Wednesday, October 30, 2019

IT-6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

IT-6 - Essay Example Differences in culture and language barriers are significant issues requiring scrutiny, as virtually every foreign nation has a different value and belief system, while making the process of relating to these customers more difficult due to the use of a different language. IS systems must be built with these factors in mind, including the appropriate usage of the foreign language on the international auction website. Political barriers are the most complicated, as many foreign countries block the free access of information to its society, therefore these factors must be considered prior to building the appropriate international auction website. Will the people in this type of nation be able to help build profitability? These are questions that must be considered prior to going international. I have located three commercial sites in different markets which offer affiliate programs: PowerWebsites.com, Office Depot.com, and Barnes&Noble booksellers. Powerwebsites is a marketing entity which utilizes its technological expertise to help companies build higher customer volumes through affiliate marketing. The online version of Office Depot provides office-related products, including papers, printers, desks and more. Barnes & Noble is a leading bookstore with bricks and mortar locations across the country. Powerwebsites provides FREE sign-up for the affiliate program, with a 20% commission on all sales generated by the program. Payouts are promised at a minimum of $25 in return for placing a companys web link on their site. Powerwebsites pays their commission on a pay per sale basis, meaning that the customer must not only click on the link, but also must make a purchase at the partner website. OfficeDepot.com provides an affiliate program which is also a pay per sale, meaning that customers must actually click this link AND make a purchase at the site. Their affiliate program promises a 20% commission on these

Monday, October 28, 2019

How structural and linguistic devices are used to target specific audiences in printed media texts Essay Example for Free

How structural and linguistic devices are used to target specific audiences in printed media texts Essay Different audiences expect and react to different ideas, presentational devices, linguistic devices and so on. For example teenagers may expect bright, vibrant colours and exciting design, whereas older people may look for softer, neutral colours and a more formal design. Of course, these are stereotypical views but the designers of the media texts must make them with a stereotypical view of their audience in mind. In this essay I will look at three different media texts aimed at different groups and explain how they attempt to appeal to these audiences. Firstly I will compare the ideas put forward in the three texts. In the Club 18-30 leaflet the focus is mainly on going out and having fun, in clubs, pubs and on beaches. The Superfamily piece talks about the activities that a family can participate in, such as pool games, quizzes, tennis courts, squash courts and fantasy golf. It also tells the audience about the things done to make a family holiday easier, such as baby care, childrens clubs and so on. The Forever Young brochure focuses on the older generation ands talks about the activities and facilities that they might enjoy, such as tennis, aerobics and golf, cathedrals to visit and conveniences like laundry services, money exchange, spacious bar and sun terraces. Now I will look at the presentational and structural devices in the three texts. In the Club 18-30 text bright, vibrant colours are used such as pink, blue, yellow and red. The title states the target audience straight away making it very obviously eye-catching to the right people. The pictures used are those of people dancing in a club and having fun as this is what most people going on this holiday want to do. This is not a full page advertisement as there is only a very small amount of information wanted; about the clubs, bars, beaches etc. This is all given in a fun, jaunty font with not too much reading needed. The Superfamily brochure is done in red, white and pale yellow. These are soft, welcoming, almost primary colours. This emphasises that this is a family advertisement. There are pictures a families by the pool as well as kids playing and having fun. All the borders are wavy and curved making this feel like a safe place for children and the font is plain. The Forever Young brochure has soft, autumn colours as well as natural blues and greens. Also, the pictures are serene. This is because the average older person wants a calm relaxing holiday. There is a full page layout with plain, simple borders. There are pictures of a cathedral and an empty pool. This helps add to the feeling of calm and relaxing on the holiday. I will next look at the language used in each of the pieces. In the Club 18-30 piece the language used is cool and slang with misspelled words such as in yer face. This is to target the younger audience. It is humorous yet with some facts, such as bars, clubs and beaches to visit. There are some opinions such as home to some of Europes premier DJs. It states what the younger audience may worry about when it says that youll need a fair bit of wedge. It also states that there are many things to do on your doorstep suggesting great ease, an important factor to youth. The Superfamily brochure uses informal yet informative language, like for the sporty among you. It is persuasive and serious, giving the reader a lot of reasons why the holiday is right for them. However in doing this it keeps a very friendly and approachable attitude as it wants to appeal to families. It states the many things that they will do to make family life easier, such as baby care and childrens clubs. Forever Young uses formal language as this is what appeals to a lot of the older generation. It is serious and informative, stating plainly what things there are to do and makes them seem calm for example it has a traditional, relaxed feel about it. This is important as most older people want a relaxing holiday. It is persuasive as it uses opinions about things like prettiest and traditional. Overall I believe it is very important for advertisers to use all means at their disposal to attract the target audience. They must choose the right presentational devices, the right language and the right style in order to convince the target audience to buy their product.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

The Lesson of Quinns Ishmael :: Quinn Ishmael Essays

The Lesson of Quinn's Ishmael There are some books that you can just sit back and enjoy, just let the authors words wash over you and, most importantly, you don't have to think. And then there's Daniel Quinn's Ishmael. The novel Ishmael, "an adventure of the mind and spirit," opens with a disillusioned and depressed man in search of a teacher, and not just any teacher. He wants someone to show him what life is all about. And so he finds Ishmael, a meiutic teacher (one who acts as a midwife to his pupils, in bringing ideas to the surface), who turns out to be a large telepathic gorilla of extraordinary intelligence. The largest part of the book consists of their conversations, in which Ishmael discusses how things got to be this way (in terms of human culture, beginning with the agricultural revolution). Ishmael shows the narrator exactly what doesn't work in our society: the reasoning that there is only one right way to live, and that that way is with humans conquering the planet. Daniel Quinn points out that many other cultures, most notably those who have a tribal lifestyle, work, in that they do not destroy their resources, have no need for crime control or other programs, and do not have population problems. He insists that our culture is not based on humans being human, it is based on humans being gods and trying to control the world. Ishmael has a habit of raising questions and ideas. The gorilla Ishmael not only brought out thoughts and questions in the narrator, he brought up a lot of questions and ideas in Coast to Coast 2000. Ishmael took us all aback. Although many of us questioned some of Daniel Quinn's minor points, we all agreed on one of his main points: that there is no one right way to live. The Bushmen of Africa are living in a way that is just as right and works just as well as ours, and possibly even better, as they are capable of living without destroying everything in their paths. These "Leaver" cultures are in no way inferior to ours though we consider them to be uncivilized. In fact, Ishmael says that it is "Taker" civilization itself, the hierarchical structure that locks up food and spreads through the idea that people must live the same way, that is actually inferior.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Gay male culture Essay

