Write 4 page research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Write 4 page - Research Paper Example The number of Arabs immigrants has rapidly grown due to the changes in the United States laws and the increased political and economic hardships in Middle East countries. Arabs Americans are the fastest growing minorities in America. The Arabs who first arrived in United Stated were comparatively homogenous groups of persons. Most of the Arabs immigrants were Christians from Lebanon and Syria. Most of them came from remote areas where they had limited access to formal education. The recent Arabs immigrants tend to be more diversified in terms of their educational achievement, religious background, and terms of their country of origin (Short 300). Arabs Americans are almost in every state, although they are more likely to be located at one place such as Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Detroit, Los Angeles, and Boston. The cities have large neighborhoods of Arabs Americans communities and have Arabic grocery stores, restaurants, and other businesses. The largest Arab Americans neighborhood is found Dearborn, Michigan. Arab Americans have become one of the most diverse groups of people in United States. Around 50 percent are Christians while the other 50 percent are Muslims. Some of the Arab immigrants trace their roots in African nations while others trace their origin in Asian countries. Some Arab Americans are born in America with their parents and grandparents born in United States making these Arabs have the little knowledge of the Arabic language. Others have immigrated to United States recently and therefore they are fluent in Arabic and can speak a bit of English. Arab Americans are also diversified in terms of income and jobs. Some are professional lawyers and doctors while others work in farms and factories. Many Arab Americans are a business owner of large enterprises. Some Arab women work as homemakers while others are found in all kinds of professions. Research shows that Arab Americans have better education level compared to average American

NVQ Assessment Essay Example for Free

NVQ Assessment Essay Understand the principles and requirements of assessment 1. Explain the functions of assessment in learning and development. 2. Define the key concept and principles of assessment. 3. Explain the responsibilities of the assessor. 4. Identify the regulations. Compare the strengths and limitations of arrange of assessment methods with reference to the needs of individual learners. 5. Compare the strengths and limitations of a range of assessments methods with reference to the needs of individual learners. Understand how to plan assessment 6. Summarise key factors to consider when planning assessments. 7. Evaluate the benefits of using a holistic approach to assessment. 8. Explain how to plan a holistic approach to assessment. 9. Summarise the types of risks that may be involved in assessment in own area of responsibility. 10. Explain how to minimise risks through the planning process. Understand how to involve learners and others in assessment. 11. Explain the importance of involving the learner and others in the assessment process. 12. Summarise types of information that should be made available to learners and others involved in the assessment process. 13. Explain how peer and self-assessment can be used effectively to promote learner involvement and personal responsibility in the assessment of learning. 14. Explain how assessment arrangements can be adapted to meet off individual learners. Understand how to make assessment decisions. 15. Explain how to judge whether evidence is: a)Sufficientb) Current c) authentic. 16. Explain how to ensure that assessment decision are: a)Made against specifiedb)validc) reliable d) fair. Understand quality assurance of the assessment process. 17. Evaluate the importance of quality assurance in the assessment process. 18. Summarise quality assurance and standardisation procedures in own area of practise. 19. Summarise the procedures to follow when there are disputes concerning assessment in own area of practise. Knowledge to be assessed and evidenced: Understanding how to manage information relating to assessment 20. Explain the importance of following procedures for the management of information relating to assessment. 21. Explain how feedback and questioning contribute to the assessment process. Understanding the legal and good practise requirements in relation to assessment. 22. Explain legal issues, policies and procedures relevant to assessment, including those for confidentiality, health, safety and welfare. 23. Explain the contribution that technology can make to the assessment process. 24. Evaluate requirements for quality and diversity and, where appropriate, bilingualism in relation to assessment. 25. Explain the value of reflection practise and continuing professional development in the assessment process.

Processing a Crime Scene Essay -- Crime Scene Investigation

There are several steps that need to be taken in order to process a crime scene. Some of the steps include: securing the scene, a detailed search, documenting the crime scene, collecting and preserving evidence, and finally releasing the scene. All of the following steps are crucial to avoid any possible contamination or otherwise compromise the scene before it can be released. Few, if any additional opportunities exist when processing a crime scene, so the first time is most pertinent. First responders play a crucial role in the establishment of a crime scene. Upon arriving at the scene, the first responders have checked for living victims and have rendered aid. It’s important to create a perimeter around the crime scene (this can be altered if additional evidence is found outside the initial crime scene). Only emergency personnel should enter and exit from the central entry point to control contamination, by creating an exit point; it helps avoid any excessive traffic through the crime scene. By secure the scene to ensure that no evidence is misplaced or damaged, or otherwise compromised. Do a cursory check of the crime scene to obtain any transient evidence and secure any weapons found at the scene (in this case it was already at the scene with the suspect). Crime scene analysts and investigators communicate with first responders and are quickly briefed on the situation, and now a more thorough search can be conducted. A scene search is necessary to find evidence such as shell casings, biological evidence etc. At the time, a more detailed, extensive search will begin. Investigators have made their initial notations of the scene and created their hypothesis of the crime. The survey is an organizational stage to plan ... ...ditional visits to the crime scene could cause a compromise if entered into evidence at trial. Works Cited Gaensslen, R. E., Harris, H A., & Lee, H. (2008). Introduction to Forensic Science and Criminalistics. New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. . National Institute of Justice (2004, June). Crime Scene Investigation: A Reference for Law Enforcement Training. Retrieved June 3, 2011, from http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/200160.pdf Razzaq, N. Z. (2008). Visual Documentation in Crime Scene Investigations. Retrieved June 3, 2011, from http://policelink.monster.com/training/articles/17221-visual-documentation-in-crime-scene-investigations Technical Working Group on Crime Scene Investigation (2000, January). Crime Scene Invesitgation: A Guide for Law Enforcement. Retrieved May 26, 2011, from http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/178280.pdf

Old English Poem: Beowulf Essay

Old English is a term to refer to the language and the literature spoken and written in Britain during the time between the coming of the Anglo-Saxons to Britain in the fifth century and the Norman Conquest in 1066. There are many tribes such as the Picts, Jutes, Scotes invaded Britain, this resulted in the mixing of several races, tongues and cultures. But the West Germanic tribes known as the Anglo-Saxon were the most influential tribes during this period. The Anglo-Saxons were warrior-farmers and came from north-western Europe. They began to invade Britain while the Romans were still in control. The Anglo-Saxons were tall, fair-haired men, armed with swords and spears and round shields. Their skills are hunting, farming, cloth production and leather working. â€Å"Anglo-Saxons were often buried with their possessions. The objects found in their graves have given evidence of the different jobs done by men and women and the skills they had. Knives and spears are often found in Anglo-Saxon men’s graves. This suggests they were involved in hunting, fighting and farming. Women’s graves often include tools used for sewing and weaving, which suggests they were involved in making clothes (textile production. 1 The language of this whole period is known as Old English. No exact date exists for its beginning. The first written records of the language date from around 690, however people had spoken the language long before it. Most Old English words were Germanic. â€Å"Old English is a West Germanic language, developing out of Ingvaeonic (also known as North Sea Germanic) dialects from the 5th century. Anglo-Saxon literacy developed after Christianisation in the late 7th century. † 2 At the end of the sixth century, the Anglo-Saxons accepted Christianity after Pope Gregory sent Saint Augustine to Britain in 597. The Romans had introduced Christianity to the Celts centuries earlier. ) This gave rise to some religious writings. The Christian poetry adapts and paraphrases the biblical narrative, such as the life of saints and using verse to create standard morale. In addition to Christian poem, heroic poem also takes part in the Old English period. The heroic poems deal mostly with Germanic history and legend. â€Å"The stories they tell or mention, the kings and warriors they refer to, were all known by Germanic people. † 3 Discussion One of the heroic Old English poems is Beowulf.  The poem has survived complete, but it has little information about the author and the date of its composition. The author is unknown and no certain date of its composition. There are also other problems which makes analysis against this poem becomes hampered. â€Å"The text is historically remote from us; it involves ideas that seem to bear little resemblance to our own ways of thinking; It is written in a form of English (also called Anglo-Saxon) that displays little similarity to English today. † 4 The first part of the story takes place in Denmark.  King Hrothgar is being pestered by a water monster, Grendel, who is killing his men within a hall named Heorot. Beowulf comes to aid him and kills Grendel and later, at the bottom of the lake, also he kills Grendel’s mother, who comes to avenge her son. The second part is set in southern Sweden about fifty years later. Beowulf himself is a king and has to fight a fire breathing dragon which burns the royal hall. He gets help from a young warrior, Wyglaf, who manages to kill the Dragon. Beowulf is seriously injured from the fight with the fire breathing dragon. He then announces Wyglaf as his successor. The poem ends with Beowulf’s funeral rites and a lament The main character of this poem is Beowulf, a warrior from Geats who manages to kill the monster, Grendel. He is depicted as a brave man who thirsty with pride and glory. He is a good and generous leader for his soldiers and also ideal lord. Supporting character of the poem is Hrothgar, an aging lord from Danes whose kingdom ravaged by a monster, he then adopts his savior, Beowulf as son. Grendel is a dreadful monster who every night visits Heorot and kills Hrotghar’s men. Wiglaf is a brave young warrior who aids Beowulf to kill fire breathing monster that burnt Beowulf’s Hall. Wiglaf then becomes Beowulf successor. Structurally, Beowulf is built around three fights. The first fight is fight between those who life in Royal Hall and the monster. The Royal hall is a symbol of community itself. Monster which ravages the hall means a problem threatens the security and social bound of community. The fight between king and monster, the king who is representative of the society or in other words someone who is in power, has to face unpredictable and incomprehensible forces which threaten his position. This is kind of what every leader whether in Old English era or in 21st century must face. The last fight is also universal fight of human being, fighting of young age and life with old and death. No matter how great a man accomplishing many achievement, glory and pride or successfully beating problem in his life, he never wins against old and death. The theme of this poem concerns with the values of Germanic tribal society. The work talks about a hero and the values of bravery and also generosity. There are many contrasts depicted in this poem, for example, water and fire, youth and old age, life and death, rise and fall of nations, faithfulness and betrayal, heroism and cowardice, hope and resignation, good and evil, as well as the past, present and future. Every literary works has relation with the society where the work is written, so does this heroic poem. Anglo-Saxon people are well known as very loyal to their lord. The same sense is also found in this poem. How heroic Beowulf’s men obey their leader’s command by staying within the hall, fighting unpredictable force which possibly kills them. The kinship among Anglo-Saxon people is still though. This statement can also be found in the poem. Beowulf comes to Danes and helps Hrotghar who in the past has been a close friend to Beowulf’s father. Despite, the character of Beowulf himself who wants pride and glory, he comes to Danes to help his father’s old friend and Hrotghar adopts him as his son due to Beowulf’s help. Regarding Axlo-Saxon men are brave and keen on fighting, the genre of the poem is heroic poem and not far from war or fighting theme. The poems reflect also another side of life in the Heroic Age – the frequency of feuds. Beowulf has many references to bitter tribal fights. The feud of Hrotghar the Dane and Ingeld the Heathobard is settled by Hrotghar giving Freawaru his daughter inmarriage to Ingeld, but Beowulf tells Hyglac how the feud will break out again. 5 One thing which is interesting about Heroic Age is the religion. Beowulf was written when Britain was already Christianised, but the Pagan cult was still strong in the society. As a result, fusion between Pagan and Christianity became unique factor which affects the society and the poem. Both Pagan and Christianity can be found in the poem. For example, at the Beowulf’s funeral, his body was cremated. Cremation is a form of Pagan ritual. Also, in the poem, Christianity value can be found, like at the line 180 until 182. They remembered Hell. The Almighty Judge 180 Of good deeds and bad, the Lord God, Head of the Heavens and High King of the World, The concept of Hell and Heaven is close to Christian doctrine. From this example, the fushion of Pagan and Christianity in the society also effects the poem.

