Monday, December 30, 2019

Group Decision Making Report Essay - 2593 Words

THE UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTE | CASE STUDY REPORT | HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT | | NGHIA DUNG DINH | C3179988 | | TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY3 1. INTRODUCTION4 2. THE DECISION MAKING FRAMEWORK AT YELLOW AUTO 5 2a. A Sociological Perspective. 2b. The Social Exchange Theory 3. THE CRITICAL DECISION†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦6 3a. A Sociological Perspective 3b. The Group Polarization†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 4. CONCLUSION8 5. RECOMMENDATIONS8 REFERENCE LIST9 Executive Summary The report analysed the decision making framework of Yellow Auto Company from the perspective of sociology. Before 2001, Yellow Auto Company was a company which was owned and managed by a family.†¦show more content†¦According to Frizgerald ( 2013), this was one method of decision making named : decision by authority without group discussion. This type of decision making was popular in organizations; the leader of the group took responsibility to make the decision without participating of other members. This caused to the conflict in organization, the other members might not agree or understand the decision and therefore they had trend to lack motivation to implement the decision. It was very important because as Applebaum and Batt (1994) reported that the commitment of group members was the key point for the success of group works. 2b.Social Exchange Theory According to Social exchange theory (SET), it assumed that people exchange their resources based on their expectation of high rewards for little cost ( Saavedra and Dyne, 1999). It meant that members of group might not be completely happy and satisfy with the groups norms but they still conform to those norms because of rewards they could get back. Higher rewards were realised, commitment and motivation of people in group increased. The individual goal at that time was put lower the group’s goal thus increased the group performance and cohesiveness. Generally, this theory was about members accept theShow MoreRelatedThe Report On The Undercover Boss Television1448 Words   |  6 PagesSalt Lake City, Utah. The family business was passed down to Greg from his father, Larry H. Miller who passed away. The Jazz organization has about 90 members within their System of Hierarchy (See Appendix A). Every department reports to Randy Rigby (President), and his report are giving to the C EO. The Utah Jazz mission is the rightful become one of the National Basketball Association elite teams. The arena was built to restore life within the community of Salt Lake nevertheless giving the citizenRead MoreMgt 312 Organizational Behavior for Manager Complete Knowledge Checks2700 Words   |  11 Pagesmanager cannot change in the short run are: 14. Identify an accurate statement about Herzberg’s motivator-hygiene theory of job satisfaction. 15. Tamara, a fine-arts graduate, is working at her first art agency. After almost six months, she reports that she is highly dissatisfied because the job does not meet her expectations. She expected the job to be flexible and well-paying, with a well-equipped office, and 16. According to the determinants of absenteeism, which factor affects the abilityRead MoreThe Team Start Up Guide2341 Words   |  10 Pagessolutions/recommendations that arise during team meetings. Explain Consensus Decision Making The purpose behind introducing consensus decision making at this time is three fold. First, some teams need to establish ground rules about what they will do in situations where consensus cannot be reached. Second, the team will use consensus decision making to discuss and accept the ground rules they are developing. Third, by using formal consensus decision making during the team start up, the team gets practice in usingRead MoreStaples and Its Stakeholder Approach1002 Words   |  4 Pageswith stakeholders, per se, when making decisions. The company does, however, take stakeholders into consideration in its decision-making process. The company has taken an approach that is characterized as Staples Soul. Under this approach, Staples takes into account a variety of stakeholder groups, from suppliers to customers, employees and the environment, when making decisions, in addition to the shareholders. This process is facilitated through stakeholders groups that the company will have regularRead MoreThe World Trade Organization ( Wto )1587 Words   |  7 Pagesinstitutional framework† that will facilitate trade negotiations and settle disputes. Decision-making in the WTO include both formal and informal processes. At the formal level, decision making takes place under a specific legal framework, which includes rules or guidelines, division of authority, legal ramifications of decisions and the provision for change. At the informal level, internal coalitions and group politics plan an essential role in reaching consensus among members. (books.google linkRead MoreBusn 460 Entire Course Guide Week 1 – 81110 Words   |  5 PagesAnalysis Report Week 1-2 BUSN 460 Week 2 DQ 1 Planning a Technological Solution BUSN 460 Week 2 DQ 2 CostBenefit Analysis BUSN 460 Week 3 Individual Financial Analysis Project BUSN 460 Week 3 DQ 1 Flow Charting Processes BUSN 460 Week 3 DQ 2 Implementing Technology BUSN 460 Week 4 Team Video Analysis Report Week 3-4 BUSN 460 Week 4 DQ 1 Group vs Team BUSN 460 Week 4 DQ 2 Matrixed Employee Environments BUSN 460 Week 5 DQ 1 Performance Review Session BUSN 460 Week 5 DQ 2 Status Reports BUSNRead MoreProject Clerk : My Role As A Management Engineer Essay1564 Words   |  7 Pages Our team has five members, one leader, and four followers. Our goal is to come up with a tool that can help people(mainly towards students) make their decision in a more efficient way by means of using Excel. Moreover, let every member in the team join the whole process, such as brain storm, group meeting, coding and writing report,etc...So that everyone can experience different things and learn how to think and work as a management engineer. Bohengtai Xu (Project Clerk): My role in the teamRead MoreThe Fundamental Attribution Error : The Milgram Obedience Study Performed By Stanley Milgram957 Words   |  4 Pagesdetermined based on how they act in a certain situation, but not including the situation and outside influences when making that determination. The individual could be acting a certain way based on the particular situation or social circumstances, but in all actuality be completely different in another situation. Studies show that in most cases socially we want to fit in with a group, don’t want to be different, don’t want to be wrong, and in many instances act different than what our typical personalityRead MoreKey Strategic Experience On The Completion Of The Board Meetings1482 Words   |  6 Pages1.0 Introduction This report looks at the key strategic experience on the completion of the board meetings that are equivalent in the 3 year period of management at WRSX. The board meetings the data displayed a rarely consistent, positive and stable outcome overall as it was progressively increasing due to the group’s accurate decision making to an successful  £5.22 of share price on the board meeting six. However By critically evaluating the board meeting three’s decisions WRSX able to consider theRead MoreThe Sustainability Strategy of Virgin Groups Corporate1497 Words   |  6 Pagesown needs.† (G3.1 Guidelines, 2011, p4) This study report on a survey of the Virgin Groups sustainability report that summarize the Virgin companies’ sustainability strategy, evaluating the sustainability report based on the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) principle, to comment performance indicators and making recommendations, which can improve the sustainability report. Virgin Groups Corporate responsibility and sustainable development report 2010 emphasizes the range of corporate responsibility

Sunday, December 22, 2019

The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde - 1274 Words

In the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, readers are shown the contrast between one’s personal desires and public desires or one’s good side and evil side. These are the things that help stimulate the psychological development of a person and are what keeps us humans balanced, personality wise. However, when one denies the significance of this by repressing them, things can definitely go wrong. Readers can apply this knowledge into one of the major characters, Dr. Henry Jekyll, who finds the need to repress his darker side due to fear of crossing social expectations. Upon doing so, Jekyll slowly becomes selfish, and full of pride. Also, the purpose of the potion he creates to help him transform into his evil doppelganger , Mr. Hyde, ultimately fails when he finds himself having to repress Hyde as well. Lastly, Jekyll’s repression also leads to the unfortunate end of the book, the disappearance both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hy de. Therefore, through Dr. Jekyll’s character, Stevenson proves that repressing emotions or desires does not make them fade away; they will eventually come up again stronger than before and can dominate a person completely. To begin with, the Victorian society is well known for its extremely strict etiquette and the expectations it has when it comes to manners. According to the narrator, Dr. Jekyll bore â€Å"every mark of capacity and kindness†(Stevenson, 17). Although somehow Jekyll’s appearance is not mentionedShow MoreRelatedThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1675 Words   |  7 PagesThe Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Essay Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella, â€Å"The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,† is a type of Gothic literature. In the beginning of the story when Stevenson is describing the lawyer, one â€Å"Mr. Utterson,† the mood is a bit dull. At first glance the reader may think that this story would be a bit boring and drab. Stevenson’s story is far from being another dull piece of British English literature. The setting and mood of this novella are more complexRead MoreThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde Essay975 Words   |  4 PagesStevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a novella that follows the basic outline established by Mary Shelley in Frankenstein. However, Stevenson’s monster is not created from body parts but comes from the dark side of the human personality. In both novels, a man conducts a secret experiment that gets out of control. The result of these experiments is the release of a double, or doppelgan ger, which causes damage to their creator. While most people think that The Strange Case of Dr. JekyllRead MoreThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1440 Words   |  6 Pagescomplexity of human nature in his books, especially in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Kidnapped. The former is about a lawyer named Mr. Utterson seeking out the truth of Dr. Jekyll’s very strange will. He finds out that Jekyll was transforming himself into Mr. Hyde so that he could have the freedom to do whatever he wanted no matter how evil. By the time Utterson finds all this out and findsJekyll, he is too late and Jekyll has already killed himself. The latter is about David BalfourRead MoreThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1196 Words   |  5 Pageswhich do let control you? The good or evil? This was a question that Dr. Jekyll from the book, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, could not answer. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a book about a man who cannot control the two sides of himself, causing him to do terrible things and not even be aware of it. The theme of this book is good versus evil. Dr. Jekyll is fighting his evil side, known as Mr. Hyde, throughout the book. Some people believe that the book’s theme hasRead MoreThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde938 Words   |  4 PagesVictorian Hopes and Fears Involving Science as Found in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde During the Victorian Era there was a great race to use science to alleviate the suffering of the ill, specifically for those patients who were suffering from ailments of the mind. While some of the methods used to diagnose and treat such afflictions would be considered barbaric in nature by today’s standards, they were considered cutting edge medical science during the time of the Victorian Era. It was also consideredRead MoreThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde964 Words   |  4 PagesThe Strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, written by Robert Louis Stevenson was published in 1886. The story is published during the Victorian era, the Victorian era was an age of repression, there was no violence, no sexual appetite, and there was no great expression or emotion. In the story, Dr. Jekyll creates a potion that turns him into Mr. Hyde, Mr. Hyde is the complete opposite of what people are in the Victorian era. At first, Dr. Jekyll is in control of Mr. Hyde, but towards t he end MrRead MoreThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1505 Words   |  7 PagesDuring the latter portion of the nineteenth century, Robert Louis Stevenson published his novella, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The fin de sià ¨cle saw the rise of different thoughts and ideas surrounding science and society. These concepts and interpretations sparked the discourse surrounding the theory of degeneration; which was the concern that civilization would fall to a lower state of being. This chapter will be reading multiplex personality as a manifestation of this broader culturalRead MoreThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1739 Words   |  7 Pagesnovel â€Å"The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde† by Robert Louis Stevenson, the novel â€Å"Frankenstein† by Mary Shelley, the short story â€Å"The Monkey’s Paw† by W.W Jacobs and the short story â€Å"Yellow Wallpaper† by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. These four texts convey this theme through the use of gothic conventions such as death, madness and darkness. In the novels The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll are wronglyRead MoreThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1351 Words   |  6 PagesThe Personas of Henry Jekyll Every person is born with bright and dark personas that people moderate due to the standards of society. In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Jekyll and Hyde battle for the power to stay alive in the story. As Jekyll continues to try and take over his evil persona, Hyde tries to stay alive and cause evil in the world. In our society, many people will struggle with self control and Dr. Jekyll has trouble controlling his alter ego by performing his evil pleasuresRead MoreThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1326 Words   |  6 Pages The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was published during the late Victorian era, but he clearly brings into question the acceptance of Victorian philosophies, especially the belief that one truth exists and that we can identify good and evil as separate entities. The names Jekyll and Hyde have become synonymous with multiple personality disorder. This novel can be examined from the natural dualism and Freud’s structural th eory of the mind. In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Alternative Rural Construction Technologies in North East India Free Essays

