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.

Credit Score Essay Essay Example

Credit Score Essay Essay Example Credit Score Essay Essay Credit Score Essay Essay Thesis Statement: Credit scores are a fair measure to help lenders estimate potential risk. Thesis Statement: Credit scores are a fair measure to help lenders estimate potential risk. IThere are many different companies that specialize in credit scores. Some of these companies include Experian, Transunion, and Equifax are the three most popular credit bureaus in use today. A. Equifax – most up to date information, information good format and easy to understand B. Experian – very reliable information can be old data that is being used to estimate score. Not updated regularly and site is user friendly C. Transunion – very out of date information and site was hard to navigate with very confusing information D. Talk about different information that is on site II Each credit bureau finds and handles their information differently and each creit bureau has their own formula for defining a persons credit score. A. The generalized factors B. each bureaus individual factors C. how to boost those factors to help your score III For most people the idea of a credit score is daunting because until recently credit scores have not had such an impact on peoples borrowing. A. discuss what score actually is B. Who uses the scores C. ways to protect yourself against a bad score IV Recently with the newfound importance of a persons credit score, there have been issues with people falsely obtaining lines of credit using other peoples information A. discuss fraud and identity theft B. ow to find out if you have been a victim C. how to correct then protect yourself in the future V With the wide varitey of information that lenders do use to estimate a persons potential risk and the amount of information that is used to compute a persons credit score, it can be said with relief that a persons credit score is a fair measure when a lender is looking at an individuals risk potential. A. overview what is credit score made of B. how is information portrayed c. review quick how to find yourself and keep informed

Erikson’s eight stages theory Essay Example

Erikson’s eight stages theory Essay Example Erikson’s eight stages theory Essay Erikson’s eight stages theory Essay Erikson’s eight stages theory have been one of the most popular in developmental psychology and in the study of human development. The eight stages he identified corresponds adequately to the major life stages that each of us pass through; infancy (birth to 18 months), early childhood (18 months to 3 years), play age (3 to 5 years), school age (6 to 12 years), adolescence (12 to 18 years), young adulthood (18 to 35 years), middle adulthood (35 to 65 years) and late adulthood (65 to death) (Boyd Bee, 2006). Erikson’s major contribution is in the virtues that a person must gain in each stage as a developmental task that would enable the person to succeed in the succeeding stages (Boyd Bee, 2006). The theory describes very real situations that each person experiences one way or another within his/her lifetime.The underlying motivation for a person’s behavior in a given stage is based on his/her need to resolve the developmental issues of that particular stage, thu s an old man who is always grumpy and unhappy and difficult may have not been able to accomplish his goals and dreams and hence he behaves in that way. Another example is when an adolescent striving to form her own identity experiments and try out different things in order for her to determine who she is and what she wants to be, thus explaining risk taking behavior prevalent in adolescence. The strength of the theory is that it is a common sense approach to the study of human development. It is a reality that life progresses in a series of stages, and as a person grows older, his/her interests and goals also change, if the young adult was consumed with wealth, power and prestige, then late adult is more focused on relationships, friendships, spirituality and others. Erikson’s theory is based on what is normal, what is expected of each person at a given stage, and what should a person achieve in order to become successful.The criticisms of the theory center on its inability t o explain those who deviate from the stages, for example, the mid lifer who have remained unattached, single and without children who is successful and happy, another example is the couple who have married early in their teens and by 35 is already in the empty nest period. The theory’s weakness also lies in the emphasis it gave on the need to resolve the developmental tasks in a given stage in order to be successful in the next (Newman Newman, 1999), there are cases when someone chooses to be single all their life, does it mean they would be unhappy because they are not married, or the young adult who decides not to have children and focus on her career not be as fulfilled as those who had children? Lastly, the theory is based on the social norms and expectations of American life, in fact when inspected closely, the theory mirrors the American dream perpetuated in the 1960’s. it is not culturally sensitive, it does not account for variations within a society nor is it applicable to the more fast paced and complex society of today, how can the theory live up to the fact that more and more people are delaying marriage and parenthood, or that the elderly still have their careers and actively living their lives.Nonetheless, Erikson’s theory of development (1950) offers a basic explanation of the human life-span and the characteristics for its stage, he was able to identify the most salient factors in each stage, the most relevant theme for each developmental milestone and also offers a complete stage theory from birth to death which very few theories have been able to do.

