Assessment and Individual Learning Record Essay

Everyone has someone in their life that they will remember for the rest of their life. A memorable person can be someone you look up to or someone that has had an influence in your life. That person could be a family member, a friend, a firefighter, cop or anyone that has influenced your life at all. My grandpa is a memorable person to me because he was a war hero, always there for me, and a hard worker. One reason Grandpa was a memorable person to me is because he was a war hero. For example, he fought in World War II and the Vietnam War when he was younger. Growing up he would tell me stories of his time in war and how times were really tough. Grandpa would not elaborate on too much of it because I think it hurt him to remember all the bad times and how harsh battle actually was. He will always be my hero because I know he served our country so that I could be free and everyone else can be free. Grandpa is and always will be a memorable person to me because, he was always there for me. To illustrate, the times I remember most with him was when I was little he would take me out to this little pond and we would go fishing. see more:propose improvements to address gaps or shortfalls in systems and processes He would put the worm on the hook for me because I was scared of the worms at that time. He and I would sit out there for hours fishing and just talking about how our day and week was going. I loved getting to sit out there with him and talk, fish, and listen to the water as it splashed against the bank. I could sit out there forever if I could just so I could spend more time with him. Grandpa always will be a memorable person to me because he was a very hard worker. For instance, grandpa was a hard worker all the way up to the day that he passed away and would still be one if he was here today. He worked so he could support his family and make sure everyone had what they needed and wanted in life. Also, he worked because he enjoyed what he did, even if it was just something little he was doing like; gardening, cooking, or cleaning up the yard. My Grandpa is my memorable person in my life. He taught me to support our troops, always be there for the ones you love, and to work hard for what you have. Even though he isn’t around today he is someone I look up to and always will. I know even though he isn’t here he is still looking down on me so he will be my hero till the day I die no matter who comes and goes from my life. 1. Summarise key aspects of legislation, regulatory requirements and code of practice relating to own role and responsibilities 2. Explain own responsibilities for promoting equality and valuing diversity 3. Explain own role and responsibilities in lifelong learning 4. Explain own role and responsibilities in identifying and meeting the needs of learners. 5.  Explain the boundaries between the teaching role and other professional bodies 6. Describe points of referral to meet the needs of learners 7. Summarise own responsibilities in relation to other professionals 8. Explain own responsibilities in maintaining a safe and supportive learning environment 9. Explain ways to promote appropriate behaviour and respect others Understanding Inclusive Learning & Teaching in Lifelong Learning Candidates should understand learning and teaching strategies and approaches in lifelong learning and how to use them to meet the needs of students: 1.  Summarise learning and teaching strategies used in own specialism 2. Explain how approaches to learning and teaching in own specialism meet the needs of learners 3. Describe aspects of inclusive learning 4. Explain how to select inclusive learning and teaching techniques 5. Explain how to select resources to meet that needs of learners 6. Explain how to create assessment opportunities to meet needs of learners 7. Explain how to provide opportunities for learners to practice their literacy, language, numeracy and ICT skills 8. Explain ways to engage and motivate learners in an inclusive learning environment 9. Summarise ways to establish ground rules with learners to promote respect for others 10. Explain ways to give constructive feedback that motivates learners Principles of Assessment in the lifelong Learning Candidates should understand the types and methods of assessment used in lifelong learning, ways to involve students in the assessment process and the requirement to keep assessment records: 1. Explain the types of assessment used in lifelong learning 2. Explain the use of methods of assessment in lifelong learning 3. Compare the strengths and limitations of assessment methods to meet individual learner needs 4. Explain ways to involve the learner in the assessment process 5. Explain the role of peer and self-assessment in the assessment process 6. Explain the need for keeping records of assessment of learning 7. Summarise the requirements for keeping records of assessment in an organisation

Effects of Teen Pregnancy Essay

A child is like the icing on top of a cake, a finishing touch to a married couple’s journey on earth together. If perfectly planned and periodically monitored, a woman’s pregnancy will be one of the most unforgettable experiences she will ever have. To be able to carry out a safe pregnancy, the ideal age to get impregnated is from the early twenties to the early thirties. This is the time the female reproductive system is fully developed and mature enough to handle multiple activities such as the fertilization of an egg, the carrying of a fertilized egg to fetal maturity, and the nurturing of the newborn by means of milk production (Bullock 1087). Also, if the woman is psychologically ready and wanting to have a child, she will not have a hard time going through the process because of acceptance of the situation, support of the family around her and if married, the spouse’s longing to have a child with her. Unfortunately this is not always the case. The adolescent stage is the period during which the person becomes physically and psychologically mature and acquires a personal identity, from twelve to eighteen years of age (Kozier 385). The establishment of an identity is the psychosocial task of an adolescent according to Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Developmental Theory. Failure to establish an identity will lead to role confusion (Kozier 387). Role confusion poses a threat to the teenager’s social wellbeing. The teenager maybe at a loss as to what her role in society might be or what career path she would take and if she will even go to college. Adolescents are almost always experiencing a roller coaster of emotions in their search for an identity. They tend to look for people with similar preferences and would not want to be seen with other people who do not share the same characteristics as they have, they begin to idolize a person and want to be just like him or her, they become rebellious, they demonstrate forbidden behaviors, they seek attention and admiration from the opposite sex and choose their career paths. Because of the physical changers that are happening to their bodies, they tend to be curious and experimental with these changes. â€Å"Adolescents are sexually active and may engage in masturbation as well as heterosexual and homosexual activity†(Kozier 387). Statistics show that more than 800,000 teens get pregnant each year which places the United States as one of the highest among industrialized countries (Teen Pregnancy: Reality Check). As to why this happens, people can only speculate and come up with studies, surveys and interview. There are however identified risk factors for teenage pregnancy. â€Å"These include: family situations with regular conflict between members, violence and sexual abuse in childhood, unstable housing arrangements, poor school performance, poor school attendance, low socioeconomic background, family history of teenage pregnancies, low maternal education, father’s absence, low self-esteem, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and living in rural and remote areas† (Teenage pregnancy some facts). Dealing with adolescent pregnancy does not only have serious physical effect, but psychological as well. The adolescent is at risk for PIH, iron deficiency anemia, preterm delivery, and cephalopelvic disproportion because her own physical growth maybe inadequate to support the growth and delivery of the fetus. PIH or pregnancy induced hypertension is the second leading cause of maternal death in the United States. This illness is a combination of hypertension, edema and proteinuria during pregnancy (Bullock 93). Iron deficiency anemia or IDA occurs when there is a considerable lower than normal amount of Iron in the blood. Iron is needed by the blood in order to effectively transport oxygen to various parts of the body. Fortunately this can be easily corrected by taking oral supplements of Iron as prescribed by the doctor (Bullock 356). Preterm delivery, which is 36 weeks of gestation or life inside the woman’s womb, is a serious threat for both the fetus and the mother. The normal term is 37 weeks to 40 weeks and less that that the fetus will not be mature enough to live outside the mother’s uterus. The pregnant adolescent’s nutrition may not also be adequate enough, resulting to malnutrition. Prenatal care may also be delayed because the teenager maybe in denial, hence the fetus might not be well taken care of resulting to deficiencies and fetal abnormalities. As for the infant, he or she is susceptible to having lower birth weights, increased infant mortality, increased risk of hospital admission in early childhood, less supportive environments, poorer cognitive development, and if female, a higher risk of becoming pregnant during the adolescent period, as compared to infants born of older women (Teenage pregnancy: trends). Psychologically, a teenager is prone to postnatal depression compared to older women. Reasons for this include societal attitudes, lack of support from family and isolation, and financial pressures (Teenage pregnancy implications). There is also a tendency for the teenage mother to be abandoned by their male partners, especially during birth. Being alone in a very hard process can sometimes be the hardest thing that teenage mothers go through. Not only are their partners abandoning them, but the stigma attached to teenage pregnancy also affects the family of the teenager. There seems to be feelings of alienation from the teenager’s family. All of these may add up resulting to more negative feelings towards oneself, more questioning of identity hence role confusion, wasted dreams and impossibility of going back to her education. All the emotional stress may even lead to a mental illness. Efforts are being made to lower the number of teen pregnancies. A number of organizations have been established and there are even pregnancy prevention programs for males. Education maybe the key, with these programs discussing the consequences of early sexual activities like unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Contraception is strongly advocated, even sex education has been really pushed through, and sexual abstinence until marriage has been a strong banner for these programs. The family physician’s or any health care personnel’s role is also significant. They will be able to explain and elaborate more on the nature of the consequences of sexually transmitted diseases and early pregnancy to teens. In fact, in a study entitled, â€Å"Explaining Recent Declines in Adolescent Pregnancy in the United States: The Contribution of Abstinence and Improved Contraceptive Use† it showed how much the pregnancy rates declined over the past 7 years. Improvements in contraceptive use included increases in the use of condoms, birth control pills, withdrawal, and multiple methods and a decline in nonuse. The overall pregnancy risk index declined 38%, with 86% of the decline attributable to improved contraceptive use. Among adolescents aged 15 to 17 years, 77% of the decline in pregnancy risk was attributable to improved contraceptive use† was the result of the study by John S. Santelli, MD, MPH, Laura Duberstein Lindberg, PhD, Lawrence B.  Finer, PhD and Susheela Singh, PhD. Sharing intimacy with another person is always a personal choice. But the responsibilities that come with it are not. The freedom of having a choice comes with a price, the burden of being unprepared to raise your own child. And everything else you pick up the broken pieces after that. It matters how much strength and courage you have, how much you can carry alone. But it is important to know that life does not end when hardships begin, it’s just begun.

