Masculinity in Beloved

Bondage steals away the human characteristics of the slaves. They are treated by others on par with animals that the fine distinctions that inhabit their society are not only blurred from the vision of the observers but also from themselves. Masculinity as a human trait that defines the other half of human race is an expression of individuality and it is no wonder that any trace of such individuality is suppressed and disfigured beyond recognition in the era of slavery.In Tony Morrison’s Beloved, there is a lot of malevolence and violence but the masculinity is itself like a slave trying to buy its freedom of expression and more often than not failing to do so. The murderous rage and grief of Sethe which prompts her to behead her own daughter with a saw (how savage) and try to kill her other children is an expression of the brutality of Slavery that mother would want her children dead than suffer the same fate as her.It is the destruction of masculinity, which finds more expre ssion in Beloved than the ideal shape of Masculinity. The distinction between the genders is obliterated in their common suffering and pain. Halle, who is reported to be a witness to the molesting of his wife by the nephews of he school master who nursed their milk which was by natural right her other daughter’s and also hid in the attic as a mute witness to her punishment which left her scarred is an expression of helpless ness that pervaded the male of the species called Slaves.A father’s natural instinct to protect his children and a mate’s instinctive reactions to the suffering of his partner are the truest and most enduring qualities of Masculinity which are denied to Halle (which perhaps leads him to become the mad, invisible, melancholy loser of the book) The biggest blow to a man’s identity and his gender is, perhaps, when his own wife is taken as a mistress by the man who is also his master and he can do nothing about it. Stamp paid was a victim of such misery and he became apart of the under ground railroad which helped the Negroes escape to freedom.All that he asked in return for his assistance was that their homes remain open for him always. The lack of a family or the loss of his erstwhile family and the need to be seen as a savior/protector, which is the ordained role of male of the species according to the rules of nature drives stamp paid o be of help to all who need it. He is also Baby Sugg’s friend, and keeps frequenting 124. In fact he is instrumental in saving Denver and the other two boys the day school teacher comes to take Sethe and her kids away and Sethe in a fit of rage kills her elder daughter.The central character, which in all its multihued splendor or pain brings about the various stages of suppressed masculinity in Beloved, is Paul D. He is the still living sweet home man and he has a colorful past to say the lest. He along with his two brothers, Halle and Sixo plot their escape from Schoolteach er but are captured. He is captured and lie an animal in chains with a metal in his mouth is dragged to prison for allegedly trying to kill Brandywine. He escapes to north and since attaining his freedom; he is restless with the normal human and male emotions of finding a home and settling down.He reaches 124 and finds Sethe whom he has fancied from their time in Sweet home and chooses to settle down there with her as she had none to take care of her except Denver and Beloved. In spite of himself and against his wishes he becomes tempted by Beloved’s seduction and makes her pregnant. He leaves 124 after he learns from Stamp paid about the fact that Sethe had killed her own daughter. A person trying to run away from himself and his painful past does not want to be man enough to deal with a life with Sethe, which forever shall remain ensconced in the past of murder of her own blood.On the other end of the spectrum is Sixo, the indigo colored slave at Sweet home who has his soul mate in a slave yard 30 miles away and therefore he calls her the thirty mile woman. As he along with Paul D and F and the thirty-mile-woman plan to escape, Schoolteacher catches him and sets him on fire. It is mentioned that he laughs for the first time when he set on fire and as his legs are burning, he shouts Seven –O as his thirty mile woman has escaped and she is pregnant with his child.This one instance of defiance and mirth in the face of mortal danger is the only symbol of malevolent and idealistic black masculinity to be found in the entire book. Paul Garner, as the kind man who knew to treat his slaves with respect and trust their judgment in the plantation matters and who gave them the independence to marry and in the case of Halle, buy his mother’ s freedom comes across as a man who is quietly confident of his won masculinity and also in the fact that men in any race or tribe try to be responsible for their women folk and children.Black masculinity is the most mutilated under-current of the story Beloved that Tony Morrison is able to create pathos in the novel towards the travails of Slavery by bringing into sharp contrast the suppressed need of a man to be a man and the deathly anguish (like that of Halle sitting by a butter churn, with a vacant look on his face with butter smeared all over his face) when he is not allowed to be so.More tragic than the murder, loss or betrayal is the denial of basic human traits and the lack of identity, which Slavery forced upon the colored people and shall forever remain a blot on the history of all civilized nations, which permitted the inhuman practice.

Case Study Barings

Summary: One of the most infamous tales of financial demise is that of Barings Bank. Trader Nick Leeson was supposed to be exploiting low-risk arbitrage opportunities that would leverage price low rage differences in similar equity derivatives on the Singapore Money Exchange (Simex) and the Osaka exchange. In fact, he was taking much riskier positions by buying and selling different amounts of the contracts on the two exchanges or buying and selling contracts of different types.Thanks to the lax attitude of senior management, Leeson was given control over both the trading and back office functions. As Leeson's losses mounted, he increased his bets. However, after an earthquake in Japan after caused the Nikkei Index to drop sharply, the losses increased rapidly, with Leeson's positions going more than $1 billion into the red. This was too much for the bank to sustain; in March of 1995, it was purchased by the Dutch b bank ING for just one pound sterling.Overview: Barings Bank had a lo ng history of success and was much respected as the UK's oldest d merchant bank. But in February of 1995, this highly regarded bank, with $900 million in capital, was bankrupted by $1 billion of unauthorised trading losses. In 1993, Nick Leeson was appointed general manager of the bank's Barings Futures subsidiary appointed in Singapore. In this capacity, he was able to conceal his unauthorised trading activities for over a year because he managed both the trading and back office functions.The senior managers at a Barings came primarily from a merchant banking background and knew very little about trading. Even in the face of large profits, which should have tipped management off to the fact that substantial risks were being taken, they continued to believe that Leeson held matched Leeson positions on the Singapore International Monetary Exchange (Simex) and the Osaka exchange, and hence was making a low-risk profit. low In fact, Leeson was trading derivatives contracts on the two e xchanges that were, in some cases, of different types and, in some cases, in mismatched amounts.For example, Leeson rent executed a trading strategy known as a â€Å"straddle,† with the objective of making a profit by selling put and call options on the same underlying financial instrument, in this case, the Nikkei th 225 Index. A straddle will generally produce positive earnings when markets are stable but can result in large losses if markets are volatile. Leeson created an error account numbered 88888 as a holding area for any premiums or losses that he made. Leeson claims that he initially opened the account to conceal a single loss of e. 0,000 pounds sterling that had resulted from an accounting error until he could make up the difference through trading. However, he continued booking various losses into the account and also continued to increase his volume of trading and level of risk taking. Leeson took unauthorized speculative positions primarily in futures linked to the Nikkei 225 and Japanese government bonds (JGB) as well as options on the Nikkei. He hid his trading in an unused BSS error account, number 88888. Exactly why Leeson was speculating is unclear.He claims that he originally used the 88888 account to hide some embarrassing losses resulting from mistakes made by his traders. However, Leeson started actively trading in the 88888 account almost as soon as he arrived in Singapore. The sheer volume of his trading suggests a simple desire to speculate. He lost money from the beginning. Increasing his bets only made him lose more money. By the end of 1992, the 88888 account was under water by about GBP 2 million. A year later, this had mushroomed to GBP 23 million.By the end of 1994, Leeson's 88888 account had lost a total of GBP 208 million. Barings management remained blithely unaware. On February 23, 1995, Nick Leeson hopped on a plane to Kuala Lumpur leaving behind a GBP 827 million hole in the Barings balance sheet. As a trader, Leeso n had extremely bad luck. By mid February 1995, he had accumulated an enormous position—half the open interest in the Nikkei future and 85% of the open interest in the JGB future. The market was aware of this and probably traded against him.Prior to 1995, however, he just made consistently bad bets. The fact that he was so unlucky shouldn't be too much of a surprise. If he hadn't been so misfortunate, we probably wouldn't have ever heard of him. Traders sometimes speculate without authorization. Presumably, a few are able to cover their tracks. Others are caught. When they are caught, they are fired, and their employer eats the loss. Usually, neither the trader nor his employer has any interest in publicizing the incident. Leeson made headlines precisely because he was so unlucky.By the time he was discovered, he had bankrupted his employer. Publicity was unavoidable. What is amazing about Leeson's activities is the fact that he was able to accumulate such staggering losses w ithout Barings' management noticing. As Leeson lost money, he had to pay those losses to SIMEX in the form of margin. Leeson needed cash. By falsifying accounts and making various misrepresentations, he was able to secure funding from various companies within the Barings organization and from client accounts.His misrepresentations were flimsy at best. For example, he claimed that he needed funds to make margin payments on behalf of BSS clients, and he gave a technical argument related to how the SIMEX collected margin as justification. This claim was false. It was actually against SIMEX rules for a broker to post its own money as margin for a client. Even if the claim were true, the funds would have been needed only temporarily—until the client could make payment. Instead, Leeson continued to ask for ever more funding.Leeson increased the size of his open positions even as his losses increased due to volatility in the markets. When an earthquake in Japan caused a steep drop i n the Nikkei 225 equity index , however, Leeson's unauthorised trading positions suffered huge losses and his operation unravelled. On March 3, 1995, the Dutch bank ING purchased Barings for 1 pound sterling, providing the final chapter in the story of the 223-year-old bank that had once helped the United States to finance the Louisiana purchase.The beginning of the end occurred on January 16, 1995, when Leeson placed a short straddle (an options trading strategy) in the Singapore and Tokyo stock exchanges, essentially betting that the Japanese stock market would not move significantly overnight. However, the Kobe earthquake hit early in the morning on January 17, sending Asian markets, and Leeson's investments, into a tailspin. Leeson attempted to recoup his losses by making a series of increasingly risky new investments, this time betting that the Nikkei Stock Average would make a rapid recovery.But the recovery failed to materialize, and he succeeded only in digging a deeper hole . Realizing the gravity of the situation, Leeson left a note reading â€Å"I'm Sorry† and fled. Losses eventually reached ?827 million ($1. 4 billion at then-prevailing exchange rates), then prevailing twice the bank's available trading capital. This led to the bank's collapse. After fleeing to Malaysia, Brunei and finally Germany, Leeson was arrested and extradited back to Singapore on March 2, 1995. While he had authorization for the January 16 short straddle, he was charged with raud for deceiving his superiors about the riskiness of his activities and the scale of his losses, although some observers (and Leeson himself) have place much of the placed blame on the bank's own deficient internal auditing and risk management practices. Sentenced to six and a half years in jail in Singapore, he was released from prison in 1999, having been diagnosed with colon cancer, which he has survived despite grim forecasts at the time. While in despite prison, in 1996, Leeson published an autobiography, Rogue Trader, detailing his acts.There may be a temptation to view this debacle as being caused by just one individual – the â€Å"rogue trader† – but in reality the fiasco should be attributed to the underlying structure of the firm, and particularly to the lack of internal checks and balances. Events: 1993: Nick Leeson becomes general manager of Barings Futures (Singapore), running the bank's Simex (Singapore International Monetary Exchange) activities. January 1994: By this date (at the latest), Leeson started selling put and call options on the Nikkei 225 equity index, placing the premiums earned into an error account number 88888.This strategy, known as a straddle, is essentially a bet on the stability of market prices. 24 February 1994: A memorandum from the Barings' asset and liability committee values the 4 options portfolio at 2. 8 billion yen. July 1994 – August 1994: James Baker, an internal auditor, spends two weeks in Singapor e investigating the immense profits being made there. Baker identifies the weakness of internal controls and recommends that the general manager should no longer be responsible for the back office.In response, a separate financial manager in Hong Kong is given part part-time responsibility for watching over the back office. ng August 1994: In an attempt to better evaluate its overall risk, Barings sets up an integrated Group Treasury and Risk function, reporting to a new asset and liability committee (Alco). December 1994: A later Barings investigation reveals that, for unknown reasons, Leeson has run up an accrued loss amounting to Y7. 7 billion on the account by the end of 1994. 23 January 1995: The Nikkei 225 drops by 1000 points after an earthquake hits Japan's industrial heartland. 6 January 1995: The London futures team gives Barings' Alco Committee a presentation on the Baring Futures (Singapore) operation, which states that Leeson is operating a perfectly perfectl matched bo ok – long in Osaka, but short to the same amount on Simex. 8 February 1995: Coopers & Lybrand decides to hold off signing off on Barings' accounts until it becomes possible to clear up a few points with Leeson. 23 February 1995: At close of trading, the error account contains 55,399 Nikkei contracts trading, expiring in March and 5640 expiring in June.As of February 25, this totalled a loss of 59 billion yen on Simex. 24 February 1995: The Barings Board meets to discuss a hastily prepared analysis of the hastily-prepared transactions in Account 88888. March 1995: The Dutch Bank ING agrees to purchase Barings for 1 pound and assume all of its liabilities (Bull, 1995). Lessons to be Learned: Lack of internal checks and balances Even when segregation of duties was suggested by internal audit, the concentration of power in the Leeson's hands was scarcely diluted. Lack of understanding of the business.If Barings' auditors and top management had understood the trading business, the y would have realised that it was not possible for Leeson to be making the profits that he was reporting without taking on undue risk, and they might have questioned where the money was coming from. Arbitrage is supposed to be a low risk, and hence low profit, business, so Leeson's large m. profits should have inspired alarm rather than praise. Given that arbitrage should be cash cashneutral or cash-rich, additional alarms should have gone off as the Bank wired hundreds of rich, millions of dollars to Singapore.Poor supervision of employees Although Leeson had never held a trading license prior to his arrival in Singapore, there was little oversight of his activities and no individual was directly responsible for monitoring his trading strategies. Lack of a clear reporting line Leeson's fraud may have been facilitated by the confusion caused by two reporting lines: one to London, for proprietary trading, and another to Tokyo for trading on behalf of customers. customer Allikas: http ://www. erisk. com/Learning/CaseStudies/ref_case_barings. asp Kusimused:1. Millist kauplemisstrateegiat Nick Leeson oma ulemustele teadaolevalt kasutas? Kuidas selle strateegiaga teoreetiliselt raha on voimalik teenida? 2. Millist kauplemisstrateegiat Nick Leeson tegelikult kasutas? Kuidas selle strateegiaga teoreetiliselt raha on voimalik teenida? 3. Mis on back-office funktsioonid? 4. Mis sundmus sai Barings pangale saatuslikuks? Mis selle tulemusel juhtus Leesoni positsioonidega? 5. Mis olid pohjused (mida tehti valesti), et kaesolev Baringsi case sai uldse juhtuda (5 pohjust)? 6. Milliseid eetilisi noudeid Nick Leeson oma tegutsemisega rikkus ning kuidas oleks tulnud korrektselt kaituda?