American culture has focused much more heavily on gay men than on other members of the LGBT community. This may be due to larger numbers of men than women and it may also be due to gay men having more resources available to them to justify, explore and perform their sexuality. The western culture as a whole still sees men and male experience as the central experience in culture, even if the men in question are transgressing established gender norms. Gay culture relies upon secret symbols and codes woven into an overall straight context. The association of gay men with opera, ballet, professional sports, , musical theater, the Golden Age of Hollywood, and interior design began with wealthy homosexual men using the straight themes of these media to send their own signals. In the Marilyn Monroe film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, a musical [filmfreakcentral. net] number features a woman singing while muscled men in revealing costumes dance around her. The men’s costumes were designed by a man, the dance was choreographed by a man, and the dancers seem more interested in each other than in the female star, but her reassuring presence gets the sequence past the censors and fits it into an overall heterocentric theme. Today gay male culture is publicly acknowledged. Celebrities such as Liza Minnelli spent [topix. net] a significant amount of their social time with urban gay men, who were now popularly viewed as sophisticated and stylish by the jet set. Celebrities themselves were open about their relationships. Gay men can’t be identified by the way they look or what kind of music they like. There are gay men in every field and all sorts of fashions and music. Lesbian culture A lesbian is a woman who is romantically and sexually attracted only to other women. The history of lesbian culture over the last half-century has been linked to the evolution of feminism. Older stereotypes of lesbian women stressed a dichotomy between women who adhered to stereotypical male gender stereotypes (â€Å"butch†) and stereotypical female gender stereotypes (â€Å"femme†), and that typical lesbian couples consisted of butch/femme couples. Today, some lesbian women adhere to being either â€Å"butch† or â€Å"femme,† but these categories are much less rigid and there is no express expectation that a lesbian couple be butch/femme. There is a sub-culture within the lesbian community called Aristasia, where lesbians in the community adhere to exaggerated levels of femininity. In this culture, there are two genders, blonde and brunette, although they are unrelated to actual hair color. Brunettes are femme, yet blondes are even more so. Also notable are diesel dykes, extremely butch women who use male forms of dress and behavior, and who often work as truck drivers. Lipstick lesbian refers to feminine women who are attracted only to other feminine women. Bisexual culture In modern western culture Bisexual people are in the peculiar situation of receiving hatred or distrust [Lunde 1990] or even outright denial of their existence from some elements of both the straight and lesbian and gay populations. There is of course some element of general anti-LGBT feeling, but some people insist that bisexual people are unsure of their true feelings, that they are experimenting or going through a phase and that they eventually will or should decide or discover which (singular) sex they are sexually attracted to. One popular misconception is that [Lunde 1990] bisexuals find all humans sexually attractive. That is no truer than the idea that, say, all straight men would find all women sexually attractive. More people of all kinds are becoming aware that there are some people who find attractive sexual partners among both men and women – sometimes equally, sometimes favoring one sex in particular . Distinctions exist between sexual orientation (attraction, inclination, preference, or desire), gender identity (self-identification or self-concept) and sexual behavior (the sex of one’s actual sexual partners). For example, someone who may find people of either sex attractive might in practice have relationships only with people of one particular sex. Many bisexual people consider themselves to be part of the LGBT or Queer community [Barris, 2007]. In an effort to create both more visibility, and a symbol for the bisexual community to gather behind, Michael Page created the bisexual pride flag. The bisexual flag, which has a pink or red stripe at the top for homosexuality, a blue one on the bottom for heterosexuality and a purple one in the middle to represent bisexuality, as purple is from the combination of red and blue [Lunde 1990]. Transgender culture The study of transgender culture is complicated by the many and various ways in which cultures deal with gender [hrc. org]. For example, in many cultures, people who are attracted to people of the same sex — that is those who in contemporary Western culture would identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual — are classed as a third gender, together with people who would in the West be classified as transgender or transsexual. Also in the contemporary West, there are usually [hrc.org] several different groups of transgender and transsexual people, some of which are extremely exclusive, like groups only for transsexual women who explicitly want sex reassignment surgery or male, heterosexual only cross-dressers. Transmen’s groups are often, but not always, more inclusive. Groups aiming at all transgender people, both transmen and transwomen, have in most cases appeared only in the last few years. Some transgender or transsexual women and men however do not classify as being part of any specific â€Å"trans† culture. However there is a distinction between transgender and transsexual people who make their past known to others . Some wish to live according to their gender identity and not reveal this past, stating that they should be able to live in their true gender role in a normal way, and be in control of whom they choose to tell their past to. Epistemology of the closet. The expression â€Å"being in the closet† is used to describe keeping secret one’s sexual behavior or orientation, most commonly homosexuality or bisexuality, but also including the gender identity of transgender and transsexual people [branconolilas.no. sapo. pt]. Being â€Å"in the closet† is more than being private, it is a â€Å"life-shaping pattern of concealment† where gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender individuals hide their sexuality/gender-identity in the most important areas of life, with family, friends, and at work. Individuals may marry or avoid certain jobs in order to avoid suspicion and exposure. Some will even claim to be heterosexual when asked directly. â€Å"It is the power of the closet to shape the core of an individual’s life that has made homosexuality into a significant personal, social, and political drama in twentieth-century America†. (Seidman 2003, p. 25). Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, in her book Epistemology of the closet, majorly focuses on male homosexuality. She is also an intellectual who is interested in gay and lesbian studies, queer studies, gender studies, and feminism. Sedgwick (Seidman 2003, p. 25) â€Å"proposes that many of the major thoughts and knowledge in twentieth-century Western culture as a whole are structured—indeed fractured—by the now endemic crisis of homo/heterosexual definition, indicatively male, dating from the end of the nineteenth century†. Incoherent ideas about homosexuality inform the way men are acculturated in the modern West, and (Seidman 2003, p. 25) since this is so, this incoherence has come to mark society generally. Incoherence characterizes the attitude toward homosexuality in the West and is beyond debate. examples, are gay men ridiculous figures of fun or are they sexual monsters who prey on young children? ; is the homosexual a limp-wrested effeminate unsuited for the armed forces, or the lothario of the showers who will gaze upon and/or rape his fellow servicemen? ; Is sexuality an orientation or is it a choice?; are homosexuals born or are they made? ; essentialism or social constructionism? ; nature/nurture?. These are all part of the effect of this crisis in modern sexual definition. Sedgwick believes that it is impossible to adjudicate between these (Seidman 2003, p. 25). In describing in general terms the mass of contradictions that adhere to homosexuality, she proposes that one consider it in terms of an opposition between a minoritizing view and a universalizing one. A minoritizing view takes the position that homosexuality is of primary importance to a relatively small group of actual homosexuals. A universalizing view takes the position that homosexuality is of importance to persons across a wide range of sexualities. Under the universalizing view, one can put nurture, social-construction, choice and a warrant for social â€Å"engineering† to eradicate homosexuality(Seidman 2003, p. 25). Sedgwick says that the current debate in queer theory, between â€Å"constructivist† and â€Å"essentialist† understandings of homosexuality is the most recent link(Seidman 2003, p. 25). She goes on to conclude that the continuation of this debate is itself the most important feature of recent understandings of sex. The aim of the book is to explore the incoherent dispensation under which we now live. Through an examination of a number of mostly late nineteenth century literary and philosophical works, including (Seidman 2003, p. 25). Melville’s BILLY BUDD, Wilde’s THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY, various works of Nietzsche, James’ THE BEAST IN THE JUNGLE, Thackeray’s LOVEL THE WIDOWER, and Proust’s REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST, Sedgwick discovers a number of pairs of opposing terms (binarisms) which she then shows to be inconsistent with and dependent upon each other. I found it fascinating to follow her explication of the ways in which these terms were related. Among the pairings that she assembles and dissects for our consideration are secrecy/disclosure, private/public, masculine/feminine, majority/minority, innocence/initiation, natural/artificial, new/old, growth/decadence, urbane/provincial, health/illness, same/different, cognition/paranoia, art/kitsch, sincerity/sentimentality, and voluntarity/addiction (Seidman 2003, p.25). She asserts that a true understanding of the force of the opposition of these terms must be grounded in the realization and acceptance that the content of all of these terms was determined around the turn of the century amid and through anxious questioning over who and what was homosexual. These opposing terms, all of which operate today, therefore have a residue of the homo/hetero definitional crisis(Seidman 2003, p. 25). In addition, Sedgwick perhaps delivers the coup de grace(Seidman 2003, p. 25), if such was needed, to sleek, masculine, modernist objective criticism. She demonstrates that modernist criticism finds its genesis in the homo/hetero definitional crisis and both its flight into and prizing of abstraction is a direct reflection of its homophobia.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Political, Social, Economic, and Intellectual Life

Between the time period of 1840 and 1860, slavery played an influential and pivotal role in the development of a new southern lifestyle. In the struggle for dominance in America, slavery was the South’s stronghold and the underlying cause in much of their motives for many of the economic instigations along with the affirmative political actions. By dominating the everyday southerner’s life, slavery also dominated the economic and political aspects of life during the height of the slavery period.By the 1840’s the Southern economy had become almost entirely slave and and agriculturally dependent. Without the dependence of slaves in the south, a person was to remain landless, poverty stricken or struggling to sustain life through the means of a minute, ineffective farm. However, even though slaves dominated the southern economy, slaveholders only included about 2 to 3 percent of the population, and most owned less than ten slaves. This small percentage of fortunate individuals were the few people successful in a slave based, cash crop, agricultural, Southern economy.In turn, the Southern economy was controlled and dominated by those who did and did not have slaves, which generated the political ideology and political atmosphere formed as a result of the utter reliance on slavery controlling all aspects of everyday life. ?Slaves in the south were the main contributors to the South’s economic success. The invention of Eli Whitney’s cotton gin made possible the wide-scale cultivation of short-staple cotton.All professionals worked diligently with one another to make sure each function, from production to distribution, was properly executed on the plantation, and that an ample supply of cotton was always present. An organized network of commerce never developed in the South, as the high demand for cotton in Europe, primarily Great Britain, and in North America, more slaves were needed in the south to continue to produce the lucrative cash crops, booming the southern economy and the need to create and reform the cash crop business.The the new cotton crop and other rising crops like rice and tobacco led to the increasing demands that were higher than the current production rate. In order for them to generate a more lucrative business, the south used slaves as a labor source to produce crops, which had the largest impact on the southern lifestyle. This in turn boosted the south's economy, which allowed the the southern life to thrive and create a distinction between themselves and the other economies of North America. Whilst slaves dominated the southern economy, slaveholders only accounted for about two to three percent of the southern population.This small, yet powerful percentage of individuals were the people successful in agricultural business and the driving force behind the usage and continuation of slavery in the South. Without slaves there would be no cotton, tobacco, or sugar production and without these integral items, the Southern economy would absolutely collapse. The South depended on slaves to fuel their economy which in turn allowed for slavery to dominate the economy and be the sole resource of the South. ?Between 1840 and 1860 many political issues, debates, and actions were inflamed by the presence of slavery.As America grew, both in population and in size, the South wanted more slave states and the North wanted more free states to increase their hold in politics and sway decisions in favor of what put them in a position for the greatest success. One important act that provoked the slavery dominated political world of 1840 to 1860 was the Kansas and Nebraska Act, composed by the highly acclaimed Democrat Stephen Douglas. This act was successful in repealing the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and called for popular sovereignty in Kansas and Nebraska which under the Missouri Compromise had been free, as dictated by federal law.The Missouri Compromise was originally an act to se ttle disputes about free states and slave states entering the Union in an attempt to keep the balance of free states and states that permitted slavery equal. To repeal this was to almost beg for revolution; hence the term â€Å"Bleeding Kansas† which included the John Brown riots and caused political and social unrest in these areas affected by the law. The Compromise of 1850 was another feeble solution to the predominate problem of run-away slaves and the recurring issue of slavery in new territories.This Compromise created stronger fugitive slave laws which satisfied Southern slave catchers and enraged Northern abolitionists. Millard Fillmore, President at the time, was inept in favoring any side and felt that this compromise would be the driving force that would keep the already fragile union together. The compromise also made California a free state, and the area won in the Mexican Cession would be subject to popular sovereignty, and lastly, dictated that there would be n o slave trade in Washington D. C. but it would remain a slave state to keep the proper balance. The weak and extremely controversial compromises would would only further split the nation on the topic of slavery and create a greater schism within the topic. From 1820 to 1860 slavery was a recurring topic in Congress and the House of Representatives. Slavery is even considered to be the cause of the Civil War and in the end, was grasped as the main reason for bloody fighting. All political issues during this time could not be discussed without the topic of slavery behind it. Read also: Theories Actually Seen in Practice in Ojt

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Sexual Suicide by Honeybees

Sexual Suicide by Honeybees The male honeybee, called a drone, exists for one reason and one reason only: to mate with a  virgin queen. He is entirely expendable after he provides this service to the colony. The drone takes his mission seriously, however, and  gives his life for the cause.   How Honeybees Do the Deed Honeybee sex occurs in mid-air when the queen flies out in search of mates, her one and only nuptial flight. Drones compete for the chance to mate with their queen, swarming around her as she flies. Eventually, a brave drone will make his move. As the drone grasps the queen, he everts his endophallus  using a contraction of his abdominal muscles and hemostatic pressure  and inserts it tightly into the queens reproductive tract. He immediately ejaculates with such explosive force that the tip of his endophallus  is left behind inside the queen and his abdomen ruptures. The drone falls to the ground, where he dies soon after. The next drone removes the previous drones endophallus and inserts his, mates, and then dies as well.  Ã‚   Queen Bees Really Get Around During her one nuptial flight, the queen will mate with a dozen or more partners, leaving a trail of dead drones in her wake. Any drones that remain around the hive in the fall will be unceremoniously  driven from the colony  before cold weather sets in.  Honey  stores are simply too precious to waste on a sperm donor. The queen, on the other hand, will store the  sperm for use throughout her life. The queen can store 6 million  sperm and keep them viable for up to seven years, with the potential of producing 1.7 million offspring during her lifetime, as she uses a few at a time to fertilize her eggs. Bee Egg Development In late winter, the queen then lays eggs in the cells of the hive, up to 1,000 in one day at the height of the season. The hive needs mature bees to be ready to go when flowers with pollen are emerging, but she will continue to lay eggs until fall. Worker bee eggs mature in about 21 days, drones in about 24 days (from unfertilized eggs), and other queens in about 16 days. The hive needs backup queens in case the queen dies, becomes incapable of laying eggs or is lost because a hive doesnt survive without one.   What Workers Do In contrast to the drones, female worker bees take on many jobs. They clean cells for eggs to be laid; feed larvae; construct the comb; guard the hive; and forage. They can lay an egg to become a drone if needed, but their eggs cant become workers or queens.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Free Essays on Best Friend

