Jesus had a way of teaching his disciples Essay

Jesus always had a way of teaching his disciples how to be better people. He used events to teach them, he also used small talking sessions to teach them. The disciples were taught many valuable lessons from Jesus. In the modern world some people think that only bishops, priests or vicars are real disciples but every Christian who has been baptised should try to be a follower of Jesus. Christians today work for each other and for the people that they see as the weak in society such as the elderly, alcoholics, drug addicts and one-parent families. There are plenty of schemes run by voluntary Christian organisations for the poor and weak in society. The Salvation Army is well known for its concern of outcasts in society. They practise many different activities including children’s day centres and nurseries and family welfare work and homes for the elderly. The Salvation Army does plenty for the weak of society and other Christian denominations have their charity organisations, which provide similar services. There are international Christian organisations that include the Tear fund and Christian Aid, these groups care for the needs of developing nations. They help third world countries to live life as best as they can by providing clean water, health care and education. Some Christians today choose to become priests or join a religious order as their way of being disciples of Jesus in the modern world.A priest is a servant of God’s people. The Priest’s job is to proclaim and preach the gospel, to bless the bread and wine offered at mass. to care for the needs of people in the parish, especially by showing his worshippers what they can do for each other and to devote themselfs to God. Some people should use their talents to improve the world, to try and make the world peaceful and loving place. They have a duty to be aware of all the world’s problems such as crime, prejudice and violence. Christians who take part in the Eucharist are sent to serve others at the end of mass. The priest says, â€Å"Go in peace to love and serve the Lord†. We can serve others by donating our clothes to charity shops so that others will benefit. We can visit the lonely, offer shelter, feed the hungry, pray, provide love and comfort, in doing all of these things we are serving the Lord. â€Å"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength†(Mark’s Gospel – 12: 30-31). This is an extract from Mark’s gospel in the passage of ‘The Great Commandment’; it is what Jesus said to be the greatest commandment of all. Jesus explains this to mean that God is the only Lord we have so therefore we need to love him in the best way that we can. The second greatest commandment of them all is to â€Å"Love your neighbour as yourself†(Mark’s Gospel – 12: 31). When Jesus was talking of these two great commandments he wanted us to realise that life does not revolve around ourselves it is about what we can do for others. This message is to show us not to be selfish and be prepared to suffer for our beliefs. We should never contribute to Mickey taking or peer pressure as we would not like that if it was directed at us. We should give our time for other people which many people do as a careers options so they are also giving their life to God at the same time by serving to others such as Nurses, Doctors, teachers, fireman and missionaries all these jobs are for someone else’s benefit giving their time up for people like us when we are in danger or ill. we can contribute our ways to discipleship by going to church to pray, prayer in general if it to be at home, personal or within a group in a community at school or in a parish. It is important Christians/disciples have childlike qualities that they are proud to be a Christian, they are honest, faith, enthusiasm everything seem brilliant hope and trust in God at the lowest times in your life.Even when tragic accidents happen such as suffering with cancer, A death of someone you love or such incidents as September 11th the attack on the twin towers New York. We should still have faith and believe they are with God and happy. I think that it is extremely difficult to be a modern day disciple because many people take the modern lifestyle for granted and the mission now has a different meaning to the one in Jesusà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ time. in the modern world because so many people are judged by many different aspects of their lifestyle. They are usually judged in a positive way about their possessions and general lifestyle but they are judged in a negative way about their religion. Religion has become very ‘unfashionableà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ and this is not just because it is considered a waste of time but it is also because Jesusà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ teaching methods were unfashionable. Todayà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s world is so materialistic and people would not judge someone kindly if abandoned their family responsibilities to become a disciple. many people still suffer great persecution and rejection.. A modern day disciple would find it difficult because our world is so materialistic and it would be extremely difficult for a person to give up the wealth gained from a job. Many items in society like drugs can be a barrier between a person and their path towards discipleship. But I do think that some peopleà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s faith is strong enough to enable them to be a modern day disciple. There are many people who have made great sacrifices to follow Jesus and do his work in our world today. Mother Teresa of Calcutta was a strong believer in Christ and she is an example of a disciple in the modern world. Society does hold back a personà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s path towards discipleship but a true disciple should be able to overcome that difficulty. Being a disciple of Jesus has many implications for every area of a personà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s life and this is because their every action is influenced by Jesusà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ example. St Teresa of Avila once said, â€Å"Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours.† This means that we are on earth to represent Jesusà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ and he lives in us and this is another way of us being disciples of Christ. In our lifetime today we are given a very important mission and that is to serve Jesus during our time on earth and be disciples, and also preach the word of Jesus to the people who do not yet know.

The Things They Carried – Dialogue and Materials

Themes and Dialogue of O’Brien in The Things They Carried War has done many horrible things to many people throughout time all over the world. War experience filled with death, suspense, and constant fear has swept through millions and millions of people who are still scared by the horrific experience. To some so horrific that a normal life, post war, was almost unbearable. But some were able to take the experience and share it to the world.Tim O’Brien is a perfect example of this. O’Brien was born in 1946 in the Midwest, but once of age was drafted into the Vietnam War. O’Brien only served for one year from 1969 to 1970, but nevertheless, the memories gathered in that year lasted him a lifetime. (Herzog) These memories, though some held them in, O’Brien used them to transform his writings to some of the most accurate and touching pieces about war in our generation. They established O’Brien as on of the most important soldier-authors of the V ietnam generation; furthermore, they establish his reputation as one of America’s most notable postmodernist writers – not only for his themes but also for the structure of his books and his exploration from multiple perspectives of problematic nature of truth and reality† (Herzog, 78). O’Brien was a man who had an objective to be original and construct all of his memories to others the best way he could. And the only way to do that was his way.In an interview of O’Brien, Herzog quotes from him â€Å"In this new book [The Things They Carried] I forced myself to try and invent a form. I had never invented form before. † His writings are unique and compared to the normal dialogue of introducing characters; O’Brien takes a different approach and makes his own style. In the book The Things They Carried, O’Brien uses materialistic belongings to show his experiences from a different perspective on war and the people in it without the immediate use of dialogue. O’Brien’s story The Things They Carried is a story of company of men that are in the Vietnam War.These men are normal people, called into duty of war by draft. Though each person is not introduced by age, and what their history was, they way they are introduced is by what they carry in their endless walk through unknown jungles. But though they are introduced by only what their position and what they carry, the personal level of knowing a character is better than ever. The first man introduced is First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross. He is the leader of all the men and whom everyone answers to. But for a man that is the one in charge his mind is everywhere but on the war.He carries letters and two photos from a girl named Martha from home and keeps a pebble in his mouth that she sent him. He is madly in love with her but all of her letters are not love letters from a significant other but just friendly letters. â€Å"They were not love letters, but Lieutenant Cross was hoping, so he kept them folded in plastic at the bottom of his rucksack† (LaPlante, 79). He wants to be focused on the war but his loving thoughts of her haunts him and takes him away from the reality of war he is in. It took him as much as a fellow soldier getting shot in the head before he knew how much a problem he had.The machine gunner was a man by the name of Henry Dobbins. Being the machine gunner he had to carry a twenty-three pound gun unloaded, but it was always loaded, and fifteen pounds worth of ammunition strapped around his chest and shoulders. Personally he was introduced as a big man that carried Black Flag insecticide, and extra food rations. Though not a huge introduction, he can still be known as a person but also with some mystery of who he is. From his belongings, Sanders can be seen as a big man that would be a brute force character in the company, but also a vital part to the company.His responsibility as the machine gunner with all the weight and his importance in battle puts him as a leader and a trusted man that people can rely to. His character and personality as a strong man, who can be there when he is needed, and do whatever needs to be done can be seen alone from O’Brien’s writings without any dialogue needed. Just from his position and his responsibilities his character even personality can be understood and noticed. The RTO or the man who had to carry the radio was named Mitchell Sanders. The radio he had to carry was twenty-six pounds with its battery.He also carries condoms and starched tiger fatigues for special occasions. He is an important man to the crew but he also can be seen as a light guy, more some of the others. He carries condoms even with no need for them at all and Norman Bowker, one of the other soldiers, carries a thumb that Sanders had cut off of a Vietnamese kid only fifteen or sixteen. So Sanders can be seen as not as much of a serious guy but still responsible enough to have the responsibilities of the holding on the their only way of communication.Dave Jensen was introduced with being all about personal hygiene. He carried a toothbrush, dental floss, several bars of soap taken from hotels, three extra pairs of socks, and Dr. Scholl’s foot powder for trench foot, earplugs, and extra sand bags for extra protection at night, and for superstitious reasons a rabbit’s foot. His position in the company is never mentioned but immediately by looking at all of the things he carries, it is seen he carries almost twice as much as anyone else. Through his items his personality of being over cautious stands out.He is not a very big character in the story but because of how O’Brien clearly shows how cautious and scared he is to make him a bigger character. Everyone is important in the company and when O’Brien talks about Jensen, he is referring to a quarter of the soldiers that were in war that were just like him. Though these are just a few to the many he introduces to the reader, all from O’Brien’s different writing style can be experienced and enjoyed more. O’Brien with his writings uses materials of what the soldiers carry to almost control the reader about how to feel about the character, and used this writing style in other books of his.His writing style can take you inside of the different soldiers heart and mind and with the different stories in The Things They Carried other detail are added to the story so nobody can know if his stories are real or true. This gives readers more freedom to have personal opinions. â€Å"The element of perception has to do with uncertainty†¦. The whole stew of variables determines what we perceive and what call real† (Herzog, Interview). O’Brien’s writing style all has a purpose with its creativity.The Things that they carry are not only the materialistic things that the soldiers personally have but it could be anything. à ¢â‚¬Å"Things is framed around the burdens we carry, not just war, not just physical, but spiritual as well† (Herzog, Interview). Just telling a story wasn’t enough; O’Brien wanted the reader to live it, to experience it like he did with his writing style. He wanted to tell you the story but leave mystery, his writing style was an attempt to expand readers mind further than ever before. O’Brien said, â€Å"A good piece of fiction, in my view, does not offer solutions.Good stories deal with our moral struggles, our uncertainties, our dreams, our blunders, our contradictions, our endless quest for understanding. Good stories do not resolve the mysteries of the human spirit but rather descried and expand upon those mysteries† (LaPlante, 587) Sources 1. Herzog, Tobey C. Tim O'Brien. New York, NY: Twayne Publishers, 1997. Print. 2. Egri, Lajos. The art of dramatic writing. Touchstone, 1960. Print. 3. LaPlante, Alice. Method and Madness. W W Norton ; Co In c, 2009. Print. 4. Herzog, Tobey C. Unpublished interview with Tim Obrien. Cambridge, Mass. , 11-12 July 1995

