Essay on Mending Wall - 2143 Words

Mending Wall by Robert Frost is a poem in which the characteristics of vocabulary, rhythm and other aspects of poetic technique combine in a fashion that articulates, in detail, the experience and the opposing convictions that the poem describes and discusses. The ordinariness of the rural activity is presented in specific description, and as so often is found in Frosts poems, the unprepossessing undertaking has much larger implications. Yet his consideration of these does not disturb the qualities of accessible language and technique, which give the poem its unique flavor and persuasiveness. The poem works on two levels of realism and metaphor, with a balance as poised as the act of mending the all itself. (themes) Perhaps one of†¦show more content†¦Even though the words do not carry, the sound of them does and the listener can catch the meaning of the conversation. This is because every meaning has a particular sound-posture, or to think of it in another way, the sens e of meaning has a particular sound which each individual is instinctively familiar with and without at all being conscious of the exact words that are being used is able to understand the thought, idea or emotion that is being conveyed. Each sentence in the Mending Wall is not interesting merely in conveying a meaning of words, it does much more by conveying a meaning by its tone. If we were to go back far enough in history we would discover that the sound of sense (tone) existed before words, that there was something in the voice or vocal gesture made by primitive man that conveyed a meaning to his companions before man developed a more elaborate method of communication. Native Americans have been said to have possessed a picture-language, a means of communicating by the sound of sense. This sound of sense, or the voice Frost gives to the personae of his characters is the most important, distinquishing and conspicuously insistent feature of not only Mending Wall but his other poetry (style) Frost has provided to the common reader poems and writings that allow each of us to ponder the questions for which we must look to our morals and beliefs to find the answers, or to consider the ones he sometimes offers. ItShow MoreRelatedFrosts Mending Wall Essay960 Words   |  4 PagesRobert Frosts Mending Wall represents two opposing ideas through its dialogue between two neighbors. The narrator represents a newer way of thinking while his neighbor embodies an older mindset. In the poem the two neighbors are repairing a wall or fence that separates their property line. Although neither of the two men has anything that could cross the fence, the young man has apple trees and the old farmer has pines. The wall has been broken down by the winter that sends the frozen ground swellRead MoreEssay on Analysis of Mending Wall by Robert Frost2085 Words   |  9 PagesAnalysis of Mending Wall by Robert Frost Robert Frost was inspired to write Mending Wall after talking with one of his farming friend Napoleon Guay. He learned from talking with his neighbor that writing in the tones of real life is an important factor in his poetic form (Liu,Tam). Henry David Thoreau once stated that, â€Å"A true account of the actual is the purest poetry.† Another factor that might have played a role in inspiring Frost to write this poem was his experience of living on a farmRead More the mending wall Essay557 Words   |  3 Pages ANALYSIS #2: THE MENDING WALL nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;In the poem, â€Å"The Mending Wall† Frost creates a lot of ambiguity in order to leave the poem open for interpretation. Frost’s description of every detail in this poem is very interesting, it leaves the reader to decide for themselves what deductions they are to be making of the poem. To begin with, Frost makes literal implications about what the two men are doing. For instance, they are physically putting theRead More Mending Wall Essay726 Words   |  3 Pages In â€Å"Mending Wall†, Robert Frost made us aware that something doesn’t love the wall in the beginning of the poem, the wall that symbolizes boundary and obstacle between people. Although this restrictive wall gives protection and a feeling of safety for the people who are inside it, it also creates a huge barrier to the people who are on the outside. The only difference between a physical wall and an imaginary barrier is that a physical wall will eventually fall apart as time goes by, but the emotionalRead MoreEssay Mending Wall1273 Words   |  6 Pages What is so important about mending a wall? Robert frost a down to earth, phenomenon has used his supernatural skills to write a poem which may seem to be a simple, ordinary poem, yet what lays hidden behind the veils may be unraveled. That is the spiritual world that you and me may learn to understand the philosophical basis of human nature that provokes the human revolution. Believe it or not this poem was ingenio usly devised by Robert Frost to articulately open up a world of ideas that acumenRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Mending Wall 821 Words   |  4 PagesFenil Patel Composition II Prof: Jon Anderson September 19, 201 â€Å"Mending Wall† a poem by Robert Frost seems to take place in countryside estate. Main theme in the poem is, whether the wall is necessary to have the good relation between neighbors. Narrator seems to think the wall is not so necessary as it separates him and his neighbor. However, he does find talking to his neighbor about the wall. but does provide a sense of privacy which is not bad. Frost is separating habit and and traditionRead More Working Together in Robert Frosts Mending Wall Essay869 Words   |  4 PagesWorking Together in Robert Frosts Mending Wall The air is cool and crisp. Roosters can be heard welcoming the sun to a new day and a woman is seen, wearing a clean colorful wrap about her body and head, her shadow casting a lone silhouette on the stone wall. The woman leans over to slide a piece of paper into one of the cracks, hoping her prayer will be heard in this city of Jerusalem. Millions are inserting their prayers into the walls of Japanese temples, while an inmate in one of aRead MoreWalls Placed on Relationships in Mending Wall by Robert Frost844 Words   |  4 PagesWalls Placed on Relationships in Mending Wall by Robert Frost In the poem Mending Wall, Robert Frost utilizes the literary devices of imagery, meter, and symbolism to demonstrate the rational and irrational boundaries or metaphoric walls humans place on their relationships with others. The precise images, such as the depiction of the mending-time ritual and the dynamic description of his old-stone savage armed neighbor, serve to enhance our enjoyment as well as our understandingRead MoreThe Mending Wall by Robert Frost Essay1226 Words   |  5 PagesThe Mending Wall by Robert Frost Robert Frost was not just a writer. Frost was, more importantly, an American writer whose works epitomized the Modernist literary movement, and in turn represented the mood and minds of a nation. Frost remains emblematic of a specific time in our country. Through the words of the poet, readers of his day could see a real-time reflection of themselves - visible in Frosts verses were the hopes and apprehensions that marked the first half of the twentieth- Read More Mending Wall by Robert Frost Essay2093 Words   |  9 Pagesâ€Å"Mending Wall† by Robert Frost   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Mending Wall† by Robert Frost is a poem in which the characteristics of vocabulary, rhythm and other aspects of poetic technique combine in a fashion that articulates, in detail, the experience and the opposing convictions that the poem describes and discusses. The ordinariness of the rural activity is presented in specific description, and as so often is found in Frost’s poems, the unprepossessing undertaking has much larger implications. Yet his consideration

10 Things I Hate About You Essay - 1210 Words

10 Things I Hate About You Jami S. Ross Murray State College Author Note Jami Ross, Student of Developmental Psychology, Murray State College. Jami Ross is also a student of nursing, Murray State College. The research and comments in this paper are provided by myself. Correspondence regarding this paper should be addressed to Jami Ross, Student, Murray State College, Ardmore, OK 73401. Contact: ross7230@student.mscok.edu Abstract This paper will jump into the psychologically significant findings in the movie 10 Things I Hate About You. All research for this paper was conducted using the text required for the fall semester of Developmental Psychology (offline) and using the internet. While some see the movie as just a depiction of normal teenage life with an overbearing parent, there are many notable psychological stages, and even disorders present throughout. Without having done research to discover these, it would be easy to look over them, but once pointed out, they are more than obvious. It is interesting to see how they were put into the movie without making it the main theme of the movie itself. This paper will define those psychological findings, explain them, and locate them within the actual movie. 10 Things I Hate About You The movie 10 Things I Hate About You(1999) is a film that was based off of William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew that was a popular play in the 16thShow MoreRelated10 Things I Hate About You Essay1320 Words   |  6 Pages10 Things I Hate About You takes William Shakespeare’s classic play, The Taming of the Shrew and manages to make it relevant to a modern audience. The story remains the same with the younger sister, Bianca, not allowed to have a relationship until her older sister, Kat, does. They did maintain several original scenes and even used several direct quotes from the original play. The writers have eliminated some of Bianca’s suitors and changed the way Kat is tamed to appeal to a modern audience. Read MoreTaming Of The Shrew And 10 Thing I Hate About You1063 Words   |  5 Pages Money isn’t the only thing that is valuable in this world. Although in many film texts this is not the case. Particularly in â€Å"Taming of the Shrew† and â€Å"10 Thing I Hate About You† because in both of the films, the main male characters Patrick and Petruchio are predominantly motivated by money. However, they ended up falling for Kat and Katharina who have been set up as the archetypal shrews in both films. During the Elizabethan era money was a major factor that influenced society’s view of yourRead MoreReview Of 10 Things I Hate About You Chick Flick Essay1077 Words   |  5 Pages Name: Menna Alaa Student number: 142 Subject: Women Studies 10 Things I Hate About You Chick Flick Analysis A Chick Flick as broadly agreed upon is the kind of films that mostly appeal to a female audience. Even the name itself is a bit offensive. It implies that films having female characters are appealing just to women spectators, and films with men, as protagonists are more commonly considered as widespread, whileRead MoreMovie : 10 Things I Hate About You878 Words   |  4 PagesMovie: 10 Things I Hate About You Kat and Bianca Stratford are being raised by their father after their mother left them. In order to keep Bianca form dating, their father develops the rule that Bianca can only date if Kat does so too. A new boy at school, Cameron, devises a plan to get somebody to date Kat. However, Kat is feared amongst the school for her attitude and behaviour, therefore making it hard for Cameron to find somebody up to the task. In the end, only Patrick Verona doesn t seem toRead MoreGirls And 10 Things I Hate About You1782 Words   |  8 Pagesreleased that depict the cultural norms, social expectations, and developments of teenagers at that period of time. Those two films, Mean Girls and 10 Things I Hate About You, successfully illuminate the motives and characterizations of young adult life and the troubles and tribulations that come along with it. 10 Things I Hate About You is a film about teenagers growing up in Seattle in the 1990’s. The music, clothing, and slang presented in the movie all emulate the time period in which it wasRead More10 Things I Hate about You and The Taming of the Shrew1171 Words   |  5 Pagesfilm â€Å"10 Things I Hate About You† is based loosely on William Shakespeare’s 15th century play â€Å"The Taming of the Shrew†. The misogynistic play tells the story of how Petrucio essentially torments his headstrong wife, Katharina (also called â€Å"Katherine† and â€Å"Kate†) until she â€Å"becomes a compliant and obedient bride† (wikipedia). The story simultaneously follows the story of many suitors competing for the love of Katharina’s sister, Bianca (Wikipedia). The film adaptation, â€Å"10 Things I Hate About You†Read MoreTaming of the Shrew/ 10 Things I Hate About You1584 Words   |  7 Pagesin the modern appropriation 10 Things I H ate About You. How does each composers use of this story reflect the time in which each was composed The Taming of the Shrew was written in the Elizabethan Era in England at a time when men were considered to be superior to women. The patriarchal society of this time is reflected to a large extent in the text and various implications of traditional values can be noted. The modern appropriation, Ten Things I Hate About You, goes along the same storyRead MoreTaming Of The Shrew And 10 Things I Hate About You Analysis1390 Words   |  6 Pages‘What is Love, baby don’t hurt me, Baby don’t hurt me†¦ no more’ Love is represented in many shapes and ideas based on social context as well as those caught within. William Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew as well as its adaptation 10 Things I Hate About You by Gil Junger, represent their respective ideas on love which shares its similarities and differences, both portraying love in their own forms. Both texts highlight the ideals of love in their context as well as one of the main courtships,Read MoreAdolescent Relationships 10 Things I Hate About You Essay620 Words   |  3 PagesIn the 1999 film â€Å"10 Things I Hate About You,† the relationship between Kat Stratford and Patrick Verona is an example of how a healthy relationship can raise one’s self esteem, while the relationship between Bianca Stratford and Chastity Church shows how a low self-esteem can lead to an unhealthy relationship. At the beginning of the film, Kat and Patrick have an unhealthy relationship. They are lying to each other and not communicating properly. Patrick is keeps secrets about why he is makingRead More10 Things I Hate About You Taming of the Shrew: Appropriation1376 Words   |  6 Pages10 Things I Hate About You The Taming of the Shrew The historical and cultural contexts of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew (TTS) and the 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You (10TIH) differ exceptionally, resulting in the film’s expression of values unlike those expressed in Shakespeare’s original text. Shakespeare’s play was written during the Elizabethan era, during which the belief that men were superior to women was prevalent. This concept is centralised in TTS, through incorporation

