Change Readiness, Resistance, and Success Term Paper

Change Readiness, Resistance, and Success - Term Paper Example Some organizations implement the theory of community of practice to drive all the employees towards a common organizational goal, where each individual acts as vital equipment in the organizational machinery (Bach and Kessler, 2012). The creation of a community allows the company to develop a team or group with a common interest that works in favor of the organizational goals (Price, 2011). This paper is focused on the use of community of practice in the four frame model. The community of practice is a group of people who are engaged in the pursuit of a common goal or objective. This group of people usually shares a common issue or concern and they work together to meet both the individual and group’s objectives. Creating a community of practice helps a firm to develop new knowledge base and generate new ideas. The key feature of the community of practice is the high level of communication among the members. The constant interaction allows them to share individual knowledge and narrow down on a particular set of activities that needs to be performed in order to meet the desired goals (Wenger, McDermott and Snyder, 2002). Community of practice helps the firm to strengthen its human resource base by improving their overall efficiency level. This is achieved by connecting the people together, thereby facilitating a seamless communication within the group and also with the higher management. The vertical communication enables the employees to receive proper guidance and direction from the managers, whereas the horizontal communication helps them to learn about each other’s strength and weakness. Depending on this, the manager can make proper allocation of different roles and responsibilities (Delanty, 2003). The formation of community also helps the employees to work as a team where all the individuals are doing their part to achieve the desired organizational goals. It also provides a shared context of organizational knowledge and information, as the

Philosophy of Education Essay Example for Free

Philosophy of Education Essay Introduction No doubts that the demand for English language proficiency is high as Malaysians enter the international arena. Ergo, the purpose of this paper is to discuss on one of the hottest issues that perturbs the nation – low English language proficiency among Malaysian students. In order to understand more about the issue, we sought to dig the root causes of the issue and in doing so we discovered that the teaching methods applied by teachers because of the factors are contributing to the issue as well. In other words, the factors are interrelated to the reasons why such ill teaching methods are being applied and all these are resulting in low production of good English speakers in Malaysia. First of all, low English language proficiency is the unsatisfactory ability of an individual to speak or perform in English. The overriding concern with this issue is not unreasonable as we need the language to thrive in this 21st century. On the other hand, teaching methodology refers to a set of different principles and methods that are used to instruct students in a teaching and learning environment. In the educational settings, it is rather important to induce the peak performance from the students. This simply means that, we have to conquer the deterrent (i. e. the factors of the issue), whether we modify them or we eliminate them. Like any other issues, there is no such theory as â€Å"one-size-fits-all† solution to handle it. Therefore, we, as the future English teachers want to bring forth several possible recommendations as ways to overcome this issue in hopes that these approaches can truly be implemented and make a difference in the history of English Education in  Malaysia. Issue The pressing issue with low English language proficiency among Malaysian students has been revolving in the ministry of Education. Most students had no problem coping English Language during preschool whereby they were only exposed to the alphabet and very simple words. The real problem began to exist in the elementary level when most of the students were unable to follow the lessons. Students who cannot master English basic skills in this elementary level will breed more problems during the secondary and tertiary level in schools. In primary education, students are not being placed in a very conducive English language learning environment in which they will be given bountiful opportunities to use the language (Ali, 2003). Students fail to use English on a daily basis and when they are forced to use English to communicate, they speak pejorative English which causes the flow of communication to be stymied. This is probably the main reason why students converse in their own mother tongue more often than they do in English. In the modern age of technology, students with low English language proficiency will not make the most out of the internet because most of the websites are in English. If they cannot understand English used in the websites, they will have a hard time attempting to utilize the device. Not only that, the demand of high English language proficiency is around the globe. We can survive here in Malaysia with national language (i. e. Bahasa Malaysia) and our proud dialects yet we need English Language if we want the whole world to know us. Without a good grasp of the English language, students will be deprived of many opportunities in life since English is the international language. Hence, if we want to make a difference in this situation, we will have to start with the primary education. We believe that this issue shall no longer haunt the Malaysians once the root problems have been improvised or rather, solved. Factors The issue with the low English language proficiency among Malaysian students has arisen because the educators are not aware of the manipulative factors behind this tragic scenario. In this section, we will explore these contributory factors. First of all, the number of students is crucial in determining the quality of teaching and learning process. In Malaysia, most of the schools place 30-40 students in one class. In spite of the level of English standard of each student is different, teacher attempts to teach students in the same way. Due to this large number of students in one class, the teacher often has no choice but to apply the boring method – lecture method. To a certain extent, lecture method is appropriate but if that is the only method the teacher is going to apply in class, it will result in dullness and inefficiency. In addition, the large number of students inhibits the teacher to give attention to every single student thus passive learning ensues. Another factor of impeding the students’ ability in English language is that students themselves fall short of initiative and participation in the classroom (Juhana, 2012). Students show no interest in a so-called foreign language and hence very reluctant to get involved with the teaching and learning session. They are inactive to put their own effort in seeking knowledge. For instance, when a student does not understand a certain word in an essay, he or she expects the teacher to provide the meaning. So, instead of waiting for the students to take the initiative to check on the dictionary (which takes time), teacher simply resorts to spoon-feeding method (i. e. providing every material for the students). In the end, only the teacher is learning and the students will merely passively wait on the teacher for answers. In an English class, the reason students failed to use English effectively also attributes to the Eastern philosophy whereby a teacher has the tendency to criticize students’ mistakes very harshly. It demotivates students, making them fearful of speaking the next time and in the worst scenario, students hate the subject and pass up the opportunity of learning. Teachers are impatient with the students’ slips of tongue and they consider such mistakes as a sign of failure. When the students do speak correctly, the teachers think it is how it should be done and they rarely give any words of encouragement or compliments (Hassan Jamaludin, n. d. ). This tendency indirectly renders the teacher to apply autocratic teaching style which is not helpful for English language learning. This method emphasizes on the teacher’s authoritative identity hence it is very hard for such strict-and-powerful autocratic image to smile and give compliments. Furthermore, due to the exam-oriented platform, many teachers rush through the year in order to push the students to sit for the examination (Ali, 2003). In the English classroom, many teachers have no time to concern with the understanding of students regarding to the rules of grammar, the structures of the sentences and whatnot. For example, they give students essays and require them to copy and memorize. The way to prepare the students for examination the teachers deem best is by drilling. However, such rote learning will only result in stress instead of meaningful learning experience. Eventually, the students are drilled to become competent only on papers but failed completely in daily usage of English. All these factors are equally pernicious in taking a toll on the second language performance among Malaysian students. As educators, we have to generate the strategies to overcome these factors and make the impossible possible. Solutions Previously, we have discovered many factors that indirectly cause the teacher to implement inappropriate teaching methods and so result in low English language proficiency. These factors sum up in one word: teacher-centered. This explains why the teachers are hardly implementing various innovative teaching methods. Teacher-centered method applied in today’s classroom is not effective anymore. Instead of using teacher-centered method, student-centered method which derived from the Modern and Western philosophies should be implemented. Progressivists believe that education should focus on the whole child, rather than on the context or the teacher. Hence, since the number of students is large, the schools should bring in more facilitators in a class to assist the students. This will help the facilitator pays close attention to the students. With the assistance of facilitators in a classroom, there is no reason why active learning cannot take place. For example, one leading teacher can carry out the group discussion and enable the children to experience hands-on learning. A French philosopher, Jean Paul Sartre, suggested that for youth, the existential moment arises when young people realize for the first time that choice is theirs, that they are responsible for themselves. The nature of reality for Existentialists is subjective, and it lies within the individual. They have the freedom to take charge of their own learning as  they are given the opportunity to manage their own learning process. We as teachers are responsible to facilitate the students in their learning process rather than teaching them what to do. This indirectly helps to provide opportunity for the students to take control of their own learning process. As they are interested in what they have chosen to read or learn, they will be the ones who solve the problem (e. g. meaning of a word) instead of being spoon-fed by the teachers. In this way they will be able to make progress in their lessons and participate more. Western philosophers stress on active participation on their learners but to criticize and demotivate the students is not proper in the western philosophy. Western education philosophy believes that providing compliments to the students is an important task for a teacher as it will motivate the students to strive hard. For example, compliments given to the students when they score well in their examination or did a good job in the task or assignments given by the teacher. However, teachers should not only provide compliment when they excel but also to give encouragement when they are not doing so well in the examination. For instance, during an English class, teacher distributes the test papers after the examination, it is not encouraged for the teacher to read out loud the score as it will demotivate and also embarrass the student. It is better that the teacher gives a word of encouragement so to push them to work harder next time. Furthermore, the education ministers should really abolish the exam-oriented system. Instead, the 50% coursework assessment should enter the system. Coursework can include all kinds of fun activities that require students to apply the language learned. This is to overcome the agonizing drilling method. With that, Western philosophy that emphasizes on understanding the subject matter can be very handy in this scenario. For example, the students should learn by understanding the reasons why each part of speech in grammar has different functions. In a nutshell, according to the Western philosophy, students learn by meaningful learning, they do not memorize what they have learnt but rather understand what they are learning. These philosophical resolutions are only useful provided the government, educators, teachers, parents and students and community at large give their best cooperation into making them a success. If we are serious about improvising the English language proficiency among Malaysian students, nothing can stop us, not even the factors of the failure in the first place. Conclusion In conclusion, teaching methodology contributes towards the effectiveness and success of the teaching and learning process. As what we have explored there are several factors that hinder the English Language proficiency among Malaysian students. Among those contributory factors discussed are the number of students, students’ shortfall of motivation, harsh criticism for students’ mistakes and the exam-oriented education system. All these factors are very much harmful in the process of second language acquisition (i. e. English Language). As such, we have provided remarkably appropriate strategies as the solutions to overcome this issue. They are the implementation of student-centered teaching which focuses on the students’ their ideas and opinions, providing more teachers as facilitators in class, hands on learning (Progressivism), place importance on individual choice (Existentialism), giving compliments instead of criticism (Western Philosophy), and learn through understanding rather than mere memorization (Western Philosophy). Hence, by utilizing all the four education philosophies in moderation which are Modern philosophies such as Progressivism and Existentialism, also the two Western approaches that focus on students rather than the teachers. We strongly agree with usage of the Modern Philosophies and the Western Philosophies according to the needs and suitability of class as what we have discussed. We believe that we can produce an ideal education transformation to develop individual holistically and thus enhance the English Language proficiency by applying and practicing appropriate teaching methods to encounter the troublesome factors. References Ali, M. S. (2003). English Language Teaching in Primary Schools: Policy and Implementation Concerns. IPBA E-Journal, 2-3. Hassan, A. Jamaludin, N. S. (n. d. ) Approaches Values in Two Gigantic Educational Philosophies: East and West. Retrieved on March, 22, 2013 from http://www. oerj. org/View? action=viewPaperpaper=7 Juhana, J. (2012). Psychological Factors That Hinder Students from Speaking in English Class (A Case Study in a Senior High School in South Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia). Journal of Education and Practice, Vol 3, No 12. , 103.

