Multitasking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Multitasking - Essay Example This facility helped in improving efficiency1. With respect to computing, the term Multitasking refers to a process which facilitates undertaking of several tasks or processes at the same time, by enabling sharing of certain common processing resources such as the CPU for instance. Multitasking refers to the running of multiple independent computer programs on the same computer; giving the appearance that it is performing the tasks at the same time. The kernel of the operating system is responsible for that activity. In computing terms, kernel acts as a vital constituent of a majority of computer operating systems. Its key responsibilities include administering the operating systems resources, for instance, setting up and ensuring adequate interaction between the hardware as well as software components. One of the fundamental functions of the kernel includes administering the computer’s resources and permitting other programs to run and use these resources. Characteristically, the resources comprises of: the CPU (central processing unit), the memory of the system, as well as the I/O (Input / Output) devices. The multitasking characteristic entails the necessity to sustain simultaneous implementation of processes and to offer services for inter process communication and synchronization. Other less noticeable yet equally significant functions of the kernel comprises of management of interrupts and basic process scheduling. Furthermore, apart from the above listed functions, the kernel typically manages some ancillary actions essential for offering the services which are observable by the other Operating System layers. Examples of such internal kernel operations include system time-base management and processor allocation by means of basic process scheduling. Multitasking can be classified into two major forms: Cooperative multitasking and Preemptive Multitasking. In

The Last Lecture: Dr Randy Pausch

The Last Lecture: Dr Randy Pausch Carnegie Mellon University asked a set of Professors to give a message of a lifetime as if it was their last lecture before their death. Ironically for Dr. Randy Pausch, it was his last lecture because he had learned that he is going to die soon due to Pancreatic Cancer that has spread to his liver. That is what it is we cannot change that, we just have to deal with it. Dr. Pauschs inspirational speech was not about death; it was about life and how to achieve your childhood dreams. His sense of humor and enthusiasm is what triggered the audience to become inspired with his life lessons. Randy Pausch started off his speech by introducing the elephant in the room which he told the audience that he has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and will die soon because of it. He chose to tell them about the cancer at the beginning because he believes that if there are issues distracting your audience, address them sooner rather than later. He says that we have to deal with what we are facing because it is not in our hands to change the future. Therefore, instead of feeling depressed, we should try to enjoy the time that we have left. If I do not seem depressed as I should be, sorry to disappoint you. He makes it clear that he is not in denial of whats going on, he is just dealing with the situation in a positive way. Randy knows that he has ten tumors in his stomach and that he only has six months to live; he chooses to spend them with his family rather than worrying about the future. Pausch uses a couple of techniques in his lecture to inspire the audience with his talk. He knows that the audience might get emotional when they learn that he is doing to die soon due to sickness so he creates a sense of humor throughout his lecture as much as possible. For example, he told the audience that even though he is dying soon, I am in much better shape than most of you, and he starts to make push ups to show that them that he is physically strong; the audience respond with laughter and applause. Pausch laughs, smiles and tells a lot of jokes throughout the lecture instead of feeling depressed and sad. Throughout his speech he gives away his stuffed animals, wears an Alice in Wonderland hat, and wears a football jacket because he believes that audience is more likely to have fun and cherish life if they see you doing so in your speeches. Moreover, he could have used a serious tone for this speech. He could have stressed every word as if it were a matter of life or death; however, that would have drawn more attention to his condition instead of his main messag e and the point of the talk was to learn something out of it instead of feeling sorry for him. Due to these reasons, Pausch told the audience at the beginning of the speech that he will not talk about the cancer, wife, or children because the audience is going to get emotional including himself as they are very sensitive topics to discuss. Randy Pausch introduces the main points of the lecture and what he will exactly talk about. Even though Pausch tries to give the impression that the speech is not personal, to some extent it is as the content of the speech are on the personal lessons Randy Pausch has learned through life, and he illuminates these through personal stories. The first topic he addressed is his own childhood dreams and shows the audience pictures of him as a child smiling and looking happy all the time to reveal that he had a great childhood. He also stated that one of the many great things that his parents allowed him to do is paint his own room as he had the chance to express his creativity. As a child he believed that if a man can land on the moon, anything is possible. As a child he always wanted to become an astronaut but he never did; however, NASA created a competition for college students to design a certain project and the winners would go up in to the air in Vomit Comet, (a plane used by astron auts to practice before traveling to the moon) and experience weightlessness as if they are on the moon. Pausch was so excited that his students won until he learns that faculty members are not allowed to join. He makes this point by explaining that this was like a brick wall in his life and Brick walls are there for a reason, they let us prove how badly we want things. Moreover, he didnt give up and he had to fake as a journalist as they were allowed on the plane. Another dream that Pausch shared is the dream of becoming a professional football player and play for the national team which he never did. I got more out of that dream that I didnt accomplish, more than any other dream that I did accomplish. Also, his coach in school would make him do extra push ups, laps, and practice so Randy thought he was making him practice extra just because he didnt think he was good enough until someone told him when you are screwing up and no one is bothering to tell you anything , thats when they give up on you. Moreover, the critiques in our lives are the ones who basically love you and care about you. Also, Randy tells the audience that even though he never got to play as a professional football player, football is still a part of him and while talking, he wears his football jacket and ball and starts playing with it. Another point that Pausch makes that I personally thought it was important is that almost every thing we learn, we learn indirectly. He e xplains that by saying that when we send our children to play football, we dont actually send them to play football but we actually send them to learn skills like teamwork and sportsmanship. Another dream that Pausch shared is the dream of sharing knowledge with other and he did when he was selected to write an article in Wikipedia. Pausch believes that one of the most significant things in life is to share knowledge and pass it on to others. He expresses his humor by saying that being selected to be an author of Wikipedia, now I know that it is a reliable source that you can use. The next dream he introduced is Being like/ meeting captain Kirk which he intended to write it that way to amuse the audience and make them laugh. It was his childhood dream to be like Captain Kirk because it was a show that taught leadership skills. Even though he wanted to be like Captain Kirk he got to meet the actor. Another dream that Randy talked about is being an imagineer at Disney Land. The first time he went to Disney Land as a kid, instead of saying I want to experience this he said, I want to make stuff like that. One thing Randy learned during his experience that I thought was important is When you are pissed off at somebody, you just have to give them time and they will impress you. I believe that he is right because there is no real reason to be upset at anyone as we are all human beings who make mistakes. Also, life is too short to be upset with loved ones and you never know when your life will end. Moreover, Pausch became one of the imagineers who designed the game of Aladdin and Alice in Wonderland. This experience forever changed him as he learned that artists and engineers can invent great things together. Another important thing that he learned which I also thought was important was that all good things come to an end and you should try to enjoy it as much as you can. Later on, Dr. Pausch taught a course at Carnie Mellon University for ten years about building virtual worlds. When Pausch stopped teaching the course he gave handed it someone better to run this course. When you have something so precious, you should hand it to someone better than you. There are many lessons with certain techniques that he used to persuade the audiences with, which were about life that I thought, are important to mention. Its important to have parents and mentors in your life. In this part of the speech, Pausch showed pictures of his parents on rollercoaster to once more create a sense of humor. Also, he said that it is very important to give up the time to help others as we are blessed to have what weve got and others need our help. Moreover, dont complain, just work harder. He gave an example of a baseball player Jackie Robinson who swore he would not complain if people spat on him. I think he gave this example to imply that people complain too much; he is dying and he chooses not to complain. Also, when he was in school and complaining to his mother, she said I know how you feel, remember when your father was your age he was fighting the Germans. Once again she uses this example to create a sense of positive energy in the atmosphere. Another imp ortant message is Have fun I am dying and I choose to have fun. He believes that he cannot tell other how to have fun; it is like telling a fish how to swim in the sea. Finally, apologize when you screw up. I am sorry, I am wrong, and what can I do to make things better. Pausch believes that many people apologize but they are too egocentric to ask What can I do to make things better? In my opinion one of the most memorable moments in the lecture is when Pausch said focus on others, not you and as an example, he got out a huge birthday cake as its his wifes birthday and the audience started to sing Happy Birthday to his wife. In this moment, Randy reveals his emotional side when he hugged his wife. It is very emotional because although throughout the talk he tried to be as enthusiastic and energetic as possible, when it came to his wife he couldnt resist but give a sad face. Also, showing emotions is one of the best ways for a speaker to connect with an audience. Moreover, throughout the lecture he reveals the dreams that he had as a child and how he fulfilled each dream; but in my opinion, I think he the most important dream of all that he wants to fulfill but cannot is the dream of: to live longer and see his children grow up; unfortunately, he cannot fulfill that dream. Dr. Randy Pausch concluded his lecture in a very strong way by summarizing his key points to get his audience to think about what he said. In addition, he reaches back to one of the concepts introduced earlier which was the head fake and reveals that his entire speech has been a pair of head fakes; which makes the audience rethink the whole speech in their heads. Finally, at the very end he reveals that the whole speech was not for the audience but for his wife and children. As a viewer, I realized that at the end of the lecture that Pausch was seizing every opportunity to make speeches and write a book for his children as they are too young to have memories of their father. Moreover, all the childhood dreams and life lessons he has taught throughout the lecture were talks that he wants his children to one day know about them and follow those life lessons he has talked about. In my opinion, even though Dr. Randy Pausch tried to hide his emotional side throughout the lecture, the lecture was to some extent touching to the audience. The fact that hes dying in a couple of months ,yet giving a lecture on how to achieve your dreams and live your life is somewhat emotional to the audience. In addition, his situation makes the audience feel sorry for him even though if its not his intention to this speech. I believe that the speech wouldnt have been that successful if another person who was not ill would have given the same speech. Besides the skillful techniques Pausch used, the audience wouldnt have been as persuaded as they were by a different person preaching the exact same words because they psychologically feel like the need to listen to him because he is dying and in a way they feel sorry for him. Moreover, I believe this reason is one of the several motives to why Dr. Randy Pausch was listed as one of the hundred most influential people in the world.