2. What were the greatest achievements of the Italian Renaissance Essay

2. What were the greatest achievements of the Italian Renaissance Explain your answer with reference to at least three works of art or literature - Essay Example Artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, and Michelangelo thrived during this period, their works being considered masterpieces to this day. The works of the trio form the backbone of the Italian Renaissance and some of these shall be considered in this essay. One of the best-known works of the Italian Renaissance, and what can be considered one of its best accomplishments, is the fresco The Triumph of Galatea. This is a masterpiece by Raphael, which he painted for the Villa Farnesina, and is based on Greek mythology (Bruce 346). It is a depiction of how the Nereid Galatea became involved in a love situation with a shepherd. While this fresco is based on the mythology, it depicts a sight where Galatea is surrounded by humanoid sea creatures. This fresco is deemed one of Raphael’s supreme masterpieces whose meaning has been subject to speculation for a long time. The second, and perhaps the most well-known, work of art of this period is Mona Lisa, by Leonardo da Vinci. This painting is not only famous, but many books, songs, and poems have been written concerning it. This is because of the famed mystery, which the painting seems to carry with it. People who have visited it or viewed it have often wondered what da Vinci’s inte ntion for painting it was. While some people believe that it is just a regular painting, others have come up with theories concerning it, including that it holds a revered religious secret. The topic of the painting has an indistinct expression on her face. This expression has kept people interested in the painting for a long time, as each attempt to decipher its true meaning (McMullen). Art scholars continue to study it as ever-increasing theories, and myths develop around it. One of the most renowned pieces of art from the Italian Renaissance is the statue David, a monument by the sculptor Michelangelo, which is a representation of Biblical David, who was a favorite subject of Florentine artists, standing nude

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Facing it paper assignment1 - Essay Example The scene of the poem is the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in Washington D.C., which lists the names of the American Army personnel who died in the war. The poem deals with the images of this experience. The poem is autobiographical, being based on his stint in Vietnam. Written in the first person point-of-view, the narrator of â€Å"Facing It† is Yusef. This point of view gives the poem a very intimate tone. The reader is absorbed into the mind of the poet and sees the Memorial through his eyes. The poet’s point-of-view narrative in â€Å"Facing It† expresses his confrontation of his own emotions, shows his empathy for others and explores his search for closure. As Yusef faces the Memorial, he confronts his own emotions and experiences during the Vietnam War. The Memorial is a wall of black, polished stone. The high polish results in the images of viewers being reflected off the names of the dead soldiers which are inscribed on the wall. In effect, Yusef tre ats the polished granite wall as a looking glass reflecting the images of war. By adopting this perspective, Yusef sees himself in the wall. He asserts his African-American identity in the very beginning of the poem: â€Å"My black face fades/hiding inside the black granite† (Yusef, 1 / 2). ... However, to the poet’s frustration, this device of melding with the stone does not guard him against pain of his powerful emotions. However much he tries to hide within the wall, and insulate himself from pain by exerting a rock-like self-control, Yusef has to finally acknowledge that he is a living man, with all the sensitivity of living flesh: â€Å"I’m flesh† Yusef accepts (Yusef, ---5). It is obvious that the poet is moved to tears by the recollection of his war experiences. As he views the wall through tear-filled eyes, it is his â€Å"clouded reflection† (Yusef, ---6--) which stares back at him. Yusef pays his personal homage to the dead by going â€Å"down the 58,022 names† (Yusef, ---14) inscribed on the wall. Andrew Johson is obviously someone he knew in the war. The poet relives the horror of the soldier’s death in â€Å"the booby trap’s white flash† (Yusef, --- 18). Yusef’s mention of â€Å"half-expecting to f ind my own in letters like smoke† conveys to the reader his puzzlement at the arbitrary nature of war. He is alive while 58,022 men died. There is a hint of guilt in this image. This sentiment also makes Yusef particularly sensitive to the pain of those who lost loved ones in the war. Yusef empathizes with the other visitors to the Memorial. He sees â€Å"Names shimmer on a woman’s blouse† (Yusef, 19). Like Yusef, this woman is also there to pay homage to the dead. It is likely that there is a name on that wall which belongs to a loved one with whom she identified in life. But now, â€Å"when she walks away, the names stay on the wall† (Yusef, --- 20 / 21). The dead are irrevocably gone and the woman has to leave her love behind in the dead wall. The separation is final. A white veteran approaches Yusef. The man’s