Management Control Systems Essays -- Business Controlling Function

There are many different types of control that can be established in an organization depending on its goals and objectives. There are many different approaches to the management controlling function. Some of these control systems are bureaucratic control, market control and clan control. All of these control systems focuses on a different part of the business depend ending the necessities of the organization in that moment. All of the control systems have their advantages and disadvantages.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The controlling function is defined as any process that directs the activities of individuals toward the achievement of organizational goals*. The controlling function is the one that set the game rules. This function set the organizational standards rules and norms. The controlling function works hand to hand with the planning function because the controls are the ones that ensure that the plans are fulfilled. The established controls must go in coherence with the plans because the success of each will depend on the other. The control function not only control the personnel it also control things as , budget, organizational resources, machinery, materials or components, physical structure and more. The control process must set performance standards, measure performance, compare performance with the standards; and take corrective action if needed in order to be effective   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the most used control systems is the bureaucratic control system. The bureaucratic control system Bureaucratic control is defined as the use of rules, regulations, and formal authority to guide performance*. The bureaucratic control system is a very rigid and formal one. This system establishes a well defined set of rules and procedures in order to achieve the organizational goals and objectives. This system is based on hierarchy were roles and authority has been well defined. This control system involves personnel close monitoring, supervision and direction of subordinates by superiors. The bureaucratic control different uses tools as budget as a control device, management audits, external audits, and internal audits.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The market control system is based on the use of pricing mechanisms and economic information to regulate activities within organizations*. This control system is based in external factors that affects an organization rather than the internal factors.   ... ...n reaction of the implementation of this system. This tactical behavior is defined as the beating the system behavior. This can be harmful to an organization because employees can start to report false information. This will have bad consequences to the organization because it will provide wrong information for the forecasting and planning of future organizational goals and objectives.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Controlling can also produce a resistance to control reaction because Control systems usually uncover mistakes, threaten people’s job security and status, and decrease people’s autonomy it can also change the organizational structures and the authority chain of command. It can also disrupt the social relations of a group.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In order to develop a system functional system for an organization the best decision is to make a hybrid one. Not only taking the organizational objectives in consideration but also taking in consideration the employees and the external and internal factors that affects all of the organization. References Bateman-Snell: Management: The NewCompetitive Landscape,Sixth Edition chapter 16 James Higgins, The Management Challenge, Second Edition, Macmillan, 1994

How does this section of Romeo and Juliet Essay

The characters are utilised by Shakespeare to highlight a sense of loss and desperation. The â€Å"Captain† who is a neutral figure, expresses a sense of remorse and sadness when he sees Romeo and Juliet’s dead bodies as a â€Å"pitiful site†, also illuminating a sense of universal suffering. Juliet’s â€Å"newly dead† body is used so that the agony and pain of her death is felt again universally. Romeo and Juliet are described as â€Å"piteous woes† which portrays them as one and as abstractions of sadness which emphasises the loss and despair of a romantic pair. The words â€Å"trembles, sighs and weeps† are listed characteristics of suffering used to highlight a sense of loss and nervousness. The shock and astonishment of Romeo and Juliet’s death is highlighted by the repetition of â€Å"dead† showing how unexpected this tragedy really was. Tybalt’s death is exaggerated when Romeo and Juliet’s marriage day is described as â€Å"Tybalt’s doomesday† increasing the magnitude of desperation and sadness. Shakespeare illuminates a paradox of joy and sadness between â€Å"Tybalt’s untimely death† and the â€Å"new-made bride groom† creating a contrast of joy and misery. There is a cruel irony when Juliet’s â€Å"borrowed grave† became her actual death bed. When this great tragedy was described as an â€Å"accident† it conveys the image of this great tragic love story as a minor and petty incident. Shakespeare uses the language of an important character to highlight a lack of gravitas and feeling in the text. Shakespeare uses â€Å"flowers† which represent nature, good health, love and positivity as a conventional image to highlight what this tragedy is all about. The last line describes everyone as being â€Å"punished† which again shows universal suffering. Shakespeare focuses the blame and responsibility on many people to emphasise the complexity of this tragedy. When the captain of the watch â€Å"holds him in safety† there is an air of suspicion that suggests that there will be blame given. The â€Å"mattock and spade† are both physical emblems of the Friars responsibility, showing the explicit direct blame and responsibility, of the Friar. The fact that the families are unaware adds a sense of mystery and shows more clearly the rushed fickle and spontaneous nature of the marriage. When Montague asks â€Å"What further woe conspires against mine age?† it shows bad luck, dual responsibility and the loss of youth and innocence. Shakespeare plays upon a maternal instinct when Juliet is described as a â€Å"daughter† for the first time, which is much less formal and emotional, conveying a real image of suffering and grieving. Shakespeare uses Romeo and Juliet’s â€Å"st’len marriage day† to portray a sense of immorality and negativity. When â€Å"Juliet pined† it reminds us of the rushed and hasty marriage. When Juliet is described as â€Å"doing violence to her self†, it presents to us a literal reading of suicide, but also lays a wider and inferred blame on Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare describes the nurse as â€Å"privy† to show the nurses responsibility in keeping secret. Shakespeare highlights a sense of resolution and end to trouble by conveying subtle hints through the use of his characters. There is a healing of a rift when Shakespeare uses Romeo and Juliet’s death to present a positive image of the families which is shown when Capulet says â€Å"O brother Montague† Which is used as a positive image of new unity and a bond between the two families. The statue in â€Å"pure gold† emphasises the preciousness and importance of this tragedy. Montague compliments the Capulet’s when he says â€Å"true and faithful Juliet† showing that despite all the sorrow and grief there is still a sense of positivity. The resolution is tarnished by the fact that it is still â€Å"glooming† but it still gives us a sense of peace and when the â€Å"Prince† who is neutral repeats this again which portrays a universal sense of suffering. The â€Å"sun† represents images of positivity and despite a sense of sadness and sorrow there is still a sense of calm and new peace. There is a sense of union and bonding when Balthasar says to the Prince â€Å"to the same place, to this same monument† showing the older generations past conflict and Balthasar represents youth and innocence so he also represents the ability to change attitudes and stop the rivalry and stubbornness that has become so ingrained. In this section Shakespeare uses tragic aspects to highlight tragedy towards the end. The Princes advice is to have â€Å"patience† and slow down which is an ironic reminder that Romeo and Juliet’s fatal flaw was that they rushed in to their love and marriage. Friar advised Romeo and Juliet to slow down and â€Å"bear this work of heaven with patience† but they still remained rushed which is Shakespeare’s way of reminding us of Romeo’s hubris. The Friar wants his â€Å"old† life to be sacrificed emphasising even more the loss of youth, innocence and change. There is a hint that the two families have not learnt anything from this great tragedy when Montague says â€Å"I can give thee more† which shows that the two families are still competitive and are both desperate to prove themselves better. There is an implication that they are still interested in materialism when the â€Å"statue† will be raised in pure gold which is another superficial attempt to show the power and wealth of the families. When this tragedy is described as a â€Å"story† it undermines the sense of real suffering and denigrates Romeo and Juliet’s love.

