About Frankenstein Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

About Frankenstein - Essay Example While this approach is understandable, this essay seeks to examine a slightly different and more secular issue based on parallels in contemporary world. Many commentators who talk about the book always stress of the â€Å"dangers of modern technology† (Beauchamp 53). Today, technology has become to humanity much like the monster was to Frankenstein, people invent all sorts of technologies without sufficient understanding of their impacts only to end up creating monsters they cannot control since even the process of invention was experimental. When Frankenstein set out to make the monster, he does not per se wish to create one, it is his intention to make something that would prove he understood the secret of life but to what end it is never made clear probably because there was none. He only wants to feel proud because he could do what no other man had done â€Å"A new species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me† (Shelly 51). He does not give a thought to what he would do with his invention or even how he could control it. To some extent, this sounds a bit like the nuclear race during the cold war, the US and USSR were working to develop and accumulate the most lethal nuclear warheads their budgets could allow but to what end? Neither could use them to attack the other since it would have resulted in the infamous Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) (Freedman 106). After the cold war, they may have kept a hold of their warheads but the technology they invested in them was not as well hidden and as a result, today numerous countries have created their own nuclear and atomic weapons. Like Frankenstein spent his last days chasing after the monster he had created, these nations are now engaged in a clean-up exercise that appear to be futile as they try to take away weapons from â€Å"unstable† powers such as Iran. From a critical point of view, the

The development of the Islamic financial sector in Bahrain, Qatar and Essay

The development of the Islamic financial sector in Bahrain, Qatar and Dubai - Essay Example They were staunch in their outlook and believed that such profit making activities would violate the principles of the Islam religion. However, in 1975 the Emir of Dubai passed a decree for the establishment of the Dubai Islamic Bank and this heralded a new era of modern Islamic financial activities. Following this example, other GCC nations also established their respective central banking authorities. These Central banks and the other financial authorities always ensured that the countries’ financial activities were conducted in compliance with the regional Islamic principles. Therefore, these business operations are known as the modern Islamic financial and banking functions. In 1982, the state of Qatar established the country’s first Islamic bank. Qatar’s financial economy is dominated by the presence of commercial banks such as the Qatar National Bank, the Commercial Bank of Qatar, the Doha Bank, Qatar Islamic Bank, Masraf Al Rayan, the Qatar International Islamic Bank and so on. These banks have primarily concentrated on expanding their business activities in the domestic economy and have also formed Islamic affiliate institutions for this purpose. For example, the Qatar National Bank has established the Al Islami subsidiary, the Commercial Bank of Qatar has formed its Al Safa Islamic Banking affiliate, the Doha Bank has created the Doha Bank Islamic and so on. Gradually, the small economy of Qatar was flooded by intense competition from a plethora of different financial institutions. This is turn encouraged the country’s existing commercial banks to diversify their business and expand their operations in the international market. Many of the banks established affiliate organizations in foreign countries to enhance their business prospects in those places. The Qatar Islamic Bank formed the European Finance House in London, in

The Impact Of Biodiversity Loss

The Impact Of Biodiversity Loss Biodiversity loss has a negative impact on our societies; it negatively affects or contributes to the health of individuals, the climate, natural resources, pollution, poverty and the extinction of species. In the past years, biodiversity has been increasing faster than at any other time in human history. Consequently, its metamorphosis is anticipated to continue at the same pace. Virtually, all of Earths ecosystems have been severely transformed as a result of human actions and ecosystems are still being converted for agricultural and other uses. More land was converted to cropland in the 30 years after 1950 than in the 150 years between 1700 and 1850. Numerous plant populations and animals have decreased in numbers as well as their geographical spread, or both. The extinction of species is a natural part of Earths history. However, as a result of human activity, the extinction rate has grown by at least 100 times in comparison to the natural rate. Over the last century, some people have benefited from the conversion of natural ecosystems and an increase in international trade, but other people have suffered from the consequences of biodiversity losses and from restricted access to resources they depend upon. Consequently, changes in ecosystems are harming many of the worlds poorest people, who are the least capable to adapt to these changes. Historically, poor people lost disproportionate access to ecosystem services and biological products because demand for those services has grown. Over the past several decades, there has been an increase in economic losses and human suffering as a result of natural disasters. A rich source of biodiversity such as coral reefs and mangrove forests are excellent natural protection against floods and storms. However, they have diminished in coverage. Thus, they have increased the severity of flooding on coastal communities. In my research essay, I refer to Pettigrew. His theory states that there are three level of social anal ysis of a social problem. First, there is the macro level which is large scale and social structural such as institutions and organizations. This level can be found in Economics. Then, there is the meso level which is between the macro and micro level. It is a situational level in which there is face-to-face interaction and it can be found in Sociology. Lastly, there is the micro level which is small scale and individual such as personality. It can be found in Psychology. Biodiversity loss has a negative impact on our societies; it negatively affects or contributes to the health of individuals, the climate, natural resources, pollution, poverty and the extinction of species. Biodiversity refers to the variety of plant and animal life in the world or in a particular habitat, a high level of which is usually considered to be important and desirable. Extinction signifies being no longer existing or living. I will use Sociology to explain the demographic change. I will use Psychology to explain the health of individuals. Finally, I will use Economics to explain the deepening of poverty, the economic decline. Most sources are online journal articles taken from EBSCOhost database (Academic Search Premier) which are almost entirely peer-reviewed. The other source is a book. The theory that will be used in this research is Thompsons Theory of Demographic Transition and the related discipline will be Sociology. This theory seeks to explain the transformation of countries from having high birth rates and death rates to low birth rates and death rates as a country develops from a pre-industrial to an industrialized economic system as well as an increasingly rapid rise in population growth. Thus, the population will use more natural resources which will decrease the biodiversity. Biodiversity loss affects the natural resources. Jha and Bawa (2006) found out that the population growth has an effect on the rate of deforestation rate in biodiversity hotspots. When population growth was high and Human Development Index (HDI) was low there was a high rate of deforestation, but when HDI was high; rate of deforestation was low, despite high population growth. The correlation among variables was significant for the 1990s. Thompsons Theory of Demographic Transition seeks to explain the rapid rise in population growth as a result of a transition between a pre-industrial to an industrialized economic system. Thus, there has been an exponential population growth over the last 200 years as a result of the advances made in the industrial, transportation, economic, medical, and agricultural revolutions. Moreover, there has been a simultaneous growth within the industrial sector. Developed countries, in general, have and use more of the Earths resources. Population growth in developed countries puts a greater pressure on global resources and the environment than growth in less developed nations. As a result, Newman (2008) argues that humanitys use of natural resources is now 20% higher than Earths biologically productive capacity (p.411). Furthermore, intact forests also provide protection from floods, landslides, erosion and avalanches. Beyond this, forests are indispensible for regulating the water balance. Damage to the forest means that it cannot furnish these environmental services any more, the consequence of which is greater damage to residential buildings, production plants and infrastructural facilities if there is a nature catastrophe. Also, there is a restricted access of resources that people depend on. In the past, increases in the supply of resources were often achieved despite local limitations by shifting production and harvest to new, less exploited regions. Consequently, these options are rapidly diminishing, and developing substitute s for services can be expensive. The use of ecosystems for recreation, spiritual enrichment, and other cultural purposes is growing. However, the capacity of ecosystems to provide these services has declined significantly. The use of resources such as food, water, and wood has increased rapidly, and continues to grow, sometimes unsustainably. Rainforests once covered 14% of the Earths land surface; now they cover a mere 6% and experts estimate that the last remaining rainforests could be consumed in less than 40 years. Also, the price of natural resources is increasing because the demand is higher as a result of its reduction. The increase is a major challenge for developing countries without their own raw materials. The decrease in biodiversity has an impact on the extinction of species. Hautemulle (2010) argues that the current situation is alarming: there are thirty-four hot spots of the globe, areas characterized by both their large number of species and an increased threat to biodiversity. Among them is the Mediterranean. The current extinction rate of species is 100 to 1 000 times faster than the natural rate. It evokes a sixth extinction crisis, which would not, unlike the first five, caused by a natural event like a volcanic or impact of large meteorites. Humans are responsible for the extremely high extinction rate. Many plant and animal populations are declining, both in terms of number of individuals, geographical spread, or both. Dirzo and Raven (2003) claim that 565 of the 1137 threatened species of mammals will go extinct within the next 50 years due to habitat loss and fragmentation (p.162). Furthermore, Dirzo and Raven (2003) found out that habitat loss is the principal driver of extinction throughout the world. Consequently, the survival times of species in small areas of habitat should be considered in relation to their likely time of survival. One in four mammals, one in eight birds, one third of all amphibians and 70% of all plants assessed in the IUCN Red List 2007 are at risk. Moreover, more than 16,000 species are at risk of extinction. The reduction of biodiversity has an effect on the health of individuals. A new generation of antibiotics, new treatments against bone loss or kidney problems, cancer drugs, it could all be lost if the world fails to reverse the rapid loss of biodiversity. Experts warn that many forms of terrestrial and marine life that have economic and medical interest may disappear before the people can learn their secrets. The reduction of biodiversity means that individuals lose the opportunity to experience many chemicals and genes similar to those already given to mankind for their enormous benefits in terms of health. It can limit the potential discovery of new treatments against many diseases and health problems. Diaz, Fargione, Chapin Tilman (2006) discovered that the loss of biodiversity-dependent ecosystem services is likely to accentuate inequality and marginalization of the most vulnerable sectors of society, by decreasing their access to basic materials for a healthy life and by reduc ing their freedom of choice and action (p. 1302). An enormous portion of the world population could suffer severely as a result of biodiversity loss. It has been estimated by the World Health Organization that approximately 80% of the worlds population from developing countries rely mainly on traditional medicines (mostly derived from plants) for their primary health care. Biodiversity plays a critical role in nutrition. Thus, its loss could decrease the quality of nutrition which would affect the normal development of children (both physical and mental) as well as the health and productivity of adults. Meat from wild animals forms a very important contribution to food sources and livelihoods. Consequently, the reduction of biodiversity could have negative consequences on the food security which would affect many countries particularly those with high levels of poverty and food insecurity. Furthermore, biodiversity safeguards human health since fruits and vegetables are grown in pla nts and trees. Thus, its loss could decrease the production of healthy food. Biodiversity loss has negative consequences on the climate. I will also discuss the causes related to climate. Rosales (2008) argues that Although much uncertainty remains about individual species and ecosystems, it is well established that the overall impact of climate change on biodiversity has been and will be negative (p.1410). There has been significant climate change from 1970 to 2005 according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Regarding biodiversity, it affirms that recent warming is already strongly affecting natural biological systems. There has been an increase in wildfire risk and changes in species such as timing of growth, abundance, the length of growing season and changes in migration. Changes have also been seen in aquatic systems. Rosales (2008) states that Of the 28,671 observed biological changes reviewed by the IPCC, 90% are consistent with what one would expect to see with global warming (p. 1411). Global warming destroys and alters certain habitats such as forests and wetlands. Trapped, these endangered species cannot migrate. Roads are blocking them on their journey. A nature that has not been modified by humans is increasingly rare. Over the next 50 years, the increase in global temperatures by 1.8 to 2  ° C threatens a million species extinction. If nothing is done to stop global warming, this figure will continue to increase. Land degradation in dry lands is associated with the diminution of biodiversity. Thus, its loss contributes to global climate change through the loss of carbon capacity. Furthermore, as a result of climate change, there has been an increase in ocean acidification, the continuous decrease in the pH of the Earths oceans which affects negatively biodiversity. The consequences of the augmentation of greenhouse emissions especially carbon dioxide on the oceans may well be serious. Moreover, coral reefs are threatened by climate change because all of them are at risk. The average level of the oc eans of the world has doubled. Also, climate change has also been found to have an impact on the reproductive periods of species, on their distribution and a highly increased extinction rate. The diminution of biodiversity has an influence on poverty. Diaz et al. (2006) argue that Its degradation is threatening the fulfillment of basic needs and aspiration of humanity as a whole, but especially, and most immediately, those of the most disadvantaged segments of society (p.1305). Seventy percent of the poor of the planet live in rural areas and depend. directly on biodiversity for their survival and well-being. Poor areas also depend on urban biodiversity, not only for food production and other commodities, but also for services provided by ecosystems, including the preservation of clean air and water and waste decomposition. If the impact of biodiversity loss is more severe for the poorest people, it is because they have few alternatives to deal with. Moreover, the poor people have a limited purchasing power. Thus, it leaves them less capable of buying in-substitutes for local ecosystems from outside. Therefore, they highly rely on integrity of their local environment. Add itionally, the reduction of biodiversity affects the sustainable supply of the service. Pollution has an impact on the diminution of biodiversity. It is emitted in many forms, including form of atmospheric pollution, of soil and water, pesticides, particulate matter and heavy metals. Thousands of pollutants circulating in the Earths ecosystems and many of these materials have a significant impact on large-scale forest and aquatic ecosystems. For example, pollution acid had a significant impact on sugar bushes of Ontario and pollution caused by industries such as DDT is known to have resulted in significant decreases in populations of many species of birds, including the peregrine falcon and bald eagle. Pollution can also disrupt ecological processes. Thus, scientists are now the link between light pollution and the decline of migratory songbirds. Moreover, pollution affects biodiversity by potentially increasing the mutation rate and applying pressure or stimuli to populations to move or adapt. Thus, pollution can harm or kill members of a population indiscriminately, o r reduce fecundity. Soil acidification creates ecological dead zones, leaving areas unfit for plant life and the animals that depend upon them. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) may cause declines, deformities and death of fish life. Terrestrial and aquatic plants may absorb pollutants from water (as their main nutrient source) and pass them up the food chain to consumer animals and humans. Chemical contamination can cause declines in frog biodiversity. Zvereva, Toivonen Kozlov (2008) found out that Species richness of vascular plants significantly decreased with pollution. (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦)An overall decline in species richness of vascular plants was primarily due to the contribution of acidic polluters (p. 310). The biodiversity loss has many devastating consequences on the ecosystem, the climate, pollution and on society. It affects the health of the individuals with the rise of infectious disease as well as the loss of potential new medicines and medical models. Also, its degradation is threatening the fulfillment of basic needs and aspiration of humanity as a whole, but especially, and most immediately, those of the most disadvantaged segments of society. It limits both the capability of species to migrate and the ability of species to survive in fragmented habitats. Many actions can be taken in order to conserve biodiversity. Informing all of society about the benefits of conserving biodiversity, and explicitly considering trade-offs between different options in an integrated way, helps maximize the benefits to society. Strong institutions at all levels are essential to support biodiversity conservation and the sustainable use of ecosystems. International agreements need to include enfor cement measures and take into account impacts on biodiversity and possible synergies with other agreements. Most direct actions to halt or reduce biodiversity loss need to be taken at local or national level. Suitable laws and policies developed by central governments can enable local levels of government to provide incentives for sustainable resource management.

