Book Review: International Conflict Resolution Essay

The first chapter of the book talks about the peace-making and de-escalation strategies. It discusses the theoretical approaches of statism, pluralism and populism in reference to the international conflict. The author of the book convinces the reader that effective conflict resolution should make use of convincing power and positive sanctions. Therefore, he argues that win-win solutions are achievable in international conflict. In the second chapter the relation of US and USSR and cases of Middle East are used to observe the de-escalation efforts. The third chapter takes the example of US-USSR and Arab-Israel de-escalation activities to present some chronologies. Four de-escalation patterns are identified using these chronologies: frequency of initiatives, multiple de-escalation initiatives, and activity level of activity among conflicting countries. In chapter four the author explains the reasons of de-escalation activities and its timings. Factors such as domestic situation, international perspective, and associations between conflicting parties are the presented in this chapter. (Conflict Research Consortium Staff, 2010) Chapter five explains the process of initiating the process of negotiation. The author explores different initiatives and tells which ones are more effective for negotiations. The chapter brings into light the factors resulting in negotiations between conflicting parties. Chapter six explores the negotiation process completely. Kriesberg presents the example of US-USSR and Arab-Israel to analyze different negotiated agreements (Mitchell, 1996). Taking into account these examples, the author creates guidelines for effective negotiations. In chapter seven the author describes the consequences of negotiations. It identifies the effective negotiations leading to long-term de-escalation efforts. Chapter eights draws on the conclusion of peace making efforts. With the help of his findings, he concludes the way in which some countries improve their relations and others still remain conflicted. The last chapter analyzes the impacts of conflicts between nations. The author explains the cost that the countries have to bear and presents policies. In the end, the author comes up with the relationship between peace-making and de-escalation (Conflict Research Consortium Staff, 2010). This book is a comprehensive study of international conflict de-escalation process. With the use of chronologies and tables, the author makes the study more meaningful and easy to understand. It contributes to the study of international relations by presenting a conflict resolution perspective. The book addresses the issue which needs future consideration. Kriesberg’s work lacks theoretical implication but it is practical. International conflict resolution is pioneered in this work and brought it into consideration. The author presents his idea in a persuasive way and explains easily why some inflicts are protracted. The book provides some useful concepts to resolve conflicts and peace-making policies (Simon, 1994). However, book limits itself in providing propositions about the irreversible and complex processes. It raises some important issues like what are the conditions that result in de-escalation initiatives? In what conditions these initiatives leads to negotiations? And finally, how these negotiations results in agreements? The author is successfully able to answer these questions in an effective way (Holsti, 1993). Strengths and Weaknesses of the Book The book is a well organized and well-written by the author. It provides sound understanding of the arguments presented by the author. The unique feature of this book is that the author is able to identify the impacts of agreements. He is able to put forward the questions that are critical to international relations and are helpful in peace-making agreements. However, the methodology adopted in evaluating these questions is off-putting but comes up with some effective conclusions and future policies. Moreover, Kriesberg is not able to justify the causes of failed negotiations and some successful initiatives (Holsti, 1993). Hence, the book faces some validity issues. The analysis throughout the book is enriched by historical references and material representing opportunities and constraints, both in international and domestic context. The author emphasizes that good will and the positive attitude of the people is critical to negotiations. It encourages them and motivates them to work in the right direction and reaching some agreements. Therefore, the book is less controversial and is able to present a broader and positive view of the author. Another advantage of this book is that it provides references according to the context that helps in the better understanding of the arguments and provides the author an easy way to justify his reasoning. The historical material enhances the validity of the content presented in the book. The approach adopted by the author is to provide long lasting solutions to the problems, which is a more practical approach. Kriesberg in this book is able to provide approaches that are complete in nature as many authors have been providing approaches that do contribute a lot but are incomplete. Kriesberg has clearly presented the strengths and weaknesses of the concepts and approaches that he has used in the book. However, due to the use of just two major conflicts, the issue of comparison arises. The drawback of the book is that the language used in the book is difficult to understand by the reader, however, the content of the book is highly informative, providing insight into the subject. By dividing the book into number of chapters, the book is presented in a proper flow that makes the understanding much easier.

School Climate Analysis

How important is a school’s climate to student success? Research suggests that it is a key element in influencing student achievement, second only to quality instruction. A school’s climate has the ability to either support or impede learning greatly. School climate refers to the â€Å"day to day operational procedures which determine the culture of a school: warm, friendly, cold, supportive, helpful, etc. †(Federal Way Public Schools, n. d. , figure 30) To what extent does a school’s climate affect student learning, and how can a school’s climate be improved? Let us take a loser look. School climate is a significant element in today’s schools. Positive climates can solve problems such as bullying, inter-student conflict, suicide, and character education; however, there are many things in our society today that interfere with school climates. This includes decreased family values, increased tolerance to violence on television and in video games, and an overall breakdown in communication between parents, students, and schools. Schools must continually work to overcome these barriers. The social emotional climate of schools is predictive of mother’s reports of their school age children’s alcohol use and psychiatric problems. Research has also revealed a relationship between school climate and student self-concept. †(Center For Social and Emotional Education [CSEE], n. d. , p. 1) Schools with positive climates have fewer students with anxiety, depression, and loneliness. A positive, nurturing school climate also lea ds to effective risk prevention and health promotion. In a positive school climate the people within the organization feel a connectedness to one another. That connectedness is a powerful predictor of adolescent health and academic success. â€Å"Safe, caring, participatory and responsive school climates tend to foster great attachment to school, as well as providing the optimal foundation for social, emotional, and academic learning. Numerous studies have shown that positive school climates lead to higher grades, engagement, attendance, expectations and aspirations, a sense of scholastic competence, fewer school suspensions, and on-time progression through grades. (Michigan State University, 2004, p. ) In order to significantly improve student behavior and academic performance, schools must improve their overall climate. There are four main elements that impact school climate. They are as follows: A physical environment that is welcoming and conductive to learning, a social environment that promotes communication and interaction, an affective environment that promotes a sense of belonging and self-esteem, and an academic environment that promotes learning and self-fulfillment. (Michigan State University, 2004, p. ) These four environments cannot operate independently of one another. Each is interrelated to the others. How can school climate be improved? Change requires â€Å"moving individuals and organizations along a continuum from ‘at risk’ to ‘safe’ to ‘thriving’. This process takes time to accomplish. †(Michigan State University, 2004, p. 6) The new federal legislation of the No Child Left Behind Act is essentially a long-term effort to change school culture, requiring teachers and schools to be held accountable, and adopting the notion that all students can and must learn. Change begins with the superintendant of the district and the central administration, along with backing from the school board. â€Å"Their decisions on building size, budget allocations, selection of staff, as well as communication of the school district’s mission, training priorities, and promotional activities, all play a part in encouraging change. †(Michigan State University, p. 6) Other approaches to change at the school level include increasing the number of counselors and mentors in schools, and using smaller teacher-student ratios. It is also important to note that many schools are moving away from competition in favor of cooperation to avoid having winners and losers. In addition, schools need to provide professional development on such issues as cultural and class differences, emotional needs of other children, parental involvement, and bullying and harassment. Research also suggests that schools should provide â€Å"multiple and varied opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities. †(Michigan State University, p. 7) The physical appearance of the facility is another important component of school climate. While it is common sense that teachers and students feel better about themselves when working and learning in an inviting and pleasant environment, research also supports this fact. A well-designed learning environment sends the message that learning is important. â€Å"Not only does a school’s architecture signal what is important; a school’s architecture also motivates students and employees, provides a message of deeper purposes and values, and can tie a community together. (Holt & Smith, n. d. , p. 53) Interestingly enough, even though research suggests that the physical environment is an indicator of school climate, a report issued by the National Center for Education Statistics indicates that three out of every four existing public school buildings is in need of repair. Another important element in school climate lies in the decision making process. Schools that promote shar ed decision making have a greater sense of belonging among staff members and stakeholders, and therefore promote a more positive and cohesive school climate. Shared decision making also promotes mutual support and ongoing communication between staff members as well as members of the community. This type of decision making increases school climate because it increases the level of trust among stakeholders. â€Å"Trust is developed when people come to expect and predict the way others will act. When a school commits the time and energy to involve stakeholders in developing shared organizational values and people live out the shared values on a day-to-day basis, conjecture and suspicions about actions are dispelled. (Else, 2000, p. 1) It is important for schools to continually assess the overall climates within their organization. There are various instruments designed for this purpose. Most of these instruments are surveys that are designed for students, teachers, and parents. Results of these surveys are then analyzed and disaggregated to assess the overall climate, and identify areas of improvement. Although classroom level measures may be appropriate for the assessment of schools at the elementary level, this is not the case for middle and high school. The students at this level move throughout the day from classroom to classroom, are surrounded by many different groups of peers, and are confronted with varying teaching styles. For this reason middle and high schools require assessment measures that capture student’s experiences throughout the entire school day. Assessing school climate and using that data to identify areas of concern is, and should be, as important as test data in today’s schools. In this week’s reading, we read about a scenario that is present in many schools around the country. That is dysfunctional thinking. In this scenario, veteran teachers and new teachers are facing off in deconstructive power struggles. Because of their varying levels of experience, and their different eras, they do not see eye to eye. In this scenario, the new teacher obviously is better equipped to chair the event. She has had experience doing this event in the past, and she has demonstrated her competency in the area. The veteran teacher doesn’t really want to chair the event; she just doesn’t want a new teacher to have that kind of control. As an administrator, I would initiate a conversation with this veteran teacher. Seeing as she is very popular among the staff, this would have to be handled carefully. The conversation would begin with a sincere appreciation for everything she does, as teachers need to be recognized for their contributions; however, I would stand firm on my decision to assign the newer teacher, Mrs. Farmington, as the chair of the event. The information presented on the table on page 71 of our textbook would provide useful information when handling this situation. It would be important for the administrator to understand, and be respectful of, each individual’s background and values. It is important for an administrator to acquire the commitment of their followers, and based on how this scenario is acted upon, it could enhance or interfere with that commitment. The dialogue that takes place between the administrator and the veteran teacher must be well thought out and respectful. In addition, the newer teacher, too, must be made aware of the importance of allowing for shared decision making throughout her event, and allow for the veteran teachers to be heard and made a valuable a part of the event as well. In conclusion, students learn best when they are in an environment that is physically and emotionally safe. Teachers teach best when they are working in an environment in which they feel valued and connected. Parents feel secure sending their students to school when they know their children are being cared for and given quality instruction. Today so many parents have trouble trusting in their children’s schools, and too often circumstances arise where parents and schools are battling one another. This is not constructive to school climate, and is not in the best interest of children. It is important for all stakeholders to share the decision making process so that everyone has a vested interest in the overall well-being of the school climate. Teachers, parents, and administrators should be partners, working together to ensure that students needs is being met, and that they are academically successful. At the end of the day, we all want the same thing, and that is what is best for our children. Working together, rather that independently, is the best way to make this happen. In the words of the old African proverb, it takes a village to raise a child. Our schools, along with parents, are the â€Å"village† that our children need. References Center For Social and Emotional Education (n.d.). School Climate Research Summary. Retrieved November 14, 2008, from http://nscc.csee.net/effective/school_climate_research_summary.pdf Else, D. (2000). School-Based Shared Decision Making. Retrieved November 14, 2008, from http://www.uni.edu/coe/iel/sdsum.html Federal Way Public Schools (n.d.). Federal Way Public Schools Glossary of Terms. Retrieved November 14, 2008, from http://www.fwps.org/info/glossary Holt, C. R., & Smith, R. M. (n.d.). The Relationship Between School Climate and Student Success. Retrieved November 14, 2008, from http://normes.uark.edu/erps/erps_journal/ERPS%20VOL%202%20N2/pdf/52-64.pdf Michigan State University (2004). Best Practice Briefs: School Climate and Learning. Retrieved November 14, 2008, from http://outreach.msu.edu/bpbriefs/issues/brief31.pdf