Term project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Term project - Essay Example The user has the ability to control the speed of the conveyor belt in order to conform to their desirable speed of walking or running. However, with technological development, our Super-Treadmill has more advanced abilities than the current treadmills in the market. Instead of having a treadmill as a device for exercise only, the Super-Treadmill has increased features and functionalities in order to improve its usability (Parley 15). The new product has a computer-aided simulation ability, which gives the user the ability to simulated different landscapes, environment, cities, mountains and beaches among other places. While the user is at home, he or she can use the product can walk in any beach, city, climb a mountain or walk in any street in the world through a computer-aided simulation. The Super-Treadmill uses an electronic system, which provides the use views, sounds, temperature, lights and smells of their selected places of doing exercise while they are at home. The main objective of the Super-Treadmill is to provide its users with a chance to have adventurous of any place across the world. Apart from the added computerized electronic system, the Super-Treadmill’s conveyor belt has the ability to change positions in order to confo rm to the steepness of the selected topography. In order to attract many prospects, the Super-Treadmill will be sold at a price that is 15 percent more than the price of the normal treadmill (Parley 25). This will still attract prospective customers, considering the extra features it has. The relevance of the Super-Treadmill in the contemporary treadmills marketplaces is based on the fact that people spend too much financial resources to physically tour their desirable places during their vacations. The fact that the Super-Treadmill will facilitate indoor tours to various places across the shows its advantages in terms of uses of financial resources and time

EnronBlack GoldP2P Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

EnronBlack GoldP2P - Essay Example This is a documentary film that is based on the book "The Smartest Guys in the Room". Basically, it dramatizes the rise and fall of Enron. It is quite entertaining due to smart use of storytelling devices, imagery and soundtrack. In fact, it is amazing to look on leading role played by banks, financial media, accounting firms and government. The film Enron is weak on clearing up how the company brought up its image from a simple gas pipeline business to a post-modern corporate megalith. One of the most important things regarding the film's strength is in its representation of the massive group thinking within and outside of the corporation that helped enormously to support the rise in Enron's. The film, explains how the earning loads of money by exploiting commodities trading and accounting methods at the same time how it is losing plenty of money in real world undertakings. In fact the film portraits beautifully and makes it understandable even for a lay man how Enron set up its fir st commodities trading desk to take advantage of on inside knowledge of the gas business, and then tried to implement the same model with water, broadband, electricity, etc. In reality as a trading firm, Enron avoided investment firm policy by portraying itself as an industrial firm. The films dramatization of Enron's role and the political manipulations behind the California energy-crisis is well portrayed.In fact through the film there is great deal of emphasis given on the fact that this can happen again. It has happened before for instance in the cases of leveraged buyouts, the Savings and Loan crisis, the burst Internet IPO bubble, the 1920s Stock Market crash etc and it can happen again in future. It can be said that Enron, the film, is a lesson on how one corporation recently stole from investors, employees and its "customers" (Independent Lens). Additionally, as an investigation of corruption in corporate sector the film gives a sensible look at the culture and the intrinsic problems within the companies. The movie provides a few mechanisms such as the vitality curve and the Milgram experiment. This is especially for attractive an immensely immoral and profit-driven corporate culture. In fact the vitality curve represents the idea of invariable contest in the work place. To be more specific the individuals are ambitious to compete with each other because wherever possible the employees who are not performing will be thrown out of the company at any moment. In the film it is clearly shown how Enron constantly hired new staff just because of the reason that even with high profits it was firing people for production of less than 1000 times what they were being paid. Therefore the environment was such that it caused people to not only ignore the law, but also to take action competitively in breaking the law. This film clearly shows that how the top officials of the company and the government play a role in bringing in an energy crisis in the state of California. In the film it is shown that the Enron employees makes plan for the transfer of electricity from the state of California into nodes in other states where there was a surplus and was not required at all. California had signed legislation allowing for a free market in energy and as an answer to this, Enron shaped a demand by causing blackouts across the state. As soon as this happened the price of electricity increased drastically, and Enron made billions and billons of dollars in profits to ship back the energy they took out of California back into California. Breaking laws and doing illegal acts were encouraged in Enron. With a goal derived from the hunt of profit, Enron employees were always asked to break laws or perform acts that could be considered immoral. In fact it was seen that none of the Enron employees ever came forward to report the corruption. The factor that unavoidably led to people coming forward was a "sinking ship" feeling, resulting in some of the Enron executives

Seven Years War and How it Affected the British Colonies in North Research Paper

Seven Years War and How it Affected the British Colonies in North America and What Were the Policy Changes After 1763 - Research Paper Example However, at the end of this war several challenges faced Britain (Rickard Web). This paper seeks to discuss Seven Years War and how it affected the British Colonies in North America and what were the policy changes after 1763. Influence to the Colonies Britain started to assess the relationship it had with the colonies. This did not take place before the war, but success of war prompted Britain to take this initiative. British authority thought of colonies as subject to authority of the king and parliament. Consequently, colonial assemblies were given authority to supervise the implementation of directives from royal governors in the colonies (Henretta and Burke Web). Additionally, Britain failed to put its laws in these colonies. For example, the molasses Act of 1733 was not implemented. This required the colonist to pay taxes on import from West Indies under French authority. This was because there was huge profit that Britain was generating from the colonies (O'Brien 125). Consequ ently, colonist gained both political and economic autonomy. However, the colonies were sometimes uncooperative to royal directives (Henretta and Burke Web). According to Knopf, â€Å"The success of Britain in the war increased its American control to a size that was challenging to any European metropolis to exercise control† (Knopf Web). ... Consequently, Britain was faced with huge debt. Compounding British financial woes was uprising calling for tax relief due to bulging taxes for those living in British Isles. There was also a negative response by Indians living in areas formerly under the French dominance. Actually, there was suspicious relation between Great Britain and tribes in Ohio and the great lakes region. They had established a cordial relationship with French settlers before. However, after French and its allies defeat, British settlers started to inhabit this region. This was rampant in the Appalachian mountain where there was rich agricultural land. As a result, the Indian viewed these settlers from another perspective that was not pleasing to them (O'Brien 125). In addition, Major General Jeffrey Amherst contributed to a tense relationship between the Indians and British in the culmination of the War. During the war, a considerable support was given to British by Indian tribes. As a result, British gave v arious gifts to their leaders. However, this was terminated after a successful termination of the war. General Amherst considered these tribes as inconsequential as he no longer needed their support. Trading links were also severed with Indians. Furthermore, the Indians felt that British were treating them as subjects rather than their allies. Digital History notes, â€Å"The colonist’s encroachment of Indian land was a source of frontier retaliation in the form of Pontiac’s uprising† (Digital History Web). The Pontiac revolution led various Indian tribes against British forces and settlers. This was a protracted war seeking to reduce British dominance. A number of British soldiers were killed, while settlers fled to safer locations in the eastern side. Challenges

English as a global langurage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

English as a global langurage - Essay Example Every country has a first spoken language. There is French for people from France, German for people from Germany and Spanish from people from Spain. Other countries even have dialects as part of their language, like how the Philippines has Filipino as the national language, and dialects specialized in regional locations in the country. For many years, civilization from around the world developed with their own unique languages because throughout history language was equated to geographical territory-land (The Language Situation of Today’s World). Who we are roots from where we come from, and with the cultural richness of our upbringing comes the language we speak. In this sense, it would be very important to value local dialects and languages of all forms because it simple reminds us of how we see and present ourselves to the word (Crystal, 1997). These two language functions of intelligibility and identity presented by David Crystal tell us about the conflict raised in the i nterest we build when it comes to our world languages. In today’s modern age of technological advancement and booming globalization, the English language has entered or even dominated different countries from across the globe. It would be best to discuss the positive and negative effects of its boom to being the world’s global language. ... Having a common language provides a positive avenue for healthy relationships across nations and it even provides employment for a lot of people from different parts of the world. China is known to be one of the biggest and most powerful nations in the world aside from the US and the UK. English is now viewed as â€Å"the gatekeeper† to their higher education, employment, economic prosperity and social status. It has recently faced controversies when it comes to putting English in the pedestal over other local dialects and languages in the country (Qiang and Wolff). Many Chinese dialects has become marginalized, forgotten or totally banished in the country. The Chinese Academy is just one of the many educational institutions that have English as a required course in their curriculum. With this said, when a student fails to reach the standards on English proficiency will fail to receive his diploma as well. It has become a competitive part of the work force wherein despite the minimal chances of using the language in the comfort of the nation’s corporate territory, employees put extra effort in learning the language as it is a pre- condition for promotion. Furthermore, China has made English its unofficial second language. An estimated 150,000 foreign English as Foreign Language (EFL) teachers and more than 1,000,000 Chinese English teachers are now educating more than 600,000,000 Chinese students (Qiang and Wolff). With effects to do world’s biggest populated country as proof, English has long secured its status as a global language in the 20th century. All these are under the reason of its strong acting force in facilitating globalization. China only complied with the growing

