Wells Fargo Bank Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Wells Fargo Bank - Essay Example Kochan, T., Bezrukova, K., Ely, R., Jackson, S., Joshi, A., & Jehn, K. et al. (2003). The effects of diversity on business performance: Report of the diversity research network. Human Resource Management, 42(1), 3--21. This textbook by Robbins and Judge provide with a useful theoretical foundation relating to the contemporary organizational behavior variables as well as their relationship under various contexts. The book provides with useful foundation as to the theory and practice of organizational behavior. Simons, S., & Rowl,. (2011). Diversity and Its Impact on Organizational Performance: The Influence of Diversity Constructions on Expectations and Outcomes. Journal of Technology Management & Innovation, 6(3), 171--183. This article explains the link between workplace diversity and organizational performance by summing up the various categorizations of diversity found in the literature. The article provides an insightful finding of how the ambiguity regarding the definition of diversity has lead to poor diversity management efforts at organizations. The webpage from the official website of Wells Fargo Bank provides with useful information regarding the bank’s organizational culture as it exercises behavioral, psychological, and anthropological theories on its employees. Organizations are becoming increasingly varied in their composition in the wake of global changes such as globalization and immigration. This has had great implications for the working relationship between internal stakeholders within organizations as the changes affect organizational dynamics and structure. Organizations across the United States have experienced a compositional change after such global trends. Well Fargo Bank, like many others, has also experienced the new development. With its presence across various states of the US, its successful operations involve seamless integration between its

Romeo and Juliet Play Essay Example for Free

Romeo and Juliet Play Essay How does Shakespeare present two or three of the older generation and their roles in the play’s tragic conclusion? Romeo and Juliet is a play set in Renaissance Verona with a tragic conclusion of the two young lovers, Romeo and Juliet, dying. The whole play is about the feud between the Montagues and the Capulets and how their children, Romeo and Juliet, have to pay the price for their actions and hatred to each other. As a result, the older generation play key roles in the play’s tragic conclusion due to their actions and decisions. Juliet’s death in particular is influenced by her parents’ and the Nurse’s betrayal to her and their lack of understanding in her. These characters also influence Romeo’s death and other individuals of the older generation like, Friar Lawrence and the Prince contribute to the play’s tragic conclusion. The influences of Romeo’s and Juliet’s parents play a major part in the play’s tragic conclusion. We know this because in the prologue it says their ‘ancient grudge’ and their ‘rage’ will cause Romeo’s and Juliet’s deaths which will be the only way to ‘bury their parents’ strife’. Shakespeare emphasises the importance of the parents’ roles in the play’s tragic conclusion by using sonnet form and iambic pentameter in the prologue. The prologue implies that the parents play a major part in the play’s tragic conclusion because it shows that their ‘ancient grudge’ creates Romeo’s and Juliet’s doomed fate and the use of the sonnet form and iambic pentameter emphasises their importance. Among the parents, Capulet plays a key role in the play’s tragic conclusion, in Juliet’s death in particular. In Act 1 Scene 5, Tybalt recognizes Romeo’s voic e as a Montague and wants to ‘strike him dead’ but Capulet orders him to do nothing ‘Content thee, gentle coz, let him alone’. He keeps a peaceful attitude to Romeo’s uninvited presence and prevents Tybalt from starting a brawl. This suggests that if he hadn’t stopped Tybalt, it would have prevented Romeo and Juliet from meeting but his desire to appear as a good host to keep a good reputation stops him from doing so. Shakespeare shows Capulet’s desire to appear as a good host by using consecutive short sentences conveying contrasting emotions ‘Be quiet, orMore light, more light! For shame! Ill make you quiet. What, cheerly, my hearts!’ This implies that even when Tybalt wants to strike Romeo dead, he still talks to his guests in between his conversation with Tybalt, showing that he cares about his reputation a lot. Thus, Capulet contributes to Juliet’s death by letting Romeo meet Juliet because he cares about his reputation so he stops Tybalt from creating a scene in front of his guests. If he hadn’t stopped Tybalt, he could have prevented Romeo and Juliet meeting, therefore preventing the play’s tragic conclusion. Also, Capulet contributes to the play’s tragic conclusion because he agrees to Paris’s request of Juliet’s hand in marriage. In Act 3 Scene 4, after Tybalt dies, Paris askes for the second time for Juliet’s hand in marriage. Capulet agrees, not thinking about whether Juliet would actually want to be married to Paris and saying that she will do it, ‘she shall be married’. Also, he displays a sense of urgency and haste in getting Juliet married to Paris. Shakespeare portrays this in his dialogue where Capulet asks questions but doesn’t let Paris answer and carries on ‘Will you be ready? Do you like this haste?’ This is reminiscent of the first time Paris askes for Juliet’s hand in marriage in Act 1 Scene 2 because his response was that Juliet is too young and that he should ‘let two more summers wither in their pride’ and that his ‘my will to consent is but a part’ because Juliet should agree too. From this response it indicates that he contradicts himself because instead of waiting two more years, he accepts his request and he agrees without Juliet’s consent saying that Juliet will do exactly as he wishes. His contradiction implies that yet again he’s thinking about his reputation and social status or that from Tybalt’s sudden death, he’s remembered how easily young people die in Renaissance Verona, hence his decision for Juliet to marry Paris as soon as possible. Either way, it shows that due to his single-mindedness and selfishness, he forgets about Juliet’s consent and agrees to the decision which evidently leads to her death. Furthermore, Capulet’s reaction to Juliet rejecting his plan for her to marry Paris contributes to the play’s tragic conclusion. In Act 3 Scene 5, Lady Capulet tells Juliet about Capulet’s plan for her to marry Paris. Juliet rejects this decision, saying ‘I will not marry yet; and when I do, I swear it shall be Romeo’. When Capulet learns of Juliet’s determination to defy him he becomes enraged and displays anger that even Lady Capulet, who agrees with Capulet’s decision, thinks that his anger is too much ‘you are too hot’. Shakespeare depicts this anger through the use of blasphemous language ‘Gods bread! It makes me mad’. This implies that Capulet is so angry that he even swears at God. Also, his anger is depicted through the use of animal language, calling Juliet a ‘green-sickness carrion’ and a ‘tallow face’ and how he lists what he’s done solely for Juliet having an effect of exaggeration ‘day, night, hour, tide, time, work, play, alone, in company, still my care hath been to have her matchd’. To add, Capulet’s anger is conveyed from the use of rhetorical/illogical questions and how he mimics Juliet ‘Ill not wed; I cannot love, I am too young; I pray you, pardon me.’ Capulet’s excessive anger suggests that he thinks Juliet is ungrateful for not wanting to marry his choice of groom for her and that he’s angry because calling off the wedding would cause him embarrassment and loss of the political power the marriage would have brought him. Capulet’s angry reaction to Juliet’s defiance contributes to the play’s tragic conclusion because he also ends up offending the Nurse calling her a ‘mumbling fool’ and a ‘gossip’s bowl’ which influences the Nurses change of attitude towards Romeo that makes Juliet go to Friar Lawrence wanting to kill herself rather than to marry Paris. Also, Capulet contributes to the play’s tragic conclusion by not supporting Juliet’s pleas for the marriage to be delayed a year and by yet again thinking about his reputation because if Juliet doesn’t agree it will cause him embarrassment and loss of the political power the marriage would have brought him. Another parent that influences the play’s tragic conclusion, in particular Juliet’s death is Lady Capulet. In Act 1 Scene 3, Lady Capulet introduces the idea of marrying Paris to Juliet. She describes him through metaphor ‘precious book of love’ th at ‘lacks a cover’. This implies that she thinks that Juliet can be the ‘gold clasp’ to complete the ‘unbound lover’. Through this imagery, it shows her attitude to the role of women in marriage; the wife is just a book cover or a decoration. Her view of a woman’s role in marriage is shown in her own relationship with Capulet where Capulet clearly dominates over her. This is typical in Renaissance Verona because during that time society was male-dominated. However, this is different in Romeo and Juliet’s relationship where there is equality to both genders. Also, she influences the play’s tragic conclusion in Act 3 Scene 5 by not fulfilling her role as Juliet’s mother. After Capulet’s reaction to Juliet refusing to marry Paris, saying that he will disown her, Juliet turns to her mother for comfort and for help. However, instead she says ‘talk not to me, for I’ll not speak a word. Do as thou wilt, for I have done with thee’. Shakespeare uses iambic pentameter to make Lady Capulet’s words sound like spell-like, that they have an important and big impact. This suggests that Lady Capulet contributes to Juliet’s death by not fulfilling her role as her mother, instead she betrays her with her words of rejection with added impact from the use of iambic pentameter. An individual from the older generation that influences the play’s tragic conclusion is the Nurse. Throughout the play, the Nurse plays a loyal and mother-like role to Juliet and is always supportive to her decisions. However in Act 3 Scene 5, the Nurse has a change of heart. ‘I think you are happy in this second match’ she says, saying that she speaks from the heart and ‘from my soul too’. Juliet is outraged with the Nurse’s change of heart because it’s like a betrayal. In the Nurse’s last line before she exits she says ‘Marry, I will; and this is wisely done’. Shakespeare yet again uses iambic pentameter to make the Nurse’s betrayal to Juliet have a big impact. This suggests that the Nurse contributes to Juliet’s death because Shakespeare’s use of iambic pentameter in her rejection shows the significant impact it has on Juliet. Also, it implies that the Nurse doesn’t understand that Juliets love for Romeo is the real or that she doesnt want to lose Juliet to an uncertain future with Romeo or that she gives up so praises Paris helplessly. Thus, the Nurse is presented as person who doesn’t like inconvenience, only encourages when the situation is convenient and her response to the inconvenience in this scene contributes to the play’s tragic conclusion because she betrays Juliet.

