Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Should Marijuana Be Legalized - 944 Words

Introduction: Getting the audience’s attention- â€Å"Why is marijuana against the law? It grows naturally upon our planet. Doesn’t the idea of making nature against the law seem to you a bit†¦. unnatural?† This is a quote from Bill Hicks. Relevance- As high school students, marijuana is not unheard of. It is estimated that around 44% of teens have tried marijuana by the age of 16. (National Institute on Drug Abuse). I’m sure many of you in this classroom agree that marijuana should be legalized, as for those who don’t, I’m here to convince you otherwise. Thesis- I believe marijuana should be legalized due to it’s medical, economical and recreational uses. Body: Medicinal uses- The benefits of marijuana are plentiful. Marijuana has been used†¦show more content†¦Marijuana has a wide variety of medicinal uses. According to the Centre for Medicinal Cannabis Research marijuana is known to help treat and prevent diseases and mental health issues, such as alzheimer s, glaucoma, depression, anxiety, hepatitis C, cancer, epilepsy, arthritis, aids and many other conditions. Marijuana can be used to increase appetite, calm muscles, relieve pain and sedate. Marijuana is actually safer than many prescription drugs. Economical- If we bring marijuana under the legal justice system we would have control over one of the biggest cash crops in the world. It would create so many economic opportunities and save our government a lot of their time and money. If we bring marijuana under the law our police officers could focus on the real crimes. We wouldn’t waste so much money taking people to court for something as pointless as possession of marijuana and waste our jail space on people who don’t even belong in jail. Is smoking marijuana even comparable to murder? A crime implies a victim and a perpetrator. Could you imagine being jailed for robbing yourself? As crazy as it sounds this is equivalent to marijuana being illegal. According to the Drug Policy Alliance it is estimated that the government spends 7.7 billion dollars per year focusing on the prohibition of marijuana. If marijuana was legalized it could be taxed and create a huge revenue for our government. In Colorado they made over 40 million on marijuana taxes. They now have

Monday, December 9, 2019

Acid Rain (1840 words) Essay Example For Students

Acid Rain (1840 words) Essay Acid RainannonINTRODUCTION: Acid rain is a great problem in our world. It causes fishand plants to die in our waters. As well it causes harm to our own race aswell, because we eat these fish, drink this water and eat these plants. Itis a problem that we must all face together and try to get rid of. Howeveracid rain on its own is not the biggest problem. It cause many otherproblems such as aluminum poisoning. Acid Rain is deadly. WHAT IS ACID RAIN?Acid rain is all the rain, snow, mist etc that falls from the skyonto our planet that contains an unnatural acidic. It is not to beconfused with uncontaminated rain that falls, for that rain is naturallyslightly acidic. It is caused by todays industry. When products aremanufactured many chemicals are used to create it. However because of thedifficulty and cost of properly disposing of these products they are oftenemitted into the atmosphere with little or no treatment. The term was first considered to be important about 20 years ago whenscientists in Sweden and Norway first believed that acidic rain may becausing great ecological damage to the planet. The problem was that by thetime that the scientist found the problem it was already very large. Detecting an acid lake is often quite difficult. A lake does not becomeacid over night. It happens over a period of many years, some timesdecades. The changes are usually to gradual for them to be noticed early. At the beginning of the 20th century most rivers/lakes like the riverTovdal in Norway had not yet begun to die. However by 1926 localinspectors were noticing that many of the lakes were beginning to showsigns of death. Fish were found dead along the banks of many rivers. Asthe winters ice began to melt off more and more hundreds upon hundredsmore dead fish (trout in particular) were being found. It was at this timethat scientist began to search for the reason. As the scientists continuedto work they found many piles of dead fish, up to 5000 in one pile,further up the river. Divers were sent in to examine the bottom of therivers. What they found were many more dead fish. Many live and deadspecimens were taken back to labs across Norway. When the live specimenswere examined they were found to have very little sodium in their blood. This is typical a typical symptom of acid poisoning. The acid had enteredthe gills of the fish and poisoned them so that they were unable toextract salt from the water to maintain their bodies sodium levels. Many scientist said that this acid poising was due to the fact thatit was just after the winter and that all the snow and ice was runningdown into the streams and lakes. They believed that the snow had beenexposed to many natural phenomena that gave the snow its high acidcontent. Other scientists were not sure that this theory was correctbecause at the time that the snow was added to the lakes and streams thePh levels would change from around 5.2 to 4.6. They believed that such ahigh jump could not be attributed to natural causes. They believed that itwas due to air pollution. They were right. Since the beginning of theIndustrial revolution in England pollution had been affecting all thetrees,soil and rivers in Europe and North America. However until recently the loses of fish was contained to thesouthern parts of Europe. Because of the constant onslaught of acid rainlakes and rivers began to lose their ability to counter act their affects. Much of the alkaline elements; such as calcium and limestone; in the soilhad been washed away. It is these lakes that we must be worried about forthey will soon become extinct. The power of love EssayAt this time the pH was of 5.8. New trout were failing to be producedbecause many smaller organisms that served as food to it had been wipedout earlier. With not enough food the older fish did not have the energyto reproduce. Upon reaching the pH of 5.1 it was noted that the troutbecame cannibals. It is believed this is due to the fact that the minnowwas nearly extinct. At a pH of 5.6 the external skeletons of crayfish softened and theywere soon infected with parasites, and there eggs were destroyed by fungi. When the pH went down to 5.1 they were almost gone. By the end of theexperiment none of the major species had survived the trials of the acid. The next experiment conducted by the scientists was to try and bring thelake back to life. They cut in half the amount of acid that they dumped tosimulate a large scale cleanup. Soon again the cuckers and minnows beganto reproduce again. The lake eventually did come back; to a certainextent; back to life. THE NEW THEORY:A scientist in Norway had a problem believing that it was the acidrain on its own that was affecting the lakes in such a deadly way. Thisscientist was Dr Rosenqvist. Why is it that during heavy rain, the swollen rivers can be up tofifteen times more acid than the rain? It cannot be the rain alone that isdoing it, can it? Many scientist shunned him for this however they couldnot come up with a better answer. Soon the scientists were forced toaccept this theory. Sulfuric acid is composed of two parts, know as ions. The hydrogenion is what make a substance acid. The other ion is sulphate. When thereare more hydrogen ions then a substance is acid. It is this sulphate ionthat we are interested in. When the rain causes rivers to overboard ontothe banks the river water passes through the soil. Since the industrialrevolution in britain there has been an increasing amount of sulphur inthe soil. In the river there is not enough sulphur for the acid to reactin great quantities. However in the soil there is a great collection ofsulphur to aid the reaction. When it joins the water the pH becomes muchlower. This is the most deadly effect of acid rain on our water!!! Thewater itself does not contain enough sulphur to kill off its populationof fish and plants. But with the sulphur in the soil it does. CONCLUSION:Acid rain is a big problem. It causes the death of our lakes, ourrivers, our wild life and most importantly us. As well it causes otherproblems that are very serious as well such as the release of aluminiumand lead into our water supplies. We are suffering because of it. InScotland there are many birth defects being attributed to it. We must cutdown the releases of chemicals that cause it. But it will take time, evenif we were to stop today we would have the problem for years to comebecause of the build up in the soil. Lets hope we can do something. BIBLIOGRAPHYPenguin Publishing House, 1987 , Pearce Fred Acid Rain. What is it andwhat is it doing to us?New York Publishers, 1989, William Stone Acid Rain. Fiend or Foe?Lucent books, Inc. 1990, Steward Gail Acid Rain.

