Introduction.. Service Users Expect Social Workers To...

Introduction. Service users expect Social workers to intervene in their lives when they are facing difficult or challenging situations. To do that we have to understand the service user s life, their relationships and their environment as a whole. In addition to using our professional judgments in dealing with service users and offering support to them, we are guided by theories, models, and approaches. Theories help social workers to describe, explain and predict what is happening in the service user s life, why it happened and what might happen next. (Maclean and Harrison, 2015 page 9) For the purpose of confidentiality, I will be using Joan throughout this assignment as she is my primary focus. Joan is 76 years, widowed as she had†¦show more content†¦I will be focusing mainly on Joan? s physical and social needs, assessing what service package will be available to meet her needs. I will also be using a Task-centered approach to help Joan maintain and improve her physical well-being as a lack of exercise, overweight, and other factors are at risk for a stroke occurring or reoccurring. (NHS Choices). I will try to understand how the nature of Joan?s past and present relationships can affect her physical and mental wellbeing, and the attachment theory will help me analyze and generate ideas. Attachment Theory In 1958, the Attachment theory came into existence. It was developed by John Bowlby on the notion that the quality of the parent -child relationship was essential for development and mental health (Howe, 2011, pg, 7). This thinking was in the context of distress shown by children when separated from their parents or when in unfamiliar surroundings. While having credit for the emergence of the attachment theory, Bowlby subsequently carried out a lot of research work with Mary Ainsworth concluding that children view their attachment figures as both a ?safe haven? to return to for comfort and protection and also a ?secure base? from which to explore their environment. The birth of children gives rise to the need to feel loved and wanted by caregivers, (Maclean and Harrison,2015 pg, 103), the absence of which might result in a range of behaviors to eitherShow MoreRelatedProfessional Development And Social Work3413 Words   |  14 Pagesjohnjalu@gmail.com Professional Development and Reforming Social Work in Best Practice Abstract Social workers play an essential in the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in our society. For individuals and families who come into contact with them, the services and guidance they provide can be essential, providing guidance, support, and access to vital services. 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Drum Major App Free Essays

Drum Major Audition 1. What specific skills do you posses that qualify you as a drum major. What qualifies me as a drum major is the experience that I have within this band program. We will write a custom essay sample on Drum Major App or any similar topic only for you Order Now Being a section leader for the past two years has given me a much better understanding of show and music, along with advanced understanding of marching technique and fundamentals. 2. Describe your level of musicianship and instrumental pedagogy skills. From the start of my music career at Cryar, I’ve always been the top Tuba player. Even throughout Junior High-school and Even so far in High-school, I’ve been in Wind Ensemble. Being in the Wind Ensemble shows my musical ability, along with my musical understanding. Being in the Wind Ensemble gives me a opportunity to study and prepare more difficult music that I would find being in any other band. 3. Describe your level of marching fundamentals competency. My level of marching, I would say, is one of the more advanced in the band; I’m basing this statement on the fact that I’ve already had three years of marching experience, but not just marching experience, I’ve also had two years of teaching marching to underclassmen. With this experience I believe puts me ahead of other students in the band, because I was the only Sophomore section leader. 4. Describe your level of drill design (and execution of) understanding. My level of drill design and understanding is advanced compared to others in the band. Since Sophomore year I’ve been presented with the drill charts, that normal students would only see outside of rehearsal. So I have a fairly good understanding how to dress forms and how to fix forms that might not be working as well as it should be. 5. List and describe the points of attention . Feet The heels of the marchers feel should be touching, and their toes separated so that the gap at the intersection of the heels at a 45 degree angle. Along with the position of the feet, the weight of the marcher should be balanced solely on the ball of the foot. If this is done correctly then the marcher should be able to bounce up and down on their feet without shifting their weight. b. Knees The marc hers knees should be in a comfortable bend. The worst thing for a marcher to do is lock their knees when they are in attention. This could lead to a possible blackout of the marcher due to the cut of of blood to the brain. c. Hips The marchers hips should flat to front, and should also be pushed and tilted forward slightly. The hips is one of the most important parts of a good marcher, it’s what separates the musician from the athlete. This is a important thing to remember later when we start marching. d. Arms The Marchers arms should be at a slight, comfortable bend. With their hands resting on the sides of the legs, wear the seam of their shorts should be. The elbows should be facing directly backwards, not outward to any degree. The hands should be in a loose fist with their thumb facing directly downward in line with the seam on their shorts. e. Shoulder The marchers shoulders should be in a line with the heals of their feet and their hips. They should be relaxed but bold. This can be achieved by raising the shoulder to the ears, pulling them back, and relaxing them downward. This will portray a stronger individual. f. Head The marchers head should be held high. So that they are looking directly forward. There should be absolutely no movement what so ever while the marcher is in attention. Not to adjust hair, or wipe sweat, regardless to circumstance, if you are in attention, you are not moving. 6. List and describe the points of forward march. a. Head The head should remain flat to front or back at all times,unless directed otherwise. b. Shoulders The marchers shoulders should always be facing flat to front or back, unless directed otherwise. They should also be in the same position that they were in the attention position. c. Hips The marchers hips should be facing the direction in which the marcher is marching. The hips should also be in the same position that they were in while in attention. d. Legs The legs go through many different check points during the forward march. The first point is the first step. The first step will always be taken with the left foot. The leg should be extended forward until it is straight, at this point the heel of the left foot should be touching the ground. After the initial impact of the heel on the ground, the marcher will â€Å"Roll Through† , this can be accomplished by imagining you are squeezing every last bit of toothpaste out of a toothpaste bottle. By the time the foot has finished rolling through, the right leg should have started its progress forward, and should be right next to the left leg, with the foot parallel to the ground hovering as close to the ground as possible. As the left foot rolls through to the tip of the toes, the marcher should be repeating that same process with their right foot. This process should be continued until the end of a set, or a still portion of the drill. The marcher will stop marching forward be either changing directions to backwards marching, or stopping. When the marcher is stopping, they will step forward with their right food, and roll through starting at the toe this time, at the correct angle of attention, and then smoothly place their left foot into the attention position. 7. List and describe the points of backward march. a. Head The head should remain flat to front or back at all times,unless directed otherwise. b. Shoulders The marchers shoulders should always be facing flat to front or back, unless directed otherwise. They should also be in the same position that they were in the attention position. c. Hips The marchers hips should be facing the direction in which the marcher is marching. The hips should also be in the same position that they were in while in attention. d. Legs The legs will go through many different check points throughout the backwards marching process. The first check point is the first step. The marcher, beginning from their attention position, will lift their right heel of the ground just enough so that their left foot is dangling by their side. The marcher will then swing the left leg backwards, without bending their knee, and touch their ball of their foot behind them. Once the back foot has been firmly planted onto the ground, the marcher will then repeat the process with their right food, and continue repeating this process until directed by a director. 8. List and describe the points of a slide march. While the marcher is slide marching their lower body will remain the same, such as marching check points, the only difference between slide marching and regular marching is the direction the upper body is facing in comparison to the lower body. When the marcher is standing in attention horns up(we will describe later) their first check point is their hips. The marcher will rotate their hips 45 degrees to the left or right, according to the directions of the directors. Along with the rotation of the hips the whole rest of the upper body will move with the hips, but the feet will not move. The next step is the shoulders, the shoulders; the shoulders will then complete the rotation started at the hips with another 45 degree turn of the shoulders in the same direction that the hips had just moved. From here the marchers shoulders should be at a 90 degree angle in comparison to the feet which should be facing forward. From this point the marcher will be able to repeat the steps in the forward and backwards march instructions to begin the slide marching process. Something that should always be remembered is that while the marcher is marching in the slide position, they should always have their horn in the same position that they would as if they were marching normal. 9. Describe the horns up position in detail. From the attention position, the marcher will be addressed â€Å"’clap,clap,clap,clap’ band horns up† this sequence of commands represents a common counting pattern of marching band, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8. Notice that there is only seven commands, the 8 count of the addressed sequence is the time in which the marcher will very quickly put their horns up, and as the horn comes up the marcher will make a very short but loud ‘Tsst’ sound. The position of the hands in horns up position is as follows. The marchers fist will be right in front of the marchers mouth, the left hand should be in a fist and the right hand should be covering the left hand. The marchers thumbs should resemble an ‘X’ shape in front of their mouth, this is to represent the mouthpiece. After proper hand position is established, the marcher should pay attention that their wrists are not bent in any place. The wrist should always be completely straight. The marchers elbows should be bent at a 90 degree angle. The rest of the marchers body will remain the same as it is in attention position. To transition from horns up to horns down, the marcher will just rotate their fists so that the ‘X’ is facing directly up. 10. Describe how to dress a line. During marching season, there will be many times that you will be marching in a line, these are very important parts in a show, because perfect lines stand out to people who are experienced and also inexperienced with marching shows. a. Forward. If you are marching in a line that is in front of you, you should see nothing but the person directly in front of you. b. Side to side. If you are in a line that is side to side you should use your peripheral vision to address the line, if you can see someone other than the person directly to your left or right, you aren’t in the line, and must adjust immediately. 1. Describe how to dress a curve. The curve is very essential to the type of marching band that we are today. Curves is what separates our band from military marching bands. Curves can be anywhere in a marching show, and for them to impressive there should always be equal spacing and a smooth flow from person to person. To dress a curve the marcher should always have each set memorized, and while we are dressing each set individually, should memorize the way the curve looks, and to hit it every time no matter what. If you see the curve rolling smoothly from person to person, the curve is correct. If there is a bump in a curve, such as someone jutting out, this person needs to reevaluate is set placement. 12. Describe how to dress a diagonal. Diagonals, just like lines, are an essential part of marching bands. The way a marcher will dress diagonals is the pretty much the same way one would dress a line. By looking down the diagonal that the marcher is in, and making sure that no one else is visible except the person right immediately next in the line. How to cite Drum Major App, Papers

