Friday, November 29, 2019

Morse Telegraph Essays - Telegraphy, Morse Code, Samuel Morse

Morse Telegraph Morse Telegraph In the beginning of the industrial age, cities were expanding and railroads were growing, but people couldn't get messages or news to other people fast enough. There were some electrical communications, but all were to slow or to complicating. Railroads were growing to fast, they were connecting cities to each other, and there needed some form of communication of some sort fast enough to past messages around. That is what Morse system of telegraphy did. In the early 19th century, all of the essential components necessary to construct an electrical communication system had been discovered. The most important of these were the battery by Volta, the relationship between electric current and magnetism by Oersted, and the electromagnet by Henry. It now remained for someone to find a practical method to combine these technologies into a working communication system. Some commercial electrical communications systems existed in Europe as early as the 183Os. A classic example of this is the English "Needle Telegraph". The needle telegraph required two or more lines to form a complete circuit. It was also relatively slow and the design of the transmitting and receiving instruments was complex. Something simple and efficient was needed. Samuel Finley Breese Morse invented the Morse system of telegraphy in the 1840s in the United States. "Morse Code" is essentially a simple way to represent the letters of the alphabet using patterns of long and short pulses. A unique pattern is assigned to each character of the alphabet, as well as to the ten numerals. These long and short pulses are translated into electrical signals by an operator using a telegraph key, and the electrical signals are translated back into the alphabetic characters by a skilled operator at the distant receiving instrument. It has also been acknowledged that Morse's partner Alfred Vail very likely assisted in the development of the code and the instruments used to transmit and receive it. Morse telegraphy became the standard method of electrical communication in both the United States and Europe due to its simplicity and ability to work on inferior quality wires. In 1851, countries in Europe adopted a new code known as "continental" or "international" code. This new code was a modification of the original Morse. The new code eliminated the characters using spaced dots, which were found to cause errors in transmission on undersea cables. The new code became the standard for all telegraph work except in North America where the original Morse was used on all landline circuits (except for undersea cable). The applications of the Morse telegraph were many. The best known of these to the public was the commercial telegram service. The railroads were an early and enthusiastic user of the Morse system, which improved the efficiency, and safety of railroad operations manifold. The Associated Press was originally an alliance of Morse telegraph services and operators dedicated to news dispatches. Industry found the telegraph indispensable for the transmission of business related communication including information on stocks and commodities. The American Civil War was the one of the first demonstrations of the military value of the telegraph in the control of troop deployment and intelligence. Even the flow of oil through pipelines was controlled by Morse telegraph. The railroad and the steamship improved communications within nations and across the world. Britain introduced an inexpensive postal system, which further improved communication. Messages that once would have taken days to arrive now took minutes or seconds. In 1851, the first underwater telegraph cable was installed under the English Channel. It made rapid communication between Britain and the continent possible.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Separate Peace Theme Essay essays

Separate Peace Theme Essay essays During the last several weeks, I have enjoyed reading A Separate Peace in this book Finny and Gene are faced with many situations that teat there friend ship. It also shows many themes one of them being escaping form reality. I have relaixed that escaping realty is something people do every day in one fore or another weather it be in liteature or enjoying a walk. A Separate Peace, a novel by John Knowles, is based around escapes from reality. . The first of these situations occurs when Leper, a friend of Finny and Gene, and a student at Devon school enlists into the army during world war two. Leper escapes from the reality of the war by letting go of his mind. Gene, the main character, goes to visit Leper when he returns from the war after receiving a discharge for his insanity. Leper explains to Gene how he left the war after becoming delusional. Lepers fall into insanity is an escape from reality because he ran away from the pain, suffering, and fears he experienced during the war. Leper truly escaped the painful reality of war, by going insane. The second situation that illustrates an escape from reality is when Gene and Finny do not acknowledge the war, because Finny had broken his ankle, and was unable to join the war effort. Gene decides to stay out of combat with Finny so he would not be alone. They made believe the war was not real, to hide the fact that Finny was unable to enlist with the rest of the boys at Devon. This is an escape from reality because Finny and Gene were hiding from the fact that Gene was not enlisting because he felt sorry for Finny. Finny and Gene made an escape so Gene could ease his guilty conscious because he was the reason for Finnys injury. Another situation where Finny and Gene escape from reality occurs during the summer session at Devon School. During this time, Finny and Gene forget that there are other cares in the world besides what was right in front o ...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Personal statment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Personal statment - Essay Example It was when I was contemplating about this that I fully realized how much I wanted to assist people develop their personality from an early stage of their life. When I completed my undergraduate studies, I realized that I wanted to pursue my masters in a career related to my passion and that is when I decided that the most appropriate field was in childhood development. To mention something about myself, I am Summah Alsuleman from Capital Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. Since I was young I have been taught by numerous teacher but when I think about my learning experience, I appreciate the role that the teachers who taught me when I was below ten years played. They instilled in me a desire to learn and help others learn, which I believe has made me who I am. I have always wanted to understand how the mind of a child works and I believe that spending time with children would be one of the best ways to do so. Additionally, I understand children tend to accumulate a lot of information. It is thus the most appropriate time to impart good learning skills since this would help shape the future of such children. I believe that the childhood stage is very important and it is at this stage that good learning strategies should be cultivated. I tend to be excited by watching children learn and I believe I would be more contented to participate in their learning proces s. I have always valued the role of an educator and often found myself coaching my younger siblings. As I coached them, I recognized how easy it is to instill a positive or a negative attitude towards education on a child at this stage. I often came up with different strategies to make learning easy and fun, which made my siblings develop excellent attitude towards education. I believe that is what early childhood teachers should have, the desire to teach the young children to learn and love doing so. It is so thrilling to watch a child learn a new concept each day and

