Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 31

Tuesday We all slept that night in the upper room of Joseph's house. In the morning Joshua went downstairs. He was gone for a bit, then came back up the stairs. â€Å"They won't let me leave,† he said. â€Å"They?† â€Å"The apostles. My own apostles won't let me leave.† He went back to the stairway. â€Å"You're interfering with the will of God!† he shouted down. He turned back to me. â€Å"Did you tell them not to let me leave?† â€Å"Me? Yep.† â€Å"You can't do that.† â€Å"I sent Nathaniel to Simon's to fetch Maggie. He returned alone. Maggie wouldn't talk to him, but Martha did. Temple soldiers had been there, Josh.† â€Å"So?† â€Å"What do you mean, so? They were there to arrest you.† â€Å"Let them.† â€Å"Joshua, you don't have to sacrifice yourself to prove this point. I've been thinking about it all night. You can negotiate.† â€Å"With the Lord?† â€Å"Abraham did it. Remember? Over the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. He starts out getting the Lord to agree to spare the cities if he can find fifty righteous men, but by the end, he talks God down to ten. You can try something like that.† â€Å"That's not completely the point, Biff.† Here he came over to me, but I found I couldn't look him in the eye, so I went to one of the large arched windows that looked down on the street. â€Å"I'm afraid of this – of what's going to happen. I can think of a dozen things I'd rather do this week than be sacrificed, but I know that it has to happen. When I told the priests that I would tear the Temple down in three days, I meant that all the corruption, all the pretense, all the ritual of the Temple that keeps men from knowing God would be destroyed. And on the third day, when I come back, everything will be new, and the kingdom of God will be everywhere. I'm coming back, Biff.† â€Å"Yeah, I know, you said that.† â€Å"Well, believe in me.† â€Å"You're not good at resurrections, Josh. Remember the old woman in Japhia? The soldier in Sepphoris, what did he last? Three minutes?† â€Å"But look at Maggie's brother Simon. He's been back from the dead for months now.† â€Å"Yeah, and he smells funny.† â€Å"He does not.† â€Å"No, really, when you get close to him he smells spoiled.† â€Å"How would you know? You won't get close to him because he used to be a leper.† â€Å"Thaddeus mentioned it the other day. He said, ‘Biff, I believe this Simon Lazarus fellow has spoiled.'† â€Å"Really? Then let's go ask Thaddeus.† â€Å"He might not remember.† Joshua went down the steps to a low-ceilinged room with a mosaic floor and small windows cut high in the walls. Joshua's mother and brother James had joined the apostles. They all sat there against the walls, their faces turned to Joshua like flowers to the sun, waiting for him to say something that would give them hope. â€Å"I'm going to wash your feet,† he said. To Joseph of Arimathea, he said, â€Å"I need a basin of water and a sponge.† The tall aristocrat bowed and went off to find a servant. â€Å"What a pleasant surprise,† Mary said. James the brother rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. â€Å"I'm going out,† I said. I looked at Peter, as if to say, Don't let him out of your sight. He understood perfectly and nodded. â€Å"Come back for the seder,† Joshua said. â€Å"I have some things I have to teach you in the little time I have left.† There was no one home at Simon's house. I knocked on the door for a long time, then finally let myself in. There was no evidence of a morning meal, but the mikveh had been used, so I guessed that they had each bathed and then gone to the Temple. I walked the streets of Jerusalem, trying to think of some solution, but everything I had learned seemed useless. As evening fell I made my way back to Joseph's house, taking the long route so I didn't have to pass the palace of the high priest. Joshua was waiting inside, sitting on the steps to the upper room, when I came in. Peter and Andrew sat on either side of him, obviously there to ensure that he didn't accidentally skip down to the high priest and turn himself in for blasphemy. â€Å"Where have you been?† Joshua said. â€Å"I need to wash your feet.† â€Å"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a ham in Jerusalem during Passover week?† I said. â€Å"I thought it would be nice, you know, some ham on matzo with a little bitter herb.† â€Å"He washed us all,† Peter said. â€Å"Of course we had to hold Bart down, but even he's clean.† â€Å"And as I washed them, they will go out and wash others, by showing them forgiveness.† â€Å"Oh, I get it,† I said. â€Å"It's a parable. Cute. Let's go eat.† We all lay around the big table, with Joshua at the head. Joshua's mother had prepared a traditional Passover supper, with the exception of the lamb. To begin the seder, Nathaniel, who was the youngest, had to ask a question. â€Å"Why is this night different from every other night of the year?† â€Å"Bart's feet are clean?† said Thomas. â€Å"Joseph of Arimathea is picking up the tab?† said Philip. Nathaniel laughed and shook his head. â€Å"No. It's because other nights we eat bread and matzo, but tonight we only eat matzo. Jeez.† He grinned, probably feeling smart for the first time in his life. â€Å"And why do we only eat the matzo on this night?† asked Nathaniel. â€Å"Skip ahead, Nate,† I said. â€Å"We're all Jews here. Summarize. Unleavened bread because there was no time for it to rise with Pharaoh's soldiers on our tail, bitter herbs for the bitterness of slavery, God delivered us into the Promised Land, it was swell, let's eat.† â€Å"Amen,† said everyone. â€Å"That was pathetic,† said Peter. â€Å"Yeah, was it?† I said angrily. â€Å"Well, we sit here with the Son of God, waiting for someone to come and take him away and kill him, and none of us is going to do a damn thing about it, including God, so forgive me if I'm not peeing all over myself about having been delivered out of the hands of the Egyptians about a million years ago.† â€Å"You're forgiven,† said Joshua. Then he stood up. â€Å"What I am, is in you all. The Divine Spark, the Holy Ghost, it unites you all. It is the God that is in you all. Do you understand that?† â€Å"Of course God is part of you,† James the brother said, â€Å"he's your father.† â€Å"No, in all of you. Watch, take this bread.† He took a matzo and broke it into pieces. He gave a piece to everyone in the room and took a piece himself. Then he ate it. â€Å"Now, the bread is part of me, the bread is me. Now all of you eat it.† Everybody looked at him. â€Å"EAT IT!† He screamed. So we ate it. â€Å"Now it is part of you, I am part of you. You all share the same part of God. Let's try again. Hand me that wine.† And so it went like that, for a couple of hours, and I think that by the time the wine was gone, the apostles actually grasped what Joshua was saying to them. Then the begging started, as each of us pleaded for Joshua to give up the notion that he had to die to save the rest of us. â€Å"Before this is finished,† he said, â€Å"you will all have to deny me.† â€Å"No we won't,† said Peter. â€Å"You will deny me three times, Peter. I not only expect this, I command it. If they take you when they take me, then there is no one to take the good news to the people. Now, Judas, my friend, come here.† Judas went to Joshua, who whispered in his ear, then sent him back to his place at the table. â€Å"One of you will betray me this very night,† said Joshua. â€Å"Won't you, Judas?† â€Å"What?† Judas looked around at us, but when he saw no one coming to his defense, he bolted down the steps. Peter started after him, but Joshua caught the fisherman by the hair and yanked him back off of his feet. â€Å"Let him go.† â€Å"But the high priest's palace isn't a furlong away,† said Joseph of Arimathea. â€Å"If he goes there directly.† Joshua held his hand up for silence. â€Å"Biff, go directly to Simon's house and wait. Alone you can sneak by the palace without being seen. Tell Maggie and the others to wait for us. The rest of us will go through the city and through the Ben Hinnon valley so we don't have to pass the priest's palace. We'll meet you in Bethany.† I looked at Peter and Andrew. â€Å"You won't let him turn himself in?† â€Å"Of course not.† I was off into the night, wondering even as I ran whether Joshua had changed his mind and was going to escape from Bethany into the Judean desert. I should have known right then that I'd been had. You think you can trust a guy, then he turns around and lies to you. Simon answered the door and let me in. He held his finger to his lips, signalling me to be quiet. â€Å"Maggie and Martha are in the back. They're angry with you. All of you. Now they'll be angry with me for letting you in.† â€Å"Sorry,† I said. He shrugged. â€Å"What can they do? It's my house.† I went directly through the front room into a second room that opened off to bedchambers, the mikveh, and the courtyard where food was prepared. I heard voices coming from one of the bedchambers. When I walked in, Maggie looked up from braiding Martha's hair. â€Å"So, you've come to tell me that it's done,† she said. Tears welled up in her eyes and I felt as if I would break down with her if she started sobbing now. â€Å"No,† I said. â€Å"He and the others are on their way here. Through Ben Hinnon, so it will be a few hours. But I have a plan.† I pulled the ying-yang amulet that Joy had given me out of my tunic and waved it before them. â€Å"Your plan is to bribe Joshua with ugly jewelry?† asked Martha. I pointed to the tiny stoppers on either side of the amulet. â€Å"No, my plan is to poison him.