Dissertation LITERATURE REVIEW ALTERNATIVE RURAL CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGIES ( NORTH-EAST INDIA ) Introduction:The North Eastern portion of India has ever been a absorbing country for travelers and adventurers. The rich heritage is exemplified through the ethnicity, tradition, support, and besides by the architectural typologies. Several distinguishable architectural characteristics are seen in North East provinces, which differ by clime and deep frozen traditions. We will write a custom essay sample on Alternative Rural Construction Technologies in North East India or any similar topic only for you Order Now The architecture of this country evolved in class of clip and were largely built by the dwellers themselves, without any preparation in building. Yet, due to uninterrupted engagement in the field of building, they finally came to cognize about the different margins considered in planing a house, which can be seen or understood through their home grounds. These houses, built with locally available stuffs, were sensitive to the bing environment and took into consideration the restraints imposed by the clime. These countries are able to supply its home ground with the building needs, but due to the deficiency of knowledge/awareness, these resources has non been utilized expeditiously. In order to use these available resources most expeditiously, it is necessary to advance the usage of advanced edifice stuffs and building techniques. Extension of energy and cost effectual edifice stuffs, use of agricultural by-products/wastes every bit good as locally available stuffs, cheaper and clip salvaging building techniques and efficient house programs at low-cost cost, has a great significance in the present rural scenario. This paper aims at the survey of common architecture of these country. Note the pros and cons of the present building scenarios, and better on them to do a more efficient home grounds, through alternate technologies/improving on the available resources to do a more efficient houses. The architectural solution can be attained through a deep survey and apprehension of this field. The research inquiry being, How to advance and widen appropriate building engineerings to better rural architecture? Thus it aims to analyze the present rural architecture ( taking NE India as a mention ) and better on it, to utilize the available resources most efficient. Reappraisal:Alternate rural building engineerings aims at happening the resources available in the North East India, and bettering on them to do the most out of it. Ever since adult male become colonist, he experiment assorted natural resources for constructing a shelter. Certain stuffs become the rule edifice stuffs and are continued to be used in building, some of them in its original signifier while some after intervention or byproduct of nature. But, due to scarceness of the resources, inaccessibility on site, deficiency of cognition for using the help stuffs and assorted other grounds, demands for innovation of new stuffs arise. Some of them, even though normally used in building and dependable stuffs, are scarce or a menace to nature. Therefore, using the natural resources and utilizing them in a more efficient manner demands to be prioritized instead than trusting on imported materials/ engineerings. img src="https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/aaimagestore/essays/1178457.001.jpg" alt="C:UsersLian SamteDesktop7th semesterD. Leikot - Copy.JPG" /Let’s expression at the North east country as a whole and see, what the conditions of edifice building are, the pros and cons of the present scenario. Here is the program of a edifice made out of clay, ( writer ) . In this, we have a house widening 6.9m/ 4.9m, it has an country in the which are being used for cookery and fixing nutrient, and comes the following subdivision, where other day-to-day activities happens, or instead their twenty-four hours infinite, and the other room being the bed room. All other activities like, bathing, fixing nutrient for farm animal, making their demands go on near their house. The present issues here are like, shelter for them while making their other activities outside their place. Sufficient air and light motion in the house. Unnecessary use of building stuffs, like for illustration, the thickness o r the sum of stuffs usage ( beginning: writer ) in building the walls, roofs, flooring could hold been reduced by decently reenforcing the stuffs or by utilizing them in a more appropriate ways non merely to cut down the sum of stuffs used, but besides to do it last longer, fire cogent evidence or even utilizing other more appropriate stuffs. In malice of the fact that stuffs used for building or programs of the edifice are non satisfactory, yet these present edifices provides them with a thermic comfort, and other assorted margins which one frequently fails to accomplish in the modern houses. Therefore, non merely implementing new materials/ design of a edifice or planning, bettering and happening alternate agreement on the pros of the present rural building and replacing the cons. Besides, some or instead, many of the present issues faced in the rural building are merely because of the deficiency of cognition, the short approachs of these issues could be solved non merely by replacing the stuffs or alteration of design, but by agencies of minor alterations, like the sum of stuffs used, care jobs, etc. farther testing is needed, since cognition of grounds of failure/ short coming of certain issues are limited. These issues could be solved by farther study/ research to supply the appropriate solutions and non merely rely on premises made to be the ground for failure of the bing design or certain stuff. These research will take at analyzing farther more into these issues and seek to come up with an appropriate solution for the issues. Alternate rural building engineerings non merely aims at merely changing/ bettering on the bing stuffs, but it besides aims at doing the house program for a more efficient usage of infinite, both the negative and positive. To suite a ) the clime B ) the geographics on which the edifice is supposed to sit degree Celsius ) the civilization ( including the faith, tradition, societal activities ) A ; and most significantly vitamin D ) the inhabitants. Therefore, alternate engineerings can be looked upon under three different stairss the first being the design ( planning of the house- before the onsite executing of the house ) , Construction ( materials- the onsite executing of the designed house ) and Home/ home ( culture- the after executing of the house ) . The design ( planning of the house- before the onsite executing of the house ) – Design of a rural house is more complex and hard than the urban 1s, as it normally has to get by non merely for the family/owner but with their farm animal excessively ( Baker Laurie ) . There is besides normally a demand for covered infinite outside the house for all kinds of businesss, weaving, basket devising, cyberspaces and fishing, nutrient drying and processing etc. Because, many of the abodes if non all are normally husbandmans. The unfastened infinite around the house is every bit of import as the house itself, as it is really much in usage for cookery, storing, animate being, domestic fowl etc. The present conditions in these countries could non supply desirable shelter for different season of the twelvemonth for the said demands, due to miss of cognition, economic position, etc. Therefore, these of import activities happens in the country which are uncovered/ sometimes making ineluctable issues during rainy season, rough summer/winter, etc. So, basic programs which aims at minimizing and spread outing every bit and when possible is needed or by supplying some short of shelter for these out-of-door activities for these seasons. Construction ( materials- the onsite executing of the designed house ) – Execution is the phase where the conceptual is being shaped into things that can be sensed by other people. An thought must be realized in stuffs ( Henry Glassie, 1984 ) materialisation raises complexnesss in architectural communicating non met in verbal communicating and it limits construct. The determination to make a edifice is the determination to destruct some portion of the material existence. Our natural things are destroyed- trees have been cut down, rock being broken into pieces, old places are razed off– to do things better. The effort to better our homes by destructing the nature is technological. Every technological act entails alterations in two major dealingss: one between the homo to the non-human universe, and the other one within the universe of the people itself. Technology required the forfeit of extant stuffs that finally do non owe their presence to human existences. Therefore, by sagely using what Mother Nature gave us, we non merely give back to nature, but the human- ourselves, as Brundtland ( 1987 ) provinces, Sustainable development is development that meets the demands of the present without compromising the demands of future coevalss to run into their ain demands. This definition of Brundtland contains within it two cardinal constructs: the construct of demands, to which overruling precedence should be given and the construct of restrictions, to run into the present and future demands. One needs to take stuffs for building sing the undermentioned points- They should be locally available. Preference should be given to stuffs of low embodied energy. Minimum C footmark stuffs. Biodegradable and renewable stuffs. They should hold long life and lasting, and Materials should be reclaimable and reclaimable. Home/ home ( culture- the after executing of the house ) – Culture, intending the people who are populating in the executed house, the tradition, society, life style, is one of import facet for planing a house. A place is a house where the household lives. So, the manner the household maintains or uses the house besides plays an of import function in the lastingness of the house, stableness and even thermic responds of the house. For case, a traditional Earth houses provide changeless thermal comfort by regular care, it needs to be plastered after every five old ages, due to its exposure to the exterior atmosphere. If non, the thermic comfort provided by the houses reduces, same goes for a thatch roof, without regular care H2O sipping through the roof can be experienced. Therefore regular attention has to be provided to the houses, even after it is one time constructed. Last, this research/ findings purpose at supplying a building stuffs which is more lasting, needs less care, and stable, these can be achieved by choosing the right type of stuffs for the right clime, geographics and handiness, or by intervention of the bing stuffs to do it needs less care. Yet, continue attention has to be taken by the proprietors, for the place to supply them healthy built in environment to populate in. Bibliographies: Glassie Henry, Material Culture, Vol. 16, No.1 ( Spring 1984 ) . Common Architecture and Society, Pioneer America Society. Bakers Laurie, Rural house programs. Anubha, Barun, Belal, Kartik, Kaushik, Nitin, et Al. 1990, Clay Products Manufacture, Clay undertakings III yr. B.Arch, SPA Delhi. How to cite Alternative Rural Construction Technologies in North East India, Essay examples