Research Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 5

Research Methods - Essay Example Nevertheless, this report point towards the expanding trend in full figure retail among the clothing fashion industries. According to this report, it had several strengths in exploring the future trend of plus sized female clothing. For instance, there was the full use of good presentation skills in presenting the main ideas. The recent data collected in the report prove that retailers who forego the need for dwelling in plus size fashion will fail to enjoy the market profits. There was proper use of English and flow of ideas in explaining the crucial themes of research. More so, the report shows that the average sizes for women dresses have improved from size eight to fourteen. Nevertheless, there were several weaknesses of the report in delivering the data collected. For instance, there was no proper presentation of the online or offline businesses that adhere to the requirements of the full figure customers. This is unlike the market of skinny women that retail in numerous clothes of all kinds. For a long time, clothing and fashion industries have neglected the plus sized market to cater for women who are size 14 and above. The report could curb the weakness by having a proper plan and time while collecting data. Opportunities for the research relate to a need for additional retailers of plus size clothes. Since the average size of most people is changing from size 12 and above, retailers should foresee a means of making profits. The increasing full figure people increases the demand for such clothes that manufacturers and fashion industries should take note. The challenges faced relates to the process of collecting data. The report had limited information from the library and local shops regarding the retailers of plus size clothes. Such a challenge requires a plan for the next research regarding plus size fashion and clothing. For instance, the research could try and use visitations to the

Global Health Strategies and Diversity Awareness Research Paper

Global Health Strategies and Diversity Awareness - Research Paper Example In the rest of this paper, I will reflect on the experience using the Bold and John’s model that was provided in class. Stage 1: Return to the Experience In reflecting on the experience, I understood that the eight goals that are provided are easy for anyone to imagine. According to Beck (2011), the goals are as follows: That poverty and hunger is eliminated so that everyone has plenty of food to meet their needs and has a job that pays well and works well for them. That all children have the opportunity to learn and study all over the world. That women and girls are allowed to bring forward all they can in the world. That people experience vibrant health and everyone can afford to have healthcare. That mother and their babies have clean environments in which to have their babies no matter where they are in the world. That people suffering from diseases like Malaria, HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis are free of these diseases across the world. That people become more concerned with t he environment and begin to take more responsibility for how they individually work with the environment. ... This was a breath-taking speech to me because it showed that one person could do many things in the world by just focusing their attention on these things. I have personally done this in my own life and found that it is rewarding so I could see how focusing around the world on these eight issues could bring about a better world. I decided that I wanted to learn more about the experience. Stage 2: Attend to Feelings At first, I felt that Beck had a good idea, but I did not understand how this could actually be helpful. I decided to look for more information about her and her work. In an article by Beck, Dossey and Kines (2007) a broader explanation of what Beck is attempting to accomplish was revealed. I learned that Beck is attempting to look at the work of Florence Nightingale in nursing. The authors pointed out that there were several countries around the word that see Nightingale’s work as something to be revered. Beck and Dossey decided that there needed a global understan ding of what Nightingale had done and how nurses today could continue what Nightingale started. I was able to develop very good feelings about this project and I felt that I wanted to be a part of it by taking her pledge. I cannot say that I have experience in anything like this, but I can say that it is a good idea. I did not have negative feelings at all when thinking about this because it is a very simple concept. I think that nurses must strive to be the best they can and to help their patients in any way possible. I think that this idea is a good idea because many times, the nurses are holding the example of perfect health for the people they are helping. If one can visualize this on a greater basis, we could possibly heal the

Attendance and Discipline Referrals Research Paper

Attendance and Discipline Referrals - Research Paper Example Literature Review Johnson and Lampley (2010) undertook a research to examine LISTEN (Linking Individual Students to Educational Needs) which is the mentoring program used at schools for identification of students at risk. The study adopted examination of LISTEN to evaluate its performance objectives and outcomes. LISTEN being a school program was sponsored by the district of East Tennessee to provide mentoring services to the students who need it the most. Johnson and Lampley (2010) took hold of the academic data from 2003-2005 to determine the post implementation effects of LISTEN on the grade 6 to 8 students. The study in detail focused on the relationship of discipline referrals, GPAs and attendance records of the students at risk. The study found that there was a clear difference between the rates of attendance, discipline referrals and the GPAs in pre and post implementation of LISTEN. This means that the students who are at risk need a mentoring program that can help them resol ve the problem of absenteeism and discipline referrals which eventually leads to improved GPAs. Sowell (2012) undertook a study to evaluate the relationship of school uniforms with the school attendance, achievement and discipline. The study used a causal and comparative study research design to determine the relationship. It collected data from the two high schools in the South West Georgia. One of the school had school uniforms as a compulsory element of education whereas the other did not have such restrictions. The study found that the school with uniforms had better attendance rate as well as fewer infractions of behavior as compared to the school without uniform. These schools... The paper focused on the influence of absenteeism and discipline referrals on the academic achievement of special students to understand the factors that greatly attract them towards absenteeism. It found that the special and disabled students are not involved in discipline referrals however, they tend to show absenteeism and lead to low academic achievement. The special schools implement models that encourage the students to remain regular and full on attendance. Thus, the factors like encouragement activities and regular programs motivate the special students to remain regular and active in their classes. The study showed that the students perform better when they undertake creative and active participation. Furthermore, the study found that the use of uniforms also encourages the students to attend the class and achieve higher grades in their academic career.

