Homeland Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Homeland Security - Essay Example is a department created in the United States to help prevent terrorist attacks within the country, this responsibility is similar to emergency department’s role in dealing with terrorism, and thus it is correct to say the two somehow fit together. National Response Framework (NRF) is one of the various parts of the established National Strategy for Homeland Security (Bullock et al, 2013). NRF’s main work is to formulate and present the principles that would help guide the various factions involved in domestic response to terrorist attack or calamities, either man-made or natural. NRF is very essential to the National Incident Management System whose sole task is to develop principles and concepts that assist in the easy management of emergencies (Walsh, 2012). The principles govern the various agencies such as emergency management and homeland established to deal with emergencies. One of the main purpose of these agencies is to help secure the country in the quickest time possible following an emergency. The understanding of the emergency department helps people assume the responsibility of helping fellow citizens in emergency cases. Knowledge of how emergency department works make people cooperate with the government in different

Analysis of Performance Appraisal System

Analysis of Performance Appraisal System ABSTRACT This article examines the Performance Appraisal System of Opsonin Pharma Ltd. It discusses one previous format of performance appraisal and the current performance appraisal. Author has tried to find out whether performance appraisal system of the company motivates the employees to achieve the company goal. Researcher has conducted the survey in the head office people of the company to get the idea of management people. The study uses primary and secondary data to do the analysis of the research where it has searched academic literature for the theories of performance appraisal, performance management, motivation and human resource management. Result has come out through the survey that current performance appraisal system has shown positive impression but still it needs some improvement such as proper practice and introduction of performance management. Chapter 1. Introduction Survival of the fittest once advocated by famous biologist Charles Darwin in his ‘Origin of Species (1859) transcended the boundary of biological world. Now this principle has become true in areas where competition determines ultimate fate. In the realm of organization, this principle operates in the name of productivity, profitability, efficiency, effectiveness and so on. Organization theorists during classical period emphasized on structural and technological perfection for survival and growth. Such mechanistic ideas of competitiveness started fading since 1930s onwards. The rise of behavioural and industrial humanism made way to ‘human capital to be considered central in the study of competitiveness. The measurement unit of contribution of human capital is termed as ‘Performance. Performance Appraisal (PA) as a technique of measuring competitiveness of organizations or institutions is not a modern phenomena. It has started from Han Dynasty in 206 BC-220 AD where they used to use merit exam for selection and promotion (Wren, 1994). But most probably PA system started in the industry from Robert Owens textile mills of the 1800s, where he used silent monitor system with the block of woods with different colours that he put in the work station of each employee. Everyone could see the performance with each other (Wren, 1994). This gave rise to an annual assessment which was recorded in a â€Å"book of character†. The assessments were subjective, which is one of the main criticisms still leveled at performance appraisal today. In the early part of the twentieth century Owens ideas were superseded by those of ‘scientific management, devised by F.W. Taylor and popularly associated with Henry Ford. This emphasised the use of quantitative methods to measure work performance (e.g., a fair days work and differential piece rate system), and led to the development of ‘work study techniques in the inter-war period. Though today, private sector has been credited as the perfectionist of performance management techniques, the modern psychometric approach to performance appraisal has been brought by the public sector (Torrington, Weightmen and John, 1989, p.66). Due to its monopolistic and legalistic nature, public sector performance appraisal practices could not reach that standard as reached by the private sector, which took appraisal as a response to market competition. The study is based on Opsonin Pharma Limited, a leading pharmaceutical company in Bangladesh. It was incorporated as a private company in 1976. It manufactures, and markets generic medicines for both human and animal use. Its value-added products improve the quality of life of both the people and animals in Bangladesh as well as abroad and help them enjoy longer, healthier, and more productive lives. Opsonin is known for long as a provider of regular and life saving medicines at affordable price. It has long been established and recognized as one of the most leading, progressive and modern pharmaceutical company in the country with the assurance of manufacturing quality products as the company is committed to contribute much to develop national health sector. 1.1 PURPOSE OF STUDY: Purpose of the study is to identify whether the management people who are working in the head office are convinced or not with performance appraisal system of the company. 