“Relic” By Ted Hughes Essay

Although nature may be seen as a beautiful way in which different living creatures coexist, Ted Hughes however sees this differently. In the poem Relic he writes about how the creatures in the sea use each other as a means to their end. In this poem, the persona has found a jawbone on the sea shore amongst other bones of dead sea creatures. This sends the persona in deep thought and is made to wonder where it has come from and what it passed from. These predators that live in the â€Å"deeps† have to live from eating other creatures in order to survive. This is seen in the phrase, â€Å"camaraderie does not hold†. These creatures that feed on others in order to ensure their survival however are eaten by other creatures and where before they were victimisers, they have now fallen victim to others. The sea is portrayed as a continuous cycle where life is halted by death and this can be seen by the action of the jawbone to â€Å"continue the beginning†. The idea that life is recycled is also evoked through the use of the long endless lines. These extended lines keep the poem flowing in the sense of a cycle and also in rhythm. Another way, in which the idea of continuity is highlighted, is the fact that this poem evolves the whole cycle in one stanza. The rhythm in this poem is not achieved through a fixed meter, but by repetition. This is also done by the extensive use of monosyllabic words which increases the pace of the poem. The alliteration in â€Å"broken by the breakers† and the use of consonance help the reader to visualise the atmosphere at the beach were the jawbone was found, that is hearing the waves splashing with words like â€Å"flip† and â€Å"gnawn†. The tone exposes the fact that the sea is not a friendly place to be in and even the creatures that prey on other creatures, therefore are on top of the food chain, also become â€Å"Jaws eat and are finished and the jawbone comes to the beach† as they also become part of this recycling process. â€Å"Time in the sea eats its tail† and â€Å"indigestibles† are thrown away. Whatever the sea can’t make use of is disposed of which is an efficient way to help the other sea creatures to survive. The bones become a reminder of an animal which has served its purpose in the sea.

Real Life Situation

My Real Life Situation Back home, I was working as a teaching assistant ,and still is, with limited authorities. At the end of the semester, we usually have the finals week. Our department starts to fall apart as usual, the schedule was a mess; in one day we have 4 exams and on the other day none. It’s a typical end of the semester when all this madness happens , and we struggle every semester to find a solution. This usually happens because of our head department lack of attention or lack of management skills due to his soft personality.I talked to him and asked him if I can step up and fix it once and for all by bringing a standard test schedule that can last for many semesters where no proctors/students will face any troubles in terms of knowing their schedule and the classes . after a long discussion with the head department, he finally decided to give me his permission. I knew that this was my chance to show him my sense of leadership. So I started to define my strategy a nd how am I going to solve this problem.I put a list for all courses and the name of professors whom are teaching it, then ,I put a second list with all the classes rooms In the building, furthermore, I put a third list with all the proctors names that we have in staff . Finaly , I organized the schedule besd upon the priority and student /proctors necessity. I gathered the staff and show them the new changes in a theme that show how simple the procedure will be in the future if we followed the new enhanced schedule. ven thought we had some disagreements in terms of proctors duties and dates, I managed to solve them and at the end every one know his responsibility and was pleased with the solution . My university is stil using my planned schedule and never made any changes in the past three years which means that my plans worked flawlessly . In this dilemma I used a persuasive technique to persuade the committee about how importnant is to have a standerd agenda for future years whic h can help students to prepare ahead to their tests and for proctors to know their duties upfront .I explained also to the committee that I added a pack up plan for proctos in case one of them had to take a day off or missed a test day for personal excuse by easy switch from one proctor to another which defintly worked to my benefit and their agreement. In conclusion, I learned that Good listening is essential for good management so listening to others opinions and suggestions will help you to reach a full agreement thus gaining the respect from others because of paying attention to their needs.

Research Report Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Report - Research Paper Example Critical Analysis of Work Delegation: 11 5.6. Unsuccessful Work Delegation: Reasons: 17 6. Research Methodology: 19 6.1. Sampling Technique 19 6.2. Selection of the Participants 19 6.3. Data Collection: 20 6.4. Data Analysis 20 6.5 Significance of the research: 21 6.6. Research Hypothesis: 21 7. Findings and Analysis: 23 7.1. Analysis of the Questioner (Close ended), of Work Delegators: 23 7.2. Analysis of the Questioner (Close ended) of subordinate, whom the Work is delegated: 30 7.3. Regression Analysis 36 7.4. Analysis of the Open ended Questioner: 38 8. Conclusion: 41 9. References 43 10. Questionnaire 48 11. Appendix 53 1. Introduction Organizations are having different characteristics, some are dynamic, and some of them are complex entities. A crucial aspect related to the functioning of any organization is of how successful they are in executing their missions and main objective is how effectively the top management distributes or delegate responsibilities and tasks to the sub ordinates. In any organization, a senior leader’s time is very important and it is absolutely necessary to wisely invest those times in managerial activities that she is uniquely suited to accomplish (Hughes, 2012). Almost in most of the large organizations, it is not possible or practical for a single individual to carry out all necessary activities which in turn create, sustain and grow a viable enterprise. Therefore, effective delegation is a critical leadership skill (Gazda, 2002). This reality applies to all the profit making, and governmental institutions. Moreover, the wireless revolution and development of information technology in the last 15 years have made business interaction and communications fast, continual, and seemingly less intrusive in daily living. In a time of reduced resources and increase use of automation, it is necessary for leaders to effectively delegate job responsibility to their subordinates. Broadly, delegation is the act of authorizing to act a s representative or agent for another. In broader point of view, delegation can be viewed as giving others the authority or permission to carry out an assignment or work with expected results mutually understood while maintaining the responsibility yourself. It means having sufficient faith in others to let them do important work for you (Hughes, 2012). As the business world continues to become more complex and competitive, demands on manager’s skill and time are increasing and varied. Senior leaders must empower employees and hold them more accountable. They must be able to maximize employee’s knowledge and experience to get the desired results. In a broader scenes we can say that Delegation should challenge subordinates, help the sub ordinates to learn new skills, and build their confidence to realize their full potential while allowing senior principals to focus on issues they can do best. Research further shows that delegating is even more problematic for managers when it cuts across functional areas (Ghumro, Mangi, & Soomro, 2011). It is easy to agree with the need to delegate, but very challenging to put into effective practice. Most supervisors realize they need to delegate, most think they delegate well, but few actually do so. 2. Topic: My research will focus on the effectiveness of delegation of duties in a firm; this is needed because most business managers often delegate duties to the subordinate with the aim of achieving certain goals, which often vary from one individual to the other. This is most often done

South Korean History and Analysis of Social, Technological, Economic, Research Paper

South Korean History and Analysis of Social, Technological, Economic, Environmental, Political Issues - Research Paper Example Some resentments of that period in history still weigh heavy on the memories of some older Koreans. It was a time when Japanese influence became a threat to the language and culture of the Korean people (History of South Korea, 2004). Regardless of the Japanese efforts, today younger Koreans willingly follow Japanese pop culture. When Japan surrendered to the Allies in 1945, it brought the end of World War II; however, it brought further turmoil to Korea. In 1948 the Republic of Korea (R.O.K.) was established with Rhee as the first President. Later that same year the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (D.P.R.K.) was formed under Kim II Sung (History of Korea, 2004). Two years later North Korea invaded South Korea, which prompted the first action under the United Nations Command. Bombings of the North brought devastation and casualties and China to the North’s’ behalf. However, armistice negotiations were started in 1951 and concluded in 1953. It was not until 1987 that South Korea was able to hold its first democratic election (History of South Korea, 2004). Social Atmosphere: The Korean people share a common culture and language history. Today only a small Chinese community of around 20,000 people reside within and influence South Korea. The population has grown to 48.7 million people in a small area the size of Indiana. Populations are very dense in the areas of the Northwest, Southeast, and the plains south of Seoul-Incheon area. Many Koreans have migrated to China, the United States, Japan and other countries that were formerly under Soviet Union rule (US State Department, 2011). The language of the Korean people is influenced by Japanese and Mongolian culture. It does differ from Chinese, as it does not use... This paper stresses that at the end of the 19th century Chinese power became weakened, therefore, Korea was once again open to Western and Japanese invasion. When Japan annexed Korea in 1910, it began a period of imperial rule that lasted 35 years. Some resentments of that period in history still weigh heavy on the memories of some older Koreans. It was a time when Japanese influence became a threat to the language and culture of the Korean peolpe. This discussion declares that the Korean people share a common culture and language history. Today only a small Chinese community of around 20,000 people reside within and influence South Korea. The population has grown to 48.7 million people in a small area the size of Indiana. Populations are very dense in the areas of the Northwest, Southeast, and the plains south of Seoul-Incheon area. Many Koreans have migrated to China, the United States, Japan and other countries that were formerly under Soviet Union rule. The language of the Korean people is influenced by Japanese and Mongolian culture. It does differ from Chinese, as it does not use tones. The earlier well-learned classes spoke Korean, however, read and wrote Chinese. A writing system using phonics was invented in the 15th century to provide a writing system for lower classes that could not read classical Chinese. Today the modern Korean uses hangul with Chinese characters almost exclusively. There are approximately 1300 Chi nese characters being used within the modern Korean language. What about the use of English?