Monday, December 2, 2019

Latin American Dance Music free essay sample

Latin America thrives on its culture. Its dance and music is known to be very sexy and promiscuous, and is recognizable by anyone familiar with dance. Latin American music has had a large influence on the form the dances have today. It was the mariachi bands of Mexico that stirred up the quick paced rhythms and playful movements at the same time that Cuba was embracing similar musical and dance styles. Traditional dance was blended with new, modern ways of moving, and became a whole new dance rage.The dances from those days evolved and were influenced y modern music as the sexy style and hip gestures became more accepted. The style of Latin American dance music Is very risquà ©. Latin American music comprises the musical styles found in Latin American countries and the Caribbean. Four unique Latin American sounds are known as uneven cannon, salsa, Techno music and reggae ton. We will write a custom essay sample on Latin American Dance Music or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Salsa and the more popular Latin dances were created and embraced into the culture In the early and middle sass. The diversity is so great that the only universal feature is the use of Latin-derived language in the songs.The dances for he most part are done with a partner as a social dance, but there is never a reason not to dance by oneself. The music is so inviting one would be hard pressed to hear a Latin beat and not see everyone feeling the rhythm. Many of the dances are done In a close embrace while others are more traditional to ballroom dancing and hold a stronger frame. Today, the world is very accepting of these dances. You can find Latino night in most dance clubs. Ballroom studios teach lessons on many Latin American dances.One can even find the chaw-chaw being done In honks-ton country ears for Instance; Mammal has been a large contributor of the united states involvement in Latin dancing. With such a huge Puerco Rican and Cuban population one can find Latin dancing and music in the streets at any time of day or night. The dances of Latin America are derived from and named for the type of music they are danced to. For example, Rumba, Meringue, Samba, Flamenco, Mambo, Salsa, Chaw-chaw Chaw, Backchat, and, probably most recognizable, the Tango are among the most popular.ORIGIN OF LATIN AMERICAN DANCE MUSIC Many dance music styles have evolved from the original Latin American dance music. It roots are found in Cuba where the rhythmic drums of Africa met the Spanish guitar. Latin America has produced a variety of genres born at the crossroads of European folk music, African music and native traditions. Since we know that both African music and Spanish guitar music are part of the origins of Latin American dance music, it is important to understand how each of these music styles influenced Latin American dance music.African Music and Rhythms Most of the African people used drums in their worship. In these ancient times, certain rhythms were created to call upon certain god splats. There were over two hundred deferent rhythms that created for worship. As the years passed on, the 1 OFF worship, calling their gods Christian names so as to avoid being punished. Today, there are secret societies in the Cuban region that are keeping the ancients rhythms alive. Spanish Guitar Music In the 17th and 18th centuries, Spanish music was defined by the Spanish guitar.By the end of the 19th century, the flamenco style of playing and dancing was born. Flamenco is a dance where rhythms are tapped out with the shoes and castanets (percussion instrument (dopamine), used in Moorish, Ottoman, ancient Roman, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American music) in the hands while the guitar offers accompaniment. A man or a woman may dance the flamenco, and often the rhythms are improvised. Other elements of Spanish and European music also made its way into Latin American dance music, as did some American musical styles, like jazz and even big band music.Each of the types of music has specific steps that go with the music, the counts, the rhythms, and the style. TYPES OF LATIN AMERICAN DANCE MUSIC It is also helpful to look at several popular types of dance music in Latin America. I m going to focus on a few which am very familiar with these being the Samba, Rumba, Chaw-chaw chaw and the Tango. * The Samba; It was a blend of an African dance and a Brazilian dance. The first appearance of the word samba dates from 1838. The samba was originally a dance of African origins, the ensemble, which came from Bah and was probably related to the Condonable rituals.It wed a Brazilian dance, the Maxine, which was an evolution of the Hibernia (a European dance craze created by Maurice Move in 1912 on the basis of the Cuban Hibernia) and of the polka, and soon became a musical genre in its own. The samba was probably invented by African-Brazilian in the working-class slums of ROI De Jeanine. A young white musician from the ROI middle class, Noel Rosa, became famous with the samba song Com queue Rap? (1930) and started a less African and more song- oriented form of samba. Samba was the generic name of the music employing a kind of rhythm, but there were different kinds of samba. The rhythm of the samba was designed as to fulfill three roles: to sing, to dance and to parade (at the carnival). Samba music can actually be a ballad or exciting music for Carnival. * The Rumba; The rhythm is more important than the melody and was originally made with spoons, pots, bottles, or whatever. This had its origin with the African Negro slaves imported into Cuba, whose dances emphasized the movements of the body rather than the feet.The tune was considered less important than the complex cross rhythms, being provided by a percussion of pots, spoons, bottles, etc. (Raffle, 1964, 431). The name Rumba possibly derives from the term rumors orchestra which was used for a dance band in 1807 (Sadie, 1980, 5/88), although in Spanish, the word rumba means route, rumba means heap pile, and rheum is of course an intoxicating liquor popular in the Caribbean (Smith, 1971, 502), any of which might have been used descriptively when the dance was being formed.The name has also been claimed to be derived from the Spanish word for Carousel (Morris, 1969, 1134). This dance is very sensual, because on the first beat of every bar, the only thing that moves is the hips. It is also romantic because of the slow tempo, or speed, of the music. * The Chaw-chaw Chaw; It gets its name from the lively Cuban dance called the curaà §ao. It has 1952; he realized that sometimes the Rumba was danced with extra beats. This is said to be an innovation introduced in 1948 by the musician Unripe Jarring, combining two Cuban dances, the Daemon and the Mouton. When Pierre returned to Britain, he started teaching these steps as a separate dance (Level, 1975, 2). The name could have been derived from the Spanish Coach meaning nursemaid, or charka meaning to chew coca leaves (Smith, 1971, 161), or from char meaning tea (Taylor, 1958, 1 50), or most likely from the fast and cheerful Cuban dance: the Curaà §ao (Lifted, 1974,59). This dance has been popular in Europe from before the turn of the century. A guiro is an instrument made from a gourd which is rubbed with a serrated stick (Brickfield, 1976, 1/1318).The music for the Chaw-chaw chaw is energetic and has a steady beat. The basic movement of stepping forward or backward and shifting weight between feet, the chaw-chaw-chaw adds a quick set of three steps to the side. This gives the dance its name, as many dancers will count out these steps as Chaw-chaw Chaw * The Tango; It is one of the most sensuous Latin American dances. During the belle pique (sass), the working class of the Boca of Buenos Aries (Argentina) invented a new rhythm, the tango. Tan-go was the name given to the drums of the African slaves.The choreography originally devised in the brothels to mimic the obscene and violent relationship between the prostitute, her pimp and a male rival eventually turned into a dance and a style of music of a pessimistic mood, permeated by a fatalistic sense of an unavoidable destiny, music of sorrow enhanced by the melancholy sound of the band neon. Tango was embraced enthusiastically in Europe and landed in the USA in the sass. The Viennese waltz and the Polka had been the first dances to employ the close contact between a male and a female. The tango pushed the envelope in an even more erotic direction.Its magical rhythmic sounds have spread its influence throughout the Caribbean, North and South America and greatly in Europe. This music has a passionate, fiery and hot blooded emotional affect on people. Any music that has such an instant, profound emotional impact on people has to be highly regarded. Latin American dance music takes on an influence of both traditional Spanish and Native traditional. Guitars and Drums largely figure as Latin Music relies great deal on these instruments. Today the Music is more main stream with Latin Music charts, CDC and Videos Online.Latin Music also influences Pop and there are now many music stars that have crossed the musical divide. Many Latin entertainers who perform Latin American dance music sing in both Spanish and English. Their musical influence therefore spreads even more with a much larger global market covering much of the Spanish and English speaking world and beyond. Not all Spanish music is a serenade with a Spanish guitar, which is very traditional. The electric instruments and traditional instruments to help achieve the maximum impact.

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Common App 2017-18 How to Write a Great College Application Essay

Common App 2017-18 How to Write a Great College Application Essay After a year of stability, the Common Application essay prompts have changed again – I think for the better – based on surveys of 5000 teachers, students, counselors and colleges. This year brings some wording changes and a brand new prompt – and an old, previously discarded question that has been brought back to life. Significantly, the now â€Å"old† Common App prompts have not changed a lot – which makes sense since 90% of survey respondents reported that the prompts already worked well. Ideally, the new ones will work even better. Let’s take a look at the 2017-18 Common App prompts: Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.  This prompt has not changed, and I think that’s a good thing. Many college applicants have some aspect of their lives that’s meaningful and important enough to share with the admissions committee. This question provides a welcome opportunity to do so. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount an incident or time when you experienced a challenge, setback or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Obstacles we encounter† and â€Å"a challenge, setback or failure† replaced the previous â€Å"failures† and â€Å"failure.†Ah, this prompt is so much less confronting, and so much more welcoming, to students who do not consider that they have â€Å"failed† but certainly have faced challenges in their lives. Not everyone is too evolved to see failure as an opportunity. And why require a failure to give students the opportunity to write about lessons learned? I like this change. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?â€Å"Questioned† was added to â€Å"challenged†; â€Å"prompted you to act† was replaced with â€Å"your thinking†: and â€Å"Would you make the same decision again?† was replaced by â€Å"What was the outcome?†I like this change because, while few youngsters have gone against the grain in a meaningful way, many of them have had thoughts that go against a belief or idea. The new prompt does not require students to have taken huge risks or to be activists. It just requires them to have opinions. Furthermore, they do not have to answer a yes or no question about whether they would take the same action in the future. Why require students to fortune tell like that? Instead, they can talk about what happened and naturally examine their role in that outcome. Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma-anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.  This was a completely new prompt two years ago, and it provides an exciting opportunity for students to display their intellectual prowess or emotional intelligence. No changes for next year! Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization, that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. This is a fairly old prompt with a fresh take. Interestingly, I predicted that it would be deleted or changed significantly last time I wrote about the Common App prompts, as I saw the danger of clichà ©d answers talking about Bar Mitzvahs and Eagle Scout projects.Here’s what changed: The words â€Å"formal or informal† were deleted, and the word â€Å"realization† was added. Even more significantly, instead of asking about something that â€Å"marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family,† the prompt now asks for students to delve into their own growth and understanding of themselves, their relationships and the world.Both changes reveal admissions committees’ clear preference for introspection and self-understanding. I’ve been saying for years that the com mittees want to see self-awareness and a focus on personal growth, and this preference could not be clearer than from the changes in this essay question. Describe a topic, idea or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?  This brand new prompt is another opportunity for applicants to explain how their brains work, what makes them tick, and how they explore their intellectual interests. I believe it’s a way for the admissions committee to discover how engaged a student would be in both intellectual and extra-curricular pursuits. It will be a great option for any students with passion and curiosity! Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you’ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.  While there was a â€Å"topic of your choice† essay question in the past, it did not suggest submitting an essay the student has already written! This choice fascinates and scares me. With the emphasis in all the other questions on sharing so personally, why open things up to essays on Huckleberry Finn? Why give this easy out to students who can just slap an essay into the box that they wrote for an English class? I bet this question in its current form won’t last long.Also interestingly, when the â€Å"topic of your choice† question was eliminated, there was very little complaint. But after a couple of years, people want it back. We’ll see what the feedback is in the future. It doesn’t really seem necessary, as the instructions to the Common App encourage students to use the prompts to write about anything they want:â€Å"What do you want the readers of your application to know about you apart from courses, grades, and test scores? Choose the option that best helps you answer that question and write an essay of no more than 650 words, using the prompt to inspire and structure your response.† As Scott Anderson, Senior Director for Access and Education at The Common Application, points out in The Common App Essay Prompts Are Changing. Here’s Why It Doesn’t Matter, there’s really only one question in the Common App Essay: â€Å"Write an essay on a topic of your choice.† The Common App Essay has provided you direction, and your job is to take it and create your story. If your child is applying to college and wants support on writing a great response to the Common Application Essay questions, contact The Essay Expert. Remember, approximately 26% of all college applicants hire an admissions consultant, and your child is in the same pool as they are. You might also enjoy some of my other articles about college essays and admissions.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