Critically analyze laws of comparative advantage Essay

Critically analyze laws of comparative advantage - Essay Example The theory of comparative advantage formulated by English economist David Ricardo in the early nineteenth century1. Ricardo encouraged each country to specialize in producing commodities for which it is best suited and then trade with other countries to obtain a wide variety of goods. The increased efficiency of production within each country makes greater worldwide consumption possible. This theory suggests that all nations have an interest in opposing restraints on trade. If less developed countries (LDCs) remain isolated and closed to foreign trade and investment, they lose opportunities to benefit from the technology, capital, and consumer goods offered by industrialized nations (Barry Clark, 1998). The theory of comparative advantage, of course, argues that unrestricted exchange between countries will increase the total amount of world output if each country tends to specialize in those goods that it can produce at a relatively lower cost compared to potential trading partners. Each country then will trade some of those lower-cost goods with other nations for goods that can be produced elsewhere more cheaply than at home. At the end of the day, with free trade among nations, all countries will find that their consumption possibilities lie outside their domestic production possibilities. The basic theory assumes that all the factors of production are... Further, it is assumed that perfect competition, and not monopoly production prevails and that all resources in each country are fully employed. The last is an especially important assumption, particularly for less-developed nations, since with less-than-fully employed resources, tariffs or other forms of protection (including subsidies) to block imports and to increase domestic employment could well be the preferred policy. With less-than-fully employed resources, the key allocative issue becomes an internal mobilization of domestic resources to their full use, rather than a reallocation among alternative uses. To be reasonably confident in applying the basic Ricardian analysis and its conclusions to any country or situation, it seems sensible, in practice, to inquire to what degree the assumptions of the theory conform to the reality of the economy under investigation. (James M. Cypher, James L. Dietz, 1998) While these are important considerations having to do with the validity of assumptions in practice, there are other concerns about a blanket endorsement of the comparative advantage argument and free trade recommendations for less-developed nations. Joan Robinson's comment on the real-time effect of following free trade and specialization, at least as far as Portugal was concerned in Ricardo's original example, remains provocative and presages our reformulation. (James M. Cypher, James L. Dietz, 1998) . . The imposition of free trade on Portugal killed off a promising textile industry and left her with a slow-growing export market for wine, while for England, exports of cotton cloth led to accumulation, mechanization and the whole

Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 - Essay Example Public companies are demanded to set internal control structures to guarantee the quality and accuracy of financial reports in order to enable investors make informed decisions on which investments decisions they should undertake. Public companies are therefore needed to have independent board of directors to provide oversight and develop and assess internal controls systems. Secondly, the act has stipulated the standards and manner in which auditors should carry their mandate by ensuring that their independence is not impaired and that members of the audit engagements do not have conflict of interests (Pain & Karmakar, 2007). It further restricted audit firms from providing non audit services that are likely to interfere with their objectivity. In addition, the act has placed the responsibility of ensuring accurate and complete financial reports on senior management. The act specifies the responsibility of senior management on the validity and accuracy of the financial reports and outlines the interaction between board audit committees and the external auditors. Moreover, Sarbanes Oxley highlights the enhanced financial disclosure requirements for the financial results (Pain & Karmakar, 2007). Public companies are required to disclose off balance sheet transactions and beef their reporting. Significant changes in the assumptions and conditions should further be disclosed. Likewise, the act mandates security analysts, directors and auditors to declare their conflict of interest before accepting to provide financial services to public companies. Equally stipulated in the act are the penalties preferred for destruction, manipulation and alteration of financial records with an objective of misleading the public in order to make financial gains. It recommends sentencing and incorporates failure to certify financial reports as an

British expatriate managers coping with culture shock in the USA Dissertation

British expatriate managers coping with culture shock in the USA - Dissertation Example Various researches show that many of the expatriates who relocate to US to live and work often have mixed views regarding this, relatively, new nation. Many non-Americans, including many expatriates from UK, who relocate to the United States to do business to their bewilderment, find themselves undergoing a severe case of â€Å"corporate culture shock.† This article will examine the various problems and dilemma experienced by the expatriate managers when they relocate to foreign locales, with special focus on the British expatriate managers who generally face a culture shock as they move to live and work in the USA British expatriate managers coping with culture shock in the USA 1 Introduction 1.1 Background history â€Å"I think there’s just some incredible things that we could learn from other people’s cultures†- anonymous US expatriate manager. ... e managers with a bid to expand globally (Mercer Human Resource Consulting, 2001), while almost three-fourth of the expatriates are accompanied by their family members (Dickmann, Doherty, Mills, and Brewster, 2008). Expatriates within multinational companies play a vital role in initiating various foreign ventures and subsidies, and during troubleshooting at these offshore project sites. Globalisation along with economic liberalization that started in the early half of the 20th century made it necessary for many of the business firms to expand their trade and commerce globally, along with establishing an international distinction. In this context Bartol and Martin (1998) tells us that the process of globalization is in reality a strategy for worldwide integration where the chief objective of the various business firms is developing comparably standardized materials with a global address, along consolidating all the operations taking place at the worldwide level. In order to achieve t his goal, the organizations must necessarily send their chosen representatives for the various foreign projects, in order to oversee the work at site locations, and maintain the product and service standards in these foreign countries. Companies that with globalisation, have broadened their scope to create a worldwide presence and name, are often referred to as the multinational companies or MNCs (ibid). The origin of the modern form of multinational companies or MNCs that we see today can be traced back to the post World War II era. Though some companies may have started during the late 19th century, the development actually started from the late 1940s. However, it was only during the early 1980s, that various researchers in the fields of global HR management and expatriation (Evans,

Fainel exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Fainel exam - Essay Example It is a house built of wood and it stands out as a brow house ext to a wall made of stones. Textures and window is a painting in a natural setting. It is a window which is next to a garden something common in most homes. It is presented in a very natural way using ordinary colors to make the painting familiar to the viewer. Antiquities angel is a painting reflecting the face of an antiquity shop. The different forms of antiquities one can find in such shops such as drum gives the painting its identity. Conclusively, Elizabeth Ann has stated that her work shows fragmented reality. She is inspired by music, sound, pieces and bits of manmade and natural forms of nature. With the use of light, color, and shadow she forms her paintings to represent nature around her. Use of logic in a dream world makes her paintings unique and exceptional. Gathering images from the real world, and putting them together in creative ways has ensured that her work is relevant in the modern contemporary

Behavioural Analysis of Organisations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Behavioural Analysis of Organisations - Essay Example Organisations are grouped into Mechanistic and Organic groups and this grouping is still relevant. In mechanistic organisations, tasks are broken down into specialisms, technicalities, methods, duties, powers related to positions and all behaviours and responses of workers are according to superiors' decisions without much scope for individuality. These organisations are considered to be more stable and vertically oriented. Organic organisations do not have very clearly pronounced hierarchy and instead, depend more on group decisions after interacting with people of diverse background within company framework. These organisations are considered to be more individualistic where people can make a positive contribution and are of democratic nature. While doing a study of this kind, both kinds of organisations are approached. Human behaviour is always diverse and complex and unpredictable at times. A person who is charming to the rest of the world, could be downright aggressive to people working under him. Many times it is not surprising to come across hidden psychological problems that surface only when the person can dictate terms, and dormant otherwise. In recent years, the necessity of a more psychological approach towards business organisations was felt and much study has gone into this direction. Social Scientists are dedicating time to study worker behaviour, management behaviour, and formulate theories of change for the organisations to follow. "Like the relationship between parents and children, the relationship between an organization and its members has aspects of both hate and love. Employees, manager, owners, customers, and society-at-large find themselves both beneficiaties and dependents of the organization an invention that, though man-made, seems to have a lift of its own, Bobbitt et al (1978, p.4). With the globalisation, organisations found it necessary to undergo unprecedented changes, for working with hitherto alien cultures and facing unfamiliar situations. Today solutions and decisions are made by people of diverse background and organisations have to see that all the decisions go in favour of the business. It has become imperative that certain guidelines should be laid down for all workers and managers to follow in spite of the cultural and background differences. Niccolo Machiavelli is considered to be the main political philosopher who spoke of leadership and organisational power. Max Weber followed him in discussing charismatic leadership. Psychology, after Second World War has become the main subject and organisations have created the norms of judging organisational developments from human resources angle. "Whether a manager defaults or whether he succeeds depends on large measure on his understanding of organizational behaviour and all its complexities. Although organizations appear to take on a life of their own, they remain inventions of man," says

The European Colonialism in 16th century to mid 20th Research Paper

The European Colonialism in 16th century to mid 20th - Research Paper Example As the discussion outlines by the mid-19th century, the powerful British Empire dropped mercantilism as well as trade restrictions followed by the introduction of free trade with very few restrictions and tariffs. African countries were the major victims of colonization. The main aim of the colonial rule was to exploit the colony’s economy and repatriate them to their home countries making the colony depend on them. This study highli9ghts that colonialism can be defined as the policy and practice of a power to extend and take control over weaker people specifically during the process of European settlement along with political control over the rest of the world. Osterhammel defined colonialism as the essence and the existence of colonies, which were governed in a different form from other territories with a relationship existing between the indigenous majority and a minority of foreign intruders. The colonial rulers implemented the fundamental decisions that affected the lives of the colonies. There are two forms of colonialism; settler colonialism involves immigration on a large scale mainly inspired by religion, politics or economic reasons and exploitation colonialism that involves few colonialists that focus on accessing resources such as labor and materials for export. Colonialism has a long history starting with the African empires in the pre-colonial error in Egypt, Phoenix,, Greece and R oman where colonies were built in antiquity. The word "colony" comes from the Latin colonies that mean "a place for agriculture". The Vietnamese created military colonies south of their original territory between the 11th and 18th century absorbing the territory. The modern colonialism started with the age of Discovery where Portugal and Spain had discovered new links across the oceans and established trading posts.  

