“Father Returning Home” by Dilip Chitre Essay

Dilip Purushottam Chitre was one of the foremost Indian writers and critics of the post Independence India. Apart from a being a writer, he was also a painter and a filmmaker. Father Returning Home is a short and appealing poem about an old man in a cosmopolitan city where his own sons and daughters treat him as an alien. He himself is estranged from the man-made world. Through this poem, Chitre has denounced the urban rootlessness and alienation. The first stanza of Father Returning Home describes the train journey of his father while returning home one evening. The father stands among commuters in the yellow light of a local compartment. The poet describes his father’s reaction against the sights of the suburbs that pass by. His father remains unmoved by the sights because they are too familiar to him. That is quite normal, isn’t it? We hardly pay attention to those places where we travel every day, unless the place has something interesting to offer. Same was with the poet’s father. The poet then describes his father’s pathetic condition, as he travels during the rainy season. His clothes become damp and dirty. The black raincoat that he wears becomes stained with mud. His bag crumbles with the heavy load of the books. Due to old age, the poet’s father’s eyesight has become poor and therefore he finds difficulty to move about in the dark. The poet says that he can see his father getting down the train ‘like a word dropped from a long sentence.’ The sentence is highly unique and it provides an evocative image of an old man who gets down from the train as if he is no longer relevant to it. The poet then sees his father hurrying through the long, grey platform. The man seems to be as old as the platform, who has been using it as a part of his routine. He crosses the railway tracks and hurries home through muddy lanes on a rainy day. This is indicated by his chappals which are sticky with mud. This stanza portrays the monotonousness of the old man, who sustains the vagaries of weather as well as the estrangement from the man-made. The second stanza, the poet represents the alienation of his father that he experiences in his own dwelling.

College Is A Waste of Time and Money Essay

Maybe it’s my age or my personality, but I really haven’t enjoyed many of the stories that we have had to read. To me, there is an extreme amount of negativity in them, especially in the titles. I think it would have been more interesting and relevant to read a current article on this subject, and not something written in 1975. While the basics are still in play, there have been a lot of changes over the years. The most notable difference would be the demographics that make up today’s student body. As an older, non-traditional student, I don’t consider it a waste of time or money, and I don’t think many others feel that way. There are so many people who would love to go to college, but are unable to for some reason. Although, I’m not familiar with how young people look at college today, I think a significant number likely look forward to the opportunity. I do agree with many of Ms. Birds findings. I don’t believe anyone should be force d to go to college. It should be entirely up to each individual. We still see many parents pushing their kids to continue their education, and often for good reason, but if the child doesn’t want to go, it should be their decision. At the age of 18, many are too young and confused, and don’t know what they want to do with their life. It’s also nice to have a break after 13 years of school. We will always have kids who will rebel, just for the sake of rebelling. I think a main cause of this for many students is too much pressure. They have all these standards to live up to, whether it comes from their parents, their siblings, other family members, or society. Some may take that rebellious attitude because they have trouble learning, and they don’t want anyone to know. They would prefer to look like a rebel than to look like a retard. I also agree with the lack of quality teachers, and being required to take many classes that have nothing at all to do with your major. A couple of years ago, I had an in-class accounting teacher who just read to us from the book. I’m thinking I’m coming here and paying for someone to read to me, I can read all by myself, I am looking for someone to teach me. My main focus is getting a degree, but I also truly enjoy learning. I definitely agree with her on college being too expensive. I think she would be shocked to see today’s prices, and I would be very interested to know what textbooks and tuition cost in her day. The kids back  then had some fear of campus violence. But horrors, like the Kent State shooting, were not the norm. Today, we are always seeing campus shootings. Although these seem to have become a way of life and can happen anywhere, it’s still quite scary for the students and may actually have the opposite effect of parents wanting to send their kids off to college. It also seems that hazing has gotten out of control on our campuses. Unfortunately, there is just such an overwhelming hatefulness in our world. There is another factor that may play into a lack of desire to go on to college. They can look at the many success stories of people who didn’t go to college, some who never even completed high school. These folks used hard work to become millionaires and billionaires. I think some people are more successful because of their charismatic personalities, which has nothing to do with their ability or their intelligence. The article I have included with my essay bot h contradicts and agrees with Ms. Birds perceptions. The traditional white male students must feel that college is a waste of time and money, but they are in the minority.

The System of Electronic Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

The System of Electronic Business - Essay Example Whereas supply chain management is relatively straightforward to define, e-logistics inspires varying definitions. E-logistics can be defined to be the mechanism of automating logistics processes and providing an integrated, end-to-end fulfillment and supply chain management services to the players of logistics processes. Those logistics processes that are automated by e-logistics provide supply chain visibility and can be part of existing e-Commerce or Workflow systems in an enterprise (Zhang 2008). On the other hand, in a commercial manifestation, UPS presents its e-Logistics service as the hosting of a virtual logistics department for other companies that then present this capability as their own, but leave UPS to run and manage it (Levy 2008). These viewpoints can be considered as two halves making a whole in the light of the case study that we have selected: UPS, the company under consideration applies e-logistics in Zhang's sense to its own internal operation and offers e-logistics as in Levy's description to its business customers. With regard to these definitions, e-logistics is a part of supply chain management in general, but not an obligatory part. Supply chain management may or may not include such e-enablement. However, in this paper, our goal is to investigate the situation when supply chain management does use the Internet either wholly or partially and in particular what advantages or disadvantages are conferred by e-logistics. If the supply chain business process relating to e-logistics is most natural that of order fulfillment, other processes that complete the picture are customer relationship management, customer service management, and demand management. These processes involve all of the major departments of a typical company which is those of quality, logistics, marketing and sales, production, R&D, and finance (National Research Council 2000). A common theme in works on supply chain management is the competitive advantage to be gained from a fully integrated supply chain. Integrating into a single supply chain is hailed as the deciding factor for companies that will now succeed or fail (Handfield & Nicolas 1999).

Safety Management in Karachi Factory Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Safety Management in Karachi Factory - Assignment Example There were no casualties after the explosion. The event was unintentional because its cause was a natural disaster, Hurricane Sandy. Preventing the explosion was hard as its cause mentioned before is Hurricane Sandy, which caused flooding of electrical equipment rendering them useless. The event was sudden because the residents were caught unaware (Boyle). An accident in the factory area in Dhaka, Bangladesh in a clothes factory fire caused 112 deaths while other people went missing. The event was not intentional as the cause is blamed on an electrical fault. Safety measures such as emergency exit could prevent such accidents. The accident could have been predicted because of the number of fire accidents, which are rampant in the country (BBC NEWS). An explosion occurred in a healthcare products manufacturing company called Neptune Technologies killing 2 people and injuring 19. Most of the accident victims had serious burns. The details of the cause of the accident were not provided as it was still under investigation. The accident could not have been prevented because it was unpredictable. From the number of casualties, it is evident that safety measures are already available in the industry (CBC News 2012). An industrial explosion in the steel making industry in China killed 10 people leaving 17 wounded. The industry does not provide safety measures to its workers so that they can cut costs and make more profits, which makes event human error. The accident could have been prevented if the company had provided full safety measures to its workers. The event could have been predicted. China industrial accidents are common due to poor safety measures as mention before (Aljazeera English  2012).

EVENTS MANAGEMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

EVENTS MANAGEMENT - Essay Example Nevertheless, the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics changed the economics of major sports events. These games made a surplus of 215 million. The financial success of the Los Angeles Olympics changed the way cities and governments regarded the hosting of major sports events. Partly as a result of this, but also because there developed a greater understanding of the broader economic benefits to a city and country that could result from the staging of a major sports event, cities started to compete fiercely to host major World and European championships across a wide range of sports. This article mainly reports the certainties that events can have a positive impact on the economy and community of the host city or country. Several extents are based on actual findings from studies of hosting countries of major events in order to thoroughly support the events' impact. The appeal of events, more so with major events such as the Olympic Games, is their ability to attract those whose viewing is light and never entails sport. Sports Business illustrates that families with an income of at least $60,000 were 41 per cent more likely to watch the Atlanta Games, i.e. those families with a higher expendable income, which is precisely why sponsoring companies are prepared to invest large sums of money in the event (no. 4). As compared to 1995, Adidas experienced a 56 per cent rise in profits in 1996, the year of Atlanta Olympics. As a sponsoring company they were fortunate to have more than 200 Olympic medals won by Adidas-equipped athletes (Sports Business, no. 4). It is consequently clear that it is in the interests of these sponsoring companies that their particular athletes arrive on time and that there preparation is not disrupted. Major events have enormous value to cities, countries, athletes and sponsors alike. Numerous studies supported the economic impact of events around the world (Yardley et al., 1990; Frisby and Getz, 1988; Mules and Faulkner, 1996; Crompton, 1995; Turco and Kelsy, 1992; Dobson, Holliday and Gratton, 1997). Delivering the right product is important and often ultimately upon which the event is judged. The media will judge the event in terms of an increase in sales or viewing/ listening figures. Sponsors examine the event in the light of the increase in sales before, during, and immediately after the period of the event, while the civic leaders will attempt to appraise the event in terms of the increased exposure of their city as a result of the event and the subsequent economic impact associated with the influx of visitors before, during and after the event (Elvin and Emery, 1997). It is essential for cities and countries to get the organisation right for the reason that people have a tendency to remember the things that go wrong. Due to the high profile of the Olympics (Atlanta having a gross audience of 19.6 billion viewers [Sports Business, no. 4]), any undesirable publicity has an immediate and enormous impact throughout the world. Impact of Major Events on the Economy of the Host Country In the 1980s, the study of hallmark events or mega-events became a significant area of the tourism and leisure literature. The economic benefits of such events have been the main focus of such literature, even though broader based multidisciplinary approaches have been suggested (Hall, 1992; Getz, 1991). Within the area of mega-events, sports events have