Lil Wayne vs World Essay Example for Free

Lil Wayne vs World Essay During a CBS interview with rapper Lil Wayne, Katie Couric asks What does that mean, when you say Im a gangster? Wayne replied, â€Å"I dont take nothin from no one. I do what I wanna do, And Im gonna do that until the day I die. And if I cant do that, then Ill just die(All Access). Katie Couric and Lil Wayne sat down together on national television for an interview where two people of vastly different backgrounds had a conversation. Kwame Anthony Appiah, a professor in top Universities across the world, describes a conversation to be engagement with the experience and ideas of others. Also, the more dissimilar the backgrounds are the more information can be exchanged between two people. â€Å"America’s Sweetheart† Katie Couric and ‘Weezy’ (Lil Wayne) are undeniably two very different people. Seemingly their only similarity is their fame. Although as their interview progresses one can see how they are able to connect and exchange their own cultures with one another. The famous Lil Wayne is far from average, making this and all of his exchanges other extremely valuable to cosmopolitanism exposing his miscellany to the masses. By the end of the interview, although not necessarily in agreement, they both seem to have an understanding of one another accomplishing the main goal of conversation. Any person who is somewhat familiar with hip-hop should know who Lil Wayne is. 28-year-old Lil Wayne is loved by millions of teenagers for his music with his recent album The Carter III being the highest selling album in 2009. By default Lil Wayne is a role model, anyone with his amount of fame and recognition is going to have influence on others. What makes Lil Wayne a unique role model is that he is not the standard ‘liked by all’ leader that most mothers would approve of. Rapper Lil Wayne has been arrested for possession of drugs and illegal weapons three times with the third putting him in jail. A majority of his raps consist of drugs, money, and sex. Is this a role model teenage fans should follow? These aren’t typical traits that one would normally see in a role model but his unconformity is what defines him and makes him the icon he is. In countless interviews and talk shows Lil Wayne is asked about his notorious drug abuse. He gives the same response each time showing no shame, I will stand up for marijuana any day Im a rapper. That’s who I am†¦ I am a gangster and I do what I want. And I love to smoke. And I smoke(all access). In his mind what he does is not wrong and as Kwame Anthony Appiah understands, â€Å"A good deal of what we intuitively take to be right, we take to be right just because it is what we are used to.† Who can say that what Lil Wayne does is wrong? Right and wrong at the most basic level is man made. What he believes is right is what makes him happy, and it is only because we are used to marijuana being illegal or we are used to frowning upon his life style that it is considered â€Å"wrong.† For someone who does a lot of ‘wrongs,’ he is overwhelmingly successful. Lil Wayne has a net worth of 75 million dollars, â€Å"Following the drop of his sixth studio album Tha Carter III in 2008 he was nominated for eight Grammy’s, the most for any artist that year taking home four awards. Wayne†¦ was named #2 on MTV’s list of hottest MC’s in the game behind Brooklyn bred rapper Jay-Z† (Celebnetworth). Lil Wayne is only 28 years old yet h as more success than most can ever dream of obtaining. â€Å"Some call him the best rapper to ever live others say he’s self-destructive but whatever you believe Lil Wayne has become a staple in American music and will remain there, indefinitely†(Celebnetworth). People aren’t used to a successful â€Å"gangster† like Lil Wayne coming from nothing and breaking the law while reaching the top. Lil Wayne embraces his vice-filled lifestyle, and thrives off of it. Like his hit song ‘I’m me’ expresses â€Å"Baby, Im me, so who you? Youre not me, youre not me.†(metrolyrics) He knows he is one of a kind and he knows he is the best. This is the attitude that attracts so many of his fans. His confidence and arrogance is what really defines him and his success just adds to his ego. While arrogance is not usually good, he gives off a confidence that many people can learn from when engaging in any of his conversations. At first look he may not appear to be very intelligent, but what many people do not realize is that Lil Wayne received straight A’s while in school. For me, it was always a way of showing someone my intelligence, a way of showing someone who I really am, Wayne says about his music(all access). When listening to Lil Wayne converse with Katie Couric, he is actually a very articulate speaker. Even through his lyrics one can see how descriptively he express his mind. Even the way he creates his rhymes is impressive. Lil Wayne never writes lyrics down before he records his songs. Every time he records a new song he raps impromptu, putting together rhymes as he goes. The ability to think that quickly and produce coherent thoughts unrehearsed in the form of music is astounding. The majority of people I’m sure do not know this about Lil Wayne and would never think of him as genuinely very intelligent. His intelligence confuses most people who immediately profile this black thuggish rapper as brainless. As Appiah understands â€Å"Understanding one another may be hard†(25). To fully understand Lil Wayne or any person is not easy, and those hidden characteristic of people, such as Lil Wayne’s genius, is what conversation can unveil. The complexity of this 28-year-old rapper allows for extremely beneficial conversation, changing first impressions and providing new perceptions. Lil Wayne uses music to reach the world exposing his intelligence and talent to millions. I believe that music is another form of news, he tells CBS News anchor Katie Couric. Music is another form of journalism to me so I have to cover all the areas with my album(allaccess). In many of his songs Lil Wayne will address current events. Katrina was a very sensitive subject to many and Lil Wayne having grown up there and lost ones who were close to him as shown in his lyrics. â€Å"To those restin in peace, those dead and deceased, soon again we meet†(metrolyrics). Lil Wayne donated $200,000 To Hurricane Katrina Relief Project to help the area where he grew up(Gigwise). Through the medium of his music he expresses his feelings, and has a vast amount of influence. This is what Appiah believes is necessary; to influence others and exchange ones own ideas like little Wayne does through his music quoted above. Whether people like it or not Lil Wayne is a leader. There is a reason he is so loved by his fans and has had so much success. He is a success himself and what people all over the globe strive to achieve. Alternatively when examining his habits and way of going about life it is hard see him as a positive influence in any respect. He does illegal drugs, possesses illegal weapons, and is known to be a womanizer in many of his lyrics. Recently he was arrested for possession of weapons without a permit. To many teens this looks â€Å"cool† and just adds to his notoriety. Illegal activity isn’t the key to success for most people, yet as he proclaimed, he is a gangster and can do what he wants when he wants. This cocky attitude gets him in a lot of trouble, but it also fuels his greatness. With every hero there is a flaw and Lil Wayne’s flaw is breaking the law. Most of his followers understand that some of his actions we should follow; instead following his confidence and individualism that yield success in an increasin gly competitive world. During the CBS interview Katie Couric asked if he views himself as a positive role model, Lil Wayne replied, I’m not an example for how people should live their lives, Never in my life would I ever set out to be an example for people on how to live their lives. If you need an example for how to live, then you just shouldn’t have been born.† Practicing what he preaches Lil Wayne does not live for anyone but himself. It is this attitude that intrigues people and causes conversation. Every time he makes a new song that tops the billboard charts he is reaching out and sharing himself with the world. Lil Wayne has conversation everyday when he makes his music, sharing himself with many different types of people each with their own varying backgrounds. Appiah would agree that Lil Wayne is someone people of differing cultures can learn from being as unique as he is. His uniqueness allows for good conversation by crossing boundaries like done in the CBS interview with Katie Couric, while still being able to connect easily with society as shown through his fame. Lil Wayne has always been himself and while many times misunderstood he will keep being Weezy F Baby, â€Å"The Best Rapper Alive.†

Patricia Piccinini and David Hockney Comparison

Patricia Piccinini and David Hockney Comparison Art explores many elements of life and the world. It explores and represents meanings in which are interpreted by the audience in various ways. Artists use different techniques to enhance their own individual message or perspective, whether it be distinctively clear or subtle. Artists such as Patricia Piccinini explore identity through life-like animal sculptures that resemble human characteristics. Her message is more powerful in analysis rather than first glance. David Hockney is also an artist who explores identity of the individual by representing lifes journey through his technique of photo montage. Art is the representation of the many elements of human life. It is the expression of emotion, the representation of objects or landscapes, life experiences and it can also be the representation of people and events. Identity can be represented as well as constructed in the visual arts. Many artists are able to do this in diverse and individual ways. Patricia Piccininis controversial artworks explore the identity and contrast between human and animal life. David Hockneys photo montage illustrates a very different approach to represent and construct identity. His artwork explores this concept through a narrative based artwork that represents lifes individual journey each must take in order to construct ones true identity. However, it is not only these two artists that explore identity. There are numerous artists who explore identity in a variety of ways. Some more subtle than others. This is because identity can be explored in so many different ways. Identity can be seen as a national identity, community identity, cultural, physical, professional, individual, sexual-orientation or marital status etc. There are many artists that explore these identities. Piccinini has explored the physical identity and relationship between human and animal. Whereas Hockney has explored the individual identity, and the path we journey through our lives Identity can be defined as individual characteristics by which a person is recognised or known. Art is a mirror image of a persons identity, circle of influence, and perceived worlds or realities. Art reflects what we feel, think, practice, believe, or imagine (Gaskins, N. 2010). Both Patricia Piccinini and David Hockney represent this in different ways by taking different approaches. Piccininis work is known for her extravagant and controversial life-like sculptures which present a more obvious meaning than that of Hockney. Through the use of symbolism, Hockneys photo montage creates a more subtle representation of identity. It is only with more analysis that Hockneys creation can be more understood. Although the audience perspectives can vary in conclusion as each individual can perceive this narrative type artwork and relate to the journey offered and constructed in different ways. The Young Family (2002-3) Apart from the image that is represented, there is often a second meaning within the artwork, (Clack, M. 2010). At a glance; the work of Patricia Piccinini is disturbing and questionable, hence the reason for the controversial perspectives. However if looked at with more depth and analysis, her artworks become interestingly engaging. The way in which she represents and constructs identity is far different to other artists. Patricia Piccinini is an artist who explores the frontiers of science and technology through her sculptures, photographs and video environments (Kent, R. 2002). Within her artwork she is able to construct a powerful message; that enables her to express personal view on a topic. The work makes public something other than itself; it manifests something other; it is an allegory (Clack, M. 2010). Personal identity and the issues surrounding it lie at the core of Piccininis project. Her works invite the question: what is it that makes us who we are? (Kent, R. 2002). Her artwork titled, The Young Family (2003) has sparked a lot of controversy because of the many perspectives it represents. Her life-like imagery is about compromises about being able to find beauty in a world which can never be perfect. (Papastergiadis, N. 2002). This artwork explores the distinction between animal and human characteristics. The similarities of both identities are obvious, which is what Patricia Piccinini is trying to portray. In a political and scientific perspective the inspiration behind this work is the expectation that we have of growing human organs in other species (Piccinini, P. 2003). In this artwork motherhood is one of the traits we share with animals; Patricia Piccinini has evidently shown this. From synthetic landscapes to artificial life forms, Piccinini creates a world in which fa ct, fiction and fantasy co-exist. She begs the question: what, in our rapidly changing world, constitutes the real anyway? (Kent, R. 2002). Pearblossom Hwy (1986) David Hockneys artwork, Pearblossom Hwy approaches the representation of identity in another way. Hockneys work clearly depicts his life and his love ones (Research Paper 2008). Represented in his artworks is a timeline of individual life on earth. He identifies that individuals have many paths they need to be inevitably travelled with many obstacles on the way. The art work consists of a lot of symbolism. Hockney has used the various stop signs in order to represent the individuals own life obstacles. In life many people will stop to think, is this decision Im about to make the right one? What path should I follow next? Who am I as an individual? etc. One of the many perspectives this artwork offers is that the collage is trying to say that in the beginning of life, people are unknowing of what they will do in their future or that they are lost in life. The end of the highway symbolizes certainty and strength about ones life. (Research Paper 2008). Hockneys art is created for his viewers. His drawings are designed in a special way so that they can be animated to be in the mind of the viewer (Research Paper 2008). David Hockneys aim is to take the audience on a journey that he has created, but one that means something different to each individual. This journey is the exploration of identity. He has captured within this artwork the similarities in lifes journeys, but it is how each individual interprets the story. Identity varies from society to society and individual to individual as variation of systems or personality (Art. 2010). In comparison to Patricia Piccininis artwork, The young family, Hockneys artwork relates solely to each individual. It explores numerous story lines as the interpretation of his artwork differs for each audience member. The identity he explores is more easily related to than that of Piccinini. Patricias outlook on identity explores the similarities between human and animal characteristics, very similar to the evolution theory, the apes transition into human form. Ideas about nature and its simulation are central to Piccininis works, inviting us to question what is real and what is not (Kent, R. 2002). Whereas Hockneys, Pearblossom Hwy explores the concept of what will the individuals future bring? Who am I? Who will I become?. It is more an intimate reflection of ones self. In conclusion, there are many artists who explore and represent identity in many forms and techniques. So in evaluating what is art. Many believe that it is the representation of the many elements of human life such as emotions, objects or landscapes, life experiences, people and events. Patricia Piccinini and David Hockney, while they both explore identity, their ideas and perspectives are entirely different. Patricia Piccininis controversial artworks explore the identity and contrast between human and animal life. While David Hockneys photo montage illustrates a narrative based artwork that represents lifes individual journey each must take in order to construct ones true identity.