10 Tips to Avoid Getting Stung By a Bee

10 Tips to Avoid Getting Stung By a Bee Being stung by a bee or wasp is never fun, and for those with bee sting allergies, it can be downright deadly. Fortunately, most bee stings are entirely avoidable. Bees, wasps, and hornets sting primarily to defend themselves, so the key to avoiding bee stings is to make sure the bees dont feel threatened by you. 1. Dont Wear Perfumes or Colognes In other words, dont smell like a flower. Bees can detect and follow strong scents, and wearing perfumes or colognes will attract nectar-seeking bees and wasps from a distance. Once they find the source of the flower smell (you), theyre likely to investigate by landing on you or buzzing around your body. 2. Avoid Wearing Brightly Colored Clothing, Especially Floral Prints This goes along with #1 - dont look like a flower, either. Theres a reason beekeepers wear white. If youre wearing bright colors, you are just asking bees to land on you. Keep your outdoor wear limited to khaki, white, beige, or other light colors if you dont want to attract bees. 3. Be Careful What You Eat Outdoors Sugary foods and drinks will attract bees and wasps for sure. Before you take a sip of your soda, look inside the can or glass and make sure a wasp hasnt gone in for a taste. Fruits also attract the stinging crowd, so pay attention when snacking on ripe fruits outdoors. Dont leave your peach pits or orange peels sitting around. 4. Dont Walk Barefoot Bees may nectar on clover blossoms and other small flowers in your lawn and some wasps make their nests in the ground. If you step on or near a bee, its going to try to protect itself and sting you. But if youre wearing shoes, its only going to hurt itself, not you. 5. Try Not to Wear Loose-Fitting Clothes Bees and wasps might just find their way up your pant leg or into your shirt if you give them an easy opening. Once inside, they will be trapped against your skin. And whats your first impulse when you feel something crawling around inside your clothing? You slap at it, right? Thats a recipe for disaster. Opt for clothing with tighter cuffs, and keep baggy shirts tucked in. 6. Stay Still The worst thing you can do when a wasp flies around your head is swat at it. What would you do if someone took a swing at you? If a bee, wasp, or hornet comes near you, just take a deep breath and stay calm. Its just trying to determine if you are a flower or some other item useful to it, and once it realizes youre just a person, it will fly away. 7. Keep Your Car Windows Rolled Up Bees and wasps have an uncanny knack for getting themselves trapped in cars, where they will buzz around in a panic trying to find a way out. If youre driving the car at the time, this can certainly be unsettling. But wasps and bees cant get inside a car thats closed up, so keep the windows rolled up whenever possible. If you do find yourself giving a ride to an unwanted stinging insect, pull over when its safe to do so and roll your windows down. Dont try to swat at it while you are driving! 8. Rinse Your Garbage and Recycling Cans and Keep Lids on Them Wasps love empty soda and beer bottles and will check out any food waste in your garbage, too. Dont let food residue build up on your garbage cans. Rinse them well now and then, and always put tight-fitting lids on them to keep wasps away from your garbage. This can substantially cut down on the number of wasps hanging around your yard. 9. Dont Hang out in the Flower Garden If youre really worried about bee stings, dont hang out where the bees are most numerous. Bees spend most of their time and energy collecting nectar and pollen from flowers. Dont get in their way. If youre deadheading flowers or gathering them for an arrangement, keep an eye out for bees and wait until theyve moved on to another flower. 10. Call a Professional to Have Unwanted Bees, Wasps, or Hornets Removed Nothing makes a stinging insect angrier than when someone disturbs or destroys its home. Professional beekeepers or pest control experts can remove wasp or hornet nests or bee swarms safely, without putting you at risk for stings.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

A Job Well Done Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A Job Well Done - Essay Example A Job Well Done She did not tell me to do this or that; she just let me do things on my own. One of the toughest things to do was getting out of bed early to prepare breakfast. My younger siblings had to make do with cereals and milk for breakfast because I am not so comfortable working at the kitchen. I brought my mother something to eat in her room, a sandwich and some warm milk, went back to the kitchen because I also had to clean the table afterwards and put everything in the dishwasher. That time I felt like it was the longest morning in my life. I got used to going out of my room when breakfast is ready then go back to my room after eating. After doing the morning chores, I checked our refrigerator to see what I can prepare for lunch. I had no idea what to cook so I just stared blankly on the vegetables and meat that was in the refrigerator. I kept thinking I have to prepare a decent meal for my mom so she can gain back her strength and get better right away. It’s a good thing that we are so equipped with technology that the internet can give you all the small details in cooking – just like a guide for dummies. I ended up making some pasta for me and my siblings and a soup for my mother. It was my first time to cook pasta just by myself. Even if I had the convenience of canned spaghetti sauce and ready to cook pasta, it was still a tough job to do because I had to make sure that I will be able to cook something worth eating.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Case studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Case studies - Essay Example It started as small company but it grew so rapidly that, in 2004 it had been ranked 25th among the Top 50 S&P 500 companies by Business Week magazine. The company has set itself as an example for the other companies in the SME sectors across the world regarding how to become successful in a short span of time. The period of 1990s seemed to be most successful for the company when on average it had opened a new store almost in each working day. This high pace of growth continued even after its entry into the new millennium also. In fact it had been able to maintain thin momentum until recently. The ongoing global down turn had also affected the company badly like the others. Since 2008, it has closed around 900 stores in the United States as demand has declined sharply. However, it still has a growth plan outside the territory of USA in near future. In fact, it is planning to open as many as 900 new stores in the countries outside the USA. (Starbucks- company Overview, 2009) Very often, this company has faced several types of protests on the grounds of trade related policies, employee relations, impacts on environment, and so on. But in the mid of all these issues it has managed to grow at a very fast rate (Starbucks- company Overview, 2009). There are a number of factors that have helped Starbucks to become so successful. These factors are as follows- Rapid expansion on a global basis: Starbucks had adopted the method of expanding its market not only in the domestic front, but also in the foreign countries. This expansion plan has been able to make the name of the Starbucks known by a huge number of people around the world which simply has resulted in magnificent increase in the customer base of this company. By creating its presence in the global market on strong feet, it has been able to dominate the segment of market it caters to. It has been rated as one of the best company to work with and its pleasant working environment has made the company able to expand at such a high pace, while retaining its customer base at its other outlets. Creation of brand loyalty: One major reason behind its success is that it has been able to create huge brand loyalty among its customers. The company has always been careful in meeting the customers' need and providing them with memorable experiences so that they make a return to this brand again and again. This is why the company has been rates as one of those global brands that have created highest level of impact on their consumers. In 2003, a magazine had considered Starbucks as one of most trustworthy brand. Its recognition as one of the most impactful and most trustworthy brand has enhanced its brand value and has made its logo recognizable by the most. Consequently, it has helped to retain its customer-base. The degree of loyalty of the customers to the Starbucks brand is so huge that even when the customers go any foreign location, they visit Starbucks' outlet to have a cup of coffee that they enjoy in their own home town. Adoption of innovative strategies for business: the company has employed a highly skilled research team for developing innovative ways of attracting more and more customers to its brand, while retaining the existing customers' loyalty towards this brand. For example, in 2004, it introduced a CD burning service in one of its outlets in California. This innovative service allows its

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Shoehorn Sonata Speech + Related Text Essay Example for Free

Shoehorn Sonata Speech + Related Text Essay At age 15, you are thrown into a war, fighting for your life and your will to live is slowly diminishing. Are you scared? Probably, but you know that if you show fear, everyone will see you as being weak. This is what the main protagonists of both the play, Shoe Horn Sonata by John Mistro and the movie, Hunger Games directed by Gary Ross endured. Together with photographs, cinematic techniques and symbols, these texts represent the devastation of war, the bonds of friendship forged during a war and their respective will to survive. Friendship is defined as a relationship between friends. In Shoe Horn Sonata, when Sheila and Bridie first meet, it seems unlikely that they will ever be friends. They are complete polar opposites. Sheila cynical statement ‘People always get on when they’re tossed in together. I’d hardly call that friendship. ’, reinforces that Bridie and Sheila initially formed a friendship out of desperation to survive, not because there was mutual affection for each other. Bitter tone is utilised to convey Shelia’s survival instincts are prioritised over tender friendship. Additionally the alliteration of tossed in together reflects how people in war have no choice of their companions, that it pushes them together in survival. Similarly in the Hunger Games , the friendships that Katniss makes with both Rue and are forged out of necessity and need rather than sentiment. Rue and Katniss team up as they both have valuable skills assets that the other would like to utilise to their advantage such as when Rue manages to take a weapon unnoticed using the trees. In many ways, an alliance with Rue is an alliance to District 11 which Katniss can use to her benefit. Peter and Katniss act as if they are lovers in a ploy for the audience as a means to survive as seen when Katniss receives a note from Haymitch asking ‘You call that a kiss? ’. The sarcastic tone makes Katniss realise that the ploy will be futile as if Haymitch is doubtful then others will be too. Both texts show that although they may not have been friends in normal circumstances, war has pushed them together and this has attributed to them surviving. Symbols are also used in both texts to represent the protagonists’ hope and survival. For example, the shoehorn in Shoe Horn Sonata is first seen when the girls are in the water and Bridie uses it to wake Sheila up and prevent her from drowning. In this scene, it a metaphorical and representative an object of survival and the will to live. As the play goes on, the shoehorn symbolises family for Bridie and sacrifice for Sheila but in the end it unites the girls and demonstrates that not only did they survive the war, they survived the effects of the war as well. Caramel is another symbol of survival. It was the only luxury the girls had during the camp and ‘it had to last till the end of the war’. The caramel was even important enough that it was written into the girls’ wills. This conveys to the audience that the girls clung to the hope that they would eventually be released from the prison camp. On the other hand, in Hunger Games, the mockingbird pin was not only Katniss’s link to her district, but a symbol of her love for her father as well as her survival. The pin is a representation of a creature with a spirit of her own. By breaking free of the Capitol’s control this show that the Capitol does not have complete control of the districts. Katniss, like the mockingjay, has escaped from the Capitol’s clutches which is why the pin symbolises her survival and spirit. The photographs shown during interview in Shoe Horn Sonata support the dialogue and give the audience a visual representation of what the girls went through during the camp. In scene 7, you see visuals of what the prisoners looked like during the camp. They are emaciated, haggard and impoverish. The effects of the imprisonment of the innocent is clearly highlighted during these photographs. The stark black and white photos depicting the harrowing effects of mistreatment of innocents evokes sympathy towards the prisoners from the viewer and loathing for their captors. In contrast, within the Hunger Games, the film is seen as whirs and jolts with sharply edited scenes intercutting from perspective to perspective which represents Katniss’s inner turmoil and her agitation which accompanies those new changes. Her life is unpredictable and this is shown as the camera shakes around representing the sudden changes in her life and well as extreme long shots used to give the audience a general impression of the places she goes. Little detail can be seen in these scenes which corresponds to the insignificance of these places to Katniss. The audience witnesses the consequences of these changes but to everyone else, they are unable to see this because of the defensive stoic mask she wears. In conclusion, the protagonists in Shoe Horn Sonata and the Hunger Games have survived horrors unimaginable to us and through distinctively visual techniques such as , photographs, cinematic techniques and symbols, we are able to grasp a small idea of what they have endured on their journey. Therefore, thus despite common circumstances being the catalyst for friendship in times of war, strife and horror they are able to triumph over their circumstances because of the sustenance that this unexpected friendship provides them.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Home Schooling :: Free Essay Writer