Fish Weir - Ancient Fishing Tool of Hunter-Gatherers

Fish Weir - Ancient Fishing Tool of Hunter-Gatherers A fish weir or fish trap is a human-made structure built of stone, reeds, or wooden posts placed within the channel of a stream or at the edge of a tidal lagoon intended to capture fish as they swim along with the current. Fish traps are part of many small-scale fisheries around the world today, supporting subsistence farmers and sustaining people during difficult periods. When they are built and maintained following traditional ecological methodologies, they are secure ways for people to support their families. However, local management ethics have been undermined by colonial governments. For example, in the 19th century, British Columbias government passed laws to prohibit fisheries established by First Nations people. A revitalization effort is underway. Some evidence of their ancient and continuing use is found in the wide variety of names still used for fish weirs: fish impoundment, tidal weir, fishtrap or fish-trap, weir, yair, coret, gorad, kiddle, visvywer, fyshe herdes, and passive trapping. Types of Fish Weirs Regional differences are apparent in construction techniques or materials used, species harvested, and of course terminology, but the basic format and theory is the same world-wide. Fish weirs vary in size from a small temporary brush frameworks to extensive complexes of stone walls and channels. Fish traps on rivers or streams are circular, wedge-shaped, or ovoid rings of posts or reeds, with an upstream opening. The posts are often connected by basketry netting or wattle fences: the fish swim in and are trapped within the circle or upstream of the current. Tidal fish traps are typically solid low walls of boulders or blocks built across gullies: the fish swim across the top of the wall at spring high tides, and as the water recedes with the tide, they are trapped behind it. These types of fish weirs are often considered a form of fish farming (sometimes called aquaculture), since the fish can live in the trap for a period until they are harvested. Often, according to ethnographic research, the fish weir is regularly dismantled at the beginning of the spawning season, so fish may freely find mates. Invention and Innovation The earliest fish weirs known were made by complex hunter-gatherers all over the world during the Mesolithic of Europe, the Archaic period in North America, the Jomon in Asia, and other similarly dated hunter-gatherer cultures around the world. Fish traps were used well into the historic period by many groups of hunter-gatherers, and in fact still are, and ethnographic information about historic fish weir use has been gathered from North America, Australia, and South Africa. Historical data has also been collected from medieval period fish weir use in the UK and Ireland. What weve learned from these studies gives us information about the methods of fish trapping, but also about the importance of fish to hunter-gatherer societies and at least a glimmer of light into traditional ways of life. Dating Fishtraps Fish weirs are difficult to date, in part some of them were used for decades or centuries and were dismantled and rebuilt in the same locations. The best dates come from radiocarbon assays on wooden stakes or basketry which were used to construct the trap, which only dates the latest rebuild. If a fish trap was completely dismantled, the likelihood that it left evidence is very slim. Fishbone assemblages from adjacent middens have been used as a proxy for the use of a fish weir. Organic sediments such as pollen or charcoal in the bottoms of traps have also been used. Other methods used by scholars include identifying local environmental changes such as changing sea level or the formation of sandbars that would impact the weirs use. Recent Studies The earliest known fish traps to date are from Mesolithic sites in marine and freshwater locations in the Netherlands and Denmark, dated to between 8,000 and 7,000 years ago. In 2012, scholars reported new dates on the Zamostje 2 weirs near Moscow, Russia, of more than 7,500 years ago. Neolithic and Bronze Age wooden structures are known at Wooton-Quarr on the Isle of Wight and along the shores of the Severn estuary in Wales. The Band e-Dukhtar irrigation works of the Achaemenid dynasty of the Persian Empire, which includes a stone weir, dates between 500–330 BCE. Muldoons Trap Complex, a stone-walled fish trap at Lake Condah in western Victoria, Australia, was constructed 6600 calendar years ago (cal BP) by removing basalt bedrock to create a bifurcated channel. Excavated by Monash University and the local Gundijmara Aboriginal community, Muldoons is an eel-trapping facility, one of many located near Lake Condah. It has a complex of at least 350 meters of constructed channels running alongside an ancient lava flow corridor. It was used as recently as the 19th century to trap fish and eels, but excavations reported in 2012 included AMS radiocarbon dates of 6570–6620 cal BP. The earliest weirs in Japan are currently associated with the transition from hunting and gathering to farming, generally at the end of the Jomon period (ca. 2000–1000 BC). In southern Africa, stone-walled fishtraps (called visvywers) are known but not direct-dated as of yet. Rock art paintings and fish bone assemblages from marine sites there suggest dates between 6000 and 1700 BP. Fish weirs have also been recorded in several locations in North America. The oldest appears to be the Sebasticook Fish Weir in central Maine, where a stake returned a radiocarbon date of 5080 RCYPB (5770 cal BP). Glenrose Cannery at the mouth of the Fraser River in British Columbia dates to about 4000–4500 RCYBP (4500-5280 cal BP). Fish weirs in southeastern Alaska date to ca. 3,000 years ago. A Few Archaeological Fish Weirs Asia:  Asahi (Japan), Kajiko (Japan)Australia:  Muldoons Trap Complex (Victoria), Ngarrindjeri (South Australia)Middle East/West Asia:  Hibabiya  (Jordan),  Band-e Dukhtar  (Turkey)North America:  Sebasticook (Maine),  Boylston Street Fish Weir  (Massachusetts), Glenrose Cannery (British Columbia), Big Bear (Washington), Fair Lawn-Paterson Fish Weir (New Jersey)UK:  Gorad-y-Gyt (Wales), Wooton-Quarry (Isle of Wight), Blackwater estuary weirs (Essex), Ashlett Creek (Hampshire)dRussia:  Zamostje 2 The Future of Fish Trapping Some government-sponsored programs have been funded to blend traditional fish weir knowledge from indigenous peoples with scientific research. The purpose of these efforts is to make fish weir construction safe and productive while maintaining ecological balances and keeping the costs and materials within the range of families and communities, especially in the face of climate change. One such recent study is described by Atlas and colleagues, on weir construction for the exploitation of sockeye salmon in British Columbia. That combined work by members of the Heiltsuk Nation and Simon Fraser University to rebuild weirs on the Koeye River, and establish fish population monitoring. A STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education program has been developed (Kern and colleagues) to engage students in the construction of fish weirs, the Fish Weir Engineering Challenge. Sources Atlas, William I., et al. Ancient Fish Weir Technology for Modern Stewardship: Lessons from Community-Based Salmon Monitoring. Ecosystem Health and Sustainability 3.6 (2017): 1341284. Print.Cooper, John P., et al. A Saxon Fish Weir and Undated Fish Trap Frames near Ashlett Creek, Hampshire, Uk: Static Structures on a Dynamic Foreshore. Journal of Maritime Archaeology 12.1 (2017): 33–69. Print.Jeffery, Bill. Reviving Community Spirit: Furthering the Sustainable, Historical and Economic Role of Fish Weirs and Traps. Journal of Maritime Archaeology 8.1 (2013): 29–57. Print.Kennedy, David. Recovering the Past from above Hibabiya - an Early Islamic Village in the Jordanian Desert? Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy 22.2 (2011): 253–60. Print.Kern, Anne, et al. The Fish Weir: A Culturally Relevant Stem Activity. Science Scope 30.9 (2015): 45–52. Print.Langouà «t, Loà ¯c, and Marie-Yvane Daire. Ancient Maritime Fish-Traps of Brittany (France): A Reappraisal of the Relationship between Human and Coastal Environment During the Holocene. Journal of Maritime Archaeology 4.2 (2009): 131–48. Print. Losey, Robert. Animism as a Means of Exploring Archaeological Fishing Structures on Willapa Bay, Washington, USA. Cambridge Archaeological Journal 20.01 (2010): 17–32. Print.McNiven, Ian J., et al. Dating Aboriginal Stone-Walled Fishtraps at Lake Condah, Southeast Australia. Journal of Archaeological Science 39.2 (2012): 268–86. Print.OSullivan, Aidan. Place, Memory and Identity among Estuarine Fishing Communities: Interpreting the Archaeology of Early Medieval Fish Weirs. World Archaeology 35.3 (2003): 449–68. Print.Ross, Peter J. Ngarrindjeri Fish Traps of the Lower Murray Lakes and Northern Coorong Estuary, South Australia. MSc, Maritime Archaeology. Flinders University of South Australia, 2009. Print.Saha, Ratan K., and Dilip Nath. Indigenous Technical Knowledge (Itk) of Fish Farmers at Dhalai District of Tripura, Ne India. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge 12.1 (2013): 80–84. Print.Takahashi, Ryuzaburou. Symbiotic Relations between Paddy-Field R ice Cultivators and Hunter-Gatherer-Fishers in Japanese Prehistory: Archaeological Considerations of the Transition from the Jomon Age to the Yayoi Age. Senri Ethnological Studies. Eds. Ikeya, K., H. Ogawa and P. Mitchell. Vol. 732009. 71–98. Print.