Noise Pollution Essay

Not all people in this country living in a noisy place, most of them want to lived in a peaceful place with trees and fresh air and we all know that most of the time we can focus and think carefully in a quiet place. Noise Pollution can be defined as unwanted or offensive sound that unreasonably intrude into our daily activities. In urban areas noise pollution is everywhere, whether we like it or not this is part of everyday life. If the ears was irritated to the sound it is called noise. This is defined a form of air pollution that is audible unwanted sound that poses a threat to a person’s health and well- being. This pollution has many sources from different things such as air conditioner, traffic ,radio ,a dog barking, human conversation, other machinery that causes sound and are associated with urban developments. According to an OECD report â€Å" Transport is by far the major source of noise , ahead of building or industry , with road traffic the chief offender â€Å" motorcycles , trucks and busses are the major contributors to the traffic noise. Noise is described in loudness (intensity) and pitch ( frequency ) the exposure is using a logarithmicn decibel ( dB) scale. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration ( OSHA) recommends the hearing protection in the workplace if the noise is greater than 85 DB for more than eight hours, because there is a chance of the potential hearing loss. Difference of the loudest and faintest sounds that humans can hear is about 120 DB, a range of one million amplitude. People who has a very good hearing can hear the sounds between to -15 Decibels. If the sound reaches the 85 db and above can cause permanent damage of hearing. The more amount of time you listen in a sound effect greater damage it will cause. If the place is quiet the longer you listen safetly and it will not cause a damage even if you listen to it for a very long time. The more exposure to the common sounds can cause a permanent damage. The normal conversation occurs 60 DB. According to my research, the causes of damage in our ears, like the bulldozer idling the sounds are loud 85 DB and can cause permanent damage after only 1 work day ( 8 hours ). Listening a music with earphone/ headpones in ears at a maximum volume, the sound can reach level over 100 Db, begin causing permanent damage after 15 minutes per day. A thunder from storm 120 Db, gunshot 140 -190 DB can both cause immediate damage. There are groups of people who are affected by this  noise pollution such as the young, elderly, and the hospitalized. Young children cannot protect their hearing and they only rely on their parents to keep them from noise exposure.Elderly may not have the capabilities to protect their hearing if they are the one who is disabled by mental or physical illness. Also the patients from the hospitals are not safe because patients especially for orthopedic surgeries may be exposed to loud instruments during a procedure although they are not protected from it while under anesthesia. Noise has numerous health effects making noise pollution a public concern although it has not been well addressed.These could be effected our blood pressure, noise -induced hearing loss,sleep disorders and irritability.Noise pollution also affects the performance at work and school. Noise pollution is harmful because the sound energy is transferred through compressions, and rarefactions. Because the intensity is very large and it can harm the human ears, and the animal ears also and it can damage to physical structure.When sound reach the human ear the structures will vibrate. The intense vibrations can be rapture the eardrum , loudness related hearing loss usually develops overtime. When the sound enters the ear, it is transferred to the brain as a nerve impulse. The nerves in our ears are composed of of tiny nerve fibers, it is surrounded by special fluid within the ear. When intense sound transferred through fluid the tiny nerves may destroyed and the hearing loss is affected. There is two kinds of effects the auditory and non-auditory. The effect of auditory may fatigue and deafness the non-auditory can be physiological and psychological change in human beings. Noise Induced Hearing Loss or (NIHL) is a type of sensorinueral hearing loss that is second only to age induced hearing loss or presbyacusis. The people who are affected of NIHL are the workers that involved in manufacturing , construction, transportation , argiculture , military, factory and mining because their ears are expose in hazardous noise levels.Also the recreational activities like target shooting, speedboat riding,play in a band and listen to a loud music are also the examples of activities that increases the risk of NIHL . The studies revealed that young children and young adults are also showing the  signs of NIHL. Communication,cognition, social emotional development, academics and future careers may all be affected in the young secondary to hearing loss. Noise Induced Hearing Loss ( NIHL) is permanent but it is preventable by using ear protection like earmuffs or earplugs to avoid the noisy environment and the harmful levels of noise. Mental Health , mental illness is thought be exacerbated and intensified by noise pollution and not believed to be cause of mental illness. In one study at United States Country that I read in my research there were a children who are exposed in noise levels above 55 DB had decreased attention, there is difficulty with social adaptation and increased the oppositional behavior to others compared to the children who are not exposed in noise levels. The pollution in the community noise also may cause annoyance and disturbance there are depressed and anxiety and make their symptoms worse. Other people always used sleeping pills for them to avoid the loud sound or the noise in their environment and mental hospital admission rates with those exposed to unwanted noise. The children or elderly who have depression and cannot control over their own hearing protection are the vulnerable to the mental effects of noise pollution. Impairment of Task Performance there are many potential detrimental effects of noise pollution on task performance involving both children and adults.Congnitive task performance at school and at work has bee n well documented in several studies.The children who are exposed to noise in their home or at school may have difficulty in their learning , language development and problem solving. In the study in London involving 340 children between ages of 8 and 11 who were exposed to high aircraft noise showed an association with increased annoyance and poorer reading comprehension. The most affected of noise is on the reading attention,problem solving and memory because we all know that most of the children or adults cannot focus in what they are doing if the environment is under in noisy condition . The noise can impair concentration, decrease the motivation because of irratation , increase the rate of errors and can lead to preventable accidents in workplace. Communication can be affected and leading to misinterpretation of instructions and can cause reducing an employee’s effectiveness an occuracy. Negative Social Behavior and Annoyance Reactions noise levels have been associated with increased negative reactions such as increased igitation, exhaustion,dissatisfaction,anger and  distraction.This may cause social and behavioral affects including attempts to avoi d environmental noise by closing windows or doors, acting out aggression and even result in a change of residence. The exposure to levels above 80 DB will increase aggressiveness when combined with alcohol , provocation and existing anger. Annoyance is a feelings of displeasure when individuals believe in condition has and adverse effect on them. People is dependent on the type of noise, by the time it occurs and the activity that interrupt the noise. A person have an individual sensibilty and also expose in the role of annoyance level. Every people have a lack of sense of control over noise there is a higher level of annoyance especially if the noise is accompanied by low frequency componets and loud impulse noise. The negative social behaviors and annoyance reactions to noise cause declines to one’s sense of well being. Sleep Disturbances well rested sleep is essential to maintain good health and mental function. Noise is the common offender interrupting sleep and it causes both primary and secondary sleep disturbance.Primary effect have a difficulty in falling asleep, awakenings and differences of sleep patterns. The secondary effects are interrupted sleep including fatigue and decreased the well-being performance. This two kinds of effects have a environmental noise exposure during sleep is accompanied by several p sychological effects. The levels of attributable to disturbed sleep can be as low and continuous noise greater than 30 DB. According to study that they revealed the population who are living in the urban areas were at risk for increased neuroticism, subjective noise sensitivity and noise annoyance. The participants of the study have a difficulty to back falling asleep, their fatigue is increased , poorer sleep quality and need for increased use of sleeping agents. Cardio Vascular Distrurbances there is now growing body of evidence associating noise pollution with casdiovascular disease. This effect are secondary to body’s â€Å" fight or flight â€Å" response leading to autonomic nervous and endocrine effects seen with chronic daily levels of noise greater than 65 DB or acute exposure to levels above 80 to 85 DB. These effects can lead to blood pressure, heart rate and peripheral resistance by the release of hormones such as s norepinehrine, epinephrine, and cortisol.From the study of Roselund et al, the demonstrated an increase prevalence of high blood pressure of people that are exposed to ai rcraft noise. The participants of  this study ages between 18 – 80 and the effects is common among the elderly. The second study of Jarup et al reveal the relationship of the traffic noise and nightime noise can increase the blood pressure participants are ages between 45-75 years old. The cardiovascular effects to noise pollution not only in adults also the young childrens are at risk. In otther country they have the organization that can prevent the noise pollution the examples are The National Institute of Deafness and Other Communications Disorders ( NIDCD) they created a national public education movement to prevent the NIHL they called it â€Å" WISE EARS† this campign initatited in 1999 by (NIDCD) and many regional, national and state with their governments.Their main goals is to educate the people about NIHL and to motivate to have actions in NIHL . According to the studies they are focusing on expanding their mission to reach the childrens between 8-12 ages and also their parents. As a individual we can also reduce the noise pollution by construction of soundproof rooms for noisy machines in industrial and manufacturing installations. Most important for residential building their machines should be installed far from living or sleeping rooms, like in a basement of garage . And for the employee’s they cannot reduce the noise of machine so they can only prevent by using earplugs. We can also avoid by stay away from sources of noise. If we are living in noisy place make sure that our windows are dual paned. It also reduced by planting trees, because we all know the main function of trees is to absorb and protect the noise made by people. Community laws must silence zones near schools/colleges and hospitals that needs concentration. We also to know what are the causes of noise pollution and the world becomes more advanced the noise increases. As an individual we can also reduce the noise pollution if owning a car do not use the car horns unnecessarily in the areas that needs silent zones that honking is prohibited . And avoid loud music which will hurt the ears and also others ear. Furthermore ,Firecrackers are very loud so dont try and burn them unnecessarily. Motors, vehicles and large machines produced a loud noise when not maintained properly and it needs proper maintance for a better performance.In theme parks avoid riding on rides that produce lot of noise.  Also turn off the engine of your car if you’re not using it. It stops the annoying hum and also reduce the air pollution. It much better if using only a bicycle or walk go to school. You’re body will fit and also it reduce the air and noise pollution . Noise pollution can make a mind and body stress, there are some techniques that can prevent like breathing exercises , deep breathing and other breathing exercises will work because it can be done anywhere and are effective for calming the body’s physiology in minutes. Meditation, is also a stress reliever because it calms the mind and body and it helps the alter of brain, over time, you are less reactive to stress that happens. Yoga, because this is the combination of breathing and meditation it adds an element of a exercise to be a stress reliever that acts on a different levels that benefit your health. Also provides a simple ways to ease into meditation. We can also stress free by noise pollution by going to the place that quiet and make a relaxation or have a leisure in a hotel and listen to a instrumental music in a low volume. There are so many ways that we can prevent the noisy place and this case study reminded us that we should take care our ears and our environment most of all in urban areas who are near in hazardous noise.