Friday, December 6, 2019

The Autonomous University of the Barcelona - MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss aboutThe Autonomous University of the Barcelona. Answer: The Autonomous University of Barcelona, SPAIN I would like to do the exchange program at the Autonomous University of Barcelona because the university is one of the best around the world in terms of research and excellence of academic training and performance. I have found several highly acclaimed research papers and thesis papers by the university that have been published in a number of international journals. I am pursuing my Bachelors degree in Arts majoring in economics. The Autonomous University of Barcelona has received a distinction from the Government of Catalonia for its Masters Programme on the subject, and the University System in Catalonia has recommended the mentioned degree for Accreditation with quality. The Masters Degree in Economic Analysis (IDEA) offered by the university prepares the pupils for a promising career ahead. Even the Bachelors degree in economics has best lecturers from around the globe. Hence, the course at the host university will give me an edge over others in McGill University by international exposure and excellence in training. The course will impact my life positively as I will have an option to understand the internationally acclaimed Masters degree program which I may pursue after completion of my Bachelors. Apart from that, I also aspire to pursue a career in law. The host university has an outstanding Bachelors degree program in Law where there are faculties having strong networks at different universities of excellence internationally. I can engage with the students and faculty and understand the possibilities and opportunities of the degree. When I return home, I can share my experiences at the host university and contribute towards a positive cultural assimilation between both the countries. Uppsala University, Barcelona I would like to apply for an exchange program at the Uppsala University in Sweden because the university is one of the topmost universities in Europe, featuring in the top 100 best universities worldwide in a number of credible and high profile international college rankings. The university is specialised at excellence in research and is the oldest in Sweden. The course at the host university will contribute substantially towards my Bachelors of Arts course, in which I am majoring in Economics, by helping me to understand the international scenario of economics and possibilities around it. I will be ahead of my peer group by getting international exposure. I also have an aspiration to study law after the completion of my Bachelors of Arts degree in which I want to specialise in Corporate Law or Business Law as it is known. The host university offers a detailed course in commercial law under the department of Business studies. The host university has been involved in many acclaimed research activities. Department of Business studies have been recently researching on the nullity of contract clauses under EU law. The study away will help me in understanding my aspirations well and I will be able to engage with students in the Department of Business who are studying commercial law, which will clear my vision about the subject. This will help me in my career that I want to pursue in commercial and corporate law. After returning to my home country, I will have broader vision about Swedish culture, which will help me in inter-cultural communication. I will help my family and friends to understand about the host University, Swedish people, and Sweden as a whole. Universidad Pontificia Comillas ICADE, Madrid, SPAIN I want to undertake the exchange program at Universidad Pontificia Comillas, Madrid Spain because it is the topmost university in Spain having the most international exposure opportunities, and excellence in academic researches and programs. This university is the only one in Spain to appear in the Times Higher Education ranking 2013. It would be a fortunate opportunity for me to take part in the exchange program here. I am currently pursuing my Bachelor of Arts degree with Economics as the major subject. The universitys dedicated department for the study of Economics will help me to understand and delve deep into the details of the subject. There is a very famous Joint Masters in Economics and Management Network Industries which I will understand from the university faculty and contemplate upon the possibilities to take up as my higher education after my Bachelors. I also wish to pursue education in Law, specialising in Corporate Law. The faculty of Law in the host university has been providing superlative quality courses in the field. The department has a dedicated field of study for corporate law in which I can take part and learn. This will help me in my higher education after my completion of Bachelors. I have been always enticed by the Spanish lifestyle and culture. The study away will impact my life positively by allowing me to take quality education at one hand and mix with Spanish people and understand their culture at the other hand. I will get a boost in my career perspectives and possibilities by the international academic exposure. After returning to my home, I will transmit the values and quality of professionalism I will receive from the course at the host university. I will have a more culturally diverse understanding of people, which will help me to interact with different communities. University College of London, UK I want to pursue the exchange program at the prestigious University College of London, United Kingdom, because it is one of the largest and most respected educational institutions of the country. It is third highest in the total country in terms of total enrolment. It is consistently and regularly ranked in high positions in international rankings of universities of high credibility. I am currently pursuing my Bachelors of Arts in McGill University, with economics as my major subject and political science as the minor. The host university has a detailed and highly acclaimed three-year programme called the Philosophy and Economics BA, which provides a detailed training in economics along with a sound understanding in philosophy. This will give me a great benefit in my course, as the United Kingdom Government has ranked the University College of Londons Economic department top in the UK according to the Research Excellence Framework 2014. The study-away program will help me in my career because I also have the aspiration of studying Law after my completion of B.A degree, and the law department at the host university combines in the best way theories, researches, and practical application. Very well-known academics and researchers in the field of Law are working as faculties here, with whom I can interact and understand my possibilities of taking up corporate law as career option. When I return I will contribute to my community and peer group in a positive way imparting to them the knowledge I have received and by sharing the values and culture I have learnt from the country I have visited.

Friday, November 29, 2019

Zane mohamad Essays - Energy, Physical Universe, Nature,

Zane mohamad Profesor Empric Research Essay 10/24/17 The majority of the energy used in the world comes from coal, gas, and oil.these resources are known as fossil fuels. Research has proven that burning fossil fuels causes climate change and can be considered a cause for global warming. Nuclear Energy is the better option. Nuclear energy is more efficient than burning fossil fuel. Burning fossil fuels is a biohazard because it pollutes our water and most importantly our air. Coal is the most the most used resource fossil fuel in America in 2017 but i still dont think its the best option. Coal contains the most CO2 per BTU which is the largest contributor to global warming in the world. Usually a coal burning power plant creates over 300,000 tons of waste ash and sludge each year which just goes into the air and water. When coal is burned it releases residue forms of toxic waste.for example arsenic, cadmium, chromium and mercury.on Average nuclear power plant generates 20 metric tons of radioactive waste annually. This material is isolated and transported and stored in locations where it can break down without causing any harm to anyone. the biggest Disadvantage of using Oil as fuel is that it releases Carbon Dioxide. Carbon dioxide is known for being sequestered for millions of years in the dead bodies of plant and animals. Another reason Oil is a bad source of energy would be because of oil spills. Oil Spills have caused massive pollution of water bodies which leads to the death of thousands of animals and fishes every year. The BP Oil Spill caused billions of dollars in losses and even to this day small Oil Spills keep happening.Oil is not only a fuel resource, it also a greed and Evil resource. Why is that you might ask , well oil is drilled in some of the worst dictatorships in the world like Saudi Arabia and other African countries. These countries give rise to violence and growth in terrorism as this oil money is used to fund these organizations. Do you ever pull up to a gas station and think about what gas really is and how Dangerous it really is. Natural gas is a highly flammable substance that can cause significantly more damage should there be an accident. Natural gas leaks can cause fires or explosions, if not handled carefully.To add on gas is non renewable and is not a sustainable form of energy. Gas is not an answer to rapid growing energy crisis problem that this world is facing. The need is to look beyond that and invest heavily is renewable form of technologies. I don't know about you but i want the earth to be habitable for the incoming generations and if we keep using fossil fuels like gas , oil, and coal that won't be an optian that's why Nuclear power is the way to go when it comes to energy sources .Nuclear energy has the least effect on nature since it doesn't release any gases like methane and carbon dioxide, which are the main greenhouse gases. I should also mention that there is no unfavorable impact on water, land or any territories when you use nuclear power. Nuclear power is also way more efficient than fossil fuels. For example a pound of nuclear fuel carries about 1 million times the energy as a pound of fossil fuel. According to the University of Florida, a 1 gigawatt coal-fired power plant requires 9,000 tons of fuel per day which is the same amount if a nuclear plant consumes about 6.6 pounds of uranium in the same amount of time. One myth about Nuclear energy would be that it expensive, well its not. The electricity produc ed after Nuclear Energy is produced is very cheap and Stable. Unlike Fossil fuels the price for Nuclear Energy will Rarely go on the rise. Fossil fuels are pretty much the opposite because they depend on the market.When the market is good, oil prices become stable. When the market is bad, oil prices may shoot up or plummet. There are negatives to almost everything, but you can't let some negatives outshine the tremendous good something can do for our society and

Monday, November 25, 2019

Free Essays on The Fruits Of Love

and raw simplicity in the way he tells his story illustrates his youth and the honesty that comes with it. Everything he says, such as â€Å"The first time I walked with a girl, I was twelve†, is straightforward and simple, much like childhood love. Children tend to have more pure and simple feelings for one another than adults do because their lives are simple and uncomplicated. The tone of the speaker helps the reader comprehend those simple feelings of adolescent love. For his next technique, Gary Soto uses contrasting imagery to portray the feeling of adolescent love. Within the first seven lines of the poem, the narrator tells you that it is a cold, gray December day. The first time the oranges are introduced, the narrator simply tells you that he is â€Å"Weighed down with two oranges in my jacket". The bright image and color of the oranges immediately begins to infuse light, happiness, and love into the scene by contrasting with the cold, frosty December atmosphere. The oranges have the ability to do this because of a connotative connection with the bright color of the oranges and light. Later, the narrator notices that the girl’s porch light is always on despite the weather or the time of day. This image again brings up light that in turn reflects back to the brightness of the oranges. Then the girl appears, â€Å"Pulling at her gloves, face bright with rouge". The brig... Free Essays on The Fruits Of Love Free Essays on The Fruits Of Love The Oranges of Romance Imagine that it is winter and cold outside. Nervous electricity flows around you, and love is a new and exciting experience. In your heart, you feel warmth you have never known before. This is the moment Gary Soto captures in his poem â€Å"Oranges†. The feeling and power of adolescent love is created using tone, contrasting imagery, and symbolism. First, the use of tone in â€Å"Oranges† clearly helps to set the theme of the poem. Children often talk with simple sentences that directly state what happened. The speaker’s choice of words and raw simplicity in the way he tells his story illustrates his youth and the honesty that comes with it. Everything he says, such as â€Å"The first time I walked with a girl, I was twelve†, is straightforward and simple, much like childhood love. Children tend to have more pure and simple feelings for one another than adults do because their lives are simple and uncomplicated. The tone of the speaker helps the reader comprehend those simple feelings of adolescent love. For his next technique, Gary Soto uses contrasting imagery to portray the feeling of adolescent love. Within the first seven lines of the poem, the narrator tells you that it is a cold, gray December day. The first time the oranges are introduced, the narrator simply tells you that he is â€Å"Weighed down with two oranges in my jacket". The bright image and color of the oranges immediately begins to infuse light, happiness, and love into the scene by contrasting with the cold, frosty December atmosphere. The oranges have the ability to do this because of a connotative connection with the bright color of the oranges and light. Later, the narrator notices that the girl’s porch light is always on despite the weather or the time of day. This image again brings up light that in turn reflects back to the brightness of the oranges. Then the girl appears, â€Å"Pulling at her gloves, face bright with rouge". The brig...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Considering Mixed Methods Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Considering Mixed Methods Research - Essay Example â€Å"Proponents of mixed research typically adhere to the compatibility thesis as well as to the philosophy of pragmatism. The compatibility thesis is the idea that quantitative and qualitative methods are compatible, that is, they can both be used in a single research study. The philosophy of pragmatism says that researchers should use the approach or mixture of approaches that works the best in a real world situation. In short, what works is what is useful and should be used, regardless of any philosophical assumptions, paradigmatic assumptions, or any other type of assumptions.† (Mixed Method and Mixed Model Research). Therefore, the mixed methods research has a major impact on the quality of research conducted in several topics in different branches of social sciences. It is important to have a definite understanding about the mixed methods research. According to Keith F Punch, â€Å"Mixed methods research is empirical research that involves the collection and analysis o f both qualitative and quantitative data†¦ A single study that combines qualitative and quantitative data is mixed methods, but the term can also refer to several studies that combine both types of data.† (Punch, 2009, p. 288). The value and appropriateness of the mixed methods research in various areas of investigation may be comprehended from the fact that this method incorporates the essential advantages of both the quantitative and qualitative methods, while eliminating the major limitations of these approaches to research. In fact, the mixed methods research is most valuable when form of data collection would not be sufficient to respond to a particular research problem. It is, therefore, essential to undertake a careful analysis of the factors that contribute to the effective performance of a mixed methods research. There have been four important