Ethic and Morality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ethic and Morality - Essay Example To fully define the anti-nature concept, Nietzsche makes it clear that when one denies his own passion, then he is denying the reality. To him, the greatest and best moralities are those, which accommodate nature while the weakest are those who deny it. Particular, the philosopher state that an individual should have a free will to choose what he or she wants and nothing should control or trigger him to do something. In his concept of morality as anti-nature, Nietzsche stated how the extensiveness of morality and religion alter the human nature. Even though many people believe that religion provides a sense of direction in life, the philosopher strongly disagreed. According to him, following a religion means ignoring the nature of humanity since an individual is forced to act in a certain way that pleases the Maker. I disagree with Nietzsche since his argument opposes the religion and thus, discourages most Christians from reading. This essay supports Irish Murdoch’s philosoph y since he captivates readers’ attention with her adequate knowledge in literature and philosophy. Although both Nietzsche and Murdoch deal with the concept of morality in a similar way, there are differences on how the two present their argument. Nietzsche based his argument on a naturalistic perspective of how religion contradicts how humanity is responsible for controlling their given passions and nature. However, Murdoch includes religion in the equation of morality. He based his argument on morality without and with God thus allowing readers to understand his point of views (Jacobus 55). Unlike Nietzsche, Murdoch engages other people’s philosophies in great depth and further incorporates them in her discussion. Nietzsche uses deists’ intellectuals and gives no or little credibility to their experiences and beliefs. While researchers, scholars, and deists can think about other philosophers’ argument on the subject while reading Murdoch argument, Murdo ch creates a platform where readers can decline or accept her argument at any point. Based on how Murdoch presents her arguments, readers can think that the author has not yet concluded her argument but given her readers a free will to choose what they believe. Nietzsche does not take a psychological path to examine the virtue of duty or responsibility (Friedrich 405). Although both Murdoch and Nietzsche derive their beliefs about morality from nature, Nietzsche quoted that â€Å"each individual has the duty to carry out his passions. Just as modern moral philosophers were rediscovering the virtues, social psychologists were uncovering evidence of the church being hostile to human nature † (Friedrich 404). The moralities of being weak in life are discussed in the religious cloak and in this case, Nietzsche believes that the church is hostile to human nature. From Nietzsche’s argument, one can derive the fact that the greatest moralities are those that embrace nature wh ile the weakest deny it. At this point, Nietzsche provides readers with a system that can benefit human beings in life especially on love and hostility. However, Murdoch takes a psychological path and examines the virtue of responsibility or duty. At this point, Murdoch believes that fulfilling one’s duty towards nations, institutions, and others is virtuous deed outside religion. Murdoch continues to argue that dutifulness is in our human nature. It is crucial

Qualitative methods - Participant observation Research Paper

Qualitative methods - Participant observation - Research Paper Example Literature Review: Introduction: Participant observation has its roots in anthropological studies, where researchers would go to a far away place to study the customs and practices of less known societies (Lakono et-al, 2009). With regard to a qualitative method such as semi-structured interviews, the process involves a researcher speaking to research subjects and then attempting to make sense of what has been said by reviewing the transcript of the conversation (Tolhurst, 2012).To avoid biased remarks, the researcher has to learn to put aside their preconceptions (Kutsche, revised 2008). Challenges: The challenges that face researchers in the field of qualitative research, otherwise referred to as ethnographic fieldwork, which encompasses participant observation are enormous and disorienting. These short theoretical explanations make it clear that we are dealing with a social phenomenon that confronts researchers with a new complexity in terms of special disruption, and at the same time, a highly connected social formation (Richter, 2012). The social sciences have particularly advanced in application of qualitative methods, including gender concerns. The desire to overcome the separation of productive and reproductive labour in the lives of both sexes is a desire that can only be achieved if labour unions perceive gender relations as a political challenge demanding their attention (Morgenroth, 2012). Jun Li, in her research in the field of female gambling, sums up some of her challenges in a slightly disturbing fashion. By assuming a covert research role, I was able to observe natural occurrences in gambling settings, but unable to make peace with disturbing feelings of my research concealment. By uncovering my research identity, I was able to fulfill ethical obligations as a researcher, but unable to get he female gamblers to speak their minds (Jun Li, 2008). According to Jun Li, she may never have succeeded in uncovering the individual secrets behind their p erformance in the game, and for any other matters they considered her an outsider. Participant Observation Definition Participant observation is a method of acquiring information for a study that requires the researcher to undertake their study in the target society. For this reason, the researcher gets ‘absorbed’ into the society and makes direct observations while in the assumed position of a member of the society. For this reason they participate directly in the affairs of their target, and therefore have a clearer understanding of the aspects of their study. Application of Participant Observation in Business management The method of participant observation has over time spread in application from the initial sociological fields to gain application in more disciplines, including business management. The managers of a business expect to be provided with forthright information about all aspects of the business that could help them to make advised decisions in running t he business. For this reason, they may decide to plant ‘informers’ to update them on curious operational details. They may as well decide to engage in relatively lower ranked duties in the firm in order to have clearer control of operations. A business proprietor interested in