I Can Change the World One Tooth at a Time! :: Dentistry Admissions Essays

I Can Change the World One Tooth at a Time! Â   Ever since childhood I have enjoyed working with my hands. Whether as an eight year- old gluing together a model car or an adolescent assembling a bookshelf in woodworking class, I thrived on the challenges of precise and meticulous tasks. Throughout high school I have been intrigued by the sciences, but it was not until I read about late-breaking discoveries and research in the field of genetics that my interests in science intensified. When I entered the University of British Columbia (UBC), I naturally chose to specialize in Cell Biology and Genetics. Â   In my sophomore year at UBC, I first began to seriously consider dentistry as a career. At that time, I began to appreciate the important role that dentistry played in my life. Four years earlier, I began an orthodontic treatment program with Dr. Junni Wang to correct a severe crowding problem with my teeth. Both before and during the treatment, I was a most reluctant participant; not many teenagers look forward to braces filling their mouth during their last two years of high school, and I was no different. Â   However, at every monthly check-up for three-and-a-half years the office staff had nothing but kind words of encouragement and optimism. Now after the completion of the treatment I had reason to smile. Dr. Wang helped turn me from a shy adolescent who feared smiling into a confident, outgoing young man. His skills not only brought back my smile, but also my sense of confidence in all aspects of my life. Whereas once I feared drawing attention to myself and thus shied away from leadership posts and debates, now I am a completely different person. Hoping to feel as satisfied and gratified as Dr. Wang must have felt in improving not only my smile but my entire way of life, I look forward to improving the oral health of patients on a daily basis and participating in dentistry' s friendly, team-oriented work environment. Â   After this preliminary ' patient-doctor' exposure to dentistry, I substantially increased my involvement in the field to determine if dentistry really was for me. My participation with the UBC Pre-Dental Society allowed me to communicate with various professionals in the field. I also investigated opportunities to volunteer in the University Dental Clinic or participate in research work.

Book Review of Lytton Stracheys Elizabeth and Essx :: essays research papers

The tragic but yet romantic novel I read was called, Elizabeth and Essex. This novel is a biographical and historical book. The subject of the book is a â€Å"tragic history†. The author, Lytton Strachey, tells the reader a lot about these two â€Å"love birds† that were destined to be together. Whose name’s were Elizabeth and Essex. Lytton Strachey presents a very â€Å"well-rounded† picture of the book. I think it is very important for an author to present a good picture of the book because of one very IMPORTANT reason, for the reader to understand and to become more interested in the book, the author has to make the reader feel as if they were there discovering that piece of history that was created or a joke that was told. To me I think that the author’s purpose was several different things. Only because the book wasn’t only entertaining , but it was informing, and instructive. The author will do anything to make his/her book interesting and enjoyable to the public, so they try to squeeze in entertaining, informing, and instructive material into the book. The style of the book is what made it so special. It was VERY easy to understand, and at the same time it was exciting. Some readers may think a tragic, but yet romantic novel is hard to understand, but what they don’t know is that all books are easy to read. You are just stopping yourself too soon to learn it. This book had no problems with being beautifully written and understandable. Compared with the first book I read for the first nine weeks, I would say this book is 110 times better. (The book that I read the first nine weeks was called Abraham Lincoln as I knew him.) This book, Elizabeth and Essex, had everything that a book worm could ask for. Some interesting quotes and passages that I found were: on page 3 it said that the Earl of Essex, Elizabeth’s lover, was once her first cousin twice removed. Another one I read was on page 91. It was a quote that was quoted by Portia to Bassano, â€Å"but I fear you speak upon the rack, where men enforced do speak anything.

Thorn Queen Chapter Six

Kiyo always healed quickly, and when we got home that night, he was in fine condition to see who could put on the highest-quality performance in bed. Consequently, he woke in a very cheerful mood the next day, though he still couldn't help a little grumbling about following along yet again. I knew it was all gruffness, though. He liked knowing I was safe, and that warmed something up inside of me. â€Å"You tricked me,† he remarked once we'd crossed over to the Otherworld that morning. I was hoping these bandits would be as easy to dispatch as the kobolds, unnatural hybrids of small animals aside. â€Å"After that thing you did in bed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He sighed happily at the memory of a particularly skillful feat my mouth had performed last night. â€Å"Well, you know I'd agree to do anything now.† â€Å"Come on,† I said, still feeling a bit proud. â€Å"It has nothing to do with that. Don't you want to see justice served to those who dare torment my subjects?† â€Å"Careful there. People might think you're acting like a real queen.† I glanced down at my torn jeans and Poison T-shirt. â€Å"Well, let's not get carried away. Maybe it'd help if I got a crown like Dorian said.† To my astonishment, Kiyo's teasing expression immediately hardened. â€Å"No. That's the last thing you should do.† I stared in surprise. â€Å"Why not? Too Miss America?† â€Å"It'll make you seem more†¦official.† I gestured around at the tapestry-draped castle room we'd appeared in. â€Å"We're in a fucking castle, Kiyo. I don't really see how it can get any more official.† â€Å"You don't understand. I mean, you're a queen, yeah, and they all know it†¦but a lot just see you as this warrior stand-in. Like a regent. Get a crown†¦start appearing before lots of people in it, and I don't know. It makes you legitimate. It makes it real. It'll be harder for you to get out of this than it already is.† I thought about how often I'd wished I hadn't been saddled with this land and how often I'd tried to avoid it-yet still kept coming back. â€Å"I don't think it can get any harder.† We found Shaya before heading out on our raid. I'd brought some things that I hoped would help with the Thorn Land's drought and famine. When I gave the first one to her, she could only stare in silence for several moments. â€Å"Your majesty†¦what is this?† â€Å"It's a children's place mat I got from Joe's Tex-Mex restaurant.† Along with Joe's kid's menu, the place mat also depicted a map of Arizona that kids could color while waiting for their food. I pointed to the assorted symbols on the map. â€Å"See, this shows Arizona's natural resources. The stuff that grows and can be found there. Cotton. Copper.† â€Å"What's this?† she asked, pointing to something that resembled a glass of liquid. I frowned. It certainly wasn't water, that was for damned sure. â€Å"I think it's some kind of citrus product. Orange. Grapefruit.† I shrugged. â€Å"I think you can grow either in this weather. And that's the point. This land mirrors Tucson, so all the things there should be the same here. There should be copper deposits that you guys can find. That's valuable in trade, right?† Copper was one of the few metals gentry could handle. Iron was right out, being the harbinger of technology. That's what made it one of my most lethal weapons. â€Å"And the rest should grow here, if you can find seeds. Someone must have them somewhere, even in this world.† â€Å"They still need water,† she pointed out. â€Å"Right. That's what this is for.† I handed her my next prize: a book. â€Å"It's a history of the engineering of wells and aqueducts from ancient and medieval Europe. It should help in moving water around.† She still looked stunned, so I tried to think of something comforting. â€Å"I'll help find more water sources too.† I then handed her another book about Southwest architecture, adobe and stucco homes. She took the books and flipped through them, taking in the dense chapters and diagrams. â€Å"I don't think I'm the right person to do this. I don't have the mind for it.† â€Å"Maybe not. But I'm sure you can delegate to someone who can.† I patted her encouragingly on the arm. The truth was, I was as baffled by the book as she was. I could put together jigsaw puzzles in record time. Reading engineering diagrams? Not so much. â€Å"Just be careful with them-those are library books.† I had to go then and felt a little bad about leaving her. Yet, despite her confusion now, I knew she would find people and ways to implement this. She was just that competent. Maybe I should have had more of a hand in this, but hey, I'd been the one who had to choke down Joe's crap Tex-Mex food in order to score the place mat. That had to count for something. If I'd had my way, I would have just taken Kiyo and gone out to hunt down these bandits ourselves. I had to imagine they were just riffraff and not much of an obstacle to us. Kiyo was a pretty fierce fighter, as last night had shown, and between my weapons and magic, I was his equal. Rurik had protested this plan, however, insisting that he and almost two dozen guards come along. I didn't think this gave us much in the way of stealth, but he'd told me we'd dismount and go on foot once we reached the passes the bandits lived in. Before we left, I decided we might as well add one more person to our entourage. I stepped into a darkened corner, far from the light of candles in the room, and took out my wand. Immediately, the guards moved away from me. They knew what I was going to do and didn't like it. When something magical made gentry uneasy, you knew it was bad. I spoke the words of summoning and felt magic move through me. It wasn't the storm magic I'd inherited, the pull to water and air. This was a learned human magic, a way of reaching out to the worlds beyond. The temperature in the room dropped, a sudden shock compared to the dry heat we'd just been in. Then, the cold lifted, and Volusian stood before me. Volusian was my minion, for lack of a better word. He was a damned soul, cursed to wander without rest for all eternity after committing atrocious acts in life. I'd fought and bound him to me, forcing him to serve me. Volusian wasn't very happy about this and frequently liked to remind me of how he would destroy me if he ever broke free of my control. After hearing stuff like that over and over, it almost took on a familiar feel, kind of like how a pop song heard often enough will work its way into your heart. While Otherworldly spirits often had insubstantial forms in the human world, the shape Volusian had now looked exactly the same as it would if I summoned him back home: a short, imp-like creature with black skin, pointed ears, and red eyes. â€Å"My mistress calls,† he said in a flat voice. â€Å"And I answer. Regretfully.† â€Å"Oh, Volusian,† I said cheerfully. â€Å"Always a joy to have you around. You're such a ray of sunshine on a dreary day.† Volusian merely stared. I turned to the others, hoping I sounded queenly and authoritative. â€Å"Alright. Let's go kick some outlaws out of town.† I still wasn't used to having an entourage of guards. So much of my life had been solitary, so much of it spent fighting on my own†¦well, I didn't really know what to do with so many people at my back. As we headed toward our destination, I found it was a lot easier to deal with the guards if I just focused on Kiyo and pretended we were alone. â€Å"I can't believe you gave Shaya a place mat and now expect her to revolutionize this place's total infrastructure,† he noted. â€Å"What else am I supposed to do?† I asked. â€Å"You were just complaining about me getting too involved in this place. Handing off a place mat is about as uninvolved as I can get-unless you're saying I should take a more active role now?† â€Å"No,† he answered swiftly, face darkening a little. â€Å"Believe me, if there were an easy way for you to give up this place, I'd make you do it.† I cut him a glance. â€Å"You'd make me, huh?† â€Å"Encourage,† he amended. â€Å"Unfortunately, it's a moot point. The only way to lose a kingdom is if your power drops or†¦well, if you're killed.† â€Å"I'm sure Volusian would love to help with that.† My minion walked near me, needing no horse to move swiftly. Upon hearing his name, he said, â€Å"I would perform the deed with great relish and much suffering on your part, mistress.† â€Å"You can't put a price on that kind of loyalty,† I told Kiyo solemnly. â€Å"No crown even required.† Kiyo grunted noncommittally. There was a lot of tension between him and Dorian, but the one thing they both agreed on was that Volusian was trouble. Both had encouraged me to get rid of him. I didn't have the power to completely banish him to the Underworld, but it probably could be managed with another magic user. Still, dangerous or no, I continued to retain the spirit's services. â€Å"Are you going to stick around when we're done here?† I asked. That was my subtle way of asking if Kiyo was going to see Maiwenn. His dark eyes were on the road ahead, thoughtful. â€Å"No. I was hoping to go back to Tucson and see if I could get this hot chick I know to go out with me. I hear she's in demand, though. She keeps putting me off each time I try to plan something romantic.† â€Å"Yeah, well, maybe if you come up with a good itinerary, you could lure her out.† â€Å"I was thinking dinner at Joe's.† I made a face. â€Å"If that's the case, maybe you'd better brace yourself for rejection.† â€Å"Red Pepper Bistro?† â€Å"Okay. Now you're in the zone.† â€Å"Followed by a long massage in the sauna.† â€Å"That's pretty good too.† â€Å"And then indecent things in the sauna.† â€Å"I hope you mean you'll be doing the indecent things-because I more than did my share last night.† Kiyo glanced over at me with a mischievous grin. â€Å"Who says I'm talking about you?† I would have swatted him if he'd been in reach. Instead, I grinned back, my mood happy and light. Bantering with him like this was just like the old days, back before Maiwenn and this baby business was an issue. I felt like his girlfriend again. And despite just having had sex last night, I couldn't deny the truth. Thinking about having sex with him in the sauna was doing uncomfortable-pleasantly uncomfortable-things to my body, particularly with my legs spread like they were. Our gazes met, and I felt an answering heat in his eyes. I remembered how fierce he'd been while throwing himself in front of me last night and could perfectly envision that same fierceness translated into passion in bed. The lines and muscles of his body suddenly seemed that much stronger, and I could imagine his hands all over me†¦. Rurik trotted up beside me and interrupted my pornographic thoughts. â€Å"We need to go on foot now. We're getting close.† We stopped on the edge of a â€Å"forest† comprised of saguaro cactuses and scraggly trees. They spread on ahead of us, up toward some sharp rises in the land that turned into sandy red cliffs studded with rocks. While tethering the horses, Kiyo decided he'd go ahead and scout in fox form. â€Å"If you can't change back, that's going to seriously interfere with our date,† I told him. He ran a hand along my bare arm, making every part of me tingle. â€Å"Nah, nothing's interfering with that. I'll go in small fox form-they'll never see me.† He slowly shape-shifted, his large, muscled frame growing smaller, then elongating into a red fox about as big as a medium-sized dog. He brushed against my leg and then disappeared into the vegetation ahead. I watched him go. Some part of me would always worry about those I loved, but overall, I had confidence in Kiyo when it came to dangerous situations. The rest of us milled about in the midday heat, passing water around. About twenty minutes later, Kiyo returned. With each approaching step, he transformed from a cuddly furry critter into the man I loved. Not that I didn't love him as a fox too. â€Å"They're over there, just like we thought,† Kiyo said. There was kind of a lope as he walked, a leftover from the fox form. It was both cute and sexy at the same time. â€Å"Looks like they're camped out and resting for the day.† â€Å"Any lookouts?† asked Rurik. Kiyo grinned. â€Å"Not anymore.† I rolled my eyes. â€Å"Did you see any girls?† His smile faded. â€Å"No. Just the bandits. They've got a few less people than we do.† â€Å"Well, that's good,† I said, frowning. No girls. What did that mean? Had the couple in the village been wrong? Maybe their daughter really had run off with her boyfriend. Still, if this group was harassing people, getting rid of them would certainly be a good deed. Kiyo and Rurik plotted strategy on how to sneak up on the camp, and our group set off, planning to fan out around the brigands. With no lookouts, the gang had no one to warn them of our approach and seemed totally unaware when we got our first glimpse of them. They were mostly men, with a few women. The women clearly weren't captured girls, though. They were older and hardened from harsh living. The whole group looked like it had seen hard times, actually. There was a toughness about them that suggested they'd fight tooth and nail. Based on an earlier discussion, I'd thought our whole group would just swoop down at once. Instead, one of my guards suddenly stepped out and shouted, â€Å"Surrender in the name of the queen!† Oh God, I thought. He did not just say that. There was no time to ponder it further as my party charged forward. â€Å"Remember,† I hissed to Volusian. â€Å"Subdue. Don't kill.† He didn't look happy about this. Of course, he never looked happy. The rest of my guards had orders to avoid killing if they could but not to hesitate if it was their life or a bandit's. I wanted prisoners we could question later and didn't really like the idea of furthering my tyrannical image if I could help it. As I'd expected, the bandits fought back. No surrender here. They had conventional gentry weapons, as well as some weak fighting magic. It became clear early on that taking prisoners was a little harder than killing. Killing was fast. Taking someone down and tying them up was a little more complicated. It exposed you to attacks from others. Nonetheless, I saw my guards handily bind two of the bandits right away. A couple other bandits got killed shortly thereafter, but they'd had knives at my men's throats and left us no alternative. Kiyo and I were working together to tie a flailing man up when I suddenly felt a surge of magic in the air. I stopped what I was doing. It wasn't gentry magic. In fact, none of the others noticed it right away. As a shaman, I'd developed a sensitivity to creatures and powers from the different worlds. This power made my skin prickle and had a slimy, oily feel to it. It wasn't from the human world or even the Otherworld. There were Underworld creatures here. â€Å"Demons,† I said, just as they materialized within the camp. â€Å"There are fucking demons here.†