How does Stevenson explore the duality of human nature in the strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde? Essay

Stevenson had a very strict upbringing from the start. In fact I would go to say he was over smothered with ideas and eventually came to hate hypocrisy and rebelled. Since he had just liberated himself from his Calvinistic teachings I assume it was then he debated with the idea of good and evil in everyone. Therefore then creating the idea of duality in human nature. It was then a story was born. Many issues are raised by Robert Louis Stevenson’s â€Å"The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde† and at the time of 1885 these issues were impossible and scandalous. One of the particular issues that Stevenson uncovered was the idea that there are two sides to everyone and that these sides could be separated, good and evil. As well as this Stevenson’s novella explores how both of these sides are contained within a person. This book was written around the time of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution and story fits perfectly with his theory. For example, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde are two different steps in evolution. Dr Jekyll is â€Å"the very pink of proprieties, celebrated too. † And Hyde is â€Å"ape like†. Darwin’s theory basically was set to prove that people are descended from a similar species to apes. It would seem that these two sides are together in one body but still one is lost or even hidden. Stevenson’s shocking novella heightened a drama amongst Victorian upper middle class citizens because this idea was a difficult one for them to grasp. However as time went on this idea became less uncommon, for example; in 1954 ‘Lord of the Flies’ by William Golding was published. Golding believed that if people were left stranded without democracy and order, there sense of humanity and morals would disintegrate, therefore allowing primitive and even animalistic instincts to creep through. Dr Jekyll is the perfect character to help expose this duality of human nature; he also helps the reader to expose Stevenson’s own curiosity on the subject. Jekyll’s hunger to prove that you can effectively ‘split’ the good from the evil led to him creating an evil alter ego: Mr Hyde. Stevenson also shows in his novella that if you over endugle the evil side of a personality it mentally, emotionally and especially in this book, even physically can take over. For example through his transformations, the evil Mr Hyde becomes continuously stronger and subjugation of the good still present in Dr Jekyll begins. Dr Jekyll is constantly tempted by Hyde, because he can completely disconnect himself from the evil and therefore has no attachment or guilt, â€Å"†¦spring headlong into the sea of liberty†. As Mr Hyde; Jekyll feels he can finally be free. I believe the reason Hyde becomes so strong is because for most of Dr Jekyll’s life he suppressed the evil for too long. Unlike Mr Enfield who is a â€Å"well known man about town,† he often gave into evil urges in short and harmless bursts behind closed doors. However like in any good novella the idea of good triumphing over evil comes into part, when Jekyll puts an end to his life and therefore Hyde’s too. However you still have to ponder if good actually did win because there was still evil committed and that is all Mr Hyde wanted to achieve. Stevenson was very clever in the naming of the character: Hyde, this was obviously linked to the word ‘hide’ and how in the Victorian era evil was very often ‘hidden’ away from prying eyes. Therefore this is why when anyone reading the novella would have been appalled upon reaching the end to find that Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde were in fact the same person. As well as Hyde adding secrecy and anticipation to the novella he creates the idea of the shocking, and maybe even sickening the reader. He is the pure image of human evil, filled with violence, discourtesy and self-importance. It was not only his actions that sickened people, if was his appearance. In fact Mr Hyde was often described as ‘deformed’, and perhaps that is what evil is: a deformation from the good in all of us. Instantly people could feel a dislike to him, one gentleman in the novel quoted this: â€Å"I had taken a loathing to my gentleman at first sight†¦ the desire to kill him.† For someone so respectable in society to even consider killing a man portrays the utter horror everyone felt towards Hyde’s appearance. The word ‘loathing’ expresses an extreme extent of hatred and the fact that a person felt that for Mr Hyde upon looking at him is tragic. But then this links back to him being deformed, in fact it is even stated that Mr Hyde donates a â€Å"strong feeling of deformity† in fact many harsh comments are made over Hyde, he is illustrated as â€Å"hardly human†, â€Å"pale and dwarfish† and even referred to as a devil, â€Å"if I ever read Satan’s signature upon a face†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and there are many more horrific descriptions of Hyde, but at the same Jekyll enjoys having him, he enjoys having a vicarious existence. Eventually everything takes a turn for the worst and Dr Jekyll learns that something has to change, Jekyll realises this when Hyde’s evil becomes strong enough to commit â€Å"a crime of singular ferocity†, Hyde was so evil he was capable of murder. â€Å"And then all of a sudden he broke out in a great flame of anger, stamping with his foot, brandishing the cane, and carrying on (as the maid described it) like a madman.† ‘Madman’ is the word that strikes me first and puts a clear image in my head of not just the Scrooge like character from before but now a man of pure sin and hatred. The words like ‘brandishing’ and ‘stamping’ exposes the madness and brutality of Hyde. You are also revealed to his short temper from the phrase ‘all of a sudden’ which portrays the fact that the murder was probably unprovoked. His murder of Mr Carew was in no way calculated or even intelligent, it was just pure, unstructured evil. The novella is not only consisting of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. There are other characters; these characters are almost used as tools to further endorse Stevenson’s point about human nature and the duality within it. One of these characters as a mentioned earlier is Mr Enfield. He is a man of status, a man of grace and decorum and he also comes across as an approachable person. Another character is Mr Utterson; he is a very good example of a double sided character. â€Å"Cold, scanty and embarrassed in discourse; backward in sentiment, lean, long, dusty, dreary and yet somehow loveable.† He is first described with very negative adjectives, for example: ‘cold’, but then by twisting it to ‘loveable’ shows the two different sides to his character. Smaller characters are just as interesting as the more mentionable ones, for example: Hyde’s maid. She is described as â€Å"†¦evil face smoothed by hypocrisy but her manners were excellent.â⠂¬  You clearly notice the word evil, which creates a harsh impression of her right from the start. However by the end of the sentence you begin to understand that she is full of poise and good manners, which is normally the first thing you notice in a person, not how evil they look. But Stevenson once again does things differently and makes the idea of evil the most important thing in the sentence. Another good example of a double sided character is the officer. The fact that his â€Å"eye lighted up with professional ambition† shows a very childish attitude of being selfish and only hoping for personal gain. Stevenson is very clever because he demonstrates that every character has a dominant side, but it is sometimes not evident. Characters are not the only tool that Stevenson uses to explore deeper into the duality of human nature. For example, London itself is described as a place of two halves. Good and evil, light and dark and in fact how those things blend into each other. Soho is one of the evil parts of London, and where Hyde lives when he is not Dr Jekyll. This area is often described as in the typical horror clichà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, with darkness and fog. â€Å"†¦some city in a nightmare.† The city is referred to as a ‘nightmare’, which shows how shielded the life of an upper class Victorian was and how they would never venture into the ‘darker’ side of society but sometimes darkness has to be faced to overcome it. Throughout the novella the fog and darkness is used, effectively to hide the secrets. Not only the environment is used but even Jekyll’s home shows the duality, there is the front door, which the respectable Dr Jekyll uses. However as well as this there is a back door, which Mr Hyde often skulks through and stays in the laboratory, a little like Frankenstein’s laboratory, which is yet another horror clichà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½. The back door is also hidden to the public eye and is one that is chosen to be ignored, like the ways the Victorians dismiss anything that could disrupt a reputation or status. To begin with Jekyll is not overcome with doubt or guilt or even much emotion, no matter how atrocious. He distances himself and pretends that nothing is wrong, much like in ‘Lord of the Flies’ when Ralph and Piggy refuse to take responsibility for their part Simon’s death. But as time goes on Dr Jekyll begins to realise the horror of what is going and on, as well as becoming weaker, while Hyde becomes stronger and somehow it still takes a while for Jekyll to try and let Hyde go. This poses the question; did Jekyll have a deeper more devious yearning for Hyde other than scientific truth? Dr Jekyll admits to in his ‘final confession’ which is the last chapter in the book. The message is clear and could be depicted by anyone; therefore this would have been shocking to a Victorian. Everyone does have the potential to be good or evil. But it is up to a person what is done with evil in us all, however the extremes of a personality may not be as bold as in this novella. The story does make you think, if anyone is capable of evil, what am I capable of? If my life is a constant battle between the good and evil in me, then how do I know if I myself have the strength to conquer the evil within? And I think it is these questions that Stevenson wanted people to ponder.