Bigfoot: In Search of the Truth Essay -- essays research papers

Bigfoot is, without a doubt, the most recognized mystery in all of North America. The apelike being has reportedly been sighted thousands of times since the beginning of the 19th century. According to eyewitness testimonies, Bigfoot, also known as Sasqautch, is a gigantic beast that towers in at eight feet tall and weighs as much as six hundred pounds. Reports also say that the monster’s form is well built and usually covered in a thick, brownish fur. Many have asked if such a creature could possibly be roaming through the wilderness of North America and around the world, and the answer is yes. The amount of evidence supporting such a creature’s existence is astonishing. From footprint casting and fur samples to video evidence and numerous human sightings, Bigfoot’s existence cannot be doubted.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are three pieces of evidence supporting the existence of Bigfoot, the first of which is the thousands of eyewitness accounts. The first recorded sighting occurred in 1870 near a small town in California. The town newspaper, the Antioch Ledger, reported that a â€Å"gorilla man† or â€Å"wild man† had been sighted in the woods near the town. The paper deemed it unsafe to travel outside unless absolutely necessary because of the beast. Next, in 1901, a lumberjack on Vancouver Island reported seeing a â€Å"man beast† washing itself in a river near his base camp. The courageous lumberjack decided there and then to approach the beast and confront him. The strange â€Å"monkey man† quickly fled, though, as the man approached the river. Upon examining the tracks left behind, the lumberjack concluded that the prints were almost identical to that of a human, except for the extremely large size. After the incident, many reports began pouri ng in from the Vancouver area of Canada. The residents of the area became well aware of the existence of a very elusive creature in the area, and it was they who first coined the term Bigfoot. By 1960, thousands of reports on the existence of Bigfoot flooded in from all over the United States. The sightings usually occurred in mountainous, woodland areas near rivers and streams. Many thought that those who claimed such things were crazy, but it was at this time that the inevitable happened: Bigfoot was captured on film.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On October 20, 1967, Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin, two Bigfoot researchers,... ... over the print is correct. All of these facts are bittersweet though, since sample specimens have nothing to be compared to since no actual creature specimen has been collected. It can be concluded, however, that these remains did not come from any animal currently known to modern science.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bigfoot’s existence can no longer be denied. No longer is it a question of Bigfoot being real, but rather a question of man’s capability in being able to believe the truth. The facts cannot be mistaken. Besides being seen time and time again, video footage has been collected. This alone is enough to make many believe, but for the rest, the physical evidence is unmistakably real. As the theory progresses, more and more credible researchers come forward to show support in such a creature’s existence. They do this at the risk of losing their own credibility. None, however, are capable of an explanation for Bigfoot’s uncanny ability to remain hidden from human observation, the nature of which remains to be a question. Perhaps, though, as more and more people start to believe in the truth, questions will be answered and the mystery solved.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Bigfoot: In Search of the Truth Essay -- essays research papers Bigfoot is, without a doubt, the most recognized mystery in all of North America. The apelike being has reportedly been sighted thousands of times since the beginning of the 19th century. According to eyewitness testimonies, Bigfoot, also known as Sasqautch, is a gigantic beast that towers in at eight feet tall and weighs as much as six hundred pounds. Reports also say that the monster’s form is well built and usually covered in a thick, brownish fur. Many have asked if such a creature could possibly be roaming through the wilderness of North America and around the world, and the answer is yes. The amount of evidence supporting such a creature’s existence is astonishing. From footprint casting and fur samples to video evidence and numerous human sightings, Bigfoot’s existence cannot be doubted.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are three pieces of evidence supporting the existence of Bigfoot, the first of which is the thousands of eyewitness accounts. The first recorded sighting occurred in 1870 near a small town in California. The town newspaper, the Antioch Ledger, reported that a â€Å"gorilla man† or â€Å"wild man† had been sighted in the woods near the town. The paper deemed it unsafe to travel outside unless absolutely necessary because of the beast. Next, in 1901, a lumberjack on Vancouver Island reported seeing a â€Å"man beast† washing itself in a river near his base camp. The courageous lumberjack decided there and then to approach the beast and confront him. The strange â€Å"monkey man† quickly fled, though, as the man approached the river. Upon examining the tracks left behind, the lumberjack concluded that the prints were almost identical to that of a human, except for the extremely large size. After the incident, many reports began pouri ng in from the Vancouver area of Canada. The residents of the area became well aware of the existence of a very elusive creature in the area, and it was they who first coined the term Bigfoot. By 1960, thousands of reports on the existence of Bigfoot flooded in from all over the United States. The sightings usually occurred in mountainous, woodland areas near rivers and streams. Many thought that those who claimed such things were crazy, but it was at this time that the inevitable happened: Bigfoot was captured on film.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On October 20, 1967, Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin, two Bigfoot researchers,... ... over the print is correct. All of these facts are bittersweet though, since sample specimens have nothing to be compared to since no actual creature specimen has been collected. It can be concluded, however, that these remains did not come from any animal currently known to modern science.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bigfoot’s existence can no longer be denied. No longer is it a question of Bigfoot being real, but rather a question of man’s capability in being able to believe the truth. The facts cannot be mistaken. Besides being seen time and time again, video footage has been collected. This alone is enough to make many believe, but for the rest, the physical evidence is unmistakably real. As the theory progresses, more and more credible researchers come forward to show support in such a creature’s existence. They do this at the risk of losing their own credibility. None, however, are capable of an explanation for Bigfoot’s uncanny ability to remain hidden from human observation, the nature of which remains to be a question. Perhaps, though, as more and more people start to believe in the truth, questions will be answered and the mystery solved.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Related Literature and Review of Related Studies for Fertilizer Essay