As a leader in the 21st Century, I want to know what technology Research Paper

As a leader in the 21st Century, I want to know what technology decisions to make - Research Paper Example Because of the massive reach of social media, firms regard it as an effective tool for driving relevant messages. From an internal communications point of view, social media allows employees to efficiently manage the exchanging of both professional and personal messages. Through social media, corporate culture has been further enhanced. From an external communications perspective, social media is used by firms to directly interact with their target customers in a less costly manner through the personalization of advertising messages. Therefore, in comparison to traditional forms of media, such as television and radio, marketing professionals prefer social media due to its wide audience reach and flexible nature. In this paper, we examine the relevance of leadership techniques in driving the effectiveness of social media, both internally and externally. As such, the discussion is divided into three parts: (1) look closely into social media as a business tool; (2) delve into the forms of leadership techniques, and (3) analyze the connection between proper leadership techniques and results-driven utilization of social media. In the end, this paper aims to justify its thesis that the effective use of social media in business depends on the leadership styles of leaders in a company. Research: Social Media and its Emerging Relevance in Business Overview of Social Media Social Media is defined by Wright State University (n.d.) as â€Å"an interactive, specifically online, community that builds and enhances relationships between individuals and groups based on interest, occupation, and demographic measures while delivering viable information to such individuals and groups.† Human communication, in this sense, is made more efficient through social media. The increasing use of social media by businesses has been underscored in numerous studies. D’Angelo (2010), in his academic paper entitled â€Å"Social Media Community Management: Implications for Busines s Communication Curriculum,† highlighted that 91% of the top 500 companies the U.S. used at least one social media tool in 2009, an uplift from 77% in 2008. There was also an increase in social media use by small businesses from 12% to 24% between December 2008 and December 2009 (D’Angelo, 2010). Moreover, Harvard Business Review Analytic Services (n.d.), in its newly released survey with top U.S. corporations, claimed that more than three-quarters (79%) of the 2,100 organizations surveyed said that they are currently using social media channels (58%) to launch social media initiatives (21%). As Stelzner (2009) discovered in another study, business owners are more likely to use social media marketing (90%) than employees working for a business (81%). In terms of their actual use of social media, sole proprietors and owners of businesses of 2 to 100 employees mentioned that they have been doing social media marketing for years while 72% of marketers have either just star ted or have been using social media for only a few months (Stelzner, 2009). These data indicate that the rise in the use of social me

Nursing Theorist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nursing Theorist - Essay Example The Neuman Systems Model, as it is sometimes called, â€Å"is a unique, open systems-based perspective that provides a unifying focus for approaching a wide range of international health concerns. Being universal in nature, it is open to creative interpretation and is widely used throughout the world† (Betty, 2009). Placed in the nursing process, Neuman’s system promotes holistic understanding of the patient. Because it is very broad-based and general, as the above quotation suggests, the Neuman system is applicable to a wide variety of situations. The generality of the theory also makes it more feasible in different situations. â€Å"The client in the Neuman’s system model is viewed as an open system in which repeated cycles of input, process, out put and feed back constitute a dynamic organizational pattern. The client may be an individual, a group, a family, a community or an aggregate† (Betty, 2009). Another strength is that the theory is modern, rather than having to be translated across dozens of years, or even centuries. Neuman’s model is actually, while it appears somewhat complicated, about two major components: stress, and the body’s reaction to it. If one can picture the theory in these terms, it becomes somewhat less complicated. One weakness of the theory is that it is so general that compromises in application could also result; another is that t he theory does not appear to have a lot of empirical support in peer-reviewed journals as anything other than a side-note, and the main source of information that comes up on an internet search does not include scholarly articles, but blogs and Neuman’s own website. Purpose: A lot of the problems with esoteric theory have centered around taking a theory and applying it to reality in a realistic and effective manner. Therefore, it is important to know whether or not real-world nurses can see

Health Promotion Module , NAPIER UNIVERSITY , Coursework

Health Promotion Module , NAPIER UNIVERSITY , - Coursework Example One has to describe the whole situation openly so the situation is cleared to everyone. Then it has to be analyzed that what happened was done in correct manner and finally it is evaluated that whether it could have been done in a better manner. All three critical thought processes of reflection ensure better learning from an individual’s past experience (Larrivee, 2000, pp. 293--307). Difference between reflection  in  action and  reflection  on  action Reflection in action is the process of thinking before the task has been done. All the consequences are kept in mind before taking first step of task. Reflection on action is opposite to reflection in action because here a person thinks about the act that has been done and he learns from his experience. In this kind of reflection people feel the situation more realistically and can express feeling more effectively (Keyte and Harris et al., 2012, pp. 155--160). Gibbs model of reflection compare with the Atkins and Mur phy model Gibbs model of reflection is very clear and includes description of situation, feelings of the person facing situation, analysis of whole situation and then evaluates the whole situation leading to new strategies if the particular situation encounters again. While in Atkins and Murphy model awareness to situation is necessary to continue the effective process for description, analysis and evaluation and then a person make further action plans. For the same reason I would prefer to use Atkins and Murphy model because prior knowledge is always better to know the new situation. One must know their comfort level of their feelings and thought [4]. TASK 2 - Evidence-based approach to global health promotion Summary Poverty is biggest evil and for many years humankind is working to eradicate it completely but there comes hurdles that haven’t made it successful like in the case of Africa where much aid has been given but have not shown a significant change (Van Der Berg, 20 08). The speaker Esther Duflo highlighted three problems and there solutions in the discussion, according to her three are three main problems which are as follows: Effective immunization When the speaker started her work in Udaipur Rajistan only one percent children were immunized. She observed that not only providing centers to people is enough but there must be some incentives that encourage them to immunize their kids on time. The strategy was implemented and showed a 6 times increase in the rate of immunization (Drewnowski and Specter, 2004, pp. 6--16). Effective use of net beds During the same case study they found that people were offered bed nets for free and after a year they purchased them because they were used to it unlikely those who did not get for free. Send children to school According to the speaker, only by curing intestinal worm problems a 30% increase in the population can be seen in children going to school (Nodhj?lp, 2013). The speaker carries all statistics an d shows very effectively by telling that education is the cheapest mode to eradicate poverty. As we all know poverty is root of evil. It creates unavoidable circumstances, when someone doesn’t have food to eat or someone’s children are dying he acts violently and here comes need of education

Blow the Whistle or Breathe Insulation Case Study

Blow the Whistle or Breathe Insulation - Case Study Example Relevant details in the case include asbestos contamination in the vault, strong recommendation but not a requirement of the county inspector to remove or seal off the asbestos in the wallboard or pipes, release of company statement that it had complied with the citation but nothing was planned, a memo requiring the employees to perform their normal duties even entering the contaminated vault, refusal of the company to do the demands of the citation because of the high cost of asbestos removal, known hazards of exposure to asbestos by the employees, complaints by the employees and discussions being communicated to the management but received refusal from the President and insisted that the county has reinspected the company and was satisfied with the result, threats to one’s health and job, and thoughts of releasing a major statement to the general public or media to pressure the company to remove the asbestos. Acquring this details, it is wrong to let the employees enter the vault as this compromises employees health and violates the ethical principle of beneficence. Likewise, it might also be wrong to go on public and tell the issue as you might violate the ethical principle of doing no harm to the safety of employment of yours and other employees that might get involved. Conflict arises between the promotion of common good or health of the employees as to the protection of company image to ensure that employees will retain their positions and jobs as well as breadwinners of their families. I can see that the individual who will act as the whistleblower would be affected in terms of job stability; the group of employees who will enter the contaminated vault will also be affected in terms of health; while the company will also be affected once the case is exposed. Consider options in resolving the problem from the perspective of the: Consequentialist: the rightness of the decision is based on the consequences ~ utilitarianism; Deontologist:

Mayan Civilization Essay Example for Free

Mayan Civilization Essay * Which of the three Mesoamerican civilizations is most significant? Explain. The most significant Mesoamerican civilization is the Mayans. The Mayans are the most important for many different reasons. They were a very intelligent civilization and their inventions and discoveries are what set them apart from the other Mesoamerican civilizations. The Mayans civilization was the most significant for multiple reasons. They were the only Mesoamerican civilization that had a written language. It was called Maya Script or Maya hieroglyphs. It is currently the only Mesoamerican writing system that has substantially been deciphered. Not only did they have their own system of writing, they were very clever mathematicians. They had a counting system that was represented by only a dot, a bar, and a symbol for zero. The Mayans were some of the only people to understand the meaning of the zero. This was a huge step in mathematics. Another major discovery was the calendar. The Mayans were most interested in astronomy. They made an astronomical observatory that consisted of 3 windows at the top to determine when the fall and spring equinox, 365 steps to resemble the 365 days on the calendar and a serpent head at the bottom of the stairs. On March 21st the body of the serpent would appear to slither down the pyramid and point towards their water supply. The Mayans were gifted people who made a substantial impact on their time. With their writing, mathematics, and their astronomy as only some of their greatest accomplishments, this proves that the Mayans were the most significant Mesoamerican civilization.

Financial analysis Essay Example for Free

Financial analysis Essay The Back Yard Burgers has 183 restaurants – 44 company-operated and 139 franchisees as on June 30, 2007. The sales figures indicate total revenue of $12,610,000 as compared to last year sales figure of $11,695,000. Restaurant sales accounted for $10,688,000 that is a 10. 3% increase from last year figures of $9,686,000. Out of this 10. 3% increase of revenue, 6. 8% is attributed to the addition of two new company-operated restaurants till Jun 30, 2007 since July 1, 2006. The remaining 3. 5% increase in the revenue from restaurant sales is from the existing restaurants. Thirteen Weeks Ended June 30, July 1, 2007 2006 Revenues: Restaurant sales $ 10,688 $ 9,686 Franchise and area development fees 84 204 Royalty fees 1,265 1,245 Advertising fees 318 314 Other 255 246 Total revenues 12,610 11,695 Expenses: Cost of restaurant sales 3,502 3,120 Restaurant operating expenses 5,040 4,646 General and administrative 2,259 1,634 Advertising 814 668 Depreciation 544 543 Other operating (income)/expense — — Total expenses 12,159 10,611 Operating income 451 1,084 Interest income 29 16. Interest expense (193 ) (198 ) Other, net (28 ) (24 ) Income before income taxes 259 878 Income taxes 50 302 Net income $ 209 $ 576 Statement of income for the period July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2007 The statement of income shows a net income of $209,000 only for the current year as compared to $576,000 in the previous year. An increase in the general and administrative expenses and increased advertising expenditure accounts for the lower net income of the company. The annual turnover of the company in the year 2006 was $44,710,000 as compared to $41,000,000 in the year 2005. The company reported a 9% annual growth in sales. Key financial data of Back Yard Burgers (In millions of USD) Income Statement Quarterly (Jun 07) Annual (2006) Annual (2005) Total Revenue 12. 61 44. 71 41. 00 Gross Profit 3. 81 13. 67 12. 29 Operating Income 0. 45 2. 18 0. 42 Net Income 0. 21 0. 88 -0. 04 Balance Sheet Total Current Assets 7. 19 7. 08 5. 32 Total Assets 32. 94 33. 41 31. 64 Total Current Liabilities 5. 24 5. 79 4. 01 Total Liabilities 15. 24 16. 11 16. 34 Total Equity 17. 70 17. 30 15. 30 Cash Flow Net Income/Starting Line 0. 21 0. 88 -0. 04 Cash from Operating 0. 40 4. 05 3. 33 Cash from Investing -0. 16 -1. 85 -7. 83 Cash from Financing -0. 25 -0. 36 5. 78 Net Change in Cash -0. 01 1. 84 1. 28 The above table gives in insight into the company’s current financial position. The operating profit in the year 2006 was $2. 2 million compared to an operating profit of $0. 4 million in the previous year. The net profit was $0. 9 million in the year 2006 as compared to a net loss of $0. 04 million in the year 2005. The company reported a net profit margin of 1. 96% in the year 2006 as compared to 1. 28% in the previous year. The operating margin of the company also increased from 3. 56% to 4. 87%. The financial ratios for the current period is provided in the table below: Key Stats Ratios Quarterly (Jun 07) Annual (2006) Annual (TTM) Net Profit Margin 1. 66% 1. 96% 1. 28% Operating Margin 3. 58% 4. 87% 3. 56% EBITD Margin 9. 77% 8. 34% Return on Average Assets 2. 53% 2. 69% 1. 80% Return on Average Equity 4. 77% 5. 37% 3. 44% The company has seen a decreasing profit over the past few years. The analysis of the various factors that account for success in the fast food industry in this paper has highlighted the reasons responsible for the decreasing profit.

