the ability to identify these opportunities and threats is extremely valuable when thinking about strategic choices for the future. Opportunities and threats form one half of the SWOT analysis that shapes a companys formulation. The use of SWOT analysis can help summarise the key issues from the business environment and the strategic capability of an organisation that are most likely to impact on strategy development. Once the key issues have been identified an organisation can then assess if it is capable to deal with the changes taking place within the business environment. If the strategic capability is to be understood the business must remember that it is not absolute but relative to its competitors. SWOT analysis is only useful if it is comparative, that is it examines strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. SWOT analysis should help focus discussion on the future choices and to what extent an organisation is capable of supporting these strategies. SWOT analysis should not be used a substitute for more in-depth analysis. In responding strategically to the environment the goal is to reduce identified threats and take advantages of the best opportunities. Peter Drucker (1954), discussing the importance of business policy and strategic planning in his book The Practice of Management says we cannot be content with plans for a future that we can foresee. We must prepare for all possible and a good many impossible contingencies. We must have a workable solution for anything that may come up. By taking advantage of the strategic gap (which is an opportunity in the competitive environment that has not been fully exploited by competitors) organisations can manage threats and opportunities. Core competencies are a set of linked business processes that deliver superior value to the customer, when these are combined they create strategic value and can lead to competitive advantage. By using Porters five forces analysis which is a framework for organisations to analyse industry and business strategy, they can draw upon the five forces that determine the competitive intensity and therefore attractiveness of a market. Three of Porters five forces refer to competition from external sources and the other two are internal threats. This analysis is just one part of the complete Porter strategic model the others include the value chain (VC) and the generic strategies. According to Porter (2008) the job of a strategist is too understand and cope with competition; however managers define competition too narrowly as if it has occurred only among today direct competitors. Competition goes beyond profits to include competitive forces such as customers, suppliers, potential entrants and substitute products; the extended rivalry that results from all five forces defines an industrys structure and shapes the nature of competition within an industry. For example Apple are good at technology and innovation therefore they can take the opportunities that give them competitive advantage and makes them leaders compared to Samsung or Nokia. Porters says there are 5 forces that shape the competition: Threat of new entrants Bargaining power of customers powerful customers usually bargain for better services which involve cost and investment Bargaining power of suppliers may determine the cost of raw materials and other inputs effecting profitability Rivalry among competitors competition influences the pricing and other costs like advertising etc. Threats from substitutes where-ever substantial investments in RD is taking place, the threat of substitutes is large. It also affects profitability. Competitive advantage is the heart of strategy and for the strategy to succeed the organisation should have relevant competitive advantage. We can see an example of this with Toshiba who operate in electrical goods, through a flexible manufacturing system it manufactures different products / varieties of some products on the same assembly lines. At Ohme it assembles nine varieties of computers on the same line and on the adjacent line it assembles 20 varieties of lap top computers. It is able to switch from one product / variety to another instantly at low cost and makes profits on low volume runs too. This flexibility of Toshiba to respond quickly and easily to the fast changing market demand is definitely one of its competitive advantages. Whereas its competitors make profits only through long volume runs of a particular model. However, there are a lot of companies who are choosing not to invest due to the recession; however Lidl and Aldi are taking advantage of supplying cheaper products giving them competitive advantage over say Waitrose. Benefits of Strategic Planning Effective strategic planning can positively improve the performance of an organisation and give them the ability to serve more clients, access additional resources or enhance the quality of service/product. It can also offer solutions to major organisational issues or challenges and gives stakeholders of the organisation an opportunity to develop harmonic solutions to long-term issues/challenges that have been affecting the organisation. Furthermore it allows for forward thinking, allowing an organisation the opportunity to pause and revisit the mission and create long-term vision. It allows clear future direction allowing stakeholders to look to the future, plan and respond to changes. Evaluation One of the major drawbacks of formal strategic planning is the uncertain dynamic environment, things change constantly and everything becomes shorter. The recession at the present time is making everything unpredictable and this is not good for strategic planning. According to Mintzberg (1994) strategic planning should be used to devise and implement