The Lord of the Flies Continues to Fly A Socio-Historical Look At Its Banning and Sustained Popularity

Henry Reichman, in his research titled Censorship and Selection, Issues and Answers for Schools. Censorship defines censorship as the â€Å"the removal, suppression, or restricted circulation of literary, artistic or educational materials †¦ on the grounds that these are morally or otherwise objectionable in light of the standards applied by the censor† (Cromwell, 2005) . Often, the judging of the books as unfit for public or classroom consumption is done unilaterally by an authorized policymaking body tasked with oversight functions.This has adverse impact to the teachers’ exercise of academic and creative freedom guaranteed by the First Amendment that protects â€Å"the students’ right to know and the teachers’ right to academic freedom† (Shupe, 2004). Throughout the history of literature, censorship of literary texts and judging them as unfit for public consumption has always provoked social and political debates. The offensive advocates who pose themselves as guardians of morality and social order insist that the society needs protection from destructive elements that may damage its moral and social fibers.The defensive side, on the other hand, promotes the upholding of constitutional rights for free expression, criticizing censorship us a curtailment of this basic human right. Ironically, banning the books from public consumption has proven to have done the opposite. The public becomes even more curious, finds creative ways to get hold of these banned books and discover for themselves that the very reason of the banning should be the same reason why the public should read them in the first place.For instance, while Mark Twain’s â€Å"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn† was challenged because of its racial slur, many in the academic circles believe that it should all the more be read by the public to learn about racism and its adverse social impact (Shupe, 2004). Restraining the public from reading a lit erary text that reflects this social reality does not and cannot shield itself from seeing this happening in real life. Unsurprisingly therefore, these banned books or literary texts whose subjects are deemed taboos by the authorities became all-time best sellers continually being â€Å"consumed† by the public.The public’s curiosity has been sustained by the authority’s persistent efforts to dictate what the public can and cannot read defying the provisions of the First Amendments that enshrines creative and academic freedom (Shupe, 2004). This has all the more invigorated the public’s tendency to rebel against repressive authorities. Banning the reading of what the public considered acclaimed literature seems not just illogical but unwarranted. This has made acclaimed banned books like the Lord of the Flies sustained its popularity generations after generations.I. The Lord of the Flies Restrained from Flying To understand the â€Å"restraint flight† of the novel, it may be deemed necessary to trace its roots from its conception to publication, illuminating the tumultuous routes it has taken before it reached the public eye. William Gerald Golding wrote the novel less than ten years after World War II after serving in the Royal Navy from 1940-1945 where he saw man’s unnerving capacity for atrocities. As it is commonly believed, war brings the worst and the best of man’s human nature.But expectedly so, Golding identified more on the evil side of man, owing to his background as a disillusioned advocate of rationalism, championed by his father Alec Golding, a school teacher and ardent believer of rationalism. In his writing about his wartime experience, he wrote: â€Å"Man produces evil as a bee produces honey† (Gyllensten, 1983). He felt that the atrocities committed by the Nazis in such magnitude could be committed just as well by any other nations owing to humankind’s innately evil nature.He wrote the book at a time of Cold War, fresh from the hostilities of the Holocaust, the widespread dehumanizing aftereffects of atomic bombs, and the threat of the so-called â€Å"Reds† behind the Iron Curtain. These conditions all found their way to the book, making it a good study of the political and ideological underpinnings of this milieu. From its pre-publication to its promotion to the public, the Lord of the Flies has undergone a turbulent path. Rejected by publishers a record of 21 times, the book was adjudged as â€Å"absurd and uninteresting†¦rubbish and dull† (Conrad, 2009).Conrad (2009) recalls that the book seemed to have reached a dead end, until a former lawyer hired as editor from the Faber publishing house, Charles Monteith, resurrected the book from its near oblivion and convinced his colleagues at Faber to publish the book at a measly sum of ? 60. As it turned out, Monteith’s business instinct earned Faber millions of pounds as the book sold mi llions of copies worldwide and continues to do so up to this time prompting the author of the book to retort that he considers the royalty income as â€Å"Monopoly money† (Conrad, 2009).The book’s huge commercial success can be attributed to two things: first, it has a good narrative filled with thrilling action and a theme that amplifies the endless battle between good and evil; and second, it has been continually challenged by certain school authorities making it all the more attractive to readers. The more it has become controversial, the more it has gathered cult following, assuming celebrity status as a literary text. The thesis of the book underscores the tendency of man for violence.In the novel, a group of British schoolboys are trapped in a tropical island after the plane that would take them to someplace safer from the nuclear war crashed. Initially acting in a more civilized way, these schoolboys form some sort of a social group with a leader and sets of rul es. As they discover the difficulties of such an arrangement within the uncertainty that surrounds them in that tropical island, they begin to question the existence of that social order and start to defy its conventions.The â€Å"good force† is led by Ralph who symbolizes man’s adherence to civilization and proper social decorum; while Jack leads the â€Å"evil forces† symbolizing man’s innate evil nature that manifests with proper environmental stimuli engendered by the harsh realities of life such as surviving in a jungle. As the story progresses and the uncertainty of being rescued become remote, Jack begins to reconfigure the composition of the social order initiated by Ralph. Within these contesting ideologies, Jack starts to emerge as the leader of choice by the majority of the group.Deciding that Jack’s aggressive stunts and hunting skills are the necessary skills of a leader in such a harsh environment, the majority of the boys shift their allegiance to him and leave the â€Å"orderly† and â€Å"civilized† leadership of Ralph. With Jack’s leadership, the boys undergo a downward spiral and turn to horrific violence to dismantle civilized social constructs in the name of survival. In so doing, two boys are killed and they would have continued to slide down to ultimate self-destruction had their eventual rescue failed to come just in time.Published in 1954 and written by Golding, the Lord of the Flies has been constantly challenged and banned from school curricula in the United States and other parts of the world. The Nettverksgruppa (1996) or NVG, an association of students and staff at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim recounts that the following academic institutions challenged this novel for its so-called â€Å"demoralizing effect that implies that man is little more than an animal†:

Effective Communication Skills in Nursing Essay

1. Explain the principles of confidentiality in the health care environment. The principles of confidentiality are to maintain the patient’s privacy and confidentiality that all information about the treatment, the patient’s current medical conditions, prognosis and all other areas of the patient’s personal information be kept confidential. This means that it is legally and ethically wrong to disclose their information to a third party unless the nurse has gained consent from the patient to do so, the only time a nurse will disclose the patients information is if it falls within her professional duties and only discussed with other health care professionals (Koutoukidis, Stainton & Hughson 2013, p. 29). The privacy and confidentiality are governed by the code of conduct and the code of ethics the nurse must work within these codes and their scope of practice, a breach in the patient’s confidentiality can lead to legal proceedings against the nurse (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2014). 2. What are the types of small groups and work teams that nurses are likely to be involved in? There are different groups or work team that nurses can be involved within the health care environment and will consist of two or more people, an example of the types of group could include, Infection control committee that promotes awareness of areas in infection control an example of this is the compliance in hand washing or using alcohol rub before and after procedures in the workplace and communicating the correct procedures in workshops and education sessions (infection control today 2014). Nurses can also be involved in research teams and communication may come in the form of surveys or interviews to conduct studies on the ways a nurse learns, this could be studies on the way patient care is provided or how nurses manage situations, so the best evidence based practices can be implemented in the nursing profession (Lewis, Dirksen, Heitkemper, Bucher and Camera 2013,p.12). Educational groups are also an area that nurse can work in an example of this is a Diabetic educator, were they teach people suffering with diabetes management strategies and risks of the illness, and health promotion to prevent the onset of this illness (Australian Diabetes Educators Association 2014) 3.what are dynamics and what are the attributes that aid groups in working effectively? The definition of Group dynamics is the way that a group of people interact when grouped together (the free dictionary 2014), the benefits and attributes of group dynamics is the way communication and interaction are received and working as part of a team for a common goal, communication between a group should be are clear and concise, being an effective listener to all parties involved in the group, understanding that your opinion may differ to others, respect for yourself and others, to support each other and structure, all of these will help in team building and effective communication between nurses so that effective communication is achieved (Koutoukidis, Stainton & Hughson 2013, pp 98-100). 4. Describe the communication strategy that could be implemented when establishing a therapeutic relationship with the following types of clients. When an Enrolled nurse is establishing a therapeutic relationship with patients the Enrolled nurse may need use a variety of different communication strategies to meet the patients’ health care needs, there are different techniques that the enrolled nurse will need to use to effectively communicate this includes showing the patient respect for their values and beliefs even if they go against what the nurses beliefs are, having a non-bias attitude, listening to the request of the patient, maintaining eye contact, and having a positive attitude can help a patient feel at ease (Koutoukidis, Stainton & Hughson 2013, pp 108-122). Cultural differences When the Enrolled Nurse has a patient from a different cultural in their  care, the nurse must be culturally sensitive and have a non-bias approach. For effective communication the nurse will need to respect the patient’s beliefs and values and communicate at a level that the patient and the family can understand this also may require the nurse to have an interpreter available if English is a second language ((Koutoukidis, Stainton & Hughson 2013, pp 114-115). ). Religious practices Religious beliefs are very similar to cultural beliefs, the nurse must have a non-bias approach and respect the patient’s beliefs and values. The nurse will need to ask questions to find out any special requirements and make any special arrangements available for the patient communication may be verbally or non verbally ((Koutoukidis, Stainton & Hughson 2013, pp 114-118). Language barriers When the Enrolled nurse is dealing with language barriers in the health care setting the nurse may be able to communicate with the patient through a family member, interpreter service or arrange to have visual aids that will be able to guide the patient ((Koutoukidis, Stainton & Hughson 2013, p.108). Physical disabilities When you are dealing with a patient with a physical disabilitie there is a variety of different materials available to help communicate with the patient this could include advising the patient of who you are and what you are their to help them with, using a normal tone in your voice, hearing aids and making sure there in working order, sign language, having pen and paper available, and talking books are some of the aids that can help with communicating, ((Koutoukidis, Stainton & Hughson 2013, pp 118 -120). Intellectual disabilities/emotional disorders When communicating with a patient that has an intellectual disabilitie or an emotional disorder it is important for the nurse to use the appriote communication, the nurse may need to slow down when explaining a process,  using words that the patient can understand, listening to what the patients is communicating and showing empathy and understanding (Koutoukidis, Stainton & Hughson 2013, pp 108 -120). 5. Health care records are legal documents. What are the requirements of documentation in the health care environment? The legal requirements of documentation in the health care setting that all events in in the correct order of which they happened and be dated and timed using the twenty four hour clock, that all paper work correctly displays the patients full name, date of birth and gender, That all documentation is legible, only the facts are recorded e.g.; only what you personally see, hear, touch or smell, That the signature and name of the nurse is on the paperwork, any mistakes on the paper work you are required to draw a line through the entry and initial it, Only put in the care that you have done is documented unless in an emergency situation, only use authorised abreviations, if there are any gaps are to be filled with a signal line to stop information being added at a later date (Koutoukidis, Stainton & Hughson 2013, pp 272-274). 6. Discuss the meaning of a nurse’s duty of care. A nurses duty of care refers to using moral and ethical judgement when providing care for a patient without compromising their own moral values and the moral values of the patient, this means to me that you treat people the way you wish to be treated. The nurse has a duty to provide the best possible care and to act in a moral, ethical and professional manner to maintain the patients dignity and respect the wishes of the patient even if this conflicts with your own moral judgement (Crisp and Taylor 2010, pp 334-339) 7. Briefly explain five (5) potential constraints to effective communication? An Enrolled nurse working in the health care environment needs to be an effective communicator to patients and other health care professional to  build a good therapeutic relationships, some barriers that can effect the communication process are talking to a patient but not actively listening to what the patient has to say, abruptly changing the subject, being defensive and acting in a defensive manner, becoming distracted or daydreaming not paying attention to what the patient is saying and asking them to repeat themselves, giving the patient false reassurance when the patient asks a question that makes the nurse feel uncomfortable, and offering an opinion on what they think the patient should do (Koutoukidis, Stainton & Hughson 2013, pp 113-114) 8. What is e-Health and what are the advantages of e-Health? E-Health is a secure summary of an individual’s personal health information that is available online. the advantages of having an e-Health account is that the individual has personal control over who can access their private information and what information the individual wishes to have recorded, having an e-health account allows the individual, their Doctor and Health care providers share information and allows the individual to have an active involvement in the treatment and insures that the approve care is provided (Australian Government Health Department 2014) 9. Explain the meaning of informed consent and give an example of informed consent in the health setting. Informed Consent is providing the patient with the most current up to date facts and any associated risks for the prescribed treatment or procedure that is required to meet the health care requirements for the patient, this ensures that the patient can base their decision on all the information that they have been provided with. The nurse must ensure that the patient has understood this information and that the consent of the patient must be voluntary and coercion free. (Crisp and Taylor 2010,p.345) An example of informed consent is informing a patient that requires chemotherapy that all the evidence based facts on the benefits and side effects of the prescribe treatment, The patient will then need to sign a legal consent form prior to the commencement of treatment (Crisp and Taylor 2010,p.345). 10. Define open disclosure and briefly explain the key principles of open disclosure. The definition of open disclosure is â€Å"an open discussion with the patient on adverse events to the patient while receiving health care† (Australian commission on safety on quality in the healthcare 2010). When openly disclosing information to a patient and their family the nurse must act in a professional manner and provide the patient with the facts of the adverse event even before all the information is available, an apology which should include â€Å"I am or we are sorry† (Australian commission on safety on quality in the healthcare 2010) for the what has happened, give the patient and family an opportunity to relate their experience, discuss the potential ramifications of the event, explain what is being done to prevent a recurrence, and understanding that open disclosure is a discussion between the patient and the health care facility and this will take time and numerous meetings over a period of time (Australian commission on safety on quality in the healthca re 2010). 11. Clinical handover can pose a high risk scenario for the client’s safety. There are dangers of discontinuity of care, adverse events and legal claims of malpractice. Describe the SBAR framework for handover. The SBAR framework for handover can be done by the bedside of the patient or by phone when transferring care to a different healthcare facility, The SBAR framework for handovers ensures that an organised and efficient process of communicating the patients private and confidential information to other health care professionals, This process includes Identifying yourself and the patient, The current situation of the patients current medical condition, the background information on what has happened and any know medical conditions and medication that can help aid in the patients treatment, the nurses assessment of the patient including current observations or complaints the patients may have, and recommendations that the nurse has that will assist the patients conditions or recapping all the patients details to ensure that the correct information has been handed over  (Koutoukidis, Stainton & Hughson 2013, pp 122- 123). 12. Describe the role of the Australian Health Practitioners Regulatory Agency (AHPRA). The Australian Health Practitioners Agency in Australia has offices in each state and works with the fourteen national boards that are in charge for regulating the heath care profession and public protection (Australian Health Practitioners Regulatory Agency 2014). The primary role of AHPRA is to provide the public with registered health practitioner information, oversees the registration and renewal of nurses and students, investigates complaints of professional conduct issues, a health practitioner’s performance with the exception of New South Wales and Queensland. Provides support in developing the registration standards, codes and guidelines, guides and advises the Ministerial Council in relation to the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (Australian Health Practitioners Regulatory Agency 2014). 13. Briefly describe two (2) nursing Codes and two (2) nursing Guidelines relevant to professional practice for the Enrolled Nurse? The Code of Ethics for the Enrolled nurse is a set of self-imposed rules that ensures the decision, beliefs and the nurses action towards others is at the highest standard. The Enrolled Nurse will work with integrity a high moral standard that ensures the patient will receive the appropriate care whilst tin their care (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia 2014). The Code of Professional Conduct ensures that the Enrolled Nurse work in a compitant and professional manner, The enrolled nurse will show respect to the patient, their culture and the patients values and beliefs, keep their the personal information private and confidential, and provide accurate information on the patients health care needs (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia 2014). Professional Boundaries guidelines The professional boundaries guidelines for the Enrolled Nurse outlines the importance of establishing a therapeutic relationship with the patient that only occurs to meets the patients healthcare need, and ensures that the Enrolled nurse acts in a professional manner, It is unprofessional for the Enrolled Nurse to enter into a personal relationship with the patient while in their care to except gifts, services or for financial gain (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia 2014). The competency Standards for the enrolled nurse also outline areas that the Enrolled nurse must be competent in to perform their duties in a competent and professional manner and abide the legislations for the nursing profession, this ensures that the nurse will work within their scope of practice (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia 2014). 14. What are the functions of performance appraisal and development in the workplace? Promote learning reflect learning The function of the performance appraisal in the health care environment is to a evaluate the performance of the Enrolled Nurse working practices, this helps the Enrolled nurse and their manager to identify areas of improvement, areas where the healthcare facilities goals are being met, recognising areas of professional or personal development and promoting learning and continuous development in areas that will benefit the Enrolled nurse (Queensland Government of Health 2014) 15. Using the examples given below as your guide, research the following medical terms. Provide a definition for each and where possible, break the word down into the meanings of the prefix, words root and suffix. 16.Read the following case study and document the events that occurred. Be objective and keep to the facts, you are documenting as you would in the clients progress notes following an incident. Use the focus charting system outlines in Koutoukidis, Stainton and Hughson 2013. Reference list 1. Koutoukidis, Stainton & Hughson 2013, p. 29). Nursing and Midwifery board of Australia viewed 23.6.14 code of conduct 12 Australian Health Practitioners Regulatory Agency 2014, viewed 25.6.14 â€Å"about† 2infection control today 2014 viewed 26.6.14†hand washing commitees† 4 Queensland Government Health 28.6.14 Cultural Communication 2014http://www.health.qld.gov.au/multicultural/health_workers/CCC-clinical.pdf Queensland Government Health 28.6.14 Cultural requirements http://www.health.qld.gov.au/multicultural/support_tools/islamgde2ed.pdf 5 (Koutoukidis, Stainton & Hughson 2013, pp 108-120). 10 http://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Australian-Open-Disclosure-Framework-Feb-2014.pdf 2010 15 (http://www.globalrph.com/medterm4b.htm 8 australian government health department 2014 viewed 28.6.14 â€Å"about e-health† < http://www.ehealth.gov.au/internet/ehealth/publishing.nsf/content/home> 11. Koutoukidis, Stainton & Hughson 2013, pp 272-274). 9 (Crisp and Taylor 2010,p.345). 13 NMBA viewed 29.6.14 â€Å"professional boundries† < http://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines-Statements/Codes-Guidelines.aspx#practiceguide> 14 Queensland Government of Health 2014 viewed 30.6.14 â€Å"performance and development appraisal† < http://www.health.qld.gov.au/nmsdf/html/pad.asp> 6 Crisp and Taylor 2010, pp 334-339) 7 Koutoukidis, Stainton & Hughson 2013, pp 113-114

Journal abstract Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Journal abstract - Assignment Example Data in this research was collected through interviews with the preschool mentors. The preschool mentors interviewed revealed that there are two fundamental perspectives that depict how special children can be provided the necessary educational support with. According to their first perspective, the interviewees said that nothing unique is done for the special children requiring support by the preschool mentors, in comparison to the opinion that special children require and acquire increased assistance from concerned staff in the daily preschool activities. The second of the two perspectives requires the preschool mentors to personally identify the particular education based support with respect to two basic themes, namely the direct and the indirect educational support. This research is of great significance to the preschool education and academic nurturing of children. The findings of this research are equally applicable on theory and practice. Through their study, the researchers have made a big contribution to the present body of understanding and knowledge apropos the special educational support which the needy children require in their preschool age. References: Sandberg, A., Norling, M., and Lillvist, A. (2009). Teachers' view of educational support to children in need of special support. International Journal of Early Childhood Special Education. 1(2): 102-116.