Home Schooling Is home schooling a better option for our children? I believe that the author’s main point is that there are two dissimilar types of group’s that home school, and additionally that parents can customize there children’s schooling is a â€Å"Consumer mentality†. The two categories of home schooling have â€Å"Emerged†, both of which is complicated about customization.† The superior of the grouping is the â€Å"Christian right†, although home schooling has grow to be a much more diverse endeavors in the past 10 years†. The â€Å"Strength as a social movement and the majority of is practitioners are conservative Christians.† Both kinds of home schooled as in the, â€Å"Family unit who instructs the child exclusively at home and the family unit who inquires about some interface with the community school organization is practicing customizing in education.† In addition, home schooling is supplementary than an, â€Å"Education alternative.† It is also a societal interest group, in 1986; approximately 50,000 offspring were being sophisticate at there dwelling. â€Å"In 2002, at slightest 1 million offspring’s is being home school; with some approximation attach the quantity at 2 million, and amplify of 20†. I believe that the instigator purpose of the commentary is that, â€Å"Parents view their child’s education on a matter of properly under their control, and no one else’s†. In addition, that some of the parents feel that they are, â€Å"Entitled to purchase the education of their child from the market place of learning material†. I consider that all parents should have the chose to customize their child’s education, to their own characteristics. If parents want to protect their children from diverse things in the world, in that case they should be capable to. In addition, I concur with that how home schooling parents are so dedicated to their children having an excellent education. I agree with the author stated that home schooling seems to be â€Å"Wonderful if people think about education as a consumption tool†. My position of the commentary is that I concur with what the author declared in the entire article. I believe parents that home school their children are significantly worried about how their children obtain their education, and that they would do anything for there child to have an excellent education. Residency is the societal adhesive that unites the diverse people together; to be a national is to contribute to something in common with one’s fellow citizens. As the legal scholar Sunstein (2001) has argue, a â€Å"Heterogeneous society† with out some share experiences and some common values.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Briefly comment on the communication research report Essay

With rapid advancement of new communication technologies, people currently can freely and actively express their own opinions in the new media. For example, the Internet has dramatically changed the ways in which some individuals receive news and information, this is very big different from the traditional forms of communication. However, there are some correlation links between traditional mass communication ways and modern new technology ways(Kotcher,1992;Rubin, 1994). Roberts M, Wanta, W and Dzwo, T (2002) examined one aspect of the Internet: electronic bulletin boards (EBBs). The objective of this study is to investigate if traditional news media sources have an agenda-setting impact on the discussions taking place on the EBBs. In other words, the purpose of the study is to examine the agenda-setting process and the role it may play on the Internet. The report’s dominant methodology is quantitative. As we know, it is a critical issue that appropriate methodology should be taken depending on different research topic. Quantitative approach and qualitative approach have their respective advantages and disadvantages (Fowler, 1993). Quantitative research, through surveys, gathers data about people’s knowledge, opinions, attitudes and behavior. Quantitative research approach is used to generate new knowledge for evidence-based practice. Attention will be given to the advantages and disadvantages of Quantitative research designs for large group research, the principles of reliability and validity, the value of descriptive and inferential statistics and the importance of ethical research conduct. For the topic, it belongs to sociology category, so I think the researchers have used appropriate research approach (quantitative research approach) even though the approach has some disadvantages. This is because quantitative research approach for this topic has the following advantages: Large members of people can be studies; the method is relatively quick and relatively cheap; the results are reliable, and representative of a much wider population than that directly investigated, the personal influence of the research on the results is slight and the data can easily be expressed in statistical form. This enables comparisons to be made between different groups and populations. For this study, the researchers use Internet, its main advantages are low/moderate cost to design; low cost to send; quick to analyse data; easy for respondent to complete and can attach brochures, images, etc. However, Every survey methodology has its weaknesses, and online surveys are no exception. – Not sure who is answering the survey. Like mail studies, it is difficult to insure the desired person actually answers the survey. – Not representative of the population. The Internet population has a slight bias towards younger, more computer literate users, though this is changing all the time and becoming more representative of the population. – Long surveys are more difficult. The personalities of today’s online users makes it difficult to coerce respondents into completing long surveys. – Not a â€Å"mainstream† research methodology, yet. With more experience and comparative analyses of online surveys versus mail and telephone results, online surveys should reach the same level of acceptance as other methodologies. For this research, the researchers use EBBs which has the above weaknesses too. For the research’s method, the researchers use five steps (Roberts, 2002, P456-458): The first step imperative examines whether traditional news media sources have an agenda-setting impact on the discussions taking place on the EBBs. They ask † Do individuals take issue information gained from news media and pass information about this issue online to other electronic bulletin board users? † The second step is selecting the sample. The third step deals with defining categories, time frames, coding units, and context units. The fourth step is content analysis and the final and fifth step of content analysis process is to analyze and interpret the data. The five steps are typical research method that is used by many researchers (McMillan, 2000) and they are very similar with the quantities analysis approach (the Scientific Method) which includes seven steps: Defining the problem; Developing a Model; Acquiring Input Data; Developing a Solution; Testing the Solution; Analyzing the Results and Implementing the Results (Render, 1982). The researchers use an ARIMA model cross-correlational test showed EBB discussions of three issues—immigration, health care, and taxes-correlated with news media coverage, with time lags varying from 1 day to 7 days. In my opinion, the method is appropriate method for the topic. This investigation looks for a more powerful effect than previous agenda-setting researchers. Because of the Internet’s dynamic characteristic of transmitting information from senders to receivers, researchers currently assume that our traditional theories of mass communication can directly apply to online communication (Wimmer, 1994). The researches have an accurate research questions or hypothesis that are: how will the new online communication forms affect the agenda-setting process? Can we assume that the transfer of salience still follows the original hypothesis? How does the condensed and compressed environment of online communication affect what we know about time frame effects? All these questions are explored in their study. By quantitative research, the researchers concluded: † The results demonstrate the usefulness of examining the rule the Internet plays in the agenda-setting process. Media coverage apparently can provide individuals with information to use in their Internet discussions. As the Internet continues to become an important source of information, it also will become an important area for mass communication researchers. † (Roberts, 2002, P464). The report also recommended† future research should link other mass communication theoretical approaches with Internet usage†. Despite the research has some definite problems; online research has many more advantages than disadvantages. When surveying populations, which mimic the demographics of online users, online research can be a primary means of information collection. With other populations, online research can be effective as a supplement to more traditional survey approaches or as a quick impression of your customers (much like qualitative approaches are used). For outlook, as the Internet continues to grow in popularity, investigations of the content of information being sent online similarly will increase in importance. The study takes an important step in linking the Internet to a mainstream mass communication theory. References Kotcher, R. L. (1992). The technological revolution has transformed crisis communication. Public Relations Quarterly, 37(3), 19-21. Rubin, R. , P. Palmgreen, and H. Sypher (1994 eds. ), Communication Research Measures: A Sourcebook, New York: Guilford. Roberts, et al (2002), Agenda setting and issue salience online. Communication Research, Vol. 29 No. 4, August 452-465. Fowler, Floyd J. , Jr (1993). Survey Research Methods, 2nd ed. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications. McMillan, S. J. (2000). The microscope and the moving target: The challenge of applying content analysis to the World Wide Web. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 77, 80-98. Render, B and Stair, R. M (1982). Quantitative Analysis for Management ( The Second Edition). New York: Library of congress Cataloging in Publication Data. Wimmer, R. D. and J. R. Dominick (1994), Mass Media Research: An Introduction, 4th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

The Ups and Downs of the Cold War

Although no war between the superpowers of the United States and the Soviet Union was ever declared, the leaders of the West and East faced off against each other in what is known as the Cold War. Even though there were attempts to discuss being peaceful together during the 46 years of â€Å"war†, these two nations fought overt and covert battles to increase their power across the globe. From the beginning to the end, the Cold War brought much fear and tension to the entire world.The Cold War is described as â€Å"the arms race between Germany and its neighbors as ‘a kind of â€Å"cold war† where there is no shooting but bleeding’† (Williamson). For my Cold War project, I made a chutes and ladders board game to represents the ups and downs of the war. I used 14 events: when the U. S. drops the atomic bomb, the Iron curtain, the Berlin Airlift, when China falls to communism, the Domino effect, when Russia drops their atomic bomb, hysteria, the launchi ng of Sputnik, Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Berlin Wall was built, the U. S. ets a man on the moon, the Berlin Wall falls, and the end of the Soviet Union, or the end of the Cold War. If the United States had a victory, the little person goes up the ladder, but if the Soviet Union won an event, the little person goes down the slide. There are eight slides, and six ladders, meaning that the Soviet Union overall had more wins, but the United States stole the victory in the end. The United States had a couple wins in the beginning, but the Soviet Union took control during the middle of the war, which means there are many slides in the middle of my project.But in the end, the United States takes it to the top, with a sparkly ladder to prove it. Immediately in the 50s and 60s, there were many short term effects of the Cold War. Communism was looked at as the â€Å"evil† government and the United States feared that it would spread from country to country. Because of t he increasing fear, many organizations and acts were started to put on end to the spread. One group, the House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), began to investigate allegiances of communism in Hollywood. The committee believed that Communists were sneaking propaganda into films† (Danzer) and they accused people of working with communists, causing huge amounts of hysteria. In 1950, Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed unknown communists in the state department, and eventually was calling everyone a communist. Not only were people afraid of being called a communist, but they also had to live in fear of having to eventually call someone they knew a communist.Panic was everywhere-having to always worry if a Russian atomic bomb was going to explode, not knowing if anyone was going to be called a communist, and always trying to compete with the Russians to try to be ahead in the race of war. Not only were there short term effects of the Cold War, but there were also long term effects as well. For example, the Berlin Wall, â€Å"a concrete wall topped with barbed wire that severed Berlin in two† (Danzer), stood as an ugly symbol of Communist oppression. Once it was torn down in 1989, it essentially ended all of the tensions that the hideous wall created.As well as the Berlin Wall, there were many problems with nuclear weapons. The Unites States and the Soviet Union were constantly racing to see who would use the atomic bomb first, and in 1945, the U. S. dropped the first bomb, starting the tensions of the Cold War that would last 46 years. The space race continued throughout the Cold War as the atomic bomb race did. In 1957, Russia sent Sputnik in space, making them the leader in the space race. However, in 1969, the United Stated sent the first man to the moon, which pushed them to be the leader.In the end, the super powers were both spending more than they could afford on the â€Å"bloodless war† (Williamson), which caused the Soviet Union to crumple, as the result to the end of the Cold War. Tensions, fear, and struggles filled the Cold War for 46 years. Even though there was no hand on hand contact, the events that shaped the war will never be forgotten. The Cold War had many ups and downs, but because of the perseverance and unity of the United States, they were about to steal the win of the long battle.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Brave New World vs Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde essays