Violation Early Childhood Code of Ethics Research Paper

Violation Early Childhood Code of Ethics - Research Paper Example Secondly, it also discusses some of the appropriate ways that could be taken to avoid such a violation. One of the most challenging ethical issues while dealing with children is food. Ms. Devan, an early childhood development teacher was implicated in an ethical case whereby the parents argued that she went beyond her ethical boundaries by allowing children to used food as playing tools. Precisely, Ms. Devan was using pudding as finger paint while teaching children how to paint. According to her, they preferred using edible pudding as finger paint since they discovered that the children were putting it on their mouth. Although there are ethical codes demanding that the health of the children should be given the first priority, she preferred using food pudding since it was safer than finger paint (Swim & Freeman, 2008). Although her actions were well intentioned, so many ethical questions are raised from such an action. For instance, the children developed a habit of licking the puddi ng paint directly from the table. This is certainly not hygienic. However, it is better compared to swallowing the regular finger paint that is sold commercially. The ethical case came into the limelight when one of the child’s mothers scolded her child for licking sandwich jelly that had spilled on the table at home. When she asked the child, the child affirmed that their teacher let them do it at school. Certainly, the child had learned a different thing from what was initially intended. The parent was worried that the teacher was not exercising the children code of ethics. The teacher also failed to realize that children could have learned that playing materials are good for consumption. This is certainly a violation of early childhood code of ethics, which demands that children be taught the right code of behavior especially during this important stage of cognitive development. Actually, the parent was even more worried that the teacher was wasting food while there were t housands of other children all over the world dying of hunger. Some of the ethical concerns raised from the situation demand a critical thought and consideration. Was the teacher acting safe by allowing children to play with food? Was it safe for the children after all? Did the teacher think about other lessons learned in the process? So many questions of ethical concern can be raised from this case. Undeniably, there is no clear cut difference between what should be done or what should not be done. This is even made more complicated because of the differences in ethical values between different stakeholders. Early childhood codes of ethics may not suffice enough to handle such ethically complicated issues. According to National Association for the Education of Young Children, it is necessary â€Å"To create and maintain safe and healthy settings that foster children’s social, emotional, intellectual, and physical development and that respect their dignity and their contribu tions† (2012). It is evident from the ethical principle that the teacher failed to maintain healthy settings, failed to consider the overall social development of the children’s behavior, as well as intellectual development. Needless to say, there are several measures that can be taken to avoid similar ethical violations. Firstly, the teachers need to expand their knowledge on childhood cognitive development. This would enable the teacher to make better decisions when choosing

Good vs. Evil Essay Example for Free

Good vs. Evil Essay Beowulf is a long narrative between good and evil. Throughout Beowulf, it was shown that two opposites could not peacefully live. Beowulf is divided into three parts, each centers around Beowulf fight with a particular monster: first Grendel, then Grendel’s Mother, and last the Dragon. Each monster presents a specific moral challenge. Beowulfs fight with Grendel brings to mind the importance of character as a means of expanding one’s survival past death. Beowulfs battle with Grendels mother was all about retaliation. Just as Beowulf wanted revenge at Grendel for killing Hrothgar’s men. So Grendel mother thought she could get rid of her sorrow by slaying her son’s murderer. Beowulfs last fight with the dragon represents a heroic approach to fate. Though he recognizes that his time has come and that he will not survive his clash with the dragon, he bravely embraces his duty to protect his people, sacrificing his life to save them. 2nd Paragraph- Tell what the word theme means. What is the theme of Beowulf and what does good mean. What does evil mean. Who were two good people in the story. Who were two evil people in the story. Theme is the central idea or main purpose of a story. Sometimes it is called the moral of the story. In Beowlf, †¦. 3rd paragraph- Tell about the good people in the story and tell one good thing they did. One good character in Beowulf was King Hrothgar. He is the King of Danes. He has a great deal of compassion for his warriors and his people. He builds a mead-hall and names it Herot for his warriors to celebrate success. Hrothgar is a wise and admirable king to his people, but lacks strength to physically combat his and his people’s enemies, as he is an aging King. Another good character was Wiglaf he is a warrior who aids Beowulf against the battle with the dragon. Even though Beowulf other men ran, Wiglaf stayed loyal to his king. Wiglaf is a younger companion to Beowulf and in his courage shows himself to be Beowulf’s successor. 4th paragraph- Tell about 2 evil people in the story and tell one evil thing they each did. One character that represented evil was the fire dragon. He†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 5th paragraph – Summary The world is full of good and evil. Good people and good deeds are the things that keep the world decent and worth living. It is the role of evil to try to oppose good. However as it happened in Beowulf, good always overcomes evil. There may be times when it seems that evil will triumph because it last so long like it did when Grendel ruled Herot for twelve years. Help did eventually come and evil was defeated.

The Chimney Sweeper | Analysis

The Chimney Sweeper | Analysis William Blake was a famous writer of the Romantic Age which took place in 1832. William Blake wrote two poems called The Chimney Sweeper. The first poem had to do with innocence. The second Chimney Sweeper poem by William Blake had to do with experience. Even though both poems have the same title doesnt necessarily mean that theyre the same. They have a few things in common, but also have a plethora of items that are different. In both poems called The Chimney Sweeper, they share similarities and differences between narration, rhyme scheme, tone, and theme. Blake also shows how both poems are influenced Romantically, he gives the reader a visual and represents many symbols that are used in todays society. As far as rhyme scheme, they both have words that rhyme at the end of each line and stanza. The boy says When my mother dies I was very young, and my father sold me while yet my tongue. (lines 1-2 p. 85) In songs of experience, Blake writes A little black thing among the snow Crying weep, weep, in notes of woe! (lines 1-2 p90) Both poems are also expressed romantically in a few ways. In the Romantic days, writers felt there was a new literature being birthed. The poetry had to do a lot with humanity and nature. Poets tended toward emotion and child like perspective. Poets also showed much regard for the natural scenes and used words like child, imagination, and nature because they thought they were popular. (Mellown p. 1) In Songs of Innocence the young boy tells his story. The boy is about six or seven years old. Much of the imaginative power of the poem comes from the tension between the childs naivetà © and the subtlety of Blakes own vision. (Mellown p.1) In the first stanza, he talks about his way of life. He talks about how his mother dies. He was sold as an apprentice by his father. His present life revolves around working, calling through the streets for more work, and at the end of the day sleeping on soot, a realistic detail since the boys did indeed make their beds on bags of soot they had swept from the chimneys. (Mellown p.1) The second stanza introduces a young boy named Tom Dacre, who comes to join the workers and is initiated into his new life by a haircut. Tom cries as he gets his hair cut off, but the speaker makes him feel better by saying Hush, Tom! Never mind it, for when your heads bare, you know that the soot cannot spoil your white hair (lines 6-7 p. 85). What that means is all of the dirt from sweeping chimneys wont get in his hair. Tom takes the advice and goes to sleep happily. (Mellown p. 2) The next three stanzas give the substance of the dream. Tom dreams that thousands of sweepers locked in coffins are released by an angel. Suddenly, they find themselves in a pastoral landscape where, freed from their burdens, they bathe in a river and then rise up to the clouds. There, the angel tells Tom, if hed be a good boy, / Hed have God for his father never want joy. The dream is an obvious instance of wish fulfillment, and its pathos rests on the fat that while it reveals the childs longing to escape, the opening and closing of the poem make it clear that his only ways of escape are dreams and death. (Mellown p. 2) What this means for Tom is that maybe when he is dreaming he can escape what he goes thorough in life and just be happy. The last quatrain opens with a brutal contrast. Having dreamed of playing in the sun, Tom awakes, and the sweepers begin their days work, a day to be spent in the total darkness of the cramped chimneys. Yet, restored by his dream, Tom is happy, and the poem ends with the pious moral, akin to the angels speech, So if all do their duty, they need not fear harm. (Mellown p. 2) So he goes through the rest of his life knowing that heaven was in his future as long as he was good. In The Chimney Sweeper, songs of experience, Blake talks about some of the things a little black boy goes through. Using the same rhyme scheme as songs of innocence he says A little black thing among the snow crying weep, weep in notes of woe! Where are thy father and mother? Say? They are both gone up to the church to pray. (lines 1-4 p. 90) In the next stanza Blake describes how his parents are at church praying for him because he is so happy on the outside but not showing his true pain. He sings and dances because he is happy and his parents think that everything is ok and no damage has been done. He says And are gone to praise God and his Priest and King, who make up a heaven of our misery. (lines 11-12 p.90) Blake could have possibly used a bit of sarcasm in songs of experience. In songs of innocence some themes and symbols were the bags, abandoned in the dream and picked up again with the brushes the next morning. This says that the terrible burden of the childs life, which is the good indicates the corruption of a society that uses and abuses him. The coffins are like a symbol of death. They represent the chimneys that he sweeps and the actual death to which he will soon come. In contrast, the sun, river, and plain express the joys that should be natural to childhood, which is also a symbol of the way nature is appreciated in the romantic age. Yet, even symbols associated with happiness intensify the harsh facts of existence. The bright key recalls imprisonment; the harmony of the leaping boys emphasizes their isolation in the chimneys; and the lamb, whose curling fleece Toms hair resembles, is often, as is the sweeper, a helpless victim. (Mellown p. 2)

The Sacred Language of Toni Morrison Essay -- Toni Morrison

The Sacred Language of Toni Morrison  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   Toni Morrison makes a good point when, in her acceptance speech upon receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature, she says, â€Å"Narrative . . . is . . . one of the principal ways in which we absorb knowledge† (7).   The words we use and the way in which we use them is how we, as humans, communicate to each other our thoughts, feelings, and actions and therefore our knowledge of the world and its peoples.   Knowledge is power.   In this way, our language, too, is powerful.   Ã‚  Ã‚   In her acceptance speech, Morrison tries to communicate the idea that we must be careful with how we use our words.   She analogizes the use of language to the life of a metaphoric bird in a tale of a wise, old, blind woman.   Toni Morrison opens her speech by referring to a tale of two young people who, in trying to disprove the credibility of this wise woman, ask the question, â€Å" ‘Is the bird I am holding [in my hand] living or dead?’† (11).   Of course, being blind, the woman does not know and must say so.   However, she adds that, â€Å" ‘What I do know is that it is in your hands.   It is in your hands’† (11).   In saying this, she tells the youngsters that the fate of the bird’s life is their responsibility.   The bird, in this case, represents language.   Morrison explains, â€Å"So I choose to read the bird as language and the woman as a practiced writer† (12).   The bird has either been found dead, been killed, or has the ability (if it is alive) to be killed, much as language, being looked at as a living thing, can live or die; be saved or destroyed.   Language is â€Å"susceptible to death, erasure; certainly imperiled and salvageable only by an effort of the will† (Morrison 13).   That will is the responsibility of those who ... ...ossible lives of its speakers, readers, writers,† (20) Morrison describes.   The limits of what language can do are indefinite, unachievable, and inaccessible.   For, really, there are no limits to language--no limits to knowledge--no limits to power--the power of the mind.   â€Å" ‘The future of language is yours,’† (23) Morrison tells us.   It is in our hands.   This is why we must hold the life of language sacred--the life of this bird, which has wings to make it soar. Works Cited   Fox-Genovese, Elizabeth.   â€Å"The Claims of a common Culture: Gender, Race, Class and the Canon.†Ã‚   Writing as Re-Vision: A Student’s Anthology.   Ed. Beth Alvarado and Barbara Cully.   Needham Heights: Simon & Schuster   P. 1998.   15-23. Morrison, Toni.   â€Å"Lecture and Speech of Acceptance, Upon the Award of the Nobel Prize for Literature.†Ã‚   New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1994.      