Solar energy and environmental impacts Research Paper

Solar energy and environmental impacts - Research Paper Example Solar energy is copious in the earth and it suggests important potential for the alleviation of climate change; therefore, it is desirable due to its inherently small burden on the environment and has opportunities for positive social impacts. This is further helped by the fact that the cost of solar technologies has been reduced to significant proportions and technical advances coupled with favorable public policies that has resulted into reduction of costs. The use of solar technologies has the advantage of having low lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions when compared to other forms of fossil fuels. This is because the production of solar energy through the photovoltaics (PV) emits no pollution nor does it emit greenhouse gases (Fell, 2012). Moreover, it has the effect of improving the health and livelihood of most of the world’s poorest neighborhoods as it addresses the gaps that is not filled by the available modern energy services (IEA, 2010). Environmental Impacts A report by The Wall Street Journal stated that the development of solar on lands that are deemed desert by disturbing the caliche deposits found underground leading to the release of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. A similar study has equally found that the development of a solar plant could cause emission of about 6000 metric tons of carbon each year from the disturbance caused by the plant (Wall Street, 2010). Forests play a crucial role in the life of both plants and animals and hence any form of deforestation hinders the proper functioning of these species thus damaging the atmosphere. The role played by forests in human life cannot be gain said and therefore when they are cut to create room for solar plants, the absorption of carbon dioxide ceases or the carbon stored in the trees is released into the atmosphere when the tree is left to rot or is burnt. This has the overall effect of occasioning carbon dioxide build-up in the atmosphere that eventually leads to climate change. This is what happens during the installation of large-scale solar-power projects as ecosystems are interfered with when huge tracts of land are put in use. Forests have to be cleared to prevent shading of solar panels and allow for easy installation of solar posts. The removal of the forests thereafter leads to a change in the natural carbon sequestration rate that thereafter affects the amount of carbon dioxide emitted in the atmosphere. It is important to note that land use will ultimately affect the climate of a place including the local climate, microclimate and the temperature of the surface of land. Therefore, when solar panels which usually have low reflectivity and utilizes or converts large amounts of solar insulation into heat, there is the likelihood it may affect the global climate or the climate of a particular place. To minimize the effects that come about because of land use, it is important that when a solar installation is to be put in place by any stakeholder, the land selected should be in areas with low population density that translates into a low environmental sensitivity. Solar Energy and Climate Change The use of solar energy has an advantage in the sense that carbon savings derived from the use of solar energy outweighs the development of this form of energy. This means that a solar plant can save nearly 560, 000 metric tons of carbon per year (Wall Street, 2010). There is therefore a need to expand the solar power potential in order to meet the climate

Reporting Requirements Memo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Reporting Requirements Memo - Essay Example The memo ends with the comparison of the accounting reporting practices of the two entities. Reporting requirements for private sector, not-for-profit organizations under Financial Accounting Standard Board guidance The Financial Accounting Standard Board has specific accounting reporting requirements for all types and kinds of health care organizations. This also includes the private sector not for profit nursing homes. The Financial Accounting Standard Board have issued several standards especially for private not for profit nursing homes. Few of the standards that have been introduced are â€Å"Accounting for Contributions Received and Contributions Made,† â€Å"Financial Statements of Not-for-Profit Organizations† and â€Å"Accounting for Certain Investments Held by Not-for-Profit Organizations†. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ (AICPA’s) accounting and audit guide for Health Care Organizations have made these statements m andatory. Both AICPA and FASB promote the accrual method of accounting. An accrual method accounting gives a complete, accurate and meaningful report about the financial condition of the organization. The accounting period should span for one year. A private sector not for profit nursing home’s financial statements should have a balance sheet, a statement of operations, cash flow statements and statements showing changes in net asset. If the not for profit organization decides to invest in financial assets the transactions that involves financial instruments have to be recognized on the settlement date. Any transactions that involve a third party have to be measured at fair value. For investments in debt securities, the securities that are not held up to the maturity period are recorded at fair value with subsequent changes in net assets and net income. The organization can invest in debt bonds at amortized rate without any restriction. The debt security should be measured at fair value and any changes in net income should be recorded. The principles for investment in equities are that the shares that are quoted in the active market should be recorded at the fair price and the resulting change in the net assets should also be recorded. Unquoted equities can be measured at the actual market price (Carmichael & Rosenfield, 2003). Investments in mutual funds will also be considered as equity investments. Derivatives that involve hedging characteristics should be measured at fair price. A private nonprofit organization should be very careful in selecting the methods it wants to use to measure its investments so that its relationships with its benefactors are not compromised. It should successfully incorporate the unrealized losses and gains in its financial statements. Transaction costs that arise due to purchasing of financial instruments should be capitalized and will be measured at the amortized cost. At the end of each accounting period the organization has to check for assets that are impaired. If there is any such asset its carrying amount should be reduced to the highest of the amount the organization expects to generate by selling the asset or the present value of the expected future cash flow of the financial instrument. Accounts receivable will be treated in the same way as debt securities. But receivables that are not due for a minimum of one year and are without market rates