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Fashion Journalism - ELLE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Fashion Journalism - ELLE - Essay Example The essay "Fashion Journalism - ELLE" examines the ELLE journal. â€Å"The Eighties† look pictured above is a recall of many fashion trends during the eighties but created with a modern edge. There is a feeling of excess and power with these clothes, and this is shown by the return of the power suite. Exaggerated shoulders top off many of the tops and jackets, creating an overall felling of power and elegance. Punk feelings as well as neon, sequins and metallic are also used, recalling the decade of excess. The Velvet Power Suit, pictured above, is becoming a trend on its own. The plush softens the overall powerful feeling of the suit, but there is still a feeling of glamour present. The designs are retro but also modern, and provide a combination of past and present concepts. Prints are also very popular, making the suit stand out in a crowd. To create a more eye catching feeling, shades such as ruby and amethyst are used, and the material is generally high in lustre. Much as the 80s are becoming popular again in fashion, the â€Å"hippie† jean is also making a strong comeback. In Los Angeles, a strong trend of â€Å"hippie† clothes combined with California fashion is seen on the streets worn by stars such as Nicole Richie and Kate Moss. There is the feeling of cool, casual comfort ability when wearing these jeans. Their faded presentation makes them both eye catching and interesting. The fact that they are oversized increases the delight in wearing them. Pleather bats are making a very big play.... Picture from Elle Magazine Website Pleather bats are making a very big play on the scene in New York. More affordable and resilient than actual leather bags, in the economic recession, many are looking to cut corners with affordability. These bags allow for that concept without losing a sense of fashion. Furthermore, the colors seen are often vibrant and eye-catching, complimenting one's overall look. Fashion Item 3: Striped Polyester, Popular in: Paris Picture from Elle Magazine Website Striped polyester is a very keen fashion in Europe, with a strong focus in Paris. This fashion trend is very modern and sheik, while at the same time, allowing the individual to stand out with a bold contrast of colors and lines. Many of these blazers are made to compliment almost any outfit. New Fashion Designer: A new designer that is becoming very popular in my area is Charleze Mantosh, who owns Belladonna clothing company. Charleze started selling clothes in the retail industry but saw an opening for making her own clothes and selling them as well. Her focus is on rhinestone designs, mostly on T shirts and jeans, which can be made by herself and then resold. As rhinestone designs have become more and more popular, Charleze grasped the concept of ordering various hotfix designs and applying them to T-shirts to sell both by request and in mass. Once she became familiar with this, she was able to also make her own basic designs and add them to T-shirts. When interviewed, Charleze mentioned the difficulty in keeping her store open during this economy. Her ideas for making her own designs and own clothes allowed her to sell many clothes for less, thus drawing more individuals to her store. I discovered when talking to her that fashion design and owning one's

Monday, November 18, 2019

Contract law problem scenario Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Contract law problem scenario - Case Study Example Equity has always sought to protect the weaker of two parties from oppression and from exploitation. In the context of a mortgage, equity will seek to intervene where the mortgage terms are oppressive. In order to answer this question it needs to consider presumed undue influence, which was defined in Bank of Credit and Commerce International SA v Aboody1. In this case the Court held that there was a relationship of trust and confidence between the parties of such a nature that it is fair to presume that the trust and confidence of the claimant were abused. Ginger is mother of Seamus, so the case falls in Class 2A types presumed undue influence for specific relationship. In Royal Bank of Scotland v Etridge (No. 2)2, the principle judgement was given by Lord Nicholls. In this case Ginger is especially proud of Seamus, who is a real success in her eyes. Lord Nicholls considered that a bank or any financial institution lending money should take steps to ensure that the claimant receives legal advice by asking for the name of the claimant's legal adviser. Here Northern Bank sends Miss Bindie with all the necessary paperwork but she did not provide adequate information. On the other hand Miss Bindie advised for solicitor or accountant to explain details of legal responsibilities and risks involved before sign papers. In order to answer this question it is also necessary to argue whether the contract was unconscionable or not. Here the contract was unconscionable for Ginger. Ginger is a pensioner, and has no other income. In Commercial Bank of Australia Ltd v Amadio3, in the High Court, it was held that the transaction should be set as side on the grounds that the bank's behaviour was unconscionable. An English court might well have reached the same conclusion on these facts by the application of the rules of undue influence. In Portman Building Society v Dusangh4, a father borrowed money on mortgage from the claimants so as to fund a loan to his son who was planning to buy a supermarket. The father was 72, retired, illiterate in English and spoke it poorly. No fraud or undue influence on the part of the son was alleged and the son was not in financial difficulties at the time of the loan. The father, the son and the building society sought to enforce the mortgage and the father argued that the tr ansaction as unconscionable was not excluded but on the facts the transaction was held not to be unconscionable. In Barclays Bank plc v O'Brien5, Mrs O'Brien sought to set aside the mortgage transaction on the ground that she signed the documents under undue influence and misrepresentation. It was held that the mortgage had been obtained either by her husband's misrepresentation or because of undue influence over her and the court ordered it to be set aside. Ginger can apply to the under s.14 of Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act 1996 (TOLATA), whereby the court may make any order, including one not to sell (unlike the old s.30 of the Law of Property Act 1925, where sale was often the required way to resolve any dispute unless the purposes for which the property was

