Saturday, August 31, 2019

Breakfast at Tiffany(TM)s Essay

Breakfast at Tiffany’s is a romantic comedy that was released in America in the year 1961. Breakfast at Tiffany’s was based on the novella by Truman capote. It introduces a young woman, played by Audrey Hepburn whose profession is a high class male’s escort, prostitute. When studying the film in more depth, I queried how and why a â€Å"high class prostitute† film could be so popular. In my article I will address and find out how and why the film is still so popular today. The film is a total of 110 minutes in length which is consequently 20 minutes longer than an average romantic comedy of today. The first scene is one of the main reasons why Breakfast at Tiffany’s is so popular today. When making a film the opening scene is extremely important and needs to include certain things for the film to be popular and well selling. The opening scene of any film should set the scene and introduce the audience to the surroundings and setting of the film. When we see the character, protagonist, for the first time we are automatically drawn in by her as she is in the foreground and the only thing moving in the scene, our eyes are focused on her. The audience feels connected with her and has an opportunity to be a part of her life. The audience is then introduced to one of the main themes throughout the film of â€Å"Tiffany’s† Tiffany’s after this film became more popular and some members and shoppers of Tiffany’s say that consequently Tiffany’s was made by the link of the film and the well known jewellers. As the scene progresses the camera follows her from the side as she walks. Then the camera changes to behind her with the use of an over the shoulder shot to increase the already gained intimacy. The fact that she is an ordinary woman on an average day and she has nothing special makes the audience almost feel they could be her. Another reason why it is still so popular today is that it fits in with the romantic comedy criteria. Every girl or most girls love romantic comedies. The comedy can be identified in many of the scenes. For instance at the part scenes where lots of comedic techniques and ideas are used such as the cigarette burning a woman’s purple headdress and Holly checking the time on a man’s watch consequently pouring a drink on the woman’s headdress. Also the cat jumping on everybody as they walked through the door. The comedy is basic and not to detailed as to not over power the romantic aspect of the film and this is why the film is still so popular. The soundtrack of the film is based around the song â€Å"Moon River† lyrics by Johnny Mercer, Music by Henry Mancini. The song is a total of 2 minutes 44 seconds and won an Oscar for the best original song. The music can be identified in many of the scenes, if carefully looked for. For instance in the party scene the song â€Å"Moon River† is played in the background but has been edited to create a more up-tempo version. The lyrics of â€Å"Moon River† are totally associated to the life of Holly Golightly. As the actress, Audrey Hepburn was no singer the song was very simple an only sung in one octave which almost makes the performance of the song more believable and the audience can relate to the lyrics more. The soundtrack can still be bought today from amazon and because it is still so widely available that helps the film stay so popular. Due to the advertising of the film, the film was made more popular. The poster that was widely used was the image of Audrey Hepburn on a white background with a border of blue, red and yellow. The poster has many hidden meanings in the images and colours used, for example, the border colours used, when added together, make the background colour of white. The yellow also used could mean wealth and link to jewellery from Tiffany’s. Audrey Hepburn’s name is in capitals and black lettering as the film sold off her name. The picture of the protagonist takes up half of the poster as people aspire to be like her. The title of the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s is in a red colour to represent Romance. In the background a shot of the end scene is added to show the setting of the film and to reveal the ending. All these things together make the film still so popular by creating a picture and selection of images which stick in the audiences mind for years to come. This poster can also still be bought in shops and on the internet. On Tuesday 5th December 2006 the Givenchy dress used in the 1961 film, was sold for 1.2 Million dollars which keeps Breakfast at Tiffany’s constantly in today’s society so the popularity of it is still withheld. Fashion of the 60’s is still popular today whether that is because of the film or not, people still dress in 60’s clothes and Audrey Hepburn is still kept as an admired icon. The novella that was used to base the film around had a different ending to the film. The ending of the novella resulted in Holly travelling to Brazil and sending Paul a postcard, Holly never wrote to him again. The director made the choice to change the ending for a variety of reasons. The way the novella ended was on a cliff hanger with loose ends which wouldn’t make the film popular, so the director of Breakfast at Tiffany’s decided to make the ending in to a typical happy, clichà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½d ending that ties up all loose endings as more people prefer happy endings and they stay popular after time. The way the ending of the film now ends is that the audience can walk away from the film feeling happy and uplifted full of aspiration to be like her. Sinse the ending was changed i believe that it has helped the film to be influential to our culture and stay popular after 50 years due to the film still being a part of today’s present society. Breakfast at Tiffany’s is still so popular today due to the hard work and important techniques used when making the film, the film was created to achieve all the necessary aspects of a romantic comedy which hasn’t changed in the last 50 years consequently making the film still a big hit today.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Existentialism Essay Essay

Ever wonder why we have the term â€Å"free will† or where it originated? People believe that an individual can discover themselves as a person and choose how to live by the decisions they make; well this is where the word existentialism comes into play. Existentialism has been around since the early nineteenth century with Soren Kierkegaard’s philosophical and theological writings which, in the twentieth century, would be recognized as existentialism. The term was first coined by Gabriel Marcel, the French philosopher and later adopted by Jean-Paul Sartre, Friedrich Nietzsche and other philosophers for whom human existence were key philosophical topics; but Kierkegaard is known as the â€Å"Father of Existentialism†. Existentialism proposes that man is full of anxiety and despair with no meaning in his life, simply existing, until he made a decisive choice about the future. That is the way to achieve dignity as a human being. Existentialists felt that adopting a social or political cause was one way of giving purpose to life. Since then, existentialism has been used by writers such as Hamlet, Voltaire, Henry David Thoreau, in Buddha’s teachings, and more. Throughout the years, existentialism has been viewed from various lenses to express different ideas, emotions, as well as to expand the thought process of readers, movie go’ers, and theater lovers everywhere and has been excessively used in Kurt Vonnegut’s anti-war novel Slaughterhouse Five, Samuel Beckett’s play Waiting for Godot, and in the movie Inception. Existentialism is a concept that became popular during the Second World War in France, and just after it. French playwrights have often used the stage to express their views about anything going on in the world. There were â€Å"hidden meanings† that were common throughout the period so that plays would be able to pass without being banned or censored. One who wrote best-selling novels, plays and widely read journalism as well as theoretical texts during this period was Jean-Paul Sartre. Sartre had been imprisoned in Germany in 1940 but managed to escape and become one of the leaders of the Existential movement in France. Sartre dealt with existentialist themes in his 1938 novel Nausea and the short stories in his 1939 collection The Wall, and had published his treatise on existentialism, Being and Nothingness in 1943, but it was in the two years following the liberation of Paris from the German occupying forces that he and his close associate became internationally famous as the leading figures of a movement known as existentialism. A major theme throughout his writings was freedom and responsibility. One other extremely popular writer and playwright during the same time as Sartre, as well as a close friend, was Albert Camus. In a short amount of time, Camus and Sartre became the leading public intellectuals of post-war France achieving, by the end of 1945, â€Å"a fame that reached across all audiences. † (Existential Primer: Albert Camus) Camus rejected the existentialist label and considered his works to be concerned with facing the absurd. In the Titular book, Camus uses the analogy of the Greek myth of Sisyphus to demonstrate the futility of existence. In the myth, Sisyphus is condemned for eternity by the gods to roll a rock up a hill; when he reaches the summit, the rock will roll to the bottom again. Camus believes that this existence is pointless yet Sisyphus ultimately finds meaning and purpose in his task, simply by continually applying himself to it. For Camus, this related heavily to everyday life, and he saw Sisyphus an â€Å"absurd† hero, with a pointless existence. Camus felt that it was necessary to wonder what the meaning of life was and that the human being longed for some sense of clarity in the world, since â€Å"if the world were clear, art would not exist. † (Existential Primer: Albert Camus) â€Å"The Myth of Sisyphus† became a prototype for existentialism in the theatre and eventually inspired Beckett to write Waiting for Godot. In Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, existentialism manifests itself in a few ways; the frustration of trying to understand the meaning in life, the continued repetition seen throughout the play, and the inability to act. What remains archetypal in Waiting for Godot, concerning the absurdist metaphor is the way in which each character relies on the other for comfort, support, and most of all, meaning. Vladimir and Estragon desperately need one another in order to avoid living a lonely and meaningless life. The two together functions as a metaphor for survival, like the characters that proceed and follow them, they feel compelled to leave one another, but at the same time compelled to stay together. They consider parting, but, in the end, never actually part. Andrew Kennedy explains these rituals of parting saying, â€Å"each is like a rehearsed ceremony, acted out to lessen the distance between time present and the ending of the relationship, which is both dreaded and desired†(57). Therefore, Vladimir and Estragon’s inability to leave each other is just another example of the uncertainty and frustration they feel as they wait for an explanation of their existence. One of the most prevalent themes in Waiting for Godot is Estragon and Vladimir’s inability to act. When Estragon says â€Å"Let’s go†, Vladimir says â€Å"We can’t†¦ We’re waiting for Godot† (page 7). They are not even sure that Godot will come, or that they are waiting at the right place. Even if he doesn’t come, they plan to wait indefinitely. Even if he doesn’t come, they plan to wait indefinitely. After witnessing Pozzo’s cruelty to Lucky, Vladimir and Estragon are outraged. Yet they are still unable to do anything to improve Lucky’s situation. Pozzo lets Estragon and Vladimir know that they do not have control over their immediate future or even their distant future. When talking about the mysterious twilight, Estragon and Vladimir relate to waiting for Godot. So long as they know what to expect, waiting is their only course of action. Since Estragon and Vladimir can never make a decisive choice about what they want to do or about their future, their life seems to have no meaning.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Anita Desai Essay Example for Free