Comparing Keynesian Economics and Supply Side Economic Theories :: Economy

Comparing Keynesian Economics and Supply Side Economic Theories Two controversial economic policies are Keynesian economics and Supply Side economics. They represent opposite sides of the economic policy spectrum and were introduced at opposite ends of the 20th century, yet still are the most famous for their effects on the economy of the United States when they were used. The founder of Keynesian economic theory was John Maynard Keynes. He made many great accomplishments during his time and probably his greatest was what he did for America in its hour of need. During the 1920's, the U.S. experienced a stock market crash of enormous proportions which crippled the economy for years. Keynes knew that to recover as soon as possible, the government had to intervene and put a decrease on taxes along with an increase in spending. By putting more money into the economy and allowing more Americans to keep what they earned, the economy soon recovered and once again became prosperous. Keynes ideas were very radical at the time, and Keynes was called a socialist in disguise. Keynes was not a socialist, he just wanted to make sure that the people had enough money to invest and help the economy along. As far as stressing extremes, Keynesian economics pushed for a â€Å"happy medium† where output and prices are constant, and there is no surplus in supply, but also no deficit. Supply Side economics emphasized the supply of goods and services. Supply Side economics supports higher taxes and less government spending to help economy. Unfortunately, the Supply Side theory was applied in excess during a period in which it was not completely necessary. The Supply Side theory, also known as Reganomics, was initiated during the Regan administration.

70-640 Lesson 11

Lesson 11 Active Directory Maintenance, Troubleshooting, and Disaster Recovery Knowledge Assessment Matching a. authoritative restoref. LDP b. checkpoint fileg. system volume c. Directory Services Restore Modeh. tombstone d. fragmentationi. transaction buffer e. garbage collectionj. Windows PowerShell __h__ 1. This object is created when an object is deleted within Active Directory. __i__ 2. Active Directory changes are written here before they are committed to disk. __j__ 3. This is a new advanced command-line and scripting interface included in Windows Server 2008. __g__ 4.This volume houses the boot files for a Windows Server 2008 computer. __e__ 5. This describes the process of removing tombstoned objects from the NTDS. DIT file. __a__ 6. You will need to perform this operation if you have inadvertently deleted one or more Active Directory objects. __f__ 7. This is a graphical user interface that will allow you to query Active Directory as part of the troubleshooting process. __b __ 8. This is used as a reference file in case the Active Directory database needs to be recovered from a system failure to ensure that no transactions are lost. _c__ 9. To perform many Active Directory maintenance operations, you will need to restart your domain controller in this startup mode. __d__ 10. This can decrease database performance because updates are made to the Active Directory over time. Multiple Choice 1. Which of the following backup types can be initiated by a member of the local Administrators group or a member of the local Backup Operators group on a Windows Server 2008 computer? a. Manual backup b. Scheduled backup c. Full backup d. Differential backupA manual backup can be rescheduled by a local administrator or member of the local Backup Operators group. Scheduled backups can only be created by members of the local Administrators group. 2. The NTDS. DIT file is based on which database technology? a. Structured Query Language (SQL) b. Oracle c. Extensible Stora ge Engine (ESE) d. My*SQL The NTDS. DIT file is based on the Extensible Storage Engine (ESE) data storage format, not Microsoft SQL as some people believe. 3. Which of the following commands can be used to configure Active Directory permissions from the command line? . LDP b. Dsacls c. Dcdiag d. ADSI Edit The dsacls. exe command-line utility can be used to list and modify Active Directory permissions for a particular object or container. 4. What runs automatically on a domain controller every 12 hours by default during the garbage collection process? a. Offline defragmentation b. Authoritative restore c. Nonauthoritative restore d. Online defragmentation Online defragmentation on an Active Directory domain controller is also known as the garbage collection process. 5.Which tool can you use to force a domain controller to start in Directory Services Restore Mode on its next reboot? a. cmd. exe b. bootmgr. exe c. bcdedit. exe d. dcpromo. exe Apart from pressing F8 during the system bo ot, you can configure a Windows Server 2008 computer to automatically boot into Directory Services Restore Mode by using the bcdedit. exe command-line utility before rebooting the server. 6. Which operation requires the Active Directory Domain Service to be taken offline? a. Offline defragmentation b. Online defragmentation c. Garbage Collection d. Transaction BufferingOf the operations listed, only an offline defragmentation requires you to take the Active Directory database offline, whether through rebooting into DSRM or by using the new restartable Active Directory feature. 7. Which of the following backup types can be initiated only by a member of the local Administrators group on a Windows Server 2008 computer? a. Manual backup b. Scheduled backup c. Full backup d. Differential backup Unlike manual backups, scheduled backups can only be created by members of the local Administrators group on a Windows Server 2008 computer. 8.Which backup type will empty the Application log on t he server that is being backed up? a. Copy backup b. Differential backup c. Normal backup d. VSS full backup VSS full backup will update each file’s backup history and clear the Application Log files. 9. Which of the following volumes hosts the Windows operating system? a. Boot volume b. Shared volume c. System volume d. Host volume The boot volume holds the Windows operating system and the Registry. 10. When performing an authoritative restore of a user object that belongs to multiple Active Directory groups, what is restored by the LDF file that is generated by Ntdsutil? . Optional attributes b. Mandatory attributes c. Back-links d. Security Identifier (SID) In a multi-domain environment, back-links need to be manually re-created after an authoritative restore by using the LDIF files generated automatically by ntdsutil. CASE SCENARIOS Scenario 11-1: Consulting for Margie’s Travel You are a computer consultant for Margie Shoop, the owner of Margie’s Travel. Mar gie has a single Active Directory domain structure with the domain margiestravel. com. Margie has travel agencies worldwide, at 50 locations in 7 countries. All locations are connected to a satellite array.Margie has signed a 10-year contract to provide satellite access to her 50 locations. Connectivity to the satellite array varies from 57 Kbps to 128 Kbps. Although her locations vary greatly in the number of computer and user accounts, each location with more than 15 users has its own domain controller, global catalog server, and DNS server, all typically configured on the same computer. The margiestravel. com Active Directory infrastructure has nine sites. Given this information about Margie’s Travel, answer the following questions: 1. You discuss performance monitoring with Margie.During your conversation, you learn no one has ever used Replication and Performance Monitor to check the performance of her domain controllers. Margie wants to know why anyone would even bother . What do you say to her? Replication and Performance Monitor is used to provide one-time and ongoing reports of Active Directory performance counters, which can be used to proactively monitor Active Directory for potential hardware and software issues that might impact client authentication. 2. Margie tells you that some of her domain controllers have multiple hard disks. She tells you that the additional physical hard disks are not being used.She wants to know if they can be used to improve the performance of Active Directory. What would you tell her? The Active Directory database and log files can be moved to different hard disks within a server to improve performance. 3. Margie sends you to Cairo, Egypt, to troubleshoot a few domain controllers in her Egypt location. You find some event messages concerning replication events, but you would like to see more detailed information than the data in the log now. What can you do? Modify the debugging levels in the Registry to increase the number of events that are logged to the Event Viewer.