An Overview of the Dysphagia Diet Essay Example

An Overview of the Dysphagia Diet Essay Example An Overview of the Dysphagia Diet Paper An Overview of the Dysphagia Diet Paper The Dysphagia Diet is a specialized diet developed for people suffering from dysphagia. Dysphagia is a medical condition in which swallowing food becomes difficult and poses a danger to the patient. Dysphagia can be a result of trauma or injury such as stroke and thus predisposes the client to malnutrition. The dysphagia diet was developed to address this condition and consists of five levels (levels I-V), with each level designed to cater to a patient’s specific situation and/or condition. An Overview of the Dysphagia Diet There is no question that food, plays a very important role in mankind’s health and being. After all it is one of man’s most basic needs and people require sustenance to live and function. Food plays a central role in everybody’s lives. It dictates livelihoods, it represents culture and most importantly it affects health. Diet is generally defined as the food intake habits/practice of individuals in order to gain nutrition. In healthcare, diet may be used as a preventive, therapeutic or rehabilitative tool. One such kind of diet that has a rehabilitative/supportive purpose is what is known as Dysphagia diet. Dysphagia diet in the simplest terms is a specialized form of food preparation for individuals suffering from dysphagia. Dysphagia is a medical condition wherein it becomes difficult to chew or swallow food or liquids. This condition is a result of a blockage or malfunction in the system that controls the swallowing mechanism (Jackson-Seigelbaum, 2008). This interruption may occur in any of the three phases of the swallowing process and can be dangerous to the patient as this predisposes the patient to asphyxiation, aspiration and complications such as pneumonia (Lippincott, Williams Wilkins, 2007). There are two types of dysphagia. First is esophageal dysphagia which â€Å"occurs when food/liquid stops in the esophagus. This happens most often because of consistent stomach acid refluxing (backing up) into the esophagus† and the second is termed as oropharyngeal dysphagia which â€Å"involves difficulty moving food to the back of the mouth and starting the swallowing process† (Jackson-Seigelbaum, 2008). Since these individuals have difficulty taking in food, they become prone to malnutrition. It then becomes an important part of the treatment to provide the patient with adequate nutrition while at the same time safeguarding against possible complications of the condition such as asphyxiation, aspiration and pneumonia. Thus the situation requires a specialized diet: the dysphagia diet. According to the National Dysphagia Diet (NDD) published by the American Dietetic Association, â€Å"there are five different diet levels from pureed (level 1) up through modified regular food (level 5). The diets vary in texture and consistency, and are chosen depending on which would be most effective for a specific patient† (Jackson-Seigelbaum, 2008). There are four frequently used terms in describing the consistency of liquid viscosity to be used in preparing foods for the dysphagia diet: thin, nectar-like, honey-like and spoon-thick. However there are â€Å"texture modifications for dysphagia management†¦one that is open to wide variation across clinicians and the facilities Previous research has demonstrated that clinicians, including speech-language pathologists (SLPs), show significant variation in the amount of thickening powder they feel is necessary to mix a liquid to nectar-thick or honey-thick consistency† (McCullough, Pelletier Steele, 2003, p. 16,27). Level I of the dysphagia diet includes pureed foods pureed to a smooth consistency similar to mashed potatoes. This level is reserved for individuals that cannot tolerate solid foods at all. Level II involves mincing or chopping food into small pieces (1/8 inch) about the size of a sesame seed. This level is reserved for those who can slightly tolerate whole food. Foods in the level III group are ground/diced into 1/4-inch pieces similar in size to rice. On the other hand Level IV includes food chopped into ? inch sizes – about the size of an elbow macaroni or croutons. Lastly, Level V includes soft, moist, regularly textured foods (Jackson-Seigelbaum, 2008). These diets are chosen depending on the current status of the patient and according to the tolerability of the diet. Ideally, as a patient is treated for dysphagia, the diet provided is started with the one that is most tolerated and as the patient improves the diet level is also adjusted until the patient resumes normal function. Foods in the dysphagia diet are thinned or thickened depending on the necessity. Thinning agents include hot or cold milk (depending on the food being thinned), broth, gravy and other sauces. Thickening agents include commercially available agents including unflavored gelatin, baby rice and potato flakes. Gravy and other thick sauces may also be used (Jackson-Seigelbaum, 2008). Patients on dysphagia diet must be monitored closely especially in the early phases of the treatment and diet initiation. Nursing considerations that must be taken into account include the following: Consult the speech therapist to assess the patient for aspiration risk and swallowing exercises that can help decrease the risk; coordinate with the dietician about the foods with distinct textures and temperatures apt for the client; before beginning the meal, â€Å"stimulate salivation by talking with the patient about food, adding a lemon slice or dill pickle to his tray, and providing mouth care before and after meals†; and lastly, when feeding, place the patient in upright position with his neck slightly flexed forward keeping his chin at midline (Lippincott, Williams Wilkins, 2007). Additionally, compensatory techniques may be taught in order to reduce aspiration risks and improve pharyngeal clearance. Examples of such compensatory techniques include the chin-tuck position which â€Å"decreases the space between the base of the tongue and the posterior pharyngeal wall, creating increased phar yngeal pressure to move the bolus through the pharyngeal region† (Paik, 2008). Other techniques involve any of the following: head rotation to the affected side, tilting the head towards the strong side and lying on the side or back when swallowing. Maneuvers are also available to protect the airway and safeguard against aspiration. These maneuvers are the supraglottic swallow, extended supraglottic swallow, supersupraglottic swallow, effortful swallow, the Mendelson maneuver, the Shaker exercise and the well known Heimlich maneuver (Paik, 2008). Lastly, upon discharge of the patient, the client must be taught and made sure to understand the following: which foods and textures to avoid, be taught measures to reduce the risk of aspiration and choking hazards and make sure that the client has full understanding of the diagnosis and treatment plan developed by the healthcare team (Lippincott, Williams Wilkins, 2007) References Jackson-Seigelbaum. (2008). Dysphagia Diet: 5 levels for difficulty in swallowing diet. Retrieved 11 February 2009 from gicare. com/Diets/Dysphagia. aspx Lippincott, Williams Wilkins. (2007) Nursing: interpreting signs and symptoms. Retrieved on 11 February 2009 from wrongdiagnosis. com/symptoms/throat_symp-toms/book-causes-16a. htm McCullough, Gary; Pelletier, Cathy, Steele, Catriona. (2003, Nov. 4). National dysphagia diet: what to swallow? The ASHA Leader, pp. 16, 27. Paik, N. (2008, June 25). Dysphagia. eMedicine. com. Retrieved 11 February 2009 from http://emedicine. medscape. com/article/324096-overview