Respiratory Therapy in the Department of Continuous Quality Improvment Essay

Respiratory Therapy in the Department of Continuous Quality Improvment - Essay Example It is a management philosophy that states that most things can be improved and there is serial experimentation everyday at work to meet the needs of those served and to improve the services rendered. FP&M World Class Journey (2008) continue to state the core concepts of CQI. These are: quality is meeting and/or exceeding the expectations of the customers; success is obtained by meeting the needs of those served; most problems are found in the processes, not in the people; rather than blame it seeks to improve; unwanted variations are sought to be reduced or eliminated; the scientific method is used to achieve small continual improvement; and, continuous improvement becomes effective when it becomes natural to the way work is conducted everyday. The core steps in CQI are to: form a team that is knowledgeable in their area of expertise; define the aim; understand the needs of the people served by the system; identify and define the measures of success; brainstorm strategies for improvement; plan, collect, and use the data for effective decision making; and, apply the scientific method to test and make changes (FP&M World Class Journey, 2008; Rieve, ND; ASQ, ND); Quick, Nordstrom & Johnson, 2006). As per the information gathered in this research document, it may be extrapolated that the goals of CQI are to enter an institution, identify what the problems are, use techniques that will help solve the problems, involve everyone pertinent to the area in discussion, obtain research data and interpret it, and make recommendations based on the findings of Continuous Quality Improvement. The CQI problem solving techniques are to define the problem. This involves focusing on the problem, not only the symptoms. Flowcharts and cause-and-effect diagrams are techniques used to define and analyze the root causes. There is a need to generate

Reporting Requirements Memo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Reporting Requirements Memo - Essay Example The memo ends with the comparison of the accounting reporting practices of the two entities. Reporting requirements for private sector, not-for-profit organizations under Financial Accounting Standard Board guidance The Financial Accounting Standard Board has specific accounting reporting requirements for all types and kinds of health care organizations. This also includes the private sector not for profit nursing homes. The Financial Accounting Standard Board have issued several standards especially for private not for profit nursing homes. Few of the standards that have been introduced are â€Å"Accounting for Contributions Received and Contributions Made,† â€Å"Financial Statements of Not-for-Profit Organizations† and â€Å"Accounting for Certain Investments Held by Not-for-Profit Organizations†. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ (AICPA’s) accounting and audit guide for Health Care Organizations have made these statements m andatory. Both AICPA and FASB promote the accrual method of accounting. An accrual method accounting gives a complete, accurate and meaningful report about the financial condition of the organization. The accounting period should span for one year. A private sector not for profit nursing home’s financial statements should have a balance sheet, a statement of operations, cash flow statements and statements showing changes in net asset. If the not for profit organization decides to invest in financial assets the transactions that involves financial instruments have to be recognized on the settlement date. Any transactions that involve a third party have to be measured at fair value. For investments in debt securities, the securities that are not held up to the maturity period are recorded at fair value with subsequent changes in net assets and net income. The organization can invest in debt bonds at amortized rate without any restriction. The debt security should be measured at fair value and any changes in net income should be recorded. The principles for investment in equities are that the shares that are quoted in the active market should be recorded at the fair price and the resulting change in the net assets should also be recorded. Unquoted equities can be measured at the actual market price (Carmichael & Rosenfield, 2003). Investments in mutual funds will also be considered as equity investments. Derivatives that involve hedging characteristics should be measured at fair price. A private nonprofit organization should be very careful in selecting the methods it wants to use to measure its investments so that its relationships with its benefactors are not compromised. It should successfully incorporate the unrealized losses and gains in its financial statements. Transaction costs that arise due to purchasing of financial instruments should be capitalized and will be measured at the amortized cost. At the end of each accounting period the organization has to check for assets that are impaired. If there is any such asset its carrying amount should be reduced to the highest of the amount the organization expects to generate by selling the asset or the present value of the expected future cash flow of the financial instrument. Accounts receivable will be treated in the same way as debt securities. But receivables that are not due for a minimum of one year and are without market rates

Case Study 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

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Death Essay Example for Free

Death Essay Death, to many who believe in reincarnation is passing into another life. The quality of this life could be well dependent on the, â€Å"karma† or the deeds that one has carried out in previous birth. Death thus need not be the end of life but just a new beginning. Reincarnation is generally thought to be an Eastern belief predominantly prevalent in Buddhism. Karma, some believe is an ancient Hindu cliche increasingly picked up by Buddhist scriptures which provide a cause – effect link to our actions. Reincarnation takes these links further and seeks to provide a relation between our actions and its outcomes in this birth to our karma in the previous birth. Karma is generally said to be unseen to the common man but ancient Hindu mythology believes that it is evident to the wise and knowledgeable sage. There are many such believers of this phenomenon in the West as well. Stevenson (1980) has even supported it with extensive scientific reasoning and examples. The instances quoted are of children who are said to have taken to speaking about their earlier life immediately after they had started talking. There are some studies which link birth marks or defects with past lives. These defects are seen as the wounds on a person of previous birth, who is remembered in the embryo, wounds which could possibly have been fatal. (Stevenson, 1997). Rationalists and particularly rational biologists would not believe that the biological deformities which are found at birth such as defective speech, hearing or blindness could have been a cause of an accident in previous life rather than defective growth of the embryo in its formative stage. There has thus been extensive skepticism about reincarnation particularly amongst the rationalist of the West. However there are numerous believers of incarnation who quote a number of examples which are there in the Bible including the teachings of Jesus where John the Baptist is considered as a reincarnate of Elijah the prophet. What then is the reality?