Commonly known as ‘Styrofoam’ that is one of the most widely used type of plastics. It is a strong plastic created from erethylene and benzine that can be injected, extruded, or blow molded; making it a very useful and versatile manufacturing material. It is also a rigid, transparent thermoplastic, which is present in solid or glassy state at normal temperature. But, when heated above its glass transition temperature, it turns into a form that flows and can be easily used for molding and extrusion. It becomes solid again when it cools off. This property of polystyrene is used for casting it into molds with fine detail. Pure polystyrene polymer is colorless and hard with limited flexibility. Polystyrene is hard and brittle and has a density of 1. 050 g/cm3. It is represented by the chemical formula, C8H8. It have very low impact strengths of less than 0. 5ft-lb. commercially available impact polystyrene grades can be obtained with values of 1. 0 – 4. 0 ft-lb. Generally, polystyrenes are not produced with greater than 15% total rubber because of polymerization processing constraints. Nevertheless, impact properties can be increased substantially without additional rubber by the proper control of rubber particle size, percentage of grafting, cross-linking, and percentage of gel. Flexural strengths for polystyrenes can be obtained from 5000 to 18000psi and are also decreased by the addition of rubber and other additives to the polystyrene. Elongations can be obtained from 1% for crystal polystyrene to 100% for some impact polystyrene grades. Eggshells The calcium carbonate is the one that gives egg shell its hardy strength – a common substance found in rocks. The team found that calcium carbonate made up almost 98 per cent of an egg shell. The remaining two per cent comprises proteins which act as the â€Å"cement† to hold the calcium carbonate together. The organic matter of eggshell and shell membranes contain proteins as major constituents with small amounts of carbohydrates and lipids (Burley and Vadehra, 1989). Bronsch and Diamantstein (1965) analyzed uronic acid in eggshells and reported a signi? cant correlation between the uronic acid content and the breaking strength of the shell. Uronic acid is a constituent sugar of glycosaminoglycan. Under the characterization measurements investigated, it was found that the eggshell pore structures of the two biomaterials belong to a typical Type II, indicating that they should be basically characteristic of nonporous materials or materials with macropores or open voids. Further, the chemical composition of the resulting eggshell particle was strongly associated with the presence of carbonate minerals from the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra. In contrast to the resulting eggshell membrane particle, the presence of functional groups of amines and amides was observable because of its chemical composition of fibrous proteins. From the isotherm data of methylene blue at 25  °C, the Freundlich model yielded a somewhat better fit than the Langmuir model. The adsorption isotherms revealed the eggshell biosorbents could only uptake the basic dye of less than 1. 0 mg/g in aqueous medium, which was attributed to their poor pore properties. Oyster Shell Oyster-shell are used as construction materials, especially as a mixture for concrete, it is required to quantify the salinity content of oyster-shell, which is the basis of limiting the amount of oyster-shell in the mixture. The salinity content in oyster-shells turns out to be approximately 0. 5%, derived from the proportion of the whole weight of oyster-shell to the total amount of chloride ions (Cl) pertaining to the relevant provision (Yoon, 2000). Converting this to the regulation value of the chloride ions, 0. 3 kgf/m3, the amount of oyster-shell per 1 m3should not be greater than 85. 7kgf. Therefore, assuming that granular materials in the concrete are 7 00–800 kgf/m3, oyster-shells should not begreater than 10% in the granular materials to preventthe salt damage. Oyster-shell is entirely composed of CaCO3 (approximately 96%) and other minerals of trivial amount. Various oyster-shells due to sources and individual characteristics are almost similar in the chemical composition. The mineral phase of calcium carbonate turns out to be calcite. Related Studies Foreign Xu, Yi; Jiang, Linhua; Xu, Jinxia; Li, Yang (2012) pointed out that mix proportion parameters of expanded polystyrene (EPS) lightweight aggregate concrete are analyzed by using Taguchi’s approach. The density, compressive strength and stress-strain behavior were tested. The optimal mixture of EPS lightweight aggregate concrete was selected among experiments under consideration to manufacture the lightweight hollow bricks. The results show that EPS dosage has the most significant effect on compressive strength of EPS lightweight aggregate concrete, then water and cement ratio, while the content of cement and sand ratio play a comparatively less important part. The relationship between density and compressive strength of EPS lightweight aggregate concrete is proposed as [f. sub. c] = 2. 43 x [[gamma]. sup. 2. 997] x [10. sup. -9]. The legitimacy of the use of EPS lightweight bricks made by EPS lightweight aggregate concrete is confirmed. According to the study of Sohrab Veiseh1 and Ali A.  Yousefi2 (2003) the heavy weight of bricks accounts for the great mass of construction and thus causes more vulnerability against earthquake forces. In the present work, it is, therefore, tried to reduce the density of the bricks, as well as improve thermal insulation properties. Polystyrene foam is one of the substances that is added to the raw materials of bricks, as a pore-forming material. The effect of PSF type and its content in the mix, and also the effect of firing process temperature of the bricks on density, water absorption and compressive strength, are investigated and discussed in this paper. Tests showed that by increasing the polystyrene foam additive, the compressive strength and density of the bricks decreases, though the water absorption increases. Therefore, it is necessary to specify the ways for improvement and optimization of clay body so that by reducing the density, the strength of the brick is not reduced considerably. Adding even 2% of recycled polystyrene foam keeps the compressive strength of the resulted bricks as suitable for load bearing ordinary bricks according to the Iranian standard. Rassimi Abdul Ghani, Mohd Hanafiah Abidin, Ahmad Zafir Romli, Mohd Hariz Kamarudin, Zaleha Afandi and Muhamad Faizal Abd Halim (2010) of the Institute Of Science,Uitm,Malaysia pointed out that one of the world’s oldest waste into useful flooring materials. They made tiles from eggshells. Naming the tiles EPoSTi, they made composite tiles by combining polymers and chicken eggshells, an innovation from domestic waste. Explaining their work in an expo, the use of eggshells in micro size will increase the rigidity and stiffness of the composite, making it a suitable flooring material. This is due to the nature of eggshells which can be used as rigid particulate fillers of the tiles. The combination offers excellent impact resistance, as it is able to withstand force applied to it. In short, it is durable. According to the study of M. N. FreireI, II; J. N. F. HolandaI (2000) in Brazil, the food industry generates every year huge amounts of eggshell waste, and a critical question is to find an adequate use for this waste. The aim of this work is to determine the chemical, mineralogical and physical characteristics of a nonprocessed eggshell waste sample, as well as to investigate its use in wall tile paste. The sample was analyzed regarding to chemical composition, X-ray diffraction, morphology, particle size analysis, density, organic matter, soluble salts, and thermal analysis. The results indicated that the eggshell waste sample rich in CaCO3 can be used as an alternative raw material in the production of wall tile materials. According to the study of Obrero, F. M. (2005) pointed out that there is possibility of producing ceramics from oyster shells. Powdered oyster shells were used instead of silica in the production of ceramics. The texture, color and durability were compared to those made with silica. Six kilograms of Vigan clay and 2. 5 kg of ball clay were mixed and soaked in water overnight. The following day, the mixture was kneaded and filtered twice. After this, one kilogram of powdered oyster shell was mixed with the kneaded mixture then kneaded again and filtered. The mixture was placed over Plaster of Paris for the water to be absorbed. The solidified mixture was then rolled and compressed to let the air escape from the spaces inside the solidified mixture. After this, the mixture was molded, air dried for four days and fired in a furnace. Three trials were made at different temperatures — 900oC, 950oC and 1000oC. It was found out that the texture of the experimental set-up is better than the control set-up. It was also found out that the color of the experimental set-up is comparable to the control set-up. Tests of durability of the ceramics, which were done at SLU College of Engineering Laboratory, revealed that the experimental set-up is more durable than the control set-up. This proves that oyster shell can be utilized in the production of ceramics. It also affirms that ceramics made using oyster shells are better than those produced using silica in terms of texture and durability. Gil-Lim Yoon, Byung-Tak Kim, Baeck-Oon Kim, Sang-Hun Han (2002) pointed out that possibility to recycle the waste as construction materials, chemical and mechanical characteristics of crushed oyster-shell were investigated. Chemical and microstructure analyses showed that oyster-shells are predominantly composed of calcium carbonate with rare impurities. Compressive strength tests for soil mortar specimens with varying blending ratio of cement, water, sand, and oyster-shell were compared with normal cement mortar. There was no signi? cant reduction in the compressive strength up to 40% of dosages of oyster-shell instead of sand. The experimental results demonstrate that oyster-shells can be resources of pure calcareous materials and effective in replacement of sand, indicating promising reusable construction materials. Local Cecilia Amor Fenol, Maria Riza Berna Sabate, Jamie Kathleen Sy, Reah Grace Camongol and Nicole Mejia (2008) pointed out that egg shells can be used as an alternative for sand in making a hollow block. It is more effective and shows lesser cracks as it is dropped from a height of 2 feet. It can be used to lessen the expenses and at the same time we helped the environment by recycling these egg shells. According to our research, the reason why egg shells are effective in making hollow block is because it contains Calcium Carbonate that gives hardness and strength. We also concluded that this egg shell hollow block can be used to support building so that when earthquake strikes our country, its strength and durability will show.