Special Issue on Managing and Measuring Sustainability

Question: Discuss about the Special Issue on Managing and Measuring Sustainability. Answer: Introduction Starbucks is a global coffeehouse that was started in 1971. The company is the largest premium coffeehouse outlet in the world by number of outlets and customers served. The company has its headquarters in Seattle in Washington. Starbuck India was started in 2012 by a joint venture of Starbucks Corporation and Tata Coffee. The joint venture was branded Starbucks a Tata Alliance. The venture has its headquarters in Mumbai and operates 73 stores in India. The company is lead by Sumi Ghosh as the CEO (Giammona Patton, 2017). The company products include coffee, tea, smoothies, pastries and frappuccino beverages. Starbucks coffee cup requires high quality roosted coffee to prepare. This involves supply of coffee beans that are in different categories and require procurement department management to ensure supplies meet and exceed customers expectation of high quality coffee. The beans coffee has to be collected from the farm, to factory and finally to Starbucks coffeehouses. The procurement department has to manage the process to ensure that high standards are met in the three key categories. This management involves ensuring right coffee harvest, high standards factory processing procedures are met and transport and delivery to the coffeehouse store are timely and good state. The Starbucks Coffee supplier is Tata Coffee. Tata Coffee has the largest plantation in Asia and produces more than 10000 million tons of coffee. Tata Coffee produces both Arabica and Robusta. The producer has 19 estates in South India. The supply market of Starbuck India is based on a strategic alliance between the Sta rbucks Corporation and Tata coffee. There is importance of sourcing coffee beans from the Tata coffee to enable quality and standards quality for the supplies acquired by the company ("Global Responsibility Report Goals Progress 2014", 2017). The company supplier selection is based on the supplier capacity and relationship that existed before the Starbuck venturing to Indian market. Tata coffee has had a good record of supplying coffee been for Starbucks for several years and this has built a strong relationship that has led to joint venture. Therefore, the Starbuck India has a good developed practices with it supplier that have existed of a long period of time. The company faces supplier related challenges on increasing operational costs and quality control inconsistency. The company supply chain has an opportunity to lower costs related to acquiring supplies by The key supplier related challenges are high cost, third party logistics and weak quality control implementing a simpler supply chain program that is cost effective and easy to monitor. Operational Cost Starbucks targets coffee lovers who have strong preference to taste and quality. Starbucks main customers are middle class urbanites who are between 25-40 years of age. These customers are located in urban centers and have relative high income and are engaged in professional careers. These customers make 49% of the total customers who attend the companys stores. The company also has young adults make 40% of their key customers ranging from 18-24 years of age (Bag, 2016). The company uses Rule based Forecasting demand technique. This technique allows managers to integrate their knowledge on specific location and make decision of the forecasted demand. This technique uses time series data that enable creation of trends and extrapolate on the current situation. The technique is used in all stores and is appropriate for it allows managers meet specific demand for specific locations and time. The use of the same technique to forecast demand is to increase store managers responsibilities in order to enable full exploitations of opportunities in different locations. Starbucks uses office automation and manual monitoring inventory techniques to manage inventory. The inventory is linked to the supply chain and other offices in the company enable a comprehensive reporting and decisions on inventory. These inventory techniques ensure that the company minimizes running out of stock out and there is continuous supply of coffee beans to all stores. The company challenge on demand technique is that it lacks uniformity and largely depends on managers abilities. The inventory technique has a challenge of treating all stores equally which is not the case in the store. There is a difference in demand across the stores of different locations. Information Issues The bullwhip effect has been experienced in the Starbucks supply chain for the past 4 year. This effect was experienced when the supplies failed to meet demand for the growing number of stores across the country. The Company expanded rapidly with an average of 25 new stores per year though this slowed down in 2016 year. This was caused by failed communication on the company aggressive plan for expansion. This strained the companys supply chain capacity. The bullwhip was remedied by adoption of installation of integrated information resources that enabled dissemination of information to all stakeholders. The company uses several information technological tools to enable communications across partners and decision making across the supply chain. The company uses bar coding to manage logistic systems in the supply chain. The company also uses internet and websites services for communicating along the supply chain. These IT tools enable communication of valuable information about demand, forecasts, transportation and inventory. The company has collaboration in its supply chain that requires production, processing and preparing of products that adhere to Food Safety and standards Authority of India (FSSAI). This collaboration regulates the processes that are used and combination of nutrients that the company uses in preparing team to ensuring customers get products that are of high quality and generally accepted. This collaboration poses a challenge of implementation and requires the company to invest resources to ensure the regulation is adopted across the supply chain. The program offers an opportunity for more customers as a result of acceptability in the Indian coffee industry. Steps frameworks assessment Quality: The Company has formed a partnership alliance with it key supplier Tata Coffee. This allows the company to enjoy excellent quality and is able is stimulate continuous improvement. Delivery: This involves on time delivery and ability to respond to shortages. The Starbucks supplier is keen to supply bean coffee on time and is hard to adjust to shortages. Technical support: The Starbucks supply chain responds actively to technical changes or problems to ensure innovative techniques are 9imlemented and employees have proper training. Collaboration: The companys suppliers are keen to ensuring customer expectations are met. The suppliers care for customers and there is good teamwork and effective communication. Cost: Starbucks suppliers work in partnership with the company to reduce the operational cost across the supply chain. From the 9 step framework analysis it can be said that Starbucks suppliers in the supply chain have a good integration that can be rated as partner relationship. The technical support assessment can be expanded using Triple A supply chain key tenets. The technical support can is agile and is able to quickly respond and adopt new innovative methods and techniques. The supply chain can be said to be adaptable technical support that is ready to change and use other methods that are more cost effective. Lastly, the technical support of Starbucks is aligned to the companys objectives and goals that ensure customers get deliveries in the most innovative way the meets and exceed expectations (Siddhartha Sachan, 2016). Sustainability issues The company is involved in ensuring sustainable supply chain. The company has started a program to plan 100000 coffee trees that are of high quality. This will ensure sustainability of the company in the future. The company also has implemented a C.A.F.E practices across the supply chain to ensure that all it coffee is ethically sourced. The sustainability implementation and integration can be assessed using a trigger model. The external drivers toward sustainability in Starbucks are uncertainties in the supply chain. These uncertainties have been addressed in sustainably by adopting a program of partnering with suppliers, forecasting demand and adoption of appropriate information systems that enable communication and sharing of valuable information (Lee Kashmanian, 2013). The internal drivers that trigger sustainability are anticipation for benefits and customer orientation in the company. Starbucks has implemented employee program that rewards and allows employees to work comfortably in their workplaces (Shahabi, Emami, Monnavari Ghods, 2014). The company has also adopted regulations that are contained in FSSIA act to ensure it prepares meals that have ingredients allowed by the act. Therefore, the Starbucks sustainability supply chain integration is based on inter customer and supplier integration to enhance sus tainability of the company gin the future. From the analysis in this report, Starbucks Tata alliance has a stable supply chain. The company started it operations in October 2012 and has grown number of stores to 84 outlets. The company has partnered with Tata coffee that has several coffee plantations in south India. The supply chain involves transportation of coffee beans from the farm to the factory and finally to the Starbucks Stores. The coffee beans are harvested and transported to the factory where they are processed. From this point, the processed coffee is supplied to the Starbucks outlets. The roosting of coffee is done either in the factory or in the Starbuck Stores. The Starbuck Coffeehouses are located in urban areas that have middle class people. Starbuck coffeehouse target high income individual in the society. Starbuck Stores main customers are adult between 25-40years of age. The company supply chain is based on a strategic alliance that allows the company to have stable supplies. The company has a partnership relationship and there is high collaboration across the supply chain that seeks to meet customer expectation. The company has information system to enable communication and exchange of valuable information across the supply chain. Therefore, it can be said that Starbuck India has a stable and reliable supply chain. The Starbucks supply chain need improvement to help address the challenges in the taking the existing opportunities. The improvement program will address cost effectiveness and quality control in the supply chain. The improved program will allow the Starbucks supply chain lower it cost of operation and increase quality control. A quality control department will be set in the supply chain to allow monitoring and controlling of coffee to ensure quality product is delivered to the Starbucks and they meet customers expectation. References Bag, S. 2016. Flexible procurement systems is key to supply chain sustainability. Journal of Transport and Supply Chain Management, 10(1). Chao, Y. 2013. The Bullwhip Effect in Supply Chain and Countermeasures. Advanced Materials Research, 711: 799-804. From bean to cup: How Starbucks transformed its supply chain Procurement CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly. 2017. Supplychainquarterly.com. https://www.supplychainquarterly.com/topics/Procurement/scq201004starbucks/, April 18, 2017. Giammona, M., Patton, M. 2017. Starbucks Makes India Push With Expansion of Roasting Capacity. Bloomberg.com. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-06-27/starbucks-makes-india-push-with-expansion-of-roasting-capacity, April 18, 2017. Global Responsibility Report Goals Progress 2014. 2017. Starbucks Coffee Company. https://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/global-report, April 18, 2017. Lee, T., Kashmanian, R. 2013. Supply Chain Sustainability: Compliance- and Performance-Based Tools. Environmental Quality Management, 22(4): 1-23. Shahabi, V., Emami, M., Monnavari, M., Ghods, F. 2014. An exploration investigation on measuring the impact of information technology on bullwhip effect on supply chain management. Uncertain Supply Chain Management, 33-42. Siddhartha, N., Sachan, A. 2016. Review of agile supply chain implementation frameworks. International Journal of Business Performance and Supply Chain Modelling, 8(1): 27. Special issue on managing and measuring sustainability performance of supply chains. 2012. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, 17(5).