Emotionally Intelligent leaders and their Impact on Followers Essay

Emotionally Intelligent leaders and their Impact on Followers - Essay Example Emotional intelligence comes closest to servant leadership style of management. A servant leader listens to his employees, takes feedback from them and looks to improve the overall conditions of the workplace. There is no blame put on individual employees and all the followers share work responsibility. Emotional intelligence can be measured by looking at the environment of the workplace. Based on the discussion above, a leader should be self-aware of himself and his employees. He should work for the benefit of his people. This would be evident from the response of people. If the leader is understanding, motivating and is trying to develop the social skills of his people then they will be happy. They will show more commitment towards work and the whole organization will prosper together. It is evident that employees prefer to work with emotionally intelligent leaders and they give their best efforts under him. In conclusion, emotional intelligence has great benefits for a leader as well as for employees. A leader knows what his followers want and try to make it available in the best possible way. There is peace as the leader is understanding and cooperative. The employees’ benefit as the leader constantly motivates them. They have a realistic goal to achieve which also seems fair to them. More importantly, they well recognized because the leader tries to listen to them by taking their feedback. This attribute in leaders helps to achieve company’s goals in less time as the employees feel contented to work.

Intro to MacroEcon - College level - 8 questions total - some Essay

Intro to MacroEcon - College level - 8 questions total - some paragraph-long answers and some graphs - Essay Example Essentially the Fed tries to moderate the natural effects of the business cycle. It looks to cool rapid expansion to control prices and moderate the resulting downturn. When the economy is contracting or not expanding sufficiently they look to increase economic activity thereby helping the economy maintain full employment. The main tool the Fed has is to modify short term interest rates through open market activities. These actions are undertaken by the Federal Open Market Committee which sets the federal funds rate. The Fed also makes loans through the discount window these loans increase the money supply. Loans taken through the discount window are taken at a rate below the federal funds rate. Though less often employed, the Fed can also modify the required reserve ratio. This is the amount of funds that banks are required to keep in their vaults compared to the amount loaned out. Increasing the reserve ratio has the effect of pulling money out of the system. Decreasing the reserve ratio has the effect of increasing the amount of money in the system. 3B) I agree with Bernanke’s remarks and logic on the state of the economy as well as the necessity of using unconventional monetary policy. I do have concerns that longer term policy may be more difficult to back out of once implemented. The continued high unemployment rate as well as low levels of growth merit additional monetary measures like those employed by the Fed. Core inflation remains low so expansionary policies do not yet risk triggering excessive inflation. To fulfill its mandate the Fed should look to tools such as moderating medium term interest rates. While controversial it reinforces expectations of a low interest rate environment in the short term. 4A) The economy does not have sufficient private sector demand to sustain economic growth at the levels needed to recover to the

Discuss and evaluate the problems faced by project managers Essay - 1

Discuss and evaluate the problems faced by project managers - Essay Example The major assumptions have to be documented as they impact the planning and estimation process. Assumptions also imply a degree of risk and hence all members of the team should understand the assumptions involved in project planning. Projects are not only about managing change but also about managing relationships and managing uncertainty (Bourne & Walker, 2005). The construction and defense industries have been the primary users have been the primary users of project management to deliver outcomes. Projects are usually tangible having straightforward â€Å"command and control structures† where authority and responsibility is appropriately balanced. However, the situation became difficult and managing change became difficult as organizations moved from relatively simple functional structure to the complexity of the matrix structure. The changed business environment requires a different management paradigm. The paradox of project control is that the project manager has to be vi gil in controlling the outcome of the project amidst change and uncertainty when the project manager is himself affected b y the same change and uncertainty. ... Project teams Projects create a scenario in which constant diffusion of knowledge and emergent working practices result as a complex interplay between constantly changing project conditions and an indeterminate and shifting organizational terrain (Bresnen, Goussevskaia & Swan 2004). The construction industry for one encompasses a wide range of activities and hence the form of organization depends upon the size of the project, type and scale of the work undertaken. Projects may have non-routine project processes in addition to complex inter-professional and inter-organizational contractual working relationships. Project teams are heterogeneous and comprise of people from different professional and organizational backgrounds. Movement of staff between projects is common. Project organizations require a de-centralized team-working. A team has been defined as an energetic group of people committed to achieving common objectives and who enjoy working together thereby also producing qualit y outcomes (Aurthur, Wall & Halligan, 2003). Moreover the project manager should be able to encourage and reinforce localized action. The new management initiatives can bring about success when there is decentralization, short-term emphasis on project performance and distributed work practices. Project teams comprise of a unique group of individuals who work together in a controlled environment towards a common goal (Atkins & Gilbert, 2003). Each member of the team contributes their knowledge or expertise to solve a jointly owned problem (McGreevy, 2006). The very idea of a project team is to enable multiple perspectives, different functions, variety of experiences and a broad skill set which has a bearing on the project (Hacker,

Political science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Political science - Essay Example It showed scenarios about how the television network gathered information and broadcasted the war, which serves its main purpose - to provide a balance and fair view to their 40 million Arab worldwide audiences (Bacha and Noujaims, film). The film casted Hassan Ibrahim, the Sudanese Al-Jazeera journalist, Samir Khader, Al- Jazeera senior producer, Deema Khatib, Al- Jazeera producer, Tom Mintier, CNN Correspondents, Lieutenant Josh Rushing, US Central Command Press Officer, and David Shuster, NBC Correspondents. The film showed the events that transpired during the Iraq war of which media centers and their journalists or camera men were killed, wounded, or became casualties of war despite providing the Pentagon their GPRS locations prior to encounters (Bacha and Noujaims, film). Al-Jazeera became one of the most controversial news channels in the Arab world after documenting the Iraq war. It has been criticized both by the Arab Government and US President George Bush’s administ ration. The former accused that the network was the promoter of â€Å"American propaganda† while the latter accused the network as pro-Iraqi. The perceived bias even had them branded as â€Å"the mouthpiece of Osama bin Laden,† due to their fearless broadcasting of images of American tanks, bombing scenes, and the bloodied, wounded Iraqi casualties. The film also showed American soldiers shouting at Iraqi prisoners and harassing Iraqis, and interviews of Iraqis who have lost homes and family members during the war. The US government pointed out that the Arab media is exaggerated for reporting those war events. However, the network has defended their stand that the film only showed the real cost of war and counteracted that the US government were criticizing the film because they do not want the world to see their harshness and faults to Iraqi people and even to the members of the media in invading the country (Bacha and Noujaims, film). The movie’s real theme wa s about the war between the US and the Iraq. However, the scenes were mostly focused on the differences between Al-Jazeera network and the American news networks’ process of reporting the war. The network, though received tremendous attacks because of showing the facts of war still continued to provide fair and balanced information report because they believed that people deserve to know the truth. As Deema Khatib, the Al-Jazeera producer of the film said their main purpose of filming the war is to show all sides of the war claiming that the US networks camouflage the real cost of war (BBC News, P 3-11). 1. Do you think that the documentary has delivered the message of its theme? I believe that the film was able to deliver the message of its theme: the Iraq war as mindless. In fact, it was very obvious since even during the reign of Saddam Hussein, it was already found that the United States supplied many weapon materials to Saddam’s administration, and this has not be en sanctioned. In addition, all the US soldiers’ prowling of Iraq never yielded any form of weapon of mass destruction or WMD, which the Bush administration has declared and made the US citizens believe (Fisk, P 4). It is therefore true that many atrocities committed by the US are for reasons other than what it claimed. The US government claimed that the invasion of Iraq to defeat Saddam Hussein was aimed at freeing the Iraq people from a brutal dictator leader. This,