Anita Desai Essay The main characters who struck me the most are Uma and her brother Arun; to them are dedicated the two parts of the novel. Personally I think they have a lot of things in common and I’m not only considering the fact that they belong to the same close-knit family: they are somehow subjected to a reality from which they both want to escape. Uma is the plainest character of the novel, I think: she always obeys her parents and makes everything they want her to do. This is not completely a negative point but, reading the first pages of the book, I admit that I would like to react for her to the commandments of her MamaPapa, as they are often mentioned†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Go to the cook†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ Prepare the packet for your brother†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ Write a letter†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦but how can she manage to do all these things together?! In my opinion Uma is also naà ¯ve, she seems to be somehow tied by a sense of duty to her parents, especially after the failure of her two arranged marriages, and what about the dowry she has squandered?! as her father reminds her. The only â€Å"pause† of her life is given by the visits of Mira-masi, a particular woman who deeply fascinates Uma for the stories she tells her: she represents a ray of hope into the life of the girl, although her parents don’t approve the complicity created between them. Arun, whose birth was really longed for, is sent to the USA where he attends the college: being the only son of the family he has the honour of receiving a good education and he has also the possibility to live far from the oppressing reality of his homeland. But his life remains very unhappy: also the family to which he lives while in America is a sort of weight for him. The second part of the novel seems to me a long digression about food, I think that the food itself is the only reason for a link between Arun and the new family, Mrs Patton in particular. I think both brother and sister are oppressed voices who want to live in peace and to escape from the world they live in, although they aren’t able to rebel against it. For this very reason I would like them to write to each other, what does not happen in the novel. Dear Arun, Maybe for the first time in my life I admit that I’m very sad but what troubles me the most is the fact that I’m not able to find a way out†¦ Our cousin Anamika is dead. Everybody here is trying to give an explanation but†¦what for, she won’t ever come back and there are no acceptable explanations for her death†¦ I absolutely can’t imagine that the urn in front of me contains her ashes†¦she is dead†¦ but I’m dead too. Her awe for the family led her towards death, but what about me? I will stay forever with MamaPapa, I can’t abandon them, they are†¦my life! When mama grips my hand I know, I feel that there is something strong between us and I can’t, I can’t leave†¦ MamaPapa is calling me†¦I have to go. I don’t know if I will ever send this letter to you: perhaps I will burn it. Uma Dear Uma, A new semester at the college is beginning and my stay with the Pattons is over. I’m happy because I can leave this strange family: it wasn’t my place, I didn’t feel comfortable with them, I felt oppressed and obliged to be part of it, maybe only because I felt sorry for Mrs Patton and I didn’t want to disappoint her. This is the reason why I gave her the presents you sent me (but please don’t reveal anything to MamaPapa!): I didn’t want her to be worried about me when I silently walked out of her life. Arun Alice Bravin 5 H Liceo Scientifico â€Å"M. Grigoletti† Pordenone Anita Desai â€Å"FASTING, FEASTING† The novel by Anita Desai appeared insipid to my eyes. If I were asked to collect all the emotions that the book has stirred in my heart, I would find myself in anguishing troubles, for I’m quite numb to it as well I am frustrated by each work of art dominated by a sense of heaviness. The characters are imbued with, or even better, they are emblems of this heaviness which reveals itself mainly in the temperament of Uma, who is the best-built character of the novel. Anita Desai succeeded in the enterprise of creating a character without personality, a woman deprived of her soul. She is the designated victim who is doomed to endure the burden of life, symbolized first of all by her parents. Uma doesn’t strike my sensibility: I don’t feel pity for her, nor would I establish a sort of sympathetic relationship with her; her ineptitude doesn’t arouse my anger, nor would I shake her out of the status of torpor she experiences. I am quite interested in one of the psychological aspects of Uma, that of repression. Uma is not free to be what she wants to be, to do what she wants to do, so she is utterly repressed in her passions, in her feelings, in her personality; this last dimension is completely neglected to her. These inner forces run inside her veins and arteries, like water permeating through the cracks of a rock and when temperatures gets colder, it becomes ice and causes the explosion of the rock. The same happens inside Uma and the implosion is disguised as a sort of disease. Convulsions, nausea which leads to vomit, suffered cries, these moments are the most involving – and at the same time disturbing – moments and situations of the novel. I would have appreciated if Anita Desai had developed this edge of the prism of Uma. Sigmund Freud stated that mental patients are like diamonds, whose structure is based on its corners. In these lines the diamond would break in case it fell on the ground. Uma is like that. Her body seems possessed by a demoniac spirit, her limbs, her bowels are rocked by the unique act of rebellion which is allowed to her. I wonder why the writer has snobbed this issue, which probably assumes a religious and philosophical value and is strictly connected to Indian culture. The heaviness that haunts the book is expressed even by the settings. Concerning this point I would like to recall the image of Uma and her aunt who leave together on a spiritual trip. The bus they catch is incredibly crowded: this episode evokes the image of mingled noises and smells within the dusty and sandy air of India. The writer enables us to appreciate each aspect of the setting – thanks to her detailed language – so that the reader manages to broaden his sensorial perceptions and is caught by the use of synaesthesia. ( The description of the believers bathing in the Gange becomes meaningful in this sense ). Before starting reading the book I thought it would be quite precious for me in order to learn more about the Indian world, even appreciating it by means of the parallel Anita Desai draws with Northern America. But I was wrong: â€Å"Fasting, feasting † doesn’t seem so representative of India: the impression I get is that of a character – Uma – who might be possibly Irish or even Italian. Westerners share the same common imagery about India and this common imagery is banal and dominated by prejudices. The book is ambiguous, in the sense that neither supports this statement, nor deny it. The same ambiguity lies in the second part of the novel – that dedicated to Arun – which takes place in the United Stated of America. Anita Desai gives us tenets and traits of the American Society coming in the story of an American family. Here there aren’t crowded busses or temples, but televisions, junk food, couches, barbecues, baseball matches and people who enjoy all these objects and events. The same dusty air is breathed by Arun when he goes back home walking on the boundaries of the street. The same atmosphere of heaviness which degenerates into disease. For these very reasons I state that Uma and her story are not so â€Å"Indian†. Moreover, I have some perplexities about the last chapter – really shorter than the first one – which doesn’t find a proper literary justification. It is a sort of appendix, even if only almost at the end of the book there’s the precise reference to the tile â€Å"Fasting, feasting† and is embodied by the bulimic girl. Alessandra Crimi 5 H Liceo Scientifico â€Å"M. Grigoletti† Pordenone Anita Desai – Fasting, Feasting Fasting, Feasting is one of the most interesting books I have ever read. Thanks to the brilliant descriptions and the elegant narration the reader has the opportunity to create an imaginary but precise setting were characters develop during the story. I think that this novel is like a mirror because it gives the opportunity to reflect, in both meanings of the word. We can reflect ourselves in the protagonists (mirror-like effect) and we can reflect, think, about the different values and importance that people from different societies give to ideals they believe in. In my opinion the rhythm of the narration is sometimes too slow, but I can understand that it is due to the fact that, once again, it mirrors the context where the story takes place. In India, in fact, there is no frenetic life, no stress, no anxiety of living and for this very reason people can pay attention to little events that we probably ignore. When the father asks for his drink, it seems to me that everyone in the family has to stop and be there for this event; when a guest arrives unexpectedly, all the attention is directed to him; even the choice of one kind of food rather than another seems to be one of the most important problems of the day. . The character of Mumdad is what emotionally touched me most, maybe because to a certain extent I can detect in them some traits my parents have. The image of Mumdad on the swing describes their indissoluble bond. Mumdad are a unique person/entity made up of two different souls. These two souls are always at unison, they never take opposite decisions, they argue but they always find a compromise, they are, in a word, complementary. I always admired this ability to build little by little a life together even if, for a child, sometimes it’s not so easy to accept their decision, or rather, their impositions. Uma is my favourite character. In some parts of the novel I felt really involved in her problems, in her thoughts and desires. She loves school even if she isn’t able to get good marks; she loves learning, she wants to try again, to spend another year at school, she’s sure she will improve. She suffers when Mumdad decide she should give up her studies. She suffers when she understands she is not as beautiful, intelligent as her sister Aruna, and so she is considered a lesser woman. Uma suffers silently, she accepts her condition of inferiority, yet she is always looking for a moment of glory that, unfortunately, never comes. She is like the most humble flower that grows up silently, that is trampled from the gardener that gave her birth, because a rose is blooming next to the humble flower and he must be there to praise the perfection and beauty of the rose. I’m not saying that I reflect myself in Uma , absolutely not, on the contrary, I’m saying that all my life I have been an Aruna, and I didn’t know about it. I’m an only child, there is no Uma in my family, but thanks to the juxtaposition of the two characters I have understood that I have always been loved and pampered and nursed and highly considered and I don’t really know if I deserve all this. This book has really been a great opportunity for me, it has made me reflect on my values and on the meaning of my â€Å"little† life: too often we don’t realise what is around us. But now I want stop talking about me. I would love to write a few lines about arranged marriages. In our Western society, marriage is generally viewed as a value strongly linked with the concept of freedom, the freedom to choose the person with whom we would like to spend all our life. We have this great opportunity and we often waste it. We are free to love a person for his peculiarities and not for his money and often people choose the partner for his richness, we get married and then we divorce and kids are treated as merchandise, we often get married for reasons that sometimes are far away from love and we claim to judge a society where parents choose a spouse for their children. I think that Western people are more contradictory than what they want to admit and perhaps less happy. Perhaps it is this very feeling that leads plenty of us to judge other cultures. DA PIEVE LUCIA 5 H Liceo scientifico â€Å"M. Grigoletti† Anita Desai â€Å"Fasting,Feasting† This is the first book by Anita Desai I have ever read. Her observations are astute whether they are on living conditions in India or USA. Anita Desai uses her words perfectly to convey exactly what she feels,but even if it could seem a contradiction,I think that the problem with the book is its dry, clinical approach in chronicling the lives of the characters, the book lacks passion. I was always on the outside, looking into the lives of people. The book offers few chances of getting involved with the characters ,in fact while reading the book I didn’t feel the compulsion of finishing it quickly. The part I liked better is the first half of the book that deals with life in a small, slow town in India, with rigid parents and well-drafted routines. The †Indian half† is more detailed than the other half which deals with the â€Å"rule-less† life in suburban USA. In the first half there is a partly successful, proud father, who goes through life, with set patterns and no passion. A mother who goes along with her husband, doing what is supposedly right and expected of her, curbing and killing all her innate desires. Three children. The eldest, Uma, clumsy . The middle daughter Aruna, pretty, ambitious and smart, but eventually also a victim of her choices. The last, a son, Arun, on whom the parents put all their dreams and energies. All of them, along with members of their extended family, go through some form of deprivation (of will, of fun, of passion and of love). I think that a merit of this book is the way it highlights the Indian traditions, cultures and mostly the place of a woman in an Indian family. I liked the character of Uma in the book because she is both willing to take a chance with life and at the same time dedicated to her family.She takes whatever happens to her life with such grace that she does not give me a chance to cry for her. I like her inner strength. The story in itself is told from the perspective of the protagonist, Uma, who starts out as a wideeyed child at a convent who shows an enthusiasm for education but with the birth of her brother Arun, Uma takes on the role of nanny. Here, one encounters the distinct preference parents have for the male child. Desai next explores the conventional belief that ties a woman’s worth to her physical appearance. A woman who lacks beauty is often rushed into the first marital offer she receives, only to pay a heavy price later on. Desai shows the challenges a single woman faces regardless of how successful she is. By contrast, Uma’s cousin is portrayed as the ultimate success because she is able to marry well thanks to her looks. She makes the reader wonder how happy she truly is, when she eventually takes her own life. Uma is the main character in the first half of the novel. She is a clumsy, uncoordinated woman who finds it difficult to succeed in almost everything she does – she fails in school, can’t cook, spills food and drink and can’t find anyone worthwhile to get married to. Her father feels that Uma is incapable of fending for herself, as she is too clumsy, uncoordinated and proves a failure in almost everything she does.Uma fails in school, in the kitchen and she even fails to find anyone worthwhile to get married to. The father asks Uma to interrupt her studies in the Christian convent when he find out she not doing very well at school. He feels that it was a waste of time and money to provide Uma an education ;he has other plans for her.She will look after her baby brother Arun and take care of the household while her mother rests after giving birth. Uma’s life is constantly planned by her father.Uma cannot resist her father’s oppressive patriarchal ideology, as she is afraid of the consequences that would befall her if she angered the colonial characteristics of her father. Uma’s entertainment comes in the form of her cousin, Ramu. When Ramu is around, Uma feels at ease. But the father feels that Ramu is a bad influence on Uma. He does not want Uma to be influenced by other men who are capable of brainwashing her to resist the demands of his patriarchal nature. Anita Desai. (2016, May 06).