Contribution of right hemisphere to language

Contribution of right hemisphere to language THE IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTION OF THE RIGHT HEMISPHERE TO LANGUAGE 10 The Important Contribution of the Right Hemisphere to Language Cheimonidou Panagiota ELTE Abstract Does the right hemisphere of the brain have any contribution to linguistic function? The argument of this research paper is that it does. Language is not lateralized only to the left hemisphere of the brain. Although this thesis is challenged, it can be proved by the fact that damage to it can cause language impairment, affect our understanding of the context of speech (oral and written), disable our comprehension of linguistic prosodic features. Moreover, supporting evidence substitutes the fact that linguistic function can completely switch itself to the right hemisphere of the brain, when the left one is damaged. This is only part of the argumentation that could be made to support the important role of the right side of the brain. Still, it proves adequately that language has to do with both sides of the brain, and that the right one should not be overlooked. The Important Contribution of the Right Hemisphere to Language The point of this study is to discuss the important contribution of the right cerebral hemisphere to language. It will be very interesting to support this view with evidence, since many arguments have been made against it, stating that language locates itself only on the left side of the brain and the right hemisphere has nothing to do with it. In order to highlight the importance of the right side of the brain for language, the structure of this research is based on facts (mostly on what follows right hemisphere damage) and on previous work in the field (e.g. , Field, 2003; Beeman Chiarello, 1998; Cook, 1984). To begin with, before starting talking about the important role of the right hemisphere to language, I believe I should first be more specific about the term lateralization. Brain or cerebral lateralization focuses on the fact that our brain is divided in half: the right hemisphere and the left hemisphere. As most of us know, our brain is such uniquely complex that it is hard to know all its specific functions with every little detail; but what we do know for sure is that our brain is so efficient that does the remarkable job of carving out specialties, dividing tasks: The left side of the brain specializes in one set of tasks, while the right side specializes in another. On a broad level, we can say that the left hemisphere deals with linear, structured, analytical, rational, logical and sequential tasks, while the right hemisphere focuses on big-picture thinking, on tasks that are about the whole, the context of a situation rather than the explicit detailed text, about holistic way of perception, dealing with things all at once, visualizing, synthesizing and not analyzing. So, lateralization deals with the two sides of the brain and the distinct functions that are allocated to each one of them. The interesting part in lateralization, is attempting to track in what way the two sides of the brain contribute to language. Indeed, this is a controversial issue that has long been under debate and is questioned until now. The long-held view is that linguistic function has to do only with the left side of the brain and nothing to do with the right one. Luckily, over the course of the years, this view is questioned. Many linguists and scientists have carried out important research which shows that the right hemisphere of the brain should not be overlooked in terms of language. One of them, Mark Beeman (1998), argues that the right hemisphere (RH) processes language (p. ix) and admits that this view still causes intense discussions which often conclude to the argument that the right hemisphere has only paralinguistic function (p. ix). The same view is shared by Terrence Deakon (1997) who says that [t]he right side of the brain is not the non-language hemisphere. It is critically and intimately involved in language processing at many levels during both development and maturity (154). Holding the same view, I believe that the linguistic function is not completely gathered in the left hemisphere. The left side of the brain may play an important role for language- perhaps the most important- but it is not sufficient without the right side. It is like a puzzle with some pieces missing. The importance of the right hemisphere is further discussed below. Perhaps one of the most convincing and strong arguments in favor of the significant contribution of the right hemisphere to language, is that it affects the understanding of stories and jokes. This conclusion came from the fact that patients who had their right side of the brain damaged, experienced the same symptom:   basically they could not comprehend the context of a narrative or a joke. Diana S. Woodruff- Pak (1997) says that people with their right prefrontal lobe damaged, usually cannot make successful jokes and puns or tell meaningful stories (147). Dennis Coon and John O. Mitterer (2007), based also on results of patients with their right side of the brain damaged, prove that these people fail to understand the overall context of what is said and therefore can no longer comprehend other nuances of language, namely jokes, irony, sarcasm, implications. The same symptom is highlighted by Terrence Deakon (1997) who argues that right hemisphere damage results in failure to gras p the logic of the whole (164). Norman D. Cook (1984) also argues that [t]he understanding of short stories requires one to grasp [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] the consistency, overall coherence and sequence of events (32), but when right hemisphere damage takes place, these abilities are lost and the coherence of verbal output is degraded, leading to unwitting humor, paramnesias and an inability to carry a train of thought to its logical conclusion (32). All the above converge to the fact that basically the right hemisphere helps us realize the overall context of language, without which the complete meaning of language cannot be transferred. Therefore, a person with right hemisphere damage will not be able to realize the complete components of a story (for example if part of the story is missing), or appreciate a joke, since s/he takes everything literally and misses the bigger picture. In relation to the connection between the right hemisphere and story and joke comprehension, there could also be made an interesting combination with autism. It has been proved that right hemisphere lesion can result in autism. Cecil R. Reynolds and Elaine Fletcher- Janzen (2009), talked about the finding that individuals with autism had a left ear preference for dichotic listening for both verbal and musical stimuli (p.775). Having in mind that the left hemisphere controls the right part of the body while the right hemisphere controls the left, we can realize that, here, it is the right hemisphere that has to do with verbal stimuli, with speech. So, it is not just the left part of the brain that has to do with language impairment. But what has this to do with the understanding of stories and jokes? Well, Ozonoff and Miler (as cited in Field, 2003) proving with their experiments that patients with autism and right-hemisphere patients have symptoms in common, said that these people fo und it hard to understand the correct ending of a joke and that both groups might have similar problems in cognitive flexibility (775). Concerning story comprehension they moved on saying that these people face difficulties when it comes to understand details of a short story by using context and meaning (775). This again shows how damage to the right side of the brain causes loss of the ability to understand the overall context of language, and also underlines the importance of the right hemisphere since it proves that lesions to it can result in language impairment. Moving on to another reason why the right hemisphere of the brain plays an important role for language, we should consider its relation to the prosodic parts of language. Merely