Charles E. Yeager Essay Example For Students

Charles E. Yeager Essay General Chuck YeagerCharles E. Yeager was born on February 13, 1923 in Myra, West Virginia and raised the nearby village of Hamlin for the first eighteen years of his life. His father drilled natural gas, and his mother was a housewife. At an early age, Chuck helped his father drill, and learned mechanics from his father. Chuck was always fixing the car engines or the drill engine if it broke. In high school Chuck played basketball and baseball, although he never really excelled in either. He also was not that smart in school. He said the only thing that he was good at was typing and math, everything else, he got a D in. After high school, Chuck, being poorly educated and destitute decided to join the U.S. Army Air Corps. The funny thing about that is that Chuck never even saw an airplane on the ground until he was 16 years old, when it had an emergency and landed in a cornfield, and Chuck was not even impressed with it. He said the reason that he joined the Air Corps is because the recruiter made the Air Corps sound more interesting that the Navy recruiter. Anyway, Chuck joined the Air Corps as a mechanic. After a year of being a mechanic, the Untied States was short pilots, so they put up a notice to see if anyone wanted to become a pilot. Chuck signed the form; however, it took another year for them to pick him. It was always hard for Chuck to fit in among the other pilots and mechanics. Because he was from West Virginia, he had a strong accent, and a poor education, so he was never given a chance at first. Then, when he first went in a plane, he almost quit the pilot school because there was turbulence and he was bumping all over the place. On the other hand, once he flew a plane by himself he was hooked. He excelled in pilot school because he had excellent vision, 20/10, and learned how to dogfight, that is getting in position to shoot down another plane and avoiding getting shot down yourself. He left for the War in 1942. He was disappointed at first beca use after 6 missions, they hadn’t seen one German. Yet, on his 7th mission the Americans encountered German planes while escorting a bomber. Yeager killed one and returned safely. Unluckily for Yeager, on his next mission in 1943, his plane gto shot down over enemy territory and he had to jump out (there were no ejection seats in those days). For the next 3 weeks it was hell. After he jumped, all he had were 2 stale candy bars and a bottle of water. He saw a French woodcutter and jumped him for his axe. However, instead of getting mad, he got help for Chuck. Within a couple of hours, Chuck had the help of the French Maquis, a French resistance group. They led to the Pyrenees Mountains with one other shot down pilot, where they told them that they were on their own. They hike the mountains for days, thinking they go nowhere. One day, they found a cabin and rested. The other pilot put his socks over bushes to dry. A German patrol did not even bother to look in the cabin, but ju st shot. The other pilot got his leg totally blown off. Chuck decided to carry him for three days before they finally got into neutral Spain. There, Chuck spent another 3 weeks in a luxury hotel, paid for by the army, while the government negotiated for his release. When he finally got back he received bad news. He was not going to be able to go back because if he got shot down again the Germans would torture them to find out where the Maquis were. He appealed to General Dwight Eisenhower and Eisenhower let him stay in. From there, Yeager’s career took off. He went back in the Corps and after a couple of missions we was back to dogfighting. One time there were 200 Germans attacking roughly 40 Americans. On that day, Yeager became and Ace shooting down 5 on his own, (the first 2 he did not fire a shot, a plane rammed into another). All German planes were shot down and only half of the American planes were shot down. He went on to shooting down 7 more during the war, and was pr omoted to Captain. .u5deb5c649e3baaef93e9ef95bf0cdcb4 , .u5deb5c649e3baaef93e9ef95bf0cdcb4 .postImageUrl , .u5deb5c649e3baaef93e9ef95bf0cdcb4 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u5deb5c649e3baaef93e9ef95bf0cdcb4 , .u5deb5c649e3baaef93e9ef95bf0cdcb4:hover , .u5deb5c649e3baaef93e9ef95bf0cdcb4:visited , .u5deb5c649e3baaef93e9ef95bf0cdcb4:active { border:0!important; } .u5deb5c649e3baaef93e9ef95bf0cdcb4 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u5deb5c649e3baaef93e9ef95bf0cdcb4 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u5deb5c649e3baaef93e9ef95bf0cdcb4:active , .u5deb5c649e3baaef93e9ef95bf0cdcb4:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u5deb5c649e3baaef93e9ef95bf0cdcb4 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u5deb5c649e3baaef93e9ef95bf0cdcb4 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u5deb5c649e3baaef93e9ef95bf0cdcb4 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u5deb5c649e3baaef93e9ef95bf0cdcb4 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u5deb5c649e3baaef93e9ef95bf0cdcb4:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u5deb5c649e3baaef93e9ef95bf0cdcb4 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u5deb5c649e3baaef93e9ef95bf0cdcb4 .u5deb5c649e3baaef93e9ef95bf0cdcb4-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u5deb5c649e3baaef93e9ef95bf0cdcb4:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Meaning Of Life Essay After the war, he started working at a test pilot base in California. After a while Major Boyd asked if he wanted to become a test pilot being that he was such a good combat pilot. He skipped right over the pilot school and got handed the greatest project one could ask for. He got picked to fly the jet propelled X-1 to break the sound barrier. After 3 months it was done, and Chuck’s name was in the record book. However, the interesting thing about it was that just days earlier he had broken ribs in a horseback riding accident. You can imagine the jealousy going around the test pilots. Here is Chuck Yeager a â€Å"hick† from West Virginia getting the best assignment. Well, someone was jealous and sent a letter saying the Chuck had not passed test pilot school. He was forced to go back and take the course, in which he almost failed to written course because he felt the instructors were out to get him. After that, he tested more planes, like a captured Russian plane, and t he X-1A which from 2.5 Mach. With the X-1A he almost â€Å"bought the farm†(and expression used instead of crashing). At 80,000 feet and going 1650 mph, the X-1A took a nosedive, in a downward spiral. Chuck was thrown all over the place; his head even cracking the canopy. However, by some miracle, he took started to take control of the plane at 25,000 feet. He dropped 51,000 feet in 51 seconds! Also another scare, while he was flying and experimental plane at Mach 2 was that he had to jump out of a plane wearing a compression suit. The suit caught on fire and tangled in his parachute. He survived the fall bad needed skin grafts for his burns. From there the book went downhill. He commanded a squadron an opened a school to train astronauts in 1956 even though he was passed up by NASA because of his lack of education. However after ten years, the school closed when NASA took over. About half of astronauts from the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions were from Yeager’s school. Then Vietnam happened. He did not go into action too much, just commanded his squadron. During Vietnam he became a General. In 1970, General Yeager served as U.S Defense Representative to Pakistan and supervised Pakistans air defense in its war with India. He retired from the Air Force in 1975, but continued to serve as a consulting test pilot for many years. He still is flies and speaks at lectures and school. Throughout his career he won over 20 medals and awards including the Collier Trophies, Congressional Medal of Honor, Purple Heart, Silver Star, among others. I chose this person because I saw the movie The Right Stuff and he interested me. Also, my stepbrother also read the book and said that it was a good book. I agree with my stepbrother, although it had its slow moments. The war scenes were exciting, and so was the book, unlike most biographies. Chuck was courageous and determined all of which I want to be. I believe the book portrayed an accurate description of Chuck Yeage r because I researched him on the Internet before I read the book and found most of the facts to be unbiased even though Chuck co-wrote the book. It also had other people commenting on the situations on hand. Overall, I enjoyed the book and recommend people to read the autobiography. Biographies