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Effect of Music During Worship Service Term Paper

Effect of Music During Worship Service - Term Paper Example Consequently, the congregation expresses their unity through singing together a repeated common story thus facilitating the formation of religious identity. Gospel music components such as the pitch, rhythm and lyrics are humanly organised thus they strongly affect the worshippers emotions through influencing the chemical processes of the brain thus leading to reflections, joy, sadness and physical expression of the gospel truth through body movements (Wren, 2000). In addition, emotions are reflected in the patterns of belief and actions like bodily movements unlike passive listening to professional choirs (Christian, 2003). The research paper will enable us understand the reasons behind the growth of use of music during worship especially in evangelical churches. The research will be instrumental in composition of worship music that strengthens the emotions of the worshippers and glorifies the gospel. Hypothesis statement Music executed properly will bring the glory of God that will cause every believer to participate in the worship service. Research questions In order to understand the effect of music during worship, the research paper will answer the following questions. I. How often is music used during worship? II. Does music during worship strengthen the emotions and minds of the worshippers? III. Does music during worship allow more freedom of expression through the lifting of hands and other body movements? IV. Can music during worship unify Christians and exalt God? Literature review In 1500, Roman Catholic Church worship was practically a formal affair with professional choirs leading the music. However, the prevailing attitude among the congregations was that God needed the best from every worshiper instead of worshippers listening attentively to... This paper approves that music during worship will establish the mood thus enabling the congregation to value both faith and feelings towards the creator. Musical rhythms have deep personal associations for worshippers thus act as a reference point during worship. Music during worship facilitates revelation since Christians believe that revelation that is both natural through human experience and also supernatural through praise and worship. However, majority of the Catholic respondents see music as not essential during worship and they do not necessary express their freedom through bodily movements, but through prayer. The research findings point out that a majority of the Churches incorporate music during their worship regardless of whether in an urban or rural setting. This report makes a conclusion that music is a powerful tool of worship since it influences the mental and spiritual aspects of the worshippers. The primary effect of music is to provides the worshippers an opportunity for participation thus improving their remembering and reinforcing the unity and gospel truth. Music during worship affects the worshippers’ emotions and feelings thus strengthening their spiritual and mental capacities. Nearly all Churches, regardless of the denomination have incorporated either Gospel or contemporary music in their services. Although traditional churches denominations like the Catholic have not appreciated the effect of music during worship, modern denominations like the Baptism appreciate music as essential in worship.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Human Resources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Human Resources - Essay Example This paper discusses the major staffing factors that contribute to poor performance by the employees and how one would assess whether the perceived dismal performance resulted from a training problem (DuBrin, 2009).   Perhaps one of the major causes of dismal employee performance is the absence of clear job descriptions that causes disorganizations especially within manufacturing industries. Marchington & Wilkinson (2006) note that when job roles are unclear, communication issues are bound to arise thus setting the stage for a myriad of performance related issues within the organization. Although unclear understanding of the obligations of the staff may lead to confusion at work, it may also cause job overlap where one job role is assigned to more than one person. This staffing problem according to DuBrin (2009) normally manifests when employees cannot fathom what their respective employers and managers expect of them in addition to being clueless about their personal limits at wor k. This is mainly because chance could be that some of the responsibilities that employees grapple with on a daily basis are not in their job description and thus could be causing them unnecessary burden that could adversely affect their performance at work. The best strategies for mitigating this problem include updating job description, training employees on teambuilding, and redesigning the job roles (Marchington & Wilkinson, 2006).   Moreover, recruitment and selection issues could lead to compromise in the quality of performance by the employees at their respective workstations. In many occasions, staffing problems begin at the time of recruitment and selection where the HR Managers could mismatch the employee and the job, or there could be job oversold for example the suggestions of nonexistent career advancement, over-qualification of the prospective workers, and the under-mention of the perceived uninteresting aspects of the job (DuBrin, 2009). This situation often leads t o job alienation on the side of the employees, which often affect their overall performance within a given industry. When employees discover some aspects about the job that they were unaware of at the time of the recruitment, they feel demoralized by the perceived dishonesty on the part of their employers. Therefore, many approach their job roles from an indifferent perspective, or they could simply harbor the intention of sending a strong message to their employers by ensuring poor performance (Marchington & Wilkinson, 2006).  However, there are strategies to deal with recruitment issues that tend to derail the performance objectives of the company. These may include the review of the procedures and processes of recruitment, and retraining the staff involved with recruitment on the job descriptions as well as updating the job specifications and descriptions. Promotion problems could lead to below par performance by employees especially in situations where the staffs receive undes erving job offers and promotions. In occasions where the company promotes its staff to a level beyond their capabilities or the staffs get earlier than usual job promotions, such

Monday, August 26, 2019

Poverty in Canada Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Poverty in Canada - Research Proposal Example Most of the Canadians dwelling in the prosperous cities like Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver are very proud of their wealth and business opportunities. But this is not the real case projected, as it has been noticed that it is amongst such prospering and flourishing communities where the staggering amounts of poverty exists. New learnings show that Canada's urban areas are facing a rise in the problems as homelessness, drug abuse, child poverty, unaffordable basic day to day needs etc. The phenomenon of poverty is always interrelated to political, social and cultural dimensions. But the most important missing point is the lack of government income supports. The evidences of this can be seen in the efforts of World Vision Canada, "taking steps to put global poverty on the Canadian federal election agenda". (1) The two objectives are the main concern of the upcoming elections in Canada, to be put by the organization. The first is that the government of Canada must make concrete investments in combating child morality. And another one is that the government should increase the Overseas Development Assistance to 0.7% of the Gross National Income, as promised previously. These are the clear evidences of the prevailing problem of poverty in Canada. The truth is that the total eradication of poverty requires "not only the political action but also the deeper social, economic and cultural transformation". (2). Similar is the call for self-responsibility. My project explores the dimensions of poverty in Canada, response to poverty including policy change as well as societal transformation. It also includes the missing as well as prevalent resources and the access to them. (2) Ending Poverty in Canada. Economic Justice Report. Volume 4, Number 2. June 2005. It has been rightly stated in 'Evangelical Fellowship of Canada' that, "No matter what our social places or tasks, individuals and groups can address poverty. For example, journalists can report on the causes, extent and solutions for poverty; business people can address employment issues; schools and teachers can help address poverty and learning. Whatever the unique task of each institution, however, all can aim to sustain life, reverse the cycle of poverty, and help prevent further poverty." Assumptions Before any of the research work conducted by me there were a few assumptions in mind regarding the issue of poverty in Canada. The first assumption was that I thought that the poverty cropped in the small cities of Canada as the big ones as Vancouver and Montreal seemed quite flourishing and advanced having great wealth. But as per my research, it has been noted that many of the people are left behind while the rich keep accumulating the wealth. And the poverty is "increased throughout" and "more so in metropolitan areas" which constitutes a more serious problem. (3) (3) Lee. Kevin K. Urban Poverty in Canada: A statistical Profile. Chapter 6.April 2000. My second assumption was about the active participation of the government on the issue of pove