† I explained how the poison worked to Mary and Martha and then we waited, counting the time in our imaginations, watching in our mind's eyes as the apostles made their way through Jerusalem, out the Essene gate, into the steep valley of Ben Hinnon, where thousands of tombs had been carved into the rock, and where once a river had run, but now was only sage and cypress and thistles clinging to the crevices in the limestone. After several hours we went outside to wait in the street, then when the moon started down and the night made way into early morning, we saw a single figure coming from the west, not the south as we had expected. As he got closer I could tell from heavy shoulders and the moon shining on his bald pate that it was John. â€Å"They took him,† he said. â€Å"At Gethsemane. Annas and Caiphais came themselves, with Temple guards, and they took him.† Maggie ran into my arms and buried her face in my chest. I reached out and pulled Martha close as well. â€Å"What was he doing at Gethsemane?† I said. â€Å"You were supposed to be coming here through Ben Hinnon.† â€Å"He only told you that.† â€Å"That bastard lied to me. So they arrested everyone?† â€Å"No, the others are hiding not far from here. Peter tried to fight the guards, but Joshua stopped him. Joshua negotiated with the priests to let us go. Joseph came too, he helped talk them into letting the rest of us go.† â€Å"Joseph? Joseph betrayed him?† â€Å"I don't know,† said John. â€Å"Judas was the one that led them to Gethsemane. He pointed Joshua out to the guards. Joseph came later, when they were about to arrest the rest of us.† â€Å"Where did they take him?† â€Å"To the palace of the high priest. That's all I know, Biff. I promise.† He sat down hard in the middle of the street and began to weep. Martha went to him and cradled his head to her breast. Maggie looked up at me. â€Å"He knew you would fight. That's why he sent you here.† â€Å"The plan doesn't change,† I said. â€Å"We just have to get him back so we can poison him.† John looked up from Martha's embrace. â€Å"Did you change sides when I wasn't here?† Wednesday At first light Maggie and I were pounding on Joseph's door. A servant let us in. When Joseph came out from his bedchamber I had to hold Maggie back to keep her from attacking him. â€Å"You betrayed him!† â€Å"I did not,† said Joseph. â€Å"John said you were with the priests,† I said. â€Å"I was. I followed them up to keep them from killing Joshua for trying to escape, or in self-defense, right there at Gethsemane.† â€Å"What do you mean, ‘in self-defense'?† â€Å"They want him dead, Maggie,† Joseph said. â€Å"They want him dead, but they don't have the authority to execute him, don't you understand that? If I hadn't been there they could have murdered him and said that he'd attacked them first. The Romans are the only ones who have the authority to have someone killed.† â€Å"Herod had John the Baptist killed,† I said. â€Å"There were no Romans involved in that.† â€Å"Jakan and his thugs stone people all of the time,† Maggie said. â€Å"Without Roman approval.† â€Å"Think, you two. This is Passover week. The city is crawling with Romans watching for rebellious Jews. The entire Sixth Legion is here, plus all of Pilate's personal guard from Caesarea. Normally there'd only be a handful. The high priests, the Sanhedrin, the Pharisee council, even Herod will think twice before they do anything outside the letter of Roman law. Don't panic. There hasn't even been a trial in the Sanhedrin yet.† â€Å"When will there be a trial?† â€Å"This afternoon, probably. They have to bring everyone in. The prosecution is gathering witnesses against Joshua.† â€Å"What about witnesses for him?† I asked. â€Å"That's not how it works,† said Joseph. â€Å"I'll speak for him, and so will my friend Nicodemus, but other than that Joshua will have to defend himself.† â€Å"Swell,† Maggie said. â€Å"Who is prosecuting him?† â€Å"I thought you'd know,† Joseph said, cringing slightly. â€Å"The one who started the Sanhedrin plots against Joshua the other two times, Jakan bar Iban.† Maggie whirled around and glared at me. â€Å"You should have killed him.† â€Å"Me? You had seventeen years to push the guy down the steps or something.† â€Å"There's still time,† she said. â€Å"That won't help Joshua now,† said Joseph. â€Å"Just hope that the Romans won't hear his case.† â€Å"You sound as if he's already convicted,† I said. â€Å"I'll do my best.† Joseph didn't sound very confident. â€Å"Get us in to see him.† â€Å"And let them arrest the two of you? I don't think so. You stay here. You can have the upper rooms to yourselves. I'll come back or send word as soon as anything happens.† Joseph hugged Maggie and kissed her on the top of the head, then left the room to get dressed. â€Å"Do you trust him?† Maggie said. â€Å"He warned Joshua before when they wanted to kill him.† â€Å"I don't trust him.† Maggie and I waited all day in the upper room, jumping to our feet every time we heard footsteps going by in the street, until we were exhausted and shaking from worry. I asked one of Joseph's servant girls to go down to the palace of the high priest to see what was going on. She returned a short time later to report that the trial was still going on. Maggie and I made a nest of the cushions under the wide arched window in the front, so we could hear the slightest noise coming from the street, but as night started to fall, the footsteps became fewer and farther between, the distant singing from the Temple faded, and we settled into each other's arms, a single lump of low, agonizing grief. Sometime after dark we made love together for the first time since the night before Joshua and I left for the Orient. All those years had passed, and yet it seemed familiar. That first time, so long ago, making love was a desperate way to share the grief we felt because we were each about to lose someone we loved. This time we were losing the same person. This time, we slept afterward. Joseph of Arimathea didn't come home. Thursday It was Simon and Andrew who stormed up the steps to wake us Thursday morning. I threw my tunic over Maggie and jumped to my feet in just a loincloth. As soon as I saw Simon I felt the heat rise in my face. â€Å"You treacherous bastard!† I was too angry to hit him. I just stood there screaming at him. â€Å"You coward!† â€Å"It wasn't him,† screamed Andrew in my ear. â€Å"It wasn't me,† said Simon. â€Å"I tried to fight the guards when they came to get Joshua. Peter and I both did.† â€Å"Judas was your friend. You and your Zealot bullshit!† â€Å"He was your friend too.† Andrew pushed me away. â€Å"Enough! It wasn't Simon. I saw him face two guards with spears. Leave him be. We don't have time for your tantrum, Biff. Joshua is being flogged at the high priest's palace.† â€Å"Where's Joseph?† Maggie said. She'd dressed while I had been railing at Simon. â€Å"He's gone on to the praetorium that Pilate set up at the Antonia Palace by the Temple.† â€Å"What the hell's he doing there if Joshua is being beaten at the palace in this end of the city?† â€Å"That's where they'll take Joshua next. He was convicted of blasphemy, Biff. They want a death sentence. Pontius Pilate is the ruling authority in Judea. Joseph knows him, he's going to ask for Joshua's release.† â€Å"What do we do? What do we do?† I was starting to get hysterical. Since I could remember, my friendship with Joshua had been my anchor, my reason for being, my life; now it, he, was running toward destruction like a storm-driven ship to a reef, and I couldn't think of a thing to do but panic. â€Å"What do we do? What do we do?† I panted, the breath refusing to fill my lungs. Maggie grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me. â€Å"You have a plan, remember.† She tugged on the amulet around my neck. â€Å"Right, right,† I said, taking a deep breath. â€Å"Right. The plan.† I grabbed my tunic and slipped it over my head. Maggie helped me wrap the sash. â€Å"I'm sorry, Simon,† I said. He forgave me with the wave of a hand. â€Å"What do we do?† â€Å"If they're taking Joshua to the praetorium, that's where we go. If Pilate releases him then we'll need to get him out of there. There's no telling what Josh will do to get them to kill him.† We were waiting along with a huge crowd outside the Antonia Palace when the Temple guards brought Joshua to the front gates. The high priest, Caiaphas, wearing his blue robes and with a jewel-encrusted chest piece, led the procession. His father, Annas, who had been the high priest previously, followed right behind. A column of guards surrounded Joshua in the middle of the procession. We could just see him amid the guards, and I could tell that someone had put a fresh tunic on him, but there were stripes of blood soaking through the back. He looked as if he was in a trance. There was a great deal of posturing and shouting between the Temple guards, and from somewhere in the procession Jakan came forward and started arguing with the soldiers as well. It was obvious that the Romans were not going to let the Temple guards enter the praetorium, so the transfer of the prisoner was going to take place there at the gate or not at all. I was measuring whether I could sneak through the crowd, snap Jakan's neck, and sneak back out without jeopardizing our plan when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked around to see Joseph of Arimathea. â€Å"At least it wasn't a Roman scourge they lashed him with. He took thirty-nine lashes, but it was just leather, not the lead-tipped whip that the Romans use. That would have killed him.† â€Å"Where were you? What took so long?† â€Å"The prosecution took forever. Jakan went on half the night, taking testimony from witnesses who had obviously never even heard of Joshua, let alone seen any crime.† â€Å"What about the defense?† asked Maggie. â€Å"Well, I put forth a defense of good deeds, but it was so overwhelmed by the accusations that it was lost in the noise. Joshua didn't say a word in his own defense. They asked him if he was the Son of God and he said yes. That confirmed the blasphemy charge. It's all they needed, really.† â€Å"What happens now? Did you talk to Pilate?† â€Å"I did.† â€Å"And?†