Recommend a Good Book to Me - Interview Question Tips

Recommend a Good Book to Me - Interview Question Tips The question can come in many different forms: Whats the last book you read?; Tell me about a good book youve read recently; Whats your favorite book? Why?; What types of books do you like to read?; Tell me about a good book you read for pleasure. Its one of the most common interview questions. The Purpose of the Question Whatever the form of the question, the interviewer is trying to learn a few things by asking about your reading habits and book preferences: Do you read for pleasure?  Active readers are people who are intellectually curious. They are also people who are likely to have better reading comprehension and writing skills than non-readers. Students who read a lot in high school are more likely to succeed in college than students who dont.Do you know how to talk about books?  A lot of your college course work will involve discussing and writing about what you have read. This interview question helps figure out if you are up for the challenge.Your interests. You are likely to get asked about your interests and passions in another interview question, but books are one more way to approach the topic. If you have a love of novels about Cold War espionage, that information helps the interviewer get to know you better.A book recommendation. An interview is a two-way conversation, and your interviewer may actually want to learn about some good books he or she isnt familiar with. The Best Books to Discuss Dont try to second guess this question too much by recommending a book simply because it has historical or cultural significance. Youll sound insincere if you state that Bunyans Pilgrims Progress is your favorite book when in truth your much prefer Stephen King novels. Nearly any work of fiction or nonfiction can work for this question as long as you have things to say about it and it is at an appropriate reading-level for a college-bound student. There are, however, a few types of works that might be weaker choices than others. In general, avoid works such as these: Works that were obviously assigned in class. Part of this question is to see what you read outside of class. If you name To Kill a Mockingbird or Hamlet, youll sound as if youve never read anything but assigned books.Juvenile fiction. You dont need to hide your love of Diary of a Wimpy Kid or Redwall books, but these works are also loved by kids much younger than you. Youd do better to recommend a book that is more in line with a college-level reader.Works chosen simply to impress. James Joyces Finnegans Wake isnt anyones favorite book, and youll sound insincere if you recommend a challenging book in an effort to make yourself look smart. The issue gets a little more fuzzy with works like Harry Potter and Twilight. Certainly plenty of adults (including many college admissions folks) devoured all of the Harry Potter books, and youll even find college courses on Harry Potter (check out these top colleges for Harry Potter fans). You certainly dont need to hide the fact that you were addicted to popular series such as these. That said, so many people love these books (including much younger readers) that they make for a rather predictable and uninteresting answer to the interviewers question. So what is the ideal book? Try to come up with something that fits these general guidelines: Pick a book that you sincerely love and that you are comfortable talking about.Pick a book with enough substance to it so that you can explain why you like the book.Pick a book that is at an appropriate reading level; something that is a huge hit among fourth-graders is probably not your best choice.Pick a book that gives the interviewer a window into your interests and passions. This last point is important -   the interviewer wants to get to know you better. The fact that the college has interviews means that they have holistic admissions  - they are evaluating you as a person, not as a collection of grades and test scores.  This interview question isnt so much about the book you choose as it is about you. Make sure you are able to articulate why you are recommending the book. Why did the book speak to you more than other books? What about the book did you find so compelling? How did the book engage issues that you are passionate about? How did the book open your mind or create new understanding? Some Final Interview Advice As you prepare for your interview, be sure to master each of these 12 common interview questions. Also be sure to avoid these 10 interview mistakes. The interview is typically a friendly exchange of information, so try not to get to stressed about it. If youve focused on a book that you truly enjoyed reading and youve thought about why you enjoy it, you should have little difficulty with this interview question.

Planning and decision making in management

Planning and decision making in management Planning and decision making are among the most valuable foundations on which businesses and organizations are built. For any organization to succeed in its undertaking, it needs to properly plan for virtually all aspects of its operations. The right decisions have to be made by its managers to see the business through successful operations.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Planning and decision making in management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Since the success of managers is reflected by the welfare of the organizations they manage, it is indubitable that planning and decision making cannot be separated from the practice of management. This paper is a thoughtful reflection of the usefulness of planning and decision making skills, acquired in class, in the practice of management. As an aspiring manager, the ideas I acquired about planning and decision making in organizations will be very useful. This is because t he topic was covered with clear explanations of the usefulness of planning and management in management and it also covered how one can plan well and make right and acceptable decisions. Among the things that will be particularly useful in my life as a manager is the idea that planning and decision making is efficiently done using a bottom-up approach. This is because the use of a bottom-up approach in planning and making of decisions results in decisions that are characterized by sufficient consultation. More importantly, the decisions made using a bottom-up approach are in most cases acceptable to both managers and junior employees (Smith 33). Other issues covered in the topic were equally useful and I am sure I will be applying most of the ideas I got in class, about this topic, in my life as a manager. There are so many new things I learnt about planning and decision making. One of the new things that substantially impressed me is the fact that good managers are able to make dec isions by just listening to their fellow employees (Smith 35). That is, if someone comes with an idea of objection to a given plan, a good manager will listen to him/her and after evaluating the value of the suggestion, approve it or reject it. Since his/her evaluation is assumed to be based on shrewd judgment, the suggestion is, in this case, bound to have a positive effect on the organization. Much of the credit from such success goes to the manager for his/her coordination and leadership skills.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More My realization of the fact that listening to other people’s ideas makes a good manager will be very useful in my life. This is primarily due to the fact that I like putting my ideas across so much that it sometimes interferes with my listening skills. After the course, I am a better manager since I can now start working on my listen ing skills and try to have a positive perspective towards every idea that another person puts across. I now appreciate the fact that to be a good manager, I do not have to do all the thinking and planning work but I should have good evaluation skills for gauging the usefulness of ideas suggested by other people. As it can be deduced from the discussion above, good managerial skills require good planning and decision making. Taking a course that tackles the same is very important since, as students are taught on how to be good planners and decision makers, they are given a chance to evaluate themselves. This is very useful since after evaluating themselves, students are able to perfect their weaknesses as far as planning and decision making is concerned and consequently be good managers. Smith, Jane. Planning and Decision Making. New York. Wadsworth Publishing, 1996. Print.

Converting Cubic Centimeters to Liters Example Problem

Converting Cubic Centimeters to Liters Example Problem This example problem demonstrates how to convert cubic centimeters to liters (cm3 to l). Cubic centimeters and liters are two metric units of volume. Cubic Centimeters To Liters Problem What is the volume in liters of a cube with sides of 25 centimeters? Solution First, find the volume of the cube.**Note** Volume of a cube (length of side)3Volume in cm3 (25 cm)3Volume in cm3 15625 cm3 Second, convert cm3 to ml1 cm3 1 mlVolume in ml Volume in cm3Volume in ml 15625 ml Third, convert ml to L1 L 1000 ml Set up the conversion to cancel out the desired unit. In this case, we want L to be the remaining unit. volume in L (volume in ml) x (1 L/1000 ml)volume in L (15625/1000) Lvolume in L 15.625 L Answer ï » ¿A cube with 25 cm sides contains 15.625 L of volume. Simple cm3 to L Conversion Example If youre lucky enough to have the original value already in cubic centimeters, conversion to liters is easy. Convert 442.5 cubic centimeters into liters. From the previous example, you should realize a cubic centimeter is the same volume as a milliliter, so: 442.5 cm3 442.5 ml From there, you just need to convert cm3 to liters. 1000 ml 1 L Finally, convert the units. The trick is to check the set-up of the conversion to make sure the ml units cancel out, leaving you with liters for the answer: volume in L (volume in ml) x (1 L/1000 ml)volume in L 442.5 ml x (1 L/1000 ml)volume in L 0.4425 L Note: Whenever a volume (or any reported value) is less than 1, always add the leading zero before the decimal point to make the answer easier to read.