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Industrial Grinders' Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Industrial Grinders' - Case Study Example Problem Statement & Analysis of Key Issues/Root Causes Industrial Grinders’ initial problem is the introduction of plastic ring, a surrogate for the steel rings effective in certain machines by the French firm Henri Poulenc. The merchandise is used for the same purpose the steel ring does, which Industrial Grinders manufactures. In analyzing the key issues and root causes, the plastic ring was new to the market and sold at a lower price than the steel ring. The plastic ring is 4 times the wearing characteristics of the steel ring that fully devastate the demand for the steel ring. Lawrence Bridgeman, the overall manager of the German plant had done a research and found out that the problem stemmed from I.G.’s large capacity of steel rings in hand, and the considerable inventory of exceptional steel for their manufacture. In analyzing the key issues and root causes after a thorough survey by Bridgeman, the problem was that the special steel could not be sold even for scr ap and the total book value of these inventories exceeded $93,000 (Industrial Grinders & Machining, 2012). In analyzing the key issues and root causes, Industrial Grinders Company faced a competitive nature in the line of the product it was manufacturing. Competition had become fairly strong with the idea of Japan’s industries producing low-priced spare parts that successfully entered into the global business (Industrial Grinders & Machining, 2012). Many companies had also established themselves and were producing low-quality and low-priced machines that attracted many clients across the globe. Industrial Grinders lost many clients who decided to try the cheap merchandise that had low price. Tests conducted by Ericsson and Greiner showed a critical problem faced by Industrial Grinders. In analyzing the key issues and root causes, the problem was the plastic ring produced by the French plant that had 4 times the wearing properties of the steel ring. The challenge faced by Indu strial Grinders is that it would fully devastate the demand for the steel ring in the international market, hence reducing the profits achieved annually. The production and selling rate of the steel ring will go down drastically because the plastic rings and the industry will find it difficult to operate in its full capacity and 15100 finished rings would be left on hand by the mid year. Action Plan & Alternative Courses of Action Plans and Their Associated Consequences I critically think Industrial Grinders’ alternative courses of action and their associated consequences should initiate from the management and employees efforts. They should be ready to find quick and workable solutions to their problems to become effective in their line of business (Industrial Grinders & Machining, 2012). Firstly, I.G’s initial action plan is advertising their steel rings effectively to the consumer by stating the significance and advantages of it. It should use the media and any othe r accessible means to reach out to clients and promote their merchandise effectively. Industrial Grinders’ management should not hesitate to release funds for the advertisement purpose and the department concerned should initiate the action plan. The associated consequence for this plan is that Industrial Grinders Company will be known and recognized by potential clients. These

Essay 4 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

4 - Essay Example the minority) have to share and distribute to those without, and yields are also continuing to drop as the price of fuel needed to transport the crops to various areas increases with reduced fossil fuel. According to the national geographic article by Bourne (2009), this reduction in the food culminated with the increasing population will in future lead to severe food shortage as the production and the distribution continues to dwindle by the day. 2. What are the pros and cons of large scale monoculture farming? Be sure to include its impact things like soil, water, air, nutrient availability, ecosystem services, climate change, disease and pests, etc. Monoculture is the planting of only one type of crop on large tracts of land for industrial purposes (Despommier, 2009). There are several disadvantages associated with this type of agriculture. Since the crops are wanted to yield more as they are for large scale use, there is an increased use of pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers and other chemicals all of which end up harming the soil and even reducing the nutrients available in the soil. Nutrients availability is also reduced as most of the crops in monoculture (which include tea, trees, soya and sugarcane among others) do not provide nutrients to the soil when compared to the diversity of crops planted by small scale farmers. Water is mostly contaminated by the chemicals making it not consumable. The advantage of this type of farming as explained by Despommier (2008) is the reduction in diseases and pests as a result of the constant pesticide and herbicides used. As most of the crops are trees, there is reduced wind and soil erosion as well as a reduction in the carbon dioxide which is an advantage to climate changes and reduces global warming. The air is also fresh and cold which is good for the ecosystem. 3. What are some large scale and local scale solutions to providing food, minimizing impacts on ecosystems, enhancing ecosystem services, and building

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Auditing - Understanding and Assessing Internal Control Essay

Auditing - Understanding and Assessing Internal Control - Essay Example 3. There is a risk of window dressing from store managers in order to achieve higher bonuses. They may use techniques to alter the figurers of the inventory as to avail the bonus for example by not recording the last day inventory as to show a better inventory management which will ultimately result in understatement of inventory and payable balances. 4. The risk in this case is that, the remaining staff may not possess the same level of skills. They may be unable provide with the quality of service required to detect, prevent and correct the misstatements. Fewer numbers of people in the internal audit department will also put extra burden of responsibility on the remaining staff so, the level of care could also be compromised resulting in non-detection of misstatements. 5. The risk in this case is that the quarterly financial statements are not presented to the bank as required and it withdraws the credit facility. If this happens, there is a danger that the Homepro would have liquidity problems, which may prevent the company to carry business and revenue is lost. There are also chances of window dressing. 6. Increased use of online shopping is a threat to the Homepro, since it may have serious effects on revenue (AUASB, 2009). There is a possibility that the opening of the online store would be delayed and the revenue would be lost. There is a threat of revenue being overstated to present a better picture for example, by recording revenue receipts, which pertain to next year. 7. The increased competition would force price cuts, which would ultimately result in decreased revenue and decreased profits. There are chances of revenue being overstated, or non-recording or delay in recording of expenses to show better profit figure for example by not recording year end expenses to show lower cost of sales. 8. Although the staff has been trained properly to handle the changes in the information system due to up gradation but still there are

Friday, August 23, 2019

Hydrogen bonding and drug designs Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Hydrogen bonding and drug designs - Term Paper Example Hydrogen bonding and drug designs The extent of solubility of a solute depends on its hydrophilic nature. A molecule is more soluble if it can form numerous hydrogen bonds with its water solvent.1 Hydrophobic interactions between hydrophobic regions of the binding site of a ligand and its lipophilic surfaces are important predictors of its interactions in a biological system, which may affect water solubility to such an extent that may even result in unfavorable pharmacokinetic properties.2 It is thus evident that the number of hydrogen bonds made by a drug is an important determinant of its solubility, and ultimately, its bioavailability and effectiveness in a living system. This paper reviews three studies on the hydrogen bonding properties of drugs in an attempt to investigate the utility of hydrogen bonding studies in drug solubility prediction and drug design. Methodology The aim of this paper is to investigate the effects of hydrogen bonding on the molecular properties of drugs dissolved in water. Additionally, other aspects of the role of hydrogen bonding in drug design will also be dealt with. For the purpose of this review, studies relevant to the aims of this paper were searched via Google Scholar. Three most relevant studies were chosen based on the correlation of their subject of study and the aims of this paper. Results The first study assessed the impact of hydrogen bonding on molecular properties, namely Infrared (IR) and Raman spectra, of three drug molecules (caffeine, aspirin, and ibuprofen) dissolved in water.... ssolved in water.3 The second study investigated various computational and experimental models for the prediction of aqueous drug solubility.4 The third study presented a theoretical calculation of the strength of hydrogen bonding of drug molecules. The findings of these studies are systematically reviewed here. As the first study3 investigated changes in spectra upon dissolution of drugs in water, a frequency calculation was done for three drug molecules (caffeine, aspirin, and ibuprofen) in both gas phase and aqueous solution. IR and Raman spectra of the molecules were analyzed to investigate the influence of both long and short-range interactions on spectral intensity and vibrational frequency. The investigated frequencies were divided into three regions, namely – high, middle and low frequencies. Four different calculations were carried out. The first two calculations began with gas phase geometry optimization followed by calculation of IR and Raman frequencies in the gas phase (GS) and in PCM (Polarized continuum model) using water as solvent. The last two calculations were also done in two stages – geometry optimization with the water molecules located where they are assumed to form hydrogen bonds, followed by calculation of IR and Raman frequencies with and without polarized dielectric continuum. The structures of the three drug molecules with hydrogen-bonded water are shown in figures 1, 2 & 3. Figure 1 — Structure of aspirin hydrogen bonded to water molecules Figure 2 — Structure of caffeine hydrogen bonded to water molecules Figure 3 — Structure of Ibuprofen hydrogen bonded to water molecules In case of caffeine, there was a very small IR absorbance in the high frequency region except for peaks of higher absorbance indicating presence of OH bonds in

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Nursing and American Nurses Association Essay Example for Free

Nursing and American Nurses Association Essay Describe the definition of nursing as put forward by the American Nurses Association. How does it address the metaparadigm theories of nursing? According to the American Nurses Association (ANA), the definition of nursing is â€Å"the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations.† Metaparadigm theories of nursing consists of theories that describe the four interrelated concepts, which are persons, environment, health and illness, and nursing. Persons are the recipients of nursing care and include individuals, families, and communities. Environment refers to the surroundings of the client, internal factors affecting the client, and the setting where nursing care is delivered. Health and illness describe the clients state of well-being. Nursing refers to the actions taken when providing care to a patient. ANA’s definition of nursing has included three of the four concepts that make up the metaparadigm theories of nursing. Its definition strongly emphasizes the concept of nursing. It listed many functions that nurses perform such as: protecting, promoting, optimization of health and physical abilities, preventing illness and injury, alleviating suffering, and advocating for patients (ANA website, n.d.). All these nursing actions are related to the care of health and illness, which is the second concept of the metapardigm theories of nursing. The ANA’s definition of nursing describes in more detail the concept of health and illness in terms of health, abilities, illness, and injury. These physical conditions affect the state of well-being and may lead to one’s own suffering and negative responses (ANA website n.d.). Persons is the third concept. According to the ANA definition of nursing, persons include: individuals, families, communities, and populations that receive nursing care. The fourth concept is environment. It is directly related to the other three concepts mentioned above. The environment is the surroundings or the settings in which nursing care is delivered and includes the in the hospital, home, theater, etc†¦

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Why Is Glacier Equilibrium Line Altitude Important Environmental Sciences Essay