Book Theif by Markus Zusak Essay

Most good novels allow the reader to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. Through language, characterisation and relationships the author is able to illustrate significant social issues. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a tremendously powerful book which captures key significant social issues of the power of words in Nazi Germany; Hitler’s manipulation of words and how people can find comfort in literature, as well as a means of escape. In the ‘Book Thief’, Zusak constantly emphasises the remarkable power and impact words have in relation to the corrupt world of World War Two. Through the use of descriptive language he is able to broaden the readers understanding of Hitler’s abuse of power by manipulating words and propaganda on the German people. Emotions of empathy are evoked when Liesel realizes that Hitler is the reason for her misery; adding to the loss of her childhood innocence. She comes to realize that Hitler is responsible for the war, her brother’s death, mothers suffering and why Max is sent to a concentration camp. â€Å"The words were thrown at the steps and Liesel could feel the slush of anger, stirring hotly in her stomach. ‘ I hate the fuhrer,’ she said. I hate him. † Zusak uses a metaphor, linked with imagery, dialogue and short sentences while at the same time reflecting emotive language to make me realise the importance of the power of words. Words are a powerful persuasive weapon of Hitler’s, and both Liesel, and I come to realise that, ‘without words the Fuhrer was nothing. ’ In this way Zusak has used Hitler’s manipulation of words to not only highlight the power of words in the ‘Book Thief’, but in our real world. Throughout Liesel’s journey Zusak clearly illustrates her growing understanding of Hitler’s manipulation of the power of words. And that he also proves that the power of words can be appreciated, while acting as a means of escape from the living reality, of war. Literature becomes Liesel’s sanity and without it she’d be far lost in the Nazi Germany Regime. So out of pure vengeance and anger, she rebels against Hitler by stealing books, while furthermore satisfying her hunger for reading. â€Å"She could smell the pages. She could almost taste the words as they stacked up around her. † This thus points out Liesel’s relationship and deep connection she shares with literature, by using a metaphor. Everyone needs to escape reality for a little while, to find beauty in the darkest hours, to keep their sanity, to survive. For Hans it is his accordion, Death’s is the colours, and for Max it is telling his story via art and literature. Yet of course Liesel too needs an escape, and she is able to find this from words and literature. By finding an escape route, Liesel’s knowledge of the power of words endures to build, and expand as she is able to appreciate literature. Liesel’s journey of escaping the horror delivers not only beauty and a hope to survive but allows her to find comfort through literature. I find this rather ironic, that she is able to bring comfort to her-self and others from literature, when before words only served her misery. â€Å"She couldn’t tell exactly where the words came from. What mattered was that they reached her. They arrived and kneeled next to the bed. † Zusak brings to attention; the idea of that literature is capable of accomplishing and bringing comfort to Liesel by using personification and imagery. But then again, within reading Liesel is not just able to comfort herself but can soothe others by understanding the true capacity words have, in relation that they can cause both pain and happiness. †¦But at least they were distracted now, by the girl with the book. † Through language and the overall use of irony, Zusak reinforces Liesel’s strong connection with literature, while engaging myself, the reader into the deeper meanings of the written text; that in means can provide comfort and an escape. By the author allowing the reader to, ‘walk a mile in someone else’s shoes’ social issues are evidently propounded. Markus Zusak has successfully demonstrated the significant social issues of, Hitler’s manipulation and abuse of power through words, and the appreciation of literature by providing escape and comfort in the Book Thief.

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Catastrophic Terrorism - Research Paper Example Peace is friendly, peace is helpful, it is merciful and for these reasons, it validates itself as an indispensable requirement in any country. Terrorism has serious ramifications on various sectors of the economy, children and development of a country as a whole. To ensure continuity, oneness and communalism in the society, the issue of terrorism must be dealt with and ensure that peace prevails in the midst of all the citizens. Global terrorism has been on the rise in the last couple of years and as much as it has been met with a considerable amount of retaliation by the world’s superpower, it has not been completely dealt a major blow to an extent that it can cease. Terrorism has a number of definitions but the simplest one is â€Å"the illegitimate use of combat methods or force to achieve a certain political objective by targeting innocent people (Bruce, 2015). Further, it can also be referred to as a â€Å"set of combat methods rather than a recognizable ideology or a movement and involves use of violence against the innocent people to inflict a psychological effect of fear on others other the immediate targets (Bruce, 2015). While the effects of terrorism cannot be quantified, catastrophic terrorism aims at victimizing a large number of people, causing more damage to a larger proportion; otherwise called mass destruction. Today’s terrorism, whether local, regional or international act on greater variety of motives than it has been before. Accessibility to weapons of mass destruction such as nuclear devices, germ dispensers, poison gas weapons and even more interestingly, computer viruses has made the world that we live in more vulnerable to catastrophic terrorism. Catastrophic terrorism has become more of a possibility now due to dependence of technology and this has facilitated the terrorists with an easy way to targets. Catastrophic terrorism poses a major threat now more than ever before due to use of

Networking is the most important skill a new manager needs to develop Essay

Networking is the most important skill a new manager needs to develop if they are to be successful in their sector - Essay Example Today in fact every business faces fast changes and new opportunities constantly. That requires from managers to keep trace on the recent developments in terms of products, customers, employees, and so on, and that makes one of the most critical managerial skill to be networking (Pfeffer, J. 2009). Every successful manager has a priori several traits, which help him to network. He or she can certainly do well such things as: talk, listen and hear, remember names of people, keep in mind the news related to the company’s products, industry news, staff changes, etc. Such a manager knows his or her colleagues good, has good relations with them, knows what is going on in the organization and outside. All that gives additional advantages, for example, to apply for a position, which have just become vacant, or to get involved in an interesting project, about which not many people know, etc. Such a manager values his or her connections, tries to keep and develop them. He or she never burns bridges, for example when leaves some place in a bad situation, he or she will try his or her best to save good relations with people, because there is a very big chance to meet them in life later, may be in other roles. Networking assumes the ability to speak good. In order to develop speaking skills a person needs to practice them. Toastmasters’ clubs exist to become a great speaker and to find new acquaintances. In order to find new acquaintances a person needs to have deep knowledge in at least several general topics to be able to talk about, say football, music, and politics. In this case there is a very big probability that a person will be able to keep communication with somebody whom he or she sees the first time in life. Knowing other cultures and other languages increases the networking opportunities greatly. In case you know a foreign language you may

Anything Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 7

Anything - Essay Example I could feel that I was no longer active. I felt lethargic and sluggish all the time. I was most of the time feeling sleepy during classes and while doing homework. I would quickly lose my breath after some walk. My parents got very much concerned, and took me to a physician, who referred me to a nutritionist after getting to know my eating habits. The nutritionist was an angel in disguise, who convinced me that my poor eating habits, too much consumption of junk food, and scarcity of healthy food in my diet, led my weight to increase. He told me that obesity was a growing concern, which brought with it a lot of diseases. I followed his advice and food charts, and started including healthy food in my diet. Leaving all the pizzas, burgers, and cakes was the hardest task for me in the world. But, I was determined to gain back my health; and, now, after two years of my decision, I have been able to shed my extra pounds, and feel quite active all the

The Modern History of Computing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Modern History of Computing - Essay Example The source will trace the history of computers from early 1900s to the modern times. It will equally provide information relating to technological changes over that period and considerably highlight the contribution of computer technology innovators like Atanasoff, Babbage, and Colossus. The recognition of the book’s authors, its proper citations, worldwide sponsorships, and relevant outsourcing, promote the credibility and authoritativeness of the source. Additionally, the source document is equally factual, easy to read and understand. Hence, it is relevant to the topic. Ensmenger, Nathan "Who Invented the Computer? The Legal Battle That Changed Computing History." American Scientist 91.5 (2003): 467-468. Although the book is long and loses focus on the main issue about computer inventions, it is relevant to scholarly work. The source will help me to understand a legal case that explains Atanasoff as the actual inventor of the modern computer. However, although the judgeâ₠¬â„¢s ruling on this case is questionable, the authority of the author and the information will be applicable in this study. A more balanced and broader book on computer history would be more appropriate. Hodges,  Andrew. ... Additionally, the source will highlight the limitations of early computers as well as showing a brief history of computers. The source is authoritative and relevant. It is consistent with other sources on computer information and is widely recognized by many organizations. The author is highly knowledgeable and recognized. The planning and writing of this source document is easy to read and understand. Thus, the source document is widely applicable and relevant in this study. Miller, Stephen. "Pioneer Programmer Shaped The Evolution of Computers." Wall Street Journal - Eastern Edition 14 Oct. 2011: A. Newspaper Source The wall street journal is a prominent academic material and its authority in information is reliable. The document helps me in analyzing information on the inventors of computer programming language and other software. The document will considerably highlight the contributions of Mr. Ritchie in computer technology from the early times to the recent times. It will also brief me with the difference between the early computer and modern computers. The Wall street journal is reliable in technological and business news in US. Thus, I will reasonably use this source document in my study. Rojas,  Raul and Hashagen,Ulf The first computers: history and architectures London: MIT Press, 2002 Print. This scholarly book is up-to-date with its publishing being 10 years ago. The information herein helps me to understand the origin of computers, the early computers, and their uses. Indeed, it highlights the development and components of early computers. This information will help me in analyzing the origin and development of early computers. Just like any other print media, the source

