Descriptive Essay About Dog - 704 Words

I love dogs and I’ve always wanted a cute fuzzy one of my own. However, my mom refuses to let me get a dog unless she doesn’t have to life with it. Even though my mom thinks they’re cute, she still dislikes touching dogs and thinks that they cost too much money. Luckily, my family shares a yard with one of our neighbors they have a medium-sized, black and white, Shiba-Inu named Takoda. She is like a cuddly ball of fur, like a pom-pom, but with ears. Takoda is a very friendly and cute dog who loves to play and sleep. Now, Takoda is almost eleven years old and usually just lies in the kitchen waiting for food. I love to take Takoda on walks and sometimes play fetch with her in our yard. I love hanging out with Takoda, whether it’s watching†¦show more content†¦CRASH! â€Å"William! What are you do-?† â€Å"AAAAAHHHHHHH!† William and I yelled before Nicole could finish her sentence. There was chaos everywhere as William, Takoda, and I ran out of control. Ethan, Nicole, and Alex tried to calm all three of us down but failed terribly. William and I ran into the bathroom for safety and locked the door. Panting, we realized that we hadn’t turned on the lights. Scared of being swallowed by the darkness, we ran screaming out of the bathroom and I hid behind Ethan so that he could protect me while William hid behind the piano. Then, Takoda came charging at us and we knew that the piano or Ethan would protect us from getting run over by Takoda. So, we just kept screaming, running around, and acting like crazy monkeys. Finally Takoda, William, and I finally calmed down, we plopped down on the floor, Takoda panting. When Alex’s mom, Mrs. Chen, came home, she looked at us curiously and asked, â€Å"what happened?† â€Å"Takoda started acting crazy and so did William and Katherine.† Alex, Nicole, and Ethan said at the same time. â€Å"I’m not crazy!† William said, crossing his arms and glaring at his sister. â€Å"Look! There’s red stuff on the carpet,† I said, pointing to a red trail. â€Å"It looks like Takoda was bleeding but I don’t know why,† Mr. Smarty Pants, Ethan, told me, â€Å"Katherine, did you leave something on the ground that Takoda might’ve stepped on?† â€Å"NO†¦ Well, I’m pretty sure I didn’t. Anyways, I’m best friends with Takoda, IShow MoreRelatedDescriptive Essay About Dog951 Words   |  4 Pagesbest dogs I ever had; he was a yellow Labrador Retriever. Ever since I was born, he had been my friend. I remember a few years ago, I was laying on the floor of my room and Boomer laid down with me, putting his arm over my back. He brought me great joy. I remember him as playful, caring, and a pretty big dog. He would never growl at me and was always eager to meet new people. Boomer was my to go to if I wasn’t feeling good, or if I was upset. When I was in third grade, we got another dog, OscarRead MoreDescriptive Essay About My Dog1110 Words   |  5 Pageslooked at my dog and made eye contact with his large brown eyes. Time seemed to slow down as I read his eyes like an open book. I still remember the look today, while I was laying on the couch next to him. It was the most terrifying sight I ’ve ever seen. My dog, my best friend, and the only thing to trust me with everything calmly could show that he had accepted death. For me though he was still could wagging his tail for us. The night I saw this was October 22nd at 8:02 PM. This dog changed my entireRead MoreDescriptive Essay About My Dog886 Words   |  4 PagesMy first dog was named Toby, he was a very white, ball of fluff. He blended in with the shiny white crispy snow on December 25, 2006. My sisters and I were on our way home from my dad’s house when all of a sudden we pulled into my mom’s house. On Sunday, December 25, 2006, Toby was waiting at our house. We all got out of the car on that cold snowy day and walked on the slippery sidewalk. The snow was like a chilling carpet on the bottoms of our feet. My mom opened the door with a camera so my sistersRead MoreDescriptive Essay About Dog Owners2466 Words   |  10 PagesDog owners are known for enjoying the company of their pooches and mo st dogs hate sitting at home by themselves when their family goes out. Although it may take work, teaching your dog to canoe with the family can be very rewarding. The first step is to get your dog used to the water. For some dogs this comes naturally and for some dogs this will never be considered fun. Some of this has to do with the breed and some of it has to do with how they were introduced to water. A good way to introduceRead MoreDescriptive Essay About My Dog Friend1356 Words   |  6 Pages My Dog, Cookie Today is the day when my life changed. My best friend is gone and I have no one to play with. I was really sad. I didn’t know what to say nor think. In school I was distracted. I couldn’t concentrate. I felt warm tears running down my cheek again and then I realize I was crying. I whipped my face feeling the warm tears on my hand. Mom picked me up early because I was crying, a lot but I didn’t want to go home because I knew he would not be there. I wish he would come back. I wantRead MoreThe Miss Dennis School Of Writing, By Alice Steinbach, And No Wonder They Call Me A Bitch858 Words   |  4 PagesIn the essays The Miss Dennis School of Writing, by Alice Steinbach, and No Wonder They Call me a Bitch, by Ann Hodgman, both authors use description to get across the points they wish to make. The authors’ purpose for both of these essays are to catch the reader’s attention as well as to provide the readers with life lessons through descriptive writing . In â€Å"The Miss Dennis School of Writing,† Steinbach is trying to teach people about descriptive writing from her own experiences through her teacherRead MoreThe Rhetorical Analysis Of Mary Crow Dog And Graduation By Maya Angelou1640 Words   |  7 Pagesnot. Mary Crow Dog and Maya Angelou are both effective rhetors because their rhetorical situations work together to make their essays compelling. â€Å"Civilize Them with a Stick† by Mary Crow Dog and â€Å"Graduation† by Maya Angelou each introduce effective rhetorical situations as they establish their individual identity through their educational experiences. â€Å"Civilize Them with a Stick† by Mary Crow Dog and â€Å"Graduation† by Maya Angelou are each experts of autobiographies written about their own personalRead MoreThe Task Of Composing A Descriptive Essay1310 Words   |  6 PagesRecently, my Composition I teacher assigned the class the task of composing a descriptive essay. This led me to the question, â€Å"what is a descriptive essay?† What topic could I possible write about for three whole pages? What have I done, seen, or experience that could fill these three long pages? My life thus far has been quite sheltered, so this has created quite the dilemma for me. Being that I am supposed to be descriptive, I feel the need to describe the stress that this has created for me. My physicalRead MoreCompare and Contrast of Quindlen and Lutz800 Words   |  4 PagesCompare and Contrast of Quindlen and Lutz Upon reading and examining two essays, â€Å"Life under the chief doublespeak officer† a narrative by William Lutz and â€Å"Homeless†, a descriptive by Anna Quindlen, I firmly believe that Quindlen provides the preferred essay due to the gravity of her subject, greater personal relevance, and that her material allows the reader to sympathize with the subject matter. William Lutz’s essay addresses the growing trend in Corporate America to disguise actions with wordsRead MoreParables in the Quran1032 Words   |  5 PagesQuran Essay Upon my reading of the Quran, I found that many themes of this text are wrapped up in parables. Being the Christian man that I am, I am fascinated not only with parables in the Bible, but also Parables in other religious text as well. For this paper I will be focusing on parables and why they are key in many Muslims paths to spiritual ascension. According to the Ahlul Bayt Librabry, an online source for understand the Quran, the central theme of the Quran is training its follower

Compare Plath and Larkin - 3241 Words

Compare and contrast the ways in which death is portrayed in Philip Larkin’s poem ‘Days’ and ‘Ambulances’ and Sylvia plath’s ‘Lady Lazarus’ and ‘Death and Co’ The poems i am going to analyse are: †¢ Lady Lazarus †¢ Death and Co †¢ Ambulances †¢ Days It is understatement to say that both Sylvia Plath and Philip Larkin have immense depth and subsidiary meanings to their poems, both writers expertly structure their poems and used varied techniques to convey their themes of death and instil their messages to their readers. Plath goes about it an autobiographical manner and parades death as a theatrical show leaving the audience in shock and awe however Larkin presents death in a rather trivial manner in comparison to Plath. He juxtaposes the†¦show more content†¦At times the tone is hysterically strident and demanding: â€Å"unwrap me hand and foot— The big strip tease. Gentlemen, ladies These are my hands My knees. Iambic pentameter is also used in Lady Lazarus because it mimics the rhythm of conversational speech and makes it closer to spontaneous speech. This also highlights Lady Lazarus aural quality as it is meant to be read aloud which emphasizes it rhetorical intensity and perhaps the power that Lady Lazarus has gained throughout the poem â€Å" I am your opus I am your valuable The pure gold baby† The spontaneous structure of the poem emphasises the emotional and physcological disintegration of Lady Lazarus and how she speaks spontaneously out of pain that she is feeling form her suicidal attempts On the contrary, Larkin also used five groups of six lines of poetry (sestet) of iambic trimeter and roughly--there are some irregularities, a, with the first and last lines of each sestet rhyming, and the middle rhyming â€Å"a–b-a-b† like a ballad. The second stanza, only the first and last lines have been ended with punctuation leaving everything in the middle flowing. The women in the shops are detached from the Wild white faceShow MoreRelatedA journey is the act of travelling from one place to another. Both Plath and Larkin portray this in2100 Words   |  9 Pagestravelling from one place to another. Both Plath and Larkin portray this in a literal and metaphorical sense. I will analyse and compare ways in which Plath and Larkin portray their ideas about what a journey is to them. ‘Ariel’ and ‘Sheep in Fog’ by Plath portray the idea of a journey as a metaphorical escape as she struggles with her own insecurities and paranoia and contemplates death as the end to her journey. ‘Here’ and ‘Whitsun Weddings’ by Larkin portray a journey as an escape from the bustlesRead MoreLife And The Purpose Of Life By Sylvia Plath1800 Words   |  8 PagesSylvia Plath and Philip Larkin had very different outlooks on life and the purpose of life, Plath very much injected her personal experiences into her writing and was a passionate poet. Larkin was arguably a more realistic and observant poet, which in turn made him more pessimistic. Both poets explore the theme of fulfilment, Plath specifically through her poems ‘Morning Song’ and ‘Letters in November’, featured in her 1965 posthumous collection ‘Ariel’ and Larkin through his poems ‘Faith Healing’Read MorePoetry Essay Prompt2545 Words   |  11 Pages(No poet given) Prompt: Write a unified essay in which you relate the imagery of the last stanza to the speaker’s view of himself earlier in the poem and to his view of how others see poets. 1975 NO POEM 1976 Poem: â€Å"Poetry of Departures† (Philip Larkin) Prompt: Write an essay in which you discuss how the poems diction (choice of words) reveals his attitude toward the two ways of living mentioned in the poem. 1977 Poem: â€Å"Piano† [2 poems with the same name] (D. H. Lawrence) Prompt: Read both poems