Why Is Glacier Equilibrium Line Altitude Important Environmental Sciences Essay Explain With Examples Why the Glacier Equilibrium Line Altitude (ELA) Is Of Such Key Importance for the Glacier-Climate Relationship. Palaeoclimatic reconstructions based on the limits of former glaciers use estimates of the associated equilibrium line altitudes (Benn and Gemmell 1997). The equilibrium line altitude is defined as the elevation at which mass balance is equal, where accumulation of snow is exactly balanced by ablation over a period of a year (Hoinkes, 1970) meaning that mass balance and the equilibrium line altitude for individual glaciers are usually strongly correlated (Braithwaite and Raper 2010). Therefore there is a very close connection between the Equilibrium Line Altitude and local climate, providing an important indicator of glacier response to climate change and hence allowing for reconstructions of former climates and the prediction of future glacier behaviour (Benn and Lehmkuhl, 2000). In order to truly understand the, often complicated, relationship between a glaciers equilibrium line altitude and the corresponding climate of the local area, definitions of mass balance, accumulation and ablation area and the equilibrium line altitude, must be initially discussed. The ablation area is the lower region of a glacier where snow loss (ablation) exceeds snowfall. The melting of the glacier and the calving of icebergs is the major form of ablation, expressed quantitatively as units of water equivalent, given in meters (Braithwaite 2002). The accumulation area is the upper region of a glacier where snow accumulation exceeds melting. A simplified description in the identification of a cirque depicts the area being an arm chair-shaped bowl (Flint 1971) with the headwall exceeding 35 degrees and the arcuate floor underachieving 20 degrees (Evans 1977). Accumulation occurs mostly through snowfall whether it is direct or blown from neighbouring plateaus and summits. The equilibrium line altitude (ELA) is the boundary between the ablation area and the accumulation area, the elevation at which mass balance is equal, where accumulation of snow is exactly balanced by ablation over a period of a year (Hoinkes 1970). Glacier mass balance is the total difference between the gains and losses over a given period of time, for example a calculation of positive mass, explains that the glacier is gaining mass overall and a negative calculation when the glacier is being seen as losing mass (Benn and Evans 1997). On many glaciers, the amount of annual ablation and accumulation varies systematically with altitude, although this simple pattern is often complicated by local influences. Glacier mass balance reflects the climate of the region in which the glacier is situated together with site specific glacier morphology and local topographic setting. The idea of mass balance is therefore an important link between climatic inputs and glacier behaviour allowing the advance and retreat of many glaciers to be understood in terms of region or global climatic change. Because the equilibrium line is the place where annual accumulation totals exactly balance ablation totals, the ELA is closely connected with local climate, particularly precipitation and air temperatures, being highly sensitive to perturbations in either of these 2 variables, with rises in response to decreasing snowfall and/or increasing frequency of positive air temperatures and vice versa (Benn and Evans 1997). Perhaps the best illustration of glacier-climate interaction is the relationship between the net balance and the ELA. When the annual mass balance of the glacier as a whole is negative the ELA rises, and when the balance is positive, the ELA falls. Variations in the altitude of the equilibrium line on a particular glacier, therefore, can be used as an indicator of climatic fluctuations (Kuhn, 1981). It is useful to specify the climate at the ELA as some unique combination of precipitation and temperature. (Benn and Evans) If a climate change occurs that increases the mass balance the glacier will advance, in an attempt to reach a new equilibrium position. The surplus of accumulation that exists must be balanced by an increase in ablation, which is accomplished by expanding the low-elevation terminus zone of the ablation area. If a climate change occurs that overall reduces the mass balance, the glacier will retreat in an attempt to achieve equilibrium. The retreat will reduce the area of the glacier in the lowest elevation terminus area where ablation is highest. If by retreat mass balance equilibrium is reached the glacier will cease retreating. However, the definition of the ELA initially does not imply that the glacier is in equilibrium and therefore the glacier may be gaining or losing mass on an annual basis. The ELA value associated with zero annual mass balance for the whole glacier is known as the steady-state ELA. When the annual ELA coincides with the steady-state ELA, ice mass and geometry are in equilibrium with climate, and the glacier will neither grow nor shrink. (Benn and Lehmkuhl 2000) However, majority of individual glacier ELAs deviate significantly from local climate ideals due, for example, to patterns of shading and snow redistribution by wind and avalanching. The main variables affecting mass balance at the ELA are winter precipitation (accumulation) and summer temperatures (ablation). A strong relationship exists between summer temperature and precipitation at the ELA of modern glaciers and this has been shown empirically by Ohmura et al. (1992) for 70 glaciers worldwide. Ohmura et al. found that winter accumulation plus summer precipitation (= annual precipitation) had a close relationship with summer temperature (Jun/July/Aug) However, Hughes and Braithwaite (2008) showed that the relationship between accumulation and summer temperature at the glacier ELA was more complicated with annual temperature range playing an important role. They continued to show that because of the role of annual temperature range, there must be a relationship between annual mean temperature and accumulation on a glacier Within the following pages the focus develops upon tropical glaciers in the Andes range, due to their particular degree of variance along latitude in relation to the zero degree isotherm. The difference between the ELA and 0 °C isotherm is a good indicator of the sensitivity of tropical glaciers to climatic global warming. It rises significantly from below zero meters in the inner tropics to several hundred metres in the outer tropics. From below zero degrees: the 0 °C isotherm is above the ELA (Kaser and George 1997). Thus, glaciers in the outer tropics may be more easily affected by changes in precipitation as it governs the albedo and radiation balance. The outer tropics and inner tropics vary significantly regarding this, illustrating the extent of variability of glacier-climate relationships. Within the Peruvian Andes, mass accumulation takes place only during the wet season and predominately in the upper parts of the glaciers, whereas ablation occurs throughout the whole ye ar. Thus, the vertical budget gradient is much stronger on tropical tongues than on those in mid latitudes (Lliboutry, morales and Schneider, 1997). Consequently under equilibrium conditions, tropical ablation areas are markedly smaller and the accumulation area ratio (AAR) has to be considered larger than in mid latitudes (Kaser and George 1997). (Benn et al 2005) Glaciers of the tropics and subtropics inhabit high altitudes and differ in important ways from mid-and high-latitude glaciers in lower topographic settings. Consequently the methods used to reconstruct and interpret former glacier equilibrium line altitudes in low altitude regions need to be tailored to local conditions, as methods and protocols developed for other settings may not be appropriate. Annual variations in mean daily temperatures are smaller than diurnal temperatures ranges. This constancy in the mean daily temperatures in the topics means that the 0 degree Celsius atmospheric isotherm maintains a fairly constant altitude and ablation occurs on the lower parts of glaciers all year. Vertical mass balance profiles are also influenced by climatic setting. In the humid tropics ablation gradients tend to be steeper than in drier environments, due to altitudinal variations in the amount of snow, sleet and rain falling on the ablation zone during the wet months. Thus the mass balance profiles of tropical glaciers tend to exhibit a sharper inflection at the equilibrium line than those of mid latitudes glaciers. The accurate reconstruction of past ELAs requires that the extent and morphology of the former glaciers can be accurately determined. Furthermore the age of the reconstructed glacier needs to be determined to enable researchers to use the ELAs as proxies for past climatic conditions (Benn 2005). The simplest assumption is that all ELA can be attributed to changes in temperature, which can be estimated by using an assumed average environmental lapse rate in the atmosphere. However, if there were associated changes in precipitation, the estimated temperature change would be different. The point applies even in humid tropics. For example, Kaser and Osmaston 2002 found that 20th century changes in the ELAs of glaciers in the Cordillera Blanca cannot be determined by temperature changes alone, but were also influenced by changes in humidity. However, the difficulty of separating out the temperature and precipitation signals need not negate the usefulness of ELA in providing palaeoclimatic information. Glaciers of the Peruvian Cordillera Blanca region represent more than 25% of all tropical glaciers with the 260 glaciers stretching for 130km, reaching 6000m level at several summits. The climate is characterised by small seasonal but large daily temperature variations and the alteration of a pronounced dry season and wet season bringing 70-80% of the annual precipitation. ELA recordings were taken for the 1930s and 1950s on the massif of Santa Cruz, Alpamayo, Pucahirca, in the northern part of the cordillera Blanca by Kaser and George in 1997. The Accumulation Area method was utilised to determine the mean ELA, results highlighting a general reduction of precipitation amounts, mainly during the wet season and therefore a reduction in accumulation. A vertical shift of 35 to 58 meters was also observed a significant rise showing glacier shrinkage and tongue retreat. It is suggested that a reduction in air humidity and its effect on the above mentioned atmospheric circulation system i s the main reason for this determined retreat of the glaciers between 1930 and 1950 as it influences the mass balance in various respects. Furthermore, the rise of the ELA shows different values across the Santa Cruz Pucahirca massif. Concluding, Kaser and George (1997) notify the reader that a combination of spatially uniform rising in air temperature and a decrease in air humidity with spatially different effects has to be taken into account as a cause for the glacier retreat between 1930 and 1950. A second case study, located between 8.5 and 9 °N, the Cordillera de Merida within the Venezuelan Andes, a region within the tropics, which possesses evidence suggesting glacial ice coverage was abundant in the past. Three geographic sub-regions were studied by Schubert (1984) with the view to reconstruct 9 palaeoglaciers. Two methods to determine ELA were used to develop paleoclimatic assumptions: Accumulation Area Ratio method and the Accumulation Area Balance Ratio. The above methods enabled the approximation of ELA during the LGM (last glacial maximum). Results acquired from the study were that the ELA of the individual glaciers lowered in response to decreased air temperatures and increased snow during the LGM. The in depth Investigation revealed the ELA of the 9 observed glaciers would have experienced a lowering of roughly 850-1420m throughout the LGM, coinciding with decreased air temperatures. The palaeoglacier reconstruction demonstrated the spatial extent to which the eq uilibrium line altitude is susceptible to change in response to climatic changes within the Cordillera de Merida. Conclusions implied a support towards a later proposition that a glaciers ELA is closely connected with the surrounding local climate (Benn and Lehmkuhl 2000). The following final case study locates within the Cordillera Real and Cordillera de Quimsa Cruz, in the Bolivian Andes, due to the low latitude, glaciation within the area is reduced and glaciers are small (80% cover less than 0.5  km ²). Within the study Rabatel et al (2008) 15 proglacial margins were investigated, leading to a further reduction of 10 principle moraines being identified that mark the successive positions of glaciers over the last four centuries. The ELA was determined on each glacier using the Accumulation Area Ratio method. The reconstruction of the glacier ELA and observations of any changes in mass balance, Rabatel et al (2998) expressed that glacier maximum may be due to a 20 to 30% increase in precipitation and a 1.1 to 1.2 degrees Celsius decrease in temperature compared with present conditions. Increasing accumulation of snow above the ELA suggests snowfalls have a strong influence on the net radiative balance in the ablation zone via the albedo. The rese archers continue to explain that within the early 18th century, glaciers began to retreat at varying rates until the late 19th to early 20th century; this trend was generally associated with decreasing accumulation rates. By contrast, glacier recession in the 20th century was mainly the consequence of an increase in temperature and humidity. Although the ELA of a glacier, past or present can be a first-rate proxy for the glacier-climate relationship, the methodology chosen can greatly effect the interpretation of the results. Different reconstruction methods of changes in ELA may produce a range of results for the same glacier and therefore inconsistent and unreliable conclusions will be inferred. Ramage et al (2005) compared ELA reconstruction methods within the Junà ­n Plain in the central Peruvian Andes. Descriptions of each method were given and limitations were highlighted. The Toe-to-Headwall Altitude Ration method, a commonly used method due to its relative ease of determining ELAs using map data, expressed that low errors were still evident. The Accumulation Area Ratio method: based on the empirically derived ratio of accumulation area to total area of glacier, however, AARs are likely to be highly variable between glaciers even within small regions, depending on the extent and distribution of debris cover in th e ablation area, and the relative importance of direct snowfall and avalanching as mechanisms of accumulation (Benn and Lehmkuhl 2000) A more accurate method of palaeo ELA calculation is the Furbish and Andrews (1984) Accumulation Area Balance Ratio a method developed due to the inconsistencies within the AAR not accounting for altitudinal distribution of a glaciers surface area. Therefore, this method can be used to derive ELA under assumed steady-state conditions and uses an idealised linear mass balance curve to calculate ELA. Ramage et al (2005) concluded that the methods did not greatly differ for this region and morphology, yet each method possessed different correlation values. The relationships between climate, glaciers and topography are, however, not those of simple cause and effect but are characterized by interdependence. They are also scale and time-dependent in that as a glacier grows it increasingly modifies its climate and the topography (Sutherland 1984). In addition Hodge et al (1998) suggests that although the ELA is a phenomenal proxy for determining glacier climate relationships, it can unfortunately be influenced by other non-climatic factors; for example avalanche, topographic variances and debris fall (Hodge et al 1998). Avalanche can equal increased accumulation, thus a positive mass balance equating to an ELA fall. This can occur regardless of climatic influence; therefore the resulting ELA may not give a 100% accurate representation of the glacier-climate relationship. Smith et al (2005) argues further, that reconstructed tropical LGM ELA lowering may be due to local enhancing factors not solely climate. Additionally, glacier melting, co upled with avalanches, climate and local geographic topography may distort the observed ELA with reference to climatic impact therefore not 100% accurate for indicating glacier-climate relationship. In addition to the ELA other variables have been measured that allow inferences to be made about the relationship between glaciers and the associated past climate. Radiation is a major component in the ablation of ice from glaciers and the effectiveness of radiation on a glacier is a function of the aspect, slope and nature of the snow or ice cover of the glacier surface as well as latitude, date and time of day (Sutherland 1984). Various energy-balance models (Williams, 1975; 1979; Kuhn, 1981) have been devised to model these factors and explain the distribution of present-day and former glaciers as well as investigate general glacier/climate relationships. In the South East Grampians, Sissons and Sutherland (1976) established that the deviation of one unit of the isolation factor from the local value for a horizontal glacier was equivalent to raising or lowering the ELA by 25 m, thus providing a physical link between the two variables. Studies of modern glaciers, particularly of the relationships between their mass balance and the local climate, have provided a sound physical basis on which past climates can be inferred from former glaciers. Studies of the mass balance of modern glaciers have indicated that the equilibrium line altitude is the most critical parameter in the link between glaciers and climate (Sutherland 1984). In relation to tropical glacier regions, sharp changes in the area of the 0 °C isotherm level, highlights the sensitivity of the ELA to climatic changes, posing the notion that to truly understand the complex association between the ELA and the glacier-climate relationship, knowledge on its relative position to the 0 °c level is required. Furthermore, it is safe to assume that the ELA to some extent is a good indicator of climatic change especially in relation to tropical glaciers which have a greater degree of sensitivity to climate. However, it must be noted that there are non-climatic i nfluences upon the calculated ELA for any glacier, past or present and therefore the glacier-climate relationship is a far more complex issue to observe and understand.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Analysis Of The Leadership Of Kim Jong Il History Essay

