Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder - Essay Example No one can deny that people’s standard for being beautiful is first the value of one’s facial and body form. If one is shown a photograph of Jocelyn Wildenstein’s multi-million dollar face, he would not definitely approve of her to hit even the last number in the 50 million most beautiful women list. That may be rude but sometimes we just have to face the truth of how people evaluate beauty. Of course, one would wonder why Mr. Wildenstein’s paid enormous amounts for his wife’s surgeries. That face called by many as ugly might just be the prettiest in his eyes. In this case, the saying that goes, â€Å"beauty is in the eye of the beholder† holds true. On a general note, people value the appearance of one’s face but sometimes, the value of a person’ overall appearance can change that. The Eye of the Beholder depicts how a woman came to realize what she values more in her personal view of beautiful. The storyteller who looked at he rself as ugly sought for professional help to become beautiful. However, when the artist thought she made a very good job, the main character realized that the value of beauty to her was being herself and having an identity. Perhaps the make-up artist beamed with pride with the change that she made in the physical appearance of her customer however, she was shocked with the reaction of the customer. She said, â€Å"I look terrible† (Suh, 189). ... With this, the protagonist says she feels negated. Furthermore, she says, â€Å"I have been blotted out and another face drawn in my place† (198). For the woman, she realized that being beautiful is not being like the other women. She valued her identity and that is what is beautiful in her eyes. â€Å"Hideous† was another word the main character used to describe herself when she looked at her new appearance. â€Å"I don’t even look human†, she continued, â€Å"Look at my eyes. You can’t even see me†. Maybe the protagonist was not really being unappreciative of the work of her make-up artist. She was acting so rudely because she felt she was turned into another human being. Or perhaps she might have been talking about her inner appearance. In the first place, she was the one who went to the shop to ask for help and the help was given to her. However, she might have felt that she betrayed her self and this made her feel terrible. She did not r ecognize her self anymore. â€Å"Hideous† might have been a word she used to describe her looks but it might have also been her description of her self because of the betrayal she committed. Coming from the shop, the main character went to wash her face and when she looked once again at her reflection, she thought, â€Å"I wasn’t pretty. But I was familiar and comforting. I was myself† (190). One could understand that another thing that the character values, is being one’s self. When she was observing herself in the shop, she said, â€Å"My face had a strange plastic sheen, like a mannequin’s.† She was disgusted at her reflection and she wondered if what she did was right. She questioned her appearance and considered it being fake. She was not her self therefore

Physical Science Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Physical Science - Assignment Example One such misconception is that the lakes and oceans are blue because they reflect the skies above. This is actually wrong. To address such misconception, the facts have to be stated clearly. In this case, it must strongly mentioned that the color of water is blue and not the reflection of clouds (Susan 57). In a completely uniform gravitational field, if there are no other forces, the gravitational forces exerts pressure on both sides of the body equally. This renders the object weightless, a condition that is also experienced when the gravitational field is zero. A body in free fall thus experiences zero gravity ( 0-g). An object dropped from the balcony of a building would be an example of a free fall (Susan 103) The terminal velocity also referred to as settling velocity of a falling object is the velocity of the object when the downward force of gravity (FG) acting on the object equals the sum of the drag force (Fd) and buoyancy . Since there is a zero net force on such an object, the object is said to have zero acceleration (Susan 57). As an object increases the speed, the drag force acting on the object, as a result of the substance it is passing through say air or water increases. The drag or force of resistance will eventually equal the gravitational pull on the object at some. At this exact point onwards, the object ceases to accelerate but rather falls at a relatively constant speed. The constant speed is referred to as terminal velocity. The drag force is pegged on the projected area. This explains why items with large projected areas relative to their mass, such as parachutes, have a lower terminal velocity than objects with a small projected area relative to mass, such as an arrow that has been shot (Susan 57) It means that I have about a total of 2635.3215 pounds of force pushing on my back at any other time.