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Exam question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Exam question - Essay Example Restorative justice is less punitive than the traditional justice system which requires the offender to suffer some kind of fine or incarceration. Restorative justice focuses on the needs of the victim and the wider community. Instead of being punished alone, restorative justice focuses on getting the offender to take responsibility for his actions. In doing this, the victim might have to admit his guilt and take actions to either apologise to the victim or reinstate the victim in lieu of all the losses suffered. In other cases, the offender undergoes community service. The motive of restorative justice is to focus on the personal needs of the victim. Stated differently, the approach of sending offenders to jail and getting them to pay fines to the state does not seem to provide direct satisfaction to the victims. This is because it seems impersonal and the victim does not get any kind of restitution or reparation. However, in the case of restorative justice, the victim gets the oppo rtunity to be given what s/he lost in an offence. If it is not possible to give back, the offender might render an apology and promise not to do so again. This fosters communal relations and promotes reformation (b) What are the aims of Restorative Justice? The Crown Prosecution Service outlines three main aims of restorative justice. The first aim is to promote victim satisfaction. In other words, there is evidence that the traditional approach of criminalising offences and imprisoning offenders does not seem to satisfy victims. Rather, it only keep the offenders away and there is no contact between them and victims. Restorative justice provides a system of reducing fear and tensions between the victim and the perpetrator. Also, in a sense, the apology of the victim and compensation [which is not a feature of traditional courts] can satisfy a victim emotionally. In another sense, the compensation or restitution paid by a victim can prove to be helpful in assisting victims to get ba ck to their former position. The second aim of restorative justice is to foster some form of engagement between the victim and perpetrator. The idea is to provide an important platform through which the victim can tell the perpetrator what he things. Also, the perpetrator can accept his guilt, and apologise for his part in the situation. The victim becomes aware of his actions and the consequences. Through, this he voluntarily accepts the obligation to do something for the victim and community in order to make amends. This makes the whole process of punishment more personal and constructive. The third aim of restorative justice is that it creates community capital. In other words, it enables the community to get a win-win criminal justice system in which people are punished adequately and proportionately. Also, offenders are made aware of the scope of their actions and this prevents them from reoffending. In this sense, the community builds some degree of confidence in the justice s ystem and makes them fell more secured and protected by the law. 2. (a) What are the advantages and disadvantages of Restorative Justice (taking account of the variety of ‘stakeholders’ who are, or might be, affected by it)? There are some advantages of restorative justice. First of all, restorative justice improves the outcome of court's decision because the victims get the chance to

Monday, November 18, 2019

Friends and interaction Statistics Project Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Friends and interaction - Statistics Project Example actions ranging from home to school ambiance that make a positive impact over their friendly relationship and would further outline some more important elements which assist to sway in assisting or restricting in friendly relationships. Out of many other sources to advance the best relations in home and society, the friendship plays greater role, to attain satisfaction and happiness in the whole life, and to this effect, making friends and building friendly relations is very crucial and critical for the younger aged people. – Epicurus (Welty & Sharp, 1991, p. 65). Source: http://www.cyc-net.org/cyc-online/cycol-0610-overton.html Productive human relations are very vital for the lives leading to happiness. Our friendly terms lead to significant roles–they help us to salvage and command confidence in our lives, that lend us happiness and comfort which enforces us in trying situations, and to authenticate our sense of value and our interests. We may be impressed by a lot of people in different ways yet our friendly relationship with our buddies effects us more vividly. We have recounted narrations of the meaning of friendship which dates back to the time immemorial – means as the history mankind is lengthy that much friendship is lengthy. Cicero writes - now friendship possesses many splendid advantages, but of course the finest thing of all about it is that it sends a ray of hope into the future, and keeps our hearts from faltering or falling by the wayside. For the man who keeps his eye on a true friend keeps it, so to speak, on a model of himself: For this reason, friends are together when they are separated, they are rich when they are poor, strong when they are weak, and a thing even harder to explain – they live on after they have died, so great is the honor that follows them, so vivid the memory, so poignant the sorrow. (Welty & Sharp, 1991, p. 72). Not only the educationists do even the parents perceive the significance of friendly relations with

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Ocular Manifestations of Mucopolysacchridosis

Ocular Manifestations of Mucopolysacchridosis Ocular manifestations of mucopolysacchridosis Praddep Sagar Arsikere, Pradeep Venkatesh, Yog Raj Sharma Mucopolysaccharidoses  (MPS)  are a group of disorders caused by  the  inherited deficiency of lysosomal enzymes involved in  the  metabolism of glycosaminoglycan  (GAG),  resulting in  the  widespread intracellular and extracellular accumulation of  GAG.  > Type Gene Deficient enzyme GAG deposited IInheritance  pattern Hurler syndrome (MPS I-H) IDUA (4p16.3) Alpha-L-iduronidase Dermatan sulfate, heparan sulfate AR Hurler-Scheie syndrome  (MPS I-H/S) IDUA (4p16.3) Alpha-L-iduronidase Dermatan sulfate, heparan sulfate AR Scheie syndrome (MPS I-S) IDUA (4p16.3) Alpha-L-iduronidase Dermatan sulfate, heparan sulfate AR Hunter syndrome, severe (MPS II-A) IDS (Xq28) Iduronate sulfatase Dermatan sulfate, heparan sulfate XR Hunter syndrome, mild (MPS II-B) IDS (Xq28) Iduronate  sulfatase Dermatan sulfate, heparan sulfate XR Sanfilippo syndrome A (MPS III-A) SGSH (17q25.3) Heparan  N-sulfatase Heparan sulfate AR Sanfilippo syndrome B (MPS III-B) NAGLU (17q21) Alpha-N-acetylglucosaminidase Heparan sulfate AR Sanfilippo syndrome C (MPS III-C) HGSNAT (8p11.1) Heparan-alpha-glucosaminide Nacetyltransferase Heparan sulfate AR Sanfilippo syndrome D (MPS III-D) GNS (12q14) N-acetyl alpha-glucosamine-6-sulfatase Heparan sulfate AR Morquio syndrome A (MPS IV-A) GALNS (16q24.3) N-acetylgalactosamine 6-sulfatase Keratan sulfate AR Morquio syndrome B (MPS IV-B) GLB1 (3p21.33) Beta-galactosidase Keratan sulfate AR Maroteaux-Lamy syndrome (MPS VI) ARSB (5q14.1) Arylsulfatase B Dermatan sulfate AR Sly syndrome (MPS VII) GUSB (7q21.11) Beta-glucuronidase Dermatan sulfate, heparan sulfate, Chondroitin sulfate AR Natowicz syndrome  (MPS IX) HYAL1 (3p21) Hyaluronidase AR Ocular manifestations 1. Ocular adnexa Eyelid thickening  occurs  due to  the  accumulation of  GAG. Hypertelorism has been reported in MPS types  III,  Ã‚  II and  Ã‚  VII. Pseudoproptosis due to shallow orbit has been reported in a patient with MPS VI  and MPS II. 2. Cornea The extracellular matrix of corneal stroma contains dermatan sulfate and keratan sulfate in equal proportion. Both dermatan sulfate and keratan sulfate are synthesized by stromal keratocytes. Dermatan sulfate proteoglycans are involved in  the  control of interfibrillar spacing and in  the  lamellar adhesion of corneal collagens. Keratan sulfate proteoglycans are involved in the regulation of collagen fibril diameter. Mainly,  epithelial cells synthesize heparan sulfate proteoglycans,  and they are minor components of cornea. Since dermatan sulfate and keratan sulfate are the major GAGs in  the  corneal stroma, corneal involvement is mainly seen in MPS types  I, IV, VI and VII. In corneas of patients with MPS,  the  excessive accumulation of dermatan sulfate or keratan sulfate in the form of vacuoles can be seen in epithelial cells, keratocytes, histiocytes and extracellular matrix. An increase in  the  mean fibril diameter of collagen and  an  increase in fibril spacing  are  noted in the corneal stroma of patients with MPS I. These structural alterations in collagen fibrils may contribute to light scattering. But the corneal clouding is mainly due to  the  accumulation of GAGs in all the layers of cornea with enlarged stromal keratocytes. Corneal involvement is typically not seen in type III, as the metabolism of heparan sulfate is impaired in type III and heparan sulfate is not synthesized by stromal keratocytes. Symptoms include gradually progressive painless diminution of visual acuity and light intolerance due to scattering of light. In early cases, fine grey punctuate opacities in anterior stroma are visible. In advanced cases,  there is diffuse corneal clouding. Corneal thickness is variable, and it may be increased or normal.  Corneal hysteresis is increased. Corneal  oedema  occurs in cases with  increased intra-ocular  pressure  (IOP). 3.  Optic nerve GAGs  are the major components of  the  extracellular matrix of  the  optic nerve head.  Proteoglycans containing chondritin sulfate and dermatan sulfate are located in lamina cribrosa, supporting tissues of the optic nerve head like septae, pia. Proteoglycans containing heparan sulfate are located in margins of laminar plates of lamina cribrosa.  The  optic nerve involvement can be due to accumulation of  Ã‚  GAG  in  the  extracellular matrix of  the  optic nerve, narrowing of pores in lamina cribrosa, thickening of dura  and  narrowing of bony optic canal  Ã‚  that  leads  to disc  oedema  (pseudopapilloedema). It can also be due to raised intracranial pressure manifesting as true papilloedema.  Long-standing axonal compression or papilloedema  can lead to secondary optic atrophy.  The  accumulation of GAG in ganglion cells of retina can lead to axonal degeneration and optic atrophy. Optic nerve involvement is more commonly seen in types  I, II, VI  and  VII,  as the major  Ã‚  GAGs  in optic nerve and lamina cribrosa are dermatan sulfate and chondritin sulfate. Optic nerve involvement is less with type III,  as heparan sulfate is located in the margins of lamina cribrosa,  and in type IV,  as keratan sulfate is not present in the optic nerve head in human.   4.  Glaucoma The human trabecular meshwork contains chondroitin sulfate, keratan sulfate, heparan sulfate  and  dermatan sulfate.  The  accumulation of  Ã‚  GAG  in the anterior segment structures can lead to  the  narrowing of angle resulting in acute angle closure and chronic angle closure glaucoma. Anterior segment  optical coherence tomography  (OCT)  imaging in mucopolysacchridosis suggests crowded anterior segment and increased corneal thickness in type VI than  in  type I.  The  accumulation of GAG in trabecular cells can lead to features similar to open-angle glaucoma.  The  measurement of IOP by Goldmann applanation tonometer may be falsely high due to increased corneal thickness and corneal hysteresis.  The  visualization of angle by gonioscopy may be compromised due to corneal clouding,  thus posing difficulty in differentiating open angle from closed angle.  The  monitoring of progression and severity of glaucomatous optic neuropathy may be compromised by corneal clouding and disc  oedema. Anterior segment OCT is a valuable tool in  the  assessment of angle, particularly in patients with corneal clouding. Ocular response  Ã‚  analyser  can be used  for the  accurate measurement of IOP in these cases. 5. Retina Heparan sulfate, dermatan sulfate, chondroitin sulfate and hyaluronan are present throughout the retina and choroid. Heparan sulfate is particularly located in  the  basement membrane containing structures, the RNFL and RPE. Keratan sulfate is absent in  the  retina and choroid.  Ã‚  GAGs  are integral components of  the  basement membrane of retinal microvasculature,  and heparan sulfate is the predominant variety. Tapetoretinal degeneration has been reported in MPS types  I,  Ã‚  II,  Ã‚  III and  Ã‚  IV. 6.  Sclera Scleral thickening may lead to  the  uveal effusion syndrome. Suggested Reading 1.  Villas-Boas FS, Fernandes Filho DJ, Acosta AX.  Ocular findings in patients with mucopolysaccharidosis.  Arq Bras Oftalmol  2011;74(6):430–434. 2.  Viestenz A, Shin YS, Viestenz A, Naumann GO.  Ocular  manifestation of  mucopolysaccharidosis I-S (Scheies  syndrome).  Klin Monbl Augenheilkd  2002;219(10):745–748.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Terrorism - No Public Discourse on Terror :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