1.2 AIM AND OBJECTIVES: 1.2.1 AIM: Aim for this research is to gather knowledge about performance appraisal system in Opsonin Pharma Ltd. and to get clear idea about performance appraisal system through literature review. 1.2.2 OBJECTIVES: To provide recommendation to Opsonin Pharma Ltd how they can improve their performance appraisal system. To examine how performance appraisal system works. To analyse how Opsonin Pharma motivate the employees through performance appraisal system. To make an overview of Opsonin Pharma Limited. To make an overview of Performance Appraisal System of Opsonin Pharma Limited. To determine the interrelation between Performance Appraisal System and other Human Resource aspects. To measure the level of employee development. To determine the impact of Performance Appraisal System for motivating the employees of Opsonin Pharma Limited. 1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS: How effective is the performance appraisal system in Opsonin Pharma Ltd.? Do the management people think that current performance appraisal system works properly in the company? Does performance appraisal system motivate the employees at Opsonin Pharma Ltd.? Chapter 2. LITERATURE REVIEW The Performance Appraisal (PA) system is essential for maintaining high standard of human resource of any organization, both private and public sector. Performance appraisal is a part of working link that emphasizes for both bosses and subordinates their managerial responsibilities (Williams, 1972, p.8). A good performance appraisal should introduce in the company to know employees abilities and efforts to match organizational expectations. A good PA system can measure employees activities with reasonable accuracy and it can provide feedback to employees on their performance, and make a chance to employees to develop their weaknesses. There is a chance to make wrong personnel decisions which lead to affect organizations capacity without good performance appraisal systems. But ineffective appraisal system can bring many problems including frustration for good performers which will encourage them to leave the company, causing the organization to incur high recruitment costs (Chou, 2005 , p.42). This concern is addressed by ensuring that employees understand how their work contributes to the achievement of organizational goals, by ensuring that employees have the skills to make that contribution and, above all, by developing a climate of open discussion in which performance, achievements, and difficulties can be approached openly and supportively. A sound PA system, therefore, measures performance of employees not only to make some backwardly-linked like recruitment validity, motivation, morale, etc. and forwardly-linked like career growth, reward and sanction, employee development personnel decisions etc., but to integrate between organizational goals and personal goals of employees (Hyde, 1982, p.295). It is a really hard task for reflecting employee performance through performance appraisal system. Performance appraisal systems are not general idea that can be followed by all companies without any modification because it depends on employee and organizational characteristics and qualities (Henderson, 1984, p.54). At first glance performance appraisal appears as though it should be something relatively straightforward. Torrington, Weightman and Johns (1989, p.814) offer a working definition of appraisal as: â€Å"The process of judging a persons performance and reporting that judgment.† Alan Fowler has given very good definition about the objective of performance appraisal system. He suggested that: â€Å"Staff work best when they know what they have to do, how well they have to do it, and how well they are thought to have done, so they need to talk to their managers at least once a year about this, and their managers need to take their staffs view into account when setting work goals and deciding who needs what training.† (Fisher, 1995, p.12) Traditional performance appraisal is more of a control mechanism used to make the most of an employee. How an employee is contributing toward achievement of organizational goal is the main concern here? Based on contribution ratio of the employees, the management makes some personnel decisions such as promotion, salary increase, sanction, and training needs. This uni-dimensional concept goes more with the philosophy of personnel management. 2.1 Formal versus Informal Performance Appraisal: Formal performance appraisals usually occur at specified time periods once, twice or thrice a year. Formal performance appraisals are required by the organization or institution for the purpose of employee assessment. Informal performance appraisals can take place whenever the supervisor or manager feels communication is needed. 2.2 Purpose, Objectives Benefits of Performance Appraisal: 2.2.1 Purpose: The purpose of performance appraisal is to devlop the organizations performance throughout the improved performance of employees. 