Teacher to Edward Essay Example For Students

Teacher to Edward Essay How does Willy Russell use the stage to show that growing up in different social classes affects two very similar people?  Blood Brothers is set in 1950s Liverpool it is about a young mother called Mrs. Johnston of five children and twins on the way that get split up at birth, she was deserted by her husband and lives on the doll. She has seven hungry kids and cant afford to keep them with seven hungry mouths to feed let alone another two on the way. She gets pressured, a single working-class mum who is sadly unable to give her children everything they need. With all this pressurizing demand Mrs. Johnston agrees to give up one of her twins to Mrs. Lyons her boss a middle-class lady, who cant have children of her own. The two boys grow up near each other, never knowing that they are twins, they slowly become friends. We will write a custom essay on Teacher to Edward specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now To make their friendship closer they decide to exchange blood becoming Blood Brothers. All through their lives Edward (middle-class) and Mickey (working-class) found it hard to stay friends as their mums wouldnt let them see each other. The boys both grow up separating there friendship and therefore each day seeing less and less of each other. Mickey Grows up and gets a job but looses it after a while. With a new wife and a daddy to be, Mickey is desperate to get another job. He is so desperate for money that he gets involved in a robbery and is given life in prison. Therefore Edward has become a councilor with a good education, but with Mickeys girlfriend Linda desperate for someone to love her, she suddenly turns to Edward and they grow dangerously close. When Mickey finds out about them his anger gets worse, he is so angry that he points a pistol directly at Edward, he accidentally shoots Edward the police are called and get their in a hurry and shoot Mickey. Willy Russell set the play in 1950s Liverpool the time of the discrimination of social classes, which effected many people. This relates to the play as it is about two different social families, it shows how two different social lives can change two peoples lifestyles. It also shows why Russell has used twins because twins are usually really alike but when brought up differently they can change so much. Mickey and Edward have two very different cultures which affect their language, Mickey grows up in a rough area with a dreadful education, Mickey often abbreviates his words by saying y wanna see him spit. Edward is brought up in pleasant area and has an excellent education and pronounces his words using the queens English. This is shown when Edward says yes of course take as many as you want Willy Russell makes Edward emphasize his words so that it shows his confidence and experience of vocabulary. Mickey often gets angry and uses the phrase pissed off; therefore Edward is a very positive person. Edward always has a nice word to say and on the other hand Mickey doesnt, even when Mickey says something negative to Edward, he will always reply saying something positive. Edward uses the phrase you say the most smashing things? Using this phrase shows that he is being polite and considerate. When the boys start becoming best of friends, Mickey influences Edward to speak in slang by shorting his words and swearing at his mother, he calls his mother a fuck off. Although he doesnt insult his mother he doesnt no what the word fuck off means. Mrs. Johnston has a Livepolian accent which shows that she grew up in Liverpool this accent reflects on her kids. Mrs. Johnston loves the middle-class and refers to it as its just like Marilyn Monroe. Mrs. Lyons uses strong and persuasive words like when she persuaded Mrs. Johnston to give up one of her twins by saying she had too many children anyway. .uc249a0e22918fa303ff67eca2ab10ed6 , .uc249a0e22918fa303ff67eca2ab10ed6 .postImageUrl , .uc249a0e22918fa303ff67eca2ab10ed6 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uc249a0e22918fa303ff67eca2ab10ed6 , .uc249a0e22918fa303ff67eca2ab10ed6:hover , .uc249a0e22918fa303ff67eca2ab10ed6:visited , .uc249a0e22918fa303ff67eca2ab10ed6:active { border:0!important; } .uc249a0e22918fa303ff67eca2ab10ed6 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uc249a0e22918fa303ff67eca2ab10ed6 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uc249a0e22918fa303ff67eca2ab10ed6:active , .uc249a0e22918fa303ff67eca2ab10ed6:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uc249a0e22918fa303ff67eca2ab10ed6 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uc249a0e22918fa303ff67eca2ab10ed6 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uc249a0e22918fa303ff67eca2ab10ed6 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uc249a0e22918fa303ff67eca2ab10ed6 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uc249a0e22918fa303ff67eca2ab10ed6:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uc249a0e22918fa303ff67eca2ab10ed6 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uc249a0e22918fa303ff67eca2ab10ed6 .uc249a0e22918fa303ff67eca2ab10ed6-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uc249a0e22918fa303ff67eca2ab10ed6:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: A Comparative Analysis Of Ethnicity, Policy, And Poverty, In Modern America By J.D. Vance And Ta Nehisi EssayBoth families have different educations Although we are not told, it is effectively implied that Mrs. Lyons and Mrs. Johnston have very different educations; Mrs. Johnston has too many children and can hardly afford them, she reveals I was dead worried about having another baby I didnt see how we would manage, which suggests that she is too ignorant to have stopped having children when she couldnt care or pay for them. She and Mrs. Lyons are also shown to have different employment situations which reflects on their incomes and the childhoods they are able to offer their sons- Mrs. Johnston works as a cleaner for Mrs. Lyons making her dependent on her middle class rival, a single mother, she needs her little job, to feed her children. In contrast, Mrs. Lyons does not appear to have a job, she is a full time mother able to give all her attention to Edward: this attention to her only child is only possible because Mr. Lyons has his own factory, where Mickey later works, following the career path of his mother, even as far as being sacked by a Lyons, as Mrs. Johnston was. Mickey, whose mother says to him Im just thinkinyouve not had much of a life with me, have y? is seen by the audience to be trapped by his working class origins. At school, Oh, shut up Perkins, y borin little turd! (Teacher at Mickeys school to his class mate). Mickey has been fucked off from everywhere he cant find a job. global slump sacked. take a letter Miss Jones Mickey gets treated like and adult at school and does not get punished so he has to learn to grow up as Edward does not have to at his school because they get treated as young children and that influences on his behavior. Eddie: Ive got money, plenty of it Teacher to Edward: Am I to punish you Lyons? Am I to have you flogged? When Mickey and Edward are adults they both have very different jobs, Mickey makes boxes and then becomes unemployed, and on the other hand Edward is a councilor. Willy does this so that you can see that middle-class people dont have a high and important job as Edward has a very important job and you have to have a good education to be able to be a councilor.

Japanese Work Ethics free essay sample

The work ethic of Japanese Work Ethics could not be more different to the work ethic of American. Japanese culture is very different from the American. All aspects of Japanese life, especially business relations, are governed by strict rules of etiquette. A foreign business person who is either ignorant or insensitive to Japanese customs and etiquette needlessly jeopardizes his companys prospects in this country. It goes without saying that the Japanese work ethic and culture greatly affect doing business with other nations in this way. In the following, the most important features of Japanese culture and work ethic will be discussed, and the consequences of neglecting those features as an American business person will be analyzed. A very important part an America has to understand when entering the Japanese business market is the Uchi-Soto? Â ¦ (Us and Then) concept. The Japanese have been brought up to think of themselves as part of a group, not individuals, and their group is always dealing with other groups. We will write a custom essay sample on Japanese Work Ethics or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Interacting with Japanese on a one-to-one basis usually comes very easy to foreigners, but dealing with Japanese as a group can be a different matter altogether. And no matter how nice you are, or how good you’re Japanese might be, a foreigner will always be treated as an outsider. Many westerners see Japanese as aloof, shy, and always walking on eggshells. There is a lot of truth in that Japanese are extremely sensitive to what others might think of them and are very hesitant to do something new, different, or independent. Being ostracized is one of the worst things that can happen to Japanese, who is raised to be part of a group and depend on others. Therefore, when making requests, it can often take more time then what we might be used to since the person asked usually consults others in the group to reach a consensus. As a American, one might get really frustrated and annoyed about this attitude where groupthink and group consensus have first priority.