the competitiveness of each business unit. Scientific management was pioneered by Fredrick Taylor (1856-1915) and involved separating thinking from doing and thus creating a new function staffed by specialists. Planning systems were expected to produce the best strategies as well as step by step instructions on how to achieve this, but this never worked well. According to Mintzberg strategic planning is not strategic thinking, the most successful strategies are visions, not plans. When an organisation can differentiate between planning and strategic thinking they can then get back to what the strategy making process should be. Once a manger has the ability to learn from all sources around him, including personal experiences and market research and can integrate this into a vision of the direction that the business can then pursue. Mintzberg suggests that strategic planning is a misconception and rests upon three unsound arguments: that prediction is possible, thats strategists can be detached from the subjects of their strategies, and that the strategy-making process can be formalised. Strategic thinkers can apply lessons learned from Mintzberg (1994) three inherent fallacies of traditional planning: The Fallacy of Prediction is the assumption that we can actually control events through a formalised process that involves people engaged in creative or even routine work and can manage to stay on the predicted course. You need more than hard facts you need the personal touch. People are not objective, they are complex. The Fallacy of Detachment is the assumption we can separate the planning from the doing, if the system does the thinking, then strategies must be detached from the tactics. Formulation from implementation, thinkers from doers. One objective is to make sure senior managers receive relevant information without having to immense themselves in the details. One fact is innovation has never been institutionalised and systems have never been able to reproduce the synthesis created by the entrepreneur or the ordinary strategist and probably never will. The Fallacy of Formulisation suggests that systems could certainly process more information, at least hard information. However they could never internalise it, comprehend it, and put it all together. Such control is more a dream that a reality. Reality tells us that anomalies, the fickle behaviour of humans and the limitations of analysis play a huge factor in the organisational outcomes and to disregard them is risky and could lead to incomplete planning. What are the limitations of strategic planning when things are changing rapidly? The limitations of formal strategic planning can be seen if the future is uncertain and the expectations divert from the plan. There could also be internal resistance to formal strategic planning due to factors including: Information flows, decision making and power relationships could be unsettled Current operating problems may drive out long-term planning efforts There are risks and fears of failure New demands will be placed on managers and staff Conflicts with the organisation are exposed Planning is expensive in time and money Planning is difficult and hard work The completed plan limits choices and activities for the organisation in the future CONCLUSIONS The question posed seems to be is strategic planning worthwhile. The answer to this lies within the organisation and is dependent upon size. It seems that the ability to learn and implement strategies contributes to the business performance of small or medium sized companies in a dynamic industry. Leadership is important and organisations today have to deal with dynamic and uncertain environments. To ensure success organisations must be strategically aware. They must understand how changes in their competitive environment are unfolding. They should constantly be on the lookout for new opportunities to exploit their strategic abilities, build on awareness and understanding of current strategies and successes. Organisations must be able to respond quickly in response to opportunities and threats. Organisations must compete effectively and out-perform their rivals in a dynamic environment; they must find suitable ways for creating and adding value for their customers. Overall they must be flexible. Organisations could think about changing their strategy to an emergent strategy which would allow them to adapt to new ideas and according to change. Emergent strategy implies that an organisation is learning what works in practice. An example of this is Groupon who provide daily deals in large cities and in return Groupon get a percentage of the deal usually 50% from the company providing the deal. The company is on track to make $500M in revenue this year and has raised its last round at a $1.35B valuation. Groupon is an example of an emergent strategy which has transformed several times. Organisations could think about downsizing production before closure as companies are killed due to an uncertain dynamic environment. In an article labelled The Real Value of Strategic Planning one manager said our planning process is like a primitive tribal ritual there is a lot of dancing, waving of feathers and beating of drums. No one is exactly sure why we do it, but there is an almost mystical hope that something good will come out of it. Another said, Its like the old Communist system: We pretend to make strategy and they pretend to follow it. Henry Mintzberg has gone so far as to label the phrase strategic planning an oxymoron. He notes that real strategy is made informally in hallway conversations, in working groups, and in quiet moments of reflection on long plane flights and rarely in the panelled conference rooms where formal planning meetings are held.