Teaching log example Free Essays

Education Level of Participants: N/A Type of Education Activity (1 ambulatory, group, meeting): Observation and participation in evaluative process for residents in Family Medicine. Positive Aspects of Session: – Used a consensus approach to decision making and evaluation. – Input of all who have supervised for a more fair and objective evaluation. We will write a custom essay sample on Teaching log example or any similar topic only for you Order Now – Well run, and timely meeting. Difficulties of Session: – Limited context for evaluation (ex. in some instances, individuals had only been observed by anyone around the table 1 time). Despite this, most evaluators agreed regarding resident’s clinical attributes and deficiencies. – One sided Reflection and Interpretation of Session: I found myself very surprised by this session. It was unsettling for me to discuss learners in this way even with an understanding that it is necessary to evaluate. Issues regarding personal issues were brought forth in some instances to explain a resident’s behavior. It was educational to me in that I learned that the resident’s â€Å"supervisor† (or faculty dvisor), is the person who after these meetings is responsible to then deliver the message ot the â€Å"teacher’s group† to the resident in the torm ot teedback. I a normally a part of this process, but only on paper. I am given an evaluation form to fill out on individual practice of each of the residents on my team. There is a Likert scale with points related to professionalism, collaboration and respect. This session has really made me think more about the way in which I am filling out the evaluation ools I am asked to fill out on a monthly basis, as I now understand better how they utilized. Being present was a very new and intimidating experience for me, as I was asked for my input at this meeting. Consideration of Future Strategies for Managing Similar Sessions (Analysis): Strategies I might use in similar sessions would include pre-learning. Asking questions of the Resident Education director to be better prepared for what to expect and how I might better participate. How to cite Teaching log example, Papers

Collaboration Essay free essay sample

Communication and collaboration is very important when working in teams. When everyone in the team doesnt work together to meet a specific goal, the team will not succeed. Everyone In the team must understand that they all are not the same, nor have the same opinions, feelings, learning styles, or personalities. Interpersonal, interpersonal, and musical are the three learning style that best fit me according to my assessments. Having both interpersonal and Interpersonal learning styles, I am able to work with people of all different learning styles.Interpersonal learning means the ability to feel what others feel when they make points, noticing what their moods made be that particular day, and feelings. The interpersonal learner works great with mostly everyone in the group and likes to be the leader and taking charge. The strategy of communication for an interpersonal learner would be to see from others feelings and points. An Interpersonal individual can distinguish everyones points and keeps a relationship with everyone in the group. We will write a custom essay sample on Collaboration Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The interpersonal learner valuates their own thinking and can be difficult to work with because he or she tend to stay to themselves and at times are not willing to open up until really asked or forced to do so for the discussion. The Interpersonal learner creates a comprehensive understanding of misunderstanding wealth the group. The interpersonal learner works better In his or her own personal space and would probably keep their material in a journal or private folder until time to present what he or she had recorded.Finally, the musical learner is a good listener and also memorizes by blocking everything out and really paying close attention to what he or she is listening to. I love to dance and always could keep up with any music I hear, so being a musical learner makes me a good listener. In a group setting, I could make different rhythms out of words or even create a rap out of the material that my team might be studying.A giver, organizer, and thinker are the three personality styles that best fit me. A giver Is one that expresses their thoughts and feelings clearly and honestly. A giver also finds resolutions to anything that may go wrong when working In teams. A great strategy for a giver Is to express their thoughts when asked and then sit a Walt until everyone has given their opinions, so that they will not give to much information to the point that they are leading out of the topic given.The organizer is very important to teamwork. A great strategy for the organizer would be to jot down plans, input from each team member, mainly anything thats going to be needed for completion of the task given. After all the information is presented, the organizer will be the one ho puts everything together and when work on corrections such as grammar, punctuations, or anything needed for the team to meet that goal that was set at the start of the task.Finally, the thinker is an asset to any team. A thinkers personality strategy would be to brainstorm and research on the given topic. Thinkers rather use the problem solving process In favor of reaching a solution to the problems of the team. All of the above learning and personality styles are very essential for teamwork.

Charlotte

Frued as a Prism essays

Frued as a Prism essays Social Recognition of the Human Individual From the time of puberty onward the human individual must devote himself to the great task of freeing himself from his parents. -Sigmund Freud (General Intro. to Psychoanalysis) As a child develops from infancy to adulthood, it soaks up its environment and processes it like a biological computer. As it matures, so does the way it copes with the challenges life presents to him. If the child has the opportunity to be well educated, than he may learn from his history studies, and begin to recognize the different patterns of thought that society has gone through. Perhaps he will learn from these patterns and make an effort to use his knowledge to prevent making many of the same mistakes in his daily life that men have made before. If he studies medieval Europe, he may become skeptical of his own faith. Resulting in his search for a new religion that he can believe in, rather than continue to blindly participate as a member of the faith his parents had chosen for him. If he were to study Imperialism in Europe, than perhaps he would join an athletic team. He would form strong bonds with those within the team, but hopefully he could learn from Europes mist aken extreme nationalism and sees that the best thing he can do for his team is remain an individual, not conform to some unwritten code. He would see that it is best to create ones own identity within a group. Perhaps he has read Erich Fromm, and sees that he must recognize himself as a separate entity apart from the world around himself. He individuates. The development of this boy into an individual is exactly what Sigmund Freud would describe as a healthy development toward the formation a personal identity. It is the interactions that take place between a developing individual (the boy) and the society in which that individual lives in which we find the essence of human existence. Man has under gon...

Macroeconomics Environment of Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Macroeconomics Environment of Business - Essay Example Moreover the population and area of India is much larger than the combined area of all countries under EU. On the other hand there is the example of USSR breaking up into 14 smaller countries. Ruble was the currency of a unified USSR, but now the newly formed countries have come out with their own currencies while still accepting Ruble. This system as working fine as well. In fact success of any unified currency depends largely upon the sincerity and integrity of member states. In the case of EU the member countries don’t have a history of fierce rivalry or enmity like between Israel and Palestine (or other gulf countries), India and Pakistan or the cold war between US and USSR. So far each member has displayed maturity and commitment towards the unification move, recognizing the potential of unity for all. Moreover these are early days and initial hiccups are bound to crop up. To think that there should’ve been multiple currencies only because there have been such an a rrangement in past means we’re not taking lessons from history. Think about the multiplicity of efforts and resources that are required to maintain two types of currencies simultaneously. Under such circumstances, if all 12 member countries use their own currency together with EMU, at times the chauvinistic feeling also crop up which may bring up the thought of putting one’s country’s currency over that of the unified currency (which in totality means nobody’s currency).

A Segment from the film Finding Nemo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

A Segment from the film Finding Nemo - Essay Example Finding Nemo is one of the most successful animation film blockbusters. It was released in 2003 worldwide and took the entire world by surprise. Its stunning animation, the astounding undersea sceneries, Marlin Clownfish, Nemo (Marlin's son with one fin shorter than other), Dory the Regal Tang with short-term memory loss and all other characters won the heart of every animation film lover of all ages. The film presents a fully realized underwater world with bright & attractive colors and very natural dynamics - fish/tortoise movements, hydraulics, underwater illumination effects, rigid body dynamics (like the boat movement), underwater explosions, etc. The story structure is excellent with seamless connectivity among all scenes. The film is produced by Pixar Animation Studios & Walt Disney Pictures, written by Andrew Stanton, and directed by Lee Unkrich & Andrew Stanton. The film grossed about $864.62 million worldwide in 2003 which is one of the largest revenue any animation film ev er made. Pixar Animation Studios have many such successful 3D animation films at their credit. The primary process that they follow comprises of fourteen steps:- Story Idea is Pitched, Text Treatment is carried out, Storyboards are drawn (sketches), Voice recording is carried out, the virtual reels are created on the software, the artists create the look & feel, 3D Modeling is carried out, the sets are created (using computer graphics), the shots are laid, animations & behavioral aspects are added, the sets & characters are superimposed with appropriate shading, lighting of the scenes is carried out, the final computer data is rendered and finally, the finishing touches are carried out.. They were discussing their eggs when a barracuda attacked and killed Coral and ate all the eggs except one. The only egg that survived got partially damaged as a result of the attack and Marlin promises that he will never leave it - and named it as Nemo as per the wish of his wife before death. The following scene is the introduction of the film - by Pixar Animation Studios & Walt Disney Pictures.  

Advantages and disadvantages of owning VS renting a home Essay

Advantages and disadvantages of owning VS renting a home - Essay Example The advantages and disadvantages discussed in this article will enable one come up with viable decision as whether to purchase a house or rent. Let us begin with the advantages of owning a home. When one owns a home, that person is building equity. One must understand that the value of a house does not increase with time. On the contrary, its value decreases with time. However, when one owns a home they can contribute to their investment portfolio. As one clear a mortgage, he, or she builds up equity while the home value remains constant (Williams, 23). Authorities that are responsible with collecting tax have established tax relief to those who have taken mortgage. The purpose of this reduction is to aid in offsetting ones loan. In addition to that as one chooses to pay fixed-mortgage, payment in interest and the initial principal remains constant as long as the loan is outstanding. Even though payment of taxes and insurance may vary with time, one may be able to use the house as an investment. Moreover, when one purchases a house and leaves it, it is not wasted since the same house can be rented to generate income. This is also one of the best alternatives one can use to repay mortgage. It is therefore advisable to choose a house that is attractable and that is rentable, that is if one might think of renting it in the near future. Another important benefit of owning a home is that it enables one settle and lives with the community. Purchasing a home is a long-term investment. Once one has a home, he or she is committed to live with the surrounding people for a long time. As a result, one gets to understand the neighbors well and may get the opportunity to be involved in communal economical activities or even become a volunteer in a program that benefit the community for instance assisting in building of a school or public latrines among others. When one owns a home, he or