Care Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Care Plan - Essay Example The patient has been fired from several jobs. When she does work it becomes difficult for co-workers as she moves into one of her depressive cycles. During this time she becomes "caustic" and "irritable". With her presenting behaviors the patient has been given a diagnosis of "Bipolar Disorder". The case study did not specifically say whether she was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder I or II but from the presenting problems it appears to be Bipolar Disorder I. The DSM-IV (1994) describes Bipolar Disorder within several different categories. It describes 296.4x Bipolar I Disorder as having the "most recent episode manic." This is the case with the patient. The criteria for this is someone who has "most recently had a manic episode, there has been at least one major depressive episode" (DSM-IV, p. 357)and other types of disorders have been ruled out.. Bipolar Disorder usually begins between the ages of 21 and 30 and it has been statistically shown that over 50% of bipolar patients also have a challenge with substance abuse (Boyd and Nihart, 1998, 0. 456). Although it is only reported from the husband that substance abuse or drugs "may" be involved it is something that needs to be explored more thoroughly. The patient also started having bouts of depression before the age of 34 (their current age) and these periods exacerbated at the death of her father. Clinical issues that present themselves in Bipolar Disorder include an elevated or irrit able mood, impaired functioning and several depressive and manic phases. There are also challenges with interpersonal relationships. The disorder also has behaviors of "reckless spending which can cause financial ruin and work related problems that can include difficulty in focusing" (Boyd and Nihart, p. 457). The patient has been spending money "recklessly" according to her husband on items that they cannot afford. The patient is also having problems with irritable mood and the

Communication in Ordinary People Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Communication in Ordinary People - Movie Review Example Outwardly, they appear to be the model WASP family, but there is a complex undercurrent of emotion and family upheaval that belies the still waters on the surface, an unspoken communication that is escalating the level of conflict within the family as the family tries to cope with the death of the elder son of the family. This film presents a typical example of the conflicts arising out of the paradoxes and feedbacks highlighted by Watzlawick et al through their Pragmatic approach to communications. There is a great deal of disparity between what is being said in the family and what is actually meant to be said. In the aftermath of a traumatic situation, this brings out underlying conflicts and tensions due to the trauma created by the death of one member of the family, which makes them all view each other in a completely different light. This film demonstrates how a family may often be existing and communicating quite differently at the conventional level through their language yet, may, in fact, may be intending something quite different at the pragmatic level. This tension and paradox that is created are stretched until it reaches a point where adjustments have to be made that destroy the stability of the family so that the members of the family can genuinely communicate with each other.  Ã‚  Bateson (1951) reframed psychotherapy based on a horizontal approach that examined an individual’s relationships with those around him rather than focusing on Freud’s intensive vertical approach that stressed the process going on within the individual.  

Investments, Corp. Finance and Financial Markets Essay

Investments, Corp. Finance and Financial Markets - Essay Example This has adverse effects on the financial institution such as insolvency and therefore banks employ the 5 C’s of Credit Scoring to evaluate whether or not a person should be entitled to a loan. The 5 C’s are based on the characteristics of the borrower and are explained in detail as follows. Character- The bank seeks basic information from the borrower such as his trustworthiness, integrity, work, reputation based on previous history with lenders, any defaults. Some of this information could be accessed easily through credit reports. A credit report is a report generated by the Credit Reference Bureau detailing information on a person’s credit history including identifying information, credit accounts and loans, bankruptcies, late payments and enquiries. Because credit history shall make up the biggest percentage of a borrower’s eventual credit score, it makes sense that he focuses his attention on that factor. This helps evaluate whether he is credit worthy. Capital- The borrower’s equity or net worth is checked in comparison to the amount he so wishes to borrow. If the capital invested is way below the amount borrowed, then that could raise red flags in his ability to repay the loan. Capacity- The borrower is gauged on his sufficiency of yielding positive cash flows during the loan repayment period and the amount is pre-calculated using different analysis criteria such as the Net Present Value, Profitability Index. If he passes this stage, he has to provide a credible plan on his willingness to repay his loan when it’s due. Conditions- Economic conditions dictate whether a loan should be granted to a borrower. For instance, in periods of economic recovery or boom, it is safe for a borrower to be granted a loan because chances of him defaulting are minimal. However, in the recession period, it’s most likely that the borrower will not be in a position to fully settle his obligations and therefore banks

Alfred Russel Wallace Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Alfred Russel Wallace - Research Paper Example However, only Wallace and other two of his nine siblings (Fanny and John) survived past early adulthood. The deteriorating financial condition of Wallace’s family interrupted his education. However, his home was a rich source of maps, books as well as gardening activities, which Wallace recalled later with pleasure. He notes in his autobiography that he devoted far more time to the games that he played as a child than to the lessons that he received at school, and he found this to be boring and painful. Nevertheless, Wallace was a realistically good student since in his last year of school; he assisted in teaching the younger pupils. This anomalous position of being both a teacher and a pupil was especially repugnant to the tall young man, and he suffered from recurring dreams of colossal torment at school for two decades (Wallace & Camerini, 4). As discussed earlier, Wallace grew up in an underprivileged background, what may be designated as rural middleclass in rural Wales a nd then in Hertford, England. This upbringing was very different from that of other Victorian scientific counterparts (Wallace & Camerini, 4). ... He also had the opportunity of travelling abroad, which gave him exposure and respect for ‘savages’ (persons from non-European cultures) and to the colonial exploitation systems that they were exposed to. Therefore, that his enduring identification with the underdog eventually resulted in his becoming a socialist is not astounding (Wallace & Berry, 1). Wallace explains in his autobiography that in the second quarter of the nineteenth century, Britain’s economic base revolutioniz d from agriculture to manufacturing and the British Empire grew in power as well as in size. This was a period of new opportunities as well as mounting dissent. The traditional values of Britain’s agricultural society were based on the status and wealth of the family where one came from. Industrialization and expansion into colonial lands subverted the staid social structure, and there resulted a substantial wealth and power re-distribution out of the need for expertise as well as s cientific knowledge in the change to a manufacturing society. This wide context shaped the life of Wallace while he was young, a context charged with difficulties to traditional forms of authority, particularly the Church of England along with political power based on heritage. The fact that Wallace’s interests ranged so broadly makes it very hard to apply a single label to him. Depicting him as a natural scientist would do for the early part of his life, but so would travel writer and geographer; one would have to add spiritualist, intellectual and social critic for the second half of his life. Equally difficult to pin down is his status within the scientific community. To some historians, Wallace was a loner, an outsider or the ‘other’ man who discovered evolution. These terms however

Capital Planning Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Capital Planning - Research Paper Example That is why it is also known as "economic rate of return (ERR)". When multiple projects are presented to the organization, the project that gives the highest internal rate of return will be selected for investment. It is important to know about the net present value of the project because then the investor can decide whether it is worth investing in a project or not. When multiple projects are presented to the organization, all available future streams of returns, until its full useful life, will be converted to its present value and the project that gives highest net present value will be the most lucrative of the projects that are available for investment. Thus, net present value (NPV) is an appraisal technique to arrive at the conclusion to invest in a most lucrative project, from a financial perspective. Leasing is a novel way of financing machinery, equipment, computer or any other asset without paying the full amount upfront. The lessor (financer) and the lessee (receiver of the asset) are the two parties involved in any leasing agreement in which the lessee needs to pay agreed lease charges, monthly or yearly, for the use of the asset. The advantage is that the person need not worry about arranging funds to buy the asset. It is better to lease an asset in which obsolescence rate is quite high. When one is interested in using the asset rather than owning it, it is better to lease the asset (Murray, 2012). d) Comparing outright payment versus present value of all leasing rates to be paid over its useful life. If the present value of the leasing cost is not substantially higher than outright purchase (around 20%), I would go for leasing the

Critical Factors Relating to Customer Expectations Essay

Critical Factors Relating to Customer Expectations - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that customers are users of products and services provided by businesses. Every customer has some expectations for the product he/she uses. The attitude a customer shows towards a product largely depends upon the way it is marketed and the customer’s experience with the product. The products or services which match the expected performance of the customer satisfy the customer. In this competitive age, customer satisfaction has become the top priority for businesses. The customer today has become more demanding and is only satisfied as long as his requirements are constantly met. The success of a company largely depends on customer satisfaction and for this, the businesses throughout the world are focusing on measuring and improving the satisfaction level of both internal and external customers. The expectations of the customers are simple; all they desire are timely quality solutions within budget. Meeting these expectations results in customer satisfaction. The basic condition for delivering superior service is to understand customer expectations; customers have preconceived expectations when judging a firm’s service. The Theory of Expectations is the most commonly accepted theory in this regard. It states that the customer has a predetermined standard of expectations and the satisfaction or dissatisfaction results from a comparison between these predetermined sets of expectations and the actual performance of the product or the service. Given the fact that the extent to which customer expectations are met will decide their level of satisfaction from the services, it is very important to understand their expectation in the first place and then to deliver on those expectations. Keiningham and Vavra further explain that the customer satisfaction can be broadly categorized into three zones: the zone of pain where the customer expectations are not met; the zone of mere satisfaction where, although the custo mer expectations are met, but the company is not offering anything unique which would distinguish itself from others in the market. In this case, the customers can easily switch over to similar products offered by other companies and finally is the zone of delight. The zone of delight is that where the customer expectations are not only fully met but are exceeded, which leads to customer loyalty and word of mouth marketing. For instance, iPhones and iPads are more popular among people because the Apple Store has a greater content of music, films, books, TV shows and other multimedia apps which the users can download directly; these are the extra services which ensure customer expectations are exceeded. Types of Customer Expectations Jugulum and Samuel have stated the customer expectations to be of three types: performance, perceptions and outcome expectations. The first two expectations are linked to the products delivered to the customers and for this reason, are also known as the product expectations. The third type of expectation – the outcome expectation – exists in the absence of the products as well. The performance expectations can be measured and revolve around the quality of the product, cost, and availability. Â  

Phil of Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Phil of Law - Essay Example Among the lawyers, it designates the instincts and emotions found in every human being, such as love for offspring. When natural law is applied, the jury uses the power of reasoning to give a verdict that is universally and morally accepted. Legal realism is contrary to the natural law. In legal realism theory, legal rules are based on the decision of the judiciary and are given in the interest of the majority of the population and policies of the public. This is contrary to the natural law, which is based on dogmatism. Legal realism defines the legal rights and duties as the court of law defines them (Tebbit 21). Legal realists claim that exercising the common law is subjective and the results are always inconsistent and incoherent. This claim is based on either political, social, or moral alignments or beliefs of the state and the judges. Positivism as a theory of law is a philosophy based on the information obtained from the senses, logical and mathematical analysis sourced from s cientifically proved knowledge, which is valid and truthful (Tebbit 21). The empirical evidence sourced from verified data makes the society operate under the general laws of the physical world. Positivism declares the empirical sciences as the source of truth and knowledge, thereby rejecting cognitive reasoning. This theory emerged in response to the inability of the speculations in solving problems, which came up as a result of the expansion of the knowledge base of human being due to science. However, positivism is the contrast of natural law. It is always very clear, exact and does not subscribe to the beliefs of the society. Positivism postulates that laws written by the higher authority should be followed even if they are unjust or ethically acceptable. Positivism is advantageous because of its clarity, hence minimizing guesswork and binding people within its boundaries when making legal decisions. However, legal positivism may be disadvantageous because the majority might opp ress the minority as in the case of the Fugitive Slave Law that oppressed the Blacks in America (Tebbit 21). Relating the theories of law to Shadrach Minkin’s ordeal, it is clear that the theories of law have been applied. In May 1850, Shadrach Minkin, a house slave in Virginia, escapes from his owner in Norfolk to Boston. Courtesy of the support in the free black society, he becomes a waiter. However, with the passing of the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850, where federal marshals were given power to arrest any fugitive slaves and remand them back to their employers, made it a reality to him. Under the new Fugitive Slave Law, slave refugees were denied basic civil liberties that are accorded to the other white citizens. These include trial by jury and the right of the accused to testify. In the case of Morris vs. the US, the verdict of the jury portrays the theory of legal realism in application. The jury applied their legal mandate on the case in the interest of the majority of p eople. It might have been seen that the jury were aligned on their political beliefs, but their verdict was in the interest of the majority of the population (Tebbit 21). It is clear that the jury acquitted the defendants who were believed to be guilty during trial just because they disagreed with the law. According to the jury’s argument, the law was not applicable in the case and its application was unjust. In the spirit of the theory of