What Is Music Therapy And Its Benifits General Studies Essay

What Is Music Therapy And Its Benifits General Studies Essay Introduction When substances are used excessively for pleasure in society, or an individual uses a substance for reasons that challenge normal behaviour, they are in danger as being labelled a Deviant: junkies, addicts, alcoholics, abusers. There is debate about the causes of such behaviour that can be condensed to the question ‘are we born a deviant, or is it influence from our peers, and from other situational factors around us that make us a deviant? `. American sociologist Robert K Merton proposes that deviancy is caused by society and peers and not the body chemistry. (Robert K Merton) However, this is a question that has long caused argument and differentiation among medical and behavioural psychologists, the former believing that we are born that way, and the latter that we are shaped by life experiences. In order to explore this question I feel it is important to be subjective, as well as objective, and will therefore for this paragraph alone draw on my own personal experiences. Personally I agree with Mertons theory, due to my own self-analysis and actions that I have observed in myself, from underage drinking aged 15 in the pub, and leading on to smoking from peer pressure, which I have continued to do to this day. Playing sport, Rugby, did at the time change my attitude to smoking and drinking as I peered with different people. Changing friends in the 1990s influenced a change in my person leading to the rave scene and recreational drugs use, through own choice and experiments. As an individual I understood the risks and was conscious of my limitations. Using drinking as an example, I understood that when I was drinking, it was part of a social pattern within a social network, if I exceeded that limitation and drank in excess away from the social network, I would have a possible a ddiction. Many substances that are used for pleasure can have an effect on our perspective of time. When we lose a sense of timing we can lose our sense of coherence. Episodes that take us away from coherence of life can threaten isolation (Reith 1999); this is when addiction becomes debilitating. When we lose the timing in life and lose the sense of timing of others around us as human beings, we need something to bring us back to the normal senses and bring us back into the community of other individuals whom we live our lives with. A medium based on performance which can assist with this is the live performance of music. Music therapists provide a solution were we can go into an environment and work with other individuals whom have also extreme deviances. Working on the timing of music can improve our coherent self, leading to a balance in our sense of timing. When focusing on music, an individual can clear their mind of all other problems, therefore allowing themselves a means of escape. Why use music therapy? Music offers a non-symbolic contact with reality, it can be classed a holistic. Performing music with other people is a way of achieving a connection at a fundamental level; we become entrained with other individuals when performing by attachment and emotional expression. However on the reverse side, a Music therapist could potentially face the problem that the songs and music they are using with their clients may resemble memories. An example of this could be drug memories if that particular piece of music was part of the setting when using the drugs. If this happens it could trigger a craving. So can music therapy be a good alternative for the cure of addiction? In a comprehensive study of various books, online journals, videos, documentaries, and case studies there is a significant amount of supporting evidence to be found. This essay will aim to explore the various evidence found and reach a comprehensive conclusion as to the strengths and weaknesses of music used as a therapy for drug addicts, and whether it can effectively help to bring an individual out of an addition. The following chapter will focus on what Music Therapy is and how it can assist in the cure of Drug (drug being alcohol, smoking and illegal substances) addiction, outline the effects of the addiction and explain how music therapy can act as a holistic therapy to the addiction. Chapter 1 What is Music Therapy? Music Therapy can be classed as clinical approach to cure symptoms of addiction. Experiments have had proved results on an individual`s relaxation, the relaxing of the mind, reduction of pain and symptoms with addiction withdrawal and the normalisation and reduction of respiration rate and breathing. Research has found that music therapy has also been successful with the treatment of cancer, brain injuries, and acute pain. Doctors have started to prescribe the use of music therapy by playing their patients different styles of music while undergoing surgery (vid1 linkography). This has proven effects of a supportive measure when altering key hormone levels in patients to speed up recovery, reduce blood pressure, and heart rate. With coordinated preparation of music therapy, clients can experience; Stress and Anxiety reduction. Positive, balancing moods and emotional states. Positive feelings towards themselves, self-confidence and feeling of high self-esteem. Intimacy enhancement of feelings and emotions towards family members and friends. Learning music skills gives the client the patience and abilities to cope with possible situations that may occur in other aspects of their lives. Music therapy has had proven results with the development and learning skills with children, adults and the elderly whom have mental health needs and learning disabilities. Music therapy is recommended for age related diseases aged related diseases such as Alzheimers. Music therapists work from private practices, rehabilitative facilities, hospitals, nursing homes and hospices. Music therapists consult with clients and they assess their condition, physical health, social functioning, and cognitive skills. The Music therapist will construct music sessions for individuals or groups of clients. A wide range of treatment is available from lyric discussion, song writing to live performances and receptive music listening. Experiments by Music therapists have found evidence that their clients have shown remarkable changes in their behaviour of recovering from drug addiction.

East Of Eden :: essays research papers

Growing up and change is a very important role in a person’s life. Everyday people do this, some for the better and others for the worse. In the movie East of Eden, Aaron is the son that changes for the worse. He becomes a drunk and leaves for a war he doesn’t believe in. As for Abra she takes on the role of support for Cal and his father, Adam. She is the glue for the bond that forms between them. But she soon realizes that the better she knows Cal, the more she starts to fall in love with him. Cal shows a remarkable turnaround from being the evil unloved son, to being the one that is there for his father while he is on his deathbed. All three of these characters show a form of change in growing up. We all have the ability to grow up, some just take advantage of this opportunity. The key is how you decide to grow up. Either for the better, like Cal, or the downside, like Aaron did.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aaron is the only character who shows a reversal, going from the good son with sweet girlfriend to a drunken fool. It might have been for shadowed by the way he showed his love to Abra, it was a false love. He was with her because that is whom he was supposed to be with. It didn’t seem he had deep emotions for her. Then in the end she leaves him for Cal, who she has, fell in love with. Aaron also lived in a closed world, not open for new ideas. When he was told that his mom was dead, that is what he believed and never questioned it. So when he found out that she was alive and a whore, his whole perfect world came crashing down. Aaron goes out and drinks a lot of alcohol and smashes his head threw a train window. He couldn’t except the truth about his own family. Aaron’s life is almost tragic; he had everything going for him. Then, in a day’s time, he has lost it all.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the most significant characters is Abra. Abra starts out as this innocent unaware girlfriend of Aaron and winds up being one of the main ingredients in Cal and Adam’s coming together. She goes from saying that Cal “is the bad son'; and that “he scares me'; to being the one who falls in love with him.

Gun Control: Opposing the Removal of Guns from American Citizens Essay

Because of many incidents involving handguns, and any other type of gun, the government has been trying to push a gun ban law. As a result of this rumor and possible law, there have been numerous outbursts of support and resistance. Some people believe that banning firearms would be a benefit to our nation’s safety and its population’s safety, while others oppose this proposal and say that guns are not the ones that need to be controlled, people should be the ones that are controlled. During this decision, people from different organizations have expressed their own views and thoughts. Gun control has both positive and negative effects on U.S. citizens. Some organizations report that the removal of firearms will reduce crime rates, deaths, and injuries from guns(Handgun Control Debate). An organization known as â€Å"The Brady Center† says that the Second Amendment does not state that people can carry and own handguns and be protected by its laws(Handgun Control Debate). The Brady Center also argues that if a larger amount of guns are available to a child’s reach, there will be more injuries and fatalities among minorities, so they are also trying to present laws and proposals that will protect children from handgun injuries(Handgun Control Debate). Claire Safran states that in Seattle, Washington, guns are plentiful and that there could be more deaths and injuries in that city than others because of the amount of illegal handguns in the city that owned by gangs and criminal organizations(Roleff, 17). Carl T. Bogus, a visiting professor at Rutgers University School of Law Enforcement in Camden, New Jersey says that private ownership of guns is hazardous to American citizen’s safety, and suggests that all handguns should be o... ...As we know it, this law on either protecting gun rights or taking them and the guns away will surely change the United States future. Works Cited Cold Comfort: A Interview With John R. Lott. Lynch, Michael W., and Jacob Sullum. Reason. 3 Dec. 2009. . Elder, Larry. â€Å"More Gun Control, Please!† Capitalism Magazine. 24 Oct. 2002. 1 Dec. 2009. â€Å"Gun Control.† Encyclopedia4U. 2005. 1 Dec. 2009. Handgun Control Debate. Awesome Library. 1 Dec. 2009. Roleff, Tamara L., ed. Gun Control: Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1997.