Remarkable Artist. Marina Abramovic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Remarkable Artist. Marina Abramovic - Essay Example Few performers of art elicit mixed reactions on stage such as those promoted by Marina Abramovic. Few artists can eclipse her daring artistic expression while still maintaining the sanity if the world. As such, this makes Marina Abramovic a unique performer deserving of accolades across the board. She is, in fact, one of the most publicly recognizable artists in the contemporary world. Her approach to art and her use of her own body, in expression of artistic gestures is somewhat of a marvel that is distinctively rare in contemporary society. This is the rationale for its having a significant impact on art lovers. Throughout the decades, Abramovic has tested the relationship between artist and audience. In addition, she has taken her mind and body to the limits of performance and emerged unhurt. Such daring feats continue to characterize her performances across the globe. She has cut herself, dragged herself, and made her naked body the subject of abuse of a vicious crowd. All in the name of creating pieces of art. These are but an example of the experiences she goes through in her endeavor of producing pieces of art. Unlike theater performance, where almost everything is forged, studio performances are characterized by a sense of reality hinged on the fact that everything in the art and subsequent performance are real. In theater performances, the blood in performance is phony. However, in studio performance best exemplified by the works by Abramovic, are characterized by real blood. ... In theater performances, the blood in performance is phony. However, in studio performance best exemplified by the works by Abramovic, are characterized by real blood. This shows the level of realism that studio performances give to the audience. In such a setting, the likes of Marina fit perfectly (Stiles, Abramovic?, Biesenbach and Iles 2008, p. 25). It is the fact that this self-expression, being of incomprehensible means, which is somewhat beyond the capabilities of the audience, which makes her performances unique (Abramovic, 1997, p. 76). The performances of this artist are distinctively characterized by feelings of both pleasure and disappointment. This is especially so when her background in brought into context. The war torn Yugoslavia where Marina Abramovic grew up is expected to shape her beliefs and thinking. However, this could not be further from the truth. Through her performances, a different Yugoslavia is depicted. It is this separation of beliefs and intrinsic quali ties of her performances, which propels her fame. Yugoslavia is characterized by civil war, genocide, and extreme nationalism. However, contrary to the expectations sourced from knowledge of her native country, her works of art exude elements of innovation and experimentation. It is only via the understanding of her childhood background would the true remarkable essence of her work become known. Abramovic was born in a war torn nation, with the national army allied parents, and a somewhat underprivileged background. As such, her motivation and inspiration of her works of art are not immediately clear to the audience; the aura seems to be self-made. She

Marketing and Entrepreneurship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Marketing and Entrepreneurship - Essay Example Though, in the developed nations like US and UK, many companies have introduced healthy cold drinks but they have failed to provide balance nutrition to the children. Hence, it can be said that the children and teenagers are the potential customers of Neutrica.   In this fast moving world, even the adults need health drink that can be used as a substitute of soft drinks. People in their old age suffer from several health-related complications like high blood pressure, cholesterol deposition and diabetes. For these people Neutrica is a good way of deriving required nutrition in a more convenient and simple manner. Till date, there are not too many health drinks that are popular among the aged people. The percentage of elderly people is likely to increase with time, thus adding to its potential customer base.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Consumers are becoming increasingly conscious about their health and are willing to shell out money for those foods and drinks that promises better health. Therefore , the demand for health drink is likely to grow, mainly among the children and elderly persons. Target MarketIn developed nations like UK and US, the market is already flooded with different kinds of energy drinks, canned fruit juices and different type of health drinks. As a result, the degree of competition is also high in these markets. This coupled with low population growth will make these markets very stagnant in the years to come.On the other hand, developing countries are performing better because their economies are growing at a fast rate.

Caracass Current Sanitation and Energy Problem Essay

Caracass Current Sanitation and Energy Problem - Essay Example According to the findings, it can, therefore, be said that the concern by scientists that the combustion of fossil fuels has resulted in surplus carbon dioxide gives a reason for examining this problem so that a quick solution can be found and that no devastating effects are created in Caracas. An additional significance for looking into this problem is that, by researching on it, a recognizable power generation technology that is environmentally friendly, mechanically reasonable, and economically profitable can be discovered so that the city can experience a real option for builders of fresh capacity. Further, energy policy can be formulated, basing on a high degree of energy proficiency and more use of renewable energy. This paper will, therefore, look at the problem chronologically, outlining the body in terms of the record of the earlier problems facing the city for a deeper understanding; a collection of possible ideas and solutions; and finally to link the whole research to the energy problem as well as brainstorm suggested improvements for the welfare of the  city.

E-Business Technologies have altered the Nature of Competition within Essay

E-Business Technologies have altered the Nature of Competition within Amazon - Essay Example A variety of e-business technologies and its applications are developed to enhance commerce online through internet. Though World Wide Web is considered to be the only e-business technology but the reality is that it is the only one feature amongst several other features (Fontana, 2000, pp.9-10). E-business technologies are composed of a set of technologies that work through internet. These e-business technologies comprises of websites, search engines, browsers, e-procurement software etc. On the other hand, internet can solely be described as several computers connected together in a form of network through telephone lines or other tools. As electronic business involves a large number and variety of technologies so the range of its applications is also large (Gladwin, 2001, pp.12). E-business affects business from the first step to the last. It marks the definition of the product as it is easier to redefine the current product. In e-business through technology it has also become easier to introduce new products and services. E-business has also changed the features of the traditional trade. E-business has effects on all steps of commerce from development of products or services to dealing with suppliers and distributors to sending of products or services to the customers. It has also led businessmen into difficulty in starting a business (Ball & McCulloch, 1999, pp. 222-228). Also, in e-business following what others are doing may not be a good criterion for starting an e-business as for example some clothing companies stepped into e-business by developing their websites where customers can easily see the company†™s designs and products and place their orders online. But the same sort of e-business may not be a good start for other companies dealing in some other goods or services (Cox, 2000, pp.32). For example: businessmen dealing in vegetables and fruits while seeing the rise in the trend of e-business in fashion tried to follow their steps but unfortunately they fail as customers would prefer to go to vegetable market for buying vegetable rather than placing order online (Conner, 2001, pp.13). Inventions in existing technologies are taking place and researchers come up with innovative technology gadgets every day. Whenever any innovative technology is invented, it is assumed that it will further simplify the existing technology, would be more efficient and would also be user friendly. At the same time it would also save time and reduce cost. But the technologies that were invented since early 1980s gave a chance to entirely change the practices in businesses that were in vogue then and to adopt completely new methods (Corcoran, 2001, pp.13). But, unfortunately those modernizations were not readily accepted and followed by the companies. In e-business the innovative technologies provide commerce with an opportunity to disconnect with the past and start afresh. This gives the firms a chance to revolutionize and get an economical benefit over their competitors. The most important factor that is of major concern to the businessmen is the quick alteration and uncertainty in the business environment. There are several reasons of this quick alteration and uncertainty in the business environment among them the most important ones are new technological inventions, diversified and rapidly changing market needs, growing competition and challenging customers with growing demands (Bull, 2000, pp. 102-143). The risky activities relating to business are increased due to the quickly altering and uncertain kind of business environm

Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Media - Essay Example To emphasize this theme of darkness from the beginning, Conrad’s narration took place in the Thames tidal estuary. Marlow recounted that London in ancient times was itself a dark place from the point of view of the Romans. This theme of darkness lurking beneath the surface would appear often as Conrad described the character of Kurtz and through his narrator with his passing sense of understanding with the Africans. In a paragraph, for instance, Marlow said: I tried to break the spell [Marlow says] – the heavy, mute spell of the wilderness – that seemed to draw him to its pitiless breast by the awakening of forgotten and brutal instincts, by the memory of gratified and monstrous passions. This alone I was convinced, had driven him out of the edge of the forest, to the bush, toward the gleam of fires, the throb of drums, the drone of weird incantations†¦ He had kicked himself loose of the earth†¦ His soul was mad. (p. 183) The darkness theme can also be found in other themes in the novella such as the naivetà © of Europeans regarding the various forms of darkness in Congo, the European colonialists’ abuse and exploitation of the Africans and the human nature’s tendency of duplicity. The Heart of Darkness has at least 10 film or television adaptations after its publication.. A problem in regard to adapting this work of fiction is how to translate the first person narrative first, in the radio adaption; and, second, in film adaptations later on. Marguerite Rippy cited the approach of substituting the eye of the camera for â€Å"I† of Conrad’s narrator. (p. 30) Here, the camera would become Marlow, whose voice would be heard offscreen. This has been implemented in Orson Welles’ adaptation of the novella. He successfully adapted the material in 1938 and that he was eager to reproduce the material on film. Film adaptations of the Heart of Darkness have focused on different interpretations. For example,