Critical Opinions Essay -- Essays Papers

Critical Opinions Oliver Goldsmith, author of The Deserted Village, spent years as a hack writer, turning out books and articles on all sorts of subjects for London booksellers. Eventually, Goldsmith used his fluent pen to write himself out of obscurity and become one on the most characteristic and best English writers of the late 1700s, with his works The Vicar of Wakefield, The Traveller, and The Deserted Village. The Deserted Village is one of Goldsmith's acknowledged masterpieces, and probably the most distinguished long poem by an Irishman. Despite the popularity of The Deserted Village it became the focus of criticism from Goldsmith's contemporaries. Not all criticism, however, was negative. Literary criticism refers to a balanced analysis; even when literary critics supplement, they generally discuss the merits as well as faults of a work in order to arrive at a sound, deliberate assessment (Murfin 64). Most criticism of Goldsmith's The Deserted Village tended to be positive. Nevertheless, some contemporaries ranked The Deserted Village below The Traveller. For instance, according to Sir Samual Edgerton, The Deserted Village is a poem far inferior to The Traveller, though it contains many beautiful passages. Its inferiority to its predecessor [The Traveller] arises from its comparative want of compression, as well as of force and novelty of imagery. Its tone of melancholy is more sickly, and some of the descriptions which have been most praised are marked by all the poverty and flatness, and indeed are peopled with the sort of comic and grotesque figures, of Flemish landscape (Moulton 630). Irish literary nationalists believe that the village of Auburn in The Deserted Village is the Irish village of Lissoy. ... ...ened by touches of pathos; if sorrow disturb the heart, it is more than half consoled by the thought, that gentle or happy natures will find or make for themselves such simple and unexacting pleasures, wherever their lot may cast (Moulton 681). Oliver Goldsmith continued to write regardless of the different critical views from his contemporaries on the The Deserted Village. While doing my research I came across a very poignant quote by Goldsmith, "Write how you want, the critic shall show the world you could have written better." Works Cited Moulton, Charles Wells, ed. The Library of Literary Criticism. Gloucester, Mass: The Moulton Publishing Company. 1959. Murfin, Ross and Supryia M. Ray. The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms. New York: Bedford Books. 1997. Swarbick, Andrew, ed. The Art of Oliver Goldsmith. London: Vision Press. 1984. Critical Opinions Essay -- Essays Papers Critical Opinions Oliver Goldsmith, author of The Deserted Village, spent years as a hack writer, turning out books and articles on all sorts of subjects for London booksellers. Eventually, Goldsmith used his fluent pen to write himself out of obscurity and become one on the most characteristic and best English writers of the late 1700s, with his works The Vicar of Wakefield, The Traveller, and The Deserted Village. The Deserted Village is one of Goldsmith's acknowledged masterpieces, and probably the most distinguished long poem by an Irishman. Despite the popularity of The Deserted Village it became the focus of criticism from Goldsmith's contemporaries. Not all criticism, however, was negative. Literary criticism refers to a balanced analysis; even when literary critics supplement, they generally discuss the merits as well as faults of a work in order to arrive at a sound, deliberate assessment (Murfin 64). Most criticism of Goldsmith's The Deserted Village tended to be positive. Nevertheless, some contemporaries ranked The Deserted Village below The Traveller. For instance, according to Sir Samual Edgerton, The Deserted Village is a poem far inferior to The Traveller, though it contains many beautiful passages. Its inferiority to its predecessor [The Traveller] arises from its comparative want of compression, as well as of force and novelty of imagery. Its tone of melancholy is more sickly, and some of the descriptions which have been most praised are marked by all the poverty and flatness, and indeed are peopled with the sort of comic and grotesque figures, of Flemish landscape (Moulton 630). Irish literary nationalists believe that the village of Auburn in The Deserted Village is the Irish village of Lissoy. ... ...ened by touches of pathos; if sorrow disturb the heart, it is more than half consoled by the thought, that gentle or happy natures will find or make for themselves such simple and unexacting pleasures, wherever their lot may cast (Moulton 681). Oliver Goldsmith continued to write regardless of the different critical views from his contemporaries on the The Deserted Village. While doing my research I came across a very poignant quote by Goldsmith, "Write how you want, the critic shall show the world you could have written better." Works Cited Moulton, Charles Wells, ed. The Library of Literary Criticism. Gloucester, Mass: The Moulton Publishing Company. 1959. Murfin, Ross and Supryia M. Ray. The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms. New York: Bedford Books. 1997. Swarbick, Andrew, ed. The Art of Oliver Goldsmith. London: Vision Press. 1984.

Evolution of the Internet: A Rhizomatic Application of Darwin :: Internet Web Cyberspace Essays

Evolution of the Internet Evolution is the process Charles Darwin described – the story he told – to explain the diversity of the planet. Evolution exists in nature as the interplay between linear natural selection and random events. This randomness necessitates a nonlinear model for exploring evolution as a whole, and as randomness is increasingly recognized as the dominant evolutionary force, "evolutionary schemas may be forced to abandon the old model of the tree and descent" (Deleuze 33). If we take a rhizome as an evolutionary model instead of a tree, this "connects any point to any other point" (Deleuze 35) and allows for nonlinear progression. Once the model for evolution is freed from its directed linear path, it can be applied to disciplines outside of biology. The internet has evolved in much the same way as life on earth. Just as "all life on Earth... started with a single origin of life" (Mayr 21) and has grown increasingly complex, "the Internet grew from a single experimental network... to a globe-spanning system linking millions of computers" (Abbate 1). Both processes began with a single entity that turned into populations by increasing its complexity and diversity. While the "spreading out" of organisms on the planet is governed by the Second Law of Thermodynamics, the parallel "spreading out" of information on the Internet is the result of a different kind of entropy. As populations and diversity increase, entropy escalates: in the internet's infancy, there were so few users that there was limited cyber-interaction among them (Abbate 84), but as more users signed on and more documents became available, there was further interaction and thus accelerated evolution. The same kind of order / disorder, expansion / contraction binaries that drive the evolution of life on earth can be applied to the evolution of the internet. In life, these opposing pairs catalyze speciation. On the internet, they create the kind of categories used in directories to organize information and by browsers to recognize different types of documents (HTML, PHP, PDF, JPEG, etc.). Whether the evolution of life and of the internet is occurring as a process moving toward "perfection" is irrelevant: both systems are in transition, suspended in "continuous flux" (Mayr 7) in a race toward ever-increasing complexity and diversity. Both of these parallel processes must be considered rhizomatically. Neither the internet nor life has progressed along a clear line. Alongside and around the "main" trajectory of evolution, there exists "aparallel evolution" (Deleuze 33). Evolution of the Internet: A Rhizomatic Application of Darwin :: Internet Web Cyberspace Essays Evolution of the Internet Evolution is the process Charles Darwin described – the story he told – to explain the diversity of the planet. Evolution exists in nature as the interplay between linear natural selection and random events. This randomness necessitates a nonlinear model for exploring evolution as a whole, and as randomness is increasingly recognized as the dominant evolutionary force, "evolutionary schemas may be forced to abandon the old model of the tree and descent" (Deleuze 33). If we take a rhizome as an evolutionary model instead of a tree, this "connects any point to any other point" (Deleuze 35) and allows for nonlinear progression. Once the model for evolution is freed from its directed linear path, it can be applied to disciplines outside of biology. The internet has evolved in much the same way as life on earth. Just as "all life on Earth... started with a single origin of life" (Mayr 21) and has grown increasingly complex, "the Internet grew from a single experimental network... to a globe-spanning system linking millions of computers" (Abbate 1). Both processes began with a single entity that turned into populations by increasing its complexity and diversity. While the "spreading out" of organisms on the planet is governed by the Second Law of Thermodynamics, the parallel "spreading out" of information on the Internet is the result of a different kind of entropy. As populations and diversity increase, entropy escalates: in the internet's infancy, there were so few users that there was limited cyber-interaction among them (Abbate 84), but as more users signed on and more documents became available, there was further interaction and thus accelerated evolution. The same kind of order / disorder, expansion / contraction binaries that drive the evolution of life on earth can be applied to the evolution of the internet. In life, these opposing pairs catalyze speciation. On the internet, they create the kind of categories used in directories to organize information and by browsers to recognize different types of documents (HTML, PHP, PDF, JPEG, etc.). Whether the evolution of life and of the internet is occurring as a process moving toward "perfection" is irrelevant: both systems are in transition, suspended in "continuous flux" (Mayr 7) in a race toward ever-increasing complexity and diversity. Both of these parallel processes must be considered rhizomatically. Neither the internet nor life has progressed along a clear line. Alongside and around the "main" trajectory of evolution, there exists "aparallel evolution" (Deleuze 33).