Evaluation on the Validity of the Claim That American Public Education Essay

Evaluation on the Validity of the Claim That American Public Education Has Been Consistently Lowering Its Standards and Expectations - Essay Example According to the survey conducted by ‘The National Assessment of Educational Progress’ (NAEP), the result known as â€Å"Nation’s Report Card,† depicted the positive outcomes of the students belonging to 4th, 8th and 12th grade standard on an international basis. Whereas, in contrast to the reports that presented by NAEP, it can be viewed that the scores of the US were much of lower standard in the worldwide context (Gropman, â€Å"Waning Education Standards Threaten U.S. Competitiveness†; Alexander and Leticia 325-327). It has been further argued that the aspect of ‘Downward Mobility’ is haunting the education system of America. The students in the US are avoiding in attending schools and colleges with a fear that their juniors possessing greater education background will be much more educated as compared to them. Further details on the argument for the stand i.e. ‘American Public Education’ is getting consistently lowered in terms of its standards along with expectations have been cited with certain valued observations. For instance, Andreas Schleicher, who is regarded as a special advisor related to education at ‘Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’ (OECD) proclaims that "It's something of great significance because much of today's economic power of the United States rests on a very high degree of adult skills - and that is now at risk," (Coughlan â€Å"Downward mobility haunts US education†). This reflects a clear picture about the prevailing education system of America. In support of the argument, the survey report of OECD revealed that the young adults are being more educated than their parents based on the ratio of 1:5. According to the viewpoints of Miles... This paper stresses that it will be a fallacy to judge the failure of American Public education system due to the persistence of various dissimilar viewpoints about the concerned subject matter. It is the result of the series of activities and the political interferences that eventually deprived the public education system of America from being flourished. In the study, it has been argued that racial discrimination, depriving the middle-class families, inequality and rise in the education expenditures are few of the reasons that contributed in consistent failure of American public education system in terms of lowering its standards along with expectations. The author of the paper talks his own oppinion on the problem of American public education which based system have not declined in recent days. There are several governmental policies levied upon the education sector, proving the effectiveness of the American public education system. It is the teachers who play an effective role in determining the development of education system of any nation. This report makes a conclusion that on contrary to the failure of the American public education system, the government is taking initiatives to implement changed rules and policies for improving the same. Furthermore, it has been viewed from the study that public education system of the US greatly affects five vital security fronts that comprise economic growth along with competitiveness, physical safety of the nation, US global awareness and US unity along with cohesion. Thus, it is necessary for the US government to formulate policies on immediate basis to develop the existing public education system of America.

Growth of Jazz Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Growth of Jazz - Research Paper Example matter of fact, jazz is a mixture of the long-term West African tradition based on a call-and-response model and distinct melody line, which neglected the European concept of harmony that was a characteristic feature of European musical tradition (McIntosh 26). In next to no time jazz grew into something more than just a regional African-American folk music of the Southern states and became a critically acclaimed and extremely popular music genre in its own right well across the United States. By the beginning of the 20th century jazz became a synonym of novelty in music. Improvisation, clashing time signatures based on syncopated rhythms and a unique style of performance of the rhythmic texture, such as swing, were typical of the music language of jazz in the first half of the 20th century (Carvalho 286). Further development of jazz was accounted for new rhythmic and harmonic patterns brought in by jazz musicians and composers, which in turn gave fresh impetus to the growth of vario us new subgenres of jazz, such as bebop, hard bop, cool jazz, free jazz, soul jazz and a lot more. Once one of the brightest legends of the traditional jazz, Louis Armstrong, first came on stage, the boundaries of jazz were pushed even further and solo performance gained widespread popularity. Armstrongs innovative performance encompassed solo improvisation with trumpet. His multifaceted experimental creative work stirred others into seeking for new musical art forms involving a number of instruments that were not typical for jazz before, which made this music genre even more popular in the United States of America. By the end of 1920s jazz broke into mainstream and became one of the most popular musical genres both in the United States and overseas. With the advent of sound-recording technology and rise of major record labels that searched for talented musician all across the United States such jazz musicians as Louis Armstrong or Fletcher Henderson became more recognized than any

Personal and Organizational Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Personal and Organizational Ethics - Essay Example Most of the organizations have company lawyers who advise them on how to function without breaking the law. The public relations office ensures that companies relate well with other organizations. Despite the growing competition, companies and organizations should maintain originality of ideas and products in the market (Velasquez, 2006). Everyone in the business world must have basic managerial skills that will enable each one to perform their delegations in the organization well (McDaniel, 2004). Currently am serving as the quality assurance manager of an industrial company. This is a demanding position and the concepts learned in this course have been effective in helping me develop a personal code of ethics. I have also developed a vision mission statement that serves as a guideline to keep me always in conformity with the organizational ethics. As a manager, I have a strong value system and the most important of these values is always upholding my integrity. In performing all my managerial duties, I make sure that I do not compromise with my integrity as this reflects the inner person in me and an individual without integrity is not worth holding a post in society. Upholding integrity entails doing what is right irrespective of the cost. When dealing with other employees, I try my best to remain fair and understanding but never to allow compromise on my integrity. Honesty is another value that I practice in my daily work. Irrespective of the situation, I am honest to myself and to others. An individual must accept the realities that cannot change from deep within and this involves accepting weaknesses and appreciating strengths. From such serenity, an individual can practice honesty to others. Sometimes I make mistakes and I try to be honest enough to accept these as well as listen to advice even from my juniors. Management requires one to be a good team player (Velasquez, 2006). A good manager must understand the strengths and weaknesses of his or her tea m members and be able to bring out the best in them. Since this position is not about me, but rather the people at my service, I ensure that I delegate duties according to abilities of different employees. I give them opportunities to take challenges that present chances for growth in terms of acquiring new skills. The team members must grow and become better people in terms of personality and professionalism and therefore I have a great challenge of ensuring that delegation of duties presents each member with an equal opportunity to grow. I am a friendly individual and this has helped me greatly. All the employees feel free to approach me and share their concerns. I try to understand their issues and discuss with them possible solutions. It is not only about being friendly and understanding, but solving issues of employees requires one to be reasonable. Rationality helps in balancing the interests of the organization and those of an employee so that none of them suffers. This trait is of great use when dealing with clients and other corporate. However, I never let friendships affect decision-making; instead, I have learned to maintain good professional relationships with fellow employees. Communication is the most important aspect in the smooth running of activities. To be an effective manager I have to listen to ideas and

How Serious a Threat to Democracy Is the Far Right in Europe Today Essay

How Serious a Threat to Democracy Is the Far Right in Europe Today - Essay Example However, other citizens although fewer in number, continue to exploit the same freedom so as to challenge existing political systems with a view of undermining equality, civil rights liberty, and at times seriously endangering them (Katz and Mair, 1995). For quite a number of decades, a radical political system was the major cause of the major cause of these challenges. From the late nineteenth century and onwards, including the World War II, democratic regimes incorporated legal measures to exclude the far right parties from the political game (Betz, 1994). In this manner, liberal democracies acted in a manner to ensure their own stability. However, political dynamics within the last decade has led to the emergence of new forms of threat to the stability of the existing democracies. In this context, such threat is referred to as the uncivil society. Notably, such threat seem to more fluid in the structure and the nature of the political parties, thus presenting an even much greater challenge than the subversive political parties towards the democratic regimes in search for measures to ensure stability. In this study, we contend that, in the 21 century achieving stability by outlawing of some far right political parties is no longer an effective strategy. Moreover, contrary to the to the declines of parties and trade off theses , it is argued that, far right parties and the uncivil society are in joint operation to advance similar goals and thus presents the double threat operating right from parliament and within its environs. The changing nature of the political process By 1850, virtually no county in Europe knew the basics of a political party apart from a few small groups of... This paper has highlighted the three objectives, which were exploring how changes took place in the European politics, which were heavily affected by the far right wing activities. Secondly, the paper has explored the boundaries of the within the European political systems and lastly whether the new regimes have completely replaced old regimes or they have forged cooperation’s. In recent years, the changing role of the party institution has had a significant impact on the far right wing parties. As noted it is only until the 1980s that new wave far right parties emerged. Like their counterparts, the new parties can be regarded as cartels which enjoy poor links with the society. The emergence of new forms of governments not only the growth of the far right camps but also plays a role in their expansion. Generally, uncivil society comprises of well established individuals and groups which have the full support of the current politicians and in some extent they have forged allian ces. Notably, the uncivil society is geared toward subverting liberal democracy through their old fashioned political movements. They hope to govern behind the scenes, influencing all the decisions made at national level. Indeed, such strategies are directed at introducing crime and violence. However, social movements are closer to the people as opposed to the political parties. Some grass toot activities carried out to the far right agenda reveals the intolerances as well the hatred in the society. Although political party has changed in Europe, the role of the party as an organization still remains and in fact these is presented in far rightwing ideologies.