Benazir Bhutto English Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Benazir Bhutto English - Research Paper Example Born to a comfortable lifestyle Benazir had an exemplary primary education in Pakistan that eventually qualified her to be educated in the United States’ Radcliffe College at Harvard University where she graduated cum laude in Comparative Government. She continued her studies in the United Kingdom’s Lady Margaret Hall in Oxford eventually completing additional courses in International Studies and Diplomacy. An astute speaker she eventually led the prestigious debating society as the president of the Oxford Union Debating Society. Benazir’s rude awakening to the tumultuous Pakistan politics was when her father Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was removed from office by a military coup in 1977. Coup leader General Zia-ul-Haq imposed martial law and placed on house arrest the entire family of Benazir. The death of Benazir’s father in 1979 by hanging at the hands of the coup plotters despite international pressure for clemency also exposed Benazir to the hea vy cost of public service. In one of her memoirs she described her time under house arrest. â€Å"The summer heat turned my cell into an oven. My skin split and peeled, coming off my hands in sheets. Boils erupted on my face. My hair, which had always been thick, began to come out by the handful. Insects crept into the cell like invading armies. Grasshoppers, mosquitoes, stinging flies, bees and bugs came up through the cracks in the floor and through the open bars from the courtyard. I tried pulling the sheet over my head at night to hide from their bites, pushing it back when it got too hot to breathe.† (Bhutto) In the first quarter of 1984, under pressure from the international community General Zia allowed Benazir Bhutto to travel abroad for medical consideration. After her surgery Benazir, resumed her political activities outside Pakistan to raise international concerns about the abuses political prisoners are suffering at the hands of General Zia-ul-Haq’s regime. The effectiveness of Benazir’s strategy forced General Zia to respond by holding a referendum to provide local and international legitimacy to his government. However, the referendum failed to achieve its purpose for General Zia, who was furthered pressure by the international community to hold general elections to restore the Parliamentary Government of Pakistan. In response Benazir’s People’s Party boycotted the elections because it violated certain provisions of the Pakistan Constitution. In November 16, 1988, in the first open election in more than a decade, Bhutto’s Peoples Party of Pakistan won the majority seats in the National Assembly. Consequently the first term of Benazir Bhutto as the first and to date only woman Prime Minister of Pakistan also started. (Hughes) Her term lasted until 1990 amidst corruption charges. In the October 1993 elections Benazir’s People Party of Pakistan again gained most of the seats in the National Assembly. However, due to the mounting pressures of the mounting corruption allegations against the people in her immediate circle of friends and family she was again forced to resign. Her reign eventually ended in 1996. Benazir Bhutto’s crusades include the repeal of controversial laws that curtail the rights of women in Pakistan that would include the Hudood and Zina ordinances. These ordinances make it legal for rape victims to be stoned to death. The

Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Media - Essay Example To emphasize this theme of darkness from the beginning, Conrad’s narration took place in the Thames tidal estuary. Marlow recounted that London in ancient times was itself a dark place from the point of view of the Romans. This theme of darkness lurking beneath the surface would appear often as Conrad described the character of Kurtz and through his narrator with his passing sense of understanding with the Africans. In a paragraph, for instance, Marlow said: I tried to break the spell [Marlow says] – the heavy, mute spell of the wilderness – that seemed to draw him to its pitiless breast by the awakening of forgotten and brutal instincts, by the memory of gratified and monstrous passions. This alone I was convinced, had driven him out of the edge of the forest, to the bush, toward the gleam of fires, the throb of drums, the drone of weird incantations†¦ He had kicked himself loose of the earth†¦ His soul was mad. (p. 183) The darkness theme can also be found in other themes in the novella such as the naivetà © of Europeans regarding the various forms of darkness in Congo, the European colonialists’ abuse and exploitation of the Africans and the human nature’s tendency of duplicity. The Heart of Darkness has at least 10 film or television adaptations after its publication.. A problem in regard to adapting this work of fiction is how to translate the first person narrative first, in the radio adaption; and, second, in film adaptations later on. Marguerite Rippy cited the approach of substituting the eye of the camera for â€Å"I† of Conrad’s narrator. (p. 30) Here, the camera would become Marlow, whose voice would be heard offscreen. This has been implemented in Orson Welles’ adaptation of the novella. He successfully adapted the material in 1938 and that he was eager to reproduce the material on film. Film adaptations of the Heart of Darkness have focused on different interpretations. For example,

Collaborative project Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Collaborative project - Assignment Example collaboration plan had little or no impact on student learning, you have the opportunity to reflect on the plan and identify possible alternative approaches that could be used in the future. The collaboration task format is based on the Kentucky Teacher Internship teacher performance assessment model. It supports Kentucky Teacher Standard VIII, Collaborates with Colleagues/Parents/Others. The format has been modified for application to teacher preparation. You will collaborate with one or more other professionals to design and implement a plan for a student whose learning could be enhanced by collaboration. Be sure to review carefully the appropriate guidelines before completing this form. Edward has a learning disability which affects hearing processing. Like many students with invisible disabilities, such as learning and mental impairments, he is sensitive to the attitudes and thoughts of fellow classmates and teachers regarding his need for special facilities in class. In the meeting I discussed in detail with the subject teachers/concerned teachers about the performance of Edward in their subjects specially the marks percentage which he got in monthly, quarterly and annual examinations. I also enquired in explanatory way about his concentration in each class. Besides all this, activities of Edwards were monitored and discussed in the meeting. The main impact of the collaboration plan on this student’s learning is that on spot assessment is possible. Because of this plan I evaluate students grades/marks frequently like monthly, quarterly and annually. Moreover, I also monitor his activities and interests on regular

Dynamic Earth Essay Example for Free

Dynamic Earth Essay Has the Earth been static since the beginning of time? Well, Earth hasnt been moving vigorously but it is changing at a steady rate. New geological features, rock formations, and locations of plates all rise and demolish some in a lifetime and others over a span of millions of years. Earth is dynamic; it constantly progresses and doesnt rest. Through the churns and molds, the twists and turns, Earth is active because of plate tectonics and the rock cycle. The ideas and theories that make up plate tectonics have shown Earths dynamism. The position of plates on global maps didnt always look similar to the maps shown today. 250 million years ago, there existed a super continent, Pangea, which contained all land masses on Earth. Before plate tectonics, people thought the plates were always in the same position; no one could explain how such a large mass could move. It split up some 200 million years ago but scientists recently accepted this idea of moving plates; continental drift. Even more recent was the idea of sea-floor spreading, the explanation for continental drift. These ideas merged to create what is now known as plate tectonics. In fact, it is more than likely that Earth will resemble Pangea in the future. The ideas that were brought up could easily have been within a persons lifetime. Volcanoes and earthquakes are also common because of plate tectonics. There are about 500,000 earthquakes and hundreds of minor volcanic eruptions each year caused by the frequent interaction between plates. Plate tectonics are a major piece of evidence for the changing planet. The transformations that occur through the rock cycle have also shown Earths dynamism. The rock cycle describes the dynamic transitions that the three main types of rock undergo without any definitive order. A metamorphic rock will not always stay a metamorphic rock; it can turn into a sedimentary rock through weathering and erosion then compaction and cementation or an igneous rock through melting and cooling of magma. For example, the Andes Mountains were formed by the transformations of metamorphic and sedimentary rock. It began to take its present form about 80 to 100 million years ago. Even though the process for change is prolonged, it takes place nonetheless. The rocks we see today may be different millions of years into the future. Basically, nothing is ever set in stone or rather, rock. In conclusion, Earths dynamism is shown through plate tectonics and the rock cycle. It is constantly changing despite the slow rate. The features that are visible today wont be there forever. Volcanoes that were once active will cease to erupt and continents that were once separated by water will be glued together. Beautiful rock formations will be torn down by the violent planet that is Earth. Due to the changing Earth, our understanding changes with it. Scientists constantly come up with new information to prove an idea or counter a theory. The winds of change are coming, can you feel it?

Setting Vs Story - Dantes Inferno And Sartres No Exit Essay -- essays

This essay is on setting differences using the works of Dante's The Inferno and Jean Paul Sartre's No Exit.Adam looks about spotting all the important people that will influence the rest of his life. He takes a deep breath and prepares to make this his last and final addition to life. Quietly he draws back from the church as if to stop time, this moment may define him as a man. He turns to look at the priest as if to reply his answer, but suddenly he realizes the hand he is holding is as cold as death. Quickly he snaps back into reality recognizing he is not asking for his bride's hand in marriage, but burying her. Once again his mind tricked him into thinking that he was starting all over again with a new chance; however, as in life, sometimes there are no second chances.Dante's Inferno and Jean Paul Sartre's No Exit illustrate irony in setting in similar ways, such that there are no second chances in life. Both works take the readers into the minds of their authors where each author gives their interpretation of hell. Dante's and Jean Paul Sartre's works both have similar aspects of setting that are expressed in similar styles. Through symbolism, representation, and finite physical details each author establishesirony, yet also reinforces his theme. When Dante wrote The Inferno his mind thrived on the different levels of interpretation; likewise, Jean Paul Sartre's mind thrived on this, and he patterned No Exit after Dante's work. The symbolism expressed in Dante's Inferno correlates directly, in some cases, to the play written by Jean Paul Sartre, No Exit. Symbolism in both works cannot be defined by one level of thinking and neither can it be comprehended on one level. However, symbolism in relation to the setting of both works exhibits the nature of both writers to be very ironic in some cases. For example, throughout Dante's Inferno, Dante makes many direct references to the light and the heavens: "Therefore, if you win through this gloomy pass and climb again to see the heaven of stars when it rejoices to you . . ." (p. 145, l. 82 -5).These references, also made in No Exit, reveal the irony that none of the inhabitants of hell can ever see the light of God or, in Jean Paul Sartre's perspective, will always be reminded of the light and the choice they made: "Always broad daylight in my eyes- and in my head." (p.6) is another ... ... having his maincharacters seeing his version of hell in a hotel suite. This ironical atmosphere gives the readers exactly the reaction he wants, the idea that this could never be hell because the lack of flaming pits and pointy tailed devils. He uses this edge to surprise his readers into thinking that hell can be anyplace in the world it is he state of mind and punishment that makes it truly hell."What I was living, the same I now, dead"(p. 109, l. 66) stated Dante in his work The Inferno. The setting reinforces this theme that the irony of the sin committed will be the punishment received. Setting in both of these works expressed the ironical nature of both these writers and how they used this to give insight to their work. Through the symbolism, representation, and finite physical details Dante and Jean Paul Sartre both exhibited the essence of the meaning of irony. These various literary devicestransform a work of literatureinto a style with which readers can both identify and understand, yet also taking them to the next level. When setting can be interpreted ironically in many levels, something as simple as a few chairs and a table could represent Hell's Kitchen.