Lost Identity Found Essay -- Cultural Identities Culture Identity Essa

Lost Identity Found Stuart Hall writes that â€Å"Identity is not as transparent or unproblematic as we think† (Hall 392). Hanif Kareishi, a visual minority growing up in racially charged England, experiences uncertainty and frustration relating to his sense of identity. Salman Rushdie, author of short stories â€Å"The Courter† and â€Å"Good Advice Is Rarer Than Rubies,† develops characters who experience similar identity crises. In his piece, â€Å"The Rainbow Sign,† Kareishi explores three responses to encounters with a foreign and hostile culture: outright rejection of the foreign culture, complete assimilation into foreign culture, or adoption of a synthesis of the two cultures. Kareishi himself embraces each of these different approaches at different times in his life, while characters in Rushdie’s short stories embody specific approaches. Kareishi’s discussion of the interaction between race, class, nationhood, and citizenship points to the need for a lo osening of racial and class distinctions in favor of a multicultural, liberal approach for achieving a successful synthesis of cultures. The protagonist of â€Å"Good Advice Is Rarer Than Rubies† adopts the rejectionist course when confronted with the possibility of being introduced into a foreign British culture. Miss Rehana, the Indian protagonist of the short story, travels to a British Consulate in India to acquire a British passport. An arranged engagement at the age of nine forged a connection between Miss Rehana and an older man with British citizenship, Mustafa Dar. Though Miss Rehana had not seen Mustafa Dar for many years, the engagement provides the opportunity for her to join him in England. Miss Rehana is poor; her parents are dead. A life in Britain promises better material c... ... calls for white British to adapt and compromise with immigrant culture. In light of Hall’s commentary, one can only hope that transforming Pakistani and British cultures converge. The other option, of course, is a divergence of culture. Sadly, given the vigilante groups and racial violence present when Kareishi published â€Å"The Rainbow Sign,† it is still not clear that England has embraced multiculturalism. Works Cited Kareishi, Hanif. â€Å"The Rainbow Sign.† London kills me. London: Penguin Books, 1992. 3-37. Hall, Stuart. " Cultural Identity and Diaspora." Colonial Discourse and Post-Colonial Theory. Ed. Patrick Williams and Laura Chrisman. New York: Columbia University Press, 1994. Rushdie, Salman. â€Å"Good Advice is Rarer than Rubies.† East, West. NY: vintage Books, 1994. 5-16. Rushdie, Salman. â€Å"The Courter.† East, West. NY: vintage Books, 1994. 175-211.

Misconception of Religion

Ryan Wood Alicia Alexander Eng. 131 2, November 2010 Misconception of Religion in â€Å"The Gospel According to Mark† and â€Å"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings. † In the two short stories both authors, Jorge Luis Borges in â€Å"The Gospel According to Mark† and Gabriel Garcia Marquez in â€Å"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings† use religion as examples on how different individuals use and believe in it. As we read the story’s we will see how religion is sometimes misconceived and misinterpreted by people so they can benefit in their own personal lives, and personal well-being.In the stories both characters are seemed to be looked at as maybe something they are not. This will lead us to the misconception and misunderstanding that people have on religion and beliefs. In the short story â€Å"The Gospel According to Mark† the main character Baltasar Espinosa is seemed to be looked at like a God by a family that does not know much about relig ion or the Bible. The Gutres are a small family that seems to be looking for a religious figure they can believe in since they do not understand religious beliefs. In â€Å"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings† Pelayo and his wife Elisenda find an old man with wings in front of their house.They believe he could be an angel and decide to lock him inside a chicken coup. They believe he could be there for their sick child but at first there not quite sure. As the two stories evolve we will see how both families use Baltasar Espinosa, and the Old Man to gain advantages in their own lives. In Marquez story, â€Å"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings† we see an example of how Elisenda starts using the Old Man to reap personal benefits. The narrator says, â€Å"Elisenda, her spine all twisted from sweeping up so much marketplace trash, then got the idea of fencing in the yard and charging five cents admission to see the angel† (354).As we read Borges story, â€Å"The Gosp el According to Mark† the narrator says, â€Å"The next day began like all the others, except that the father spoke to Espinosa to ask whether Christ had allowed himself to be killed in order to save all mankind† (347). Later we find out that the family decides to crucify Espinosa because they might believe him to be a spiritual character and it could benefit the family in some way. They also find out that something has happened between Espinosa and the daughter. In both stories there seems to be a religious character there to help both families in some sort of way.In â€Å"The Gospel According to Mark† the family seems like they take to Espinosa and follow him and learn from him. Where in â€Å"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings† the family is not sure of him and decides not to take the Old Man in and learn his reasons for being there. â€Å"Pelayo watched over him all afternoon from the kitchen, armed with his bailiff’s club, and before going to bed he dragged him out of the mud and locked him up with the hens in the wire chicken coop† (353). Instead of trying to figure out why he was there, they were more afraid of him and worried about what he could be.In Borges story, â€Å"The Gospel according to Mark† the narrator says, â€Å"The move brought Espinosa and the Gutres closer, and they began to eat together in the large dining room† (345). As both stories evolve we see some contrast in the two families even though religion is a constant topic. Both stories have similar meaning to them, but both authors use religion and religious beliefs in different ways. As the two stories come to an end we see that both families lose their perception on what they were focusing on throughout the stories.In â€Å"A Gospel According to Mark† the family decides to kill the religious figure that has been teaching them the Gospel. This has irony because the Bible strictly talks about death and murder, even though th e family seems upset about what Espinosa has done to the daughter. The narrator says, â€Å"There was no roof on the shed; they had torn down the roof beams to build the Cross† (348). In â€Å"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings† Elisenda is relieved more than happy when she sees the Old Man fly away.This has irony as well because they used him to make money and benefit in their own life. After they used him, she feels happy that he is gone and is no longer a nuisance. The narrator states, â€Å"Elisenda let out a sigh of relief, for herself and him, when she saw him pass over the last houses, holding himself up in some way with the risky flapping of a senile vulture† (357). The conclusion to the stories is religion can be used positively or negatively depending on who the person is and what their intentions are.

Enlightenment Period and the Scientific Revolution Essay

The relationship between the development of the Enlightenment Period and the Scientific Revolution was that the Scientific Revolution was an aspect of the Enlightenment on a whole. The Scientific Revolution helped in the process of the Enlightenment by bringing new advances in areas such as Nicolas Copernicus and his new theory that would soon discarded the old geocentric theory that placed the Earth at the center of the solar system and replaced it with a heliocentric theory in which the Earth was simply one of a number of planets orbiting the sun. Another great advancement during the Scientific Revolution was in the field of astronomy. Johannes Kepler proved the orbits of the planets were elliptical, but was unable to come up with an effective model of the solar system. That was left to Galileo, who in 1630 published his Dialogue on the Two Chief Systems of the World, in which he supported the Copernican, or heliocentric theory of the universe, and denounced the Aristotelian system , which maintained the geocentric theory. Galileo supported his claims with elaborate evidence derived from the study of physics. Also the achievements made in mathematics and physics were revolutionary. In the form of the development of algebra, trigonometry, the advance of geometry and the linkage of form and motion with quantifiable numeric values undertaken by Rene Descartes. Armed with these tools, the science of physics began to advance rapidly. The primary concepts changing social mores marked the beginning of the Enlightenment, as individualism, which stressed the importance of the individual and his rights as a citizen. Relativism, which was the concept that different ideas, cultures, beliefs, and value systems had equal merit. And rationalism, which was the conviction that using the power of reason, humans could arrive at truth and make progress toward improving human life. These views gained widespread adherence in the wake of the Scientific Revolution, the Age of Exploration, the weakening of traditional religion, and the decline of monarchical rule. All of these trends served to prepare Europe for the Enlightenment period. One key achievement during the Scientific Revolution was John Locke’s writings of the (Second Treatise on Civil Government) Locke’s writing argued that a government run by the people was the beast system for us to live by. Locke’s writings remain as fresh and popular today as when he wrote them in 1688. Another key achievement during the Scientific Revolution was Sir Isaac Newton’s theories on astronomy that went a step further and formulated an  accurate comprehensive model of the workings of the universe based on the law of universal gravitation. Newton explained his theories in the 1687 revolutionary work called simply the Principia. This work also went along way toward developing calculus. The difference in the perspective of Catholics and Protestants during the Enlightenment was very little. Both cults felt that any idea or ideals that might elevate man to a level of self realization or thinking that might deviate from that of the church views was both dangerous and unholy. In response to this, the church ordered genocide and mass torture upon those who it deemed outside of god’s word. Do you think that there are similar cultural or religious barriers against scientific discovery today? All I can say is this. Despite scientific and physical truths of dinosaurs and the Ice Age, masses of people refuse to believe that the earth in older than a few thousand years†¦ But then, they also worship blindly to a silent god. Works cited. (1) Western Humanities Vol. II fifth edition (2) (The Panorama of the Renaissance) Edited by: Margaret Aston, Abradale Press (3) Various internet research sites.