The Importance of Marriage in Pride and Prejudice

Set in late 18th Century England, Pride and Prejudice depicts the search of women for the ‘inevitable' husband and of a male dominant society, within which no woman can be considered truly successful without the assistance of a man of ‘good fortune'. Austen addresses the common ideals of society throughout Pride and Prejudice, such as the monetary values of marriage and the need of a woman to find security for herself and her future children. The opening line of the novel reads ‘It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. Austen not only uses this line to introduce a key theme of the novel, but also hints at the underlining themes of the novel and at the irony and satire due to follow. This is also a use of proleptic irony, Elizabeth is considered as a woman who seeks true love, rather than a marriage based on the fortune of the male; however, upon seeing Pemberley Austen presents Elizabeth as considering money for the first time, the sheer size of the house impresses her and thus she cannot disregard its appeal. During both the 18th and 19th centuries marriage was regarded both a social and biological destiny for woman across all the classes. Austen portrays this belief through Charlotte Lucas whom after gaining some composure considers â€Å"Without thinking highly either of men or of matrimony, marriage had always been her object; it was the only honourable provision for a well-educated young woman of small fortune, and however uncertain of giving happiness, must be their pleasantest preservative from want† (Austen,J. 1853: 22). This amplifies the importance of the rejection of marriage by Elizabeth to Mr Collins, whom by the opinions of society at the time, the natural reaction for a woman in her situation would have been to accept. For she cannot afford to be overly choosy when it comes to marriage – earlier on in the novel Austen describes Mr Bennett cautiously going through the accounts of the estate, in which we are indirectly informed that the accounts are not looking positive. This marriage rejection is also relevant to the life of Austen, who we have learnt rejected a marriage proposal after overnight mentation. Marriage during the 18th and 19th centuries would be a whole family affair, and thus the effects of a marriage proposal or rejection would be felt throughout the generations. Families would look to ally themselves with other families of similar rank, hence marriage between cousins was common practice. This would ensure that both wealth and property would remain within the same family for generations via entailment, thus explaining the disappointment of Mrs Bennett upon finding out of the rejection of marriage between Elizabeth and Mr Collins. Moving to their husbands' establishment would often be the only possible freedom available to girls, though not to be confused in any way with independence, which girls at the time would be lacking. This was another reason that leading families would ally with one another, or often marry within – a family would never wish for their daughter(s) to be associated with a family of lower social value, and thus a smaller estate, or require any future financial support from them – this dependence would grow increasingly expensive and as Austen presents the Bennetts as a family with some financial troubles there is no question as to why she identifies the need for the daughters to be married off. With marriage being the ultimate goal for any young girl within Pride and Prejudice, events leading up to any such event are considered significant. For example, any balls or dances and the partnerships which develop within these; any ‘chance' encounters, such as meetings within town. Marriage would be a key theme of conversation within social circles of girls beyond puberty, the legal age for marriage was 16 (or the age of ‘coming out'), it was much desired by the age of 18 and would threaten to be beyond availability for girls of 20 or older. Girls would worry about being considered an ‘old maid' beyond the age of 20 which explains the desire that Austen presents Charlotte to have in ‘catching' Mr Collins and the warning that Mr Collins gives Elizabeth, who upon rejection of Mr Collins' proposal is already 21. Though the legal age of marriage in England was 16, due to the Marriage Act of 1853, it is assumed that Lydia and Wickham elope to Gretna Green in order to complete their marriage, rather than be living in sin and thus have society look down on them as an unlawfully acquainted couple – in Scotland was not necessary to live in each others' company for a minimum of 3 weeks prior to marriage like it was in England, thus allowing for an instant marriage. Much like the partnership between Darcy and Elizabeth we are made to wait for them to be partners in dance, it is a recurring theme throughout the novel that the longer the time period before the first dance between a couple the longer the time period will also be before they are romantically interested in one another. â€Å"To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love† (Austen, J. 1853: 6), thus the reluctance of Darcy to participate in dancing earlier on in the novel marks his limited social availability. However he becomes more available to Elizabeth later on in the novel as Austen presents him as someone whom is interested in being acquainted with Elizabeth and thus he asks her to dance, though even the act of doing this is portrayed as being difficult for him to achieve. The partnership between Elizabeth and Darcy is a stark contrast to that of Jane and Bingley, which Austen develops from the introduction of the two parties – they dance at the first meeting of one another and are thus romantically involved with one another from this point. Mr Bennett is presented by Austen as a man who is interested in the happiness of his daughters, though namely Lizzy, he is rarely phased by the actions of Lydia, Jane or Mrs Bennett however upon learning of Mr Collins' proposal states â€Å"Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr. Collins†¦ And I will never see you again if you do. † (Austen, J. 853: 64) Austen uses this conversation as a means of demonstrating the understanding and respect that exists between both Lizzy and her father, with Mrs Bennett already having come to the conclusion that Mr Bennett would insist on Lizzy marrying Mr Collins, however in this scene Austen also manages to portray a subtle humour – we read earlier on in the novel of Mrs Bennett's ‘nerves' and this is just another example of Mr Bennett knowing how to vex her, with the reader remembering earlier on in the book when Mr Bennett states â€Å"You mistake me, my dear. I have a high respect for your nerves. They are my old friends. I have heard you mention them with consideration these last twenty years at least. † (Austen, J. 1853: 4). With Lizzy being truly her father's daughter she knows that she will have the support of the parent who means the most to her, or at least the parent whom she is more interested in pleasing. Mr Bennett plays a pivotal role in the marriage of Lizzy, he has the final say on whether or not she marries Darcy, throughout the novel Austen doesn't portray any form of interaction between Mr Bennett and any of his other daughters or their respective partners regarding the issue of marriage. Though this may be due to Elizabeth's importance to the novel, we assume that this is also due to the value of her partnership with Darcy and how this is used to show her romantic development throughout the novel. Austen presents Elizabeth as a character who goes through the typically romantic process of falling in love with someone – both Elizabeth and Darcy must overcome a variety of obstacles in order for their love to Blossom, their story starts with bad first impressions of one another, with Lizzy assuming Darcy to be a pompous, arrogant man and Darcy being blinded by Lizzy's social inferiority. Austen wrote this novel based in an era within which girls being forced in to marriages for financial reasons was coming to an end and though monetary reasons were still considered a valid reason for marriage, or at least one for which marriage would be considered acceptable by one's family, people were also marrying due to love for one another. Lizzy represents the new era within which love is the main reason for marriage or courtship, we recognise this as Lizzy is aware of Darcy's fortune from an early stage of the novel, however she dismisses him due to his arrogant behaviour – if Lizzy was only interested in his wealth, or if this were the reason of her interest in Darcy then Austen would have ensured that she, like her other sisters, flaunted herself in front of a male of such high social value. Austen represents marriage for the ‘wrong' reasons with the marriage between Mr and Mrs Bennett. With Mr Bennett having previously married Mrs Bennett for her youth and good looks, with Mrs Bennett declaring â€Å"I certainly have had my share of beauty, but I do not pretend to be anything extraordinary now. â€Å", he now finds his only happiness through private study or mocking his wife, referring to her ‘nerves' as his ‘old friends', with his witty humour being too complex for her to understand and thus not being able to tell when he is using sarcasm. This sarcasm is a trait which Lizzy shares, for example in Chapter 28 when describing Miss De Bourgh, Lizzy states â€Å"She looks sickly and cross. Yes, she will do for him very well. She will make him a very proper wife. † This use of juxtaposition is rife in Austen's work and is often used for comic effect. Austen uses the juxtaposed relationship between Lizzy and Darcy to present us with an example of marrying for love, rather than superficial reasons which are evident throughout the novel. Examples such as Mr Collins and Charlotte Lucas, or Lydia and Wickham are doomed to fail, or at least to result in the severe unhappiness of the parties involved due to the basis of the relationships being built on financial security or social status. Lizzy and Darcy represent a marriage which ignores the superficial values and focuses on true love, Austen shows us as the reader that this is the only way to have a truly successful and happy marriage to one another and she manages to gain our agreement by portraying the other possible choices throughout the novel.

Free Essays on Prohibitioin

From the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s, Prohibition was a part of everyone’s life. Political candidates were won and lost by either promoting or demoting the right to consume alcohol. The Prohibition movement focused on completely removing alcohol from our society and bettering family life. Alcohol was to be used only for sacramental and medicinal purposes. Men and boys were being turned by alcohol into drunken wife beaters and thieving vandals. Prohibitionists tried to persuade Americans to join the bandwagon and stop the sale and production of alcohol. In the story â€Å"Bessie’s Mother,† by Mary Waddell, Bessie was a young girl who was being put up for adoption by her mother. Although the young girl’s mother loved her dearly, she could not afford to take care of herself, let alone Bessie. Bessie’s mother had been left widowed by her drunken husband. With no coal to keep warm, not enough food for breakfast, and no money for rent, there was nothing else for Bessie’s mother to do. She was forced to give her daughter up for adoption. Alcohol ruined this family long before Bessie’s father died. In the last years of her father’s drunken life, he had wasted all of the family’s money of booze. He was most likely ever able to even work due to being hung-over or still drunk. He didn’t care for his family like a man should. Instead he drank himself to death, occasionally beating his wife and daughter. In this story, if it wasn’t for a kind hearted woman named Mrs. Brown, Bessie, and her mother would have perished in the bitter winter. Mrs. Brown was a woman without children that wanted children and decided to adopt Bessie. The fact that Bessie would never see her mother again tore her up and she refused to go live with Mrs. Brown, until Mrs. Brown offered Bessie’s mother a job as a cook so they could all live together, alcohol and worry free. The story of Bessie’s Mother was a compelling tal... Free Essays on Prohibitioin Free Essays on Prohibitioin From the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s, Prohibition was a part of everyone’s life. Political candidates were won and lost by either promoting or demoting the right to consume alcohol. The Prohibition movement focused on completely removing alcohol from our society and bettering family life. Alcohol was to be used only for sacramental and medicinal purposes. Men and boys were being turned by alcohol into drunken wife beaters and thieving vandals. Prohibitionists tried to persuade Americans to join the bandwagon and stop the sale and production of alcohol. In the story â€Å"Bessie’s Mother,† by Mary Waddell, Bessie was a young girl who was being put up for adoption by her mother. Although the young girl’s mother loved her dearly, she could not afford to take care of herself, let alone Bessie. Bessie’s mother had been left widowed by her drunken husband. With no coal to keep warm, not enough food for breakfast, and no money for rent, there was nothing else for Bessie’s mother to do. She was forced to give her daughter up for adoption. Alcohol ruined this family long before Bessie’s father died. In the last years of her father’s drunken life, he had wasted all of the family’s money of booze. He was most likely ever able to even work due to being hung-over or still drunk. He didn’t care for his family like a man should. Instead he drank himself to death, occasionally beating his wife and daughter. In this story, if it wasn’t for a kind hearted woman named Mrs. Brown, Bessie, and her mother would have perished in the bitter winter. Mrs. Brown was a woman without children that wanted children and decided to adopt Bessie. The fact that Bessie would never see her mother again tore her up and she refused to go live with Mrs. Brown, until Mrs. Brown offered Bessie’s mother a job as a cook so they could all live together, alcohol and worry free. The story of Bessie’s Mother was a compelling tal...

How near are university researchers in resolving the cancer puzzle

How near are university researchers in resolving the cancer puzzle Hashtag: #DiaMundialcontraelCancer (World Day Against Cancer) Complete Cure for Cancer Multiple Diseases in One Along with 14 million cancer patients and in memory of 8.2 million people who died from the disease, humanity observed the 2015 #DiaMundialcontraelCancer or World Day Against Cancer asking the same unanswered question. Is there a complete cure for cancer? While the number of new cases according to WHO will rise to about 70% in the next few years, a complete cure for cancer remains an elusive dream. The reason is that cancer, unlike other diseases, is actually a large group of diseases that rapidly spread from the affected part to other organs of the human body. Knowledge about the causes and prevention of cancer is wide but still, after so many years of exhaustive study, researchers are still all at sea and cannot offer a complete cure for cancer. Early detection and treatment according to WHO increased the possibility of the cure, but with 8 million cancer-related deaths and estimated 70% rise in the number of new cancer cases over the next 2 years, these methods seems inadequate. The most probable reason is the fact that not all people, due to behavioral, economic, and other factors, is health conscious or be able to avail of cancer diagnostic services. Alternatively, cancer prevention or avoidance of physical (ultraviolet and ionizing radiation), chemical (asbestos, smoke from tobacco, etc), and biological (viruses, bacteria, etc.) carcinogens has more potential, but modification and avoidance of risk factors is another problem because it depends on age, individual lifestyle or status in life. A cure for cancer, therefore, is the most appropriate solution in reducing fatalities of this dreadful and life-damaging disease. Cancer Research Developments The institution of higher education such as universities and colleges around the world has cancer research facilities that consistently attempt to develop anti-cancer drugs. In particular, the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center or UCCCC and University of Edinburgh UK Cancer Research Centre are very active in developing a treatment for cancer. UCCCC in 2014 finally tested OTS964, an anti-cancer drug developed in almost a decade, in rats. Anti-cancer drugs developed by UCCC before can only suppress the growth of cancer cells but OTS964 effectively killed or eradicated T-lymphokine-activated killer cell, cancer cells believed responsible for tumor growth. UCCC is now preparing for phase 1 clinical trial for OTS964 and working to crack the code behind abnormal DNA sequence responsible for the reproduction of cancer cells and develop a drug for altered DNA. Researchers in University of Edinburgh UK Cancer Research Center are now ready to begin clinical trials of panRAF inhibitors, a new class of drugs targeting Src family kinases in melanoma ( the deadliest form of skin cancer) patients with BRAF inhibitors-resistant tumors. The drug is capable of halting the growth of faulty protein responsible for boosting the growth of melanomas. By targeting multiple signaling biological pathways simultaneously, panRAF inhibitors can eliminate drug-resistant cancer cells and restore the effectiveness of other cancer treatments. The development of these promising anti-cancer drugs and implementation of pioneering techniques in cancer treatment research suggest that academic researchers are years away from discovering the ultimate cure for cancer. However, since researchers already discovered the weak points of killer cancer cells and technology is rapidly advancing, it will be sooner than expected.