Max Weber Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Max Weber - Essay Example (Kilcullen, 1996) This important belief is said to have made the Calvinists quite anxious about their Salvation, and this led to the fact that they attempted to console themselves and get rid of their anxiety by making concerted attempts to succeed in all their economic and other undertakings. The widespread belief may have been that God would quite naturally demonstrate his favor by bestowing prosperity and wealth on the various enterprises and undertakings of the elect. In addition, no Calvinist believed in self indulgence, and this meant that all the finances generated and raised by their present undertakings would perforce be put back into future undertakings, or 'callings' as they were referred to, both by the employer as well as by the employee. The small reward that they expected was a mere earthly one, but this was sufficient for the Calvinist. (Kilcullen, 1996) It was also Max Weber's opinion that Protestant doctrines believed in the fact that men must accept a humbler sort of station in their lives, and that they must devote their energies into performing mundane tasks and duties. Weber also believed that since there was no hierarchical Church structure present, it meant that there would be no episodes of upward mobility and a need for acquisition. however, it was because of the 'work and save' ethic that was being followed by these people that the phenomenon of 'Capitalism' was brought into the picture, and since there is absolutely no doubt that a dedication and a devotion and a deep commitment towards one's work would inevitably bring forth the desired productivity, especially on the part of the Calvinists, who believed in the dedication to one's own 'beruf', or duty, or calling. (Max Weber, 1864 to 1920) It is widely acknowledged everywhere that Max Weber had an ingrained concept of 'rationality and rationalism' in all his works, and according to Rogers Brubaker, it was veritably a 'great unifying theme' in his work, even though it has been stated by some others that the concept was at times 'evasive'. It was Weber's opinion that the very history of 'rationalism' has revealed that it does not follow any type of parallel lines in life in general, and also that the very idea of rationality is both multi directional and multi dimensional. Rationality was, for Weber, the manifestation of individual freedoms, and also another meaning for conceptual lucidity, among various other meanings. (The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) According to Max Weber, sociology as such meant that it was nothing but a 'comprehensive science of social action', and it must be also noted that most of Max Weber's ideals stem from the idea that human beings attach a great many subjective meanings to all their manifold actions and interactions within any specific social context. Therefore, in this context, rationality means that most human beings restlessly strive for a goal, which in itself may not be rational, but for which most people strive through rational means. As most people have diverse numbers of motivational factors, it would mean that most human behavior as such is caused by a mixture of all these motivations. This was in

Dislocation and strengthening mechanism on various materials Essay - 1

Dislocation and strengthening mechanism on various materials - Essay Example Composites are strengthened in a similar fashion by reinforcing the material matrix with particles or fibers. Fiber reinforced plastics (FRP) are the most commonly used composites [2]. The fibers act as load carrying mediums while the surrounding filler works to transmit the load to the fibers. At times polymers possessing higher material strength are required. There are three basic fundamental means of increasing material strength for polymers; these are crystallization, cross-linking and chain-stiffening [3]. Crystallization causes polymers to gain regularity in their molecular arrangement. Cross-linking is a process by which adjacent molecular chains are bonded with one other through covalent bonds. Chain-stiffening involves a number of methods through which chain bending is restricted. . Strengthening mechanisms for metals include grain size reduction, solid-solution strengthening and strain hardening. Grain size reduction involves reducing the grain size of the metal. The reduction in grain size obstructs dislocation motion when stress is applied. At a macro level, the material appears to have more strength. Solid-solution strengthening involves introducing impurity atoms in the interstitial solid solution. Strain hardening is also known as work hardening or cold work. Cold work is a process by which a ductile metal is plastically deformed resulting in a metal that is harder and stronger. Furthermore, recrystallization is a process by which a cold worked material regains its precold-worked properties. As mentioned afore, cold work or strain hardening is a inexpensive process by which a ductile metal is hardened through plastic deformation. The process is performed well below the absolute melting point of the metal [4]. There are a number of advantages related to strain hardening. The materials maybe strain hardened and molded into desired shape simultaneously while still being able to achieve superb dimensional tolerance and surface

South Australian Curriculum Framework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

South Australian Curriculum Framework - Essay Example This paper declares that the analysis of â€Å"R-10 English Teaching Resource† document is especially interesting from the view of an ESL learner as there are some mismatches in this particular part. The key decision makers about these mismatches are teachers who critically evaluate the document and make correct decisions on further teaching and learning development: â€Å"Thus, the teacher can learn the purpose of their learning a language, their favorite / least favorite kinds of class activities, and the reason why they learn a language†. This essay stresses that there are some key-point factors shaping the curriculum in the context. The first one is critical analysis of texts – it is a very important part of working at texts and allows understanding contexts. The second one is convenient modes sectioning of the curriculum document. This curriculum shaping factor allows learners to study English in complex and divide learning process into appropriate parts. The third one: the document â€Å"provides examples of content at particular levels, while not constraining the possibilities to these examples†. The critical analysis of the document allows viewing it from different sides – it is rather useful for making appropriate decisions for improving the English language curriculum for ESL students not only in South Australia, but also in other regions and countries. The document key aspects of languages education is the first item to be observed.... Appropriate skills and knowledge levels shape the learning context of the curriculum by further language skills improvement practice of learners, and this process is well reflected in the document.The critical analysis of the document allows viewing it from different sides - it is rather useful for making appropriate decisions for improving the English language curriculum for ESL students not only in South Australia, but also in other regions and countries. The document key aspects of languages education is the first item to be observed. The focus age group is 7 - 17 years old learners of primary schools, including ESL learners of the same age. The main ESL context of the document is connected with the learners' work on texts, their structure, analysis and their cultural context. So, the document provides such learning context for ESL learners. It has a variety of different learning activities relevant to ESL learning context, as will be indicated below.2. The purpose of the document "R-10 English Teaching Resource" is help for teachers in SACSA Framework application in teaching and learning process: "These resources are designed to support teachers to engage further with the SACSA Framework and work towards maximising students' achievement. They arise from the need expressed by many teachers for the requirements of the SACSA Framework to be made more explicit for each year level" (R-10 English Teaching Resource). The targeted group to use the document is a group of teachers who want to develop their personal teaching and learning programs. The document has concept maps which underline basic items concerning listening, speaking, reading, viewing and writing. "R-10 English Teaching Resource" document also

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Competition and markets - Essay Example Oligopolistic firms are interdependent and large. One firm is hugely affected by the deed of the other. Some of the characteristics of oligopoly are small number of large firms that generate substantial market control depending on the size of the businesses. Second characteristic of the oligopoly market is interdependence in decision-making process because the number of competition is few and any slight change in price or good eventually affects other firms (Nechyba, 2011). Firms in oligopoly regard the response of other firms in an industry. Thirdly, firms in an oligopolistic market normally use aggressive advertising, marketing, and promotion in order to fight for its place in the market. Advertisement and sales costs the oligopolistic firms a lot of money. Companies tend to carry out their own product’s promotion and the firm’s name to attract a significant number of customers (Landsburg, 2011). Franchise in oligopoly market applies a small element of differentiation, which creates distinction between its own product and other competitors’ products as it aims at increasing its market share in the industry. Additionally, there is no price reduction in the oligopolistic market since prices are sticky and rigid for the reason that any price cut by one firm may eventually call for reaction by the rival firms, which may affect the whole industry (Landsburg, 2011). Some of the competitors of the oligopolistic firms such as the franchise are the large few companies operating in the same markets. The availability and formation of cartels may threaten franchise and lead to closure of the business. Firms may further use tacit collusion by fixing the prices without all firms’ consent and when quantity produced and price fixing is done explicitly. Price leadership may largely affect the prices of the franchise especially when one major firm in the industry decides to set price lower than the prevailing market price

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Scientific Theories Essay Example for Free

Scientific Theories Essay One of the major preoccupations of XX’s century scientific philosophers was the development of complex scientific theory explaining how science comes to be and how it works. Since 1900-s several basic theories have been proposed to explain science. This paper aims to provide an overview of those theories especially concentrating on ideas of scientific revolution by Thomas S. Kuhn. Already David Hume in â€Å"A Treatise of Human Nature† noticed, that we can never truly prove the existence of casual laws but we can only perceive them and their consequences. And as we can not know the truth about laws, we can never know the law itself, so it is always open for reconsideration. W.V. Quine went even further by proposing, that even mathematical theorems can from time to time be revised if necessary. Thusly they have created grounds for illogical negativism, under which no statement can be recognized absolutely true. In the 1920-s Moritz Schlicks and Hans Reichenbach offered another view which they called logical positivism. Basically recognizing that no statement can be true or false a priory, logical positivists held that every piece of knowledge is based on logics of â€Å"protocol sentences† based on observable events. In order to be recognized true or false a statement is to meet a verifiability criterion. Only in this case a statement can be recognized meaningful. However, some of the positivists noticed, that even non-verifiable statements may have some cognitive value[1]. In the 1930-s Karl Popper raised criticism against positivist model and introduced a theory based on ideas of practicing scientists. Under his idea scientific progress is achieved by rejection of earlier false theories and creation of a new theory when the old one no longer fits the empiric facts. The new theory is therefore closer to truth. So physics of Aristotle has been replaced by physics of Newton and physics of Newton by the one of Einstein. Every new theory explains the world in new terms and on a new level, Progressive theory has been sharply criticized by Thomas Kuhn in his â€Å"Structure of Scientific Revolutions†, published in 1962. Under his idea, scientific progress is a set of dominant structures, which he called paradigms.   Scientific research passes through stages of â€Å"normal† development including solving of current problems and â€Å"revolutionary stage†. Revolutionary stage or paradigm shift means testing of new theories and assumptions which causes a state of crisis in the old theories, when paradigms are sufficiently unprecedented to attract an enduring group of adherents away from competing modes of scientific activity[2] For Kuhn a new paradigm is not only a new theory, but a totally new view on the world and a new way of thinking. A paradigm is not a new answer to a question, but it is revolutionary new way of putting questions themselves. Core questions of the old paradigm are rejected by a new one as those, which are no longer applicable[3]. Moreover, one paradigm can not be understood in terms of another paradigm, so changing paradigms necessarily causes a crisis. Kuhn explained this using examples from astronomy by noticing that Given a particular discrepancy, astronomers were invariably able to eliminate it by making some particular adjustment in Ptolemy’s system of compounded circles. But astronomy’s complexity was increasing far more rapidly than its accuracy and that a discrepancy corrected in one place was likely to show up in another.[4] Paradigm changes the world itself, and Kuhn offers an example of Lavoisier, who saw nature differently after discovering oxygen[5]. After scientific revolution has happened, communications are to restored between advocates of new and old theories. This is a hard and long lasting process, which often ends by physical death of the â€Å"old† scientists, because Conversions will occur a few at a time until, after the last hold-outs have died, the whole profession will again be practicing under a single, but now different, paradigm[6].   This caused claims of relativism which Kuhn himself denied in the later editions of his book. However, despite of all, Kuhn’s idea have deeply influenced the modern philosophic vocabulary. Such terms as â€Å"paradigm†, â€Å"paradigm shift†, â€Å"normal science† and â€Å"revolutionary science† are now widely applied by scientists and philosophers, especially in social science, political science and international relations theory[7]. Among the latest critics one should mention reasoning by Paul Feyerabend. He noticed, that there were many cases in the history of science, when scientists considered their theories a priory accurate long after some facts are discovered, which demonstrate the weakness of the theory. Under Feyerabend’s assumption there exist certain forms of scientific thinking, which allow scholars to recognize certain theories as scientific. So methodology of science can be pluralistic and include methods from different periods. New methods of reasoning do not substitute old ones, but they enter the scientific cannon together and mutually influence each other[8]. Works Cited Friedman, Michael, (1999) Reconsidering Logical Positivism. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press Thomas S. Kuhn (1996) The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, University Of Chicago Press; 3 edition Fuller S. (2000) Thomas Kuhn: A Philosophical History for Our Times. Chicago: University of Chicago Press Bird A. (2000) Thomas Kuhn. Princeton and London: Princeton University Press and Acumen Press Paul K. Feyerabend (1999) Knowledge, Science and Relativism. Vol. 3, Cambridge [1]   Friedman, Michael, (1999) Reconsidering Logical Positivism. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, p,- 43 [2] Thomas S. Kuhn   (1996) The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, University Of Chicago Press; 3 edition, p.-10 [3] Fuller S. (2000) Thomas Kuhn: A Philosophical History for Our Times. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p.-70 [4] Thomas S. Kuhn   (1996) ibidem, p.-65 [5] Supra note, p.- 118 [6] Supra note, p.-152 [7] Bird A. (2000) Thomas Kuhn. Princeton and London: Princeton University Press and Acumen Press. p.- 113 [8] See: Paul K. Feyerabend (1999) Knowledge, Science and Relativism. Vol. 3, Cambridge University Press