The Geographical Description Of Orlando

The Geographical Description Of Orlando State of Florida is located on the Gulf Coast in the south-eastern United States. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia, and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. Orlando is a major city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. The geography of Orlando is mostly wetlands, consisting of many lakes and swamps. The terrain is generally flat, making the land fairly low and wet. In the area there are hundreds of lakes and the largest one is Lake Apopka. Central Floridas bedrock is mostly limestone and very porous. The Orlando area is susceptible to sinkholes. Orlando International Airport is the busiest airport in Florida. Located 10.5km (6.5 miles) southeast of Orlando, the airport is served by more than fifty airlines. In the airport there are more than 100 retail shops, food and beverage outlets, and the airport is a self-contained environment with full service banking, currency exchange, salon and post office. Duration of the flight from Scotland can take between 11 18.5 hours, possibly with a connecting flight from London. The Rosen Inn is located west of the airport and the transfer time from the airport to the hotel is approximately 20 minutes. Local Time Zone Orlando is in the Eastern Time Zone and it is 5 hours behind of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) during the Eastern Standard Time and 4 hours behind of GMT during Daylight Saving Time. In Orlando the Daylight Saving Time (DST) started on Sunday, 13 March and will end on Sunday, 6 November. Description of Tour Operator Virgin Tour Operator has won several awards such as British Travel Award in 2007 and it is named Best Tour Operator to USA/Canada. The company was voted by the customer and received its third Best Package Holiday Company Long Haul award. Virgin Tour Operator offers excellent holiday packages to Florida and everywhere around the world. Virgin Holidays is the largest, extremely popular, and most successful transatlantic tour operator, it beats rival operators such as Thomas Cook and Jetlife. Description of Selected Holiday Walt Disney World Seaworld Orlando Rosen Inn Hotel Epcot Universal Orlando Resort Orlando International AirportThe holiday I have chosen as it was requested is in Orlando. The hotel that I selected is located in International Drive, which is one of Orlandos most lively and dynamic areas and is right in the centre of some of the worlds most famous theme parks and attractions, including museums, mini-golf courses and restaurants ranging from fast food to gourmet cuisine. Its also a shoppers paradise with designer outlet stores, shops and boutiques. The area can be explored by foot or by jumping on the I-Ride Trolley which served all the attractions along international Drive. Rosen Inn Hotel Within the hotel guests can enjoy Plaza Garden Restaurant, Lite Bite Deli with a late opening, Zebras Sports Bar and Grille with entertainment and bar menu until midnight. The smoking area is open on the outdoor patio deck. Smooth Java Coffee Bar is featuring Starbucks premium coffee products, fresh fruit smoothies and a variety of pastries. Food is served until midnight. The hotel has three swimming pools, electronic games room and childrens playground. Car hiring with free parking and breakfast are also included. Pointe Orlando shopping complex is on the opposite side offering some great clothes shops and twenty-one cinema screens. Free scheduled shuttle takes guests to the best attractions of the International Drive area. Universal Orlando Resort is 10 minute, Walt Disney Resort is 20 minute and SeaWorld Orlando is 5 minutes away from the accommodation. Resort representatives are available 7 days. Room Information All rooms have two double beds, featuring pillow-topped mattresses, radio alarm clock, refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, electronic safe, iron and ironing board, TV with free Disney Channel and Premium Movie Channel. In-room pay-cinema channels are also available and there is a complimentary wireless internet in the rooms and throughout public areas of hotel. Rooms are air-conditioned and non-smoking. Climate Orlando has a subtropical and very humid climate. The average annual temperature is a comfortable 72.4  °F (22.4  °C). Average annual rainfall amounts to over 50 inches per year, keeping central Florida lush and green throughout the year. Prevailing winds are southerly at 9 mph. The average elevation of the region is 127 feet above sea level. There are two major seasons each year: Hot and rainy, lasting from June until late September. During this time the temperatures can be uncomfortably hot. Dry, warm season, from October through May; bringing less frequent rainfall, yet still with warm temperatures. Occasionally night time temperatures can plunge surprisingly low. Thunderstorms are common between May and September and tend to be short but heavy, offering some respite from the heat. Summer is also hurricane season from June to November. Of course everything is air conditioned in Orlando, the theme parks sell inexpensive umbrellas and rain parkas, and there are the water parks. Summer travel to Orlando Florida is still fun and winter travel is wonderful. Theme Parks Universal Orlando Resort Intl Drive North Area This is another exciting full day activity. At this real, working film and TV production facility visitors can go behind the scenes and jump right into the action of their favourite movies. Visitants can plunge into darkness on the psychological thrill ride, Revenge of the Mummy; see, hear and feel the action through the miracle of OgreVision in Shrek 4, save the earth from aliens on the interactive ride MEN IN BLACK Alien Attack, or experience the Universals newest coaster Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. Walt Disney World Resort Area At Disneys Hollywood Studios is one of the best in popular entertainment. Visitors can experience what it feels like to be on the stage as a star from their own adventure and share it as part of the Magical Gatherings experience. Walt Disney World Resort Area Disney storytelling comes to life in a kingdom where visitors can see real and imaginary animals, thrilling attractions, shows and the majesty of the nature. This is another excellent day out offering lots of fun, wonder and adventure. Discovery Cove SeaWorld International Drive South Area Discovery Cove is a day of adventure and a lifetime of memories. Visitors can swim with dolphins, wade with mysterious rays, snorkel among thousands of tropical fish, and safely come eye-to-eye with sharks and barracudas, hand-feed exotic birds. Families can relax on genuine beaches and enjoy an all-inclusive day of discovery. Universals Islands of Adventure Universal Orlando Resort Intl Drive North Area It is an adventurous full day visit where visitors can experience five uniquely themed islands such as Seuss Landing, The Lost Continent, Jurassic Park, Toon Lagoon and Marvel Super Hero Island. Excursionists can battle villains in 3-D on The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, defy gravity as The Incredible Hulk Coaster takes them on a high-speed roller coaster rampage, escape the jaws of a T-Rex on the Jurassic Park River Adventure, brave white-water rapids on Popeye Blutos Bilge-Rat Barges or take a spin through the mischievous world of The Cat in the Hat. As newness The Wizarding World of Harry Potter provides visitors with a one-of-a-kind experience complete with multiple themed attractions, shops and a restaurant. Walt Disney World Resort Area Epcot is another fantastic full day visit where families have to opportunity to see fascinating cultures and numerous wonders of the world through dazzling shows, interactive experiences and amazing attractions. SeaWorld Orlando SeaWorld International Drive South Area In SeaWorld Orlando is an adventurous full day theme park where families can encounter up-close animal experiences, unforgettable performances, and the next generation of thrills. SeaWorlds all-new killer whale show connects guests to the sea, and killer whales, with a new level of energy and excitement while it educates and inspires them to make a difference in this world. Visitors can feed sea lions or get on the flying roller coaster. Orlando helps vacation adventures become lifelong memories. There is an onsite restaurant offering good selection of food to all families. Other attractions Gatorland 14501 South Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando Gatorland is located around 6.5 miles from the hotel. It is a 110-acre theme park and wildlife preserve, combining Old Florida charm with exciting, new exhibits and entertainment. It provides affordable-priced family fun with thousands of alligators, crocodiles, a childrens water park, aviary, breeding marsh with observation tower, petting zoo, nature walk, educational wildlife programs, gift shop, Floridas best train-ride, restaurant, and much more. Central Florida Zoo Botanical Gardens 3755 NW US Highway 17/92, Sanford, It is located around 30 miles from the hotel. It boast over 400 animals, 23 acres of native gardens, an Insect Zoo and Reptile House, a childrens zoo with animals, ZOOm Air Aerial Adventures, a splash playground, live animal encounters and many educational opportunities and demonstrations. Lake Eola Park 195 N Rosalind Avenue, Orlando Lake Eola Park is popular destination in the downtown area with beautiful surroundings, ideal for walking. Other activities available to park visitors include renting swan-shaped paddle boats, electric gondola boats, feeding the live swans and other birds inhabiting the park. Dangers of the weather Key rules for coping with heat are to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration and to slow down and cool off when feeling fatigued, a headache, a high pulse rate or shallow breathing. Overheating can cause serious, even life-threatening conditions such as heat stroke. Dangers of heat include: Heat cramps: Exercising in hot weather can lead to muscle cramps, especially in the legs, because of brief imbalances in body salts. Cramps become less frequent as a person becomes used to the heat. Heat syncope or fainting: Anyone not used to exercising in the heat can experience a quick drop in blood pressure that can lead to fainting. As with heat cramps, the cure is to take it easy. Heat exhaustion: Losing fluid and salt through perspiration or replacing them in an imbalanced way can lead to dizziness and weakness. Body temperature might rise, but not above 38.8 °C. In some cases victims should be hospitalized. Heat exhaustion is more likely after a few days of a heat wave than when one is just beginning. The best defence is to take it easy and drink plenty of water. Dont take salt tablets without consulting a physician. Sunstroke: In some cases extreme heat can upset the bodys thermostat, causing body temperature to rise to 40 °C or higher. Symptoms are lethargy, confusion and unconsciousness. Even a suspicion that someone might be suffering from sunstroke requires immediate medical aid. Sunstroke can kill. How to avoid? It is strongly recommended to protect eyes from the rays of the sun by wearing sunglasses or a wide brim hat when being outdoors for an extended period of time. Avoid staying in direct sunlight between 10 a.m. and 16 p.m. During that period is suggested to stay in the shades. Strong physical activities should be postponed to periods when the temperature is at normal level and not above the bearable limit. It is essential to protect the skin from UV rays by using sun creams with high SPF values or umbrella. Jet Lag Jet lag is the temporary disruption of the body clock when flying across several time zones. This causes the travellers internal clock to be out of sync with the external environment. Causes of Jet Lag When traveling across a number of time zones, the body clock goes out of sync with the destination time, and so it experiences daylight and darkness contrary to the rhythms it has grown accustomed to. The bodys natural pattern therefore becomes upset as the rhythms which dictate when the person should eat and sleep no longer correspond to the environment of the destination. Jet lag occurs, because the body cannot automatically realign these rhythms. The speed at which the body readjusts itself to new daylight and darkness hours and eating and sleeping patterns is entirely dependent upon the individual. So while it may take a few days for certain people to readjust to a new time zone, others seem to experience little disruption to their bodys natural sleeping pattern. The symptoms of jet lag can be quite varied such as fatigue, exhaustion, inability to sleep, disorientation, lost desire to eat, headaches, stomach aches and a general feeling of fuzziness. How to reduce? Taking shoes off to ease pressure on feet, blindfolds, ear plugs, neckrests and blow-up pillows are all useful in helping to get quality sleep while flying. Walking up and down the aisle, standing for spells, and doing small twisting and stretching exercises in the seat, all help to reduce discomfort, especially swelling of legs and feet. The dry air in aircraft causes dehydration. Drinking plenty of non-alcoholic fluids counters this. Water is better than coffee, tea and fruit juices. Get plenty of exercise in the days prior to departure and try to avoid sickness such as the flu, colds and so on. Amenities of the area Local transport I-RIDE Trolley bus system is the only that services on International Drive and it is very popular by tourists. The regional public bus system that operates in Central Florida is called LYNX. The bus stops can be recognised by either a pink bus or a paw symbol on a round sign. Standard bus fare is $2 per person one way, with free transfers and daily passes also can be bought on the vehicles for $4.50. Weekly passes need to be purchased in advance from the website or outlets in the area and they cost $16. In addition, LYNX also offers a free bus system within Downtown Orlando called LYMMO. If you plan on using LYNX it is strongly recommended that you visit the official website for route information: www.golynx.com or call 407-841-LYNX. Money In the U.S dollar system one dollar equals 100 cents. One British pound is worth about $1.62 but this amount can be changed depending on the daily exchange rate. Currency changing facilities can be found at the airport, and many places offers money exchange in the International Drive such as major banks or the Visitor Centre. Food and Drink Orlando is becoming one of the top gastronomic places; the city offers a wide range of cuisine from all over the world. There are more than 4000 restaurants, breakfast buffets, steakhouses and so on. There are full-service restaurants at every theme park. However, some areas like International Drive offer a high conception of dining outlets. Well-known chains can be found such as Hard Rock Cafà ©, Outback Steakhouse, Planet Hollywood etcetera. One of Orlandos main dishes is the traditional African gumbo, but Moroccan Cous cous can also be mentioned which is made of beef or chicken with vegetables, Dim sum which is fried bread stuffed with meat, vegetables or fruit; the Mofongo which is fried banana with pork cracklings and garlic; and many other fantastic options. Other information Culture Orlando is influenced by many different cultures. For example there are evident Portuguese and Spanish cultural influences; the languages are still spoken in Orlando. In the city cultural opportunities offer a mix of modern and traditional entertainment for tourists such as live orchestral music, opera and ballet. The city has two professional ballet companies. Museums, theatres and galleries are also great choices for visitors. There are many cultural events which acknowledge the rich ethnic background of the people of Orlando. The heritage of nature and wildlife is also very noticeable in Orlando and it is home to some beautiful parks, lakes and bird and animal sanctuaries. History Florida was named and discovered by Juan Ponce de Leon in 1513 while he was looking for the mythical Fountain of Youth and claimed it for Spain. Florida was held by England and Spain at different times and later, in 1819 it was eventually sold to the United States. Before Orlando was only known for its citrus industries, cattle and cotton. Nowadays it had become one of the most executive tourist destinations. Tipping Tipping can be confusing in any country. Normally the tip is given to the staff is 15 20 %. Service personnel who tipped are like bartenders, drivers on public transports, table servers at dining venues, or beauticians. Porters are traditionally tipped $1 per bag. Many restaurants already include tips on the bill for groups of six or more. Therefore, its better to ask the staff if the tip has already been added to the check. Souvenirs There are lots of shops in International Drive, most of them Chinese-owned, and they are offering gifts for cheaper price than Walt Disney stores or the shops in the theme parks. In the souvenir shops T-shirts, tags, jewellery, pyjamas, costumes and a lot more can be purchased. It is guaranteed that everyone finds something unique and nice.

Anomie Essay -- essays research papers

Although America was a confident and optimistic nation in 1917 before the introduction of the two major World Wars and the Vietnam War, this no longer is the case today. Wars have reshaped American history, politically, economically, socially and culturally. Throughout the course of time religious structures have been falling, events such the Great Depression have caused unemployment, divorce and crime rates have skyrocketed and suicide coupled with violence has gained much popularity and acceptance in the news. Many of the rigorous norms once established and followed have been disintegrating, thus providing an avenue for ever increasing chaos with an apparent state of anomie where there are no clear rules to firmly guide society. Inflations and unemployment in America have been great sources of chaos. The fact that wealth has never been evenly distributed has always caused the rebellion and in some cases retreatism posed by sociologist Robert Merton. Today Bush’s presidency has caused the jobs of many people. About 113,000 workers have been cut from payrolls since September of last year. In numerous occasions Bush has said, â€Å"The slowdown is real and is affecting too many lives. I want the American people to know we're deeply concerned about the unemployment rates and we intend to do something about it.", yet he has not developed any new plan to stop unemployment or at most decrease it. This presidential attitude in turn has led many to reject the story that society c...