Brave New World vs Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde essays Everybody seeks truth, some seek absolute factual truth and some people seek truths based on what they want to believe and what makes them comfortable. The novels The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Hr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson and Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley are similar because they talk about a person protecting their reputation and outward appearance. These novels are also contrasting because the characters find different truths and deal with them in different ways. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a novel about a man who takes on the role of investigator yet has problems handling the truth about his case. He discovers a truth so menacing that he is quiet with the information and sure of himself when he finally decides to share it with the authorities. Stevenson was born in Edinburgh in 1850 and had no other siblings. He suffered from poor health as a child and missed school regularly. He went to Edinburgh University at seventeen and soon discovere d his hostility towards his parents. He then adopted the role of liberal bohemian and took up the study of law, though he knew he would never practice. Brave New World is a novel about an outsiders experience with the World State and how he struggles to fit in. Huxley was born in Surrey, England in 1894 into a family that included some of the most distinguished members of that part of the English ruling class. His grandfather was a great biologist who helped develop the theory of evolution. His mother was the sister of Mrs. Humphrey Ward, the novelist; and the niece of Matthew Arnold, the poet. The strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Brave New World are intricate novels that illustrate the extents that people will go to avoid scandal, maintain their reputations and how people deal with the reality of life in the end. People will avoid scandal rather than discovering the truth. In The strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the main ch...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Gift-Giving Guide for College Students

Gift-Giving Guide for College Students Gift-giving as a college student can be complicated. Of course, youd love to treat all of your friends and family to big, beautiful gifts ... but your budget and time restrictions often prevent doing so. What options are there, then, for college students who want to give great gifts without seeming cheap or lazy? Gifts Based on Recipients Great Gifts for Your College Boyfriend or Girlfriend. Its hard to come up with a meaningful, reasonably priced, personal gift for your significant other.Gifts for a College Roommate. A college roommate is like no one else; after all, what other person knows so much about you, puts up with your ridiculousness, and lets you eat their cereal when youre meal plan runs out? Whether its for a roommate birthday or the holidays, make sure you get something unique for this important person in your life.General Gift Ideas for Moms. Be it for Mothers Day or her birthday, getting a gift for Mom  is a must-do. Dont forget to make a phone call if youre away at school on the big day, too!Gifts for Your Siblings. You may have been incredibly close to your siblings before you left for school, or you may have been glad to have them no longer annoying you at the dinner table. Either way, forgetting a gift for your sibling can be an unforgivable offense! Gifts Based on Situations Low-Cost Gift Ideas. Regardless of whom your gift is for, it needs to fit within your budget. Thoughtful low-cost gifts will make you look anything but cheap.Last-Minute Gift Ideas. Alright, so your friends/roommates/brothers birthday totally sneaked up on you. Last-minute gift ideas based on someones hobby or creative outlet can help cover your oops-I-nearly-forgot tracks.Unique Valentines Day Gifts. With so much hype, it can be hard to come up with gift ideas for Valentines Day that are original and inexpensive.College Graduation Gift Ideas. Graduation season can get so chaotic that its easy to forget to get a college graduation gift that adequately celebrates this major milestone.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Effects of Taiping rebellion Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Effects of Taiping rebellion - Research Paper Example In addition to actual deaths, the rebellion disrupted the lives of many Chinese people, especially the peasants. In the heightened euphoria of the war, they abandoned their farms and joined in the campaign against the ruling dynasty. Some got displaced from their farms as the revolt intensified. The Taipings also wreaked havoc wherever they went, destroying infrastructure and especially irrigation canals that were vital in sustaining agricultural production. As a result, famine struck the nation since neither labor nor agricultural infrastructure could sustain food production. Poverty, which had already affected the Chinese due to opium consumption and the Opium War some years, was accentuated by these conditions since the peasants had nothing to sell to earn income. Another immediate effect of the Taiping uprising was the fundamental change in the Chinese people’s way of thinking. This is because the Taipings adopted beliefs derived from a version of Christianity. The people were swept by the widespread propaganda of a heavenly kingdom. The Taipings made the Chinese people to discard their past beliefs in Confucianism and instead adopt beliefs from a derivative of Christianity. The Taiping rebellion also raised a nationalist force among large factions of China’s society. It fuelled the bitterness and animosity that many people had towards Manchu’s rule and the entire Qing dynasty. Therefore, the insurgence was instrumental in promoting nationalist spirit amongst Chinese people. Lastly, perpetrators and supporters of the Taiping uprising had political objectives that they intended to execute once they had established their utopian society. For instance, they aspired to bring exploitative practices characteristic of the Qing Dynasty to an end, by implementing military, political, social and economic reforms. They achieved this, albeit to a limited extent. The Taipings also altered the content of the exam that qualified candidates for the Mandarin gentry. The exam that was previously based on Confucian principles was changed to one founded in the Bible.6 The Taiping administration abolished the right to ownership of private property, declaring that all land would be allocated to the public by the government. The Taipings even replaced the lunar calendar with a solar one and granted women equal rights, making it possible for them to even take exams for admission to the gentry. The Taipings banned the Chinese custom of foot binding, in addition to gambling, opiu m, tobacco, prostitution, polygamy, alcohol consumption

Friday, November 1, 2019

Immigration Marriage Fraud in Canada Research Paper

Immigration Marriage Fraud in Canada - Research Paper Example Under the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, one of the major objectives is to assist families to reunite. It therefore follows that, permanent residents and Canadian citizens may undertake to sponsor their partners or spouse to enable then obtain permanent residence in Canada (Ward and Belanger 2010). However, this Act has been continuously abused by some individuals who enter into marriage for convenience to defeat the Canadian immigration laws and gain permanent resident in Canada. Fraudulent marriage may take two forms: One, spouse may pretend to be in a relationship that is genuine so that it can be easy for the partner who is being sponsored to gain entry into Canada while on the other hand the sponsoring partner may be given some kind of benefits either financial or other kind in return for the sponsorship. The second kind of fraudulent marriage or marriage of convenience is where one of the spouses genuinely gets into a relationship not knowing that his or her partner only wants to use the relationship to get Canadian permanent resident status (Magana 2003). Under the two instances of marriage of convenience, the relationship is terminated soon after the person who is sponsored gain permanent resident status in Canada, thus marriage of convenience or fraudulent marriages weakens the Canadian immigration system not to mention the difficulty that such fraudulent marriage present especially to the immigrants who are genuine in their endeavors. A case in mind is the recent incident where a young Indian boy committed suicide after his wife married him in India, immigrated to Canada, and walked out on him once she became a Permanent Resident. Gurdip Singh Saroya an Indian man had married his wife Harmanjit Kaur Dhami who arrived in Canada on October 12 to reunite with her husband, on arrival; however, she would not allow her husband to touch her. She insisted that she wanted to go and stay in Toronto on her own. Unable to come into terms with this news Gurdip Singh Saroya her husband could not swallow this emotional fraud from his wife anymore, on one Monday morning, Gurdip Singh Saroya committed suicide by jumping off the Pattullo Bridge. The family of Gurdip Singh Saroya is convinced that the actions of Harmanjit Kaur Dhami the fraud wife as they call her was to blame for their sons’ death. They have a strong conviction that Harmanjit Kaur Dhami persistence to move to Toronto to stay alone severely affected Gurdip Si ngh Saroya as he realized that he was in a marriage that was strange and unworkable. The family of Gurdip Singh Saroya are also convinced that Harmanjit Kaur Dhami only used her marriage to their son for convenience purposes to gain permanent resident to Canada. In Canada, an individual commits a marriage fraud when he or she enters into marriage for purposes of getting the requisites to attain permanent resident in Canada. For this reason, when a foreign spouse is helped to gain entry into the country and within a short time walks out of the marriage, these spouses automatically subscribes to their community support system which constitutes a marriage fraud. Basically, the institution of marriage is a union that is sacred, and in instances where one of the party to the marriage has genuine feelings and intentions while the other party mostly the party who is sponsored to get entry into Canada, has a deceptive intention of gaining permanent entry into the country, the very core valu es of marriage are defeated and as such that marriage never existed in the first place. The veil behind immigrants’ marriage must therefore be lifted to establish the true intentions of the parties intending