Yemen Nation Profile - Geography, Climate, and History

Yemen Nation Profile - Geography, Climate, and History The ancient nation of Yemen lies at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. Yemen has one of the oldest civilizations on Earth, with ties to the Semitic lands to its north, and to the cultures of the Horn of Africa, just across the Red Sea. According to legend, the Biblical Queen of Sheba, consort of King Solomon, was Yemeni. Yemen has been colonized at various times by other Arabs, Ethiopians, Persians, Ottoman Turks, and most recently, the British. Through 1989, North and South Yemen were separate nations. Today, however, they are united into the Republic of Yemen - Arabias only democratic republic. Capital and Major Cities of Yemen Capital: Sanaa, population 2.4 million Major Cities: Taizz, population 600,000 Al Hudaydah, 550,000 Aden, 510,000 Ibb, 225,000 Yemeni Government Yemen is the only republic on the Arabian Peninsula; its neighbors are kingdoms or emirates. The Yemeni executive branch consists of a president, a prime minister and a cabinet. The president is directly elected; he appoints the prime minister, with legislative approval. Yemen has a two-part legislature, with a 301-seat lower house, the House of Representatives, and a 111-seat upper house  called the Shura Council. Prior to 1990, North and South Yemen had separate legal codes. The highest court is the Supreme Court in Sanaa. The current President (since 1990) is Ali Abdullah Saleh. Ali Muhammad Mujawar is Prime Minister. Population of Yemen Yemen is home to 23,833,000 people (2011 estimate). The overwhelming majority are ethnic Arabs, but 35% have some African blood as well. There are small minorities of Somalis, Ethiopians, Roma (Gypsies) and Europeans, as well as South Asians. Yemen has the highest birthrate in Arabia, at about 4.45 children per woman. This is probably attributable to early marriages (the marriageable age for girls under Yemeni law is 9), and lack of education for women. The literacy rate among women is only 30%, while 70% of men can read and write. Infant mortality is almost 60 per 1,000 live births. Languages of Yemen Yemens national language is standard Arabic, but there are several different regional dialects in common use. Southern variants of Arabic spoken in Yemen include Mehri, with about 70,000 speakers; Soqotri, spoken by 43,000 island residents; and Bathari, which has only about 200 surviving speakers in Yemen. In addition to the Arabic languages, some Yemeni tribes still speak other ancient Semitic languages closely related to the Ethiopian Amharic and Tigrinya languages. These languages are a remnant of the Sabean Empire (9th century BCE to 1st century BCE) and the Axumite Empire (4th century BCE to 1st century CE). Religion in Yemen The Constitution of Yemen states that Islam is the official state religion of the country, but it also guarantees freedom of religion. The majority by far of Yemenis are Muslim, with some 42-45% Zaydi Shias, and about 52-55% Shafi Sunnis. A tiny minority, some 3,000 people, are Ismaili Muslims. Yemen is also home to an indigenous population of Jews, now numbering only about 500. In the mid-20th century, thousands of Yemenite Jews moved to the new state of Israel. A handful each of Christians and Hindus also live in Yemen, although most are foreign ex-patriots or refugees. Geography of Yemen:Yemen has an area of 527,970 square kilometers, or 203,796 square miles, at the tip of the Arabian Peninsula. It borders Saudi Arabia to the north, Oman to the east, the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Eastern, central and northern Yemen are desert areas, part of the Arabian Desert and Rub al Khali (Empty Quarter). Western Yemen is rugged and mountainous. The coast is fringed with sandy lowlands. Yemen also possesses a number of islands, many of which are actively volcanic. The highest point is the Jabal an Nabi Shuayb, at 3,760 m, or 12,336 feet. The lowest point is sea level. Climate of Yemen Despite its relatively small size, Yemen includes several different climate zones due to its coastal location and variety of elevations. Yearly average rainfall ranges from essentially none in the inland desert to 20-30 inches in the southern mountains. Temperatures also range widely. Winter lows in the mountains can approach freezing, while summer in the tropical western coastal areas can see temperatures as high as 129 ° F (54 °C). To make matters worse, the coast is also humid. Yemen has little arable land; only roughly 3% is suitable for crops. Less than 0.3% is under permanent crops. Yemen's Economy Yemen is the poorest nation in Arabia. As of 2003, 45% of the population was living below the poverty line. In part, this poverty stems from gender inequality; 30% of teenage girls between 15 and 19 are married with children, and most are undereducated. Another key is unemployment, which stands at 35%. The per capita GDP is only about $600 (2006 World Bank estimate). Yemen imports food, livestock, and machinery. It exports crude oil, qat, coffee, and seafood. The current spike in oil prices may help alleviate Yemens economic distress. The currency is the Yemeni rial. The exchange rate is $1 US 199.3 rials (July 2008). History of Yemen Ancient Yemen was a prosperous place; the Romans called it Arabia Felix, Happy Arabia. Yemens wealth was based on its trade in frankincense, myrrh, and spices. Many sought to control this rich land over the years. The earliest known rulers were the descendants of Qahtan (Joktan from the Bible and Koran). The Qahtanis (23rd c. to 8th c. BCE) established the crucial trade routes and built dams to control flash-flooding. The late Qahtani period also witnessed the emergence of written Arabic, and the reign of the legendary Queen Bilqis, sometimes identified as the Queen of Sheba, in the 9th c. BCE. The height of ancient Yemeni power and wealth came between the 8th c. BCE and 275 CE, when a number of small kingdoms coexisted within the countrys modern borders. These included the following: the western Kingdom of Saba, the southeastern Hadramaut Kingdom, the city-state of Awsan,  the central trading hub of Qataban, the southwestern Kingdom of Himyar, and the northwestern Kingdom of Main. All of these kingdoms grew prosperous selling spices and incense all around the Mediterranean, to Abyssinia, and as far away as India. They also regularly launched wars against one another. This squabbling left Yemen vulnerable to manipulation and occupation by a foreign power: Ethiopias Aksumite Empire. Christian Aksum ruled Yemen from 520 to 570 A.D. Aksum was then pushed out by the Sassanids from Persia. Sassanid rule of Yemen lasted from 570 to 630 CE. In 628, the Persian satrap of Yemen, Badhan, converted to Islam. The Prophet Muhammad was still living when Yemen converted and became an Islamic province. Yemen followed the Four Rightly-guided Caliphs, the Umayyads, and the Abbasids. In the 9th century, many Yemenis accepted the teachings of Zayd ibn Ali, who founded a splinter Shia group. Others became Sunni, particularly in south and west Yemen. Yemen became known in the 14th century for a new crop, coffee. Yemeni Coffee arabica was exported all over the Mediterranean world. The Ottoman Turks ruled Yemen from 1538 to 1635  and returned to North Yemen between 1872 and 1918. Meanwhile, Britain ruled South Yemen as a protectorate from 1832 on. In the modern era, North Yemen was ruled by local kings until 1962, when a coup established the Yemen Arab Republic. Britain finally pulled out of South Yemen after a bloody struggle in 1967, and the Marxist Peoples Republic of South Yemen was founded. In May of 1990, Yemen reunified after relatively little strife.

Athletic Director at State University Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Athletic Director at State University - Essay Example tate University have devised their funding strategy from a different point of view, where they openly disclose their needs and costs to their supporters. Few weeks ago, the men’s track and the field coach released their budget through their athlete website detailing the items needs and the program attached (Humphrey, & Humphrey, 112). Furthermore, the team ensured that the individual needs were accompanied by their related costs; this gave supporters an overview of the expectations of the team. The Michigan State University track and field schedule prove goal oriented and transparent. This strategy proves an asset to many schools when creating awareness for their needs. Another crucial consideration is that the funds raised must attend to the needs specified if the team wants to gain the trusted the donors (Humphrey, & Humphrey, 146). A successful athletic department ensures that the donor will always yearn to help the team achieve higher levels of success. The period 1800/ 1900 marked a momentous date in the calendars’ of college heads, law makers, alumnae, faculty, athletic directors, as the intercollegiate athletics along the institutions of higher learning was signed; they were well aware of the relationship between the success of their athletic schedules through the cooperation of donors. The reasons as to why vast individuals assume the positive influence attached to college sports and donors comes from the fact that; a well performing team serves as a source of revenue to colleges and universities in question. College sports are normally termed as a million dollar industry; prompted by their exposure to the public (Humphrey, & Humphrey, 156). The Michigan State University involves its activities in the media through; print media, the Internet, and through the television. There appears a belief that; successful college sports are a ticket to accessing more revenue for colleges and universities involved. As the director of the Central Michigan

The Ocean at the end of the lane Research Paper

The Ocean at the end of the lane - Research Paper Example The book begins with a funeral taking place and ends with death. Neil Gaiman uses stories to keep the dark at bay. He also believes that the stories that are most effective are the ones with plenty of darkness within them. He effectively uses this throughout the novel. The narrator in this novel remains unnamed, he returns to Sussex to bury his relative, who is also unidentified. At one time while driving to visit the house he once lived in, he finds a lot of changes that one might only expect to occur after passage of many years. However, one thing that has not changed is a red-brick farmhouse that was once inhabited by Lettie Hempstock, his childhood friend. The book blends children’ and adults’ world and also blends reality and magic. The writer creates a dream universe which is made up of a ghost world characterized by lurking monsters and shadows. This world is seen through the eyes of a seven year old hero, Sussex and the afterlife, monstrous and magical, mundane and supernatural, a father-son conflict later and the clash of gods (Neil, 2013). He introduces another character who commits suicide in a car after been overcome by guilt of gambling away a lot of savings. The narrator then meets Lettie, a strange, self-confident country girl. The writer brings in a theme of association between money with death. Lettie and her family are creatures who only exist outside of time so as to prevent destruction caused by malevolence like the one of the suicide. This theme becomes clearer as Lettie introduces the narrator to duck pond, which she calls an ocean and in it floats a fish that has choked to death. Mystery starts to come in when the narrator one morning wakes up and mysteriously finds a shilling stuck in his throat. He immediately thinks the ghost of the opal miner has attacked him and he runs to the Hempstocks’ for help. Lettie then guides the narrator into another