Law of Armed conflict. Is it viable in today's world Essay

Law of Armed conflict. Is it viable in today's world - Essay Example The Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC) was formulated with the intention of making armed conflict a more civilized exercise. That is, participating countries themselves decided to incorporate certain laws to prevent unnecessary destruction and suffering of human life, through the use or removal of excess military power. By following the Geneva Convention regarding human rights during war time, countries rationalized and codified various rules, guidelines and stipulations to be followed during armed conflict, resulting in the formation of LOAC. Although, it is clear that LOAC has included many key and constructive stipulations while conducting an armed conflict, my research paper will discuss how in current times, its viability cannot be guaranteed due to few extraneous situations or events that continue to occur in conflict without any specific geographical focus. o One reason why LOAC may be considered unviable in modern warfare is due the rise of terrorists or armed groups, who mostly i ndulge in a ‘non-direct’ form of warfare, without directly taking on a country’s military in a ‘battlefield’. Attrition warfare as practiced through the twentieth century is no longer the method in warfare. Due to these extraneous situation, conflics could take place between a country’s military and a terrorist group in ‘Third party countriey’, which mays not be governed ‘aptly’ or adhere toe international laws and conventions relating to human rightr. This ‘unclear’ geographical focus as well as unclear ‘target group’ became visible mainly in the aftermath of the September 11 World Trade Center attack, and particularly visible in the mission to eliminate Osama Bin Laden. Conflict in a particular geographical area and against a particular country’s military are becoming irrelevant nowadays. Along withLOAC also seems to have become irrelevant. â€Å"...the boundaries between "war" and "nonwar," and between "national security" and "domestic issues," have been eroding for some time. September 11 and its aftermath have highlighted the increasing incoherence and irrelevance of these traditional legal categories.† 1 When Al-Qaeda launched the terrorist attacks on the American soil, U.S. launched military attacks on Afghanistan. Although, the country of Afghanistan is not the real culprit, the Taliban government in Afghanistan harboured al-Qaeda in its territory. Thus, it was not viewed as an ‘innocent’ neutral territory by United States and its Western allies. â€Å"In sharp contrast to most wars, the geographic distinction between belligerent and neutral territory is highly unstable in the conflict with al Qaeda.† 2 In addition, the Taliban government was also not recognized by majority of the world countries. So, in this case, non-state actors and non-military forces with the aid of unauthorized government indulged in ‘armed’ a ggression against United States. This being the case, the American government and its military went into the free country of Afghanistan to punish the non-state actors of Al-Qaeda. Thus, in such case, the LOAC could not be applied, because the American forces did not fight the regular military or even the official government of this country country. â€Å"..al Qaeda is neither a state nor a domestic insurgent group, the law of armed conflict does not apply at all to the U.S. struggle against terrorism,†

Memory Keepers Daughter Literary Analysis Essay Example for Free

Memory Keepers Daughter Literary Analysis Essay Kim Edwards shows through the whole book that we are only human, the themes that life is beyond our control and through the connection between suffering and joy. Edwards uses plot to set up a sort of life schedule. It goes in order into the future but occasionally skips years ahead. She also cleverly sets the book up so that each year, or â€Å"chapter† has both sides of the story, that of Caroline who is raising Phoebe and then the life of Norah and David raising their son Paul. As the book starts off it is that of a happy tone with Norah giving birth and then leading to a depressing and melancholy tone as Dr. Henry lies to his wife telling her that their daughter has died, to save her from the pain of their daughter having down syndrome. Norah gains more and more depression as the years go on, always wondering â€Å"what if†. With all the depression going on in the story line of Norah there is a gain of strength in Carolines story line as she raises Phoebe. This shows the theme of suffering and joy. The idea that even though the character is suffering they are the one with the most joy. Norah Henry has it all: the doctor husband, money and a healthy son but still wants what she never had; her daughter. Caroline has struggled with at first the decision to keep Phoebe and raise her as her own, then struggling with actually raising this baby girl with down syndrome alone and with no one, but she is joyful in the book never having the depression that plagues Norah and her marriage with David Henry. When Caroline finally sees David 18 years later, she says: You missed a lot of heartache, sure. But David, you missed a lot of joy. In the theme that life is beyond our control the author Kim Edwards has the book move through the years rapidly and at a fast pace in order to demonstrate how life flys by. Throughout the book Edwards uses photography as a metaphor showing the character Davids growing obsession with taking photographs as a desperate attempt to make time stand still: Photo after photo, as if he could stop time or make an image powerful nough to obscure the moment when he turned and handed his daughter to Caroline Gill. Life may also feel as it is out of their control with there being a constant aura of uncertainty or â€Å"what if† quality. That being said, the characters in the end will always wonder what life would have been like if David had never given his daughter away, but find it exhausting to wonder once they are brought together in the end after the death of David. As Paul reflects at the end of the novel: His mother was right; he could never know what might have happened. All he had were the facts. Life was also seeming to be out of anyones control with the struggle of the melancholy tone through the novel with Norah becoming more and more depressed becoming that of a drinker in Pauls young life and then being so unhappy with her marriage with David for him being so distant that she has an affair with a man while she is on a trip to Aruba with her job. Even with the tone the author seems to have it progress in a rapid fashion just as the years fly by in the story line. Life is inevitable, people make mistakes, and the mistakes people make have great impact and effect not only them, but the people around them; just as David Henrys mistake haunted his life and tormented that of his wifes. In day to day life there are always the people that make mistakes with good intentions. The authors point wasnt to completely make David the antagonist in the story but yet he was that one person whos mistake was made with half hearted good intentions, he wanted to spare his doting wife the pain of having to raise one child with down syndrome, he didnt want her to think that it was her fault in anyway. David just wanted the problem to go away not fully realizing that the problem wasnt his daughter it was him having to deal with his own past. David Henrys sister died at the young age of twelve and she had down syndrome as well, it is really sad that this character couldnt deal with his own past so much that he ruined his present and his future. He knew the pain that his sister having down syndrome had left on him and her death that not only was he trying to spare his wife the pain of having a daughter with down syndrome but yet the author was trying to convey to the reader that he also did it to protect his son from it as well. Norah becomes the character you feel bad for not a protagonist but yet just that good character whos life unfolding before her is the result of decisions from those around her. She is constantly depressed from thinking she lost her daughter, then she is also gaining more and more eternal sadness with her husband not letting her gain any sort of closure with this or even to simply tell her the truth of his actions and what he had done. The relationship between Norah and David grows further and further apart with him setting himself more distant from her as time goes on due to his guilty conscious eating away at him. Then on a happy note you have Caroline, she turned her whole life around for the life choices of David and that of herself. She raises Phoebe alone at first always fighting for more advanced learning abilities for down syndrome, she gains a man in her life named Al who helped her in the very beginning get to shelter when she had decided to keep the baby but then her car wont start in the middle of a blizzard, he becomes her knight in shining armor. Al becomes a big character having sought out Caroline after years and years of that first encounter with her and stays in her life loving and caring for both her and Phoebe, he becomes the father figure Phoebe never got to have. Kim Edwards set up all the right kind of characters for this plot and in every right way to develop the novel. In the end the themes of life being out of our control and the connection between suffering and joy are evident throughout the story. Kim Edwards used immense characterization that helped to develop those following themes with having the right selection of types of characters. The plot definitely has to do with developing the story, for it ties in with the life is out of our control theme having time go by so rapidly demonstrating that life is always constant and never stopping or standing still like a photograph for anyone or anything. Photos represent memories in life, David became enthralled with taking photographs in an effort to make time stop, maybe capture the memory he had when he made the decision to give his daughter away. The metaphor of David and his taking pictures ties into the Title â€Å"the memory keepers daughter† for he was the memory keeper, the keeper of the biggest life secret and lie. Kim Edwards made everything tie together with literary elements of metaphor, characterization, and Plot.