IP4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

IP4 - Essay Example Pioch (2002) described the era as associated with religious art. Baroque period is characterized by vigorous movement and emotional intensity associated with Baroque art in its primary meaning. Much Hellenistic sculpture could therefore be described as `baroque'. The older meaning of the word means `capricious', `overwrought' or `florid' (Pioch, 2002). Caravaggio and Annibale Carracci are the two great figures who stand at the head of the Baroque tradition, bringing a new solidity and weightiness to Italian painting, which in the late 16th century has generally been artificial and often convoluted in style (Pioch, 2002). The two artists are considered to have their own style in which Annibale's work has an exuberance that is completely his own, and Caravaggio created figures with an unprecedented sense of sheer physical presence (Pioch, 2002). These two major artists have great influences of their own and fusing these influences, the Baroque area arose (Pioch, 2002). Baroque artists inherited from the mannerist style the movement and fervent emotion and solidity and grandeur from Rennaisance style (Pioch, 2002). The Deposition from the Cross is an artwork made by oil in canvas. This is considered one of the greatest works of Caravaggio. In this artwork, the artist did not really portray the Burial or Deposition in the conventional way.

Project (Starbucks corporation) final Assignment

Project (Starbucks corporation) final - Assignment Example From the year 1971 to 1976, Starbucks was at Western Avenue. After the company moved to 1912 Pike Place there has been no relocations. The company used to sell roasted Coffee. In the initial days the company was not selling any brew coffee. During the mid 1980s the company cashed in the opportunity to purchase Peets. However, during this time the company sales begun to fall. At that point of time, Starbucks was bought by Howard Schultz who had the vision of making Starbucks a real global brand. Howard Schultz decided to rebrand Giornale coffee chains as Starbucks. Since then there has been no turning for the company. Today the company has become the largest coffeehouse in the world. The company has 20, 891 stores on a global basis in over sixty countries. This includes over ten thousand stores in USA, over thousand stores in Canada, and over five hundred stores in UK, Japan, China, Mexico, turkey, Thailand, Germany and India. As on 2012 the total revenue of the company was US$13.29 b illion (Keller, 2012). II. Significance and Objective of the Project Research objective One of the major reasons for success of the company has been the branding and marketing strategy of the company. Unlike some of the other major firms Starbucks does not invest heavily in advertising and hence the marketing and branding strategy of the company is unique. The objective of the study: To critically analyze the key brand elements of the company To analyze the overall brand management strategy of the company To provide some recommendation that would help the company in gaining competitive advantage over the competitors. Management problems Starbucks Corporation is a US based global coffeehouse chain headquartered in Washington. It is the largest coffee house organization around the globe. The organization is operating in 62 countries with its 20,891 outlets. Unique organizational value helped Starbucks to increase their core competencies. Earlier the organization’s value was to provide high quality coffee to its customers. Moreover, they committed to provide effective customer service and a good coffee experience to its customers. When Mr. Schultz became the CEO of Starbucks they drifted away from the original organizational value. Lack of effective customer service is affecting the brand image of Starbucks in global market (Roger, 2010). Inadequate pricing strategy is reducing the customer preference. Due to fluctuating economic, political and weather condition in several countries, people are trying to reduce the coffee consumption from Starbucks. Moreover, it has been identified that in some place the quality of Starbucks’ coffee is decreasing. The management of Starbucks is worried about it. It is important for the organization to provide high quality coffee in order to maintain the leading position within the competitive global market place. The organization is lacking effective customer relationship. Several labor issues and internal organizat ional conflicts are reducing the motivation and self confidence level of customers. These issues are decreasing effective customer service activities. Marketing Research problems Starbucks

U.S. trade with the European Union Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

U.S. trade with the European Union - Essay Example Mercantilism is referred to as the first reasonable systematic body of thought devoted to international trade. The 20th century marked an era in which international trade boomed across the world. The United States was in the forefront of trade as this nation became the most powerful country in the world after the U.S. successfully won World War II. During that time a lot of European nations became allies of the United States. Trade between the United States and Europe increased substantially during this time. A major event that changed the course of history in Europe was the creation of the European Union and adoption of the Euro currency among member nations. The Euro was created a year before the turn of the century on January 1, 1999. This major event in the economic system of Europe positively impacted trade with the United States. The Euro solidified the economic position of many member nations that had weak currencies prior to the adoption of the Euro. The purpose of this paper is to discuss international trade between the United States and Europe. Importance of trade International trade is composed of the exports and imports a nation has with other countries. Exports can be defined as the amount of goods and services that a country sells to another nation, while imports are the amount of goods and services that a country buys.... The revenues generated from exports increase the amount of wealth of a country. The balance of trade between two nations is calculated by subtracting imports from exports. The desired outcome for a country is to have a positive trade balance with a trade partner. It is beneficial for a country such as the United States to have lots of trade partners. Having lots of trade partners is beneficial because it improves the opportunity of increasing exports and imports. Another good strategy for a country like the United States is to improve relations with another particular country in order to spur economic activity between both nations through the use of international trade. The United States and Europe during the last 14 years have increased their trade activity as a direct consequence of the creation of the European Union. Trade between the United States and Europe The United States and Europe are two of the biggest players in the international community. In the past trade between these two nations was scattered because many European nations had weak currencies and economic systems. All that changed in 1999 when the Euro was adopted as a common currency in Europe. Having a common currency simplified transactions. The table below shows the amount of exports and imports of the United States with Europe since 1997. Year Imports Exports Balance 1997 163272.5 181439.7 -18167.2 1998 170008.4 202873.7 -32865.3 1999 171833.7 224790.2 -52956.5 2000 187448 256766.2 -69318.2 2001 181528.7 253776.8 -72248.1 2002 163626.4 260865.5 -97239.1 2003 173062.6 284596.9 -111534 2004 191789.8 321430.9 -129641 2005 209928.4 355247.6 -145319 2006 242993.6 384007.5 -141014 2007 283068.9 407473.8 -124405 2008 324997.1 435203.4 -110206 2009 258061.6

The characters of The Divine Wind Essay Example for Free

The characters of The Divine Wind Essay In the novel The Divine Wind, written by Gary Disher, the characters have to make important choices. With every character in the novel their choices are not always good and in some cases effect other characters in the novel a bad way. Different reasons and circumstances compel different choices. To see whether the choices made where good ones, we need to take a look at each choice specifically. Ida chose to leave her family and husband so she could return back to her homeland where her heart still was. Ida was very unhappy in Broome, and she longed for her life back in England. All throughout the novel there was a visibleline between the differences of Ida, her family and the people of Broome. Ida simply did not fit in. Alice chooses to end her relationship with Carl after she sees his true colours. Carl wants Alice to be moulded into a station wife and Alice does not want to repeat the same mistake as her mother by trying to be changed by a loved one. Also if Alice was to stay with Carl, she wouldnt have been able to fulfil her dream of becoming an army nurse. One of the Consequences of Ida leaving was it had sent Michael in state and his hurt had surfaced. as a result, he decides to take the lugger boat out ealry, despite how bad the weather was. this bad choice of Mikes injured his son and caused the death of his trustworthy head pearler and friend Zeke. Afterwards Michael admitts that he had mad the wrong decision in taking out the lugger boat and he grows a guilty conscience. Hart is forced to make many choices throughout the novel. although some of his choices were not seen as good by the ones that he loves. for example when he dismisses Mitsy and sides with his mother even though he is in love with Mitsy. This was a bad choice as it caused friction between the two. Mitsy then chooses Hart to persue a relationship with which then turns sexual. When Mitsy decides to take her mother and leave from the Penroses housefor them to be interned this also causes heat between Mitsy and Hart. Although looking forward into the future its what could have saved Mitsy and Harts friendship. The characters in the Divine Wind are forced to make important decisions. Their choices shape theie lives and also have an influence on the lives around them. Often these choices that the characters make are later redemmed by actions.