Immigration Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Immigration - Research Paper Example It is used to describe certain phenomena that are a common place in the societies. It has been described as ‘the expression of individual social life and thought through language’ (Mangaraj, para.1). Literature then becomes an important tool through which critics in a society can express their criticism on a given social issue. This field of art is important because it touches the lives of individuals, speaks to the individuals, and has universal applications (Lombardi, para.4). Whether one uses poems, drama, narrative tales, and many other genres of literature, the artist always reflects on some life story that has occurred or is likely to be witnessed. Literature and Immigration Immigration refers to the migration of individuals into a given country to be come residents of the country. Several reasons can make individuals to leave their native country to travel to foreign countries. Political upheavals, poor social set-ups, and unfavorable economic conditions are among the major factors that can force an individual out of his native country into a foreign country. This movement of individuals into another country also has challenges for the immigrants. The individuals are forced to adopt the culture of the natives of this destination country. Moreover, the immigrants are often likely to be subject of prejudice and may not enjoy all the fundamental human rights while in the foreign state. Literature has been used to tell of the ugly scenarios that immigrants encounter while in the foreign countries. While they flee their native countries to seek better life (socially, politically, or economically), the immigrants often get other barriers to their anticipated fruitful life. They suffer the consequences of the nearly cut link with their family members back at home. Besides, to minimize the level of prejudice on their children, the immigrants assimilate the children into the foreign culture. One of the literary works that express the challenges of im migration is â€Å"Under the Same Moon,† a movie by Kate Del Castillo. This gives insight into the problems encountered by young children left behind by their parents who have migrated into the US to look for jobs to support their families. Another literary work is a poem â€Å"Immigrants† by Pat Mora. In the poem, Mora describes how the immigrants are obliged to have their children grow completely in the foreign culture so that they can be accepted in the society. Under the Same Moon Under the same Moon is a Mexican-American movie that features a nine-year old Mexican moppet who has been separated from his mother since he was five. In order to provide a better life for her son, the mother, Rosario, migrated illegally to the United States from Mexico. Looking for employment is one of the many reasons that see several immigrants into the United States. Rosario gets a job as a domestic worker in Los Angeles while the nine-year old Carlitos stays with his ageing and ailin g grandmother who eventually passes away (The Internet Movie Database, para.1). Even though they are separated, the mother and son have tried to keep in touch. Rosario and Carlitos have been communicating through phone, his mother using the same pay phone every week (Catsoulis, para.2). This would later enable the boy to locate his mother in Los Angeles. After the death of his grandmother,

Module - Human Resource Mgt in Aviation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Module - Human Resource Mgt in Aviation - Essay Example But this approach ignores other factors that influence the behaviour of workers such as design and organization of work and employee relations. The second approach attaches great importance to the factors, actions and decisions affecting the organization-employee relationship and tries to satisfy all the stakeholders (management, shareholders, society, etc.). To achieve this it is necessary to develop the following basic policies: human resource flow, reward systems that satisfy all employees, influence the employees to take responsibility and efficient working systems. In WBSM approach it is necessary to take into account both the increasing complexity of the environment and the need to define the role of the Human Resources department due to the fact that the line managers get involved in the actual actions of the HRM department. Ultimately, the new trend is to link the personnel policies with the political objectives of the company, and to deal with the impact of strategic decisions in the administration of human resources and not simply to deal with operational problems. At the same time, the executives motivate and encourage so as everybody will dedicate themselves to the company and its objectives. A feature of the new trend is also the shift of the negotiation of union workers from the national level at the enterprise level and indeed the trend is, each worker to be treated separately in terms of working conditions and not en masse, as was common until recently. THE IMPORTANCE OF HUMAN RESOURCES FUNCTION It was reported earlier that the environment in which businesses operate is highly competitive and a business in order to survive must respond to new data. (globalization, new technologies, continuous effort to innovate, the collapse of economic borders, etc.). For businesses today, human resources can play a key role and create a sustainable competitive advantage for the them, provided the new strategy of Human Resource Management is based on the flexibility of working conditions, namely: the ability of workers to take up and carry out a wide range of responsibilities (operational flexibility) the possibility of different contract types (numerical flexibility), flexibility in working hours, and remuneration based on individual performance and skills of each employee (flexible payment). Naturally, the Human Resources Management follows a specific strategy having certain goals. The primary goal is to improve productivity through the solution of personnel problems, cooperation with executives and participation of them. In parallel, an effort to improve the quality of the workplace takes place, HRM ensures the firm complies with all conditions of the requirements of the legislative framework, and special importance is given to the efficient use of employees in order to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. The aim therefore is to provide flexible personnel that can and will have

A comparative study of the use of replacement pile foundations versus Assignment

A comparative study of the use of replacement pile foundations versus displacement pile foundations - Assignment Example The intention of this study are pile foundations as the structural parts that are involved with carrying and transferring the structural loads to the ground at a depth that is below the surface of the ground. The pile foundation mainly consists of the piles and the pile caps. Piles are long members that are also slender and carry out the function of transferring the loads to deep soils which have high load bearing capacities. Piles are mainly constructed using concrete, wood and steel. They are classified according to various standards which are dependent on the type of soil, material used to construct the pile and the characteristics of the piles to transmit loads. Piles are fixed to the ground through such processes as drilling, jacking, or driving them to connect to the pile caps. In basic point of view terms, piles can be broadly classified into two groups; displacement piles or driven piles and replacement or bored piles. Displacement piles are formed prior to being fixed to the ground through whatever mechanism, be it driving, jacking, screwing or hammering to the ground. Replacement piles are formed after a hole is dug into the ground in which the pile is formed. There are various other modes of classifying piles such as the mode of the load bearing material capacity. This paper will however focus on the replacement vs. the displacement piles. A comparative study of the use of these two types of piles will be given... They are classified according to various standards which are dependent on the type of soil, material used to construct the pile and the characteristics of the piles to transmit loads. Piles are fixed to the ground through such processes as drilling, jacking, or driving them to connect to the pile caps. In basic point of view terms, piles can be broadly classified into two groups; displacement piles or driven piles and replacement or bored piles. Displacement piles are formed prior to being fixed to the ground through whatever mechanism, be it driving, jacking, screwing or hammering to the ground. Replacement piles are formed after a hole is dug into the ground in which the pile is formed. There are various other modes of classifying piles such as the mode of the load bearing material capacity. This paper will however focus on the replacement vs. the displacement piles. A comparative study of the use of these two types of piles will be given (Berezantsev, 1961). Classification of pile s Piles are classified according to various means. This part of the paper will look at the various classification methods. Piles can be classified according to the method used for load transmission and the resulting functional behavior (Whitaker, 1970). Pile classification according to load transmission method In this group of piles, there are three subdivisions; end or point bearing piles, friction or cohesion piles and a combination of both friction and cohesion piles. End bearing piles These types of piles perform load transfer to the firm stratum that is located way deep into the structural base. Most of their carrying capacity results from the resistance to penetration of the soil below them. The figure below shows a

Villagers remain upbeat despite tight cutbacks Essay Example for Free

Villagers remain upbeat despite tight cutbacks Essay Orange County – There was absolutely nothing left to do, 39 year-old Mr. Berger, an office clerk, decided to sell his latest model of LED television he just purchased the other year to a well-off friend, the economic crisis steeply increasing his weekly budget deficit. â€Å"I believe its the high spending we do everyday amid threats from financial meltdown thats taking its toll on us lately,† Mr. Berger said. It is no small irony that while unemployment rate has blown only 9. 5% of the population today against the 10% in the first quarter this year, the figure could not justify how some of the residents continue to lose their jobs. What may add insult to injury is the sharp decrease in prices of U. S. Imports from 0. 5 last month to 1. 3 today, outweighing the July 2009 1. 3% decline (Bureau of Labor Statistics). Mr. Berger is just part of the growing fraction of the figure promising to outnumber those working in a cozy office. Poking his way through a small, rough tenement just a few blocks from his house, he was looking for a viable job that could stand the present economic turmoil. The number of jobless persons for over 27 weeks remained at 6. 8 million, which covers 45. % of the total unemployed citizens all over the country while those who are working part-time involuntarily either because they could not find full-time employment or their working hours were reduced compose another 8. 6 million (Bureau of Labor Statistics). Taking advantage â€Å"I speculate some self-centered politicians are now using the economic crisis as their political tack to keep hold on power. The idea is simply that no single grou p is better equipped to release the plagues from Pandoras box and choke the very things it spawned than the most desperate gang in town. This time making itself the champion of economic crisis,† lamented Mr. Anderson. Mr. Anderson, 40, was forced to move his family to Mississippi and currently lives here on yet another mortgaged property, something he might lose again should the cutbacks realign sharply upward. It has a leaky roof, a clear sign the family is going through tough times. â€Å"I have no choice but to relocate again,† he said. History repeats itself The economy of the United States of America holds the highest rank in the world, its GDP being estimated to rich a nominal value of $14. 2 trillion last year. The US labor market has been attracting immigrants abroad and holds the largest number of migration rates streaming in. It has nested the biggest stock exchanges, thereby becoming one of the worlds most influential financial markets. But these facts did not prevent the history of the 1930s, the Great Depression, from repeating itself, this time with an equally forceful blow to different sectors. Fearing to see another Great Depression whipping the country, when the fangs of recession appeared to be a serious threat, the government sought many answers to solve economic problems. It took on a course of allowing consumers to spend more by exerting heavily itself or cutting taxes. It fostered rapid growth in the money supply, which also encouraged more spending. It can be recalled that economic woes brought on by the costs of the Vietnam conflict, major price increases, particularly for energy, created a strong fear of inflation. As a result, government put more concentration on controlling inflation than on combating recession by limiting spending and tightening credit. Economic crisis quickly creeps through different places, wherever financial stability gives its way, affecting a not so small portion of the population. The recession in the last two years might have been the worst since the Great Depression but there are no labor forecasts that have to do with the same fate employment suffered during those times. â€Å"Its a pain that we had to cut on our weekly budget and sacrifice our luxuries to prioritize our foremost needs. And were not alone on this, almost everyone in the neighborhood is feeling the effects of the crisis striking them,† Mrs. Cowell said. Mother to four, Mrs. Cowell, 41, had to stop sending Makky, her eldest, to school to give way to the others still studying in high school, an alarming scenario which led to an entirely different behavior acted by his eldest. This is just one of the fall-outs experienced by the family. Economists say the economy might start to flourish by third quarter of the year. However, quick make up of the employment rate may take place later by end of year, the setbacks having been too rough of late. Brian Fabbri, chief North American economist for BNP Paribas, said the efforts of the Obama administration to flood the economy with $800 billion and the buying up of credits along with shoring up of banks by the Federal Reserve may put an end to this. I believe the government can â€Å"I suspect Obama and some allies in Congress can prove themselves to be the powerhouse of stability in one of Americas most trying times, thus, preventing the country from sinking into the utter pits of despair. I hope he will do, having the public behind him,† Mr.  Gardner, 42, said optimistically. â€Å"I would love to see nothing else but a government eager to pluck us out of the groveling depths of global financial meltdown,† he added. Mr. Gardner recalled how he has constantly been a victim of economic failure. He and his soft-spoken wife, Kelly, lived in Ireland for more than a decade only to witness the dwindling economy which forced everybody to go out and look for a greener pasture. â€Å"We felt like nothing awaits us in there, no other choice but to leave Ireland,† he exclaimed. If only the government would take radical reforms and slash in its superfluous spending, perhaps in less than a year the economy would begin to grow again steadily. But if this would remain unmitigated for the next months, it probably may not just end up in burying this country to the pits of despair, it may also lead to bitter strife between the government and the labor force ,† Mr. Gardner foretold. Still upbeat â€Å"With the rate of pace our government is taking on, I guess we can all do pitching in behind someone fired up by the passion of saving his country by restoring economic stability,† Mrs.  Dolloy sh owed optimism. Though affected by the uneasiness associated with realigning home budgets and luxuries, Mrs. Dolloy continues to hold to what she has been hoping as a savior snail that would come someday in the form of stable economy, massive opening of full time jobs, and fairly low commodity prices. Today President Obama boasts that his country shows signs of getting back to its feet in just one year time after a major setback in the last two years.