Why Should I Be Moral Philosophy Essay

Why Should I Be Moral Philosophy Essay The question of morality proves to be a complex interrogatory. Should I be moral? If I should be, then why? Why is morality important to society? An assumption can be made that morals derive from a purely religious perspective or the Golden Rule approach. We are told that it is right to be moral. This is an ineffective answer, since it does not apply to someone outside the moral circle (Olsen, 79). This in mind, there is really no way to prove this too a person who wants to know why he/she should be moral. According to Olen, the only answer to them would be because you are. Happiness could also be included in the list of moral reasons. I personally feel that this is the best supported reason for being moral. Although there will be times when the moral decision will not be pleasurable, it will eventually lead to happiness. Morality is important for society as a whole, as it makes life livable. Now expanding on the happiness theory, I will discuss the ideas of Aristotle. Aristotle believed that happiness is the quality of whole human life. We all have misconceptions about happiness. Most of us believe that happiness is experiencing a lively feeling of joy or pleasant feelings. We can be happy at one moment, but not the next. Aristotle on the other hand said that true happiness includes pleasures, joys, and successes as well as many pains, griefs, and troubles in ones life. A happ y life is not cause by the pleasures weve had, nor marred by the displeasures weve had. Aristotle also contended that children could not be happy as the requirement for happiness was a complete life. For instance, an old man looking back on his life and being able to say that it was good, is happiness. Aristotle defined the things that make happiness as health, wealth, friendship, and good moral character. Aristotle stated that happiness was also the highest good leaving nothing more to be desired. Life is made perfect by possession of all good things. We seek happiness for its own sake. All others are sought for happiness. Aristotle believed to become happy one must have good character and be willing to suffer to obtain the greater good later on. We should seek the good in the long run. Most men/women will not do this. We take the immediate pleasure. Most people think that happiness is unique to each person. Aristotle believed that there is only one true conception and that it holds the same for all humans. Power is not an attribute to happiness because it would preclude some people from being happy if they are ruled. Aristotle believed as our for fathers that everyone has an ultimate right to the pursuit of happiness. He believed that this pursuit must be cooperative, not competitive. All this said, it is clear that it fits into his belief that everything in nature has a goal towards which it naturally strives (i.e. happiness). A morally virtuous person is one who is moderate in his actions. He chooses the mean as opposed to the extremes. Aristotle was more concerned with the real world than with the theological world. His bottom line view point was that we have no answer to the question Why do you want to be happy? other than to be happy. He believed that we must be moral in order to obtain our life long goal of happiness. I find myself in agreement with Aristotle to some degree. When I as myself why do you want to be happy? I am stuck. I just want to be happy. I can see where society as a whole must practice morality as a whole to allow everyone the non-competitive pursuit of happiness. I can also relate to the fact that following the immediate pleasure doesnt unnecessarily attribute to the future good. I have not been able to live one city longer than a year at a time. As a result of this, I am unable to purchase my dream home because the financial tolls. I am however happier when I first move to a new state. I am not totally convinced that the pursuit of happiness alone is just cause for morality. I do believe that morality has much to do with a theological basis. I believe that there is an obligation instilled in each of us by the current religious belief of out society. I believe we make decision based on the consequences we could face in our afterlife. I believe we discern right and wrong on the basis of what is right or wrong to our doctrine. True moral issues, but for the most part dont we judge thing based on what was instilled into us as children? We were socialized to fit a pattern and our society even today is still tinged with religious attitudes and beliefs. According to Kohlbergs stages of moral development, children give the right answer to moral issues, but with different reasons as they progress. STAGE BRIEF DESCRIPTION REASONS FOR DOING RIGHT LEVEL I: 1 Preconventional Desire to Avoid punishment Avoidance of punishment and the superior power of authority; obedience for its own sake. 2 Desire to obtain rewards Serves ones own needs and recognizes that other people have their interests to; conforms to obtain rewards LEVEL II: 3 Conventional Good Boy/Good Girl Values the approval of others and tries to maintain mutual relationships involving trust, loyalty, respect, and gratitude; believes in the Golden Rule. 4 Respect for Authority Values societys laws and tries to uphold them; tires to keep the institution going. LEVEL III 5 Post-Conventional Respect for the social contract Believes in upholding the social contract because it provides the greatest good for the greatest number; recognizes that a social contract is an agreement between people that benefits the public welfare. 6 Universal ethical principles Personally committed to a set of self-chosen ethical principles, mot of which may be compatible with the laws of society. When laws conflict with ethical principles, the person acts in accordance with his/her principles. SOURCE: Based on L. Kohlberg Stage and Sequence: The Cognitive-Developmetal Approach to Socializtion in Handbood of Sociliztion Thoery and Research, 1969, edited by D.A. Goslin, Rand Mcnally, Chicago; and L. Kohlberg, Moral Stages and Moralization in T. Lickons Ied.), Moral Development and Behavior. New Yord: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1976. Now as I take this table into consideration I see that children are consistently react in to the consequences given to them by parents, schools, and so forth. These ideas are ingrained into us from birth, therefor they become a part of us. Not only do they become a part of us, but the real reason that they are important gets lost and becomes a just because reason. Maybe this is why it is so difficult to explain why a person should be moral. Having said all of this, I believe that Aristotles ideas were for the most part correct. His philosophy o morality being linked to the achievement of happiness does fit into my thoughts on societal molding. In our society, or any for that matter, there seems to be a blueprint from which we set our goals and structure our lives. Being healthy, wealthy, and respected are a big part of that blueprint we in our sect call the American Dream. Inherent to being respected is being known for doing the right thing and making the right decisions, and keeping promises. We do all want to be happy but I say society has created those items which we consider important our out happiness. Would wealth be important if there was no money with which to contend? I think not, therefor I dont think morals would be an important ingredient to happiness if religion had not affected society. Through the ages the beliefs of the moral issues of the time. Therefor, I think the ideas we accrue throughout our life times concerning what is right our wrong are then past to our children just the same. Why should I be moral? I strongly believe it is because society says so. Olen, Jeffrey., Persons and Their World. McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1983 Wallace, Patricia M., Goldstein, Heffrey H., Nathan, Peter E., Introduction to Psychology. Brown Publishers, 1990.

Dune: The Burtlerian Jihad - Analysis :: essays research papers

Analysis   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dune: The Burtlerian Jihad is the fourth Dune novel I have read by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. One of the things I really liked about this book was the quotes at the binging of each chapter. â€Å"Religion, time and time again, brings down Empires, rotting them from within.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This is one of said quotes. The reason why I enjoy these quotes is because not only do they always have something to do with the chapter they have meaning in our world as well as the dune world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I also enjoyed the way this book was written, in very small five to twelve page chapters. The reason for this is because of the huge amount of significant characters. Every chapter the story changes randomly between a group of nine to ten main characters that usually have nothing to do with each other until a twist in the plot brings them together. An example of this is there is a character named Selim who lives on Arrakis know to the people who live there as Dune. Has had not had anything to do with any of the other characters and have only had a few appearances in the book but he will most likely have a lager part in the next book in the series.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The aspect of this book that I like the most, though, was the immense amount of detail the book has. It is as if the authors are actually in the world of Dune accompanying the characters and simply writing exactly what they see around them. Whenever a setting was described I could see it in my mind. The authors have everything detailed down to how the advanced technology in the book functions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To answer if the book was successful in compelling its message I would say yes. The main Idea in this story is that man is getting far too reliant on external sources to do everything for them and then eventually it will all come crashing down and people will not know what to do.