Customer Relationship Management and Sales Force

Chapter7 ANSWERS TO DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1. How is e-business â€Å"redefining old business models, with the aid of technology, to maximize customer value? e-business is more than just buying and selling of products and services through the means of digital media. Whereas e-commerce concentrates on buying and selling, e-business encompasses e-commerce and a whole lot more. For example, e-business includes both front – and back-office applications that form the engine for modern business. e-business is redefining old business models through the aid of technology, to maximize customer value. -business is the use of the Internet and other networks and information technologies to support electronic commerce, enterprise communications and collaboration, and Web-enabled business processes both within an internetworked enterprise, and with its customers and business partners. 2. Why is there a trend toward cross-functional integrated enterprise systems in business? Cross-functional information systems are integrated combinations of business information systems that share information resources across the functional units of an organization.Integrated systems allow the same data to be used for multiple applications; information output from one function can easily become data input to another function. Only one integrated database needs to be maintained. Many organizations are using information technology to develop integrated cross-functional enterprise systems that cross the boundaries of traditional business functions in order to reengineer and improve vital business processes all across the enterprise.These organizations view cross-functional enterprise systems as a strategic way to use IT to share information resources and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of business processes, thus helping an e-business attain its strategic objectives. 3. Do you agree that â€Å"ERP is the backbone of e-Business†? Why or why not? it can be argued that enterpr ise resource planning (ERP) could certainly be considered the backbone of e-business. Businesses today must be deeply involved in coordinating and conducting business in the new economy.Through technologies such as the Internet and other networks and information technologies businesses are able to support electronic commerce, enterprise communications and collaboration, and Web-enabled business processes both within an internetworked enterprise, and with its customers and business partners. 4. Refer to the Real World Case on Charles Schwab and Others in this chapter. What are the most important HR applications a company should offer to its employees via a Web-based system? Why?There are a number of important HR applications that a company can and should offer their employees via a Web-based system. No matter what applications a company provides it must ensure that they are accurate, up to date, and provide the employees with the information they want. The purpose of the system is to free up the time for HR management to be more efficient in planning HR strategies than being burdened with boring paper work. For the employees, they want to be able to have access to the information that pertains to them, and the information that they need to satisfy their inquiry.Employees are interested in issues such as pay and benefits, pension funds, stock options, vacation time, career opportunities, training and development initiatives, and other related personnel issues. 5. How do you think sales force automation affects salesperson productivity, marketing management, and competitive advantage? Sales force automation is the use of computers to automate sales recording and reporting by sales people as well as communications and sales support.It improves productivity by saving time otherwise spent on manual creation of records, reports, and presentations; it improves communications and accessibility to information to support sales activities; and it may help in planning sale s tactics. Increasingly, computers and networks are providing the basis for sales force automation. In many companies, the sales force is being outfitted with notebook computers that connect them to Web browsers, and sales contact management software that connect them to marketing websites on the Internet, extranets, and their company intranets.Sales force automation has resulted in increasing the personal productivity of salespeople, dramatically speed up the capture and analysis of sales data from the field to marketing managers at company headquarters, allows marketing and sales management to improve the delivery of information and the support they provide to their salespeople. Many companies view sales force automation as a way to gain a strategic advantage in sales productivity and marketing responsiveness. 6. How can Internet technologies be involved in improving a process in one of the functions of business?Choose one example and evaluate its business value. it will be relati vely easy for them to choose from any of the various functions of business such as accounting, marketing, manufacturing, retailing, operations, and so on. In response to this question, the accounting function was chosen. Accounting information systems are being affected by Internet and client/server technologies. Using the Internet, intranets, extranets, and other network changes have been made to the traditional methods of capturing and processing accounting data.As well, these technologies have assisted in how accounting information systems are being used to monitor and track business activity. The online, interactive nature of such networks calls for new forms of transaction documents, procedures, and controls. Many companies are using or developing network links to their trading partners through the use of the Internet or other networks for applications such as order processing inventory control, accounts receivable, and accounts payable.These advances in the accounting function have resulted in major improvements in the capturing, reporting, processing, and increased accuracy of the data. Thus, realtime processing of accounting information enables executives to make better and more informed decisions involving their firm’s resources. 7. How can the Internet technologies improve customer relationships, and service for a business? CRM is described as a cross-functional e-business application that integrates and automates many customer-serving processes in sales, direct marketing, accounting and order management, and customer service and support.Examples of business benefits of customer relationship management include: †¢CRM allows a business to identify and target their best customers; those who are the most profitable to the business, so they can be retained as lifelong customers for greater and more profitable services. †¢CRM enables real-time customization and personalization of products and services based on customer wants, needs, buyin g habits, and life cycles. †¢CRM can keep track of when a customer contacts the company, regardless of the contact point. CRM enables a company to provide a consistent customer experience and superior service and support across all the contact points a customer chooses. The key to survival today is through improved customer relationships. The Internet has enabled interactive marketing between a business and its customers. The Internet can improve customer value, as the customer becomes closer to the business. Through interactive marketing methods, the needs of the customer are being better served. Relationships between customers and business are also greatly enhanced, and businesses are better able to provide their customers with the services requested. . Refer to the Real World Case Harrah’s, DuPont, and Otis at the end of the chapter. What are several e-business applications that you might recommend to a small company to help it survive and succeed in challenging econo mic times? Why? Small businesses as well as large businesses must make serious attempts to ensure that they have a Web presence. Customers are turning to the Web as a means of conducting business, and the growth in B2B has been exceptional. Final consumers are also ordering more products and services through the use of technology such as the Web.Small businesses can also have a successful website where they can offer their products and services to customers. Ensuring that the site is easy to navigate and order from is a major key to its success. If you are not going to actually sell products and services online, you can still use e-business applications to order from your suppliers online. By doing so, small businesses order products for just-in-time delivery, reduce inventory charges, and enable them to shop / â€Å"click† around for better deals. 9. Which of the 14 tools for enterprise collaboration summarized in Figure 7. 13 do you feel are essential for any business to ha ve today?Which of them do you feel are optional, depending on the type of business or other factor? Explain. This question will vary, and much depends on what type of organization they are applying these enterprise collaboration tools to. For this exercise we will assume that the student is applying the tools to an engineering environment requirement where the job is being designed in the United States, but being constructed in Argentina. Students can easily include and justify the requirement for all of the tools outlined in the electronic communication, electronic conferencing, and collaborative work management tools.However, if a student were to present the case of a university who does not offer extension courses, they may feel that there is no requirement for the school to use electronic conferencing tools. 10. What is the role and business value of using Internet technologies in supply chain management? The goal of supply chain management is to give customers what they want, w here they want it, and at the lowest possible cost. The goal of SCM is to: †¢Reduce costs †¢Increase efficiency †¢Increase profits †¢Improve supply chain cycle times Improve performance in relationships with customers and suppliers †¢Develop value-added services that give a company a competitive edge According to the Advanced Management Council, supply chain management has three business objectives: †¢Get the right product to the right place at the least cost. †¢Keep inventory as low as possible and still offers superior customer service. †¢Reduce cycle times. Supply chain management seeks to simplify and accelerate operations that deal with how customer orders are processed through the system and ultimately filled, as well as how raw materials are acquired and delivered for manufacturing processes.Businesses are increasingly dependent upon Internet technologies to improve their efficiencies. For example, companies are spending time and resour ces in improving their systems with those of their customers, partners, and suppliers. Through these improved systems, companies are better able to integrate interenterprise supply processes in order to improve manufacturing and distribution effectiveness. Companies are given SCM top priority and making it a large part of their e-business initiatives. By serving their customers better than their competitors, they are able to maintain and perhaps gain market share.

Rosa Parks Essay

Rosa Parks Essay Rosa Parks Essay Rosa Parks U.S Civil Rights Biographical study Examine the importance of this individual within the movement and the significance of their words and actions in challenging the established social and political order. Born in February the 4th 1913, Tuskegee, Alabama, United States. Died October 24th 2005 aged 92, in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Married Raymond Parks on December the 8th, 1932. On Thursday, December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks had finally had enough of being treated as a second-class citizen. When the bus driver tells her to move to the back of the bus, she simply says no and refuses to get off her seat. Rosa Parks is promptly arrested for violating segregation laws. Friday December 2nd, Nixon calls a meeting of black leaders to discuss how to fight bus segregation. Knowing that the bus system depends heavily on the African-American community, the black leaders agree to call a boycott (to refuse to buy something or to take part in something as a way of protesting.) of all city buses on Monday, December 5th. Slowly but surely the bus company begins to lose money – 75% of its riders are black and they have all joined the boycott. Almost one year after Rosa Park’s refusal to give up her seat, the Supreme Court rules on November 13, 1956 that Montgomery’s segregation laws are unconstitutional (not in keeping with the basic principles or laws set forth in the constitution of a state or country, especially the Constitution of the United States.) Rosa Parks was born in February the 4th 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama, United States. On Thursday, December 1st 1955, Rosa Parks had finally had enough of being treated as a second-class citizen. She boards a city bus to go home, tired as she is, she walks past the first few, mostly empty rows of seats marked â€Å"Whites Only.† It is against the law for an African American like her, to sit in these seats. Parks finally settles for a seat in the middle of the bus. Black people are only allowed to sit in this section as long as no white person is standing. However, Rosa Parks hated these segregation laws and was fighting for civil rights for more than 10 years, until this day; she had never been one to break rules. At one of the stops, the driver noticed that all the seats in the â€Å"White Only† section were taken and white people had just climbed aboard. Mrs Parks row were ordered to move to the back of the bus, where there are no open seats. After the driver barked at the black passengers a second time, they all get up, except for Rosa Parks. As an African-American, Parks had to put up with terrible treatment on city buses, as well as in stores, restaurants, movie theatres etc. Rosa Parks had enough. She simply says no to the bus driver and refuses to give up her seat. The angry bus driver returns to the bus with a policeman. Mrs Parks is promptly arrested for violating segregation laws. Mr Nixon, a friend and long-time civil rights leader, posts her bail. Although Rosa Parks was not the first African American to be treated unfairly, he was determined to try and make her the last. The following afternoon, Nixon called a meeting of black leaders and discussed how to fight bus segregation. Knowing that the city