Whole Food free essay sample

Whole Foods Market had evolved into the â€Å"world’s largest retail chain of natural and organic foods supermarkets. † Their rapid growth and success is primarily due to being highly selective about what they sell, as well as being dedicated quality standards and core values. Whole Food’s stated mission statement was to â€Å"promote vitality and well-being for all individuals by offering the highest quality, least processed, most flavorful natural and naturally preserved foods available. † The key opportunities for Whole Foods include: increasing attractiveness of the health and organic food industry, growth through acquisition, and enhancing their brand image and loyalty through community service. Whole Foods has already bought its largest competitor, Wild Oats, which has shown to be profitable. By promoting organic foods Whole Foods can increase sales and attract new customers by introducing them to the Whole Foods experience. Whole Foods would benefit not only by promoting itself but the industry in general. We will write a custom essay sample on Whole Food or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In addition to promoting organic foods, they could enhance their brand image and loyalty by continuing their community service efforts. If the industry continues to grow and they continue to bring about brand awareness and loyalty, Whole Foods could strengthen its market share and profitability. ? The key threats that Whole Foods faces include: local grocers increasing their organic food options, the size of Whole Foods stores deterring customers, and the price of organic foods. Local grocers could potentially take away from Whole Foods sales by stealing the customers that want to get in and get out. If customers can get the organic foods they want at a smaller grocery store, some customers may switch to them. This is where the size of Whole Foods’ stores becomes a threat to themselves. If they continue to buy and build large stores they could potentially deter some of their consumers to the smaller grocers in the area. Also what is a threat now is the high price of organic foods. Consumers must pay a premium for these items because they cost more to produce. Whole Foods must keep the customers they have now loyal or they could lose them to non-organic foods that are cheaper. The organic foods market is very attractive and continuing to increase in attractiveness. Whole Foods holds a very strong position in the market and could potentially position themselves in an even stronger and more profitable position. Health and organic foods have become very popular and show no signs of slowing in demand. The processes by which organic foods are made will only become less expensive as new technologies and continuing knowledge of the industry grow.

Free Essays on A Star Was Born Peter Rose

A star was born Peter Edward Rose on April 14, 1941 to a Mr. And Mrs. Frank Rose in the baseball city of Cincinnati, Oh. His parent’s didn’t know it then but they would soon be the proud parents of an extremely talented baseball player. Rose played a total of 24 years of baseball, including being the manager for the Cincinnati Reds ball club only six were spent with another ball club, 19 of those years were spent with the Reds. Pete was thought of as one of the most competitive ballplayers of his generation. Over those years he achieved many recognizable awards, he was named National League Rookie of the Year in 1963; to be chosen for this honor over all the beginning baseball players takes a lot of skill as a player. Also, on September 11, 1985, Pete broke baseball veteran Ty Cobb’s record for most career hits (4,256), which to this day is still unbroken. Rose’s life is full of a lot of other great achievements also like: NL record for most years played, he played 500 games at five different positions. On March 20, 1989 the Major League Baseball Association announced it was investigating Rose for â€Å"serious allegations† of an unspecified nature. Kevin Hallinan, Baseball’s security chief was the original investigator. Hallinan hoped that the leads given to him wouldn’t take him anywhere but they did. Because of Hallinans beliefs John Dowd a Los Angelos lawyer took over the case. It was said that every place they went they found evidence that Pete did bet on baseball. Dowd’s report said Pete had bet on baseball and on his team, as much as 1 million during 1985,1986 and 1987. Most of the evidence in the Dowd report about Rose was gathered from fellow gamblers. It was thought that Rose bet an average of $2,000 per game on four to eight gamers per week during the spring of 1987. Rose’s bookie wasn’t so kind either; betting slips were sent to a FBI handwriting analyst. There it was confirmed that it was Rose’s h... Free Essays on A Star Was Born Peter Rose Free Essays on A Star Was Born Peter Rose A star was born Peter Edward Rose on April 14, 1941 to a Mr. And Mrs. Frank Rose in the baseball city of Cincinnati, Oh. His parent’s didn’t know it then but they would soon be the proud parents of an extremely talented baseball player. Rose played a total of 24 years of baseball, including being the manager for the Cincinnati Reds ball club only six were spent with another ball club, 19 of those years were spent with the Reds. Pete was thought of as one of the most competitive ballplayers of his generation. Over those years he achieved many recognizable awards, he was named National League Rookie of the Year in 1963; to be chosen for this honor over all the beginning baseball players takes a lot of skill as a player. Also, on September 11, 1985, Pete broke baseball veteran Ty Cobb’s record for most career hits (4,256), which to this day is still unbroken. Rose’s life is full of a lot of other great achievements also like: NL record for most years played, he played 500 games at five different positions. On March 20, 1989 the Major League Baseball Association announced it was investigating Rose for â€Å"serious allegations† of an unspecified nature. Kevin Hallinan, Baseball’s security chief was the original investigator. Hallinan hoped that the leads given to him wouldn’t take him anywhere but they did. Because of Hallinans beliefs John Dowd a Los Angelos lawyer took over the case. It was said that every place they went they found evidence that Pete did bet on baseball. Dowd’s report said Pete had bet on baseball and on his team, as much as 1 million during 1985,1986 and 1987. Most of the evidence in the Dowd report about Rose was gathered from fellow gamblers. It was thought that Rose bet an average of $2,000 per game on four to eight gamers per week during the spring of 1987. Rose’s bookie wasn’t so kind either; betting slips were sent to a FBI handwriting analyst. There it was confirmed that it was Rose’s h...

Synonyms for Think

Synonyms for Think Synonyms for Think Synonyms for Think By Mark Nichol The bland verb think (from the Old English word thencan, and cognate with thank) is easily supplanted by any one of an impressive assortment of synonyms, each of which has a precise connotation think cannot match. Here are some to think about. To cogitate is to think deeply and intently; the root of the word, which is unrelated to cognition (which refers to knowledge rather than thinking), stems from agitare (meaning â€Å"drive†), from which we also get agitate. Contemplate connotes thought that is extensive as well as deep; another sense is â€Å"view as possible or probable.† The root of contemplatus, the Latin source word, is templum, the word for a place where omens are observed; it is cognate with temple. Deliberate means to think carefully, as implied by its source, the adjective deliberate. An additional sense is â€Å"discuss before making a decision,† as when a legislative body meets to decide about whether to pass a law. (The derivation is from deliberare, meaning â€Å"consider carefully,† the root is possibly libra, meaning â€Å"pound† or â€Å"scale,† with the sense of weighing.) To meditate is to focus one’s thoughts on something; the word, which can, alternatively, allude to planning, also refers to a mental exercise conducted in order to achieve a high state of spiritual awareness. (Meditate is derived from the Latin verb mederi, meaning â€Å"remedy,† and is related to medical and medicine.) Mull, from the Middle English noun mul, meaning â€Å"dust,† is cognate with meal and refers not only to lengthy consideration but also to grinding. Ponder has the connotation of carefully weighing a problem (as a matter of fact, ponder stems from the Latin verb ponderare, meaning â€Å"weigh,† and is related to ponderous), with the implication of extended inconclusive thinking. A similar term with the same etymological origin is perpend. Reflect means, among other things, â€Å"think calmly and quietly†; its root is from flectere (meaning â€Å"bend†), which is also the source of flex. To ruminate is to slowly and repeatedly go over something as if chewing it like a ruminant, a type of animal, such as a cow, that chews its food over and over again. (The word stems from the Latin term rumen, the name in that language and in English for part of a cow’s stomach.) â€Å"Chew over† is an informal synonym. Others include the word eye and the phrases â€Å"kick around,† â€Å"pore over,† and â€Å"wrestle with.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:75 Contronyms (Words with Contradictory Meanings)A While vs Awhile3 Types of Essays Are Models for Professional Writing Forms

Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 67

Discussion - Essay Example porter, a country through its government may require pre-shipment inspections on/ for inspection certificate to confirm that the price being charged by the exporter is commensurate with the true valley of the goods or services [to be shipped]. This therefore parries away the danger of substandard goods infiltrating a country. The same also assuages attempts to escape the payment of custom duties. This is always the case if the shipment being made is of high value, as was previously mentioned. In some cases, an inspection certificate may be required in some countries, for a specific type of goods. For instance, on the one hand, in Kuwait, an inspection certificate is required whenever there is an importation of a regulated product whose value exceeds 3,000 dollars. On the other hand, Mexico requires an inspection certificate for goods such as textiles, shoes, bicycles and shoes, if only these products fail to qualify for NAFTA. Conversely, shipments to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia must contain an inspection certificate for a small number of

Research Methods Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Research Methods - Coursework Example While on the other hand a research hypothesis is also relevant to the formulation of the report. Thus it is referred to as the assumption made by a researcher about the possible outcome of the study. A hypothesis of a study must be simple, theoretically clear and specific (Kumar, 2005, p.75). Among the mentioned questions of the case, the least suitable for testing the hypothesis is the issue related to the opinion of the local population about the new facility. Hence the first question i.e. Q (b) is least suitable for hypothesis testing. The reason this has been cited as the least appropriate one is that the opinion of the local population is difficult to measure. Moreover it is also exploratory in nature. Hence a meaningful hypothesis cannot be formulated. Rather is must be guided by a clear sense of purpose. An Operational hypothesis states a quantifiable relationship among the variables. Therefore the operational hypothesis for the mentioned questions is illustrated below:- Opera tional hypothesis of Q a: - Increased road traffic has raised the number of road fatalities of large mammals because there is high pressure on the roads and less maintenance. Research Design for Q a: - Case study approach of qualitative research design can be used in this case for the purpose of evaluation. Case study approach has been chosen because it will provide an opportunity to have in-depth analysis of the matter within a stipulated time frame. Operational hypothesis of Q c: - The establishment of the factory will improve the conditions of the participating households, as they will be financially benefitted. Research Design for Q c: - Non-experimental design approach of quantitative research design can be employed for this purpose. It has been chosen because non-experimental design takes into account the reliance of one aspect on the other. The aspects are establishment of factory and the financial condition of the households. Operational hypothesis of Q d: - Improved mango v ariety will produce more pulp as it is scientifically processed. Research Design for Q d: - Experimental design approach of quantitative research design can be chosen to test it. This approach has been chosen because hypothesis is based on experimental testing. Moreover experimental design also tries to change the outcomes of the participants. Operational hypothesis of Q e: - Proximity of households to the road intensifies the supply of mangoes. Research Design for Q e: - In this context once again case study approach has been chosen to test the hypothesis. This will also reveal the fact that whether the closeness of road actually increases the supply of mango. (Word Count: 494) Q2: Protocol for an Experimental Design A research protocol can be defined as the detailed plan of a study (Rch, 2008). Hence every research study must contain a well defined research protocol. Now the case is about a company namely Country jams and Pickles who is planning to open a factory at a remote place for the production of pickles and jams. Consequently they will require adequate supply of fruits on time to maintain the flow of production. Therefore a study will be undertaken which will be principally focused to find whether supplying of free storage container to the farmers will increase the supply of fruits to the factory. Therefore according to the objective of the study hypothesis can be drawn as follows:- H0 –