Runic alphabet,

Interrogated and first grade, for example, many children write â€Å"b† instead of â€Å"d,† and may sometimes confuse â€Å"p,† â€Å"q,† and â€Å"g. Teachers see these errors all the time, and gradually work to help kids fix them. But as a caring parent, should you worry? The stakes are high. DO these letter problems signal something deeper, such sidesaddle? To sort out the hype, we turned to two pros: Linda Selves, Executive Director of the New York branch of the International Dyslexia Association, and Eileen Marjoram, PhD. A past Board President of that organization, a professor of special education, and a teacher and tutor in private practice with dyslexic children for more than thirty years. Here's what they have to say when it comes to three common fears about Wesleyan, and identifying it in kindergarten and first grade children: Myth You'll know its dyslexia when a kid flips letters or misspells a lot. Fact: While some dyslexic people may do this , it's not the main problem! Dyslexia, explains Selves, â€Å"is a neurologically based learning disability† in which â€Å"people have difficulty associating sounds with letters. Lots of kids who write â€Å"b† for â€Å"d,† or reverse other letters, are just making rookie mistakes; what's more serious is when they cannot hear the â€Å"b† in â€Å"bear,† and think, instead, that it may be a â€Å"d† or â€Å"p. † Backwards letters alone re not cause for worry, according to the experts. In kindergarten, explains Marjoram, dyslexic kids will have trouble in several related areas. Taken together, these Signs indicate that a child is not making the all-important connection between letters, sounds, and word meaning. Instead of worrying yourself sick about reversed letters, â€Å"l would look further,† says Marjoram.If by the end of a full year of good instruction in kindergarten, a child can't do all or most of the following, the n it's time to be concerned: easily name all the letters of the alphabet, with most sounds detect rhyming words ear initial sounds, like the â€Å"c† in cat. Identify basic sight words like â€Å"is† or ‘the† recognize â€Å"environmental print† like the word â€Å"stop† on a roadside sign Myth #2: You can't really diagnose dyslexia until a kid is seven or eight. Fact: Kindergarten is not too early to evaluate a child. In fact, says Selves, â€Å"Early intervention is key†¦.The longer you wait, the more the problem grows. † Children quickly realize when something is wrong. Its all too easy for them to conclude, â€Å"l can't read so I must be really dumb,† Selves says. If your kindergarten does display most of the signs above, both Selves and Marjoram emphasize that you should seek an evaluation with a qualified specialist, either through your school or through independent experts such as those certified by the International Dyslexia Association. Don't let your school convince you to wait. Early intervention makes a huge difference. Http:// c mm/ magazine nee/article/ Kinder Stories, Poems, and Literature from the Viking Age 13th century Icelandic manuscript Our knowledge of the Viking people comes from several sources. One valuable source is the literature from the period. Norse people loved stories, and some of the stories and poems they themselves wrote, and that their ascendants wrote still survive. Stories about the Norse were also written by their contemporaries, including both their trading partners (such as the Arabs) and the victims of their raids (such as the Christian clerics who kept the historical records in Europe).This section describes written records the Viking-age people left behind. Language The Norse spoke Old Norse, which they called downs tuna (the Danish tongue). With minor variations, this language was spoken throughout the Norse lands during the Viking period. Old Norse is one of ten branches that cake up the Indo-European family of languages which have been spoken throughout Europe and southern Asia for the last 3000 years. Old Norse is the root language from which the modern Scandinavian languages descended, and is a close relative of modern English, Dutch, and German.During the period from 550050 AD, rapid linguistic changes occurred, which separated the Norse from other Germanic people on the European continent to the south and west. During the Viking age, language was no barrier to communication across the Norse lands; from Greenland to the Baltic, nearly the same language was spoken throughout. However, there is evidence that, despite the common language, a man's homeland could be identified by his speech.Some scholars today would go further and say that by the start of the Norse era, significant differences already existed between East Norse (Sweden and Denmark) and West Norse (Norway and the Atlantic settlements such as Iceland) dialects. Writing and Runes The footwork runic â€Å"alphabet† (so called for the sounds of the first six letters in the runic row) was in wide use throughout northern Europe from roughly the 3rd to the 12th century. At first, 24 letters were used, but in the 9th century, he footwork alphabet was simplified to 16 letters, beginning in Denmark, then rapidly spreading throughout the region.Many variations of the footwork rune row were used; one of the Danish variants is shown above. In the same way that a modern reader of English would recognize all these glyphs as representing an upper case a Viking-age reader would recognize the many ways a rune might be represented. The runes consist of straight lines, typically in the form of a vertical (a stave) with diagonal branches (twigs). The lack of any curves makes the runes easy to carve into wood, bone, or stone, which were the normal writing materials mongo the Norse.Runes are found carved graffiti-like into historical buildings and statuary not j ust in northern Europe, but all across the continent, clearly showing the extent to which the Norse roamed over Europe. The marble lion shown in the sketch to the left is from outside Piraeus, near Athens, Greece, where some unknown Norse traveler carved runic graffiti into the shoulder of the beast. Judging from the number of inscriptions found on stones in Nordic lands that were clearly intended to be seen and read, and from the number of everyday objects inscribed with runes, it is possible that such of the Norse population could read runes.Many of the inscriptions are in the form of memorial stones, such as those illustrated below on this page. These stones are highly public memorials. There's scarcely any reason to erect them if most of the population could not read them. Many everyday objects are found inscribed with the owner's name, or the maker's name, or other messages. Runic inscriptions have been found ranging from trade and legal documents such as bills of sale, all the way to coarse lavatory scribbling. Some runic inscriptions are clearly just for fun; a comb was found inscribed â€Å"l am a comb†.Some inscriptions may have been the equivalent of â€Å"Post-It' notes; one wooden Ernestine from Bergen is inscribed: â€Å"Cathy says come home†. Additional evidence of widespread literacy comes from the old Icelandic literature. In an episode from Importations (chi 34), it was not considered the least bit remarkable that a poor, unnamed Icelandic from the northern quarter was able to read the inscription on a buried treasure chest. In chapter 18 of Vigilant saga, Striker ¶g's father HLempel left a rune stick on the path where Vigorous and Transit were sure to find it as they rode to the ship that loud take them away from Iceland.On the stick were Striker ¶g's words saying she wanted to marry no other man but Vigilantly. There was no question that V(giggling would be able to read the message. > ¶r ¶our challenged Klaus to a wres tling match via a message on a rune stick in chapter 12 of Savorsla saga. Interestingly, just two chapters later, Klaus and Gar(s found runes carved on a ship naming the skipper, which Klaus was unable to read. He demanded that Grim read them. Wooden writing tablets provide additional evidence of the widespread use of runic writing among ordinary people.The tablet shown in the photos is a odder reproduction. The historic tablets are about 20-CACM high (about 8-12 in) and were filled with blackened wax within their raised borders. A pointed iron stylus was used to write in the wax (top right). The reproduction stylus in the photos is set in an antler which allows a nice grip and which can be used to smooth the wax and erase unwanted writing (bottom right). The wooden surface of historical tablets from the Norse era bear marks where the stylus broke through the wax, and the marks show that the runic alphabet Was being used.These tablets are more commonly found in rural areas, ether th an in towns, suggesting that even remote farm dwellers could read and write runes. On the other hand, objects have been found inscribed with runes which appear to be utter nonsense, or filled with errors. Perhaps it made perfect sense to the craftsman who made the object. Or perhaps, realizing that the object he just made needed to decorated with runes, but not knowing the footwork, the artisan simply made up something rune-like. The medium of choice for runic inscriptions was probably a stick or scrap of wood, which explains why few runic inscriptions are found today.Extraordinary conditions re required for the preservation of these wood scraps over the centuries since the Norse era. The runic writing shown to the right is one of a number of wooden merchant's markers excavated in Bergen. It indicates the owner's name, and was meant to be stuck in or tied to a pile of merchandise. It can be difficult to transcribe and translate runic writings. One difficulty is that there are more s ounds in the language than there are runes to represent them. Thus a single character could represent one of several sounds.Another difficulty is the variations in the various footwork alphabets that were in use ring the period. Further, archaic or otherwise unknown words were used in runic inscriptions. Runes were frequently incorporated into the isomorphic designs (left) favored by the Norse. Additionally, every effort was made to reduce the space required to inscribe the message and the number of runes that needed to be carved. So, for example, if a rune repeated, only the first rune was carved and the second discarded. Generally, there were no breaks between words or between sentences. Runes could be written left to right or right to left.The â€Å"facing† of the runes makes it clear which way to read. For inscriptions longer than one line, alternating lines were frequently written in opposite directions, first leftwards, then rightwards. Sometimes, the lines bent around at the end, so that one line reads left to right and the next line right to left and upside down. The effect is shown with English text using Roman letters to the right. Some rune stones (such as the R ¶k stone shown to the left) have text crammed onto every surface of the stone, with lines reading upwards, downwards, leftwards, and rightwards.Further, runes could be coded into other figures, called cryptic runes. The intent is not always clear. Perhaps it was meant to highlight a portion of the text, or to show off the skill of the person carving the runes. And perhaps it was meant to hide the meaning of the text to those who did not now how the runes were encoded. One example of cryptic runes are skips;near (ship runes), where the twigs adorn the stem and stern of the ship. The number of twigs in a figure indicated two numbers. The rune was coded by these two numbers.The first represented a particular TTT (grouping of runes within the footwork), and the second indicated which ru ne in the grouping was meant. Shown to he right are two figures from a series of cryptic runes in an Icelandic manuscript. Portion of rune stone with several same-stave runes Same-stave rune with missing portion restored Same-stave rune separated into individual runes Transcription into Roman letters Another example of cryptic runes is same-stave runes, in which all of the twigs branch from a single stave.The composite image to the left shows an example of this kind of runic inscription. The left image shows a small portion Of the SÃ'‘ender Kirby Stone in Denmark that uses same-stave runes for a portion of its message. The stave of interest in this example is the second room the left. The stone was damaged in this region, and a portion of this stave is missing. This part of the stone is shown in the second image, with a speculative reconstruction of the missing portion. The individual runes are shown in the next column, and the transcription into the Roman alphabet in the final co lumn.The complete message is >Orr vigil run, or â€Å"Door hallow the runes†. Another form of cryptic runes is visible at the top of the R ¶k stone, above left. With the coming of Christianity, and its educated clergy reading and writing Latin, runes were displaced by the Roman alphabet (modified to it the needs of the various northern European languages), written with pen and ink on vellum. However, runes continued to be used for many centuries, since the materials for runic writing were always readily at hand: everyone carried a knife, and a stick could be picked up from anywhere.The Viking-age people did not develop a written culture until the arrival of the church. In the Viking age, runes were used for short notes only. The Viking culture was oral, and long works were remembered using poetry. Runes certainly could have been used for longer messages in the same way as Roman characters, but hey were not. Perhaps the Norse people saw no need to preserve long works in writ ten form, even though everything was in place to do so. Only a single rune stone containing a complete poem survives, although many stones contain individual verses.In chapter 78 of Sells saga, >regular asked her father Gill to compose a memorial poem, telling him she would carve the verses into a rune stick (rises ; kefir). Whether that was common practice or not is conjectural. The R ¶k stone is an extraordinary rune stone over four meters high (13 feet) and is covered on all five sides with runic inscriptions. The front (and the beginning of the inscription) is shown to the left, and the reverse is shown in the photo above left. Many of the rune stones, particularly later ones, are memorial stones, which commemorated the dead and may have served as declarations of inheritance.The purpose of the Rook stone is subject to debate, but may well be a memorial Stone, as well. Poetry Surviving poems show a wide range of topics and tones: respectful and reverent; boastful and proud; wit ty and humorous; threatening and defiant; vile and obscene. However, scurrilous or satirical poems were banned cause of the injury they caused to the subject and to his reputation. Poems, being a divine gift from ? ¶in (the highest of the gods), were thought to have special power. Poems had the power to bestow honor on a worthy man and to remove honor from a wretch.A skillful poet could earn a valuable reward from a generous king, or save his head from an angry king, by creating a well composed poem. Poems praising a woman were banned, both because of the publicity and the possible effect it might have on her reputation, but also because of possible spell binding effects the poem might have. (Surviving love memos suggest the ban was regularly ignored. ) On hearing certain kinds of poetry (for instance, poetry implying that a man was womanish), a man was at liberty to kill the person reciting the poem. The proscribed types of poetry are described in the medieval Icelandic lowbrow G ar;g;s (K 238).Norse poetry does not have the regular rhythm and end-rhyme that one conventionally associates with poetry, but rather uses alliteration and irregular stress which falls on the most significant words in each line. Norse poetry can be divided into three classes, depending on form and content. Rune poems were usually inscribed on monuments and serve to praise an individual. They are brief and usually have a simple meter and style. Decide poems describe the Norse gods and ancient Norse heroes and their exploits. Decide poetry also has relatively simple meter and style.The stories are exciting, packed with action, and frequently contain valuable object lessons. Little can be said about the development of decide poetry, but it was probably in place and in use at the start of the Viking age. Classic poems typically praise the deeds of notable people, and they were usually written during the lifetime of the person being raised. While some of the surviving classic poetry date s from the medieval period, many of the poems are believed to date from the Viking age. The R ¶k ironstone shown above on this page records one stanza of classic poetry and dates from the middle of the 9th century.The Israeli ironstone shown to the right is the only classic verse in the elaborate dry;takeTTT meter known to have been written down in the Viking age. It dates from roughly the year 1 000 and is located in Land in Sweden. While the decide poetry is uniformly anonymous, much of the surviving classic poetry is credited to a particular tote at a particular place and time. The classic poems have complicated meters, strict patterns of alliteration, and ornate metaphoric language, with wordplay to delight the sophisticated listener. The poems usually celebrate the exploits of a particular king or leader.Since, in the Viking age, exaggeration was considered to be mockery, and since mockery' was considered a lethal insult, these poems are thought to be reliable testimony to th e events, even though (in some cases) they weren't committed to writing for centuries after their composition. Unfortunately, the factual information in such poetry tends to be limited. Classic poetry uses a variety of circumlocutions, such as kenning's. A kenning uses a phrase as a metaphor to represent an idea. The usual form is a noun, qualified by another noun in the genitive case. For instance sweat of the sword is used to mean blood, or horse of the sea to mean ship.Some of the kenning's can only be understood by someone with an extensive knowledge of the culture and of the great stories. For example, flame of the Rhine is used to mean gold but would probably be understood only by someone who is familiar with the V ¶lasagna saga in which the great gold treasure of the V ¶lulus NCAR ended up t the bottom of the river Rhine. Kenning can have multiple levels. For example, a poet might use a kenning for gold, and then use that phrase in place of the word â€Å"gold† in yet another kenning, such as flame of the sea- stead's path.Sea-stead's (ship) path is water, so flame of the water refers to gold. Some kenning's depend on hyperbole. Enemy of gold refers to a man who does not like gold and gives it away: a generous man. Some kenning's take the form of puns, such as using sky of the eel to represent ice in identifying someone as an Icelandic. The form of Norse poetry is complicated beyond the wordplay of the innings. The need to fit strict rules of alliteration and rhyming and rhythm result in verses in which multiple ideas are being formed simultaneously. (This concept is illustrated on the classic stanza page. Because Icelandic is a highly inflected language (word forms change depending on their usage in a sentence), it's possible to jumble the word order yet retain the meaning of a sentence. Norse visual arts share this property (left). Exceedingly complicated forms are used all over a figure to create a single unified image. It's been suggested that this similarity between poetry and visual arts derives from the name underlying sensibility, some innate appreciation of the baroque form in Norse culture. Because of its complexity and wordplay, wonder whether classic poetry could be understood by a listener hearing a verse for the first time.There are examples in the stories that support this belief, such as chapter 18 fog(slab saga. B ¶rids overheard a verse spoken by her brother, Gillis, in which he took credit for the killing of her husband, Programs. Not until she returned home did brd(s interpret the verse and understand its meaning. I may be overstating my case. At least one scholar of classic otter has told me that he believes the verses were easily understood by a listener in the saga age. Additionally, in an oral culture, it would be important to recall poetry without error.Because of the complexities of Norse verse, a defect in a recalled verse would be immediately apparent, since the rhyme, rhythm, or alliterati on would no longer work. Any erroneous substitution would stand out. Thus, the complexity of the verse acted as a mnemonic aid to help recall the verse and to identify errors. This built-in error detection was one of the reasons that information conveyed by poetry during the Viking age as thought to be more reliable than information in prose. The 12th century authors who first wrote the histories and stories of Iceland viewed the words of poets to be more authoritative than other oral sources.Some modern scholars disagree, and they suggest that in oral form, even poetry is unlikely to remain unchanged over long periods of time. Literature Many of the important poems were composed in the 9th through 12th century. These were part Of the oral tradition, and were kept alive by repetition as they were passed from one generation to another. Poetry was likely a major form of entertainment for the Norse. Poets were held in high regard, not only for their ability to improvise poetic entertai nment on the spot, but also because they were the repository of the shared cultural experience.They were the vessel through which the culture was passed from generation to generation. Once committed to poetry, a thought was expected to last â€Å"as long as the land is inhabited† or â€Å"as long as the Norse language is spoken†. Story-telling was a popular entertainment wherever people gathered. Faster ¶RA saga says in chapter 23 that >origami Narrations told a story while sitting on his chair in front of his booth at the Ping. People sat all around him, listening to his tale. When an unexpected downpour forced everyone to leave and seek shelter, Poor ¶Ã‚ ¶r took advantage of the opportunity and killed Door(Mr..Beginning in the 12th century, educated men in Iceland, where the oral tradition was strongest, began to write down the important stories. Iceland Was unique among European countries at this time in having a population comprised of a large number of relativ ely free, land- owning farmers. These men had the means to commission the creation of books in their own language, rather than in Latin as was the rule throughout he rest of Europe. The oral story-telling tradition of the Islanders also favored writings in the vernacular.A wide variety of material was written down in the Icelandic language. One of the first books to be written in the northern lands was the Icelandic law codes, begun in the year 11 17. Prior to this time, the law codes were remembered and recited orally by the law speaker (logs ¶Guam ¶our) at the Piping. A short time later, a history of Iceland was written known as [slandering;k (the Book of Islanders) by Air FRR ¶I (the learned) around the year 1 130. Scholars wrote books describing how to use Roman letters to represent the sounds of the Icelandic language.The First Grammatical Treatise was followed by three others. The genealogy and history of Icelandic settlers were written down in Land;MBA;k (the Book of Se ttlement)s. European literature was translated into Icelandic, including stories of the lives of saints, and learned books on topics including astronomy, natural history, and geography. Travel books were written by Icelandic visitors to Europe. New stories were written to commemorate the exploits of kings or other great leaders. Some of these books were in the form f histories, such as Homemaking's, a history of the kings of Norway.Others described contemporary events, such as the sagas of the lives of Icelandic bishops, untangling saga, a compilation of sagas describing the events in the turbulent times when the sons of Stuart b ¶r ¶arson were changing the political landscape Of the Iceland. Islanders also wrote down the stories of their ancestors. These [sledding ¶guru (Sagas of Islanders, also called family sagas) remain compelling and entertaining reading today. They are a unique and new form of story-telling unlike anything that preceded them. Most of these sagas are thou ght to have been composed between 1200 and 1400.These stories tell of the tales of farmers and chieftains living in Iceland from the 9th through the 12th century. Many of them follow families for generation after generation, from the settlement era to the commonwealth period in Iceland's history. They are distinctive in that they tell heroic tales not about heroes, but about just plain folks: the early Islanders. Although distorted by the time that separates the events depicted and the writing of the stories, the family sagas present one of the best pictures we have of Norse society. We know the names of only a very few of the writers of these works.It was not customary to put the author's name on the manuscript. However, one author who can be identified with some certainty is Snorer Sturgeon (1 179-1241). A 20th century sculpture of Snorer by Vigilant is shown to the left. Snorer feared that the tradition of composing poetry to commemorate great men and great events was dying. For this, and other reasons, he wrote the Sonora dead, a four part textbook on writing classic poetry. The book summarizes Norse mythology (necessary for the poet to understand the innings), teaches the language of poetry, and presents examples of the various verse forms.