Learn More about the Bright Star Sirius

Learn More about the Bright Star Sirius Sirius, also known as the Dog Star, is the brightest star in our night-time sky. Its also  the sixth closest star to Earth, at a distance of  8.6 light-years. (A light-year is the distance that light travels in a year). The name Sirius comes from the ancient Greek word for scorching and it has fascinated observers throughout human history because of its brightness and colorful twinkling. Astronomers began seriously studying Sirius in the 1800s, and continue to do so today. It is usually noted on star maps and charts as alpha Canis Majoris, the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major (the Big Dog).  Sirius is visible from most parts of the world (except for very northerly or southerly regions), and can sometimes be seen during the day if conditions are right.   The Science of Sirius The astronomer Edmond Halley observed Sirius in 1718 and determined its proper motion (that is, its actual motion through space). More than a century later, astronomer William Huggins measured the  actual velocity  of Sirius by taking a spectrum of its light, which revealed data about its speed. Further measurements showed that this star is actually moving toward the Sun at a velocity of about 7.6 kilometers per second.   Astronomers long suspected that Sirius might have a companion star. It would be hard to spot since Sirius itself is so bright. But, they kept looking for it. In 1844, F.W. Bessel used analysis of its motion to determine that Sirius really did have a companion. That discovery was finally confirmed by telescope observations in 1862. The companion is called Sirius B, and it is the first white dwarf  (an aged type of star) with a spectrum to show a gravitational redshift as predicted by the general theory of relativity.   There are stories floating around that some early civilizations saw this companion without the aid of a telescope. It would have been very hard to see unless the companion was very bright. So, its not clear what the ancients saw. However, current scientists are quite interested in learning more about Sirius A and B. More recent observations with Hubble Space Telescope have measured both of the stars, and revealed that Sirius B is only about the size of Earth, but has the mass close to that of the Sun.   Comparing Sirius Itself to the Sun Sirius A, which is what we see with the naked eye, is about twice as massive as our Sun. It is also 25 times more luminous than our star. Over time, and as it gets closer to the solar system in the far distant fugure, it will also increase in brightness. Thats part of its evolutionary path.  While our Sun is about 4.5 billion years old, Sirius A and B are thought to be no more than 300 million years old and so their story is yet to be told. Why is Sirius Called the Dog Star?   This star has earned the name Dog Star from an interesting time in Earths past. One reason its called that is that its the brightest star in Canis Major. However, theres a more interesting idea about its name: it was also incredibly important to stargazers in the ancient world for its prediction of seasonal change. For example, in the time of the Pharoahs in Egypt, people watched for Sirius to rise just before the Sun did. That marked the season when the Nile would flood, and bathe the nearby farms with mineral-rich silt.  The Egyptians made a ritual of looking for Sirius at the right time- it was that important to their society. The rumor goes that this time of year, typically late summer, came to be known as the Dog Days of summer, particularly in Greece, when people began looking for the Dog star just before sunrise. The Egyptians and Greeks werent the only ones interested in this star. Ocean-going explorers also used it as a celestial marker, helping them navigate around the worlds seas. For example, to the Polynesians, who have been accomplished navigators for centuries, Sirius was known as Aa and it was part of a complex set of navigational star lines the islanders used to voyage up and down the Pacific between Tahitian islands and Hawaii.   Today, Sirius is a favorite of stargazers, and enjoys many mentions in science fiction, song titles, and literature. It appears to twinkle madly, although thats really a function of its light passing through Earths atmosphere, particularly when the star is low on the horizon.      Edited and updated by Carolyn Collins Petersen.

Winter Weather Terminologies

Winter Weather Terminologies The terms winter storms and snowstorms may mean roughly the same thing, but mention a word like blizzard, and it conveys so much more than just a storm with snow. Heres a look at the flurry of winter weather terms you may hear in your forecast, and what each means.   Blizzards Blizzards are dangerous winter storms whose blowing snow and high winds lead to low visibility and white out conditions. While heavy snowfall often occurs with blizzards it isnt needed. In fact, if strong winds pick up snow thats already fallen this would be considered as a blizzard (a ground blizzard to be exact.) In order to be considered a blizzard, a snowstorm must have: heavy snow OR blowing snow, winds of 35 mph or more, and a visibility of 1/4 mile or less, all lasting for at least 3 hours. Ice Storms Another type of dangerous winter storm is the ice storm. Because the weight of ice (freezing rain and sleet) can down trees and power lines, it doesnt take much of it to paralyze a city. Accumulations of just 0.25 inches to 0.5 inches are considered to be significant, with accumulations over 0.5 inches considered as crippling. (Just 0.5 inches of ice on power lines can add up to 500 pounds of extra weight!) Ice storms are also extremely dangerous to motorists and pedestrians. Bridges and overpasses are especially dangerous when traveling since they freeze before other surfaces. Lake Effect Snow Lake effect snow occurs when cold, dry air moves across a large warm body of water (such as one of the Great Lakes) and picks up moisture and heat. Lake effect snow is known for producing heavy bursts of snow showers known as snow squalls, which drop several inches of snowfall per hour. Noreasters Named for their winds which blow from the northeast, noreasters are low pressure systems that bring heavy rain and snow to the East Coast of North America. Although a true noreaster can occur any time of the year, theyre most fierce in the winter and spring and can often be so strong that they trigger blizzards and thundersnow. How hard is it snowing? Like rainfall, there are a number of terms used to describe snowfall depending on how fast or intensely it is falling. These include: Snow Flurries: Flurries are defined as light snow falling for a short duration. They can also be tiny snowflakes falling for longer periods of time. The most accumulation that can be expected is a light dusting of snow.Snow Showers: When snow is falling at varying intensities for brief periods of time, we call it snow showers. Some accumulation is possible, but not guaranteed.Snow Squalls: Often, brief but intense snow showers will be accompanied by strong, gusty winds. These are referred to as snow squalls. Accumulation may be significant.Blowing Snow: Blowing snow is another winter hazard. High wind speeds can blow falling snow into almost horizontal bands. In addition, lighter snows on the ground may be picked up and redistributed by the wind causing reduced visibility, white out conditions, and snow drifts. Edited by Tiffany Means

Waste Water Management Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10000 words

Waste Water Management - Coursework Example It seems impossible that one universal method will be able to satisfy the situation, thus there are several methods and techniques that have been devised to detect and dispose off the organic pollutants. It is important to distinguish the effectiveness and robustness of a technology, while searching for the most efficient one amongst the various water treatment methods available in the market. The need is to overcome the environmental vulnerability, without sacrificing the performance levels of the water treatment techniques. There are several technologies that present effectual solutions for the versatile water treatment issues but at the same time possess considerable flaws. For example, one of the most popularly used water treatment methods is with the help of activated carbon or zeolite surfaces. In this method, the contaminants are separated from the water by transferring them to relatively highly charged surface area of the water sample. The drawback of this method is that the pollutant needs to be disposed after the adsorbent is exhausted and often mixes in the water again. Similarly other methods like, thermal oxidation treatment (extremely energy intensive), biological treatment (which has failed to provide results with high variation of pollutants), have not provided the research community with the desired results. This paper presents a review on the work done on photo catalytic oxidation reactions---a type of Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP's). It presents the option of water treatment by the photo catalytic oxidation process in a UV reactor system to mineralize organic contaminants in water with the help of a semiconductor catalyst TiO2. Thus the paper explores the recovery of water from waste water as an alternative water resource. It also throws light on the different water treatment technologies prevalent today and their comparison with the photo catalytic reactions. Using UV water treatment method for disinfection of waste water dates back to 1915 in the U.S. and since then the costs of the method have depreciated largely, thereby opening news roads and allowing the researchers to develop effective UV methods to disinfect water and wastewater. In these oxidation methods, water is treated with the help of

Business and international bribery Research Paper

Business and international bribery - Research Paper Example An example of a business that was subjected to a legal prosecution is Weatherford International Ltd. From 2004 to 2011, as a multinational organization, Weatherford International Ltd indulged with internal controls violations. Though Weatherford International Ltd operated in Angola and Iraq, court documents did not make specifications on the country wherein the vice took place. Weatherford International Ltd. Among many things did not: institute effective internal accounting controls; have a committed compliance officer; conduct anti-corruption training; and create a system for investigating ethics violations reports. Weatherford International Ltd. Employees also bribed a foreign official to see a renewal of a contract go through. In the case, U.S. v. Weatherford International Ltd., Weatherford International Ltd. was made to pay a penalty of USD 87,178,256. The case gave rise to the case law U.S. v. Weatherford International Ltd., No. 13-cr-733 (S.D. Tex. 2013) (Baughn, 19 & Pacini, 5 45). According to Lane and Simpson, There are indicators that attest to the adding power of the FCPA Act and the legal proscription of bribery by US multinationals. One of the values that the FCPA Act brings is its ability to rein in corruption and to protect meritocratic capitalism. The crux of the matter herein is that corruption [which bribery is a form of] undermines meritocratic capitalism by un-evening the playing field; subverting proper and legitimate functions of institutions; and encouraging or furthering the misallocation of economic resources. Again, according to the World Bank, corruption slows down the rate of an affected country by 0.5% to 1% annually and increases a marginal tax rate and clumps positive effects on inward investment (Lane and Simpson, 40). An example of an organization that has found corporate bribery in foreign land expediency is Siemens. In 2008, Siemens had to pay 1.6 billion USD as legal settlement to European and American