The floor or similar Essay Example for Free

The floor or similar Essay Prediction: I believe that I will discover that the resistance of a wire increases proportionally with the length. I think that this is due to the way resistance occurs in a typical wire. Resistance is the result of negatively charged electrons (the actual current) colliding with the positively charged ions that make up the wire. The collisions cause the energy in the electron to be lost, and when they occur on a larger scale there is a noticeable difference between the start and end voltage of a circuit. As the length of the wire increases, so must the number of particles. As the number of particles increases, so will the number of collisions, and therefore the amount of resistance encountered. George Ohm discovered that the voltage of a circuit is directly proportional to the current flowing through the circuit, meaning that if you triple one, you triple the other. He then came up with a rule for working out the resistance of a circuit (rearranged from his original equation): Resistance = Current / Voltage This is the formula I will use to calculate the resistance of the wire. A wire, showing collisions occurring If you double the length of the wire, I believe you will double the resistance. Background: The flow of charge in a wire is called the current. It is expressed in terms of the number of coulombs per second going past a given point on a wire. One coulomb/sec equals 1 ampere (symbol A), a unit of electric current named after a French physicist. I have explained how resistance occurs above, and volts are an expression of the amount of energy being carried by the electrons flowing through a circuit. The electrons are negatively charged, and move round the circuit (from the negative side to the positive side of the battery) as a result of attraction to the protons. Plan: I will carry out the experiment by first affixing the 100cm length of the chosen wire to a ruler, using sellotape. I will then set the power supply to approximately the right voltage, and then use the variable resistor to set the exact current (measured on the voltmeter). I have to use this method because the PSU itself is not accurate enough for our purposes. Once this preparation is complete, I will attach the first crocodile clip to one end of the ruler, and the second clip at the first distance, completing the circuit drawn below. The power supply will then be turned on long enough for the measurement to be taken, to prevent the wire heating up. Circuit diagram: Variables and Constants: o The length of the wire, obviously, will change to give a series of readings. o I will also vary the voltage used, to see if the same relationship exists at differing voltages. o The equipment used (see below for list) will all be kept the same, to ensure a fair experiment. o The temperature of the wire I will attempt to keep the same by turning off equipment when not in use. The wire will heat up (as a result of resistance), and so I will give it a chance to cool. Apparatus used: o Meter rule o 1M length of chosen wire, attached with sellotape to above rule. o Crocodile clips o Voltmeter and Ammeter o Standard power supply o Variable resistor o Connecting cables Safety Considerations: o The wire will heat up during the experiment, so care must be taken to ensure it does not burn. The current will only be left on for the minimum amount of time, to prevent dangerous heating. o Some wires available are very thin but strong, and can cut easily into flesh. o Trailing cables are a hazard, and I must make sure no cables drape onto the floor or similar.

Black And White Essay -- essays research papers

Black and White   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Following the Civil War, just prior to the turn of the century, many American novelist were writing more freely of the previous slave culture. Two of these writers being Mark Twain and Charles Chesnutt. Mark Twain was a popular â€Å"white† author by this time. Charles Chesnutt, the son of free blacks, decided to pursue a dream of becoming an author in order to remove the spirit of racism. By studying these authors in particular, the views of a white raised in the slave holding south are juxtaposed with the views of free black. Both Twain and Chesnutt satirize whites in different ways through their literature. Twain also displays some unfavorable preconceptions of blacks. This can be attributed to his own upbringing in the slave holding south.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main character of the Chesnutt stories is an old Negro man, previously a slave, who engages his new white employers in many tales about life on the plantation. Uncle Julius relays these stories with much detail. Though, at the conclusion of each, the reader is left wondering whether the tale was true or if Uncle Julius had conceived of it merely to satisfy his own desires. Chesnutt has added to the end of each story an ulterior motive of Uncle Julius that seems to be met by the telling of his tales. By doing this, Chesnutt discretely satirizes whites in general.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the first story, The Goophered Grapevine, Uncle Julius tells of a conjure woman putting a â€Å"goopher† on the grapevines, causing all blacks that eat the grapes to die within one year. This story is relayed upon the first meeting of the northern white couple (John and Annie) and the native South Carolinian. After telling his tale of Henry and the others that suffered from this spell, Uncle Julius concludes that these northerners should not buy this vineyard, adding conveniently that he is not afraid to eat the grapes because he know the â€Å" ole vimes fum de noo ones.† John decides to buy the farm in spite of Uncle Julius's warnings, but he does offer him employment as a coachman. It seems as if Uncle Julius had been trying to guarantee his usefulness on the plantation even after its sale. Was white man tricked into believing Julius' knowledge would be useful in the renewing of the vineyards? Chesnutt lets the reader wonder, but regardless of his tale being ... ... of blacks, especially her own black heritage. When scolding her son Tom for refusing to challenge the twins, Roxy blames his cowardice on â€Å"de nigger† in him. After noting all of the predominant white members of his pedigree, she concludes that â€Å"de nigger† is his soul. Twain seems to have some assumptions of his own that blacks have no pride in their own heritage.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Twain and Chesnutt both satirize whites, but in different ways. Twain, being a white, satirizes the slave holding south, rather than whites in general. Chesnutt, on the other hand, uses a couple from the north in a story set in the free south. Chesnutt also is more descrete in his satire, while Twain pokes fun directly. Twain also displays some of his own prejudices, being a white trying to explain the black culture. On the contrary, Chesnutt honestly portrays blacks from an inside perspective. Roxy was ashamed of the black blood in her, while Uncle Julius seemed to be a proud old man, happy to tell of his black friends and past. From the analysis these literary selections we can gain a greater understanding of racial views but, one may say that everything is not as simple as black and white