understanding the meaning of words and the syntax of sentences does not lead to adequate mastering of language. Language as a whole, consists of prosodic and gesture features too, and this is what the right hemisphere is responsible for. Kolb and Whishaws statements (as cited in Woodruff-Pak, 1997) were very interesting, since they were the first to conclude that the frontal lobes and the right hemisphere appear more involved in the mediation of emotion than the left hemisphere (147). When we hear someone speaking, we must be able to understand the tone of his voice, the pitch of his speech. Without this ability, we would not be able to interpret the meaning and intentions of the speaker. Indeed, when the right hemisphere is damaged, people lose this ability. Danny D. Steinberg (1993) illustrates that these p eople seem to have difficulties in processing speech as a prosodic syntactic distinction (249), while Dennis L. Molfese and Sidney J. Segalowitz (1988) similarly say that these people find it hard to express and understand the prosodic feature of language ( namely the emotional tone and the pitch alterations of speech)(484). What is also interesting is the fact that apart from the disability to understand a speakers tone, emotion and pitch, a person with RH damage will also be unable to understand the other peoples reactions to his own speech. As Molfese and Segalowitz (1988) say, such a person will have difficulty comprehending others emotional reaction to his or her behavior, and also his/her speech will be monotonous and lack emotional changes in pitch and tone (484). Consequently, these studies prove that language would not be conveyed sufficiently without the right side of the brain. Furthermore and most importantly, I want to talk about another phenomenon which I believe gives convincing evidence for the active role that the right hemisphere plays in linguistic functions: the ability of the right hemisphere to take over language function when the left hemisphere is damaged. As Steinberg and Sciarini (1993) point out, the right hemisphere has some language functions and can take over the complete language functioning of the left hemisphere when that hemisphere has been surgically removed or damaged (249). This phenomenon is usually observed at an early age. It refers to the equipotentiality theory about which Bruce E. Murdoch (2010) states that it is the analogous capacity of the two cerebral hemispheres to subserve language functions subsequent to unilateral brain damage, so that a shift from language competency from one hemisphere to the other is easily accomplished at a young age (162). This young age is referred to as infancy by Lenneberg (as cited by Field, 2003) who states that if necessary, language can place itself on the right side of the brain due to the flexible relationship which exists between the two hemispheres. But although most cases- where language can develop as well in the right as in the left hemisphere- take place at a young age, we have not reached to a certain conclusion. Until now, there is no evidence that the brain stops to be flexible at an older state. For instance, there was the case of a woman above 50 years old, who suffered   left hemisphere damage and managed to recover until a stroke damaged her right side of the brain, too. Either the case, the point is that the right hemisphere of the brain has the ability to replace the linguistic function of the left hemisphere. The important contribution of the right hemisphere to language is an issue that surely can be further discussed, since research is carried out every day in order to reach a more solid view of what is happening in our brain. Nonetheless, I believe that all the cases mentioned above, give pretty clear evidence that the right side of the brain is not merely a silent viewer in terms of language. It plays an active role since we saw how it a) affects our understanding of the overall linguistic context, b) damage to it can cause inability to understand the prosodic features of language or even result in language impairment, c) lateralization can be switched in order to adapt to loss or damage. As far as language is concerned, the significance of the right side of the brain should not be overlooked, and we should understand that left hemisphere alone could not be sufficient in appropriate language production. References Beeman, M., Chiarello, C. (1998). Right Hemisphere LanguageComprehension:     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Perspectives from cognitive Neuroscience. Retrieved from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://books.google.com/books?id=3zwOmRAc43gCprintsec=frontcoverdq=the+i  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   mportance+of+right+hemisphere+to+languagehl=elcd=1#v=onepageq=the%20i  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   mportance%20of%20right%20hemisphere%20to%20languagef=false Cook, D. N. (2002). Tone of Voice and Mind. Retrieved from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://books.google.com/books?id=eE47oz78XhMCpg=PA32dq=jokes+and+RH+d  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   amagehl=elcd=1#v=onepageq=jokes%20and%20RH%20damagef=false Coon, D., Mitterer, O. J. (2007). Introduction to Psychology: Gateways to Mind   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   and Behavior. Retrieved from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://books.google.com/books?id=V6EHmNCmEWQCpg=PA67dq=right+hemisp  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   here+and+jokeshl=elcd=2#v=onepageq=right%20hemisphere%20and%20jokes  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   f=false Deacon, T. (2003). Lateralization as Competition. In J. Field (Ed.), Psycholinguistics: A  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   resource book for students (p.155). New York: Routledge. (Reprinted from The   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   symbolicspecies, pp 311-315, 1997, London: Penguin) Field, J. (2003). Language and the brain. In Psycholinguistics: A resource book for   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   students (p.7). New York: Routledge. Molfese, L. D. Segalowitz, J. S. (1998). Brain Lateralization in Children: Developmental   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Implications. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?id=un-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   AIyRU328Cpg=PA485dq=lateralization+and+jokeshl=elcd=2#v=onepageqf=  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   false Murdoch, E. B. (2010). Acquired Speech and Disorders:A Neuroanatomical and Functional Neurological Approach. Retrieved from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://books.google.com/books?id=PplrjvH8Zb8Cpg=PT160dq=the+importance+  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   of+right+hemisphere+to+languagehl=elcd=2#v=onepageq=the%20importance  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   %20of%20right%20hemisphere%20to%20languagef=false Reynolds, R. C., Fletcher- Janzen E. (2009). Handbook of Clinical Child Neuropsychology.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Retrieved from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://books.google.com/books?id=w1YrFypvmn8Cpg=PA775dq=lateralization+a  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   nd+jokeshl=elcd=6#v=onepageqf=false Steinberg, D. D., Sciarini, V. N. (1993). An Introduction to Psycholinguistics. Retrieved from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://books.google.com/books?id=P5ZTXnzSCBYCpg=PA248dq=lateralization+ps  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ycholinguisticshl=elcd=4#v=onepageq=lateralization%20psycholinguisticsf=fal  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   se Woodruff- Pak, S. D. (1997). The Neuropsychology of Aging. Retrieved from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://books.google.com/books?id=qHLua6dOYvwCpg=PA147dq=lateralization+a  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   nd+jokeshl=elcd=3#v=onepageq=lateralization%20and%20jokesf=false