The Motionless Arrow: Aristotles Thoughts On Zenos Arror Argument :: essays research papers

The Motionless Arrow: Aristotle's Thoughts on Zeno's Arror Argument Aristotle's thoughts on Zeno's Arrow Argument as represented in Chapter 9 of Aristotle's Physics: A Guided Study can be understood in such a way that it might not be "next door to madness". In this chapter, Aristotle interprets Zeno's argument of the Flying Arrow as "missing the mark". There are four premises for this argument, and in Aristotle's opinion, premise three can be rejected. He does not believe that time is composed of indivisible nows, which he proves with laws of science. However, by evaluating the falsity of premise three, you will find that premises one and two are also false. Almost all opinions can be argued, however, and by evaluating the philosophy of both men, many points can be reached about the validity and soundness of the argument. Though, by finding the premises false, the argument is not sound, and therefore, Zeno's argument leaves much to be said. Deciphering from what we know of the argument by what Aristotle tells us in Chapter 9, the premises are sketched out: 1. Everything is at rest when at a place equal to it; 2. The Flying arrow is at rest when at a place equal to it; 3. Time is composed of indivisible nows (instants). 4. Everything that changes place is doing so in the now. 5. Conclusion: The flying arrow doesn't move. According to Zeno, time is composed of many indivisible nows, or instants. Aristotle disagrees, stating in line 210 that no magnitude, including time, is composed of indivisible nows. Exactly how long is an instant? Is time finite? As you start dividing time, the smaller you get, the less movement occurs. But even when you do divide it smaller and smaller, is there not at least some small amount of movement occurring? When will time get so small that movement does not occur? This is Aristotle's reasoning: that time will never get to a "smallest" point, as length will never have a "smallest" division. Therefore, he is rejecting the third premise, stating that time is not composed of indivisible segments. Zeno, however, feels that time can be divided into a "smallest" part. After all, in physics, you can determine an object's instantaneous velocity or acceleration at a specific point in its journey, at a specific time. Wouldn't this make time indivisible? Velocity and acceleration are given to mean motion, which means the object is moving at this specific point in time. Therefore, according to Aristotle, this paradox would not be so if it were not taken that time were composed of nows. By rejecting this premise, and reevaluating the argument, you will read

International Human Resource Management Essay

1.0 Executive Summary The world of international HR management (IHRM) is changing. As companies shift operations abroad, IHRM is moving beyond expatriate programs. Today’s IHR managers are charged with scaling and managing overseas HR operations. This shift has not only created new opportunities for IHRM professionals, but also for companies looking to staff operations abroad. Possibly one of the greatest challenges facing the IHRMs is the fact that they are now dealing with not an individual employee but a whole family and their needs as a family in the relocation process. Some IHRMs find it more difficult than others to adjust to the added dimension of having to deal with the spouse and family on a more intimate level than before. After all, they are now relocating them halfway around the world and away from their support structures. They have to be prepared to get a lot more involved in the family as a whole and not just think they have to communicate with the employee only as is often the case when dealing with an employee here at home base. Throughout this assignment, we are examined the implications of differences in national culture for policy and practice in of the following aspects of human resource management: * Performance appraisal * Training and development 2.0 Training and Development Important components of international human resources management include both cross-cultural training and a clear understanding of the overseas assignment as part of a manager’s development. 2.1 Training Cross-cultural training is necessary for expatriates managers and their families before, during and after foreign assignments. As different countries have different culture, regardless how close of those areas, such as Taiwan and Mainland China, USA and Canada. Maybe they are talking the same language, however, their perception of social values, business practices are different. In Western, especially in USA, people are more individualism. In the contrary, Eastern people, such as Chinese and Japanese, people are more collectivism. The social system also different in Western and Eastern, the former is low power distant and the later is higher power distant. When those expatriates arrive, they are foreigners, not the host population, it is necessary to provide much cultural and practical background. Language training is an essential activity for everyone in the family. Although English is the dominant business language worldwide, relying on English puts the expatriates at a disadvantage. The expatriate will be unable to read trade journals and newspapers, which contain useful business information, and will be reliant on translators, which at best only slow down discussions in the process. Evan if expatriates manager is not fluent, a willingness to try communicating in local language makes a good impression on the business community. Foreign language proficiency is also vital for family members to establish a social network and accomplish the everyday tasks of maintaining a household. But cross-cultural training is much more than just language training. It should provide an appreciation of the new culture, including details of its history and folklore, economy, politics, religion, social climate, and business practices. It is easy to recognize that religion is highly important in daily life in the Middle East, but knowledge of the region’s history and an understanding of the specific practices and beliefs is important to avoid inadvertently insulting business associates or social contacts. All this training can be carried out through a variety of techniques. Language skills are often provided through classes and tapes, while cultural training utilizes many different tools. Lectures, reading materials, videotapes, and movies are useful for background information, while cultural sensitivity is more often taught through role playing, simulations and meetings with former expatriates, as well as natives of the countries now living in the parent countries. While all this training in advance of the overseas relocation is important, cultural learning takes place during the