Musical Culture In Various Regions

Musical Culture In Various Regions Through research and studying about the different musical culture in various regions, one can often link the different characteristics of music with the particular place. Music shares a close connection with place as it helps shape the ways we make music. In different places, ideas about the aesthetics, contexts as well as history of music will vary. The uniqueness of place is critical in our understanding of music as different perceptive and judgments incite differences. Disparity in environment also gives rise to the different levels of appreciation of music. The effectiveness of music will also be questioned when it is presented in a completely different environment as there are bound to be a difference in understanding the background of music, which includes the different influence, functions and representation of it. The discussion of musics connection with place can be framed by broad boundaries concerning the ecological, political, acoustic and social context of the environment, which somewhat affects the type of music that is made and how it is regarded in the area. The musical situation and concept may mean different things and involve different activities among the people in various societies. In the following essay, I will explore the wide array of differences and perception of music due to the diverse environment they are made in. In Papua New Guinea, it can be said that music of the Kalulis share a close connection with their rainforest. This relationship between music and ecology is important and the never ending dense soundscape play a major role in the daily lives of the Kalulis. The sensuousness of their everyday life is closely tied to the experiences of places. An evident example being the pattern of sounding- Dulugu Ganalan, also known as lift-up-sounding, is an important musical trait of Kaluli music. It is characterized by having one sound that stands out momentarily, and then just as quickly fades into a distance, overlapped or echoed by a new or repeated emergence in the mosaic. Feeble or rather, no attempts are made to coordinate the singing or playing of the instruments in Kaluli soundmaking so as to somewhat imitate the music of the rainforests where the sounding of the creatures and nature is never in unison. This pattern of sounding in the natural environment is the inspiration for many Kaluli vocal and instrumental forms. The significance of creatures inhabiting the surroundings, such as birds, plays an important role in their music. Birds are commonly associated with the spirits of the dead and the calls of the birds are commonly imitated by human vocalizations as well as drum calls. The importance of birds to the Kalulis is such that they are voices and are vital in delineation of social spaces, between the non-spiritual and spiritual realm. Birds are like voices to the Kalulis. They recognize and acknowledge the existence of birds primarily through sound and likened them to be spirit reflections of deceased men and women. The construction of musical instruments such as the Kaluli drums, as well as vocalizations in Kaluli music are grounded in the perception of birds, as indicated foremost by the presence of sound. These calls of the birds are particularly important because it embodies much of the way Kaluli identify with their forest home and so much of their feelings about the death and the reflec tion realm. As Feld suggest, the incorporation of characteristics of the different bird calls in drumming and certain types of song (eg. Gisalo) brings about much emotional intensity to the musical performances. This is because the souls of the dead are thought to be revealed in the voices of the rainforest birds. Such association between music and the ecology of the environment is especially apparent in the Bosavi region. Songs and weeping not only recall and announce spirits, but their texts sung in a poetry called bird sound words, sequentially name places and co-occurring environmental features of vegetation, light and sound. These songs become what Kaluli call a path, namely a series of place-names that link the cartography of rainforest to the movement of its past and present inhabitants. These song paths are also linked to the spiritual world of birds. As Steven Feld notes, the link between the birds and the Kalulis shows a local ecology of voices in the forest. Place is also regarded a critical factor in determining the song structure of the Kaluli music. The formal structure of Heyalo songs as trees where trunk is marked as the refrain usually refers to the whistling sound of a local bird and branches is marked as verses reflecting such songs as maps of lands and human relations. Musical dialogue with the sounds of the environment is also an interesting trait that shows the connection between music and place. The Kalulis creates musical counterpoint with the environment such as singing duets with the Cicadas or waterfalls. The poetic sound words such as da:da, siya siya and wo-wo creates counterpoint with the imitation of the cicadas. The movement of water through the environment is also paralleled to the sound in song. Water flow animates much of Kaluli musical imagination, as all waterway terms are also names for the musical intervals, the segment of song, the patterns of rhythm, and the contours of melody. Kaluli compose their songs by creeks or waterfalls, singing with and to them, and the texts of these songs are maps of waterways or trails, viewing them from above as spirit birds might-in Felds words, sense that in song, sound flows and connects people and places- in the same way as water constantly flows through the environment, connecting, dividing bodies of land. In the Gisalo songs, its organization is identical to muni bird representation and to the tonal structure of weeping. Gisalo songs make full and dramatic use of all poetic resources and such dramatic performances in the song, dance, costumes and weeping makes the Gisalo performance likened to the form of a bird. This shows the close connection between the music of Kaluli and the significance of birds that are present in their rainforest environment. From the above, one can conclude that the connection with place in respect of the environmental ecology is critical to aesthetics, structure and emotive power of the Kaluli music. Such connection between music and the forest environment is also evident in the music among the Mbuti in Central Africa. The immense, ancient, thickly canopied tropical rainforest exerts a powerful influence on life of the people, namely the ethnic group of BaAka. Communal singing is part of their daily life in the forest as well as the rituals they perform when they are not in the village. An example being molimo, in which the Mbuti sing to the forest. It is sung to restore the tribes connection to the forest and make the forest happy, generally after some crisis, such as death or a period of bad hunting. Older men sing songs of praise to the forest and in reply, the forest also sings , with sounds varying from animal-like growls to high, melodious sounds. These sounds appear to come from a source moving through the forest, sometimes near the village, sometimes far away. For the Mbuti, the molimo evokes their intense love for the forest, which is their provider and protector: in rea l sense, their deity. As Turnbull suggests, song is used to communicate with the forest, and it is significant that the emphasis is on the actual sound, not on the words. Through this case study, we can see how music is connected to the ecological environment such as the rainforests. The music across State borders in the Northern Fringes of Europe shares close connections with the environment as well. Musical practice is shaped where through joiking; insights are offered about our eco-system to a global audience as arctic populations feel the effects of polar warming and notice changes in the eco-system first, alerting to us the global dimensions of environmental changes. Musicians contribute to the environmental, climate and global warming issues through joiking. An example being Valkeapaas composition of the Bird Symphony where he encourages listeners to consider creative practices in thinking about environment, alongside social, political, developmental and scientific perspectives on the environment as suggested by Ramnarine. Music in this case is studied in relation to the environmental crisis of the place. Its connection with place is through composing of the environment through joiking. Music is also regarded to have close connection with the environment as Valkeapaa referred joik to be like a ring that circles in the air and its structure can be compared with water moving in harmony with the landscape or the wind that touches the ground on the mountain plateau. In a different perspective in viewing of the environment, one can say the landscape and acoustics of the particular place plays an important part in the making of music. The music of Tibet had close connections with the vast open landscapes. Singers in Tibet are usually not trained professionally and they have extremely strong vocals which are developed due to singing frequently in the open pastures. Their vocal projection is powerful with characteristically condensed and focused singing sound which can be carried through in the open. Such nomadic vocal style shows the connection of music making in Tibet where open pastures and large open environment is apparent. Countless Tibetan songs and ballads are also equipped with lyrics that describes and sing praises of the environment of Tibet. Praises are sung of the brilliant sun of Tibet, the beautiful rivers, mountains and vast green fields. All these show the close connection between place and music where the place influences the diffe rent aspects of music making. Conversely, the difference of agricultural environment of the place affects the different types of music made. The connection between the contrasted environment of the Amazonia and Andean highlands has a significant impact in music making and gave rise to different musical ensembles. In the Amazonia, which is largely governed by tropical forests, a meditative and individual quality of music is preferred. The reflective and relaxing nature of the music made can be contrasted to music of the High Andes. One rarely hears meditative sounds but rather, strident and vibrant music is characteristic of the music. High tessitura is employed, instruments are often blown strongly to exploit the high registers and multiphonics, almost outwardly to put across the sense that they are compensating for the silence of the barren, treeless mountainscape. Musical ensembles in the High Andes tend to play monophonically in groups of the same family of instruments and are often accompanied with drums. In contrast, musical ensembles of the Amazon rarely play monophonically with regular drum accompaniment. In different places, the function music differs as well. With regards to the music of the High Andes, music is very much associated to agriculture as well as seasonal changes. Different sets of instrument, tunings and song genres invoke different emotional qualities and are alternated throughout the course of the year and are closely connected with the agricultural production. People play on their flutes and panpipes to the llamas and sheep as it is believed to promote fertility and sometimes are also said to console and bring joy to the surrounding landscape ensuring abundant herds and potato harvests. Music is a contextualized activity and is usually not heard when there are no festivals but in contrast, one will be virtually surrounded by music during festivals. It is also important to follow the conventions of only a certain specific group musical instruments are allowed to play during different seasons as it is believed that music orders the seasons and cycles of production. On the other hand, the function of Sundanese music in Indonesia differs from that of the High Andes. Sundanese music is more frequently associated to ceremonies and celebrations where vocal music or instrumental music is performed for either ritual or entertainment purposes. Music serves as an accompaniment for dances such as the ketuk tilu, which is a flirtatious open air dance where the female entertainers sang and dance to rhythms produced by the kendang drum. Music also serves to function as an important accompaniment during theatrical performances such as the Wayang golà ©k-a rod puppet theatre. Through the case studies of the High Andes and Sundanese music in Indonesia, one can clearly see how functions in different places give rise to different types of music. (AM I GOING OUT OF POINT BY MAKING THIS LAST LINK TO THE QNS?) Musics connection with place can also be discussed in the context of the political climate of the particular place. The political climate of the place also plays a role in the influence on the type of music produced, one example being the music in Tibet. It is necessary for one to understand the political context first before being able to accurately grasp the understanding of Tibetan music. Reform of culture due to the political control by the Chinese Communist Party, Cultural Revolution and post-Cultural Revolution policy, all play a significant role in the music of Tibet. Traditional songs were banned during the Cultural Revolution and national ideology is imposed on the performing arts. Propaganda songs were composed and national unification of the musical style was evident during the Cultural Revolution. Great massive symphonic works written for large orchestras portraying grandeur and power, and these were favored to the traditional smaller scale works. Secular music also fared better under the Chinese rule than the monastic music that was distinctive of Tibet. This shows the how political climate of the particular place affects the composition of music, which in this case, the cultural revolution in Tibet. These case studies show that the particularities of place are critical in understanding music. There are different important implications for the different experience of landscape and social differences among the different case studies mentioned above. The diversity in organizing and understanding of music, as well as the varying stylistic features diverge between the different places are closely connected with the specific setting, way of life and associations to place. In addition, other individuals who come from a different environment or place may or may not appreciate the particular musical type. Experiences and sentiments raised vary among these outsiders and that their experience of music will be different to that of the concerned group. Scientists tell us bird calls are for mating and marking territory and give them no significance outside the bird world, but for the Kalulis, bird sounds are part of a song pattern that connects to human world and involves feelings of sadness. It is evident that the cultural and social differences in the different places give rise to different musical features as well as the functions of music in the different contexts. In conclusion, one can affirm that music shares a close connection with place. The different ecological, acoustic, social and political environment gives rise to the different styles of music as well as different levels of understanding and appreciation of music.