Act One Of Othello Essay -- essays research papers

What Is Shakespeare’s Achievement In Act I Of Othello? Shakespeare’s own personal aim was not to write a social and political reflection of his era, as many contemporary readers believe, it was; purely and simply, to entertain his audience. This does not mean that there can be no social and political reflections within Othello, it means that the reflections are there, not for the sake of social and political commentary, but for the sake of entertainment and pleasure. Aristotle explained in â€Å"Poetics† that the audience’s pleasure consists not merely in observing the play, but criticizing, evaluating and making comparisons. These activities produce pleasure, thus it is not a mindless pleasure. There must be intellectual and emotional engagement on the spectator’s part. According to Aristotle, to stimulate the intellectual engagement of the audience and thus create this pleasure in the spectator, a masterful piece of art or literature must contain a degree of ambiguity in its ideas. This is the reason for the social commentaries that Shakespeare includes in his work: The play commences with two characters apparently arguing over money. Shakespeare immediately sets the mood of conflict for the remainder of the play, it is important because the reader at the outset is given a choice; who to believe and who is right. Shakespeare instantly sets about creating the mood of ambiguity which will result in the reader contemplating and analyzing the situation in hand. This will, according to Aristotle, create pleasure for the audience. As with all Shakespeare’s plays, Othello is written (for the very vast majority) in a form of verse and with a definite rhythm. This helps the general flow of the text, and when the rhythm is broken, we are alerted to a significant event or to a particular trait in a character. When Iago tries to insult and animalize the â€Å"Barbary horse† Othello, to Brabantio (line 108), verse reverts to prose and we are alerted to the evils behind Iago’s deeds. Shakespeare, so far, is strictly adhering to Aristotle’s guidelines and certainly understands â€Å"the essential qualities of art itself†. In â€Å"Poetics† it is explained that â€Å"language into which enter rhythm, harmony and song† will create â€Å"each kind of artistic ornament† necessary to â€Å"imitate an action that is serious, complete and of a certain magnitude† (Aristotle’s description of tragedy). In the... ...r and battle against the Turks, and heeds Othello to prepare to depart for Cyprus. Brabantio, before his depature, turns to Othello and warns him against trusting Desdemona, for she has â€Å"deceived her father† and may thee†. The subconscious seeds of mistrust have been planted in Othello’s mind by Brabantio, this is dramatic irony and warns the audience that the future of the marriage will not be as smooth as the naà ¯ve lovers expect.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the act finishes with the almost satanic Iago warning of his deception to come, he shows us that the â€Å"Barbarian and a super-subtle Venetian† will not live calmly. If the audience is in any doubt as to Iago’s feelings for the Moor, he explains â€Å"I hate the Moor†. He goes on to outhline the plan of â€Å"double knavery† that he shall use to split the lovers in an act of serious deception.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first act of Othello signals to the audience the coming themes of love and war, deception and trust and arguably; stereotypes. The issues Shakespeare brings to light, create thought and internal debate, this leads to the pleasure that Aristotle described; and achieves Shakespeare’s primary aim – to entertain.

Solar Energy Essay -- essays research papers

Solar Energy Solar energy is the most ancient kind of energy found on earth, for it is as old as the sun. "Solar" means from the sun. The earth is only one of the many planets which is bathed in the sun's overflowing energy. Every second the world receives 95.8 trillion watts of power†¦just think about that for a minute. Think about how much power the earth just received in the time it took you to read this sentence? It is well beyond the amount of power used in one day. It has the potential to satisfy all our energy needs forever without ever having to use the pollutive fossil fuels ever again. "The problem however, does not lie in the limited source, as do fossil fuels, but in harnessing it." Every day solar energy is being used all around us. In fact, it is the indirect source of all energy and life on earth. Hopefully, with continued research, we will be in a place one day where we can directly rely on the sun for all our energy needs, and never have to use pollu tive fossil fuels, or nuclear power ever again (Cross 124). It is hard to say when solar energy was first used by humans to make life easier. As far as we know, people have always used the sun's visible range of light to see by, as well as to sit in the sun to keep warm. "Some of the first ancient cultures to use solar energy as heating were those from the deserts, and dry areas." In Egypt, Libya, and Algeria, where the sun is fiery hot in the day, but reaches freezing temperatures at night, builders discovered that thick walls of mud could solve this problem. During the day, they would absorb all the sun's energy and leave it cool as a cave inside, and at night, the walls would radiate their stored heat, and keep it fairly warm inside. These ancient people also discovered how to use the sun's energy to preserve food by either drying fruits or meats in the sun, or baking them. They found techniques to bleach cloth and cure animal hides. Whether by accident, or deliberate experimentation, these ancient cultures discovered that the sun was an incredible source of power (Bower 36). Throughout history people have experimented with the many uses of the sun's power. In the 17th century, scientists in Europe began rediscovering the sun. When a French scie... ...ar energy would be a more realistic option. Does every house need two computers, 3 TV's, a dishwasher, microwave, electric stove, video games, 3 stereos, nightlights in every hall, porch lights left on all night, lights on in every room in the house, blow dryers, toasters, electric heaters, air conditioners, electric gates and garage openers... the list goes on and on. One of the major problems that I see in our western culture is our obsession that we must each have our own. No one is willing to share anything, because it might be inconvenient. All we can think of is ourselves, no thought for future generations or the environment. We need to get a reality check. There is not enough materials or energy left in the world for this to continue to go on. Solar energy is a serious option that we should all be considering. We need to learn to act as a community, not only as individuals. I don't know what the future holds, but I can't see this working much longer. Change will have to oc cur soon, or we will exhaust all our resources and chances of life on earth.