No Public Discourse on Terror Rep. Barbara Lee (D-California) said the following in casting the lone vote against giving President Bush full congressional approval for carrying out his War on Terrorism as he sees fit: I am convinced that military action will not prevent further acts of international terrorism against the United States. This is a very complex and complicated matter. . . . However difficult this vote may be, some of us must urge the use of restraint. Our country is in a state of mourning. Some of us must say, let us step back for a moment. Let us just pause for a minute and think through the implications of our actions today so that this does not spiral out of control. . . . I have agonized over this vote, but I came to grips with it today and I came to grips with opposing this resolution during the very painful yet very beautiful memorial service. As a member of the clergy so eloquently said, "As we act, let us not become the evil that we deplore." I agree. But what is striking to me as a linguist is the use of negatives in the statement: "not prevent," "restraint" (inherently negative), "not spiral out of control," "not become the evil that we deplore.'' Friends are circulating a petition calling for "Justice without vengeance." "Without" has another implicit negative. It is not that these negative statements are wrong. But what is needed is a positive form of discourse. There is one. The central concept is that of "responsibility," which is at the heart of progressive/liberal morality (See Moral Politics). Progressive/liberal morality begins with empathy, the ability to understand others and feel what they feel. That is presupposed in responsibility-responsibility for oneself, for protection, for the care of those who need care, and for the community. Those were the values that we saw at work among the rescue workers in New York right after the attack. Responsibility requires competence and effectiveness. If you are to deal responsibly with terrorism, you must deal effectively with all its causes: religious, social, and enabling causes.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Succubus Blues CHAPTER 22