Life of Pi Essay

Richard Parker and the other animals? In the realistic story Pi encounters a number of challenging, horrific, and life altering events. In the ‘better story, Pi tells how Richard Parker attacks and eats humans, has no morals and is very savage. But once the realistic story is told, it is understood that Richard Parker and Pi are one in the same, and it is really Pi who committed the crimes that he faults on Richard Parker in the first story. Richard Parker acts as an escape for Pi through allowing him to mask his sins, forget negative emotions, and overlook his immoral actions.While on a lifeboat for an astounding 227 days Pi commits many sins. While being a devote Christian, Muslim, and Hindu these sins would not be tolerated under any form of desperation within these religions. Pi creates Richard Parker to mask his barbaric actions. In the second story after only a couple weeks at sea Pi and the Chef stole food without Pip's mother knowing, Mayo selfish monster! ‘ screa med Mother. The only reason we're running out of food is because you're gorging yourself on it! ‘ ‘He had some to,' he said, nodding my way' (Marten 340).Pi was so hungry that when the Chef offered him a ration he ate it without thinking of the consequences. It was very selfish on his part and regret did not hit him until he saw his mother's disappointment. After the Chef kills his mother, Pi takes the next open opportunity to kill him, â€Å"Then we fought and I killed him† (Marten 344). Murder is not accepted under any of Pip's religious beliefs but is also against the law in many countries. Pi contradicted his religious beliefs, the one thing that molded his character until the shipwreck. Pi becomes cannibalistic once he kills the Chef, â€Å"I ate his liver. T off great pieces of his flesh† (Marten 345). At this point in the second story Pi is thirsty, starving and now alone, he loses complete touch with his compassion becoming very primal. Being an hon est and noble boy Pi would not able to live with himself without an outlet after committing such sins. Pi creates Richard parker as a figurehead to escape and take blame for his primitive moments. Richard Parker, as Pi describes him, is violent, impulsive and much like Pi in his immoral moments on the lifeboat. In the second story Pi becomes brutal and primitive.Once he reaches land Pi does not want to acknowledge such negative and embarrassing behavior. This is his motive for the ‘better story' where Richard Parker exemplifies all these negative traits instead of Pi. Pi loses a turtle, which results in the Chef getting angry and killing Pip's mother, â€Å"We were starving. I was weak. I couldn't hold on to a turtle. Because of me we lost it. † (Marten 343). Pi blames himself for his mothers death. Although the blood was not literally on his hands he feels he is the directly responsible for his mothers' death.Pi becomes very anger and hurt when the Chef kills his mothe r: â€Å"He killed her. The cook killed my mother'(Marten 343). Pip's mother was the last member of his family. It is understood Pip's father and brother died in the shipwreck, and now his mother is also dead. For the first time ever Pi is truly alone and without guidance, he continues to lose touch with his humanity. Pi becomes ruthless and violent after killing the chef, â€Å"His heart was a struggle- all those tubes that connected it. I managed to get it out. It tasted delicious, far better than a turtle. † (Marten 345).The story becomes graphic and gruesome, but gives perfect depiction Of Pip's desperation and how far he has strayed from his morals. These traits that Pi displays are not his true character. These traits arise because of his desperation and he is under extreme conditions. It makes sense for Pi to create Richard Parker as a scapegoat, he is ashamed of what he has become and never thought he could possess such immoral traits. Throughout the second story Pi loses his sense of morality. A young Chinese man with a broken leg is a passenger on the lifeboat. His leg becomes infected and theChef convinces Pi and his mother to help amputate it, â€Å"I can still hear his evil whisper. He would do the job to save the sailor's life he said, but we would have to hold him†(Maritime 338). Amputating was against Pip's morals, and he was well aware it would ultimately kill the sailor. As a result of the amputation the sailor died a painful and horrible death. Pi becomes selfish, primitive and purely survival driven. While aboard the lifeboat Pi is forced to dismiss his vegetarianism, â€Å"It came easier to me. Found hunger improved the taste of everything. â€Å"(Marten 343).The reader would think being a devote vegetarian his entire life would make him want to resist the urge to eat meat. Pi is so hungry and so he is pushed to refute his ethics that he has lived with his entire life. The reader wonders, how strong Pip's moral compass is with disowning his vegetarian ways so easily. The Chef is brutish and violent, although Pi still accepts him, and sees him as a friend. Richard Parker is an easy passage in Pip's mission to escape his sinful actions. Richard Parker allows Pi an outlet to immoral and unethical behavior that would not be tolerated in Pip's natural world.But we couldn't ignore him entirely. He was a brute, but a practical brute. He was good with his hands and he knew the sea. He was full Of good ideas. He was the one who thought Of building a raft to help with fishing. If we survived any time at all, it was thanks to him. (Marten 342) Even after butchering the sailor and eating all their rations, Pi accepts the Chefs help even though his methods go against his morals. Under the pressure of the sea Pi quickly and easily dismisses his morals, strays from humanity and becomes annalistic.Richard Parker acts as a perfect guarded, the typical tiger possesses the traits and emotions Pi wants to avoid. Richard Parker acts as an escape for Pi through allowing him to mask his sins, forget negative emotions, and overlook his immoral actions. Pi see's himself before the ship wreck as a holy, positive and honest being, but quickly dismisses all his morals in the light of survival. He becomes primitive, immoral and very annalistic. Pi uses Richard Parker to represent his instinctive mind and serve as an escape from the horrific level of savagery he sank to on the lifeboat. Pi creates Richard Parker as a coping method. Life of Pi Essay The second event was when; Piecing had to tame Richard Parker, the Bengal tiger that he was stuck on the lifeboat with, in order to have even the dimmest hope of survival until being rescued. Lastly Pi had to surpass many psychological barriers that his life was shaped around and had to defy his religions. He had to eat meat and fish to keep alive. Overall, these events are just a minor glimpse of what Pi Patella, a sixteen year old boy, faced and how he coped with the obstacles that were thrown at him. Pip's entire journey resulted in him experiencing death over ND over again starting with the death of his family.Losing ones parents is always a traumatic event, but losing one's parents at a young age can cause serious mental devastation. When Pi is stranded alone on the lifeboat, he maintained hope that his parents and brother survived the sinking ship; they were alive and that they will rescue him shortly. However Pi lost more hope everyday as each day went by; until he finally acc epted that his parents and brother died on the sinking ship and that they would never come back. They were dead; could no longer deny it. What a thing to acknowledge in your heart!TO lose a brother is to lose someone with whom you can share the experience of growing old, who is supposed to bring you a sister-in-law and nieces and nephews, creatures to people the tree of your life and give it new branches. To lose your father is to lose the one who's guidance and help you seek; who supports you like a tree trunk supports its branches. To lose your mother, well, that is like losing the sun above you. I lay down on the tarpaulin and spent the whole night weeping and grieving, my face buried in my arms. (Page 141) In the quote above, Pi has finally accepted the death of his family and is grieving for his loss.Pi explains his pain vividly by describing the anguish he is currently suffering and the misery he potentially will suffer in the future from the death of each member of his family . â€Å"As the life span progresses and the individual reaches adulthood, the psychological and interpersonal consequences of this disturbance may manifest in long-term mental health problems,† (Nickering). This quote clarifies that the loss of Pip's family could possibly cause severe â€Å"devastation† to his mental and psychological health as he grows older.Even though this might have been one of the most difficult things Pi had to face, his troubles did not end there; they had only begun, especially with a man-eating tiger on the same lifeboat as him. Now most humans cannot even stand near a perfectly tamed tiger, the fear would consume us and the self-preservation instinct would cause us to flee. Piecing Patella was trapped on a small lifeboat with a man eating Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Pi did his best to maintain distance from the tiger; even building a small individual raft that he attached to the lifeboat where the tiger could not reach him.Nonetheless, he knew he would have to eventually tame the tiger so he could reach the supplies in the life boat and prolong his survival till he could be rescued. I had to tame him. It was at that moment that I realized this necessity. It was not a question of him or me, but of him and me. We were, literally and figuratively on the same boat. We would live – or we would die – together. He might be killed in an accident, or he COOL_SLD die shortly of natural causes, but it would be foolish to count on such an eventuality.Most likely the worst would happen: the simple passage of time, n which his animal toughness would easily outlast my human frailty. (Page 1 81 ) This quote demonstrates that Pi eventually came to an understanding that it was not just about him or the tiger; it was about both of them. If he was going to survive long enough to be rescued he would have to tame Richard Parker. In terms of symbolism that Yawn Marvel used, Pi would have to face and prevail over his probl ems. Here tiger represents the troubles and fears that one has to overcome in life and the lifeboat represents life itself.Through the symbolism we can see that by overcoming his fears and robbers Pi is becoming more confident, mature and in turn mentally strengthened. Richard Parker made his point with me four times. Four times he struck at me with his right paw and sent me overboard, and four times lost my shield. I was terrified before, during and after each attack, and I spent a long time shivering with fear on the raft. Eventually I learned to read the signal he was ending me. I found that his ears, his whiskers, his tale, his teeth and his throat, he spoke a simple, forcefully punctuated language that told me what his next move might be. Earned to back down before he lifted his paw in the air. (page 229) Again from this quote from the novel we can determine that Pi has matured and is examining key details that would help him tame the tiger. Only someone with a clear and mental ly strong approach could identify such tiny details and use them to their advantage. Overall the Pip's experience of taming a man eating Bengal tiger and overcoming his fears, not only made his survival on the life boat a little easier, but it made him mentally stronger as well. With today's modern technology, life boats are equipped with GAPS trackers so Orvis's can be easily and rapidly rescued.On the other hand, Pip's story took place before many of these technological inventions existed. He survived on that life boat for 227 days straight and one of his biggest concerns was food. Pip's life boat did have supplies of food, but they were nowhere even near to what was essential to survive all that time out at sea. Pi knew, that in order to persist he would have to possibly eat meat and fish. Put the hatchet down. I would break its neck, sight unseen, I decided. I wrapped the fish tightly in a blanket. With both hands started bending it.The more I pressed, the more the fish struggle d. I imagined whit it would feel like if I were wrapped in a blanket and someone were trying to break my neck. Was appalled. I gave up a number of times. Yet I knew it had to be done and the longer waited, the longer the fish's suffering would go on. (Page 202-203) The quote above explains how Pi had trouble killing the fish and eating it. He could not get over the emotional and psychological issues with killing and eating the fish, even though he knew if he was going to survive, he would eventually have to do it.On top of his own feelings and emotions, Pi followed Hinduism which clearly states that killing and eating another living creature is a sin. This does not apply to honoring the remnants of ambassador or sanctified food first offered to Lord Krishna and then eaten by the spiritual preceptors who mercifully leaves some for their devotees which is then glorified by them smash ambassador. Madhya means unsanctioned foods due to not having been consecrated by first offering it to the Supreme Lord and thus impure. Partaking of foods in tama guan such as meat, fish, fowl, eggs, wine, alcohol, etc. Reeds dark insistence and great ignorance. Baghdad Gait, Chapter 1 7, verses 8, 9, and 10) This is a passage from the sacred holy scripture of Hinduism, the Baghdad Gait. Pi had read almost all of the holy scriptures of all the religions he followed and obeyed most of what they preached. Since the Baghdad Gait said it was against the religion's beliefs to eat meat, it caused a serious moral dilemma within him. In the end he had to eat both fish and meat in order to us;eve. By doing so he was once again scarred for life, which caused further mental devastation. Though Pi suffered al these traumatic events, he survived and was eventually rescued. Life of Pi Essay Richard Parker and the other animals? In the realistic story Pi encounters a number of challenging, horrific, and life altering events. In the ‘better story, Pi tells how Richard Parker attacks and eats humans, has no morals and is very savage. But once the realistic story is told, it is understood that Richard Parker and Pi are one in the same, and it is really Pi who committed the crimes that he faults on Richard Parker in the first story. Richard Parker acts as an escape for Pi through allowing him to mask his sins, forget negative emotions, and overlook his immoral actions.While on a lifeboat for an astounding 227 days Pi commits many sins. While being a devote Christian, Muslim, and Hindu these sins would not be tolerated under any form of desperation within these religions. Pi creates Richard Parker to mask his barbaric actions. In the second story after only a couple weeks at sea Pi and the Chef stole food without Pip's mother knowing, Mayo selfish monster! ‘ screa med Mother. The only reason we're running out of food is because you're gorging yourself on it! ‘ ‘He had some to,' he said, nodding my way' (Marten 340).Pi was so hungry that when the Chef offered him a ration he ate it without thinking of the consequences. It was very selfish on his part and regret did not hit him until he saw his mother's disappointment. After the Chef kills his mother, Pi takes the next open opportunity to kill him, â€Å"Then we fought and I killed him† (Marten 344). Murder is not accepted under any of Pip's religious beliefs but is also against the law in many countries. Pi contradicted his religious beliefs, the one thing that molded his character until the shipwreck. Pi becomes cannibalistic once he kills the Chef, â€Å"I ate his liver. T off great pieces of his flesh† (Marten 345). At this point in the second story Pi is thirsty, starving and now alone, he loses complete touch with his compassion becoming very primal. Being an hon est and noble boy Pi would not able to live with himself without an outlet after committing such sins. Pi creates Richard parker as a figurehead to escape and take blame for his primitive moments. Richard Parker, as Pi describes him, is violent, impulsive and much like Pi in his immoral moments on the lifeboat. In the second story Pi becomes brutal and primitive.Once he reaches land Pi does not want to acknowledge such negative and embarrassing behavior. This is his motive for the ‘better story' where Richard Parker exemplifies all these negative traits instead of Pi. Pi loses a turtle, which results in the Chef getting angry and killing Pip's mother, â€Å"We were starving. I was weak. I couldn't hold on to a turtle. Because of me we lost it. † (Marten 343). Pi blames himself for his mothers death. Although the blood was not literally on his hands he feels he is the directly responsible for his mothers' death.Pi becomes very anger and hurt when the Chef kills his mothe r: â€Å"He killed her. The cook killed my mother'(Marten 343). Pip's mother was the last member of his family. It is understood Pip's father and brother died in the shipwreck, and now his mother is also dead. For the first time ever Pi is truly alone and without guidance, he continues to lose touch with his humanity. Pi becomes ruthless and violent after killing the chef, â€Å"His heart was a struggle- all those tubes that connected it. I managed to get it out. It tasted delicious, far better than a turtle. † (Marten 345).The story becomes graphic and gruesome, but gives perfect depiction Of Pip's desperation and how far he has strayed from his morals. These traits that Pi displays are not his true character. These traits arise because of his desperation and he is under extreme conditions. It makes sense for Pi to create Richard Parker as a scapegoat, he is ashamed of what he has become and never thought he could possess such immoral traits. Throughout the second story Pi loses his sense of morality. A young Chinese man with a broken leg is a passenger on the lifeboat. His leg becomes infected and theChef convinces Pi and his mother to help amputate it, â€Å"I can still hear his evil whisper. He would do the job to save the sailor's life he said, but we would have to hold him†(Maritime 338). Amputating was against Pip's morals, and he was well aware it would ultimately kill the sailor. As a result of the amputation the sailor died a painful and horrible death. Pi becomes selfish, primitive and purely survival driven. While aboard the lifeboat Pi is forced to dismiss his vegetarianism, â€Å"It came easier to me. Found hunger improved the taste of everything. â€Å"(Marten 343).The reader would think being a devote vegetarian his entire life would make him want to resist the urge to eat meat. Pi is so hungry and so he is pushed to refute his ethics that he has lived with his entire life. The reader wonders, how strong Pip's moral compass is with disowning his vegetarian ways so easily. The Chef is brutish and violent, although Pi still accepts him, and sees him as a friend. Richard Parker is an easy passage in Pip's mission to escape his sinful actions. Richard Parker allows Pi an outlet to immoral and unethical behavior that would not be tolerated in Pip's natural world.But we couldn't ignore him entirely. He was a brute, but a practical brute. He was good with his hands and he knew the sea. He was full Of good ideas. He was the one who thought Of building a raft to help with fishing. If we survived any time at all, it was thanks to him. (Marten 342) Even after butchering the sailor and eating all their rations, Pi accepts the Chefs help even though his methods go against his morals. Under the pressure of the sea Pi quickly and easily dismisses his morals, strays from humanity and becomes annalistic.Richard Parker acts as a perfect guarded, the typical tiger possesses the traits and emotions Pi wants to avoid. Richard Parker acts as an escape for Pi through allowing him to mask his sins, forget negative emotions, and overlook his immoral actions. Pi see's himself before the ship wreck as a holy, positive and honest being, but quickly dismisses all his morals in the light of survival. He becomes primitive, immoral and very annalistic. Pi uses Richard Parker to represent his instinctive mind and serve as an escape from the horrific level of savagery he sank to on the lifeboat. Pi creates Richard Parker as a coping method. Life of Pi Essay The second event was when; Piecing had to tame Richard Parker, the Bengal tiger that he was stuck on the lifeboat with, in order to have even the dimmest hope of survival until being rescued. Lastly Pi had to surpass many psychological barriers that his life was shaped around and had to defy his religions. He had to eat meat and fish to keep alive. Overall, these events are just a minor glimpse of what Pi Patella, a sixteen year old boy, faced and how he coped with the obstacles that were thrown at him. Pip's entire journey resulted in him experiencing death over ND over again starting with the death of his family.Losing ones parents is always a traumatic event, but losing one's parents at a young age can cause serious mental devastation. When Pi is stranded alone on the lifeboat, he maintained hope that his parents and brother survived the sinking ship; they were alive and that they will rescue him shortly. However Pi lost more hope everyday as each day went by; until he finally acc epted that his parents and brother died on the sinking ship and that they would never come back. They were dead; could no longer deny it. What a thing to acknowledge in your heart!TO lose a brother is to lose someone with whom you can share the experience of growing old, who is supposed to bring you a sister-in-law and nieces and nephews, creatures to people the tree of your life and give it new branches. To lose your father is to lose the one who's guidance and help you seek; who supports you like a tree trunk supports its branches. To lose your mother, well, that is like losing the sun above you. I lay down on the tarpaulin and spent the whole night weeping and grieving, my face buried in my arms. (Page 141) In the quote above, Pi has finally accepted the death of his family and is grieving for his loss.Pi explains his pain vividly by describing the anguish he is currently suffering and the misery he potentially will suffer in the future from the death of each member of his family . â€Å"As the life span progresses and the individual reaches adulthood, the psychological and interpersonal consequences of this disturbance may manifest in long-term mental health problems,† (Nickering). This quote clarifies that the loss of Pip's family could possibly cause severe â€Å"devastation† to his mental and psychological health as he grows older.Even though this might have been one of the most difficult things Pi had to face, his troubles did not end there; they had only begun, especially with a man-eating tiger on the same lifeboat as him. Now most humans cannot even stand near a perfectly tamed tiger, the fear would consume us and the self-preservation instinct would cause us to flee. Piecing Patella was trapped on a small lifeboat with a man eating Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Pi did his best to maintain distance from the tiger; even building a small individual raft that he attached to the lifeboat where the tiger could not reach him.Nonetheless, he knew he would have to eventually tame the tiger so he could reach the supplies in the life boat and prolong his survival till he could be rescued. I had to tame him. It was at that moment that I realized this necessity. It was not a question of him or me, but of him and me. We were, literally and figuratively on the same boat. We would live – or we would die – together. He might be killed in an accident, or he COOL_SLD die shortly of natural causes, but it would be foolish to count on such an eventuality.Most likely the worst would happen: the simple passage of time, n which his animal toughness would easily outlast my human frailty. (Page 1 81 ) This quote demonstrates that Pi eventually came to an understanding that it was not just about him or the tiger; it was about both of them. If he was going to survive long enough to be rescued he would have to tame Richard Parker. In terms of symbolism that Yawn Marvel used, Pi would have to face and prevail over his probl ems. Here tiger represents the troubles and fears that one has to overcome in life and the lifeboat represents life itself.Through the symbolism we can see that by overcoming his fears and robbers Pi is becoming more confident, mature and in turn mentally strengthened. Richard Parker made his point with me four times. Four times he struck at me with his right paw and sent me overboard, and four times lost my shield. I was terrified before, during and after each attack, and I spent a long time shivering with fear on the raft. Eventually I learned to read the signal he was ending me. I found that his ears, his whiskers, his tale, his teeth and his throat, he spoke a simple, forcefully punctuated language that told me what his next move might be. Earned to back down before he lifted his paw in the air. (page 229) Again from this quote from the novel we can determine that Pi has matured and is examining key details that would help him tame the tiger. Only someone with a clear and mental ly strong approach could identify such tiny details and use them to their advantage. Overall the Pip's experience of taming a man eating Bengal tiger and overcoming his fears, not only made his survival on the life boat a little easier, but it made him mentally stronger as well. With today's modern technology, life boats are equipped with GAPS trackers so Orvis's can be easily and rapidly rescued.On the other hand, Pip's story took place before many of these technological inventions existed. He survived on that life boat for 227 days straight and one of his biggest concerns was food. Pip's life boat did have supplies of food, but they were nowhere even near to what was essential to survive all that time out at sea. Pi knew, that in order to persist he would have to possibly eat meat and fish. Put the hatchet down. I would break its neck, sight unseen, I decided. I wrapped the fish tightly in a blanket. With both hands started bending it.The more I pressed, the more the fish struggle d. I imagined whit it would feel like if I were wrapped in a blanket and someone were trying to break my neck. Was appalled. I gave up a number of times. Yet I knew it had to be done and the longer waited, the longer the fish's suffering would go on. (Page 202-203) The quote above explains how Pi had trouble killing the fish and eating it. He could not get over the emotional and psychological issues with killing and eating the fish, even though he knew if he was going to survive, he would eventually have to do it.On top of his own feelings and emotions, Pi followed Hinduism which clearly states that killing and eating another living creature is a sin. This does not apply to honoring the remnants of ambassador or sanctified food first offered to Lord Krishna and then eaten by the spiritual preceptors who mercifully leaves some for their devotees which is then glorified by them smash ambassador. Madhya means unsanctioned foods due to not having been consecrated by first offering it to the Supreme Lord and thus impure. Partaking of foods in tama guan such as meat, fish, fowl, eggs, wine, alcohol, etc. Reeds dark insistence and great ignorance. Baghdad Gait, Chapter 1 7, verses 8, 9, and 10) This is a passage from the sacred holy scripture of Hinduism, the Baghdad Gait. Pi had read almost all of the holy scriptures of all the religions he followed and obeyed most of what they preached. Since the Baghdad Gait said it was against the religion's beliefs to eat meat, it caused a serious moral dilemma within him. In the end he had to eat both fish and meat in order to us;eve. By doing so he was once again scarred for life, which caused further mental devastation. Though Pi suffered al these traumatic events, he survived and was eventually rescued.