Have you ever had someone in your life who helped you figure out who you were? Someone who showed you the right path. Someone who was there right next you even if you did not take that path. Someone who always seemed to be right, but never held it against you when you were not. Someone whom without your life would most likely be entirely different. I have. Her name was Melissa. Melissa was more than my neighbor. She was more than my mentor. She was my best friend. Melissa lived three houses down from me when I moved into a new neighborhood. She made moving to a new neighborhood a lot easier. She was one of those people who was friends with everybody. She was friends with everyone because she was so special. She was always in a good mood, always had something pleasant to say, and no matter what was going on, she could get you to smile. Melissa was a few years older than me but we were both young. I was in the fifth grade and she was in junior high when we met. She was tall for her age and practically towered over me. She almost always kept her long golden hair pulled back into a pony tail because she was a bit of a tomboy and liked to be athletic. But when she let it down and it waved in the gentle breeze, there was no doubt she was a girl. Her facial features were very soft, yet if you met her once, you would never forget her name. She also had the deepest green eyes that would sparkle so bright when she flashed her pearly white teeth, she would light up an entire room. Everywhere she was, there would be laughter, smiles and happiness spreading out like some sort of delightful virus. She would listen to you. She would be your friend, even if she just met you. I can not remember a time when she had something unpleasant to say about someone. That was one of many valuable lessons I learned from her and have made apart of my life. She seemed to know everything. Anytime I had a perplexing question I knew she would know what to tell me. Her w... Free Essays on Best Friend Free Essays on Best Friend Have you ever had someone in your life who helped you figure out who you were? Someone who showed you the right path. Someone who was there right next you even if you did not take that path. Someone who always seemed to be right, but never held it against you when you were not. Someone whom without your life would most likely be entirely different. I have. Her name was Melissa. Melissa was more than my neighbor. She was more than my mentor. She was my best friend. Melissa lived three houses down from me when I moved into a new neighborhood. She made moving to a new neighborhood a lot easier. She was one of those people who was friends with everybody. She was friends with everyone because she was so special. She was always in a good mood, always had something pleasant to say, and no matter what was going on, she could get you to smile. Melissa was a few years older than me but we were both young. I was in the fifth grade and she was in junior high when we met. She was tall for her age and practically towered over me. She almost always kept her long golden hair pulled back into a pony tail because she was a bit of a tomboy and liked to be athletic. But when she let it down and it waved in the gentle breeze, there was no doubt she was a girl. Her facial features were very soft, yet if you met her once, you would never forget her name. She also had the deepest green eyes that would sparkle so bright when she flashed her pearly white teeth, she would light up an entire room. Everywhere she was, there would be laughter, smiles and happiness spreading out like some sort of delightful virus. She would listen to you. She would be your friend, even if she just met you. I can not remember a time when she had something unpleasant to say about someone. That was one of many valuable lessons I learned from her and have made apart of my life. She seemed to know everything. Anytime I had a perplexing question I knew she would know what to tell me. Her w...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

The Basics of Chinese New Year

The Basics of Chinese New Year Chinese New Year is the most important festival in Chinese culture. It is celebrated on the new moon of the first month according to the lunar calendar and is a time for family reunions and scrumptious feasts. While Chinese New Year is celebrated in Asian countries like China and Singapore, it is also celebrated in Chinatowns spanning New York City to San Francisco. Take the time to learn about traditions and how to wish others a happy new year in Chinese so that you can also partake in Chinese New Year festivities wherever you are in the world. How Long Is Chinese New Year? Chinese New Year traditionally lasts from the first day to the 15th day of the New Year (which is the Lantern Festival), but the demands of modern life mean that most people don’t get such an extended holiday. Still, the first five days of the New Year are an official holiday in Taiwan, while workers in Mainland China and Singapore get at least 2 or 3 days off. Home Decor A chance to leave the problems of the previous year behind, it is important to start the New Year fresh. This means cleaning up the house and buying new clothes. Homes are decorated with red paper banners which have auspicious couplets written on them. These are hung around doorways and are intended to bring luck to the household for the coming year. Red is an important color in Chinese culture, symbolizing prosperity. Many people will wear red clothing during the New Year celebrations, and houses will have many red decorations such as Chinese knotwork. Red Envelopes Red envelopes (ââ€" ºhà ³ng bÄ o) are given to children and unmarried adults. Married couples also give red envelopes to their parents. The envelopes contain money. The money must be in new bills, and the total amount must be an even number. Certain numbers (such as four) are bad luck, so the total amount should not be one of these unlucky numbers. â€Å"Four† is a homonym for â€Å"death†, so a red envelope should never contain $4, $40, or $400. Fireworks Evil spirits are said to be driven away by loud noise, so Chinese New Year is a very loud celebration. Long strings of firecrackers are set off throughout the holiday, and there are many displays of fireworks lighting up the evening skies. Some countries such as Singapore and Malaysia restrict the use of fireworks, but Taiwan and Mainland China still allow the nearly unrestricted use of firecrackers and fireworks. Chinese Zodiac The Chinese zodiac cycles every 12 years, and each lunar year is named after an animal. For example:   Rooster: January 28, 2017 - February 18, 2018Dog : February 19, 2018 - February 04, 2019Pig: February 05, 2019 - January 24, 2020Rat: January 25, 2020 - February 11, 2021Ox: February 12, 2021 - January 31, 2022Tiger : February 1, 2022 - February 19, 2023Rabbit: February 20, 2023 - February 8, 2024Dragon: February 10, 2024 - January 28, 2025Snake: January 29, 2025 - February 16, 2026Horse: February 17, 2026 - February 5, 2027Sheep: February 6, 2027 - January 25, 2028Monkey: January 26, 2028 - February 12, 2029 How to Say Happy New Year in Mandarin Chinese There are many saying and greeting associated with the Chinese New Year. Family members, friends, and neighbors greet each other with congratulations and wishes for prosperity. The most common greeting is æâ€" °Ã¥ ¹ ´Ã¥ ¿ «Ã¤ ¹ Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ ââ€" ºXÄ «n Nin Kui Là ¨; this phrase directly translates to â€Å"Happy  New Year.† Another common greeting is æ  ­Ã¥â€"Å"Ã¥ â€˜Ã¨ ´ ¢Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ ââ€" ºGÃ… ng XÇ  FÄ  Ci, which means Best wishes, wishing you prosperity and wealth. The phrase can also colloquially be shortened to just  Ã¦  ­Ã¥â€"Å" (gÃ… ng xÇ ). In order to get their red envelope, children have to bow to their relatives and recite æ  ­Ã¥â€"Å"Ã¥ â€˜Ã¨ ´ ¢Ã§ º ¢Ã¥Å'…æ‹ ¿Ã¦  ¥Ã‚  Ã¢â€" ºGÃ… ng xÇ  fÄ  ci, hà ³ng bÄ o n li. This means Best wishes for prosperity and wealth, give me a red envelope. Here is a list of Mandarin greetings and other phrases that are heard during the Chinese New Year. Audio files are marked with ââ€" º Pinyin Meaning Traditional Characters Simplified Characters ââ€" ºgÃ… ng xÇ  fÄ  ci Congratulations and Prosperity æ  ­Ã¥â€"Å"ç™ ¼Ã¨ ² ¡ æ  ­Ã¥â€"Å"Ã¥ â€˜Ã¨ ´ ¢ ââ€" ºxÄ «n nin kui là ¨ Happy New Year æâ€" °Ã¥ ¹ ´Ã¥ ¿ «Ã¦ ¨â€š æâ€" °Ã¥ ¹ ´Ã¥ ¿ «Ã¤ ¹  ââ€" ºguà ² nin Chinese New Year é Å½Ã¥ ¹ ´ è ¿â€¡Ã¥ ¹ ´ ââ€" ºsuà ¬ suà ¬ ping Ä n (Said if something breaks during New Year to ward off bad luck.) æ ­ ²Ã¦ ­ ²Ã¥ ¹ ³Ã¥ ®â€° Ã¥ ² Ã¥ ² Ã¥ ¹ ³Ã¥ ®â€° ââ€" ºnin nin yÇ’u yà º Wishing you prosperity every year. Ã¥ ¹ ´Ã¥ ¹ ´Ã¦Å"‰é ¤Ëœ Ã¥ ¹ ´Ã¥ ¹ ´Ã¦Å"‰é ¦â‚¬ ââ€" ºfng biÄ n po set off firecrackers æ” ¾Ã©Å¾ ­Ã§â€š ® æ” ¾Ã©Å¾ ­Ã§â€š ® ââ€" ºnin yà ¨ fn New Year’s Eve family dinner Ã¥ ¹ ´Ã¥ ¤Å"é £ ¯ Ã¥ ¹ ´Ã¥ ¤Å"é ¥ ­ ââ€" ºchà º jià ¹ bà ¹ xÄ «n Relace the old with the new (proverb) é™ ¤Ã¨Ë†Å Ã¤ ½Ë†Ã¦â€" ° é™ ¤Ã¦â€" §Ã¥ ¸Æ'æâ€" ° ââ€" ºbi nin pay a New Year’s visit æ‹Å"Ã¥ ¹ ´ æ‹Å"Ã¥ ¹ ´ ââ€" ºhà ³ng bÄ o Red Envelope ç ´â€¦Ã¥Å'… ç º ¢Ã¥Å'… ââ€" ºyÄ  suà ¬ qin money in the red envelope Ã¥ £â€œÃ¦ ­ ²Ã©Å' ¢ 压å ² Ã©â€™ ± ââ€" ºgÃ… ng hà ¨ xÄ «n xÇ  Happy New Year æ  ­Ã¨ ³â‚¬Ã¦â€" °Ã§ ¦ § æ  ­Ã¨ ´ ºÃ¦â€" °Ã§ ¦ § ââ€" º___ nin xà ­ng d yà ¹n Good luck for the year of the ____. ___Ã¥ ¹ ´Ã¨ ¡Å'Ã¥ ¤ §Ã© â€¹ ___Ã¥ ¹ ´Ã¨ ¡Å'Ã¥ ¤ §Ã¨ ¿  ââ€" ºtiÄ“ chÃ… «n lin red banners è ² ¼Ã¦Ëœ ¥Ã¨  ¯ è ´ ´Ã¦Ëœ ¥Ã¨ â€ ââ€" ºbn nin huà ² New Year shopping è ¾ ¦Ã¥ ¹ ´Ã¨ ² ¨ 办å ¹ ´Ã¨ ´ §