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Professional Workplace Dilemma Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Professional Workplace Dilemma - Essay Example Johnson; the cashier identified my local police department badge and concluded that we were police officers. She could not have known our identities if it were not for the badge since we were dressed in civilian clothes. The cashier, Ms. Swansea, told me that I did not have to pay because I was from the local police department. This was a difficult situation because the courtesy would have meant money in my pocket, but due to the police department code of ethics for all personnel, I could not accept the gratuity. I paid the waitress the total amount for the food in a tip so that I would not be breaking company policy regarding gratuity and I did not want to offend the cashier. Analysis of the dilemma This scenario challenged my virtues as a human being and my loyalty to the Ethics that govern the operations of the law enforcement officers. There was a distinct difference between me as a law enforcement officer and the cashier. As a law enforcement officer, I am endowed with powers an d authority that come with holding such an office. Such powers can only be necessary in circumstances that the law allows. For instance, as a law enforcement officer, I have the power to interrogate and interview suspects in connection to their alleged crimes (Clark, 1970). I have powers and authority to use legal means to make suspects confess their crimes in order to advance the promotion of Justice to victims of the alleged crime, for instance, applying detention laws to confine suspects in accordance to the law. On the other hand, the cashier has no authority and power in comparison with the law enforcement officers. The cashier, Ms. Swansea, is an employee with the duty of serving clients and receiving cash from them. She has no authority outside her cafe. The ethics in question are: As a law enforcement officer, it is my duty to serve the community and to protect lives and property of innocent people against dishonest acts, and protect the weak against oppression and/or intimi dation (Scheb and Scheb, 2011). In the above scenario, the nature of the office I held intimidated the cashier who, thus, offered me the free meal. It is my responsibility as a law enforcement officer to protect the weak against intimidation, and Ms. Swansea as well. If I had accepted the offer, I would have gone against the codes of conduct and ethics that guide law enforcement officers. As law enforcement officers, it is our duty not to permit personal prejudices, personal feelings and political beliefs to influence our decisions and never to accept gratuities due to the office I am holding (H.M.S.O, 1985). Ms. Swansea offered a gratuity to me in the form of not paying for the meal. Had I accepted the offer, I would have betrayed the law enforcement officer’s code of conducts. As law enforcement officers, it is our duty to take the badge of the office as a symbol of faith from the public. It is a public trust that law enforcement officers hold (Scheb and Scheb, 2011). Thus, it is unacceptable for police officers to accept bribes or engage in corruption due to the opportunities that the office they hold presents. In this case, had I

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Value Chain At Siemens Wind Power Commerce Essay

Value Chain At Siemens Wind Power Commerce Essay Siemens is a world-class service provider with over 30 years of experience in providing high quality services with superior safety principles. Based on this significant knowledge, a flexible range of service solutions have been designed for both onshore and offshore projects, to optimize the output of wind turbines throughout their lifetime. The purpose of the Service Department is to repair damaged main shafts of the wind mills. The range of operations in the service department can be divided into two main categories: On-site repairmen and substitutions of the damaged or broken main shafts. At Siemens Wind Power the service department in many cases is prioritized down in the organization because it is costing the company money, and not really generating any money. The service department it just building up inventory, and havent run since January 2009. So we decided to take a look and make a analysis of their value chain to have a overview of the current situation and to see if there are any problems which need solving. A value chain is a chain of activities for a firm operating in a specific industry. A value chain typically consists of inbound distribution or logistics, manufacturing operations, outbound distribution or logistics, marketing and selling, and after-sales service. These activities are supported by purchasing or procurement, research and development, human resource development, and corporate infrastructure. We used the Value Chain framework of Michael Porter from the strategic management book because it breaks down the activities of the organisation into its many parts. Contribution of each part can be analysed for its contribution to the total value added by the organisation. Afterwards this can be used to see where to put in the effort and make improvements. The goal of these activities is to offer the customer a level of value that exceeds the cost of the activities, thereby resulting in a profit margin. Primary Activities: Inbound Logistics : Includes receiving, storing , inventory control , transportation scheduling They have a safety stock in Denmark in Tinglev that consist 5 pieces of each component and in USA they have the safety stock in Huston and consists 10 pieces of each component. The safety stocks are enough to cover demand of 35 days according to their forecast. Production capacity is 30 turbines a week of the 2.3 and 4 a week of 3.6 and they have 60.000 components. Process when a part is broken: Demounting the defect shaft and then can be transported directly to Brande, or through the regional Headquarter and then mount it. Then it is send back to Fabriksvej and repaired and then to Tinglev, where it fills up a container, which consists of 2 main shafts. Lead time of one year of main bearings from the assembly department. Operations: Includes machining, assembly, equipment maintenance. The Costumers have to make the foundation, electricity and have the infrastructure. They are only buying turbines, costumers has to know for themselves the weather conditions etc. A wind mill costs approx. 18 mio. DKK for turbine without SLA. Siemens promises in the SLA that the windmill is running 95 % of the time. But it is actually running 97% of the time. Siemens fulfill the customers service contracts through the SLA (service level agreements) which is made in corporation with the customers. They have a Monitoring department that can see if the main bearing gets too hot and then switch it off and in the UK have their own monitoring departments but sometimes it brakes when it is turned on again. Siemens can monitor the costumer without the SLA, but dont, because they didnt pay for the service. Only if the customers want it later, they can start monitoring them. Outbound Logistics The activities required to get the finished product to the customers: warehousing, order fulfillment, transportation, distribution management In the past Siemens faced a problems with higher demand than expected and couldnt deliver spare parts to the customer because of low safety stock levels there were a demand for 10 in UK because they were broken down, but Siemens only have the safety stock of 5, which is not sufficient but also keeping a high level of safety stock is also not good because it takes lots of money to keep components in the stock. Siemens is not prioritizing the service department regarding the suppliers when they need to share capacity on old components, broken components or new components. When it is new components, the service department forecast a year ahead, to meet the demand. Siemens in order to reduce variability in demand and increase flexibility in order to meet the demand they try to build a corporation with the service regions; USA, Germany Uk to get a forecast from them at least 4 months ahead. Further they ask the regions to have service materials on stock, so they dont get to many urgent orders. There is also a safety-stock in USA, which covers the demand for 35 days. From this they are making forecasts to their suppliers, for them to be able to plan their capacity, they use Delta forecasting and using Delphi method compared with failure rates. The forecasts are updated every month by the demand management department. Marketing and Sales: The activities associated with getting buyers to purchase the product. The Siemens service headquarters is located in Brande, Denmark for both onshore and offshore services. In order to optimize knowledge transfer and customer value globally,  regional service centers have been established. These  main offices are  located in: The United States of America Singapore and Germany. In an effort to stay close to the customer in the  complex European region, the heart of the wind industry, smaller offices  are also  set up  in: The United Kingdom Spain, Germany and Denmark. They get the most revenue of selling turbines .The markets are Europe, USA and Asia Pacific . Onshore is not growing in Europe, but in the USA and New Zealand it is expanding. Siemens are the best wind turbine manufacturers they offer high quality and good service for the ones who are willing to pay for it. Their windmills are running 97% of the time, compared with Vestas ´ windmills, which are running under 95 % of the time. Brand name Siemens and with the history of bonus they are adding value to their product. The service department crew is adding value when there is a problem with the customers windmills. The service department has a monitoring department which monitors the windmills all the time. Service The activities that maintain and enhance the products value, including customer support, repair services, installation, training, spare parts management. The Costumers have to make the foundation, electricity and have the infrastructure. They are only buying turbines, costumers has to know for themselves the weather conditions etc. A wind mill costs approx. 18 mio. DKK, for turbine without SLA. Siemens promises in the SLA that the windmill is running 95 % of the time. But it is actually running 97% of the time. Siemens fulfill the customers service contracts through the SLA (service level agreements) which is made in corporation with the customers. They have different types of SLA ´s to meet the costumers needs. When a windmill breaks down, Siemens takes the part back and replaces it with a new one. Siemens Service department repairs the broken part, and then sell it again to another customer, 40 % of the sights (customers) are buying the long term SLA. Only in the service department; the costumers who pay more for SLA, get service first. 70 % want service, only pays 40 % for the quick lead time. 30 % dont want service, but can buy spare parts. In the service department there are two main categories of operations: The first type of repairment is taking place on-site by service teams, send out by the service department in Brande, or by one of the regional headquarters in Houston, Germany or in the UK. On-site repairmens are taking place when the detected problem is a minor damage that can be fixed without removing the main shaft, and when the repairment can be done within the scope of the service level agreement. This means that the turbine has to be up and running again within one week. The second type of repairment is when Siemens is facing a more serious damage that cannot be fixed on-site then the service department calls for a repaired main shaft from the safety stock, to use as a substitute for the operating and damaged main shaft. The regional headquarters are responsible for planning and execution of the arrangements needed to do a successful changeover of the main shaft. The teams which are send are trained especially for this operation, and the dissembled shafts are then transported to Denmark, where the repairment is taking place. Technicians and monitor regions are responsible for telling if they have the new shafts. They communicate to the service department to supply new parts. When it comes to repairing the wind mills Siemens has to face a seasonality. In the winter is not possible to fix any problems in the field thats why Siemens is trying to fix as much mills as they can before winter in October and November. The second pick period is after the winter when mills not repaired before winter need to be fixes as soon as possible in March and April. Support Activities. Procurement Procurement of raw materials, servicing, spare parts, buildings, machines. When a part breaks down within the 2 years; first it is sent from supplier to Siemens in Tinglev, and sold, then to the suppliers when it is broken, where it is renovated, then back to Tinglev and then to the new costumer who buys it. First when it goes to the supplier it is seen if it is better to scrap or renovate. After two years, you evaluate if it should be send to suppliers or renovate it yourself? They sell them as renovated parts for 80 % of the price.The supplier is out of the corporation with Siemens after 6 months if there are problems with the supplier. They have good suppliers which are flexible. At least 2 suppliers on each part. Suppliers have to pay if the turbine is down, if it is their fault. Many suppliers are owned by Siemens, on the main parts. Blades, gearboxes etc. They have stock in USA and in Tinglev, to supply with a new component, when broken down. Suppliers: Spain for main bearing. Normark are for shafts. Stockgos Germany, bearing houses Most parts from Europe are from suppliers but they dont have that many suppliers in the USA. So have to build up a supplier network. Siemens has the most expensive turbines and best quality. They are selling service in the US and they have a service facility but no repair.If the parts are under guaranty the supplier will supply a new part or a renovated part. The hours the technicians use will be paid by the supplier. For the most parts Siemens are able to renovate themselves. Technology Development Includes technology development to support the value chain activities, such as Research and Development, Process automation, design and redesign. Thanks to process technology developed by Dr. Gerald Hohenbichler (44), steel manufacturers can now save energy by processing metal in continuous strands. Hohenbichlers groundbreaking solution enables molten raw steel to be rolled immediately after casting, reducing a mills energy requirements by as much as 45 percent. Siemens Energy has installed the first prototype of a newly designed direct-drive wind turbine. The new SWT-3.0-101 DD is a gearless turbine with a power rating of three megawatts (MW). Its rotor has a diameter of 101 meters. The prototype was installed near the Danish town of Brande, where Siemens Wind Power headquarters is located. The intelligent, straightforward design of the turbine makes gearboxes unnecessary. The new turbine will officially be launched in 2010. Human Resource Management The activities associated with recruiting, development (education), retention and compensation of employees and managers. They have a new strategy; they are now finding the costumers themselves, because of the financial crisis. Siemens has already fired 400 workers in Brande and 200 in Ã…lborg. Siemens training centers offer thorough training programs to ensure that all service personnel are trained to our stringent safety and quality standards. Training centers are located in: Brande, Denmark Bremen, Germany Newcastle, UK Houston, United States. Firm Infrastructure Includes general management, planning management, legal, finance, accounting, public affairs, quality management, etc. Peter Là ¶scher, President and CEO of Siemens AG. The firms margin or profit then depends on its effectiveness in performing these activities efficiently, so that the amount that the customer is willing to pay for the products exceeds the cost of the activities in the value chain. It is in these activities that a firm has the opportunity to generate superior value. A competitive advantage may be achieved by reconfiguring the value chain to provide lower cost or better differentiation. Now that we have an overview of Siemens Supply chain we observe that they are facing some problems. We have received information regarding the possibility of investing into a new regional service department in the states which in our opinion might prove to be a very good answer to the problems that they are facing now and since the USA market is expanding for Siemens, a local risk hedging service department may indeed benefit the company. A service department who would communicate with the current service regions and the new found production plant in the USA. Having a repair department in the U.S would cut down the transportation and handling lead times and costs. The profitability for the service department and Siemens as a whole would be to reduction of inventory costs, because the inventory will be reduced in the service department of broken shafts, when it starts running again. There would be a reduction in transportation costs; severely if they implement a service department in the US, and namely if they optimize the flow in Denmark. It will also reduce the capital bindings in defect components which are in the service departments inventory. Also a good idea would be built up a supplier network in the USA because most of the parts come from the European suppliers. Choosing the right supply chain strategy Once the production plant and service department are build they need to have a right supply chain strategy which prepares them for the new business challenges and opportunities. A simple but powerful way to characterize a product when seeking to devise the right supply chain strategy are the two key uncertainties faced by the product which are demand and supply. Demand uncertainty is linked to the predictability of the demand for the product. In order for Siemens to choose the right strategy they have to follow some steps in order to understand what is going on with their supply chain. A first step would be to figure out what time of product are they selling functional products or innovative products .Functional products are ones that have long product life cycles and there for stable demand, while innovative products are products that have short life cycles with high innovation and fashion contents as we can see clearly, different supply chain strategies are required for functional versus innovative products. Functional products tend to have less product variety than innovative products, where variety is introduced due to the fashion-oriented nature of the product or the rapid introduction of new product options due to product technology advancements. Demand for functional products is much easier to forecast, while demand for innovative products is highly unpredictable due to the differences in product life cycle and the nature of the product, functional products tend to have lower product profit margins, but the cost of obsolescence is low; whereas innovative pro ducts tend to have higher product profit margins, but the cost of obsolescence is high. A second step would be to choose their supply chain characteristics. A stable supply process is one where the manufacturing process and the underlying technology are mature and the supply base is well established. An evolving supply process is where the manufacturing process and the underlying technology are still under early development and are rapidly changing, and as a result the supply base may be limited in both size and experience. In a stable supply process, manufacturing complexity tends to be low or manageable. Stable manufacturing processes tend to be highly automated, and long-term supply contracts are prevalent. In an evolving supply process, the manufacturing process requires a lot of fine-tuning and is often subject to breakdowns and uncertain yields. The supply base may not be as reliable, as the suppliers themselves are going through process innovations. While functional products tend to have more mature and stable supply process, that is not always the case. There ar e also innovative products with a stable supply process. Demand Uncertainty Reduction Strategies Only through information sharing and tight coordination can one regain control of supply chain efficiency. Sharing of demand information and synchronized planning across the supply chain are crucial for this purpose. Supply Uncertainty Reduction Strategies Free exchanges of information starting with the product development stage and continuing with the mature and end-of-life phases of the product life cycle has been found to be highly effective in reducing the risks of supplier failure. So a good idea for Siemens would be to form a supplier hub in the USA operated by a third-party logistics company which would manage the replenishment and inbound logistics of the parts and materials to a warehouse (known as the supplier hub) which would be in close proximity to the Siemens plant. The inventory at the hub would be owned by the suppliers. The use of the hub will allow the suppliers to have much better information about Siemens needs and consumption patterns of their parts as well as about the inventory in transit. This will result in a more effective management of inventory replenishment and inbound logistics by the suppliers thereby reducing the supply uncertainties for Siemens. Supply Chain Strategies Some uncertainty characteristics require supply chain strategies with initiatives and innovations that can provide a competitive edge to companies. These strategies can be classified into four types: Efficient Supply Chains: these are supply chains that utilize strategies aimed at creating the highest cost efficiencies in the supply chain. For such efficiencies to be achieved, non-value-added activities should be eliminated, scale economies should be pursued, optimization techniques should be deployed to get the best capacity utilization in production and distribution, and information linkages should be established to ensure the most efficient, accurate, and cost-effective transmission of information across the supply chain. The role of the Internet in this case is that it enables the supply chain to have tight and effortless information integration, as well as enabling production and distribution schedules to be optimized once the demand, inventory, and capacity information throughout the supply chain are made transparent. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Risk-Hedging Supply Chains: these are supply chains that utilize strategies aimed at pooling and sharing resources in a supply chain so that the risks in supply disruption can also be shared. It is therefore a risk-hedging strategy. A single entity in a supply chain can be vulnerable to supply disruptions, but if there is more than one supply source or if alternative supply resources are available, then the risk of disruption would be reduced. A company may want to increase the safety stock of its key component to hedge against the risk of supply disruption, and by sharing the safety stock with other companies who also need this key component, the cost of maintaining this safety stock can be shared. Such inventory pooling strategies are quite common in retailing, where different retail stores or dealerships share inventory. The Internet plays a key role in providing information transparency among the members of the supply chain that are sharing inventory. Having real time information on inventory and demand allows the most cost-effective transshipment of goods from one site (with excess inventory) to another site (in need). Responsive Supply Chains: these are supply chains that utilize strategies aimed at being responsive and flexible to the changing and diverse needs of the customers. To be responsive, companies use build-to-order and mass customization processes as a means to meet the specific requirements of customers. The customization processes are designed to be flexible. Order accuracy (i.e., accurate specification of customer requirements) is the key to the success of mass customization. Again, the Internet has enabled very accurate and timely capturing of highly personalized requirements of customers as well as fast transfer of order information to the factory or customization centers for the final configuration of the product. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Agile Supply Chain: these are supply chains that utilize strategies aimed at being responsive and flexible to customer needs, while the risks of supply shortages or disruptions are hedged by pooling inventory or other capacity resources. These supply chains essentially have strategies in place that combine the strengths of hedged and responsive supply chains. They are agile because they have the capability to be responsive to the changing, diverse, and unpredictable demands of customers on the front end, while minimizing the back-end risks of supply disruptions. Given the different nature of demand and supply uncertainties of different products, different supply chain strategies are needed for different products. The Right Supply Chain Strategy Innovative Products with Evolving Supply Processes Companies with innovative products and evolving and unstable supply processes have to utilize the combination of risk-hedging and responsive strategies. The appropriate strategy here is to establish agile supply chains. Demand and supply uncertainties can be used as a framework to devise the right supply chain strategy. Innovative products with unpredictable demand and an evolving supply process face a major challenge. Because of shorter and shorter product life cycles, the pressure for dynamically adjusting and adapting a companys supply chain strategy is mounting. Using the Internet to develop agile supply chains with information sharing, coordination, and postponement has enabled companies to compete successfully in their market places. The challenges are great, but so are the opportunities. To be continued today