The Homless Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Homless - Essay Example 2011, or risk being arrested. This belies the earlier efforts and fanfare that city officials had for The Journey Home, a 10 year plan to defeat homelessness, under which several beds were provided for homeless women on the streets. Credibility of Source: Good, since it shows action taken by the authorities and the effect it will have on the proposed plan to end homelessness. The reasons for homelessness are also highlighted. The author, a college student, has addressed social problems before in other writings. The Baltimore Sun is a trusted and widely read source. Reasonableness and Clarity of Purpose: Good; the information presented is fair, balanced and objective. Both sides of the issue are presented, can be appreciated by general audience as well as homelessness advocates and affected population. Organization and Support: Fair, since claims can be supported by statistical studies and facts on the ground about homelessness in Baltimore. No bibliography, table of contents or index for this newspaper article. 2. "Homelessness Timeline."(2011). Leading Issues Timelines. 02 Mar 2011: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. Accessed on 18 Dec 2011at http://sks.sirs.es.vrc.scoolaid.net/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=SNY5270-0-6545&res=Y&ren=N&gov=N&lnk=N&ic=N&method=&keyword=&sid=SNY5270-0-6545&view.x=117&artno=0000281999&translationtarget=ko&submitButton2=Translate This timeline chronicles the story of homelessness in the USA from 1729 to Feb 2011. The Panic of 1837 and 1873, the Bowery Mission, Hull House, Labor Department and Housing Commission studies are some of the events covered, including the Great Depression of the 1930s and its aftermath. The works of various housing commissions and efforts to establish low cost housing are mentioned. It is clear that the United States has been dealing with homelessness issues since colonial times. Many of the homeless end up living on the streets, which forces the Federal

The United States vs Sioux Nations of Indians Essay

The United States vs Sioux Nations of Indians - Essay Example The 1877 Act exercised the Congress power over Indian poverty and protected the tribal property which had been set aside by the Fort Laramie Treaty for Sioux. The treaty was concluded after the Powder River war of 1866 to 1867. The decisions undertaken in this case include the following. The government promised to provide the Sioux with the necessary services and materials and subsistence rations for four years in order for them to become civilized farmers. The United States also permitted this tribe to choose for themselves lands within the reservations for them to cultivate. The government through the executive branch decided to do away with the Nations treaty obligation of keeping safe the territory for Sioux. Besides, the court dismissed the earlier 448 U.S. 371 for lack of jurisdiction and without determining the merits of the Black Hills claim. In reference to this situation, I would like to describe a related case. I had a friend whose land was unjustly grabbed by a company. The ideal situation was that this particular company had detected some land which was rich in oil. Following its admiration, the company had decided to negotiate for the same that it would partake the necessary legal procedures. Instead of doing that, the company which was notably found to be corruptive somehow instead paid huge amounts of money to the land authorities in order to gain the consent from both parties (Seelye, # 25). The government through the lands authority on the contrarily did not protect the land and its owner. Instead, it took advantage of the lots of money offered and corruptly gave out a title deed to the company. This situation is unfair because it is classified under the crime of land grabbing. To me, both the company and the land authorities are corrupt. They should have protected the property of this citizen and acquire it in a correct way. If I were the in the position of the lands authorities, I would shun from corruption and sue this particular company for its mistake.     Ã‚  

Case Study analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Case Study analysis - Essay Example An organization without a vision, mission, purpose and values is doomed to fail. It is hard for such an organization to be able to set their goals and objectives. The organization has no defined future and does not know what it exists to do. Vision, mission and values help an organization to have common goals and objectives in an organization. The management expects to maximize the level of their profits. They also expect to lower their operating costs. Considering the level of competition in the industry, the management expects to have a viable benefit over their competitors. The management also expects to have the right people for the job. They expect to be treated with respect and dignity. They also expect the company will produce products of high quality that will meet their needs. The customers expect the company will have the recent technology to improve their efficiency. There is a rapid change of technology, and the company does not want to adopt the new changes. The companies’ workforce has also changed with time as well as their needs. The company has to adapt to the changes and learn the needs of its workforce in order to keep them satisfied in the job. The company also needs to learn the changing needs of the customer in order to remain competitive in the market. The manager (Meyerson) moral development is within the stage of the social contract. Meyerson values different opinions and the rights of employees. The manager believes that the organization should adopt policies that lead to the satisfaction of the majority of workers. The manager has come up with new management styles that lead to the satisfaction of the majority of the employees. Meyerson has opened the communication channel in the organization for employees to access him directly. He has also embraced the problems of the workforce as problems of the whole organization. (Robbins, 2005) The model is ideal in evaluation of key

The Literary analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

The Literary analysis - Essay Example Some of the things that the soldiers from the platoon Alpha Company carried with them from the war were material things while others were mental. The mental issues such as fear and guilt that they carried from the actions that they did during the war are the focus of the book with a keen eye being on the death and life. Most stories in the book are not definite as having a resolution except only when a character dies inclining that the anecdotes used to not help in illustrating closure for either of the platoon Alpha Company. The only true representation is that the death of a soldier at the war had a significant impact on the life of those that survived making it to be a worthy war story. With this overview, this essay will delve into the literary analysis of this text by making a personal claim about the impact of the book and its relevance to readers by highlighting what is either valuable or not within the same. Additionally, the essay will also suggest the context that readers should consider as they read it and explain about the place of O’Brien’s book in modern literature. According to O’Brien, it is not easy to narrate a war story but fictional writing can be used to immortalize the dead, which can be valuable to the readers as it helps in understanding the narratorâ₠¬â„¢s past, present and future if they were involved in war. In the initial pages of the book, the narrator starts by explaining some of the material things that the soldiers came with from Vietnam that they considered them to be what used to make life bearable for them there. Some of these physical things included lighters, cigarettes, chewing gum, bible, Kool-Aid, condoms, while another carried pond cake and peaches among a list of other items (O’Brien 2). The emotions of the narrator are triggered from time to time through the thoughts of death of fellow officer Lavender, which

Case Study analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Case Study analysis - Essay Example An organization without a vision, mission, purpose and values is doomed to fail. It is hard for such an organization to be able to set their goals and objectives. The organization has no defined future and does not know what it exists to do. Vision, mission and values help an organization to have common goals and objectives in an organization. The management expects to maximize the level of their profits. They also expect to lower their operating costs. Considering the level of competition in the industry, the management expects to have a viable benefit over their competitors. The management also expects to have the right people for the job. They expect to be treated with respect and dignity. They also expect the company will produce products of high quality that will meet their needs. The customers expect the company will have the recent technology to improve their efficiency. There is a rapid change of technology, and the company does not want to adopt the new changes. The companies’ workforce has also changed with time as well as their needs. The company has to adapt to the changes and learn the needs of its workforce in order to keep them satisfied in the job. The company also needs to learn the changing needs of the customer in order to remain competitive in the market. The manager (Meyerson) moral development is within the stage of the social contract. Meyerson values different opinions and the rights of employees. The manager believes that the organization should adopt policies that lead to the satisfaction of the majority of workers. The manager has come up with new management styles that lead to the satisfaction of the majority of the employees. Meyerson has opened the communication channel in the organization for employees to access him directly. He has also embraced the problems of the workforce as problems of the whole organization. (Robbins, 2005) The model is ideal in evaluation of key

Life to the fullest must have the presence Essay Example for Free

Life to the fullest must have the presence Essay Living life to the fullest must have the presence of forgiveness as well as forgetting. Forgiveness is a conscious choice, a spiritual and physical act involving the will, a sensation or suit of feeling, an emotional state of being for letting go of the past. Try to imagine how happy we can be if we know how to forget bitter happenings in our lives. Having a feeling towards everything is fine, it seems so convincing to live great. Indeed to forgive is hard and difficult, but we must. It is a conscious choice, a spiritual and physical act involving the will, a sensation or suit of feeling, an emotional state of being for letting go of the past. Having a big pride will make you feel bad. God said, â€Å"Do unto to others as you would have them do unto to you. It would be very hard for one to forgive someone who has done so much wrong and leaped so much suffering on them. It is important that we forgive so that one can move on with his life and have a chance for a happier future. In the book NIGHT, a boy named Elie faced all of these hardships and people always asked him whether to forgive or not despite of all the pain, the sufferings, and challenges he had experienced? But Elie must forgive because GOD said that everyone should forgive one another, no matter what the circumstances are, hence, mobilizing us to find peace and serenity every single day of our lives. Nothing will bother us especially our inner sides. When someone else causes us emotional harm, whether intentional or not, learning to let go of this pain can be one of the most difficult transitions we would have to go through but it will enable us to live life, one which is free from worry and burden. Acknowledge that youre living in real time carrying the baggage of old time. And then let go of it. Based on the book, The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren: Your past is your past, nothing can change it. You are only hurting yourself with your bitterness. The persons who have hurt you in the pass cannot continue to hurt you now unless you hold on the memories through resentment. Forgiving and forgetting is not a gradual one, it undergoes a process. How does one forget awful memories? How would one handle the situation if he/she is in too much pain? Can one ever forgive or relieve the bad memories that been caused by somebody? First, find a place where you can have a peace of mind, a quiet and a comfortable place. Sit down in a comfortable chair and close your eyes, even though it is painful and embarrassing, give some time to think what you are wishing to forget. Then, visualize a black and white picture of the situation that you are trying to forget. Afterwards, look on the illusionary replica of an experienced you hate the most. As you were looking to that picture, begin to tear it on your imagination until it turned tiny pieces where you can barely see it. Lastly, blow it away, ask if you were blowing small pieces of dust, so you know that the little speck is already gone away, and no one will ever see it. Fortunately, we are ending up forgetting the incident and forgiving the people behind the fear that circulated in their system so they could live a better life-a life without bitterness. Even the act of forgiving is difficult, forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Forgiveness may takes a lot of time, it may not easily come, it involves patience and a lengthy struggle just to reach that, because it affects the relationships that need to be work in order to reach the total completeness of forgiving. Always remember where we stand. To refuse it is to refuse God. There is no other exception. God means what He says. To forgive is hard, but we must do it at any cost.