Saturday, November 16, 2019

HRM defined as to plan, organise, direct, control

HRM defined as to plan, organise, direct, control HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT The definition of human resource management by Edwin Flippo is to plan, organize, direct, control, compensate, integrate, motivate and separate the human resources to achieve the goal and objectives for the organization. The main focus of this function is to properly recruit people for the organization. It involves management functions which are organizing, planning, directing and controlling. It also involves the procurement, development and appraisal of human resources. The main objective is to achieve the organization goal. The team spirit and team work depends on the human resource management. Human resource management has evolved back to Kautilya Artha Shastra when he recommended the government to introduce the proper rules and regulation for the employers and employees. During the Medieval Times Allaudin Khilji who was the king that time has introduced the fixed prices and fixed salaries that time for the better living of people. In 1920 trade union emerged and most of the historian writes that human resource management started in the First World War with the emergence of trade union. In 1931 the Royal commission appointed the labor welfare officer for the governance of labor. Later in 1942 factory act has been made compulsory for the organization those have more than 500 workers. For the solution of labor and workers international institute of personnel management and national institute of management have been set up. Employees were more aware of their rights after the World War Two. After that new technology has made life easy for the workers. In 1960s most of the big companies started their separate professional management. In 1970s efficiency of the worker was most important and was measured. During 1980s technology emerged into organization and news rules and regulations have been made and 1990s was the era where human values and development of people were considered. Organization follows bureaucratic style for their HR Department activities i.e. all major activities are concentrated to three positions which means that one person is HR manager and two are the HR officers. HR Manager HR Officer HR Officer Key Activities of HRM: The major activities in the human resource management process are as follows. Planning of human resources Major function is to identify the needs of the staff for the organization. The management of staff has been dealt in this. Analysis for job Job analysis is also another major area in human resource management. Every job in the company has been analyzed and then advertized on the basis of this analysis. Recruitment and selection The advertisement and publishing in the news papers or and media has been done after the detail analysis. This is called recruitment. The published advertisement resulted into many applications, interviews have been conducted and right candidate is selected. Orientation and induction After the selection of successful candidate induction has been done. The new employees have been informed about the organization, its culture, values, team and ethics. Training and development After the induction newly appointed employees have been trained for their role in the organization and better performance. The training has also been given to experienced employees as a refresher course. Most of the amount has been spend in this area. Performance appraisal The performance of the employees have been monitored by human resource department monthly, quarterly, yearly depends on the nature of the organization. On the basis of performance future appraisal like promotion, incentive or increment has been given to employees. Compensation Every organization has its own rules and regulation for the compensation and benefits. Human resource department is also responsible for this. Motivation The most important factor in successful organization is motivated employees. Different methods are applied to motivate the employees in the organization. Industrial Relations Human resource department also coordinates with the member of the union to help the company to prevent the strikes or anything against the company. Achieving Objectives: The HR department does the tracking of existing employee data which usually comprises personal accounts, abilities, competencies, achievements and salary. Companies have been using the electronic automated Specialized HR Management system to decrease the physical workload of these managerial actions. Services of the internal or external IT professional are used for the development, maintenance and integration of these systems. If any of the organization is working on the low capital assets then they need to buy or develop these proprietary software; these internally-developed HRMS were unrestricted to organizations that obsessed a large amount of capital. Human Resource Model There are few HRM models in business environment, even though, there are two models commonly use as HRM models in businesses today aside from other models that has been theorized and formulated by some academics. Soft version of HRM which is treating employees as valued assets. This is called Harvard model, stresses the human element in the human resources formulation and is considered as the soft variant in HRM. It is offered by Michael Beer. Hard version of the HRM which is the Michigan model, holding that employees are resources in the same way as any other business resource. The Michigan model is also known as the matching model or best-fit approach to human resource management.   It is introduced by Fombrun, Tichy and Devanna, 1984. Soft HRM Model Hard HRM Model Employee as resource Employee as Cost People issues Market issues Commitment Compliance Integration/Co -operation Control Qualitative/Negotiation Quantitative/Rational THE HARVARD FRAMEWORK MODEL This framework is based on the belief that the problems of historical personnel management can only be solved when general develop a view point of how they wish to see employees involved and developed by the enterprise and of what human resource management policies and practices may achieve those goals .Without either a central philosophy or a strategic vision which can be provided only by general managers. Human resource management is likely to remain set of independent activities, each guided by its own practice tradition. As also explained earlier we can see that Sainsbury survival and growth have mainly been dependent on the fact that the Harvard Framework is partially followed where in Managers across Sainsbury are being given responsibilities for selecting, motivating, developing and evaluating employees. All managers are therefore taking on human resource responsibilities. Employees are the most important resources in Sainsbury, particularly in creating a competitive edge Mana gers across Sainsbury are being given responsibilities for selecting, motivating, developing and evaluating employees. All managers are therefore taking on human resource responsibilities. Has Employees are the most important resources in Sainsbury, particularly in creating a competitive edge. THE MATCHING MODEL One of the first explicit statements of the HRM concept was made by Michigan School (Fombrun et al, 1984).They held that HR systems and the organization structure should be managed in a way that is similar with the organizational strategy (hence the name matching model).They further explained that there is a further human resource cycle, which consists of four generic processes or functions that are performed in all organizations. The first and the most important among them is Selection -matching available human resources to jobs is one among them that has been a key to the success of Sainsbury the reason being that as explained earlier that the Recruitment process are of two kinds external and Internal recruitment and according to the Matching Model Which is largely applied in Sainsbury the Recruitment is done internally by using Internal Job posting and no doubt has been a very successful thing ,has the individuals who are selected already have a hands on experience with the post t hat they have applied for as they do get trained skills required to full fill that role by doing multitasking by carrying on doing their work and also learning the skills required for the new job that they are applying for out of their own interest voluntarily. Human Resource Planning: Human resources planning in the broadest sense include both strategic and operational human resource planning as a continuous process rather than an activity limited to a fixed segment of the business planning process. PLANNING A BUSINESS STRATEGY The concept of planning boiled down is that in order to determine the direction for human resource plans you must have a series of questions that your organization needs to answer in order to predict and perhaps control some of the major change areas for the future. This means that you begin by asking the right questions the questions which, if asked regularly and systematically, will force you to produce answers of maximum value in shaping your future human resources. It is also important to look at the planning activity from an activity standpoint. From an operational view human resources planning is the analysis of human resource requirements of organizations and the related needs for management policies, programs and resources to satisfy these requirements. As is shown by Figure A, human resources planning is critically interdependent with all aspects of the business. A human resource strategy is a critical component of the firms corporate and business strategies, comprising a set of well-coordinated objectives and action programs aimed at securing a long-term, sustainable advantage over the firms competitors. A human resource strategy should be consistent with the firms corporate and business strategies, as well as with the other managerial functional strategies. RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION Every post in Sainsburys is filled by the most appropriate candidate. The identification Atkinson J (1984) process for the vacancy has been followed in Sainsburys where the most suitable person is selected for the job. First of all requirements for the job have been defined, potential employees are attracted, interviewed and selected the right person for the job. Objectives for recruitment and selection process The most important objective of this process