Educational policies Essay

Thus, educational policies in the country instigate the development of learning programs developed with the ultimate purpose of improving English proficiency and academic performance among students. Perhaps the most significant policy is the No Child Left Behind Act implemented in 2001 that includes guidelines on language learning. This policy mandates that all school evaluate the English language competencies of students, and students who will not meet set standards will undergo fast track educational programs that will help them learn adequately and cope with their peers. (EPE Research Center, 2004) By and large, the entire point of the issue is that government policies concerning language education affects the success and achievement of ELLs. A government that supports bilingual education helps ELLs to obtain access to quality education and emerge successful from their undertakings. Changes in political and social trends influence the learning content of ESOL programs simply because the practical use of the English language by ELLs in the real world requires that they are also aware of current social and political issues. Their awareness of social and political trends allow them to not only use the English language but to use the language to relate with other people, especially since societal and political issues are two of the most common topics of conversation. At present time, for instance, most people use the Internet for socialization through social networking sites such as Facebook. To familiarize ELLs with social networking, learning content should include English terms used in cyberspace or in Facebook for that matter, so that they would be able to participate in the online community. In terms of student factors, the cultural backgrounds of ELLs may significantly influence their ability to adjust, learn, and participate in the ESOL program. There are various stages in cultural adjustment wherein one initially experiences feelings of enthusiasm and elation. When an individual begins to realize the great differences between the old and new culture and has trouble of coping or adjusting to unfamiliar cultures, he experiences hostility and loneliness. Through time, an individual learns to adjust until he finally adapts to and accepts the new culture. At times, people undergo re-entry when they climb down to their old ways or culture. (Hernandez-Gantes & Blank, 2008) For ELLs, it is extremely important to understand these four stages of cultural adjustment in the beginning of the ESOL program in order for them to become aware of what they will come to experience as time passes. In doing so, ELLs know the challenges and difficulties that lie ahead and thus, are prepared to handle and overcome them. Consequently, language learning becomes less stressful or complex. However, cultural adjustment, as well as student participation and learning involvement of ELLs, are influenced by their beliefs, ideologies, values, attitudes, etc. as dictated by their culture. For example, ELLs who belong to cultures that value family ties and tradition may experience difficulties in adjusting to a new culture and thus, affect how their participate in class and adapt to the learning process. This is especially the case for ELLs who go to other countries to learn the English language. The distance between them and their families may become a source of distraction due to loneliness and depression that ELLs might feel, disabling them to focus on their studies, learning, and adapting to a new culture. For ELLs, understanding the roles of culture in cultural adjustment, student participation, and learning, enables them to assess or evaluate what part of their culture interferes with their learning of English. In doing so, they will be able to realize the importance of setting aside cultural differences and prioritize their personal learning goals and objectives. The last sub-competency requires ELLs to determine strategies and methods to increase their multicultural sensitivity. Multicultural sensitivity refers to an individual’s responsiveness to cultural differences, allowing him to understand that change and diversity are unalterable. This also allows him to understand his own culture in relation to other cultures as a means to reconcile differences. (Dana, 2005) By and large, multicultural sensitivity influences the achievement of other competencies already mentioned. When an individual learns to understand, accept, and respect other cultures, it will allow him to appreciate his own culture, adapt to a new culture that speeds up cultural adjustment, and ultimately, embrace his learning tasks and responsibilities increasing his student participation, learning, and chances for success. Furthermore, it is also important that in discussing issues in multicultural sensitivity in an ESOL class, the topics of universal ethics and human rights should be discussed to enrich the learning process by means of making it globally relevant and practical. Conclusion Ultimately, the competency and sub-competencies previously discussed covers the social, cultural, and political aspects of ESOL due to their roles in making English language learning relevant, efficient, practical, and purposeful. These competency and sub-competencies do not dwell too much on the technical aspects of learning the English language but on its practical uses as a means to express and communicate with other people, and understand current global or local issues and situations that are affecting the state of the people. Although these competency and sub-competencies were intended for the accomplishment of ELLs, these are also important pieces of information that the teachers and educational institutions should be aware of. These competencies not only ensure that ELLs will be able to achieve learning goals and objectives of ESOL but also ascertain that the teaching process designed, including the learning content, instructional design, teaching strategies and approaches, and so on, are in line with the competencies in order to directly help students in accomplishing them. References Corson, D. (2001). Language Diversity and Education. Hoboken, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. CePH. (2006). Competencies and Learning Objectives. Retrieved from Council on Education for Public Health, 1 Aug 2009. http://www. ceph. org/files/public/Competencies. pdf Dana, R. H. (2005). Multicultural Assessment: Principles, Applications, and Examples. New York, NY: Routledge. http://old.collierschools.com/hr/certification/studyguides/ESOL%20K-12.pdf

Reflective Essay Essay

This essay aims to critically review my strengths and weaknesses as a self-regulated learner, in relation to key skills which demonstrate my ability to use reflective practice. Also, the essay will identify and implement the learning skills required to complete the modules in Year 2 of the programme. It will produce and make use of individual learning plans that reflect how I could improve upon my interpersonal skills and implement a personal development plan. Furthermore, a demonstration of application of key skills together with learning and interpersonal skills in a variety of settings will be made. The framework this reflective essay will follow has been adapted from the work of Borton (1970) Reach, Teach and Touch; along with Boud et al (1985) Turning Experience into Learning. A reflective essay is a piece of writing that basically involves your views and feelings about a particular subject. The goal of a reflective essay is to not only discuss what you learned, but to convey the personal experiences and findings that have resulted, Spinello (2012). However in order to critically evaluate and reflect the individual, must become a self-regulated learner. Students who are self-regulated learners collaborate with other students in exchanging ideas, eliciting assistance when needed, and providing support to their peers. They see the connection between their efforts and learning success, Trejos (2010). Zimmerman (2000) points out that, self-regulation is not a mental ability or an academic performance skill; rather it is the self-directive process by which learners transform their mental abilities into academic skills. These learners will monitor their behaviors in terms of their goals and self-reflect in order to increase their effectiveness. Self-regulation is important because a major function of education is the development of life-long learning skills, Zimmerman (2002, p. 66). In relation to the following key skills of, communication, numeracy, use of information technology, learning to learn and working with others, I have been able to identify my strengths and weaknesses. One of the areas in which I considered to be competent in was written communication, as I could  express myself more openly and creatively, this has been evident by the use blackboard discussions, emails and academic writing. Linked to this, my IT skills are also one of my biggest strengths, as I am able to utilize these skills to support and further develop communication, interpersonal and academic skills. My empathetic listening skill enables me to gain mutual understanding and supports me to work with others, where new knowledge and experience can be exchanged, which contribute to my ongoing learning. On the other hand, the identified areas that I need improvement in are my confidence in verbal communication, although one to one communication is not a problem, but communicating and presenting to larger groups is where I feel nervous. Building up confidence in this area is vital, as it is a key component of nursing practice, to ensure effective communication between patients, team members and multidisciplinary teams. From year one of the nursing programme to year two; I have seen an improvement in my general math’s skill, however I required further practice in this area, which will supported me to pass my drugs calculation exam for year 2. Additionally, exam preparation and revision techniques were another area which I needed to work on, as a result it facilitated towards preparing me for module 6 – immediate and continuing care examination. Last but not least, my academic writing skills which also required to be developed so that I would be able to produce work at level 5 standard, for additional module two – examining health and social care needs of vulnerable adults and module five – understanding evidence-based nursing. Once I identified my strengths and weaknesses, I was able to set three goals for the academic year and produce an action plan for each goal, which was implemented in a personal development plan. A personal development plan is described as â€Å"a structured and supported process undertaken by an individual to reflect upon their own learning, performance and/or achievement and to plan for their personal, educational and career development†, (LMU, 2001). The three chosen goals for year 2 of my nursing programme were specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely (S.M. A. R. T). Goal one, was set out to help me become competent in critically appraising evidence and literature, which supports the learning skills of being able to produce academic work at level 5 standards. This goal required gaining understanding and knowledge of critical appraisal, as well as thoroughly comprehending the elements of critical appraisal and correctly identifying and using tool, frameworks and guidelines to critically appraise evidence and literature. The significance of achieving this goal was to help me complete year 2 modules of understanding evidence-based nursing and examining health and social care needs of vulnerable adults and achieving an overall good grade in both modules. What I generally thought was, for the understanding evidence based nursing essay I did not perform well with my critical appraisal, as most of my time was spent on formulating a PICO question and did not have sufficient time to write a powerful essay. However results showed that I gained an overall 55% mark, and comments that were given by the moderator were as follows ‘Critical appraisal – You have identified the framework and the article for critical appraisal. In this part you have detailed the research process as reported in the article; although you have attempted to analyse the research validity and reliability but they should have been further developed. You should have critically analysed the quantitative research rigor – validity, reliability and generalisability of the study findings supported with relevant literature’. So the importance of having constructive feedback is to make sure that I know which areas that I am potent in and which areas that I need to improve for the next essay, in order for me to critically appraise more coherently. As a result of this, for my examining health and social care needs of vulnerable adults module essay; which also involved critically appraising three research articles, I received an overall mark of 66%. The moderator’s comments for analysis and synthesis were that ‘You have made a good critique of the limitations of the studies. ’ And the quality of expression was indicated as ‘generally good. ’ Now I feel more confident in my critical appraisal skills, I believe with further practice I will be able to appraise articles and gain higher marks to help me progress on to year three. Goal two was aimed at preparing and passing module 6 – immediate and continuing care unseen examination, based on three patient journeys of diabetes, coronary heart disease and rheumatoid arthritis. This goal was linked to learning skills of exam preparation and revision techniques. The  steps that were taken in achieving this goal were to create a revision timetable to manage time; to use different revision and rehearsal techniques i. e. flow charts, mind-maps, revision cards, rehearsing exam papers in timed condition and having a study buddy. Combined with this, whilst reading literature and gathering information, I collected relevant references to create a reference list for the examination. What I thought was the daunting part of this goal was practicing exam papers in timed condition, as three hours seemed like a long time. What was interesting is that once I had all the suitable materials and information and began to do a timed essay, three hours seemed shorter than expected; with continuous practice this helped me to pick up my writing speed and also managing time per essay. With the use of mind maps and flow charts I was able to access information quick and easy, rather than going back to textbooks and online resources. Having prepared in this way prior to the exam made me feel confident and relaxed and I was able to manage my time efficiently. So the significance of preparing ahead is that it helps me to become proactive; managing time helps me to prioritise what is important and what needs to be attended in sequence. And using relevant resources is essential for learning success and achievement. Now I feel that I have generally performed well in my exam, as much of what I revised came up and I was prepared. Although time felt like an issue, I was able to use my time productively and efficiently. What I think I could improve for next time, is begin planning and revision sooner and rehearse more timed essay as practice makes perfect. Additionally, what I have learnt throughout this module I will be able to apply to clinical practice, and as an individual be prepared and have the ability to act accordingly when foreseen and unforeseen circumstances arise. Goal three demonstrates my ability to use my existing general maths skills with further practise, to pass drugs calculation examination for year 2. For this goal, the steps that were taken in order to achieve the goals were to use Authentic World (SafeMedicate) to revise for the exam, to do online mock exams in timed condition, and revise on general maths skills. What I didn’t realise was that the drugs examination was compulsory for every year throughout the nursing degree programme. However, as I had already passed my year one drugs calculation exam with full marks of 90/90, I didn’t find year two to be too difficult as it was on three areas from the previous year of tablets & capsules, liquid medication and Injections. I found that accessing authentic world and revising the areas and completing the mock exams were easily within the comfort of home. I was able to revise where I wanted and when I wanted, support was available from other maths revision sites. So after revising the key areas and doing timed questions, I felt confident in sitting the actual exam. I completed the exam within the time limit, reviewed my questions and answer and received my final mark of 90/90 on first attempt, which I was very pleased with. Now that I have achieved full marks on my first attempt I am able use this knowledge of drug management to aid my drugs administrative skills whilst on second year placement. What I will aim to do for year three drugs calculation exam is to refresh and revise over previous areas, and also read ahead on the additional section that will be added to year three exam. On achievement of these three developmental goal, I have been able to make connection between the learning and interpersonal skills to a variety of settings. From goal one I understand being able to critically appraise in nursing practice means that patients can benefit from the best possible outcome with backup from reliable and valid researches that have been carried out. Thus, as a healthcare professional I am able to gain knowledge to ensure and/or provide effective and dynamic care. From goal two of understanding long-term illness of coronary heart disease, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis from journeys of simulation patients. I have been able to prepare myself to have knowledge and have the ability to cooperate in a situation where I will work with real patients with these types of conditions. Long-term illnesses and conditions affects vast majority of the population and therefore keeping knowledge update is an essential way to promote health and provide information to others. With support from goal three of safely calculating drug dosages for supporting drug administrative skills, is essential part of nurse training. To ensure that the right patients receive the right dose of the right medication, at the right time, through the right route, as drug errors can be fatal to the outcomes of the patient. In conclusion, this module has helped me to develop from being an independent learner to a self-regulated learner. Where I am able to identify my strengths and weaknesses in relations to key skills; and critique my competency and incompetency towards creating goals, and reflect upon the process in achieving these goals. Overall for year two of this programme I have achieved my set goals, and I have developed the ability to use key skills along with learning and interpersonal skills in providing best judgement in different settings. References: Borton, T (1970) Reach, Teach and Touch. McGraw Hill, London Boud D, Keogh R & Walker D. (1985) Reflection: Turning Experience into Learning. Kogan Page, London. London Metropolitan University (LMU) (2001) Personal development planning (Online) available at: www. londonmet. ac. uk/library/z62053_24. doc. [Accessed last: 11 January 2012] Spinello, S. (2012) what is a reflective essay? (Online) available at: http://www. ehow. com/about_4576779_reflective-essay-paper_. html. [Accessed: 09 February 2012] Trejos, C. M. A. (2008) Using journals for learners’ reflection and self-assessment. The internet TESL journal. 14 (10). (Online) available at: http://iteslj. org/Techniques/Arciniegas-LearnersJournals. html. [Accessed last: 10 February 2012] Zimmerman, B. J. (2000). Attainment of self-regulation: A social cognitive perspective. In M. Boekaerts, P. R. Pintrich, & M. Zeidner (Eds. ), Handbook of self-regulation (pp. 13-39). San Diego, CA: AcademicPress. Zimmerman, B. J. (2002). Becoming a self-regulated learner: an overview. Theory into practice, 41 (2), p. 64-70.