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Listening Log (Classical Music) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Listening Log (Classical Music) - Essay Example The harmonies alternate between tonic and dominant as the volume swells. This composition continues in a continuous increase in pianistic bravura and energy highlighted in dominant and tonic harmonies (Aichberger & Roenneke 7:49). There are modulations that are restricted to C sharp major and the softened median A major. The composition at 6mins 10 secs to 7 mins 20 secs expresses a jubilant and playful theme by the swift tones. An instance of calm mood exists at 8mins 43 secs in the F sharp minor key that is overtaken by the final hurly-burly sound. As the music comes closer to a conclusion, there is a massive crescendo of prestissimo octaves, going up and down the whole area of the keyboard that finalizes the piece in a splendid way (Aichberger & Roenneke 9:42). In conclusion, the use of different keys makes this piece unique; in that the dominant and tonic harmonies are utilized to intensify the first theme of somber and dark mood. To highlight the second theme, minor tonality is used to bring contrast to the second theme, which is jubilant. The keys alternate in a clear manner that portrays the great classical music of

Final term paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Final - Term Paper Example hosen from the provided context is the ‘Part 112 - Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs of SBA-Effectuation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act Of 1964’. This law forms a part of the ‘Civil Rights Act of 1964’ and ensures that none of the individuals employed under any sort of ‘federal financial assistance processes’ within ‘small business process’ are subjected to discrimination based upon race, colour, sex or place of origin (GPOs Federal Digital System, n.d.). As a result, the discussion will majorly focus on evaluating every specific aspects of this chosen law along with the techniques through which the business entities within the domestic markets of the US can utilize this law as a form of competitive advantage. In addition, the discussion will encompass the illustration of suitable case examples where evidence regarding implementation of this law has been found. The ‘Part 112 - Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs of SBA-Effectuation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964’ forms a part of the ‘Civil Rights Act Of 1964’. The law entitles the equalized distribution of federal or state governance funding or loan provision to all sorts of small scale or self-proprietorship business initiatives by taking consideration of the necessary financial and business related aspects such as applicants as well as recipients of a loan. Specific preference is provided to such business entities that projects involvement in terms of serving the society and surrounding communities. The specific discrimination prohibition aspects that are supported by this law have been provided as under in a summarized manner. The Act encompasses every possible dimension of business processes that are entitled to provide equal employment opportunities to the business participants without projecting any sort of discrimination associated with racial or gender parity (LegalZone, 2013). However, the ‘Part 112 - Nondiscrimination in Federally

Friday, October 18, 2019

Law Of The Workplace Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Law Of The Workplace - Case Study Example t and should therefore be viewed as such. To this end, Dillon L.J was quoted as saying: I have no hesitation in concluding that the relationship between a church and a minister of religion is not apt, in the absence of clear indications of a contrary intention in the document, to be regulated by a contract of service. I do not doubt that there probably are binding contracts between the Methodist Church and its ministers in relation to some ancillary matters, such as the compulsory superannuation scheme and the obligation, of which Mr. Parfitt told us, on trainees to repay a proportion of the expense of their training if they do not remain in the ministry for at least 10 years. These however are no part of the contract of service, either on reception into full connection or on appointment to a circuit, which Mr. Parfitt seeks to set up. Page 183H. It is therefore in the light of the foregoing that the central focus of this paper is to conduct an exhaustive analysis of all the contending issues that have risen with the dawn of this case. The paper will be using theological and legal references to buttress points where they are essentially relevant for serving the purpose of the thematic framework of the essay. It should also be noted that whilst, the essay is cautious not to engage in too many technicalities that are perhaps beyond the scope of this essay, much of the theological and legal references will be made intermittently and in some instances it will be done concurrently in order to reduce verbosity and enhance simplicity for the comfort of the reader. According to the Employment Relations Act 1999 section 23, the government of the United Kingdom has being bestowed the power of employment and its rights to people and institutions who are not defined within the conventional group of employees. This category includes among others, office holders such as the clergy and ministers of religion, casual workers, agency workers, homeworkers and what have you. By this Act, it is not intended that an entirely new strand of labour force was being introduced. On the contrary, the thrust of this Act stipulates that this category of workers should be given the privilege of being a part of the rights mainstream employees enjoy. The Archbishops' Council of the Church of England gave a laudable contribution to a 2002 discussion document under the auspices of the Department for Trade & Industry concerning Employment Status that concerns Statutory Employment Rights. The Council said "the clergy are entitled to terms and conditions of service which adequately protect their rights, recognize their responsibilities and provide proper accountability arrangements." In the light of this a number of observers argued that some clergy men had an additional

NUMBER OF MAYFLIES IN RIFFLES AND POOLS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

NUMBER OF MAYFLIES IN RIFFLES AND POOLS - Essay Example with high levels of dissolved oxygen while pools are relatively slow-flowing environments where the dissolved oxygen levels are not as high as in riffles. The nymphs prefer high dissolved oxygen level environments. For the purpose of this study it is necessary to introduce the mayflies (Ephemeroptera) because they are such a primitive order of insects that there is much that is unique about their morphology. This uniqueness has to be highlighted to enable better understanding of the experiments conducted to assist this study and the conclusions derived therefrom. Simply put mayflies belong to Class Insecta Order Ephemeroptera. They belong to the infraclass paleoptera and have primitive wings that cannot be folded over their backs. Fossil records reveal that they may have evolved during the carboniferous period 280-360 mya and their evolutionary history is closely associated with development of wings in Class Insecta as a whole. Modern day mayflies number about 4000 species distributed among 20 families and most are associated with running water (Brooks, Steve, A Natural History of Dragonflies, Mayflies and Stoneflies). Order Ephemeroptera is well-distributed across the globe except for the two polar regions – the Arctic and the Antarctic – and oceanic islands though it is well-represented in New Zealand (Order Ephemeroptera, â€Å"Soil & Water Conservation Society of Metro Halifax† Website, 2004). The name of the order Ephemeroptera is essentially derived from the fact that adult phase mayflies survive for a very ephemeral period of 2 hr to 3 days. They are unique insects in that they have two adult phases both of which are winged and ephemeral to the tune of 1-2 hr to maximum 14 days. At adult stages the insects do not feed and expend all their time on mating. The nymphs are ubiquitous and are usually found in shallow streams and littoral areas of lakes. Nevertheless, many species are restricted to specific substrata of macrophytes, sediments of waveswept

Thursday, October 17, 2019

The Guardian of Every Other Right Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Guardian of Every Other Right - Essay Example Property ownership is a complex and a serious issue all over the world. In United States also, it is considered as a serious issue. There are few controversies on this issue from the beginning. From the beginning means that from the colonial rule to the present day, the ownership of land is though to be a controversial and contentious issue. The book deals with the subject very thoroughly and gives an overview of the laws, ideologies and politics involve in this issue. And also the political and economical change that occurs due to the land and property issue and how these changes affect the constitution and the thoughts behind the constitution. The write provided a clear and comprehensive view about the historical prospective of the property rights issue. How these property right issues were resolved in the colonial rule and also in the democratic issues. According to Ely, there is a link between the private property rights and the political scenario or the political autonomy, because these issues cannot be resolved without the help of government. Government must interfere with people and public to make their contracts and to put some conditions before the transfer of any property. The laws and private contracts were modified as the US society and politics became modernized and industrialized. The writer highlighted and explained the constitutional standing and laws over the property issues. The constitution does provide some rules and rights over the property owners. As US got industrialized, the laws and legal developments were made during 1990's. The writer focused his attention and gave his views about those property rights which were provided legally to the property owners. He discussed in detail about the judicial decisions and the important legislations that took place in 1990's regarding the property rights. The decisions that were taken by the legislators and the explanations which were further made on the same regard, all are discussed by the writer. The writer himself seems to have a lot of knowledge about the legislations and laws for property rights. The writer's knowledge and comprehension about the subject plays an important role in any book. Writer can explain and express his ideas in a better way if he/she holds a command over the subject. Ely tells about the legal developments and enhancements made during the last era over the property rights. Supreme Court paid special attention to the issue and tried to introduce some amendments in the law so that public can easily go through these cases. The main emphasis was to cut this process shorten so that the time and money of people could be saved. Due to Supreme Courts final decisions in some cases, people felt the need of some laws or amendments in the previous laws for the protection of property and also the property owners. This came under the Fifth Amendment. The important thing over here is that the role of Federal Authority was examined and public became curious that what the Federal Authority has to do with these laws and what is their stance over the issue. Their role was examined mainly in context of commerce clause and also the noticeable advancements made at the state level. The book gave a clear picture and a complete knowledge about the history and innovations in the property laws under the Constitution. The information is provided over

Radar guideness system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Radar guideness system - Essay Example The signal processor contains a comparator which transforms one of the signals that have been divided, into a constant output. The signal processor has a track-and-hold arrangement that connects the delayed leading side of the output from the comparator with the other of the divided signals in order to locate a point of intersection between them. The point of intersection is a quantized amount of the delay sample for a given echo signal which indicates the mean weighted reflectivity value of an annulus of one or more different and random features selected before, about a pulse-impacted track point. The master processor integrates a sequence of delay samples into a simple data array and then compares the sample array with a range of data arrays of a stored data matrix at a particular altitude of the aircraft for the determination of the  flight path  of aircraft. Based on the  demands  of the signal processor, a Doppler filter may be incorporated (Siouris, p 59). Electromagnetic waves are produced when we induce changes in the form of oscillations, in a magnetic or electric field. The  waves then propagate outward at the speed of light-3.108 m/sec. The rate at which the oscillation takes place in turn determines the wavelength, according to the relationship For the practical purposes, if the intension is to create directional paths of these waves, we must use a wavelength that is shorter than the dimensions of the antenna used. An antenna is a device which receives or radiates electromagnetic waves. The current radar applications involve wavelengths of the order of 1 metre down to centimeters. This corresponds to frequencies from 1 GHz (109 cycles/sec) to around 60 GHz which are classified as the microwave band (Siouris, p 119). The term radar is an acronym for Radio Detection And Ranging. Radar is made up of two primary subsystems - a receiver and a transmitter. A transmitter is a device that produces a microwave signal that is usually modulated by pulsing