Social Movements Essay Example for Free

Social Movements Essay The black struggle for civil rights are tracing their origins back to the arrival of the first Africans in America and also to their work in manufacturing firms, plantations and homes of Americans Taylor, (2000). The civil rights were born as labour movements to fight for the alienated immigrants to have equal rights in America. Since then these movements in the United States have been primarily considered as nonviolent movements that struggle to bring equality and full civil rights for all the American people under the American laws. Most of these movements had long lasting impacts in tactics and increased social and legal acceptance of the civil rights movements because they brought abilities the exposure of the existing and persistent racism and its cost. The American civil rights movement has been made up of many movements though these movements have always been referred to as struggles between 1945 and 1970s. Many movements were initiated but they did not achieve much in terms of political legal social and economic liberations. This was due to their inability to mobilize people to join in their struggle for liberation. However there were two civil rights movements that achieved greater success and can be considered to be the most effective groups. In this case effectiveness of a movement would be defined as; the ability of a movement to mobilize people to join in its activities it’s capacity to make fundamental changes and it’s ability to leave behind legacies in cases of decline or when banned from operating in a state. The civil rights movements that achieved these were the NAACR and UNIA both which had their headquarters in the US and had large support from blacks and social democrats of white origin. The most effective civil rights movement in the USA in the 20th century was the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). This was and still is the most influential movement in the USA. A large group of people but from different races founded it on November 12 1909. The founding fathers of NAACP included DUBOIS and Ida Wells-Barnet who were African Americans, Henry Moskowitz (A Jew). Mary White Orrington (white) Oswald Carrison Villad (German born white) and William English Walling (white son of former slave owning family: In 1905 Du Bois advocated for a meeting in a Canadian hotel some meters from Niagara tells, to discuss the challenges facing â€Å"people of color†. People of color were the then used to refer to the blacks in America. 32 prominent African American people attended the meeting and this movement was called the Niagara movement. A year later, the whites that were against racism joined the Du Bois team. The Niagara movement then approached some 60 prominent Americans of the day to ensure that they broaden its membership to be more effective and have larger scope. It then changed from Niagara falls movement to NAACP in 1910 and the name was formerly adopted in may 30, 1910. NAACP was more viable reliable influential and diverse organization due to its mission. The mission of NAACP according to Mann (2000) was to promote equality of rights and to evaluate cost or value of racial prejudice among American citizens, to secure for the â€Å"colored people† importance suffering, to advocate for their interests, to increase their ability and opportunities for securing education for the children, justice in the courts, employment with accordance to their ability and complete equality before the American law. As Mann (2006) argues in his book; Katrina’s Legacy, he has identified the black-led movements to be more important than man-made disasters of Katrina as very important and significant to the possibilities of controlling imperialistic and capitalistic ways of life. They are also very vital in the transformation of a destructors and unstable imperialism and white supremacy. From Mann’s argument it is therefore very obvious that NAACP was effective in terms of democratic vision, ability to mobilize more members and ability to eradicate the racial prejudice. NAACP through Jim Crow’s states that were meant to legalize racial discrimination and by 1913s the people of color would go to the notes and any other restricted areas. NAACP’s president and board members were on in 1913 to oppose president5 Woodrow Wilson’s introduction of racial discrimination and segregation in the federal government policy. To be more effective the NAACP is having four departments within if; the department of education, legal office, health department and the local departments based in member colleges and towns. The legal department is entitled to legal maters. If facieses court cases with broad importance to minorities for instance, handles legal matters pertaining to systematic racial discrimination in employment, educational institutions, health institutions and recreational institutions. It is also entitled to pursuit legal cases involving government discrimination. The health division is endowed with the responsibility of advancing proper health care for minorities through public policy inanities and education. Through education the minorities are reminded about their rights to health care and all the legal frameworks that guides medical services and practitioners. The NAACP is having a Bureau in Washington DC which is responsible for lobbying for the US government. While the education department works in all the member states to improve the quality of education offered a t several atate4 and local levels. The local youth and college department are responsible for the organization of activities for individual members. In terms of mobilization of members NAACP has been able to recruit very many individuals since its initiation in the early 1900s. The headquarters of NAACP is based in Baltimore Maryland with regional offices in states of Texas, California, Georgia, New York, Missouri and Michigan. The regional offices are supposed to coordinate the efforts of state conferences and any other included within the region. 64 members board of directors runs NAACP with each coming from the member states. The Board elects their president and chief executive office for the organization, under the leadership of a chairperson of the board. Currently NAACP is approximately 400,000 people, this includes paying and non-paying members. The main political achievement of NAACP was its National Voter Fund to launch a major get-out-the vote offensive during the 200 US presidential elections. This saw about 10. 5 million African Americans cast their ballots in the presidential elections, a number which was estimated to be 1 million more people than four years before. This achievement was greatly credited by the international observers and they congratulated NAACP for playing a very important role in handling the Ai-Gore states as Michigan and Pennsylvania where elections were close. In the late 1970s Marcus Garvey found black liberation movement to fight against the oppressive rules against the blacks and non-blacks in Diasporas. Garvey’s movement was considered the most original innovative and important of all the movements of late 19th century. This movement was geared towards the struggle for black and African liberation and it provided a very powerful inspirations and valuable teachings for black and non-black member in the Caribbean countries. In early 1900s Garvey moved into the US and started an extremely successful movement known as The Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). Thousands of UNIA chapters developed in the four continents, because it was viewed, as would be new and successful road to cultural, economic, political and social liberation for blacks and African nations. As NAACP, UNIA also proved very effective in liberation of the blacks through initiating several organizations and groups. The black women association was initiated to fight against racial prejudice among black women and was to advocate for their civil rights in the society. The musical group was aimed at fighting for the rights of the black musicians who had interest in the music industry. It opposed the limits set for the black musicians and called for participations from the ghettos to the gypsies and anybody who had interest and abilities. UNIA saw the initiation of the African Orthodox Church to carter for religious needs of the Africans. This saw the end of discrimination in the then missionary churches in Africa. To ensure that all the blacks and Africans got access to proper and reliable medical services the movement initiated ‘The Back Nurses’ Association to offer medical services needed by members of UNIA. Further on UNIA was able to initiate an internationally distributed newspaper ‘The Negro’ throughout the world. This was a means of education to the blacks stressing on self-reliance and critical evaluation of the books written by the whites about Africa and the blacks. The newspaper would also correct the overcritisism of the black movement and instead unveil the scenes of the whites associated with lynching of blacks. UNIA also developed black economic corporations for example the famous ‘Black Star Lines’ shipping company. Several ships were bought for this company and it was intended to bring back the Africans who were interested in going back to their original homeland. However during the period between 1920 and 1923 UNIA was faced with a decline because the US government for alleged fraud in the international transactions involving the ‘Black Star Lines’ imprisoned Marcus. Other African nations like Liberia refused to accept the blacks from Europe and the US. The movement also suffered persecutions from imperialists and capitalist governments. However UNIA is not dead as it would be for the US government it’s legacy still lives on to this century. Scholars like Mann (2000) are still advocating for the reinforcement of the historical perspectives, which are deeply rooted in centuries of struggle by black liberation. Mann thinks that capitalism, colonialism and imperialism have devastated environment and human lives, so struggle by the oppressed and the colonized is the main tool for liberation which in turn is the key to building new, more just, ecologically-sound and humane society. Though Garvey was jailed and later on released and deported to Jamaica his movement for the blacks UNIA still had great influence in the US. There are some movements that owe their origin to UNIA for example The Black Muslims Association and Neo-Garveyist Movements. He inspired numerous African leaders to fight for colonial liberation. For instance the first Ghanaian president Kwame Nkrumah appreciated the self-reliance calls made by Garvey in his books. Kenya’s first president who was a revolutionary leader Jimo Kenyatta was also inspired by Garvey’s works, Kenyata’s renown labour activist Tom Mboya also borrowed ideas from Garvey. On any occasions of independence attained in Africa scholars like Malcolm X would link it to Garvey’s colonial liberation. Malcolm argues that any independence attained kept the spirit of Garvey alive. UNIA’s legacy still lives on as all sided and the largest black movement with totality of cultural, political, economic and spiritual liberation. It is also the movement that achieved greatest strength internationalism, with membership of more than 25 nations with local chapters in each member country. UNIA also had approximately 2,000 delegates from all over the world. NAACP and UNIA were both civil rights organizations aimed at working on behalf of the African Americans and the blacks to fight for their rights. NAACP retained the name ‘Color People’ in accordance with the tradition of the last surviving users that is the few colored people still found in the US. UNIA on the other hand had advocated for self-reliance and critical analysis and evaluation of the literature by white people. The movement was virtually fighting for black liberations in issues related to land ownership, reparations, full democratic rights and the right of self-surficiency. Therefore it can be said that both NAACP and UNIA played a very important and significant role in black liberation because both contributed to the racial prejudice and disintegration as well as colonialism that were oppressive to the blacks. NAACP is still very vital in advocating for changes in the contemporary society. For instance it opposed election of president W Bush associating him with racism and other oppressions towards African Americans. President Robert Mugabe is still keeping the spirit of Garvey burning by insisting on a self-reliant Zimbabwe and he has locked out all the international aids to his people. It’s therefore evident that NAACP and UNIA have largely contributed to major radical changes in US. References Erick Mann (2006) Katrina’s Legacy; White Racism And Black Reconstruction In New Orleans and Gulf Coast, Frontlines Press, Los Angels. Jonathan B, Clevance Taylor, (ed) (2000), Civil Rights Since 1787;A Reader On The Black Struggle, NYU, Press, New York.