Analysis of the Marks of an Educated Person Essay

In an analysis of â€Å"The Marks of an Educated Person† the author writes about three different individuals and shows whether or not they qualify as educated people. He also writes about the purpose of education and what it means to be an educated Christian. The author refers to three individuals in his writing: Mary, Tom, and Pat. He talks about their personalities and their concentrations towards education. Mary is a narrowly focused individual that focusses on her major, her electives, her extracurricular activities, and her work experience. Mary is trained in her specific area but she is not educated. I see myself as being a lot like Mary. I feel like I spend a lot of time focusing on the same things as Mary. Tom is a popular, socially successful person. He is a social conformist, therefore he is not educated. Pat enjoys learning and has a broad education in many different areas. She has skills in other areas other than her major. It is my desire to be more like Pat. I want to find enjoyment in learning and hope to become a â€Å"jack of all trades† in the field of education. Being broad is one important thing to me; I would like to be able to have a wide range of knowledge instead of only having knowledge in one area. The author then introduces Aristotle stating that education should prepare a person for an active life marked by excellence. To me this means that a person should have a wide array of knowledge. Aristotle refers to the good life as â€Å"fulfillment† or â€Å"self-actualization†. Unlike during the time of Aristotle, fulfillment now seems to bring feeling of satisfaction and Aristotle meant is as an achievement. Self-actualization now sounds individualistic and self-centered; for Aristotle it represents the full actualization of human capacities in the activities of their lives. This is significant because it shows the change in thought over the generations. This supports my thoughts that people of earlier generations were â€Å"more educated† than people of our times. I do not know if this is lack of good education or the mindset of the people now-a-days. I think that Aristotle is right when he says that education should prepare a person for an active life marked by excellence. Characteristics of an educated person show that they should be reflective and moral in everything that they do and be thoroughly responsible of everything they do. I think that I have at some points in my education shown these characteristics but also had lack of these. I think that I have shown the lack of reflective ness and morality because of not having someone there to make me do things that I am responsible for doing and being away from home has affected me also. I feel like I am a responsible person who Aristotle says is one of the things you need to have to be an educated person, but here of late I have realized that I have fallen away from being a responsible agent and am working back to that state. In the section titled â€Å"The Marks of an Educated Christian† the author talks about â€Å"spiritual virtues† which are an unreserved commitment to God and his purposes for us in this world, a confidence in the gospel, and a self-giving devotion, also known as faith, hope, and love. I believe that spiritual virtues are important because they give direction to people in all aspects of their lives. If a person has faith, hope, and love for God, they can find answers to any problems they may be facing. Moral virtues are qualities of character like love and fairness, the courage of one’s convictions, a thorough going integrity, and a commitment to justice and love in every area of life. The importance of both spiritual and moral virtues should be a big thing in the lives of Christians but what is important to Christian colleges is breadth of understanding, openness to new ideas, intellectual honesty about other views and about the problems in one’s own, analytic and critical skills, not just verbal skills and powers of communication but grace and eloquence therein as well, the ability to say the right thing in the right way at the right time. This is important because this builds us as human beings not just students. As human beings be are to gain as much knowledge as possible to bring us closer to God. In non-Christian colleges the focus is solely on education. I think that the approach of a Christian college is more beneficial to its students because it builds them as people more so as just students. But moral and intellectual values are not enough. Being responsible we need to have conscientiousness, helpfulness, a servantly but not servile manner, decisiveness, self-discipline, persistence, the ability to correct one’s course and start afresh, to maintain good family relations, active involvement in church and community, to be an effective agent of needful and helpful change. You can see all of these at work here at Greenville College. Here at GC the importance of all of these things are equally stressed. Community is a big word used here at Greenville and having a requirement of volunteer work in the courses enforces students to be a part of their community. After reading â€Å"The Marks of an Educated Person† I now realize areas that I need to work on in my life as I strive to be both an educated person and an educated Christian. I feel like in some areas that were mentioned in this reading I have been better in the past than I am now. I hope to work towards these goals and be more of an educated person and to be more like Pat.