The differences of the 50s and the 90s :: essays research papers

During the fifties, to be the norm in society was to be the norm. To be the same was to be what every one else was being. Doing what every one else was doing was what was supposed to be what was being done. Did you catch all that? And then here we are in the nineties. In the nineties, to be the norm in society in to not be the norm. To be the same is to not be what every one else is being. Doing what other people don’t do is what is really expected to be done. Now, did you catch all that?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Let me elaborate on that a little bit. Pretty much, the point is that America in the 1950’s was a place where you are expected to be a normal person. America in the 1990’s and beyond is now almost a place where you are expected to do something different (or at least it isn’t a surprise when someone is different).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In a â€Å"normal† family in the 1950’s, the husband came home from working nine-to-five. In his home he would find his wife with dinner ready and the house clean. He would also find his two kids, and one dog, all doing what they are supposed to be doing. In a â€Å"normal† family in the 1990’s, the husband and wife come home from work, one at two a.m., and maybe one at two in the afternoon. They would find his kids (maybe), and they more than likely would not find them doing what they wanted them to be doing. The sun would have a red and green spiked Mohawk, and the daughter main concern is her hair’s buoyancy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Neighborhoods in the 1950’s wre very close knit. People would say â€Å"Hi† to each other. Parents would reprimand children other than their own. Many problems were taken care of by the community, without questions asked. Communities now are loose knit, not caring to reccognise the existence of neighbors, let alone be involved with each others lives.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Today, families have very busy lives. They deal with family members on different schedules. Meals are generally served sporadically, depending on who needs what when. Fifty years ago, dinner was set at a certain time. Family members were expected to be there, and schedules worked around meals. No one watched television while they ate dinner, and the dinner conversation focus was on what happened during the day.

Separation of Powers in the Uk

This essay will seek to analyse the doctrine of the separation of powers and the importance of its presence within a constitution. Particular emphasis will be placed on identifying how this idea is incorporated into the United Kingdom’s (UK) constitution and the effect that recent developments of constitutional reform such as the introduction of the UK Supreme Court in place of the House of Lords has had. The doctrine of the separation of powers is an idea that can be seen in writings as far back as the time of Aristotle. This concept states that any constitution relies on the ‘three pillars of state’ which are the executive, legislative and judiciary. Montesquieu formulated this concept in the eighteenth century and in ‘L’Esprit des Lois’ wrote; â€Å"All would be lost if the same man or the same body of principle of men, either of nobles, or of the people, exercised these three powers: that of making laws, that of executing public resolutions, and that of judging the crimes or the disputes of individuals. Montesquieu’s writing sums up the idea that if in any constitution at one time, more than one of these powers are controlled by the same ‘man’ or ‘body of men’ then the power instigated becomes arbitrary and to effect a dictatorship. These three powers can be seen within the UK’s constitution, the Government (executive), Parliament (legislature) and the Courts (judiciary). The UK has been criticised suggesting that there is n o separation of powers within our constitution due to its un-codified and thus unclear nature making it hard to establish three independent bodies. This was the case for a number of reasons; firstly within the UK there are overlaps between the so called ‘powers of state’ an example of this is the set-up of government. Members of the Prime Ministers Cabinet are also Members of Parliament who have executive powers aside being able to vote in parliament, that in turn creates a direct overlap between executive and legislative powers. This can be seen as recently as this year with members of the Cabinet like Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg having executive powers whilst being able to vote in Parliament on the Tuition Fees Bill 2010. The courts also appear to exercise legislative functions along with their judicial roles through means of the common law. Judges for years have been creating and changing laws as they see fit and still to this day have the power to make binding precedents. However, the position of Lord Chancellor was regularly criticised as it held presence in all three of the ‘pillars of state’. It would appear from this that indeed the United Kingdom does not exercise the concept of separation of powers. In February 2004 the House of Lords introduced what was eventually to be The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 . This act looked to tackle two of the perceived main criticisms of the UK constitution namely the role of Lord Chancellor and to bring in a Supreme Court to take over the role of the appellate committee of the House of Lords in the judiciary as prior to this members of the House of Lords were members of both the legislature and the judiciary. The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom was thereby opened in 2009 however; it would appear questionable as to whether it has really brought around a separation of powers. If a logical approach is taken then this introduction of a new chamber has made a big change to the constitution as no longer would it be possible for law lords to sit in the judiciary and vote in parliament however, if we take an alternative view then the Supreme Court has not really changed anything within the UK’s constitution. Due to the unwritten format of our constitution it is known that many laws and procedures that countries such as the USA (who possess a written constitution) have backed up by the documented constitution itself, we very much rely on the role of convention, habit and tradition to hold the three powers in check. It has very much been convention that from before 2006 the law lords that sit in the appellate committee of the House of Lords refrain from sitting in political matters whereas; members of the Lords who exercise political functions do not participate with any matters of the judiciary. True, the introduction of the Supreme Court has made it impossible for the legislative and judicial powers to be fused as members appointed within the Supreme Court will no longer be members of the House of Lords thus making this house of Parliament solely legislative. Perhaps a more important development is that future members of the Supreme Court need not even be peers which could in time sever any link between the two chambers. The act also placed restraints on the role of the Lord Chancellor that have met the same feeling as that of the Supreme Court, whilst yes these changes are positive, the question remains were they necessary? The introduction of the UK Supreme Court is a positive step to incorporate not only more written sources to the constitution but towards properly establishing a separation of powers within the UK. However, it can be suggested that a more appropriate step to chieving this goal would be to approach different issues and ones that don’t have constraints such as being governed by convention, that continue to work against any positive steps taken to establish a separation of powers within the state. The fact that Cabinet members can vote in parliament is a direct overlap between two of the powers and maybe reform of this area should be considered as well. Perhaps the whole set up of our countries elective system is in need of reform as any party that commands a majority could effectively pass any bill they like without opposition. Tony Blair as the head of the Labour government in 1997 enjoyed such domination of parliament. The use of the Royal Prerogative has been described as ‘unconstitutional’ and came under scrutiny when Tony Blair supported the USA in the Iraq War and sent British soldiers to war. These majority governments have been described as ‘elective dictatorships’, and these are but a few examples of many things that work against our country ever having a true and complete separation of powers. The establishment of the Supreme Court in October 2009 and the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 appears to have sparked willingness for change. This could be seen in the 2010 General Election where clear emphasis was placed on constitutional reform by each major party, to mention but one is the Liberal Democrats pledge to attempt to remove the first past the post voting system to be replaced by proportional representation. The Con-Lib coalition government of 2010 has recently created a five year fixed term parliament which places the next general election on the first Thursday of May 2015. These are all changes that will eventually contribute to creating a separation of powers and to positively change the constitution. It can be seen from this that the introduction of the new Supreme Court has made a big step towards bringing about a true separation of powers in the UK. Regardless of the conventions that the House of Lords and appellate committee followed, the Supreme Court has severed any link between the judiciary and parliament. This is particularly important in present times as the rise in claims of judicial review require a completely impartial court in order to enable the judiciary to keep check of the legislative and executive branches of state and to uphold constitutional justice. It is also clear that there is at best a partial separation of power in the UK which is important to retain but it could not be said that we have incorporated this concept wholly and much more will be done over time to establish a more stable constitution for future governments. Constitutional reform in itself is not a simple task and examples of this can be seen in countries such as Bosnia who are currently struggling with reformations, which really does highlight the enormity of creating a Supreme Court and re-identifying the judicial branch of the UK. Whilst there is currently only a partial separation of powers in the UK for now, this may be starting to change. 1491 Words. Bibliography †¢Neil Parpworth, Constitutional & Administrative Law (6th Edition, Oxford University Press, 2010). †¢Anthony King, The British Constitution (Oxford University Press, 2007). †¢Jeffrey Jowell and Dawn Oliver, The Changing Constitution (6th Edition, Oxford University Press, 2007). †¢Vernon Bogdanor, The New British Constitution (Hart Publishing, 2009). †¢http://www. energyobserver. com/tekst-e. php? lang=2&ID=1072 accessed 07/01/2011 14:07. †¢ accessed 07/01/2011 15:36.