Friday, October 25, 2019

Cuban Film Industry Essay examples -- Cuba Movies Films Cinema Essays

Cuban Film Industry Bennito Mussolini constructed Cinecitta in 1938, the most significant film studio in Europe. Stalin had hi own Private projection. Juan Peron and Mao Zedong shared the fascination, they both married actresses. Francisco Franco was said to have a fantasy of being a movie writer. The leader of the Cuban Revolution follows their footsteps. In 1979 he created, ?The International Film Festival of Havana? and also inaugurates a school for the Cuban youth to follow on their prestigious film makers rule of the screen. The Cuban revolution had a great impact on future Cuban filmmakers and the Cuban film industry. Before the revolution, during Batista?s dictatorship, cinema only existed in the capital and major cities; only Hollywood videos would be shown. When Fidel Castro took over the filmmaker?s goal was to create democracy in the production and distribution of films. Their desire to acquire films from all over the world almost exceded their patriotism. Cuba developed mobile cinemas for the rural areas. Since the revolution it has been possible to create a film industry in Cuba although the fight to show the industry view of the revolution has been hard. Unfortunately there are limitations to money so productions have decreased. This creates a problem for the younger generation who are struggling to become film makers. Now a days its almost impossible to create a film without co-producing it with another country. Other problems exist for example, in Cuba there is a shortage in gasoline, gas is r eceived from other countries to film motion films. From the very beginning the cinema was the only sector of Cuban society openly in the hands of the communists, and they control each and every piece of film shown in the... ... of independent directors and producers? For Cubans the art of movie making is truly an art. Their desire is more to entertain the public than to make money . The war against capitalism is very notable in Cubans, sometimes there is just too much pride to admit that one is wrong. But when Cubans are all that Cubans have, pride might be the only thing to protect them from the outside world. Films are a part of Cuba, the youth is a part of Cuba, ?machismo? is a part of Cuba. All these little pieces integrate to form a great country which fights to entertain their people without betraying their leader and Cuba Bibliography 1.http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/ a. Copyright 1995 UNESCO (France) b. Copyright 1991 The Economist Newspaper Ltd. c. Copyright 1988 The New Republic Inc. 2.http://www.stg.brown.edu/projects/classes/mc166k/espinoza.html Cuban Film Industry Essay examples -- Cuba Movies Films Cinema Essays Cuban Film Industry Bennito Mussolini constructed Cinecitta in 1938, the most significant film studio in Europe. Stalin had hi own Private projection. Juan Peron and Mao Zedong shared the fascination, they both married actresses. Francisco Franco was said to have a fantasy of being a movie writer. The leader of the Cuban Revolution follows their footsteps. In 1979 he created, ?The International Film Festival of Havana? and also inaugurates a school for the Cuban youth to follow on their prestigious film makers rule of the screen. The Cuban revolution had a great impact on future Cuban filmmakers and the Cuban film industry. Before the revolution, during Batista?s dictatorship, cinema only existed in the capital and major cities; only Hollywood videos would be shown. When Fidel Castro took over the filmmaker?s goal was to create democracy in the production and distribution of films. Their desire to acquire films from all over the world almost exceded their patriotism. Cuba developed mobile cinemas for the rural areas. Since the revolution it has been possible to create a film industry in Cuba although the fight to show the industry view of the revolution has been hard. Unfortunately there are limitations to money so productions have decreased. This creates a problem for the younger generation who are struggling to become film makers. Now a days its almost impossible to create a film without co-producing it with another country. Other problems exist for example, in Cuba there is a shortage in gasoline, gas is r eceived from other countries to film motion films. From the very beginning the cinema was the only sector of Cuban society openly in the hands of the communists, and they control each and every piece of film shown in the... ... of independent directors and producers? For Cubans the art of movie making is truly an art. Their desire is more to entertain the public than to make money . The war against capitalism is very notable in Cubans, sometimes there is just too much pride to admit that one is wrong. But when Cubans are all that Cubans have, pride might be the only thing to protect them from the outside world. Films are a part of Cuba, the youth is a part of Cuba, ?machismo? is a part of Cuba. All these little pieces integrate to form a great country which fights to entertain their people without betraying their leader and Cuba Bibliography 1.http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/ a. Copyright 1995 UNESCO (France) b. Copyright 1991 The Economist Newspaper Ltd. c. Copyright 1988 The New Republic Inc. 2.http://www.stg.brown.edu/projects/classes/mc166k/espinoza.html