Body Farm

Although, I love crime drama elevation series which revolve around gory homicide scenes and less than comfortable investigation techniques to include forensic anthropology, the Body Farm documentary still terrified me with its true nature. As much as I admire the anthropologists' pure intent to gain insights into the process of human remain decomposition in order to discover the true story of the dead, the images of the donor's remain left to decompose or human part burned at different temperatures did not bring me a pleasant feeling.I cannot Imagine how the scientists can deal with the putrid smells of decomposed flesh and the stench of burnt flesh. It Is satisfying to know the forensic anthropologist go to great length in serving mankind. They gave voices to the wrongful dead and allow them to tell the true story. The research left me with both revolting and admiration feelings. As a donor myself, I am happy with the thought that my body is still useful post mortem.If donating my b ody to science could help to further advance in knowledge of natural science, I would be ore satisfied than let it uselessly decay into the abyss. Without the donors, human kind would have rarely advanced in knowledge, and it would have denied us from understanding natural science as we know today. It is fascinating to know the forensic anthropologists could uncover a lot of mysteries from the death base on skeletons study. The human skeletons are known as a hardest part of the body and as important as the nerve system, heart, and other internal organs.I have always Hough bones as hard solid substance, In fact beneath the surface they are more Like sponges, with a lot of alarm pockets. This makes bones very strong and light. Without seeing the documentary, I wouldn't know the answers are In the bones, once the blood have been blushed away. By doing research about the transition of the bones under the fire, the forensics also know the differences of the burns patterns. From there, th ey can help the medical examiners with the testimony to uncover the cause of the death. There are so much to learn from bones!I was amazed that actual Body Farm exist for anthropologists to learn and conduct researches on real human bodies to advance scientific knowledge and assist law enforcement in crime fighting techniques. I have full respect for the scientists and the generous donors whose contribution help to the success of Body Farm. Body Farm By cataleptic beautiful forensic anthropologist, and I thought it only exists in fiction. The documentary proved to me that the human decomposition research facilities really exists, and its use for science was amazing.Initially, I thought this movie was not for did not bring me a pleasant feeling. I cannot imagine how the scientists can deal with the putrid smells of decomposed flesh and the stench of burnt flesh. It is thought bones as hard solid substance, in fact beneath the surface they are more like sponges, with a lot of air pock ets. This makes bones very strong and light. Without seeing the documentary, I wouldn't know the answers are in the bones, once the to advance scientific knowledge and assist law enforcement in crime fighting