Exploring the Discipline of Geography as a Science

Exploring the Discipline of Geography as a Science Many secondary education institutions, particularly in the United States, include very minimal study of geography. They opt instead for separation and focus of many individual cultural and physical sciences, such as history, anthropology, geology, and biology, which are encompassed within the realms of both cultural geography and physical geography. History of Geography The trend to ignore geography in classrooms does seem to be slowly changing, though. Universities are starting to recognize more the value of geographic study and training and thus provide more classes and degree opportunities. However, there is still a long way to go before geography is widely recognized by all as a true, individual, and progressive science. This article will briefly cover parts of the history of geography, important discoveries, uses of the discipline today, and the methods, models, and technologies that geography uses, providing evidence that geography qualifies as a valuable science. The discipline of geography is among the most ancient of all sciences, possibly even the oldest because it seeks to answer some of man’s most primitive questions. Geography was recognized anciently as a scholarly subject, and can be traced back to Eratosthenes, a Greek scholar who lived around 276-196 B.C.E. and who is often called, â€Å"the father of geography.† Eratosthenes was able to estimate the circumference of the earth with relative accuracy, using the angles of shadows, the distance between two cities, and a mathematical formula. Claudius Ptolemaeus: Roman Scholar and Ancient Geographer Another important ancient geographer was Ptolemy, or Claudius Ptolemaeus, a Roman scholar who lived from about 90-170 C.E. Ptolemy is best known for his writings, the Almagest (about astronomy and geometry), the Tetrabiblos (about astrology), and the Geography – which significantly advanced geographic understanding at that time. Geography used the first ever recorded grid coordinates, longitude and latitude, discussed the important notion that a three-dimensional shape such as the earth could not be perfectly represented on a two-dimensional plane, and provided a large array of maps and pictures. Ptolemy’s work was not as accurate as today’s calculations, mostly due to inaccurate distances from place to place. His work influenced many cartographers and geographers after it was rediscovered during the Renaissance. Alexander von Humboldt: Father of Modern Geography Alexander von Humboldt, a German traveler, scientist, and geographer from 1769-1859, is commonly known as the â€Å"father of modern geography.† Von Humboldt contributed discoveries such as magnetic declination, permafrost, continentality, and created hundreds of detailed maps from his extensive traveling – including his own invention, isotherm maps (maps with isolines representing points of equal temperature). His greatest work, Kosmos, is a compilation of his knowledge about the earth and its relationship with humans and the universe – and remains one of the most important geographical works in the history of the discipline. Without Eratosthenes, Ptolemy, von Humboldt, and many other important geographers, important and essential discoveries, world exploration and expansion, and advancing technologies would not have taken place. Through their use of mathematics, observation, exploration, and research, mankind has been able to experience progress and see the world, in ways unimaginable to early man. Science in Geography Modern geography, as well as many of the great, early geographers, adheres to the scientific method and pursues scientific principles and logic. Many important geographic discoveries and inventions were brought forth through a complex understanding of the earth, its shape, size, rotation, and the mathematical equations that utilize that understanding. Discoveries like the compass, north and south poles, the earth’s magnetism, latitude and longitude, rotation and revolution, projections and maps, globes, and more modernly, geographic information systems (GIS), global positioning systems (GPS), and remote sensing – all come from rigorous study and a complex understanding of the earth, its resources, and mathematics. Today we use and teach geography much as  we have for centuries. We often use simple maps, compasses, and globes, and learn about the physical and cultural geography of different regions of the world. But today we also use and teach geography in very different ways as well. We are a world that is increasingly digital and computerized. Geography is not unlike other sciences that have broken into that realm to advance our understanding of the world. We not only possess digital maps and compasses, but GIS and remote sensing allow for an understanding of the earth, the atmosphere, its regions, its different elements and processes, and how it can all relate to humans. Jerome E. Dobson, president of the American Geographical Society writes (in his article Through the Macroscope: Geographys View of the World) that these modern geographic tools â€Å"constitute a macroscope that allows scientists, practitioners, and the public alike to view the earth as never before.† Dobson argues that geographic tools allow for scientific advancement, and therefore geography deserves a place among the fundamental sciences, but more importantly, it deserves more of a role in education. Recognizing geography as a valuable science, and studying and utilizing progressive geographical tools, will allow for many more scientific discoveries in our world

Banking Risk Management in a Globalizing Economy Essay - 1

Banking Risk Management in a Globalizing Economy - Essay Example The second part discusses the linked risks to banking globalisation with reference to the 2007-2009 global financial crisis. One of the obvious reasons as to why banks manage to go international in their operation is their ability to deal with risks. In the age of modern technological advancement, banking technology is becoming an integral component of the decision-making process (Hughes and Mester, 2008, p.1). Information is vital in the decision-making process (Timmerman et al., 2008, p.113). With sufficient information, there is an available tool that can aid in the decision-making activity. In the case of banks, especially those performing in the international setting, they evaluate and manage risks, by simply referring to their databases and online information, making them easily have access to problematic clients, and problems that are non-performance that require immediate attention. Banks are always on the go to measure risks (Angelopoulos and Mourdoukoutas, 2001, p.158). Aft er all, risks are associated with their banking business activity. When banks started to employ diversification process in the global background, prior to initiating it, they have already calculated the level of risks facing them. However, the reason as to why they still go forward to investing their business at the global level is their ability to mitigate the presence of threats. The advancement of technology and their ability to adapt it in their entire working system are the mere advantages they have over the presence of varied risks. In other words, one of the reasons why banks go international in their operation is due to their capability to manage risks. They have vital aid that could support them in times of tough decision-making activity, allowing them to decide what is best for their clients and in their whole business operations.

Article about leadership and cross culture management

About leadership and cross culture management - Article Example Global managers develop flexible ways of view about the world and guide to develop overseas behaviour and national boundaries. They developed several qualities of leadership to cope up with the changing working environment of foreign countries (Regent University, 2011). Honda, the largest Japanese based manufacturers of two wheelers has been a successful name in the global automobile industry. Due to their leadership ability they are so successful across the globe. The subsidiary of Honda Motor in India is named Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India Ltd (HMSI). It came to India in 1999. They believe in teamwork and excellent leadership aspects are the reasons of their success. Though they are globally successful for their products and services but the management of HMSI are not at all concerned regarding the workers and other employees of the organisation. They are found to be ill treating and misbehaving with the workers. They are continuously harassing and embarrassing many of the w orking personnel in the organisation. Towards the female employees their behaviour is not healthy. A few female employees left their jobs due to intolerable behaviour from the Vice President of the company. HMSI managers are using negative leadership qualities just to embarrass the employees instead motivating and influencing them in their work (Labour File, n.d.). The higher managerial personnel of HMSI should develop the qualitative behaviour and good etiquette while treating both male and female workers. This will help them to be a leader in the global environment. The all kinds of interpersonal, informational and decisional roles can be developed by the managers of HMSI to motivate and influence the employees and workers of the organisation. As a leader they can create good working relationship with the people because human resources are the assets of the organisation. The leadership qualities should be utilised for superior purpose of the employees rather to destroy it for the sake of misguiding the employees. As the culture of India and Japan vary considerably, the managers must develop and understand the different aspects that may be the cause of rising conflicts in the organisation. They can utilise different leadership techniques to guide the workers and find out the reason for their grievances. The success of the organisation depends on the efficient leaders present in the organisation. The organisations are hiring staffs with leadership qualities and facilitate several techniques that can build leaders or can generate leadership qualities among the managers within the organisation. This is true that most of the leaders are born with certain leadership qualities but that can also be developed in an individual’s behaviour in due course of time. Without leadership qualities an organisation cannot run smoothly. It can be said that successful leaders might be good managers and vice-e-versa (Lussier & Achua, 2009). Cross Culture Management Cross cu ltural management means interaction of different people from diverse nation relating to various issues of international business and to manage them effectively. The success of the international business depends on how smoothly the interaction of employees goes on while dealing business issues from diverse cultural backgrounds and nations. There are several differences in the working culture of

Swot analysis Walmart Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Swot analysis Walmart - Research Paper Example Introduction and Overview In this paper, I will focus upon a strategic and comprehensive analysis of the business tactics, market trends and economic trajectories of Wal-Mart, by attempting a SWOT analysis of the company’s pros and cons. Every successful business has their upsides as well negative aspects. A qualitatively superior standard of operation and well-sustained market shares can only be maintained through a balanced adaptation of both to suit particular business issues and requirements. As a leading brand, Wal-Mart has been the center of several business economic, socio-economic and political economic studies and research. An updated analysis of the company’s market strategies, trends and business highlights will be the primary focus of my paper. While Wal-Mart still retains an amount of prestige and holds a position in the market, it cannot be denied that it is no longer the sole retail giant in America. In a global age, the rapid increase of consumer demand has given rise to numerous small, medium and large retail corporations to provide products and customer services with the required speed ad ease to cause serious business threats to Wal-Mart. For more than 45 years, Wal-Mart has been able to remain successfully in the running against stringent rivalry and rising competing foreign market retailers. Its growth has suffered in the past years. Recent figures and statistics are not reassuring. While assessing the company’s varied and diverse business aspects, I will attempt to provide a detailed reading of the same by utilizing the simple but effective SWOT model of business analysis. 2. Methodology and Procedure As stated in the Introduction, the SWOT method of business analysis is simple but highly effective in producing a detailed, comprehensive and objective research on the four major aspects of any, small or big, business: the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. With this methodology, I will attempt a study and analysis of the inner workings and the relevant problems in the operations of Wal-Mart. The effectiveness of the SWOT method lies in its operational dynamics. It penetrates inward into the basic working and process involved in running the companies, ranging from the production to public relations to retail. I intend to apply this procedural business analytic model because I believe every little aspect of a business can be summed up under the four general headings that are the purview of the SWOT model, as mentioned above. In context of Wal-Mart, this method is particularly pertinent as a comparative study of the strengths and weaknesses of a business yields a greater economic and strategic perspective of current market trends. (Pahl & Richter 7) The company gains from an analysis of competitive advantage that is directly relatable to a firm’s performance in the market. A well-balanced and well-thought theoretical methodology ultimately has the capacity to lead to greater prod uctivity and client satisfaction, all resulting in more generation of revenue. (Hao 15) 3. SWOT Analysis of Wal-Mart: A Comprehensive Business Study Before attempting an application of the SWOT model, I will briefly give an overview of the company’s past and present profile. Figure 1. Company Overview (2012) Name Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Industries served Retail Geographic areas served Worldwide Headquarters Bentonville, US Current CEO Mike Duke Revenue $ 466.950 billion (2012) Profit $ 15.699 billion (2012) Employees 2.2 million