Which Delphi Files to Store in a Source Control System

Which Delphi Files to Store in a Source Control System Delphi employs a number of files for its configuration, some global to the Delphi environment, some project specific. Various tools in the Delphi IDE store data in files of other types. The following list describes the files and their filename extensions that Delphi creates for a typical stand-alone application, plus a dozen more. Also, get to know which Delphi generated files should be stored in a source control system. Delphi Project Specific .PAS - Delphi Source FilePAS should be stored in Source ControlIn Delphi, PAS files are always the source code to either a unit or a form. Unit source files contain most of the code in an application. The unit contains the source code for any event handlers attached to the events of the form or the components it contains. We may edit .pas files using Delphis code editor. Do not delete .pas files. .DCU - Delphi Compiled UnitA compiled unit (.pas) file. By default, the compiled version of each unit is stored in a separate binary-format file with the same name as the unit file, but with the extension .DCU (Delphi compiled unit). For example unit1.dcu contains the code and data declared in the unit1.pas file. When you rebuild a project, individual units are not recompiled unless their source (.PAS) files have changed since the last compilation, or their .DCU files cannot be found. Safely delete .dcu file because Delphi recreates it when you compile the application. .DFM - Delphi FormDFM should be stored in Source ControlThese files are always paired with .pas files. A DFM file contains the details (properties) of the objects contained in a form. It can be view as text by right clicking on the form and selecting view as text from the pop-up menu. Delphi copies information in .dfm files into the finished .exe code file. Caution should be used in altering this file as changes to it could prevent the IDE from being able to load the form. Form files can be saved in either binary or text format. The Environment Options dialog lets you indicate which format you want to use for newly created forms. Do not delete .dfm files. .DPR - Delphi ProjectDPR should be stored in Source ControlThe .DPR file is the central file to a Delphi project (one .dpr file per a project), actually a Pascal source file. It serves as the primary entry point for the executable. The DPR contains the references to the other files in the project and links forms with their associated units. Although we can modify the .DPR  file, we should not modify it manually. Do not delete .DPR files. .RES - Windows Resource FileA Windows resource file generated automatically by Delphi and required by the compilation process. This binary-format file contains the version info resource (if required) and the application’s main icon. The file may also contain other resources used within the application but these are preserved as is. .EXE - Application ExecutableThe first time we build an application or a standard dynamic-link library, the compiler produces a .DCU file for each new unit used in your project; all the .DCU files in your project are then linked to create a single .EXE (executable) or .DLL file. This binary-format file is the only one (in most cases) you have to distribute to your users. Safely delete your projects .exe file because Delphi recreates it when you compile the application. .~ - Delphi Backup FilesFiles with names ending in .~ (e.g. unit2.~pa) are backup copies of modified and saved files. Safely delete those files at any time, however, you might want to keep the for recovering damaged programming. .DLL - Application ExtensionCode for dynamic link library. A dynamic-link library (DLL) is a collection of routines that can be called by applications and by other DLLs. Like units, DLLs contain shareable code or resources. But a DLL is a separately compiled executable that is linked at runtime to the programs that use it. Do not delete a .DLL file unless you wrote it. Go see DLLs and Delphi for more information on programming. .DPK - Delphi PackageDPK should be stored in Source ControlThis file contains the source code for a package, which is most often a collection of multiple units. Package source files are similar to project files, but they are used to construct special dynamic-link libraries called packages. Do not delete .dpk files. .DCPThis binary image file consists of the actual compiled package. Symbol information and additional header information required by the IDE are all contained within the .DCP file. The IDE must have access to this file in order to build a project. Do not delete .DCP files. .BPL or .DPLThis is the actual design-time or run-time package. This file is a Windows DLL with Delphi-specific features integrated into it. This file is essential for the deployment of an application that uses a package. In version 4 and above this is Borland package library in version 3 its Delphi package library. See BPL vs. DLL for more information on programming with packages. The following list describes the files and their filename extensions that Delphi IDE creates for a typical stand-alone application   Ã‚  Ã‚  IDE Specific.BPG, .BDSGROUP - Borland Project Group (Borland Developer Studio Project Group)BPG should be stored in Source ControlCreate project groups to handle related projects at once. For example, you can create a project group that contains multiple executable files such as a .DLL and an .EXE. .DCRDCR should be stored in Source ControlDelphi component resource files contain a components icon as it appears on the VCL palette. We may use .dcr files when construction our own custom components. Do not delete .dpr files. .DOFDOF should be stored in Source ControlThis text file contains the current settings for project options, such as compiler and linker settings, directories, conditional directives, and command-line parameters. The only reason to delete .dof file is to revert to standard options for a project. .DSKThis text file stores information about the state of your project, such as which windows are open and what position they are in. This allows you to restore your project’s workspace whenever you reopen the Delphi project. .DROThis text file contains information about the object repository. Each entry in this file contains specific information about each available item in the object repository. .DMTThis proprietary binary file contains the shipped and user-defined menu templates information. .TLBThe file is a proprietary binary type library file. This file provides a way for identifying what types of objects and interfaces are available on an ActiveX server. Like a unit or a header file the .TLB serves as a repository for necessary symbol information for an application. .DEMThis text file contains some standard country-specific formats for a TMaskEdit component. The list of the file extensions you see when Developing with Delphi continues .... .CABThis is the file format that Delphi offers its users for web deployment. The cabinet format is an efficient way to package multiple files. .DBFiles with this extension are standard Paradox files. .DBFFiles with this extension are standard dBASE files. .GDBFiles with this extension are standard Interbase files. .DBIThis text file contains initialization information for the Database Explorer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  CautionNever delete files with names ending in .dfm, .dpr, or .pas, unless you want to throw away your project. These files contain the applications properties and source code. When backing up an application, these are the critical files to save.