Hedda Gabler Essay Example

Hedda Gabler Essay Example Hedda Gabler Paper Hedda Gabler Paper Essay Topic: Hedda Gabler Ibsen once said, Find out who you are and become that person, because, To realize yourself is the highest goal a person can attain.Self realization was Ibsens super-objective.To find self-realization was the main theme of his play Hedda Gabler.Hedda, Tesman, and Thea, all live their lives through others, therefore never reaching self-realization.Their deficiencies entail cowardice, lack of imagination and validation.They make up for it by manipulating, borrowing and dependency.Searching for themselves in each other. Hedda lives through others by manipulation.Hedda is a coward, she is afraid of taking charge of her life and making something of herself.Since she feels a lack of control over her life, she controls others.She is unhappy because she has no control and tries to make everyone else unhappy.In the opening scene Aunt Julie comes over and places her hat in the living room, Hedda then purposefully remarks on how rude it was for the maid to leave her hat around the house.Aunt Julies feelings are hurt deeply, since she bought the hat brand new. Hedda is also very condescending and sarcastic towards Tesman; he is completely unaware of it. She plays him like a deck of cards.When he asks her why she burned Lovborgs manuscript; she says she did it for you dear, since you envied it. He believes her not seeing her real motives, then he later exclaims, Oh, Im beginning to understand you, Hedda! Heddas feeling of being out of control also effects how she interacts with the other characters.This is why she is manipulative.She manipulates the people around her to do things that they normally wouldnt do.When Lovborg and Thea are with her, she offers Lovborg a drink, but he refuses because he quit drinking.Then she spills a bit of information about Lovborg that Thea had told her and Lovborg is outraged.In his anger, he accepts the dr

Ancient Religions

Principal beliefs of Nordic religion and its meaning to adherents. The ancient Norse religion was commonly followed and practiced by people in northern regions of the world, such as Scandinavia, Norway, Iceland and surrounding countries. It was believed that the world first came about when a northern and southern land, Niflheim and Muspellheim, both joined together. Niflheim (house of mists) , an extremely cold, icy land and Muspellheim (home of desolation) the seemingly opposite of Niflheim, a hot, fiery land. As both lands joined together, the reaction of the contrasting temperatures caused the ice of Niflheim to melt creating the first two living creatures Ymer, the giant and Audhumla, a female cow. From these two the first Gods were created (Odin, Vile and Ve), and from them the first human beings were created by Odin from an elm and ash tree. Due to a disagreeance between Ymer and the God’s, the giant was killed and from his body, landforms and other living races were created. The gods were revered by many as they were the creators of the races and established the different parts of the world, the world tree or Yggdrasil included. The Yggdrasil is one of the principal beliefs in Nordic religion as it was known as the centre of their nordic universe, the world tree was said to have held nine different realms within its branches. The realms were situated in different areas of the tree at the top, within the canopy; Asgard (heaven) was located. This is where many gods lived including Odin in Valhalla. In addition to Asgard two other realms Vanaheim (home of the fertility god) and Aflheim (home of light elves) were located at the highest level of the world tree. These realms were known as â€Å"divine†. Norse folk believed that Midgard, the middle section of Yggdrasil held the human world. Along with midgard, Nidavellir, Jotunheim and Svartalfhiem, home of the dwarves, giants and dark elves were also present here. At the third and bottom level of the tree the two lands that created the first living beings are found. It is believed that Hel, the place of death, is part of the harsh, destitute lands of Niflheim. Hel is connected to one of the three main root of the world tree and it is known as the underworld, the second root leads to Jotunheim( realm of the giants) and the third is connected to the divine realm, Asgard. The roots linked together the different levels and realms of the tree, likewise Bifrost, a magical bridge located between Asgard and the human world, Midgard was another connection between realms, allowing gods an entrance into the mortal world. The Influence of the Nordic beliefs in society was great as followers of the ancient religion could identify with the extreme life conditions and harsh weather that was also portrayed in the Nordic creation story. The Norse saw their conditions of life as a blessing from the gods and often used these gifts to the greatest advantage for example men often became farmers, cultivators, tradesmen or traders. Women in Nordic society also searched for meaning and insight from the gods as they held powerful positions in the religion. Women played a strong part in the community and often had to run the villages when the Viking warriors were away. The Norse strived to maintain a balanced lifestyle from the influence of what they had learned and incorporated from the gods. Odin was known as a wise and great warrior and many Viking men chose to follow the same path by becoming a warrior also. I was believed that one of the only worthy ways to die was to die in battle. This factor greatly contributed to the decisions of the Norse men. When a warrior died in battle he would go on to Valhalla, in the divine realm, if not they would go to Hel. The Norse people not only sought meaning from the gods, but from the actions and rituals they performed.

What does Sartre mean by human beings existence preceding their Essay

What does Sartre mean by human beings existence preceding their essence Do you agree with his notion of radical freedom and responsibility why or why not - Essay Example It is because he himself has denied to follow the right path and indulged himself in bad deeds. So what is more important to Sartre was existence rather than essence. The reason why I agree with this philosophy is that if we think meticulously then we do agree somehow that whatever a man does, only he is himself for that. For example, let us suppose, I have spoken lie to my mother, for petty issues, like for omitting my high school or anything else. Then I do not think that my mother or father is responsible for that. It is also not that my essence is bad. Whatever I am doing, I am doing it with my own mind. I am sensible enough to differentiate between good and bad deeds and if still I opt for bad ones then it is simply my own choice. Moreover, when I keep on lying with everyone and involved in false acts then people will definitely know me as a liar. No one will think about my essence, everyone blames me for my false actions. That is why I think that Sartre is somewhat right in his sayings and notion of radical freedom and responsibility. One reason that makes me think otherwise is that everyone is not bad by birth. Criminal is not a born criminal, a liar is not a born liar. It is our society who made them so. What I believe is that if a person has good essence, then his inner can never feel gratified and contented for his false deeds. One day he surely regrets for all his actions done so far in his life. Conclusively, my opinion is a blend of yes and no to the Sartre’s notion of radical freedom. Though we are free enough to do whatever we wish. Also, sensible enough to draw a line between good and bad deeds, that is why if we are doing something good or bad that totally depends on us as well as the society where we live, our friends whose company makes a lot of difference on our personality and last but not the least our essence

Certifications Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Certifications - Research Paper Example Certify by the International Professional Practice Partnership (IP3), ITCP confirmation is globally perceived as an indication of expert greatness. For IT experts, I.S.P. status furnishes customers and managers with trusted confirmation of an IT proficient learning and specialized foundation. I.S.P. standing has been allowed in Canada since 1989, and is enacted as an automatic assignment in six provinces*, with different territories progressing in the direction of comparable enactment. CIPS was structured in 1958. At the time, people who had an enthusiasm for IT could join CIPS as a Member. This kind of general participation in CIPS is still accessible today and gives various profits. Enrollment in CIPS is a prerequisite to hold CIPS proficient assignments. In the late 1980s, CIPS, alongside numerous other worldwide IT affiliations, perceived the need to build a full grown calling. The CIPS Certification Program was presented in 1988 with the dispatch of the preprofessional Candidate Member and the expert Information Systems Professional (I.S.P.) assignment. As is normal in many callings, there is a sensibly standard and bland course to the expert capability and the Candidate Member is the first step on the way to expert differentiation. Hopeful Members have finished an important training project, however have not yet aggregated the expert experience prerequisites. The benchmark for the I.S.P. is a four-year four year certification in Computer Science in addition to two years of expert experience or equal. This benchmark is identified with the CIPS Body of Knowledge (BOK) which characterizes the base satisfactory expert level of information and skill, joining both expansiveness and profundity. Authority of the BOK grants differing degrees of learning of and competency of the parts of the BOK, gave general dominance is kept up. This