Giorgio Vasari on Lorenzo Ghiberti

Giorgio Vasari on Lorenzo Ghiberti This text contains a mixture of bibliographical and historical information regarding Ghiberti’s life and the circumstances in which he received the commission for the doors for the Baptistery of San Giovanni, next to the Duomo in Florence. It contains factual information regarding the background and training of the artist; the participants and judges of the competition to win the contract; descriptive information about the location of the door, its manufacture and some of the practical difficulties experienced by Ghiberti whilst working on it. The text therefore gives information that is helpful to the historian in understanding some of the facts surrounding the production of art in fifteenth century Florence and the circumstances of production of one particular artistic creation. However, to regard this as a purely objective historical account would be a mistake. Rubin (1995, 2) comments that ‘the components of Vasari’s history had generic precedents and parallel s in biography, technical treatises, and didactic literature, both classical and contemporary’. Vasari was able to fuse the elements of these different genres in order to situate Ghiberti (and the other artists in The Lives) within a developing tradition of artistic enterprise and to create a history of art that included aesthetic judgement. Vasari’s teleological view of the development of art goes beyond mere biographical and historical description and this aspect of his work is particularly important because it gives the modern reader information about how artists of the later Renaissance period viewed artistic products from an earlier time and also how a theoretical stance towards the nature of art was being developed. Having grown up as the son of an artisan, Vasari had received part of his education in his home town of Arezzo and then spent a part of his adolescence with the Medici family, who were at that time the most prominent family in Florence. It was among their children that he furthered his education and was undoubtedly exposed to the humanist curriculum that would have been a part of their education at that time. Although Vasari would not have had a university education, he was nonetheless familiar with the basics of humanist thought. Vasari’s own life, therefore, exemplified the way in which art had become a vital part of aristocratic life and education and how it gave practitioners of the arts an entry into the highest parts of society. Whilst earlier generations of painters and sculptors had been regarded merely as craftsmen and had worked relatively anonymously, by Vasari’s time individual artists were able to capitalise on their reputations to gain high financial remun eration as well as fame. The text reveals that Ghiberti’s father had these two goals in mind when he urged Ghiberti to come back to Florence to enter the competition, which would be ‘an occasion to make himself known and demonstrate his genius’ and also that, if his son gained recognition as a sculptor, ‘neither †¦ would ever again need to labour at making ear-rings’. The ambitious artist was, therefore, able to advance his career and wealth through winning great commissions. Welch (1997, 125) observes that ‘by the mid-fourteenth century a number of Italian artists, particularly in Tuscany, seem to have been aware of the need to promote themselves and their memory, either by writing themselves or by encouraging others to write about them‘. It is within this tradition that Vasari wrote his The Lives. In classical times, writers such as Plutarch and Pliny had written biographical works about famous men’s lives and the Renaissance preoccupation with the revival of antiquity provided a stimulus for this genre of biography that is focussed on the rhetorical practice of praising worthy and famous men, including artists (Pliny’s Natural History provided the model for writing about artists of Graeco-Roman antiquity (Welch, 1997, 125)). Ghiberti himself had written Commentaries, a work that included a section on antiquity, another on his own autobiography, and a third on the theory of optical illusion. This is the work to which Vasari ref ers in the text. Vasari alludes to Ghiberti’s use of Pliny as a model and he thus demonstrates that they are all, in their different ways, participating in an ancient tradition of writing about art and that they are all seeking a form of immortality through writing as well as through making art. Yet Vasari is somewhat disparaging in his comments on Ghiberti as a writer and his criticism may derive from the context in which he was practicing his own art. The courtly values of ease, modesty and gracefulness as exemplified in Castiglione’s Book of the Courtier had come to dominate the world of the Renaissance courts in which Vasari worked and may have been the cause of his disdain for the Ghiberti’s ‘vulgar tone’ and his condemnation of Ghiberti’s brief treatment of the ancient painters in favour of a lengthy and detailed ‘discourse about himself’. Cole (1995, 176) argues that Vasari was influenced by Castiglione in that he ‘urged the artist to disguise his labour and study and stress his facilita (ease) and prestezza (quickness of execution)’. It may have been that Vasari perceived that Ghiberti had not lived up to this artistic ideal in his writing. Another earlier writer on art, Leon Battista Alberti, had ’al ways stressed the joining of diligenza (diligence) with prestezza’ (Cole, 1995, 176). The influence of such aesthetic values are revealed in many of the judgements that Vasari makes; in the text, his comments on the relative merits of the submissions for the competition include technical terms that are still used today, such as ‘composition’ and ‘design’, but he also uses terms such as ‘grace’ and ’diligence’ which have a rather more specific relationship to their Renaissance context. The text does not only reveal the courtly values that were a part of Vasari’s aesthetic. Florence had a long tradition of civic and republican values and Vasari’s account shows the ways in which the guilds and the Commune, together with ordinary citizens, all had a part to play in Ghiberti’s enterprise. Whilst the guild of Merchants had set up the competition, the location of the door in the Baptistery nonetheless has a civic and religious function that would have made it a very public work of art. Ghiberti’s practice of appealing to popular taste is revealed in Vasari’s’ description of him ‘ever inviting the citizens, and sometimes any passing stranger who had some knowledge of the art, to see his work, in order to hear what they thought, and those opinions enabled him to execute a model very well wrought and without one defect’. Peter Burke (2000, 76) comments on the value of Vasari as a source for the evidence of a popular res ponse to art in Florence and the ways in which ‘ordinary people, craftsmen and shopkeepers, were not only familiar with the names of the leading artists of their city, past and present, but they were not afraid to offer opinions often critical opinions about the value of particular works.’ Vasari’s work thus shows evidence of civic as well as courtly values and demonstrates the phenomenon of the artist who had particularly frequent opportunities for mobility, both geographically and socially, in the Renaissance period. Vasari’s book was divided into three parts that corresponded to three ‘ages’ of Renaissance art, roughly equivalent to the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. This corresponded to Vasari’s view of the art history of the Renaissance as a progression towards increasing perfection. In the text, this teleological view is revealed in Vasari’s description of Ghiberti’s relationship with his father. Vasari attributes the initial prompting to compete to Ghiberti’s father, who wrote to Ghiberti ‘urging him to return to Florence in order to give a proof of his powers’, Ghiberti is also described as having ‘from his earliest years learnt the art of the goldsmith from his father’, yet ‘he became much better therein than his father’. Vasari thus uses his description of Ghiberti’s career to make the point that each generation has a debt to the past and can gain skill and knowledge from the pas t, and yet each generation exceeds the previous one and participates in the forward progression of artistic development. The Renaissance was a period in which the use of the past was a particular feature and the revival of antiquity was not restricted to the increased knowledge of ancient texts. In describing Ghiberti’s career, Vasari also reveals the vogue for casting medals in the ancient style and for portraiture that was based on the coins and medals of the Roman era, when he comments that ‘he also delighted in counterfeiting the dies of ancient medals, and he portrayed many of his friends from the life in his time’. The more recent past was also an important source for the Renaissance artist, as described by Vasari. In the text, Vasari makes it clear that Ghiberti owes a debt to both Giotto and Pisano: ‘the arrangement of the scenes was similar to that which Andrea Pisano had formerly made in the first door, which Giotto designed for him.’ Again, though, Ghiberti is held to have exceeded their artistry and progressed beyond the ’old manner of Giotto’s time’ to ’the manner of the moderns’. Vasari thus reveals that there was, during the Renaissance period, a self-consciousness about artistic production and the theory of art. There was a definite perception of ’modernity’ with respect to what was then current and a tendency to reject the type of style that was though to be in the ‘old manner’. Much that is found in Vasari is still useful to our study of Renaissance art. He provides many useful factual details, such as the names and cities of the competitors for the Baptistery door commission, and the information that many foreigners were present and participating in the artistic life of Florence. He also provides evidence of the factors that affected aesthetic judgement during the period. He provides a great deal of evidence of contemporary practices and attitudes and his allusions to specific writers and works from antiquity provide us with evidence of how the study of the classical period influenced the thought and practices of Renaissance artists. His work enables us to see how the artists of the later Renaissance period were assimilating and judging the work of their immediate predecessors from the period of Cimabue and Giotto onwards. In this text, we also have an example of the way in which Vasari gives us evidence of how artists trained, when he states that Ghiberti worked on small reliefs ‘knowing very well that [they] are the drawing-exercises of sculptors’. His description of the competition also gives us evidence of the competitive spirit in which art was created, when he states that ‘with all zeal and diligence they exerted all their strength and knowledge in order to surpass one another’. Vasari also shows the ways in which different individuals felt empowered to judge art either through formal means by being appointed by the guild as judges or through the informal means of ordinary citizens giving their opinions directly to Ghiberti. In all of these ways, Vasari gives us not only information not only about artists and the circumstances of the production of art, but also, crucially, about its audience who they were and what they thought about it. Vasari’s emphasis on Florence (and Tuscany) as the major site of the genius of the Renaissance also still influences the modern study of art history, as does the ways in which he has framed artistic development as a progression from cruder and more naà ¯ve forms to the greater subtlety and ‘perfection’ of the later Renaissance. In some ways, it may be that this has been a negative influence: perhaps other parts of Italy and further afield in Europe have suffered a neglect and lack of interest as a result of this (arguably) over-emphasis on Florence. It may also be that the sense of progression has given a higher value to later works of art than those of earlier periods and that this has also caused too much emphasis on what is not known as the High Renaissance period and a neglect of other periods. Nonetheless, it cannot be in doubt that Vasari has made an important contribution to art history on his work The Lives and it is this contribution that has led him to be termed, by some, the first art historian. BIBLIOGRAPHY Primary Sources Castiglione, Baldasar, The Book of the Courtier, Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1976. Vasari, Giorgio, Lives of the Artists, Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1972. Secondary Sources Boase, T.S.R., Georgio Vasari: the Man and the Book, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1979. Burke, Peter, ‘Learned Culture and Popular Culture in renaissance Italy’, in Whitlock, Keith, ed., The Renaissance in Europe: A Reader, New Haven and London, Yale University Press, 2000. Cole, Alison, Virtue and Magnificence: Art of the Italian Renaissance Courts, New York: Harry N Abrams, 1995. Rubin, Patricia Lee, Giorgio Vasari: Art and History, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1995. Rud, Einar, Vasari’s Life and Lives: the First Art Historian, London: Thames and Hudson, 1963. Welch, Evelyn, Art in Renaissance Italy: 1350-1500, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997.