The Importance of History :: World History

The Importance of History Can anything worthwhile be gained from continued research into historical events? History seen as study of the past is an integral part of many education systems across the world. Many countries spend huge amounts of money and resources to uncover their past. Every year new and new historical sites are uncovered, excavations on those sites are conducted and the result are studied by archeologists throughout the world. But have we gained anything worthwhile from research into the past? The answer seems clear: Yes, we have. The Study of history especially into historical battles and wars is beneficial when not vital for the evolution of warfare in the modern world. Military strategists continually study wars such as the World Wars, the Napoleonic Conflicts and many modern wars. Tactics and strategies are analyzed and continuously refined, so as to improve their effectiveness and efficacy in future conflicts, without historical study into conflicts, advanced warfare tactics prevalent today would never have evolved from those primitive tactics man used to use in wars. Many countries nowadays are trying to acquire Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), as history has convincingly displayed their awesome destructive power, and their potential to deter aggressions and conflicts thrust upon on a country, like the Cold war remained 'cold' because both countries had WMD and were aware of the consequences if they were used. Another example were historical research is vital is the judicial system. History sets precedents of judicial cases, which are studied by judges to before they make decision in similar cases themselves. The effectiveness of certain punishments for offences is also evaluated through history. Thus we study history in order to learn from it, improve our past experiences and avoid repeating past mistakes. However this is not always the case. When World war one broke out in Europe, The Empires of Germany, Austro-Hungarian and the Ottoman, were fighting against the axis France, Britain, and Italy. The result of this conflict was total destruction for all of Europe. However just after 20 years, the same nations were getting closer to another military confrontation. Yet again the same nations were allowing Germany to rise militarily, yet again they failed to act soon enough, and yet again they found themselves in another conflict. Yet again the conflict brought total destruction for Europe. What went wrong here, why didn't the study of history prevent a cataclysm in Europe when just one had happened 2 or 3 decades ago?

Mistakes Made by Society and The Work of Louis Pasteur and Rachel Carso

Held as one of the most highly regarded facts of the scientific community, theories often change with the presentation of new evidence. However, the motivation behind obtaining this new evidence is often overlooked, wrought with political and personal motives guiding the work of scientists, as these scientists are able to make an impact on the rest of the world. Though separated by a century, Louis Pasteur and Rachel Carson offered evidence to solve some of the biggest questions of their time period, with Louis Pasteur effectively concluding the spontaneous generation debate and Rachel Carson promoting awareness of our careless use of DDT and the impact this had on future generations. By the mid 1800’s, Louis Pasteur was caught up in the spontaneous generation debate after reviewing the contradictory experiments performed by Francesco Redi, John Needham, and Lazarro Spallanzani. Two centuries prior to Pasteur, Redi had argued that spontaneous generation could not occur, supported with experimental evidence. However, only one century prior to Pasteur, John Needham had shown that growth would occur in a flask of sterilized broth, which directly refuted Redi’s claim that spontaneous generation did not occur. Seeing a flaw in Needham’s experiment, Spallanzani repeated the experiment, this time sterilizing the broth and the air present in the flask. Without this source of contamination, the flask remained sterilized, while a similar flask of broth which he left open to the environment began to show signs of growth. In refute of Spallanzani, those who believed in spontaneous generation said that the air carried a necessary â€Å"life forceâ €  which life may directly come from. One hundred years later, Louis Pasteur joins the debate... ...n with their work, the needs of society demanded their work be done, whether explicitly stated or not. Society had failed to recognize a potential threat in their time period and the work of these people changed the way people conducted their lives. Without people like Pasteur and Carson to correct the overlooked mistakes made by society, society may crumble under the weight of its own ignorance. Works Cited 1-9 Spontaneous generation was an attractive theory to many people, but was ultimately disproven.. (2003, January 1). . Retrieved May 8, 2014, from http://www.microbiologytext.com/index.php?module=Book&func=displayarticle&art_id=27 Regis, E. (2008). What is life?: investigating the nature of life in the age of synthetic biology. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Carson, R., & Darling, L. (1962). Silent spring. Boston: Houghton Mifflin ;.

Letter of Inquiry

   Dear Or alternately: Dear Sir/Madam: I have been informed of a job opportunity as IPRO Management and Technical Support Engineer by [name of referrer/optional]. I am a very interested in such a position because [qualifications or related work & interests/bulleted type lists of qualifications if possible]. I am currently employed at [name of organization] as [title of position]. Or alternately: I have just finished my Bachelor’s degree in the Multidisciplinary Studies with concentrations – Mechanical Engineering, Packaging Science, and Management Studies from [name of academic organization]. I believed my academic competencies would match qualification requirements of aforementioned position. I am looking forward to further discuss this job opportunity and how I can be a part of the success of Stratosphere, Inc. Sincerely,    One final way to be noticed the reader and to show a personal touch is by adding a post script or PS to your letter personally handwritten if at all possible.(â€Å"Cover letter advice†, 2007) Reference: Cover letter advice. (2007).  Ã‚   Retrieved March 15, 2007, from http://www.cvtips.com/cover_letter_guide_3.html   

Creative Writing Essay

The car sped off and all I could think was, â€Å"Who are these people and what they do they want from me? † Blindfolded and made mute by a piece of cloth that was tied amid my upper and lower jaw, I knew that what lay ahead was not for my benefit and my struggle to free myself would be futile. As tears rolled down my chin, I succumbed to the prison life that I had been entitled to and the next thing I recall was waking up in an isolated warehouse. It then hit me that I had been kidnapped. This sent chills down my spine making it hard for me to strategize a way out. I searched frantically for my phone which as I recalled was in my pocket. As I felt the phone in my pocket, my heart started pounding as anticipation and anxiety took the better part of me since I knew this could be my rescue weapon and my way out. I took out the phone and switched it on once, twice, and thrice and that is when I realized that my phone battery was missing. Tears of fear crowded my face as I knew my efforts of trying to escape were futile and doom was all that awaited me. As I gained composure, I heard a voice saying, â€Å"Ha hahahahahaha†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.so how many people have you called to the rescue†. Looking at the direction leading to the door, I saw a large stout man looking at me while smiling. This even made me more scared since I knew there was no way I would fight this guys unless there was divine intervention. He started walking towards me and with each step he took; my heart would pound twice as my knee joints became weak to the point where my legs were unable to support my body weight (Ibach 2009). And with this I fell to the ground. He stood beside me, started stroking my hair and said, â€Å"State house is your life whereas ghetto is our life. With this phone you are going to tell your father who apparently is our president to quit running for presidency or else I will blow your head off, do similar act to your siblings before I get to your father. I will be back, we make the phone call. † Uttering no other word, he stood and left. His words left me flabbergasted as I knew I was in a dilemma. One that involved risking the lives of my family or letting my father’s dream to run for presidency the second time be just a dream and not a reality. Reference Ibach, H. (2009). How to Write an Inspired Creative Brief. Michigan: iUniverse Publishers.

Business Studies – Investigating three shops

The following assignment investigates people and work at three different stores. The first is Sainsbury's Savacentre, a hypermarket located in Beckton. Very wide ranges of items are sold here, not just groceries but clothes and technology too. I have also chosen two specialist shops, each selling a product available in the hypermarket. I have selected ‘The Card Shop' as one of my specialist shops. This is a store, local to my area, specialising in the sale of greetings cards, one of the products made available by the hypermarket. In addition to this, I have chosen Kashmir Store as a specialist shop. This small family run business specialises in the selling of halal meat and certain Asian foods. The Savacentre hypermarket has recently begun to sell some of these products in-store. The aim of this report is to address certain key ideas related to work and industry. This assignment hopes to demonstrate the key ideas in a work environment. The principal key ideas tackled in this project are listed below. 1) There is an important relationship between the level of technology and the nature of work. 2) Workers in different industries are interdependent and modern industry is characterised by specialisation. 3) The way in which industry is organised has an important effect on job satisfaction. Key idea number one suggests that certain types of work require higher levels of technology than other types of work. For example, I would expect office workers to use more technology in the way of photocopiers and computers than builders who use less technology such as cement mixers. Key idea number two suggests that workers from different industries are interdependent. That is to say, the computer manufacturing industry is dependent on the retail industry to sell its product. One cannot survive without the other. Furthermore, the key idea states that modern industry is characterised by specialisation. This means that industry today is specialised and specific or fills a niche. Overall, this key idea implies that because industries are very specific, they may be limited and therefore need to be interdependent. This is analogous to a newspaper and a newsagent. The production of a newspaper is a specialised industry as is the newsagent. Both however are interdependent as the paper cannot be sold without the newsagent and the newsagent will suffer financially without the newspaper. Finally, the third key idea suggests that job satisfaction is influenced by the way in which industry is organised. Job satisfaction is a term to describe how much a person enjoys their job and finds it fulfilling. Industry organisation can lead to poor or very good job satisfaction. This can affect workers quite drastically. For example, poor job satisfaction may lead to inefficient work and high employee turnover, which is not good for the company or industry. In order to find out if these hypotheses are true for the retail industry and more importantly, for the shops that I have chosen, I will carry out two methods of investigation, a questionnaire and general observation. By collecting data using a questionnaire, a large sample can be targeted and answers compared amongst respondents. Due to time restrictions and work place limitations, a structured interview will not be employed. Instead, a questionnaire will be used so that staff can respond in their own time. However, questionnaires are rather limited in the types of data they generate. Boredom in filling out the forms can also lead to falsified results. To combat this, I will directly observe workers. This technique allows for study of behaviour in the ‘natural setting'. The interaction between workers can be studied, as can the behaviour and attitude of individuals. In an ideal situation, I would use participant observation instead but as it is unrealistic to take up employment in order to join the workers, I will just observe as a customer. I will carry out direct observation by visiting the stores and making notes on employee behaviour. I will then obtain questionnaire information by ringing the stores in question for permission to carry out my research. Once this has been established, I will visit the shops and then distribute questionnaires amongst the staff. The research will be carried out in this order to prevent staff from changing their behaviour after filling in their questionnaires.