Informative Essay Sample on the Novella Heart of Darkness Underlying Ideas

Informative Essay Sample on the Novella Heart of Darkness Underlying Ideas While in England between 1898 and 1899, Joseph Conrad wrote the novella Heart of Darkness. Taking place during the height of European imperialism in Africa, Heart of Darkness follows the journey up the Congo River of Marlow, a steamboat captain. Marlow comes to Africa to escape the strict confines of European society. Marlow is very idealistic, and during his travels up the Congo, he is eager to prove that there is some good to the European presence in Africa. Although Marlow looks for signs of the good of imperialism, he finds none. Because of this, Marlow is eager to meet with Kurtz, another trader in the Congo. Marlow is so eager to meet with Kurtz because he believes Kurtz is the man the will prove to him that there is good in the European presence in Africa. However, as Marlow journeys up the Congo, viewing the effects of European imperialism on Africa, he realizes that there is no good in the presence of Europeans; furthermore, he is exposed to his own heart of darkness that he has seen in all the other Europeans in Africa. Joseph Conrad was inspired to write Heart of Darkness because of a journey through the Congo early in the 1890’s. Heart of Darkness deals with European imperialism in Africa during the 1890’s. During this time, Africa was the property of King Leopold II of Belgium. Leopold believed that his mission statement was to reduce the barbarism of the African people by bring civilization to the African people. For most Europeans, the continent of Africa was the Dark Continent because the people of Africa were considered to be uncivilized, uneducated, lacking a real government, and lacking any culture. Europeans considered it their duty to bring all that the Africans lacked in culture and civilization to the continent; thus, imperialism in Africa began. Conrad explores the heart of darkness through the Protagonist of the novel: Marlow. As Marlow journeys up the Congo River, viewing the atrocities of European imperialism on the African people, the reader realizes what the heart of darkness is. The heart of darkness is in the heart of every person where each person is faced with his or her true and often inherently evil nature. A person’s encounter with their own heart of darkness is almost always brought about by a person’s own immoral actions that allows them to see the true nature of themselves or others. As Marlow journeys up the Congo, he sees European society’s heart of darkness, and he realizes that European imperialism is not the selfless mission for the civilization of the African continent, but rather a mission of exploitation based greed and ambition in the hearts of Europeans in the Congo. Marlow comes to Africa because he feels very separated from the imperialism in Africa; furthermore, Marlow has heard what the critics say about imperialism in Africa. When he goes to Africa, he is very idealistic about the European presence there despite some of the stories he has heard. From the beginning of his journey, Marlow is confronted with the insanity of imperialism in Africa when he sees a French ship repeatedly shelling a spot of forested coast for no apparent reason saying, â€Å"Nothing happened. Nothing could happen. There was a touch of insanity in the proceeding, a sense of lugubrious drollery in the sight; and it was not dissipated by somebody on board assuring me earnestly there was a camp of nativehe called them enemies!hidden out of sight somewhere.† Pg. 11 As Marlow continues his way up the Congo River, he encounters decay and death at an alarming rate. He was overwhelmed by the horror of the death and destruction he sees: It is here that Marlow first enco unters the heart of darkness and slowly begins to realize what it is. Marlow is once again faced with this overwhelming sense of decay and death when he reaches the outer station of the company, he encounters a group of native African people who have basically been enslaved in a chain gang; furthermore, he sees that also the Europeans are suffering as well: disease, biting insects, and outrageous heat. This scene at the outer station is an important one because it shows that not only is the African people suffering because of imperialism, but so are the Europeans as well. Basically, no one is reaping any real advantages from the European presence in Africa. During a ten-day wait at the outer station, Marlow is first told about Kurtz. After being exposed to an overwhelming amount of evidence against imperialism, Marlow is now introduced to the idea of man doing good for the people of the Dark Continent. Marlow realizes this; thus, he has a strong desire to locate and talked to Kurtz in hopes of seeing first hand the good that Kurtz does for the people of the dark continent. A Marlow travels up the Congo River, he is being exposed more and more to the savagery, this heart of darkness, which all the Europeans in Africa seem to posses. For example, Marlow overhears a conversation between the Manager of that company and his uncle about the condition of Kurtz. Marlow discovers that these men wish to hang Kurtz and are discussing ways in which to accomplish this. They wish to hang Kurtz in order to level the competition in their favor because â€Å"anything can be done in this country.† These two men, both civilized at first glance, posses these savage and primal tendencies. Marlow sees this and is once again exposed to the heart of darkness that man possesses. Conrad does an excellent job of conveying this savagery and animal actions when he has Marlow describe the uncle of the manager’s mannerisms during the conversation saying, extend his short flipper of an arm for a gesture. . .that seemed to beckon with a dishonoring flourish before the su nlit face of the land a treacherous appeal to the lurking death, to the hidden evil, to the profound darkness of its heart. (Pg.27) As Marlow continues up the river to find Kurtz, the signs of European society were replaced by a more primal and savage feeling. I believe this to be a metaphor for the heart of darkness: A person may look civilized on the surface, but as you further explore them, you begin to see that they are truly savage at heart. Once Marlow reaches Kurtz’s station, he encounters a young man. The young man tells Marlow about Kurtz’s tendency to wander off into the forest alone, raiding nearby villages for ivory and gaining the loyalty of the natives. The young man also confided in Marlow that Kurtz had almost shot him once for some ivory saying, â€Å"He declared he would shoot me unless I gave him the ivory and then cleared out of the country, because he could do so, and had a fancy for it, and there was nothing on earth to prevent him killing whom he jolly well pleased.† (Pg.50) With this description by the young man of Kurtz, Marlow’s hope’s of finding the presence of good in European imperialism is Africa is crushed. The situation of Marlow being told of Kurtz reputation as a good man and now seeing that he too has been corrupted and has done terrible things to the African people is another metaphor for the heart of darkness that Conrad places in the book. After arriving at Kurtz station, Kurtz in taken aboard Marlow’s ship, and the two meet and speak for the first time. Later that night, Marlow tracks Kurtz off the ship and finds him watching some kind of tribal ceremony. Marlow trys to get Kurtz to come back to the boat, but as he looks at Kurtz alone in the wilderness he comments that he realizes that because Kurtz had been alone in the wilderness, his soul was alone and had gone mad; furthermore, Marlow realizes that his soul has this very same feeling to it. At this moment, Marlow comes to the realization that he too has his own heart of darkness. The next night, as the ship sailed down the Congo, Marlow witnesses Kurtz’s death. As Kurtz died he said, â€Å"The horror, the horror.†( pg.62) I believe this quote is a commentary on what man can do when not inhibited by society’s restrictions. In the case of Kurtz, society was willing to over-look any of his more questionable actions because Kurtz supplied them with ivory. When Kurtz says these words on his deathbed, he is speaking to the atrocities man can commit when there are no restrictions placed on him by society. Marlow comes to Africa with the hope of seeing the good of European Imperialism first hand. Instead, Marlow is exposed to the heart of darkness: a primal and savage instinct that all man posses, yet is never truly exposed unless the circumstances are correct. As Marlow journeys up the Congo, his encounters with the heart of darkness become more frequent and powerful. Through the novel, he battles his own heart of darkness until he finally gives into it at the end of the novel. Through Kurtz’s death, Kurtz was able to say something true about the mess that human life has become: The horror! The horror! Because of Kurtz, Marlow was able to look into the darkness that Kurtz had gotten lost in, and learn from that darknesswhether this was beneficial or harmful is an uncertainty.

Adult Learning Theory Essay Example for Free

Adult Learning Theory Essay ? Holt (2011), it is stated that it is necessary to bring both concepts of the Bible teaching and contemporary adult learning theories together for the most effectiveness. In the Holt article; it is shown that Biblical explanation and interpretation assist the adult learner in gaining knowledge. The choices one makes gives real world perspective and power can only be obtained by the Holy Spirit. The article discusses the styles in which adult learning makes a difference, whether androgogy, transformative learning or self-directed learning (Holt). Adult Learning Theory for the Twenty-First Century† discusses the goals of educators to better prepare themselves to better deal with adult learners. Over the last 15 years, learning theories have changed very aggressively (Merriam, 2008). As adults continue to develop human physiology changes, thus learning teaching styles have to change to keep up. It has been recognized that with time everything that adults experience is part of the learning process. It has been further recognized that educators have to increase their tool set to involve creative and artistic modes of teaching to reach a wider audience. Both articles cover the ever-changing dynamics of the human psyche and educational styles and requirements in dealing with adult learning. Educators have to continue to increase knowledge both for themselves as well as those whom they are educating. Where the styles of the teaching process in the Holt (2011) article differ from the Merriam (2008) article, they both recognize the changes in adult learners. It has been recognized over years and will continue for years to come that educators of adults will have to continue honing their skill sets to accommodate the learning styles of adults. Since adults learn differently from children it is important to include the learning styles necessary to maximize the efforts of educators. As adults learning styles change it will be necessary for those educating adults to change also. Reflection After reading both articles and realizing the application in my own life and learning style, I conclude that adults learn differently. There were moments of complete frustration as I was putting my thoughts together as I can tend to be somewhat of a perfectionist. I had the realization that time management and organizational skills are imperative when completing an assignment of any type. The Holt (2011) article caught my attention initially because of how I tend to study and read the Bible in particular. I am coming to understand more and more how I learn and further realize that the concepts of knowledge, choice and power are applicable in my own life. I am intrigued by the concept mentioned in the Holt article and will consider its application to my current Bible study methods. The Merriam (2008) article is interesting in the fact that I had no idea how challenging it is for educators to keep up with the learning curve that is necessary to continue teaching the increasing number of adult learners. Being out of the college environment for so long, I realize it is not as easy to just get things done with all of the demands of life as I know it. I can see how both articles and their teaching styles have a positive impact on dealing with adult learning. With all of the influences of culture, music, art, etc, it is imperative that educators find a way to keep up with the demands of educating the population of adults returning to increase their knowledge to keep up with fast paced American culture. I now have a new respect for teachers on all levels. It is interesting that adult educator’s find is so necessary to effectively reach adults. It is increasingly more common for adults to return to school for a number of reasons, and are driven to succeed for just as many reasons. Thankfully educators realize the change necessary to comprehend the goals of those adults striving for successes related to educating themselves. References Holt, R. A. (2011). Teaching that transforms: Facilitating life change through adult Bible teaching. Christian Education Journal,  8(2), 450+ Merriam, S. B. (2008). Adult learning theory for the twenty-first century. New Directions For Adult And Continuing Education, Volume 2008, Issue 119, 93-98. DOI: 10. 1002/ace. 309 Adult Learning Theory. (2018, Nov 10).

UK Revised Combined Code Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

UK Revised Combined Code - Essay Example Following the Enron report, two review committees were commissioned by the UK Financial Reporting Council (FRC) to review UK corporate governance2. The two independent review reports - the Higgs Report on Non-Executive Directors and the Smith Report on Audit Committees, were published in January 2003 and form the bases for the revised Code [also see Higgs review (2003) and Smith review (2003)]. In this analysis the features of the revised combined code will be discussed along with studies to show and suggest whether the implementation of this code is likely to improve the effectiveness of corporate governance for listed companies. The revised code contains 14 principles for companies supported by 48 code provisions. Many aspects of the revised code have remained unchanged from the original code although there have been many important changes. The code suggests that the board should comprise of independent non-executive directors along with executive directors and the code contains guidance on the meaning of independent directors emphasizing on independence as an important measure (Long et al, 2005). It also lays down the rule that the role of chairman and chief executive should not be a position taken by the same person (in Combined Code, 2003). The chairman should be independent and only in certain exceptional cases, the chairman can also be a former chief executive. It has also been suggested that the position of a senior independent non-executive director should be included. This new position of senior independent non-executive director shows that the director must be identified in the annual report and al so be given specific responsibilities (Long et al, 2005). The other specifications of the revised code show that all listed companies should have an audit committee, a nomination committee and a remuneration committee. The audit and remuneration committees should have at least three members and all the members should be independent non executive directors3. The majority of the members are expected to be independent non executive directors and the committee is also headed by the chairman who is an independent non executive director (Long et al, 2005; Chambers 2005)4. The code also specifies that at least one member of the audit committee must be a financial expert or a person with the relevant financial experience and having membership with a professional accountancy body. The code highlights on performance evaluation and regular monitoring and emphasises on the performance evaluation of board members and the committees and executive directors (Combined Code, 2003; Directors' Remuneration Report, 2002). The annual report should include a disclosure on the performance evaluation process. The external auditors are important as well and the audit committee is given the primary responsibility of making a recommendation on the appointment, reappointment and removal of external auditors. The audit committee is given the responsibility to develop and implement policy on engagement or taking services of the external auditor to supply non-audit services. The Audit Committee states in its report that the