Aids Vaccine by Merck and Company

1) What kind of vaccine was this, and how was it supposed to work? The vaccine known as V520 that was used in these studies cannot cause HIV infection because it contains only of viral materials which has synthetically produced snippets. Such vaccine is composed of adenovirus a common virus which normally causes upper respiratory infection these groups of virus infect the membranes tissue linings of the respiratory tract very common in adult and children, this infection include fever the most frequent symptoms is the inflammation of the pharynx or sore throat which is the sign of pharyngitis, inflammation of the nasal membranes, or a congested runny nose cough and swollen lymph nodes (gland). This infection sometimes leads to otitis media. It was first discovered as an agent causing upper respiratory infection in man, the human adenovirus comprise 41 distinct serotypes which cause a variety of ailments such as acute respiratory, ocular, gastrointestinal and urinary tract diseases ( Lattime et al, 2002). The adenovirus serotypes have an oncogenic possibility and are able to stimulate tumors in rodents cause a remarkable surge of interest in the study of the molecular biology of human adenoviruses. 2) How did the researchers deal with the dilemma of working with â€Å"control† human subjects? That is, did they warn the volunteers to protect themselves but obtain no significant data to test the vaccine? Or did they try to detect the vaccine’s efficacy while their participants were at risk of getting HIV infection? Did they find a solution? Scientist has made the vaccine by crafting the vaccine by genetically making alterations the common adenovirus which consist the part of HIV. They had hope that it will activate an immune response that would make recipients less to catch HIV or interrupt the inception of full-blown AIDS. It is expected from the vaccine by the scientist that the vaccine should not cause infection but to produce results that would make on the immunity of the recipients to made it easier for the to seize through a later exposure. Those volunteers who have received the least two doses of the said vaccine nineteen volunteers constricted HIV compared with the eleven persons which are given placebos. The dilemma of working with â€Å"control† human subjects is that they are more uncontrollable regarding their environment promptness for this long tow will never be achieved on a short span of time continued by eagerness for a precise invention. It requires enthusiastic and prepared society and numerous places which are both well continued and supple to acclimatize changes in procedure. This is one of the criteria that the mentioned experiment has lacked, in using large scale trials to be short of associates with fine characterized incidence and frequency rates of HIV infection Without the consistent of how much infection takes place in a community in a particular year, there will be no means of knowing whether an entrant vaccine will help lessen the pace of new infections. All this information must be collected sooner before large-scale test can start. It is also significant to know the dynamics of viral load and CD4 cell counts in HIV-infected people in the community where the tryout takes place. 3) How would the scientists determine efficacy? That is, when comparing the vaccinated volunteers with those who received a placebo, how big a difference between the vaccinated versus control groups would have been necessary to call the trial a success (say, at the 95% confidence level)? The AIDS vaccine trials moving headed for large trials are not probable to defend people from infection. In its place the vaccines are more likely to improve the series of HIV to AIDS if a vaccinated individual becomes infected. To resolve the vaccine’s impact, volunteers will necessitate to be followed over an extended period of time possibly their life span. This represents an important model shift which requires substantial learning of trial participants and communities in which test take place. AIDS vaccine researchers require making it certain that systems are in position to confirm that a constructive test stems from vaccine-induced antibodies, rather a definite illness. Moreover, looked-for are programs to fight bias against anyone enrolled in an AIDS vaccine test whether test HIV seropositive or not. The vaccine developed by Merck and Co. did not prevent HIV infection nor did it limit the severity of the disease, in those who become infected with HIV as a result of their own behaviors that exposed them to virus. The trial could have been a success and be effective if the researchers has been more cautious on recording who are the patients who get placebo and the real vaccine, and after the vaccine they should still monitor the activities of the volunteers especially if ever they still indulge in actions that will make them more prone to the mentioned disease. 4) In your opinion, what went wrong? Why did the trial fail? The project fails because most of the volunteers are heterosexual; they were not informed after the test if they have been given the placebo or the vaccine. Unexpected results from other AIDS studies had also happen, just like the trials of two vaginal microbicide gels to avoid HIV but have led to more infections for those who have really used the product than those who has received the placebos. Because of the long time and test done to perfect the test we can always expect failure, in a certain experiment the control human being is very important because this will serve as the basis on the experimental side which include the numerous amount of volunteers unmonitored after the vaccine like their extra curricular activities and the way they have their sexual relationship with the other sex, a close observation on their itinerary’s in their everyday living in the longer period of time. Work Cited Koff, W. C., Gust I. D. Kahn P. (2007). Aids Vaccine Development. Horizon Scientic Press. Hawthorme, F. (2003). The Merck Druggernaut: The Inside Story of a Pharmaceutical. Giant. John Wiley and Sons Lattime E.C., S.L. Gerson, (2002). Gene Therapy of Cancer. Elsevier Publishing      

Overview of The Seven Years War (1756 - 63)

Overview of The Seven Years War (1756 - 63) In Europe, the Seven Years War was fought between an alliance of France, Russia, Sweden, Austria and Saxony against Prussia, Hanover and Great Britain from 1756 - 63. However, the war had an international element, particularly as Britain and France fought for domination of North America and India. As such, it has been called the first ‘world war’. The theatre in North America is called the ‘French Indian’ war, and in German,y the Seven Years War has been known as the ‘Third Silesian War’. It is notable for the adventures of Frederick the Great, a man whose major early successes and later tenacity were matched by one of the most incredible pieces of luck ever to end a major conflict in history (that bit is on page two). Origins: The Diplomatic Revolution The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle ended the War of the Austrian Succession in 1748, but to many, it was only an armistice, a temporary halt to the war. Austria had lost Silesia to Prussia, and was angry at both Prussia – for taking the wealthy land – and her own allies for not making sure it was returned. She started weighing up her alliances and seeking out alternatives. Russia grew worried about the growing power of Prussia, and wondered about waging a ‘preventative’ war to stop them. Prussia, pleased at having gained Silesia, believed it would take another war to keep it, and hoped to gain more territory during it. In the 1750s, as tensions rose in North America between British and French colonists competing for the same land, Britain acted to try and prevent the ensuing war destabilising Europe by altering its alliances. These actions, and a change of heart by Frederick II of Prussia – known by his many later admirers as ‘the Great’ – triggered what has been called the ‘Diplomatic Revolution’, as the previous system of alliances broke down and a new one replaced it, with Austria, France and Russia allied against Britain, Prussia and Hanover. Europe: Frederick Gets His Retaliation in First In May 1756, Britain and France officially went to war, triggered by French attacks on Minorca; the recent treaties stopped other nations being sucked in to help. But with the new alliances in place, Austria was poised to strike and take Silesia back, and Russia was planning a similar initiative, so Frederick II of Prussia – aware of the plotting – initiated conflict in an attempt to gain an advantage. He wanted to defeat Austria before France and Russia could mobilise; he also wanted to seize more land. Frederick thus attacked Saxony in August 1756 to try and break its alliance with Austria, seize its resources and set up his planned 1757 campaign. He took the capital, accepting their surrender, incorporating their troops and sucking huge funds out of the state. Prussian forces then advanced into Bohemia, but were unable to win the victory that would keep them there and they retreated to Saxony. They advanced back again in early 1757, winning the battle of Prague on May 6, 1757, thanks in no small part to Frederick’s subordinates. However, the Austrian army had retreated into Prague, which Prussia besieged. Luckily for the Austrians, Frederick was defeated on June 18th by a relief force at the Battle of Kolin and forced to retreat out of Bohemia. Europe: Prussia Under Attack Prussia now appeared to be attacked from all sides, as a French force defeated the Hanoverians under an English general – the King of England was also the King of Hanover – occupied Hanover and marched to Prussia, while Russia came in from the East and defeated other Prussians, although they followed this up by retreating and only occupied East Prussia the next January. Austria moved on Silesia and Sweden, new to the Franco-Russo-Austrian alliance, also attacked. For a while Frederick sank into self pity, but responded with a display of arguably brilliant generalship, defeating a Franco-German army at Rossbach on November 5th, and an Austrian one at Leuthenon December 5th; both of which had outnumbered him greatly. Neither victory was enough to force an Austrian (or French) surrender. From now on the French would target a resurgent Hanover, and never fought Frederick again, while he moved quickly, defeating one enemy army and then another before they could effectively team up, using his advantage of shorter, internal lines of movement. Austria soon learnt not to fight Prussia in the large, open areas which favoured Prussia’s superior movement, although this was constantly reduced by casualties. Britain began to harass the French coast to try and draw troops away, while Prussia pushed the Swedes out. Europe: Victories and Defeats The British ignored the surrender of their previous Hanoverian army and returned to the region, intent on keeping France at bay. This new army was commanded by a close ally of Frederick’s (his brother in law) and kept French forces busy in the west and away from both Prussia and the French colonies. They won the battle of Minden in 1759, and made a series of strategic manoeuvres to tie up the enemy armies, although were constrained by having to send reinforcements to Frederick. Frederick attacked Austria, but was outmanoeuvred during a siege and forced to retreat into Silesia. He then fought a draw with the Russians at Zorndorf, but took heavy casualties (a third of his army); he was then beaten by Austria at Hochkirch, losing a third again. By the end of the year he had cleared Prussia and Silesia of enemy armies, but was greatly weakened, unable to pursue anymore grand offensives; Austria was cautiously pleased. By now, all belligerents had spent huge sums. Frederick was bought to battle again at Battle of Kunersdorf in August 1759, but was heavily defeated by an Austro-Russian army. He lost 40% of the troops present, although he managed to keep the remainder of his army in operation. Thanks to Austrian and Russian caution, delays and disagreements, their advantage was not pressed and Frederick avoided being forced to surrender. In 1760 Frederick failed in another siege, but won minor victories against the Austrians, although at Torgau he won because of his subordinates rather than anything he did. France, with some Austrian support, tried to push for peace. By the end of 1761, with enemies wintering on Prussian land, things were going badly for Frederick, whose once highly trained army was now bulked out with hastily gathered recruits, and whose numbers where well below those of the enemy armies. Frederick was increasingly unable to perform the marches and outflankings which had bought him success, and was on the defensive. Had Frederick’s enemies overcome their seeming inability to co-ordinate – thanks to xenophobia, dislike, confusion, class differences and more - Frederick might already have been beaten. In control of only a part of Prussia, Frederick’s efforts looked doomed, despite Austria being in a desperate financial position. Europe: Death as Prussian Saviour Frederick hoped for a miracle, and he got one. The implacably anti-Prussian Tsarina of Russia died, to be succeeded by Tsar Peter III. He was favourable to Prussia and made immediate peace, sending troops to help Frederick. Although Peter was assassinated quickly afterwards – not before trying to invade Denmark – the new Tsar – Peter’s wife, Catherine the Great – kept the peace agreements, although she withdrew Russian troops which had been helping Frederick. This freed Frederick to win more engagements against Austria. Britain took the chance to end their alliance with Prussia – thanks partly to mutual antipathy between Frederick and Britain’s new Prime Minister- declaring war on Spain and attacking their Empire instead. Spain invaded Portugal, but were halted with British aid. The Global War Although British troops did fight on the continent, slowly increasing in numbers, the Britain had preferred to send financial support to Frederick and Hanover – subsidies larger than any before in British history – rather than fight in Europe. This was in order to send troops and ships elsewhere in the world. The British had been involved in fighting in North America since 1754, and the government under William Pitt decided to further prioritise the war in America, and hit the rest of France’s imperial possessions, using their powerful navy to harass France where she was weakest. In contrast, France focused on Europe first, planning an invasion of Britain, but this possibility was ended by the Battle of Quiberon Bay in 1759, shattering France’s remaining Atlantic naval power and their ability to reinforce America. England had effectively won the ‘French-Indian’ war in North America by 1760, but peace there had to wait until the other theatres were settled. In 1759 a small, opportunistic British force had seized Fort Louis on the Senegal River in Africa, acquiring plenty of valuables and suffering no casualties. Consequently, by the end of the year, all French trading posts in Africa were British. Britain then attacked France in the West Indies, taking the rich island of Guadeloupe and moving on to other wealth producing targets. The British East India Company retaliated against a local leader and attacked French interests in India and, aided greatly by the British Royal Navy dominating the Indian Ocean as it had the Atlantic, ejected France from the area. By war’s end, Britain had a vastly increased Empire, France a much reduced one. Britain and Spain also went to war, and Britain shocked their new enemy by seizing the hub of their Caribbean operations, Havana, and a quarter of the Spanish Navy. Peace None of Prussia, Austria, Russia or France had been able to win the decisive victories needed to force their enemies to surrender, but by 1763 the war in Europe had drained the belligerents and they sought peace, Austria, facing bankruptcy and feeling unable to proceed without Russia, France defeated abroad and unwilling to fight on to support Austria, and England keen to cement global success and end the drain on their resources. Prussia was intent on forcing a return to the state of affairs before the war, but as peace negotiations dragged on Frederick sucked as much as he could out of Saxony, including kidnapping girls and relocating them in depopulated areas of Prussia. The Treaty of Paris was signed on February 10th, 1763, settling issues between Britain, Spain and France, humiliating the latter, former greatest power in Europe. Britain gave Havana back to Spain, but received Florida in return. France compensated Spain by giving her Louisiana, while England got all French lands in North America east of the Mississippi except New Orleans. Britain also gained much of the West Indies, Senegal, Minorca and land in India. Other possessions changed hands, and Hanover was secured for the British. On February 10th, 1763 the Treaty of Hubertusburg between Prussia and Austria confirmed the status quo: Prussia kept Silesia, and secured its claim to ‘great power’ status, while Austria kept Saxony. As historian Fred Anderson pointed out, millions had been spent and tens of thousands had died, but nothing had changed. Consequences Britain was left as the dominant world power, albeit deeply in debt, and the cost had introduced new problems in the relationship with its colonists (this would go on to cause the American Revolutionary War, another global conflict that would end in a British defeat.) France was on the road to economic disaster and revolution. Prussia had lost 10% of its population but, crucially for Frederick’s reputation, had survived the alliance of Austria, Russia and France which had wanted to reduce or destroy it, although many historians claim Frederick is given too much credit for this as outside factors allowed it. Reforms followed in many of the belligerent’s government and military, with Austrian fears that Europe would be on the road to a disastrous militarism were well founded. The failure of Austria to reduce Prussia to second rate power doomed it to a competition between the two for the future of Germany, benefitting Russia and France, and leading to a Prussian centred Germany empire. The war also saw a shift in the balance of diplomacy, with Spain and Holland, reduced in importance, replaced by two new Great Powers: Prussia and Russia. Saxony was ruined.