Resources to Support Childrens Language Development

Resources to Support Childrens Language Development Task 1 An annotated resource list detailing stories, books, rhymes, songs, finger-plays, story props, puppets, resources and classroom contexts which can be used to support and extend literacy for real life purposes in their setting. You must take into account the particular needs of bilingual learners. In doing this you will realise that what you are doing is describing what you will provide in the role-play context and why. This amounts to a very basic plan together with a rationale for the resourcing. Resource List Following much discussion about poor standards of English teaching, the Literacy Hour was introduced into all English primary schools through the National Literacy strategy during the school year 1998/99. The daily literacy hour is divided between 10-15 minutes of whole class reading or writing; 10-15 minutes whole-class session on word level work (e.g. phonics, spelling) and sentence level work; 25-30 minutes of directed group activities; and a plenary at the end for pupils to revisit the objectives of the lesson, reflect on what they have learnt and consider what they need to do next. The resource list that has been complied has been designed to support activities that take place during the literacy hour. The educational resources market is huge and there is a great deal of choice available. There are many new publishers. For example, Badger Publishing Ltd (www.badger-publishing.co.uk) was established in 1989 and provides a range of books, which are designed to improve children’s literacy skills. The company’s publications are divided into three categories. Badger History for Foundation and Key Stage 1 uses bright and colourful images to stimulate the interest of children in historical concepts. Badger History uses nursery rhymes, changes in everyday life, stories and legends, and significant people and past events drawn from the history of Britain and the rest of the word. Each year of Foundation and KS1 has its own Big Book and Teacher Book. Each Big Book has 10 themes. Details of the book for nursery / reception classes are listed below. Big Book 1 for Nursery / Reception Old Mother Hubbard 12 days of Christmas London Bridge is falling down Boys and girls come out to play Miss Polly had a dolly Ride a cock-horse Mary had a little lamb Sing a song of sixpence Oranges and lemons Rats Badger Nursery Rhymes introduces the first sight words for reception classes. They also provide a literacy course, which aims to fulfil the early learning communication, language and literacy goals and the National Literacy Strategy. The publication contains 24 popular nursery rhymes, coverage of all 45 high frequency words and a range of objectives (word, sentence and text level work). Badger also has another range of publications, which are called Storyteller. This is a new series which uses 36 familiar stories to support the writing, speaking and listening objectives of the National Literacy Strategy in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. This publication allows children to hear and learn about traditional stories, develop comprehension skills, develop speaking and listening skills, use drama to explore themes and characters, and increase their experience of the language and structure of stories. Each book has its own focus. For example, the publication for Reception uses stories, (The Gingerbread Man) with rhyme and repetitive phrases. Fingerplays are a fun way of introducing poetry to children. Fingerplays are also useful tools for practicing fine motor skills, following directions and introducing concepts. They also provide the opportunity to strengthen children’s language experiences and improve their literacy skills. The following fingerplays can be added to the list of resources: Balls (size, counting) Grandmother’s Glasses Choo! Choo! Two Little Blackbirds (counting) Funny Bunny Up, Up, Up (spatial concepts) Jack in the Box (spatial concepts) Unwind the Thread Riding in a Wagon A Teeny Weeny Spider Pat-a-cake Hickory, Dickory, Dock Grand Old Duke of York Literacy Connections (www.literacyconnections.com) is an American based organisation, which provides a vast array of information on reading, teaching and tutoring techniques, ESOL literacy, and adult literacy. Whilst, its resources etc, obviously cater for the needs of the American educational market, many of the items can be readily adapted to meet the literacy needs of children in the UK. A variety of songs can be accessed from this website. They can used to promote and develop a range of literacy skills. A selection of these songs is shown below. â€Å"Alphabet† is an interactive rap song. It targets the comprehension and manipulation of the alphabet and various words in the English language. Using this rap for Reception classes, challenges the children’s abilities to listen, respond, and demonstrate awareness of language patterns and sounds. The â€Å"Alphabet† Song A, B, C, D, E, F, G H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P Q, R, S, T, U, and V W, X, Y, Z A Boy Caught Danny Eating Father’s Groceries A like ant, B – boy†¦. The â€Å"Alphabet Animals at the Zoo† song allows children to develop the following skills and gain a greater understanding of a number of concepts. Notably – identifying letters of the alphabet, learning the order of the letters of the alphabet, recognising symbol sound correspondence, and increasing vocabulary movement. The children stretch, shake and bounce to warm up during the opening verse. Next, they create motions which go with a word for each letter of the alphabet. For example, arch, reach up and bend backwards, bend, bend forward, clap, clap hands, droop, let head, arms and spine sag forward, expand, make the body tall and wide. After completing the alphabet, each child faces someone and does the motion that goes with the first letter of his / her name. Alphabet Animals at the Zoo Learn the abc’s with ease While getting fit and having fun Aphabetise your exercise And do your moves one by one At the store or in the car park You’ll cause a small commotion If you suddenly stand and start The alphabet in motion Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, provides a wide range of resources, which can be accessed from its website (www.teacher.scholastic.com). It provides information on how children can create pet puppets and use them interactively in their play. Pet Puppets The creation and use of pet puppets in their play, helps children to develop their social, language and literacy skills. The following materials are required: socks (one for each child), fabric markers, children’s safety scissors, white craft glue, materials to decorate puppets (e.g. feathers, buttons, fabric scraps etc), chart paper and marker. The children work together to create sock puppet pets. In making the puppets the children will be engaged in the following activities: Read stories to children about pets or animals and then engage them in a conversation about different types of pets. Do they have pets? What types of pets do they have? What types of pets do they have? What types of pets do they wish they had? Tell the children that they make sock pet puppets out of socks. When the puppets are complete – the children should be encouraged to participate in activities to develop dramatic-play and language skills. The Role of Parents In Developing Their Children’s Literacy Skills The most important benefit that parents can give to their children is their undivided attention. In a classroom situation a teacher will have to deal with 30 or more children. Therefore, the scope for a teacher to work one-to-one with a pupil is highly restricted. Thus parents play a crucial role in developing their children’s language, literacy and social skills. Adams, M, (1990), estimated that by the time her son was six, he had received 1700 hours of stories being read to him. He had also spent 1000 hours watching the literacy-focused television programme â€Å"Sesame Street†. By contrast, she calculated that in the first year of schooling he would have received 360 hours of literacy instruction, and less than 18 hours were given in individual attention. Toomey, D, (1993), reported studies, which demonstrated that, without help and guidance, parents were much less likely than teachers to praise, and pause and therefore encourage guesses or self-correction, or to give clues if children were hesitant. He suggested that careful thought, and appropriate resources, needed to be given to ensure that this invaluable potential support was channelled effectively. To deal with this issue the government has launched a number of initiatives e.g. Sure Start. This is designed to encourage parents to play a proactive role in their children’s learning. Resources For Bilingual Children There is a huge selection of resources available for developing the language and literacy skills of bilingual children. The use of such resources in the Literacy Hour depends heavily upon the make-up of the Reception class. For example, let us assume that a reception class contains 24 children. If the class contained 20 bilingual children and four native English speakers, this would clearly need a completely different teaching strategy, if the numbers were reversed. In both situations the literacy needs of the two groups most be accommodated. This is why the role of Teaching Assistants has become very important in terms of helping Reception Class teachers deliver a teaching strategy that meets the learning requirements of the children in a specific set. In Task 2, this issue is revisited – as the observation of the children entails analysing the effectiveness of the teaching and resources used in the delivery of the Literacy Hour. In the activity that was observed a specialist bilingual resource was not used. A First Experience book was used Tidy Up – this introduces children to the everyday activity of tidying up. A list of household objects (e.g. coat hanger etc) are involved. No matter how good the teacher, the support and resources are, bilingual speakers are always going to have major problems, if their parents do not make a significant contribution towards developing their children develop their English language and literacy skills. Young children have the monumental task of learning their native language. However, more non-English speaking children are now entering UK schools and are required to develop skills in English as well. Many teachers are now finding that some pupils are not proficient in any language. This is because children are pushed into learning a second language without continuing development in their native language. According to Fillmore, W, (1991), this is happening because children are pushed into learning a second language without continuing development in their native language. Research has shown that children that develop adequate language skills are more likely to experience success when they begin reading (Liberman, 1983; Roth, Speece and Cooper, 2002; Snow, Burn and Griffin, 1998). Early language acquisition begins at home and occurs somewhat naturally, through interactions with friends and family members. Children need these opportunities to develop their native language before they can master a second language. Summary An extensive resource list has been developed. The source and purpose of the items in the list has been explained. If children are going to learn – they must be encouraged to participate. In other words they need to be engaged in a positive and progressive. The contents of the resources list are designed to become fully involved with role play. For example, a teacher can read a short story to group of children. The children will become completely in tune with the experience, when they dress up and act the storyline themselves. Resources provide the opportunity for children to use their imagination. Literacy skills do not sit in isolation. Reading, writing, speaking and listening all interact with social interaction and new learning experiences. Further to this, as highlighted, is the importance of parents becoming actively involved in developing their children’s literacy and language skills. For bilingual children different teaching strategies are required to facilitate their particular learning needs. Specialist resources do exist – but more often than not – the key to success, is using readily available learning resources in new and imaginative ways to meet their needs. Task 2 The second piece of coursework is an evaluation of how well the planned activity meet the intended outcomes – i.e. did the role play area, support and extend the reading, writing, speaking and listening of all the pupils, including bilingual pupils. Introduction This task involves the observation of a number of activities that took place during place Literacy Hour. The children that were observed are in a Reception Class. Communicative competence provides a theoretical framework within, which these observed activities will be reviewed and critically evaluated. Also research findings relevant to the areas under investigation will also be considered. Educational Theory Underpinning Literacy Skills Communicative competence is a concept introduced by Dell Hymes and discussed and redefined by many authors. Hymes’ original idea was that speakers of a language have to have more grammatical competence in order to communicate effectively in a language; they also need to know how language is used by members of a speech community to accomplish their purposes. There are eight aspects of communicative competence. They are grouped together into