Wireless Led Dot Matrix Notice Board Essay Example for Free

Wireless Led Dot Matrix Notice Board Essay POWER SUPPLY Power supply section power the whole circuitry. Different section of this system requires different voltage levels. This requirement cannot be achieved using a single power adapter or battery. So a power supply consist of dc-dc converter is used in our project. The DC-DC converted dc power supply can provide 12v dc, 9v dc and 5 v dc simultaneously for display, discrete IC and micro controller respectively. The power supply section is also included with short circuit protection to prevent system being damaged due to the careless usage or electrical malfunctions. CONTROLLER The controller used here is PIC 16f877a, which is an 8 bit micro controller used for general purpose medium scale applications. In our project this device retrieves signals from the RF receiver as serial data through its URAT port on a baud rate of 2400 bps and stores in its internal data memory. From there it sends the data one by one to display section to display it. The scrolling algorithm is also done through the program written in the controller. This controller also communicate with the RFID reader to fetch the ID of RFID card brought to its proximity and then retrieves the corresponding registry entry to display it in the display board. The scrolling message mode and personal message mode is switched with help of two way switch attached in the display board end. When the switch is in its normal position the message from the PC is displayed and when the switch is in other position the board will display the personal information of the  student whose card is in the proximity o f the RFID reader. DISPLAY The display used here are dot matrix LED. The whole panel consist of 32 displays each one of 57 dot matrix LED. Each character in this display is formed using four such display units. That means the whole display can show a total of 8 characters at a time. The display is drived and controlled using a ring counter IC 4017. By this IC we select each display independently and their column. It uses persistence of vision to let you drive the 32 led matrixes with only 10 microcontroller outputs! Normally you would need 32outputs for 32 LEDs but by using multiplexing and a helper chip you can get away with 10. LED Display multiplexing simply means turning on one led for a short period of time and doing this repeatedly for each LED. If you do this fast enough then your eye will not notice any flicker.The LEDs are no different to any other LEDs but it saves a huge amount of soldering as all the wiring has been done for you..Or you could wire it up yourself if you cant get hold of the module. Still only need 10 control wires (just wire you leds the same as shown in the module diagram). Your eye reacts slowly to changes in light intensity so that if a light is turned on and off quickly enough then it does not notice that the light is off. Basically your eye remembers a light pulse for a short time. The approximate time is 20ms so if the light is turned on at a frequency 50Hz ( 1/20ms) then your eye will not notice any flicker at all. Multiplexing uses this fact to reduce the number of pins needed to drive an LED display. You can do this by splitting the 32led displays into 7 rows and 5columns which lets you drive it using 7 row outputs and 5 column outputs. In fact the 57 led matrix block used here has all the leds arranged in this way already. Each row is driven in turn and as long as all of the rows are driven within a time period of 20ms it will appear as though the LEDs are on continuously. To turn a specific led ON, data is output to the column drivers when a row is driven. To save more pins it is common to use a helper chip and in this project it is a Johnson counter (a 4017). This generates a walking one every time that its clocked.  Since you only want one row on at a time it is the ideal chip for this application. In this project when the 4017 has been reset it outputs logic high at Q0 which is not connected so during reset the 4017 does nothing. This allows you to use the column driver port for something else if you want to when you are not driving the LEDs.To drive the 4017 all you need is two pins one for reset and one for clock. So to fully drive the 32 matrix led display you need only 4 4017. The most difficult thing about using the dot matrix LED display is defining the characters. Basically for ASCII characters you need an array of 128 blocks each having 8 column data numbers. The usual way is to get out a piece of graph paper and define your characters by drawing blocks where a pixel is on. You then translate each line into hex (binary to hex is very easy) and then transfer this information to your program source code. RFID READER RFID is used here to implement the personal information display. RFID technique helps the system for identifying each student with the help of a unique ID given to each student. This reader is capable of powering and reading data from an RFID card which is brought ot its proximity. It has a transmission section through which it sends the received data to controller. The range of this RFID is approximately about 10 cm so that it can avoid unwanted detection of RF signals. In our system RFID system consists of a reader and one or more tags. The readers antenna is used to transmit radio frequency (RF) energy. Depending on the tag type, the energy is harvested by the tags antenna and used to power up the internal circuitry of the tag. The tag will then modulate the electromagnetic waves generated by the reader in order to transmit its data back to the reader. The reader receives the modulated waves and converts them into digital data. In the case of the Parallax RFID Reader Module, correctly received digital data is sent serially through the SOUT pin. There are two major types of tag technologies. Passive tags are tags that do not contain their own power source or transmitter. When radio waves from the reader reach the chip’s antenna, the energy is converted by the antenna into electricity that can power up the microchip in the tag (known as parasitic power). The tag is then able to send back any information stored on the tag  by reflecting the electromagnetic waves as described above. Active tags have their own power source and transmitter. The power source, usually a battery, is used to run the microchips circuitry and to broadcast a signal to a reader. Due to the fact that passive tags do not have their own transmitter and must reflect their signal to the reader, the reading distance is much shorter than with active tags. However, active tags are typically larger, more expensive, and require occasional service. The RFID Reader Module is designed specifically for low-frequency (125 kHz) passive tags. Frequency refers to the size of the radio waves used to communicate between the RFID system components. Just as you tune your radio to different frequencies in order to hear different radio stations, RFID tags and readers have to be tuned to the same frequency in order to communicate effectively. RFID systems typically use one of the following frequency ranges: low frequency (or LF, around 125 kHz), high frequency (or HF, around 13.56 MHz), ultra-high frequency (or UHF, around 868 and 928 MHz), or microwave (around 2.45 and 5.8 GHz). Here we are using an RFID Reader Module with a single TTL-level. The current consumption of the module will increase dramatically when the module is active. A visual indication of the state of the RFID Reader Module is given with the on-board LED. When the module is successfully powered-up and is in an idle state, the LED will be GREEN. When the module is in an active state and the antenna is transmitting, the LED will be RED. The face of the RFID tag should be held parallel to the front or back face of the antenna (where the majority of RF energy is focused). If the tag is held sideways (perpendicular to the antenna) youll either get no reading or a poor reading. Only one transponder tag should be held up to the antenna at any time. The use of multiple tags at one time will cause tag collisions and confuse the reader. The two tags available in the Parallax store have a read distance of approximately 3 inches. Actual distance may vary slightly depending on the size of the transponder tag and environmental conditions of the application. When a valid RFID transponder tag is placed within range of the activated reader, the unique ID will be transmitted as a 12-byte ASCII string via the TTL-level SOUT (Serial Output) pin in the  following format: RF RECEIVER The RF receiver is used to receive RF wireless signals which are transmitted fro the pc section and feed it to the controller. This receiver works in the principle of ASK modulation, an analogue modulation technique to implement digital transmission. This receiver has an active antenna. It works with power of 5V and sink a current of 0.1 mA. The maximum baud rate allowable with this receiver is 2400 bps. For efficient operation we uses 1200 bps. The range of this receiver is with in 100 mtrs. But it can be extended to kms be increasing the power of transmitter . PC SECTION PC section contains application software which is used to interface with the computer. This application has a text box where we can enter the message to be displayed in the notice board. On hitting the send button the data in the text box is transmitted to the display board wirelessly. RS 232 – TTL CONVERTER The signal obtained from th PC is of RS 232 standard. Which means the signal from the PC will be in the range of +12 to -12V level. For the transmitter and the controller to understand the signal it should be in the range of 0 +5 V. so the signal should be level converted before transmission. For this level conversion we use MAX 232 IC. This IC is dedicated for RS 232 to TTL level conversion. With the help of some discrete components this IC can convers the level to ttl logic. RF TRANSMITTER RF transmitter transmits the digital signal generated by the level converter through space as electromagnetic waves. The transmitter uses ASK modulation technique. The range varies up to 100mtrs. The power varies from 5V to 12v. The more the power supply voltage the more will be its quality and range.