The marketing communications campaign of marks and spencer

The marketing communications campaign of marks and spencer The marketing communications campaign of Marks and Spencer Introduction The current revolution in information technology and rapid globalisation have made the marketers face many marketing communications options (Newman Patel ,2003).Integrated marketing communications campaign is one of options, Which can be used to create added value for potential consumers and influence directly purchasing patter. The IMC, which is defined, according to Duncan (2002), as ‘A cross -functional process for creating and nourishing profitable relationship with customers and other stakeholders by strategically controlling or influencing all the messages sent to these groups and encouraging data driven, purposeful dialogue with them† The IMC is important issue because the companies can not afford either the financial or reputation damage which is caused by the poor planning or implementing of the IMC (Brassington pettitt,2006).On the other hand, the planning and implementing the IMC campaign is a complicated process and involves a wide range of management tasks (Caemmerer, 2009). As a result, this paper aims to show the steps which should be followed in the planning and implementing the IMC and to apply these steps on Marks and Spencer as a case study from real life. Finally, some recommendations will be given to improve the performance of MS. Literature review Identifying the target audiences The planning the IMC, according to Kotler Keller .should start with clear determining of target audience ,who is a group of people is aimed by marketing communications campaign , because it is vital step. Then, answers should be provided on the following questions: What are the choice criteria, which are used to evaluate the products? What are motivated them to buy the products? What make them response to the competitors, products? (Jobbe, 2007). Ø Situation analysis Competitor analysis : To analysis the competitors, according to Aaker and McLoughlin (2007), a group of questions should be answered: Against whom do we usually compete? What are their objectives and strategies in terms of brand? What is their image and positioning strategy in terms of brand? What have been the marketing communications of the competitors in the past? What impact have they had? What are their future plans? Market analysis: Ø Defining the marketing communication objectives Mean what the marketing communications are supposed to achieve, according to Blythe (2000), there are many objectives: Image building campaigns: Those are intended to communicate a specific status for the product, as well as to emphasis ways that it could complete the lifestyle of the client. Unique selling proposition (USP): that is the one attribute of the product which it differentiates the product from the competition. Positioning: the strategies which focus on the ways that consumers distinguish the products comparing with their perceptions of the competitors products. Direct response: instant response is wanted from the consumer in respect of purchase, a request for broacher, or a going to the store. Ø Managing the elements of the mix Deciding what is the media which will be used to convey the message of the IMC campaign. There are five elements of promotional mix Advertising: any paid form of non-personal communication of ideas or products in the prime media .It takes place in many forms such as, television, press, posters, cinema and radio (Pickton Broderick, 2005). Public relations: are â€Å"the deliberate, planned and sustained effort to creating and maintaining mutual understanding between an organization and its publics † Direct marketing: is the message, which can be prepared to appeal to the addressed customer. It takes place in my forms such as direct mail, telemarketing, internet marketing (Kotler Keller, 2006). Sales promotion: the activities which aim to temporary increase in sales. They take place by many forms such as buy one get one free, free sample and money off coupons. Personal selling: this is designed to meet the consumers needs by communicating face to face between the buyer and seller (McGolrick, 2002). Ø Setting the promotional budget Putting the promotional budgeting is one of the most important and difficult steps in Planning the IMC campaign because, according to West, Ford Ibrahim (2006) ,If the companies have spent too much on the promotion program this could reflect negatively on the profits whereas, if they have paid out too little marketing opportunities would be get lost. There are, according to Jobber and Fahy (2006), four methods, which are usually used to set the promotional budget: percentage of sales, matching competitors expenditures, objective and task and what can be afforded? Ø Evaluating the IMC campaign It is important step, according to Palmer (2004), because it can provide feedback to inform the future activities and make the managers more adjustment when they plan the promotional activities if the objectives are not being achieved. Apply on the MS Marks and Spencer has been the Britain most-respected and leading retailer for long time. Besides, it is one of the most recognizable brands in the UK and operates about 6stores in the UK Identify target audiences: MS has focused on fashionable males and females from different ages who have enough money to spend on the trendy dress and want to enhance their social image between their peer. Ø Analysis the situation Analysis the competitors: The main competitors of MS, GAP, HM, and Top shop, which are distinguished by fashionable clothes and they has focused on the trendy of fashion .As a result, they are called fashion retailers not clothes retailers In terms of Gap, which operates 4,171stores worldwide and the target market is 15-35 age groups. Gap promotes nationally towards young fashion consumers. Promotional campaigns do differ, however. Gap has entered above the line into a programme of intensive primetime television advertising. (Newman Patel, 2003) Concerning HM Analysis the market: Fashion market, which is considered as one of the most profitable, dynamic and competitive area in the UK (Newman Patel, 2003) .The fashion market is considered dynamic because consumer behavior in this market is distinguished by a sudden desire to buy and fluctuating customer tastes. Therefore, new opportunities are available in front of the companies and advertising agencies in this market to create added value for their potential consumers and influence directly their purchasing pattern by integrated marketing communication (Newman Patel, 2003). The fashion market is competitive market because, according to Moore (1995), growing the market shares of foreign fashion retailers in the UK, such as Gap and Benetton and reforming some fashion retailers like, Next. Ø Defining the marketing communication objectives MS has had two objectives in its marketing communications campaign. It has tried to show that its products have been characterized and differentiated from the competitors products by its high quality, stylish, great value (USP) and to enhance the perceptions of consumers in terms of quality and fashion( MSs annual report, 2008). Ø Managing the marketing communications mix At the end every season from each year, MS carries out marketing communications campaign. On 8 November 2007, MS launched marketing communications campaign and used the advertising (TV, cinema and the internet) as essential promotional tool in addition public relation (the website) and sales promotion (bonus). The ad, which is called Christmas Belles, was created by the advertising agency, Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe Y R, and was executed by a group of models. The models are Erin OConnor, Elizabeth Jagger, Twiggy, Myleene Klass and Laura Bailey who are well known names representing different age groups and each gorgeous model is wearing different clothes from MS range including lingerie and accessories . In addition to Hollywood actor Antonio Banderas who was chosen to attract the attention of menswear next to womenswear (Visit4inf, 2007). The song of the ad is called it is the most wonderful, which is singed by the artist Andy Williams The message, which has been conveyed by the campaign of MS, is â€Å"Quality worth every penny†. Besides; MS has tried to tell its target audiences that it has built its reputation in respect of quality since 1940 by establishing strict criteria which it continues to follow today. In other words, it has enhanced historical attributes of quality. The ad was screened on the TV, which could provide higher levels of awareness and reach to a large number of target audiences. Besides, it also was launched in the cinema because the commercial shown in the cinema made a stronger impression on the consumer .It was possible because it allowed for a longer advertisement that was also within cinematic technology in an artistically advanced package. At the same time the ad was launched on the internet to support the TV and cinema launch. Moreover, the viewers were sending the advertisement to each other by Email .Consequently, the commercial internet was effective in two ways spreading the message between the consumers and cost. Hence, a lot of viewers had seen the ad on YouTube during a few weeks. The new Website was Launched and it was connected to the campaign message .It was used as a complementary tool of TV and cinema .It was flexible and a reasonably cheap technique of getting an extensive target audiences and the company can get feedback from consumer by it (MSs annual report, Caemmerer; 2008, 2009). The last promotional tool, which was used by MSs campaign, is bonus which is considered as a type of sales promotion and it was used to encourage the target ardencies of MS to spend more. Ø Setting the promotional budget At the end of 2007 the marketing expenditure was  £145m more than half of expenses spent on the advertising (Birtwistle, 2007). Ø Evaluating the IMC campaign There are many evidences of success the marketing communications campaign of MS .First of all, The market share of MS in terms of clothes increased from 9,8% 2007 to 11, 2% in 2008 approximately 1,4%9 =  £4,095m (see figure 2).

Depression Essay -- Emotional Disorders Psychology

Depression is a very big topic to discuss. The most commonly asked questions are: What is depression, and what disorders are related to depression? How common is depression? Is it serious? What treatment is used? And, What kind of symptoms should a person be looking for? Depression is more than the everyday ups and downs. You know when a person is depressed when their sad feelings interfere with their everyday life. Depression doesn’t only affect feelings, but can change behavior, physical health and appearance, academic performance, social activities, and the ability to make decisions that are face every day. The causes of depression are still unknown, but researchers have found a genetic link between most depressive disorders. Another depressive disorder is bipolar depression. Bipolar depression is when a person goes through mood cycles. The two common moods are being sad and down, but that can change to a very energetic mood quickly. Some things that can trigger a depressive episode are a serious loss, chronic illness, relationship problems, work stress, family crisis, financial setback, or any other unwelcome life change.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Clinical depression is more common than most people think. More than nineteen million Americans are affected each year. One-fourth of all women and one-eighth of all men will suffer a depressive episode during their lifetimes. There are more teenagers that suffer from depression than adults. Four percent of all teens are diagnosed as clinically...

Food Recipes

bread Ingredients 1 packet (2 1/4 tsps) active dry yeast 1 cup warm water (110 – 120 degrees) 2 Tbsp. milk, room temperature 1 Tbsp. dark brown sugar 3 Tbsps. melted butter, room temperature 1 tsp. coarse salt 3 cups bread flour (spooned and leveled) 4 quarts of water 1/2 cup baking soda Coarse salt to taste 2 Tbsps. melted butter Directions †¢In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl, combine the yeast, water, milk, brown sugar, and butter. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes so the yeast come alive. †¢Mix in the coarse salt, then the flour, one cup at a time. The dough will be tacky. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray or coat with oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl, flip to coat on both sides, and cover with plastic wrap for 30 minutes. †¢After 30 minutes, knead the dough for 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Return the dough to the bowl, flip to cover both sides, and re-cover for an hour, or until roughly doubled in size. †¢Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bring 4 quarts (16 cups) of water to a boil. Gently deflate the dough and cut in half using a sharp knife or bench scraper. Shape each half into a round loaf. †¢Slowly add the 1/2 cup of baking soda to the boiling water (it will bubble).Place one piece of dough onto a large slotted spoon and gently lower into the boiling water. Use the spoon to flip the dough in the boiling water for around 20 seconds, then lift the dough out of the water with the slotted spoon – allow the excess water to drip back into the pot. †¢Set the dough onto a greased baking sheet. Repeat the water bath with the remaining dough. Sprinkle both rounds with coarse salt, then slash an X on the top of each with a sharp knife so the bread can expand while it bakes. †¢Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through. †¢Remove from the oven and brush with melted butter.