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Characteristics of the effective counselor Essay

I ‘d like to acknowledge the wonderful help that I received from one of the finest professors at Liberty University Online. I am very grateful to you, Dr. McCarthy, who provided me with the much needed suggested improvements and gave me the tools to complete this research paper. Thanks! Abstract The characteristics that make up an effective counselor are the personality traits that really define the counselor. Several leaders in the field of counseling have listed many of these personality qualities; self confidence, high energy level, optimistic, sense of humor, neutrality, flexibility, emotional stability, risk-taking experience, analytic thinking, creativity, enthusiasm, honesty, sensitivity, hope, self control, awareness, and knowledge. The research compiled in this paper confirm that it’s the richness of the personality that builds the effectiveness of the counselor. Being an effective counselor requires forming not just a solid relationship with your client, but an emotional experience, where the counselor works with the client in a supportive role to recognize and move through challenges as the goals are achieved. It’s the counselors and not the psychotherapists that must allow an emotional alliance and empathetic responses to their client’s issues. Overall, the most important personality qualities in any effective counselor seem to center on warmth, genuineness, compassion and empathy. These are the traits that will be addressed the most in this paper. These four traits seem to provide the purest motivation and seemingly guide the direction of the moral compass within the most effective counselors. The biggest obstacle is identifying how to increase these ideal qualities in oneself as a counselor. The answer seems to lie in a consistent daily practice of mind-body-medicine and self-care. Characteristics of the Effective Counselor Overall it’s the relationship that influences the therapeutic outcome and it’s the counselor’s personality and character that determine the depth and effectiveness of the therapeutic alliance with the client. Counselors that know themselves benefit their clients the most â€Å"†¦the single most important factor in effective counseling is the person-hood of the counselor, regardless of education, training, theoretical orientation, or counseling technique.† (as cited by Clinton, 2002). The personality and character of the counselor is the single most important variable, more important than the therapeutic techniques applied. Effective counselors possess a myriad of personal qualities that transcend their theoretical orientation and therapeutic techniques (Clinton, 2002, p. 185). In order to cultivate the best personhood, or personality of an effective counselor, the issue of identifying what these attractive characteristics or qualities are and how to increase and expand upon them becomes paramount. The combination of qualitative and quantitative measurement tools reflects the overall measure of effectiveness of a counselor. Body Effective Characteristics The classic works of Carl Rogers (1957) identified the need for presence, congruence, empathetic understanding and unconditional positive regard. Above all, he stated the importance of congruence by means of compliance between ideal self and actual self in his personality theory. The third condition is that the therapist should be, within the confines of this relationship, a congruent, genuine, integrated person. It means that within the relationship he is freely and deeply himself, with his actual experience accurately represented by his awareness of himself. It is the opposite of presenting a facade, either knowingly of unknowingly (Rogers, 1957, p. 97). The idea is to bridge the gaps in all directions, to include the therapeutic alliance gaps that separate the counselor from the client. The idea is to remove all disconnect and just experience each experience as a true and  authentic experience, without judgment and without preconceptions. Present moment awareness requires the therapist to take note of the elements that make up each experience, such as sensations, thoughts and feelings. Acknowledgment of these experiences without feeling the need to react or fix anything is critical. The Golden Triad The Golden Triad, or â€Å"therapeutic triad†, is one invaluable concept of effective counseling characteristics and lays down a solid benchmark for counselor’s to emulate and implement. The Golden Triad consists of the high display of warmth, genuineness, and empathy that effective counselors exude with their clients. The therapist’s persuasiveness, level of attention, understanding, support and encouragement all impact the results of the therapy with the client. It’s not just therapist’s ability to foster a positive relationship with the client, but specific needs and expectations for improvement must be met for the client (Clinton, 2002, p. 185). Frequently, genuine responses require more self-reflection and mindful attention. Self-reflection promotes awareness of feelings and knowing the appropriate moment to convey them to a client. Cultivating Empathy and Compassion The majority of counselors who ascribe to the values of holistic humanistic or existential approaches are less likely to avoid experiencing compassion and empathy as they enter and experience their client’s worldview, so that they can become vulnerable and understand how he/she experiences their world (Bowen & Moore, 2014, p. 18). Although the ability to be vulnerable with clients can yield both negative effects such as compassion fatigue or positive effects such as compassion satisfaction, it’s critical that the qualities of compassion and empathy are made readily available to the client in a balanced and careful manner. Being in a state of mindfulness helps to produce more balanced responses of empathy and compassion, without minimizing therapeutic presence (Campbell & Christopher, 2012, pg. 221). In order to help cultivate the many beneficial characteristics of an effective counselor, such as compassion and empathy, certain practices  should be implemented daily. Mind-body practices such as Yoga, Mediation, Qi Gong, etc. bring awareness and acceptance and help to foster a therapeutic and empathetic presence. The ability for a therapist to be present enhances the therapeutic relationship and promotes healing. The mindfulness presence increases the awareness and acceptance of their own inner experience as well as for the experience of the client (Campbell, 2012, pg. 222). Awareness and Acceptance This combination of awareness and acceptance seem to encourage less reactive behavior, by nonreactively recognizing thoughts, emotions and sensations as they arise. This practice also helps to communicate experiences and to be more present to their client’s inner experiences and sufferings in the same moment-to-moment awareness, which additionally helps clients express their body sensations and feelings. Mindfulness practicing therapists learn how to take their minds less seriously and not feel as though they needed to do something when feelings such as anxiety emerge. These mindfulness practicing therapists could also maintain a therapeutic connection with their client and become less reactive to their struggling client’s experiences, rather than sensing their own inadequacy and need to be in control (Campbell, 2012, pg. 221). The counselors freely chose if or how they were to respond to counter-transference. One choice is by acting as observers and just notice without judgment and without trying to suppress reactions to what was happening in the present moment. This mindfulness seems connected to an ability to tolerate silence and wait through it, allowing new experiences to emerge and genuine encounters to occur. This mindfulness presence allows clients to begin to experience their therapist as individual witness in the midst of their own vulnerability (Campbell, 2012, pg. 223). The Essence of Therapeutic Presence According to Rogers, three components exist in attempting to capture the essence of therapeutic presence: being open and available to all aspects of the client’s experience, being open to one’s own experience in being with the client, and having the capacity to respond to the client from the  experience. This therapeutic presence is more of a state of being rather than of doing and the beneficial influence of mindfulness extends to all participants in the therapeutic relationship (Rogers, 1957, p. 98-99). Two elements related to therapeutic presence that deserve repeating are attention and empathy, which have been shown to increase through mindfulness practice. Many practitioners of mindfulness report increases not only in attention and empathy, but in awareness, patience, focus, compassion, responsiveness, the ability to handle strong emotions, and less defensive, judgmental and reactive. (Campbell, 2012, pg. 213) One last concept to point out is that being in present moment awareness with the client occurs on four main levels; spiritually, emotionally, physically and cognitively and requires a deep knowledge of oneself, which can usually be attained through a consistent life-long commitment of integrating a daily exercise routine of mindfulness practices into a demanding schedule. These daily practices may not only induce relaxation states, but can profoundly alter our relationship to ourselves and our minds (Campbell, 2012, pg. 217). Conclusion To summarize, the most important tool that an effective counselor has is themselves. The characteristics of an effective counselor are directly related to the counselor’s personality and client relationship. Some key personality traits of an effective counselor are compassion, empathy, awareness, acceptance, warmth, genuineness as well as a congruent and fully integrated individual. One of the most effective approaches in which counselors can cultivate and nurture those qualities can be found in a daily mindfulness practice, which helps to maintain a more solid moment-to-moment awareness as the client experiences the world and the counselor maintains the role of present, nonjudgmental witness. With a consistent and daily practice of mindfulness exercises, the therapist begins to live more in the moment and less in a reactive state. By working continuously towards self-mastery and self-actualization, counselors can provide the therapeutic presence that positively impacts their clients’ growth and well-being. References Bowen, N., & Moore, J. (2014). Common Characteristics of Compassionate Counselors: A Qualitative Study. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 36(1), 17-29. Clinton, Timothy, and George Ohlschlager. Competent Christian Counseling. Vol. 1. Colorado Springs: Waterbrook, 2002. 184-186, 570-574. Print. Campbell, J. C., & Christopher, J. C. (2012, July). Teaching mindfulness to create effective counselors. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 34(3), 213+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA297915507&v=2.1&u=vic_liberty&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=dc53ce42d985ee78066b8600c33ca82c Rogers, C.R. (1957). The necessary and sufficient conditions of therapeutic personality change. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 21,95-103. doi:10.1037/h0045357