Remote environment- PESTEL Essay

Industry environment-five forces Internal environment- strategic driver (industry/market, product/service, customer, channel, competitive advantage), operational driver, (cost, revenue, growth), people and organizational driver (structure, skill, capability), SWOP analysis and GAP analysis Product/market development Strategic development Vision: SEC aims to act as an agency that was high functioning, agile and intelligent, and committed to investor protection and market integrity, which is really critical to the success of economy. Mission: Restoring SEC’s vigour and credibility within the financial regulatory community as an agency and assessing what went wrong and to ensure it did not happen again. Value: vigor, credibility, high functioning, agile, intelligent, commitment, integrity. Goal: Financial Customer Internal process Learning and growth Mary set up three strategic themes to pursue, the operational levers, people and organization levers that assisted in achieving those options. Strategic option (industry/market, product/service, customer, channel, competitive advantage) (a) Assessing what needed to be done within the organization (1) SEC invested funds to restructure SEC’s largest division, get staff trained and qualified, recruit analysts etc. (2) Schapior recruited analysts and people who understood trading, market structure, corporate governance and a whole range of skill sets that would be important for the future. (3)she restructure the SEC’s largest division-â€Å"to make this regulator more responsive, more agile and clever and capable of seeing around corner to figure out where the next problems were before they hit us in the face†. (3)Schapiro leveraged the SEC talent by bringing in new constructive leadership. (4) Staffs were sent to qualify as certified fraud examiner; a whole layer of management was removed and was reassigned to the front line. (5) Specialized units was set up to focus on areas of concern such as  corrupt foreign practices, insider trading, market manipulations and structured product.(5) New technology was introduced to make the strategy work. (b) Shifting the agency’s focus back to protecting the investor Chairman Schapiro’s vision is to restore SEC’s vigour and credibility within the financial regulatory community. It is critical for the success of economy to have an agency that was high functioning, agile and intelligent, and committed to investor protection and market integrity. Chairman Schapiro also incorporated it into the SEC’s operations. (1) She put devices â€Å"investor-focused agenda† in place to ensure â€Å"a Madoff† could never happen again to the agency. (2) She encouraged everyone to think and come up with an idea of â€Å"how does it help investors† (3) Hedge funds were registered for the first time. Rules were also set for over-the-counter derivatives and asset back securities. (4) She addressed the importance of understanding the risk and having transparency that is sufficient to understand the risks. Then build the structure to ensure there is compliance with all of the rules. (5), whistleblower program was set up, which was about coordinating all tips into one central database to be able to track movement and detect securities violation, also, US Congress offer people a monetary reward if they provided information about ongoing securities law violations that led to a successful enforcement action (6) She addressed the importance of leverage, as SEC did not have adequate resources to do the job. (c) Acknowledging its mistakes Visible crises can be enormously helpful in catching people’s attention and pushing up urgency levels. Admissions of significant failures at the SEC extend back over many years and cover multiple areas of SEC operations, the credibility of the SEC as a financial regulator has never been lower. The SEC failed to discover a $50 billion Ponzi scheme at Madoff Investment Securities, despite having received allegations of wrongdoing for over a decade, suggests fundamental weaknesses in its core enforcement Change management (chapter 6) In the context of strategy, it is the realization of the strategic plan. Change management is designed to ensure the effective transition of an organization and its people from the current to future states, and is about  effectively leading and managing individuals, teams and organization to successfully adopt the changes needed to achieve required or desired business results. Kotter’s eight-step can be used to transform SEC successfully. 1, establishing a sense of urgency As initiators of the strategy, there is a need to establish a sense of urgency. Visible crises can be enormously helpful in catching people’s attention and pushing up urgency levels. Admissions of significant failures at the SEC extend back over many years and cover multiple areas of SEC operations, the credibility of the SEC as a financial regulator has never been lower. The SEC failed to discover a $50 billion Ponzi scheme at Madoff Investment Securities, despite having received allegations of wrongdoing for over a decade, suggests fundamental weaknesses in its core enforcement 2, forming a powerful guiding coalition It is critical to create a guiding coalition to build urgency and momentum for the change, it is crucial to identify key people from different areas of the organization who would be willing and able to manage the change. It is important to get this group operating as a team early in the process. (a) Mary set up new senior team, which consisted of analysts and people who understood trading, market structure, corporate governance and a whole range of skill sets. (b) Thousands of staffs were grouped into specialized units to focus on areas of concern such as corrupt foreign practices, insider trading, market manipulation and structured product etc 3, creating a vision and strategy Creating a clear and concise vision helps the organization to have a clear picture of the future so that it can align, concentrate and coordinate the efforts of everyone to achieve the final goal. Chairman Schapiro’s vision is to restore SEC’s vigour and credibility within the financial regulatory community. It is critical for the success of economy to have an agency that was high functioning, agile and intelligent, and committed to investor protection and market integrity. Chairman Schapiro also incorporated it into the SEC’s operations. 4, communicating the visions The vision needs to be communicated properly, regularly and impressively using every vehicle possible. Chairman Schapiro has engaged in significant public speaking in which she has regularly and repeatedly informed and reminded the SEC staff and various elements of the public about the SEC’s recommitment to investor protection and the linkage of that vision to structural and operational changes at the SEC. 5, empowering others to act and eliminating obstacles The organization should empower the change managers to make changes to its structure and processes so that these align with the change vision, facilitating the readiness for change and removing any obstacles for change. Many of the structural and operational reforms implemented by Chairman Schapiro appear to be designed to empower SEC staff members for action that carries forward the change vision of the SEC. The restructuring of the Division of Enforcement was geared to clear structural barricades to effective enforcement efforts. The decision to retain staff with â€Å"non-traditional skills† and the implementation of new staff training are examples of efforts to remedy skill deficits. Human resources and information systems have been or are being improved in response to deficiencies identified in the SEC 6, planning for and crating short-term wins Because the organizational change process is slow and constituents can be impatient, it is important for a change leader to accomplish certain limited objectives in the short term. During her tenure, the agency’s work force brought about a record number of enforcement actions and achieved significant regulatory reform to protect investors. 7, consolidating improvements and producing still more change Kotter suggests analyzing the change implementation and improving it where appropriate through continuous improvement and new programs. Although a rapid, consistent pace of change at the SEC was sustained, Chairman Schapiro as well as other SEC change leaders, needed to maintain the change momentum by continuing to introduce reforms on a regular basis. Until changed practices attain a new equilibrium and have been driven into the culture, they can be very  fragile.†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ To reach that equilibrium, in addition to engaging in more and continuous change, the SEC should bring in additional change agents, continue to foster leadership from its senior managers, recruit and nurture project management and leadership from lower ranks in the hierarchy, and identify and decrease or eliminate unnecessary internal structural and operational interconnections that often make change efforts more complex. 8, institutionalizing new approaches It is fundamental to make sure the change has been implemented and embedded clearly in behaviors, shared values and the daily operations of the organization. Accordingly, it was of importance to understand the applicable behavioural norms and shared values of the SEC Because the core vision of investor protection should not be entirely inconsistent with the SEC’s culture, these and other change leaders at the SEC should be able to â€Å"graft the new practices onto the old roots while killing off the inconsistent pieces.† The important thing will be for the SEC’s change leaders to continue to remember the organization’s heritage and link it to the organization’s new and ongoing operations. Why change is hard Transformational leadership Where a change in the mind-set of the organization is required or where the shared beliefs, values, and culture of an organization need to be completed transformed. Key phases of transformational leaderships A need for change is identified and communicated Transformation starts when a need for change is felt. Once the need to transform is identified, it must be communicated to people in the organization.Visible crises can be enormously helpful in catching people’s attention and pushing up urgency levels. Admissions of significant failures at the SEC extend back over many years and cover multiple areas of SEC operations, the credibility of the SEC as a financial regulator has never been lower. The SEC failed to discover a $50 billion Ponzi scheme at Madoff Investment Securities, despite having received allegations of wrongdoing for  over a decade, suggests fundamental weaknesses in its core enforcement. Chairman Schapiro also communicated the need of change to people in organization and pulic.Chairman Schapiro has engaged in significant public speaking in which she has regularly and repeatedly informed and reminded the SEC staff and various elements of the public about the SEC’s recommitment to investor protection and th e linkage of that vision to structural and operational changes at the SEC. -The leader provides an alternative vision for future, which is idealistic yet based in reality as so to encourage people to commit to implementing it. Chairman Schapiro’s vision is to restore SEC’s vigour and credibility within the financial regulatory community. It is critical for the success of economy to have an agency that was high functioning, agile and intelligent, and committed to investor protection and market integrity. Chairman Schapiro also incorporated it into the SEC’s operations. -After implemented, the transformation embeds the change into the organization and makes it permanent. If the change is not reinforce continually over the implementation period, it often slowly unwinds. Although a rapid, consistent pace of change at the SEC was sustained, Chairman Schapiro as well as other SEC change leaders, needed to maintain the change momentum by continuing to introduce reforms on a regular basis. Until changed practices attain a new equilibrium and have been driven into the culture, they can be very fragile.†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ To reach that equilibrium, in addition to engaging in more and continuous change, the SEC shouldbring in additional change agents, continue to foster leadership from its senior managers, recruit and nurture project management and leadership from lower ranks in the hierarchy, and identify and decrease or eliminate unnecessary internal structural and operational interconnections that often make change efforts more complex.