Problems Faced By Chinese Students

Problems Faced By Chinese Students This current research is titled as Problems faced by Chinese students in learning English language: A case study of S.M. Pei Yuan KAMPAR. This chapter consists of nine sections which is background of the study, statement of problem, purpose of study, significance of study, research question, scope of study, methodology, limitation and definition of key words. Background of the study Learning English language as second language (L2) is a big challenge for second language learners. Students still have problems with grammatical functions most of the time, although they have 11 years of English language exposure. Hence, this study focuses on the first language (L1) grammatical functions that interfere with Chinese learners of English as a second language. In Malaysia, there are numerous learners who have Chinese language as their L1. Most of them have problems in learning English language especially the English grammar. Learners are more or less likely to be influenced either positively or negatively by their first language. According to Hassan (2002), learners L1 background knowledge will affect them in learning English language especially in speaking and writing. As a result, the interference of L1 has become the major problem for Chinese ESL learners in the process of learning English especially in writing. Chinese ESL learners will get interference from their L1 when they write. It is because they will get influence by their L1 grammatical structure. Besides, the differences of syntactic between L1 and L2 also will affect them in writing. A few studies have reported that Chinese ESL learners will use their mother tongue to plan an outline before writing (Cumming, 1989; Jones Tetroe, 1987), transfer the writing context to English language by using their mother tongue (Edelsky, 1982; Friedlander, 1990; Lay, 1982). Second language learners will use their mother tongue in such circumstances and the interferences from L1 to L2 can either be positive or negative. Learners L1 will influence In this study, researcher will examines mother tongue influence on Chinese learners 1.2 Statement of Problem To learn English as second language, learners at least have to master four basic skills which are listening, reading, speaking and writing. However, seldom Chinese ESL learners can fully master the skills especially in writing. It is because the L1 interferes of English Language causes grammatical errors in the writing process. According to Nik Safiah (1978), this kind of grammatical error can be obviously found in Chinse ESL learners essay writing. The differences between L1 and L2 grammatical funtions intefere on students English essay writing process. As we know that mastering English Language is not an easy task especially for learners who study in Chinese independent schools. It is because they mostly will get inteferenced from their L1 and affect the way they learn English. As a result, Chinese learners will face difficulty in learning English grammatical functions such as tenses, subject-verb agreement or countable and uncountable nouns. Although Chinese learners have exposed to English language since primary one, the errors still occur. Chinese ESL learner make this kind of grammatical errors because they do not fully utilize the language even though they are able to use it. As the saying goes, practise makes perfect if the learners do not polish their English language even with years of exposure to the language, it will make no different. 1.3 Purpose of Study The purpose of this study is to find out if L1 interference have a significant effect on Chinese ESL learners English essay writing. Besides, this study is also to identify types of errors that Chinese ESL learners commonly make with English grammatical functions in the English essay writing. 1.4 Significance of Study Although learners learn English since the first day enter they school. However, most of them cannot fully master English as their second language. This study can help teachers to understand the problems that learners face when they are learning English. Besides, teachers can identify the influence of learners L1 in learning English and among the errors, they help to correct the grammar. This can help to reduce the inteference of L1 from happening to students learning English. 1.5 Research Questions Based on the problems and purpose mentioned in the earlier sections, this study will focus on two research questions which are: Does L1 interference have a significant effect on Chinese Learners English essay writing? What types of errors do Chinese ESL learners commonly make with English grammatical functions in the English essay writing? 1.6 Scope of Study The aims of this study is to identify the inteference of learners L1 in learning English language. Learner who study in S.M. PEI YUAN (P) KPR would be chosen as participate in the writing test. This study is using purposive sampling because only one class of Chinese ESL learners will be selected as participants. 1.7 Methodology This study will utilize a test to find out why Chinese ESL learners have problems in learning grammar. The learners will be asked to write a short essay. The topic of the essay is My family and learners have to write around 100-120 words each. This test will be distributed to the learners during their classes. Thus, they will take the test seriously and the results of the data collected will be more precise. 1.8 Limitation This study is designed for those whose first language is not English language and have L1 background knowledge. The survey will only be conducted with one class of learners who study in S.M. PEI YUAN (P) KPR. Thus, the result do not represented all Chinese ESL learners. 1.9 Definition of key words Inteference learners make an error in ther L2 which influnced by their L1 (Lott,1983:256).

Cadbury’s :: Business and Management Studies

Cadbury’s Departments Inside a business there are many different functional departments all created to help the company in its organizational methods. There are many different departments involved with Cadbury’s, as there are in any business all used for different functions. These are:  · Marketing and Sales  · Finance  · Administration and IT support  · Operations  · Research and Development  · Production  · Customer Services  · Human Resources Many of these all blend in together on the area of their focus but still all play an important part in the running of the business. The three departments that I will be focusing on are Marketing and Sales, Operations and Administration and IT support. Marketing and Sales The main things that are dealt with in the marketing and sales departments are:  · Market Research, both primary and secondary research  · Promotion  · Advertising  · Sales There are the four P’s of Marketing and Sales, Promotion, Price, Product, Place. Market Research Primary Research Market Research is identified as one of two, either primary research which is studies that have not taken place before or secondary research which is using research that has been carried out before. Primary Research involves things such as asking people questionnaires on their views and opinions of a particular product or sector. Many of these have taken place before for Cadburys and I have been asked in stores and around the Bournville site to fill out a quick questionnaire. I browsed the Cadburys website and found an online questionnaire referring to the site. See appendix . Secondary Research Secondary Research, otherwise known as desk research, is looking through information that all ready exists. This takes place often for Cadbury’s also as they always look through old information to discover what the customers want and how preferences have changed throughout the years. If information is collected from a book you must create a bibliography and write down the name of the book and the author so that you do not take credit for their work. See appendix . Promotion Promotion is making customers aware of their businesses products. There are many ways of doing this including; showing customers how it will meet there needs, persuading customers to buy the product, making sure customers know where they can purchase the product and the cost of it and of course giving information about the product. Promotion can also occur as testing a product out before you think of purchasing it or even lowering the prices as low as they can go to raise interest in them. In some cases promotion can even be the one on one explanation of the product and the support needed if problems arouse. See appendix . Promotion is seen everywhere like billboards, bus

Stages of Nien Chengs Life :: essays research papers

Nien Cheng is the author of the autobiography, Life and Death in Shanghai. This book takes place in Shanghai, China, starting around the first few days into the Cultural Revolution. Nien Cheng was a widow in her 50's working as a senior partner for Shell in Shanghai. In late 1966, Nien Cheng was arrested and her house lay looted and vandalized. She was sent to the No.1 Detention House, where staying for six and one-half years, she was punished and pressured for a false confession that she was a spy for the imperialists. She consistently to confess refused and as a result, was tortured many times. She had a daughter named Mei Ping who, refusing to criticize about her mother, was murdered by the Red Guards. Nien Cheng was released in 1973 and was relocated to a house that had 2 bedrooms. (Which she had to live in with another family who spied on her) She stayed in China until 1980, and when she applied for a visa to the United States. She was accepted and she emigrated to Canada and v ery soon, Washington D.C. When Nien Cheng was transferred to the No. 1 detention house, she went through a big change in her way of living. Before going to the prison, she and her daughter, Mei Ping, had a lifestyle in which only a few dozen out of 10 million back in that time could enjoy. They had a three-story house filled with all sorts of antique furniture, books, and works of art. There was a piano, much entertainment, and three servants. In the prison, however, it was a single-celled room, very old and dirty. All that was in the room was a dirty toilet, a hard bed, a dusty window, and a tightly bolted door. Even with her efforts to clean the room, the room gave off an aura of depression and loneliness. The only companion she ever had during her six and one-half years was a pea-sized spider living on the rusty bars of the cell. As a result of these years, she became more conservative to what she uses, and even when she lived a good life in Washington D.C. many years later, she never bought more than wha t she would need or use. Before being sent to the No. 1 Detention House, Nien Cheng was a woman who didn't really care about the Cultural Revolution or people she didn't know.

The Cause of Aggression is Social Structure and Child Rearing :: Parenting Raising Children Society Social Status

The focus of this paper is to determine why certain societies are violent, judging from the way their society is structured to the psychological aspects of the individuals. The structural roots of internal and external conflict differ by most factors that were researched. Internal violence derives from weak cross-cutting ties, strong localized male groups (in uncentralized societies) and polygyny, whereas external conflict is seen in societies that are high on socioeconomic complexity, and low in polygyny and as cross-cutting ties. From the 186 societies, only a handful of them fell into the category of the variables this paper is centered upon high ext. vs. int. war were the Yanomamo, Comanche, Maori, Jivaro, and Somali. In Ross's article about conflict and violence, a measurement of internal and external violence was done using 44 variables for the 90 societies. The areas of interest for the table are those measuring internal and external violence. The factor loading is determined by the sum of the scores of each society for each variable and is weighted individually for each society. The six variables in the internal violence and conflict scale, in descending order of importance, are/:/./ The severity of conflict between different communities of the same society (v767), the acceptability of violence when directed against members of the same society outside the local community (v782), frequency of internal warfare (v773), the same severity of conflict within the local community (v764), the extent to which physical force is used as a mechanism for the dispute settlement (v770), the acceptability of violence when directed against members of the local community(v781) and degree of compliance wit h community norms and decisions by members of local communities(v775). Societies that scored high on this end of the scale, for example Jivaro or Somali, frequently engaged in violence and internal warfare both within and between communities of the same society. Societies that fell into the middle of the scale engaged in regular conflict, but internal warfare and violence in local disputes occur less frequently than the previous category of societies. The 3 variables that compose the external warfare and conflict scale are frequency of external warfare(v774), degreee of hostility(v780), and the acceptability of violence directed to people in other societies(v783). The Maori, Comanche and Jivaro are societies of the high end of the scale. From the large amount of research done on violence and conflict, there exist 3 characteristics of societies that are agreed upon by the majority.