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

The Guardian of Every Other Right Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Guardian of Every Other Right - Essay Example Property ownership is a complex and a serious issue all over the world. In United States also, it is considered as a serious issue. There are few controversies on this issue from the beginning. From the beginning means that from the colonial rule to the present day, the ownership of land is though to be a controversial and contentious issue. The book deals with the subject very thoroughly and gives an overview of the laws, ideologies and politics involve in this issue. And also the political and economical change that occurs due to the land and property issue and how these changes affect the constitution and the thoughts behind the constitution. The write provided a clear and comprehensive view about the historical prospective of the property rights issue. How these property right issues were resolved in the colonial rule and also in the democratic issues. According to Ely, there is a link between the private property rights and the political scenario or the political autonomy, because these issues cannot be resolved without the help of government. Government must interfere with people and public to make their contracts and to put some conditions before the transfer of any property. The laws and private contracts were modified as the US society and politics became modernized and industrialized. The writer highlighted and explained the constitutional standing and laws over the property issues. The constitution does provide some rules and rights over the property owners. As US got industrialized, the laws and legal developments were made during 1990's. The writer focused his attention and gave his views about those property rights which were provided legally to the property owners. He discussed in detail about the judicial decisions and the important legislations that took place in 1990's regarding the property rights. The decisions that were taken by the legislators and the explanations which were further made on the same regard, all are discussed by the writer. The writer himself seems to have a lot of knowledge about the legislations and laws for property rights. The writer's knowledge and comprehension about the subject plays an important role in any book. Writer can explain and express his ideas in a better way if he/she holds a command over the subject. Ely tells about the legal developments and enhancements made during the last era over the property rights. Supreme Court paid special attention to the issue and tried to introduce some amendments in the law so that public can easily go through these cases. The main emphasis was to cut this process shorten so that the time and money of people could be saved. Due to Supreme Courts final decisions in some cases, people felt the need of some laws or amendments in the previous laws for the protection of property and also the property owners. This came under the Fifth Amendment. The important thing over here is that the role of Federal Authority was examined and public became curious that what the Federal Authority has to do with these laws and what is their stance over the issue. Their role was examined mainly in context of commerce clause and also the noticeable advancements made at the state level. The book gave a clear picture and a complete knowledge about the history and innovations in the property laws under the Constitution. The information is provided over

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Reward System and Employees Performance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Reward System and Employees Performance - Essay Example Reward System – A Motivational factor in Developing and Managing Employee’s Performance - A Case Study based on a UK Company The organization is a reputed UK group with a chain of supermarkets across the country and sells clothes, food and household products. Between 2004 and 2005, the company employed around 70,000 people with 65,000 for UK operations of which 78% are female and 13% are from ethnic minority groups (MarksandSpencer.com, 2006). Along with a commitment towards equality and diversity, the group is also committed towards providing the right levels of rewards and incentives to its employees. According to Marks and Spencer workplace facts as claimed by the company, pay and benefits to employees are an important part of human resource management as retailers compete to provide the best remuneration for the best people (MarksandSpencer.com, 2006). The company maintains that the rewards package given to its employees is flexible, competitive, focused on superior results and is aimed to support personal choices of personal lifestyles. The elements of the reward packages of the company include fixed and competitive pay rates, variable performance related pay and a wide range of other benefits. In this study we would prepare a detailed questionnaire to understand the impact of these benefits, payment and reward systems on employees and we would also determine whether these rewards actually help in improving motivation and how this would relate to improved company performance. Marks and Spencer has boasted of 73% employee retention over 2004-2005 and retention may be considered as an important indicator of employee satisfaction and motivation. (MarksandSpencer.com, 2006). Questionnaires would be distributed to employees of Marks and Spencer to determine whether rewards systems given to them have a positive impact on their motivation and performance levels. Aims of Research: The aim of the research is to determine the relationship between reward systems and benefits given to employees and levels of motivation that affect work performance and overall company performance. This study would determine whether increased rewards help in providing job satisfaction and whether reward systems also aid in staff retention and work performance. Research Objectives: The objectives of the research are given as follows: To determine whether rewards and benefits help in improving motivation in employees To determine the reasons for differences in employee retention within companies To determine the performance levels of employees with and without rewards To evaluate whether improved employee motivation and job satisfaction can also lead to improved company performance To evaluate whether rewards, incentives and benefits are effective tools in human resource management Background/Literature Review: Companies use different means of rewarding employees and Brody et al (2001) discuss merit pay plans used by companies to motivate and reward employees. The theory of motivation would highlight that rewards and reinforcement for individual accomplishments should produce positive results although there may also be negative outcomes (Brody et al, 2001). Brody et al suggest in their study that when individuals are involved in hiring and merit allocation for employees, their prior commitments have significant effects on rewards allocated to the employees. This shows that a manager's

Monday, October 14, 2019

Memories of Childhood Essay Example for Free

Memories of Childhood Essay Childhood is a golden period of mans life. It is the time when man is dependent but he enjoys all the comforts of the life. He has nothing to worry about. He has to do nothing to get his demand fulfill except weeping. It is a carefree time. In my childhood I was free from worries and sorrows. When every day and night brought joys for me. Parents tried to amuse me. They loved me so much that I began to think they were living only for me and it was not wrong as well. Near our house there was a pond. Father took me daily to the pond to enjoy the beautiful sight of the setting sun. Once my father fell ill and could not go to the pond. I was very fond of taking bath in the bright water of the pond but father did not allow me to fulfill my desire. Now it was a golden chance. I went alone to the pond and jumped into the water. Deep water took me into its lap. After this what happened I do no know. When I opened my eyes a doctor was bending over me. Mother and sisters were weeping. I had to remain for one month in the hospital. Now when I recall that horrible accident my heart begins to sink with fear. Then I decided not to do anything without the permission of parents. There is one more thing which I cannot help mentioning More over I can never forget the day when I was beaten by the gardener for stealing mangoes. My friend Maria and I went to the garden to eat mangoes. Maria was very active and clever. She remained out of the garden and asked me to climb up the mango tree. Consequently I was caught by the gardener and he bead me with his sharp stick. Maria ran away The gardener took me before my father and told the whole story. Father prohibited me from going to the garden. I was much ashamed but soon all it was over. If you have female companion you are fond of dolls as well. The same case was with me. I was very fond of dolls in my childhood. Maria and I played with the dolls for hours, marrying and decorating them. Mother did not like her daughter wasting time in playing. As a result she took me to the school. I was much frightened and puzzled among the strange girls. I began to weep bitterly. While I was weeping I felt a soft hand on my back it was my teacher. She consoled me and gave me a beautiful book of colorful pictures. I was taught by her to smile in the storm of tears and sufferings. Now she is far away from me but her memory is fresh in my mind and I will never forget her as well. Children usually keep on gamboling and playing . Sometimes they keep on running in childhood I was like a playful deer wandering through the meadows. Maria and wandered the whole day long in the green fields of our villages picking wild flowers and making garlands. How beautiful moonlit nights were in childhood! When the shining moon appeared we all played in the open fields catching one another. Now childhood is no more but it appears a beautiful dream.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

The Definitions and Arguments of Literacy :: Technology Literary Works Essays

The word â€Å"literacy† conveys different meanings to different people. Some people may accept a single definition, while others may develop complex, multi-faceted meanings of the word. This essay explores a broad range of literary definitions, arguments and statistics to convey a clearer picture of how people embrace literacy. Throughout this essay, we will focus on three sources: the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) recently published â€Å"Reading at Risk† report, and two pieces by Nancy Kaplan, Professor and Director of the University of Baltimore’s School of Information Arts and Technologies. The â€Å"Reading at Risk† report published in June 2004, proclaims the findings of a Census Bureau survey performed in 2002. Survey participants were asked questions over the telephone about their reading habits, participation in civic activities, TV watching and the like. The NEA holds that a gradual decline in reading over the past twenty years has occurred. Even more recently, they claim that a 10% decline has occurred within the past 14 years suggesting a more rapid decline in the years to come (NEA, 2004). According to this report, literacy is defined as the ability to read high quality works, which require increased intellectual capacity, dependent upon a reader’s education, culture and social skills. The report doesn’t mention that reading online, whether news or novels, is acceptable; therefore, it would seem that they are ignoring a large percentage of where and how people are doing reading today. In fact, it appears that the NEA supports the notion t hat with the rise of the Internet, literacy declined as people began â€Å"surfing† in favor of reading literary works, which supposedly require more detailed cognitive skills to absorb. One of the things â€Å"Reading at Risk† does well is offer statistics: People who read are 3 times more likely to go to a performance event and 4 times more likely to visit a museum; People who watch no TV are 1.475 times more likely to read 12+ books per year; 59.4% of people who make over $75k a year are literate (NEA, 2004). Yet it discounts modern mediums, such as the internet, other hypertexts and online publications, a bone of contention for people such as Kaplan. Kaplan holds that traditional society might harbor some ill will toward these online publications and consider them threats, but she goes on to further assert that these texts are growing up with the times—fast-paced, ubiquitous and evolving dynamically (for the better).