Racial disparity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Racial disparity - Research Paper Example This paper shall discuss the racial disparities in health in the United States. It shall discuss what researchers have found as causes for such disparities. This paper is being carried out in order to establish a clear and comprehensive discussion of the subject matter and to establish reasons for the existence of the phenomenon. Discussion The racial disparities in the United States in relation to health are considered significant. For one, the current death rate for blacks registers at about 100,000 blacks dying each year (Levine, et.al., 2001). The different diseases or health issues as well as causes for mortality shall be specifically discussed by this paper. Death rates for coronary heart disease have registered at a higher rate for blacks as compared to whites, with about 30% of blacks more likely to die from the disease. Cancers now register at a higher rate for blacks as compared to whites. Cancer death rates have also been higher for blacks as compared to whites with lung a nd ovarian cancer increasing for both blacks and whites, and colorectal, breast, and prostate cancer increasing among blacks and remaining stable for whites (Piffath, et.al., 2001). The various causes for such racial disparity shall be assessed in terms of socioeconomic status, residential conditions, and medical care. Socioeconomic status is a definite predictor of health with those in the lower classes likely to experience more illnesses and higher rates of death. Such health status is also influenced by race with those in the minority races likely to experience lower economic conditions and consequently compromised health status (Williams and Jackson, 2005). Education is also a factor in racial disparities in health. The homicide rates among African-American males not having completed high school registers at a rate five times higher as compared to black males having completed college. Moreover, there is also a â€Å"ninefold difference in homicide rates by education for white m ales, a fourfold difference for black females, and a sixfold difference for white females† (Williams and Jackson, 2005). The rate for homicides among African-American males with higher education is eleven times higher than their white counterparts. Income disparities also impact on racial differences in health, especially in terms of coronary heart disease and cancer mortality (Williams and Jackson, 2005). Studies claim that death rates for these two diseases are higher among low income blacks and whites as compared to those in the middle class (Williams and Jackson, 2005). Moreover, blacks also have higher rates of mortality from heart diseases as compared to whites. In the low and middle income female blacks, they incur higher rates of mortality for heart diseases as compared to the white low and middle income white females (Williams and Jackson, 2005). The above picture portrays a clear racial disparity in the health care system of the United States. This disparity is large ly disadvantageous for African-American men and women who mostly belong to the lower income group who are often uninsured and who do not have as much access to health care as their higher income and their white counterparts. Some analysts claim that the cause of racial discrimination may be credited to residential segregation and neighborhood quality (Williams and Collins, 2001). Segregation has caused the middle-class African-Americans to reside

Counselling and Sexual Orientation Research Paper

Counselling and Sexual Orientation - Research Paper Example Moreover, counselors also are guided by their own morals and religious beliefs. For example, a counselor with a religious background may not be willing to attend to issues of sexual orientation for gay and lesbians. Attending to them would amount to going against his ethical principle. However, this is not usually the case because counseling involves helping those people who are in need and for which therapeutic services would help improves on their health. A Christian fundamentalist counselor is faced with the ethical issue while dealing with cases of gay culture and homosexual behaviors. Christianity rebukes and discourages homosexual and lesbianism and so their counselors would not be willing to attend to the case resulting from such indulgence. The issue of morality is always a topical issue and has evolved to a more complex issue between individuals codes of conduct (Ethics and Counselling). Ethical counseling is among the complex discussion that revolves in the discipline due to the nature of the client and counselors background. Many countries do not have strict laws that guide counseling profession. However, the use of ethical standard is done to ensure that quality services are provided by all counselors. Moreover, counselors are trained of the value of protecting client’s confidentiality. Therefore, counselor should meet the demand of their clients no matter their moral standing because they would minimize danger and aggravation of the problem. Moreover, the ethical of secrecy protect counselors facing accusation of serving the gay community. According to Daniluk and Haverkamp ethical counseling is based on the concept of self-interest, beneficence, autonomy, non-maleficence, fidelity and justice (Ethics and Counselling). Therefore, therapeutic therapy on sexual orientation in guided by the above concepts and it would be better if a

MKTG 4050 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

MKTG 4050 - Essay Example ing of Research and Development for Dell’s offerings keeps development cost while still ensuring innovation and high technologically advanced product offering. There are also various products to choose from Dell because of its product expansion strategy that can compete with other leading brands such as HP and IBM. Furthermore, the fast delivery of service and after sales service can be done through online with Dell. The value proposition for Dell is effective for a certain market segment that is after of the idea of both quality and product cost. Dell’s strategy is a low-cost strategy and a portion of focus differentiation considering that it tries to create big consideration on Research and Development for both product and cost. Dell essentially believes that it cannot totally pass on the production cost to its customers so the best way to do is to create better management on its Supply Chain Management system. What Dell tries to emphasize is that a low-cost product offering may not necessarily mean low quality at all, but at some point, there has to be something given up or adjusted in the entire supply chain management system. Dell could not compromise quality and cost together so the best way it does is to outsource its Research and Development. In the end, what makes Dell a personal choice of brand is its ability to maintain affordability without compromising the quality of its product

Journal #8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Journal #8 - Essay Example According to Apex website, Mills Branch Wind is expected to occupy approximately 5000 acres of local open farming land in Eastern Kent and is capable of generating up to 100 MW of homegrown energy, with a potential of powering approximately 30,000 homes every year. The expected number of turbines is 25-30, with approximately  ¼ to  ½ mile spacing on active farmland. Demand for new infrastructure will be limited due to the existing highways and high-voltage power cables. The project intends to cause very limited disruption to farmers hence an opportunity for them to continue with their farming activities. Mills Branch Wind would constitute an important investment in the rural economy by providing revenues to farmers, schools and the government. During construction, 70-100 full time jobs are expected to emerge and 6-8 permanent opportunities at each local facility of operation and maintenance. Kent County is favorable for this project after examination of several potential sites due to: existence of high- voltage cables, affirmed wind resource, adequate commercial farmland for expansion, an existing highway network and location far from sensitive environmental and military areas. Landowners and farmers hosting the wind turbines would benefit adequately from payment of annual lease for a projected period of 25 years, injecting revenues amounting to millions of dollars into the local economy of Kent County. The construction of Mills Branch Wind is in its early stages as extensive studies, community input, permits, engineering and other activities must be finished first. Therefore, Apex is working closely with The Local Government of Kent County and the public to get the project on track. Mills Branch Wind project is not without challenges. The project is facing a lot of opposition from both economic and political environments. The major players in opposition are Eastern Shore Land Conservancy and Keep Kent

Counselling and Sexual Orientation Research Paper

Counselling and Sexual Orientation - Research Paper Example Moreover, counselors also are guided by their own morals and religious beliefs. For example, a counselor with a religious background may not be willing to attend to issues of sexual orientation for gay and lesbians. Attending to them would amount to going against his ethical principle. However, this is not usually the case because counseling involves helping those people who are in need and for which therapeutic services would help improves on their health. A Christian fundamentalist counselor is faced with the ethical issue while dealing with cases of gay culture and homosexual behaviors. Christianity rebukes and discourages homosexual and lesbianism and so their counselors would not be willing to attend to the case resulting from such indulgence. The issue of morality is always a topical issue and has evolved to a more complex issue between individuals codes of conduct (Ethics and Counselling). Ethical counseling is among the complex discussion that revolves in the discipline due to the nature of the client and counselors background. Many countries do not have strict laws that guide counseling profession. However, the use of ethical standard is done to ensure that quality services are provided by all counselors. Moreover, counselors are trained of the value of protecting client’s confidentiality. Therefore, counselor should meet the demand of their clients no matter their moral standing because they would minimize danger and aggravation of the problem. Moreover, the ethical of secrecy protect counselors facing accusation of serving the gay community. According to Daniluk and Haverkamp ethical counseling is based on the concept of self-interest, beneficence, autonomy, non-maleficence, fidelity and justice (Ethics and Counselling). Therefore, therapeutic therapy on sexual orientation in guided by the above concepts and it would be better if a

Journal #8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Journal #8 - Essay Example According to Apex website, Mills Branch Wind is expected to occupy approximately 5000 acres of local open farming land in Eastern Kent and is capable of generating up to 100 MW of homegrown energy, with a potential of powering approximately 30,000 homes every year. The expected number of turbines is 25-30, with approximately  ¼ to  ½ mile spacing on active farmland. Demand for new infrastructure will be limited due to the existing highways and high-voltage power cables. The project intends to cause very limited disruption to farmers hence an opportunity for them to continue with their farming activities. Mills Branch Wind would constitute an important investment in the rural economy by providing revenues to farmers, schools and the government. During construction, 70-100 full time jobs are expected to emerge and 6-8 permanent opportunities at each local facility of operation and maintenance. Kent County is favorable for this project after examination of several potential sites due to: existence of high- voltage cables, affirmed wind resource, adequate commercial farmland for expansion, an existing highway network and location far from sensitive environmental and military areas. Landowners and farmers hosting the wind turbines would benefit adequately from payment of annual lease for a projected period of 25 years, injecting revenues amounting to millions of dollars into the local economy of Kent County. The construction of Mills Branch Wind is in its early stages as extensive studies, community input, permits, engineering and other activities must be finished first. Therefore, Apex is working closely with The Local Government of Kent County and the public to get the project on track. Mills Branch Wind project is not without challenges. The project is facing a lot of opposition from both economic and political environments. The major players in opposition are Eastern Shore Land Conservancy and Keep Kent