dust bowl essays

dust bowl essays The early 1900's were a time of turmoil for farmers in the United States, especially in the Great Plains region. After the end of World War I, overproduction by farmers resulted in low prices for crops. When farmers first came to the Midwest, they farmed as much wheat as they could because of the high prices and demand. Of the ninety-seven acres, almost thirty-two million acres were being cultivated. The farmers were careless in their planting of the crop, caring only about profit, and they started plowing grasslands that were not made for planting Because of their constant plowing year after year and the lack of rainfall, the soil was quickly losing its fertility. With unfertile, dry land, the wheat crop started dying, and then blowing away with wind. Due to the improper farming, along with a long drought, dust storms made life in the Dust Bowl very burdensome. During the 1930's, the Great Plains was plagued with a drought, a long period of dryness, which brought demise to many of the farmers in the region. This horrible drought started in 1930, a year that saw heavy rains in a very short time, which cause flooding in many areas of the Oklahoma Panhandle. The year continued to with horrible blizzards in the winter and a drought into the late summer. Many of the farms in the Great Plains, losing most of the crop, were greatly affected by the first droughts of the 1930's. The months of July and August saw about a forty-percent decrease of precipitation compared to previous years. From 1934 to 1936, A record drought hit the southwestern region. In 1934 the temperature was excruciatingly hot, causing many to die as a result of the heat. 1935 was a year where rainfall was very, very scarce. The heat began to rise at fast rates in the summer of 1936, with many days reaching above 120 degrees. The drought, along with the dust storms, we re major reasons for poor farming in the Great Plains during the early to mid-1930's ...

John Adams †Great Man of History Essay

John Adams – Great Man of History Essay Free Online Research Papers John Adams Great Man of History Essay John Adams is often forgotten by history. The average person on the street if asked about him would know nothing or, simply that he was a president. John Adams had a much greater impact on America than that. John Adams played a pivotal role in America’s independence: before the war, during the war, and after the war. Without John Adams, independence would probably not have been achieved, and certainly could not have been maintained. John Adams was the most important founding father. John Adams did much before the Revolutionary War ever stated. Writing under the pseudonym Novangelus in early 1775, he asserted that parliament had no jurisdiction over the colonies. He wrote that, â€Å"’[T]wo supreme and independent authorities cannot exist in the same state’†¦And, therefore, I contend, that our provincial legislatures are the only supreme authorities in our colonies.† Also, even when he defended the soldier of the Boston Massacre, he blamed the forced quartering of soldiers as creating disturbances. Most Americans agreed that they disliked quartering the troops, but few would have imagined the defenders of the British soldiers indirectly blaming the British government instead. John Adams was in the first and second Continental Congress where he continuously lobbied for independence. In fact, he lobbied for it so much, his fellow congressmen encouraged him to shut up quite frequently. He was chairman of the War Committee and was the one to appoint George Washington to the head of the Continental Army. Research Papers on John Adams - Great Man of History EssayQuebec and CanadaAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeBringing Democracy to AfricaAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 219 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceTwilight of the UAWHip-Hop is ArtComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoRelationship between Media Coverage and Social and

HINDUISM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

HINDUISM - Essay Example Within Hinduism are a variety of schools and branches. The two schools that survived through the ages are Yoga and Vedanta. The surviving divisions are Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Smartism and Shaktism (Wilhelm, 1991). These numerous schools and branches have been formed to accommodate a variety of beliefs and views of the Hindu system. Each of the aforementioned schools and branches deal with different methods in which to enlighten the mind and lead a life of fulfillment. As aforementioned, Hinduism is the world’s third largest religion, as well as its oldest. In fact, many Hindu documents and artifacts have been dated to the pre-Christ era. While there is no single founder of Hinduism, the roots of other religions and important eras in time can be seen within it, such as Vedic and the beliefs during Iron Age India. Buddhist philosophico-religious thought also influenced many of the Hindu traditions and beliefs (Eliot, 2007), especially in regard to using yoga and meditation as ways in which to reach internal peace and happiness, as well as external enlightenment. Hinduism, though listed as being a religion, is anything but a religion. Hinduism consists of â€Å"thousands of different religious groups that have evolved in India since 1500 BCE (Levinson, 1998).† Hinduism is a way of life, consisting of numerous ways in which a person can better themselves. Therefore, it is unlike any other type of organized religion. Perhaps the only thing in common in shares with other religions is that it does not have any one founder, or any one founder that can be traced. However, the differences between Hinduism and other religions are many. There is no specific theological system or concept of a single deity. Hinduism does not have a central religious authority or a prophet of any sort. There is no one religious text or book that Hindus must abide to; the texts that Hinduism does contain are not meant to be followed as rules,

Report on BlueScope Steel Lab Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

On BlueScope Steel - Lab Report Example The most important growth element in BlueScope Steel is evident in its major restructuring plan covering Australian operations, which seeks to reposition the company for increased profitability and as well as growth. The Board approved the restructuring plan and as such, it will contribute to major changes in the operations of the firm that include shutting down the No. 6 Blast Furnace at the Port Kembla, closure of No.4 Cokemaking battery, No. 3 BOS steelmaking furnace and No.1 slab caster as well as closure of the Western Port Hot Strip Mill. Mergers and acquisitions are considered the best corporate strategy for BlueScope Steel owing to a wide range of positive attributes associated with it. With mergers or acquisitions, the company will certainly avoid the hustles associated with joint ventures or funding a subsidiary. The company has managed to expand a number of its operations owing to acquisitions. Key among the acquisitions made by BlueScope over the previous financial years include IMSA Steel Corp, a steel products manufacturing company, from Ternium SA subsidiary of San Faustin NV's Grupo Techint unit as well as Smorgon Steel Group Ltd (SS) steel and metal marketing division. Member 3 WANG, YING 2766757 To a steel-making company such as BlueScope, the value for its business comes from the steel and iron production, which is the most important valuation measurement. Besides the workforce, the steel industry is labor-intensive business. Then, the equipment and devices are also the value for this kind of industry. To increase the enterprise value, there are three major missions, namely reinvigorating their domestic business, including Australia and New Zealand; expanding and improving Asian and North American market; and continuing to grow sunrise business to make BlueScope Steel a unique steel production enterprise (2010/2011 Annual Report 2012). Coated and Industrial Products and Pacific Steel Products have significantly helped the company earn much mo re profit than before, in Australia and New Zealand, respectively (BlueScope Steel Limited Products2012). Because for the domestic market raw materials can be mined in Australia, the transportation expenses can be saved and steel marketing industry is the mainstay industry to countries in Oceania. Therefore, the growth project for steel making in these two years was very strong (IBIS World 2012). In addition, this program makes raw materials a very important role of producing iron for steel-making companies. As everybody knows, Australia is the origin of iron and its economy based on the export of the raw materials and iron. Australia gained a huge amount of capital during these four to five years (2010/2011 Annual Report 2012). Moreover, Australia was just affected slightly by economic crisis. According to this advantage, steel and iron production increased rapidly in Asian countries, and BlueScope Steel seized this opportunity. They take the advantage of Australia's natural resour ces, transfer them to the capital, and make the steel industry to be one of the top three pillar industries both in Australia and in New Zealand. The hot strip mill and the plate mill have been identified as the most two profitable products.However, this only depends on the market demand. For instance, if the market is in a positive situation, the steel price is high and market demand is optimistic, hence the production level will be maintained and the profit will be guaranteed at the same time. When it comes to the real

Racial identity politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Racial identity politics - Essay Example THESIS STATEMENT: Despite the fact that Marable’s vision of resolving the issue of racial identity politics might seem rather radical and somewhat inconsistent with the ideas of other black leaders/scholars (for example, in his approach to the nationalist or integrationist movement), Marable provides a well thought out redirection of U.S. racial politics to a wider scope of activities and produces a new and meaningful understanding of race. Marable’s Interpretation of Race The perspective on dealing with racial issues within the contemporary American politics and economy, as expressed in Beyond Black and White: Transforming African-American Politics, is left, or, better, radically left. Specifically, in his interpretation of race, Marable relies on the primary role of class oppression. He observes the difficulty of disconnecting the national identity from the privilege which opposes the definition of race. This privilege, according to Marable, is determined by the super ior status of the white who comes from the upper class and is stereotypically a male. Yet, unlike the majority of thinkers, Marable does not contemplate the race in terms of White/Black opposition, but he sees race as the concept which lies at the intersections with many other types of subordination. Indeed, racism in the United States concerns not just African Americans, but also Asians, Native Americans, Latinos, Pacific Americans, as well as other people on the ground of ethnicity, color, mannerisms, or culture (Marable 5). Guided by historical materialism and Marxist approach in particular, Marable redefines the concept of race in the context of contemporary changes in economic and political life. According to Marable, rather than focusing on a narrow opposition between African Americans and whites, one should strive to develop a complex vision of the race’s instrumentality. This may well be explained by the changes in the fundamental structure of the United States econom y, for example, a flood of legal as well as illegal workers from the countries of the Third World, who basically redefined the meaning of race. This has led to considerable political consequences for all parts and classes within the American society. The innovative approach to interpretation of race found in Marable’s text takes the reader beyond the limited duality of the racial politics centered on black and white opposition. His vision of race is based on reconsidering the essence of â€Å"blackness† in African-Americans’ consciousness and political identity. Hence, the concept of race – of blackness – needs to be redefined both ideologically and with regard to material terms. This is necessitated by the fact that hundreds of thousands of people of Afro-American, Hispanic, and Caribbean origin move to the United States and get assimilated within numerous cities with other non-whites. Therefore, diversity and complexity are two crucial concepts t hat characterize black family relationship, religious affiliations, cultural traditions, and languages. This means that the