The Origins of Affirmative Action

â€Å"All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. (1)† Affirmative action can trace its roots back to the 14th amendment, although it did not really get started until Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act was passed, giving minorities equal employment rights. The overall strategy and outline for this plan were contained in Executive Order 11246, which was issued by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1972 (Gilbert et al. 2). This led to a wave of programs that were intended to further the equal employment opportunities for minority individuals. Affirmative action programs were intended to legally require organizations to be diverse. During the 1990's these programs have come under a lot of scrutiny and are being replaced with a concept known as diversity management. . Managing and valuing diversity are key aspects of organizational behavior, but the question lies in how to create the diversity within the organization. In this paper, I will examine several articles that will give us reasons that affirmative action should be replaced by diversity management, as well as one that believes that affirmative action is still needed in today's society. Mary Guy believes that affirmative action programs are still needed today. She noted that if we lived in a perfect world we would not have a need for organizations to have affirmative action programs (240). However, since people have a tendency to work around people that are most like us, programs are needed to ensure that past discriminatory actions are corrected. Opposition to these programs generally has come from â€Å"advantaged† groups who feel that quotas will keep them from their jobs. Since the laws creating affirmative action never required quotas, then when quotas have been put in place, they are merely exceptions to the rule (Guy 242). Diversity in the workplace has been slowly increasing under affirmative action, however, Guy feels that this is no time to abandon it, but to keep it moving forward (242). â€Å"Stigmatization revisited: Does diversity management make a difference in applicant success? ,† written by Jacqueline Gilbert and Bette Ann Stead, includes the results of experiments conducted at two universities. These experiments examined whether there was a greater perception of increased qualifications and competence when employees were hired under a system of diversity management versus an affirmative action plan. The second article â€Å"Diversity management: A New organizational paradigm,† written by Jacqueline Gilbert, Bette Ann Stead, and John Ivancevich, defines diversity management and compares it to affirmative action. Furthermore they discuss strategies that will help to insure that a diversity management program is successful. (Gilbert et al. 1) In â€Å"Stigmatization revisited†¦ † the authors performed experiments to determine the effects of affirmative action versus diversity management. Individuals, both women and those of color, that were hired under the guise of an affirmative action plan were generally viewed as less qualified than there peers. It was noted that the perception was that if they were qualified for the position, then they would have been no need for an affirmative action plan. Those individuals that were hired in an atmosphere of diversity management were not perceived as being more or less qualified than their peers. These results were especially evident when the job was a traditional â€Å"male type†, for example, an electrician (Gilbert & Stead 11). They concluded that an organization that valued and promoted cultural diversity would enable women and minorities to be perceived as competent for the positions that they held. Also those companies would have an inherent advantage when it came many other areas; including resource acquisition, marketing, creativity flexibility, and corporate attractiveness. These advantages would lead to greater profits and therefore a more positive outcome (Gilbert & Stead 11). Thc theories of affirmative action are changing in today's world, according to the authors of â€Å"Diversity management†¦ Many states, as well as the federal government, are debating the future of programs that are viewed as giving any type of advantage to a particular group of people (i. e. race or gender) (Gilbert et al. 1). In order to alleviate concerns of discrimination, companies are developing corporate cultures that embrace cultural diversity. This is known as diversity management. Affirmative action has come under a lot of scrutiny, both by majority and minority groups, due to misperceptions and problematic implementations of the programs. Many people view affirmative action as a quota system that leads to unqualified individuals being hired ahead of those that are qualified, and are therefore viewed as less competent than their peers. By treating all people equally, with regards to race and gender, these perceptions disappear (Gilbert et al. 8). These programs, however, will not work if they only exist in one part of an organization. Diversity management programs must start with the CEO and work its way down to the bottom. By being prevalent throughout an organization, the positive ethics of a strong diversity program will not be detrimentally affected with the decisions of one individual who chooses not to be ethical (Gilbert et al. 8). Through their research, the authors feel that the traditional misperceptions that are prevalent in an affirmative action program should not surface in a diverse multicultural organization (Gilbert et al. 8). As we can see, the problems that have been associated with affirmative action can be dissolved and the goals still met with a strong diversity management program within and throughout an organization. Affirmative action is under fire all around the country. Here in Georgia we have had several cases that have been brought to the public's attention. The University of Georgia is being sued because of racial preferences in its admission process (Rankin & Suggs 1). The City of Atlanta's affirmative action set-aside plan is being challenged in a lawsuit as well (Campos & Rankin 1). The overall trend in these suits, as well as others throughout the country is that any system that gives preference to certain groups is actually discriminatory in and of itself. In my view the original concept of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was that any type of discrimination is in violation of the fourteenth amendment to the Constitution. Affirmative action programs that use quotas, no matter how they are implemented, result in individuals being classified and treated according to their race and gender. Diversity management programs within an organization will promote the multiculturalism that is required, as our business world becomes more and more global. Though traditional discrimination is still around in some cases, I do not believe that we need to keep affirmative action in the form that it is in today. A strong diversity management program will actually do more for the affected individuals by treating them as individuals instead of as part of a group. By looking at the individual and their individual contribution, stereotypes can be avoided. This is not an easy task, as old habits die hard, and people are slow to change. By embracing cultural differences that exist within our organization, misconceptions and prejudices can be left behind as we rise above discrimination and into diversity management.

Hardware Secutiry Module Optimization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7500 words

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You are required to conduct a research assignment showing the Essay

You are required to conduct a research assignment showing the strategic role of technology in the designated company Instagram - Essay Example In the end, the study outlines a conclusive summary and few recommendations for further development of the company’s business strategy by taking into consideration of the crucial role of ICT and information system in its future business operations. In the modern era, social media websites and applications have been one of the most easiest and convenient modes of networking. Facebook, twitter and Viber have been one of the most successful and well known of all those applications. An addition to those successful applications is Instagram. Instagram has proved to be an easy and very useful application for sharing photos and engaging with each other. Instagram is a social media application and its features include online photo and video sharing service which enables users to take different pictures and videos and in applying various digital to those applications and in sharing them various social networking services (McNely, 2012). One of the distinctive features of Instagram can be stated that its photos are confined to a square shape and can be used in various devices. The application was initially crafted by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger and was launched in 2010. Since its inception, Instagram has gained huge popularity and ha s become one of the most widely acclaimed applications in the world specifically for its video and photo sharing features. The tool which has been presented by Instagram can be utilized as a successful customer service resource which can help to directly address customers and resolve their problems and it can go through Instagram or even through an offline channel. A massive advantage which Instagram has offered its customers is that the conversation on each photo is discrete. Strategic management has certainly benefitted Instagram to a huge extent. The management of Instagram has tried its level best to implement the concept of diversification to its business portfolio and innovative business management along with shrewd

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Corporate finance - Assignment Example Miller & Modigliani capital structure irrelevance proposition In the year 1958 Franco Modigliani and Merton Miller highlighted that in â€Å"perfect capital markets† the capital structure does not have any influence on the value of the firm rendering it irrelevant. The perfect capital markets are not characterised by any market frictions like trading costs, taxes and the information is easily transmitted between the investors and the managers. M&M made a clear distinction between the financial risk and business risk faced by a firm. While the financial risk refers to the choice of risk distribution between the bondholders and shareholders, the business risk refers to the uncertainty of cash flows of the business. It has been pointed out by Miller and Modigliani that changes in leverage does not cast any significant influence on the cash flows generated by the business. Therefore changes in leverage cannot alter the value of the firm. ... The firms as well as individuals can borrow or lend at the risk-free interest rate. The firms employ risky equity and risk-free debt. There exist only corporate taxes i.e. absence of personal income taxes or wealth taxes. They assumed perpetuity of cash flows i.e. assuming the growth rate to be zero (Lee, et al., 2009, p.202). As per M&M model the value of levered firm (VL) is equal to the value of unlevered firm (VU). Suppose there are two companies- Company 1 and Company2. It is assumed that the two companies have identical cash flows and belong to same risk profile. The difference between the two companies is with respect to financing. M&M state that the market value of the two companies is same. Suppose the pay-off of Company 1 in good state is 160 and in bad state is 50. This company is financed only by the equity mode of financing. Similarly the payoff of Company 2 is 160 in good state and 50 in bad state. It is financed by the combination of debt and equity. Suppose the total debt of Company 2 is $60 and its market value is $50; the market value of its equity is $50. Then the value of the Company 2 is- VL = Value of its equity + Value of debt = 50+50 =100 Now if the value of Company 1 is different from Company 2 say 103. Then an arbitrage strategy can be created- An investor can sell Company 1 at 103. He can buy the equity of Company 2 at $50 and debt at $50. The net cash flow is- = 103-100 =3 This process will continue until the Value of Company 1 is equal to Company 2 (Banal-Estanol , 2010). The increase in leverage component raises the risk and return of the shareholders. This can be stated as- RE = RO + (B/S)(RO – RD) RE is the return on levered equity RO is return on unlevered equity B is the debt value S is the