Geography of the Southern Hemisphere and Facts

Geography of the Southern Hemisphere and Facts The Southern Hemisphere is the southern portion or half of the Earth. It begins at the equator at 0 degrees latitude and continues south into higher latitudes until it reaches 90 degrees south, the South Pole in the middle of Antarctica. The word hemisphere itself specifically means half of a sphere, and because the earth is spherical (although it is considered an oblate sphere) a hemisphere is half. Geography and Climate of the Southern Hemisphere In the Northern Hemisphere, the majority of the area is composed of land masses instead of water. In comparison, the Southern Hemisphere has fewer land masses and more water. The South Pacific, South Atlantic, Indian Ocean, and various seas such as the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand and the Weddell Sea near Antarctica make up around 80.9 percent of the Southern Hemisphere. The land comprises only 19.1 percent. The continents making up the Southern Hemisphere include all of Antarctica, around one third of Africa, most of South America, and nearly all of Australia. Because of the large presence of water in the Southern Hemisphere, the climate in the Earths southern half is milder overall than the Northern Hemisphere. In general, water heats and cools more slowly than land so water near any land area usually has a moderating effect on the lands climate. Since water surrounds land in much of the Southern Hemisphere, more of it is moderated than in the Northern Hemisphere. The Southern Hemisphere, like the Northern Hemisphere, is also divided into several different regions based on climate. The most prevalent are the southern temperate zone, which runs from the Tropic of Capricorn to the beginning of the Arctic Circle at 66.5 degrees south. This area features a temperate climate which generally has large amounts of precipitation, cold winters, and warm summers. Some countries included in the southern temperate zone include most of Chile, all of New Zealand and Uruguay. The area directly north of the southern temperate zone and lying between the equator and the Tropic of Capricorn are known as the tropics- an area which has warm temperatures and precipitation year round. South of the southern temperate zone is the Antarctic Circle and the Antarctic continent. Antarctica, unlike the rest of the Southern Hemisphere, is not moderated by the large presence of water because it is a very large land mass. In addition, it is considerably colder than the Arctic in the Northern Hemisphere for the same reason. Summer in the Southern Hemisphere lasts from around December 21 to the vernal equinox around March 20. Winter lasts from around June 21 to the autumnal equinox around September 21. These dates are due to the Earths axial tilt and from the period of December 21 to March 20, the southern hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, while during the June 21 to September 21 interval, it is tilted away from the sun. The Coriolis Effect and the Southern Hemisphere An important component of physical geography in the Southern Hemisphere is the Coriolis Effect and the specific direction that objects are deflected in Earths southern half. In the southern hemisphere, any object moving over the Earths surface deflects to the left. Because of this, any large patterns in air or water turn counterclockwise south of the equator. For example, there are many large oceanic gyres in the North Atlantic and North Pacific- all of which turn counterclockwise. In the Northern Hemisphere, these directions are reversed because objects are deflected to the right. In addition, the left deflection of objects impacts the flows of air over the Earth. A high-pressure system, for example, is an area where the atmospheric pressure is greater than that of the surrounding area. In the Southern Hemisphere, these move counterclockwise because of the Coriolis Effect. By contrast, low-pressure systems or areas where atmospheric pressure is less than that of the surrounding area move clockwise because of the Coriolis Effect in the Southern Hemisphere. Population and the Southern Hemisphere Because the Southern Hemisphere has less land area than the Northern Hemisphere it should be noted that population is lower in Earths southern half than in the north. The majority of Earths population and its largest cities are in the Northern Hemisphere, although there are large cities such as Lima, Peru, Cape Town, South Africa, Santiago, Chile, and Auckland, New Zealand. Antarctica is the largest landmass in the Southern Hemisphere and it is the worlds largest cold desert. Although it is the largest area of land in the Southern Hemisphere, it is not populated because of its extremely harsh climate and the difficulty of building permanent settlements there. Any human development that has taken place in Antarctica consists of scientific research stations- most of which are operated only during the summer. In addition to people, however, the Southern Hemisphere is incredibly biodiverse as the majority of the worlds tropical rainforests are in this region. For example, the Amazon Rainforest is almost entirely in the Southern Hemisphere as are biodiverse places such as Madagascar and New Zealand. Antarctica also has a large variety of species adapted to its harsh climates such as emperor penguins, seals, whales and various types of plants and algae.

How to Make Homemade Lye Using Two Ingredients

How to Make Homemade Lye Using Two Ingredients Lye is a chemical used for a variety of purposes, including making soap, performing chemistry demonstrations, making biodiesel, curing food, unclogging drains, disinfecting floors and toilets, and synthesizing drugs. Because it can be used to make illegal drugs, lye may be hard to find in a store. However, you can make the chemical yourself, using a method popular in colonial days. The resulting lye is potassium hydroxide. Lye can be either potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide. The two chemicals are similar, but not identical, so if you are making lye to use for a project, make certain its potash-based lye you need. Materials for Making Lye You only need two ingredients for making homemade lye: AshesWater The best ash comes from hardwood trees or from kelp. Softwoods, such as pine or fir, are better if you want to use the lye to make a liquid or soft soap. To prepare the ash, simply burn wood completely and collect the remains. You may also collect ash from other sources, such as paper, but expect chemical contaminants that may be undesirable if the lye is to be used for soap. Safety Information You can adapt the method using materials available to you, but keep in mind three important points: Use glass, plastic, or wood to process and collect the lye. Lye reacts with metal.The process gives off noxious vapors, especially if you heat the lye to make it more concentrated. Make lye outdoors or in a well-ventilated shed. This is not a project you want to undertake inside your home.Lye is a corrosive strong base. Wear gloves and eye protection, avoid inhaling vapors, and avoid skin contact. If you splash lye water on your hands or clothes, immediately rinse the affected area with water. Process To Make Lye Basically, all you need to do to make lye is soak the ashes in water. This yields a slurry of residue in a potassium hydroxide solution. You need to drain the lye water and then, if desired, may concentrate the solution by heating it to remove excess water. In summary: mix the ash and water, allow time for the reaction, filter the mixture, and collect the lye. One method that has been used for hundred of years, if not longer, is to use a wooden barrel with a cork near the bottom. These are available from brewing supply stores. Place stones at the bottom of the barrel.Cover the stones with a layer of straw or grass. This serves to filter the solids from the ash.Add ashes and water to the barrel. You want enough water to fully saturate the ashes, but not so much that the mixture is watery. Aim for a slurry.Allow the mixture to react 3 days to a week.Test the concentration of the solution by floating an egg in the barrel. If a coin-size area of the egg floats above the surface, the lye is sufficiently concentrated. If it is too dilute, you may need to add more ashes.Collect lye water by removing the cork at the bottom of the barrel.One way to increase the concentration of the solution is to run this liquid through ashes again.If you need to concentrate the lye, you can either let water evaporate out of the collection bucket or you can heat the solution. Its okay to use a cast iron or stainless steel pot. Modern adaptations of the old technique involve using plastic or glass buckets with spigots rather than wooden barrels. Some people drip rainwater from a gutter into the lye bucket. Rain water tends to be soft or slightly acidic, which helps with the leaching process. Its not necessary to clean out the reaction barrel or bucket to make more lye. You can keep adding water or ashes to produce a constant supply of the chemical.

Best Practice HRM in Taiwan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Best Practice HRM in Taiwan - Essay Example The aim of the paper is to the transition of human resource management in Taiwan, and to propose recommendations for MNCs that are facing human resource management shift. The best practice model is usually applied to reward system management. Pfeffer develops and describes the impact and importance of HR policies for effective performance and motivation. Following Pfeffer (1998a), "labor markets are far from perfectly efficient, it is nonetheless the case that some relationship exists between what a firm pays and the quality of the workforce it attracts" (p. 80). The aim of this model is to attract and retain the best employees able to create competitive advantage and meet the needs of organization. Motivation factors are the core of this theory. "If the organization enjoys increased profitability and performance as a result of the efforts of its people, then considerations of equity virtually demand that the entire workforce, not just some senior managers share in the returns through higher pay' (Pfeffer 1998a, p. 220). The "best practice" approach helps to achieve effectiveness of performance and specific goals including maintenance of high standards in order to deliver customer satisfaction. Unique talents among employees, including superior performance, productivity, flexibility, innovation, and the ability to deliver high levels of personal customer service are ways in which people provide a critical ingredient in developing an organization's competitive position (Chandler and Mcevoy 2000). People also provide the key to managing the pivotal interdependencies across functional activities and the important external relationships. It can be argued that one of the clear benefits arising from competitive advantage based on the effective management of people is that such an advantage is hard to imitate. An organization's HR strategies, policies and practices are a unique blend of processes, procedures, personalities, styles, capabilities and organizational culture. "Pfeffer (1994) maintains certain employment practices, including internal career ladders, extensive training, worker discretion, extensive training, generally contribute to high levels of organizational performance" (Lawler et al 2003, p. 4). Discussion Section The transition of human resource management in Taiwan is based on the need to adapt the economy and HR practices to changing economic and political environments and create strong workforce. Multinational corporations are often regarded as a potential source of convergence in international HRM in that they are expected to use their international perspective to promote the diffusion of 'best practice' HR techniques. One of the most important consequences of 'best practice' in joint ventures has been the introduction of a more systematic management approach in that the systems were defined in writing, standardized and operated on a regular basis (Chandler and Mcevoy 2000). "Taiwan is particularly noted for its small and medium-sized firms, both in the high-technology sector and in more traditional industries. One advantage of being small is that such organizations can be highly flexible and thus much more responsive to rapidly shifting and unpredictable economic conditions" (Lawler et al 2000, p. 5). A majority of MNCs have placed a

Wading Through the Thicket, Stemming Abuses Essay

Wading Through the Thicket, Stemming Abuses - Essay Example In theory, a director, holding as he does a position of trust, is a fiduciary of the corporation . As such, in cases of conflict of his interest with those of the corporation, he cannot sacrifice the latter without incurring liability for his disloyal act. The fiduciary duty has many ramifications, and the possible conflict of interest situations are almost limitless, each possibility posing different problems. There will be cases where a breach of trust is clear, as where a director converts for his own use funds or property belonging to the corporation, or accepts material benefits for exercising his powers in favor of someone seeking to do business with the corporation.  In many other cases, however, the line of demarcation between the fiduciary relationship and a director’s personal right is not easy to define. The law has attempted at least to lay down general rules of conduct and although these serve as guidelines for directors to follow, the determination as to whethe r in a given case the duty of loyalty has been violated has ultimately to be decided by the court on the case’s own merits.   What is clear, however, is that shareholder conflicts are prevalent in virtually all jurisdictions and the law has to formulate appropriate channels of redress in order to resolve these conflicts. As Miller   said: There is no surfeit of examples to demonstrate how minority shareholders and their interests can be prejudiced by the director or those with controlling interests in the corporation.