Animal testing should not be banned Essay

For many years, animals have been used in research both in the scientific and medical fields. In order to introduce new drugs into the market, they have to be tested first on animals in order to ascertain whether they are effective or not. Animal experimentation in this context defines the use of non-humans, mostly animals, to test new drugs and consumer goods such as cosmetics, pesticides, herbicides, food additives, among others (Taylor 120). Pharmaceutical companies and research institutions have been active in animal experiments because these institutions are charged with coming up with new drugs. What has however been controversial with animal experiments is whether this procedure should be banned or not based on its ethical implications. Animal rights activists have been at the forefront in advocating for a ban on animal experiments based on the ethical issues associated with it. For those supporting the use of animals in experiments, the arguments that have been made include p ossibilities of medical and scientific breakthroughs, safety for humans, and accuracy of results. When the benefits of animal experimentation are weighed against the drawbacks, it is evident that the procedure is beneficial. Accordingly, animal experimentation should not be banned. First, animal experiments should not be banned based on the fact that it has been beneficial to humans and animals. With the recent technological advancement, substantive accomplishment has been made in the field of human medicine and science. In this regard, the use of animal testing cannot be underestimated. Taylor (132) maintains that animal experimentation has helped in unearthing new drugs that have helped to ease the suffering of humans from disease that was once witnessed in the past. Blakemore support Taylors point by indicating that vaccines for polio and cervical cancer, insulin, antibiotics, heart-bypass surgery, among others were all advances that were achieved through animal testing. For a patient to receive therapy or treatment, it has to be known that this originated from an arduous medi cal research involving animals. For instance, Blakemore uses an example of how people can easily forget the importance of animals in medical research. This is based on the fact that powerful drugs such as Avastin used to treat bowel, breast, and lung cancer were developed after research was conducted on mice. John Stein, the professor of Oxford Functional Neurosurgery Group also supports animal experiments because it helps to improve medicines and treatments  (Campbell). Some countries like the UK have even realized the benefits of animal testing in advancing the medical field (University of Bradford). However, UK has banned the use of animal testing for consumer goods such as for cosmetics production (University of Bradford). Critics have however been instrumental in indicating a number of ethical implications linked with animal testing. As the critics point out, animal testing is a procedure that does not take into consideration the rights of animals. As a matter of fact, animals are just like humans who require to be treated the way humans are treated. While supporting animal research, Taylor (120) however cites some commentators who argue that the experiment that involved testing cosmetics and other hazardous products on rabbits in order to know how long the rabbits would die was unethical. This experiment fundamentally was meant to test the level of toxicity of certain substances. As Taylor (128) echoes the sentiments of critics, this is an inhumane way of treating animals because â€Å"†¦ the suffering of any being ought to count equally with the like suffering of any other being.† These among other critical arguments have formed the basis of the opposing side of animal testing. It may be justified to talk in terms of animal ethics when there is justification that animals have actually been mistreated. Considering that few cases have been reported regarding inhumane treatment of animals, it should not however justi fy the lifting of a ban on animal testing. As a matter of fact, animals have helped a great deal in the scientific and medical field which has equally improved the quality of human life. From a practical perspective, the use of animal experiments guarantees the safety of humans. In order to ascertain whether drugs and other consumer goods are safe for humans, the use of animals becomes justified. Taylor (132) even supports this idea by indicating that very few animals are sacrificed during such experiments which help to not only save millions of people, but also animals. Opponents of this claim have however cited cases of animal suffering and deaths because of ineffective experimental procedures. Taylor (120) highlights a critical perspective regarding this issue by indicating that â€Å"Of course, Jennie was not human; she was a squirrel monkey. To do such a research on a human being would be immoral. The question then is, what justifies using a monkey?† Other commentators have also indicated the idea of injecting animals with toxins in the name of scientific advancement. Although these arguments may seem  plausible, it is however important to note that humans are practically more important than animals. It would thus be justified to assert that animal testing should not be banned. It has also been found that technological advancement has enabled results from animal testing to be more accurate with minimal harm inflicted on animals. Blakemore highlights the biological relationship that humans have with animals. According to the author, chimpanzees and some rodents like mice and rats share similar genes with humans. The way these animals respond to disease treatments is just the same as humans. Because there is no other alternative to test the effectiveness of drugs and consumer goods, the use of animals in experiments becomes justified. Blakemore reiterates that there are many incurable diseases such as Alzheimer’s, schizophrenia, and multiple sclerosis which require quick research in order to find new treatment. Because researchers and scientists have the ability to achieve this objective, they need to use every tool available at their disposal in order to ensure that cures for such diseases are found. Critics of this argument have however maintained their stand regarding the futility of such efforts. As critics claim, some drugs have not been as effective as claimed. Indeed, some of the consumer products and drugs have had to be recalled because of ineffective experimental procedures which resulted in drugs not serving their intended purposes. It can be justified to agree to this assertion considering that animal experiments are products of human making which are subject to errors and flaws. However, with the recent advancement in technology, such cases have become rare. Taylor (134-136) posits that there are new methods such as computer simulation which allows existing information and data to be used by researchers and scientists to further improve on what had earlier been done. Banning animal testing would in this case amount to deteriorating health standards of people within societies. Definitely, animal testing has been a controversial issue considering that there are ethical implications associated with it. While this may be true, the benefits of this procedure however outweigh the drawbacks. For those who want a ban on animal testing to be lifted, the procedure is not ethical but only serves to infringe on the rights of animals. The arguments made by critics however are shortsighted because history clearly indicates that the drugs that people are using nowadays came as a result of animal testing. Fundamentally, animal  testing should not be banned because there are possibilities of future cures being unearthed, the procedure is safe for humans, and the results have been more precise. – approximately 5 billion animals are consumed as food annually – compared to that, only 17-22 million animals are used for in research annually – anesthesia is used today to numb the body during operations because it was successfully tested on animals => 6 % of animals do however experience pain, but this has to do with the research itself – the alleviation of pain would compromise the results => 61 % of animals used suffer no pain => 31 % of animals have pain relieved with anesthesia – AIDs research relies heavily on animal testing; other testing techniques aren’t optimized yet stem cells (SC) are a relative new way to perform testing. This will decrease the use of animals in the testing process. Furthermore, SC can show a specific organ’s reaction to a substance. The housing of the animals, feeding, carrying, treatments, controlling the environment, is very expensive oFinding drugs and treatments to improve health and medicine. There are already some lifesaving medical breakthroughs that are the result of animal testing, like open heart surgery, organ transplants, effective insulin, vaccines for deadly diseases, †¦ It is the most accurate way to learn the effects of substances in a living body Ensuring the safety of drugs and other substances Human harm is reduced and human lives are saved but also animal lives are saved because of animal testing. Many of the medications and procedures that we currently use today wouldn’t exist and the development of future treatments would be extremely limited. Many argue that the lives of animals may be worthy of some respect, but the value we give on their lives does not count as much as the value we give to  human life. Using cell cultures can only reveal side effects on a molecular level and cannot unfortunately, reveal side effects like organ failure, rashes, tumors, or cardiac arrest like animal testing can. Using computer models cannot always predict unknown variables that can be discovered with animal testing. Animals may not have the exact same philology as humans but animal testing is accurate enough to test whether a substance is even safe enough for human trials. Experiments must only take place if there is no alternative method that does not entail the use of animals. Animals involved must be those with the lowest degree of neuro-physiological sensitivity†. http://levmm1.wordpress.com/ https://proxy.zalmos.com/browse.php/q3ytFd7a/EB8_2FxG/0Ac0HzT3/2sRwgT7f/_2FYnbG9/OapnYXZM/HHfGlrE_/3D/b0/

Panera Bread Essay

What are the Panera Bread’s primary sources of competitive advantage? In your judgment, are these sources of advantages sustainable? Why or why not? Panera’s primary sources of competitive advantage are: (1) the distinctive nature of its bakery products, (2) its brand strength, (3) the atmosphere of its restaurants, and (4). its position in the restaurant industry Yes,Panera Bread Co. (NASDAQ: PNRA) operates the signature restaurant chain Panera Bread, selling hand-crafted breads, sandwiches, salads, and drinks. Panera Bread bakery-cafes are often associated with the concept of â€Å"fast casual†, a mixture between fast food and more upscale casual dining. Customers still pay for their food at the counter, like a traditional fast food restaurant, but Panera arranges tables and chairs to be conducive to group meetings. Most Panera Bread restaurants are located in suburban strip malls and regional malls. As of December 29, 2009, Panera had 1,380 bakery-cafes, spanning 38 states, as well as some locations in Canada. Traditionally, companies like Panera have suffered in recessions, which decrease the frequency with which consumers eat out at restaurants. 1] However, Panera’s strategy during the recession has been â€Å"to stay consistent and not to react to the recession†, keeping costs constant and offering new salads and sandwiches. [2] As a result, Panera’s â€Å"fast casual† niche (between casual dining and fast food) contributes to its relative success; this positioning allowed it to avoid discounting wars and maintain its margins by attracting customers with a higher quality product perceived to be a good value for the money. Panera bread has a great meal of Bacon Turkey Bravo with 28G of fat per meal.