Child beauty pageants Essay

One of the main issues people have with child beauty pageants is that the children’s childhood gets taken from them. Children shouldn’t be wearing fake tan, false eyelashes and make up. France is looking to ban beauty pageants for children under 16 and anyone who organises a pageant would face up to 2 years in jail and a fine of about â‚ ¬40,000. The senate in France states â€Å"If we stop child beauty pageants now, these little girls will grow up to have self-respect and respect for others too, all these pageants do is destroy their self-esteem.† People also argue that these little girls attend pageants because they enjoy it and it’s a hobby, nothing dangerous will come of it. But what harm will banning them do? Child beauty pageants should be banned because they cause little girls, to be artificial to boost their self-esteem. The parents of these children put so much stress and pressure onto these children to look and be a certain way. Beauty pageants make children believe they have to be fake to be beautiful. I feel it can completely lower a girl’s self-esteem if they don’t win. Children of such a young age shouldn’t have to be worrying about the way they look or being judged at all. When we think of beauty pageants we tend to think of the society’s idea of perfect little girls competing to see who the judges think is the most beautiful. Also, we think of crazy moms who push their children too hard and will do anything so that their child will win. All of this is true but there are more issues with beauty pageants, some that are more concerning. Beauty pageants are judged based on physical appearance, yet haven’t we always been told not to judge based on looks? They aren’t healthy for kids- they take away their childhood. Lastly, beauty pageants do not set a good example for kids; they do many things that we are told not to do. One of the largest issues that deals with Child hood beauty pageants is the problem of little children being forced to be dressed in sexualising costumes, that ruins their innocence and such. However i would like to point out that a childhood beauty pageant ranges til the age of 18 years old. A 18 year old girl is allowed to choose to do a beauty pageant and if she wishes to wear something revealing. By placing all the problems of childhood beauty pageants is seen in a brief window of a child’s younger years. What will we achieve by banning the pageants other than a huge amount of protest and disapproval? Just because showing off may not be the best thing in the world why should we ban it? It is wrong to ban something because people look up to it and think they are not as good. Most people are intelligent enough to not do crazy things when they see someone prettier than them. These shows are for entertainment anyway. It is crazy to get rid of things because some people dislike them. People that don’t like the pageants shouldn’t watch them and shouldn’t ruin the fun for others. If people want to show off and get money for it, why shouldn’t they? In the professional pageants showing off is another form of advertising anyway. We shouldn’t ban something while we still encourage other things such as the tour de France, boxing and some legal drugs. Many people enjoy watching and participating in beauty pageants. Just because some people dislike them doesn’t mean we should eradicate all pageants of all types forever. In fact lots of people like them and that is why we have them. The competitors have fun hearing the audience applaud, dressing up, showing off and hearing that they are one of the prettiest, most talented or best dressed competitors. Most of the prizes for beauty pageants are scholarships or savings for the future by banning the pageants we are depriving the talented winners of a decent prize. Beauty pageants do not involve illegal activities, unlike sports. In some sports athletes use illegal drugs to help them perform better and win. We do not ban the Tour de France even when certain people use illegal stimulants. Eddy Merks, a famous cyclist, who was a winner of the tour de France had been caught using illegal drugs 5 times, in fact huge amounts of competitors have been found doping! Do I have to even have to mention Lance Armstrong? So why should we ban beauty pageants if we don’t ban things such as the tour de France? Why should it be illegal to dress up and compete to see who looks better? It is not illegal to have or use makeup, lipstick, eyelash thickener, and fake tans.

An Analysis of Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” Essay

Satire as a form of discursive practice may be properly understood if it is contextualized within a particular culture, institution, attitude, or belief. It is only by placing the satire within a particular setting [as presented by the elements mentioned above] that a satire will garner the â€Å"non-linguistic components covering the preparatory preconditions necessary for the construction of satirical discourse† (Simpson 70). An example of the satire as a form of discursive practice is evident, for example, in Jonathan Swift’s â€Å"A Modest Proposal†. In the aforementioned work, Swift presents a situation wherein the persona of his text urges the population on acts of cannibalism in order to lessen the problems caused by Irish overpopulation. The persona starts his proposal with an initial description of his surroundings. He notes, â€Å"It is a melancholy object to those who walk through this great town†¦when they see the streets†¦crowded with beggers of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags, and importuning every passenger for alms† (Swift 52). It is important to note that such a description is characterized by the persona’s detachment towards his surroundings. Note for example, the manner in which a two senses of the concept ‘object’ is used. The aforementioned passage thereby portrays not only the persona’s ‘objective’ appraisal of his surroundings but also the persona’s ‘objectification’ of the individuals encompassed within that area. Such an objectification is further evident in the following passage: Some persons of a desponding spirit are in great concern about the vast number of poor people, who are aged, diseased, or maimed†¦But I am not in the least pained about that matter, because it is very well known that they are everyday dying, rotting, by cold, and famine, and filth, and vermin, as fast as can be reasonably expected. (Swift 56) The persona’s use of the two senses of object, in this sense, may be understood as a manner in which Swift portrays the irony evident in the context of the text. The irony is evident if one conceives of â€Å"A Modest Proposal† as a text which presents a delimited view of the world. As opposed to a satire’s ironic presentation of a particular situation [in fact an ironic portrayal of a particular mindset], humor, on the other hand, portrays the manner in which worldly interests are given more credence as opposed to lofty ideals. An example of this is evident in Samuel Beckett’s writings wherein Beckett focuses the text to the importance of existence [as well as the importance of the meaning of existence] in relation to the ordinary objects. As opposed to a satire which might present a bland ethnocentric perspective regarding racial discrimination, the emphasis on modern humor would be on the problematic construction of such concepts that enable racial discrimination to exist [e. g. opposition of black and white]. In line with this, Colebrook notes, â€Å"both irony and humor play off the gap between concepts and world† (241). The difference, however, lies in the difference of presentation noted above. Works Cited Colebrook, Claire. Irony in the Works of Philosophy. Nebraska: U of Nebraska P, 2003. Simpson, Paul. On the Discourse of Satire: Towards a Stylistic Model of Satirical Humor. Philadelphia: John Benjamin’s, 2003. Swift, Jonathan. â€Å"A Modest Proposal. † A Modest Proposal and Other Satirical Works. New York: Dover, 1996.

Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) and Phillips-Perron (PP) Results

Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) and Phillips-Perron (PP) Results While analyzing time series data, it is important to check the order of integration of the variables. Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) and Phillips-Perron (PP) unit root test are used at level form and first difference of each series. The results of the unit root test are reported in Table 5.9 taking into consideration of the constant-trend variables and without the constant-trend variables. In the ADF test, the lag length is included to solve the problem of autocorrelation and to enhance the robustness of the result. The ADF t-statistics for the series without the constant and the trend term are all statistically insignificant to reject the null hypothesis of unit root. This shows that the series are non-stationary in their original form and they contain a unit root process. For the series with the trend and constant term, all the variables are non-stationary except the capital expenditure whose ADF t-statistics is significant and it is I(0). When the ADF test is carried out at the fi rst difference of each variable, the null hypothesis is rejected for both the series with the constant and rend term and without the constant and trend term. This is presented in fourth and fifth column of Table 5.9 and it shows that the variables are integrated of order 1. The results are consistent with theory as most of the macroeconomic time series data are expected to contain unit root and thus are integrated of order one I(1). ADF critical values without constant and trend:1%: -3.750; 5%: -3.000; 10%: -2.630 ADF critical values with constant and trend:1%: -4.380; 5%: -3.600; 10%: -3.240 Long run Equation The long run equation can now be estimated with the assumption that no variable contains more than one unit root and the first difference of each variable is stationary. With the aim of analyzing the effect of aid on current, capital and loan repayment, this study employ annual time series data from 1985 to 2008. Table 5.10 presents the result of the long run equation. The reg ression result reported in Table 5.9 shows that the relationship between aid and current and capital expenditures is negative and statistically insignificant. An interesting result in Table 5.9 is the positive coefficient of aid in principal repayment. This shows that aid is being employed to finance loan repayment. Urban population has elasticity coefficient of 7.58, 4.28 and 1.44 in current, capital and loan repayment respectively. This shows that urban population has a positive effect on government expenditure while population has negative effect on government expenditure with negative coefficients. R2 value is greater than 0.5 in all the three cases indicating that Aid, population , urban population and lagged GDP accounts to 71% ,50 % and 52% variation in current, capital and loan repayment expenditure respectively. Another desirable property of econometric result is the value of the Durbin Watson statistics which is close to 2 and represent the absence of serial correlation in the error term. Testing for co-integration An important property of I (1) variables is that they can be linear combinations of I (0) variables. If this is so, then these variables are said to be co-integrated (Maddala et al 1999). To test the presence of co-integration, the null hypothesis of unit root in the residuals is tested against the alternative hypothesis that there is co-integration between the variables.

Comparative analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Comparative analysis - Essay Example This poem is a very deep poem, one has to read it over and over again to understand its hidden meaning. Life is really complicated and we need to understand our aim and to do that we need to sit down and introspect. Many a time we come across situations in life where we have to make difficult choices and these difficult choices also decide our future, this poem is all about choosing the road which is less travelled, it also goes to show the courage of the poet who decides to take a path which is less travelled and there is a possibility of him getting lost but he is brave enough to try something different from others. This is what life is all about, we must be brave enough to trot a path less travelled, it may prove to be a wrong decision or it may prove to be a right decision, it is all about making choices when you are at the crossroads, this is what the poem is all about. At the very end the poet ponders over his choice, his life would have been much different had he taken the oth er road and this is very true. Our life would also be different had we made different decisions and had we taken the road less travelled, life is all about making the right, the most successful people often make the right choices. Thesis Statement: The poem has hidden meaning in it; the literal meaning of the poem is very easy to understand. A traveler reaches a fork in the road and is discombobulated because the road shows the traveler two choices, the traveler after much thinking, chooses the road less travelled by people. The figurative meaning of the poem reflects upon the choices that we make in our lives. We can either choose a road which is very frequently chosen by other people or we can choose to walk on a road which is hardly chosen by other people. After making our choice, we would always have regrets because the road not taken would always force us to think about the endless possibilities. This is what the poem is all about and this poem is really popular, Robert Frost b ecame a household name because of this poem. Literary Devices: Antithesis is quite conspicuous in the poem, the traveler has to make his choice and he soon realizes that he can only choose one path, the traveler wishes he could travel both but soon realizes that this is not plausible. Another literary device in the poem is personification, the road has been personified. â€Å"All sensible people know that roads don't think, and therefore don't want. They can't. But the description of the road wanting wear is an example of personification in this poem. A road actually wanting some as a person would. However: some believe this to be incorrect and believe "wanting wear" is not a personification, but rather older English meaning "lacking". So it would be "Because it was grassy and lacked wear;" (The Road not Taken) The tone of the poem is gloomy, words like â€Å"sorry† and â€Å"sigh† have been used and these words reflect gloom. Verbal irony is also another figure of sp eech in this poem, the speaker knows that when he looks back and recollects, he will have to tell his story with a â€Å"sigh† and he would also have to throw light upon the differences the second road would have made had he chosen it. Conclusion: The road not taken is a poem with a hidden meaning, it tells us how our life presents two choices in front of us, when we make our choice, after a few years we more often than not ponder over the options we would have had, had we chosen to trot on the road not taken. The poem is very tricky and requires immense concentration to

Argument of Fact Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Argument of Fact Assignment - Essay Example According to American academy pediatrics (AAP) and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), children learn by observation, imitation and taking up behaviors - fundamentals of the theory of social learning. Frequent exposure to violent video games cause youths to be callous, cause’s nightmares and insomnia, poor school performance and majorly contribute to bullying and violent behaviors. Violent video games have been classified into two types, the games that punish violent behavior and those that reward violent behavior. Majority of violent video games reward violent actions by the players (Anderson & Dill 730). Experiments have been done to compare the effects of the two games on behaviors of young youths. The video games in which violent actions were punished, example of a game where a player is punished because of they shoot a hostage rather than the terrorists led to the rise of hostile emotions but did not increase aggressive thoughts or behavior among the youths. The games that rewarded hostile actions led to the increment of hostile emotions and aggressive thoughts and emotions. The experiment revealed that young youths who engage themselves more with violent video games that reward violet actions are more likely to be more aggressive in their actions (Anderson & Dill 731). The fact that violent video games reward the players directly by adding their points f or any violent act encourages the players to be more violent so as to earn points. This in turn increases the negative influence that the game has on players, making them more aggressive in the quest of earning more points. With reference to researches done before concerning media violence, movies where characters were punished for committing violent acts resulted to those watching the movie not to imitate the actions that were portrayed in the film as compared to those that reward people who were involved in violent acts. Rewarding violent acts

Is intelligent design science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Is intelligent design science - Essay Example Scientists believe that the invention of Higgs boson may be useful in predicting the base particle of life. Human being is considered to be made of three things; body, mind and spirit though experimentally not proved. After death a person’s body will be destroyed; but what will happen to the mind and spirit? Even though science and technology has advanced a lot, still it was not able to decode the secrets of life. Even the science and technology do not know where our spirit lies or what type of forces is driving us. Earth is not a permanent place for us and hence what all we received from the earth need to be disposed here itself before going for another mission at another place. In other words the material things which were acquired from the earth will not help us in our future assignment. Science has so far failed in predicting the origin our spirit or soul. It doesn’t know from where it comes and where it goes. Intelligent design is a new branch of knowledge originated in America recently which says that certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, rather than a natural selection. â€Å"The idea that an organism’s complexity is evidence for the existence of a cosmic designer was advanced centuries before Charles Darwin was born.† (Milner & Maestro) Physicians explain various functions of body while psychologists concentrate on the activities of mind. But nobody knows much about the soul or spirit though everybody agrees that it is the spirit which drives us in this material world. After death what happens to the spirit? Only the religions studied about the features of spirit and they have their own explanations about the future of spirit on the basis of the good and evil committed during the life in earth. Religions believe that those who engaged in good activities during the stay on earth will get salvation after death while others will be punished by God. Intelligent design

PM 3G should launch this year (internationl businese) Article

PM 3G should launch this year (internationl businese) - Article Example It has not been introduced in some countries because of the initial cost of setup. These 3G machines are very expensive and also, licensing fees for its provision is really high. In Thailand's case, though, licensing wouldn't be as expensive as other countries and Thailand's Prime Minister seems to be concerned about the notion of the existence of 3G technology in Thailand. Furthermore, the world is moving towards technological change and it is no more an environment to sit back and relax. Companies and countries alike have to act and adapt quickly, otherwise they fall behind economically and in other world affairs. In a very short time from now, we would move into the age of 4G or something similar, but more advanced than 3G. 3G has hit the market few years ago and engineers are continuously working to develop more sophisticated and advanced technology. This is the time to make money. These days, product life cycles are very short and based on my knowledge, 3G technology would be replaced soon. Look at the example of the U.S. The U.S. telecommunications' providers have capitalized on the opportunity and offered the 3G mobile broadband at sufficiently high prices to match demand. Now, the demand for 3G mobile broadband has gone down a bit, so the providers are offering good deals and discounts to make use of the few remaining days of the current techno logy.