Roman And Athenian Civilization Essays - Roman Empire, Superpowers

Roman And Athenian Civilization Essays - Roman Empire, Superpowers Roman and Athenian civilization Both the Roman and the Athenian civilization enjoyed recreation and cherished it dearly. Recreation was and is one of the most important things in a person?s life. If a person has a total lack of recreation there are chances of melancholy that can later on lead to death. Having recreation in our lives gives us a sense of happiness thatwe all need. The Romans were alike with the Greeks in a few ways. The Romans watched chariot races to entertain them just like the Greeks did, what was so fascinating About the Romans is that they had the biggest arena in the Mediterranean called the Circus Maximus. The arena held about two hundred fifty thousand people, that was five times as much as the collosseum. The Athenians didn?t like the barbaric fighting as much as the Romans did; the Athenians were more aristocratic. The Romans loved watching gladiator?s fight in the collosseum, which seated fifty thousand spectators. The colloseum was used for fights, two people which were either slaves condemned criminals or Christians fought until someone?s life was taken away. The collosseum was also used for condemned criminals, or Christians to fight wild animals, or starving beasts. This is one of the biggest difference?s that the Greeks had from the Romans. Another difference between the Greek and the roman empire was, the fact that the Romans had festivals that represented something for the king or ruler at that time, but in Greece it was mostly sport festivals and festivals that honored the gods. Something that the Romans didn?t have but the Greeks did and could brag about was the Olympic games. The Olympic games took session every four years and had five events (the pentathlon), wrestling, running, chariot races, jumping, and the javelin. Today more than twenty events take place that is one way that the ancient Greek life affected ours today. The Romans and Greek Empire had similarities and differences in their way of recreation. Mostly the differences overruled the similarities and this is perfectly normal because they were and are two different cultures. Recreation though played a very important role in both cultures and in any other culture in the world.

5 More Examples of Extraneous Hyphens

5 More Examples of Extraneous Hyphens 5 More Examples of Extraneous Hyphens 5 More Examples of Extraneous Hyphens By Mark Nichol When it comes to hyphens, prose is often in a state of disequilibrium: Sometimes there are too many, and sometimes there are too few, but careful writers learn when the number of hyphens is just right. These sentences demonstrate a surfeit of hyphenation. 1. â€Å"It should come as no surprise that the America’s Cup sponsors may be less-than-pleased with the event’s slow start.† There is no good reason to link the words in the phrase â€Å"less than pleased† with hyphens in this sentence. If the phrase were to precede a noun describing who or what is less than pleased, the hyphenation would be correct (â€Å"The less-than-pleased sponsors surprised no one with their reaction†). But the phrase follows the referent noun, so no hyphenation is necessary: â€Å"It should come as no surprise that the America’s Cup sponsors may be less than pleased with the event’s slow start.† 2. â€Å"This cafà © serves sophisticated comfort food, with items like gourmet grilled-cheese sandwiches for grown-ups.† The sentence refers to a cheese sandwich that is grilled, not a sandwich made of grilled cheese, so the hyphen is extraneous: â€Å"This cafà © serves sophisticated comfort food, with items like gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches for grown-ups.† 3. â€Å"They also held a widely-publicized training recently.† Although â€Å"widely publicized† modifies training, widely also modifies publicized. More importantly, the phrase is not a phrasal adjective. By convention, adverbs ending in -ly are not hyphenated to a verb when the adverb-plus-verb phrase modifies a noun. â€Å"They also held a widely publicized training recently.† (However, an adjective ending in -ly is hyphenated in a phrasal adjective, as in â€Å"She wore a ghastly-looking mask.†) 4. â€Å"She won her first Olympic medal when she was just seventeen-years-old.† References to age are hyphenated before a noun (â€Å"She’s a seventeen-year-old girl†), and they’re hyphenated when a missing subsequent noun is implied (â€Å"She’s a seventeen-year-old†). However, the hyphens are omitted when the reference stands on its own as a simple description of age: â€Å"She won her first Olympic medal when she was just seventeen years old.† 5. â€Å"Snacking can help you keep up with the recommended five-to-nine daily fruit and vegetable servings.† The hyphens in the phrase â€Å"five-to-nine† may appear courtesy of a misunderstanding perhaps the writer’s confused memory of the purpose of a dash in a number range. The sentence should read, â€Å"Snacking can help you keep up with the recommended five to nine daily fruit and vegetable servings.† (Hyphens are valid only when the number range modifies a noun, as in â€Å"a five-to-nine-serving diet† or â€Å"a nine-to-five job†). Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Redundant Phrases to AvoidStory Writing 101Careful with Words Used as Noun and Verb

Cross cultural Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Cross cultural - Essay Example up of different ethnic groups like â€Å"Baganda 16.9%, Banyakole 9.5%, Basoga 8.4%, Bakiga 6.9%, Iteso 6.4%, Langi 6.1%, Acholi 4.7%, Bagisu 4.6%, Lugbara 4.2%, Bunyoro 2.7%, other 29.6% (2002 census)(cited from CIA.com† Official language: The official national language is English. English is used for all the official purposes in the offices, courts of Law and is part of curriculum at grade schools. The preferred native languages are Ganda or Luganda, Niger Congo languages, Nilo-Saharan Languages, Swahili and Arabic. Literatcy rate for total population is 66.8%. Literacy among man is higher 76.8% than woman 57.7%. Nearest neighbours: Uganda is landlocked by its neighbouring countries. It has Kenya at its East, Sudan at North, Democratic Republic of Congo at West, Rwanda at Southwest and Tanzania at south. It shares its border with Kenya and Tanzania through Lake Victoria. Major trade resources: The country is rich in its natural resources like other African countries. It has mineral deposits of copper and cobalt and reserves of crude oil and natural gas. Economy is largely based on Agriculture sector. The fertile soil and regular rainfall provides appropriate condition for numbers of agricultural products especially coffee, tea and cotton. The export commodities are coffee, fish and fish products, tea, cotton, flowers, horticultural products and gold. The import commodities are capital equipments, vehicles, petroleum, medical supplies and cereals. The natural gas resources are untapped. Political structure: The country is a republic nation. President is chief of state and head of government. President is appointed from the elected legislators by the cabinet. Election takes place in every five year term. President is elected through the popular vote. Due to the presence of different ethnic groups, the culture of Uganda is very diverse. There are sixty five indigenous communities. The communication style in Uganda changes according to the cultural preferences of

Child Labor and rights Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Child Labor and rights - Research Paper Example Despite this practice being illegal, it remains a rampant phenomenon. In some cases, it remains practiced openly (Alan 25). The international Labor Organization places the number of children aged between five and fourteen who are workers in one way or another at an estimated 211 million across the world. Over 120 million children work full time to support their poverty stricken families in places that remain considered as hazardous (Michel 9). It estimates that the Asia/Pacific region hosts the highest number of children laborers at over100 million. Majority of child workers exist in the Sub Saharan region of Africa. It gets estimated that over 26% of the child population that is equivalent to 50 million children get actively involved in work. The International Labor Rights Forum gets actively involved in lobbying to eradicate the practice of child labor all over the world. This gets done through shedding light on imported goods whose manufacturing process involve the participation of child labor, lobbying for creation of crucial policies and legislation governing child labor and by increasing heightened consumer action and awareness (Megha 10). It also promotes the strategies and policies of the International labor organization on child labor. The labor laws with regard to children are dynamic and vary across nations. These labor laws set the rules and regulations that govern workers and work related issues. The minimum age that laborers ought to be, often gets stipulated in these labor laws. Employers get restricted from hiring anyone who does not meet the minimum age requires by the law (Megha 10). This minimum age varies from country to country and also defines the work that gets permitted at that particular age. Countries that ratified the 1973 Minimum age Convention that got convened by the International Labor Organization adopted the minimum age as fixed between the ages of fourteen to sixteen. In the Unites states, Child Labor Laws set the