Psychological Stress Emotional

Psychological Stress Emotional Abstract In recent years, the living condition is getting better than the past; people have better education life, better civilized living and better social life. As technology and the form of mass media has been changing so fast, people can have information easily through internet and chat with their friends and so on. Also, people are enjoying their life with exciting hobbies. Even though, life is more comfortable and better than before, more people have lots of stress. When they wake up, they start the morning with their job or school, fight with their projects and spend the whole day working. This routine is performed every day, which causes too much stress, which causes sleeplessness, heart disease, depression and even death. However, there are the ways that people can minimize stress and manage the stress that is inevitable. Positive thinking is then used to create positive assertions that people can use to counter negative thoughts. These confirmations compensate for negative thoughts and build their self-confidence. Stress In recent years, the living condition is getting better than the past; people have better education life, better civilized living and better social life. However, people are not always happy with those conveniences, especially at the work place. People are having unpleasant events more than the past, such as losing a job, arguing with co-workers or managers at the work place, and trouble with friends or teachers at school and having difficulties at home. Those feelings like there are too many pressures and demands on them. Losing their desire and sleep worrying about tests, projects and schoolwork make them have lots of stress. Then what is stress? According to EhealthMD (2004), stress is the emotional and physical strain cause by peoples response to pressure from the outside world. Usually, common stress reactions include irritability, tension, inability to concentrate and a variety of physical symptoms that include headache and a fast heartbeat (EhealthMD, 2004). There are more causes that people have got stress. The potential causes of stress are highly individual and numerous. Stress is a usual part of life and stress affects people of all ages, all races and all walks of life. However, if left unmanaged and disregarded, stress has many different causes which lead to psychological, emotional, and even physical problems, including high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, diabetes, and sleepiness. A lot of scholars have studies based on this issue and they found the causes and effects of stress. First of all, stress can bring about psychological problems. Is it possible that stress gets inside the body to affect the immune response? The American Psychological Association (1994) mentioned that sympathetic fibers descend from the brain into both primary (thymus and bone marrow) and secondary (lymph nodes and spleen) lymphoid tissues. These substances bind to specific receptors on white blood cells and have diverse regulatory effects on their distribution and function (Ader, Felten, Cohen, 2001). These sometimes lead people to engage in behaviors such as alcohol use or changes in sleeping patterns that also could modify immune system processes. Thus, behavior represents a potentially important pathway linking stress with the immune system (Felten Felten, 1994). Most causes of psychological stress are perpetually related to psychological and emotional disorders. Stressful situations can set forward a series of emotional symptoms such as anxiety attacks, phobias, a personality disintegration, exaggerationed emotional responses and psychological discomposure such as confusion, depression, burn out and vehicular accidents. These disconcertments in psychological and emotional health may exacerbate or cause debilitating disorders, which can put an end to life on its track (Spiritual and Psychological Stress, 2000). Second, stress leads to emotional problems which are very difficult to cope with and manage. According to the dealing with Stress, Peoples bodies can not defend themselves against the damage that emotional stress produces quietly over time. Peoples bodies pay a heavy physiological price for every single moment that they feel tense, angry, anxious, and frustrated. Emotional stress is often precipitated by a dramatic event that puts a persons nervous system under acute strain. This could be an event such as seeing someone die, losing a loved one, or being put into a life-threatening situation. An event such as these can put serious strain on a persons mind and nerves and the unbelievable strain can cause changes in the way that the brain works. Actually, a severe emotional strain could even cause somebody to be afflicted by post-traumatic stress disorder. However, emotional stress does not result in a sudden shock. It can also follow a total emotional strain that mounts to an overwhelm ing strain that blocks a person from thinking about anything other than the problems that seem to have no solution. Next, as the stress mounts, the mind and brain are left in their own cocoon of stress that can only want attention to itself, cutting the person off from the world outside. Therefore, emotional stress can result in inability to concentrate, memory problems, detachment, and fatigue (Dumbleton, 2008). Experiencing psychological and emotional stress leads to an increase in heart rate, release of stress hormone and elevation of blood pressure. All these end in a greater workload for the heart, which can be risky. Psychological and emotional stress brings out physical problems. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, effects of stress on the heart are increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, release of stress hormones, including epinephrine, which is also known as adrenaline from the adrenal glands, increased oxygen demand on the body and temporarily higher metabolic rate, lower threshold, unusual heart rhythms, including ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, and atrial fibrillation. Electrical unreliability in the heart makes it easier for these abnormal heart beats to occur. Also, stress gives rise to spasm of heart blood vessels, leading to inadequate blood flow to the heart (Torpy, 2007). The lack of time makes people buy a lot of instant food and time saving products for to save time. Instant food includes a high amount of sodium has a bad effect on health, which could cause diabetes. According to the Diabetes Care(2002), Stress having an effect on mental and physical health causes peoples blood sugar level to rise. Stress hormones like epinephrine and cortisol start flowing since one of their most important roles is to raise blood sugar to help boost energy when its needed most; these act the like fight-or-flight response. People can not fight danger when their blood sugar is getting low, as it can rise to help to meet the challenge (Rouge Sledge, 2002). Not only human feels stress, but also warm-blooded animals feel pain and the emotion of fear and stress. (add more) The factors of stress are a general outlook on life, social support system, and problem-solving abilities. People might think of stressors, which are the pressures and demands that cause stress as being negative experiences. However, the demands and pressures that may cause stress can be positive in their effect. Graph 1. (need sources) According to the Stress Management from Mind Tools (n.d.), the relationship between pressure and performance is described in one of the oldest and most important ideas in stress management. The inverted-U relationship pays attention to peoples performance of a task. The left hand side of the graph is easy to give an explanation of pragmatic reasons. When there is a bit of pressure on people to carry out an important task, there is little inducement for people to focus energy and attention on it. This is specially the case when there may be other, more interesting, more urgent, tasks competing for attention. As pressure on people increases, they enter the â€Å"area of best performance†. People are able to focus and perform a task well. There is enough pressure on people to concentrate their attention but not so much that it disturbs their performance (Stress Management from Mind Tools, n.d.). The right hand side of the graph is high stress anxiety and unhappiness. As written above, this situation is that people become uncomfortably stressed, distracted, anxious, have difficulties, and negative thinking begins to enter their minds. At this point, people have to look at causes of stress and References What is Stress? (2004). EhealthMD. Retrieved April 15, 2008, from http://www.ehealthmd.com/library/stress/STR_whatis.html Rouge, B., Sledge, D. (2002). Stress and Diabetes. Diabetes Care, 25, 30-34. Felten, S. Y., Felten, D. (1994). Neural-immune interaction. Progress in Brain Research, 100, 157-162 Ader, R., Cohen, N., Felten, D.L. (2001). Psychoneuroimmunology (3rded.). San Diego, CA: Academic Press. Spiritual and psychological Stress. (2000). Life Positive Foundation. Retrieved April 21, 2008, from http://www.lifepositive.com/Mind/psychology/stress/psychological-stress.asp Dumbleton, T., (2005). Dealing with Emotional Stress; The Hardest Thing in the World? Retrieved April 15, 2008, from http://www.submityourarticle.com/articles/Trevor-Dumbleton-406/stress-3552.php Dealing With Stress The Hardest Thing in the World? When you are stressed, the hardest thing in the world is dealing with stress. Date of Article: 30Nov2005 Category: Health Fitness View(205) EasyPublish(191) Torpy, J. M. (2007). Acute Emotional Stress and the Heart. JAMA, 298, !!!!!!!!!! Vol. 298 NO 3. Stress and Your Performance (). Stress Management from Mind Tools. Retrieved April 22, 2008, from http://www.mindtools.com/stress/UnderstandStress/StressPerformance.htm

How Steinbeck Creates Two Contrasting Characters In Beginning Of Mice a

During the presidential reign of Hebert Hoover in the early 1930's, America was hit with a severe economic slowdown which was notoriously known as The Great Depression. During this time of crisis, an estimated sixteen million people were left unemployed and many others were left homeless. Even though it was expected that many industries in the United States would be significantly affected as a result of the crash, it was Agriculture that was destroyed. Many landowners were desperate to employ workers on their farm, whilst workers were anxious themselves to find a job to support their family. In this story, two displaced Anglo migrant ranch workers, George Milton and Lennie Small, travel around America in search for a job. We soon realise their goal to pursue the American Dream, a dream that has equal chance of becoming a reality or a mere fantasy. Steinbeck?s novel shows a concern for these two friends as tension is raised over whether they will reach the Promised Land they cherish s o much. Much of this concern can be attributed to the contrasting characters that both George and Lennie possess ?Although George is seen as an intelligent caring individual, his companion Lennie, although physically strong, is a psychologically limited man who has a good chance of inadvertently spoiling their hopes and ambitions, primarily due to his mental incapacity. Whilst Steinbeck describes the two main characters in the novel, we see that there is a significant difference in their physical appearances. For example, there is evidence in the text which suggests that Lennie is a colossal physical specimen: ?a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes and he walked heavily...........the way a bear drags his paws.? The very fact that Len... ...?into the trap?. This suggests that he is a man with few weaknesses. We find out in the latter stages of the story that George has a weakness, specifically his dependency of Lennie. Lennie, intelligently, tries to manipulate George by stating that he will leave him and ?live in that cage?. This irritates George who is desperate to win Lennie?s friendship back: I want you to stay with me Lennie, no you stay with me?. This shows that he needs him just as much as Lennie needs him. In general the reader can see that George needs his mate, Lennie to be able to survive, regardless of how mentally retarded he is. On the whole, the writer creates an immense contrast between both of these characters. The use of immaculate description, as well as short, sharp phrases assists the reader in gaining a vivid image of how these two animated characters would be like in real life.