is to achieve organizational goal to become a leading retail supermarket in the UK by providing the excellent customer service, putting customer at first and meeting the customer day to day needs. This is ensured that the best candidate has been selected and he/she will contribute to maximize the profit for the organization. The whole process based on the human resource department; if they are unable to select the right candidate then the whole effort will be lost with the expenses as well. In Sainsburys the effective planned style has been followed in which recruitment starts with the identification of vacancy, then the job description has been analyzed and advertised internally and externally. They prefer to advertise internally because they want to promote the existing staff for the role and they save the initial training or induction. If they are unable to hire the existing employee for the current role and then they look for the proper person outside the organization. The applications are called and reviewed initially and the then some candidates have been short listed and called for interviews. The interviews are face to face and it allows them to assess the right candidate. During the interview appearance, communication and interpersonal skills have been analyzed. After the interview most appropriate person has been selected who can perform juggling tasks, have got the potential for training, development and promotion. Customer focused, attitude towards helping the people, natural team member who can work with different culture people have been selected the most during the interviews. Sainsburys also fulfill the legal requirements about the labor laws and equal opportunities. In the past Sainsburys has been able to achieve their target by the successful recruiting and selection process. TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT In Sainsburys when employee enters it starts learning and is a continued all the times. All the employees have been trained to improve the performance. On the basis of this performance they are then promoted to higher ranks. Objectives of the training and development in Sainsburys Following objectives are tried to be obtained during training and development process. To provide and update all the employees about the current legislations To develop the expertise and qualification To increase the confidence and competence To motivate and encourage employees to get the more profit in response of their service To improve health and safety In Sainsburys training and development has been done by determining the requirements of the employees through appraisal, job analysis and corporate analysis. All the training has been provided in house through external and internal resources. At the end of training a questionnaire has been answered by the candidates and sometimes interviews have been conducted to observe the improvements. On the basis of these interviews and questionnaires the performance is measured and employees are promoted. Also learning enthusiasm among the staff has been determined. The ultimate result of training is to meet the target by providing service better than others. PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL Sainsbury has well defined system by which performance of the employees have been reviews regularly. They are following the Belbim 2008 logical review system for the performance assessment. On the basis of this system line managers in Sainsburys tries to develop skills to individuals as well as the whole team. Objectives of the performance appraisal in Sainsburys Some of the following objectives have been obtained Feedback to employees on their work Fair decision on the promotion and salaries Providing opportunities to employees to participate the decision making process Providing opportunities to employees for training and development Measurement of the efficiency of the individual employees and to emphasize on the performance at their best In Sainsburys performance have been measured using different methods for every department. Such as customer service; normally people at the tills; their performance has been measured through centralized computerized system. The employees are automatically ranked by the computer. When the weekly report has come then performance has been analyzed. If the performance is up to standards then employees are appreciated and if not for three consecutive three weeks then called for interview to understand the underperformance, reason are tried to find out. This system monitors speed, number of transactions, cancelled transactions and mistakes during the transactions. This helps Sainsburys to analyze the performance of the each individual. Due to this every employee is very sensitive about the mistakes, customer service and helped to get the target. On the basis of this effort monthly bonus scheme as a reward has been given to employees. This has done trick for Sainsburys and has got position in the market. Appraisal has been offered on the basis of the performance has been offered to the employees and trained for further role. Human Resource Development (HRD) Human Resource Development (HRD) is a framework for helping the employees to develop their personal and organizational skills, knowledge, and abilities. Human Resource Development includes such opportunities as employee training, employee career development, performance management and development, coaching, mentoring, succession planning, key employee identification, tuition assistance, and organization development. Change of work environment has created many challenges for the human resource management to overcome for the smooth and calm run of the organization. These challenges are as under Employees retention To reduce the cost of the company management tries to cut the cost by telling human resource department to reduce the number of employees. This challenge some time gives hard time to management. Multi-national workforce Most of the companies are spreading operation in the different continents, where they get employee from different nations, cultures and ethics. This whole system generates a multinational environment where people work together from different nations altogether. The integration of multi-national work force is one of the toughest challenges faced by the human resource management. Women in the organizations In the number of employees in the world trend has changed and it has been seen a dramatic increase in the number of women in the organizations all over the world. Women have understood their right more than before. Their understanding has been improved a lot and human resource department have given them opportunity to work with male workforce and accepted this challenge as well. People with disabilities and organizations The most difficult challenge faced by human resource management is to employee the handicap person and fit into organization with all other people. Only fewer organizations in the world are giving opportunities to such people. These people need motivation which is one of the most difficult for the human resource department. Downsizing and employees In the recent era it has been seen that due to high cost, most of the companies have reduced number of employees. This affects the performance of the employees and left negative impact. Human resource departments are trying to implement this strategy without hurting any ones feelings and sentiments. Government rules and regulations In any country companies have to follow rules and regulations by the relative government. Most of the governments have given freedom to the companies to work independently, but sometimes governments have to implement some new rules and regulations in the national interest which may be against the organizations policies which causes some problems for the human resource management. Restructuring in the organization Management faces a lot of problems when it decides to restructure the organization. Nobody wants change that why they always oppose the restructuring process. Human resource management tries to handle this challenge. RECOMMENDATIONS On the basis of analysis of human resource management system in Sainsburys following recommendations have been made Career goal for the employees should be defined and staff should be motivated by deriving them towards the goal by showing them the right way, also opportunities should be indicated for the employees. Performance appraisal should be done on the basis to quarterly performance. The gap between the line managers and staff and management should be reduced by providing them interaction. Time to time human resource manager workshops for the better understanding of the role; can make a difference towards the goal of the organization. Mystery shopper reports should not be ignored; this tells the current situation of the stores. Latest technologies should be used to improve the skills of the employees to get competitive advantage over the competitors. There should be some mechanism be introduced which tells the management about the job satisfaction of the employees and to understand the problem those are faced by the employees at lower level. Rewards management should be attractive in terms of benefits or bonuses or compensation. CONCLUSION Human resource management is responsible for the recruitment of the right people for the job to meet the goal of Sainsburys. Successful completion of the goals of Sainsburys requires effective use of people during the whole process. If anything happens during the process suppose selection of right person and the provision of right person. After completing this assignment it is concluded that human resource department is one of the critical department in the organization that plays crucial role for achieving the target of the organization. Because results are achieved with the help or organization policies, policies are made by human beings. Human beings are selected by human resource department for any organization. They work for the organization for the achievement of the result. None of the organization can get the result without loyal employees. Those should be trained up to standards and rewarded whenever they perform well. Sainsburys motive is to hire most hardworking and skille d people for the achievement of its goal. They train and try to develop their skills all the times. The ultimate results they wanted to become retail market leader in the UK.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Non-conformity in The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea, Medea, a