Literacy Practices Contain Elements English Language Essay

Literacy Practices Contain Elements English Language Essay In this essay I will attempt to give some of my own examples of literary practices and why I consider them to be creative, linking them to examples from the study material and where relevant build on my knowledge of Carter and make reference to a few of his ideas and theories and weigh them out in said discussion. I shall start off by first explaining what literacy practices are and where we can find them and conclude by giving some examples of my own personal experience. Literacy practices is the way in which people interact with texts and the meanings these hold for them and how these are tied up with individual identity, personal relationships, community membership, religious practices and political manoeuvring. They are influenced by affordances and constraints with technological and socio-historical/cultural factors. These will change and shift as part of technological advances and changes in the social world e.g. in the recognition of social space in households (Cruickshank 2001). Some examples of literacy domains are home, work and social networks and examples of literacy practices are letter reading, filing, writing, diary writing, list making, newspaper reading and even filling a lottery slip. A further relevant term named multiple literacy i.e. is a diverse range of competences which include text literacy, media literacy, information literacy, computer literacy, visual literacy, multicultural literacy, emotional literacy, etc. The essay will also show that creativity is dependent and emergent from the creative literacy practices through which texts are constructed and that the way such a text is read is also considered creativity. There are several examples of literary creativity in everyday life. However I shall mostly be using my own examples and explaining why I find them literary and/or creative. An autobiography is something that most of us think of as creative writing because it is a memory of somebodys past life. One writes about these memories perhaps first by writing letters, then a short story until eventually it emerges into a fully fledge book of its own. But literacy doesnt necessarily have to be a word; it might as well be a sign that we associate something with, like a McDonalds or restaurant sign which children will instantly associate it with. This so-called understanding of environmental print is recognised by children long before individual letters are known, so a child will recognize a McDonalds burger bar sign much earlier before it can actually read the word as a whole. This phenomenon is called emergent literacy and children will notice words, colours, signs, and numbers and gradually begin to recognise their true meaning and start to experiment by copying or trying to describe them on a piece of paper with coloured pens, etc. Carter (1999) identified three models of literariness: The inherency model, which embeds particular properties of language. Literary language is regarded distinct from more practical uses of language which highlights language itself. The socio-cultural model views literariness as socially and culturally determined, e.g. drawing attention that conceptions of literature will vary historically and culturally. Eagleton (1996) There is nothing distinctive about literary language; any text can be seen as literature if it is defined as such. And finally, the cognitive model, which relates literary language to mental processes. Linguistic repetition derives from a basic human drive to repeat and is a kind of cognitive argument, (Tannen 1989) whereas Cook (1994:4) believes that literary texts have an effect on the mind and help us to think in new ways and refresh and change our representations of the world. Gibbs (1994) states human language and human understanding often are metaphorical and that literary metaphor will carry on and extend everyday metaphorical notions. Carter believes creativity is commonly regarded as a process that will result in solution or identification of problems, usually a result of a process of divergent and innovative thinking. (Carter, 2008. p.48) The answer to where we find creativity in language is a broad expression in my opinion, because there are so many places where we would find language creativity in everyday context. However for the sake of example I have decided to give the example of language creativity made by young children because they are still learning how to use language properly and by doing so come up with expressions which really could be considered creative. So to answer where we find creative language we do not have to look far, we simply have to speak with small children because as they are still learning the rules of correct language grammar, they tend to invent new forms of grammar or more correctly, adopt and transmit it into their sentences. For example using flyed instead of flew or biccik instead of biscuit. This is a term I picked up from my younger cousin when he was around 2 years old. Creativity will nearly always depend on the intentions and inferences of the participants is a statement from Carter. (Carter, 2008) Further he feels that creative language use cannot be described as being evaluated by wholly formalistic definitions and depends on elements such as relationships, nature of external task, changing social contexts and speech genres. (Carter, p.167, 2008) He also suggests creativity is seen as a social and interactional act as much as it is a distinctive individual act. (p.44) Furthermore there is also the proposal that repetition is a resource by which conversationalists together create a discourse, a relationship and a world (cited in Carter, 2008, p.101) and it is suggested that spoken language use may be more closely connected with expressions of feeling and identity, than written text. (Carter, 2008, p.112) According to Carter it is important to recognize creativity in context. He feels that while creativity in language can occur in the most situations, it will still remain probabilistic because a brochure may be informal but it can also be creative. (Carter 2008) The above has illustrated two points of view from two different people. One of them is Cooks view and the other is Carters view; and at this stage I will attempt to discuss these ideas and try to demonstrate them in my answer. To recapitulate, Cook sees language creativity as a tool for survival whereas Carter sees it as a process of problem solving. There are 3 areas of language play: Pragmatic Function, Linguistic and Semantic. Pragmatic is the effect of language choice e.g. solidarity, enjoyment, Linguistic is the look or the sound of words e.g. patterning, repetition and Semantic carries inversion of meaning like puns. Literacy activities are a non-specialist way to simply refer to peoples interactions with texts. Even today we relate to people who are able to read and write as literate. Literacy events are social interactions where literacy plays an important role, e.g. discussing a letter from a tax office, reading a bedtime story or helping a friend with a crossword puzzle. They are ways in which people use and interact with texts in particular context and the meaning it holds for them like the frequent email circulation of jokes among groups of friends and the importance of this for the people involved, for example writing Open University assignments plus the meaning and significance of the activity for the student doing the writing. Why are we creative with language? This is not a straightforward question because there may be various reasons why we are creative with our language, it will depend wholly on the situation we find ourselves in, whether it is among close friends and family or in a work environment or even in our free time. And throughout the years we have come up with new words for certain activities like the word texting or tweeting. In a sense this can also be seen as language creativity and a literacy practice because up to a few years ago there was no Twitter and text messaging has only recently become as normal as the email which cant be thought out of our everyday lives anymore. But as everything can be considered as creative, what can be considered literary? Literary language can sometimes be axiomatic and may carry forms of moral injunctions even though it may not direct us to form certain constative speech acts in response to the text. Carter showed two examples in his book, the first being an instructional handbook for motor car repair and the second taken from a well-known novel published in the 1950s in Britain. In the instruction manual medium dependence is not a common characteristic of common literary language even though there may be special cases to the rule. This concludes why we are creative with language; so that firstly we can get along with other people that may not be as articulate or creative with language as we are and as mentioned earlier in the essay, so that the language evolves. Even though some people might argue that language is a god given ability which must be treasured, we cannot argue that throughout our history as many cultures and the outlook of life have changed, so has our language. Take the example of the English language: from becoming a Germanic dialect which came from the Scandinavians at around 1066 which eventually developed into Old English and eventually to the language we speak now, a lot of creativity has been changing ideas which make up the modern English language. In fact English as it is spoken today did not even come close to sounding the way that is sounds now. One could even say it was incomprehensible. And on top of that, next to sounding completely different it also had a completely different alphabet with letters that are no longer used today a rune-like alphabet with extra letters in order to illustrate certain sounds like sh. As we have seen, it is mainly because of creativity that we speak the language we speak today. From the moment we are born we are bombarded with literacy and the correct form of speaking the way that is considered by society to be literary. I have shown some examples of language creativity in young children and given some of my own personal examples and linked them to the question. I have also tried to link the ideas to Carter and how they fit in with his theories and have given some examples of new literacy activities which have become a part of everyday life in the 21st century, such as tweeting. Facebook and Twitter have in that sense become new literacy tools for this age and time. And in the age of the tablet, our literacy practices have made another step to the future. Tablets have made some of the commonest everyday things redundant, like newspapers. Instead of holding a traditional newspaper in our hands which we will eventually put in the paper bin at the end of the day, we can read it on our tablet. And news updates are certainly swifter because instead of having to print it, one types it on the computer and when its done, uploads it directly to the internet for everybody accessible to a computer and Wi-Fi can read. It is very possible that there will be new forms of literacy which will find their way into our everyday lives like the email, Facebook or Twitter. What that may be I, nor anybody else can tell yet but we will recognize it when it comes. We may not immediately recognize it as a new form of literacy but Rome was not build in one day. Give it some time and i n a few years it will become the most normal thing in the world. This essay has shown some of my own examples of literary practices from my personal experience and whether they fit in with the ideas of Cook and other theorists. I have shown how literacy has changed from printed newspapers to being read on tablet devices and how young children become literate by inventing seemingly correct grammar and vocabulary forms in order to express their thoughts. In conclusion it can be viewed that there are many literacy practices which are worthy to be considered creative. Whether it is a childs recognition of a restaurant sign or the creativity of new words in the process of becoming a literate person and even the solving of a crossword puzzle, all of them require us to have at least some knowledge of literacy. By continuously practicing these activities, there is a chance that it will survive for the use of later generations. If we teach our children to be inspired by these activities then we can have a little hope that literacy shall be passed down for the future generations to come. Required word count for essay: 2.000 words Complete word count of essay: 2.036 words