Oneills Debate On Education :: essays research papers

O'Neill's Debate on Education Students are not getting the Basic Knowledge needed today due to the poor upbringing and lack of respect for the need of education. In O'Neills editorial his reason for this was because the students as a whole did not want their ignorance exposed. However, he forgot to include that teachers are just as ignorant as the student. Give a teacher the same test and see hoe much they remember about what they we taught some odd number of years ago. It's not safe to assume that because a person can't remember who the 31st president was, that they don't have the basics of gobble history . How many teachers know the basics, if asked on the spot. Lets Examine another quote from O'Neill's editorial in his opine Charie Chaplin a classic movie star, and that because when asked about him no one know who he was, Well , if the students didn't watch old TV shows on the late night TV channels then how would they know of Charlie? They don't cover a class in classic television. There fore that question would be unfair to pit on the test. O'Neill's just assume that everyone is raised in the same back ground as him. Charles Darwin did not create gravity but he did believe in evolution. The concept that we were originated from organs to monkeys then humans. In church we stray away from that kind of talk "that is the devil trying to score your mind" that's what they would say. O'Neill says "I broke the rules of this time-honored gam when I presented my English-composition students with an 86 question test the first day of class." Know that all students think of doing the first day of class. Concentrating on a 86 question test is a common students retinal. The student always for every question read it through out and back and forward. O'Neill told the students that the students that it wouldn't be graded. Any time you tell students that, automatically that means just fill it out. As long as it get done. You can't go by a test like that for the simple fact that there is know evidence each and every one gave it a true try. Sure they finished the test but did they even read it. When students in the hall where stopped and asked to fill out the questions stated on the handout the results where the same. Charles Darwin invented electricity. Christ was born around Elvis's birthday. The geographical part of the test was outstandingly wrong.

Annotation of the Children of Hurin

The purpose of this essay is to be a book review, and an analysis of the writing as a whole. It has been said that this is Tolkien’s darkest work, which goes along with the theme of Darkness and Wickedness throughout the book. Tolkien’s time period, religion, and upbringing have shaped his works; including this one. Quote â€Å"he can make one feel the darkness and wickedness, and its insidious nature as it silently seeps into human hearts and minds, which alters their behavior leading to human demise. This is very true in The Children of Hurin; there are characters that because of their wickedness that is inside, or cast upon them end up perishing due to their choices and behaviors. I do not necessarily agree with Witherington that human pride goes before the fall, and it makes us vulnerable to powers of darkness. I do not understand the connection of how pride can cause vulnerability to the darkness. If someone is prideful then they may not take heed to others advice and counsel, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it will cause them to fall into darkness easier than someone who isn't.The protagonist Turin sets out on his journey in a world that is occupied with evil and wickedness. So far Turin hasn't fallen into obscurity and evil ways and he has a lot of pride in this story. What is personally interesting to me in this essay is Witherington’s correlation of â€Å"Tolkien's use of the motif of the creeping darkness of evil which falls upon the realm owes more to the Biblical notion of the effects of the Fall than to Norse lore. †

How to be a good student Essay

To become a good student, you need to get motivated! Motivation can come from seeing the situation of many poor children around the world who are not lucky enough to get a proper education. This is a good thing to keep in mind when you find yourself not wanting to attend class or study at home. Another reason to get motivated to study is that you will enjoy a better quality of life as an educated person. You can go to educational websites, like this one, and surf them with interest. You must not force yourself to study, as this will make learning a chore and you will not feel like even opening your books. You will have many academically good students in your courses. Try becoming friends with them (or encourage your current friends to be better students), and you’ll be immersed in an academic environment which will help you feel motivated! Above all, you need confidence! For that, we need to feel that we are working for ourselves and not for others! Good luck! Chapter 2 – Concentration On Studies Concentration follows eagerness. This section provides you with the basics of â€Å"Concentration† and also provides you with advice as to how to get aroused with concentration. You need to pay attention in a class. Don’t start chatting with your peers/friends when the teacher turns their back to you. Even better; don’t associate with distracting people. You should realize that the people in your class play an important role in how everybody progresses. However, if you are a good student you will do better and achieve your goals. Your friends will be there for you at that time, if they are trustful and of a good reputation. At home, study and do your homework in a place that doesn’t make you sleep. It is advisable to have a dedicated study table or desk. Don’t do your study work on the bed or in front of the TV, radio, stereo, etc. That would be pointless because you are meant to be thinking about your studies.

Christmas Dinner

ENGL 1301 – Section 4 Narrative essay June 13, 2012 The Making of Christmas Dinner â€Å"Caitlyn, get downstairs now! † frantically screamed my mother. The sound of her nervous voice made me spring from the bed and quickly scramble down the stairs to the kitchen. As I slid around the corner and headed toward the kitchen, I encountered a large, foggy cloud of strong smoke. â€Å"Mom, what’s going on? † I screeched. She was grabbing the bright red fire extinguisher from under the sink to avert the fire coming from the oven. She opened the oven door to see flames coming from our Christmas turkey.Flames were leaping out from the roaster pan when she unleashed the fire extinguisher dousing the smoldering carcass. I didn’t understand what had happened. It was Christmas Eve morning, and my mom had been working on the special plans for a family dinner for days. By this time, my sisters were also in the kitchen, wondering what was causing such a commotion. W e all agreed that the turkey was as good as road kill. Mom dumped the turkey in the outside trash barrels and came back into the kitchen to decide how we could switch to an alternative plan.As the awful smell of burned turkey filled the kitchen, mother explained that she had forgotten to reduce the temperature of the oven before she went to bed last night. We were all grateful the whole kitchen wasn’t on fire! I felt horrible for my mom. This was going to be the first year to have the entire family come to our house for dinner. We all looked at each other with the question, â€Å"What are we going to do? † My mom said that she and my dad could drive to Tyler to buy a Greenburg turkey already cooked. That sounded like the best plan. However,† she added, â€Å"you girls will have to finish the side dishes. † We all looked at each other with uneasy expressions on our faces. Could we do this? Without really thinking about what we were agreeing to do, we said, â€Å"Oh yes, we can do that. † Before mom left for Tyler, she gave us the entire menu she had planned: green beans, mashed potatoes, our favorite macaroni and cheese, and yeast rolls. Aunt Kelley was bringing the fruit salad. Aunt Joyce was bringing her special cranberry salad. Our grandmother was bringing her favorite pecan pie and our great randmother was bringing her famous banana pudding. My sisters and l agreed we would make gingerbread cookies to add to the wonderful dessert assortment. As our parents drove out of sight toward Tyler, we girls went to work. We divided the responsibilities and went to our work spaces in the kitchen. Ashley got the green beans started by opening the huge can of Italian green beans mom had bought at Sam’s Wholesale. It looked like we could feed the whole army with all those beans. She added lots of butter with salt & pepper. As they began to boil, she lowered the heat and put a lid on the pot.Lauren was peeling potatoes at the sink. When she finally finished peeling all the potatoes, she began cutting them into slices and put them into a large pot of water to boil. I was busy getting the boxes of macaroni opened to add to the boiling water I had already started. Adding a dash of salt, I lowered the heat under the bubbling macaroni hoping it would not boil over onto the stove. I figured we had already had enough catastrophes for one day. While the macaroni noodles were boiling, I sliced the creamy Velveeta cheese that would be added to complete our favorite side dish.We were amazed that everything was cooking so quickly and the smell of burned turkey was being replaced with a much more appetizing aroma. When all of our assigned dishes were completed, we all decided we could work together to make the gingerbread cookies. We had helped our mother make cookies since we were little girls so we felt more comfortable with this chore. My mom had already made the dough for the cookies, so we were left with the fun part †¦rolling and cutting the little gingerbread men. Ashley found the cookie cutter while Lauren began rolling the dough.I gathered all the cookie sheets we would need to make everyone in our family their own gingerbread cookie. Lauren had the dough all rolled out on the cabinet and we all took turns cutting out the little men. We gently lifted each cookie and placed them on the baking sheets. They looked like little children all in a row with their arms outstretched to welcome our guests. As the cookies were placed in the warm oven, we began to gather the decorations needed to create the image of one of our favorite storybook characters, â€Å"The Little Gingerbread Boy. The cookies smelled wonderful baking in the oven. We had been careful to set the timer so the cookies would not burn. When the cookies were baked and cooled, we began making tiny smiling faces with bright eyes on each little gingerbread man. Ashley found a large crystal dish to arrange the finished cookies for a n impressive presentation. They were so cute, we decided to leave them out on the dessert table for everyone to see as they arrived. We gathered all of my mom’s special china serving bowls to compliment each of the side dishes we had prepared.When our parents returned home with the beautiful Greenburg turkey, they were overwhelmed with all the side dishes we had prepared and had placed in the warming oven to await our guests. We didn’t confess that we had made a quick trip to The Farm House for the wonderful yeast rolls. We decided that detail could wait until after dinner. All of us gathered the red and green Christmas dishes with a decorated tree in the center of each plate so each guest would have a special place at the table.Dad helped set the silver at each plate and my mom reached to the top shelf of the china cabinet to get their wedding gift crystal glasses. What began as a nightmarish day had turned into a wonderful Christmas memory. As our relatives began to gather bringing their personal additions to the dinner, we were all reminded of why this celebration is our favorite day of the year. We had all come together to share our love for each other and be grateful for the many blessings we shared as a family.