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Strategic Management - Essay Example The Bowman’s Strategy Clock is used in defining the eight possible types of strategies, which are based on the coordinates of price and the value being added (Perceived).The shape of the strategy model is like a star and gives an overall appearance of a clock. The company has been playing the game of differentiation. It has set up a number of steps to make itself superior to its competitors. It can be seen from the huge spending being done by the company as a part of its plan for expansion. It has been spending over a hundred million sterling pounds on a yearly basis, over different projects. Lego has been diversifying with the building of theme parks in Denmark, it also the Lego bricks. In addition to this, theme parks have come up in other parts of the world like UK (United Kingdom) and USA. These have added to the brand value of the company as well as the visibility, attracting over 1.5 million people annually. The company has been trying to differentiate itself from the other players. The building of theme parks is an exercise of branding, which would set itself separate from other competitors (Johnson,s Scholes and Whitington, 2008). So, it is being done so that the company becomes a symbol of quality. The customers would associate th e brand (Lego), with a better sense of quality. This is the analysis of the company in terms of Bowman’s Strategy Clock. ... The value addition is low. It is specific to the segment. The price is high and the value is low. The market may be lost, if not in a position of monopoly. Based on the analysis from the Bowman’s Strategy Clock, the position of the company is analysed. This has been found out be as follows- Position 4(Differentiation) The company has been playing the game of differentiation. It has set up a number of steps to make itself superior to its competitors. It can be seen from the huge spending being done by the company as a part of its plan for expansion. It has been spending over a hundred million sterling pounds on a yearly basis, over different projects. Lego has been diversifying with the building of theme parks in Denmark, it also the Lego bricks. In addition to this, theme parks have come up in other parts of the world like UK (United Kingdom) and USA. These have added to the brand value of the company as well as the visibility, attracting over 1.5 million people annually. The company has been trying to differentiate itself from the other players. The building of theme parks is an exercise of branding, which would set itself separate from other competitors (Johnson,s Scholes and Whitington, 2008). So, it is being done so that the company becomes a symbol of quality. The customers would associate the brand (Lego), with a better sense of quality. This is the analysis of the company in terms of Bowman’s Strategy Clock. DIRECTION OF STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT The decisions regarding corporate growth are centred on the methodologies through which the organization can play a part in the promotion and sustenance of existent competitive advantage. There is a need for the expansion and growth of the companies, which leads to the adoption of different

IT Infrastructure and IT Sourcing Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

IT Infrastructure and IT Sourcing - Case Study Example has been operating since 2001. The main service provided by Anime International is an online retailer of Japanese Animation related products to customers worldwide from orders placed online at http://store.animeinternational.com. Products distributed include: Dvds and Music; Manga and Books; Toys and Figures; Art Work; Cards and Games; and other merchandise such as accessories, calendars and even kitchenware. The company sells over 10,000 diverse products in the anime genre. Anime International caters to the multimedia consumer, offering specialised downloads such as wallpapers and avatars (used in Internet forums, emails and online gaming). This diversity in product, design and orientation allows Anime International to offer consumers a wide variety of the most popular anime titles through E-commerce purchases. Operating largely as a business-to-consumer (B2C) online retailer, Anime International forms a part of the supply chain in the growing Japanese animation merchandising industry, typically second or third tier. IT Infrastructure and IT sourcing is a strategic issue for the growth and expansion of the Anime International in this competitive global market scenario. ... This diversity in product, design and orientation allows Anime International to offer consumers a wide variety of the most popular anime titles through E-commerce purchases. Operating largely as a business-to-consumer (B2C) online retailer, Anime International forms a part of the supply chain in the growing Japanese animation merchandising industry, typically second or third tier. IT Infrastructure and IT sourcing is a strategic issue for the growth and expansion of the Anime International in this competitive global market scenario. A comprehensive and appropriate strategic initiative at the right time can be very valuable for the business performance of the company. It is very necessary in the context of Anime International to maintain a standardized infrastructure and balanced IT sourcing strategy. This would ascertain the efficiency and the effectiveness of the company in this competitive world. There is also need for well managed and adaptable infrastructure which provides push for strategic goals, organizational competitiveness and overall performance of the company. The strategic decision to allocate funds and encourage development of IT infrastructure and IT sourcing will add great value to the existing business of Anime International. In this paper I am going to examine the positive potential benefits which can be estimated under extensive study of th e role of IT infrastructure and IT sourcing, under well planned and calculated scientific methodology to assess the performance level of Anime Inc. the findings are based on case study based on questionnaire approach and qualitative analysis. Topic 1-IT Infrastructure: The IT consideration needs to take fresh approach with regard to infrastructure in evolving a strategic

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Strategic Management - Essay Example The Bowman’s Strategy Clock is used in defining the eight possible types of strategies, which are based on the coordinates of price and the value being added (Perceived).The shape of the strategy model is like a star and gives an overall appearance of a clock. The company has been playing the game of differentiation. It has set up a number of steps to make itself superior to its competitors. It can be seen from the huge spending being done by the company as a part of its plan for expansion. It has been spending over a hundred million sterling pounds on a yearly basis, over different projects. Lego has been diversifying with the building of theme parks in Denmark, it also the Lego bricks. In addition to this, theme parks have come up in other parts of the world like UK (United Kingdom) and USA. These have added to the brand value of the company as well as the visibility, attracting over 1.5 million people annually. The company has been trying to differentiate itself from the other players. The building of theme parks is an exercise of branding, which would set itself separate from other competitors (Johnson,s Scholes and Whitington, 2008). So, it is being done so that the company becomes a symbol of quality. The customers would associate th e brand (Lego), with a better sense of quality. This is the analysis of the company in terms of Bowman’s Strategy Clock. ... The value addition is low. It is specific to the segment. The price is high and the value is low. The market may be lost, if not in a position of monopoly. Based on the analysis from the Bowman’s Strategy Clock, the position of the company is analysed. This has been found out be as follows- Position 4(Differentiation) The company has been playing the game of differentiation. It has set up a number of steps to make itself superior to its competitors. It can be seen from the huge spending being done by the company as a part of its plan for expansion. It has been spending over a hundred million sterling pounds on a yearly basis, over different projects. Lego has been diversifying with the building of theme parks in Denmark, it also the Lego bricks. In addition to this, theme parks have come up in other parts of the world like UK (United Kingdom) and USA. These have added to the brand value of the company as well as the visibility, attracting over 1.5 million people annually. The company has been trying to differentiate itself from the other players. The building of theme parks is an exercise of branding, which would set itself separate from other competitors (Johnson,s Scholes and Whitington, 2008). So, it is being done so that the company becomes a symbol of quality. The customers would associate the brand (Lego), with a better sense of quality. This is the analysis of the company in terms of Bowman’s Strategy Clock. DIRECTION OF STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT The decisions regarding corporate growth are centred on the methodologies through which the organization can play a part in the promotion and sustenance of existent competitive advantage. There is a need for the expansion and growth of the companies, which leads to the adoption of different

Mac vs. PC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mac vs. PC - Essay Example Because of the two different models of manufacture, each type of computer, Macintosh and PC, has its strengths and weaknesses. Since Apple controls every level of the manufacture of Macs, one of the positives of the platform is that there is a high level of quality control. Also, since Apple designs the hardware to run their software exclusively, the Mac operating system is very stable. Because PC manufacturers are unsure what operating system (OS) their user will purchase, they are unable to design a system solely for a single OS. The result is that, whatever OS the user chooses for their PC, it will likely not be as stable as the Mac OS. Also, since PC manufacturers source their hardware from other suppliers whom they do not control, the level of quality is not always as high as a Mac. One of the drawbacks to Apple’s level of control is that they employ many proprietary technologies. These technologies often require the user to purchase specialty products from Apple in order to perform tasks that PCs can accomplish with generic products. One example of this situation is in the way Macs and PCs connect to external displays. PCs, because they are produced by so many different manufacturers, rely upon international standards for technologies. For external displays, PCs typically use HDMI connections. Apple, however, does not follow the international standards. In order for a Mac user to connect to an external display, he must purchase a special cable available only from Apple instead of a standard HDMI cable. The result is that the Mac user must spend more money to accomplish a task because the proprietary technology is more expensive than the standard technology. Another drawback to Apple’s approach is that the level of customizability of the Mac is generally much lower than that of a PC. A Macintosh computer typically comes from the factory with nearly maximum performance. Apple provides very little

Virtues and Vices Essay Example for Free

Virtues and Vices Essay Would you sacrifice your identity just to fit into a certain crowd? Higher social class increases unethical behavior. Social class confuses Pip into believing his vices are really his virtues. In a study by Paul K. Piff, Daniel M. Stancato, Stephane Cote, Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton, and Dacher Keltner, they found that people of higher social class were more likely to cheat, steal, and break the law. Why does Pip feel the need to be a gentleman, or in a higher social class? Pip grew up in a low social class in England around the Mid-nineteenth century. Joe, Pip’s father figure and brother in law, taught him the importance of kindness and generosity. You can recognize this in Pip’s fundamental inclination to help. Pip gets invited to Miss Havisham’s home; also know as the Satis House. Miss Havisham, Estella’s adoptive mother, plays Pip in one of her sick, twisted games by harassing Pip into seeing how beautiful Estella is. The only reason Estella does what Miss Havisham wants of her is because she is bribing her with family money and gems. Miss Havisham manipulated Pip by making him fall in love with Estella just so Estella can, metaphorically, rip his heart out. Miss Havisham was left on her wedding day by her fiance; therefore she has made it her life’s mission to destroy any man in her she can get away with. Because of Miss Havisham’s influence, Estella gives Pip the impression that she will only like him if he would be a gentleman. To become a gentleman Pip mixed vices and virtues by believing that education, dress, and manners was the most important thing over love, appreciation and hope. No matter what Joe taught Pip, the new beginning that could behold him captivated him. Joe was not enough to hold Pip’s virtues, but if Pip had more people who cared for him when he was younger, he would have never succumbed to Estella. A virtue is a positive trait of quality deemed to be morally good and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being. A vice is opposite of a virtue, it is a practiced behavior or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, depraved, or degrading in the associated society. Pip practices both in this novel, however somewhere in the middle of all that was going on, he couldn’t differentiate between vices and virtues.