Non-conformity in The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea, Medea, and The Stranger      Ã‚  Ã‚   We are constantly being affected our surroundings. As a result, our attitudes and personalities are a product of our experiences and the various environments in which they occurred . Furthermore, the society we live in presents to us a set of standards, values, and givens that we may or may not agree with. In literature, the society plays a major role in affecting the characters' thoughts and actions. In The Sailor who Fell From Grace with the Sea, The Stranger, and "Medea", the characters are affected by their society, and their actions reflect their conformity (or non-conformity) to it. Ultimately, non-conformity in these works create the conflicts that make the plots interesting.   Ã‚  Ã‚   In Yukio Mishima's The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea , the characters are presented with the relatively modern society of post World War 2 Japan. Since the war, as Japan underwent their "second" industrial revolution, it became more permeable to western culture(since it was a major contender of international business). Since Japan has always been a nation that stressed the importance of preserving its culture(imposing isolationism at one point), these changes did not go down so smoothly. Mishima expresses this discomfort by depicting two characters with opposite grounds of non-conformity. One being Fusako; a non-conformist in a traditional perspective, and the other Noboru, a non-conformist in a contemporary perspective.   Ã‚  Ã‚   In Albert Camus' The Stranger, society only affects the main character, Meursault, after he comes to a mid-story crisis. For all practical purposes, Meursault was living in a French society of the 30's, whereas Al... ...rent does not conform.   Ã‚  Ã‚   The authors' relations to us on the characters' places in society help us to relate to and comprehend their actions. If Meursault hadn't been so detached from society, Noboru so discontented with society, and Medea so vengeful toward society, we wouldn't have half of the justification needed to understand the murders that took place in the works. Given the presented material about conformity, I conclude that the stories' plots indeed grow around the unique attributes of the non-conformers, and as result, spark the reader's imagination to the fullest.    Works Cited    Euripedes "Medea", Greece 431 BC Camus, Albert (Translated by Matthew Ward) The Stranger , New York, Vintage International, 1988 Mishima, Yukio. (Translated by John Nathan) The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea, New York, Vintage International, 1993.