Health Social Care

Making sure they have their fluids I set my standards very high and undertake all of my tasks for my service user to a gig standard even down to their cleaning, if standards aren't set high then this can cause problems with the service user for example: – if you don't brush their teeth one morning and forget to do it the next then their mouth would have a horrible taste and bad breath smell, this could then be called abuse and OVA (protection of venerable adults) could come into it. So it is very important for standards to be high in the work that is carried out. A way of describing how personal attitudes and beliefs that could be affected and how not to approach in this way is:- If you have a service user of different religion even though yourselves don't agree with this type of religion then you shouldn't treat them any different Service user has different skin color, you should treat them as any other person with same color skin as yourself If you and a service user have ha d a disagreement then you should just continue doing you work as normal and treat them as you normally would.Outcome 2: Be able to reflect on own activities Reflecting on your own work and activities is good because you can see where you are or have gone wrong, you can then change this by getting more training or advice room other people and they can show you what you are doing wrong. When you have done something good for example: I was in a service user's home and it was time for her medication, I gave her medication and then noticed she was putting them into her bag I asked if I could see and found loads of uneaten medication I then informed her that I was disposing of this medication. It made me feel so happy by doing this as I know she could've been planning an over dose or something. Sources of support for own learning and development could be: Spend time working alongside other colleagues.Talking to colleagues and asking them questions Going to training sessions either interna l or external Team meetings and discussions A personal development plan should be worked out with a supervisor. We will then discuss my goals and the best way of achieving them. Then my support manager will go through the best person for me to shadow in my new Job to learn new skills and to work on skills I already have, this person will then report back to my support manager on how well I am doing or if I need more training. This would then be discussed in another meeting we have to review what has been happening and how I am getting on in the new role Health Social Care Making sure they have their fluids I set my standards very high and undertake all of my tasks for my service user to a gig standard even down to their cleaning, if standards aren't set high then this can cause problems with the service user for example: – if you don't brush their teeth one morning and forget to do it the next then their mouth would have a horrible taste and bad breath smell, this could then be called abuse and OVA (protection of venerable adults) could come into it. So it is very important for standards to be high in the work that is carried out. A way of describing how personal attitudes and beliefs that could be affected and how not to approach in this way is:- If you have a service user of different religion even though yourselves don't agree with this type of religion then you shouldn't treat them any different Service user has different skin color, you should treat them as any other person with same color skin as yourself If you and a service user have ha d a disagreement then you should just continue doing you work as normal and treat them as you normally would.Outcome 2: Be able to reflect on own activities Reflecting on your own work and activities is good because you can see where you are or have gone wrong, you can then change this by getting more training or advice room other people and they can show you what you are doing wrong. When you have done something good for example: I was in a service user's home and it was time for her medication, I gave her medication and then noticed she was putting them into her bag I asked if I could see and found loads of uneaten medication I then informed her that I was disposing of this medication. It made me feel so happy by doing this as I know she could've been planning an over dose or something. Sources of support for own learning and development could be: Spend time working alongside other colleagues.Talking to colleagues and asking them questions Going to training sessions either interna l or external Team meetings and discussions A personal development plan should be worked out with a supervisor. We will then discuss my goals and the best way of achieving them. Then my support manager will go through the best person for me to shadow in my new Job to learn new skills and to work on skills I already have, this person will then report back to my support manager on how well I am doing or if I need more training. This would then be discussed in another meeting we have to review what has been happening and how I am getting on in the new role

L200 Essay †Crucible Experience Essay

The purpose of this essay is to identify, describe, and justify a crucible experience from my life; discuss how that experience influenced my personal leadership style, beliefs, philosophy, or behaviors; and explain how it will influence me as an organizational leader. To lay the ground work to do this, I believe it is important to first define what a crucible experience actually is. According to Warren G. Bennis and Robert J. Thomas, in their article titled C rucibles of Leaders hip, a crucible is defined as: â€Å"A transformative experience through which an individual comes to a new or an altered sense of identity.† 1 Based on this very broad definition, I discovered that it was difficult to identify just one particular experience that had a profound impact on my sense of identity. Over the course of my forty four years on this earth, half of that serving our great Nation, I have experienced many opportunities to grow as a person and as a leader. For this paper, I chose to use an experience from when I was a newly promoted Corporal and Infantry Mortar squad leader in the Salute Guns Platoon of the 3rd US Infantry Regiment, â€Å"The Old Guard†, back in 1990. During a a standard monthly counseling session with my immediate supervisor, a Staff Sergeant that will remain nameless in the event my essay is ever published, I received some advice that had such a profound impact on me that I decided to leave the Active Duty Army at the end of my first term of service, join the National Guard, and attend college. He counseled me that if I wanted to be a strong leader in the Army, I must always put the Army first. The mission must always come before my family, even if it meant I would lose them. His advice challenged my paradigm of: God, family, country. This caused me to take a deep look at what kind of man I wanted to be remembered as at the end of my life. Would an Army career bring me fulfillment? If I stayed in the Army, and listened to his advice, would my family still be there at the end of an Army career? Was this Staff Sergeant the type of leader I wanted to emulate? Did I really need to sacrifice my family to serve my country? Was his advice sound? I identify these questions as the recognizable beginning to my lifelong journey to become an effective leader, not just in the Military; but also as a father, a husband, a son, and as a man in general. I say this because I believe that an effective leader at work must also be an effective leader at home in order to lead by example in all areas of life. In the process of refining and answering those questions, I discovered what I believe are the basic tenants of an over-all effective leader in life; at the individual level, as well as the organizational level. To answer the first question; yes, an Army career is my chosen profession, and it has continuously brought me a sense of accomplishment and purpose. I discovered while I was a member of the Kansas Army National Guard and working for Xerox Business Services as my full-time employment, that there was a big difference between being a manager in the corporate world and being a leader in the Military. Army leaders are taught to lead by example, to lead from the front, and to care for the Soldiers under their command as if they were their own family. That mindset is very different from corporate leadership. Business managers and supervisors in the civilian work place only care that their employees show up on-time and do their work, what they do off the clock is of no concern. Army leaders must know every possible detail about their Soldier’s lives. A Soldier’s family is as important as the Soldier him / herself and Army leaders must be much more empathetic to the whole situation a Soldier is facing than the civilian supervisor is of an employee. So, part of what that Staff Sergeant was trying to say is true. In the Army it is mission first and Soldiers always, but an effective leader must find a balance between serving as a leader in the Army and serving as a leader of his own family. Yes, sometimes the mission requires my full attention and my family must wait. That is why it is important to be an effective leader at home when I am there. Just as it is my duty to mentor and grow young leaders in the Army to carry on the mission in my absence, I must also mentor my family to carry on when the Army requires me to be absent from home. I see leadership as fulfilling God’s will for my life, and that is all encompassing in every aspect of life. Just as a father must teach his children to become leaders so they can become successful in their lives, a leader in the Army must teach his subordinates, as well as his peers and supervisors how to be effective leaders. I feel that is the true purpose of leadership; to grow and develop more leaders. After nearly a decade in the civilian work force, I applied to return to the Army because I missed the Army way of life. I was disappointed in uncaring management I had experienced in the civilian work force and missed the true leadership I had experienced in the Army. The only caveat was that I had to ensure I maintained balance between my spiritual, personal, and professional life. To answer the next question; it depends, whether my family would still be there at the end of a successful Army career was really not completely within my power to control. As it turned out, I lost my family anyway. I discovered the hard reality that if a Soldier’s family does not share the same commitment to serving our great country, they probably do not share a common bond in other areas of life either. I have been able to counsel many of my Soldiers, and even some peers to carefully consider things before they throw away their career because they are afraid their spouse will leave them if they stay in the Army. Almost every time I have seen a Soldier get out of the Army to save their marriage, the marriage ends anyway. I am not sure this experience is universal, but I see serving in the Military as a family affair, that is why it is imperative that Army leaders engage on a more personal level than civilian supervisors do. Military family members must be willing to sacrifice just as much as their Soldiers do. A few years ago, I learned from a fellow Old Guard member that the Staff Sergeant that advised me that I must put the Army before my family also lost his family to divorce a few months after I ETSed. Apparently, his commitment level was higher than his spouse’s. I have learned the importance of achieving balance at work and home, and the importance of mentoring my Soldiers to do the same. In the Army, there is not a clear cut delineation between a Soldier’s personal life and professional service. Learning how to find a balance in my own life has given me the empathy to understand why it is important to help fellow Soldiers to find that same balance. I now understand that all leaders must remain cognizant of the importance of maintaining balance in life when leading Soldiers from the one-on-one level all the way up to the largest of organizational levels. In answering the third question, I discovered the real crucible of my leadership experience. I have met all kinds of leaders during my life; some are worthy of emulation, some only serve as an example of what not to do. The lesson I learned from that Staff Sergeant was to have patience and be more tolerant of those hard charging leaders who are so narrowly focused on the mission at hand, they overlook the big picture. The Army is not just about accomplishing the mission, we have a responsibility to also ensure the well-being of our Soldiers and their families under our care at the same time. In the Army; it is not mission or family, it is mission and family. This delicate balancing act of accomplishing the mission while taking care of Soldiers is what sets Army leaders apart from civilian supervisors. I firmly believe that if the Army were to be defined as a business, with an end product, the final product would be: leadership. Everything the Army does is tied together and driven by leadership. A truly effective leader mentors new leadership to work themselves out of a job so they can move on to positions of greater responsibility. This is totally different from civilian management positions where people are afraid to teach someone else how to do their job because they could possibly lose their job when it is discovered that someone else can do it just as well. Leaders who forget to account for Soldier’s families because they are overwhelmed with the responsibilities of the mission, may be looked upon as toxic leaders and bring the morale of the entire unit to its knees. In garrison, I have learned the importance of including family social events and Soldier family time into the unit training calendar to ensure those events do not get counted as white space and postponed when a last minute training idea comes up. Even at the highest organizational level of the Army, the Chief of Staff of the Army, the importance of taking care of Army families is at the top of the priority list. In conclusion, this essay has covered at least three leadership topics, concepts, or issues that we have discussed during our leadership lessons this year. According to the L101 lesson on developing organizations and leaders, paragraph 11-3 of Field Manual 6-22 states that: â€Å"Successful organizational leadership tends to build on direct leader experiences. The modern organizational level leader must carefully extend his influence beyond the traditional chain of command by balancing his role of warrior with that of a diplomat in uniform.† 2 Balancing mission and family can seem like a diplomatic task much of the time. In lesson L109 we learned that: â€Å"The Army is people; its readiness to fight depends upon the readiness of its people (Soldiers and their families), individually and as units. We improve our readiness and foster a ready state of mind by training, motivating and supporting our people, and by giving them a sense of participation in the Army’s important endeavors.† 3 This statement was made by former Army Chief of Staff Creighton Abrams, which goes to show that no matter how high up the chain we go, taking care of Soldiers and their families is always important. The key take away I learned from lesson L112, Organizational Leadership Philosophy, was: â€Å"Competent and confident leaders seek input and improvements over the entire span of their careers.† 4 Becoming a leader in life is an ongoing process, no matter how big the organizational responsibility.