Determination the structure of BPSL1549 Lab Report

Determination the structure of BPSL1549 - Lab Report Example Also, detecting and controlling the bacterium is difficult since it can survive outside host organisms (Buetow, et al., 2001). As connoted, the disease Melioidosis is caused by a protein found in the bacteria Burkholderia pseudomallei. The protein is dubbed BPSL1549. This protein makes the bacterial to be very lethal. The disease Melioidosis is manifest in two modes of pathogenesis. The acute phase that is characterized but high mortality rates and the latent phase (Buetow, et al., 2001). In the latent phase, there is self-secretion of the bacteria in the infected host and only affects the infected host in form of a disease when the individual immune system is compromised such as during other infections, during organ transplant and during old age. Latent phase has been found to have a long life span that can go up to fifty years (Wongtrakoongate, et al., 2007). There is no detailed documentation describing the pathogenesis of the bacteria. Despite this, the genome of then bacteria has been sequenced and as a result, large and small chromosomes have been identified. By sequence similarity, its genes have been found to be similar to various other organisms. The similarity has shown that the bacteria Burkholderia pseudomallei is closely related to the bacteria B., pseudomallei, which is not pathogenic. Therefore, in depth analysis of the genes has to be done to facilitate a comparative analysis of the genes of these two bacteria to found out the function of the genes. One of the gene that is analysed in this experiment is BPSL1549 (Cruz, et al., 2011). This experiment’s major objective is to determine the protein structure of the gene BPSL1549 using the protein crystallography method of Seleno – methionine multi - wavelength anomalous dispersion. The results will be compared against a database containing known structure of genes

Determination of Proteins Using Biuret and Lowry Assay Techniques Essay

Determination of Proteins Using Biuret and Lowry Assay Techniques - Essay Example Protein assay is critical in the analysis of agricultural, industrial and biotechnological products. As argued by Bama et al. (2010), it is also important for research especially in analysis of enzymes, lectins and antibodies. This paper covers two kinds of assays used in quantitating total proteins. These includes the biuret and lowry techniques. Biuret assay, which is the least sensitive assay is among the coulometric methods (Quereshi et al. 2010). It is mostly used due to its simplicity and less susceptibility to chemical interference. The assay is dependent on polypeptide chelation of cupric iron in strong alkali. According to Mizuta et al. (2005), most biuret assays are used in samples containing 1 to 10mg protein/ml, which is then diluted five-fold by other reagents to form deep purple color. On the other hand, the Lowry method is a colorimetric assay that is based on folin-ciocalteau reagent and cupric ions of phenolic groups (Muyonga, Cole & Duodu, 2004). It is a popular pro tein estimation procedure even though highly susceptible to discerning compounds that interfere and distort solubility of insoluble proteins. The assay starts with copper ion complex that has peptide bonds, which are stabilized by tartrate in alkaline environment popular known as biuret chromophore. Gornall, Bardawill and David (1949) pointed out that biuret reaction is reduced under alkaline conditions of folin-ciocalteu reagent. Copper ions are used to enhance the reduction process. However, the principle chromogenic groups consist of the peptide linkages that reduced blue molybdotungstates, which catalyses polar amino acids, tyrosine and tryptophan. Nonetheless, the sensitivity of this test is based on protein composition and products of chemicals reaction resulting to the heteropolymolybdenum blue solution after being in absorbance condition of approximately 750nm, a wavelength that is out of range of many interfering colors (Layne, 1957). In these two experiments, the basic law of light absorption, popularly knows as Beer-Lambert law is used to explain the linear relationship between protein (collagen) concentration and absorbance (Cliche, Amiot & Avezard, 2003). The yield of collagen is calculated using the following lines equation: Y=(VxC)/ W Where; Yis the yield of collagen in mg/g Vis the volume of collagen solution in ml C is the concentration of the derived solution in mg/ml Wis the lyophilized weight in g Materials used: 1. Protein sample of unknown concentration 2. Standard BSA 3. Distilled water 4. Lowry reagent 5. Test tubes 6. Label 7. Test tube rack 8. Pipettes 9. Pipette bulb 10. Vortex mixer 11. Spectrophotometer 12. Cuvettes 13. Gelatin : 100Â µg cm-3 14. Globulin: 100Â µg cm-3 15. albumin: 200Â µg cm-3 Methods Lowry Technique: Procedure: 1. Prepare samples with up to 100 ?g of protein 2. Label the 9 test tubes as (1 to 10) and place them in a test tube rack. 3. Add water as provided in the instructions. 4. Prepare diluted Folin-Ciocalte u reagent and the Assay Mix. 5. Add 0.5cm3 of the protein solution to tubes (2 to 10). 6. Add gelatin solution to tube 7 and 8 only. 7. Then add 2.5cm3 of solution D to each tube and mix well and leave the mixture at room temperature for approximately 10 minutes.

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

Rhetoric - Essay Example Persuasion, which is a key aspect of rhetoric, implores the use of specific types of words and sentence structures in order to appeal to the emotions of the audience thereby influencing them to the ideas of the artists. Writing is an art that just like any other demands professionalism and appropriate use of the artistic features. Aristotle’s explanation of rhetoric provides artists with an objective view of writing as an art thereby underscoring the need for an author to have both and an objective and a purpose for writing. This way, the author identifies a target audience and develops a piece that achieves authenticity. This requires effective use of appropriate words in order to persuade the audience. Aristotle explains that rhetoric helps an article persuade the audience thereby convincing them to accept the ideas presented in the article. In order to achieve this, the author must have knowledge on the concept he or she explains and present them confidently and in a sequential manner thereby providing a progressive approach to the topic. Emotional appeal occurs only if the author uses specific words that will facilitate the persuasion. The author may for example use suspense in developing a problem. This heightens the audience’s interest on the topical issue. Through suspense, the author provides the audience with a platform to develop a mental picture of the situation thereby validating the need for an urgent solution, which the article presents subsequently (Furley and Nehamas 32). This way, the author does not only obtain the attention of the audience thereby sustaining the readership of the article to conclusion but also gains the emotional appeal thereby persuading the vulnerable audience. Vivid description is yet another technique that helps achieve the emotional appeal by aiding the audience ability to develop mental images of the problem. Cognitive theory posits that the audience ability to recognize

Description of Beverly Hills Area in the USA Essay - 1

Description of Beverly Hills Area in the USA - Essay Example Collonaded buildings, lampposts of a vintage variety and exclusive brands combine to give the visitor a visual treat here. The place is regal in its bearing and this is conveyed through the elegance of the design that one finds in its buildings, its sidewalk and the very flora of the place. The plants are taken care of regularly and are pruned into exquisite shapes, exemplifying the idea of luxury and elegance. Rodeo Drive is known for possessing stores that deal in the most expensive brands of apparel, accessories, home furnishing and so on and so forth, in the world. This is also considered to be one of the most sophisticated shopping centres in the world owing to the high profile clientele that it attracts on an everyday basis. Individual designers have their stores here as well, resulting in a certain exclusivity as far as the clientele is concerned. On either side of the roads are visible the glossiest and most chic of vehicles that add to the charm of this area. This is only ac centuated by the colonnade-like line of palm trees that beautify the streets. Combined, a view of Rodeo Drive is absolutely breathtaking. One comes across several gardens as well in Beverly Hills. Exquisitely crafted fountains with rills of water emerging from spouts into a common stream can be found adorning these gardens. The plants that one finds here are both majestic and exotic. They are pleasing to the senses and evoke a pastoral scene found in great literature. The fountains are on occasion, crafted with marble and have delicate statutes placed atop them. One such garden is the Beverly Canon Gardens. This is a large park and has several fountains like the ones that have been mentioned above. These parks have several walkways too, for visitors (â€Å"Beverly Canon Gardens† n.p.). Here, nature and commerce intermingle and the results are, surprisingly, not detrimental to either. The Beverly Canon Gardens provides a breathtaking view of nature and the possibilities that i t offers, even in a busy life.  

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

Rhetoric - Essay Example Persuasion, which is a key aspect of rhetoric, implores the use of specific types of words and sentence structures in order to appeal to the emotions of the audience thereby influencing them to the ideas of the artists. Writing is an art that just like any other demands professionalism and appropriate use of the artistic features. Aristotle’s explanation of rhetoric provides artists with an objective view of writing as an art thereby underscoring the need for an author to have both and an objective and a purpose for writing. This way, the author identifies a target audience and develops a piece that achieves authenticity. This requires effective use of appropriate words in order to persuade the audience. Aristotle explains that rhetoric helps an article persuade the audience thereby convincing them to accept the ideas presented in the article. In order to achieve this, the author must have knowledge on the concept he or she explains and present them confidently and in a sequential manner thereby providing a progressive approach to the topic. Emotional appeal occurs only if the author uses specific words that will facilitate the persuasion. The author may for example use suspense in developing a problem. This heightens the audience’s interest on the topical issue. Through suspense, the author provides the audience with a platform to develop a mental picture of the situation thereby validating the need for an urgent solution, which the article presents subsequently (Furley and Nehamas 32). This way, the author does not only obtain the attention of the audience thereby sustaining the readership of the article to conclusion but also gains the emotional appeal thereby persuading the vulnerable audience. Vivid description is yet another technique that helps achieve the emotional appeal by aiding the audience ability to develop mental images of the problem. Cognitive theory posits that the audience ability to recognize

The City Of Greensburg Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The City Of Greensburg - Essay Example The present evacuation program by the Department of Emergency Department seemingly fails to recognize the presence of the vulnerable population especially those who are disabled or those who are suffering from chronic illnesses. It is important to note that the City Council has made sure that all public buildings are easily accessible by the disabled people and even homes where there is a disabled person are advised to ensure that the home allows for easy movement of the disabled person. This is a great way enables the easy evacuation of disabled people or people suffering from chronic illnesses that impair their movement, in case a disaster occurs.Intensive care units in health care facilities normally cater for vulnerable patients of which some of them depend on life support machines that are powered by electricity and therefore, in case of a power blackout there are likely to die. However, healthcare facilities not only in the City of Greensburg but also in most parts of the count ry have a power back up or generators that will power-on immediately there is a power blackout and hence, ensuring that vulnerable patients are not affected. Nevertheless, in case of a disaster, the generators may even fail to provide power and patients will be transferred to other health care facilities where there is electricity. The evacuation of patients from facilities that have been affected by a disaster to safer facilities. If the severity of the disaster is not high to an extent that roads are inaccessible.