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Grasping for the Shadow of Identity :: essays research papers fc

Grasping for the Shadow of Identity   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There once lived a peaceful, ancient culture, isolated from civilization, living in peace and harmony with its surroundings, grounded in deep faith springing from its religious leader, blooming like a rose in the majestic hills. In what seemed like only minutes, this nation I speak of suddenly became a communist, occupied country, with no identity of its own, with an outlawed flag and an exiled leader. This nation is Tibet. After more than 2,000 years of freedom, one day in 1959 changed this country’s identity. In 1959, Tibet was occupied by the Chinese, who claimed that Tibet had always rightfully belonged to them. Tibet’s national flag is now outlawed, and its political and religious leader, the 14th Dalai Lama, is in exile in Dharamsala, India. Tibet is in disarray, and their culture and government now reflect that of the Chinese, though they are and have been making strong efforts to regain their freedom. Tibet has had a very ancient and illustrious history prior to the Chinese takeover. The nation began in 1063 B.C. Five hundred years before Buddha came into this world, a man named Lord Shenrab Miwo founded the Tibetan Bon religion. With this event, an empire named Shangshung ruled all of Tibet. This empire had eighteen kings before its decline. After the Shangsung Empire declined, a new kingdom called Bod came into existence. Bod is the current name of Tibet (Tibetan Studies). The Tibetan calendar places its origin in the year 127 B.C., when the kingdom was united under one ruler (King Nyatri Tsempo). This lineage of kings continues for over 1,000 years, until King Lang Darma was assassinated in 842 A.D. This period of kings had three kings that really did good things for Tibet, and they were called the Three Great Kings (Tibetan Studies 21). The three kings were Gampo, Detson, and Ralpachen. Under Gampo (629-649), Tibet became a serious military power, and Gampo was a great supporter of Buddism, so this religion gained prominence in Tibet. King Detson was in power during the peak of the Tibet power (755-797). During his reign, Tibet seized the Chinese capital, and adopted the Indian form of Buddism, built the first monastery in Tibet, and declared Buddism the state religion in Tibet. During the reign of Ralplachen (815-836), Tibet continued as a military power and won many key victories, and reached a peace treaty with China (Tibet: An Occupied Country).