Analysis Of The Leadership Of Kim Jong Il History Essay It is believed to be important to examine the life and leadership style of Kim Jong Il for several reasons. Among these reasons are the following. There is much talk about an absolute and/or unquestioning loyalty to Jong Il (e.g. Kang, 2006; Pollack, 2009), and it is deemed important to understand the reason for this. In addition, although North Korea bears the description The Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, its political ideology appears to be in no way linked to democracy, and it is believed that the reason for this should be investigated. Also, of grave concern is how the people of North Korea continue to remain in submission to the inhumane treatment that they have been receiving, and how they have managed (i.e. despite the atrocities taking place in their country) to maintain the ideology that their homeland is literally Paradise on Earth (Hyun Sik, 2008, p.50). What allows North Koreans to perpetuate the thought that they are living in a chosen land (Hyun Sik, 2008, p.50) ? Does their political leader have anything to do with it? What about his leadership style? This paper is expected to unearth the truth behind the North Korean situation. It is believed to be important to understand the North Korean situation through the image of its leader, because of the nature of his leadership. Jong Il is described as one who has assumed absolute control of North Korea (Kang, 2006). He is what is known as a dictator. Consequently, it is believed that if he were to be properly examined then it may be understood why he is the way he is, how the people of North Korea have been affected by his rule as well as how things may be able to turn around for his country and people. To gain the above understanding, an academic research will be conducted on Jong Il in an effort to be able to assess his life and leadership style to gain the desired result. This research will be conducted in the form of a literature review. First the leaders biography will be presented followed by which his leadership style will be diagnosed and assessed within the context of Nahavandis text book on leadership (i.e. The Art and Science of Leadership, fifth edition). Through an analysis of the literature and Nahavandis text, the parallels between Jong Ils leadership style and the concepts discussed within the text will be identified in order for a critical assessment of the North Korean political leadership situation to take place. This assessment should be what will produce a conceptual understanding of the present political leadership within the North Korean context as well as how this leadership situation not only coincides with what Nahavandi (2009) presents, but also works to a ffect the lives of the North Korean people (i.e. inclusive of its leader, Jong Il, the one in question). A brief history of the leader It is unclear when Kim Jong Il was born as well as under what circumstances his birth took place. Jong Il, according to Pike (2009), was born on the 16th day of February, 1941. AE Television Networks (2009) also stated the same date of birth for Jong Il. However, both Pike (2009) and AE Television Networks (2009), acknowledge that Jong Ils year of birth was subsequently adjusted to 1942. The reason given by Pike (2009) for this change was that the same was expected to necessitate a thirty-year age difference between Jong Il and his father Il Sung. The circumstances surrounding Jong Ils birth remain a mystery. Many accounts have been given of the same. Some of these accounts include the following: Jong Ils family claimed that a swallow foretold his birth; others claim that a double rainbow appeared over Mount Baekdu when he was born, while some even stated that with the event of his birth, a new star appeared in the heavens. All these theories surrounding his birth take root in what is described as a cult of personality, which simply illustrates that legend and official North Korean government accounts describe [Jong Ils] life, character, and actions in ways that promote and legitimize his leadership (AE Television Networks, 2009). Needless to say, whether Jong Il was born in Khabarovsk, USSR or in a secret camp on Mt. Baekdu in Samjiyon County, Ryanggang Province (Pike, 2009), there appears to be something mystic about this leader. If there was not, then why would all of North Korea hail him as the Dear Leader and interpret hi s as well as his fathers existence through an analogy of Jesus Christ and God (i.e. with Jong Il being made to represent Jesus Christ in the minds of the North Korean people, while his father, Il Sung, is being made to represent God in the minds of the same) (AE Television Networks, 2009; Kang, 2006)? As Kang (2006) stated, the people of North Korea literally worship Jong Il just as they worshipped his father Kim Il Sung. One North Korean gave the following account of Jong Il: General Kim Jong Il is a rare great man of Baekdu type who was born at Mt. Baekdu, the sacred mountain of our nation, and made an unusual growth amidst the special revolutionary education of his parents, brilliant commanders of Baekdu, as well as the practical training of the revolutionary struggle. He personifies the revolutionary spirit, trait and nature of Mt. Baekdu. The revolutionary spirit of Mt. Baekdu personified by him is the spirit of independence associated with the soul of Baekdu, the spirit of gun inheriting the linage of Baekdu, the indefatigable revolutionary spirit replete with the mettle of Baekdu and the optimistic spirit consistent with cheerfulness of Baekdu. The revolutionary trait of Mt. Baekdu possessed by him is pluck and courage of Baekdu-style giant, ever-victorious sagacity of the brilliant commander of Baekdu, broad-mindedness befitting a heroic man, organizing ability of leading millions of people, indefatigable attacking spirit, strong ability of executi on (Pike, 2009). As mystic as Jong Il may have appeared, he was seen as one who demonstrated loyalty to his father Il Sung. This loyalty, according to Pike (2009), was demonstrated through Jong Ils involvement of the purging of his fathers guerrilla cronies as well as those who were not deemed personal friends of the Great Leader (Kang, 2006). It is believed that this loyalty to his father is what made him his fathers successor. Jong Il was described as forever being in politics. He was noted as being active in the Childrens Union a youth organization that promotes the concept of Juche (the spirit of self-reliance) as well as in the Democratic Youth League, where he engaged in the study of Marxist ideology (i.e. in relation to politics) (AE Television Networks, 2009). It is believed that in 1974, Jong Il was named the successor of the revolutionary cause of Juche, and that between 1971 and 1980; he was given positions of increasing importance within the Korean Workers Party (Pike, 2009). When Jong Il was named successor to the cause of Juche, he reportedly embarked on an initiative, which saw to the advancement of the program, which was concerned with the imbuing of the entire Korean society with the Juche ideology (Pike, 2009). Kim Jong Il reportedly had an interest in many disciplines, none of which he was particularly good at (Hyun Sik, 2008). One of the disciplines Jong Il was interested in was the arts. He was described by AE Television Networks (2009) as the overseer of the Propaganda and Agitation department in his country. This department was the one responsible for controlling the media as well as for censorship (AE Television Networks, 2009). As leader of this department, Jong Il reportedly used the mass media, literature and art, all media that fall under the umbrella term popular culture, to stretch his public image as well as to obtain popular support for himself (Pike, 2009). When Jong Ils father died in 1994, Jong Il reportedly assumed supreme power over the North Korean state. It is through this acquisition of power that Jong Il à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦micro-manages every detail of government business (Pike, 2009). Pike (2009) describes Jong Il as being opposite to his father. He is described as being impatient as well as a vivid displayer of extemporaneous behaviours. Jong Il is described as being arrogant and self-centered in policy decision making, unappreciative of criticism as well as opposing opinion and emotional when it comes to displaying his likes and dislikes (Pike, 2009). However, on his softer side, Jong Il is known to be a lover of movies (e.g. James Bond movies) and is known to have a personal collection of films in excess of 20000 (AE Television Networks, 2009). Nevertheless, despite the latter, Jong Il can be thought of as a sad case, because his legitimacy as ruler of North Korea is determined by the said countrys political system. As a result, Jong Il remains prisoner to a system into which he was born. There is nothing Jong Il could do to reform his nations political system without undermining his own legitimacy. Therefore, his only rational option is to uphold the system (P ike, 2009). Jong Ils upholding of the system is notably in the best interest of his country. A critical assessment of the life and leadership style of Kim Jong Il Kim Jong Il, on the basis of his biography, can be deemed a charismatic leader. However, he is of the unethical type. He is deemed a charismatic leader because he shows forth characteristics such as a high degree of self-confidence (expressed through his firm belief in his ideology), strong convictions about his ideas (which is based on him being unaccepting of criticisms as well as opposing opinions), expressiveness (manifested through his description of being an emotionally expressive individual) as well as activeness in image building (expressed through his use of popular culture to expand his popular image) (Nahavandi, 2009; Pike, 2009). However, although the above is true of Jong Il, he is also deemed to be unethical for several reasons. Jong Il is noted to use his power for personal gain or impact and to promote his personal vision (i.e. through the use of the Propaganda and Agitation Department), to censure critical or opposing views (i.e. through his unaccepting of them), to demand that his decisions be accepted without question (as manifested through the unquestioning compliance spoken of by Kang, 2006), to use one-way communication, and to be insensitive to followers needs (accounted for through Kangs description of the sufferings that the people of Korea are made to endure at the hand of Jong Il) (Howell Avolio, 1992). Although Jong Il uses his power indiscriminately, he can still be considered an effective leader. This is because based on the circumstances in his country; he uses his power to maintain the stability required for the effective functioning of the same. It may not be the view of many outside of North Korea. However, with the level of brainwashing the people of that land have received nothing seems wrong for most of not all. As it was noted earlier, even though Jong Ils leadership style is not the best, he has no choice than to ensure that it is perpetuated. This is because if he chooses to change the way his authority is ascribed to him (i.e. to reform the political system in his country); he will be doing himself more harm than good. As Pike (2009) described, Jong Il is a prisoner to the system; a prisoner in that even if he wants to change the system, he would not, because of the unwillingness to give up his supreme, divine status. It is what grants him his legitimacy as political l eader