History of computing Essay Example for Free

History of computing Essay Way back in early history, when people relied mainly on their brains to perform calculations, people used their fingers, pebbles, and tally sticks for computing purposes. Various attempts were made to build general-purpose programmable computers from the same mechanical devices used in calculators. But the problems posed by the lack of technology at the time were not satisfactorily solved until the introduction of electronic computing techniques in the mid-20th century. Between Pascals invention and around 1820 there were about 25 manufacturers of calculating machines; most of them were the work of one man. Few of them worked correctly and even less actually reached the manufacturing line. In the mid-19th century Charles Babbage, a visionary British mathematician at Cambridge University, designed the first computers to perform multistep operations automatically. The technologies were entirely mechanical. He called this first computing machine the Difference Engine, and it was intended to compute and print mathematical tables automatically. The Difference Engine performed only one arithmetic operation: addition. Babbage constructed a small portion of his first Difference Engine in 1832, which served as a demonstration prototype. The first widely known general-purpose electronic computer was the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator (ENIAC) that John W. Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert built at the University of Pennsylvania. The primary motivation for the ENIAC was the need to construct ballistic tables for the U. S. Army. Work began on the ENIAC in 1943 and in 1946 it was completed. It was an enormous machine weighing about 30 tons and filling a 30 by 50 foot room. It contained 1,500 electromechanical relays and over 18,000 vacuum tubes and when it was switched on it consumed 150,000 watts of energy. Despite its enormous size it stored only the equivalent of 80 characters of information. However, it was substantially faster than any previous computer. The idea of storing programs and their data in the same high-speed memory the stored-program concept was first put forth by von Neumann in a publication entitled, First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC (Electronic Discrete Variable Computer). The IAS machine in its overall design is quite modern, and can be regarded as the prototype of most subsequent general-purpose computers. It had the general structure depicted in Figure 4. It had a CPU (Central Processing Unit) for executing instructions, a main memory for storing active programs, a secondary memory for backup storage, and miscellaneous input-output equipment. The IBM PC series was introduced in 1981 and quickly became the de facto standard for this class of machine. IBM made a smart decision by making the architecture of the PC open, meaning its design specifications were available to other manufacturers of computers and software. As a result of this decision the IBM PC became very popular and many versions of it, PC clones, were produced by others. Many other significant achievements have occurred in the PC era and continue to occur with the widespread use of the Internet and networked computers. Here are a few other notable historical achievements having to do with PCs: o 1976 The Cray 1 Supercomputer was the first commercially developed supercomputer. It contained 200,000 ICs and was cooled by Freon. o 1977 Apple II computer introduced. o 1979 Commodore Pet released, with 1 MHz computing power, 8K RAM, cassette deck, and 9 monitor displaying monochrome text. o 1979 The compact disk was invented. o 1982 The TCP/IP network communications protocol was established and the Internet was formed as a connected set of networks using TCP/IP. o 1982 Commodore 64 released, costing just i 595. o 1982 Compaq releases their IBM PC compatible, the Compaq Portable. o 1983 The IBM XT is released. This machine had a 10MB hard disk, 128KB of RAM, one floppy drive, a mono monitor, and a printer, all for i5000. What a bargain! o 1984 Apple Macintosh released. o 1985 Microsoft Windows launched, but not really widely used until version 3 in 1990. o 1987 IBM introduced its PS/2 System which was very successful, selling over 2 million machines in less than 2 years. o 1989 The World Wide Web (WWW) is invented by Tim Berners-Lee who saw the need for global information exchange that would allow physicists to collaborate on research. The Web was a result of the integration of hypertext and the Internet. Hyperlinked pages could not only provide information but could provide transparent access to other pages of information as well as other Internet facilities such as ftp, telnet, Gopher, WAIS, and USENET. The Web started out as a text-only interface but NCSA Mosaic, an early browser, later presented a graphical interface for it and its popularity exploded as it became accessible to the novice user. The explosion of the Web started in earnest during 1993 and in a single year Web traffic increased by 300,000%. o 1990 Windows 3. 0 introduced by Microsoft. This graphical user interface OS offered true multi-tasking, meaning you could run multiple programs at the same time. o 1993 The Pentium microprocessor released by Intel. It was only available at that time in 60 and 66 MHz versions. o 1995 Windows 95 operating system released by Microsoft. o 1995 Pentium Pro microprocessor released. o 1997 Pentium MMX (166 and 200 MHz) released. o 1997 Pentium II (233, 266, and 300 MHz) released. o 1998 Windows 98 released. o 1999 Linux, a free alternative operating system to Microsofts Windows, is estimated to be running on over 10 million computers worldwide.

Dyslexia Dyspraxia And Dyscalculia

Dyslexia Dyspraxia And Dyscalculia A specific Learning difficulty is a classification including several disorders in which a person has difficulty learning in a typical manner. Usually this is caused by an unknown factor. The unknown factor is the disorder that affects the brains ability to receive and process information. People with a learning disability have trouble undertaking specific types of tasks if they are not supported or if the task is not differentiated in order for them to complete the simplified version. A child with a specific learning difficulty is as able as any other child, except in one or two areas of their learning. For instance, they may find it difficult to recognise letters, or to cope with numbers or reading. There are many different types of specific learning difficulties, but the best known and publicised is dyslexia. With dyslexia, the child has difficulty with spelling and reading. It may be difficult for parents and teachers to realise that a child has this sort of problem, especially if their development has progressed without concern in their early years education. Often, the child will appear to understand, have good ideas, and join in activities, as well as other children and in some instances better than others. Sometimes it can take years for adults to realise that a child has a specific difficulty. Dyslexia The British Psychological Society (1999) has given a broad definition of Dyslexia: Dyslexia is evident when accurate and fluent word reading and/or spelling develops very incompletely or with great difficulty. This focuses on literacy learning at the word level and implies that the problem is severe and persistent despite appropriate learning opportunities. It provides the basis for a staged process of assessment through teaching Dyslexia is an inherited condition that makes it extremely difficult to read, write, and spell in their subject language. There are many persisting factors in dyslexia, which can appear from an early age. They will still be noticeable when the dyslexic child leaves school; these include good and bad days for no apparent reason in relation to their attitude and behaviour, short-term memory loss and sequencing, organisation and spoken language skills. It is thought that the reason people with dyslexia have problems with phonological processing is that some areas, their brain functions in a different way than people without the condition. There are number of different theories about the causes of Dyslexia which all tend to support each other. The main point is that it is a genetic condition that changes how the brain deals with information, and that it is passed on through families. Dyslexia is thought to be a genetic condition which means it runs in families. It is estimated that if you have dyslexia there is 40%-60% likelihood that your child will also develop the condition. There are different strategies used for teaching children with dyslexia. For example if you are at a secondary school in a science lab using diagrams it would be easier to label the equipment that is for use, so the students can use this information when writing up laboratory reports. Using computers for a dyslexic child is advantageous as it would be easier for them to type the work rather than writing the work on paper. To support a dyslexic child you need to make sure that messages and day to day classroom activities are written down, and never sent verbally. Also a daily check list for the pupil to refer to each evening would encourage a daily routine to help develop the childs own self-esteem and responsibilities and also encourage good organisational skills by the use of folders and dividers to keep work easily accessible and in an orderly fashion. Tasks need to be simplified down into small easily remembered pieces of information and if visual memory is poor, copying must be k ept to a minimum as notes or handouts are far more useful. Another way of supporting the condition of the child is to sit the child fairly near the class teacher so that the teacher is available to help if necessary so that any support required is not to a minimum. A structured reading scheme that involves repetition and introduces new words slowly is extremely important. This allows the child to develop confidence and self esteem when reading. If there is one or two dyslexics in the class, a short list of structure-based words for their weekly spelling test, will be far more helpful than random words. Three or four irregular words can be included each week to challenge the child and eventually this should be seen to improve their spelling and writing skills. Dyspraxia Dyspraxia is a specific learning difficulty that affects the brains ability to plan sequences of movement. It is thought to be connected to the way that the brain develops, and can affect the planning of what to do and how to do it. It is often associated with problems of perception, language and thought. Dyspraxia is often described as a hidden problem, because children with the condition appear no different to those who dont have it. Up to ten per cent of the population may show symptoms of dyspraxia, with around two per cent being severely affected. Males are four times more likely to be affected than females. Dyspraxia sometimes runs in families. (BBC website 2008) Students who have the learning difficulty dyspraxia will experience difficulties in gross motor skills meaning poor performance in sport, general clumsiness, poor balance, and difficulties in learning skills involving coordination of body parts, e.g. riding a bike or swimming. Also manual and practical tasks like using computer keyboards and mice will prove difficult, along with measuring accurately, slow or poor handwriting, messy presentation of work and problems with craft-work and cookery. During the early formative years, a child suffering from dyspraxia may have difficulty learning to walk, run, and jump. Walking up and down a flight of stairs and dressing up will not be an easy task for them. Developing the ability to speak and communicate effectively is very slow for these children. When the child attends school, mathematics and writing stories are often very difficult. Poor handwriting is among the most prevalent signs of dyspraxia. Other common symptoms include, short attention span, disorganisation, inability to tie shoelaces, tendency to avoid games in PE, and sluggishness in dressing themselves up. During their adult years, routine tasks become very difficult for them to perform. Driving, riding bicycles, personal grooming, and certain household chores are a cause for constant struggle. Dyspraxia sufferers walk in a clumsy manner and encounter problems with sports, especially those that involve the usage of bats. They often avoid work or things that are hard for them to do. Strategies for teaching children with dyspraxia is as follows for handwriting-using pencil grips for better control with the pencil, writing on lined paper so they can write in straight lines and also using stencils. Difficulties with dressing themselves a suggestion for this is to wear loose-fit easy on easy off clothing with Velcro fastenings for shoes. For Difficulties for walking in straight line and bumping into people, balance or wobble boards need to be provided. If a child is unable to remember or follow instructions you need to get the attention of the child before giving instructions, provide time to process the information to the child and use activities, demonstrations and pictures to get the message across. To raise and develop their Social skills you need to use techniques in order to explain the social rules and expected behaviour as a dyspraxia child finds it difficult to concentrate so a distraction free learning environment is essential. A Dyspraxia child has been used to failure repeatedly every effort must be made to raise their self-esteem. It is imperative that you use every opportunity to praise the child in order to raise their self-esteem. This will make the child feel better about themselves they are more likely to relax and learn. This is the obvious situation to strive towards making progress in their learning. It is important to remember that they have difficulty in absorbing information during lessons so allowing them extra time, teaching in small bursts, allowing opportunities to rest is very important and You will be able to tell when each the child requires a rest. However, this will change from day to day and from child to child. Ensure that the child has understood what is being taught, repeat if needed. Check that the student is not falling behind because they cannot copy from the blackboard, Teach on a one to one level, with few distractions, when appropriate. If there is a learning support worker available, allow them to assist the child so they are taught at the same pace alongside their peers. Therapy is a good way of alleviating dyspraxia. Speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, specialist teachers, and psychologists could be relied upon to help patients with dyspraxia. The specialists needed for therapy could vary, depending on the specific problem needs. A set of activities and exercises are given by these therapists to help patients in learning how to perform physical tasks. Reading and writing skills could also be developed with the help of therapists. Dyscalculia Dyscalculia learners may have difficulty understanding simple number concepts, and have problems learning number facts and procedures. Dyscalculia is like dyslexia for numbers. But unlike dyslexia, very little is known about the causes or treatment. Current thinking suggests that it is a congenital condition, caused by the abnormal functioning of a specific area of the brain. People with dyscalculia experience great difficulty with the most basic aspects of numbers. Dyscalculia children can usually learn the sequence of counting words, but may have difficulty going back and forth, especially in twos and threes when Dyscalculia children find learning and recalling number facts difficult and they often lack confidence even when they produce the correct answer. Dyscalculia children may find it difficult to grasp that the words ten, hundred and thousand have the same relationship to each other as the numerals 10, 100 and 1000. Dyscalculia children often have difficulty when handling money or telling the time. They may also have problems with concepts such as speed or temperature. Dyscalculia children may be particularly vulnerable where teachers follow an Interactive lesson especially in a whole-class method of teaching, when asking dyscalculia children to answer simple maths questions in the class it will lead to embarrassment and frustration especially when they peers are there or other children . Dyscalculia is a special need and requires diagnos is and appropriate counseling as well as support away from whole class teaching, however, compared with dyslexia, very little research has focused on dyscalculia and how to overcome it. Consequently, there is relatively little ready made support available. Strategies to support learners with dyscalculia is to allow extra time to complete a given task in class, encourage dyscalculia children to make use of calculators when necessary, using visual material to develop an understanding of maths concepts, make use of ICT as an aid to learning, encourage working with a partner to explain methods of working to each others in class. It is important to make the learning fun as dyscalculia children may have behaviour problems and some will resent doing extra math so it is better for teachers to be as upbeat and pleasant through activities as possible. Activities should be taught in short blocks of 10 minutes to maintain the attention of students. Parents should also be involved in the learning and encouraged to participate in the learning and use positive and encouraging language if the child finds it difficult to carry out the task. Children who have a problem with math should be taught in a multi sensory approach in which they say, hear, write and handle numbers simultaneously. Learning difficulties can be a lifelong condition, the best treatment is to provide special or differentiated education where needed. Once a difficulty has been recognised the best approach is to teach learning skills by building on the childs abilities and strengths whilst trying to correct the weaknesses. It is important to help the child learn by enhancing attention and concentration through various teaching strategies that best suit the need of the child ensuring progression is achieved and consistent throughout the subjects.