Discussion Questons Week 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discussion Questons Week 3 - Essay Example It is important though not to ignore the monetary aspect but to remain in the business in the first place for the ones the business is being done, it is essential to situate the resources onto them and then move on forward expanding the market share and the like. An NGO that I am familiar with makes rightful use of these ethical values and it ensures that these steps are followed to the core. However I would really like this NGO to guarantee that these ethical undertakings are not violated no matter how hard the circumstances are or how tough the events turn out to be within the future. 2. What is motivation? How do leaders and management affect motivation? What role does the individual employee play in organizational motivation? Which of the motivational theories relate to why you work so hard? Motivation is an aspect that comes from within an individual as he tries his best to come to terms with the situation at hand and takes steps which are in line with his confidence levels. The role is to be ahead of where he is currently and to do something which is missing at the present. There are various leadership styles that exist in management. They include authoritarian or autocratic, participative or democratic, delegative or free reign leadership. Leadership is also described as directing people to do specific duties by influencing their personal behavior through incentives and motivation, teamwork, individual dynamics and discipline. The core purpose of leadership is to channel all the employees’ behavior towards attaining the company’s objectives. Leadership is thus essential in creating and maintaining a healthy organizational culture within any business organization. Leading does not necessarily come from that in power but from any individual who provides i nformation and suggestions on the way forward. The role of individual employee in organizational motivation is to be sincere with his tasks and to

Evaluation on the New Developments on Destination Management Systems Essay

Evaluation on the New Developments on Destination Management Systems - Essay Example ese factors include the different surroundings in which the operations of destination tourism take place considering the cultural and biophysical environment of tourism in the area, the manner in which the travelers and visitors behave and the patterns they follow for their travelling, the skills and abilities making the performance of the tourism personnel effective for the visitors, and the roles and responsibilities considered by the tourism department for plans of development (Moscardo 2008). Destination tourism holds the most important place among all other industries across the world. In many countries, tourism is the most important economic activity involving tourism destinations that have beaches, parks based on themes, cultural attractions for the visitors. Newer destinations are also continuously developed that do not necessarily follow the traditional tourism patterns and options. Visitors are attracted to such destinations that provide them with attractions, as well as wi th suitable climatic conditions and landforms. This indicates that geography also has a direct linkage with the patterns and attractions of destination tourism. Understanding of such factors and management of destination tourism thus holds significant importance as far as tourism is concerned (Hudman and Jackson 2003). Increasing the level of identity of the tourist destinations and a rising share in the market are the prime interests of all tourist destinations. This requires building up an effective strategy for the brand and participation of the stakeholders holds significant importance in this regard. Factors such as transportation, tourist businesses at the local level, centers for information, and groups of interests need coordination for the building up of the brand. Thus brand... This essay stresses that developments in destination management systems are mostly taken care of by public tourist organizations that have high provisions for all information and marketing. Destination management systems are responsible for the promotion, distribution, and operations of all destinations of small to medium sizes. Greater benefits are obtained from small and medium sized tourism and hospitality enterprises (SMTEs). This paper makes a conclusion that DMS is an essential feature as far as current tourism destination is concerned. Use of systems for the marketing and management of tourism services makes the process more effective and easy to handle as well. As could be obtained from the study, the use of ICT has been quite effectively been made by the DMS thus allowing the internet technology to enable online marketing of tourist destinations highly efficient. With online techniques, the communications of information become easier that enables a particular location to attract greater number of customers. Before selecting a particular destination, the customers are provided with all information and attractions of the location thus making it easy for them to decide. Online reservations are also helpful and effective. However the problem that still lies with the effective implementation of DMS as a whole, including the use of information technology for maintaining databases, and developing the commun ications and information sharing processes, has not yet been successfully supported by the public and private sectors of several destinations.

The Neurophysiology of Peripheral Neurogenic Pain Essay - 1

The Neurophysiology of Peripheral Neurogenic Pain - Essay Example This study focused on the aspects of peripheral neurogenic pain with regard to its neurophysiology. According to Hecke et al., epidemiology of pain involves the investigation of the distribution, as well as, the causes of pain and ill health and also how this information can be integrated into managing these predicaments. The epidemiology of pain can be addressed through paying much attention onto the widespread and intermittent pain disorders that are commonly experienced by persons in their daily lives. In focusing on the epidemiology of pain, the core question that might arise would be in relation whether the persistence of pain is a result of unremitting or never-ending ailment. The term scale in this aspect denotes that pain may either be bodily, emotional, or mental. Subsequently, individual views or opinions regarding pain also differs (Simpson et al. 90-95). Stewart, in a study to determine the difference in the pain levels between the two genders and based on their ages, conducted a study that recorded a higher frequency of felt pain among women who rated higher levels of painful feelings as compared to men. This factor is attributed to genetic differences between male and female, as well as, the variations in responsibilities that are bestowed upon each gender by the society. The following graph illustrates the differences on frequency or commonness of pain between men and women Seattle Washington. The results as shown are in percentages. In the graph above, the values on the y-axis represent the percentages of age-sex frequency as was conducted between males and females, while the x-axis represents the ages in groups spanning from 18 to over 65 years of age of the respondents. According to Hecke et al., the medical records in that are found in health institutions have shown a higher proportion of women seeking treatment for pain related problems more than males do. The difference in the

Complex Interdependence According To Nye and Keohane Assignment

Complex Interdependence According To Nye and Keohane - Assignment Example The two authors argued that bilateral relationships between French vs. German and U.S vs. Canadian determined the three hypothetical characteristics of complex interdependence. Nye and Keohane argued that the concept of complex interdependence in the 1970s emanated from international monetary relations. In this context, the significance of international organizations would therefore change. According to them, the concept of complex interdependence would change global politics. This would derive from the assertion that state policies and processes would have different objectives and instruments. Indeed, under complex interdependence, global politics would be universal where economic, environmental, and social globalism levels would increase as military globalism reduces. Keohane and Nye think that the concept of complex interdependence will lead to a reduction of military globalism since powerful nations with reliable expectations will not use force to solve global differences. More so, the politics of complex interdependence would be universal and hence limited chances of military globalism. Regional powers with reliable needs will desist from using force to solve global conflicts. In addition, world powers like the U.S facilitated and funded the establishment of postwar international institutions like IMF, UN, World Bank, and NATO that safeguarded and promoted the concept of complex interdependence. Moreover, the rise in economic, environmental, and social globalism levels would motivate world leaders in pluralist democracies to solve territorial disputes out of fear of economic and social development distractions that would deny such democracies significant investment capital.

Berry Gordy and the Rise of Motown Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Berry Gordy and the Rise of Motown - Essay Example Berry Gordy, Jr., created a recording company that became a legend in the music industry and an icon of American culture. Gordy wielded tight control over the company’s business practices, famously micro-managing both Motown’s finances and the lives and careers of its musical talents.The formula he established,both from a business and creative standpoint,stood the test of time and turned Motown into a mega-million dollar concern Following intelligent business principles, Gordy diversified into other branches of the entertainment industry, such as film, and moved Motown from Detroit, the city with which it is still identified, to southern California. Today, Gordy’s holds the double legacy as a successful businessman and creative musical impresario. Keywords: Berry Gordy, Jr., music industry, Motown, Detroit. CREATING AN ICON 3 Creating an Icon: Berry Gordy and the Rise of Motown For millions of music fans around the world, Berry Gordy and Motown Records are icons of the music industry and of popular culture in general. The â€Å"Motown sound† is still considered the most distinctive â€Å"urban† representation of the genre, an influence as seminal and profound in its way as Elvis Presley and the Beatles. Memphis had Stax and Sun Records, and Chess Records is still closely identified with the Chicago blues scene. Yet no music label has ever been more closely identified with a community than Motown with Detroit, a musical marriage the mere mention of which still encompasses its own aesthetic and mystique. All of this was due to the vision of Berry Gordy, the Detroit native whose foresight, business judgment and promotional flair helped grow a small, hometown label into a multi-media entertainment empire. As with any successful entrepreneur, once he was established as a leader in his field Gordy successfully diversified his business interests. Motown’s move into the film industry proved financially successful and by the tim e Gordy sold the company to MCA, it was worth more than $60 million. A Newsweek article from May 1983 ascribed the basis of Motown’s success to the fundamental desire of young people, both black and white, to dance to music with an infectious beat (Barol, 1983). This, the article contended, was the basis of Gordy’s genius: his faith in a formula that defined Motown like no other label. Its first great hit, â€Å"Shop Around† by Smoky Robinson, which sold a million copies in 1960, is a prime example of the timelessness of the music Gordy produced and the durability of his business formula as a music impresario. A true opportunist, Gordy leveraged the racial and cultural tumult of the 1960s, positioning Motown as CREATING AN ICON 4 a kind of unofficial urban musical â€Å"voice† of black America, and a symbol of Detroit, the city with which it is still identified, even though Gordy long ago moved his operation to Hollywood to take advantage of opportunities in the film industry. No sentimentalist, Gordy did not allow image to cloud his business judgment or convince him to act counter to his best interests. On June 28, 1988, Gordy sold Motown to MCA for $61 million, a deal that some said decidedly favored Gordy. â€Å"Right now, the company has nothing on the charts, it’s internally shot, people are looking to get out. It’s a sad ending to a good piece of American history. Berry Gordy is a great creative guy, but (he’s) not a strong manager† said a rival producer at the time (Ingham and Feldman, p. 195). It is a measure of Motown’s cultural power that Gordy came under such virulent criticism for having sold arguably the nation’s most visible black-owned business to a large corporation (p. 195). Motown may have been folded into a giant national conglomerate, but Gordy’s success was far from over. Motown’s subsidiaries comprised a considerable source of revenue, and Gordy brought th em under one roof in 1990 when he formed the