Concepts of Indigenous Australian Cultures

Concepts of Indigenous Australian Cultures ‘Indigenous Australian Cultures’ The Dreaming The English language has no exact word or phrase that depicts The Dreaming and each Indigenous Australian language groups has its own term to refer to this epoch. In Western Australia Ngarinyin people refer to it as Ungud, the Central Australian Aranda people as Aldjerinya, the Pitjantjara of north-west South Australia as Tjukurpa, while in the Broome region it is Bugari. While the English word suggests fantasies or vague recollections of the real world the Indigenous Australian translation see’s The Dreaming as inherent reality (Edwards, 1998). The Dreaming is how Aboriginal people explain how their world came to be. Clarke (2003, p.16) suggests culture and lifestyle in traditional Aboriginal culture are shaped by their values, beliefs and the relationship between Indigenous Australians and every feature of landscape and living creature. The spiritual beings that feature in The Dreaming accounts are the spiritual Ancestors of the present day Aboriginal community and continue to influence the beliefs and values of Aboriginal Australians (Clarke, 2003, p. 16). The Dreaming tells of the creation of land, trees, plants, rocks, waterholes, rivers, mountain, stars and animals and the journeys the Aboriginal Ancestors travelled. The spirits of these Ancestors whom often resembled people and or animals continue to inhabit these features of the world today. Both consequences and punishments are depicted in The Dreaming and form life lessons that are shared throughout generations. For example the Dhuwa shares The Dreaming of a hunter who abducts a young girl and traps her in a cave with him. While he sleeps she transforms into a butterfly and escapes. In his anger he transforms into a bat and is trapped in the prison he made forever (Abc.net.au, 2015) Kinship For Aboriginal Australian’s kinship is more than family genetics or blood ties. Kinship is a complex system based around social organisation, which outlines responsibilities within Nations, clans and family groups. (University of Sydney, 2005-15)Kinship and family are especially important to Indigenous Australians. As it guides responsibilities to their ‘kin’ and environment. Kinship is so dominant for the Wiradjuri people they speak of kin as their ‘whole world’ (MacDonald, 1998 p. 303). Kinship in the many Aboriginal Nations shares common components as well as differences. The all-embracing systems have been handed down through generations from Ancestors of The Dreaming and are based on reciprocal actions, such as giving of privileges in return for similar privileges. Rights and obligations are determined by an individual’s kin, and such influences include who you may marry, share food and resources with, who will look after an individual and who might educate them. Kinship systems consist of Moiety, Totems and skin names. Moiety is a form of social organisation meaning ‘two halves’. Each individual is assigned a moiety group from either the matrilineal (mother) or patrilineal (father)’s line. Moiety governs where partners are chosen from. For example a marriage partner must come from the opposite moiety. Each nation has their own names for each half of moiety. Arnhem Nation refer to it as Dhuwa and Yirrity while Wiradjuri as Dilbi and Kuputhin. Each individual belongs to a totem dependant on when they were conceived. Aboriginal totems can be animals or plants, they hold special meaning to a group of individuals (Bani, 2004). They are filled with the spirit of their ancestors. Individuals become the generational custodians of their particular sacred places, ceremonies and dreaming stories. A person has four totems that represent Nation, Clan, family and a personal totem that recognises their strengths and weaknesses, this tot em maybe given at birth or later in life (University of Sydney, 2005-15). Economic organisation Goodall (1996, p. 2) has suggested Indigenous Australians have been practicing sustainable land and economic management for thousands of years. Long before European settlement Aboriginal Australians â€Å"have used techniques to increase the numbers and growth of plants and animals†. Clearing trees and creating grasslands for grazing while maintaining patches of forest for shelter are examples of these techniques (Australian National University, 2011). While The Dreaming and kinship organisation describe Aboriginal men as hunters, and women gatherers, Women are more reliable food suppliers than men due their sources being more plentiful, whereas hunting cannot be guaranteed (Dingle, 1988 p. 13). Aboriginal people created trade routes across the country and exchanged food, shells and psycho-active drugs such as Pituri. Individuals would not travel the entire distance, they would meet at waterholes, where exchanges would be made and then return to their Nation. Resource management is critical to the sustainability of the Aboriginal culture. Seasonal calendars impact the strategies used to ensure effective methods were utilised, including hunting animals at the time of year they are at their fattest therefore providing maximum nourishment. Ensuring animals weren’t hunted during breeding season or carrying their young was another resource management strategy used. (Anon, 2015) References Abc.net.au, (2015) DustEchoes. (online) Available at: http://www.abc.net.au/dustechos/dustEchoesFlash.htm, (March 11, 2015) Anon, (2015). 1st ed. [ebook] Available at: http://www.larrakia.csiro.au/pdf/MingayoorooSeasonsCalendar.pdf (Accessed 15 Mar, 2015). Australian National University. (2011). Bill Gammage discusses ‘The Biggest Estate on Earth’ http://www.anu.edu.au/vision/videos/5001/, (March 9, 2015). Bani, E. (2004). Torres News, the voice of the islands: What is a totem? In R. Davis (ED.), Woven histories, dancing lives: Torres Strait Islander identity, culture and history (pp.151). Acton A.C.T: AIATSIS. Clarke, P. (2003). Where the ancestors walked: Australia as an Aboriginal landscape. Sydney: Allen Urwin. Dingle, T. (1988). Aboriginal economy and society: Patterns of experience. Melbourne: McPhee Gribble and Penguin Books. Edwards, B. (1998). Living the dreaming. In C. Bourke, E. Bourke, B. Edwards (Eds.),  Aboriginal Australia: an introductory reader in Aboriginal studies (2nd ed.) (pp.77-99). St Lucia, QLD: University of Queensland Press. Goodall, H. (1996). Invasion to embassy. St Leonards: Allen Unwin MacDonald, G. (1998). Continuities of Wiradjuri tradition. In W.H. Edwards (ED.), Traditional Aboriginal society: An introductory reader in Aboriginal studies (2nd ed.) (pp. 297-312). South Melbourne: MacMillan. University of Sydney. (2002-15). The kinship module. http://sydney.edu.au/kinship-module/ (March 10, 2015). Cant remember if I used this one Aboriginal art and culture centre – Alice Springs http://aboriginalart.com.au/gallery/gallery_intro.html

Early Humans and their Environment Essay -- Environment Environmental

Early Humans and their Environment Humans have been present on this Earth for nearly 3.5 million years when â€Å"Homo erectus† first evolved with an upright posture enabling the use of hands (Ponting). â€Å"Homo erectus† evolved into â€Å"Homo sapiens† one hundred thousand years ago and both lineages lived in small, mobile groups. For nearly two million years, their way of life was based around hunting and gathering food until ten to twelve thousand years ago when agriculture evolved. Early humans depended upon their knowledge of crops and seasons in order for survival. Eventually, as brain size increased and more humans adapted to different environments, advances were made in human technology. Humans began to work with and occasionally against their environment to create a stable way to acquire food as well as a more stable lifestyle. On the other hand, the environment, the climate in particular, definitely dictated the movement and survival methods of early humans. The seasonal changes, climate, and other atmospheric conditions created many challenges for early humans. Modern examples that demonstrate what life might have been like thousands of years ago show that seasons determine where humans can survive. For example, the Bushmen of Southwest Africa live in a consistent climate. They move five or six times a year, but never travel more then ten to twelve miles. On the other hand, the Gidjingali Aborigines in northern Australia eat water lilies from full swamps during the wet season, but move to another area during dry season to hunt yam and geese. The Netsilik Inuit living in Canada use their environmental surroundings for all the necessities of life. Their houses are made from snow and ice while their clothing, kayaks, sledges, a... ...the small mobile groups could begin to reside in one area. Agriculture was a turning point in early human life because humans began to alter their surroundings for survival (Ponting). The relationship between early humans and their environment is extremely complex. On one hand, the human race survived and prospered despite the climatic difficulties. On the other hand, the blossoming of early humans directly caused the extinction or near-extinction of many species as well as possibly affecting the atmosphere and climate. Sources Cited Grossman, Daniel. â€Å"Extinction of Large Animals in Australia† News Report. NPR News. Joyce, Christopher. â€Å"Australian Anthropogenic Climate Change† News Report. NPR News. Ponting, Clive. A Green History of the World: The Environment and the Collapse of Great Civilizations. St. Martin's Press, New York, 1991. (pp 18-65).

Lower Legal Drinking Age Essay -- essays research papers fc

Since the states increased their drinking age to 21 in 1987, every citizen of this country between the ages of 18 and 20 have been oppressed by the very people elected to power to protect their rights. It is evident that the legal drinking age among Americans should be lowered to the legal age of adulthood, 18 years. At this age, any American can marry without their Parent’s approval and can move out of their guardian’s house and live on their own. Why are these adults deprived of their right to consume alcohol? A police officer unexpectedly arrived at a party where many young adults were drinking alcoholic beverages. He asked to see two young gentlemen’s identification to prove that they were of legal age to be consuming. Both were respectable citizens. Neither had caused a disturbance or been involved in any trouble. They both were voters, they were peaceful and respectful, they were both registered for the selective services, as every 18-year-old man is requi red to do, and both paid their taxes. However, since one of the men was only 20 years of age, he was issued a citation that cost him over one hundred and seventy five dollars and he lost his privileges to drive a car for an entire year. The other, who was 21, was of course allowed to continue on without further interferences. The issue presented in this scenario is a very serious problem today and threatens the very liberties that make this country so exemplary. There may not be one credible or plausible reason why this age group is lawfully bound from having a beer after graduation or a glass of champagne on their wedding day, yet everyday more and more Americans are arrested or cited for practicing what should be a legal prerogative. Many young adults face these extreme injustices on an account of this unwarranted restriction that so unjustly harasses them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is a simple and agreeable solution to this matter. The government should revise the law back to what it was years ago. Most states in the 1970’s had a legal drinking age of 18, 19, or 20, the majority of those being 18 years of age. According to Daniel N. Allen, M.A., David G. Sprenkel, M.A., and Patrick A. Vitale, Ph. D., changing the age limit for one to consume alcohol in the eighties was a failure in its mission to control drinking and lower deaths from alcohol related automobile accidents. Statistics hav... ... and to preserve our meticulous way of life. When the government is not protecting the rights of its citizens, reform is most definitely required and so it is needed here. The United States is the only country with a minimum drinking age above 20. It is the highest and most absurd of any state in the world. Our free country just does not seem so free if its people cannot partake in something as simple as a glass of wine with their dinner. It is time for the American community to regain and to keep hold of their much-deserved rights. Works Cited Allen, D. N., Sprenkel, D. G., and Vitale, P. A. â€Å"Reactance Theory and Alcohol Consumption  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Laws: Further Confirmation Among Collegiate Alcohol Consumers.† Journal of Studies  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  on Alcohol 55 (1994): 34-40. Hanson, David J., Ph. D. â€Å"The Legal Drinking Age: Science or Ideology.† Alcohol: Problems and Solutions. 8 Nov. 2001. . ---, â€Å"The United States of America.† International Handbook on Alcohol and Culture. Ed. Dwight B. Heath. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1995. 300-315.