Essay --

Vivian Nguyen Amicangelo 8Celtics 22 February 2014 JOSEPH STALIN Joseph Stalin was a man who many people had mixed feelings for. Some say he was a dictator and a tyrant, but others say that as a ruler, he shaped Russia and pushed it in the right direction. Both sides are correct, and there are many examples to back them up. Stalin did accomplish benefiting Russia‘s image, but he was a man who killed many. Stalin was born as Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili (later became Joseph Stalin) on December 18, 1879 and his parents were Besarion Jughashvili (father) and Ketevan Geladze (mother). When he was young, his father, Beso, had beaten his mother and him several times. They had a troublesome marriage and often argued about Stalin’s future. His mother wanted him to be a priest because she thought he was smart, so she did everything to get him a good education. His father wanted him to be a cobbler, and said that since he [Stalin’s father] was a cobbler, Stalin would follow the family job and become a cobbler. Fortunately, Stalin‘s mother defeated her husband and she even humiliated him. Stalin ended up doing what his mother wanted-- for a while (Radzinsky 17-31). Stalin is a very interesting man who always changed how he thought of everybody (he also called himself Stalin because â€Å"stalin† means steel) (Montefiore 30 â€Å"Young Stalinâ€Å").He had a huge effect on Russia; in a bad way. When Stalin used to work with Lenin and Trotsky, it wasn’t a competition of who was the best and who should control the country of Russia, but then it all changed. After that, he got people to turn against them and got rid of t... ...lowing him. Another reason was identity. Napoleon only represented Stalin, and that really brought out his characteristics. Since Napoleon was meant to represent Stalin, all of Stalin’s traits, most of his bad deeds, and events occurred in the book. For example, in Animal Farm, Orwell made Snowball seem smarter than Napoleon, but made Napoleon more powerful. This is true in real life because Lenin was a lot more educated than Stalin, but Stalin ended up with the power (Radinsky 97) Although Stalin had been tyrannical and crazy, he made Russia seem stronger, and is still seen as a good person today. Many people look at him like he was a murderous person, but other look at him as the man who made Russia better. He was a great leader, in a way, but that only depends on what the Russians believed in, and whether or not they (or someone they know) worked for Stalin. Essay -- Vivian Nguyen Amicangelo 8Celtics 22 February 2014 JOSEPH STALIN Joseph Stalin was a man who many people had mixed feelings for. Some say he was a dictator and a tyrant, but others say that as a ruler, he shaped Russia and pushed it in the right direction. Both sides are correct, and there are many examples to back them up. Stalin did accomplish benefiting Russia‘s image, but he was a man who killed many. Stalin was born as Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili (later became Joseph Stalin) on December 18, 1879 and his parents were Besarion Jughashvili (father) and Ketevan Geladze (mother). When he was young, his father, Beso, had beaten his mother and him several times. They had a troublesome marriage and often argued about Stalin’s future. His mother wanted him to be a priest because she thought he was smart, so she did everything to get him a good education. His father wanted him to be a cobbler, and said that since he [Stalin’s father] was a cobbler, Stalin would follow the family job and become a cobbler. Fortunately, Stalin‘s mother defeated her husband and she even humiliated him. Stalin ended up doing what his mother wanted-- for a while (Radzinsky 17-31). Stalin is a very interesting man who always changed how he thought of everybody (he also called himself Stalin because â€Å"stalin† means steel) (Montefiore 30 â€Å"Young Stalinâ€Å").He had a huge effect on Russia; in a bad way. When Stalin used to work with Lenin and Trotsky, it wasn’t a competition of who was the best and who should control the country of Russia, but then it all changed. After that, he got people to turn against them and got rid of t... ...lowing him. Another reason was identity. Napoleon only represented Stalin, and that really brought out his characteristics. Since Napoleon was meant to represent Stalin, all of Stalin’s traits, most of his bad deeds, and events occurred in the book. For example, in Animal Farm, Orwell made Snowball seem smarter than Napoleon, but made Napoleon more powerful. This is true in real life because Lenin was a lot more educated than Stalin, but Stalin ended up with the power (Radinsky 97) Although Stalin had been tyrannical and crazy, he made Russia seem stronger, and is still seen as a good person today. Many people look at him like he was a murderous person, but other look at him as the man who made Russia better. He was a great leader, in a way, but that only depends on what the Russians believed in, and whether or not they (or someone they know) worked for Stalin.