Briefing Note Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Briefing Note - Essay Example The international legal tenets of self-determination loom large over the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. One of the questions that have long been without a clear answer is whether Palestine is entitled to independence and self determination in an area it deems to be its ancestral homeland. International law does not allow nations to disregard peremptory norms, which are the international embodiment of the principles of justice and fairness (Caplan 12). The democratic principle of self-determination is one of the peremptory norms guarded under international law. In 1918 the British occupied the Palestinian territory and the following year, Palestine came under Class A Mandate. Until that mandate was terminated, it was agreed that the country’s independence would be provisionally recognized. A White Paper was issued in 1939 which formally stated the British Government approval of the formation of an independent Palestinian State in which both Arabs and Jews would â€Å"share in g overnment in such a way as to ensure that the essential interests of each community were safeguarded† (Scobbie, Hibbin and Siegman 4). In 1948, Palestine’s population was made up of 74% Arabs and 26% Jews. It was therefore expected that Palestine would have become an independent state at the end of the Mandate, but this expectation did not materialize. Rather, the State of Israel was proclaimed in 1948. Arab states rejected the formation of Israel and the partition of Palestine, but the rest of the world welcomed the newest nation into the world (Tessler 33). The establishment of an independent Israel nation saw the beginning of an Israeli-Palestinian conflict that has never been resolved to this day. In 1993, the Oslo Peace Accord was signed between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) (Antonius 10). The Peace Accord grated Palestinians an interim period of five years of self rule. The main issues covered in the signing of the accord included transfer of power to Palestinians. This transfer of power and responsibilities from Israel to Palestine included control over the West Bank and Gaza (Lubell 3). This was meant to enable Palestinians to control their own affairs. The Accord granted Israel full control of its borders and Jerusalem, which had been one of the areas under contention in the conflicts between the two countries. In the same accord, the PLO formally recognized the right of Israel as a state to exist in peace (Caplan 20). Both countries formally agreed to conduct peace talks so as to end many years of conflict between them. Since 2000, Israeli occupation of the west Bank and Gaza flamed several armed conflicts between the two countries (Antonius 17). In 2008, Israeli troops carried out an offensive against Hamas on the Gaza strip. The offensive finally came to an end after three weeks on January 17, 2009 after Israel and Hamas both announced a ceasefire. During the 3 week offensive 1,300 Palestinians, mostly civilian s lost their lives. 400 of these were children. Another 5000 received injuries. Of these 1800 were children and 800 were women. The Israelis lost 13 people, 3 of whom were civilians. Human lives were not the only ones destroyed in this offensive. Much of the Gaza strip was left in ruins. Thousands were left homeless and without food and water (Scobbie, Hibbin and Siegman 14). The west, and in particular were in full support of Israel’

How Do Companies Use Global Strategies to Gain Competitive Advantage Essay

How Do Companies Use Global Strategies to Gain Competitive Advantage - Essay Example There are various firms which used to operate on local basis and the performance f such firms used to be pretty subdued. But those companies entered the international market only to gain competitive advantage and became major multinational companies. The present study has been conducted in order to analyze how companies use the global strategy to gain competitive advantage. Also the essential success factors of firms to succeed in the international business have been discussed. Add to that it has also been discussed that how companies can fail in the international market due to lack of planning and vision. The firms at the focal point of discussion happen to be the largest retailer in U.K. and the second largest retailer in the world Tesco (Henry, 2008, p. 89). Thesis How companies can use globalization strategy to gain competitive advantage? Analysis Global strategy can be defined as the strategic guide of a company to globalization. On the other competitive advantage can be defined as various ways via which a company can get the extra edge over the competitors. An ideal global strategy of a company should address issues such as the extent of presence in the global market, different strategies that can be adopted to develop strong global presence, the probable barriers to entry into the global markets, different modes of entry into the global market as well as the probable targeted international markets. Academic research on the global strategies came of age during 1980s. This included various research work done by Christopher Bartlett, Michael Porter and Sumantra Ghoshal (Kolb, 2008, p. 92). There are various factors that influence a firm to go global. However, one of the most important of the factors is the drive to get... This paper makes a conclusion that In the modern day business environment globalization is inevitable. Companies look to go beyond the domestic borders to enter new markets and target new customers. There is very little doubt that entering new foreign markets are extremely risky. But with high risks the company gets the opportunity of high return. One of the main objectives of entering the global markets is to gain competitive advantage overt the competitors. This essay stresses that one classic advantage of this has been Tesco as the firm used to be 2nd best retailer in U.K. But as the company decided to enter global markets, Tesco not only became the largest retailer in U.K. but also the third largest retailer in the world. However, there are some issues that a company should keep in mind while entering a global market. One of the major issues is the choice of market entry strategy. While Tesco went for a joint venture which seemed to be quite fruitful for China; the same company d ecided to go alone and use Greenfield strategy to enter U.S. which unlike China happened to be a matured economy. Also it had presence of Wal-Mart. And unlike china Tesco failed to make the same impact. Although there were other external factors but the major issues for failure was internal. Hence to conclude it can be said that despite of all the benefits of globalization a company should concentrate on developing appropriate strategy and execution of it to gain competitive advantages.

18 kids were right all along Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

18 kids were right all along - Essay Example While he has a point that high school can be boring and repetitive in the final two years, Melcher fails to adequately take into account the possibilities available to students in high school to keep them interested, the problem of maturity level of students and misses perhaps the strongest argument in favor of his position, the school system established in England. Students who have planned their education well are capable of graduating from high school as many as two years earlier than normal now thanks to specialized advanced level classes and limited electives. However, many of these students opt to remain in school longer as a means of further exploring other interests, beginning the difficult process of selecting an appropriate career by discovering interests and ruling out others. Other programs, such as dual credit courses and vocational courses, serve to continue high school students’ interest even further. For those who are bored with school, just a little application enables them to leave earlier as Melcher suggests. Teenagers aged 15 or 16 are notoriously confident of their own maturity level and abilities to their own delusion. In addition, they are provided with a driver’s license and often a vehicle at this age, giving them unprecedented freedom and range. Should they be turned loose on the streets at this point, without even a class to attend, it is difficult to say what they might do. Some very few would undoubtedly continue their education with a view toward their future, but too many, without further guidance or other guidelines put in place, would simply go wild. This is, indeed, a problem among the poorer segments of the urban population in England and elsewhere where school is optional after age 16. Finally, Melcher neglects to mention the strongest argument in favor of his position. England, for example, has a school

Rock Report Listening Log Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Rock Report Listening Log - Essay Example Although the nature of the individual artists, though similar is still definable through the way in which the beats are counted and the use of syncopation which is more prominent in the music of Ted Nugent. The two individual styles do not express a difference in musical style, but rather in the way in which musical choices in composing the work is accomplished. The most prominent differences is seen in the chorus lyric and the way in which the repetition is similar, but has a different texture in the way that it is composed. Both songs competently represent the style of a hard rock song, however I prefer the work from Nugent over that from KISS, although that may not have been the choice I would have made when they were released. The lyrics in Nugent area bit more clever and the type of music does not seem quite as dated, although it is definitely identifiable from the 1970s. KISS has always been a band that was about theater over music, thus the music is not complicated and does not really represent music of the hard rock genre, despite being squarely positioned in that genre. Therefore, Nugent more than likely better represents the hard rock style than does

18 kids were right all along Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

18 kids were right all along - Essay Example While he has a point that high school can be boring and repetitive in the final two years, Melcher fails to adequately take into account the possibilities available to students in high school to keep them interested, the problem of maturity level of students and misses perhaps the strongest argument in favor of his position, the school system established in England. Students who have planned their education well are capable of graduating from high school as many as two years earlier than normal now thanks to specialized advanced level classes and limited electives. However, many of these students opt to remain in school longer as a means of further exploring other interests, beginning the difficult process of selecting an appropriate career by discovering interests and ruling out others. Other programs, such as dual credit courses and vocational courses, serve to continue high school students’ interest even further. For those who are bored with school, just a little application enables them to leave earlier as Melcher suggests. Teenagers aged 15 or 16 are notoriously confident of their own maturity level and abilities to their own delusion. In addition, they are provided with a driver’s license and often a vehicle at this age, giving them unprecedented freedom and range. Should they be turned loose on the streets at this point, without even a class to attend, it is difficult to say what they might do. Some very few would undoubtedly continue their education with a view toward their future, but too many, without further guidance or other guidelines put in place, would simply go wild. This is, indeed, a problem among the poorer segments of the urban population in England and elsewhere where school is optional after age 16. Finally, Melcher neglects to mention the strongest argument in favor of his position. England, for example, has a school

LANGUAGE, POWER & IDENTITY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

LANGUAGE, POWER & IDENTITY - Essay Example However, countries having English as their first language, owe to protect and preserve it from foreign influences, displaying minor differences at large. Since the dominancy of English with the British World dominance in the 19th Century, the English Language not only progressed but became the language of International Business, Diplomacy and Science. Being the official Language of United Nations and International Olympics Committee, English seems to be the common medium of communication between countries, owing to its effectiveness as a global language. It is estimated to be spoken by 750 million people around the world as their first language. However, the public debate about the English Language’s notion of standards has come into view since the 1980’s. The concern had resulted in the devising of a National Curriculum for English. But the drive for national individuality and integrity has failed to achieve the target as arthrography of every language is dependent on its context, pronunciation and structure. Standard English is notoriously hard to define. The concept and notion of Standard English lacks reference and base. Standard English is associated with authority, discipline and traditional, moral and social order (THOMAS & WAREING, 1999).   It is a form of a dialect, with no local base of reference as to where it is from. Historically, English emerged from the combination of Celtic Language of the Britain inhabitants, which was mixed with the language of the emigrating Angles, Saxons and the Jutes. Hence, it is often taken as the different combinations of the linguistic features. In correct or more conceptual sense, it is taken as a written per formative. Orthography, grammar and vocabulary are chiefly what matter, or they in fact can be the definition of Standard English as different countries where English is chiefly used like U.S, U.K, New Zealand,