Communication at work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Communication at work - Essay Example These two cultures are distinct not only in terms of norms and values but also differ with respect to how people behave and interact with each other. In today’s increasingly globalised world people from different cultural backgrounds are required to work together and have consensus on critical issues. Effective communication becomes very important in the context of such working relationships. It is therefore of particular significance to examine the influence of culture on the communication styles adopted by individuals as well its impact on people’s personal relationships. This paper illuminates the ways through which salient cultural characteristics influence an individual or whole society’s communication styles. It categorises the differences in cultures with respect to individualistic and collectivistic approaches as well as high and low context of communication. It basically aims to illustrate that culture plays a very important role in determining the way people communicate and interact with each other. Culture plays an important role in determining the specific traits and characteristics of individuals belonging to a group that are distinct from other groups of people. People tend to identify themselves with respect to cultural groups and take pride in associating with them. Hofstede defines culture as, â€Å"the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one category of people from another† (51). People in a separate group share similar characteristics that are identifiable with the help of visible traits and qualities. Drake delineates that, â€Å"culture describes a group’s relatively homogenous evaluations of multiple, interrelated phenomena† (320). These homogenous cultural traits develop into certain social norms and values that have a significant impact on how people think, feel, observe

Research methodology in Strategic Human Resource Management Paper

Methodology in Strategic Human Resource Management - Research Paper Example This work would evaluate the research philosophies, strategies and methods employed in some human resource research journals/articles. There are some philosophical principles that were used in the research to make it more effective. The principle of social constructivism was well applied when the researchers set a friendly atmosphere before engaging some workers in some interviews. The researchers understood the fact that each organization has policies which limit some workers from handling some questions or duties within the organization. The research team had to be clear on the intention or purpose of their research as well as the assurance that it would have no negative implication on their career. However, the principle of participation was not well utilized since the research team only involved employees from specific departments and left out the rest, they should have sampled their respondents to represent the entire organization to limit biasness (Wilkins, 2009). Positivist an d constructivist principles are important for any research, they help one judge the quantitative and qualitative implications in any research. Quantitative research is that which figures can be used to back or support its finding while qualitative research is that which cannot be quantified or rather based on facts or theories. E-HRM research considered the constructivist principles when the employees were asked to give their thoughts or verdicts with the technology concerned. The majority were for the idea that it would improve the effectiveness of human resource in the organization. The technology requires a few IT specialists and a smaller space to operate and furthermore, it simply records all income and expenditure details in terms of time of transaction and amount among other details. It also saves on organization resources spent to recruit, train and supervise workers in various departments (Parry, 2011). The technology also promotes self-service management system in the mode rn workplaces. Here the employees convey their complaints or concerns through secured web-channels to the top management team or the employer. Researchers tried to compare the E-HRM and the traditional human resource and they found out that they were labor and technology oriented respectively. Furthermore, E-HRM depends wholly on advanced software to manage and monitor some of the important human resource elements in a certain organization. Traditional human resource, on the other hand, uses human resource managers, directors and secretaries but oversees major human resource issues. However, positivist principles were not effectively applied in the research. The article ought to record numerical values of the findings. For instance, the researchers should have recorded the number of human resource employees in E-HRM system and compared with that of traditional human resource management. The article is not clear on some of the research strategies employed. However, from the findings, one can depict that the researchers must have prepared research questions about the kind of findings they expected. The questions could have been withdrawn from prior similar research and internet sources among others. They ought to have indicated how they conducted their pre-visit study to converse themselves with the study environment. This would also enable them to get to know the estimate population of the study area. This would guide the researchers in decision on the

Are No-Suicide Contracts Effective in Nursing Practice Essay

Are No-Suicide Contracts Effective in Nursing Practice - Essay Example There are different thoughts in a patient’s head and psychologically the act provides the patient with a different mindset. In a sense, it assists in the fuelling positive thoughts in a patient. The no-suicide act also provides patients with a means of attaining assistance. Many patients suffer from severe emotional stress and they are unsure of what to do with their lives. The act provides the patients with reasonable steps they can take when they begin to feel suicidal. The use of the suicide act hinders different interventions as much faith may be placed on this method. Many studies state that nurses become less competent in the presence of a no-suicide contract. As the nurses are reluctant to implement other approaches, they may overlook obvious and much better intervention methods Apart from being able to detect early suicidal warning signs, the nurse should also be able to detect warning signs in the patient’s history (depression, drug abuse, recent divorce or unemployment, psychiatric disorders). The nurse should refer the patient to psychiatric department if he or she detects warning signs of suicide (verbalization- â€Å"I can’t live like this any longer†; reckless behavior; giving away valued possessions and abuse of narcotics) 8. Please develop 3 nursing interventions for the patient’s plan of care that are each directly related to the identified nursing diagnoses. Please include a rationale for each nursing intervention. Establishment of a therapeutic relationship with the patient. The nurse must be fully aware of the patient’s condition in order to understand the history of the problems and the different approaches taken in the past. The nurse must also understand the patient and his or her attitudes towards the current situation. Validation of the patient’s thoughts towards his or her condition. This is useful in establishing the relationship between the nurse and patient. It also assures the client that the

Medical Marijuana Legalization Essay Example for Free

Medical Marijuana Legalization Essay Are there medicinal benefits of marijuana? Could there really be more to the cannabis plant than â€Å"getting high? † Yes, the cannabis (scientific name for â€Å"marijuana†) plant does in fact have medical uses, and there is much more to this extraordinary plant than consuming it to experience its psychoactive effects. However, most Americans are unaware of the present day medicinal applications of cannabis. From migraines to multiple sclerosis, cannabis can help. The cannabis plant is grown naturally and contains no added chemicals, making it ideal. In modern medicine, the cannabis plant has many medical uses. Cannabis was legal to consume in the United States up until 1937, when the â€Å"marihuana tax act of 1937† made possession or transfer of cannabis illegal throughout the United States under federal law, excluding medical and industrial uses. The American Medical Association was not in favor of this legislation. Before this law was passed, marijuana was legal and quite popular in the United States. Martin Booth explains in his book Cannabis: A History, that In the 1880’s â€Å"hashish† parlors were very popular in America and it was estimated that their were around five hundred of these parlors in New York at the time. From 1850-1942 cannabis was listed in the U. S Pharmacopoeia as a useful medicine for nausea, rheumatism, and labor pains; it was also easily obtained at the local general store or pharmacy. More than 20 prescription medicines containing marijuana were sold in U. S. pharmacies at the turn of the 20th century, and marijuana-based medications were commonly available until cannabis was taken out of the U. S. Pharmacopeia in 1942. Then in 1970, the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970, classified marijuana as a Schedule I drug. According to this act a schedule I drug means three things: the drug has high potential for abuse, the drug has no currently accepted medical use in the U. S, and there is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug under medical supervision. Other schedule I drugs include heroin, LSD, peyote, MDMA (ecstasy), and mescaline. The once medicinally valued cannabis plant is now classified with drugs in which have completely different and much more harmful effects. Marijuana cannot be classified with the other schedule I narcotics because it can be beneficial to many people with a number of different diseases or health problems. Marijuana can cure migraines, Doctors in California report they have cured over 300,000 cases of migraines with medical marijuana (medicalinsurance. org marijuana-health-facts). The American Association for Cancer Research has found that marijuana actually works to slow down tumor growth in the lungs, breasts, and brain considerably. Studies also suggest that use of medical marijuana helps lower intraocular pressure in the eyes of glaucoma patients (glaucoma. org /treatment/should-you-be-smoking-marijuana-to-treat-your-glaucoma-1. php). Marijuana is also a muscle relaxer that has antispasmodic qualities that have proven to be a very effective treatment for seizures (nimh. nih. gov). Marijuana works to stop the neurological effects and muscle spasms that come from multiple sclerosis by protecting nerves from the damage caused by the fatal disease (multiple-sclerosis. emedtv. com). Marijuana is so beneficial that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) actually used part of the plant. The main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana is tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC for short. The FDA isolated a single molecule cannabinoid pharmaceutical; it was called Marinol and was used for treatment of nausea and vomiting in cancer chemotherapy patients who did not respond to conventional antiemetic treatments, according to the article Medicinal use of cannabis in the United States: Historical perspectives, current trends, and future directions. From the same article the doctors talk about another medication with similar effects of marijuana, except this one is a synthetic molecule shaped similarly to THC. ) It’s called Nabilone and has been approved since 1985 for use with nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy in cancer patients. As of 2011 there are currently sixteen states and Washington D. C. that support medical marijuana. The sixteen states include: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. Our federal government on the other hand, does not agree with these state laws and continues to prosecute medical marijuana users because it remains illegal under federal law. The medicinal uses of the cannabis plant have been around since our country was founded, yet in present time, marijuana â€Å"presents no known medicinal value†. The founding father of our nation George Washington, said, â€Å"Make the most of the Indian hemp seed, and sow it everywhere! It has been used in America since our country was founded, but as of now our country cannot come to terms of agreement regarding the cannabis plant. Marijuana can be used to treat or relieve symptoms of many diseases and discomforts, but for now its still illegal and preventing many Americans from getting their medicine. Marijuana has many uses but our federal government cannot see that or chooses not to believe it, regardless, it is still a very applicable medicine. Medical marijuana is used in other countries includin g our neighbor up north, Canada. So, why is it still illegal in America? If marijuana were to be legalized in the United States for medical purposes, our country would greatly benefit. Marijuana is one the purest most natural substances known to many yet it is referred to as a â€Å"drug†, however over fifty percent of Americans think that medical marijuana should be legalized. Sometime in the near future our country will recognize all the medical benefits of this magnificent plant, but until then it is still a federal crime to use and possess.