Finance and Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Finance and Accounting - Essay Example Joan expects each cashier to balance the drawer to the penny every time – no exceptions.I disagree. Joan should employ another employee to daily reconcile the amount in the cash register and cash in the drawer. Since, in our case, Joan expects cash to balance with no exceptions, the employee verifying the amount might overcharge some customers in case of any shortage. b. Joan caught an employee putting a case of 400 single-serving tea bags in her car. Not wanting to create a scene, Joan smiled and said, â€Å"I don’t think you’re putting those tea bags on the right shelf. Don’t they belong inside the coffee shop?† The employee returned the tea bags to the stockroom. I disagree. The employee is stealing from the stockroom which is an offense and Joan should have fired the employee or otherwise penalize the employee. Joan should install an inventory control that ensures stock is taken daily, and any shortage is would be easily detected. c. Jittery Coffee Shop has one cash register. Prior to Joan’s joining the coffee shop, each employee working on a shift would take a customer order, accept payment, and then prepare the order. Joan made one employee on each shift responsible for taking orders and accepting the customer’s payment. Other employees prepare the orders. I agree. Joan segregated duties among the employees. Segregation of duties is a strong internal control used by many companies. In our case, the employee taking orders is different from the one preparing the same orders. This ensures none or minimal cases of theft. Lasting Impressions Co. records all cash receipts based on its cash register tapes. Lasting Impressions Co. discovered during April 2012 that one of its sales clerks had stolen an undetermined amount of cash receipts when she took the daily deposits to the bank. The following data have been gathered for April: Theft should have been prevented by ensuring separation of duties. The Employee recording the cash receipt should be different from the person taking deposits to the bank. The company can also contract an independent party to be carrying out the reconciliation, as this will ensure easier detection of cash stolen. After a period of one month, the employee’s duties can be rotated. The company should be ensuring bank reconciliation is done frequently.

Phonics Primer for Year Five Remedial Class in Primary School Essay Example for Free