In the Devil’s Snare Essay

There have been several interpretations of the Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692. Like every issue that has come up, everyone has their own take on it. Mary Beth Norton chose to lay out her version of the witchcraft trials in her book, In the Devil’s Snare. It is a tremendously ambitious book. Throughout the book, Norton is trying to lay out connections between the experiences of settlers in Maine, the accusations of the afflicted in Salem, and the actions and decisions of the colony leaders. I’ll admit, I don’t know much about the Salem Witchcraft Trials, if anything at all. I had the choice of reading The Crucible in high school, but I turned it down and chose to read a different book. Therefore, I really had not choice but to believe Norton when she said that her approach to examining the witchcraft crisis was a new one. Instead of looking at events case-by-case, she starts at the very beginning (the first whisper of an accusation) and moves chronologically through the entire episode. When it was needed, Norton would pause to add background information. Mary Beth’s point of view of the Salem Witchcraft Crisis is that it all was triggered by from the results of the Indian Wars. She believes that the only way this crisis could be understood, is if you looked at the military conflict between the English settlers and the Native Americans from that region. By the specific attention paid to Tituba, Martha Corey, and Abigail Hobbs, Norton shows how these individuals contributed to the linkage between the witchcraft crisis and the military conflict with the natives. In my opinion, I think Norton’s conclusion should have been put at the start. This is where she explains her thesis, which was that witchcraft crisis of 1692 was in large part a reaction to King Philip’s War and King William’s War, clearly and concisely. Mary Beth does a good job at connecting the participants to the Wars; however I don’t think she’s very convincing when it came to showing how the lack of military and leadership in the w ar was a driving force to the creation of the Salem Witchcraft Trials. Mary Beth Norton’s, In The Devil’s Snare, was very well written piece of literature. I commend her on stepping outside of what other authors had written about and creating her own version of the Salem WitchCraft Crisis of 1692. Norton has a substantial amount of supporting material that she’s gotten from other sources. The amount of the research involved to write her 304 page book is quite impressive and is ultimately breathtaking. I can only imagination how time consuming it was to lay out all the researched material and piece it together with her side of things. Just the thought of management needed to piece this book together gives me a headache. However, all this information did make the book less interesting to me. To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever picked up a book that had 86 pages of endnotes! It made the book a drag because I had to continuously keep flipping back and forth between the story itself, and the side notes. Sometimes a reader can get away with skipping the end notes; however, I felt it was necessary to going back and forth because if I didn’t, I don’t think I would have understood most of it. Sometimes Norton’s side notes helped clarify what I was reading. All in all, In The Devil’s Snare was a decent book. I don’t think I ever found it really interesting at any point, nor was there a place that made me want to keep reading and not push the book aside for a little. My recommendation to others would be limited. This isn’t a book I would recommend to those that want something to read in their free time. I feel like all of her background information, and the tedious amount of flipping back and forth would put many people to sleep. I had a hard time reading more than 30 pages at a time! I think the only people I would recommend this book to would be those who take certain interest in this time frame of history. I think this would be a book they’d like, just because it’s given at a different angle.

Moral Self-Knowledge in Kantian Ethics Essay

In the article titled, Moral Self-knowledge in Kantian Ethics, Emer O’Hagan discusses Kant’s views and ideas concerning self-knowledge and the role it plays in duty and virtuous action. O’Hagan first introduces a key feature of Kant’s ethical theory which is its recognition of the psychological complexity of human beings. O’Hagan uses this recognition of psychological complexity by Kant to dive into Kant’s feeling on self-knowledge. Once a basic understanding of Kant’s attitude towards self-knowledge has been established, O’Hagan then uses Kant’s ethical theory to show how self-knowledge can be used as a means to help determine the goodness of an action. The arguments presented by O’Hagan are logical and clearly supported and verified through the presented evidence. Kant is shown to have recognized the psychological complexity of the human being in recognizing that, â€Å"judgments concerning the rightness of actions are vulnerable to corruption from self-interested inclination† (O’Hagan 525-537). Kant is saying that that even though an action may start out as from duty, our internal feelings as human beings can create a beneficial end as a means for the action, thus rendering it not from duty. Kant also recognizes that our own judgments about us may not be accurate. Moral self-development is a practice to develop accuracy for our self-judgments and takes into consideration one’s motives for action. O’Hagan tells us that this moral practice requires moral self-knowledge which is a form of self-awareness disciplined by respect for autonomy, the theoretical foundation of Kantian ethics. According to Kant, the first command of the duties to oneself as a moral being is self-knowledge. This is the ability to know yourself in terms of whether your heart is for good or evil and whether your actions are pure or impure. Kant describes duties of virtue to be wide duties, in that there is not a clear standard for how one should go about performing action for an end that is also a duty. O’Hagan tells us that Kant’s duty of moral self-knowledge is the duty to know one’s own heart. Kant tells us that moral self-knowledge is quite difficult because it involves abstracting, or taking a non-biased analysis of one’s self. Because we are bound to our own feelings and inclinations, we cannot completely separate ourselves from our own bias. The power of self-knowledge is the power to see things in objectivity instead of subjectivity. The final step of the argument is relating self-knowledge to determining the goodness of an action. O’Hagan tells us that developing self-knowledge will develop one’s self-understanding and will develop guards against self-deception. Using these skills to truly understand one’s heart allows for one to know one’s motives, and thus practical stance in action. According to Kant, the goodness of an action is determined by one’s motives, so the goodness of one’s action can now be evaluated. O’Hagan clearly demonstrates the importance of self-knowledge in Kant’s theory of ethics and validates its importance by describing application for use of the practice of self-knowledge (O’Hagan 525-537).

Analyse the benefits of deploying tablet computers in organisations Assignment

Analyse the benefits of deploying tablet computers in organisations and should focus specifically, and at a minimum, on areas such as productivity, accessibility, and compatibility - Assignment Example This paper focuses on the merits of supplying workers with computer tablets in the workplace (Sorin). A tablet refers to a mobile computer which is equipped with a variety of features such as a touch screen, microphone and camera. Unlike computers, tablets do not necessarily require the use of mouse or keyboard. Instead, they have sensors which can be operated by the use of stylus gestures or fingers. However, it might contain virtual keyboards that are used for performing any typing work. With their small and comfortable portably design, tablets can be very much suitable for individual use. Meaning, they can be easily used by one person without necessarily relying on a network of computers or servers. Thus, it can suit workers both in their offices and at the comfort of their homes. When an employer opts to supply the workers with tablets, they should be commended for taking a noble initiative. This is because it can benefit them in the following ways: To begin with, a tablet computer can greatly help the workers to improve the efficiency of their communications. When each worker is given a personal tablet, they can use them in communicating with one another. This can be done through the use of email, fax, chat room or short messages. Indeed, these are revolutionary means of communication which have greatly impacted on the lives of workers. Unlike it was before, workers had to rely on traditional means of communication such as letter writing or face to face communication. However, when each of them has a personal tablet, they would no longer need to take much time drafting letters or leaving their offices to go and look for others to deliver the message to. Instead, if they have tablets, they will only require connecting them to the internet then draft and sending short and brief messages. With personal tablets, individual workers can easily communicate to their seniors, colleagues or juniors without many interruptions. This is be cause

Effective Leadership Styles Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Effective Leadership Styles - Movie Review Example In this paper, the leadership skills reflected by Carter will be discussed and the focus of which will be mainly on goal setting, self-motivation, determination, evaluation and communication. From the time the coach went to the school where he coached, he made it clear to the team that he is the team leader and the players are his team members. It is believed that such clear lay-out of the roles of each member helps in making the goals as well as the rules and regulations clearly defined so that they may be achieved in due time. Before the team even started with their rehearsals, the coach made the goal very clear and he even gave them contracts to sign in order for them to take things more seriously. There was not only verbal explanation given to the students but a meeting with their parents was also called for to make them understand the situation and for them to be informed also of the contract the students agreed upon. Kinicki et.al consider goals as the starting point for all mo tivations because having an objective keeps people focused on the things they must do in order for them to achieve their goals. ... Trying to simultaneously achieve the short term and long term goals have been extremely challenging to Carter but these always made him more focused on the steps he needed to take. Although his team was undefeated, which would be every coach’s dream; Carter was not satisfied with their performances because they failed to live by the contract that they agreed upon from the start of his job. Therefore, he travelled an extra mile in order to help further the players in their academic performances. He made sacrifices with his time and decisions, not wavered by the arguments of his colleagues, students and their parents. He stuck to his priorities and was focused ore than ever with his goals. Detractors abound in every corner and they could either serve as challenges or obstacles that stop people from achieving their goals. In The Art of Leadership, Dag Heward-Mills encourages leaders to become self-motivated (2006) and not to expect direction or encouragement from outside. Indeed, more often than not, people can easily become pessimistic and become discouragements rather than encouragements. Thus, it is important that leaders should have that spirit of motivating themselves first and foremost before getting motivated by others. In the film mentioned earlier, Carter was surrounded by oppositions and impossibilities but he knew his goals and he knew he could succeed if he did his best. While most of his colleagues were encouraging him to give in to the clamor of the students and parents to let the students play despite their failing grades, Carter sought to achieve his goals, clinging to his set of rules and not compromising his principles. In line with the motivation that Carter had, he was also determined to