Effect of Demand on Supply on Coffee and Sugar Prices

Effect of Demand on Supply on Coffee and Sugar Prices Table of Contents (jump to) Introduction Economic Concepts Article Analysis Title: Coffee shortage may arise due to drought, climate change, rising demand, analysts say Conclusions Reference Introduction Microeconomics deals with economic decisions at micro level. It looks at the behaviour of the individual, people and companies within the economy. Being based on the idea of the market economy in which the consumer demand is the main driver for the prices and production levels of goods and services. It is basically inclined to explain how the interested parties choose in using limited resources being made available to them. It also focuses on the drivers of making decisions and the ways in which such decisions of them affect the demand and supply of specific goods and services. For the following article also I have choosen the effect of demand on supply on prices of two commodities as coffee and sugar. Economic Concepts The study of demand and supply on price due to the climate changes, where the prices increase due to the shortage of commodities or products and supply is short and where the demand is high is being discussed in the article. Article Analysis Title: Coffee shortage may arise due to drought, climate change, rising demand, analysts say Source: The Washington Post, February 21, 2014 When we discuss about the microeconomics we mean the study of economic behaviour of individual units of economy and not aggregate economy. It is basically concerned with the individual economic choices, the effect of changes in these factors on individual decision makers, how choices are coordinated of them and how demand and prices are determined. It so deals with the economic decisions made at low or micro level. The effect of demand and supply on a product of economy is updated while going through the article updated on February 21, 2014 which is explaining how Coffee shortage has arise and its impact on demand. The article thus explains that by the time of year in February, the delicate Arabica coffee plants which are in mountains of Brazil, where from most of the coffee comes, are about to mature by this time. The fragrant flowers appear followed by cherry like fruit, which each of them containing two seeds as Arabica Coffee beans, which are most popular in the world. But coffee shortage aroused due to the worst drought occurred last month in Brazil coffee belt region, thereby destroying the crop yields and causing the price of coffee to shoot up with a percentage of more than 50 this year. Drought being historic and more than 140 cities in Brazil was forced to ration water, whereby according to some newspapers drought was so devastating that some neighborhoods of Brazil were receiving water every three days only. But according to Jack Scoville (a future market analyst) now the retail price of coffee has been stable. But their could be chances for the rise in price of Arabica beans then this year consumers would notice an increase in the prices of their coffee. Therefore this is a case of demand increase and supply shortage whereby putting an impact on the prices by increasing them. The resultant of such a drought was the rise in price per pound of coffee which was meant for delivery due in March had reached the highest point around $1.72 in 14 months. There could be global coffee deficit were assumed before drought had to arise. Therefore for the first time in three years the global market of coffee would face shortage. So the predictions for the session 2014-15 were that the coffee supplies would be lowered by 5 million bags. But according to the last years data there was so much coffee that Arabica coffee futures has fell down by 25% and according to experts the price of coffee would rose for long time period just because of people in developing markets like Brazil, China and India are acquiring a taste for coffee. Higher prices and more competition will be seen due to high quality of coffee according to a coffee buyer and sustainability manger as Kim Elena Ionescu. The developing world made coffee and the developed world had drunk it. But now the scenario has changed and the developing countries are also consuming coffee alongwith making it. More people are involved in drinking better coffee according to what is mentioned in the article. Therefore demand will continue to make a shortage in supply. But there are considerable concerns that the climate change will also hamper the supply of coffee as it had happened in Brazil due to drought. This climate change in Brazil brought drastic changes in the price of coffee with the increase in its demand and shortage in supply as people preferred coffee over tea as many don’t like tea and prefer to have coffee in morning everyday. The taste of coffee has so long lasting effect that it makes the individual addicted to coffee have coffee even at high prices. To explain the above statement concerning the increase in price,the above graph mentions that with the increase in demand of coffee the demand curve shifted to the right and the quantity demanded increased from Q1 to Q2 and price increased from P1 to P2. The Brazilian company has various thoughts on such a situation when it happened to be the worst drought as it would put the company in risk for their supply chain of Arabica coffee bean as mentioned in the article by the head of sustainability, Starbucks in 2011. As this company is the worlds renowned Company for selling coffee with high quality and variety which attracts the customers to have coffee from Starbucks store only. To explain the above statement, the above graph thus shows how coffee prices are increasing from P1 to P2 and the demand curve is shifting to right due to increasing demand of coffee, but the supply curve shifts to left showing that there is shortage of coffee. According to the article it is mentioned correctly that many people like sugar in their coffee and for them as Brazil along with being the maker of coffee is the world’s largest producer of sugar, due to such conditions of drought is forced to take action as to disrupt plans for harvesting sugar cane. So the future prices of sugar tend to be at a rise and are at high level from the past two months due to the effect of climate change. Therefore the article has made it clear the after effects of climate change as drought on the production of coffee beans and as well on production of sugar cane. This had made the worse situation for the economy as supply chain has also being effected and due to the shortage in supply and increase in demand of coffee and sugar as well had made the prices of sugar and coffee to rise. This article thus made me to realize a situation where people would suffer due to the high costs and it may affect their purchasing power as well. As people would tend to earn in such a economy as they were earning earlier but in crises situation their income would also be affected as the company would not be able to pay much but in such a situation people who have to purchase emergency goods as coffee to satisfy their needs will purchase it at high cost no matter their income allows to purchase at high prices and sugar which is the more necessary commodity is also to be purchased by them at high cost. These sorts of purchases will affect their purchasing power to purchase other commodities which are less essential but yet in their need criteria to be left out as such. This decision is taken in a microeconomic environment. Therefore the country involved in producing the Arabica beans for the production of coffee is forced to think in future aspects of the increase in price of coffee to affect its supply chain as well, to come to a optimal solution to get rid of this problem in such a situation. As more and more people are inclined towards having coffee and one who is habitual to having coffee cannot be without it as coffee is also included in a drink which creates addiction for the individuals who are in regular use of coffee. Conclusions The article has a clear analysis of the increase in price of commodity due to the increase in demand but decrease in supply. As there is shortage of supplying the coffee due to the climatic changes so the prices of the coffee are at hike and the demand is also at hike accordingly. Therefore the article is showing a clear picture of the microeconomic situation and the study of economic theory as well. The economic theory so suggests the demand and supply are the main constraints for a product or commodity and are sometimes opposite in curve and sometimes run parallel by keeping any one constraint as demand or supply as constant with changes in price. Reference Yang, J., (2014), Coffee shortage may arise due to drought, climate change, rising demand, analysts say, [Article], Available: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/2014/02/21/0f16ed44-9b28-11e3-975d-107dfef7b668_story.html [Accessed 7 May 2014]