â€Å"You faked it†¦ faked being affected by me,† I realized, shock making my words come out thick and faltering. Still chuckling, he took a step toward me, and I cringed, frantically trying to find a way to run, to get out of my own apartment. What had moments ago seemed safe and inviting now became close and stifling. My apartment was too small, the door too far away. I couldn't breathe. The amusement on Roman's face shifted to astonishment. â€Å"What's the matter? What are you afraid of?† â€Å"What do you think I'm afraid of?† He blinked. â€Å"Me?† â€Å"Yes, you. You kill immortals.† â€Å"Well, yeah,† he admitted, â€Å"but I'd never hurt you. Never. You know that, don't you?† I didn't answer. â€Å"Don't you?† I backed up farther, not that I had anywhere to go. I was faced in such a way as to only keep moving toward my bedroom, not toward the front door. That wasn't likely to do any good. Roman still seemed floored at my reaction. â€Å"Come on, I can't believe this. I would never do anything to you. I'm half in love with you. Hell, do you know what a wrench you've already thrown into this operation?† â€Å"Me? What have I done?† â€Å"What have you done? You've wrapped my heart around your little finger, that's what you've done. That day†¦ when you solicited me at the bookstore? I couldn't believe my luck. I'd been watching you all week, you know, trying to learn your habits. Christ, I'll never forget the first day I saw you. How feisty you where. How beautiful. I would have gone to the ends of the earth for you right then and there. And later†¦ when you wouldn't go out with me after the signing? I couldn't believe it. You were originally going to be my first target, you know. But I couldn't do it. Not after I'd talked to you. Not after I'd realized what you are.† I swallowed, curious in spite of myself. â€Å"What – what am I?† He took a step toward me, a rueful half-smile on his handsome face. â€Å"A succubus who doesn't want to be a succubus. A succubus who wants to be human.† â€Å"No, that's not true†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Of course it is. You're like me. You don't play by the rules. You're tired of the system. You don't let them push you into the role they've dictated for you. God, I couldn't believe it, watching you. The more you seemed interested in me, the more you tried to back off. You think that's normal for a succubus? It was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen – not to mention the most frustrating. That's why I finally decided to call you out today. I couldn't decide if you'd really cut me off for my own good or were just interested in someone else now – like Mortensen.† â€Å"Wait – that's why you arranged that stupid little game today? For your own fucking ego gratification?† Roman shrugged haplessly, still looking self-satisfied. â€Å"It sounds so shallow when you put it like that. I mean, okay, it was pretty stupid. And maybe a little childish. But I had to know where your affection stood. You can't imagine how touching it was to see you so worried about me – not to mention the fact that you checked on me first. That was the real kicker: I got priority over the others.† I almost protested that I'd actually worried about Seth first, having only called Roman beforehand because I thought Seth was already accounted for. Fortunately, I had enough sense to keep my mouth shut on that issue. Better to let Roman think he'd proven his point. â€Å"You have issues,† I said instead, perhaps unwisely. â€Å"Making me jump through hoops like that. Me and the other immortals.† â€Å"Perhaps. And I am sorry for any discomfort I caused you, but as for the others?† He shook his head. â€Å"It's good for them. They need it, Georgina. I mean, doesn't it piss you off? What they've done to you? You're obviously not happy with your lot, but do you think the folks in charge are going to let you change things? No. No more than they're going to give me or my kind a break. The system is flawed. They're locked in their fucking ‘this is good' and ‘this is evil' mentality. No gray area. No mutability. That's why I go around and do what I do. They need the wake-up call. They need to know they aren't the be all and end all of sin and salvation. Some of us are still fighting.† â€Å"Go around†¦ How often do you do this? This killing thing?† â€Å"Oh, not that often. Every twenty to fifty years or so. Sometimes a century. Doing it sort of cleanses me for a while, and then, over the years, I'll start getting pissed off at the whole system again and stake out a new place, a new set of immortals.† â€Å"Is it always the same pattern?† I remembered Jerome's symbols. â€Å"The warning phase†¦ then the main attack phase?† Roman brightened. â€Å"Well, well, haven't you done your homework. Yes, it usually works that way. Take out a few lesser immortals first. They're easy targets, even if I always feel a little guilty about it. Really, they're as much victims of the system as you and I are. Still, messing with them freaks out the higher immortals, and then the stage is set to move on to the main attraction.† â€Å"Jerome,† I stated grimly. â€Å"Who?† â€Å"Jerome†¦ the local archdemon.† I hesitated. â€Å"Your father.† â€Å"Oh. Him.† â€Å"What's that supposed to mean? You don't sound like he's a big deal.† â€Å"In the grand scheme of things, he's not.† â€Å"Yeah†¦ but he's your father†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"So? Our relationship – or lack thereof – doesn't really change anything.† Jerome had said almost the exact same thing about Roman. Baffled, I sat down on the arm of a nearby chair since it appeared my imminent destruction wasn't quite so imminent after all. â€Å"But isn't he†¦ isn't he the ‘real target' – the higher immortal you're here to kill?† Roman shook his head, face turning serious. â€Å"No. That's not how the pattern works. After I move on from the lesser immortals, I focus in on the local bigwig. The real powerhouse in the area. That tends to unsettle people more. Better psychological effect, you know? If I can take out the big man on campus, then they worry no one is safe.† â€Å"So, that would be Jerome.† â€Å"No, it's not,† he countered patiently. † Archdemonor no, my illustrious father is not the ultimate power source around here. Don't get me wrong; I'm getting a nice bit of satisfaction from pissing in his territory, so to speak, but there's someone else who dwarfs him. You probably don't know him. It's not like you'd have reason to hang out with him or anything.† Stronger than Jerome? That only left – â€Å"Carter. You're going after Carter.† â€Å"Is that his name? The local angel?† â€Å"He's stronger than Jerome?† â€Å"Considerably.† Roman gave me a curious look. â€Å"Do you know him?† â€Å"I†¦ know of him,† I lied. â€Å"Like you said, I don't hang out with him or anything.† In reality, my mind raced. Carter was the target? Mild, sardonic Carter? I could hardly believe he was more powerful than Jerome, but then, I knew almost nothing about him. I didn't even know what he did, what his job or mission in Seattle was. Yet, one thing that was obvious to me – and only me, apparently – was that if the angel really did outclass Jerome, then Roman couldn't do anything to him, not if the rule about nephilim power not exceeding parental power held true. Roman shouldn't technically be able to harm either angel or demon. I chose not to mention this to him, however – or the fact that I knew Carter better than Roman believed. The more delusional he was, the more of a chance we had to do something about him. â€Å"Good. I didn't really figure a succubus would be too friendly with an angel, but with you, it's hard to tell. You may have a sharp tongue, but you still manage to gather a lot of admirers.† Relaxing slightly, Roman leaned against a wall, crossing his arms over his chest. â€Å"God knows I've already gone out of my way to avoid your friends.† Anger helped me overcome my fear. â€Å"Oh really? What about Hugh?† â€Å"Which one's he?† â€Å"The imp.† â€Å"Ah, yes. Well, I had to keep setting an example, didn't I? So, yeah, I messed with him a little. He'd been impertinent to you. But I didn't kill him.† He looked at me in what I supposed was meant to be an encouraging type of way. â€Å"That was for your benefit.† I stayed silent. I recalled how Hugh had looked in the hospital. Impertinent? â€Å"And what about the others?† he pushed. â€Å"That annoying angel? The vampire that threatened you? I wanted to break his neck on the spot. I got rid of them for you. I didn't have to do that.† I felt ill. I wanted no deaths on my hands. â€Å"Most considerate of you.† â€Å"Come on, give me a break here. I had to do something, and really, once I'd met your vampire friend at the dance lesson, I couldn't bring myself to do anything to him at all. You put me in a really tight spot. I was running out of victims.† â€Å"Sorry for the inconvenience,† I snapped, ire rising at his pathetic show of compassion. â€Å"Is that why you took it easy on me that night?† He frowned. â€Å"What do you mean?† â€Å"You know what I mean!† Thinking back to my attack, it all made perfect sense. It had occurred after I'd been to Krystal Starz, the day after I'd run out on Roman at the concert. A perfect excuse for him to be angry and seek retaliation. â€Å"Remember? The day after Doug's concert? After I'd been with Seth?† Understanding washed over Roman's features. â€Å"Oh. That.† â€Å"That's all you have to say?† â€Å"It was a bit juvenile, I admit, but you can hardly blame me. It wasn't easy watching you cozy up to Mortensen after freaking out on me like that. I'd watched you go home with him the night before. I had to do something.† I sprang up from my seat, old apprehension returning. â€Å"You had to do something? Like beat the crap out of me in an alley?† Roman raised an eyebrow. â€Å"What are you talking about? I told you I would never hurt you.† â€Å"Then what are you talking about?† â€Å"I'm talking about that ice cream place. I'd followed you two around earlier in the day, and when I saw how cute you were getting over dessert, I got jealous and blew the door open. Juvenile, as I said.† â€Å"I remember that†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I trailed off stupidly, recalling how the door had blown open at the parlor, letting the outside wind wreak havoc in the small store. Wind like that was certainly uncharacteristic here, yet I had never suspected supernatural influence. He was right; it had been juvenile. â€Å"So what's the alley thing you're talking about?† he prompted. I snapped out of my memory. â€Å"Later†¦ that night. I'd been running errands, and you†¦ or someone†¦ attacked me on the way home.† Roman's face turned cold, his eyes sharpening to aqua steel. â€Å"Tell me. Tell me everything. Exactly what happened.† I did, explaining my lead to the Harrington book, subsequent trip to Krystal Starz, and walk home in the dark. I edited the part about my rescuer, however. I didn't want Roman to know I had more than a casual acquaintance with Carter, lest the nephilim think I might be a deterrent to his plans. The more he thought I had no interest in the angel, the more likely I would be able to get out some kind of warning. Closing his eyes, Roman leaned his head against the wall when I finished, sighing. Suddenly, he looked less like a dangerous killer and more like a tired version of the man I'd come to know and nearly love. â€Å"I knew it. I knew noninterference was too much to ask.† â€Å"What†¦ what do you mean?† A strange feeling crawled down my spine. â€Å"Nothing. Forget it. Look, I'm sorry about that. I should have taken precautions beforehand to protect you. I knew too†¦ the next day? When I came by and you cut things off between us? I could tell you had been hurt, even through your shape-shifting. I could tell it was supernaturally inflicted too, but I never suspected†¦ I thought it was some other immortal – one of your own circle – you'd tangled with. You had sort of a residual effect on you†¦ the faint traces of someone else's power†¦ like a demon's†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"But that's not – oh. You mean Jerome.† â€Å"Daddy dearest again? Don't tell me†¦ don't tell me he did something to you too.† Roman's brief lapse into mildness faded, replaced by something more sinister. â€Å"No, no,† I said hastily, recalling Jerome's psychic slap, pinning me to the couch. â€Å"It wasn't like that. It was more of a show of power that I caught the edge of. He wasn't the one who hurt me. He'd never hurt me.† â€Å"Good. I'm still not happy about what happened in the alley, mind you, but I'll have a little chat with the guilty party and make sure it never happens again. When I saw you that day, I had half a mind to take out all the immortals in the area. The thought of someone hurting you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Closer and closer he came to me. Hesitantly, he squeezed my arm. I didn't know whether to recoil or reach out to him. I didn't know how to reconcile my old attraction with this new terror. â€Å"You have no idea how much I care about you, Georgina.† â€Å"Then how†¦ in the alley – â€Å" Before I could follow that thought to completion, another suddenly poked its head up at Roman's words. When I saw you that day. He had visited me the day after the attack, coming over while Carter investigated a nephilim signature. But that was impossible. I couldn't remember where that particular signature had occurred, but it had not been close by. Roman could not have flashed Carter and then made it over to my apartment so quickly. Iknew noninterference was too much to ask for. I'll have a little chat with the guilty party. I understood then why Roman felt he could take on Carter, why having less power than the angel would pose no concern. The realization sank into me like lead, heavy and cold. I'm not sure what look crossed my face, but Roman's suddenly softened with compassion. â€Å"What's the matter?† â€Å"How many?† I whispered to him. â€Å"How many what?† â€Å"How many nephilim are in the city?†

Friday, November 8, 2019

Biography of Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe

Biography of Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe has been the president of Zimbabwe since 1987. He attained his job after leading bloody guerrilla warfare against the white colonial rulers of what was then Rhodesia. Birthdate Feb. 21, 1924, near Kutama, northeast of Salisbury (now Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe), in what was then Rhodesia. Mugabe quipped in 2005 that he would remain president until he was a century old. Personal life Mugabe was married to Ghanian national Sally Hayfron, a teacher and political activist, in 1961. They had one son, Nhamodzenyika, who died during childhood. She died of kidney failure in 1992. In 1996, Mugabe married his onetime secretary, Grace Marufu, who is more than four decades younger than Mugabe, and with whom he had two children while his wife Sallys health was failing. Mugabe and Grace have three children: Bona, Robert Peter Jr., and Bellarmine Chatunga. Political affiliation Mugabe leads the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front, a socialist party founded in 1987. Mugabe and his party are also heavily nationalist with left-wing ideology, favoring land seizures from white Zimbabweans while claiming that doing so counters the nations imperialist past. Career Mugabe holds seven degrees from South Africas Fort Hare University. In 1963 he was secretary general of the Maoist Zimbabwe African National Union. In 1964, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for subversive speech against the Rhodesian government. Once released, he fled to Mozambique to launch a guerrilla war for independence. He returned to Rhodesia 1979 and became prime minister in 1980; the next month, the newly independent country was renamed Zimbabwe. Mugabe assumed the presidency in 1987, with the prime minister role being abolished. Under his rule, annual inflation has soared to 100,000%. Future Mugabe has faced probably the strongest, most organized opposition in the Movement for Democratic Change. He accuses the MDC of being Western-backed, using this as an excuse to persecute MDC members and order the arbitrary arrest of and violence against supporters. Instead of striking terror into the citizenry, this could further galvanize opposition against his iron-fisted rule. Action from neighboring South Africa, deluged by Zimbabwean refugees, or world bodies could also pressure Mugabe, who relies on the war veterans militia to help him keep his grip on power. Quote Our party must continue to strike fear in the heart of the white man, our real enemy! - Mugabe in the Irish Times, Dec. 15, 2000