CRITICALLY EVALUATE TWO LEADERSHIP THEORIES (TRANSFORMATIONAL AND Essay

CRITICALLY EVALUATE TWO LEADERSHIP THEORIES (TRANSFORMATIONAL AND AUTOCRATIC LEADERSHIP THEORIES) - Essay Example 4). Burns (2012, p.5) presented transformational leadership as a style used by both leaders and followers to lift individual morale and motivation in performing specific tasks (Minja & Barine, 2012, p.57). This means that through transformational leadership, significant changes are created in the people involved and the organization at large. According to Bass and Avolio (1994, p. 3), transformational leadership works to establish idealised behaviour, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, individualised consideration, and idealised attributes. Individualised consideration style ensures that followers are coached and developed into leaders (Riggio & Harvey, 2011, p. 124). This style enhances motivation and morale that encourage performance from followers through connecting the followers’ interests to the organization’s missions (Pless & Maak, 2012, p. 39; Nadler & Trushman, 1990, p. 79). The leader works as a role model to the followers hence challenging them to take ownership of their work. These challenges create and enabling environment where followers are able to identify their strengths and weaknesses in different tasks assigned to them (Nadler & Trushman, 1990, pp. 81). Followers are therefore able to align themselves for future leadership responsibilities (Lussier & Achua, 2009, p. 347). A transformational leader is able to create individualised consideration to each follower’s needs and concerns (Chall, 1977, p.1907). The leader devotes to mentor the follower as well as support and express empathy when dealing with the follower. In such a relationship, the leader ensures that there is an open communication with the follower where challenges and successes are shared with the follower. This way, both the leader and the follower are able envision the end of the tasks at hand from the beginning as well as celebrate and respect each other’s contribution to

Compare and contrast 2 stories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Compare and contrast 2 stories - Essay Example Miss Brill and Good Country People expose their characters in a descriptive manner, for the former, the introduction was done by describing the setting, talking about the atmosphere while the latter described one of the main characters, Mrs. Freeman, then going to the other characters. The internal conflict in Miss Brill was shown more pronouncedly in the main character while external conflicts were exhibited by secondary characters. For instance, the thoughts of Miss Brill is revealed which exposes her feelings about another character in the story when she was listening to an old man and woman who have been talking about her glasses, showing how enraged she had been about the woman’s complaints probably reflecting herself, with the statement â€Å" Miss Brill had wanted to shake her†. The other story involved most of the characters in showing the internal and external conflicts, with the passionate characterizations and portrayal of their roles in the story. Mrs. Freem an struggled with her family and their problems laid before her, affecting both her mental, emotional as well as physical beings. Mrs. Hopewell on the other hand faced emotional struggles with her own daughter and Mrs. Freeman while Hulga had her own internal conflicts as the effects of her external conflict that is, her disability. Both stories show a narrator of which both are omniscient, knowing the feelings and thoughts of all the characters. However, Miss Brill is more of a limited omniscient narrator who sees through the mind of the main character in contrast to Good Country People which exposes not only the thoughts and feelings of the main character but of other characters as well. This manner of telling the story brings the reader to picture all the characters in a more detailed fashion which helps to understand the events of the story more clearly. Complications in Miss Brill are shown with the introduction of other characters as viewed in the eyes of the main character as she sits to observe or to the author’s words, ‘watch the play on the stage’. The other story on the contrary becomes complicated with the introduction of the antagonist, the Bible salesman who then takes interest in Hulga. Both stories have not exposed any foreshadowing or clue to how the story would end but plainly presented the events as they happened especially with the story of Miss Brill. Good Country People on the other hand ingeniously saved the conclusion of the story by leaving the exposition of the true character of the antagonist towards the end of the story. Both also have an open plot wherein the conflicts were not resolved at the end of the story but were left for the reader to finish or think of what might be the conclusion of the story. Such method is said to be clever, leaving the reader thinking about the story and not forgetting it in a moment. Miss Brill is about reflections, dreams and lust with the first one shown through the character of M iss Brill who usually spends her Sunday afternoons watching the people at Jardins Publiques, listening to the conversations of those who usually sit at her ‘special seat’ where she observes couples, usually lovers taking their seats there. The reason for her going there was not mentioned in the story but her ‘special seat’ represents her dreams of having a partner, and her sexual desires. Good Country Peop

Discuss healthcare systems organizational structure, financing, Assignment

Discuss healthcare systems organizational structure, financing, mission, vision, philosophy, and values - Assignment Example ciety as a whole and how the overall healthcare system is linked with other sectors of the economy to support and bolster the overall good of the society. (Skolnik, 2012, p.52) It is therefore clearly established that the overall goals, mission and vision of a healthcare system shall be focused upon delivering good health and generating and allocating financial resources fairly. The financial resources of the healthcare system therefore either are generated through the public funds or through public-private partnership arrangements along with self-funding through patients. It is however, critical to understand that overall organizational structure can also result into the restriction of the access to the healthcare providers. (Andersen, Vedsted, Olesen, Bro, & Ndergaard,2011). The concept of gatekeeping into the overall organizational structure of healthcare system is resulting into a change in the overall relationship between the healthcare providers and the patients. Since one of the components of the organizational structure is service delivery it is therefore critical that organizational structure shall not be the restricting factor in the overall delivery of efficient and effective healthcare services to the patients. Andersen, R. S., Vedsted, P., Olesen, F., Bro, F., & Ndergaard, J. S. (2011). Does the organizational structure of health care systems influence care-seeking decisions?A qualitative analysis of Danish cancer patients’ refl ections on care-seeking. Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care,

Masters of Science in Information Management at Syracuse University Essay

Masters of Science in Information Management at Syracuse University - Essay Example Some of the most interesting and useful courses that make part of the program are ’Web-Design and Management’ and ‘Application Programming for Information System’. Designing web and making java programs are some of the key skills contemporary organizations expect to find in the graduates of Information Management. ‘Intro/Info Based Organization’ is a very good course whose knowledge guides the professionals in maximizing benefits for the company through informed decision making. The courses ‘Info Reporting and Presentation’ and ‘Global Financial System Architecture’ helped improve my social skills as I had to frequently work in collaboration with my teammates and develop business plans. These courses and the exercises they comprise have interesting ways of inculcating the required skills in the students. Reflecting upon my past experience with this field of study, I am positive that studying it at Masters level would p ave the way for new opportunities for me both in academia and industry. After almost four years of study in the Syracuse University, I have become quite aware of this university and this city. The school faculty is very helpful and is always available to guide the students through matters related to studies, career, or life in general. Syracuse University organizes many educational and recreational events every semester. Syracuse University maintains a high profile in sports as well; as a royal basketball fan, I believe that Syracuse University is second to none in offering the students' growth opportunities in sports along with studies. Since Syracuse University can offer me both good quality study and rich leisure life, it is really a place where I can draw a balance between studies and life. My parents can finance my studies. They can pay for the tuition either by international wire transfer or by credit card.

Advantages and the Use of Online Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Advantages and the Use of Online Business - Essay Example This paper tells that the internet is a fast and easy sharing tool of information, which makes it the most important tool of the new era. The Internet has been the catalyst for the change and development of the business world in the generation. It has become indispensable for the companies to gain the maximum benefit with lower fixed costs and investments, through their resources. This is done by using the most efficient manner to compete with rivals in terms of crises. Aydin & Kavaklioglu uses content analysis method in their study on the website www.kitapix.com to make sales directly to the final consumer over the internet. This website was formed in 2009 under a low budget but established a customer group in a spell. Low investment costs and low fixed costs benefits, made e-commerce much more attractive for other companies. Besides the low costs, Baird notes that e-commerce may reach to a large geographical area with unlimited boundaries of service time and provide a great competi tive advantage to the businesses. For example, in the retail industry, merchandise assortments can increase inventory carrying costs and expenditures, which are caused by product returns. To control these costs, many retailers have maintained relatively few stock-keeping units (SKUs), which yield a pattern of awareness in sales commonly known as the 80/20 rule and described by the Pareto Principle. Another example is that some people have claimed that the surge of Internet retail activity can dilute this concentrated pattern of sales by lowering consumer search costs. As a result, they have argued that Internet commerce may contribute to an expansion in the share of sales by niche products, thereby creating a longer tail in the distribution of SKU sales. This phenomenon may ultimately make it more attractive to sell a greater variety of SKUs without incurring excessive carrying and product return costs.

Personal statements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Personal statements - Essay Example I have advanced proficiency levels in the use of basic computer programs which can assist in business applications like writing business correspondences and computing through spreadsheets. I am genuinely interested in pursuing higher education in business to harness my professional skills and keep me abreast on contemporary applications of management of global organizations. By applying in this institution’s business program, I am optimistic to gain a more comprehensive approach in managing business organizations through the development of leadership, entrepreneurial, interpersonal, negotiation, conflict-resolution, information technology, electronic business applications and research skills and abilities that are needed in business organizations in the future. As more organizations become global enterprises, I would like to improve my skills in becoming part of a global organization that could give me opportunities to experience other cultures and contribute to its growth and advancement.