Analyzing The Financial Statements Personal Development Essay

Analyzing The Financial Statements Personal Development Essay My Goals: I want to excel in my MBA in financial services by getting A grade. What do I want/need to learn? What will I do to achieve this? What resources or support will I need? What will my success criteria be? Target dates for review and completion. How have I chosen these dates? Communication skills: Become a good listener. Understanding verbal and non-verbal ( body language, eye contact, gestures etc) Listing is one of the most important tools in communication. I scored 39 in a quiz which was by Dr Guffey which so good but I can still improve my listing skills. By listening other people, documentary, news etc I can improve my listing skills. Books on how to become a good listener by authors like Kratz (1995), Pramila Ahuja GC Ahuja (2007) and Lisa J Downs (2008). By understanding the body language, eye contact etc I can improve my skills. I can take feedbacks from the people to whom I talk and ask them about my weather am I a good listener or not. Giving attention on my body language while communicating with others with this I can know that I have become a good listener or not. Communication is most important tool even in personal or professional life. Without effective listening it is difficult to collect all information. Hence it is very important so to improve this is set a target date of 28th march 2011 the end of my second semester. Quantitative Analysis skills: For understanding financial data both graphs and numeric terms. Analysis and application of accounting principles For making, analyzing the financial statements. Analysis and concentration on financial figures of these selected companies: Reliance Industries ltd., Maruti Suzuki, B.M.W., and Sony. By observing and critical analyzing and comparing the past financial performances of different selected companies. Follow the stock exchange for getting knowledge about the share value and position of these companies. Using online recourses: FAME, GMID, Mintel, Financial Times etc. Reading of business newspapers and magazines. Using media like news channels and documentary of different scholars. I also refer many financial accounting books like Clyde P Stickney (2009). For getting and understanding full knowledge about financial terms, and getting good scores in my finance module. Understanding the financial structure of the economy. Understanding different financial ratios and balance sheets, cash flow statement, spread sheets etc. Long target date: 15th September 2010. As I am doing Global Finance for my M.B.A. I have to keep my eye on analyzing these key terms which help me in making my finance assignments. Time management skills: Differentiating the priorities of my tasks. Planning Manage interruptions. Listing tasks as par their priorities like urgent, important, deadline etc. Using time table for the work which is to be done. I can start doing meditation so that I have better Concentration to do the work so that I can avoid distractions. Using technology like using reminders on mobile phones. By making time table and charts for the plans. Maintain daily dairy and planners for keeping eye on the progress of task. Punctual and on time completion of task easily. Finishing the work or assignments easily and before time as I can review it. Not getting panic till the deadline of submissions of assignments. Time management is a very important and tool for an individual to complete the task without distracted by unnecessary activities so I decided my target date is 28th of march when my second quadmester finishes. Presentation skills: Writing the report Delivery of speech Body language Organizing the data Doing rehearsals for the presentation. Presenting and collecting feedback from friends and colleagues. Use of technology for understanding my weak points and body language by making video. Watching the speech of scholars for understanding body language. Using internet for making my presentation more impressive. By using and making myself comfortable with the technology like using of internet and computers effectively. Reading different books and articles by the business tycoons. By studying the mandatory course books for my module ESSENTIAL GUIDE. Convey the accurate and desired message effectively. Keeping the audience attentive when I present my topic. Making myself efficient in communicating with others. Target date: 30th June,2010 In the end of my 3rd quadmester I want to make myself confident and efficient in delivering presentations. I will analyze my different videos of presentations and learn through my past experiences and doing discussion with group and friends on my skills. Learning Styles: Visual learning Reading/writing I go through a VARK quiz which tells about which learning style a person has where I scored less in visual learning and listening. It is quite difficult as I learn always from reading and writing from my childhood but they need to be improved. Reading books of different authors like Chetan Bhagat, and newspapers and novels during travelling also helps me in improving my skill. To develop my visual learning skill I will use internet and different documentaries videos. Reading books and magazines which are matches to my interest can be helpful to me in my improvement. To improve my writing skills I can take suggestions and guidance from my tutor who helps me in writing my essay or reports. Going easy and getting good grades in Essay or report writing which I have to do in my course. Learning with concentration to listen to my tutor during my lecture with the presentation that helps me in growth of both listing and visual learning styles. In my MBA course to write the assignments we need to read a lot. So it might take time to improve this skill but it is quite important to develop as to get good grades in course. My target date will be 30th of June when my third quadmester finishes. Introduction: Every individual has a unique learning style. Understanding of learning style helps an individual in improvement in his achievements in every aspect like academic, career, creativity. Learning style is a composition of different characteristics which includes cognitive, physiological and affective factors that acts as an indicator of how a learner perceives, interacts with others and responds to the learning environment (Messick, 1976). It also indicates the method which shows how a person deals with the information given to him. An individual has their own ability which mainly consist of their own styles and performance but learning style helps in understand that how a person remember things, his thinking ability or even his way of solving problem. Background: In this essay I will discuss about the different learning styles and also the factors that influences learning styles and the areas I need to develop as a learner which helps me in my academics. I will discuss my current academic skills and the skills I need to develop to do well in my MBA and to achieve my goal of getting good grades in my all assignments. Finally I will discuss about the growth of mindset which I need as a learner. As solving the questionnaire of VARK learning style I came to know that I can learn best by hearing or by read/write. This learning style is good for me in my course as in my lectures I need hear and understands what my tutor says and so learning while hearing is very important for me. Even reading and writing are very important learning styles for me in my course as I have to write a lot of reports and essays which requires a lot of research and for that read different sources. As from my tutor feedbacks from my leadership essay assignment I need to read and understand the aspects in broader way and with the help of those feedbacks I discovered few ways which helps me in developing this particular skill which are: Use of dictionary to improve my vocabulary. Reading text books and making notes. Reading newspapers or novels while travelling. Listing documentaries. Writing daily dairy. According to me with these steps I can more improve my learning style on reading and writing more. However, according to Kolb learning cycle; learning is continuous in nature it doesnt have any end. Learners need to learn different aspects from their experiences and the environment. According to Kolbs cycle reflection and internalising are the two main stages of learning and according to Honey and Mumford learning style activist, reflectors, theorist and pragmatist are the four types of learner and I think I am a pragmatist which means I learn by linking the subject matter with the problems. Pragmatist acts quickly and confidently on ideas and get straight to the point and like to get feedback and guidance and I believe feedback helps me a lot in improving my skills. Skills to be developed and improved: Apart from the learning styles there are some skills which are needed to improve academically. After understanding my course I have discovered some academic skills appropriate for the programme of the study. The following narration explains the analysis of how I found out my strengths and weakness and the resources which are required to improve and develop them within a chosen period of time Communication Skill: It is needed by any person to do well academically and it is also one of my strengths. I believe as per Birvenu (1987) communication is a process of transmitting ideas, feelings, attitudes and belief between living beings and thats why for a n effective team work communication skill is very important. According to the statement from Walter and Scott (1979) describes that I can listen well what I want to. From the feedback from my tutor my communication skills are good enough she scored me 2 out of 3 but also said me to improve my listening skills which is an important part of communication. After solving the quiz on communication of Dr. Guffey in got a feedback of good communication skills but an improvement in listening skills. It is important also as I need to work with teams in my course and if I do not listen to them properly I may not able to understand their point of view which leads to hamper on my assignments. To improve my this skill I started reading books by authors like P ramila Ahuja GC Ahuja (2007) which have a practical approach to listen effectively especially and from the book of Lisa J Downs (2008) where she discussed about the importance of self awareness in being a good listener. Time Management Skills: Art of time management is important to do the work effectively and efficiently. By a quiz on this I come to know that I am good in time management but there are some interruptions which I should manage and even I think it is my one of the biggest weaknesses. Time management plays a very important role in my academics because if I miss my classes then I may lose many of the information given by my tutor and the discussions between my group members. By doing my SWOT analysis I felt that time management can be one of my strength if I grip my interruptions well. An example from book Managing Time (2007) which is when a salesman gets interruption by his phone call during his work which leads in discontinuation of work, it happens same with me like phone ring, message beep etc interrupts my mind during my work. To manage this I need to improve my concentration level by doing some meditation and yoga exercises. Team Work: In this era to do your work you need to work in teams. As with me in my first assignment of the course I need to do a presentation with my team which consist of people of different cultures. To do well in academics I have to develop my skills of working as a team member and I do not do well than it will effect on my academics. To improve this I start getting feedbacks from my team members where I found that sometimes I am not able to understand their point of view and I do not want that my this weakness hamper my studies so I start reading books on how to work effectively in team by David Clutter buck (2007) and Michel A West (1997). In performing leadership roles an individual must be an effective team player. By doing a questionnaire of Kurt Lewin I found myself as a participative and delegative leader which is very important to lead a team, even I lead a team in my first assignment of sustainable strategy. Quantitative Analysis skills: It is deals with estimating results and computational operations. It reflects the ability of analytic skills. I consider as accountancy is one of my weaknesses and I want develop this skill quickly before it effects my studies negatively. As my course is financial services I need is to have a vast and deep knowledge about the finance. I should understand the charts and numbers which are there in the module. To enhance my skills I think I should watch business channels or news channels like BBC and reading magazines like business today, and newspaper like financial times etc. with this help I can update myself with the financial market and able to understand the quantitative terms. Books like L.S. Porwal (2001) Clyde P Stickney, Kathrin Schipper; Roman L Wei (2009) also helped me a lot in improving my knowledge about balance sheet and cash flows. During the assignments of finance I analyse the financial data of Tesco PLC and Lloyds TSB Bank. This also helps in improving my finance ski lls. Presentation skills: Presentation skills are required for effective communication in both speech and written format. For this skill I need to improve my delivery of speech, body language and organising and writing of data. I planned to do rehearsals and collecting feedbacks from my mentors and group members. Even watching different speeches and documentaries of scholars on internet website like YouTube etc also helped me effectively to improve my skills. A good presenter must keep the attention of the audience towards himself and to gain this ability I think I should do time to time rehearsals before my final presentation. Using of technology by watching my video of giving presentation also helps me in identifying my weak points. Conclusion: After evaluating my core skills and by doing questionnaires and getting feedback from both the tutors and team members I can conclude that my strength lays in motivation powers either self or others. I manage my time effectively and I am a kinaesthetic leader and to do well in my studies I should attend classes and discussions. I should take advantage of my skill of participative and delegative leader in leading a team by delegate appropriate work to each member and by taking participate in their work. However, I also need to learn accounting principles and rules and ways of effective presentation and listing others and others point of view with managing interruptions and taking feedbacks which helps me in achieving my goal of becoming an MBA in global financial services with A grade. APPENDIX: LEARNING JOURNAL Date What I did Why I did it What I learned How or where I could apply it Any improvement or development required 14.10.10 I had an introduction with my group and learn the habits of learning. Assess my core skills like cognitive, communication, problem solving, learning etc. I did it for further interaction with group members. To learn what skills I have and what I have to improve. I did SWOT Analysis on myself. I learn how to represent ourselves in the group and also learned about my best learning way. I come to know about my core skills which I had. I learned about my own weak points and plus points. I can polish my learning habits by reading in the best way in which I understand more. I can apply these skills in every part of my life. I need to improve my different core skills like communication, lake of confidence, critical thinking etc. I need to involve more with individuals in both formal and informal way. 21.10.10 I come to learn about the learning styles and took a self test on my skills. I access my academic skills and analyse the ways to develop it. As a part of my module I analyse my style of learning, which can help in my studies and discover the areas which I need to improve. By self-evaluation on my skills I come to know about my weakness and strengths. I come to know that my best leasing style is reflector by HONEY AND MUMFORDS LEARNING STYLE. I learn best when I listen or watch. I reflect or review the situation and carefully analyse them. In my lifelong learning and in my other modules I can apply it. For some detail research and in exchanging of ideas with others. I am very slow in decision making and very cautious about the things. I am lacking in small talks with other. I have to improve my lateral thinking for my decisions and planning. 28.10.10 I learn to manage my studies based on FAYOLS 5 FORCES. Took a self active listening test with group mates. I identify my study goal and discover my own management style with an organised time management and learning technologies and colleagues. For active listening I had a group discussion on my own experience and asking questions about the previous experiences. I learned how to plan my resources and time Carefully and flexibly. To create balance between the demands of family and friends. Use of relaxed body language and efficient communication skills. It will help me best in corporate sector as there I have to prove my management skills. For a communication with others active listening skills are very useful. I have to improve my listening skills and actively participate in group activity. To manage time and group in my family business with my management skills. 28.10.10 Critical reading analysis and deep learning with the help of note taking. I had an activity on time management. I know about my critical reading skills and how they have an effect on my studies in a good manner. I learned how time management helps in my studies and regular routine. I come to know that my reading skills are not that much good, I am a deep learner but some boring readings made me surface learner. I did evaluation of different models and learned how they make my decision effective. I learn how I do my studies and what the barriers are which affect my studies other things. I can apply this in my studies and reading of different articles and executive brief and books. After this activity I can apply this in my work and regular routine I need to clear the concept and the assumption which the author is making and need to learn more deeply. I have to focus mainly on the purpose and context of the book. I have to improve my time management skills by making my schedule and some key techniques for it. 05.11.10 I did a presentation on Google in China. It was an assignment for my strategy module. I was the leader of my group and assign the work to my group members. I learn more about my presentation skills and still need to improve my time management skills. I learn how to delegate work to others and how to lead a group. I can use these skills in other presentation and communicate the others more effectively. I can apply this in my job as this helps me in prove myself at my work place. I have to improve my critical thinking and time management. I can improve my skills by doing planning and rehearsals. 14.11.10 I wrote an essay on my leadership skills. It was my module assignment for leading in changing world. I give feedback to my group members. I learn what the leadership skills required and different models of leadership. I learn that how to give feedback and motivate the group members on their leadership skills. I can use these skills in leading a group in other modules and corporate sector. I can use my leadership skills in giving feedback to others who are working with me. I found that my communication skill is quite weak and I have to work on my long visionary thinking also. I have to improve my motivation skill also to impress others. 21.11.10 I analysis on my motivation point. I discover my own self management model by studying different theories of motivation like GOAL THEORY. I learn about the how to put objective SMART and how I inspire myself to achieve my goals. I can apply this in motivating myself and in achieving my goal of both in professional and personal. I am very bounded with my esteem needs and for that I have to face many different situations. 05.12.10 I learnt how emotionally intelligence affects work and social formats. I did it to understand the emotions and employ them in thinking and creating work. I learned that how emotions differentiate the individuals objective and how to use the emotions in communicating feeling. I can use this skill in understanding individuals. I can manage the team of different culture people by using this unique skill. I am not so good in communicating feelings with others. I cant critically analysis their different approach or thinking towards the work which is to be done. 12.12.10 I discuss with factor influencing successful studies and academic skills and need of Growth mindset as a learner. As an activity taken by the tutor and to know in what why I can enhance my academic skills. I learned about the team core skills and how to manage and recognise emotions. I can apply this in my group work. As different culture people work together it becomes easy for me to understand them. I need to improve my skills in understanding the relations and emotions of different culture. 16.12.10 I did an exercise of BRAIN STROM which was on the benefits of completing internships and dissertation. I want to know that which option will give benefit to me and in which area I need more improvement. I share my ideas and points on this and able to know what I have to do in my internship programme. I learnt the different required standards and students activity which are mandatory for the programme. I learn about the employability skills that current UK employers need. I can apply this learning in my future plans regarding this programme of internship or dissertation. I can apply my learning in workplace or in corporate world. I think I need to improve my employability skills like team work, application of information, self management etc. Core Skills Self Assessment and SWOT Core Skill Skill Rating (1-10) Low =1 High = 10 Evidence Insert an example to support your rating Cognitive skills: critical thinking, analysis and synthesis 5 In group discussion and in using different models I realized that I am not a good critical thinker. I feel difficulties in the application of models and different concepts. Problem solving and decision making: using quantitative and qualitative data 8 As I am a leader of my group I realized that I can solve the problems related to assignments and work easily but some time I feel panic in taking quick decisions which I have to improve more. Research and investigative skills: as part of individual and team assignments 5 In my assignments I feel difficulty in doing research and collecting data I take more time in application and analyzing the data. Even I take long time in getting up with new idea. Information and communications technology skills: using a range of business applications 7 I have efficient ability in using the technology in business. I am good in using internet and having a good body language for my communication skills. Numeracy and quantitative skills: data analysis, interpretation and extrapolation 4 I feel difficulty in data analysis, I understanding graphs and numeric terms and accounting principles. Using online resource for data on FAME, GMID etc makes me confused and puzzled. I have to improve skills. Communication skills: oral and written English, using a range of media 7 As I consider my communication skills I think I am good in convey my message and expressing my feelings. My written English also good as I have a lot of practice in writing reports and articles in my previous studies. Interpersonal skills: talking, listening and negotiation 9 This is my strength I am very good in interacting with others. Even my friends and group member also appreciate for my listening skills and I am always ready to cooperate my group members. Team-working skills: leadership, team-building, influencing others 8 I worked as a leader for my group and I think I am good in motivating others and even for my group reports my teammates we all work together on different presentations. Through my skills I influence others as they listen to my views and gave their acceptance on my views. Personal management skills: time management and planning, motivating yourself, using initiative 4 My time management skills is poor I work till the end of time, that makes me panic and confused. I make planes for my work but I am not able to track them always. I also feel a bit difficult in taking initiative and but I am good in motivating myself and others. Learning skills: reflective, adaptive and collaborative 7 My learning skills are also good but I need a lot of improvement in it. As my previous studies pattern is totally different but I adapt this new one easily, I like to learn different ways of learning things which makes me efficient in grasping new things. Self-awareness: sensitivity and openness to others who are different to you, emotional intelligence 8 I am very reserve kind of nature. But I like to interact others but after getting global exposure I got confidence and able to learn the emotions of different cultures. SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) for my current study and future career plans MY STRENGTHS PROBLEM SOLVING AND DICISION MAKING: using quantitative and qualitative data. INTERPERSONAL SKILLS: taking and interacting with others and active listing. TEAM-WORKING SKILS: leadership skills, team-building ability and motivation and influence others. SELF AWARENESS: Understanding emotions and openness to others who are different in culture and having different thinking. MY WEAKNESSES COGNITIVE SKILLS: critical analysis, decision making ability, mapping of ideas. QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS SKILLS: understanding financial data both graphs and numbers, analysis on accounting principles. TIME MANAGEMENT SKILLS: dividing the task as par priorities, planning for achieving goals, tracking the progress of my tasks. PRESENTATION SKILLS: writing the report, speech delivery, body language, organizing the data MY OPPORUNITIES Cognitive skills: critical thinking and analysis and application in real things. Learning skills: reflective and active learning in which I can learn more. RESARCH AND INVESTIGATIVE SKILLS: research for the assignments for individuals and group assignments. MY THREATS Numeracy and quantitative skills: data analysis, financial analysis, understanding balance sheets and strategy of the industry. Expressing my emotions and understanding different cultured people.