Benefits of Stretching

Almost any athlete will tell you that they have had to stretch while playing for their coach; most prominently static stretching. Do these stretches help athletes perform at a higher level? Do they keep athletes from injury? Several researchers are out to prove that these stretches maybe don’t have the impact that coaches and trainers have been thinking that they do. Although upon hearing that the pre workout, pre exercise routine of millions of athletes might be for nothing is pretty hard to believe considering the impact that it has obviously made in the sport world.There have been thousands of studies on the benefits of stretching. Many people feel that stretching is a necessity. With more and more studies though it’s been hard to find evidence proving these ideas. â€Å"When a muscle is lengthening, the muscle fibers and connective tissues are elongated because of the application of external forces. † (Pornratshanee, Hume, Kolt). When these fibers are extende d it allows the muscle to experience a fuller range of motion. There are two main factors in most injuries, Lack of ROM (range of motion) and muscle stiffness.Most would think that this evidence proves that stretching indeed would help prevent injuries. Not necessarily, in the research done in the article, â€Å"STRETCHING REVIEW: A Scientific Review of the Benefits, Or Lack Thereof, Of Stretching†Ã‚  the author feels that, â€Å"just because a stiff muscle is related to a sports injury, and stretching can lessen a muscle’s stiffness, this does not mean that stretching prevents injury (STRETCHING REVIEW). † Different types of stretching include: ballistic stretching, dynamic stretching, and static stretching.Static stretching is the most commonly used type of stretching. After seeing that static stretching didn’t improve injury resistance, researchers then wonder if there are benefits in static stretching at all. Does static stretching help with performan ce levels? The research done by David G. Behn in his article, â€Å"Short Durations Of Static Stretching When Combined With Dynamic Stretching Do Not Impair Repeated Sprints And Agility. † Set out to find the answer to this question.Participants in the study were tested by level of flexibility followed by stretching and then put in Repeated-sprint Ability (RSA) and Change of Direction (COD) Tests. The results of this study showed that time length of stretching had no significant effect on the performance levels of the study group. Also the study found that there is no satisfactory evidence to prove that stretching would increase performance (Behm). While some researchers say that there isn’t any proof of stretching, others such as Peter McNair say that these researchers are missing something.Where the research gets complicated starts at the realization; maybe it’s not that stretching doesn’t have benefits but actually there are certain activities that fle xibility can be used as a benefit and others that less flexibility should be sought after. Some Researchers say that a certain level of being less flexible might actually help certain types of athletes. Whereas other activities a fuller range of motion is beneficial (McNair). In conclusion it is noticed that researchers aren’t completely sure of the benefits. Several factors are involved in the research of these benefits.The many factors make it hard to fully understand the advantage or disadvantage of stretching. People should consider the sport they are playing also, and even the position. It’s hard to think that stretching doesn’t have the impact that we once thought, but it’s a concept that might start grasping the world of sports as we know it. Works Cited Weerapong, Pornratshanee, Patria A. Hume, and Gregory S. Kolt. â€Å"Stretching: Mechanisms And Benefits For Sport Performance And Injury Prevention. â€Å"Physical Therapy Reviews  9. 4 (2004) : 189-206. Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. STRETCHING REVIEW: A Scientific Review Of The Benefits, Or Lack Thereof, Of Stretching. †Ã‚  Journal Of Pure Power  4. 1 (2009): 68-70. Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. David G. Behm, et al. â€Å"Short Durations Of Static Stretching When Combined With Dynamic Stretching Do Not Impair Repeated Sprints And Agility. †Ã‚  Journal Of Sports Science & Medicine  10. 2 (2011): 408-416. Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. Peter McNair, et al. â€Å"Stretching And Injury Prevention: An Obscure Relationship. †Ã‚  Sports Medicine  34. 7 (2004): 443-449. Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 Nov. 2012

Discuss and Evaluate the Importance of the fight scene in Romeo and Juliet Essays

Discuss and Evaluate the Importance of the fight scene in Romeo and Juliet Essays Discuss and Evaluate the Importance of the fight scene in Romeo and Juliet Paper Discuss and Evaluate the Importance of the fight scene in Romeo and Juliet Paper The fight scene in Romeo and Juliet is a very important set piece. This scene is very much used be William Shakespeare as a way to connect to the reader viewing it. He tries to allow the reader to have mixed emotions. Some of the emotions the fight set piece is trying to display are Hate, Horror, Excitement, fear and tension. The reason why the reader feels these emotions are because there are many points in the fight scenes where the main character could have and almost does get killed.The context of this set piece is very much heading towards the dramatic time in which William Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet (1595). This is because the why that all the characters would carry swords around with them and it was seen as the norm. There are many things that make us accept this. One is the way that Mercutio calls his sword a Fiddlestick.The main reasons which make us anticipate the fight between Tybalt and Romeo; one thing is that Mercutio shouts before he die s:A plague on both your houses.Three times and this really changes the mood of the scene. Also Tybalt returns and taunts Romeo about Mercutios death.2William Shakespeare sets this scene at the beginning to really make the reader sense that there is going to be s fight of some sort between the Montague and Capulet. He does this by having the characters saying things like:And if we meet, we shall not scape a brawlFor now, these hot days, is the mad blood stirringThis concludes to us that Benvolio is anticipating a fight. But Mercutio seems to ignore this with witty puns and play on words.Thou! Why,Thou wilt quarrel with a man that hath a hair moreOr a hair less in his beard than thou hastAnd this means that Mercutio is saying to Benvolio that, he will fight with anything or anyone about anything. By this time the reader is sure about the fight, because Romeo has just got married to Juliet and is yet to tell Tybalt.3The two characters Mercutio and Tybalt have very different personaliti es and also act in very different ways.The two are very good swordsmen and are considered Duellists.One the one hand Mercutio is a witty person who puns a lot and the people around him enjoy his company but may not understand what he is feeling. Mercutio is one of the most unique characters in Shakespeares Romeo Juliet. His language is always powerful and imaginative. He represents many different things in the story and holds an important role. Where as Tybalt, will find it a rare occasion that he tells a witty joke of any sort and often seems very serious. His appearance also seems to show off a strong and bigger body that Mercutios. He is also a very willing duellist. Yet before their all important fight scene they act different to each other yet stereotypical of their personalities. First of all when Tybalt arrives on the scene he acts like he just wants to lash out on someone and as Mercutio is the there he start to pick on him.On reason for this would be that the name Mercutio comes from the word Mercury. So this could mean that Mercutio has a temper that rises quickly, just like Mercury rises when it is hot and it just so happens to be very hot that day.But before Tybalt approaches Mercutio and Benvolio, Benvolio notices them coming and says to Mercutio and tells him that they should leave. But Mercutio simply responds by saying:By my heel, I care notBut when Tybalt comes over Mercutio still seems not to care. Even when Tybalt is over (A strong and powerful man) and yet still seems to joke about Tybalt and in front of his fellow Capulets and friends. Tybalt seems to have the lower status in this conversation because things like this happen:TybaltMercutio, thou consorts with Romeo-MercutioConsort! What, dost thou make is minstrels? AndThou make minstrels of us, look to here nothing butdiscords. Here my fiddle-stick;Tybalt after this forgets about Mercutio as soon as Romeo enters and says:Well, peace be with you, sir. Here comes my man.The reason why Tyba lt says this is because earlier on in the story he saysWhat, drawn, and talk of peace! I hate the word,As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee:Have at thee, coward!So when Romeo arrives on the scene of course Tybalt is going to change his attention towards Romeo. Also we find out that Tybalt sends Romeo a Challenge, This challenge is to a Duel.When Romeo confronts Tybalt, he is trying to tell him that he cannot fight it him because he is now part of the same family. But strangely Romeo seems to try and tell Tybalt in some sort of code. Tybalt really doesnt pick up on this code and sees it as Romeo is insulting him and shows even more hatred towards him. Seeing this Mercutio stands up for Romeo, yet he may not be a Capulet but he is still very loyal to Romeo and will always defend him no matter what. The way that Mercutio stands up for Romeo is very much the style that you would expect him to, he really uses his wittiness to make fun and make a fool of Tybalt and knowing Tybalt, he g ets outraged at this and this is how the whole fight between him and Mercutio starts.4When the story of Romeo and Juliet is staged the directors of the productions dont always stick to the script when staging the fight between Mercutio and Tybalt. I personally would stage the fight as an honourable one. In which the fight have their honour at stake. Both fighters will be using the Duel as a way to show off to their friends. So they will be showing off and using all their skill to make themselves look good. During the fight they should be showing sportsmanship towards the competitor. The two duellers will be laughing and seeing the whole thing as a chance to express themselves.This fight however would stick very close to the rules of fencing. In which the winner would be the first on to hold the opponent to the ground. When fighting the two fight would not intend to hurt each other in anyway apart from their morals and credibility. We can understand this at one point when Tybalt thro ws back Mercutio sword.I feel that the song should really go on for too long before Romeo steps in and causes the fight to change path. When Tybalt stabs Mercutio, I think that this should be an accident and not deliberate as showed in some versions of the story display. The stabbing should happen when Romeo moves to the side and Tybalt lunges towards him, in a sportsmanship manner and accidentally stabs him.This is very much like Zeffrelli version of Romeo and Juliet. However this varies from the Baz Lurman version of it. When the fight is very intense and Mercutio falls onto the blade of glass.5When Romeo arrives on scene the audience feel relived because they think that Romeo has come to sort every thing out between the two families.During the fight between Mercutio and Tybalt. Things get a bit heavy hand between the two Duellers. So Romeo steps in too stop Mercutio, he does this by standing between the two fighters facing Mercutio. But while this is happening Mercutio is trying to get past, and Tybalt keeps lunging towards Mercutio. But after a while Romeo notices this and moves to one side and Tybalt stabs Mercutio. The audiences reaction to this is that Tybalt has stabbed Mercutio and gone against the fencing rules. However after we see Tybalt face and he looks at the end of his sword and sees the amount of blood, and you can tell that, that wasnt necessarily meant to happen. So the audience feel that something quite tragic has just happened and will effect the whole story and characters.The reason why the audience feels this is because when the sword is removed from Mercutio the facial expressions on all of the characters change to concern.After Mercutio is stabbed he plays the game a bit by sayingAy, ay, a scratch, a scratch; marry, tis enough.Where is my page? Go, villain, fetch a surgeon.The people around think that he his alright but when he actually does die; this causes Romeo to change his behavior in an angered human-being who is raring to hunt d own and destroy Tybalt. But once Romeo does get to Tybalt and kill him this starts a revelation in the story. First of all Romeo gets banished and cant see Juliet anymore. This totally changes Romeo and Juliets outlooks to life.6It is a very crucial point in the story when Romeo cries outI am fortunes foolWhen considering the destruction of Romeo and Juliet the most significant fact you must think about is fate. Fate, above all, destroyed Romeo and Juliet. Many instances in the play reveal that the love of Romeo and Juliet would end in death. Pair of star-crossed lovers take their life. From the very beginning it is evident that they were destined by the stars to bad fortune. Some people may think that there is no way to control fate or change what is in the stars. It could be that the love of Romeo and Juliet was destined for death so that their parents feud would be over. Also, in the prologue it states that the dreadful course of their love was destined for death. The fearful pas sage of their death marked love. Both of these quotes show us that the love of these two was destined to end tragically. The masquerade party was above all the most important aspect of fate. The fact that Romeo was wearing a mask and his face was hidden allowed Juliet to fall in love with him before she saw who it was. If Juliet had known who Romeo was she would probably have not fallen in love with him. Fate could not have been changed whatever was meant to be would happen and no one could change that.7There are many reasons why William Shakespeare places the fighting set piece in the middle of Romeo and Juliet and all of them are very important.One of the reasons is that the story Romeo and Juliet is a love story and most love stories have plot twists. Now this scene is a major plot twist because two of the co-main characters are killed off. Having this scene is very, very important because it affects pretty much the rest of the story.First of all with the death of Tybalt, Romeo g ets banished and is not allowed to see Juliet and with this Juliet fakes her own death and then sends Romeo a letter telling him about how she isnt really. But Romeo doesnt get the not in time and finds out from his friend that Juliet is dead. So kills himself just as Juliet wakes up. So she kills herself, and all of this happens because of Tybalts death. If that wasnt Romeo also losses his best friend Mercutio.Not only that but Juliet also losses her cousin Tybalt which causes even more heartache.8ConclusionIn conclusion this scene is important really because of the way it was designed by William Shakespeare.A lot can be said about the dramatic effect this scene has on both the story and the reader. First of all the scene shows the hatred of the feud between the Montague and the Capulet really well, with both families fighting for what they believe in and as you see they fight till the death. This is very dramatic and changes the mood of all the remaining characters.This scene effe cts the audience a lot because the see Mercutio a very unique and likable character meet his death. This can really upset the reader. Not only has this but we see Romeo change his attitude towards fighting and take on Tybalt. The reader may not like this Romeo a lot and may well find it very dramatic.When the story first starts to unfold we discover that the two people Romeo and Juliet are in love and it leaves the audience feeling that in the end it will all end in happiness or as the saying goes Happy Ever After and then all of a sudden, this terrorizing and tragic fight scene comes along and totally changes the plot in almost every single way possible. This scene on its own is a major plot twist.When William Shakespeare wrote this play you can see that he wanted to create a real big feeling of tension between all the characters featured in the fight scene and suspense is used a lot in this scene to create atmosphere. However the tension in the scene is very good at illustrating t he Conflict between the two families, in how when the arguing is going on the stand on their own side never, near the others.The main themes that can be used to describe are Terror, Tragedy and action with excitement. Mainly because of all the fighting and killing which all adds you to what the scene represents.After the moment when Romeo kills Tybalt the reader braces themselves for what is going to happen after. At the time the reader is most likely to believe that Romeo will be executed because of the fighting. Because earlier on in the story the prince saysIf you ever disturb our streets again,Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace,But never the less the prince decides not to punish Romeo by death but banish him so the reader does feel relived at this.