Marketing principles Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Marketing principles - Assignment Example The benefits that can be achieved if you understand the customer is very important it can also help avoid any pitfalls and other issues. 2. Analyzing the market to check viability. Some basic market research should be carried out before introducing the product so that there are no issues when you launch the product or try to get something done. It is very important that some of the research that has been carried out should be utilized to ensure a successful product launch. The data such as total available market, market growth (historical numbers and projections), market trends, etc. are easily available and can be utilized for the benefit of the organization. 3. Analyzing the Competition that exists in the market 4. Researching and establishing the market distribution channels 5. Defining the Marketing Mix that exists and that the company plans to launch Marketing mix involves product, price, place, and packaging. 6. Analyzing the financials of the company and then deciding the mark eting plan. 7. The last step is to revise the steps that have been taken and then finalize the decision. There is no need to spend much on advertising. They can just print out the flyers and use the posters that can be put up so that people can become aware of the restaurant. At first they do not need any kind of marketing. They can start selling packaged lunches and dinners so that the students can have very easy access to food. This will help the restaurant build a better image as it will be creating an ease for the students. The main function of any organization’s marketing department is to be aware of what the consumer expects from the products of the company and be sure to devise methods that will help deliver the promises that they have made and satisfy the customers. The control and the leading quality of the management is visible from the way that they had anticipated the fact that it’s the ethnic groups that are basically introducing newer trends in the market s. The new product range that they had introduced also showed the keenness that they had in attracting newer customers and the tactics that they used to retain the older existing customers. The introduction of the newer product range and making Mc Donald’s â€Å"an any time walk in restaurant† has totally changed their positioning in the market, since they are catering to much more diverse market than ever before. When we analyze the facets that have influence on the buying behavior that people have are the different psychological aspects of the personality like attitudes, beliefs, values, motivation and perception, these are what play a major role in how much the person will spend and how will he spend it. The following psychological aspects have also been discussed in the hierarchy of needs and as well as the other theories that have been given by different psychologists (SHIMP, 35-36). The restaurant’s management can establish the cafes and revamp the play ar ea and in fact create a better one so that the incoming families who are about to settle in the newly finished houses, that they were bent on remaining the market leaders and not losing their touch in the daily life of general public. This will help the restaurant create a better image for them. Also, through the case study that has been mentioned it was visible that the increase in the turnover had the sole reason that

Health Article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Health Article - Essay Example Recently in 2011, Normann Stadler, winner of Triathlon underwent a surgery for aortic aneurysm. Cardiac Elctrophysiologist, John Mandrola says that it is only obvious that there is a link between CVD and over exercising since the heart is being constantly inflamed and not being given the time to heal at all. Benjamin Levine, director of the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine in Dallas and professor of medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center is of the opinion that moderate levels of exercising lends protection from CVD’s but there is no upper limit to this exercising. Since recent studies find that marathon runners suffer from greater instances of coronary plaque and therefore the myth that running bestows a 100% protection must be debunked. Paul Williams, director of project called the National Runners Health Study studied 2377 runners and walkers and found that in 10 years 526 of them died and 71.5% of the death were from CVD’s. The most important conclusion of William’s study is that even though walking or running daily lend protection to the heart, if the distance of walking exceeded a daily limit of 10.7 km or that of running exceeded 7.1 km the person might suffer from CVD’s in the future. There is more than one example of endurance athletes falling prey to cardiovascular diseases in spite of training on a daily basis. Thus, the article clearly vindicates the statement that more exercise does not necessarily mean greater health and over-dose of daily exercises can potentially increase

James Cameron’s Science Fiction film Terminator II Essay Example for Free

James Cameron’s Science Fiction film Terminator II Essay James Cameron’s Science Fiction film Terminator II uses various conventions of Sci-Fi to not only engage viewers, but entertainment them. Science fiction uses various futuristic elements to convey powerful comments about society. This is most effectively done through his powerful and relatable social comments. His central social comments force audiences to question their own world and like all Sci-Fi texts explore how possible this actually is. The dominant social comment explored by James Cameron is that Technology will be our downfall. Other social comments that are also relevant are that humans have an intrinsic need to adhere towards morals and ethics that can’t be taught and that it is in the human race’s nature to destroy themselves. James Cameron clearly explains the social comments through various film techniques. Similarly, Henry Slesar’s short story ‘Examination Day’ relies heavily on its powerful social comment to effectively engage readers. While both texts make significant social comments, various other sci-fi conventions are also used to keep responders entertained. The dominant social comment that entertains the audience in an effective way explored by James Cameron is that technology will ironically be our demise. Cameron cleverly juxtaposes the opening scene of the hustle and bustle of lively Los Angeles to the close up traffic in 2029. However, in this shot the cars are destroyed and an empty playground further indicates the dystopian world of our society. The diegetic laughter of the girl on the swing and the non-diegetic music in the background creates suspense. The extreme white fade out to a dramatic close up of the empty swing swinging back and forth which then brings us to the close up camera shot of a human skull being crushed by the terminator clearly reveals that technology will lead to our demise. With the war of the robots being shown in the opening scene, audiences can immediately conclude that the genre of thriller is brought to the film as suspense is immediately introduced in the opening scene. This war indicates from the outset that technology will be our demise. While the irony of machines destroying humanity is immediately established as a significant social comment in this sci-fi text, Cameron begins to explore the characteristics of humanity in his second social comment. Throughout the film, Cameron relies on the humorous juxtaposition between the T100 and John Connor to highlight the emotional and idiocentric characteristic that are inherently human. It is through this and several other film techniques that Cameron’s second social comment is explored; that being human, is not something that can be taught. The moral and ethical justifications that are intrinsic to being human is clearly explored in the scene where John attempts to explain why, You can’t just go around killing people. John’s dialogue is contrasted with the T100s question; why not? close up camera shots of their contrasting facial expressions highlights this significant idea, that de spite our natural inclination destroy ourselves, reason and morality is only inherent to us Johns invalid explanation, because you just can’t †¦ this stuff is important, highlights the barrier between machine and human. Through this social comment audiences can easily link the text to the science fictional genre. This barrier is further explored when John humorously attempts to humanise the Terminator. Through various satirical scenes Cameron reveals humanitys saving grace is intact their emotions which are ironically aligned to weakness. When the T100 asks, why do you cry? The T100’s crying motif mixed with several film techniques symbolises the disparity between machines and humanity. In an age where technology is seen to advance the human mind, the T100s inability to understand why people cry highlights the superiority of humans, we just cry. Again further explaining the social comment we can still relate the film to the sci-fi genre. The third idea explored by Cameron is the ironic self- destructive behaviour of humanity. Using real life examples Cameron attempts to create a logical link between the creation of the destructive, abominable Terminators and the weapons that are already leadi ng us into destruction it is in your nature to destroy yourselves. While the terminator metaphorically highlights the paradox of our constant creation of destruction, it is the female protagonist Sarah Connor, who provides a fresh face and new insight into sci-fi revealing the contrast between the destructive creation of men and the beautiful, creation that only women are privileged to endure, â€Å"Fucking men like you built the hydrogen bomb. Men like you thought it up You dont know what its like to†¦ create a life All you know how to create is death . Her use of repetition and expletives highlights Cameron’s feministic approach to this social comment, symbolising men’s obsession with creating destruction. This not only makes this sci-fi film unique and original in its exploration of this common theme, it also allows audiences to question why humans are so obsessed with playing God. Similarly to Terminator II the short story Examination Day also explores Sci-fi convections in similar ways. Like ‘Terminator II’, ‘Examination Day’ is driven by its powerful and dramatic social comment. While subtly revealed to be set in the future, unlike ‘Terminator II’ this is not the dominant focus in the text. While the commentary is different to that of Terminator II, both texts entertain audiences primarily by focusing them to question their own lives like all sci-fi text, thus posing the ‘what if’ question. The short story ‘Examination Day’ hyperbolically explores a world where governments obtain ultimate control. This is brought to the readers in the opening paragraphs when Dickies parents are discussing a â€Å"Government intelligence test they give children at the age of twelve†. It is â€Å"the moisture in his mother’s eyes† when readers are aware that the story they have been told has contrasted what really is happening. Even though the links to sci-fi aren’t as clear as the ones in Terminator II we still see the connection through the thriller genre. As both Mr and Mrs Jordan try to avoid the conversation about the test suspense begins to develop as we understand that the test will possibly resemble a big part in the Jordan family’s life. As Mr Jordan explains the details of the test further we learn that the government will provide Dickie with truth serum. In this event readers are immediately informed that the government play a big role in everything which is making civilization less utopian and more dystopian. Is through little key things during the story we can see a resemblance to a futuristic world such as ‘Terminator II’, â€Å"Your classification number is 600-115†. Unlike Terminator II this short story utilises various literary techniques to explore this powerful social comment, relying on descriptive language and body gestures to capture the mystery and anxiety relating to this exam. Furthermore the repetitive image of the moistness of his mother’s eyes heightens suspense, hinting towards the significance of this Government intelligence test. Like Terminator II’ this text uses various sci-fi conventions such as the embedded thriller genre to effectively engaging audiences, k eeping them entertained. As the denouement reveals the unpredictable twist, we regret to inform you†¦ his intelligence quotient is above government regulation, the disturbing social comment become clearer †¦whether you wish his body interred by the government, or would you prefer a private burial place? Slesars clever use of inversion as Dickie fails the intelligence test because he is too smart, seems to be warning readers about the dangers of power and control, and the need for people to be more engaged and aware of governments and other organisations that may abuse their power. Like most sci-fi texts, Examination Day challenges our own world, and contemplates what may happen if we do not take more responsibility and interest in the powerful bodies that govern the people. Again, it is this dramatic yet relatable social comment that most effectively engages readers by shocking them much like Terminator II. While Terminator II looks at humanitys ironic destructive nature and dangerous over reliance on technology, Examination Day focuses on humanitys often gullible and negligent over reliance on powerful forces such as the government. While both texts are strongly driven by the relevant and powerful social comments, both texts follow the conventions of sci-fi through their mutual futuristic settings, advanced technology as well as the utilisation of other genres within; specifically the thriller genre. Along with powerful film and literary techniques, both texts entertain audiences.