Combining Nurse Leader with Advocacy Personal Statement

Combining Nurse Leader with Advocacy - Personal Statement Example This enables me to work with any medical organization in any part of America. However, due to the short duration that in the nursing profession, I have not managed to be a member of many professional associations, except in the Nursing Association of America, but am aspiring to be involved more and more in nursing and other professional associations (Manco-Herrman, 2006). Regarding career planning, I can say that I fully understand my role as a nurse, and know the requirements and description of my nursing profession. I understand that my greatest service is to the people, especially among the patients without showing any partiality. I am a goal driven individual, and my dream to become a renowned nurse in the nursing field driven my career. I would wish for a nursing profession where the nurses, particularly starting from me, will be able to deliver services to the customer, not just because they are in the profession, but because it is ethical to do so regardless of the money paid. I believe that this future career path can be achieved through determination and willingness to growth. Though career development might seem expensive, there have been sponsoring that offer training and financial support to nursing professionals who wish to grow and develop their careers. This enhances flexibility and gives the capacity of nurses to adapt to the future scenarios (Massella, 2005). As concerning the personal journey disciplines, I can rate myself as good, aiming to become excellent. During the short duration that I have been in the nursing field, I have been able to take part in action learning. This has enabled me integrate the problem solving techniques with the already acquired skills to enhance the delivery of services to customers. Normally, when left to make decisions regarding the welfare of the patients, I personally evaluate the condition or the situation, make decisions, decide on the most appropriate decision and personally reflect on those decisions to de termine their feasibility. However, I have not been fully involved in council planning, but I have participated in leadership trainings where I have acquired skills regarding leadership. Nevertheless, through the reflective practice, I have been able to assess my leadership development plan and determine my progress in active leadership behaviors. This has enabled me rate myself as far as leadership is concerned and enable me determine the most appropriate methods and practices in leadership to enhance my development as a leader (McClure, 2005). Rating myself in terms of reflective practice reference and behaviors, I always use the guidelines that facilitate my evaluation and reflection of involvement in nursing career. These include the skills acquired, identification of my role as nursing professionals, identification of the discrepancy in nursing and also I have been able to propose the most flexible means to enhance growth of the nursing profession in the future. I normally hold integrity as the key factor in my nursing profession and a leader, and to appreciate ambiguity since it acts as a driving force encouraging my advancement in nursing career. Whenever I feel inadequate in a certain area, I always seek clarification from higher professionals or through research. People in the nursing

Self-Assessment on Group Work

Self-Assessment on Group Work The End or The Beginning? Donald J. Peters Doug Flemming Introduction This module has served as a reminder that I should not give up on group interaction. I need to embrace the dynamics so I can be a better manager, leader and group member. We have learned about the significance of groups and that a large part of our professional life fundamentally relies on our group interaction skills. Improving group interaction skills can be very satisfying to all group members and advance the business organizational model as well. There are also some significant difficulties and hurdles intertwined with small group interaction. This makes groups a crucial focus for study, examination and action. The goal of this summary paper is to identify key concepts or topics that we have discussed, examine why we study group interaction, a self-analysis of our ability, and a discussion on how group OL313 is functioning. Topic 1 Discussion Background factors The first subject I want to discuss is background factors. By definition, background factors are attributes that existed prior to the groups formation and will probably endure after the group no longer exists. Some relevant background factors include personalities, age, health and values. Personality is one of the most important background factors in small group interaction (Tubbs, 2009). I am a member of a modification proposal working group and attend monthly meetings for my organization. In this working group, we discuss issues and the perceived failures of the modification proposal process. The normal attendees from the Tinker AFB location include both government and civilian employees who were purposely selected by the working groups senior member and government manager. There are various subject matter experts who also attend based on leaderships selected topics and questions. I was directed to attend and support this working group as I have been anointed the subject matter expert for these issues. My office has the responsibility to receive the modification proposals from the initiator and insure approval in a timely manner. Often this is not as easy as it appears. The working group chairperson is one of the high-ranking government employees in our building. Questions are asked at the meetings and the answers are not listened to. These processes are documented by the Air Force and there is very specific guidance detailed in the instructions. It is my observation that the chairperson has a need to control or influence the process to the point that it is interfering with the outcomes of the group. Due to my perceptions of the chairperson and the group in general, this meeting is basically a time killer for me. I continue to provide information as requested but I no longer have the patience to deal with the point counter point discussions which keep the process moving in a circle. There have been interactions with other group members who have noticed that there is a difference in my attitude when I attend this meeting. I would say I need to do a better job of camouflaging my attitude while attending this meeting. I dont believe I can bypass my attitude without engaging the source. Personality appears to be the most relevant background factor in this situation. It appears that the chairperson has trained themselves to look for opportunities for improvement without regard for the documented process. I was trained to follow the documented process for repeatable, sustained results. I have conceded that the documented processes may be too restrictive for our purpose, but there is also a process to seek relief from said restriction. Situationally, I have determined that this could be a personality issue, at least on my part. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), a popular method of measuring personality, revealed that I demonstrated a high tendency towards introversion. Some of the ways introverts are described include, more reserved, like to be alone and more focused. I have learned, that although I dont see this as my fault, I have been a contributing factor to the problem or issue at hand. I have been a hindrance to the working groups goal of resolving the modification proposal issues. I have set a personal goal to try and resolve this conflict. I may not be able to fix a problem within a working group but I should be able to control my actions and set an example to follow. Topic 2 Discussion Circumstance and Structure I work in a windowless building but the technology used in some of our conference rooms is our window to the world of the B-2 bomber. Normally the atmosphere of the building I work in feels restricting. A dreary place where the atmosphere never changes. The conference rooms however, are very well maintained and tastefully decorated. It gives off a good vibe when you attend meetings in these conference rooms and I believe it effects the way people act and react to the information discussed in these venues. The meetings that I normally participate in take place in three large, well maintained conference rooms located throughout the building. There are normally several large rectangular tables set up in a horseshoe design and the chairs are very comfortable. The horseshoe layout allows dignitaries or the head of the meeting to sit at the head of the table. This position allows all participants to view the leader of the meeting. Due to the number of personnel, there is an overflow area established on both sides of the tables. One large advantage we utilize in our conference rooms is the ability to video teleconference (VTC) between geographically separated units. The attendees can view each locations speaker if they share the same equipment architecture. The conference rooms also have the capability to push briefing slides, normally power point, across multiple locations and that ability allows all participants to share data. I enjoy the capability to observe the VTC briefers as they provide their information to the group. It helps me remember that they are people like me, and not just another voice with a tasker or an assignment. The VTC capabilities also help to reduce travel expenses that would otherwise be accepted as the normal cost of doing business. During the last five years, I have noticed that people tend to sit in the same locations when attending meetings in these conference rooms. I also sit in the same locations depending on the meeting content and my role during the meeting. There are meetings when I am required to brief information to the group and its during those meetings when I sit at the table. That seat is as close to the VTC camera as possible so I am off camera to the group, but located near a microphone so I can be heard. Another meeting I attend puts me more in a support role and I try to sit away from the table, but close enough to the briefer to assist with questions or clarifications. These perceived seating assignments appear to be accepted as the norm by all attendees. I have needed to sit in other locations than my normal place and there have been times when the meeting chair did not think I was in attendance. The size of the group does have an impact on discussion. Smaller groups, less than ten, appear to be more relaxed and willing to facilitate the exchange of ideas or speak up when required. The larger groups, to include the offsite attendees, lose focus on the discussion topic and start sidebar conversations. Theses sidebar conversations can be very distracting and limit the exchange of ideas and reasoned answers to topics at hand. I personally think I perform better in the smaller groups and need their feedback to help my performance. The larger groups are a challenge for me as I dont always know who the players are and how they normally function. It appears or feels as if there is no cohesion or unity. The communication network that I see demonstrated during these meetings, using our wonderful VTC system, is the wheel. In this case the leader is viewed as the central person, or hub of the wheel and all communication and comments must pass through the hub or leader (Tubbs, 2009). The leader of the meeting is in control of the technology and responses are restricted to the leader of the meeting. The other offsite users appear to manage their meeting in the same fashion. I think it works very well in preventing people talking over one another while using the technology. The ability to have productive meetings is related to many different factors. From the setup of the conference room tables to your territorial seat at the meeting, these influences can contribute or impede the groups ability to operate. Some organizations have grown very adept at the use of this technology and I feel that its use provides everyone with more feedback on the items discussed. Although it appears our leade rship is using a restrictive communication network described as the wheel, it seems to work well for the groups using this technology. Why Study Group Interaction At the basic level interaction is simply communication. Small group interaction is the process by which three or more members of a group communicate, verbally and non-verbally, to influence one another (Tubbs, 2009). Why does an organization or individual need to educate themselves about interaction? The answer appears to be straight forward in that almost every business requires some form of interaction or communication. For that communication to be successful, it requires certain skills and capabilities. The continued study of communication will refine your skills and competencies which, in turn, will allow you the opportunity to become a more effective manager, leader and team member. This knowledge can save the organization time and limit expenditures. Self-Analysis The first thing that comes to mind is how much time has passed since I have been in a classroom. The experience has initiated a reassessment of my abilities as a student, learner and team member. As a student, I realize I need to improve my study skills and practice interaction daily. After retiring from the military, I intentionally sought out employment that would limit interaction. I did not want to be in leadership or management as I did not want to have that responsibility again. As I have progressed through the current company, I require those skills once more if I hope to be promoted. My ability to learn has not changed and for that I am thankful. But knowledge application has suffered. This course has shed light on some communication issues I am experiencing at work and that identification has led me to a new goal. That goal is to participate in the process through interaction and communication. Im not sure if I can reverse any of the negative interaction trends I have noticed, but I am sure I want to be a person that contributes, not a person that detracts from the group goals. Once I wrapped my head around what the professor expected and the teaching style, I enjoyed the class. I am a slow starter with new information but my interest in the subject matter increased with each week of instruction. Group OL313 Another module down and the group is that much closer to completing the objective of a college degree. I dont presume to know what the rest of the class thinks but I for one am very comfortable being part of this group. The fact the most of us have either had military experience or have worked close to the military complex seems to be the one thing we all share; other than being human I mean. I do not recall one instance where we had an issue within the group. As the oldest member of the group, I have faced technology challenges during instruction. Everyone in OL313 has helped or offered to help me sort out those issues. There have been several in our group who appear to have shown a marked improvement in communicating and interacting. It has been a pleasure to witness those changes for the better. I appreciate working with a group of this caliber and look forward to the few months we have remaining in this program. Conclusion To conclude, I have briefly discussed the background factor of personality and that it is the one of most important factors to small group interaction. Personalities exist prior to group formation and will likely remain the same after dissolution. The topic of structure was addressed with discussion centered on seating arrangements and technology. A brief self-analysis of my skills and where I think I need to go from here; as well as some thoughts on why we need to study small group interaction. And finally, I closed with analysis if how I think the OL313 group is performing. References Tubbs, S. L. (2009). A Systems Approach to Small Group Interaction. New York: McGraw-Hill.