Cultural Influences in Of Mice and Men Essays

Cultural Influences in Of Mice and Men Essays Cultural Influences in Of Mice and Men Essay Cultural Influences in Of Mice and Men Essay Essay Topic: Of Mice and Men The cultural influences that motivated John Steinbeck to write Of Mice and Men were to show how discrimination was prevalent during the Great Depression. Migrant workers and women were treated poorly by society, which caused them to feel lonely and isolated. Due to the cause of the Great Depression, people also lost their jobs and had trouble getting them back. One example of discrimination from Of Mice and Men and John Steinbeck is that migrant workers and women we treated poorly by society, which caused them to feel lonely and isolated. Since the early 20th century, Steinbeck has been exposed to workers all throughout his young life because his father once owned a ranch on which he used to work. While Steinbeck was there he realized that during his â€Å"early work life he often looked at what happened when the hopeful expectations of immigrants and the poor ran up against the realities of the working world† (Bloom, 1). This means that migrant workers all had an American dre am but all their dreams got held up during the working world. In his novella, the migrant workers George and Lennie had a big dream about owning their own ranch but they never got to pursue that dream because of their work. This shows that the migrant workers during Steinbeck’s childhood and in Of Mice and Men are related, just like the women during that time. Women during the Great Depression were also treated unpleasantly. â€Å"Women weren’t allowed to own anything and were forced to work inside the house† (Ware, 1). This means that women were not allowed to work anywhere else but the house while the men worked. As for in Of Mice and Men, Curley’s wife was the only woman on the ranch and no one would talk to her because they knew that she would cost them their jobs. Plus, she always had to listen to Curley no matter what happened. Therefore, this is how women and migrant workers were discriminated in real life and in Of Mice and Men during the Great Depress

Cable TV as Going Obsolete Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Cable TV as Going Obsolete - Assignment Example 2). The range is more of a generalization rather than a fact since different shows and different networks cater to different people. Taking those into account, television has a possible target demographic ranging from toddlers to octogenarians with little regard for race, level of education or occupation. Over the years, technology has advanced to the point wherein information is accessible through more than one channel. Of late, the internet has become the same kind of competitor to television as television once was to radio. In their 2012 Accenture Consumer Electronics Products and Services Usage Report, Accenture (2012) found out that â€Å"the percentage of consumers watching broadcast or cable TV shows, movies or videos on TV, in a typical week, plummeted from 71 percent in 2009 to 48 percent in 2011† (p. 8). There are many reasons why people are shifting from television’s scheduled programming to internet. One of the more common reasons is convenience. In a high-s peed world, people find less and less time at home to watch the shows they want to watch on TV. Another recent survey by Nielsen (2012) showed that users of Netflix, an on-demand streaming media provider, have chosen to watch more TV programs on it than ever before totaling 19% of their subscribers which makes an 8% increase from the previous year. Subscribers can watch and rewatch their favorite shows whenever they want with services like these. Another factor that makes online viewing more appealing is the mobility. In a study conducted by Blip.tv (2011), one of the Internet's largest independently owned and operated video properties, people have been spending 9% less time watching television, 26% more time watching web series on the PC, while spending 19% more time watching video content on a mobile device. With the wide range of tablet PCs and smartphones in the market today, people will have little reason to stay at home and watch TV when they can view their favorite videos onl ine wherever they go. On a related note, age and society can also be factors. In the Hollywood Reporter, Georg Szalai (2011) wrote about how baby boomers (47-65 year old citizens) spend more time watching TV than the average person, averaging 5-6 hours a day compared to the 4 hours and 49 minutes of people within the 18-49 year old demographic. Many television networks are making changes to appeal to these people by revamping old shows and featuring familiar faces on their networks. This could be brought about by the older audience’s unfamiliarity with the newer technology. Conversely, the younger crowd is opting for more internet-based or â€Å"cloud services.† Accenture (2012) found that â€Å"Thirty-eight percent of younger consumers have stopped or almost stopped renting or buying DVDs, and 16 percent said they had terminated or were considering terminating TV subscription services† (p. 9). Economically speaking, the increase in the number of consumers willi ng to terminate their TV subscriptions is a practical one. Why would people continue to pay for services they would use for only 3-4 hours a day when they can get the same service anytime they want, anywhere they want along with their internet subscription? All these shifts toward cloud services are dependent on the availability of the hardware and the reliability of an internet connection. Computers are getting smaller, more sophisticated

Globlization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Globlization - Essay Example Introduction In order to understand this topic, this article will start by defining the key concepts that are involved. One of these concepts is the term globalization. According to Harvard Professors Robert Keohane and Joseph Nye, understanding this term requires one to grasp another important term known as globalism (Bauman, 1998). Globalism is seen as a state of the world networks involving interdependence of multi-continental distances (Bisley, 2007). This interconnection involves the movement of information and ideas, people and force, as well as, capital and goods. It also involves the environment and biologically relevant substances such as acid rain or pathogens. Therefore, when defining globalization, Keohane and Nye state that it is the complete integration of globalism at a deeper or geographical level (Holton 1998). Globalization and Education in the Developing World: Case Study of Saudi Arabia The world as it is currently has attained the tag of being a ‘global vil lage’ (Holton 1998). This means that there is a higher level of interaction between different countries today than was the case 100 years ago. Currently, the issues affecting one country can easily be replicated in another country as witnessed in the spread of the Arab Spring from Tunisia all the way to Syria. Technology has ensured that there is faster seamless communication between people in two very distant regions. This way, a person in Africa can communicate one-on-one with a relative in France. In this way, the world as is has been opened up to more scrutiny and so has the formats of education all over the world (Bisley, 2007). Saudi Arabia is a state renown for its oil wealth and the fact that it is reined over by a monarch. The system of education in this country like in many developing countries has a lot of emphasis on university education (Ramady, 2010). This means that white collar jobs are mainly preserved for the university elite in the country. As a result, thi s makes technical studies appeal less as they are associated with failures. As stated above, this is a common occurrence around the developing world, and, as a result, the technical training institutions do not get as much funding as the universities. Saudi Arabia has not many natural resources apart from oil (Ramady, 2010). This means that it has to depend on other forms of resources to allow it to move ahead. One of these resources is the human manpower (Ramady, 2010). The most important avenues for creating this manpower are through education. According to organizations that promote knowledge based economies such as the World Bank, higher education has a direct correlation with the country’s productivity (Ramady, 2010). This means that higher education has a direct impact on the skill level of people in a country, which in turn affects the quality of work that they produce. There is also the additional aspect of the remuneration that these people receive, which further tra nslates to an improved standard of living. As seen above, technical education is not one that draws a lot of the populace in the country as it has a low remuneration. This is a worrying trend for a country like Saudi Arabia because being a developing country; it requires a lot of people trained in the technical studies. This means that there is a need to look at this matter. It is important that the government encourage people to take these courses by popularizing them.

Should Project Managers Behave Like Prima Donnas Article

Should Project Managers Behave Like Prima Donnas - Article Example The balancing act is about taking the different stakeholder requirements together and then ensuring that everything falls together for the common purpose of meeting the project deliverables. This then is the bottom-line guideline for project managers. The practice of management for the express purpose of delivering customer delight and stakeholder value. This paper looks at the components of project management and the way in which the project manager has to ensure that conflicting and competing demands on his or her time and bandwidth are managed to ensure optimal success for the project. I answer the question of whether the project manager must be a Prima Donna by referring to the situational and contextual aspects of project management. The contention of this author is that project managers and the art of project management is highly contextual and situation dependant that theory can only point the way and it is up to the individual to make the decisions and tread the path accordingly. Real world scenarios often have a way of surprising the most experienced project manager and hence theory can only help to a point in making decisions that affect real people. Thus, one way of looking at the question is that project managers have to combine the science of project management with the art of people and process management to achieve optimal results. Project Management combines statistics and people skills in equal measure and it is incumbent upon the project manager to plan their strategies accordingly. According to the PMBOK 3rd edition, A project is defined as a â€Å"temporary endeavor with a beginning and an end and it must be used to create a unique product, service or result†. Further, it is progressively elaborated. What this definition of a project means is that projects are those activities that cannot go on indefinitely.