How to write a rationale? Essay

In 200-300 words, answer the following questions in paragraph form: †¢How is the context of the task linked to the particular course? †¢How is the task intended to explore particular aspects of the course? Consider the changing historical, cultural and social context in which particular texts are written and revised. Students are asked to understands the context of the production of a given text, and compare that context to the way the text is understood today, or at another time. I believe I fulfilled one/various learning outcomes for part 3: literature in context. For example I considered the changing historical, cultural, and social context in which dahls short stories were written and received by exploring ideas of postmodernism, such as dark humor †¢The nature of the task chosen – what is it about? How is it written? What is the text type? What is about; how did you write it? Style? Formality? Images? †¢ Information about audience, purpose and the social, cultural or historical context in which the task is set. This sample written task is written by Michael Michell, who teaches at the International School of Amsterdam. The task is the product of a greater unit on the portrayal of women and sex in advertising. It takes its inspiration from Jean Kilbourne’s ‘Killing Us Softly’. Students watched this polemic presentation and discussed many of the ads that it features. Students explored the defining characteristics of opinion columns and more specifically the columns of Maureen Dowd. You can see that he imitates her writing style or ‘voice’ very well. After you view Kilbourne’s presentation and read the written task, assess his work according to the assessment criteria. Then compare your marks to the examiner’s marks offered below. How do your marks differ from the examiner’s? Sample Rationale: For Part 2 of my English course we studied how women are portrayed by the media. We began by viewing Jean Kilbourne’s Killing Us Softly 3 and reading Kilbourne’s book The More You Subtract, The More You Add. I refer to statistics and facts from this sources in the written task. The Calvin Klein ad pictured here, the one that I refer to in my written task, is one I also used for an â€Å"ad critique presentation† (IB further oral activity). We spent time in class asking ourselves who was responsible for several problems, including the social construction of gender, beauty and sexuality to the often dangerous behaviors advertisements seem to promote (eating disorders, objectification of women, violence against women, hyper-masculinity, and others). We also discussed ways in which individuals and groups can resist these problems and promote social change. An opinion column seemed to be the ideal forum for me to write. I wanted to move from the specific problems I saw in this ad and speak to the larger issues it points to. I read many writers of Op-Eds and decided to model mine after New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd because her voice combines comic elements with biting commentary. Her columns, like many other Op-Ed writers, are grounded in the writer’s personal life. It contains not only her opinion, but many newsworthy statistics and a call to action. I believe that have met several of the learning outcomes for Part 2. I have examined different forms of communication within the media, by looking at a range of texts, from ads and opinion columns to documentaries and counter ads. I have also shown an awareness of the potential for ideological influence of the media, by looking at both sexist ads and counter-propaganda, such as Kilbourne’s speech. Written Task 1: My child walked into the study last night while I was hammering away on a column about W.’s inability to use the English language in a speech he delivered to the National Education Association conference this past weekend. â€Å"Mommy, look at me. I’m beautiful.† I turned around, reading glasses perched on the end of my nose, peering over the top to see my eight-year-old posing, nearly naked, hips jutting provocatively forward and gently sucking a thumb, in one of her father’s dress shirts from the laundry basket and CK written in my red lipstick on the pocket, only one lower button closing the shirt so my baby’s privates were just covered like the proverbial fig leaf. I was horrified. Horrified at what she was communicating – already – without awareness. I shook my head, dismayed, â€Å"Daniela, let’s get you into your jammies and off to bed.† As I walked into her room, I told her how I feel about the advertisement she was mimicking. I told her about women’s strength and real â€Å"girl power.† And then I helped her change, and read her several pages of Stargirl until she drifted off to sleep. It is no surprise that Daniela and so many others, especially children and young people, are influenced by the images they see – everywhere and all the time – telling the same stories of beauty: expose yourself, be thin, be childlike and vulnerable, be sexually available, be like the image you see. As Daniela gets older she will be socialized to know that girls and women are to be available, to be sexy, to be vulnerable and that boys and men are different: they are to be hard, powerful, in control, and forceful. If we believe the statistics, and I do, the consequences for the health, happiness, and welfare for our society are dire: the average American sees 3,000 advertisements a day, computer retouching of images is so pervasive that no images of human models escape â€Å"reworking,† only 5% of American women have body types seen in most advertising, 4 of 5 American women are dissatisfied with their bodies, 5-10 million women struggle with a serious eating disorder, and on and on and on. The list of consequences is legion. Who is responsible? The ad agencies? They own a share, but we are all responsible. We buy the magazines. We watch the television. We purchase the products. But we have choices. We don’t have to buy products that exploit and manipulate. More importantly, we can and should communicate to companies directly about what we think and feel in response to their advertisements, and how they will affect our choices as consumers. For many readers this may seem daunting. It does take commitment and effort, but there are resources that can help. For guidance on writing such letters, as well as a rich body of information about media issues, visit the Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting website (http://www.fair.org). For a superb archive of actual letters praising and condemning specific advertisements and ad campaigns, visit the About-Face website (http://www.about-face.org). In many cases, response letters are included, and in a few of these we see how the consumer has affected change. In his 1950 Nobel acceptance speech, American writer William Faulkner said, â€Å"Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty, and truth, and compassion against injustice, and lying, and greed. If people all over the world†¦would do this it would change the Earth.† Faulkner’s right. We can change the world. But we must â€Å"Be the change we seek in the world,† as Gandhi said. We must act. We must educate ourselves and each other. We must educate our children about the images they see. We must never let a teachable moment pass. We must never let those images rule our children and us. We must act – with our voices, with our wallets, with our pens and computers. Criteria| Possible| Awarded| Comments| A: Rationale| 2| | | B: Task and Content| 8| | | C: Organization | 5| | | D: Language and Style| 5| | | Feedback: Criterion A – Rationale – 2 marks * 1 out of 2 – The rationale explains how the task is connected to the coursework. However, Criterion B – Task and content – 8 marks The content of a task should lend itself well to the type of text that one chooses. The task should demonstrate an understanding of the course work and topics studied. Finally, there should be evidence that the student has understood the conventions of writing a particular text type. * 7 out of 8 – This task is very appropriate for the content. The voice of Maureen Dowd has been carefully studied and replicated. You can see the student demonstrating his understanding of the coursework and Jean Killbourne’s film. Having said this, the Calvin Klein text is only analyzed in passing. This could have received a little more attention. Criterion C – Organization – 5 marks The task is organized effectively and appropriately with a regard for the text type. There must be a sense of coherence. * 4 out of 5 – The task moves nicely from an anecdote to a social commentary. It is illustrated effectively with statistics and interesting quotes. It has the structural conventions of an opinion column. Unfortunately, the task falls short of the minimum word count requirement of 800. Criterion D – Language – 5 marks The language of the task must be appropriate to the nature of the task. This means that students use an appropriate and effective register and style. Whatever the nature of the task, ideas must be communicated effectively. * 5 out of 5 – The choice of vocabulary and the use of syntax are superb! The narrative voice is characteristic of Maureen Dowd. Here is a draft of a Written Task 1 that a student wrote. It has multiple problems and requires help. Answer the following questions before reading the feedback. 1. Which pitfalls has the student fallen into? 2. How could the ‘three right ingredients’ be used to steer this student in the right direction? 3. Look at the page on opinion columns in the reference section of this Subject Site. According to this definition, there are six defining characteristics of opinion columns: voice, newsworthiness, call to action, humor, hard facts and logos. Where do you see evidence of these in the column below? How could these characteristics be added to the task to make it more successful? Column on the advantages of being fat ‘Don’t you want to lose weight some day’? Is the question I was asked about weekly. And then I replied with my happiest voice; No! The they gave me this kind of look like, okay, you must be crazy. And yes I am. There are so many advantages of being fat. Lets start by shopping. Sale. The thing I like best, and so handy when you’re fat, because almost 70% of all the woman are skinny, at least skinny to fit in the most common sizes. So all the big sizes are left over. How nice. So there I was, standing at the H&M, at the sale-corner. Nothing but big sizes. So as a child in a toy shop I started grabbing the things I liked and made my way to the fitting room. It was rather crowdie over there so I accepted the fact that I had to wait for some minutes. I heard the sound of an opening door and saw a skinny girl coming outside, at a glance she saw me and then continued looking in the mirror. Her friend, waiting for her, said she looked pretty and the girl asked her friend ‘don’t I look fat in this dress?’ No it’s lovely’ she replied. I laughed. I never had those kind of problems. For I already accepted the fact that I was fat, and it would never disappoint me when shopping. When the girls left I went in to the fitting room and started to change. This dress was lovely, I took another look in the mirror, turned around and smiled. Shopping is great, after like half an hour I was ready, with about 9 dresses hanging over my arm I made my way to the pay desk. Only50 pounds for 9 dresses. Good job, I thought. As happy as I was I walked to the bus stop I realized I was just in time because the bus was about to leave. I hastened myself to get inside the bus, and lucky as I was, there was one seat left over, a seat for 2, just for me. The whole trip no one came to sit next to me, for they probably thought they wouldn’t have enough space, sitting next to 1.5 person. Life is great, and so you see, being fat is too! (: Criteria| Possible| Awarded| Comments| A: Rationale| 2| | | B: Task and Content| 8| | | C: Organization | 5| | | D: Language and Style| 5| | | ————————————————- Feedback First of all, this written task falls into is the pitfall of not reflecting course content. It is not clear what was studied in class from this piece. If the student studied obesity, its causes and effects, then this needs to be made clear. Where does the statistic on the percentage of skinny women (70%) come from? Are overweight people really happy for the reasons suggested in this column? If so, explain where this is supported. Secondly, this opinion column sounds very informal, using words such as ‘like’ and the emoticon ‘(:’. Columns often contain something that is newsworthy and relevant to the target audience. The context of this text is not self evident. ————————————————- Finally, this text must refer to another text or texts. If the student read an article about obesity, then she could explain its significance. It is suggested that this student start all over again with a completely new idea and set of texts. She may want to see the lesson on anorexia and the sample written task on the portrayal of women in the media. Sample Rationale: My diary entry, written in Ekwefi’s point of view, contains 2 different entries that intend to show her thoughts and emotions regarding her romantic life. Set it Nigeria in the late 1880s, she compares the days in which she fell in love with Okonkwo and ran away from her husband to the present situation she finds herself in. Being a diary, the audience is the writer herself, and for each entry I used a different tone: lightheartedness can be seen in the sentence â€Å"Okonkwo and I should elope, as he is the man I have always longed for† while melancholy is present in the following one: â€Å"And it all seems so different from back then.