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

The Wars Essays - The Wars, Ross Geller, Ross, Free Essays

The Wars Essays - The Wars, Ross Geller, Ross, Free Essays The Wars Timothy Findley pieced The Wars together much like a puzzle. When piecing together a puzzle it is crucial to first find the corner pieces. As when trying to understand the novel it is necessary to realize what the most important aspects are. Each separate corner holds together and is linked to another part. Therefore, to understand the pieces of the puzzle it is vital to analyze Roberts relationship with his mother, his sister and his father. Furthermore, an attempt will be made to reveal the strengths and weaknesses in these relationships and the meanings Timothy Findley is trying to proclaim. To best understand Robert's relationship with his mother Mrs. Ross, one must look at their relationship from the perspective of Mrs. Ross. It is her interpretations and ensuing reactions to the tragic events of the novel that reveal the most to the reader about Robert's relationship with her. Mrs. Ross is portrayed as an adamant woman in the beginning of The Wars, yet as the story progresses, her firmness is broken by various tragedies. Mrs. Ross found it hard to be intimate with people therefore, she kept many things to herself. She felt that Being loved was letting others feed from your resource-all you had in life was put in jeopardy (Findley, 153). Mrs. Ross had mourned for years over the sudden death of her brother and her father, now she had lost a daughter and was going to lose a son. It is also evident she kept a lot of things to herself. At Rowena's funeral she stood apart from the rest of the family pretending she did not need any help. Mrs. Ross hid behind a large, black h at that day. Before Rowena's death and Robert leaving for the war Mrs. Ross used to be out in the public, handing out chocolate bars to the soldiers going off to war. However, when Robert left to join the army Mrs. Ross refused to have anything to do with it. Mrs. Ross was an adamant lady. She was adamant when it came to chocolate bars and she was adamant when it came to her decision about Robert having to kill Rowena's rabbits. After the death of Robert's sister Rowena, the Ross family seems to be broken. Family members question whose fault it was that she fell and who should ultimately be held responsible. Mrs. Ross comes across as being envious of her son and daughter's relationship because Robert and Rowena had a relationship where Robert was like a parent (guardian) to Rowena. Robert also was very protective of Rowena and always showed his concern for her, like Mrs. Ross did for all her children but more so towards Robert. Consequently, Robert being the closest to Rowena becomes the reason Mrs. Ross decides he will to be the one who would take the responsibility of killing the rabbits. Mrs. Ross' decision to burden Robert with this inhuman act and furthermore, his failure to do so, leads to the most revealing monologue relevant to their relationship. 'You think Rowena belonged to you. Well I'm here to tell you, Robert no on belongs to anyone. We're all cut off at birth with a knife and left at the mercy of strangers. You hear that? Strangers. I know what you want to do. I know you're going to go away and be a soldier. Well- you can go to hell. I'm not responsible. I'm just another stranger. Birth I can give you- but life I cannot. I can't keep anyone alive. Not anymore' (Findley, 23). The pessimistic tone of Mrs. Ross' monologue can be attributed to the fact that Rowena just died and that Robert has chosen to condemn himself to death, however, this also reveals much about her relationship with Robert. In addition, Robert's decision to enlist in the war is not approved by Mrs. Ross. Her reaction is one of denial and a failure as a parent.. Her words, you can go to hell, in reality, show her true love and care for Robert, yet in a vulgar way. She cares so much for him that she can not bear the thought of him leaving, hence she directs her anger at him. Mrs. Ross missed her son

Monday, November 4, 2019

Complaint Letter Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Complaint Letter - Assignment Example James Adams put me on hold for several minutes, almost 45 minutes, and then returned to say he could not help me. Needless to say, I was quite frustrated and annoyed as I have expected a much higher level of service from your company, and this experience has disappointed me. This is the second time that I have not been treated very rudely and with no assistance. I let go of the previous situation as I did not want to cause troubles for anyone and the young lady at the store seemed overly stressed and overworked. However this call has pushed me over the edge and I do not want to spend any more time on this problem, I am returning the blender to the local store immediately, and I expect a full refund. Please inform the local store [Your Local Store], that I will be back to return the blender and I do not want to be pushed around, as I do not have any more time to waste on this issue. I am including the details of my bill: This is a very saddening event as I am a regular customer at Wal Mart and I have always been treated well by all the staff at Wal Mart. However over the last two events, I have been spoken to very rudely and I do not think this is fair. I hope you do take some strict action against this and do recognise that I nothing against James Adams personally. It is the sheer lack of professionalism and courtesy that has upset me. I hope the level of professionalism and courtesy that is generally extended to all the customers is maintained and customer complaints are not overlooked. I will be informing my family and friends about this

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Similarity and Relationship Satisfaction Research Proposal

Similarity and Relationship Satisfaction - Research Proposal Example These results reveal that majority of people view marriage as bondage that hinder their liberty or put extra responsibilities on them. Although marriage is meant to share responsibilities, ideas, happiness and grieves, and rear offspring, people view marriage quite the other way. This anti-marriage phenomenon seems to have erupted as a lack of understanding, a lack that demonstrates absence of similarity essential to sustain marriage relationship. While identification of the factors influencing marital satisfaction is of theoretical interest to social psychologists and potential practical value to clinical psychologists working with married couples, research in this area provided only minimal information about the specific characteristics of stable and/or happy marital relationships and has provided no coherent theory of marital satisfaction. Social psychological theories of love and marriage are, in general, based on the principle of similarity, i.e., that we tend to associate with others who reward us and not associate with those who don't (Walster and Walster, 1978). The theory of Complementarity proposed by Winch (1952) was based on Murray's theory of needs. The theory postulated that within a field of eligible (which necessitates a certain level of similarity) an individual will seek out the person who can offer maximum need-gratification. Specifically, Winch suggests that the need patterns of A will complementary, rather than similar to the need patterns of B. By complementary he means that the needs of A will be different in kind from those in B (Type I Complementarity) or they will be different in intensity (Type II Complementarity) from the needs that are met for B. in one of the first studies, (Winch, Ktsanes & Ktsanes, 1954) findings suggested that for a sample of married couples, individuals tend to select mates whose needs are complementary rather that similar to their own. Subsequently, Winch (1954) attempted to explore additional evidence of complementary needs while also taking into account the contradictory viewpoint of similarity of needs. By examining the correlations between husbands and wives, results showed husband-wife correlations were lower on average that the correlations of randomly paired dyads. Since these findings failed to support the idea of similarity, Winch argued that they supported Complementarity theory. There have been several studies that have tried to replicate Winch's findings, but most research has failed to do so. For example, Bowerman & Day (1956) attempted to replicate Winch's findings of need Complementarity of married couples. Sixty college couples who were engaged or going steadily filled out the Edwards Personal Preference Scale. Results suggest a pattern of similarity rather than complementary. Another study also attempted to address Winch's theory of complementary needs by examining data from standardized psychological tests, to determine whether married couples are characterized by Complementarity of needs, as well as to determine whether there is a positive relationship between the degree of Complementarity and marital happiness (Blazer, 1963). Fifty married couples who were emotionally well-adjusted (i.e. neither partner had history of mental illness) completed the Wallace Marital Happiness Scale and Edwards Personal Preference Scale. Results do not support the complementary nee

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Insanity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Insanity - Essay Example Known as the â€Å"Son of Sam†, Berkowitz killed six people and wounded seven others (Reamer, 11). Berkowitz believed his neighbors dog was giving him orders to kill. Although, Berkowitz heard voices and technically qualified for the insanity defense, he pleaded guilty without a trial. Some have speculated the Berkowitz was schizophrenic, but the vigilante atmosphere in New York did not make his prospects during a trial look good. The reason that Berkowitz could have successfully used the Insanity Defense was his belief that the neighbor Sam Carrs dog was ordering him to kill. Apparently the constant barking convinced Berkowitz that to stop the barking he had to kill. Since, Sam Carr was ordering his dog to speak messages to Berkowitz, Berkowitz thought his actions were right at the time of the murder. Today, David Berkowitz realizes that his actions were wrong. However, that is not the standard for the Insanity Defense. The defendant has to believe what they are doing is not wrong at the time of the crime. When a defendant hears voices commanding them to commit crimes, generally they are not guilty by the reason of insanity. In American justice, sometimes a zealous prosecution or public opinion can ignore this fact. A case of an unsuccessful Insanity Defense is the Jeffrey Dahmer. Jeffrey Dahmer killed seventeen boys over a thirteen year period. There is no doubt that Jeffrey Dahmer was mentally ill. His feelings of shame about his homosexuality mixed with his parents divorce caused him to act out and drink excessively. Dahmers fear of abandonment led him to kill and experiment with making his lovers zombies. This was because of his fear of abandonment. He wanted love so bad, the need to keep his victims was a stronger urge than he could bear. Dahmer pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but was found guilty. He was sentenced to life, but