Issue Connection Paper

Brittany Baron Professor Brinker English 1190 30 November 2010 Problems in the U. S. A Today Out of all the things going on in our world today, I find that our human interest naturally draws us automatically toward the unusual or what's not normally excepted, valued, or understood. It's more of how we were taught when we were kids or how we were raised in specific environments that sets us apart from every one, everywhere else. The issues I have connected are: legalizing marijuana, medical heroine, and the widening acceptance of Ritalin.I have looked at each issue individually and also looked at them together in different orders or groups to see what issues led to another more easily or in a more direct fashion. As a whole I feel that mainly they're all connected by trying to help people, either with health problems, addictions, or just to help them feel better. Jenna spoke on the issue of legalizing marijuana, Matt spoke on the subject of medically administering heroine, and Jessica spoke about the widening acceptance of Ritalin.Jenna had the issue of legalizing marijuana and stated that â€Å"847,000 people a year were arrested for marijuana related charges†, which I found to be a lot of people. People who I'm sure are not all criminals and don't act or hold themselves in a criminal manner. At least not in societies general viewed description or image of one. It seems like this is just creating a larger problem than trying to prevent or stop it. Just like Ritalin, marijuana can be used for good or abused in the worst ways, which could lead to sickness or even worse, possibly death(worst case scenario).She also went on by stating that â€Å"Marijuana helps with tumors. â€Å", this I find is a great thing and can be connected to the issue of medical heroine. Both of these so called drugs are viewed as a menace and nuisance to the society. If you look at them in a more helpful and positive way, they can help many people who need it. People all over the country who struggle from a lifestyle full of pain just because of their illness can at least try to relax or live the rest of their lives in ease. Which seems morally and egally acceptable in any one's eyes if they have a heart that feels sympathy. An addict should be looked at just like an alcoholic. An alcoholic has a hard time telling themselves not to drink, in many cases, they cannot stop themselves and ended up drinking or drunk multiple days out of the week. If they don't, they end up going through withdrawals and their bodies themselves are all confused and shaken up. Just like that, heroin addicts need their fix just as bad. Their brain has been overrun by this drug and pre-programmed to make the body crave and need it to function properly.Without such normality, they cannot function, they literally get involuntarily sick and cannot do anything about it but want more. At this point, I'm pretty sure there needs to be some medical action because no humans body should be put through such rigorous drastic changes as these. What Matt brought to my attention on his issue was that other countries have tried medically administering it to addicts twice a day and showed improvement or complete treatment in due time. Except there are some negative to this also: Who would be left to pay for these facilities that the U.S has not built yet? and the 100% dose of heroin that the doctors do administer them, who pays for that? From what and who I know, addicts don't have the money to necessarily do either. Heroine is becoming a larger and larger problem in the U. S. Matt even stated that the DEA statistically proves that 1. 2% of Americans have already tried it at least once. Not to mention, the heroine that's on the streets could be cut with fentanyl or other drugs that can lead to death when mixed. Just the mixture of fentanyl with heroine alone leads to multiple deaths in the Detroit area alone every year.It's sad to think that an addict could be looking for a fix so they weren't sick, and ended up dying because of some fentanyl-cut-drug. With the issue being as large-at-hand as it is, maybe this should be broadcast across the news and have the country vote or decide on what is right to do or not to do. We as Americans should be willing to help out our brother and sister American citizens that are in need, especially since we have no problem sending millions of dollars over seas to help other countries with their problems when they don't involve us at all.Finally, the growing acceptance of Ritalin: is it taking over our country? According to Jessica, Ritalin itself helps control the central nervous system, relieves repulsive behaviors', and aids levels of transmitters. These seem to be good symptoms' and all until she explained that the drug was being given to kids as young as 3-5years old. When she went further on to explain what exactly this drug was for, it came to me as if the symptoms these 3-5 year olds were being diagnosed with, could possibly be just any young kid acting out or being themselves for that matter.Just like any other drug such as Tylenol or Advil, on the back of the bottle they have directions or explanation of age(s) and pills per hour(s) to be consumed or given daily, any prescribed medications should be taken with caution too. I don't care what kind of doctor you are with what level of degree you hold, I would NEVER in my right mind feed my little child(if I had one) Ritalin if the child was under the age of five years old. It seems absurd! Especially when Jessica went on to tell us that, in 1991,10-14year olds were arriving at the Emergency Room because of Ritalin.Furthermore, that it was found to cause weight loss and over 2000 thefts of it were reported in the year 2000 by the DA. You'd figure this prescribed drug would be used as a helpful tool of the medical age we have grown so accustom too, but just a like every other drug, even street drugs, can be used in both positive and negative ways . So if you step back and look at all these drugs in perspective, some may look worse than they actually are, and the ones you expected to be the more accepted because of their prescribed status could be the more dangerous.I am not saying that every case follows the last because it never does, but I think America needs to come to the conclusion that marijuana and heroine might not be as bad as they're made out to be. And some prescribed drugs can be abused and cause death and disaster. Take caution when it come to drugs, don't put yourself in any unnecessary circumstance, and don't take any chances if you don't need to, Because doing it once could have you hooked for life. And we don't want that, now, do we?

Book review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Book review - Essay Example It is noteworthy that advancement in computers has also transformed the communication landscape. Computers are presently being used in information exchange in any form. This has created advancement in information technology globally. This paper appreciates that people comprehend the history of computing differently because some opinions are informed by traces of information available today of what happened in the past while others viewpoints are informed by issues about computers that are of interest today. Therefore, it presents a timeline on the history of computing according to my own understanding. History of Computing: The Timelines The 14th BC – 1800’s – Abacus and the Slide Rule Abacus remains one of the most primitive machines purposefully developed to aid people in computations. The machine has been on use several centuries even after better-designed devices started coming into the market. Around 17th BC a device that worked even in a more interesting wa y to assist in calculations was generated. The Slide Rule worked manually in doing calculations. Its components included a simple ruler and an impermanent piece that had graduations of parallel logarithmic ranges (Turner, 2006). The greater need to make computations even more easy generated more interest among scholars leading to additional innovations. Blaise Pascal another mathematician designed Pascaline. The mechanical calculator, which acted as an adding machine was developed in 1642, further facilitated the creation of Pascal programming language. 1800’s - Difference Engine and Analytical Engine Charles Babbage also developed what was famously called a â€Å"Difference Engine† in 1830’s. However, later it designed another device â€Å"Analytical Engine.† Both of these designs had five important components that have remained key features of modern computers. The Engines had an input device, component that stored numbers to be calculated, a processor that computed numbers, a component that controlled all machines’ tasks, and finally a component to generate processed numbers. Herman Hollerith also developed the first ever device using electricity to compute numbers in 1890’s. 1900 – 1950 – Computing Machines The period between 1900 and 1950 also saw major computing advancements taking place. Howard Aiken in 1932 started working for IBM and developed the Harvard Mark 1 an electromechanical engine that borrowed massively from Babbage’s Analytical Engine. The period around 1939 saw Atanasoff Berry and Clifford Berry of Iowa State University expanded the computing world by creating the first device that worked electronically. The machine used a binary system in calculations and used different components for processing numbers and storage. Further, in 1943, in order to emerge superior during the British war, many vacuum tube computers emerged and were used to disable the German codes; thus, led to en d of the war faster (Black, 2001).   The machines were named Colossus Mark 2. In 1946, John Mauchly and Presper Eckert both expanded the ideas behind Colossus in order to come up with Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, ENIAC that emerged as the world’s all-purpose computer (Black, 2001). John Von Neumann further developed ENIAC to create an Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer, EDVAC that generated computers that are more superior. 1950 – 1970 – Punch Card Technology The computing world welcomed the first computers to be commercially supplied to the markets.

Slp bus 499 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Slp bus 499 - Essay Example Also the last objective as already been discussed is the commitment to sustainable development. Wal – Mart ensures complete usage of its resources and helps in improving the environment. Here customers realize that the organization supports them and also cares for the satisfaction of the customer needs. Also the organization has shown social responsibility to the society. The above mentioned strategies support one another in all aspects. It is noted that all the objectives and the strategies that have been set down by the company are linked to one another in a manner – the mission and vision of the company. This allows and shows that the company is headed only in one direction and thus the strategic goals of the company will be met easily and more efficiently due to the united approach. Thus it is clear that the strategies developed by the company support each other in all manners and allow the company to grow evenly towards the same goals. Wal – Mart has very carefully planned and designed its strategies based on the mission and vision that have been set. The company’s strategies in all aspects, including the strategies based on the customer perspective, financial perspective, learning and growth perspective of the company. Thus the strategies that have been built are well linked and the casual chain is clear with completeness to the company’s main vision and mission. The one new objective that can be included to improve the performance of the company is to include a better learning and growth perspective for the employees. This is one of the only parts of the organisation that does not have importance to employee development. The organisation has been accused for a number of issues where the employees have been wrongly treated and the no importance has been given to employee development. Thus one of the major strategies that Wal – Mart should accommodate in their strategy is to provide emp loyees with a ground for learning and self

Theater Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Theater Art - Essay Example This is a film that is very much about faith, in particular Larry's faith. He is beset by a series of very difficult and painful personal problems. His wife has left him, his children have problems, at work there are a number of issues. Everything he does goes wrong. He is very much like the character of Job from the Old Testament. He seems to be being made to suffer for the amusement of some supernatural force. Climbing to the roof of his home (albeit for another purpose), he is getting closer to heaven and the gods which control his fate. He is also taking the opportunity to survey his situation and his place in the world from on high. The camera angle is below Larry in this shot. His back is to the camera and he looks awkward and ungainly; indeed, his shirt is tucked in and he is wearing nice shoes, not the kind of outfit one wears to climb on the roof. The sky is a bright, clear blue, but much else in the shot is sterile. The only other object, besides the shingles on the roof, i s the antenna, to Larry's left. Larry is in the centre of the frame and all the lines of the roof lead up to him. He is clearly the heart and soul of this picture. Climbing onto the roof is an important chance for Larry to survey his life. After this frame he looks out on the streets and his neighbours.