assignment as well. After the overseas assignment has ended and the employee has returned, more training is required for the entire family. The employee also must adjust to organization changes, including the inevitable promotions, transfers, and resignations that have taken place during his or her absence. Teenager find reentry particularly difficult, as they are ignorant of the most recent jargon and the latest trends, but often are more sophisticated and mature than their local friends. The employee also must adjust to organizational changes, including the inevitable promotions, transfers and registrations that have taken place during his or her absence. Returnees are anxious to know where to fit in, or if they have been gone for so long that they no longer are on a career path. 2.2 Development In the current global business environment, the overseas assignment should be a vital component in the development of top-executives. It is not only to achieve the advantages for the individual in overseas assignment, but also an organization can gain the competitive advantages from their overseas employee. It is also a chance to provide the host counties employees to broaden their global perspective through a post in the parent-country headquarter, and may make it easier for the organization to recruit and retain better quality managers in the host country. Development is an essential activity to the individual to improve the individual’s ability during the assignment and to well perform their jobs. 3.0 Performance appraisal In evaluating employee performance in international environments, other factors come into plays. For instance, the cultural differences between the United States and England are not as great as those between the United Stated and China, for example. Thus, hostility or friendliness of the cultural environment in which one manager should be considered when appraising employee performance. 3.1 The responsibilities of the evaluation There are also issues to consider regarding who will be responsible for the evaluations: the host-country management or the parent country management. Although local management would generally consider a more accurate gauge, it typically evaluates expatriates from its own cultural perspectives and expectations, which may not reflect those of the parent company. For example, in some countries, a participatory style of management is acceptable, while in other countries, hierarchical values make it disgrace to ask employees for ideas (for e.g. in Japan). This could vastly alter a supervisor’s performance appraisal. Confusion may arise from the use of parent-country evaluation forms if they are misunderstood, either because the form has been improperly translated or not translated at all, or because the evaluator is uncertain what a particular question means. The home-office managements, on the other hand, is often so remote that it may not be fully informed on what is going on in an overseas office. Because they lack access and because one organization may have numerous foreign operations to evaluate, home-office managements often measure performance by quantitative indices, such as profits, market shares, or gross sales. However, simple numbers are often quite complex in their calculations and data are not always comparable. For example, if a company has many operations in Fast East Asia, it must be aware of the accounting practices in each country. Local import tariffs can also distort pricing schedules, which alter gross sales figures, another often compared statistic. Evan when the measurements are comparable, the comparison country will have an affect. For example, factory productivity levels in Vietnam may be below those of similar plants in Thailand. Depending on where the supervisor’s results are compared, different outcomes may occur. Such issues complicate parent country management performance evaluations by numerical criteria, or indices – and can add to the emotional levels in appraisals. 3.2 Evaluation Format Other issues surround the question of selecting the best format to use in performance appraisals, If we have an overseas operation that includes both parent country nationals and host country nationals, we must determine if we will use the same forms for all employee. While most Western countries accept the concept of performance evaluation, some cultures interpret it as a sign of distrust or even an insult to an employee. This complicates a decision to use one instrument like an adjective rating scale for all employees. On the other hand, using different formats for PCNs and HCNs may create a dual track in the subsidiary, in turn creating other problems. The evaluation form presents other problems. If there is universal form for the entire corporation, an organization must determine how it will be translated accurately into the native language of each country. English forms may not be readily understood by local supervisors. For example, clerical and office jobs do not always have identical requirements in all cultures. As a result, some U.S. multinational may be hesitant about evaluating HCNs and TCNs. In some countries, notably those that support the Communist ideology, all workers are rewarded only when the group performs – with punishment or discipline being highly limited. For example, in the hotel industry in the People’s Republic of China. Without the ability to reward good individual performance or to punish poor performance, there is little motivation to have any evaluation at all. Although the subject of international performance appraisal continues to receive research attention, two general recommendations have been suggested as follow: * Modify the normal performance criteria of the evaluation sheet for a particular position to fit the overseas position and site characteristics. Expatriates who have returned from a particular site or same country can provide useful input into revising criteria to reflect the possibilities and constraints of a given location. * Include a current expatriate’s insights as part of evaluation. This means that non-standardized criteria, which are difficult to measure, will be included, perhaps in different basis for each country. This creates some administrative difficulties at headquarters, but in long run will be a more equitable system. Â   Bibliography 1. Peter J. Dowling, Denice E. Welch and Randall S. Schuler, International Human Resource Management – Managing People in a Multinational Context, South Western College Publishing, 3rd Edition 2. Nancy J. Adler, International Dimensions of Organization Behavior, South Western College Publishing, 3rd Edition 3. David A. Decenzo, Stephen P. Robbins, Human Resourc Management, John Wiley & Sons Inc., 7th Edition. 4. Ian Breadwell and Len Holden, Human resource management – a contemporary approach, FT Prentice Hall, 3rd Edition