† The language I employed is intended to be similar to the one on â€Å"Things Fall Apart† and the Ibo language, including the months â€Å"Onwa Agwu† meaning June and â€Å"Onwa Okike† meaning November, as well how they popularly use the word â€Å"shall.† I wrote this this because I wish we had seen m ore of the personal sides of the characters in the novel, especially of a woman, since they allow us to connect to them and feel with them more deeply. The nature of the chosen task comes from the fact that the concept of love is a very delicate, complex, and even clichà © idea, yet it is the one common factor that has been present in th world despite the different cultures that exist. Therefore its purpose is to prove that even in a novel of postcolonial origin and focus, the role romance pays in a character’s life is a subject that can be regarded. 1. What’s good about this rationale? 2. What’s missing? 3. What could be done better? ————————————————- Sample Written Task 1 ‘Language issues’ A MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN AND CEO ZOULIKHA VAN KLAVEREN The discussion about Ebonics or African American English (AAE) has recently started again, due to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seeking Ebonics translators. The commotion around our language is about the DEA putting Ebonics on their list of languages they translate, among official languages like Spanish or Vietnamese. Many white Americans have put a somewhat radical opinion out there; in general they think that Ebonics should not be seen as a distinct language and thus should not be on a list among official and distinct languages. Personally I was shocked to see so many aggressive comments towards the language we speak in our daily lives – and expressing yourself so hostile against Ebonics is not the right thing to do in my opinion. The characterizations of Ebonics as ‘slang’, ‘lazy’ or ‘broken English’ are incorrect, demeaning and could offend a great amount of people. Ebonics is a form of communication that deserves recognition and study. In this months’ special edition we are taking a closer look at the events that are going on right now. There will be different views on this issue; the topics that are named here are all coming back and will be assessed throughout an in-depth article written by Aleecia Dewiz, Marcus Reganus, Tanya Leeso and Sean Comsin. The last debate about the Ebonics language was almost fourteen years ago. On December 18th, 1996, the Oakland, California, Unified School District proposed using Ebonics for teaching English. This caused a national discussion and drew an awful lot of media attention. Due to this unwanted attention, the school board to alter their plans and teach it as a second language. My dear friend Jesse Jackson expressed his opinion on this matter saying that it was unacceptable for it may damage the children’s Standard English skills. Later he reversed his position towards the case by saying that he misunderstood the schools’ wish to teach Ebonics as a standard language – which was eventually not the case. Although I personally deeply care for the Ebonics language, English is a global lingua franca, so it is obvious that Standard English is the most important language that has to be spoken and taught in school. It has an instrumental motivation, while Ebonics is somehow rega rded as more of a language that people use or learn with a intergrative motivation. However, there are so many other versions of English spoken over the world: almost each country that has English as their official or second official language, speaks a slightly different dialect. Just to name a few: Hong Kong English, Singapore English, Cameroon English, New Zealand English and Jamaican English. These are languages that can be learned because of the integrative and instrumental motivation. Ebonics could be one of these languages and this will be discussed in the article â€Å"Ebonics: language or idiolect?† The question that came up to me was why there is such a fuss about this specific variety of English. In the Anglophone world – which is an immense part of the world we live in – there are many different varieties of English. The one that is quite comparable to Ebonics is Chicano English, since it is also a cultural variety of English in the United States. There is less (media) commotion about this language, though. Is this because it is not considered a distinct language, as it is not on the DEA list or has not been tried to teach in schools? Or does it have something to do with people being intimidated by the Black American society? The thing that worries me is that this renewed issue might trigger polarization between the radical-thinking white Americans and us Black Americans. There is a large group of Black Americans that speaks Ebonics and is not against it being a distinct or even an official language, while the large group of non-African Americans thinks the othe r way around. If this is going to be a national debate again, a divide of ethnic groups might occur. Like mentioned above, in this issue there will be different views on this topic, including the negative point of view, explained by both a Black American and white American. This is why I am kindly stressing to stand up for the Ebonics language, but to not forget about Standard English. I have written a feature on this as well, together with great help provided by Stephanie Reed and Tyrese Lutchin. Some might not like our language because they don’t understand it – hence the searching for translators, which definitely points out that not everyone can simply understand us. So speak the Ebonics language with pride, but think about the people around you and about your best interests – because Standard English is the most important language to know and to master. At least, for now. Criteria| Possible| Awarded| Comments| A: Rationale| 2| | | B: Task and Content| 8| | | C: Organization | 5| | | D: Language and Style| 5| | | Examiner’s Feedback: The written task is a missed opportunity. The student has an excellent topic with no examples of language in use. The task reminds us that, besides exploring various attitudes towards varieties of English language, we must look at concrete examples of English in use. Criteria| Possible| Awarded| Comments| A: Rationale| 2| 0| The student fails to include a rationale.| B: Task and Content| 8| 4| The task is generally appropriate, though it lacks examples. It shows some understanding of letters from the editor, as a type of text, though it slips into essay form sometimes.| C: Organization | 5| 4| The task is well organized and generally well structured.| D: Language and Style| 5| 4| The student’s use of English is inaccurate and inappropriate.| Sample Written Task 1 Rationale: In class we explored several texts by African Americans, analyzing their use of English as an expression of a social identity. In particular we look looked at several song lyrics by rappers. I was intrigued by 2Pac Shakur’s lyrics. I wanted to create a context in which I could explore the effects of his lyrics on the African American community. Therefore, I decided to invent a column in Rolling Stone magazine called ‘Lyrics Up Close’, in which I interview several young African Americans on their response to 2Pac’s lyrics. The year is 1998 and 2Pac is still climbing the pop charts even though he has been killed in a shooting. I ask how 2Pac has earned respect among his target audience, and how they identify with him. I give several reasons, including his personal history and his use of English to account for his success. What’s more I define the main message of the song as one that encourages troubled youth to get off the streets, stop selling drugs and cease violent activity. I look at this within the context of 2Pac’s own violent life, which exposes his hypocrisy. All in all, the task made me think critically about language and culture. Task: A ‘Brotha’ Who Understands ‘Brotha’s’ From ‘Lyrics Up Close’ a column in Rolling Stone magazine 2Pac Shakur landed in the top ten again this week with ‘Changes’, and so it appears that he is enjoying more success posthumously than when he lived. Has his iconic status increased because of his death, or could it be that this song has struck a chord with African-Americans across the nation. Rolling Stone hit the streets of 2Pac’s old neighborhood in Marin City, asking young African-Americans how the lyrics of ‘Changes’ made them feel. â€Å"Here’s a brotha’ who understands brotha’s,† answered one high school student, who seemed to capture the sentiments of many in the area. Where, though, in the lyrics do young African Americans identify with 2Pac’s message? At first glance, ‘Changes’ sounds quite pessimistic. It opens with the lines, â€Å"I’m tired of bein’ poor & even worse I’m black.† This defeatist attitude seems strange when compared to 2Pac’s tough image, an image that many young gang members have imitated. One young man we spoke to, who wore a gangster-style bandana, explained that the opening lines are not so much pessimistic as realistic. The lyrics explain why young African Americans deal drugs and commit crime: â€Å"First ship ’em dope & let ’em deal the brothers / give ’em guns step back watch ’em kill each other.† While this may sound like the tone of a victim, 2Pac is not encouraging young African Americans to give up or lose hope. It is important that we keep the target audience of the song in mind. It does not intend to create sympathy among white Americans for poor African Americans. Rather, the song targets African Americans. In fact many young black men of Marin City feel spoken to by 2Pac’s song. He seems to call on them to change: â€Å"But now I’m back with the facts givin’ it back to you Don’t let ’em jack you up, back you up, crack you up and pimp smack you up You gotta learn to hold ya own.† In these lines, â€Å"you† is directed to troubled black youth. When asked what â€Å"hold ya own† means, many young African Americans explained: they must refuse to become victims of the hardships that 2Pac so poignantly describes in his lyrics. This call to social responsibility might just be the main theme of the song, which he suggest in the lines, â€Å"I got love for my brother but we can never go nowhere unless we share with each other.† He calls on African Americans to stop dealing drugs to each other and stealing from each other. How, though, does 2Pac deliver this message without sounding patronizing? First of all, as the saying goes, ‘it takes one to know one.’ 2Pac’s criminal past and time in prison have earned him respect among troubled, black youth. But what’s more, he speaks to them in their language, a lyrical, almost sophisticated form of Ebonics or African American Vernacular English (AAVE). The rhythm and rhyme of the lyrics is engaging and compelling, which we see in the afore mentioned lines, â€Å"jack you up, back you up / crack you up and pimp smack you up.† The verb, ‘to pimp smack one up’ exemplifies the poetic style of street speech. Finally he addresses his audience as his â€Å"brothers†, he uses the word â€Å"nigga† in a permissible context and alludes casually to â€Å"Huey†, a.k.a. Huey P. Lewis, co-founder ofthe Black Panthers. These are all ‘in-group’ markers, which help establish his credit and rapport among African Americans in general and black gangsters specifically. It is for these reasons that he has earned the right to speak to them about these complex issues. In the midst of the many depressing scenarios that 2Pac sketches from children dying of drug abuse to the constant fear of being killed by an old enemy (â€Å"I never get to lay back / ‘Cause I always got to worry ’bout the pay backs†), his spoken words cast a ray of light and call for reasoning. â€Å"We gotta make a change†¦ It’s time for us as a people to start makin’ some changes. Let’s change the way we eat, let’s change the way we live and let’s change the way we treat each other. You see the old way wasn’t working so it’s on us to do what we gotta do, to survive.† The final question that remains is: ‘How are troubled, young African Americans supposed to change the way they live?’ Unfortunately 2Pac left us with few answers and, even worse, a poor example. He lived his life like the lyrics of ‘Changes’: a series of violent, depressing acts interspersed with a few moments of clarity. At least his song helps create understanding the complex issues that poor, young African Americans face every day. From this kind of understanding and the realization that ‘it’s on us to do what we gotta do’, change can arise. Criteria| Possible| Awarded| Comments| A: Rationale| 2| | | B: Task and Content| 8| | | C: Organization | 5| | | D: Language and Style| 5| | |