Friday, October 11, 2019

The Stupidest Angel Chapter 6

Chapter 6 BE OF GOOD CHEER; THEY MIGHT HAVE PUT A TREE UP YOUR BUM The Archangel Raziel found, after some consideration, that he did not care for being run over by a Swedish automobile. As far as things  «dirtside » went, he liked Snickers bars, barbecued pork ribs, and pinochle; he also enjoyed Spider-Man, Days of Our Lives, and Star Wars (although the concept of fictional film eluded the angel and he thought they were all documentaries); and you just couldn't beat raining fire on the Egyptians or smiting the bejeezus out of some Philistines with lightning bolts (Raziel was good with weather), but overall, he could do without missions to Earth, humans and their machines in general, and (now) Volvo station wagons in particular. His broken bones had knit nicely and the deep gouges in his skin were filling in even as he came upon the chapel, but all things considered, he could go a very long time not being run over by a Volvo again and feel just dandy about it. He brushed at the all-weather radial tire print that ran up the front of his black duster and across his angelic face. Licking his lips, he tasted vulcanized rubber, thinking that it wouldn't be bad with hot sauce or perhaps chocolate sprinkles. (There is little variety of flavors in heaven, and an abundance of bland white cake has been served to the heavenly host over the eons, so Raziel had fallen in the habit of tasting things while dirtside, just for the contrast. Once, in the third century B.C., he had consumed the better part of a bucket of camel urine before his friend the Archangel Zoe slapped it out of his hand and informed him that it was, despite the piquant bouquet, nasty.) This wasn't his first Nativity mission. No, in fact, he had been given the assignment of the very first Nativity mission, and due to having stopped on the way to play some pinochle, he'd shown up ten years late, announcing to the prepubescent Son himself that he â€Å"would find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.† Embarrassing? Well, yes. And now, some two thousand years later, he was on another Nativity mission, and he was sure now that he'd found the child, that this one was going to go much more smoothly (for one thing, there were no shepherds to frighten – he'd felt bad about that back then). No, come Christmas Eve the mission would be accomplished, he'd grab a plate of ribs and head back to heaven lickety-split. But first he needed to find the site for the miracle. There were two sheriff's cruisers and an ambulance outside the Barker house when Theo arrived. â€Å"Crowe, where the hell have you been?† the sheriff's deputy was yelling before Theo was even out of the Volvo. The deputy was the second-shift commander; Joe Metz was his name. He had a linebacker frame that he augmented with weight lifting and marathon beer drinking. Theo had encountered him a dozen times in as many years. Their relationship had gone from a mild disregard to an open disrespect – which was pretty much Theo's relationship with everyone in the San Junipero County Sheriff's Department. â€Å"I saw the suspect and made pursuit. I lost him in the woods about a mile east of here.† Theo decided he wasn't going to mention what he'd actually seen. His credibility was thin enough with the sheriff's department. â€Å"Why didn't you call it in? We should have units all over the area.† â€Å"I did. You do.† â€Å"I didn't hear the call go in.† â€Å"I called it in on my cell. My radio's broken.† â€Å"Why don't I know about it?† Theo raised his eyebrows as if to say, Perhaps because you're a big no-necked dumb-ass. At least that's what he hoped the gesture said. Metz looked at the radio on his belt, then turned to disguise his action as he turned a switch. Immediately the voice of the dispatcher came on, calling out for the shift commander. Metz keyed the mike clipped to the epaulet of his uniform shirt and identified himself. Theo stood by, trying not to smile as the dispatcher reported the entire situation again. Theo wasn't worried about the two units that were headed to the woods up by the chapel. He was sure they weren't going to find anyone. Whoever the guy in black was, he had a way of disappearing, and Theo didn't even want to think of the means by which he did it. Theo had gone back to the chapel, where he'd caught a glimpse of the blond man moving through the woods before he was gone again. Theo had called home to make sure that Molly was okay. She was. â€Å"Can I talk to the kid?† Theo asked. â€Å"When the EMTs are done looking at him,† Metz said. â€Å"The mother's on the way. She was out to dinner with the boyfriend in San Junipero. Kid seems okay, just real shaken up, some bruises on his arms where the suspect picked him up, but no other injuries I could see. Kid couldn't say what the guy wanted. There's no property missing.† â€Å"You get a description?† â€Å"The kid keeps giving us names of characters from video games for comparison. What do we know from ‘Mung-fu, the Vanquished'? You get a good look at him?† â€Å"Yeah,† Theo said, forcing a lump out of his throat, â€Å"I'd say Mung-fu is pretty accurate.† â€Å"Don't fuck with me, Crowe.† â€Å"Caucasian, long blond hair, blue eyes, clean-shaven, six foot two, one-eighty, wearing a black duster that goes to the ground. I didn't see his shoes. Dispatch has it all.† Theo kept thinking of the deep gouges in the blond guy's cheeks. He had started to think of him as the â€Å"ghost-bot.† Video games – right. Metz nodded. â€Å"Dispatch says he's on foot. How'd you lose him?† â€Å"The woods are thick up there.† Metz was looking at Theo's belt. â€Å"Where's your weapon, Crowe?† â€Å"I left it in the car. Didn't want to scare the kid.† Without a word, Metz stepped over to Theo's Volvo and opened the passenger-side door. â€Å"Where?† â€Å"Pardon?† â€Å"Where in your unlocked car is your weapon?† Theo felt the last of his energy flow out of him. He just wasn't good at confrontation. â€Å"It's at my house.† Metz smiled now like the bartender had just announced pitchers all around, on the house. â€Å"You know, you might be the perfect guy to go after this suspect, Theo.† Theo hated it when the sheriffs called him by his first name. â€Å"Why's that, Joseph?† â€Å"The kid said he thought the guy might be retarded.† â€Å"I don't get it,† Theo said, trying not to grin. Metz walked away shaking his head. He climbed into his cruiser, then as he was backing past Theo, the passenger window whirred down. â€Å"Write up a report, Crowe. And we need to get a description of this guy to the local schools.† â€Å"It's Christmas break.† â€Å"Dammit, Crowe, they'll be going back to school sometime, won't they?† â€Å"So you don't think your guys will catch him, then?† Without another word Metz whirred up the window and whipped the cruiser out of the driveway as if he'd just received an urgent call. Theo smiled as he walked up to the house. Despite the excitement and terror and outright weirdness of evening, he suddenly felt good. Molly was safe, the kid was safe, the Christmas tree was up at the chapel, and there was just no rush that compared to safely and successfully fucking with a pompous cop. He paused on the top step and considered for a moment that perhaps, after fifteen years in law enforcement himself, he really should have matured past that particular pleasure. Nah. â€Å"Did you ever shoot anybody?† asked Joshua Barker. He was sitting on a bar stool at the kitchen counter. A man in a gray uniform was fussing medical over him. â€Å"No, I'm an EMT,† said the EMT. He ripped the blood-pressure cuff off Josh's arm. â€Å"We help people, we don't shoot them.† â€Å"Did you ever put that blood-pressure thing around someone's neck and pump it till their eyes bugged out?† The EMT looked at Theophilus Crowe, who had just entered the Barkers' kitchen. Theo frowned appropriately. Josh turned his attention to the lanky constable, noting that he had a badge clipped to his belt but no gun. â€Å"You ever shoot anybody?† â€Å"Sure,† Theo said. Josh was impressed. He'd seen Theo around town, and his mom always said hi to him, but he never thought he actually did anything. Not anything cool, anyway. â€Å"None of these guys ever shot anyone.† Josh gestured to the two deputies and the two EMTs stationed around the small kitchen, giving them a look that said the wussies! with the full disdain his soft seven-year-old features could muster. â€Å"You kill the guy?† he asked Theo. â€Å"Yep.† Josh didn't really know where to go now. If he stopped asking questions, he knew that Theo would start asking questions, just like the sheriffs had, and he didn't want to answer any more questions. The blond man had told him not to tell anyone. The sheriff said that the blond man couldn't hurt him, but the sheriff didn't know what Josh knew. â€Å"Your mom is on the way, Josh,† Theo said. â€Å"She'll be here in a few minutes.† â€Å"I know. I talked to her.† To the EMTs and deputies, Theo said, â€Å"Guys, can I talk to Josh alone a minute?† â€Å"We're done here,† the lead medic said, leaving immediately. Both the deputies were young and eager to be asked to do something, even if it was to leave the room. â€Å"We'll be outside writing this up,† said the last one out. â€Å"Sergeant Metz told us to stay until the mother got home.† â€Å"Thanks, guys,† Theo said, surprised at their congeniality. They must not have been on the department long enough to learn to look down on him for being a town constable, an archaic and redundant job, if you asked most area cops. Once they were gone he turned to Josh. â€Å"So tell me about the man who was here.† â€Å"I told those other police.† â€Å"I know. But you need to tell me. What happened. Even the weird stuff you didn't tell them.† Josh didn't like the way Theo seemed to be ready to believe anything. He wasn't being too nice, or talking baby talk like the others. â€Å"There wasn't any weird stuff. I told them.† Josh nodded as he spoke, hoping he'd look more convincing. â€Å"None of that bad touch stuff. I know about that. None of that.† â€Å"I don't mean that kind of stuff, Josh. I mean weird stuff you didn't tell them because it's unbelievable.† Josh really didn't know what to say now. He considered crying, did a test sniffle just to see if he could get things flowing. Theo reached out and took his chin, lifted it so Josh had to look him in the eye. Why did adults do that? Now he'd ask something that would be really hard to lie about. â€Å"What was he doing here, Josh?† Josh shook his head, mostly to get out of Theo's grip, to get away from that adult lie-detector look. â€Å"I don't know. He just came in and grabbed me and then he left.† â€Å"Why did he leave?† â€Å"I don't know, I don't know. I'm just a kid. Because he's crazy or something. Or maybe he's retarded. That's how he talks.† â€Å"I know,† Theo said. â€Å"You do?† He did? Theo leaned in close. â€Å"I saw him, Josh. I talked to him. I know he wasn't like a normal guy.† Josh felt like he'd just taken his first deep breath since he left Sam's house. He didn't like keeping secrets – sneaking home and lying about it would have been enough, but witnessing the murder of Santa, and then that strange blond guy showing up. But if Theo already knew about the blond guy†¦ â€Å"So, so, you saw him glow?† â€Å"Glow? Shit!† Theo stood up and spun around as if he'd been hit in the forehead with a paintball. â€Å"He glowed, too? Shit!† The tall man was moving like a grasshopper locked in a running microwave. Not that Josh would know what that was like, because that would be a cruel thing to do and he would never do something like that, but, you know, someone told him about it once. â€Å"So he glowed?† Theo asked, like he was trying to get this straight. â€Å"No, I didn't mean that.† Josh needed to back out of this. Theo was trippin'. He'd had enough of adults trippin' for one night. Soon his mom would come home to find a bunch of cops in her house and the trip to beat all trips would start. â€Å"I mean he was really mad. You know, like glowing mad.† â€Å"That's not what you meant.† â€Å"It isn't?† â€Å"He really glowed, didn't he?† â€Å"Well, not constantly. Like, for a little while. Then he just stared at me.† â€Å"Why did he leave, Josh?† â€Å"He said he had what he needed now.† â€Å"What was that? What did he take?† â€Å"I don't know.† Josh was beginning to worry about the constable. He looked like he might hurl any second. â€Å"You're sure you want to go with the glowing thing, Constable Crowe? I could be wrong. I'm a kid. We make notoriously unreliable witnesses.† â€Å"Where'd you hear that?† â€Å"CSI.† â€Å"Those guys know everything.† â€Å"They have the coolest stuff.† â€Å"Yeah,† said Theo wistfully. â€Å"You don't get to use cool cop stuff like that, huh?† â€Å"Nope.† Theo was sounding really sad now. â€Å"But you shot a guy, right?† Josh said cheerfully, trying to raise Theo's spirits. â€Å"I was lying. I'm sorry, Josh. I'd better go. Your mom will be home soon. You just tell her everything. She'll look out for you. The deputies will stay with you until she gets here. See ya, kiddo.† Theo ruffled his hair and started out of the kitchen. Josh didn't want to tell her. And he didn't want Theo to go. â€Å"There's something else.† Theo turned and looked back at him. â€Å"Okay, Josh, I'll stick around – ; â€Å"Someone killed Santa Claus tonight,† Josh blurted out. â€Å"Childhood ends too soon, doesn't it, son?† Theo said, putting his hand on Josh's shoulder. If Josh had had a gun, he'd have shot him, but being an unarmed kid, he decided that of all of these adults, the goofy constable might just be the one who would believe what he had seen happen to Santa. The two deputies had come into the house with Josh's mother, Emily Barker. Theo waited until she had hugged most of the breath out of her son, then reassured her that everything was okay and made a quick escape. As he came down the porch steps, he saw something yellow shining by the front tire of his Volvo. He looked back to make sure that neither of the deputies was looking out, then he crouched before the front tire and reached up into the wheel well and pulled out a hank of yellow hair that had caught in the black vinyl dent molding. He quickly shoved it into his shirt pocket and climbed into the car, feeling the hair throbbing against his chest like a living thing. The Warrior Babe of the Outland admitted that she was powerless without her medication and that her life had become unmanageable. Molly checked off the step in Theo's little blue Narcotics Anonymous book. â€Å"Powerless,† she muttered to herself, remembering the time when mutants had chained her to a rock in the den of the behemo-badger in Outland Steel: Kendra's Revenge. If not for the intervention of Selkirk, the rogue sand pirate, her entrails would even now be curing on the salt stalagmites of the badger's cave. â€Å"That would sting, huh?† said the Narrator. â€Å"Shut up, that didn't really happen.† Did it? She remembered it like it did. The Narrator was a problem. The problem, really. If it had just been a little erratic behavior, she might have been able to wing it until the first of the month and go back on her meds without Theo noticing, but when the Narrator showed up, she knew she needed help. She turned to the Narcotics Anonymous book that had been Theo's constant companion when he was battling his pot habit. He talked about working the steps all the time, and how he couldn't have done it without them. She needed to do something to reinforce the rapidly blurring line between Molly Michon, party planner, cookie baker, the retired actress, and Kendra, mutant slayer, head breaker, the warrior temptress. â€Å"‘Step two, † she read. â€Å"‘Come to believe that a power greater than ourselves can restore us to sanity. † She thought for a moment and looked out the front window of the cabin for the lights from Theo's car. She really hoped she could get through all twelve steps before he got home. â€Å"Nigoth the Worm God shall be my higher power,† she declared, snatching her broken broadsword from the coffee table and waving it in defiance at the Sony Wega TV that mocked her darkly from the corner. â€Å"In Nigoth's name shall I sally forth, and woe unto any mutant or sand pirate that crosses my path, for his life shall be sacrificed and his bloody balls shall decorate the totem tree of my lodge.† â€Å"And the wicked shall cower before the grandeur of your dirt-striped and well-shaped thighs,† said the Narrator, with robust enthusiasm. â€Å"Goes without saying,† Molly said. â€Å"Okay, step three. ‘Turn your life over to God as you understand Him. â€Å" â€Å"Nigoth requires a sacrifice,† cried the Narrator. â€Å"A limb! Cut it from your body and impale it still twitching upon the worm god's fiery purple horn.† Molly shook her head to rattle the Narrator around a little. â€Å"Dude,† she said. Molly seldom  «duded » anyone. Theo had picked up the word on his patrol of Pine Cove's skateboard park and now used it generally to express incredulity at the audacity of someone's statement or behavior – the correct inflection on the word would convey Doood, please, you've got to be joking or hallucinating, or both, to even suggest such a thing. (Lately Theo had been doing some testing on â€Å"Yo, dat's wack, yo.† But Molly had forbade its use outside of the house, for, as she pointed out, there is little more off-putting than the sound of hip-hop vernacular coming out of the mouth of a white, fortysomething, goony bird of a man. â€Å"Albatross of a man, yo,† Theo had corrected.) Thusly duded, the Narrator bid devotion down. â€Å"A finger, then! The severed finger of a Warrior Babe – â€Å" â€Å"Not a chance,† Molly said. ‘A lock of hair! Nigoth requires – â€Å" â€Å"I was thinking I'd light a candle to symbolize that I'm turning myself over to my higher power.† And to illustrate her sincerity, she took a disposable lighter off the coffee table and lit one of the scented candles she kept on a tray at the table's center. â€Å"A snotty Kleenex, then!† tried the Narrator. But Molly had moved on to step four in the book. â€Å"‘Make a searching and fearless moral inventory of yourself. I have no idea what that means.† â€Å"Well, I'll be fucked in the ear by a blind spider monkey if I get it,† said the Narrator. Molly decided not even to acknowledge the Narrator on that one. After all, if the steps worked like she hoped they would, the Narrator was not going to be around for much longer. She dug into the little blue book in search of clarification. Upon further reading, it appeared that you were supposed to make a list of all the things wrong with your character. â€Å"Put down that you're fucking nuts,† said the Narrator. â€Å"Got it,† Molly said. Then she noticed that the book recommended making a list of resentments. She wasn't exactly sure what she was supposed to do with them, but in fifteen minutes she had filled three pages with all variety of resentments, including both parents, the IRS, algebra, premature ejaculators, good housekeepers, French automobiles, Italian luggage, lawyers, CD packaging, IQ tests, and the fucktard who wrote the â€Å"Caution, pastry may be hot when heated† warning on the Pop-Tarts box. She paused for a breather and was reading ahead to step five when headlights swept across the yard and raked the front of the cabin. Theo was home. † ‘Step five, † Molly read. â€Å"‘Confess to our higher power and another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. â€Å" As Theo came through the door, Molly, her broken broadsword in hand, spun from the cinnamon candle of Nigoth the Worm God and said, â€Å"I confess! I did not file taxes for the years ninety-five through two thousand, I have eaten the radioactive flesh of mutants, and I resent the hell out of you for not having to squat when you pee. â€Å"Hi, honey,† Theo said. â€Å"Shut up, grommet,† said the Warrior Babe. â€Å"So I guess I'm not going to get my Volvo washed?† â€Å"Quiet! I'm confessing over here, ingrate.† â€Å"That's the spirit!† said the Narrator.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Ralph Tyler’s Evaluation Method for Math Curricula

Proper evaluation of all educational curricula is vital to providing an effective education to students. The purpose of such an evaluation is, in essence, to discover how well educational objectives are being met. An evaluation method must be accurate and valid, however the evaluation must also be accessible to those who need to use it. If an evaluation method is inaccurate or highly complex to utilize, it will either be misused, or not used at all. Math curricula can be especially difficult to match to an evaluation method because of the demands of the subject; scientific validity is a must, and ideally the design of the method would be crafted by someone who has a true understanding of mathematics in education. The evaluation method designed by Ralph Tyler is ideal for use by an educator for evaluating math curricula. Ralph Tyler was a student at the University of Chicago, and he studied under the famous Charles Judd. Tyler obtained his Ph.D. in 1927; he specialized in mathematics in school, which gives his work a particularly effective edge when applied to math curricula. Ten years after his graduation, he was appointed Director of Research for the Evaluation Staff on the well-known Eight Year Study. Tyler believed that scientific study was the key to successful education in every subject, and this was used as the basis for his research. Successful learning and teaching techniques were sought in the study, and from that research Tyler†s evaluation method was formed. Eventually Tyler would understand that all learning objectives should be determined by observing and actively evaluating student behavior within the class. (Pinar et al, 1995) The Objectives-Oriented Approach was popularized, if not entirely fathered, by Tyler. Tyler†s approach follows seven distinct steps: (1) establish broad goals or objectives, (2) classify the goals or objectives, (3) define objectives in behavioral terms, (4) find situations in which achievement of objective can be shown, (5) develop or select measurement techniques, (7) compare performance data with behaviorally stated objectives. (Worthen & Sanders in ITGRN) These simple steps make this method ideal for evaluation of math curriculum for several reasons. First, it is scientifically sound, following steps like the scientific method. The method is simple; it does not require in depth research or detailed critical thinking that would take a lot of time out of the evaluator†s busy schedule. The steps are ideal for clarification of ideas, and it helps the teacher specifically ask the right questions of him- or herself as well as of the students. It also stresses empirical methods for evaluating goals and objectives. The shortcomings of this evaluation method are also minimal, including that neglects the context in which the evaluation takes place, and that it neglects the value of the objectives themselves. These are shortcomings which, unlike those of other evaluation methods, are easily overcome when applied to the curriculum by an intelligent person.