Monday, November 11, 2019

The Hunters: Phantom Chapter 32

Matt watched in horror as the phantom shook Damon like a rag dol . Elena spun around to lock eyes with Matt and Bonnie. â€Å"We have to save him,† she whispered, a fierce determination on her face, and immediately took off running, shoving her way through the piles of ash. Matt figured that if Damon, with al his vampire strength and fighting skil s honed over the centuries, was so completely helpless in the hands of this phantom – and jeez, with the way it was yanking him back and forth now, his head real y was going to pop off – then Matt, Bonnie, and Elena had less than a snowbal ‘s chance in hel of making any difference to this fight. The only real question would be whether the phantom would kil them, too. And the truth was that Matt didn't even like Damon, not one tiny little bit. Sure, Damon had helped save Fel ‘s Church from Katherine and Klaus, and from the kitsune demons, but he was stil a murderous, sarcastic, unrepentant, cocky, arrogant, nasty, usual y unpleasant vampire. Damon had undoubtedly hurt more people than he had helped over his long life, even if you generously credited him with saving every single resident of Fel ‘s Church. And he always cal ed Matt â€Å"Mutt,† pretending that he couldn't remember his actual name, which was completely infuriating. As Damon meant it to be. Stil , Elena loved Damon. For whatever reason. Probably the same inexplicable reason that regular girls loved regular old bad boys, Matt suspected. A dyed-in-the-wool good guy, he'd never seen the appeal himself. But Elena did. And Damon was part of the team, sort of, and you didn't leave your teammates to get decapitated by demon icewomen on ash-blanketed moons in other dimensions without at least doing your best to put up a fight. Not even if you didn't like them at al . Matt ran after Elena, and Bonnie fol owed. When they reached the phantom, Elena was already scrabbling at the icy blue hand clutched around Damon's throat, trying to pry its fingers up enough to slip her own underneath. The phantom barely glanced at her. Matt gave an inward sigh at the hopelessness of it al and swung a powerful roundhouse blow toward the phantom's stomach. Before his fist could connect, his target turned from ice to swirling, intangible mist, and his punch passed right through the phantom. Thrown off balance, Matt staggered and fel into the phantom's now-vaporous torso. It was like fal ing into a freezing-cold river of sewage. A numbing chil and a horrible, sickening smel washed over Matt. He pul ed back out of the mist, nauseous and shivering but upright. He blinked dazedly around. Elena was grappling with the phantom's fingers, scratching and yanking, and the phantom watched her with a kind of distant amusement, not the least bit alarmed or discomforted by the girl's efforts. Then it moved, so quickly Matt saw only a blur of bluish green, sending Elena flying, her arms and legs flailing, into a heap of ash. She scrambled to her feet immediately, blood trickling from her hairline, leaving red tracks through the ash that now coated her skin. Bonnie was trying, too: She'd worked her way around behind the phantom and was hitting and kicking at it. Mostly, her feet and fists swung harmlessly right through the phantom's mist, but occasional y a blow would connect with the more solid ice. These blows seemed like they were total y ineffective, though: Matt couldn't tel whether the phantom had even noticed Bonnie was attacking it. Veins were bulging out of Damon's face and neck, and he hung from the phantom's hand. The flesh of his neck was white around the stretched tendons. Superpowered strong old vampire or not, Damon was hurting. Matt tossed up a prayer in the direction of whatever saint looked after people pursuing hopeless causes, and threw himself back into the fight. There was blackness. And then there was pain, and the darkness reddened, then cleared, and Damon could see once more. The phantom – that bitch of a phantom – was holding him by the neck, and her skin was so cold, so cold it burned everywhere it touched him. He couldn't move. But he could see Elena standing below him. Beautiful Elena, covered in ash, streaked with blood, her teeth bared and her eyes flashing like a warrior goddess. His heart swel ed with love and fear. The brave little redbird and the boy Mutt fought beside her. Please, he wanted to say. Don't try to save me. Run. Elena, you have to run. But he couldn't move, couldn't speak. Then the phantom shifted her stance and, as Damon watched, Elena stopped her attack and clutched at her stomach, grimacing in pain. Matt and Bonnie were holding themselves as wel , their faces pale and strained, their mouths open in screams. With a wail, Bonnie col apsed. Oh no, Damon thought with a bolt of horror. Not Elena. Not the redbird. Not for me. Then suddenly, a gusting wind swirled around him, and he was flung from the phantom's grip. There was a roaring in his ears and a stinging in his eyes. Looking around, he saw Bonnie and Elena, their long hair flying around them wildly; Matt, his arms pinwheeling; and the phantom, its glass-green face for once startled instead of knowing. Tornado, Damon thought vaguely, and then, Gateway, and he realized he was being thrown upward, back into the darkness once more. The wind was howling at a deafening pitch now, and Stefan had to raise his voice to a shout to even hear himself over it. He had to keep both hands clamped down on the book – it was being pul ed out of his hands as if something alive and very strong were consciously trying to yank it away. â€Å"Mihi adi. Te voco. Necesse est tibi parere,† Stefan said. â€Å"Come to me. I summon you. You must obey.† That was the end of the summoning spel in Latin. The next part was the banishing spel , which would be in English. Of course, the phantom would have to actual y be there for that part of the spel to be effective. The wind whipping through the garage grew even stronger. Outside, thunder rumbled. Stefan watched the innermost circle, deep in the shadows of the garage, but there was nothing there. The unnatural wind was beginning to let up. Panic rose in his chest. Had they failed? He glanced anxiously at Alaric and Meredith, then at Mrs. Flowers, but none of them were looking at him, staring transfixed at the circle. Stefan looked back into it, hoping against hope. But there was nothing there. Wait. There was the faintest movement of something, right in the center of the circle, the tiniest flash of blue-green light, and along with it came a chil . Not like the cold wind that had spun through the garage, but more like an icy breath – inhale and exhale, inhale and exhale – slow and steady and freezing cold, right from that one spot. The glimmer widened, deepened, darkened, and suddenly what Stefan was looking at shifted and changed from an amorphous glimmer to a woman. An icy, misty, giant woman tinted in shades of blue and green. Inside her chest was a deep red rose, its stem a solid mass of thorns. Meredith and Celia let out audible gasps. Mrs. Flowers stared calmly, while Alaric's jaw had dropped. This must be the jealousy phantom. Stefan had always thought of jealousy as burning hot. Fiery kisses, fiery anger. But anger, lust, envy, al the things that made up jealousy, could be cold, too, and he had no doubt that they had the right phantom. Stefan noticed al these things about the phantom and forgot them again in a split second, because it wasn't just the ice-woman who materialized at the center of the circle. Confused, weeping, staggering, streaked with ash and mud, three humans had appeared there as wel . His beautiful, elegant Elena, caked in grime, her golden hair tangled and matted, lines of blood running down her face. Delicate little Bonnie, tearstained and pale as milk, but with an expression of fury as she kicked and clawed at the phantom. And al -American, always reliable Matt, dusty and disheveled, turning to peer out at them with a peculiarly blank expression, as if simply wondering what fresh hel he'd landed in now. And then one more person, a fourth figure wobbling and gasping, the last to shimmer into view. For a moment, Stefan didn't recognize him – couldn't recognize him, because this man wasn't supposed to exist anymore. Instead he just felt like a hauntingly familiar stranger. The stranger put his hands to his throat protectively and looked out of the circle, straight at Stefan. Through a bloody, swol en lip and bruised slits of eyes, the ghost of a bril iant smile appeared, and the gears of Stefan's mind slotted into place and began to turn again at last. Damon. Stefan was so flabbergasted he didn't know what to feel at first. Then, deep within him, a slow warmth spread with the realization that his brother was back. The last piece left of al his strange history was here once again. Stefan wasn't alone. Stefan took a step forward toward the edge of the diagram, holding his breath. â€Å"Damon?† he said softly, wonderingly. Jealousy snapped its head toward him, and Stefan was pinned to his spot by its glassy cold gaze. â€Å"He came back before, you know,† it said conversational y, and its voice chil ed Stefan as if ice water had been thrown in his face. â€Å"He just didn't want you to know so he could have Elena al to himself. He's been lurking around, lying low, playing tricks like he always does.† Jealousy was undoubtedly feminine, and its cool observational tone reminded Stefan of the little voice that sometimes spoke from the back of his mind, cal ing out his darkest and most shameful thoughts. Could the others even hear it? Or was it speaking straight into his mind? He risked a glance around. They al – Meredith, Celia, Alaric, Mrs. Flowers – stood stil as statues, staring at Jealousy. Behind them, the makeshift beds lay empty. When the three sleepers' astral forms had entered the circle with the phantom, their bodies must have somehow joined them, making them solid within the inner circle. â€Å"He came to Elena,† the phantom taunted. â€Å"He kept his resurrection a secret from you so that he could pursue her. Damon didn't worry for a moment about how you felt about his death. And while you were busy mourning him, he was busy visiting Elena's bedroom.† Stefan reeled backward. â€Å"He always wants what you have, and you know it,† the phantom continued, its translucent lips curving in a smile. â€Å"It's been true since you were mortals. Remember how he came home from university and stole Katherine away from you? He used al his charms on her, just because he knew you loved her. Even with the smal things: If you had a toy, he'd take it. If you wanted a horse, he'd ride it. If there was a piece of meat on the platter between you, he'd take it even if he wasn't hungry, just so you wouldn't get it.† Stefan shook his head slowly from side to side, again feeling too slow, like he had once again missed the important moment. Damon had been visiting Elena? When he had cried on her shoulder about his fal en brother, had Elena known Damon was alive? â€Å"But you thought you could trust Elena, didn't you, Stefan?† Elena turned to stare at him, her cheeks pale beneath their coating of ash. She looked sick and apprehensive. â€Å"No, Stefan – † Elena started to say, but the phantom went swiftly on, its words soothingly spoken poison. Stefan knew what it was doing. He wasn't a fool. Yet he felt himself nodding, agreeing, a slow red anger rising inside him despite his more rational self's struggle against it. â€Å"Elena kept his secret from you, Stefan. She knew you were in pain and that knowing Damon was alive would have eased that suffering, but stil she kept silent, because Damon asked her to, and what Damon wanted was more important than helping you. Elena's always wanted both of the Salvatore brothers. It's funny, real y, Stefan, how you're never quite enough for the women you love. This isn't the first time Elena's chosen Damon over you, is it?† Elena shook her head, but Stefan could barely see her through the tide of fury and misery rising up inside him. â€Å"Secrets and lies,† the phantom went on merrily, with an icy tinkling laugh, â€Å"and foolish Stefan Salvatore always a few steps behind. You've known al along there was something between Elena and Damon that you weren't part of, Stefan, and yet you would never have suspected she'd betray you for him.† Damon seemed to snap out of his daze, as if suddenly hearing the phantom for the first time. His brows drew into a heavy frown and he slowly turned his head to stare at it. He opened his mouth to speak, but at that moment, something in Stefan broke, and before Damon could issue whatever denial or taunt was on the tip of his tongue, Stefan lunged forward with a shout of rage, plunging straight through the chalked diagram. Faster than the human eye could fol ow, Stefan knocked Damon backward out of the circle and threw him against the far wal of the garage.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Song of Solomon Reading Response Essays