Financial Analysis of banking sector of India

Financial Analysis of banking sector of India Financial Analysis of banking sector of India: Special Reference to Private Sector Banks Financial statements are those statements which provide information about profitability and financial position of a business. It includes two statements, i.e., profit loss a/c or income statement and balance sheet or position statement. The income statement presents the summary of the income earned and the expenses incurred during a financial year. Position statement presents the financial position of the business at the end of the year. This paper is try to present all the components of balance sheet and profit and loss account in common size and analyze the individual item in Balance Sheet Profit Loss A/c as compare to total liabilities/Assets/Income/Expenditure. Objectives To compare the financial position with the help of Balance Sheet and Profit and Loss Account To compare the financial performance through a common-size financial statement. Introduction After preparation of the financial statements, one may be interested in knowing the position of an enterprise from different points of view. This can be done by analyzing the financial statement with the help of different tools of analysis such as Common size statement analysis, funds flow analysis, cash flow analysis, Common size/ comparative statement analysis, etc. Here I have done financial analysis by Common size financial statement analysis. Common size financial statement analysis, also called vertical analysis, is just one technique that financial managers use to analyze their financial statements. It is not another type of income statement. It is just a tool that is used to analyze the income statement and position statement. With the use of this method of common-size financial statements, the comparisons between the financial statements of different companies become easy. In this method, each of figures in the financial statements are reported in the form of percentage. Thi s percentage is the figure of one frequent base figure. This base figure determines the percentile of all the figures in the common-size financial statements. By using this method, it is easy to compare the financial statements of the same company from different periods or comparing the companies of different size. Due to this method, the bias between the company sizes is removed, and investor can effectively compare the financial statements. The selection of base figure depends on the financial statements head. In income statements, the revenue can be selected as the base figure and all the incomes and expenses can be measured against it. Moreover, in the balance sheet of the company, all the related items are divided by the total of their items. For example, if the investor wants to find out the percentage of the inventory in balance sheet, he or she will have to divide the figure of inventory with the total assets. Methodology For the purpose of this study individual item of balance sheet converted into common size i.e.in 100 for this purpose an individual item in balance sheet divided by total assets/total liabilities and converted into 100.This is also to profit and loss account i.e. individual item in profit and loss account divided by total income/total expenditure and converted into100.For this analysis three years Balance Sheet and Profit and loss account of top three private banks viz.ICICI bank,HDFC bank and Axis bank was analyzed. Balance Sheets as on 31st March 2011 Capital and Liabilities Axis(Rs.000) HDFC(Rs.000) ICICI(Rs.000) Capital 4,105,458 0.169 4,652,257 0.167 11521129 0.283 Reserves and Surplus 185,882,797 7.658 249140426 8.982 539,388,244 13.277 Deposits 1,892,378,010 77.967 2,085,864,054 75.206 2,256,021,077 55.535 Borrowings 262,678,824 10.822 143,940,610 5.189 1,095,542,771 26.968 Other Liabilities and Provisions 82,088,627 3.382 289,928,565 10.453 159,863,467 3.935 Total 2,427,133,716 100 2,773,525,912 100 4,062,336,688 100 Assets Cash and Balance with RBI 138,861,630 5.721 251,008,158 9.050 209,069,703 5.146 Balance with Banks and Money at call and Short Notice 75,224,929 3.099 45,680,191 1.647 131,831,128 3.245 Investments 719,916,208 29.661 709,293,656 25.573 1,346,859,630 33.154 Advances 1,424,078,286 58.673 1,599,826,654 57.682 2,163,659,014 53.26 Fixed Assets 22,731,456 0.936 21,706,480 0.782 47,442,551 1.167 Other Assets 46,321,207 1.908 146,010,773 5.264 163,474,662 4.024 Total 2,427,133,716 100 2,773,525,912 100 4,062,336,688 100 Axis(Rs.000) HDFC(Rs.000) ICICI(Rs.000) Income Interest Earned 151,548,058 76.589 199,282,122 82.13 259,740,528 79.62 Other Income 46,321,338 23.410 43,351,527 17.87 66,478,925 20.38 Total 197,869,396 100 242,633,649 100 326,219,453 100 Expenditure Interest Expended 85,918,230 52.394 93,850,839 46.15 169,571,515 61.728 Operating Expenses 47,794,281 29.145 71,529,141 35.171 66,172,492 24.088 Provision and Contingencies 30,271,979 18.460 37,989,660 18.680 38,961,684 14.183 Total 163,984,490 100 203,369,640 100 274,705,691 100 Profit Loss Account for the year ended 31st March 2011 Balance Sheets as on 31st March 2012 Capital and Liabilities Axis(Rs.000) HDFC(Rs.000) ICICI(Rs.000) Capital 4,132,039 0.144 4,693,377 0.138 11551537 0.243 Reserves and Surplus 223,953,384 7.840 294,553378 8.716 592,500,885 12.509 Deposits 2,201,043,033 77.059 2,467,064,459 73.00 2,554,999,561 53.94 Borrowings 340,716,721 11.928 238,465,086 7.057 1,401,649,073 29.592 Other Liabilities and Provisions 86,432,757 3.026 374,318,690 11.077 175,769,846 3.710 Total 2,856,277,934 100 3,379,094,990 100 4,736,470,902 100 Assets Cash and Balance with RBI 107,029,214 3.747 149,910,945 4.436 204,612,935 4.319 Balance with Banks and Money at call and Short Notice 32,309,943 1.131 59,466,318 1.759 157,680,199 3.329 Investments 931,920,859 32.627 974,829,094 28.848 1,595,600,430 33.687 Advances 1,697,595,386 59.433 1,954,200,292 57.83 2,537,276,579 53.568 Fixed Assets 22,593,250 0.791 23,471,940 0.694 46,146,870 0.974 Other Assets 64,829,282 2.269 217,216,401 6.428 195,153,889 4.120 Total 2,856,277,934 100 3,379,094,990 100 4,736,470,902 100 Profit Loss Account for the year ended 31st March 2012 Axis(Rs.000) HDFC(Rs.000) ICICI(Rs.000) Income Interest Earned 219,946,474 80.228 272,863,517 83.880 335,426,522 81.720 Other Income 54,202,163 19.771 52,436,949 16.12 75,027,598 18.279 Total 274,148,637 100 325,300,466 100 410,454,120 100 Expenditure Interest Expended 139,769,024 60.316 149,895,780 54.78 228,084,964 65.958 Operating Expenses 60,070,995 25.923 85,900,571 31.393 78,504,433 22.702 Provision and Contingencies 31,886,564 13.760 37,833,208 13.826 39,212,151 11.339 Total 231,726,583 100 273,629,559 100 345,801,548 100 Balance Sheets as on 31st March 2013 Capital and Liabilities Axis(Rs.000) HDFC(Rs.000) ICICI(Rs.000) Capital 4,679,545 0.137 4,758,838 0.117 11581197 0.216 Reserves and Surplus 326,399,054 9.584 363881809 8.925 655,478,392 12.211 Deposits 2,526,135,881 74.176 2,960,917,699 72.621 2,926,136,257 54.511 Borrowings 439,510,984 12.906 394,966,127 9.687 1,453,414,944 27.076 Other Liabilities and Provisions 108,881,120 3.197 352,705,377 8.651 321,336,021 5.986 Total 3,405,606,584 100 4,077,229,850 100 5,367,946,811 100 Assets Cash and Balance with RBI 147,920,883 4.343 146,308,790 3.588 190,527,309 3.549 Balance with Banks and Money at call and Short Notice 56,428,716 1.656 129,002,845 3.164 223,647,879 4.166 Investments 1,137,375,370 33.397 1,109,604,124 27.214 1,713,935,993 31.929 Advances 1,969,659,574 57.835 2,472,451,151 60.640 2,902,494,351 54.07 Fixed Assets 23,556,420 0.691 27,733,162 0.680 46,470,587 0.865 Other Assets 70,665,621 2.074 192,129,778 4.712 290,870,692 5.418 Total 3,405,606,584 100 4,077,229,850 100 5,367,946,811 100 Profit Loss Account for the year ended 31st March 2013 Axis(Rs.000) HDFC(Rs.000) ICICI(Rs.000) Income Interest Earned 271,825,744 80.579 358,610,213 83.409 400,755,969 82.764 Other Income 65,511,063 19.420 71,329,645 16.590 83,457,012 17.235 Total 337,336,807 100 429,939,858 100 484,212,981 100 Expenditure Interest Expended 175,163,111 61.343 196,954,474 54.567 262,091,848 65.366 Operating Expenses 69,142,375 24.214 115,518,963 32.005 90,128,837 22.478 Provision and Contingencies 41,236,992 14.441 48,463,621 13.427 48,737,569 12.155 Total 285,542,478 100 360,937,058 100 400,958,254 100 Capital to Total Liabilities Year Name of Bank Axis HDFC ICICI 2010-11 0.16 0.16 0.28 2011-12 0.14 0.13 0.24 2012-13 0.13 0.11 0.21 Interpretation Capital Common size statement of ICICI Bank was more than Axis Bank HDFC Bank in these three years. It is also seen that in all these three years Capital Common size statement of these banks were decreased consistently. Reserve and surplus to Total Liabilities Year Name of Bank Axis HDFC ICICI 2010-11 7.68 8.98 13.27 2011-12 7.84 8.71 12.50 2012-13 9.58 8.92 12.21 Interpretation Common size statement of Accumulated Reserve and Surplus of ICICI Bank was more than Axis Bank HDFC Bank, but this Common size statement consistently decreases. This Common size statement of Axis bank consistently increases. Deposits to Total Liabilities Year Name of Bank Axis HDFC ICICI 2010-11 77.96 75.20 55.53 2011-12 77.05 73.00 53.94 2012-13 74.17 72.62 54.51 Interpretation Deposit Common size statement Axis bank was more than HDFC ICICI bank; however this Common size statement of Axis bank and HDFC bank consistently decreases. Borrowings to Total Liabilities Year Name of Bank Axis HDFC ICICI 2010-11 10.82 5.18 26.96 2011-12 11.92 7.05 29.59 2012-13 12.90 9.68 27.07 Interpretation As regards to borrowings, ICICI bank has more borrowings than Axis bank and HDFC bank, it is also depicts that borrowings of Axis bank and HDFC bank consistently increases. Other liabilities Provisions to Total Liabilities Year Name of Bank Axis HDFC ICICI 2010-11 3.38 10.45 3.93 2011-12 3.02 11.07 3.71 2012-13 3.19 8.65 5.98 Interpretation Other liabilities and provisions of HDFC bank was more than Axis bank and ICICI bank and it is upto10% on an average, however the axis bank ICICI bank maintains this Common size statement upto 3% on an average. Cash Balances with RBI to Total Assets Year Name of Bank Axis HDFC ICICI 2010-11 5.72 9.05 5.14 2011-12 3.74 4.43 4.31 2012-13 4.34 3.58 3.54 Interpretation Cash balance of HDFC bank in year 2010-11 was in highest Common size statement. Cash balance of HDFC bank and ICICI bank continuously decreases. Balance with Banks and Money at call and Short Notice to Total Assets Year Name of Bank Axis HDFC ICICI 2010-11 3.09 1.64 3.24 2011-12 1.13 1.79 3.32 2012-13 1.65 <