Exercise And Drugs On Cardiovascular System

Exercise And Drugs On Cardiovascular System The experiment was carried out in order to examine the effects of propanolol, salbutamol and GTN in subjects at rest and during exercise. This was done by taking recordings of SBP, DBP, MAP, PP, HR and PEFR at rest and during exercise for each drug. Using t-tests the results for each drug were compared at rest and during exercise in order to prove that changes were significant. However, only HR using propanolol was shown to have a significant decrease (two sample t-test, t=3.01, p=0.01). This was concluded to be because the subjects used were not medically unfit (in need of using the drugs). Introduction. Heart disease is an increasing cause of death in western countries due to unhealthy lifestyles smoking cigarettes, consuming alcohol, diets high in salt and fats as well as a lack of exercise. Because of this, a lot of medical research goes into developing drugs which lower the high blood pressure, brought about by an unhealthy lifestyle, as well as decrease heart rate in severe cases, provide acute relief of angina pectoris, reduce mortality following myocardial infarction and prevent recurrence of tachyarrhythmias, as stated by Craig and Stitzel (2004). Three of these drugs, propanolol, salbutamol and glyceryl trinitrate (GTN), were used in the experiment. Propanolol is a non-selective ÃŽÂ ²-adrenoreceptor antagonistic drug (Geddes Grosset 2006). It is used to treat angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, certain cardiac dysrhythmias and hypertension (Marcovitch 2007). Propanolols mode of action works by depressing myocardium cellular cardiac membrane excitability. This membrane stabilising is thought to be effective against arrhythmias (Craig Stitzel 2004). It also decreases blood pressure, heart rate, myocardial contractility, cardiac output (and therefore arterial pressure) as well as conduction velocity in the heart (Craig Stitzel 2004). The drug is administered orally as it is subject to a significant degree of first-pass metabolism as well as extensive absorption from the gastro-intestinal tract. Because of this, during the experiment, the subject had to wait 50 minutes after taking the drug before taking recordings as propanolols peak therapeutic effect occurs between 1 and 1.5 hours after the drug is administered. I expect no change in mean arterial pressure (MAP) at rest after propanolol is taken. However, during post-drug exercise I predict there to be a reduction in MAP as well as blood pressure (Wheatley 1981). 1 -1-Salbutamol is a short acting, selective ÃŽÂ ²2-adrenoreceptor agonist drug (Marcovitch 2007). Salbutamol treats bronchospasm associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (Naish et al 2009) by inducing bronchodilation. Although the drug has adrenergic effects, it has minimal cardiac stimulation (Craig Stitzel 2004). Salbutamol is inhaled as a spray using a metered dose in haler (MDI) (Marcovitch 2007). By inhaling the drug, it immediately enters the bronchi in the lungs (the source of the bronchospasm) and provides a rapid onset of action and acute relief (Craig Stitzel 2004). Salbutamols maximal effect is reached within 5 to 20 minutes of administration (Dale et al 2003). Because of this, readings could be taken straight away during the experiment. For salbutamol I expect an increase in PEFR after the drug has been taken but no change in heart rate during post-drug exercise. Glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) is a ÃŽÂ ²-adrenoreceptor antagonist and a potent vasodilator (Dale et al 2003). It is used to treat ischaemic heart disease, angina pectoris and coronary spasm (Marcovitch 2007). GTN relieves coronary spasm by redistributing coronary flow towards ischaemic areas via collaterals (collateral vessels that bypass narrowed coronary arteries (Dale et al 2003). Angina is due to a lack of oxygen in myocardium (Naish et al 2009). GTN acts to relieve angina by decreasing circulating blood volume, thus reducing the metabolic demand of the heart. It does this predominantly by dilating the veins, therefore decreasing preload and ventricular diastolic volume. GTN is administered sublingually as an oral tablet. Administration of GTN in this way allows it to pass straight into systemic circulation, thus avoiding the portal system and first-pass metabolism (Dale et el 2003). GTNs onset of action occurs within 2 to 5 minutes, with its maximal effects occurring between 3 a nd 10 minutes of administration (Craig Stitzel 2004). For these reasons, recordings were taken straight away (for 12 minutes) during the experiment. After GTN is taken, I expect to see a decrease in systolic blood pressure and a decrease in the heart rate. The aim of the experiment was to improve understanding of how propanolol, salbutamol and GTN are useful in treating the various forms of heart disease and how their physiology in the cardiovascular system operates. Method. 3 subjects, 2 female and 1 male, were deemed medically sound by a medical supervisor to take one of the following drugs, propanolol, salbutamol and glyceryl trinitrate (GTN). Each of these drugs was obtained from a licensed chemist. All three subjects were seated comfortably at right angles to the lab bench. Using an electrical sphygmomanometer, each subjects resting systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and heart rate (HR) were recorded at 3 minute intervals for 9 minutes. From the SBP and DBP values, the pulse pressure (PP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were calculated at each interval using the following formulas: 2PP = SBP DBP MAP = (PP/3) + DBP Also, for the two subjects chosen to take propanolol (subject A) and salbutamol (subject B), a Wright peak flow mini-meter was used to measure peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) at each interval. A mean of each recorded value across all subjects was calculated and recorded. Subjects A and B then took it in turn to use the cycle ergometer. The seat was adjusted to a comfortable height for cycling and a note of the seat height, for exercise after the drug was taken, was made. A load setting of 2 Kp was set and the subjects, in turn, were kept connected to the sphygmomanometer as they pedalled for 2 minutes at approximately 80 rpm. HR values were recorded every 15 seconds for both subject A and B. After exercise and prior to taking the drug, subject A and Bs HR, SBP, DBP and PEFR were recorded (HR every 15 seconds, SBP, DBP and PEFR every minute) for five minutes. PP and MAP were also calculated where possible (i.e. at the minute intervals). Subject A then took four 10 mg tablets (i.e. 40 mg) of propanolol and waited for 50 minutes to allow absorption of the drug. Using a sphygmomanometer, the first stage of the experiment was repeated with SBP, DBP, PP, MAP, HR and PEFR, as well as a mean value for each, were calculated and recorded at 3 minute intervals for 9 minutes. The subject then repeated exercise on the cycle ergometer, ensuring that the same height was used, a 2 Kp load setting was again used and a cycling average of 80 rpm was maintained. During this post-drug exercise HR was taken at 15 second intervals for 2 minutes. After post-drug exercise, HR, SBP, DBP and PEFR were recorded, PP and MAP were also calculated and recorded. HR was recorded every 15 seconds, SBP, DBP and PEFR were recorded every minute. These recordings were taken for 5 minutes. Subject B then took two doses of 0.1 mg (in separate inspirations) of salbutamol using a metered dose inhaler (MDI). The same steps as taken for subject B (post drug) were repeated. Using a sphygmomanometer, the first stage of the experiment was repeated with SBP, DBP, PP, MAP, HR and PEFR, as well as a mean value for each, were calculated and recorded at 3 minute intervals for 9 minutes. The subject then repeated exercise on the cycle ergometer, ensuring that the same height was used, a 2 Kp load setting was again used and a cycling average of 80 rpm was maintained. During this post-drug exercise HR was taken at 15 second intervals for 2 minutes. 3 After post-drug exercise, HR, SBP, DBP and PEFR were recorded, PP and MAP were also calculated and recorded. HR was recorded every 15 seconds, SBP, DBP and PEFR were recorded every minute. These recordings were taken for 5 minutes. Finally, subject C (glyceryl trinitrate) was administered 500 Â µg of glyceryl trinitrate (oral tablet form) sublingually whilst comfortably sat at right angles to the lab desk. By sitting down, tachycardia and postural hypotension due to venous pooling in the legs was minimised). Subject C was also connected to the sphygmomanometer. Readings of SBP, DBP, PP, MAP and HR were then calculated and recorded at 3 minute intervals for 30 minutes. At 12 minutes, the tablet had still not dissolved and so the subject chewed the tablet and placed the debris back under the tongue. It was also noted that subject C suffered from a slight headache due to decreased blood pressure. Statistics. To examine the results, the relevant data was used in statistical paired two sample t-tests so that it could be seen whether or not an increase or decrease across the data was of significance. Data was represented in the text with a standard error of the mean to show how accurate the data was by showing how much of the data in a sample was close to the mean value. Results. For propanolol, it was predicted that there would be no change in mean arterial pressure (MAP) at rest after propanolol is taken and that there would be a reduction in heart rate (HR) as well as blood pressure (BP). There was an increase in mean MAP at rest pre-propanolol (89.3 Â ± 15.3 mmHg, n=8) to post-propanolol (90.3 Â ± 20.3 mmHg, n=8) of 1 mmHg (two sample t-test, t=-0.21, p=0.84). This was an insignificant increase. At rest there was a decrease in mean HR from pre-propanolol (78 Â ± 13 bpm, n=8) to post-propanolol (65.86 Â ± 15.14 bpm, n=8) of 12.14 bpm, a significant decrease (two sample t-test, t=3.01, p=0.01). Blood pressure of the subjects immediately after beginning post-propanolol exercise (60.4 Â ± 40.4 mmHg, n=8) showed an average decrease of 19 mmHg compared to the subjects at pre-propanolol exercise (79.4 Â ± 28.6 mmHg, n=8) (two sample t-test, t=1.28, p=0.23). The t-test shows that this was not a significant decrease. For salbutamol it was hypothesized that there would be an increase in PEFR after the drug has been taken but no change in heart rate during post-drug exercise. PEFR of the subjects 5 minutes into exercise, post-salbutamol (505 Â ± 155 lpm, n=8) averaged 22.14 lpm higher than the subjects 5 minutes into exercise, pre-salbutamol (482.86 Â ± 177.14, n=8). However, this was not a significant difference (two sample t-test, t=-0.43, p=0.68). 5 minutes into exercise, there was an increase in HR of 5.71 bpm between pre-salbutamol (84.43 Â ± 22.57 bpm, n=8) and post-salbutamol (90.14 Â ± 15.14 bpm, n=8). However, the t-test showed this to be an insignificant increase (two sample t-test, t=-0.81, p=0.43). 5 Finally, it was hypothesized that GTN would cause a decrease in systolic blood pressure (SBP) and a decrease in the heart rate. SBP showed an average decrease of 4.43 mmHg between an initial baseline of 115.14 Â ± 10 mmHg, n=8, and 30 minutes after the drug had been taken, 110.71 Â ± 8.29, n=8. This was shown not to be a significant decrease in SBP by a t-test (two sample t-test, t=1.02, p=0.33). The HR during the GTN experiment was seen to increase from 72.57 Â ± 15.43 bpm, n=8, to 75.86 Â ± 14.86 bpm, n=8. This was a total increase of 3.29 bpm. Again, this was not a significant increase as shown by the t-test carried out (two sample t-test, t=-0.61, p=0.56). Discussion. My hypotheses for propanolol were that I expected no change in mean arterial pressure (MAP) at rest after propanolol was taken. However, during post-drug exercise I predicted there to be a reduction in MAP as well as blood pressure (Wheatley 1981). The results have shown that there wasnt a significant increase in MAP at rest (two sample t-test, t=-0.21, p=0.84). However, the p-value shows that there is a large chance of error. On the other hand, there was a significant decrease in heart rate at rest (two sample t-test, t=3.01, p=0.01) with less than 1% chance of error. For salbutamol it was expected that there would be an increase in PEFR after the drug had been taken but no change in heart rate during post-drug exercise. There was an increase in PEFR of 22.14 lpm 5 minutes into exercise after taking salbutamol. However, the t-test showed that this was not a significant increase. After GTN was taken, I expected to see a decrease in systolic blood pressure and a decrease in the heart rate. The experiment showed that neither of these hypotheses was correct as although there was a decrease in SBP of 4.43 mmHg, there was an increase in HR of 3.29 bpm. Neither of these changes was shown to be significant. 6 During the experiment, the subjects chosen to take the drug were required to have a certain standard of medical fitness, with regards to blood pressure, in order to participate and take either propanolol, salbutamol or GTN. This was biased as the drugs are normally prescribed to patients with hypertension or who suffer from heart diseases such as angina. Therefore, the lack of significance in changes in the majority of the results could be because the subjects did not have a high blood pressure or heart disease, they were deemed medically fit and so antihypertensive drugs such as propanolol and GTN did not have many significant effects. Therefore in order to improve the experiment, I would use a wide range of both male and female subjects deemed medically fit (normal) as well as medical subjects deemed medically unfit. I would also carry out more t-tests comparing all aspects measured (SBP, DBP, PEFR, MAP, PP and HR). In such an experiment I would expect to see a significant change in recordings such as SBP and HR in the medically unfit patients after they had taken the drugs (propanolol, GTN or salbutamol). The physiological mechanisms which control HR and ventilation with respect to exercise are pH and oxygen supply. When the oxygen supply is too low and pH too acidic (due to an accumulation of carbonic acid in the blood) HR increases and smooth muscle in the bronchi dilates to increase oxygen supply and blood flow to the muscles. However, in subjects with an already high heart rate, it is dangerous to increase it further and so when exercising it is necessary to take drugs developed to decrease blood pressure so that the heart has to work less to deliver blood around the body and thus HR is decreased. The salbutamol had little effect in the subjects because although the drug has adrenergic effects, it has minimal cardiac stimulation (Craig Stitzel 2004). Therefore only a change in PEFR would be expected. 7