Song of Solomon Reading Response Essays Song of Solomon Reading Response Paper Song of Solomon Reading Response Paper Essay Topic: Song of Solomon I am still deciding whether I liked It or not. It was hard for me to follow because It kept Jumping back In forth In time. The first three chapters I hap kept re-reading to focus and grasp what was going on. I was extremely confused and it went from the opening scene in 1931 to Milkman being four years old in one paragraph. I do feel this is a book you need to read over and over again to fully gain an understanding of the messages and humbly the author was displaying through each character. I thought the book was interesting that although It dealt with racial Issues and focused on how characters such as Guitar and Milkman had different views of status and discrimination, their was very little mention of white characters In the book. The majority If not all the characters were black decent and it was purely one sided view on how the black race dealt with racial issues in a small town at that time. I think Pilate was a crazy character and didnt like how long it dragged out to find the true nature of why her relationship was the way it was with her brother Macon Dead Jar. I feel like the author was changing the subject and Jumping around so much that you never fully get to know any one character. I didnt Like how the author killed Milkman In the end, It was as if you finally made some self discovery and then he jumps to his death. The book just builds and layers and builds, and when you finally feel like you might understand where its leading three of the main characters die within the last pages. Aside from racial views and Milkmans self discovery from his life as his fathers son, to discovering his family history and where he wants to be in the future, I didnt really connect with any other character In the book, or understand their significance In his discovering himself.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Top Tips for Acing a Teacher Interview