Can Kuwait save the GCC Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Can Kuwait save the GCC - Assignment Example The states that make up the GCC feel that Qatar is not honoring its part of the agreement in relation to regional security. In response to this, Bahrain, the UAF and Saudi Arabia have opted to withdraw their ambassadors from the country (2). The GCC member states are calling on Qatar to honor the November 2013 accord that calls for severing ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, greatly restrict the movement of Iranian operatives within the zone, and stop all privileges enjoyed by Sheikh Yusef al-Qaradawi, an Egyptian Scholar, to make public broadcasts (2). In this respect, the GCC member states are requesting Qatar to disallow Sheikh Yusef from making broadcasts, severe ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, and stop facilitating the movement of those considered to be Iranian operatives within the GCC zone. While the GCC countries feel that Qatar is interfering in the zone’s security matters that are enshrined in their accord and uniting agreements, Qatar feels that the move to withdraw ambassadors by other GCC states from Doha has no relation to do with the stability, security and interests of nationals of the GCC (3). Instead it was linked to a difference opinions regarding issues that are external to the GCC (3). By allowing Iranian operatives into the GCC zone, the U.S. and its affiliates will find cause to severe ties with GCC member states on the premise that they are supporting Iran’s aggressive activities and stance toward developing nuclear weapons.

Logic Application Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Logic Application - Essay Example Now, this belief goes against the teachings of Bible about stealing. The fact is that a culture is surrounded by a variety of beliefs and human actions that they perform in different situations. Sometimes, those actions earn people benefits even when they are wrong if compared with the God’s words. In such situations, those negative actions become common human behaviors, as well as part of the culture. The impact of following the culture blindly is not good for a society in the long-term. For example, if people adopt the habit of stealing each other’s assets, it will give rise to insecurity and mistrust everywhere in the society. People should understand that stealing is wrong because it makes the environment insecure. As Kurtus (2010) states, â€Å"There have been cases of a mob of angry people catching a purse-snatcher and beating him senseless†. People should understand that what a person earns is his/her personal asset and nobody has the right to steal that asset even if a person has an excess of an

Scholarly paper related to observation and evaluation of Nursing Essay

Scholarly paper related to observation and evaluation of Nursing manager role - Essay Example According to Egner (2009), every institutional leader has the responsibility to solve individual problems through a dynamic utilization of personnel. His duty is to develop and maintain a culture that encourages work. As a result, the leader has to utilize more than only the functions of management. He or she should show concern for production as well as people. In a clinic, organization, planning, controlling, and directing are the main functions of the manager. Quality work is crucial for the patients’ well-being and the medical practitioners have to be experienced and well conversant in their job descriptions. Planning involves the selection of programs, projects, or objectives appropriate for the type of organization. Furthermore, it also involves the procedures and policies for accomplishing them. Lutz (2010), on the other hand, states that planning should always come before the action. This then has to be combined with employee motivation and training so that they realiz e the organization’s target goals, including the mission and vision. The manager also has to overcome resource and political barriers. This goes together with being keen on identifying any deviations from the plan and doing the necessary planning for correcting the problem. Consequently, it is important to note that these management functions are not only for the top manager, but also for all leaders in the clinic. The managing director should however act as the head of all subordinate leaders. Organization of clinical personnel occurs chiefly to achieve maximum coordination. This ensures efficient synchronization of staff, equipment, materials, methods, and timing. The customers in a clinic are mainly patients who have to be directed from one room to another and efficient coordination will always result to customer satisfaction and minimum chaos. Furthermore, Lutz (2010) states that well defined and logical organizations encourage savings in efforts and energy and minimize f rustration. As a management function, organization entails the designation of specific duties to certain personnel and departments. It also defines their functions and specifies the links between personnel and departments. In a clinical setting, diagrams, operating guides, and tables promote coordination of the staff, departments, and customers. However, it is difficult to keep them up to date and they give subtle coordination in fast growing, expanding, and dynamic enterprises. Another major cause of failure is delegation if authority to subordinates. A good delegator gives the ideas of subordinates a chance, allows the staff to make mistakes and learn from them, gives other subordinates the power to make decisions, and formulates an effective transfer of information over subordinates. Behavioral leadership theory focuses on analyzing behaviors or actions that describe a style of leadership. With this aspect, leaders are required to work with a specific category of style that relie s on their methods and actions used to fulfill the goals (Egner, 2009). However, the choice of suitable leadership criteria relies on the values and objectives of the individual making the evaluation, but different individuals have diverse values. Thus, the best approach is to include several criteria when researching on leadership effectiveness. Egner (2009) recommends four criteria for leadership effectiveness. They include individual leader effectiveness, follower job fulfillment,

Communicating at Work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Communicating at Work - Essay Example Proper communication is necessary to resolve conflicts that may happen among employees when job satisfaction decreases (Masters and Albright). When there is no communication between the supervisor and the subordinate, the former becomes oblivious to the latter’s needs and demands thus putting the latter under job stress which increases his dissatisfaction. This has bad effects on the organization in the long run. The manager has to remain informed about his employees and the only way he can do it is through communicating with them about what they want to get and what they need to do to achieve organizational goals. Workers need to communicate among themselves so that they can share views and ideas, and stay stress free. This is internal communication. External communication is also as much important which involves communicating with partners, shareholders and the customers. All this adds to the organization’s integrity and rapport which pays off in the long run in the f orm of employee and customer satisfaction. Works Cited Masters, Marick Francis, and Robert R. Albright. The Complete Guide to Conflict Resolution in the Workplace. USA: AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn, 2002.