Analysis of the Bottled Water Industry Essay Example for Free

Analysis of the Bottled Water Industry Essay The shortage of potable water on some islands in the Maldives has been described as â€Å"serious† by the national disaster management centre (NDMC). There are currently 12 islands which have been facing water shortages since mid-February, according to Moosa Ali Kaleyfaan, deputy director general of the NDMC. The NDMC has supplied 763 tons of water to eight islands, but four more islands [ ] are in desperate need of water, he said. â€Å"The main reason is it hasn’t rained for a long time it’s the dry season,† said Moosa. â€Å"Even more islands are believed to face this problem. The department of meteorology has forecast the dry season will continue until June [2009]. The NDMC has spent an estimated US$60,000 to supply water to the 12 islands. â€Å"I am very upset with the government because we need water,† said 42-year old Jameela Aboobakuru from Gaafaru. â€Å"We ran out of water, so we borrowed water from our brother. When he ran out of water we started buying bottled water imported from Male’. † She said her 12-member family was spending US$22 a day to buy bottled water for drinking and cooking; their daily income, she added, was only US$26. On another island, Gulhi, Ahmed Ibrahim, the island office assistant director, said islanders had been importing bottles water from the capital as well as in jerry cans. â€Å"They are getting water somehow,† he said, â€Å"but the island needs a permanent solution to this problem like piped desalinated water. † Kaleyfaan agreed, saying although water was supplied to the islands from Male’, it was necessary to seek a long-term solution such the installation of a desalination plant on every island. We are already in the process of installing a desalination plant in a boat, so that in emergencies we can supply water by travelling between islands,† he said. [ ] Almost 100 per cent of islanders use rainwater as the main source of drinking and cooking water. In [the capital] Male, 100 per cent of the population has access to piped desalinated water. After the 2004 tsunami, 38 islands were provided desalination plants by UN that are operated daily or on emergency basis.

King Lears Emotional Stages :: essays research papers

King Lear’s Emotional Stages   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout the play King Lear, Shakespeare portrays King Lear as a normal human being with a very complex and fragile character. In this very sentimental play, Shakespeare places Lear through the worst anguish of his life (Bruhl 312). The anguish Lear goes through helps him finally realize that human nature is not always loving, caring, and giving as his kingship disguises him to think. One may describe the mental states Lear goes through as myriad mental states. Throughout the play Lear reaches many realizations through his mistakes and symbolic madness, people’s wrong doings toward him, and his return to sanity through redemptive salvation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lear makes many mistakes at the end of his lifetime. The want of an untroubled life of second childhood without the responsibilities of a well respected king is the main mistake Lear makes. The slippage of his self- image finally causes him to go mad (Dominic 233). Before Lear goes mad he realizes the state in which he is turning when he states, “My wits begin to turn.';( III.ii.67). Lear’s suffering is primarily mental and climaxes when Regan throws him out in the storm (Bruhl 317). The main mistakes appears “ as he [Lear] enters the phantasmagoria [fantastic imagery, as in a dream] of his madness';( Halio 192). This type of thinking makes Lear become mentally unstable.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One can attribute King Lear’s main mental anguishes to the direct act of wrong doing towards him. The wrong doings cause so much suffering because it comes from the two people he thought loved him more than any person on earth, Goneril and Regan. These ungrateful daughters strip Lear of his knights when he gives over his power (Dominic 233) of which this quote makes an exemplary example: Regan: And speak’t again, my lord. No more with me Lear: Those wicked creatures yet do look well favored When others are more wicked: not being the worst Stand in some rank of praise. I’ll go with thee. Thy fifty yet doth double five-and-twenty And thou are twice her love. Goneril:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hear me, my lord: What need you five and twenty, ten, or five,... Regan:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What need one? Lear: O, reason not the need! Our beset beggars Are in the poorest thing superfluous. (II.iv.257-267) This conversation describes how evil subverts good; but in the end good is victorious (Ribner 136). Lear’s daughters cause him to think that everyone who says they love him will turn on him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the end of the story, Lear reaches the pinnacle of redemptive salvation. Lear sees his imprisonment as a time he and Cordelia can “live, / and pray, and sing, and tell old tales, and laugh/ At guilded butterflies and

WTO Dispute Settlement Understanding: Case Studies Essay -- World Trade

WTO Dispute Settlement Understanding: Case Studies The World Trade Organization implemented the Dispute Settlement Understanding (DSU) as a means for member countries to settle trade disputes in an orderly process. The process involves an alleged injured country (complainant) filing a request for consultations with the alleged injuring party (respondent). If the consultations do not result in a mutually acceptable outcome, the complainant may request a Panel to hear the case and provide recommendations in accordance with GATT other WTO agreements. If either party disputes the outcome, they may appeal to the Appellate Body (AB), which may uphold or overturn the panel’s decision. Compliance with the recommendations is not compulsory however if a country does not conform to recommendations, the other party may request and impose sanctions on the other party if they are granted (Trebilock, Howe, & Eliason, 2013). Following are summaries of three cases presented before the Dispute Settlement Body. Japan — Measures Affecting the Importation of Apples On March 1, 2002, the United States (US) filed a request for consultations with Japan concerning their Sanitary Phytosanitary (SPS) regulations. At issue was Japans policy of restricting importation of apples from the US to prevent against fire blight bacterium. Since 1994, Japan had required triannual inspection of US apple orchards for fire blight, and banned importation from any orchard showing sign of the blight within a 500-meter perimeter of the orchard. It further required the sanitization of harvested apples with chlorine. The US argued Japan's measures appear to be inconsistent with the obligations of Japan under Article XI of GATT 1994, Articles 2.2, 2.3, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5... ...pan - Measures affecting the importation of apples - Report of the panel. Retrieved from World Trade Organization: https://docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages/FE_Search/FE_S_S009-DP.aspx?language=E&CatalogueIdList=14714&CurrentCatalogueIdIndex=0&FullTextSearch= Summary. (2010, February 24). Summary of the dispute to date. Retrieved from World Trade Organization: http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dispu_e/cases_e/ds245_e.htm Trebilock, M., Howe, R., & Eliason, A. (2013). The Regulation of International Trade. New York, NY: Routledge. WT/DS243/8. (2003, July 21). United States - Rules of Origin for Textiles and Apparel Products - Panel Report - Action by the Dispute Settlement Body. Retrieved from World Trade Organization: https://docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages/FE_Search/FE_S_S006.aspx?Query=(@Symbol=%20wt/ds243/*)&Language=ENGLISH&Context=FomerScriptedSearch&languageUIChanged=true#