Literature Review Essay

Abstract The primary role of literature review in a quantitative research study to gain information on the subject of your research question and identify unbiased and valid studies connected with your research question. For instance, my quantitative research question is â€Å"all other factors being equal, do high school students reading popular fiction achieve better Language Arts test scores than high school students reading curriculum-required fiction? † My hypothesis is that high school students reading popular fiction will outperform the students who read curriculum-required fiction, because if you enjoy reading you will perform better. Then I need to do a literature review to discover if my question has already been answered and I may need to modify it or if there are related studies to my research question that can provide quantifiable research. Introduction Quantitative Research involves collecting numerical data though content analysis, performance tests, personality measures, questionnaires, etc. This type of research procedures include an objective/unbiased approach to collecting numerical data from a large number of participants and analyzes these numbers using statistics in order to answer a specific, narrow research question. As part of research, a literature review is required. A quantitative literature review is an extensive review of literature that may or may not influence the study and your research question (UOA 2013). The primary role of literature review in a quantitative research study to gain information on the subject of your research question and identify unbiased and valid studies connected with your research question. For instance, my quantitative research question is â€Å"all other factors being equal, do high school students reading popular fiction achieve better Language Arts test scores than high school students reading curriculum-required fiction? † My hypothesis is that high school students reading popular fiction will outperform the students who read curriculum-required fiction, because if you enjoy reading you will perform better. Then I need to do a literature review to discover if my question has already been answered and I may need to modify it or if there are related studies to my research question that can provide quantifiable research. Why This Research Question This research question â€Å"all other factors being equal, do high school students reading popular fiction achieve better Language Arts test scores than high school students reading curriculum-required fiction? † needs to be answered. There is a controversy over what types of literature is acceptable for students to have access. One of my favorite book series (Harry Potter) is a banned book in certain states. This research question would add to research already completed. Methodology in the Research Question This research question â€Å"all other factors being equal, do high school students reading popular fiction achieve better Language Arts test scores than high school students reading curriculum-required fiction? † is an experimental research question and a casual research question. An experimental research question tests the cause and effect and a causal research question that test for a cause and effect relationship between variables. The variables in this research question are the independent variable (IV), age, ethnicity, and gender, the dependent variable (DV), assigned popular fiction and curriculum-required fiction, and the covariant (CoV) socio-economic status. Additionally, this question has ratio data. Ratio data is continuous. Ratio data rank order, but also quantify and compare the sizes of differences between them. Ratio data has an absolute zero and allows for how many times greater. The research question can discover how many times greater or less are the test scores of high school students who read popular fiction than those who read curriculum-required fiction. Supporting Research My hypothesis of the research question is that high school students reading popular fiction will outperform the students who read curriculum-required fiction, because if you enjoy reading you will perform better. The other similar research found during the literature review relates to my research. Although, my specific research question has not been fully researched. Other research relates to my question. According to the article, Impact of Students’ Reading Preferences on Reading Achievement, middle school students in Canada found â€Å"The most significant indicators were reading novels or fictional texts, informative reading or non-fiction, and reading books or other texts from the school library. In-class reading and participation in discussions pertaining to school-related reading were also shown to enhance reading achievement. These results are somewhat surprising in that research documenting this subject mainly emphasizes the use of pedagogical material corresponding to the interests/needs of students to foster achievement in reading† (Bouchamma, et al. 2013). This research shows that reading achievement can come from both required and optional reading. Moreover, according to the article, Reading Attitude and its Effect on Leisure Time Reading, â€Å"gender, educational level, age, and amount of spare time have a positive effect on reading behavior† (Stokmans 1999). Additionally, there is â€Å"a positive relationship between time spent reading fiction and educational level† (Stokmans 1999). This research shows that reading fiction relates positively to reading level. Additionally, according to the article, Popular Publications May Help Students’ Reading Scores, â€Å"We are concerned about the struggle to increase scores that children are posting on state-required exams — not because of the scores themselves, but because they are strong indications that state students may not be gaining the thorough and analytical skills they need to become successful readers† (Michigan Chronicle 1997). This newspaper article shows that popular publications may help students on their reading score. Conclusion This research question â€Å"all other factors being equal, do high school students reading popular fiction achieve better Language Arts test scores than high school students reading curriculum-required fiction? † needs to be answered. This research question addresses the controversy over what types of literature is acceptable for students to have access to. Moreover, this research question would add to research already completed. It would allow  administrators and other educators to decide if certain books can be helpful in high school students learning environments. Bibliography Bouchamma, Y. , Poulin, V. , Basque, M. , & Ruel, C. (2013). Impact of students’ reading preferences on reading achievement. Creative Education, 4(8), 484-491. Retrieved February 6th, 2014 from: http://search. proquest. com/docview/1441488139? accountid=28844 Mia J. W. Stokmans, Reading attitude and its effect on leisure time reading, Poetics, Volume 26, Issue 4, May 1999, Pages 245-261, ISSN 0304-422X, Retrieved February 6th, 2014 from: http://dx. doi. org/10. 1016/S0304-422X(99)00005-4 http://www. sciencedirect. com/science/article/pii/S0304422X99000054 Popular publications may help students’ reading scores. (1997, Oct 01). Michigan Chronicle. Retrieved February 6th, from: http://search. proquest. com/docview/390200035? accountid=28844 University of Arkansas Libraries (2013, Oct. 30) Literature Reviews. LibGuides. Retrieved February 6th, 2014 from: http://uark. libguides. com/content. php? pid=110370&sid=1384703

In Broad Daylight: Message and Moral Essay

After hunger, sex is the most powerful drive in humans. In the event of non-fulfillment of this drive, one may turn to evil ways of life by which is meant resorting to actions not considered right and attendant with unpleasant consequences. Though the story â€Å"In Broad Daylight† is not purposely intended to be a story with strong social message, its author, Ha Jin, unwittingly establishes a universal truth that evil begets evil. The term evil has two connotations, one at purely personal and individual level and the second at collective and societal level. On an individual level, human emotions and desires demand freedom of satisfaction. One does not mind defying customs and systems and wants absolute rights as a human being. Mu Ying, principal character of Ha Jin’s story and a lady past her prime, indulges in prostitution as she has been dissatisfied with the physical aspects of her relationship with her husband Meng Su (Jin 84). She pleads with other woman to consider her case on human basis (Jin 84). Physical gratification is a matter of personal choice but it comes into conflict with regulatory aspect of society which to promote a stable system denounces physical gratification outside wedlock and makes it punishable as adultery. The more primitive and backward the society, like China during times of Communist Revolution, the more barbaric the punishment. Mu Ying’s thrashing a red guard for not paying her money results in her public humiliation and atrocious death at the hands of Red Guards and suicide of her husband (Jin 88) – evil begetting evil. The author Ha Jing has not raised any question of morality. He has simply described the incompatible conduct of a person and its disastrous repercussions.

Google experience in different country Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Google experience in different country - Essay Example Some countries, though, do not have preference to access it for different reasons, ranging from cultural heritage and leading technology. For instance, Google France, German and Japan contested Google’s applications including its ability to address censorship and prolific advertisements. Likewise, these countries contest the use of digitalise books from American universities, which are actually supported by the American culture. To counter unprecedented Google dominance in the global sphere, each country created their own search engine with appropriate government investment. In France, the Franco- Germen project Quaero ensued in 2005.Then, in 2007, the Germans decided to develop their own project, Theseus. Finally in Japan, the Grand Voyage Project was developed in 2005 in response to the needs of the local population. All projects contained more visual imagines to beat Google; however, these countries’ investments are not substantial when compare to Google’s fin ancial base. Google analysed the situation and put a lot of effort to adapt to the unique and sensitive cultural elements in order not to lose its global market share. The organization continues improving technology and invests in R&D centres around the world. Google learned from the past and evolving experiences with France, German and Japan that there is a strong need to adapt business practices in a host country to integrate values, norms and preferences imbibed in culture and to consider various government regulations. Introduction Google Inc., based in America, was created by two brilliant Stanford University PHD students Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 1998. Since then, Google has exhibited unprecedented growth by providing dozen of services and products, like fast and simple search engine, maps, web, communication and publishing, advertizing and many more. When Google used a Ranking system technology, the system not only looked for keywords, but also searched results based on t he popularities and numbers of other web sites that were linked to the page. Google launched its IPO in 2004 that offered a 23 billion value market. Today, Google is one of the biggest company in a country with a value market of about 200 billion. http://blogs.wsj.com/deals/2011/11/03/groupon-is-the-biggest-internet-ipo-since-google/ The money Google makes is from two main source ads (21 billion of revenue in 2008) and selling technology to other sites. When users look for some information in the Google website they can see organic result and advertisements (sponsored links). Through 2001 to November 2011, Google made about 105 acquisitions, including the video sharing service YouTube, and online advertising company,By 2000, Google became the world’s largest search engine with billion-page index where users could search information in 10 different languages. Remarkably today, they offer their applications in 150 languages and dialects. 1.Q. How does a search engine work and m ake money? The search engine of Google is a powerful tool. Google uses a special algorithm to generate search

, discuss methods to evaluate the effectiveness of your proposed Essay

, discuss methods to evaluate the effectiveness of your proposed solution and variables to be assessed when evaluating project outcomes - Essay Example ng utilized across the nation with both open and private immunization suppliers and is proposed by legislative and nongovernmental immunization projects and medicinal expert social orders. Assessment alludes to the assessment of restorative records to determine the immunization rate for a characterized assembly of patients and also to give focused on conclusion for development. This step is crucial in light of the fact that numerous studies have recorded that most social insurance suppliers, while strong of immunizations, dont have a faultless recognition of their own practices immunization rates. Pediatricians in these studies incredibly overestimated the extent of completely vaccinated youngsters in their practices. Evaluation increments attentiveness to a suppliers genuine situation and gives a premise for ensuing activities by supplier staff. Feedback is the methodology of educating immunization suppliers about their execution in conveying one or more immunizations to a characterized customer populace. Appraisal together with feedback makes the mindfulness important for conduct change. Feedback for the most part comprises of the immunization program delegate meeting with fitting supplier staff and talking about the effects of the appraisal to figure out the following steps to be taken. Nobody thing will be adequate for each supplier, and a solitary supplier may require diverse sorts of cause at distinctive phases of advancement. Things like little tokens of thankfulness and giving asset materials at gatherings have helped suppliers approach their assignment absolutely and make an environment of cooperation, yet more term objectives must be acknowledged also. Incentives represent a test to the inventiveness of the project agent additionally offer the chance to attempt new plans. The last AFIX segment, trade of information, runs as an inseparable unit with incentives. The more information suppliers have about their practices immunization scope status, how it

FINANCIAL SERVICES MARKETING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