Free Narrative Essays - Surfing the Crowd :: Personal Narrative Essay Example

Surfing the Crowd In my mind it was my biggest act of courage. It was far from a heroic deed, but I overcame all my anxieties for an adrenaline rush that can still be felt through my memories. Closing my eyes and thinking back to that hot, summer night I can still hear the sweet riffs of punk rock in its purest form. The drummer was on fire. The bassist was pure power. And the front-man had turned everyone in the crowd, including myself, into pure energy. My music had wrapped itself around and around inside of me. It took away my inhibitions and filled me with a new confidence. I had the power to do anything, if only for that one set. I wanted to be on top of the world! From the moment that thought had entered my head, I knew that I could make that aspiration come true. The answer was to crowd surf. It was something I had never done before; getting up over everyone's heads and letting them push you towards the stage. Though at that moment I felt almost immortal, pangs of nervousness balled up in my stomach. Would I make it all the way to the front? What if I fell? But the biggest question I asked myself was should I do something that I have never done before? Once I let my thoughts return to the music, I knew what lie ahead of me. I tapped the nearest "big guy" on the shoulder and pointed towards the ceiling; the universal signal on the concert floor. He nodded, grabbed my foot, and pushed me on top of the crowd. Once I was up there was no turning back. Soon strong hands were surfing me towards the stage. I had the best view in the house and reveled in the moment. I was fueled by an adrenaline rush that was only heightened by the fusion of the music and the energy of the crowd.

The Old Man And The Sea :: essays research papers

This book takes place in the past and is about an old man that loves fishing in the Gulf Stream. The old man was a thin with deep wrinkles in the back of his neck and had scars on his hands from handling the fishing rope. He taught this young boy how to fish and the boy loved him. He even brought him fishing many times. But the past 84 days the old man had not caught one fish. After 40 days of not catching anything the boy left and fished on another boat. The boy still loved him and brought him food and fresh bait to fish. The old man and the boy always talked about baseball because they both enjoyed it. One day, the old man was out on the water fishing. The weather was beautiful, the currents were perfect, and he saw all birds flying over the water. He knew he had to catch a nice fish today. He saw one of his poles have a jerk so he pulled it in and it was a bonita fish, which he was goin to use for a nice piece of bait later in the day. The day progressed and he saw a real big jerk on the pole. He jumped up and held it, but the fish was not hooked yet. A couple more jerks he felt, but the fish was not taking it. Finally the fish did and he could feel that it had to be a fish of enormous size. He could not pull it up because it was so strong. He had to hold onto it until the fish was tired and decided to come up. Then when it would come up, he would take his harpoon and stab it in the heart so it would die. This fish was taking all the strength out of him and it was pulling his skiff farther and farther out. Now he wished that the boy was here with him to help him pull it up. It was 3 days later until he finally got the fish to jump out of the water. When it did he saw that it was the biggest marlin he ever saw. To regain strength and pull the fish in, he had to eat the bonita that he caught. He ate all of it and it helped his hand that was cut from the

The Life of Ansel Adams :: Photography Photographers Essays

The Life of Ansel Adams President Jimmy Carter, in presenting Ansel Adams with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, best describes the life and work of Ansel Adams. "At one with the power of the American landscape, and renowned for the patient skill and timeless beauty of his work, photographer Ansel Adams has been visionary in his efforts to preserve this country's wild and scenic areas, both on film and on earth. Drawn to the beauty of nature's monuments, he is regarded by environmentalists as a monument himself, and by photographers as a national institution. It is through his foresight and fortitude that so much of America has been saved for future Americans." Ansel Adams has long been hailed as a master of photography. Environmentalist and photographer, he was born February 20th, 1902 in San Francisco California to Charles Hitchcock Adams. He was the grandson of a wealthy timer baron and he grew up in the sand dunes of the Golden Gate Bridge. His family's fortune diminished during the financial panic of 1907 and his father Charles spent the rest of his life trying to rebuild it. In 1906 at the age of 4, Ansel was thrown to the ground during an aftershock of the great San Francisco earthquake and broke his nose, scarring him for life in the process. This physical characteristic along with a natural shyness also led to the young Ansel having problems in fitting in at school. After trying several schools with little success, his parents took him out of main stream schooling in 1915 and Ansel received home tutoring from an aunt and his father. As a result of not attending school, the young Adams had a lot more time to himself and he used much of this time on long walks around the Golden Gate area. It was here that his life-long love of nature grew and it was perhaps this that put him on his path to becoming a landscape photographer. In 1916 there was another event that was to be pivotal in shaping Adams future. On a family vacation to Yosemite National Park, California his parents gave him a Kodak Box Brownie camera. He was to return to Yosemite again every ye ar for the rest of his life. This summer I had the opportunity to live where many of these Yosemite and other pictures were taken. One of his most famous photographs was of the many curves of the Snake River, with the picturesque Grand Teton Mountains in the background.

Information Technology Essay

1. What are some of the arguments for and against the use of digital media? For Others think it make us â€Å" smarter â€Å" because it offers so many opportunities’ to discovers. Resources like Wikipedia and Google have helped to organized knowledge and make it accessible to the world; this would not been possible without the internet. Against Some people say that internet and other digital technologies are changing the way we think not for the better. They also say that it make us become â€Å" dumber â€Å" Internet is an unprecedented source of acquiring and sharing all type of information. 2. How might the brain affected by constant digital media usage? According to Michael Merzenich (Neuroscientist) our brains are being â€Å" massively remodeled â€Å" by our constant and ever growing usage of the web. But not only the web that contributes with this trend, our ability to focus on something is also undermined by constant distractions being provided by the use of smart phones, video games, television and other digital technology. Other study shows presented by two identical TV shows, the one with a news crawl and the other without. The viewer retained much more information with the latter part, the impact of these technologies on children are even greater than the adults, because their brains are still developing compare to adults and they are still on the stage of struggling how to set their priorities. 3. Do you think these arguments outweigh the positives of digital media usage? Why or why not? I don’t think that it outweighs on the positive side of the arguments on digital media. Base on the article the people who are against the digital media justified and explain why they are against the use of it. They clearly stated some of the reason and the effect of too much use of it. 4. What additional concerns are there for children using digital media? Should children under 8 use computer and cell phones? Why or why not? No, I don’t think children under 8 years old allow to use cell phones and computers because at this stage they are focus more on playing and social inter action with other kids rather than spending their time on gadgets.

Ocean carrier Essay

The purpose of this report is to evaluate whether Ocean Carriers Inc. should immediately commission a new capesize carrier that would cost $39 million, and would be completed two years hence, in order to finalize a lease of the ship for a three-year period with a potential charterer in very good faith. The contrasting tax regulations between the two countries where the company locates its office, and the different cost-benefit circumstances under different length of time in service are considered in the analysis. Taking all available information into consideration, we highly recommend that the company should purchase the new capesize carrier, have it registered under the Hong Kong office, and put it on a scheme for a 25-year service. Industry Prospects Capesize carriers are mainly used to carry iron ore and coal worldwide. The daily hire rates are therefore determined by the total exports of iron ore and coal, the distance between the exporting countries and the destinations, and the fleet size of capesizes in service. According to the market trends, in the next few years, Australian production in iron ore is expected to be strong and Indian iron ore exports are expected to take off. However, imports of iron ore and coal are expected to be stagnant in next two years. Therefore, total exports of iron ore and coal will be flat in the coming two years, and will rise remarkably in the following few years. Besides, as East Asia countries absorb the largest portion of the iron ore imports, the joining of India to the iron ore exporting won’t significantly increase travel distance because Australia is almost the same distance away by water. Moreover, in 2001 and 2002, 63 and 33 new capesize vessels would be delivered adding up to about 17% of total capesizes currently in service. Consequently, in the first two years, the supply of capesizes would be greater than the demand, the daily hire rates are expected to decrease. But in the mid-to-long run, the daily hire rates are expected to increase continuously. Revenues and Costs – Intuitions Before going into the numbers, we want to discuss some intuitions of this project that support the decision of purchasing the capesize. First, the increasing mid-to-long run daily hire rates will provide basis for promising future cash flows. Secondly, although the daily hire rate for the first two years are expected to be low, the charterer had already offered a rate higher than expected to compensate the company. Thirdly, a great portion of the expenditures come from the preparation for special surveys which should be renewed every five years if the ship needs to stay in the business. The high escalation of costs between the second and third surveys, and the fourth and fifth surveys, indicates that maximum net present value of the project would be achieved when the carrier serves for either 15 years or 25 years. Free Cash Flows In this part, we will discuss the detailed numbers. Some assumptions are made based on the economic outlook and company characteristics when calculating free cash flows. We assume that inflation rate is 3% per annual, and that operation cost would increase 1% above inflation rate per annual. We assume that discount rate is 9%, and will discuss the impact of a rate change later. Provided that the scrape value is estimated to be $5 million at the end of the fifteenth year, we estimate that the value would decrease to $4 million due to more wear in the steel. Please refer to Exhibits 1 to 4 for the calculations of estimated free cash flows and NPVs. We can see that if the company chooses to purchase the capesize, have it registered in Hong Kong instead of USA, and runs it for 25 years, the NPV will be the highest compared to other alternatives. Besides, the Hong Kong option (have the vessel registered in Hong Kong) dominates the USA option (have the vessel registered in USA) because no tax is required in Hong Kong in these operations. Also, the 25-year option dominates the 15-year option because, even if the scrap value is reduced to zero after 25 years, the NPVs for options that keep the capesize for 25 years are still higher than for 15 years. Sensitivity Analysis In the above calculations for the NPVs, we assume discount rate to be 9%. If the discount rate is higher, the NPVs for the projects will be reduced because the benefits from recording depreciation and tax deferring will increase. For example, we found that the USA-25-year option will produce a positive NPV if the discount rate is lowered to 6.67%. However, even if the discount rate is as low as 0.1%, the HK option still dominates the US option, and the 25-year option still dominates the 15-year option. Conclusion To sum up, if Ocean Carriers Inc. purchase a $39 million capesize carrier immediately, register it in Hong Kong, sign the three-year contract with the charterer, and keep the vessel in business for 25 years, based on estimations, it would acquire the largest possible NPV of $3.89 million on the project.