Animals and Humans Are Not Equal Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Ess

Animals and Humans Are Not Equal "Franklin was a vegetarian in his youth, 'believing that killing animals was "a kind of unprovok'd Murder." Later, however, Franklin 'was tempted by the smell of fish being fried. Having seen small fish in the stomachs of fish being prepared, he decided he could eat them if they ate each other." If animals eat other animals to sustain life, animals must be an excellent source of food. Meat contains many vitamins. Animals will have rights when they have the means to enforce them. They don't have the ability to reason as humans do. The human race has such a vast understanding of the necessities for all of the different species of animals to exist. Humans are far superior to any other animal because they are so advanced in technology. One advantage of advanced technology is, humans can store information as reference material. With all of this reference material humans can look back at previous mistakes so they don't do the same thing again. With this knowledge, humans can see and predict outcomes before a choice is made. Humans have the knowledge to enforce their rights, something no other animal has. The debate of whether animal rights are more important than human rights is one that people have argued mercilessly. Some people think all animals are equal. To understand this, humans must be considered animals. Humans are far more civilized than any animal, they have the power, along with understanding to control many types of sickness and disease. This understanding that humans have, keeps them at the top of the food chain. Factory farms produce the meat that most people in densely populated areas consume each day. The conditions in these farms aren't ideal. There isn't much room in thes... ...and gave them dominion over all that was in the earth. Animals are not equal to humans. There are those who will still fight for animal rights, but one might wonder if this issue isn't just an excuse for some twisted person to do bodily harm to another. "Brian Cass...was left with a three-inch head wound after the attack" (Cass). Here is a quote from the PETA celebrity spokesman, Bill Maher "To those people who say; My father is alive because of animal experimentation,' I say 'Yeah, well good for you. This dog died so your father could live. "Sorry , but I am just not behind that kind of trade off." What kind of attitude is that? Perhaps the people who feel this way should have no more rights than an animal. That is cold, that a person could say that. Human life is the most valuable to God or he wouldn't have given us the means to protect and preserve our rights.

Physics of Echolocation :: physics echo echolocation

While visiting the Grand Canyons, you couldn’t honestly tell me that you didn’t scream into the canyon just to hear your echo come back to you. Don’t be ashamed, we all do it. Many kinds of animals actually use their echo to find out where they are in a closed area or to find out if there are any other animals close by. One classic example is the bat. To understand what an echo is, you first have to understand what sound is. In Webster’s Fourth Edition College Dictionary, sound is â€Å"vibrations in air, water, etc. that stimulate the auditory nerves and produce the sensation of hearing.† Vibrations through the air can be thought of as oscillation of molecules. As the molecules oscillate, they pass energy on to surrounding molecules, and those molecules pass energy on to other surrounding molecules. This is how sound travels, and the oscillation of the molecules is often referred to as sound waves. An echo happens when the sound waves reach a surface, bounce off of it and travel in the opposite direction. For optimum echoes, the surface should be perpendicular to the waves, and as frictionless as possible. In places like the Grand Canyons, you can hear many echoes because the sound waves bounce off of surfaces, then others bounce off of other surfaces, and some will bounce back to you, but at different times. In echolocation, bats send out short pulses that have a high frequency. The short pulses that the bats send out have such a high frequency that the average human cannot hear them. The waves that the bats send ripple out from them circularly and will bounce off of anything that is in the bat’s way, and will also go back to the bat in the form of an echo. By instinctively examining the echoes that they receive, the bats will be able to tell the direction that the object is coming or going from, how fast it is going that way and how far away it is from the bat. Some bats can even tell how big the object is that is in their way. If bats didn’t have the use of echolocation, they’d need some other way to stay alive, because echolocation is the bat’s way of life. It is the primary reason that it is able to live in its environment.

Financial Forecasting CheckPoint Essay

The reason type of companies such as brand new companies, family-owned companies, and long-standing companies would need a financial forecast is to develop projected financial statements; a series of pro forma. The information developed by a series of pro forma provide a sort of estimate on inventory, payables, receivables as well as what would be required for profit and borrowing. A projected financial statement provides a kind of advantage in any of the companies listed above as it gives the firm an insight on operations. A pro forma would help guide companies in deciding how to best operate and succeed. When starting a brand new company a financial forecast is essential. A financial forecast would help a brand new company decide on how much inventory would be needed, cost of start up and production, and how much capital is needed. Obtaining a financial forecast would also help guide a brand new company on how much profit the company can make, whether a bank loan would be needed to start up and how many individuals can be hired. Family-owned companies need financial forecast just as much as a brand new company. A family-owned company would need a financial forecast for obtaining information from the simplest of things like how much inventory is in stock, profit sharing, expected expenses and profit for the future. A family-owned company would need a financial forecast to also make good decisions on continuing a successful business, which department needs revamped or tweaked. It is essential for a family-owned company to obtain a financial forecast to also estimate whether sales income would be enough to cover expenses and whether cutbacks need to be made.

John T Gatto: Against School: Agree or Disagree?

â€Å"Against School† is an argumentative essay that tells about how the public education system incapacitates the children of today. It was written by John Taylor Gatto. In this reading, Gatto claims that the public education system causes children to become bored with themselves, to conform to the way of the school and its teachers, and it causes them to lack the ability to deal with issues that go on in the real world, outside of school. Gatto’s explanation for this is that it is partially the teachers’ fault. The students become bored because the teacher is actually bored with teaching the subject. Students would be adamant to learn if they were given and education and not a â€Å"schooling†. They need to be encouraged to have the qualities to succeed in life instead of sitting in a prison style confinement, forced to learn material that society deemed appropriate. Summing up his essay, Gatto states that he believes that the students should be able to manage themselves. After reading Gatto’s argument, my only reaction was to agree with him. I believe that the public education system only influences us to conform to society and the government. We’re only taught what they want us to be taught. To me, students need more than that. They need the skills to not only succeed but to survive and to keep on succeeding throughout life. The material needs to be taught and explained how retaining the knowledge will help them in the future. If we don’t know how it will benefit us in some way then it’s almost meaningful. There’s no reason to remember it. In conclusion, I agree with Gatto’s argument because I think it is something most students can relate to. We’ve all had a boring teacher, teaching a boring class, that we thought meant absolutely nothing to us. But if we’re forced to take the class, then there must be some reason for it.