Phonics Primer for Year Five Remedial Class in Primary School Essay 1.1 Description of the Area of Research Title of the Study: Phonics Primer for Year Five Remedial Class in Primary School. Phonics is letter-sound correspondences. The units of sound can be syllables, onsets rimes, or phonemes (EdResearch.info). Phonics Primer is a way of learning the sounds of the alphabet in order to decode the English language. It is recognized by a quick pace of teaching letter and the sound or grapheme and phoneme matches and immediately getting students to use this knowledge to read and spell regular words. Words are read by using the phonological skill of blending the sounds together synthesis (hence the term synthetic phonics). Words are spelled by using the phonological skill of hearing the sounds in words (segmentation) by means of which words are segmented into their constituent phonemes (Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia) Research Questions 1. What is the strategy in teaching synthetic phonics? 2. Can the method be successfully taught in shorter periods? 3. Can the 44 sounds of Phonics Primer help in teaching non-English speakers who have other sounds that is found in English? 4. Can Phonics Primer be used to teach cohorts in higher levels with reading difficulties? Research Variables The instruments that I will use in my research will be: 1. Questionnaires 2. Interviews 3. Classroom Observation Checklist 4. Tests 5. Document Reviews Gay and Airasian (20030 defined population as â€Å"The population is the group of interest to the researcher, the group to which the results of the study will ideally generalized†. The respondents of the research will be for remedial students from the outskirt of Sarikei in Sarawak. The majority of the students will be of the Iban race. The research will be conducted on two groups of selected students. One group will be used for study, called the experimental group. Another group would be the controlled group and they will be taught with the conventional teaching procedure during English lessons. Both groups will be cohorts who will need assistant in reading. About six students will be involved in this study. They will be remedial students from the cohort of year five students who are in the remedial class. The respected students and school will be chosen simply to fulfill the requirements of the research that will use the Primers phonics approach to teach reading for remedia l students. 1.2 Theoretical Framework Often we find that in schools, there are always students who are very poor in reading English. It is even worst when the students cannot read in a language that is very similar to theirs. This means that the students are having problems in basic reading. We can say that these students are too slow in picking up during their reading lessons in English. In classes where we have been teaching, oftentimes we see that students cannot recognize words and even there are some who cannot read. The students in rural Sarikei, in Sarawak, specifically are mostly Ibans. They are non-English speakers. They only encounter the language when they come to school. English therefore is very unfamiliar to them. Many English sounds don’t even exist in their mother tongue. Synthetic phonics has all the 44 sounds of the English Language. It is a very systematic way to teach basic reading in English. By using the method of teaching, students can read faster and easier. The method of teaching and the instruments used in teaching it can enable the remedial students of the primary schools to remember the sounds made by the letters and enable them to read. Research instrument are devices to measure the objects of the study. Instruments come in multiple forms. For this research, the researcher will be using multiple forms like questionnaires, observation forms, interview forms and tests to get information. The questionnaires and interviews will be used to get information about experiences, suggestions and ideas related to the study. The observation forms will be used to make observations during the study. From observation forms, the researcher will be able to see weaknesses and strengths during the teaching of Phonics Primer and also the current teaching method used by the school to make comparisons. The tests which will be given before and after teaching Phonics Primer will help the researcher to find out if the case study that they are doing is suitable and good for teaching remedial students. Questionnaires Questionnaires are familiar to most people (Berdie, Anderson, and Niebuhr, 1986).It is a written or printed form used in gathering information on some subject or subjects, consisting of a set of questions to be submitted to one or more persons (Your Dictionary.Com) It is a communication method of designing questionnaires to collect the requisite information. It is a list of questions framed to get facts. A questionnaire is defined as a group of printed questions used to elicit information from subjects by means of self report. Questionnaires will be distributed to both experimental and controlled group. Teacher Questionnaires. A teacher questionnaire is designed to gather information administered to English teachers in school. The questionnaire will be done two times, that is before the start of the Phonics Programme. A second questionnaire will follow at the end of the programme. This is to find out the status of remedial reading before and after the programme. If there are any differences before and after the programme, it will be noted down for analysis in the research later. Students’ Questionnaires Students’ questionnaire will also be done. It will be done with students who are involved with the study. They are the experimental group of students and also the controlled group of students for comparison later. Questionnaires can help the researcher discover the experiences, knowledge and backgrounds of the students and the school which is related to the case study that is going to be done. These information will help the researcher to know more and understand more about the stand of the students involved in the study. The questionnaire is also important in helping the researcher to make conclusion and give suggestions for future study of similar case. Interview The interview is a dialogue between the teachers with the researcher. The most commonly accepted objective of the interview is to determine whether there is a match between the candidates education, experience, interest and goals and the goals of the researcher related to the study for which the researcher is interviewing. In this study, the researcher conducts the interview with the remedial students’ teacher. This interview is designed to elicit data using a set of predetermined questions that are expected to elicit the subjects thoughts, opinions and attitudes regarding the teaching of reading to remedial students. Group Interviews with Teachers. To identify the major issues surrounding the planning and implementation of reading instruction in schools of a rural school, group interviews will be conducted with English remedial teachers. An interview will be used to facilitate discussion. Responses to the uniform standard questions will contribute to the final analysis of the study findings. Individual Interviews with Teachers. To investigate all of the major research questions. presented earlier, interviews will be conducted with English remedial teachers in the selected schools. An interview will be used to facilitate information gathering. Responses to the questions will contribute to the final analysis of the study findings. Observation Instruments Observation is a technique of gathering data through direct contact with the subjects. In this study, the researcher will observe two classes. The researcher will observe ongoing class using Primer Phonics and the normal teaching of remedial students in the school. Observation instrument is necessary to detect any strength and weaknesses for both types of methodology in teaching remedial students. The detections will be noted down in the researcher’s note book for making analysis, conclusion and suggestions for future researches. Classroom Observation Classroom observation will be done to make sure that Primer Phonics is taught accordingly. A checklist will be used. Classroom observations will also be done for the normal teaching of remedial students in the same school. The need for making observation for the normal method of teaching is to enable comparison among the two types of methodology later. Additional data collection and review will occur during the observations. Researchers summarized notes after each observation. Test The researcher will conduct two types of tests, the Pre test and the Post test, for two groups of students from the remedial class only. The students will be divided into the experimental and controlled group. A Pre test will be used to see the students’ ability to read before teaching using the Primers Phonic Method. The Post test will be used to see the achievements made after teaching using the Primers’ Phonic Method. Both the experimental and the controlled groups will take the tests so the researcher can compare if there will be any differences in the achievements after teaching using the Primers’ Phonic Method for the experimental group. The Controlled group will be taught by their own remedial teachers using the usual syllabus in the school. In the tests, subjects are to read a short text of about 150 words. These tests aims to see how good the students can or cannot read before and after teaching using the Primers’ Phonic Method. To assess the students reading, 5 criteria will be ticked accordingly. Students who gets two out of five ‘Yes’ are considered to have pass the Pre Test or the Post test Document Review Document review will inform the research process to varying degrees. Among the documents analyzed were student work samples, report cards, forms, letters to parents, lesson plans, lists of reading books, and other relevant documents pertinent to current reading instruction. The Theoretical Framework Diagram 1: The Diagram depicts the theoretical framework. 1.3 Review of Related Literature The literature reviews forwarded here will help us to understand more about the case study that will be done. A literature review is a body of text that aims to review the critical points of current knowledge and or methodological approaches on a particular topic. Literature reviews are secondary sources, and as such, do not report any new or original experimental work. Most often associated with academic-oriented literature, such as theses, a literature review usually precedes a research proposal and results section. Its ultimate goal is to bring the reader up to date with current literature on a topic and forms the basis for another goal, such as future research that may be needed in the area. A well-structured literature review is characterized by a logical flow of ideas; current and relevant references with consistent, appropriate referencing style, proper use of terminology and an unbiased and comprehensive view of the previous research on the topic I would like to make a review of related literature which is in my area of research, Instruction, Development, and Achievement of Struggling Primary Grade Readers by Elizabeth Campbell Rightmyer, Ellen McIntyre, and Joseph M Petrosko. Reading Research and Instruction. Coral Gables: Spring 2006. Their study examined the phonics and reading achievement of 117 primary grade students in 14 schools and 42 classrooms. Students received instruction in one of six different reading programs or models based upon the school they attended. Through qualitative data collection and analysis of specific instructional practices, they determined that no model or program proved more effective for the learning of phonics in the first grade after one year of instruction. Purpose The purpose of their study was to examine the phonics and reading achievement of primary grade students receiving instruction in six different instructional programs or models (referred to as models in reference to their study). Then, through a qualitative analysis of the specific instructional practices within these models and their understanding of young childrens literacy development, they explain the relative differences in achievement gains of these primary grade struggling readers. Method They examined the instructional practices and achievement of low performing students in first through third grade classrooms in which teachers used one of the following reading models: Breakthrough to Literacy (www.btl.com); Early Success (Cooper, et al., 1997); Early Intervention (Taylor, Medo, Strait, 1995); Four Blocks (Cunningham, Hall, DeFee, 1991); SRA Reading Mastery (Engelmann Bruner, 1997); or Together We Can, a locally developed model based on small group guided reading and explicit teaching of reading strategies and skills. Participants The study included 117 struggling primary-grade readers in 14 schools and 42 classrooms. Schools that had recently received a state grant to implement one of the reading models were invited to participate. They then contacted the principals, asking them to recommend teachers who were particularly successful at implementing the instructional model for at least one year; they believed that principals would avoid selecting teachers who were struggling with the model, classroom management, student diversity, or any of the myriad complexities that teachers face daily. Independently, they checked the teachers credentials by using a state-developed data base and found that the majority of them held advanced rank in the profession; 73% had earned at least 30 credit hours beyond the bachelors degree. They also found that 84% of the teachers had taught in their current state of employment for more than five years. The principals distributed consent forms to interested teachers, and when they were returned, the researchers explained to each teacher that the children they wanted to study were those struggling with reading or learning to read. They had no control of the models that were proposed or the schools that were selected to receive the grants. Like many states under accountability mandates, their state is becoming heavily invested in direct instruction models of reading and mathematics, and this predilection was seen in the numbers of students who received scripted early intervention in reading. They asked that by October 1 of the first year of the study, the teachers identify the lowest achieving 20% in their classes. Again, they did not control for socioeconomic status, gender, or ethnicity of the identified children or in any way second-guess the teachers selection. Consenting students became the targeted group of children the researchers tested on the phonics application and reading tasks. There were two to five children in each of the classrooms, although due to attrition and a few flawed tests, this number was reduced in some classrooms. Researchers studied one group of children from the beginning of first grade through the end of second grade, documenting growth in phonics for one year. These children are hereafter referred to as first graders, even though they followed them through the end of second grade. The children in this group were all served by a single reading model one of the five models that appear in Appendix A across two years; however, most of the children had different teachers implementing the model the second year (in second grade). The study followed a second group from the beginning of second grade through the end of third grade, also documenting growth after two years. These children are hereafter referred to as second graders, even though they followed them through the end of third grade. Like the first graders, the children in this group were served by the same reading model across two years; however, most of the children had different teachers implementing the model the second year (in third grade). Table 1 lists the participants by model. Procedures for Data Collection and Analysis of Student Achievement Instruments The researcher pre- and post-tested first grade children on clays Hearing Sounds in Words Test (1993), a phonics application task that included encoding a sentence. This measure was conducted only with first graders, as this was the norming sample. It will hereafter be referred to as the phonics measure or phonics achievement. On the clay test, the examiner reads two sentences to the child, The bus is coming fast. It will stop here to let me get on. Then the sentences are read again, word by word, and children encode the sentence as the researcher dictates. The children are encouraged to do the best they can with the spelling and use the sounds of words to write as much as you can. The children score a point for each letter or group of letters they write that correctly correspond to the sounds in the words. Children can score from O to 37 on this test. The researchers selected this test because they believed it to be a more authentic assessment of phonics understanding and use than phonological tests on which children call out letter sounds they see or sound out semantically disconnected word lists. Data collection Researchers were trained using each of the testing instruments given. The training involved an explanation and demonstration of the testing procedures and observation of videotapes of the project director testing various children. The researchers scored those children, discussed results, and adjusted their expectations through more explanation and demonstration by the director. Children were pre-tested during the months of September and post-tested during the month of May during each of the two years of the study. Children were tested in one-on-one situations in quiet places, arranged by the classroom teacher or grant administrator for periods of no more than 30 minutes at a time. While the pre-testing took approximately 30 minutes per child, the post-testing took 60-90 minutes per child for most children, thus each child was met two or three times. The researchers attempted to make the children comfortable and rewarded them afterwards with stickers. All reading passages were tape-recorded. Quantitative analysis of achievement data For ease in comparing achievement, the researchers used the benchmarks provided by each of the tests. Clays Hearing Sounds in Words phonics test has a range of 1-37, with intervals of 1. Two trained researchers individually scored every Clay test, and these scores were compared against one another for accuracy. Where there was discrepancy in scoring, a third researcher also reviewed the data, and the group negotiated the final score. Scores were entered into a data base, and two team members reviewed each of them for accuracy in data entry. In this study, test score data were statistically analyzed in two ways. First, pretest scores were subtracted from posttest scores. The resulting gain scores were used as dependent variables in a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), with the reading models as the independent variables. Test 1 was a comparison of phonics achievement of students in the different reading models (one-year gain). For each test, students achievement in only five models was compared. Importantly, due to the unequal number of students in each of the comparison groups, and the small numbers of participants in some of the models, the interpretations about the findings of these tests are made with caution and based on trends in the data. Data Collection and Analysis of Instructional Practices The researchers collected data on the instructional models in three ways: a) by observing the teachers and taking field notes, b) by interviewing the teachers about their practices, and c) by completing an observation instrument after leaving the site (which required reflection and quantification of what was observed). For this analysis, they specifically gathered data on: 1) the focus of instruction, 2) the primary literacy activities conducted, and 3) the length of time children spent reading connected text. Other salient characteristics of the models, such as whether the model was considered an intervention for struggling readers or a whole class model, are also described. Observations and interviews Schools were contacted and arrangements were made to observe the teachers who had been previously identified as fully implementing the instructional model adopted through the state program. The researchers visited each teacher four times and observed between 90-180 minutes during each visit, depending on how long literacy instruction was conducted in that classroom. Researchers sat in the room and recorded what the teacher said and did in the form of field notes. One important feature in our field notes was the regular marking of time. In an effort to understand how teachers distributed their instructional time for various activities, they recorded the time in the margins of their field notes approximately every five minutes. After each visit, the researchers interviewed the classroom teacher the same day the observations were made. Among the questions they asked were about how typical the observed instruction was and how the children were selected for testing to ensure that they ind eed were studying the bottom 20%. Observation instrument After exiting the field site, the researcher used the field notes and interview to complete an observation instrument that summarized and quantified instructional patterns. A small section of instrument was used to help determine the teachers focus of instruction. The instrument, the field notes, and the interview made a data set for analysis. Analysis of instruction In the first phase of analysis, researchers gathered to examine the data sets. Using a form created by the project director, the researchers summarized what happened during each of the visits. From these summaries of the field notes and interviews, the project director created a set of codes that reflected much of the data, a content analysis of sorts (Miles Huberman, 1994). Then, the research team partitioned the field notes into activity settings (Tharp Gallimore, 1988) in order to create smaller, bounded units of analysis. This meant that whenever there was a change in activity (the people, place, or product of instruction), the ensuing activity was considered a unit of analysis and coded separately. The Researcher did not consider as change in setting instances in which children had to leave a group early or if a lesson was interrupted. Thus, the lessons were coded holistically by setting. Settings lasted from five to 45 minutes. For example, one setting for analysis might be a 10-minute whole class lesson on which the teacher guided the children to correct a message she had written without punctuation. When the same teacher signaled to the children it was time to work in learning centers, a new unit of analysis was begun. Sometimes there were multiple simultaneous activity settings, and the researcher usually made the decision to follow the teacher. For each activity setting, they coded the teachers primary activity, followed by what researchers interpreted, from both observations and interviews, was the teachers focus for the activity-either to help students develop phonologically (ACTIV-phon), or to help students learn something else (ACTIV-other). The primary instructional activities observed in each class were listed on the summary sheet. Finally, to determine the time children spent reading connected text, they used an earlier analysis of these data (Authors, 2005). They first defined connected text as texts of meaningful sentences or longer; that is, more than one connected sentence; although, in this study, connected text was usually an entire story. Then, they clarified activities that comprised examples of opportunities to read connected text. The following practices were categorized as such: choral reading; echo reading (even though technically the teacher was doing half of the reading); guided silent reading; guided oral reading; and established periods for independent reading. Activities not included as opportunities for reading connected text included read aloud story time, times when the teacher was directly teaching something, times when students completed worksheets that included only words or unrelated sentences, drill of individual words, or time on non-print responses to literature. Then, the researchers highlighted in field notes when students were provided opportunities to read connected text. They calculated the percentage of time in such activity against the total time designated for language arts instruction. They examined all four observations of each teacher together as a unit because they knew they were going to categorize them. Using group consensus, they defined classrooms as having much opportunity to read connected text during all four observations, a moderate amount of time, or little time. After each data set was analyzed and each teacher categorized, they compared instructional foci and practices across models. They listed all the teachers in a given model together, and looked across these data sets for patterns.