Oystercard – Electronic Ticketing System

[pic] Oyster Card – Electronic Ticketing [pic] â€Å"Time is money, we are told, and increasing mobility is a way of saving time, but how successful are modern transport systems at saving time? â€Å" (John Whitelegg, â€Å"Time Pollution†, Ecologist 23, no. 4 – 1993) Service choice reasons [pic] If you live in London, you will probably know the Oyster Card fairly well. More or less everybody has one. You use it to pay for bus or tube travel – top up some money on the card and instead of buying a paper ticket each time, just place your card on a yellow reader, and it will work out how much the journey cost and automatically deduct it from your card. It does save a ton of time, and quite a bit of money too (tickets are cheaper on Oyster). When I first came to London, I found extremely benefcial using the Oyster Card to move around the city and realized how crucial is this service in order to make people travel fast and saving time during their journey. I come from a place where the concept of â€Å"Public Transport† is missed at all. We do not have underground systems, buses are few and always late. In my hometown, Palermo, there are neither tram nor boat services and if you want to cycling you have not to be fussy: bicycle paths are just in the historical centre, which is the â€Å"car† kingdom. Last but not least, people are not used to walk even if distances are very short. I have chosen to analyse the Oyster Card as I honestly think it is a light, useful and well-designed service supporting another service, in other worlds: an electronic ticketing serving the public transport system. Travelling around London, I have been using my Student Oyster Card and I rarely had problems. When it has happened, I have always found punctual and kind help from the London Underground Staff. In a Metropolis as London is, where our journey is not an easy one, we need to go fast, simplifying all the touch points that allow us to buy a ticket, to board on a bus or to finally come back home. My experience with this service has been pleasant and easy so far, and I guess most of the people who live in London will agree with me. [pic] Piccadilly Circus – picture taken by myself. Value proposition [pic] Project: Oyster Card Designer: Transys Year: 2002 [pic] The Oyster Card, developed as part of the ? 1. 2 billion Private Finance Initiative, was introduced for three reasons: first, to reduce queuing at ticket offices during peak periods; second, to make better use of staff; and third, to reduce fraud. Transport for London placed the contract with Transys, a consortium of specialist firms, for the provision of an advanced ticketing system. It was hoped that the Oyster Card would eventually replace most paper tickets. The smartcard system went live in November 2002 when the Oyster brand was launched and the first cards were made available to 80,000 staff. [1] Fraud, estimated to be running at ? 43million per year, was the main driver of the project. The main loss of revenue stemmed from customers either travelling without tickets or using tickets not valid for the whole journey. Other countries have similar smart cards and some of them are used for other types of micro-payments as well as transport – for example Hong Kong's Octopus card and Japan's Suica card. At the moment about over 70 similar systems are runned across 5 continents. Since the Oyster card has been introduced in London, the advantages for the customer have been the speed and ease with which they can get through barriers and on to the station, and also in the savings that they make through using the Oyster Card. It can currently be used on the London Underground, London buses and trams, Docklands Light Railway and National Rail Services in London, providing â€Å"seamless journeys across London†. In future, the Oyster Card will be linked to the provision of other services including shopping. This is a great example of advances in technology being applied to improve customer experience. [2] Core service [pic] What it is for? The  Oyster Card  is a form of electronic ticketing used on public transport services within the  Greater London  area of the United Kingdom. Where can use it? Oyster Card is promoted by Transport for London and is valid on a number of different travel systems across London, including: o London Underground; o buses; o the  Docklands Light Railway  (DLR); o London Overground,  trams; o some  river boat services; o most  National Rail  services within the London Fare Zones. How it looks like? A standard Oyster Card is a blue  credit-card-sized  stored value card  which can hold a variety of single tickets, period tickets and travel permits which must be added to the card prior to travel. It is also a  contactless smartcard  which passengers must touch onto electronic reader when entering and leaving the transport system in order to validate it or deduct funds. [pic] [pic] Front and back of an early Oyster card. How it works? The way Oyster works is pretty simple: you purchase the card, buy tickets or concessions either at terminals or online, then swipe the card at a reader when you take a train or bus trip. The Oyster card makes ticketing much more efficient for the consumer: no paper tickets, no handover of cash, little to no interaction with ticketing staff, speedier processing when entering the train station or bus. For the transport authorities, there are cost savings and instances of ticket payment avoidance / counterfeit are greatly reduced [pic] Oyster Card aims to replace the paper Travelcard by storing period tickets electronically. [pic] [pic] Examples of card readers at London Tube Stations. The cards may be â€Å"recharged† in person from numerous sales points, by  recurring payment authority  or by  online purchase. Usage is encouraged by offering substantially cheaper fares on Oyster than payment with cash. [3] The card was first issued to the public in July 2003 with a limited range of features and there continues to be a phased introduction of further functions. By March 2007 over 10 million Oyster cards had been issued[4], and more than 80% of all journeys on services run by Transport for London used the Oyster card. [5] Technology [pic] The Oyster card is a  contactless smartcard, with a claimed proximity range of about 8  cm (3  inches). The scheme is operated by  TranSys, and is based on  NXP/Philips'  MIFARE  standard 1k chips provided by Giesecke & Devrient  and  SchlumbergerSema. [6] [pic] A damaged card, revealing the microchip in the lower right corner, and the aerial running around the edge of the card. MIFARE DESFire  is now being rolled out on newly issued Oyster cards starting January 5th 2010. It is the same contactless smartcard as  Touch ‘n Go  card in  Malaysia  which is mainly used for tollway fares. [pic] The  malasian Touch ‘n Go  or  TnG  smart card. The technology used for the Oyster card is known as  radio-frequency identification  (RFID), which is the same technology used in other electronic pass cards like Japan's  Suica  fare cards and other cards used all over the world. [7] [pic] The japanese Suica  ( Suika )  smart card. Suica Smart Card additional services: – Operating lockers; – Airport check-in; – Coupon; – Bank account access. Advertising, Brand Identity and Analogies [pic] The London Tube Oyster card resides inside a plastic thingie that opens up, just like a clam (oyster) does. According to Nicole Carrol, then of EDS, the name reflects the way â€Å"the oyster protects a pearl in much the same way that the card protects the cardholder's money. â€Å"[8] [pic] [pic][pic] Oyster Current more popular Oyster card wallet By Ikea Yellow background, blue writing, unmistakably IKEA. But it is not justt the colours of the most popular Oyster Card which remarks the sponsor, it is also the sentence(s) on the leaflet: â€Å"Travel is a means to an end. Home. † Fact behind the story: It’s the IKEA latest campaign about putting the concept of HOME in the Londoners minds. Two years ago, in fact, Swedish home store Ikea is launching a ? 2 million outdoor campaign which included sponsorship of the Ideal Homes Show 2008. Since the Oyster Card has been introduced, several different type of wallets have been launched and produced such as: Designer Oyster Card Wallets, Oxfam, Pimp My Oystercard (by Ben Jarvis and Tim Crook -badoyster, a Company that makes satirical oyster card wallets. [9]), Virgin, and so on. Every one aimed to advertising or sponsoring a Brand or a Company just because a Oyster Card wallet is a good launch window. [pic][pic][pic] [pic][pic][pic] Exaples of Oyster card wallet. Adverstising Campaigns examples: Agency: M & C Saatchi Client: Transport for London a. One poster was headlined â€Å"Blue is the new pink†. It showed a photograph of a one day Travelcard and an Oyster card. Text below stated â€Å"Faster Smarter Easier Oyster†. b. A second poster was headlined â€Å"The correct change†. It showed a photograph of an Oyster card. Text below stated â€Å"Faster Smarter Easier Oyster†. c. A third poster stated â€Å"Did you know? Using Oyster is cheaper than buying daily single tickets. Ask our staff about Oyster Pre Pay. † d. A fourth poster stated â€Å"Still paying cash for single and daily tickets? Using Oyster Pre Pay is: cheaper quicker – avoid queues more convenient – no need to plan your journey in advance †¦ â€Å". [10] Features Registration and protection Oyster Cards can be registered or protected for loss or theft. Full registration can be done at a  London Underground  station, an Oyster Ticket Stop (shop) or a Travel Information Centre: an Oyster registration form must be filled in (either at time of purchase or subsequently). Registration enables the customer to buy any product for the card and to have an after-sales service, and it protects against theft or loss. All adult Oyster Cards purchased online or by phone are fully registered. (This does not include Visitor Oyster Cards. ) Oyster Cards obtained at stations or shops cannot be fully registered online. However customers can  protect their Oyster Card online by setting up an Oyster online account and recording their card to that account. Sales Oyster Cards can be purchased from a number of different outlets in the London area: London Underground or London Overground ticket windows; o cash-only vending machines at some stations, they charge ? 5 for the card (? 3 refundable deposit and ? 2 worth of credit); o about 2,300 Oyster Ticket Stop agents (usually newsagent shops); o selected National Rail stations which are also served by London Underground; o Travel Information Centres; o online via the Oystercard website; o by telephone sales from TfL. [1 1] [pic] Oyster Card Machine installed at London Bridge station in December 2006. A refundable deposit of ? 3 is paid for all new Oyster Cards. 12] A registration form is provided at the time of purchase. If the form is not completed the Oyster Card is restricted to Pay as you go and weekly tickets. Most National Rail stations and termini do not sell or top up Oyster card products; TfL publish a list of the participating stations. At several main line termini, TfL run Travel Information Centres which do sell Oyster. Reporting Touch screen ticket machines report the last eight journeys and last top-up amount. The same information is available as a print-out from ticket offices, and also on-board London Buses by request. The balance is displayed on some Underground barriers at the end of journeys that have caused a debit from the balance and can also be requested at newsagents and National Rail stations that provide a top-up facility. A complete 8 week ‘touch' history can be requested from Transport for London: For registered and protected Oyster Cards, Transport for London can provide the history for the previous 8 weeks, but no further back. The Oyster website gives details of the most recent journeys charged to pay as you go if and only if credit has been purchased online, but not for other journeys, or those paid for by Travelcard. Renewals When the Oyster Card Travelcard is due to expire, it can be renewed at the normal sales points and ticket machines at London Underground or London Overground stations, Oyster Ticket Stop agents, or some National Rail stations. Travelcards can also be renewed online via the Oystercard website, or by telephone sales from TfL; users must then nominate a Tube station where they will swipe their card in order to charge up the card with the funds purchased. This can only be done the day after ordering. [13]Travelcard renewals cannot be added from a reader on a bus. Recharging When the PAYG balance runs low, the balance can be topped up at the normal sales points or ticket machines at London Underground or London Overground stations, Oyster Ticket Stops or some National Rail stations. All ticket offices at stations run by London Underground will sell or recharge Oyster cards, or handle Oyster card refunds. However, some Tube stations are actually operated by National Rail train operating companies, and their ticket offices will not deal with Oyster refunds. DLR ticket offices do not sell any Oyster Card top-ups or handle refunds. PAYG funds and Travelcard season tickets (but not Bus & Tram Passes) can also be purchased online via the Oyster online website or by calling the Oyster helpline; users must then select one station or tram stop where they will validate their card in order to load the funds or Travelcard purchased. This should be done as part of a normal journey to avoid the risk of paying an Oyster maximum fare. If the customer is purchasing PAYG, the top up will be at the gates of their nominated station, or Tramlink stop the  next  day (ready for first train, provided they made the purchase before 11 PM the previous night). It will remain at the gates for 7 further days before dropping off the system. If the customer purchases a Travelcard season ticket, it will ‘arrive' at the gates, up to 5 days before the start date of the ticket and will remain there until 2 days after the ticket has started. If the customer does not make their pick up in time, it will take a further 14 days to refund automatically to the bank card they made the purchase with. [14]Top-ups of this type cannot be added from a reader on a bus. Auto top-up Customers can set up and manage Auto top-up online for their existing Oyster Card. They register a  debit  or  credit card, make a payg top-up purchase (minimum ? 5) and select either ? 20 or ? 40 as the Auto top-up amount. Alternatively, a new Oyster card with Auto top-up and a mimimum of ? 