The role of Animals in The Unbearable Lightness of Being and Poems New

Since animals, usually pets, are sometimes an essential part of one’s life, it is not surprising that we find frequent references to its role in works of social realism, such as Wislawa Szymborska’s Poems New and Collected and Milan Kundera’s Unbearable Lightness of Being. Animals in literature could be used to symbolize all sorts of things, but in particular, animals may represent the personality of a character. This is because as humans and animals co-exist in the same atmosphere, certain aspects of a character reveal themselves in the compassion or even hatred towards the animal. Since animals are often known to trigger the interests of humans, the attitude of the humans towards the animals contributes much to character revelation. Both Szymborska and Kundera use animals to symbolize character personality in their works. Therefore, through looking at animals, although it does seem to be a very commonplace topic, we may gain insight to what the writers are try ing to convey about the character. This paper will compare the ways the writers use animals to determine a character’s personality or characteristics. A recurring character in Kundera’s Unbearable Lightness of being is Karenin, a dog saved from death by one of the novel’s protagonists, Tomas. He had wanted some sort of a distraction that would keep Tereza’s attention off him so that he could persist with his life that he believed he had control over: At last he made his choice: a bitch whose body seemed reminiscent of the German shepherd and whose head belonged to its Saint Bernard mother. He took it home to Tereza, who picked it up and pressed it to her breast. ¹ Through the novel, Karenin, the ‘ugly dog’ Tomas brings home for Tereza, develops a bond between Tereza, which grows throughout the novel. Tereza is portrayed as a ‘heavy’ individual with considerably heavy burdens on both her shoulders. One other burden Tereza carries is, essentially, Karenin. It takes the place of Tomas when Tereza is alone, therefore – Tereza is bound, with love, to it. Kundera shows here, how Karenin affects Tereza’s personality by being next to her and being a comfort to her at times when heaviness settles in.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Furthermore, with no baby between Tereza and Tomas’ marriage, Karenin acts as Tereza’s responsibility, both emotionally and financially. It seems that Tereza can make decisions only... ...tion by executing government opposition – an example how humanity acted in ‘other’ moral situations. The last chapter, ’Karenin’s Smile’, is counting up to Karenin’s death, while ‘between the lines’, Tereza and Tomas dies. Their death is outweighed by their dog’s death and its funeral. This shows how humanity seems to be condemned by their moral actions towards animals, the ‘test’ mentioned above.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The way that the role of animals can be used as a literary effect is evident in both Kundera and Szymborska’s works. The two contrast eachother, Kundera suggests that the role of animals in his novel is that they become their owner’s peaceful character builder by having characters of their own. In Szymborska’s works, we see quite the opposite; she portrays the role of animals as people’s irritation, a vexation – where characters are rather barbaric and careless towards the animals. The two works show the same superiority of human over animals, yet the human attitudes towards them entirely dissimilar. We may perceive that the presence of animals, such delicate literary technique, determines the attitudes and personality of the characters of a literary work. The role of Animals in The Unbearable Lightness of Being and Poems New Since animals, usually pets, are sometimes an essential part of one’s life, it is not surprising that we find frequent references to its role in works of social realism, such as Wislawa Szymborska’s Poems New and Collected and Milan Kundera’s Unbearable Lightness of Being. Animals in literature could be used to symbolize all sorts of things, but in particular, animals may represent the personality of a character. This is because as humans and animals co-exist in the same atmosphere, certain aspects of a character reveal themselves in the compassion or even hatred towards the animal. Since animals are often known to trigger the interests of humans, the attitude of the humans towards the animals contributes much to character revelation. Both Szymborska and Kundera use animals to symbolize character personality in their works. Therefore, through looking at animals, although it does seem to be a very commonplace topic, we may gain insight to what the writers are try ing to convey about the character. This paper will compare the ways the writers use animals to determine a character’s personality or characteristics. A recurring character in Kundera’s Unbearable Lightness of being is Karenin, a dog saved from death by one of the novel’s protagonists, Tomas. He had wanted some sort of a distraction that would keep Tereza’s attention off him so that he could persist with his life that he believed he had control over: At last he made his choice: a bitch whose body seemed reminiscent of the German shepherd and whose head belonged to its Saint Bernard mother. He took it home to Tereza, who picked it up and pressed it to her breast. ¹ Through the novel, Karenin, the ‘ugly dog’ Tomas brings home for Tereza, develops a bond between Tereza, which grows throughout the novel. Tereza is portrayed as a ‘heavy’ individual with considerably heavy burdens on both her shoulders. One other burden Tereza carries is, essentially, Karenin. It takes the place of Tomas when Tereza is alone, therefore – Tereza is bound, with love, to it. Kundera shows here, how Karenin affects Tereza’s personality by being next to her and being a comfort to her at times when heaviness settles in.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Furthermore, with no baby between Tereza and Tomas’ marriage, Karenin acts as Tereza’s responsibility, both emotionally and financially. It seems that Tereza can make decisions only... ...tion by executing government opposition – an example how humanity acted in ‘other’ moral situations. The last chapter, ’Karenin’s Smile’, is counting up to Karenin’s death, while ‘between the lines’, Tereza and Tomas dies. Their death is outweighed by their dog’s death and its funeral. This shows how humanity seems to be condemned by their moral actions towards animals, the ‘test’ mentioned above.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The way that the role of animals can be used as a literary effect is evident in both Kundera and Szymborska’s works. The two contrast eachother, Kundera suggests that the role of animals in his novel is that they become their owner’s peaceful character builder by having characters of their own. In Szymborska’s works, we see quite the opposite; she portrays the role of animals as people’s irritation, a vexation – where characters are rather barbaric and careless towards the animals. The two works show the same superiority of human over animals, yet the human attitudes towards them entirely dissimilar. We may perceive that the presence of animals, such delicate literary technique, determines the attitudes and personality of the characters of a literary work.

William Wordsworth Walking: Art, Work, Leisure, and a Curious Form of Consumption :: William Wordswroth Walking Essays

William Wordsworth Walking: Art, Work, Leisure, and a Curious Form of Consumption William Wordsworth spent a good portion of his life on foot, walking. Consider a sequence of Dorothy's journal entries: Monday the 14th, "Wm & Mary walked to Ambleside in the morning to buy mousetraps" (about 5 miles round trip); Tuesday the 15th, "Wm & I walked to Rydale for letters" (about 3 miles round trip); Wednesday the 16th, "After dinner Wm & I walked twice up to the Swan & back again" (3 miles), met Miss Simpson and walked with her to the Oliffs and then back to her house (another 3 miles); Thursday the 17th, "we had a delightful walk" (a couple of miles); Friday the 18th, "Mary & Wm walked round the two lakes" (about 6 miles); Saturday the 19th, "We walked by Brathay to Ambleside" (6 miles). Now such distances are not remarkable in fine weather, but these were walks from the 14th to the 19th of December 1801, and Dorothy's notes include "A very keen frost, extremely slippery," and "Snow in the night & still snowing," and "the evening cloudy and promising snow" (GJ 48-49). Undeterred by bad weather, Wordsworth (and Dorothy) gave walking a central position in their daily lives, even to the extent that not walking becomes a remarkable event. Dorothy records that on September 13, 1800, "William writing his preface did not walk" (GJ 22). And of course in better weather there were shorter and longer walking tours such as Dorothy's record of September 3, 1800, in which Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Jonathan Wordsworth left "after breakfast" to walk "upon Helvellyn" and returned home at 10 at night, having covered probably 15 to 20 miles (GJ 20-21)--a long, but not unusually long for them, walk. In short, Wordsworth habitually spent at least several hours a day walking, and it was not at all uncommon for him to spend entire days on foot. The central role of walking in Wordsworth's life suggests a number of interesting questions, but I will focus here only on those related to the theme of this conference, work and leisure. Obviously, much of Wordsworth's walking could be classed as leisure-time activity. There was probably no compelling reason for Wordsworth and Dorothy to walk twice to the Black Swan or for Wordsworth and Mary to circumambulate the lakes.

Social Reform In Charles Dicke Essay -- essays research papers

Social Reform in Dickens   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Oliver Twist and Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, both main characters refuse to except the poor hand the world has dealt them. Pip and Oliver reach a great epiphany in regards to social injustice, and in turn rebel against the system that oppresses them. They are tired of being mistreated and neglected, and thusly decide to make a stand. Charles Dickens exhibits to us through Oliver and Pip that the revolt of the weak against the strong results from the oppression of the rich caste. As a result of their revolt against the system, Pip and Oliver are ostracized for their non-conformist ideals. Thus change in an oppressing and conformist society can only be achieved through change in moral, social, and political instincts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In both novels the main character faces abuse and neglect which result in rebellion and distancing of them from the society which chooses to hold them down. In Oliver Twist, Oliver receives a great amount of abuse through the orphanage. While suffering from starvation and malnutrition for a long period of time, Oliver is chosen by the other boys at the orphanage to request more gruel at dinner. After making this simple request, 'the master aimed a blow at Oliver's head with a ladle; pinioned him in his arms; and shrieked aloud for the beadle'; (16, ch. 2). This pain and neglect caused a change in Oliver. He realized that he must rebel against the society that wis...