Youths Today Are Too Obsessed

Totally agree! Youth today are too easily obsess with all kind of thing, not only material thing but also idol, games, something that may attracted their attention. E. g. â€Å"American idol† A new generation has come of age, shaped by an unprecedented revolution in technology and dramatic events both at home and abroad. They are Generation Next, the cohort of young adults who have grown up with personal computers, cell phones and the Internet and are now taking their place in a world where the only constant is rapid change. Did you think anything about your dream, your health or your family; forget about computers, it’s just material things. WHAT IS OBSESSION? It’s a passionate feeling of fascination that often quickly evolves into domination. One who becomes obsessed does so out of a lack of self worth or self esteem. The person they are obsessed with is their object of self worth. They believe that this person, as their mate, will bring value to their life. Th is person also believes they have very little value, which adds to the need to have a mate with value. Even if it’s imagined. Materialism Many people these days seem to have their priorities out of line. They seem to put way too much emphasis on material things such as money, jewellery, toys, games, and other things that they think will bring happiness. They feel that these things will make them happier in life and will make them live better lives. There sure are a lot of problems with that theory. So why is it that so many people are stuck in the train of thought of materialism and in an obsession with material things? Here are some ideas. Many people are lonely and feel that this will keep them entertained and happy and make them feel better and fill the hole that they feel. They don't understand the importance of people in their lives so they try to fill the emptiness with materials thinking that it will make them happy and fill that gap. Another reason is that they just want to show off to people how much they have and own. They think that this will make them a better person because they own these things and that the more they have the better off they are. They believe that it's a race to see who can have the most things, because whoever has the most, is somehow the best. Something is clearly wrong there. Also, many people are insecure, and are obsessed with what other people think of them. They don't comprehend that they are who they want to be and who they become. They instead, rather believe that they are who other people claim that they are and therefore try to get as many cool things as possible, or beautiful things, to make other people wow at what they have. They feel like if other people think that what they have is awesome, then that must mean that they are an awesome person. It is tough for many people to get out of that train of thought. Finally, a lot of people do it without thinking. They are just caught in the wave of people who are materialistic. If they see something cool, they feel that they have to get it and don't completely think through whether or not they need it. Of course, this isn't the situation for all people. Some people just like the look of jewellery or like certain things or collecting items as a hobby. However, for a lot of people they are becoming lost in materialism and need to find the real things that make them happy and not the fake things. They need to locate the big ideas of life and find what truly makes them happiest. If you liked this article, a great book to read would be: The Gospel According to Larry. It is a book on materialism and a boy who tries to fight for a non-materialistic world movement. Trend toward something In this and other countries we tend to have an obsession with â€Å"youth† – especially for females. We have grown into a truly youth obsessed society, and the cosmetic, food, beverage, and supplement offerings are proof of the incredible market there is for anti-aging beauty products. There's a glut of marketing that targets the beauty consumers, where the same products in many of these campaigns can do so much more for our health. Case in point: years ago there was an herbal product that claimed to treat and prevent gray hair. The product was originally formulated to lower cholesterol. During their research, they found that the product not only lowered cholesterol, but a considerable amount of test subjects lost their gray hair. What angle could they take? Health, vanity, health, vanity, health, vanity†¦ not surprisingly, they focused their marketing campaign on the gray hair aspect, not on the cholesterol treatment. I don’t disagree with their logic. Now that I have a few gray hairs, I want to track down this product. I can’t remember what I ate for dinner last week, yet I can remember a beauty product from well over a decade ago. How’s that for case in point? ***As an example, why if I send a bunch of teenage or youth to a village or a country without taking any entertainment gadget such as computer and even cell phones, they certainly will get bored. I love fashion but I’m not obsess with it Things are like this because people are corrupted by society. For many years, we are geared towards wanting the best things, the hottest spouses, and the shiniest sports cars–all so that we can have the bragging rights. By being able to boast about your wealth gives you power. Ultimately, power is what we all want–being able to tell people what to do so that we get what we want, when we want it, and the way we want it. Material objects that cost a mother lode makes us feel good when have it in our possession–a Louis Vuitton bag or a Lamburgini are so damn expensive that when we do have one to flaunt, we feel like we are at the top of the social hierarchy because vitrually no one else can have what you have. YOU can afford the expensive stuff, not â€Å"other people. In short, it's all about greed, pride, lust, and corruption. Clearly, the world is messed up. Reasons Why youth today tend to obsess with material things. â€Å"How long can you go with out using an electrical device? How long would you go without power? Does your bank account reflex your narcissistic materialism or need for survival. The answers to those questions would be a good gauge of whether â€Å"we† are ob sessed. † Good points nicshack. Our culture seems to be obsessed with the acquiring stuff and things. We have a very consumptive economy and ecology and we need to make some fundamental changes on a wide spread social and philosophical level or we might be in trouble as a species. Here's what it boils down to: because we live on this slightly tilted planet Earth, revolving a certain distance from the star Sol, life as we know it can exist and flourish and grow and change and fill this great big Universe with life and light and hope. We owe it to ourselves as a species, our children, and our ancestors; to nurture and live in harmony with our planet and fellow life. So you have to ask yourself, do you help life continue and grow? Or do you tear things apart and consume for the sake of consumption to try to fill a hole that should be filled with love and empathy? I know it sounds really heavy and pedantic, but we seriously need to wake up and evolve, break the cycles of destruction in all forms, and start building and learning. It all comes from self satisfaction. People live their lives feeling very unsatisfied, there are always desires. These desires are a very unskilful attempt at becoming happy. When people become obsessed with material things, it is out of fear – if they already possess the matter, they don't want to lose it because they feel without it, they will be unhappy. Other people desire and cling to money and what not because they feel that if they have it, they will be happy. But in both cases these people are driven by fear. Fear is heads on the coin, Desire is tails. Both complement each other. When people compare, they do this because they're attempting to please the self-identity that they carry of themselves, the idea they have of themselves, of who I am. If the I is better off than others, they feel happy. And if it isn't, they feel that they have to gain more material goods. The reason, primarily, is because we live in a capitalist society and is ‘taught', from the moment we first enter society that the gaining of material wealth is our reason for being. The acquisition of status in our society comes from the striving for and gaining of wealth and the trappings associated with it. Once acquired, the structure or system we live within tells us that we require more to maintain our status and that, actually, we can never have enough. Karl Marx wrote about it in the Nineteenth Century. How many times a day are you bombarded with advertisements, telling you that you ‘need' this, that or the other product? That if you don't have it, you're somehow missing out? While this may sound very obvious and simplistic, it's the stuff we're surrounded by all the time – constant messages informing us that our lives are in some way lacking or incomplete until/unless we have that house, this car, that phone, this brand, etc. We're so used to it that we don't question it. Zombie-like, we believe we ‘need' these things – and that's what keeps everybody on the same treadmill and all the multi-million dollar companies in business. Ways to solve your â€Å"bad habits†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ â€Å"It's like I have to buy things to validate myself. † It sounds to me like you get envious of other people's possessions because you feel inferior or inadequate, and something in you believes that if you just had what they have, you wouldn't feel inferior to them anymore. As far as how you can stop obsessing over material possessions, I think the root cause of your coveting other people's things comes from your own feelings of inferiority and low self-esteem. I think that by building up your own self-esteem, you will be able to love yourself more as a person, completely independent of material possessions. Then when you see other people with nice things, you won't feel like you need those nice things to be â€Å"as good as† that person, because you will know that you are a good person regardless of what you have. One of the best ways that a person can build self-esteem is by volunteering. Helping others actually helps you in ways that you would never anticipate until you do it. Try to find an organization that is close to your heart, and ask if they allow teenage volunteers to help out on weekends. Do you love animals? Volunteer at a pet rescue. Do you enjoy spending time with kids? Volunteer at a children's hospital or in a church nursery. Do you feel for the homeless? Volunteer at your local soup kitchen or homeless shelter. There are also national organizations like the Ronald McDonald House, United Way, The Salvation Army, etc. ho helps people in the community and are always looking for volunteers to keep them up and running. By doing something that helps others, you will help build up your own self-esteem. You begin to see yourself as someone who is important to others, who is able to do something that is valuable and helpful to society. I can tell you from experience that even doing something as mundane as cleaning out kennels makes you feel important when you t hink about the reason WHY you're cleaning those kennels – you're helping that rescue save the lives of more animals that would otherwise be put to death. You are saving lives by doing something as simple as cleaning a kennel or taking a dog on a walk, and that makes you a seriously awesome person. When you see yourself in that light – as someone who is important to others, who is helpful to their community, who can give to others in a positive way – you will really begin to internalize those feelings and feel good about yourself as a person. Also, being able to see others who have a lot less than you will really put those materialistic feelings into perspective. When you go out to a rural community and hand out shoes and coats to kids who are walking around barefoot because their family literally cannot afford to put shoes on their feet, it really makes you think twice about what's important in life. It can be a real good eye opener. I hope that helps! I don't think you're a brat, the fact that you said you don't want to be a brat and don't want to be shallow shows just how much you are not those things. Give yourself more credit, you already sound like a good person who is on the right track in life by trying to do the right thing. Other information that can be used It can seem, in the affluent parts of our globe, that to buy is our fortune. It could also be said that, if buying is good, more buying is better. Of course, we’re in the middle of an economic crisis and some folks might think we need moderation in interaction with the human-created marketplace—that we not treat it as some magically powerful entity that must be worshiped with human sacrifice. Are we completely obsessed with material possessions? Do they mean anything?. Here’s a representative sample of the comments: â€Å"An iPhone to match your sneakers? Sneakers to match your vest? † â€Å"I love clothes and dinners out with friends, and new shiny things but understand the completely vapid nature of these things. † â€Å"They only mean something if you let it mean something. If it makes you happy then buy it. † â€Å"Honestly, if you have the CASH to buy this stuff up front, go right ahead. † â€Å"Few people lie on their death bed and talk about that car they should have bought or that purse that they were so close to buying† â€Å"As someone below pointed out it does have a huge impact on making the world as we know it go round† â€Å"†¦yes we are obsessed, and its not a good thing. And yes, these things are important but shouldn’t be occupying our thoughts and efforts to the extent at which it is. † † Its all one big contest and a race to the finish line. Its a shame most people don’t stop and look around them more often. † I was happy to see, at least, a range of responses in the normally affluent participants on the site. I was very sad about a few of them: â€Å"If it makes you happy then buy it. †, â€Å"Honestly, if you have the CASH to buy this stuff up front, go right ahead. † Here’s where the idea of materialism brings up the idea of human sacrifice. Who suffers for the extraction of the raw materials needed to make all the fanciful things people buy? Who receives no help in their daily lives because they happen to live where the marketeers won’t put their markets? Who sweats away their days making the toys of the affluent? Who can any longer ignore that We are One Human Family and what hurts one hurts all ? Spiritual Quote: â€Å"Whether as world-view or simple appetite, materialism’s effect is to leach out of human motivation—and even interest—the spiritual impulses that distinguish the rational soul. For self-love,’ ‘Abdu’l-Baha has said, ‘is kneaded into the very clay of man, and it is not possible that, without any hope of a substantial reward, he should neglect his own present material good. ’ In the absence of conviction about the spiritual nature of reality and the fulfilment it alone offers, it is not surprising to find at the very heart of the current crisis of civilization a cult of individualism that increasingly admits of no restraint and that elevates acquisition and personal advancement to the status of major cultural values. The resulting atomization of society has marked a new stage in the process of disintegration about which the writings of Shoghi Effendi speak so urgently. â€Å"To accept willingly the rupture of one after another strand of the moral fabric that guides and disciplines individual life in any social system, is a self-defeating approach to reality. If leaders of thought were to be candid in their assessment of the evidence readily available, it is here that one would find the root cause of such apparently unrelated problems as the pollution of the environment, economic dislocation, ethnic violence, spreading public apathy, the massive increase in crime, and epidemics that ravage whole populations. However important the application of legal, sociological or technological expertise to such issues undoubtedly is, it would be unrealistic to imagine that efforts of this kind will produce any significant recovery without a fundamental change of moral consciousness and behaviour. †