Top Tips for Acing a Teacher Interview Youve put in the time and have done the work, now you are rewarded with your first teacher interview. In order to make it a successful one, you will need to prepare for it. Heres how to ace your interview, including tips on researching the school district, perfecting your portfolio, answering questions, and interview attire. Researching the School District As soon as you land an interview, your first step should be to research the school district. Go to the district website and gather all of the information that you can. You will need to be prepared if the employer asks you, What do you think of our building-based intervention teams? or What can you tell me about our Dignity of Students Act (DASA)? Each school district has specific programs that they implement in their schools, and its your job to be prepared and learn all about them. If at some point in the interview the prospective employer asks you if you have any questions, this would be a great time to ask a question regarding the districts specific programs (not to mention it will help you make a great impression). Perfecting Your Portfolio Your teaching portfolio is the best tangible evidence of your accomplishments and showcases all of your skills and experience. Every teacher is required to create a portfolio during their college courses. The reason for this is to provide prospective employers with a hands-on collection of your best examples of work. This is a way to introduce yourself beyond a resume, and showcase what youve learned throughout your education and career. For the best way to utilize your portfolio during an interview, use the following tips. How to Best Utilize Your Portfolio in an Interview Familiarize yourself with it. Get to know your portfolio like the back of your hand. If the interviewer asks you a question, you want to be able to turn to a page quickly in order to give them the best tangible evidence for your answer.Dont Overuse it. Use your portfolio sparingly. If the interviewer asks you a question, and you think it will complement your answer, then use it. Try not to pull it out for every question you get asked.Leave it out. Once you use your portfolio and take out artifacts, leave them out. It will be very distracting if you start rummaging through the papers. For additional tips on using your portfolio and to learn about the must-have items to include, read Perfecting Your Portfolio. Interview Questions Answers The main portion of your interview will be answering specific questions about yourself and teaching. Every interviewer is different, and you will never know the exact questions they will be asking you. But, you can prepare by familiarizing yourself with the most commonly asked questions, and practicing how you will respond to them. Example Question About Yourself Question: What is your greatest weakness? (Your best option to answer this question is to turn your weakness into a strength.) Answer: My biggest weakness is that I am detailed orientated. I tend to over plan and get things done ahead of time. Example Question About Teaching Question: What is your teaching philosophy? (Your teaching philosophy is your reflection of your classroom experience, your teaching style, your beliefs about learning.) Answer: My teaching philosophy is every child should have the right to learn and get a quality education. Every child that enters my classroom should feel safe and comfortable. It would be a nurturing and enriching environment. I believe that a teacher should be aware of their students emotional, social, psychological and physical development as well as their cognitive growth. A teacher should view parents and the community as partners in the educational progress. Individualized instruction is an integral strategy to aid children with different preferences. In order to meet all students needs, I will incorporate a variety of approaches, such as the multiple intelligence theory and the use of cooperative learning strategies. I will provide an environment where students will use self-discovery and a hands-on approach to learning. Interview Attire How you dress for an interview is just as important as your credentials, and the answers you give to the questions they ask you. The first impression a potential employer gets of you is an extremely important one. According to the Transportation of Logistics Society, 55 percent of another persons perception of you is based on how you look. Dress for success should be your motto when youre thinking about what you should wear to an interview. Although teachers tend to dress a bit more casually lately, it is essential that you showcase your best look for an interview. Womens Interview Attire Solid color pant or skirt suitProfessional hairManicured nailsConservative shoesSparse makeup Mens Interview Attire Solid color pantsuitConservative tiePlain color dress shirtProfessional shoesProfessional hairstyle

Monday, November 4, 2019

Cash Flow Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cash Flow - Essay Example It (comparison) also identifies the differences in timing between cash payments and expenses. Through the direct method of cash flows, reconciliation of the actual cash flows from operating activities with the accrual-based accounting net income can be done. The company’s stated profitability and its cash holding position is therefore clearly presented to its stakeholders in this manner. The indirect method of cash-flow preparation requires a well-established link between the balance sheet and the income statement. The statement users are therefore, able to systematically and logically view the company’s financial statements. The company’s current assets and liabilities reflected on the balance sheet are easily traced back to its operations summarized in the income statement. The use of indirect method makes it possible to disclose the company’s non-cash transactions. The statement users are therefore, in a better position to understand how non-cash transactions are not sources of cash flows but factors of net income. Direct method is an alternative to the indirect method of cash flows. The company’s cash payments and receipts with detailed categories are disclosed separately when using the direct method. Such a practice can make the financial statement to appear clustered. Auditors also tend to ask for an additional reconciliation schedule on cash flows and income from company’s using direct method. However, accounting rule-setting authorities allows companies to use indirect method by disclosing, in a simpler statement format, changes in current assets and liabilities. As a CFO I would prefer the indirect statement of cash flows method. The indirect method starts by identifying the companys net income or loss. Subsequently, any non-cash expenses, such as depreciation, amortization, loss provision for accounts receivable and any losses on the sale of a

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Social constructivism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Social constructivism - Essay Example The new theoretical approach of social constructivism was introduced to the study of International Relations at an appropriate time in history. Theorists in International Relations began to gradually include the implications of a social constructivist approach to the study of the discipline, nearly two decades ago. International theory had been developed during the time of the Cold War. The persistent tension between the United States and the Soviet Union had an immense influence on the discipline of International Relations. It underscored conflict as a defining feature of the discipline, and the improbability of the emergence of a peaceful world. The view of international relations as a function involving anarchy and social disorder continued to be maintained by both realists and neoliberal institutionalists â€Å"who provided the dominant theoretical approaches to the study of international relations†. The fall of the Soviet Union at the end of the Cold War could not be expl ained by International Relations theorists who conceptualized anarchy as an essential part of the discipline and failed to predict these developments. Against this background, constructivism had a revolutionary impact on the formulation of International Relations. â€Å"Social constructivism provides a new way of looking at and conceptualizing the world that, potentially has significant consequences for all ongoing theories in international relations†. Social constructivism is based on a more dynamic, less static approach.