Monday, October 28, 2019

Air Pollution and Climatic Changes Essay Example for Free

Air Pollution and Climatic Changes Essay Air pollution is actually the addition of any harmful substances to the atmosphere, which causes the damaging of the environment, human health and the quality of life. Air pollution has been a serious problem throughout the history. This can have series effect on the health of human beings. Every day, the average person inhales about 20,000 liters of air. Every time when we breathe in we inhale dangerous substances. These dangerous substances can be in the form of gases or particles. Sources of Air pollution: †¢Natural source †¢Artificial source Natural sources: Natural air pollution does not occur in abundance and also possesses little threat to health of the peoples and ecosystem. Volcanic eruptions, Forest fires, Biological decay of organic matters are some of the natural causes of air pollution. Artificial sources: The man made reasons for air pollution are vehicular emission, burning of waste products, thermal power plants, industries and refineries. Vehicular emissions are responsible for 70% of the country’s air pollution. * Bharat stage 1 to 4 emission norms are emission standards that focus on regulating pollutants released by automobiles. Most sulphur dioxide comes from power plants that use coal as their fuel. Automobiles produce about half of the nitrogen oxide. When wood, household garbage, plastic, or leaves are burned, they produce smoke and release toxic gases. The smoke contains vapors and solid compounds suspended in the air called particulate matter. The particulate matter and toxic gases released during burning can be very irritating to people’s health. People who are exposed to these air pollutants can experience eye and nose irritation, breathing difficulty, coughing, and headaches. People with heart disease, asthma, emphysema, or other respiratory diseases are e specially sensitive to air pollutants Major air pollutants: †¢Sulphur oxide †¢Nitrogen oxide †¢Carbonmono oxide †¢Decomposition of organic matters. * India emits the fifth most carbon of any country in the world. * The Bhopal gas tragedy is one of the world’s worst industrial disasters that killed almost 8,000 people in December 1984. Air pollution can adversely affect human health not only by direct inhalation but indirectly by other routes through water, food and skin infections. Health hazards due to air pollution: †¢Cardio vascular diseases †¢Asthma †¢Bronchitis †¢Allergies †¢Lung and heart diseases. Consequences of Air pollution: 1.Ozone layer depletion 2.Global warming ( Greenhouse effect) 3.Acid Rain 4.Smog Ozone layer depletion The atmosphere contains a thin layer of ozone about 24 to 40 Km above earth’s surface which protects us from harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun. The release of chemicals such as CFC widely used in refrigerators has damaged the ozone layers. Ozone monitoring stations in Antarctica have already detected average loss of 30% to 40% of total ozone over the region. Each one percent loss of ozone is to cause an increase of about 2% in UV Radiation. This will reduce the immunity of the body and cause eye cataracts and skin cancer. For the protection of ozone layer, Montreal protocol and Vienna meet of 30 nations world wide agreed to reduce the use of CFCs. Global warming Global warming is caused by increase of greenhouse gases such as carbon-di-oxide, methane, water vapour, CFCs which are responsible for the heat retention ability of the atmosphere. The rapid increase in average temperature of earth will cause major changes in weather pattern all over the world. Rise in global temperature, will also result in the melting of polar ice caps glaciers. This in turn will raise the sea level. Land use changes will occur in coastal areas due to sea level rise. It will cause damage to coastal structures, post facilities and water management systems. Global warming also affects the agricultural patterns. Intense tropical cyclone activity has increased in the North Atlantic since about 1970 Heat waves have become more frequent over most land areas. More intense and longer droughts have been observed over wider areas since the 1970s, particularly in the tropics and subtropics If ocean temperature increases, growth of coral reefs will be affected. The corals control the proportion of carbon dioxide in water by turning them in to limestone shell. Moreover, coral reefs grow in temperature just above 10 degree Celsius. Other ecosystems such as forests and desert will also be harmed. Loss of bio-diversity and extinction of rare species will occur. Acid Rain: Acid rain was first discovered in 1852. This is one of the most important environmental problems, caused by indivisible gas given out by automobiles or coal burning by power plants. The gases that cause the acid rain are sulphur- di-oxide and nitrogen oxides. Fire and bacterial decomposition are the natural causes which increases nitrogen oxide in air. These pollutants combine with water vapour in the presence of sunlight and oxygen and forms dilute sulphuric and nitric acids. When these mixture precipitates from the atmosphere, it is called acid rain. Acid rain falls down to the earth in all forms of precipitation. Acidity in the rain can harm and even destroy both natural ecosystems and man-made products. Acid rains, when falling on oceans, reach the coral reefs. This has killed more than 70% of corals in Lakshadweep and Andaman islands. They also change the acidity level of the soil by leaching crucial nutrients. Thus it affects forest vegetation. The most basic microscopic organisms such as plankton may not be able to survive. So the sea animals depending on planktons will die and the food chain will be affected. Smog: The word smog is a combination of the words smoke and fog. Smog causes a smoky dark atmosphere, especially over cities, it decreases visibility, and creates gaze throughout the area. Smog is caused by many factors, major producers of smog include automobiles, fires, waste treatment, industries, etc. The articulates present in smog include carbon monoxide, dirt, dust. The smog effect is created when sunlight, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxide are mixed together smog creates harmful health hazards like lung failure and pneumonia. Smog is not only a city problem. As smog level increases, wind carry smog away from urban areas and harm other areas too. Agriculture is also affected by smog.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Types of Assessment and Evaluation

Types of Assessment and Evaluation Assessment and evaluation has become critical issues especially in the field of teaching and learning; it requires watchful consideration by every teaching practitioner in any educational institution. This is also the area where many teachers sink into the pool of confusion. But it has its key function, which is to collect information on the achievement of every individual student and judge their everyday progress. In other words, it serve vital role in the process of effective teaching and learning. Therefore, this essay will explain my understanding of assessment and evaluation from the perspectives of development, formal, informal, special needs, and standards in brief. However, to do this, we first need to define assessment and evaluation. The word assessment is derived from the Latin word assidere meaning to sit beside. It is obvious that simple tone of this phrase is soothing, and it suggests mutual confidence and understanding. So, it indirectly tells that existence of positive association between assessment and the process of teaching and learning in schools is necessary. By and large, assessment is a process of collecting information relative to some identified aims and objectives involved with students progress and achievement in the process of teaching and learning. More specifically, classroom assessment refers to the process of gathering, recording, interpreting, using and communicating information about their progress and achievement during the development of knowledge, concepts, skills and attitudes. According to Lloyd-Jones and Bray (1986) assessment is referred to the process in which certain quality of a students education is measured, by the teacher, an examiner or the student.   It is means to measure worthiness of students performance.   Assessment, therefore, involves much more than testing. It is an ongoing process that encompasses many formal and informal activities intended to examine and improve teaching and learning in all areas of the curriculum. On the other hand, evaluation  is more or less defined as the process of judging relative merit, value, or worthiness of educational programs, or techniques by using realistic information generated through assessment. It helps in updating the nature and degree of learning; plays pivotal role in curricular decision making; and it favour better links between learning, and the aims and objectives of teaching. Moreover, it creates strong bond between learning and the environments in which learning takes place. Therefore, in educational setting, assessment and evaluation seeks evidence that the learning activities designed for students are effective. Assessment and Evaluation from the perspective of development Why do we assess and evaluate? This is the first question that knocks in my mind whenever I look assessment and evaluation from an angle of development. Generally, teachers plays vital role in developmental assessment and evaluation of students learning and programs for many reasons: Firstly, assessment and evaluation help teachers and student affair administrators to enhance their understanding of the needs of a persistently varying student population. In addition, it will help in identifying developmental delays in students and to develop strategies for intervention. For that, I would prefer to use the concept of integrated model of child development. It is because the model covers up all developmental areas such as sensory, behavioural, language, motor, perceptual, social cognitive and emotional skills. So it can also be used to improve holistic development of students as a student, self, and valuable citizen of the nation as it reflects their personality as well as their degree of achievement in the field of learning. Secondly, assessment is also meant to develop efficient educational institutional plans and policies to meet students developmental needs and learning styles. They are crucial for advancing the quality and easy accessibility of programs and services. Thirdly, we cannot avoid its greatest contribution in curriculum development. Through assessment and evaluation, we will be able to help curriculum developers for deciding how we might improve courses and programmes. At the same time, as a teacher we can contribute in doing revision on curriculum, course materials, teaching methodologies, etc. It is because assessment results can specially provide a potent rational for securing scaffold for curriculum changes, development and review. Formal and Informal Assessment and Evaluation A formal assessment is also sometimes known as summative assessment. And it is generally assessed in the form of quiz, test, or paper and is graded based on how well student is able to perform. A summative assessment is normally carried out at the end of unit or module. Furthermore, formal assessments are categorized into criterion-referenced tests and norm-referenced tests. Criterion-referencing is assessment based on certain criterion or principle, and norm-referencing is graded assessment based on the comparisons of learners achievement against one another from time to time. I prefer more of criterion referencing method than norm-referencing because it can be used to judge students achievement and progress on a series of key criteria set based on reasonably expected learning outcomes and objectives. Whereas, norm-referencing is based on the hypothesis, that a more or less similar range of human performance can be anticipated for any student group. On the other hand, Informal assessment is referred as formative test, and it is a continuous process of assessment and evaluation. Feedback plays vital role here as it allows both learners and teachers to evaluate learning and spot out the areas for improvement. But which one could be the best form of assessment, formal or informal? In my opinion, the use of informal assessments is best for the overall learning. It facilitate teachers to assess students through a range of classroom-based activities, identify students weakness then and there and start work for the improvement, rather than waiting at the last minute like informal assessment. Assessment and Evaluation for special needs students Students having problems such as: motor, linguistic, cognitive, behavioural, organizational, speech and physical disabilities are usually referred as special needs students, and it also includes gifted students. They should not be left out without normal education. Special arrangements or special needs accommodations should be offered to them in order to pursue their academic goals and achieve a higher level of personal self-sufficiency. Similarly they also need to be evaluated and identified their strengths, weaknesses and give guiding principles to make effective progress in attaining their academic goals. Other than teachers and peers, students family should involve in it. So, I feel that, by building an alliance with their parents; obtaining students developmental history and current family experience; and discussing issues with them would help greatly for addressing challenges in guiding special needs students to succeed like other normal students. Moreover, evaluation will be holistic and addresses all aspects of functioning. For that we should not forget to take students individual learning styles into account as all students do not have same learning capability and ways. Sometimes students with special needs are integrated in regular classrooms because the main idea of assessment and evaluation in this field itself is to see whether a student is able to adapt, make progress and met objectives in normal class like normal students. Assessment indicates whether the student learned the materials intended and what are some of the drawbacks areas to be improved. So schools and teacher must give all students an equal opportunity to education. Infect, they should provide counteractive assistance to special needs students. Never the less, we as a teacher, in order to select education program and activities suitable for our students, we must carefully evaluate our options and consider the specific needs of our disabled students. Standards based Assessment and Evaluation Here, it includes two types of educational standards, a content standard and a performance standard. A content standard defines the knowledge, concepts, and skills acquire at each grade level, while performance standard state the level of performance that is considered acceptable aligning to the benchmark set by the teachers. Standards-based assessment and evaluation is meant to identify students with different pace and capabilities in learning, so that we can design strategies to help them and make all of them achieve and master to the level that they are required to retain certain benchmark in learning. Understanding Standardized Test and its characteristics is necessary when we discuss about assessment and evaluation from the perspective of standard as it is one of the instrument required in standard assessment and evaluation process. Range of knowledge and understanding in specific subject is being assessed through standardized testing on students. And it is a snapshot in time where assessments are administered and scored in the same way for all students. For example, multiple-choice questions and written responses to be answered within a given time frame are examples of standard test. That means students are not allowed to use outer resources or references in order to complete the test. Their performance on these tests decides whether they will be promoted or not from one grade to the next. And this is what almost every school district now administers it. However, it is important for us not to get confused of Standardized tests with the standards movement, which approve definite grade-level content and performance standards in main subject sphere. Frequently, regulated uniform tests are not associated with state and district content standards, and these causes noticeably lose of connection between what is being taught and what is being tested. So as a teacher we have to process our teaching according to the curriculum. The standard evaluation will enable other school improvement plan and projects, and to bring advance changes in curriculum and pedagogy, and incorporation of new assessments. So standardized assessment and evaluation is uniformly regulated test which it refers to when every student at a particular grade level has to undergo the same test with same question, at same time frame in same year throughout the country. In the nutshell, we would find that the descriptions given in above paragraphs are all views from different perspectives constructed by hypothesizing the both special needs students and normal student as an active in structuring their own learning in the context of social interaction; role of educational institutions and teachers in establishing the childs stage of development in any aspect of learning, and that information collected through various assessment and evaluation methods will then be used to scaffold the next learning and curriculum development.