Eastern Foods Essay

Introduction Eastern Foods has a lot of restaurants and fast food outlets in some countries, and as for its expansion, the company is mapping out to build its outlets in the United Kingdom. Building work is planned to be finished by first of July, so directory boards have given the task to start up business development planning procedure from first of May. The board has also required that all major issues in terms of HRM, Accounting, Marketing, and Operations Management should be found and addressed accordingly. Part (A) In some core areas of the Eastern Foods, there is going to be discussion upon overview of the challenges in HRM, Accounting, Marketing, Operations Management, and after getting familiarized with these issues, solutions will be suggested as required. Human Resource Management First issue: HRM is going to face challenges in the sphere of recruitment as there is no employment contract signed. Absence of this documentation can wake legislative sanctions against the Eastern Foods. In addition to that, hired employees after taking their money beforehand will have an opportunity to leave the work in any time without employment contract. Second issue: obviously the company will be in tough moments at the starting stage as for deficiency skills in newly employed staff. Managers intensively seek to good employees but they do not easily find them as there are very few people with good skills and experience left unemployed in current job markets. Third issue: over exploitation of employees will drastically minimize job satisfaction degree of employees which also in turn, will make them very tired. This has always been considered as one of the major issues of any organizations. Accounting First issue: accounting machines and computers will not always operate as proper as intended. So, account department will be more worrying on this potential issue. Second issue: First and foremost problem for the Eastern Foods is undoubtedly keeping correct transactions. When every outlet depends on the main financial branch, it will not always be easy to cope with various and massive numbers of financial statements. For instance, gross sales of one outlet might be 20, 500 Euro, but other outlets may be presenting less than that amount such as 13, 874, or 12,743 Euro respectively. In this case accountants will probably make mistakes in writing them. This usually happens when accountants are not well-qualified or tired of fixed working hours. Marketing First issue: Marketing department will be facing several challenges in terms of promotions and building relationships with customers as marketing system will have to first see the outcomes and statistics of other restaurants’ trends and then decide to which target segment promote. Second issue: Provided that the Eastern Foods sets up strategies such as discounts, free drinks, and so on, it will be adversely affecting the income level, and will lead to the failure of strategic plan, thus demolishing profits gained. Second issue: External and internal designs of outlets can be unattractive to the customers. As well as ingredients and types of meals may not be liked very much. For example, clocks on the walls, color, posters, and such attractive items might not be suitable to preferences of the customers. Operations Management First issue: Operations managers will have been undergoing challenges with regard to controlling and relationship with staff at the outset. Second issue: Sudden technical problems and damages are inevitable which can put the organization in urgent case Third issue: As there is a considerable discrepancy between jobs and tasks as well as in qualifications of the whole working unit, there will appear some misunderstandings when jointly decision making activities are needed. Part (B) The two most problematic areas and their solutions First area: Human Resource Management Absence of employment contract will not only cause internal issues, but it will get down reputation of the Eastern Foods in the eyes of customers. For example, there are lots of news agencies that are ready to publish and show any such issues that occur in famous areas such as restaurants, and at the same time, governmental courts will be thinking of cessation of the Eastern Foods’ operation. Furthermore, it will be easy for employees to make frauds inside the outlets because they feel confident of slipping away in any time they wish if they have not been hired based on legal contract. Moreover, if there will be no procedural justice system in the organization such as not conveying information to the employees, then, definitely communication gap will appear. Unfortunately, job advertisements newspaper is not as effective as it was before, so the managers will have been experiencing difficulties in finding proper employees. Whoever feels over exploited, no matter, whatever is p rice or reward, they will start to show their disagreement to HRM departments. This can be explained when managers neglect to employees’ personal or health related issues, that time, they need some time but, they do not want to lose their jobs as well. Late working hours can be one of the crucial reasons for the job dissatisfaction. Solutions Solution to the first stated issue is quite simple, that is setting up legal employment contract, and other legislative documents. By doing so, the Eastern Foods will raise their satisfaction degree. In a rule, employees should feel that their rights will not be violated by the organization as well as they need to make sure if they can be one of the important parts of the organization. This means when they have power in decision making process and when they are allowed to put their candidate in leadership positions,  and when they actively take in part in elections held inside the organization. Likewise, journalists from mass media such as TV channels, and Radio can take interviews from employees about their jobs and other related themes which will increase employees’ interest toward their jobs, feeling important is great indeed. Solution to the second mentioned issues is not easy, or impossible to take into control all the time because nobody will confess their inner crimin al desire, therefore, Human Resource Management must fix security cameras in each area of operations so that it will be able to observe any deeds executed inside the organization. In addition to that it will help HRM managers to sort out efficient employees, and accordingly, those employees will be rewarded in a faith way. Moreover, when work units feel that they are under observation, then, they will not likely be spending their time out of their work place and offices, and will be doing their works respectively. The third issue can be addressed by not only publishing job advertisement on newspaper but, also, by building a good rapport with fresh graduates of universities, especially, who study in tourism faculties as they are taught well on how to communicate with customers. Also, it will be easier way to involve them in free job places as they are full of energy, and do not usually, require high level of wages, and compensation. They may not have practical skills, but they can br ing in a new atmosphere, and a new look inside the organization. Usually, customers do not like being waited, so, when the staff is younger, then, they will probably take and bring the orders faster. However, these graduates involvement should not include discrimination and unethical payment rate which can also lead to legal challenges. Second area: Marketing department Marketing department can be put into difficulties if it cannot renovate and execute its role as required. When marketing, especially, promotion strategies do not work; the Eastern Foods will not be visited by high number of customers. In this globally competitive world, all restaurant businesses are striving to offer their special promotions in various forms, for example, some of them offer cheaper prices for more order while others offer high quality and service. Accordingly, it will not be easy for the Eastern Foods to create special ways to draw customers’ attention. One mistakenly  launched promotional program can be costly for the organization that in turn, may lead to imprint not interesting view on potential customers’ minds. What is more, the organization may not be able to persuade the main finance department to budget some money for launching promotional programs. For instance, if some discounts offered at the outset will not prove it unless the intended amo unt of profits comes. As a result, damage cannot be covered, and marketing department will have to ask another amount to launch a second program, in this case, directors of the Eastern Foods will not be very happy, and can put pressure onto the marketing department. Design of the outlets might not be suitable to tradition, culture and religion of the country. If so, disagreements from the local people will ruin authority of the whole organization, no matter how well it is cooking, and how health and cheap prices are, simply one mistakenly chosen design, and pictures on the wall can decrease potential clients’ anticipation. More than that, differences on the course of meals and drinks may be absent, so, customers will probably be demanding new types and new tastes, and if their demand cannot be met as early as possible, then, they will likely prefer to change their regular restaurants. This issue might happen starting from the third month of operation when people start too fed up with unchangeable dishes. Solutions The first problem can be solved by using various types of promotions. For instance, the company can choose direct advertising in which the Eastern Foods will send messages and letters directly to the potential customers. However, direct advertisement is getting more unfavorable, so, the company can address another type that is â€Å"public relations† in which the owner of the company will talk about his incipient activities, and what he has experienced, in short, life story of the company. It will increase awareness of the customers about the company which means success. Moreover, taking in part in business conferences and events can help the organization to be known in the regions, and here the store managers must get valuable advices from marketing department on what kind of preparations should they do beforehand they participate in business events. As for mass media, the Eastern Foods should hold some charity, and celebration events, and should invite radio and the TV corre spondents. Additionally, famous actors,  actress, and singers should be invited once in a week to each outlet, as we know, youngsters are keen to meet with their favorites, so they will automatically become regular clients of the Eastern Foods if they are given such kind of chance. Also, famous show programs should also be invited to lead their programs in one of the outlets once in a month. Another noticeable target area is football fans, if facilities such as television sets, special cozy cabins, and discounts are provided in every football match of the region, and then the company will undoubtedly succeed with only this market segmentation. Part (C) In general, the Eastern Foods’ primary focus should be pointed to the marketing areas and HRM because once the staffs employed are well qualified, have satisfactory skills, and do their jobs very well, then, the company will not have to be concerned on this issue in the future. Likewise, if marketing can find out how to attract customers, and deal with design, taste issue, then, customers’ number will be relatively high. Accounting personnel should not neglect to any tiny number and details in the calculation process, and all operations managers should be responsible for providing needed help, advice, and supply always on time. Moreover, technical advancements such as security cameras can lessen the number of crimes and frauds inside the company. Conclusion It can be concluded that HRM and Marketing are the two key issue areas, and the other areas such as accounting should be interminably checked, and operations managers should evaluate, observe, and control all works accordingly. Legal aspects have been discussed as well, and the roles of mass media in the success of the Eastern Foods have been found to be significantly important. References: 1. Lynch, Frances (1984) ‘Resolving the Paradox of the Monnet Plan: National and International Planning in French Reconstruction’ Economic History Review xxxvii(2): 229-43. Lynch, Frances (1997) 2. Mackinnon, Danny, Andrew Cumbers and Keith Chapman (2002) ‘Learning, Innovation and Regional Development: A Critical Appraisal of Recent Debates’ Progress in Human Geography 26: 293-311. 3. Global Internet Statistics (by Language) (2004), http://www.glreach.com/globstats/index.php3