Effect of Reinforcement Essay Example for Free

Effect of Reinforcement Essay Psychology as we know it didn’t suddenly appear on the intellectual scene. It is impossible to say just when it began, or who was responsible for it. Instead, we can only point to a number of current that takes us from philosophy and the natural sciences into something recognizably psychological. To give you the simple concept of this field, psychology is the study of human and animal behavior. As time ages, many psychological theories have evolved. Burhus Frederic Skinner, as one of the contributors has emphasized a theory on learning regarding to individual’s behavior. Skinner believed that the best way to understand behavior is to look at the causes of an action and its consequences. He called this approach operant conditioning. Skinners theory of operant conditioning was based on the work of Thorndike (1905). Edward Thorndike studied learning in animals using a puzzle box to propose the theory known as the Law of Effect Skinner is regarded as the father of Operant Conditioning, but his work was based on Thorndike’s law of effect. Skinner introduced a new term into the Law of Effect Reinforcement. Behavior which is reinforced tends to be repeated (i.e. strengthened); behavior which is not reinforced tends to die out-or be extinguished (i.e. weakened). Skinner (1948) studied operant conditioning by conducting experiments using animals which he placed in a â€Å"Skinner Box† which was similar to Thorndike’s puzzle box. B.F. Skinner (1938) coined the term operant conditioning; it means roughly changing of behavior by the use of reinforcement which is given after the desired response. A. Background of the study Reinforcement, a term used to refer to anything that increases the likelihood that a response will occur. Reinforcement, noted, defined by the effect that it has on behavior it increases or strengthens the behavior. It might involve responses right after the reinforced present a kind of motivation. In this study, we could see the behavior, and the responses made by the rat in the presentation of reinforcement. The errors of the rat in the progress of the experiment shall be observed and noted and shown to answer the queries of the researchers at the same time address curiosity. B. Theoretical Basis: Physiological psychology research has identified separate but interactive neural pathways mediating reward and aversion (i.e., functioning as positive and negative reinforcement systems, respectively). Direct activation of brain reward mechanisms through electrical and chemical stimulation provides a tool for elucidating these neural systems. During the past four decades, considerable knowledge has been gained regarding the anatomical and neurochemical basis of these pathways. This brief presentation addresses only brain mechanisms involved in positive reinforcement because they are closely identified with pleasure in humans and because they underlie the primary process governing much of normal behavior. Deprivation and Positive Reinforces: Experts who say educators can use positive reinforces (positive consequences) to control students behavior usually dont tell the educators they must first deprive students of whatever they plan to use as reinforce. As far back as 1938, Skinner described how deprivation is necessary when a person wants to use reinforces to control another organism. That was when he wrote, in the preface to his book, The Behavior of Organisms: An Experimental Analysis (N.Y.: Appleton-Century-Crofts): The simplest contingencies involve at least three terms stimulus, response, and reinforcement and at least one other variable (the deprivation associated with the reinforcement) is implied. I think it is interesting that, even relatively early in his work, Skinner was waffling on his acknowledgment of the central role deprivation plays in operant conditioning. Notice how he says there are at least three terms, and at least one other variable (the deprivation associated with the reinforcement) is implied. Make no mistake about it, deprivation is not merely implied; it is the essential action that allows behaviorists to create the illusion that reinforcement controls behavior, whether the behavior occurs in the experimental laboratory, the classroom, or the slaughterhouse. Watsons S-R behavioristic psychology described behavior as reflexive responses to stimuli. Skinners radical behaviorism described behavior as responses in the presence of stimuli that were associated with reinforcers, where the reinforcers worked because the organism was deprived. The formula in Skinners psychology is stimulus-response-reinforcement (+deprivation): S-R-R (+D). (Sometimes the formula is written, Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence, or A-B-C. I would add +Deprivation, making the formula A-B-C (+D).) Without deprivation, or denial of access to something an organism wants or needs, there is no reinforcement. If a rat eats pellets of food until it stops of its own accord, then the behaviorist cannot use food to reinforce the rat’s actions. If a child has all of the attention he or she needs or wants, then a teacher cannot use attention to reinforce the childs behavior. No deprivation, no control of behavior. No control of behavior, no discipline program The following passage, from one of the Bibles of laboratory research methods for radical behaviorists, describes how completely they relied on deprivation to create the illusion that reinforcers control behavior. In 1957, C. B. Ferster and B. F. Skinner wrote that: Birds are sometimes matched on deprivation level as measured by the rate of responding under a variable-interval schedule. Each bird is run for a session of fixed length each day C. Related Literature What is Reinforcement? Reinforcement theory is the process of shaping behavior by controlling the consequences of the behavior. In reinforcement theory a combination of rewards and/or punishments is used to reinforce desired behavior or extinguish unwanted behavior. Any behavior that elicits a consequence is called operant behavior, because the individual operates on his or her environment. Reinforcement theory concentrates on the relationship between the operant behavior and the associated consequences, and is sometimes referred to as operant conditioning. REINFORCEMENT, PUNISHMENT, AND EXTINCTION The most important principle of reinforcement theory is, of course, reinforcement. Generally speaking, there are two types of reinforcement: positive and negative. Positive reinforcement results when the occurrence of a valued behavioral consequence has the effect of strengthening the probability of the behavior being repeated. The specific behavioral consequence is called a reinforced. An example of positive reinforcement might be a salesperson that exerts extra effort to meet a sales quota (behavior) and is then rewarded with a bonus (positive reinforce). The administration of the positive reinforce should make it more likely that the salesperson will continue to exert the necessary effort in the future. Negative reinforcement results when an undesirable behavioral consequence is withheld, with the effect of strengthening the probability of the behavior being repeated. Negative reinforcement is often confused with punishment, but they are not the same. Punishment attempts to decrease the probability of specific behaviors; negative reinforcement attempts to increase desired behavior. Thus, both positive and negative reinforcement have the effect of increasing the probability that a particular behavior will be learned and repeated. An example of negative reinforcement might be a salesperson that exerts effort to increase sales in his or her sales territory (behavior), which is followed by a decision not to reassign the salesperson to an undesirable sales route (negative reinforce). The administration of the negative reinforce should make it more likely that the salesperson will continue to exert the necessary effort in the future. As mentioned above, punishment attempts to decrease the probability of specific behaviors being exhibited. Punishment is the administration of an undesirable behavioral consequence in order to reduce the occurrence of the unwanted behavior. Punishment is one of the more commonly used reinforcement-theory strategies, but many learning experts suggest that it should be used only if positive and negative reinforcement cannot be used or have previously failed, because of the potentially negative side effects of punishment. An example of punishment might be demoting an employee who does not meet performance goals or suspending an employee without pay for violating work rules. Extinction is similar to punishment in that its purpose is to reduce unwanted behavior. The process of extinction begins when a valued behavioral consequence is withheld in order to decrease the probability that a learned behavior will continue. Over time, this is likely to result in the ceasing of that behavior. Extinction may alternately serve to reduce a wanted behavior, such as when a positive reinforce is no longer offered when a desirable behavior occurs. For example, if an employee is continually praised for the promptness in which he completes his work for several months, but receives no praise in subsequent months for such behavior, his desirable behaviors may diminish. Thus, to avoid unwanted extinction, managers may have to continue to offer positive behavioral consequences. What is motivation? Definition of Motivation Motivation refers to â€Å"the reasons underlying behavior† (Guay et al., 2010, p. 712). Paraphrasing Gredler, Broussard and Garrison (2004) broadly define motivation as â€Å"the attribute that moves us to do or not to do something† (p. 106). Intrinsic motivation is motivation that is animated by personal enjoyment, interest, or pleasure. As Deci et al. (1999) observe, â€Å"Intrinsic motivation energizes and sustains activities through the spontaneous satisfactions inherent in effective volitional action. It is manifest in behaviors such as play, exploration, and challenge seeking that people often do for external rewards† (p. 658). Researchers often contrast intrinsic motivation with extrinsic motivation, which is motivation governed by reinforcement contingencies. Traditionally, educators consider intrinsic motivation to be more desirable and to result in better learning outcomes than extrinsic motivation (Deci et al., 1999). Although the use of differential reinforcement has been recommended in previous investigations and in early intervention curriculum manuals, few studies have evaluated the best method for providing differential reinforcement to maximize independent responding. This paper reviews previous research on the effectiveness of differential reinforcement as treatment and describes important areas of future research. Keywords: acquisition, differential reinforcement, early intervention, reinforcement quality, reinforcement schedules Differential reinforcement is an operant procedure used to increase the occurrence of desirable behavior while simultaneously decreasing undesirable behavior. The use of differential reinforcement is recommended in early intervention (EI) programs because children in EI often do not acquire skills in the absence of motivational procedures (Karsten Carr, 2009; Leaf McEachin, 1999; Lovaas, 2003). In addition, prompting procedures may be necessary initially, because children who require EI may not have extensive skill repertoires that could be exposed to differential reinforcement. Thus, one challenge in EI programming is to identify differential reinforcement procedures that minimize prompt dependence and promote independent responding as the ultimate goal. However, only a few studies have examined the effects of differential reinforcement on independent and prompted responding in EI programs. Therefore, the purposes of this review are (a) to provide a summary of previous research related to differential reinforcement during acquisition-based procedures in EI and (b) to suggest areas of future research. Schedules of reinforcement Studies have examined variations in differential reinforcement schedules for prompted and independent responding to identify schedules that increase the efficiency of learning (i.e., quickly increase independent responding). Olenick and Pear (1980) implemented differential reinforcement during tact training using 5-s constant time delay (hereafter referred to as â€Å"prompt delay†) with 3 children with severe intellectual disabilities. The evaluation included four conditions. In two of the conditions, reinforcement was provided on a fixed-ratio (FR) 6 or 8 schedule. Reinforcement was provided on an FR 1 schedule for correct independent responses and on an FR 6 or FR 8 schedule for prompted responses in the third condition. In the fourth condition, reinforcement was provided on an FR 1 schedule for prompted responses and on an FR 6 or 8 schedules for correct independent responses. Results indicated that all participants had the highest accuracy and number of independent responses on the FR 1 schedule for independent responses. These findings suggest that schedules of reinforcement that favor independent responding may produce more rapid skill acquisition. However, the authors implemented a fairly thin schedule of reinforcement in the first two conditions (i.e., FR 6 or 8) and did not conduct any sessions at a 0-s prompt delay, both of which are inconsistent with typical procedures used in EI (Walker, 2008). Thus, it is not clear that the results of this study are representative of acquisition in clinical settings, in which rich schedules of reinforcement and a 0-s prompt delay are used most typically in initial stages of learning. What is Latent learning? Latent learning is a theory in psychology that describes learning without a reward. An organism learns a new concept simply from observation and without any obvious reinforcement. The organism may not be consciously aware of its new skill until it suddenly expresses that skill when it becomes useful at a later date. For instance, a person can casually observe other people using chopsticks to eat and discover much later that he or she can use them correctly without ever being taught. A classic experiment in psychology illustrates how latent learning works. Edward C. Tolman and C.H. Honzik famously placed three groups of rats inside a maze, where the rats were allowed to wander around. One rat group always received a food reward when reaching the end of the maze, while the second group found no food at the end. The third group found no food at the end of the maze for ten days but discovered food on the 11th day. The first group of rats learned to reach the end of the maze quickly to reach the food. The second group continued to wonder around the maze. The third group acted similarly to the second group until food was placed at the end of the maze on the last day. One day after food was placed; the third group had already learned to reach the end of the maze as quickly as the first group.

My personal experience Essay Example for Free

My personal experience Essay This story is from my personal experience where I was involved directly with the central character in this story. This story is about a little girl who had lot of aspirations in life and wanted to make a mark in this world. Though the name doesn’t matter but for the matter of convenience, let us call her Mary. Mary’s only fault, if it was, was getting born to parents who could only afford her education by skipping one meal in a day. Mary was above average and hence scored well in her kindergarten levels. The problem started when she was promoted to 1st standard where the level of difficulty increased for her. Her parents who could not read or write were of little help. In the daily grind of earning, when they could hardly afford the meals and her education, getting a tutor for her was a distant dream. This made the little bud sink as she always wanted to be the best and was ready to work hard as well but the conditions at home and school prevented her from unlocking her potential. On one side while her parents had their own rut to handle, her school teacher was not any considerate. She would hardly teach in the class and yet expect her students to perform the best. Well, her prestige was at stake. Any weak student in the class was a pain for her and she wanted to devise ways and means to expel the student who was not able to score. The first trimester results were declared and as expected Mary flunked in most of the subjects. She was not the worst but she was not above average any more. Mary’s teacher was infuriated with the results of the class, which was not as she wanted. She felt a necessity to teach last 10 rankers a lesson. What else could be better method than to physically torture the tiny tender kids, so that they never forget the lesson the learned teacher was trying to hammer on them. In no time, last 10 rankers were asked to stand outside in the sun which was blazing at the peak summer noon. No prizes for guessing that our Mary was also asked to stand in the scorching heat. The summer sun was too harsh for the slender frame of Mary who could not sustain and passed out on the ground. She was immediately rushed in the shade and nursed. This incidence further aggravated teacher’s indignation. It was difficult for her to believe that kids of Mary’s age can not sustain such punishments. She considered Mary to be faking the whole situation. Teacher remembered the incidence and sought to vindicate it at the right opportunity. It did not take much time for the right opportunity to come in. The Semester exams were going on. Mary was trying her best to prepare for the difficult subjects. Her parents had asked me to take few classes for her as a favor. I agreed and started coaching Mary on the subjects. She was having good grasping power and unique ability to apply the knowledge as soon as acquired. Hence, my effort was quite less in teaching her and the output was beyond my expectation. I started liking to teach her. Mary was working very hard to make up the grades. She was doing well in her exams, she used to tell me. On the day of her last exam, Mary was quietly writing her paper. The paper was easy for her as she was well prepared. The teacher, as vindictive she was, was watching for a slight error from Mary so that she could throw her out of the exam hall. To Mary’s misfortune, the moment arrived. A quick gust of wind flew Mary’s question paper to her fellow students’ desk. As Mary went on to pick her question paper, she was confronted slapped hard by her teacher who left no stone un-turned in proving that she was cheating. Mary cried, cried and cried but it all went on deaf ears. Fortunately, for Mary, the principal of the school was passing by. She stopped and asked the reason for the commotion. Thankfully, the principal believed Mary and allowed her to complete her exams. This was the last straw for the class teacher to consider Mary her sworn enemy. To rub salt on her wounds, Mary’s result was just excellent in the semester exams. She had topped, though over all she was 3rd ranker but still there were six months to go and Mary hoped that she would be able to regain her original position. And then the fateful day arrived. It was one week, since the school opened and Mary was quite excited to learn the subjects further. She was quick to answer the questions asked in the class and was doing very well. Finally, on that day, the teacher got into an ego clash and asked Mary to explain something which was way beyond Mary’s scope of learning. The teacher, infuriated, threw the duster with full force towards Mary which unfortunately hit Mary directly at her temple. Immediate brain hemorrhage followed resulting in on-the-spot loss of a life which was definitely not meant to be going this way. The teacher was tried in the court but she was released due to lack of evidence and on the ground of accidental but not intended hit. Life is going on usual for me or anyone else in the world, but definitely its’ no more a fair world for me!