Kim’s TimeLine Essay

There was a time when textbooks, a chalkboard, a set of encyclopedias, and a map of the world were considered teaching aids; boy how times have changed.   Today all we have to do is flip on a computer, and the world comes to us in a matter of seconds.   In today’s modern world teachers have access to an almost infinite amount of information.   There are so many websites out there that cater strictly to educators, and their students. For example, one website that seems to be getting a lot of attention from teachers and their students, is one that a teacher created herself; her name is Kim.   I will explore her website, along with other teaching aid websites, and see how they rate against hers.   First of all let’s start with a basic outline of my research paper, and in what manner we are going to address the following questions: Explain the method of Kim’s TimeLine? Give a critique of Kim’s ideas, and how they relate to the TimeLine? List the advantages of Kim’s Time Line, from a student’s point of view? List the disadvantages of Kim’s TimeLine, from a student’s point of view. Introduce other teaching aid websites, along with journal articles, and how they measure up to Kim’s TimeLine? Give an objective conclusion of the researched material?   The purpose of this research paper is to focus on these six questions. Explain the method of Kim’s TimeLine?   Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When you click onto Kim’s TimeLine, a picture of a chalkboard, and an idiom: Kim’s Korner for Teacher Talk, along with a yellow sun, pops onto your computer screen.   Then in large black letters the following slogan grabs your attention: IDEAS FOR TEACHING THE WRITING PROCESS.   Kim then introduces five steps of her writing process: Prewriting, Writing, Revising, Editing, Proofreading, and Publishing.   The webpage also includes General Ideas For Teaching the Writing Process, such as: Writing Process Timeline, The Writing Process, Implementing the Writing Process, Sample Listing of Specific Writing Strategies (for each step), Ten Ways to Emphasize the Writing Process.   (Writing Process 2006) Give a Critique of Kim’s Ideas and How They Relate to the TimeLine?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To be honest with you, I really enjoyed browsing over Kim’s TimeLine website, and     found it to be non-threatening.   The information was laid out in an extremely simplistic manner, and I could actually picture students, along with their instructors, using and benefiting from the information that this teaching aid provides. List the Advantages of Kim’s TimeLine, From a Students Point of View?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As I already mentioned, the TimeLine is incredibly easy to operate.   If you view the TimeLine through a student’s eyes, you will appreciate how the website makes you feel totally comfortable, and non-intimidated, in regards to the information that the TimeLine is trying to convey to you as a student. Before I began this research paper, I have to admit that I was filled with a certain amount of anxiety, and stress; I wondered if I’d do a satisfactory job.   But then to my delight, I noticed that Kim’s TimeLine had a section that dealt with apprehension, and worry.   Her coping strategies with writing anxiety goes as follows: Focus your energy by rehearsing the task in your head. Consciously stop the non-productive comments running through your head by replacing them with productive ones. If you have some â€Å"rituals† for writing success, use them. (Kim’s TimeLine 2006)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   So stepping into a student’s shoes, I put her coping tactics to the test; and guess what?   They actually worked.   I honestly thought that the TimeLine, like the majority of website based teachers’ aids was going to be extremely hard to understand.   Either that, or it was going to be some archaic method of teaching.   Without sounding like some cheesy infomercial, I’m glad that I was wrong, and would strongly recommend the TimeLine to both students, and their teachers. List the Disadvantages of Kim’s TimeLine, From a Students Point of View?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Once again I put my feet into a student’s shoes, and tried especially hard to find the tiniest amount of a blemish with Kim’s web-sight, but was unsuccessful in my efforts.   The only flaw I could find, didn’t involve the content of her TimeLine, but instead, how long her website address is: address: http://www.kimskorner4teachertalk.com/writing/general/timeline.html Introduce Other Teaching Aid Websites, Along With Journal Articles, And How They Measure Up To Kim’s TimeLine?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As this assignment mentions in its instructions, the internet provides you with so much information that you must develop a discriminating taste when it comes to the value of a website.   I totally concur with this assertion, and acknowledge that there is an endless amount of   facts and figures over the internet.   But how does this relate to Kim’s TimeLine?   Well in accordance to the assignment’s instructions I have chosen five teachers’ aids websites, and will evaluate them.   I will also distinguish how these websites measure up to Kim’s TimeLine.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The first website is called â€Å"Free TeachingAids.com.†Ã‚   I found this website to be formless and vague, kind of like a big budget movie with a plot that goes nowhere.   (freeteachingaids.com 2006)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The second website was simply titled, â€Å"Teachers’ Aids†.   This website was similar to Kim’s TimeLine.   It was non-intimidating, and from a student’s perspective, they will appreciate the fact that it is straightforward, and to the point.   But nevertheless, as far as a writing tool goes, I would still have to put Kim’s TimeLine above this one.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The third website I chose was Java Applets for Teaching of AstroPhysics.   Demonstrating the contrast between Kim’s TimeLine, and this website, would be like comparing apples and oranges; they’re entirely diverse.   Astrophysics is not my cup of tea, however, if it was, I would urge those who plan a career in this field to definitely click onto this website.   It has an easy to follow table of contents, along with an uncomplicated simple to follow outline.   Key words are highlighted, and accompanied with a unproblematic definition.   (JK’s Applets for Teaching Astrophysics 2006)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The fourth website is called â€Å"Classic Teaching Resources†, and deals with mnemonics, and other little tricks of the trade to help you as a student, memorize course material.   It focuses on: grammar, music, dates and other numbers, and association and other subjects.   The site was started by David Parsons, he articulates: â€Å"As a former teacher of Latin, Greek and Classical Civilization for nearly 25 years I have accumulated much teaching material to share, and also know what I would have liked readily available.   This site is a small contribution to the teaching of classical subjects.†Ã‚   (Classic Latin Greek Teaching Aids 2006)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The fifth, and last website I will compare to Kim’s TimeLine is termed Parliament : Teachers’ centre.   Like the first website, â€Å"Free TeachingAids.com†, I found it to be unclear, and for lack of a better term, some what indistinct.   It offers an index of topics, so that you can select a subject that is to your liking; but that’s about it.   It was designed to educate would be British citizens in attaining their British citizenship credentials.   (Teaching Citizenship Resource Centre and British Citizenship Teaching Aids 2006)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Teaching aids aren’t only getting noticed on the internet, they’re also getting acknowledgment in the mass media, such as magazine articles.   In an influential article, written by Greifner, she reports: â€Å"To help teachers discuss the most current events.   Weekly Reader is also launching electronic Classroom News Breaks this fall.   The e-mailed lesson plans will offer age-appropriate information, reproducible pages, and the web links about significant world news within 24 hours of the event’s occurrence.†Ã‚   (Education week 2006)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another article gives teachers’ an internet â€Å"Book Study† guide: Gary Paulsen: webenglishteacher.com/paulsen.html This rich resource has lesson plans and activities for all ages.   Plans include an integrated unit and a PowerPoint guide for creating a survival kit. Teacher Cyber guide – Hatchet sdco-k12.ca.us/score/hatch/hatchettg.htm This lesson plan contains language arts content standards, student activities and web resources for a study of the book. Hatchet, mce.k12tn.net/survival/hatchet/hatchet.htm A well-organized resource divided by book chapter.   Each chapter category has online (and printable) questions for your book study, activities that tie into the chapter themes, writing lessons and vocabulary activities.   (Teaching Prek-8 2006)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The web isn’t the only electronic medium that today’s teachers are using in the classroom.   Video games have made it into our scholarly institutions, as this article declares: Video games teach deductive reasoning, memory, strategies, and often, content area knowledge.   Teachers like Bill Mackenty, a computer specialist at the Edgartown School on Martha’s Vineyard, give praise to Playstation.   It states that with teacher involvement and guidance, video games can be a powerful classroom learning tool.   (Instructor 2006) Objective Conclusion of the Researched Material   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In this thesis I have presented you with both facts, and opinions.   In order for me to remain free of any bias, I must end this research paper by equally supporting, and expressing the disadvantages of Kim’s Timeline, and teaching aids like it.   To sum things up I concur that Kim’s TimeLine, and websites like hers are needed in today’s schools; however, like the instructions of this assignment states, â€Å"There is so much information over the internet, that you must develop a discriminating taste, when it comes to the value of a website.† References Greifner.   L.   (2006.   September 27)   .   Weekly Reader Gets New Look.   Education Week  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  26 Mitchell.   K.   (2006.   September )   .   Getting to the Heart of a Story.   Teaching PreK-8   66-66. Instructor.   (2006).   Playing To Learn.   Instructor   116.   22-22 Classic Teaching Resources.   (October 25, 2006).   Classic Latin Greek Teaching Aids.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Retrieved October 25, 2006 from the World Wide Web: http://www.parsonsd.co.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   uk/teaching-aids.php Free TeachingAids.com.   (October 25, 2006).   Educators Progress Service, Inc.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Retrieved October 25, 2006 from the World Wide Web:http://www.freeteaching   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   aids. Com Java Applets for Teaching of AstroPhysics.   (October 25, 2006).   JK’s Applets for   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Teaching Astrophysics.   Retrieved October 25, 2006 from the World Wide Web:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://astro.u-strasbg.fr~koppen/apindex.html Kim’s Korner for Teacher Talk.   (October 25, 2006).   Writing Process.   Retrieved   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   October 25, 2006 from the World Wide Web: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   /handouts/gl_anxiety.html Parliament : Teachers’ centre.   (October 25, 2006).   Teaching Citizenship Resource   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Centre and British Citizenship Teaching Aids.   Retrieved October 25, 2006 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   the World Wide Web: http://www.explore.parliament.uk/parliament.aspx?id=17 Teacher’s Aids.   (October 25, 2006).   MFL 195: Teachers’ Aids.   Retrieved October 25,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2006 from the World Wide Web: http://facweb.furman.edu/~pecoy/mf195/aides.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   html