FINANCIAL SERVICES MARKETING - Essay Example The financial service business is more about building a fruitful and beneficial relationship for both the parties. The key to this successful relationship is customer satisfaction, trust and commitment. The customer should be satisfied with the services they are getting from the financial institution they are engaged with and they must have an idea that this is the best which they can get and may not be considering switching to competitors at any point in time. This service industry is Business to Business (B2B) or Business to Customer (B2C) by nature. It requires internal marketing of its values and the ideology about customer satisfaction which needs to be delivered. The staff must be competent enough to understand and satisfy the needs of the customers. It should define the staff clearly that their role is not only to deal with the customers face to face but also to support and assist the customers with the interface. This requires relationship management which is concerned direct ly to cater customers and be interactive with them regarding ongoing purchases and future benefits available about making certain transaction. The financial market is complicated and risky both, so the new entrants must be communicated about the volatility of the market. DIFFERENTIATION To create value of the product for the customer the marketer must first understand the nature of the financial service themselves. They must always seek for opportunities to create differentiation of the product. These opportunities can be sought by understanding the culture and norms of the individuals. Usually all that a marketer can do is to make a value proposition and then the customer will derive value in use from the offerings....Studying about the functionality of various markets can improve that skill of adaptability. This course of Financial Services Marketing has highlighted many areas and challenges which a business of such nature has to face. Learning about these challenges has helped me in assessing all the businesses and their functionality. CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION Today’s job market has become very competitive. Employees have to undergo through several challenges on every walk of their career. Only those individuals who think outside the box become successful. It was creativity and innovation which made Steve Jobs and Bill gates successful. Wait for the right opportunity and avail it when it comes with the right attitude. Following the above mentioned attitude ensures success. Always be prepared for challenges because only those people who get through these challenges accomplish their goal. ENHANCED ANALYTICAL SKILLS Studying Financial Service Marketing has enhanced my analytical skills to great extent. I am positive that this will help increase my chances of future employability. Thorough learning provided me with the opportunity to analyze a large volume of data. This course has prepared me about how to apply various marketing models to analyze or speculate a business. Now, I can deal with problems more effectively and hope to handle problems before they become a major problem.

MEMO FORMAT - Marketing - Management. Proposal Essay

MEMO FORMAT - Marketing - Management. Proposal - Essay Example Some of the other desirable features of the Fiat 500 are its highly recommended sporting ability ("2012 fiat 500 consumer reviews," 2012). Older models of the same make have broken world speed records on racing heritage. The car is relatively cheap and is characterized by a one-point four-litre turbo engine. The car is among the smallest in the US and fits very well in crowded cities. Additionally, the 2012 fiat 500 comes with interior furnishing and adequate front space to give the driver a lot of room. Statistics collected by researchers in the US have verified that since its launch, sales have registered an upward trend. This started with 3,227 in the first month. Vehicle dealers have embarked on informative campaigns to create awareness. Fiat motors will have to come up with a strategy better than other motor firms if it is to impact the American market. The market strategy adopted must be backed up by an effective corporate strategy dedicated towards meeting the shareholders’ investment objectives. The strategy to be adopted ought to compete effectively with other motor models already in the market. This memorandum recommends that congruent with the specific strategic business intentions and the desire to make an immediate impact in the American market, that a commercial for the 2012 Fiat 500 be placed in the Super Bowl. It is recognized that the cost of a 30 second slot in the 2011 Super Bowl was $3,000,000 (Damiano 2012). With such a steep price tag it is recognized that the commercial must make a significant impact. Last year’s Super Bowl commercial involved a nerdy man approached by a gorgeous woman only to discover he was actually looking at a Fiat. For next year’s advertisement it is recommended that an external advertising agency be contracted. While the specific creative angle will be their domain, it is recommended that a narrative be built from the past

Applied Modelling and Data Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Applied Modelling and Data Analysis - Essay Example The aim of this project is therefore to analyse the behaviour of the share price of a given company by finding the relationship between share price inflation and other key market determinants and variables such as market index and Treasury bill interest rate. This means that share price of the company is the dependent variable for the study, while market index and Treasury bill interest rate are the independent variables for the study. The study is conducted with the approach of performing time series that checks for stationarity by applying the formal unit root tests of Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) test. To get a better understanding of the relationship between the dependent variable and independent variables, the researcher will take a step further to estimate time series dynamics through the use of the GARCH family models. Because shares are traded with their derivatives, there is a common discussion in literature of the impact of the introduction of derivatives on volatility. Th rough the GARCH model, the effect of derivatives on the underlying market will also be determined. In pursuant to the achievement of the aim of the study discussed above, the researcher conducted a research that was based on both theoretical background and empirical evidence. The theoretical background of the research was performed mainly by the use of a brief literature review, which forms the second component of the study’s report. Under the literature review, the findings of major studies on stock price behaviour are critiqued by comparing different schools of thoughts against each other. This makes it possible to give the rationale behind various findings from literature. The third component of the study is the econometric methodology, where the researcher presented a detailed analysis of the methodology adopted for the study. Under this section, the market fraction hypothesis and how it was used to test the stationarity of the

Prewriting Assignment Essay Example for Free

Prewriting Assignment Essay Times I Saw an Adult Cry I. I was very young when I first saw an adult cry.   I did not actually see an adult cry in person; I saw it on television.   Nonetheless, it was the first time I have seen an adult shed tears.   That night, I was at home with the babysitter when my mother left to run some errands.   I remember that the babysitter tucked me to my bed early and I immediately fell asleep.   After some time, I was awakened by the sounds of people talking.    It was rather loud, and I could hear the voices of a man and a woman in conversation. Out of curiosity, I got out of bed and opened the bedroom door.   At first, I thought that maybe the babysitter had some company. So I carefully walked downstairs to the den, where the babysitter usually stays.   I took a peek and found her alone.   The sounds I heard came from the television; she was only watching a movie.   I remember that it was an old movie, as it was in black and white.   To my surprise, the woman in the movie began to cry.   I was surprised because I have never seen the adults in my house cry.   I thought crying were only for babies and young children.   After that, I learned that adults can also cry. II. When I was younger, my family and I were on a road trip. The trip was generally smooth, until my father decided to take a short cut.   He was driving the car, and he turned left to a narrow dirt road.   It proved to be a wrong decision; the road led to a cemetery, where a burial was taking place.   The width of the road made it difficult to pass through, but the parked cars on both sides of the road made it more problematic. The traffic caused my father to drive slowly, allowing me to witness the burial.   I saw all of the mourners; all of them were dressed in black.   However, a man stood out in the crowd out of his sheer size. As a child, I was terrified of bald, stocky men.   They all seemed intimidating to me. The man in the cemetery was tall, stocky and bald.   Because he appeared intimidating, I did not expect him to cry in the burial. I was not used to seeing men cry, especially those of his size.   I was expecting him to be simply serious but not emotional.   Besides, it was said that men do not cry.   As we drove past the cemetery, I caught a glimpse of him pulling out a handkerchief and wiping his eyes.   He was indeed crying.   I contemplated that maybe the grief over the loss of a loved one may have been too much to bear, that it prompted a seemingly intimidating man to cry. III. Our next door neighbor was a woman with two children.   The woman had fair skin and dark curly hair. She was remarkably thin and was rarely seen at home.   My mother said that she worked two jobs so she could pay the rent and feed her children. I always liked her because whenever she was around, she would smile at me and her eyes would seem to smile too. She had those distinct smiling eyes.   One day, my mother and I went out of the house as we were hearing loud noises from her home. We saw this tall man coming out of her house, dragging the children with him. She was screaming while grabbing on to the man’s arm. She tried to stop him, but her small frame was no match to the man’s physique. The children were shouting for their mother as the man dragged them into the car. The man immediately hopped in the driver’s seat, closed the door, and drove away.   The woman just stood there in the street, her eyes still fixed on the car that just disappeared. A minute later, she bowed her head and covered her face with her hands. Then she began to cry.   Her cries became louder, and soon all our neighbors were already watching her.    I later found out that the man was her former husband and her children’s father. She worked so hard to take care of her children, only for them to be taken away from her.   I never saw her smiling eyes again.   She soon moved out. I believe it was after that incident when I truly began to have respect for single mothers who work hard to take care of their kids. IV. I am used to witnessing marriage proposals on television.   I have seen programs wherein the men would go down on one knee and the woman would then gasp in shock, cover their mouths with their hands and become motionless for a few seconds. Afterwards, they would become hysterical in glee. In the past, I thought that such moments were too emotional.   My opinion changed when I witnessed a marriage proposal firsthand.   I was in a coffee shop with a friend when a couple entered. They looked like the average couple; nothing seemed extraordinary about the two of them. The woman took her seat, while the man went to the counter to order.   I did not pay them much attention afterwards. It was not until much later when I realized they were deaf-mute, when I noticed that they were using sign language. I did not expect a proposal to occur, not in a coffee shop.   So when I saw the man go down on one knee, I was taken aback.   My friend and I watched closely, along with the other customers, as the woman nodded and hugged his future husband.   As the people in the shop cheered, tears were streaming down her face. Unlike other women, she did not overreact.   She was just happy, and her tears showed it.   I guess true love does make people happy, and the happiness does not have to be showy to be expressed. V. One time, I had the chance to watch The Oprah Winfrey Show.   I can remember that the episode featured a middle-aged African-American woman who took care of many children.   I cannot recall if she was married, but I know she had three children.   When the woman’s siblings died, she took the responsibility of raising them as well.   She and the children had to cram themselves in a small three-bedroom house.   She worked several jobs to support these kids, most of which are not even her own.   The problem was that the home was not hers and if she did not pay a certain amount within the specified time, they would be evicted. The woman and the children were invited to the show where they were to receive gifts from Oprah. They were given things they needed; they received new beds, kitchen appliances, and even a van.   However, the biggest surprise of all was when Oprah announced that they would be shopping for a new home. The woman hugged Oprah tight, and wiped the tears running down her face.   I knew the woman was happy because of all the material things she received. Most importantly, I know those tears were of gratitude.   It was not the material things per se that she was grateful for; she was thankful for the help that those things could offer her and the children.   I knew she deserved those things for all her dedication and hard work. Still, she was very grateful.