of North Korea, and it therefore cannot be changed without upsetting the present leaders legitimacy to rule over the state. Jong Il can therefore be placed within the context of the contingency era of leadership. This is because as Fiedler describes, his effectiveness as a leader is based on a match between his leadership style and the leadership situation (Nahavandi, 2009). Jong Il is effective as a leader because his leadership style matches his leadership situation (Nahavandi, 2009). Jong Ils leadership personality can also be interpreted in terms of the behaviorist perspective. It can be thought that Jong Il was trained to be the type of leader that he is. His father, Il Sung, ensured that Jong Il was groomed in a particular way from young. He (Jong Il) was made to attend specific schools; namely, Namsan Primary School (a school he later destroyed through bombing), Namsan Higher Middle School, and Kim Il Sung University (AE Television Networks, 2009; Hyun Sik, 2008). According to Hyun Sik (2008), these schools (afore mentioned) were reserved for the elite of the North Korean society, in particular, party officials above the rank of vice minister (p.47). At these schools, the concept of Juche was taught. Apart from attending these schools, Jong Il was able to nurse the Juche ideology from being in close contact with his father as well as through his involvement with the Childrens Union. Consequently, he was able to perpetuate its existence. Jong Il believably lea rned to be a dictator, an autocratic, because as his former instructor described, he was a shy young man (Hyun Sik, 2008). But what made him acquire this leadership personality? It is believed that Jong Il was predisposed to acquire certain behavioral characteristics that would have allowed him to be an effective leader today. It is believed that Jong Il was exposed to a great deal of charismatic experiences throughout his early life. As a result of this it is assumed that he has adopted a certain degree of charisma and that this very charisma is what he was able to use to sway the minds of the Korean people in the direction that he wanted them to go. Jong Il, because of his ability to manipulate the minds of the North Korean people, through the channel of indoctrination, as accounted for by Lankov (2007), can be described as an individual who scores high on the Machiavellian personality scale. Jong Il and his parents crafty use of supernatural accounts at the time of his birth were used to convince the people of North Korea that Jong Il is a deity. Consequently, the North Korean people found themselves worshipping Jong Il in much the same way as they worshi pped his father (Kang, 2006). Apart from Jong Il being made to look like a deity, he reportedly did all in his power to keep the people of North Korea thinking and acting in a particular way, a way that would ensure the continued legitimacy of his power that flows from his position as Supreme Leader/Ruler of the DPRK. For example, as stated by Lankov (2007), North Korea has maintained a self-imposed information blockade that is without parallel (p.71). North Koreans are not allowed to have free tuning radios, neither are they allowed to listen to news casts and programs that are from sources outside North Korea. This news blackout is supposed to keep North Koreans believing that their country is an earthly paradise (Lankov, 2007, p.71). In this way, North Koreans will cast a blind eye upon the inhumanities that Jong Il is said to bestow upon them, because they supposedly do not know any better. In other words, their reality is based purely on what Jong Il feeds them. So, although North Koreans may feel in their h earts and minds that something is wrong with the political leadership in their country (if even they do), they will continue to exist within a false reality, because of the unadulterated doctrine, which has been ingrained deep within their psyche. Continuing on the subject of power, the other sources of power that Kim Jong Il possesses is that of Coercive Power and Reverent Power. Nahavandi states that coercive power is the leaders ability to punish; persons comply for fear of this punishment. Kim Jong Il exercises his Coercive Power by ensuring that he attains full compliance from the people by instilling fear in them by threatening to arrest persons who refuses to adhere to his directives; deeming them political criminals. Jong Il also received Reverent Power through his coercive tactics on his people. He did this by mandating the people to worship him and his father and demanded that all believed and followed the principles of Juche. So not only was he their political leader her was their spiritual leader qualifying his Reverent power. Jong Il is accused of committing many heinous crimes against the North Korean people. Kang (2006) argues that he should be charged for crimes of war as well as of genocide. Kang (2006) argues that although Jong Il may not commit these crimes himself, he (in one way or another) sanctions them. Kang (2006) was careful to mention that the people of North Korea were mistreated on the basis of their religion and nationality. Christians and what were described as half-Han Chinese infants fathered by Chinese or other non-Koreans fell victim to Jong Ils rule. Women, who fled to China and got pregnant there, and were later forced to return to North Korea, were forced to have abortions. In the case of religion, any one who was deemed associated with any other religion besides Juche was persecuted by Jong Il. These persons were typically those who fled to countries outside North Korea seeking refuge, and were suspected of being influenced by outside intervention. However, unfortunately for th em, they were forced to return to their home land (Kang, 2006) where they paid the ultimate penalty for their supposed spiritual fornication. According to Kang (2006): One person testified that she saw prison security officers kill several Christians by pouring molten iron on them after they refused to renounce their religion and accept the state ideology of Juche. In particular, members of underground Christian churches and persons in contact with Christian missionaries have been subjected to harsh punishment, prolonged detention without charge, torture, or execution (p.99). Jong Il is so adamant about his belief in Juche that he went to great lengths to gain compliance from all persons dwelling within his territory of rule. Kang (2006) stated that the citizens of North Korea were literally mandated to worship Jong Il and his father based on what was known as the Ten Great Principles of Unique Ideology. Persons failing to comply with this order became political or ideological criminals and were made to suffer much abuse (inclusive of rape and the deprivation of food and medicine) (Kang, 2006). No one was spared the wrath of Jong Il from the smallest and most innocent of children to the oldest of adults, were made to suffer the consequences of their perceived defiance to Jong Il. For example, it was noted by Kang (2006) that Jong Il punished a nine year old and his family, because the child innocently scribbled over the faces of Jong Il and his father Il Sung that were printed in his text book. Neither the child nor his family was ever seen again; they l iterally vanished off the face of the earth. The interesting thing about Jong Il is that he ensured that he was awarded compliance from his citizens by instilling fear in them. Kang (2006) noted that In addition to [a] cult-like mentality [existing in North Korea], a culture of surveillance pervade[d] [the] North Korean societyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (p.56). Every individual was literally placed as each others watch man to ensure that each individual was living according to Jong Ils rules and/or orders. The Peoples Security Agency, the State Security Protection Agency, and the Korean Workers Party each plant[ed] their own informants in all work-places and units of organization', and since no one knew who exactly was an informant, they were all forced to be on their Ps and Qs (i.e. to be on their best behavior) (Kang, 2006). All these efforts to ensure forced compliance to Jong Il illustrates that the North Korean leader is definitely a high Mach because he is more than willing to do whatever is necessary to gain his desired end (i.e. e ven though it means manipulating other people [as he evidently did] or gaining his desires at the expense of other individuals). From the preceding essay, it can be deduced that Kim Jong Il is definitely the leader of a brutal dictatorship. He displays qualities of an autocrat, because he makes decisions on his own (i.e. without being opposed). The literature exposed him as one being intolerant of criticism and disfavoring of opposing opinions. Jong Il was described as a leader to which there was an unquestioning loyalty. Everything he ordered was executed by his subordinates (i.e. the people over which he ruled) without question. This occurred irrespective of whether the actions were right or wrong. Jong Il was termed a high Mach because he was seen as one using the legitimacy of his power to manipulate his followers into doing precisely what he wanted them to do (i.e. without care for how his desires were affecting the persons directly involved). Jong Il utilized fear tactics to ensure that he gained the compliance he required another indicator that he would score high on the Machiavellian personality scale. Apart from severely punishing people for defying him, he placed the North Korean people against each other by making them all spies for him. The North Korean leader appeared to be a possessor of charismatic qualities (i.e. he was deemed to be one born with special qualities for a special purpose). His birth was described as supernatural in occurrence, and the activities surrounding his birth were used as a tactic to gain the desired support from his followers. Jong Il, despite his negative qualities, appears to be an effective leader because he is able to maintain the stability required in his country. He appears to be operating under the contingency model of leadership because his leadership style appears to be directly related to his leadership situation. However, although Jong Il appears to be an effective leader, he is one that is unethical for various reasons. For example, Jong Il is noted to use his power for personal gain or impact and to promote his personal vision, to censure critical or opposing views, to demand that his decisions be accepted without question, to use one-way communication, and to be insensitive to followers needs all actions that are unethical by Howell and Avolios standards. Jong Il appears to be an explicit case of the nature/nurture principle. He is believed to be endowed with certain character traits (e.g. influence and/or charisma) nature that together with his ideology (Juche) and/or trained behavioral characteristics (authoritarianism or dictatorship) shapes his leadership style nurture. Jong Ils personality and leadership style have created a North Korea that sparks immense interest from the outside world. Apart from them being interpreted as treacherous, it is still unfathomable how the people of North Korea, at the hands of one man, can live to accept such an inhumane political system, and comply with it unquestioningly. Could this be a case demonstrating the share power of indoctrination or is it that North Koreas leader has emerged to be so powerful and feared, because his society provides the grounds for him to do so? Some food for thought.