The Health Care System Essay -- essays papers

America has a highly developed health care system, which is available to all people. Although it can be very complex and frustrating at times it has come a long way from the health care organizations of yesterday. Previously most health care facilities were a place where the sick were housed and cared for until death. Physicians rarely practiced in hospitals and only those who were fortunate could afford proper care at home or in private clinics. Today the level of health care has excelled tremendously. Presently the goal of our health care is to have a continuum of care for the patient, one which is integrated on all levels. Many hospitals offer a referral service or discharge plan to patients who are being discharged. Plans for the patient are discussed with a discharge planner. The discharge planner is a person who is trained in assessing what the patient's requirements for health care will be after discharge from the hospital. This enables the patient to continue ! their care at a level which is most appropriate for them. Items reviewed for discharge planning include but are not limited to therapies, medication needs, living arrangements and identification of specific goals. A few of the options that are available for persons being discharged from an acute care hospital can include home health care, assisted living facilities, long term care or hospice Home Health Care According to Growing Old in America (1996), "Home health care is one of the fastest growing segments of the health care industry" (p. 114). Alternatives for home care can meet both the medical and non-medical needs of a patient. These services are provided to patients and their families in their home or place of residence. Home care is a method of delivering nursing care and other therapies as required by the patient's needs. Numerous alternatives are available for persons seeking health care at home. With transportable technologies such as durable medical equipment, oxygen supply and intravenous fluids there are countless possibilities for treatment within the home setting. As stated in The Continuum of Long Term Care "Home health programs range from formal organizations providing skilled nursing care to relatively informal networks that arrange housekeeping for friends" (p. 185). This has allowed for home care to quickly become an e... ...mpanies. The regulating agencies that set the standards for hospices are Medicare, the National Hospice Organization, Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO) and state hospice agencies. I have found that the medical record content in a hospice program contains an extensive amount of identifying information in regards to the patient and their primary caregiver(s). All aspects of patient care are well documented and assure well-coordinated, continuous care. The medical record acts as a communication tool between the different team members and is used on a continuous basis throughout the patient's care. Conclusion Although there are many options other than those listed for health care after discharge from a hospital, The most important aspect for a person is to be well informed and knowledgeable about the variety of options available. It can be very confusing, especially to an elderly person when talk of finances, regulations and covered and non-covered items are discussed. It is our responsibility as future health care administrators to provide adequate information to the person who is opting for alternatives to health care.

Essay --

Middle Ages building all over the world, good number of them has captured the imagination of visitors throughout time like the Alhambra. Its average daily visitors reaches, 6,000 tourists visit the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. Much grant has occurred with respect to the Palace of the Lions, one of two castles that made it throughout the original six or seven. What makes it such a rich mine for study is the ample improved way in decoration and styling, and additionally its abnormal floor arrangement and then the water fountain. While many differing viewpoints on the Palace of the Lions have been carefully noted and very well supported, all concur that the Alhambra is a sublime mosaic in which impacts from Europe, the Almohads, the Fatimids, and the Eastern Islamic world can be seen. Instead of giving just detailed, step-by-step description on of the floor plan and layout of the palaces (which abound in the literature), I will focus on an overview of the Alhambra, a few of the unique features of the Palace of the Lions that reflects Arabs cultures, and then examine how writers and schol...

Restricted Fund Methods

Restricted Fund Method * Organizations that follow restricted fund method present a general fund and one or more restricted funds. * The main purpose of the restricted fund is to record the receipt and the use of the resources from that fund that are subject to restrictions. * This method requires that a general fund be used to report changes in unrestricted net assets. Recognition of endowment contributions: * The endowments contributions are recognized as revenue of the endowment fund in the current period. The only revenue that is reported in the endowment fund is the endowment contribution and the net investment income that is subject to external restrictions. * Any allocation of internal resources to the endowment fund would be accounted for as interfund transfers. * The endowment fund balance at the end represents the accumulation of resources subject to both external and internal restrictions and they should be permanently maintained. * Net investment income earned on resource s held for endowments would be recognized based on if the investment income is restricted or not. Recognition of Restricted Contributions reported in restricted funds: * Restricted contribution for which a restricted fund is present should be recognized as revenue of that fund in the current period. * There can be more than one restricted fund. However, each restricted fund would accumulate resources that are restricted for similar purposes. * Contributions that are restricted should be accounted for the same way on consistent basis. A change in restricted fund is considered to be a change in accounting policy. The restricted fund balance at the reporting date represents the accumulation of resources that are subject to restrictions. * Any allocations of internally restricted resources to a restricted fund are known as interfund transfers. Recognition of Restricted Contributions reported in General funds: * Restricted Contributions for which no restricted fund is present should be recognized in general fund. * The general fund account’s purpose is to account for both unres tricted revenues and restricted contributions for which there is no restricted fund. The restricted contribution reported in general fund would be recognized in the same manner as under deferral method. * If the organization decides to establish a fund for a specific restricted contribution it would be considered a change in accounting policy. The financial statements of the previous years would have to be restated if similar contributions for which the fund is established had been reported in general funds in prior years. Recognition of Unrestricted Contributions: * They should be recognized as revenue of the general fund in current period. * The unrestricted contributions are available for use to the organization. The excess of revenues over expenses in the general fund represents the increase in unrestricted net assets. * Unrestricted resources may be allocated to a restricted fund and this would be considered an interfund transfer.

Colonialist Criticism by Chinua Achebe Essay

Summary The essay ‘Colonialist Criticism’ is an attack on a lingering colonialism in the criticism of African literature by non-Africans. The African writer writes the text or ‘they produce literature, their literature goes to Europeans for analysis. Every African literature has to get thought the grids of European writers. They have to meet the criteria said by the European writer, African writer wrote the text for the African people but European people analyzed it. It means they are the jury’s bench, or they judge the text. [One question raised that How do they judge] while judging, they always keep on the concept that is big brother consciousness. They always make the binaries. These binaries are like white and black or the European or African. They think that Europeans are superior and big brothers, whereas Africans are inferior and small brothers. Europeans are teacher and Africans are learners. Therefore, Europeans are at the center and Africans are at the margin. Therefore Africans have to learn many more things from the Europeans. They tend to feel that burden of teaching to the Africans. Therefore, Europeans feel that they know more about African literature, art and culture than African themselves. Achebe sees the faults of colonialist criticism in the assumption that the African writer is â€Å"Somewhat unfinished European and that somehow outsiders can know Africa better than the native writers. Achebe opposes, the European colonial prejudice, habit of ruling and discriminating other and comparing African people their literature, art and culture etc. He argues that African literature should not be judged with the canonical literature since it has its own particularity and peculiarity. The mask of European civilization does not know the history of African people. So Achebe’s claim is that blacks (colonized) should write their own history neglecting what has been already universalized. He argues that â€Å"If the text is judged from European perspective a text doesn’t get right evaluation and the essence of the text is killed.† Attacks on Universalism The term ‘Universalism’ is exclusive, it includes the whole world. The term  Universalism refers to European parochialism, European writers always emphasized universality in the writing. They believe that the writer has to cover all the issues in general or the writer has to speak for all. They judge African text form this angle; they argued that the African text is not universal because it does not speak about universal issue. It speaks only African voice, therefore their text is invalid. They are not able to write about the whole universe. The two problems with Universalism, according to Achebe are, first that the presumed universality that critics find, is merely a synonym for the â€Å"narrow self-serving parochialism of Europe† and second, that every literature must â€Å"speak of a particular place; evolve out of the necessities of its history, past and current and the  aspirations and destiny of its people.† It means that every text comes out of specific time space and the people. Therefore, every text is related to space-specific and people-specific. African people have experience about racism. Therefore, they can write about racism deliberately. African might have made many mistakes, but they didn’t bring racism in the world. Therefore, they would, write about it, which is African-specific situation which is pervaded in African. Achebe sustained the idea that â€Å"the term universalism must be vanished.† Attacks on Language African writers writing in English don’t mean that they are following European model. Language is not the property or possession of any group country or continent. Language is common property as well as de-ethicized. English language is not the property of British or American. It doesn’t belong to anyone. African writers are writing in English to make themselves heard. If they write in African language nobody will come to know about them. They have the problem of communication. African writers writing in English wanted to win the attention of the world. Language is the common heritage for all the people. Towards the end of the essay he criticizes the native writers. All the time European writers cannot be slammed deplorable. He says the even native writers have not done anything to uplift the condition of African literature. They are not responsible for their own people. He embodies the  idea and says that only through the earnestness or â€Å"Eager-enough† is most important to uplift the condition of African literature. Only then African literature will get the prestigious status otherwise they will be dominated. For the domination of Europeans Achebe calls ‘seduction’. The native poets and critics are equally responsible for this seduction because they never attempt to break this barricade of this European canon rather they enjoy to be in appendage of it.