Art History Final

They have manipulated our opinion, reactions, and even likeness of art. They defined who the great artists are and through their judgments they have even cited the value of art. But unfortunately for them, post-modern art has dethroned critics with the use of humor, wit, and scale of impact in their art. Post-modern art rejects the idea Of beauty and truth and reveals the value Of irony. Artists such as Marcel Decamp, who created the Fountain, or Mark Tansy, shock, mock, and force the viewers to rethink the meaning of art. The reader/viewer must create a whole new context in which to hold the art, one which may truly challenge his belief structures, one which may force him, to make sense of what he is seeing, to hold a larger perspective than he errantly has in place. † 1 And this applies to the critic as well. His opinion can no longer be valued as before because this kind of art no longer has a meaning and its interpretation no longer matters. Its importance lies on the impac t and sensation of its viewers. Art becomes then a participatory experience, one in which the audience receives, and handles as they may, the flows of libidinal energies which the artist set free. † 2 The control the words Of critics had over art is gone and viewers are able to let their unconscious decide what art is. Nothing can better explain the place of the critic with this ewe art as Roland Breather's essay title does: post-modern art has brought â€Å"The Death of the Author. † In his essay Farther explains how in literature the identity of the author no longer has any importance. Nonperformance† may be admired, but not his â€Å"genius† The author. 3 By giving the power to the literature rather than to the writer itself, he is giving the power to the piece of art and not to the critic as it has always been. As explained earlier, the opinion of the critic was impeding us from reaching our own conclusions on art. But by denying beauty in art and intro ducing something as absurd as a urinal, post-modern artists â€Å"refused to assign [art] a â€Å"secret† that is, an ultimate meaning,†4 that a critic can easily identify or criticize, and instead, â€Å"liberates an activity† where each viewer can have their own reflections on the piece.In my essay I am giving the role of the author in Farther essay, to both the critic and the artist. Nevertheless, I am assigning the part of the modern author to the artist, and its opposite to the critic. Before, the importance was given to the author, he was recognized, in other words, the critic was recognized. But now, â€Å"language knows a subject, not a person. 5 And from my point of view I interpret this statement as meaning that the person, in other words the critic, does not matter anymore, the art does, the subject.Of course the critic will still be a critic and give their opinion, rank a piece of art, and judges it as well. But this time they cannot use an absolute standard of arbitration. By not being able to judge the way they used to, they assert Farther point, that ‘the explanation of the work is always sought in the man who has produced and for me this man he speaks about could only be the artist himself. Clement Greenberg, Harold Rosenberg, and Roseland Krause have been incredibly influential in the history of art. Greenberg championed and was the first to appreciate the achievements of abstract art.Rosenberg was also a supporter of the abstract expressionists and proved the importance of the happenings and performance art. Krause introduced a new approach that focused on aesthetics that apprehend cultural and historical issues. While I have criticized them in my essay shall also embrace their intellectual knowledge on the subject of art and its importance in society as well as history. Nevertheless, â€Å"the birth of the reader must be ransomed by the death of the author. 7 The public should continue to take in and learn from t hese figures opinions. Nevertheless, we cannot take what they say too literal.We must understand that they are critics, they are â€Å"a person who judges the merits of literary, artistic, or musical work. â€Å"8 They judge but they do not define art. Challenges to the Status Quo Art has deliberately hidden the figure of women and their work in society. There have been great women artists, but have not been recognized as such and valued by posterity. Many paintings by women were initially credited to males, suggesting that there is no objective difference between art made by omen or men, but when it is verified that the author is a woman, the economic and symbolic value of the work decreases immensely.Even today, there are works by women that are not attributed to the real author because the fact that they are women would reduce the price of the work considerably. As Linda Gnocchi explains in her essay, ‘Why Have There Been no Great Women Artists,† the answer to this question â€Å"lies not in the nature of individual genius or the lack of it, but in the nature of given social institutions and what they forbid or encourage in various classes or groups of individuals. Women have a long experience in the fields of art and culture, their contributions have always been present, although in many cases the concept of â€Å"respect† has not been applied to them in the same way as their male counterparts. They have always been relegated to a second plane. Being a woman and artist has often been seen as an injurious occupation and inconsistent, while it has been traditionally reserved the epithet of genius for men. Women have to live in a society which has not ceased to be sexist, in a culture where women are still thought of as an inferior place and lacking retain rights.And this, as Gnocchi explains, does not apply to art only. In her article she gives us the example of the great artist, Rosa Bonjour. Now a day if women become the CEO of a comp any, an architect, or a policeman, they would be categorized the same way Bonjour was: a tomboy, a woman with a desire to be more masculine, or selfish. Yet if men â€Å"have a need for feminine involvement,† 10 as Gnocchi puts it, the jobs such as pediatricians, child psychologists, or chef, are admired rather than frowned upon. In her essay Gnocchi explains the disadvantages women had in art education that led to he lack of great women artists.Some examples were the restriction put on them to participate in classes with nude models or be a part of several contests. Nevertheless, today those restrictions no longer apply but the lack of ‘great women' still persists. Society and history is to blame for this. Now, as John Stuart Mill points out and Gnocchi quotes in her essay, â€Å"everything which is usual appears natural. The subjection of women to men being a universal custom, any departure from it quite naturally appears unnatural. † 1 1 We have progressed as a society and we have reached equality in many areas.However, sexism as well as racism seems it will never cease to exist because they are distinctions we consider natural. In her article Gnocchi writes about how her question can or has been answered incorrectly. Afraid to be included in the category of incorrect answers, I would like to put my life as a perspective instead and show how the views of today's society regarding the sexes are clearly defined. From a very young age had a nanny, who as many would expect was a women because caring for children, cooking, and cleaning is a role usually given to a women if in a household.A man drove me to school every morning and generally anyone who drove that was not a family member was in fact usually a man. I remember the habitual comment that ‘women do not know how to drive. ‘ When I arrived to school there were five male security guards, and my teachers all the way from pre-kinder to about sixth grade were women. Society wou ld see this as correct because security guards are there to protect and men being stronger than women means they can do a better job.And the reason why all my teachers at a young age were women is because we are still young, I do not receive a grade but simply mille faces, stickers, or a ‘good job' in its place, and I need a mother figure at all times. High school was not much different. I started to get grades and was considered a grown-up, so men began being my teachers as well. Physical education, however, was still separated by sex, including the teacher, because â€Å"boys are more aggressive and they can hurt girls. † Now I arrive at Washington and Lee University.An Ivy League education in a beautiful campus with amazing professor, but, a place where it is believed that women only come here to get their MRS. degree. A joke that has been around since he university became co-educational back in the ass's, saying that women only come here to look for a husband. At th is point Gnocchi will probably consider me a feminist, but I am simply showing a perspective from someone that is in her twenties in the 21 SST century and can still clearly separate the roles of men and women as expected in the realm of our society that we claim has improved and changed.My life is only one perspective and many might not have had the same experience did, but it does support what Gnocchi repeatedly states in her essay. Quote Incision's words once more: the question of women's equality-?in art as in any other realm-?devolves not upon the relative benevolence or ill-will of individual men, nor the self- confidence or abjectness of individual women, but rather on the very nature of our institutional structures themselves and the view of reality which they impose on the human beings who are part of them. 12 This also includes the educational system today. Gnocchi makes one more important argument in her article. She explains that when it comes to art what needs to change is the way its history is taught. Lucy R. Leopard supports this argument in her article, Too Political? Forget It,† when lists the amount of information on art that has most times not been taught, and how it IS â€Å"No wonder activist and community art, always a stepchild, is slow to evolve. 13 The statement that ‘there have been no great women artists' can be justified, but it does not mean it is correct. Women as well as other minorities have been deprived from being a ‘genius', a term that is unreal but largely used for men, due to their social conditions and deprivation of an education. But the only way to transform this lack of recognition is to stop listing excuses, or have minorities keep aerating themselves as such and change the unnatural to natural in society. Artistic expression comes from the spirit, not the body type you have or hormones. The language of art is, more materially, embodied in paint and line on canvas or paper, in stone or clay or plas tic or metal-it is neither a sob story nor a confidential whisper. â€Å"14 The Courage to Break Grounds For many years there have been many instances where artists have held public events to raise social and political issues, yet many of which are not on record. While artists know that when choosing this career path it will not be ass, especially economically, they risk their commodities for their passion. Nevertheless, this does not mean that they do not want recognition. If they are primarily concerned with audiences who will never write, curate, collect or fund art, they run the risk of being forgotten before they are even acknowledged . â€Å"15 A reason why political artists mostly limit their work to galleries, and this is a problem that must be fixed. However, I do not believe that political artists who only care about this acknowledgement truly care about making political art. In galleries the artwork will always first be seen as esthetics and subject to be rated and crit icized by its artistic aspects rather than the subject matter and message it is trying to pass on.Political art is that which addresses public concern and takes a stand on an issue. It is a way to speak for those who wont and to open the eyes of those who cannot or resist viewing reality. It is also meant to support or represent those that cannot do it on their own. Most importantly it is supposed to change minds. Political art is not meant to be hidden by the walls of galleries and museums and constrained to the eyes of critics and elitists. It is meant for society to see as ell as to learn and experience what is being fought for Or sometimes encouraged.Nevertheless, politics is a sensitive subject. While I do believe it should be out for everyone to view, certain aspects of the viewer can affect the intended message of the artist, making it difficult to completely object the idea that such an important subject matter should have viewers with certain capacities of understanding. Th e real answer as to whether or not political art should be presented in public venues, even if it is protected by the first amendment to do so, lies on how it might impact the observers.

Interview Manager Essay

Question : As a store manager where did you struggle when solving problem? Answer : An employee who is difficult to manage, they have the perception that they are not appreciated. They feel that they have not been complimented adequately for work well done. They feel they deserve more attention. Sometimes a difficult-to-manage employee’s behavior is the result of personal problems—an ailing parent, a runaway child, a divorce, or financial difficulties. In this case, I need to show them that I understand their situation. If at all possible, I offer the employee time off or an adjustment in work hours so that he or she can focus on resolving his or her personal problem. However, if the problem is of an ongoing nature and is having a serious negative impact on my workplace, I need to let the person know that some sort of resolution is imperative. If the problem persists, I have a formal, closed-door meeting with the employee and address the most obvious examples of his or her inappropriate behavior in a forthright manner. If an employee remains difficult despite all attempts at building rapport or providing help, I need to make a careful assessment. I will be honest, by simply asking myself, do I simply dislike this employee?, are the difficulties I am experiencing perhaps minor in character? If this is the case, I drop the matter. But if the employee is truly exhibiting behavior problems that seriously disrupt the workplace, I need to take further action. Consider issuing a written warning that details the specific problems as clearly as possible. If, after issuing such a warning, the employee’s bad behavior persists, the only solution is termination. I will consult our company attorney before dismissing the employee. I need to know whether or not I have a strong enough case to withstand a potential lawsuit for wrongful firing. An employee who has been fired for issues relating to difficult behavior is much more likely to sue me than an employee fired due to poor work performance.