Impacts Of Globalization Islamic Architecture Cultural Studies Essay

Impacts Of Globalization Islamic Architecture Cultural Studies Essay The tension between modernity and tradition has influenced all aspects of todays life, especially in the social, cultural and architectural aspects. This dual structure closely reflects the realities that most modern Muslim societies face today. The impact of modernity and globalization cannot be ignored, which has become one of the most controversial issues in contemporary Islamic architecture. In recent years there have been a considerable number of papers and books regarding the dialogue between old and new or modernity and tradition, which emphasize the role of these challenges in our life. Most of the times becoming dissolved by globalization do not let us pause and rethink the architectural styles we are following. What are the reasons that we need to talk about the consequences of globalization? Because it is necessary for a dialogue to be created between new horizons that take shape within a globalized context and local values, especially when we discuss an Islamic country like Iran that has experienced an Islamic revolution by its own people. We should rethink the challenges of contemporary Islamic architecture in order to enhance our knowledge and increase our ability to tackle current problems confronting the cultural and architectural need of the changing Muslim society. On the one hand there is an urgent need to revitalize local identities and characters and on the other there is inevitable need for new building materials and technologies. The architectural character of purpose -built Islamic community centers in non-Muslim countries has been shaped by image of Islamic architecture in the West constructed through the Orientalist discourse, the post-colonial search for identity, and the particularities of postmodern architectural practice. Nowadays we believe that the architecture of the present day is surely the product of past lessons, even if historicism and classicism are in minority. There are subjects we need to consider such as the main approaches and groups in contemporary Islamic architecture and their perspectives regarding globalization and regionalism in contemporary architecture. Since the 1970s and 1980s the economy systems in Middle Eastern countries (as the biggest Muslim societies in the world) like Iran or UAE has been undergoing a process of transformation from international to global. The furiously rapid development of information and telecommunication technologies and infrastructures is bringing advancements such as the worldwide spread of finance and capital markets. Finally the reorganization of these various global functions has caused the transformation of the metropolises that were the historical and traditional centers of international exchanges. Not only did globalization and global approaches become widespread all over the world, but they also became impossible to ignore. Globalization is a word transposed from globalization and localization. The advance of globalization gave rise to simultaneously react to and resist local movements at the various levels of nationalism. This approach showed that globalization and localization are not unilateral processes and cannot be successful without a collaborative approach and always being together. Globalization is driving localization and localization is driving globalization at the same time. Traditional architecture (Islamic architecture, for an instance) was confronted with western architecture; they are getting compared at all the times. Modern architecture enjoys materials of premium and high quality, total advanced technology of the day and the hunger of new designers, architectures and engineers in inventing new things, but traditional architecture would utilize the same traditional technologies and the same outlines and limitations; as a result this battle did not lead to a desire and pleasant state of things and it was western architecture that won the unfair race. International style and modern architecture were the first true examples of the newly-fashioned styles that dominated the scene of contemporary Islamic architecture. This facing with the new ideas cost traditional architecture its coherence, originality and integrity; however it caused many challenges in the later periods such as the usage of modern material that is totally irrelevant to the function of the buildings, such as mosques with facades covered with English orange tiles or using black marble to make a minaret. Analysis At the turn of the twentieth century the roots of international architecture style had already taken shape in steel-framed, concrete faced and multistory commercial buildings. But it was to take another fifty years and some social reforms to change the contemporary Islamic (religious spaces) architectures trends before the spirit of modern Islamic architecture began to find a coherent style that could call its own. 2.1. Contemporary architecture of Islamic countries At the turn of the twentieth century the roots of international architecture style had already taken shape in steel-framed, concrete faced and multistory commercial buildings. But it was to take another fifty years and some social reforms to change the contemporary Islamic (religious spaces) architectures trends before the spirit of modern Islamic architecture began to find a coherent style that could call its own. The middle decades of the twentieth century could be called the ascendancy of international style in Middle East, when no one dared to question the validity of its principles. The powerful waves of globalization have influenced the trends of contemporary Islamic architecture in many ways. It has changed architectural education and training, materials and components, ideas and conceptions, political and economic conditions, social and civic values, and technology and the design process substantially. Taking Iran as an example for modern Muslim society in the Middle East, we can find facts that Islam as a main component of society has a visible effect on architecture and design. The revival of Islamic regional architecture epitomized the revivalist ideas of exponents of the Islamic revolution of Iran that want to dominate Islam as the most determining criterion in all aspect of life, especially in culture, art and architecture. They are looking for a version of traditional architecture that could be implemented in contemporary circumstances. Some radical trend in contemporary Iranian architecture emphasized a backward looking historicism; however this has been among a small minority of architects. Regional movements accuse modern architect of sacrificing traditional values, but on the other hand they accused regional movements of not being diligent in the enhancement of the quality of contemporary Islamic architecture of Middle East. 2.2. Islamic architecture in non-Muslim countries; Mosques and Islamic community centers As we know representation of Islamic architecture in the West go back at least to the eighteenth century, when European travelers and artists came back from the Islamic world with vivid impressions, which they recorded both in writing and paintings. To them, the most fascinating aspects of the mosque were its domes and minarets. Due to restricted access, the images these foreigners conveyed were generally distorted; minarets and columns were ill-proportioned; curvatures of domes were exaggerated; pointed, shallow, and horseshoe arches were used interchangeably, and so on. The diversity of backgrounds, origins, and ethnicities of Muslims in non-Muslim societies and their shared values and experiences with fellow Muslims all over the world are important aspects of identity of Muslims in non-Muslim countries. The daily interaction of Muslims with the issues of immigration, multiculturalism, a loosened relationship between the religion and the government, liberalism, stereotypes and racism has shaped the development of their hybrid identity. These Muslims are striving within this context to develop an Islamic society that is autonomous as well as participatory, one that constantly attempts at adapting to the contradictions of living in non-Muslim countries. This society would nonetheless be vigilant to avoid the hegemony of the dominant culture, and aware of its role in challenging injustices. Efforts to engage this way with society are evidenced by the participation of Muslims in local and national politics, the armed forces, an increased emphasis on education, and a growing economic base supported by Islamic banking institution. Amidst this interaction, Islamic community centers have emerged as clear markers of the distinctly Muslims presence of this population. The very concept of an Islamic community center in a non-Muslim country represents a set of contradictions. It is not just a mosque for performing prayers; rather it concerns the establishment of a religion, in majority society of non- Muslims who have by and large secularized themselves over the last two centuries. The Islamic communities in these countries are seeking to build for their selves a sense of group identity in a social context that glorifies individualism as opposed to communal interaction. They strive to create permanence and stability in a culture that is increasingly based on mobility, transition and change. The community centers and mosques in these countries struggle to maintain to their ties with the ancient past that they are supposed to link to and far away homelands in a seemingly isolated land. The formation of Islamic community centers indicates a search for identity among Muslims that goes beyond the limitations of ethnic bonds. It also serves as a community institution that helps to consolidate their scattered efforts and secure the right to practice their beliefs. Most Islamic community centers and Mosques in non- Muslim countries have been designed by architects who base their knowledge of Islamic architecture on their own image of it, inspired by the increasing number of community buildings throughout the western countries, as well as the substantial literature that has been developed in the West on Islamic architecture. The emerging architecture can be seen as a descendent of the Moorish revival style and the architecture of fantasy inspired by Islamic pavilions in the expositions of the nineteenth century. Just as these styles formed part of a general western trend, so has the architecture of the Islamic community center become the part of a wider architectural movement in the west, where the presence of Muslim communities in increasingly felt, especially in the metropolitan centers of Western Europe and North America. Figure 1 Through their experience in designing Islamic community centers, non- Muslim architects often learn to reconsider some of their myths about Islam, and to change their previous negative images about Muslims. Such experiences not only increase their knowledge of non-Western aesthetic and building traditions, but also expose them to the nature of Islam itself, especially the tenets which are most prominently reflected in the designs for municipal and domestic buildings and mosques. Unfortunately, many of the new Islamic community centers in America are scaled down and impoverished imitations of old monuments The architect of the West Virginia Community Center, William Preston boast that: The South Charleston Center is modeled after a famous Islamic house of worship, the Badshahi Mosque, in Lahore, Pakistan (fig. 1). The Badhsahi Mosque is bigger than the Taj Mahal, and is considered the largest house of worship in the worldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦In the final product, the building in no way resembles any of these monuments, but this is not seen t disappoint either the architect or the client. Faithful imitation was not the intention; rather it is the capturing of the flavor of the old (fig. 2) Figure 2 The result is often kind of parody, which is presumably found desirable within a community seeking a nostalgic relationship to the past. In this case, the role of the architect is to revive the past and reinterpret its vocabulary in the contemporary architectural language. In the U.S., this is the language of the commercial strip. The resultant combination of architectural revivalism and the strip mall aesthetic more often captures the essence of an exotic Oriental restaurant than the spirit of traditional Islamic architecture. In such buildings the aesthetic features of the mosque- the minaret especially- are appropriated like the sign posts advertising gas stations or fast food restaurants. The distorted expression of many Islamic community centers in the U.S., their vivid colors, and their use of modern industrial materials, contribute to a generally crude aesthetic, one which may be related to the general loss of high skills and craftsmanship, low budgets, and the low level of ar tistic sophistication on the part of both client and architecture. On the other hand, it is worth pointing out that in the quest for self-representation through architecture, the use of format icons such as domes and minarets has become widespread, not just in non-Islamic countries, but also in many Islamic ones, even where those forms did not belong in the past. While this globalized use of iconic references may seem to be a product of the Muslims attempt at representing themselves through an architecture that they see as authentic and reflects the essence of their Islamic culture, it is in fact more closely related to the Western representations of Islamic architecture being perpetuated today by both Muslims and non-Muslim famous architects and scholars around the globe. Conclusion At a glance at the discussion it might be possible to conclude that the interest of contemporary Islamic architecture in Glocalization and moderate attitudes is in a good condition and is going to become the main popular style in Contemporary Islamic architecture, especially among the recent generation of young architects. Global-regionalism is too young to find a coherent style that it could call its own; therefore there are several kinds of approaches that could be categorized in this group. Their buildings are suggested by the spirit of traditional Islamic architecture, as well as the utilization of new technologies and materials. This paradoxical strategy is the main specificity of the new generation of contemporary Islamic architects. Their fidelity to the spirit of their ancestors, as well as their keen interest in new technologies and advanced building materials, formed a new generation that could only be called Glocalized. The architecture of Islamic community centers in non-Muslim countries illustrates issues related to a minority culture attempting, through architectural form, to re-establish continuity and stability, to express identity and to maintain forms of collective memory. The relationship between identity and iconic references should be seen within a broad-based setting, due to the increasing globalization of ideas about contemporary Islamic architecture that are constantly moving back and forth between the West and the Islamic world through architectural writing, competitions and commissions. While Islamic architecture in non-Muslim countries has already contributed to deconstructing the totalizing agendas of identity politics and Orienatalist stereotyping, cycles of representation are difficult to escape. The focus needs to shift to what kind of identity is being expressed, and where the architectural aspects of collective memory of Muslims can be complemented, overlaid, or even replaced by other systems, so as not to miss the potentials of creative representation. This critical understanding may raise issue of shred human values that can help create a dialogue with non- Muslims through architecture. This can be achieved through fragmentation and perhaps domesticity that reduce the authoritative aspects of formality and humanizes the architectural product. Emphasis needs to be directed toward the expression of transparency, rather than obsession with privacy and exclusiveness. List of references Al-Qawasmi, Jamal[2007], Regional Architecture and Identity in the age of Globalization, volume 3, CSAAR, Tunisia Owen, Graham[2009], Architecture, Ethics and Globalization, Routledge, USA Guggenheim, Michael[2010], Reshaping Cities, How global mobility transforms architecture and urban form, Routledge, USA Hillenbrand Robert [2004], Islamic architecture: Form, Function, and Meaning, Columbia University Press, USA Petruccioli Attilio[2002], Understanding Islamic Architecture, Routledge, USA