Monday, August 19, 2019

College Admissions Essay: Dilemma of the Deserted Island :: College Admissions Essays

Dilemma of the Deserted Island    The following question has been asked: What three things I would take with me if I were forced to live on a deserted island? Here are my thoughts:-    1. A YOUNG JACK RUSSELL TERRIER - Training him might keep me occupied for a while and he could guard the camp at night (Hey, there might be large animals prowling the night. Which reminds me of my neighbor, Colin.) My main reason though, is to provide companionship.    My first thought was to bring a human companion, (me Jane, you Tarzan), but I don't know anyone who would want to be stranded with me and I wouldn't want to live alone with someone I had brought against their will. Catch 22.    2. A MACHETE - It can act as a knife, ax, sword and if desperate, it could be used as a hot plate over a fire.    No one told me what sort of island it would be, so I've tried to think of the most versatile tool to bring. With a machete I should be able to make a shelter, fashion other tools and spend many hours learning to whittle. But I really think I would feel more secure with one in my hand if I was attacked by say, a hungry lion. You might be surprised what a sharp machete is capable of and I hope the lion would be too.    3. A MEDIUM SIZED COOKING POT - I've done enough camping to know how difficult things can get without an easy way of cooking.    It would also come in handy for rendering animal fat for my home made lanterns, distilling salt water if there is no running water, (Most Australian islands are dry), it would catch the drips from the mandatory leak in my man-made shelter and finally I could use it to make monotonous music to amuse the dog.

Internal Co-op vs. External Co-op: Is There a Difference? :: Journalism Journalistic Essays

Internal Co-op vs. External Co-op: Is There a Difference? Paul Ethier, a 20-year-old middler entrepreneurship major at Northeastern University, stands at the Information Center in the Curry Student Center on a busy Friday afternoon. In freshly pressed khakis and a slate blue button down shirt, he smiles as he chats casually with one of his employees. Two floors above, Frank Grajales, a middler entrepreneurship and MIS major, sits at the scheduling desk, beside his employees, booking reservations for the student center meeting rooms. Besides the obvious, what do these students have in common? They both are co-op students employed by Northeastern University. The co-op department places students in co-ops with outside companies as well as in positions within Northeastern. According to Doreen Hodgkin, Senior Associate Dean for Administration in the Division of Cooperative Education, the university offers a variety of co-op jobs in most on campus departments. They range from jobs in the Registrar’s Office to the Admissions Office and Public Relations Department. There are also jobs in the Career Services Department as well as managerial positions and a co-op at WRBB, the campus radio station. There are only a few locations on campus, such as Lane Health Center, who do not hire co-op students for confidentiality purposes, Hodgkin said. Ethier manages the Information Center and Game Room in the student center. He oversees 26 work-study employees and his tasks range from hiring and scheduling employees to running staff meetings to managing game room revenues and organizing tournaments. He makes decisions on what games and programs to provide in the game room. Ethier said he was first attracted to the job because he enjoys arcade games and was looking for a managerial position. He thought the job would be a great way to combine his interests and to build his resume and did not think he could find a similar experience anywhere else. Grajales manages the scheduling desk in the Curry Student Center, which is a busy hub responsible for all activities going on in the student center. Grajales’ tasks include managing a work-study staff of 11, hiring and scheduling new employees, taking reservations for rooms and database entry. He also deals with and resolves conflicts with room reservations. â€Å"To some people, I’m sort of a figurehead,† said Grajales. Grajales first interviewed for a different position within the student center, but was offered the scheduling desk job instead. After speaking with his future manager he thought it seemed like a fun environment to work in, which proved true when he began working there.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Unbridled Ambition in Shakespeares Macbeth Essay -- Macbeth essays

Unbridled Ambition in Macbeth      Ã‚  Ã‚   Where is there a page in William Shakespeare's tragic play Macbeth which does not present the selfish virtue of personal ambition. This paper addresses the problem of ambition in the drama.    In "Memoranda: Remarks on the Character of Lady Macbeth," Sarah Siddons mentions the ambition of Lady Macbeth and its effect:    [Re "I have given suck" (1.7.54ff.)] Even here, horrific as she is, she shews herself made by ambition, but not by nature, a perfectly savage creature. The very use of such a tender allusion in the midst of her dreadful language, persuades one unequivocally that she has really felt the maternal yearnings of a mother towards her babe, and that she considered this action the most enormous that ever required the strength of human nerves for its perpetration. Her language to Macbeth is the most potently eloquent that guilt could use.   (56)    Clark and Wright in their Introduction to The Complete Works of William Shakespeare interpret the main theme of the play as intertwining with evil and ambition:    While in Hamlet and others of Shakespeare's plays we feel that Shakespeare refined upon and brooded over his thoughts, Macbeth seems as if struck out at a heat and imagined from first to last with rapidity and power, and a subtlety of workmanship which has become instructive. The theme of the drama is the gradual ruin through yielding to evil within and evil without, of a man, who, though from the first tainted by base and ambitious thoughts, yet possessed elements in his nature of possible honor and loyalty. (792)    In "Macbeth as the Imitation of an Action" Francis Fergusson states the place of Macbeth's ambition in the action of the play: .. ...iion of Critical Essays. Alfred Harbage, ed. Englewwod Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1964.    Johnson, Samuel. The Plays of Shakespeare. N.p.: n.p.. 1765. Rpt in Shakespearean Tragedy. Bratchell, D. F. New York, NY: Routledge, 1990.    Kemble, Fanny. "Lady Macbeth." Macmillan's Magazine, 17 (February 1868), p. 354-61. Rpt. in Women Reading Shakespeare 1660-1900. Ann Thompson and Sasha Roberts, eds. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 1997.    Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Macbeth. http://chemicool.com/Shakespeare/macbeth/full.html, no lin.    Siddons, Sarah. "Memoranda: Remarks on the Character of Lady Macbeth." The Life of Mrs. Siddons. Thomas Campbell. London: Effingham Wilson, 1834. Rpt. in Women Reading Shakespeare 1660-1900. Ann Thompson and Sasha Roberts, eds. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 1997.    Unbridled Ambition in Shakespeare's Macbeth Essay -- Macbeth essays Unbridled Ambition in Macbeth      Ã‚  Ã‚   Where is there a page in William Shakespeare's tragic play Macbeth which does not present the selfish virtue of personal ambition. This paper addresses the problem of ambition in the drama.    In "Memoranda: Remarks on the Character of Lady Macbeth," Sarah Siddons mentions the ambition of Lady Macbeth and its effect:    [Re "I have given suck" (1.7.54ff.)] Even here, horrific as she is, she shews herself made by ambition, but not by nature, a perfectly savage creature. The very use of such a tender allusion in the midst of her dreadful language, persuades one unequivocally that she has really felt the maternal yearnings of a mother towards her babe, and that she considered this action the most enormous that ever required the strength of human nerves for its perpetration. Her language to Macbeth is the most potently eloquent that guilt could use.   (56)    Clark and Wright in their Introduction to The Complete Works of William Shakespeare interpret the main theme of the play as intertwining with evil and ambition:    While in Hamlet and others of Shakespeare's plays we feel that Shakespeare refined upon and brooded over his thoughts, Macbeth seems as if struck out at a heat and imagined from first to last with rapidity and power, and a subtlety of workmanship which has become instructive. The theme of the drama is the gradual ruin through yielding to evil within and evil without, of a man, who, though from the first tainted by base and ambitious thoughts, yet possessed elements in his nature of possible honor and loyalty. (792)    In "Macbeth as the Imitation of an Action" Francis Fergusson states the place of Macbeth's ambition in the action of the play: .. ...iion of Critical Essays. Alfred Harbage, ed. Englewwod Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1964.    Johnson, Samuel. The Plays of Shakespeare. N.p.: n.p.. 1765. Rpt in Shakespearean Tragedy. Bratchell, D. F. New York, NY: Routledge, 1990.    Kemble, Fanny. "Lady Macbeth." Macmillan's Magazine, 17 (February 1868), p. 354-61. Rpt. in Women Reading Shakespeare 1660-1900. Ann Thompson and Sasha Roberts, eds. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 1997.    Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Macbeth. http://chemicool.com/Shakespeare/macbeth/full.html, no lin.    Siddons, Sarah. "Memoranda: Remarks on the Character of Lady Macbeth." The Life of Mrs. Siddons. Thomas Campbell. London: Effingham Wilson, 1834. Rpt. in Women Reading Shakespeare 1660-1900. Ann Thompson and Sasha Roberts, eds. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 1997. Â