two groups of four: Linguistic aspects: Phonology and orthography – Phonological competence is the ability to recognise and produce the distinctive meaningful sounds of a language, including; consonants, vowels, tone patterns, intonation patterns etc. Orthographic competence is the ability to decipher and write the writing system of a language. Grammatical competence – This is the ability to recognise and produce the distinctive structures of a language and to use them effectively in communication. Lexical competence – This is the ability to recognise and use words in a language that speakers of the language use them. Lexical competence includes understanding the different relationships among families of words and the common collections of words. Discourse competence – This is used to refer to two related, but distinct abilities. Textual discourse competence refers to the ability to understand and construct monologues or written texts of different genres, such as narratives, procedural texts etc. Learning a language involves learning how to relate these different types of discourse in a way that is coherent to the readers and listeners. If you like, the linguistic aspects of learning a language are the theoretical aspects that have to be mastered. In terms of learning how to read and write, the starting point is phonology. Mastering phonetics is at the very heart teaching Reception Class pupils how to read. The other three aspects are developed over a longer term period. Although by the end of the Reception Year – the children must have made some progress towards becoming effective in terms of the grammatical and lexical competencies. Pragmatic aspects: Functional competence – This refers to the ability to accomplish communication purposes in a language. For example, the ability to use language to greet someone. Sociolinguistic competence – This is the ability to interpret the social meaning of the choice of linguistic varieties and to use language with the appropriate meaning of the communication situation. Interactional competence – This involves knowing and using the mostly-unwritten rules for interaction in various communication situations within a given speech community and culture. Cultural competence – This is the ability to understand behaviour from the standpoint of the members of a culture and to behave in a way that would be understood by the members of the culture in the intended way. Cultural competence therefore involves understanding all aspects of a culture, but particularly the social structure, the values and beliefs of the people, and the way things are assumed to be done. Practice makes perfect – is a phrase that all school children will be familiar. If a child is going to become a proficient reader, writer and speaker of English, then they must be provided with endless opportunities to practice their skills and knowledge of the language. Herein lies the real importance of role-play in learning – it provides children with the opportunity to master the pragmatic competencies. As already stated, in Task 1, parents must become actively involved in developing their children’s literacy skills. Observation Of The Literacy Hour This was a Reception Class in a primary school. The class has 24 pupils. 20 of who are native English speakers. The other 4 are bilingual. The literacy hour is spread throughout the day and is covered in a number of sessions. Session 1 – Whole Class Reading (15 minutes) Session Objectives: The pupils will extend their vocabulary, exploring the meanings and sounds of new words Hear and say initial and final sounds in words and short vowel sounds in words Read a range of familiar and common words and simple sentences independently Know that print carries meaning and, in English, is read from left to right and top to bottom Show sufficient understanding of the elements of stories, such as main character, sequence of events, and openings, and be able to answer questions about where, who, why and how. This session involved using the story (The Gingerbread Man) from the Storyteller range of books produced by Badger Publishing Ltd. The teacher read a line from the book and asked the whole class to read the line aloud. For those children who struggled with a line they were assisted by the teacher or the teacher’s assistant to complete the task. This process lasted for about five minutes. The teacher then asked questions to help the class to recap on what they had read so far. The children were then put into pairs and were asked to read alternate lines to their partners. For those pupils who struggled with this task – they were aided by the teacher or the teacher’s assistant to complete their sentence. The teacher then moved the session beyond the book and asked the pupils to consider what materials they would like to be made of. This generated a wide range of interesting and amusing responses – ranging from rubber to chocolate. The children were asked to consider what special power they would like to have and why, in their new characterisation. The repetition of the reading aloud of sentences from the story book did not really motivate the pupils. However, when they were allowed to use their imagination and develop their own characterisation in a new format, the majority of the group found this stimulating. The reading aloud and repetition of the sentences was designed to allow the pupils to further develop their lexical competence. The relaxation of the structured rigidity, that is a by-product of reading aloud, provided the pupils with much greater freedom to use their imaginations and consequently develop the pragmatic aspects of the communicative competence framework. As with everything in life, the educational system suffers from two major constraints. That is, a lack of time and a lack of resources. As outlined, in Task 1, there is very little scope for offering individual pupils a sufficient amount of one-to-one contact with the teacher. The average size of Reception Classes in the UK is greater than 24. The bigger the class size and the greater the diversity in language skills (i.e. how many bilingual children are in the class?) then more pressure is placed on the teacher. The Literacy Hour has been in operation for nearly 8 years and its impact has been extensively researched. According to researchers from the University of Newcastle – whole class teaching has not encouraged opportunities for pupils to question or explore ideas to help them regulate their own thinking. The researchers have identified the problem of teachers adapting to the new curriculum without changing their old teaching styles or patterns. Consequently, many of the innovations of the National Literacy Strategy are not implemented as a result. Session 2 – Fingerplays – Directed Group Studies (25 minutes) Session Objective Show sufficient understanding of the elements of stories, such as main character, sequence of events, and openings, and be able to answer questions about where, who, why and how. The class was divided into six groups of four. Each group was presented with a different fingerplay (e.g. Unwind the Thread, Riding in a Wagon, Hickory Dickory Dock etc). The teacher was assisted by a teacher’s assistant and a volunteer worker. Working their way round the groups – the children were instructed on how to participate in the fingerplay and were encouraged to work as a group to generate ideas on what they thought the words contained in the rhymes, actually. The children were then asked again to work as a group and think of a storyline that could be developed using a fingerplay. This session was adequately staffed and this meant that no group of children had to wait long for assistance, in terms of getting answers to their questions. This role-play element of the session proved to be very successful and the children on the whole worked well within the groups to which they had been allocated. This session provided opportunities for the children to develop their proficiency with regard to the pragmatic aspects of the communicative competence. Session 3 – Developing The Language Skills Of Bilingual Pupils (20 minutes) Session Objective – By the end of the session the pupils will show sufficient understanding of the elements of stories, such as main character, sequence of events, and openings, and be able to answer questions about, where, who, why and how. Two of the bilingual students have only recently joined the school. Both of them are new to the UK and to English. Although their parents read to them in Urdu, they are used to a different writing system and print which goes from right to left, rather than from left to right. The TA (Teacher’s Assistant) is using a book which the teacher used at the beginning of the academic year (ie Tidy Up). It is a picture story with no words. The TA had been working with the two new pupils for two weeks and had established a good rapport. She worked her way through each picture and explained to the children what was happening in each scene. A volunteer worker, who was fluent in English and Urdu was on hand. The TA had a number of items (e.g. a clock, a coat hanger, a drinking mug, a torch etc) which featured in the story. As she produced each object she encouraged the children to handle it and say its English name. She asked questions about the objects – what they were for, where might you find them, and so on – and asked the children to find them in the pictures. She talked about the each item’s part in the story. The volunteer remained silent throughout and only interjected when the children did not understand what was being asked of them. Speaking briefly in Urdu to clarify and issue, and then allowing the TA to resume contact with the children. She then asked the children to take on roles of characters in the book, and she also took on a role. Together they acted the story out, using the household objects as props and she encouraged the â€Å"characters† to talk about what they were doing. She then asked the children to â€Å"read† the book in English, and supported (with help from the volunteer worker when appropriate) them individually as they did this. At the end of the session, she reviewed the session, the progress the two children had made. Overall the session was a positive experience for all of the concerned parties. The volunteer worker is helping the children to develop literacy skills within their first language i.e. Urdu. The parents of the children are attending ESOL classes at the school and are actively involved in helping their offspring develop their language skills in Urdu. This is having a positive impact on their ability and willingness to learn English. The use of role-play both at school and at home is increasing their proficiency in both languages. Thus in this instance the use of role-play has generated positive benefits. The objective for the session was achieved. The successful completion of this activity reinforces the factors which are at the heart of the educational theory stated at the beginning of this task. It is counterproductive to fast track the two new arrivals into the class. They need to be helped to master their native language as well as being slowly introduced to English. Their confidence with regard to speaking their own language and becoming more exposed to English, will be increased by the use of role-play activities as observed and by being positively engaged by their parents and extended family, within their home and domestic surroundings. The results of this observation provide a clear link to the previously stated research of several authors (i.e. Fillmore, W, 1991; Liberman, 1983; Roth, Speece and Cooper, 2002; Snow, Burn and Griffin, 1998) that early language acquisition begins at home and occurs somewhat naturally, through interactions with friends and family members. Children need these opportunities to develop their native language before they can master a second language. References Research Evaluation of the National Literacy Strategy – Academic Findings and Recommendations (www.literacytrust.org.uk/research/liteval.html) Literacy Improvement Programme – Developing Literacy in the Early Stages (www.ltscotland.gov.uk) The National Literacy Strategy – Guidance on the organisation of the NLS in Reception classes (Department for Education and Employment, September, 2000) Parental Tips for Enhancing Print Awareness, Phonological Awareness and Oral Language Skills in Young Children Learning English as a Second Language – Crystal Torti, Yvette Carrasco (Top Tips on Parenting, Fall, 2004, Volume 6, Number 3) Beginning to Read: Thinking and Learning About Print – Adams, M. (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press – 1990) Parents hearing their children read: a review – Toomey, D. (Rethinking the lessons of the Haringey Project – Educational Research, 35/3, 223-236, 1993) Cluster 1 – Thinking about children as learners – What role do parents play in children (www.abdn.ac.uk/education/research-and-initiatives/RTR) Early Childhood Today – Pet Puppets (http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/ect/Petpuppets.htm) Fingerplays Index Page (http://falcon.jmu.edu/ramsey/fingerplayindex.htm) Aspects of communicative competence – (www.sil.org/lingualinks/LANGUAGELEARNING/OtherResources) First Experiences (http://books.kelkoo.co.uk/b/a/cpc) How Most Children Learn To Read – Derry Koralek, Ray Collins (Reading Rockets, 1997 – www.readingrockets.org/articles/386) Various pages from Literacy Connections (www.literacyconnections.com) Various pages from Badger Publishing Ltd (www.badger-publishing.co.uk) Literacy Reception Module (Department for Education and Employment, September, 2003)