Reflections On The Professional Use Of Self Social Work Essay

Reflections On The Professional Use Of Self Social Work Essay At the heart of social work lies the fundamental belief in human rights, citizenship and social justice (Fook, 2002). Indeed, social workers are ordinarily duty-bound to advocate the principles of empowerment through anti-oppressive practice whilst placing the wishes and needs of clients at the centre of delivery (General Social Care Council (GSCC), 2004; Dalrymple and Burke, 2006). Yet practice is complex not least because the success of any intervention is entwined with the phenomenological attributes of both clients and practitioners (Prynn, 2008). Thus, social work practitioners face significant challenges such as identifying what they contribute to a relationship, how this impacts on decisions and what individual and structural power imbalances influence practice (Fook, 2002). Critical practice is a conceptual tool which affords practitioners the opportunity to engage in transformational practice whilst recognising the value base and social justice agenda of social work (Fook, 2002). This paper will briefly provide a case study of an experience I encountered as a practitioner. This will then be explored through what Brechin (2000) identifies as the three interrelated domains of critical practice: critical analysis, critical reflexivity and critical action. In doing so it will demonstrate how I have engaged with my self to identify what I took into practice and the implications this can have in being a transformational practitioner. On commencing my role as a project worker within a residential home for young people with behavioural difficulties I was introduced to John (pseudonym). John was fourteen and had a history of anti-social behaviour and a criminal history for burglary and assault although all cases were at least two years prior. John was in care because of a request from his parents who no longer felt they could control his behaviour because his reaction to discipline was often non-compliance and violence. His file illustrated him as mischievous, yet comical, with recent signs of improved behaviour. He enjoyed partaking in various hobbies; however, these were often short-lived with him becoming disinterested very quickly. I worked with John for several months and at a case-review meeting Johns parents informed the panel that he wished to take up boxing. His parents supported the idea, as did the Social Worker because it was thought it may inspire some discipline. I objected because of his criminal conviction of assault. However, the Social Worker dismissed this by indicating that Johns wishes were important and that our role was to empower him. Despite my objections it was agreed that John could attend. John soon attended a boxing club organised and operated by two retired policemen. Approximately one year later John was convicted of aggravated burglary with the victim being an elderly woman. The first domain of critical practice, critical analysis, is concerned with how practitioners evaluate evidence, policies, and knowledge to influence decisions (Brechin, 2000; Glaister, 2008). Furthermore, the practitioner becomes conscious of multiple perspectives and the contextual nature of them (Brechin, 2000; Fook, 2002). Chalmers (2003:22) claims that practitioners who intervene in peoples lives have a responsibility to be informed by rigorous, transparent, up-to-date evaluations. Yet Sheldon and MacDonald (2009) note the reliance on robust evidence being available and the practitioners having the time, resources and skill-base to adequately evaluate evidence. Indeed, Fook (2002) argues that it is often in the interests of agencies to prevent such approaches as it may lead to increased responsibilities and higher costs. Placing this experience in the context of critical analysis it is unsure at this point what informed the Social Workers knowledge; however, it was clear that he wished to respect Johns voice. The Social Worker believed John had personal agency and a fundamental right to choose his own life direction. The GSCC (2004) concurs with the Social Worker in-so-far as practitioners should promote independence and respect the clients right to take risks. The Social Worker, as an agent of the state, was further supported by policies such as article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1990:4) which stipulates that any child capable of forming his or her own views has the right to express those views[and this be] given due weight. Indeed, his employer has signed up to this convention (Somerset County Council, 2009). However, practitioners also have an obligation to ensure that these risks are managed and necessary steps are taken to minimise the risk of harm to service users or others (GSCC, 2010). I held an alternative view to protect John, and others, from harm. It is clear that both the Social Worker and I had valid points, thus, being guided by knowledge, policies and theories on their own may result in conflicts about what actions to follow (Banks, 2006). The second domain of critical practice, critical reflexivity, originates from reflective practice and the concept that practitioners learn through experience (Schà ¶n, 1983). However, because reflective practice has limited criticalness (Fook and Askeland, 2006) it often fails to acknowledge deeper processes which impact practice (Fook, 2002). Furthermore, reflective practice can result in negative outcomes such as self-doubt or an acceptance of status quos (Eby, 2000). Critical reflexivity refers to a practitioner who engages in self-criticism whilst being reflective. The practitioner becomes reflexive in questioning pre-established values, assumptions and prejudices (Taylor and White, 2001) and gains an understanding on how this influences negotiated understandings and interventions whilst working across difference (Glaister, 2008; Fook, 2002). Because critical reflexivity permits the practitioner to acknowledge the complex nature of the clients circumstances and their perspective s there is an organic acknowledgement of cultural and social disparities (Fook, 2002). Indeed, Allport (1978:437) concurs and states how practitioners who engage in inwardness are generally less prejudice, are more tolerant in understanding others, and exhibit a desire for personal autonomy rather than for external, institutional anchorage. Critical reflexivity affords me the opportunity to contemplate on how my preformed values and assumptions influenced my perspective. Thus, I needed to consider the opposition I held to Johns participation. As a pre-adolescent child I was bullied in school with a particular individual being prevalent in my memory. This individual attended martial arts which he duly practised on me. Ultimately, this had a significant impact on my belief that violence is wrong. Indeed, in relation to John my assumption was that everyone who attended a power sport had the potential to bully. This was hyperbolised by Johns past and thus my opposition to his partaking. Adams (2009) supports my exploration by indicating how our experiences can have an implicit impact on our decisions and in this instance I can identify how my negotiated understanding had become manipulated by my self. The Social Worker adopted a Kantianistic approach by wanting to empower John to make his own life choices. Indeed, the Social Worker wanted to advocate Johns rights rather than impose carers perspectives which is understandable considering the current agenda toward person-centred planning (GSCC, 20100; Kellett, 2009). However, I felt that as professionals there was a justification in adopting utilitarianistic values because the risk of re-engaging in criminal activities was too high. Yet evidently apparent is neither the Social Worker or I respected each others perspective. However, notably the issues of the Social Workers claims that he wanted to empower John also become apparent. The very notion that the Social Worker wanted to empower John indicates that the Social Worker was actually the one with the power. Yet, the Social Worker has duties and responsibilities beyond the value of empowerment because of his legislated duty to protect John, and others, from harm (Banks, 2006). The final domain, critical action, is concerned with practitioners having a robust skill-base whilst being conscious of its contextual nature. A critical practitioner works across difference to promote empowerment whilst confronting structural oppressions (Brechin, 2000; Eby, 2000). A primary principle of critical practice is the notion that practitioners should be research-minded in understanding the contextual basis of empirical evidence (Shemmings and Shemmings, 2003). Utilisation of the best available evidence is essential to contemporary practice (Sheldon and MacDonald, 2009) and yet despite being a self-evidently a good idea (Trinder, 2000:3), evidence-based practice has faced fierce opposition because there is a risk that practitioners may abandon reflexivity and personal agency for technical rationality (Taylor and White, 2006; Webb, 2001). However, this view has been adequately challenged by commentators who state that evidence-based practice, which actually means evidence-i nformed practice (MacDonald, 2003; Chalmers, 2003) has, when scrutinised, the potential to minimise the risk of harm to service users (Chalmers, 2003). Indeed, evidence-informed practice is the critically appraised synthesis of empirical and experiential evidence (Fook, 2002; Sheldon and MacDonald, 2009). In linking this to my experience with John, it becomes clear that I could not knowingly offer any definitive empirical evidence to support my perspective. However, neither could the Social Worker. In this sense both the Social Worker and I failed to be research-minded. Thus, in opposition to anti-evidence-based advocates, this experience indicates how practitioners can make mistakes when acting on instinct alone. Indeed, a brief search for empirical evidence found a longitudinal study by Endersen and Olweus (2005) which identified how participation in power sports for adolescents with a previous history of anti-social behaviours is likely to result in re-engagement. As John had a previous history of theft, this evidence may well have helped me, the Social Worker, and even John, come to a different decision. Critical action also involves the practitioner developing a consciousness of the often hidden imbalances of power between themselves, agencies and the client (Payne, 2005). Critical practice occurs within the context of theory and consideration of critical theories permits me to understand my construction of power and how this influenced my action, or inaction. For example, Foucault was concerned with language and how discourse can assist professionals to create natural and unchallengeable situations because they are deemed to have knowledge and thus power (Finlay, 2000:85). Indeed, the Social Worker established, chaired and controlled the case-review meeting. Fook (2002) concurs and argues that professionals utilise societal structures in order to suppress service users. Taking my earlier point regarding the construction of the case-meeting further it is clear that it was designed by adults with no real consideration about what John wanted. Indeed it is hard to understand why John, or an advocate, was not at the meeting. Yet, even if John was permitted to attend, it is highly likely he would have faced oppression by being forced to engage with the hegemonic language of adults which he would not have understood, thus he would ultimately been oppressed and possibly disempowered (Kehily, 2009). However, Cocker and Allain (2008) contend that service users have the right to take a pro-active role in decision making processes and suggest that the role of the practitioner is to ensure that service users are fully informed through the provision of concise information. This clearly did not transpire and thus true empowerment was never apparent. In concluding it is evident a professionals self can impact on the everyday lives of service users and practitioners. As practitioners we all have multiple identities which we take into practice. Not only do these derive from our previous experiences, but also our responsibilities as professionals, agents of the states, as employees and of course as statutory creation created to fulfil a role. Indeed, critical practice assists practitioners highlight how their self has been impacted upon from each of these identities and permits the us to make decisions, along with the service user, that are more likely to produce a more productive, and effective, outcome for all. In engaging in critical practice I have been able to identify significant factors which may have contributed to a better outcome. Whether Johns participation in boxing contributed to his re-engagement in criminal activities cannot be realistically measured. However, what is certain is John was disempowered in-so-far as he should have been fully informed. It is clear that none of the three domains of critical practice isolated can work independently, however, the careful and intentional synthesis of values, experiences, evidence and knowledge along with an awareness of structural disadvantage caused by agencies can all have a positive impact on the self and ultimately a practitioners power to challenge practice. I misplaced my power as a morally active practitioner and permitted the Social Worker to make a judgement based on instinct. I could have researched the potential issues of boxing and provided John with more in-depth information in a format he would understand. However, as practitioners we have an obligation to learn from our experiences because a critical practitioner who is engaged with their self is more likely to succeed in becoming a transformational practitioner.