Greasy lake and the three immature teenagers Essay Example for Free

Greasy lake and the three immature teenagers Essay Greasy Lake by T. Coraghesan Boyle’s is the story of a group of adolescents, searching for the one situation that will proclaim them as bad boys and how their minds change. The greasy lake is a short story which the narrator uses details, imagination and language to describe and represent the moral condition of each character. Also, during the story the narrator shows us how each character becomes closer to maturity after facing a crazy and unexpected night in a local lake, where we are all witness to and extreme change in their lives causes by immature action. Three young men, who considered themselves bad, were out looking for trouble and excitement on their summer break. One of the most interesting things was the perception they had about being tough or being cool at the time. It is very interesting how the three young showed his toughness throwing eggs at the houses of their neighbors. They were acting irresponsibly, drinking too much alcohol and doing drugs, which caused errors in their decision. This was the way of thinking of the three young men â€Å"we wore torn-up leather jackets, slouched around with toothpicks in our mouths, sniffed glue†. The bad choices they made would somewhere along the line cause their fate to step in, but no one knew what is going to happen that night. The boys must face their reality of becoming responsible adult men. For example, whether someone chooses to be responsible and do their homework that kind of actions determines if the three young men are capable to be responsible. The actions the boys took and the words they said eventually determined their immaturity. â€Å"On this, the third night, we’d cruised the strip sixty-seven times, been in and out of every bar and club we could think of in a twenty –mile radius, stopped twice for bucket of chicken and forty-cent hamburgers, debated going to a party at the house of a girl Jeff’s sister knew, and chucked two dozen raw eggs at mailboxes and hitchhikers.† If they would have chosen to go to the party at Jeff’s sister’s friend’s house then none of the trouble at Greasy Lake would have happened. The whole scene is dark to begin with the irresponsible choice they made to drink alcohol ultimately affected the rest of their choices and  actions. Alcohol may have distorted their judgments, which may have lead them to believe they saw Tony Lovett’s car, causing them to honk, flash their bights and press their faces on his window on the wrong car. Alcohol also may have affected the narrator’s agility, causing him to drop his keys in the dark. These actions leave them unprepared, when they end up in trouble with a big greasy character, as they call him. They begin to fight and one of them hits the guy with tire iron on the head while the adrenaline starts to rise in each of them, begin tearing the clothes off the girl in the car when they try to abuse of the young girl, they are interrupted by another car, which was approach to the scene they believe the other car have seen them. They start running away from the scene to avoid getting caught. The three boys were fri ghtened by the consequences that can bring them for their immaturity acts. During the story at this point At this point the narrator is not bothered about his moms car, because he is now safe in the lake behind trees where no one could find him. Once the narrator continues to find a safe place he runs into something that looks like something strange emerges from the lake and realize that it is a body of a man. Then the narrator thinks its very scary evil character found in lake and lifeless. The narrator is very scared by what he discovered runs where his friends were. Very afraid the only thing you want is to get home and forget everything that happened that night. Finally find the car keys and see that everything is in perfect condition, but have a final approach with two young girls who ask if they have seen the friend, who have not seen since last night they stay silent without express what really wanted and they lie and say no. During that time the one of the girls offers them to go home and have fun drinking alcohol and use drugs. After that episode t he three young men begin to experience inner change, to say no and see that they are not as bad as they believed or they could be, and all they want is to leave everything bad that experienced last night and be able to do positive things for their lives. In brief, Coming of age seems to be a problem. When I first felt the teenagers as adults and to take very risk decision to grab the tires iron and after trying to rape a woman every wrong decision have their consequences. However, they are very willing to face the adult outcomes.  Perhaps the lesson here is do not try to grow too fast. The point of view is in first person, from the point of view of narrative and Teenagers. The environment plays a role in the story. Also, during the story the narrator shows us how each character becomes closer to maturity after facing a crazy and unexpected night in a local lake, where we are all witness to and extreme change in their lives causes by immature action.

Market Analysis Of The Cleaning Sector Management Essay

Market Analysis Of The Cleaning Sector Management Essay The Cleaning Industry National Training Organisation (CINTO) has suggested that the UK cleaning industry is valued in the region of  £12bn, 2.7 million households in the UK spend as much as  £11 billion annually on domestic help, the rise in two-salary household and more disposable income but limited time for domestic chores necessitates this, the cleaning industry presently employs about 820,000 people. The industry is mainly dominated by small organisations and has 72% of all UK cleaning staff employed in firms with less than ten employees. A third of these firms are operated by sole proprietors. CINTO is of the opinion that the cleaning industry is resistant to economic recession as a result of the huge demand and inevitability of service. Competition is stiffer however in commercial cleaning sector than domestic. This can therefore affect profit margin. Regardless of the intense competition, the cleaning industry is a booming industry with an impressive growth in the contract cleaning market from  £4 billion in 1996 to  £6 billion in 2004. Below is a tabulated STEP analysis of the cleaning sector. Social Population and market consist of 61 million people with 67% in the working class, 16.2% aged and 16.4% under aged. Labour is predominantly made up of migrant workers. Industrial servicing. Subject to environmental protection agency laws Economic The sector is slightly affected by the economic downturn but not significantly as it is a service sector and inevitable to all households in the UK. Demand cuts through all class and age structure in the UKespecially the working class which accounts for 67% of the UK population. This sector is a sub sector of the service sector that accounts for a large portion of the UK GDP. Theres been a shift in demand preference to price from quality and innovation because of the economic downturn. Increased competitiveness. Technological General services of cleaning, trash pickup, floor polishing, and the specialty services of cleaning carpet and ducts and washing windows. Staff cleaning buildings and houses by hand or with the help of basic equipment like floor polishers. Operations is labour-intensive Sector is labour intensive Simple machines and technology needed. POLITICAL Government legislation and regulation with respect to waste disposal. Organised and influential association body with intense pressure on government. Low government aid policies. According to MBD (Market and Business Development) report on the sector, Contract cleaning in the UK has grown by over 12 per cent in the past five years and is expected to increase by a further 13 per cent between now and 2011. The UK Cleaning Market 2004-2012:- There were over 4,300 individual contract cleaning firms active in the UK in 2008, though the industry remains particularly consolidated in value terms, with the firms in this study contributing more than 80% of the total market revenue. It has been suggested that 30% of contract cleaning firms are considered at risk in 2009 with the growing problem of customer retention. Customer loyalty is considered less prevalent, and customers of contract cleaners are continually searching for more competitive prices. This competitive trend in the market is pushing price competition in an environment where demand is reducing as smaller firms are internalising certain cleaning duties instead of outsourcing. The downturn in capital expenditure of contract cleaning firms will undoubtedly affect cleaning equipment manufacturers and suppliers in the short term, with a reduction in demand also aggravated by increasing pricing pressure as Contract Cleaning firms attempt to achieve greater cost reduction measures. The impact for tool and equipment manufacturers are less positive with regards to supplying to this sector in the short term, the need for effective marketing strategies therefore arises to target those companies who are performing well in the market. The cleaning sector provides employment for over 450,000 people in nearly 32,000 firms. Table 2: Workplaces and Employees within the Cleaning Sector in Great Britain. Source: Annual Business Inquiry, ONS, 2005 2006 85% of all cleaning companies have 10 or less employees. 1% of companies has over 200 staff and provides jobs for approximately half of all the cleaning employees. The current uncertain world economy makes analysis of current and future economic performance very difficult. Staffing and retention remains key themes for the sector as it struggles to maintain a stable workforce. This has been made worse by the pressure on sales and the stiff competition within the environment. The effect of the global economic downturn on the sector has been viewed as been less subjective as with other sectors since cleaning is an inevitable service. As expected however, employee training suffers a decline as profit margin reduces. Profit margins remains reduced in the sector, at about 5% in 2006, having been squeezed by 28% between 2002 and 2006. Labour costs consist of about 73% of all costs, this having been increased by 13.2% over the period 2002-2006. Gross Value Added (GVA) per worker (measured as the average financial contribution to turnover each employee within a sector generates) was  £9,600 in 2006 compared to a whole economy average of  £33,300. In 2006, seven companies had 25% of the market share (as a percentage of total value), as seen below. Table 1: Market share, (as a percentage of total value) in 2006 Source: Marketing Research for Industry, Feb 2000 A major challenge of this sector is the credit crunch and the effect it has on the sectors quality service delivery given the budget. Recruitment and retention are also key issues, issues regarding labour force attraction and motivation to family friendly labour policies. Future issues to be considered include the need to improve marketing to attract new clients, management of skills gap and planning is vital. The take-up of qualifications within the industry has been low and almost half of employers dont have a Level 2 or equivalent qualification. 16% of the sector is not aware of Vocational Qualifications, though their appropriateness is called into question. A third of all firms believe they take too long in delivering and five in ten believe they are too complicated. The BICSc (British Institute of Cleaning Science) is the most common qualification held. Cleaning firms suffer from increased rate of staff turnover which has been known to be closed to 75% in some cases, with most cleaning staff staying in employment for up to 12 weeks cleaners. 6% of cleaning firms advertised skills vacancies in 2007 -according to the National Employer Skills Survey 2007, this was primarily in elementary occupations and machine operatives. 80% of elementary occupations were categorised as difficult to fill positions. Almost 800 companies advertised these positions and were located within the West Midlands, South West and South East. Reasons for these difficult to fill vacancies are: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Inadequate personnel interested in engaging in this type of job (28%). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Inadequate number of applicants generally (16%). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Low number of applicants with the required attitude and motivation (13%). The implication of these vacancies is the increased workload of other staff. Cleaning firms have alleged that they have: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ increasing cost of operation; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Difficulty in matching quality standards requirements à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Delay in developing new products. As a result of the above issues, 50% of firms have increased their advertising and recruitment campaign and most of the firms are increasingly trying new ways of recruitment. Reductions in some skills area have been identified in the Cleaning Industry, these include: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Management and leadership; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Technical skills; and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Literacy, numeracy and ESOL A key driver in the sector is the changing form of procurement. The process of procurement has become increasingly formalised and has most part been subject to European Union Commission guidelines, more challenges are therefore placed on cleaning firms in this sector. A recent report implied the importance of migrant workers within the industry. Firms in the cleaning sector are faced with an ageing workforce and recruitment issues, these firms have therefore been able to tap into the large resource of migrant workers, this has culminated in 37% of Englands cleaning labour being classified as migrant labour. Firms have been able to recruit more efficiently and cost effectively as well, however the only hinderance to this is the issue of language which is being subdued by coping the strategies from employer. Regional Distribution of cleaning companies within England, 2006 There are increasing demands being placed on the industry due to increased regulation and Visibility which, in time, it is anticipated will reveal greater skill needs. There are a couple of key issues as regards the cleaning sector, they include,  · Recruitment difficulties for domestic cleaning jobs because of competition from other sectors.  · Increased day-time cleaning and expanding skill mix needed  · Employment of migrant workers without language barrier.  · Employing expertise cleaning operatives into supervisory and managerial positions with inadequate training.  · Forecasted job losses of over 90,000 between 2004 and 2014 but concerns of replacement demand still workable.  · Pressure from customers for more work per capita in order to deliver contracts with less people  · Low rate of retention.  · Lack of long term investment in staff  · Difficulties in recruiting new employees into the workforce  · Misconstrued negative image for the sector discourages prospective minds to commit to a career in the industry.  · Skills gaps in managing teams, project management, problem solving and resource allocation, customer care, and managing change for supervisors and managers  · Mixed quality of training provision with low retention rates and qualification  · Inadequate filling of management training slots in the industry  · A small size of employers in the industry had a budget for training of employees.  · Unaccredited training for staffs.  · Employers want tailor fit training that meets their immediate needs and well as their budget.  · The key issues to training to training include the margins on contracts where training is perceived as a cost, career progression is seen as a mirage, shift work and problems of release, and inflexible modes of delivery. The cleaning sector is a low tech business characterized by ease of entry and entry. Highly competitive, reduces pricing and subsequently profits. Convenience is key in the cleaning sector, location to the market and fast turnaround on clothes so also cleanliness of the item are important. Consumer care little about what euipments or technology dat has being used as long as the the cleaning service is fast, convenient and effective. A model has been designed to address a couple of the sectors issues and it is outlined