Creativity or Conformity? Building Cultures of Creativity in Higher Education Essay

Permission is granted to reproduce copies of these works for purposes relevant to the above conference, provided that the author(s), source and copyright notice are included on each copy. For other uses, including extended quotation, please contact the author(s). Abstract Whatever else it may be, creativity is intriguing; this view appears to be shared by the literature on the subject and by popular culture. While there is little agreement about the exact nature, processes and products of creativity, there seems to be a fascination both with its complexity and the sheer impossibility of providing clear explanations for it. This paper does not attempt to generate yet another explanation, but instead offers a framework for exploring creativity in the context of teaching and teacher education. The nature of creativity in teaching is usually evidenced by its products: innovative curriculum design or original students’ work. The focus of this paper, however, is on developing opportunities for teachers to understand, explore and express their identities as creative practitioners. These opportunities are offered in the form of â€Å"creative reflection†, a framework of creative methodologies for engaging teachers individually and collectively in identifying and expanding their creativity practices. The notion of creative reflection challenges the action-reflection dichotomy of reflective practice and extends reflection beyond cognitive, retrospective models to encompass the exploration of possibility through play, image-making, writing, action methods and storytelling. The paper offers examples of and reflections on these methods from the author’s use of creative methodologies in a teacher education programme at Queen’s University Belfast. Creative Reflection, Creative Practice: Expressing the Inexpressible The concept and practices of creative reflection have been developed in a teacher education programme at Queen’s University Belfast to enhance the model of reflective practice on which the programme is based. Creative reflection is a framework of creative methodologies whereby teachers explore their practice and the liminal spaces between action and reflection. This work is a response to the need in teacher education for â€Å"the development of more complex models of reflection, related to purpose, which take greater cognisance of existing knowledge from other disciplines, particularly those aspects of psychology concerned with cognitive processes including problem-finding, insight, wisdom, creativity† Leitch and Day (2000: 186-187). Creativity itself is an elusive concept; the literature on the subject incorporates a range of perspectives and dichotomies, raising a number of questions. Those pertinent to this paper include: – is creativity a cognitive process, or is it socially constructed? – is creativity to do with outcomes, or with processes and qualities such as fluency, imagination and originality? – what are the conditions which support the development of creativity? – what is the nature of creativity in education, and does it have a place in teacher education? One of the assumptions on which this paper is based is that teachers are creative; by extension, teacher education should therefore provide them with opportunities to identify themselves as creative and to enhance their creativity. Craft (2001: 48) suggests that teachers are highly creative: Certainly some of the characteristics of high creators (childlike qualities, feeling under siege, being on the edge, high energy and productivity) which Gardner identifies in Creating Minds (1993), also emerged as a characteristic of ‘ordinary’ educators in one of my research projects (Craft, 1996a; Craft and Lyons, 1996). Craft’s allusion to productivity is complemented by Eisner’s exploration of the processes, the â€Å"artistry† and the â€Å"craft† involved in teaching (2002). Both facets of creativity, product and process, are incorporated into the framework for creative reflection. Details follow as to how participants engage in process activities as well as in deliberation on the outcomes of these processes. The process of creativity, mysterious as it is, has long been a source of fascination and speculation. Helmholtz’s classical model, developed in 1826, includes the stages of saturation, exploration and incubation; Poincare added to these the aspect of verification (Balzac, 2006). The four-phase model developed for this study incorporates and elaborates on these stages: Model for Creative Reflection Phase 1: Preparation This aspect of creative reflection recognises that the creative process involves uncertainty and possibility and that participants need preparation to access that state of receptivity, or Keatsian Negative Capability, which Keats defines as â€Å"when a man is capable of being in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason† (Buxton Foreman, 1895). In this phase of creative reflection, threshold activities are offered to enhance possibility and to free the imagination. One of the most successful of these threshold activities has been the invitation to participants to select images and quotations on a relevant theme: teaching, learning or creativity itself. This activity is based on the notion of â€Å"stepping stones† into a liminal world of exploration, as in Progoff’s system for entering the â€Å"twilight world† of process meditation (Progoff, 1980). While participants are in the process of choosing images and quotations which engage them, music is played in the background to enhance relaxation and stimulate intuitive rather than rational decision-making. The activity is conducted without discussion to encourage focus and a connection with the unconscious. Another threshold activity is that of visualisation: for example, individuals are asked to imagine their learning about their practice as a journey and to articulate this in the form of images or writing. The sharing of the results is part of the process of synthesis described in the final phase of this model. Threshold activities are directed at the group as a whole as well as at individuals: for example, participants are asked to imagine an ideal space for teaching and learning and to suggest in turn something which they might like to include in this space. Offerings range from comfortable chairs to the location of this space at the seaside and the presence of flowers and music centres. This activity generates ideas about inclusiveness and introduces into the discussion metaphors and symbols which enhance the learning process. The idea of bringing an ideal situation or world into the realms of possibility through group visualisation is based on the process of reflective meditation in psychosynthesis (Ferrucci, 1982; Assagioli, 1999). Phase 2: Play This phase is based on the assumptions that a good deal of learning happens through play, that play is an essential aspect of cultural development (Huizinga, 1970), and that a group can create meaning, possibility and new insights through the processes of play. Play is also important because it has the potential to free participants from external concerns so that they may enter the state of â€Å"flow†. According to Csikszentmihalyi (1991, 1997) this is an optimum state in which the person is fully focused and immersed in what he or she is doing, usually with a successful outcome. The activities in this phase are conducted quickly; their purpose is to generate energy, enjoyment of the group process and a range of new ideas. The processes involved provide opportunities for divergent thinking; they include mind mapping, creative thinking and brainstorming. The brainstorming methods in this model of the creative reflection are informed by Kelley and Littmann’s (2002) methods for enhancing fluency of ideas and innovation within the context of team-building. Phase 3: Exploration This aspect of creative reflection is active, with the purpose of creating a product. The processes involved may include creative writing, storytelling, or the use of art materials, or action methods based on psychodrama to concretize the experience (Moreno, 1994). The exploration phase may be individual or collective: it may take place in pairs or small groups. In one particular activity, an individual selects one of his or her identities as a teacher from a list; this list includes the more obvious identities such as mentor, helper and instructor, as well as more metaphorical ones as foot soldier, sower or bridge. The individual then elaborates this identity through writing and art, imagining in detail, for example, what this identity might look like, its voice, its tools and how it engages in relationship. The image below depicts the process of exploration on both individual and group levels. Participants, given the task of expressing their understandings of themselves as reflective practitioners, arranged together the quotations, images and artefacts which they had chosen as individuals to express this notion. The circle of people made from tissue paper was created as a collective piece for the final image; this suggests that the group product extended beyond that of a loose arrangement of individual ideas to a creative collaboration of knowledge and understanding. [pic] Phase 4 Synthesis In the final phase of creative reflection, which is akin to the verification tage of the Helmholtz/Poincare model, participants present and reflect on their ideas, stories and collective images. In this phase, which is adapted from McNiff’s process of â€Å"dialoguing with the image†, participants engage with and reflect on the artefact engendered by the creative process (McNiff, 1992). Through this process, the experience and learning are synthesised into new understandin gs, or the identification of new questions which might be raised about professional practice. The image below represents the world of reflective practice as created by a group of practitioners through the use of props. pic] Discussion about this image revealed that each of the scarves, which are circumscribing and containing the world of reflective practice, represents a strength owned by one of the practitioners, while the Russian dolls and the teddy bear on the edge of the circle symbolise those learners who exclude themselves from learning. The act of dialoguing with the image engendered ideas amongst the participants for engaging those who are currently on the outside and who have not yet found a satisfactory means of expression. In many ways, the process of writing this paper has been a struggle to express that which is inexpressible; it is challenging to articulate the complexity of the spaces between reflection and practice, as well as the complexity of creativity itself. It is hoped that further research will indicate whether the processes of creative reflection can take sufficient cognisance of these complexities to support teachers in recognising and expressing their creativity. References Assagioli, R. (1999) The Act of Will: A Guide to Self-Actualization and Self-Realization, Knaphill, David Platts Publishing Company Balzac, F. (2006) ‘Exploring the Brain’s Role in Creativity’,Neuropsychiatry Reviews, Vol. 7, no. 5, May 2006. http://www. neuropsychiatryreviews. com/may06/einstein. html Accessed 14/11/2006 Buxton Foreman, H. (1895, Complete revised edition) The Letters of John Keats, London : Reeves & Turner Craft, A. (2001)’ â€Å"Little c Creativity†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢, Craft, A. Jeffrey, B, and Leibling, M. (eds. ), Creativity in Education, London and New York, Continuum, pp 45-61 Craft, A. (1996a) ‘Nourishing educator creativity: a holistic approach to CPD’, British Journal of In-Service Education, 22 (3), 309-322. Craft, A. and Lyons, T. (1996) Nourishing the Educator, Milton Keynes: The Open University Seminar Network Occasional Paper Series Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997) Creativity. Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention. New York, HarperPerennial. Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1991) Flow: the psychology of optimal experience. New York : HarperPerennial Eisner (2002) ’From episteme to phronesis to artistry in the study and improvement of teaching’, Teaching and Teacher Education, Volume 18,  Number 4, May 2002, pp. 375-385 Ferrucci, P. 1982) What we may be: techniques for psychological and spiritual growth. New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam Gardner, H. (1997) Extraordinary minds: portraits of exceptional individuals and an examination of our extraordinariness New York : BasicBooks Huizinga, J. (1970) Homo Ludens: a study of the play element in culture, London : Maurice Temple Smith Kelley, T and Littman, J. (2002) The Ten Faces of Innovation: Ideo’s Strategies for Be ating the Devil’s Advocate & Driving Creativity Throughout Your Organization London: Profile Leitch, R. and Day, C. (2000) ‘Action research and reflective practice: towards a holistic view’, Educational Action Research, Vol 8, 1 pp179-193. McNiff, S. (1992) Art as medicine: creating a therapy of the imagination Boston, MA. : London: Shambhala Moreno, J. L. (1994, Fourth Edition) Psychodrama and Group Psychotherapy, Mental Health Resources. Progoff, I (1980) The Practice of Process Meditation: The Intensive Journal Way to Spiritual Experience, New York: Dialogue House Library.