5 pay as you go can be ordered via Oyster online. Whenever the pay as you go balance falls below ? 5, ? 20 or ? 40 is added to the balance automatically when the Oyster Card is touched on an entry validator. A light on the Oyster reader flashes to indicate the Auto top-up has taken place and an email is sent to confirm the transaction. Payment is then taken from the registered debit or credit card. To ensure successful transactions, customers must record any changes to their billing address and update their debit or credit card details as necessary. [pic] Top up machine Touching in and out system [pic][pic][pic] London Underground ticket barriers with yellow Oyster readers Travellers touch the card on a distinctive yellow circular reader (a  Cubic  Tri-Reader) on the automated barriers at  London Underground  stations to ‘touch in' and ‘touch out' at the start and end of a journey (contact is not necessary, but the range of the reader is only a few inches). Tram stops and  buses  also have readers, on the driver/conductor's ticket machine and, in articulated buses, near the other entrances also. Oyster Cards can be used to store both period  travelcards  and bus passes (of one week or more), and a  Pay as you go  balance. The system is  asynchronous, the current balance and ticket data being held electronically on the card rather than in the central database. The main database is updated periodically with information received from the card by barriers and validators. Tickets bought online or over the telephone are â€Å"loaded† at a barrier or validator at a preselected location. [pic][pic][pic] Oyster validators are placed at most entrances on London buses. Pay as you go system Oyster Route Validators [pic] The yellow symbol for Oyster validators. In addition to holding  Travelcards  and bus passes, Oyster Cards can also be used as  stored-value cards, holding electronic funds of money. Amounts are deducted from the card each time it is used, and the funds can be â€Å"recharged† when required. The maximum value that an Oyster card may hold is ? 90. This system is known as â€Å"pay as you go† (abbreviated PAYG), because instead of holding a season ticket, the user only pays at the point of use. The use of PAYG differs across the various modes of transport in London, and passengers are sometimes required to follow different procedures to pay for their journey correctly. [pic] The pink symbol for Oyster Route validators In 2009, TfL introduced a new form of Oyster Card validator. These validators, distinguished from the standard yellow validators with a pink-coloured reader, do not deduct funds but are used at peripheral interchange points to confirm journey details. Oyster Pay as you go users travelling between two points without passing through Zone 1 are eligible for a lower fare, and from the 6 September 2009 they can confirm their route by touching their Oyster Cards on the pink validators when they change trains. By doing this, they can be charged the appropriate fare without paying for Zone 1 travel. [pic] A Thames Clipper river bus service As with Underground, Buses, River Buses and DLR journeys, Oyster PAYG users on National Rail must swipe their card at the start and end of the journey to pay the correct fare. PAYG funds may also be used to cover any additional fares due from season ticket holders who have travelled outside the valid zones of their season ticket. Many large National Rail stations in London have Oyster Card-compatible barriers. [pic] National Rail ticket barriers with yellow Oyster readers [pic] Standalone Oyster readers provided at interchange stations between National Rail and the Tube. Pricing The pricing system is fairly complex, and changes from time to time. The most up to date fares can be found on Transport for London's FareFinder website. To encourage passengers to switch to Oyster, payg fares (including Bus and Tram fares) are generally much cheaper than cash fares: A cash bus or tram fare is ? 2, while the single Oyster fare is ? 1. 20, but capped at ? 3. 90 for any number of trips in a day. Using pay as you go, a single trip on the Tube within Zone 1 costs ? 1. 80 (compared to ? 4 cash), or from ? 1. 30 (? 3. 50 cash) within any other single zone. Penalty fares and maximum Oyster fare In order to prevent â€Å"misuse† by a stated 2% of passengers, from 19 November 2006 pay as you go users who do not both ‘touch in' at the start and ‘touch out' at the end of their  rail network  journeys are charged a ‘maximum Oyster fare' – currently ? 6 (Mon – Fri 06:30 – 09:30 & 16:00 – 19:00) / ? 4. 30 (at all other times) for most journeys, or more if the journey begins or ends at certain National Rail stations. Depending on the journey made, the difference between this maximum fare and the actual fare due is automatically refunded to the user's Oyster Card upon touching out. Users must touch in and out even if the ticket barriers are open. At stations where Oyster is accepted but that do not have ticket barriers, an Oyster pass validator will be provided for the purposes of touching in and out. The maximum cash fare applies even if the daily price cap has been reached and does not count towards the cap. Maximum cash fares may be contested by telephone to the Oyster helpline on 0845 330 9876. [15] This involves providing the Oyster Card number and the relevant journey details; further journeys appearing on the card are helpful to validate the user's claim. If the claim is accepted then the maximum Oyster fare minus the cost of the journey will be refunded. The customer should make the pick up as part of his or her regular travel pattern. This is because when they touch the reader with their Oyster Card, not only will the refund go on to the card, but a new journey will start. Oyster users who do not touch in or out when making a journey (in only for bus and tram journeys) may be liable to pay a penalty fare (currently ? 50) and/or reported for prosecution if caught by a revenue protection inspector. Issues Technological and security issues The system has not been without technical setbacks and criticisms. Passenger groups have expressed concern that buying single travel tickets with cash is far more expensive than using Oyster Cards, and it is suggested that this is putting many tourists off coming to London. Oyster has been promoted by Visit Britain and TfL, who sell them on their website and in their offices around the world. Despite this, visitors to London have often never heard of Oyster and its benefits, and are paying higher cash fares unnecessarily. 3 deposit is also seen as a deterrent to tourists. Another complication is the confusing terms of validity on National Rail services which serve many popular tourist sites on the outskirts of London. The system has been criticised as a threat to the privacy of its users. Each Oyster card is uniquely numbered, and registration is required for monthly or longer tickets, which are no longer available on paper. Usage data are stored bot h on the card and centrally by Transport for London; recent usage can be checked by anyone in possession of the ticket at some ticket machines. Privacy groups consider it a form of mass surveillance and are concerned with how these data will be used, especially given the introduction of the London congestion charge by Mayor of London Ken Livingstone in February 2003. The police have used Oyster card data as an investigative tool, and this use is increasing. Between August 2004 and March 2006 TfL's Information Access and Compliance Team received 436 requests from the police for Oyster card information. Of these, 409 requests were granted and the data was released to the police. [16] The system has been criticised for usability issues in general system, website and top-up machine design. The most significant usability issue is that pay as you go customers who for whatever reason do not â€Å"touch out† at the end of their journeys will not be charged correctly. Users who have run up a pay as you go debt of as little as ? 1 are prohibited from using any period travelcards on the card until the debt is repaid. Another criticism is that problem diagnosis by London Underground staff is generally poor[citation needed] as the system is new and complex, and the staff unfamiliar with all its workings and insufficiently trained; this causes passenger frustration. On 10 March 2005 a software fault meant that the Oyster system was inoperable during the morning rush hour. Ticket barriers had to be left open and pay-as-you-go fares could not be collected. [17] On the day that the pay-as-you-go went live on all Oyster cards, some season ticket passengers were prevented from making a second journey on their travelcard. Upon investigation each had a negative prepay balance. This was widely reported as a major bug in the system. [18] However, the reason for the â€Å"bug† was that some season ticket holders, either knowingly or otherwise, were passing through zones not included on their tickets. The existing paper system could not prevent this kind of misuse as the barriers only checked if a paper ticket was valid in the zone the barrier was in. Touching Points and Journey Mapping [pic] Mapping the user journey from buying an Oyster Card, touching in at the barrier, catching the tube, touching out, going to work and coming back home following the backwards corse. Highlighting all the touching points: †¢ ticket machineoffice to purchase or top up the Oyster Card; †¢ barriersvalidators in and out; †¢ Tfl website; †¢ Tfl green-line; †¢ travel information center; †¢ member of the staff for questions or problems; †¢ crime department in case loststolen cards; †¢ mailletter for student or photo cards [pic] Touching points [pic] [pic] Mapping the journey Surveys and Service Implementation [pic] Source: http://www. transys. com/whatwedo/oystercardproject/results. php [pic] Source: http://www. transys. com/whatwedo/oystercardproject/implementation. hp Conclusions In Principles of Marketing, Philip Kotler defines a service as â€Å"any activity or benefit that one party can give to another, that is essentially intangible and does not result in the ownership of anything†. [19] I, like millions of other people travel to and around London every week day for work and so have found the Oyster Card an invaluable tool to help me in my journey. I think the main advantage of this card is that it means I can load a certain amount onto it for the month and then not have to worry about having actual cash on me to buy a new ticket each day. The Oyster Card can be carried in your wallet just like a credit card and so is small, handy and easy to use. The other great thing about the Oyster Card is that it's cheaper to use per journey than if you buy a ticket with cash. Another thing I like is that if you swipe in and then there is a long delay on you line and you have to swipe right out again without going anywhere you can go back up to the ticket office and have them refund your money back onto the card. This however, must be done within 15 minutes of swiping out again otherwise they will not refund it for you. I also like the fact that if you journey is delayed for fifteen minutes or more (this happens quite a bit to me, sitting in tunnels for ? hour at a time) you can log onto the website given above and ask for a refund. You can enter your Oyster Card details so they can see you are telling the truth and then you will be sent a credit voucher in the post that you can then put back onto your Oyster Card to compensate you for your inconvenience. One of my criticisms though with the Oyster Card is that it does not always swipe first time and you are given a red light meaning you have to swipe your card again. This often causes backup at the gate, especially at rush hour in the mornings or evening. Generally I find it is because you are standing too close to the gate and so if you back away a bit you should be ok to swipe after that. One thing I would urge is that you need to make sure that you swipe in and then remember to swipe out to complete a full journey and to avoid being charged a full amount. On one hand we can safely assume that such services are an optimized solution for our current need of travelling fast. On the other hand, we do not know the unpredictable consequences of our design actions. As John Thackara worn us, increases in mobility cause negative impact on the environment [20] and we use time gained by speed in order to travel further [21]. ———————– [1] http://www. transys. com/whatwedo/oystercardproject. php [2] Bill Hollins – http://www. designcouncil. org. uk/About-Design/Design-Disciplines/Service-design-by-Bill-Hollins/13-lessons-in-service-design/. [3] â€Å"What is Oyster? â€Å". Transport for London. Retrieved 10 August 2008. 4]  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Mayor to give away 100,000 free Oyster cards†. Media Centre  (Greater London Authority). 17 April 2007. Retrieved 8 October 2007. [5] â€Å"New deal with Visit London and Superbreak makes Oyster even more convenient†. Press Centre  (Visit London). 28 August 2007. Retrieved 8 October 2007. [6] MIFARE. net  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  Easing travel in London’s co ngested public transport network [7] â€Å"Smart-card ticketing goes Underground†. ZDNet. 20 October 2002. Retrieved 8 October 2007. [8] http://www. rfidnews. org/2002/12/01/a-tube-full-of-oysters-london-goes-contactless -A tube full of Oysters? London goes contactless . [9] http://londonist. com/2007/03/pimp_my_oysterc. php [10]http://www. asa. org. uk/Complaints-and-ASA-action/Adjudications/2005/11/Transport-For London/CS_40497. aspx [11] Transport for London  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Oyster online shop [12] Changes to Oyster card deposit from 17 May 2009  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Transport for London. Retrieved 27 September 2009 [13] Transport for London. â€Å"Oyster online help†. Retrieved 17 November 2007. [14] Transport for London. â€Å"Oyster online help†. Retrieved 17 November 2007. [15] â€Å"What should I do if I can't touch out at the end of my journey? . Transport For London helpsite. Retrieved 19 June 2008. [16] OysterCardRFI – Letter from TfL in response to a freedom of information request [17] BBC News – ‘? 50,000 lost' in Oyster failure. [18] BBC News – Inquiry into Tube's Oyster card [19] Philip  Kotler, Gary Armstrong – 2005 – Business & Economics- Chapter 9-pp 276. [20] John Thackara. In the Bubble – Designing in a Complex World. The MIT Press, Massachussetts – 2006. [21] John Thackara. In the Bubble – Designing in a Complex World. The MIT Press, chussetts – 2006.