2.2.2 Objectives: Organization uses performance appraisal system to execute some objectives. The main objectives in using performance appraisal in an organization are as follows: Motivating and allocating rewards for employees Review past performance to rectifying the mistakes from management and employees (Fisher, 1995, p.11) Proper utilization of company resources. Identifying areas where training and improvement are required. Coaching and developing employees so that they can perform better to achieve the company goal. Identifying the area where developments programs need to be introduced. Giving employees feedback about their work so that they can be inspired. Improve communication between managers and subordinates. Identifying the base for pay, promotion etc.. (Yeates, 1990, p.36) 2.2.3 Benefits: The benefits of a successful appraisal system can be concluded as follows: For the organization: Improved performance all the time in the organization due to: Achieve organizations objectives and values it needs proper communication; Increase sense of group work and reliability; Establish better relationship between managers and staff; Managers have got the scope and power to use their leadership skills to motivate and improve their subordinates. Improve outline of the tasks completed by employees. Classification of thoughts for improvement. Prospect and long-term view of the company can be developed. Training and development requirements appeared more clearly. A culture of continuous progress and success can be formed and maintained. People who have got potential can be classified for career development plans to provide for future staff requirements. The message is passed to everyone that employees are valued properly. (Fisher, 1995, pp.15-16). For the appraiser: Performance appraisal is a chance to develop an overview of individual jobs and organizations. Classification of ideas for development. Improved job satisfaction. Increased sense of individual value. There is an opportunity for appraiser to associate team and individual objectives to fulfil departmental and organizational objectives. There is an opportunity to explain expectations of the contribution the manager expects from team and individuals. The opportunity to set up the targets. There is a chance to make productive relationship with subordinates based on common interest and understanding. (Fisher, 1995, p.16) For the appraisee : Boost them up to increase motivation. Enlarged their career through job satisfaction They realize that they are valued. When they will get feedback after performance appraisal then they get a clear idea of what is expected from them and what they have to do to meet expectations. Supervisors discuss with them to improve their lacking areas. They are offered for training and development for their improvement. When managers are creating scope for developing their subordinates career then it is ultimately developing relationship between them. (Fisher, 1995, pp.16-17) 2.3 What should be appraised? Managers should consider four things when they are going to do the performance appraisal. Inputs Appraisers will see how job holders have implemented their knowledge and skills to perform their job effectively. Process Job holders outcome will indicate the implementation of knowledge and skills for their activities. These are sometimes called to as competences. These illustrate the performance required of people to complete their job effectively. This kind of performance can make a difference between highly effective and less effective performers in a given role such as personal drive, analytical power, team management and leadership and ability to communicate. Outputs Measurable or observable results of the performer will be expressed by jobholders. Outcomes- Result will show the ultimate impact of the jobholders and their teams or departments and their overall activities to achieve the objectives of the organizations. (Fisher, 1995, p.25) 2.4 When appraisals should take place: Formal performance appraisal are usually held annually but some of the fast moving companies prefer to do it twice a year or even more frequently, it could be quarterly. Those who are working in projects under a consultancy firm, their performance evaluation could happen after each assignment but there would still be an overall review at the end of the year. Some of the organizations conduct progress meetings at specific time to review progress towards achiev ­ing objectives, work plans or projects. Some of them are doing two or three times a year, the main purpose of which is to review and update objectives. (Fisher, 1995, p.27) There are some reasons behind failure of appraisals. Reasons are as follows: Employees dont know about the time frame and what exactly they need to do in terms of good performance; Others fail because of problems with the measures used to actually appraise the performance; An easygoing supervisor might rate as high, for instance, subordinates who are actually substandard Other problems, like arguing and poor communication, undermine the interview feedback session. Storey and Sisson (1993) have suggested that performance appraisal system actually have three steps: objective setting, feedback, and evaluation. The first step of an appraisal system is to give the guidance to the employee on how to apply their efforts for the benefit of the organization. The second step is to ensure employees work toward the achievement of their objectives through a process of positive communication with their supervisor. The final step involves the supervisor making an appraisal of the employees performance over the entire assessment cycle. (Brown Benson, 2005, p.101) 2.5 Popular Appraisal Methods: Managers usually conduct the appraisal using a predetermined and formal method one or more of the followings: 2.5.1 Graphic rating scale (GRS): The Graphic Rating Scale is the simplest and most popular technique for appraising performance. GRS measures personality traits and performance along with a point continuum scale or anchored scale. It lists traits such as quality and reliability and a range of performance values from unsatisfactory to outstanding for each trait. The manager or supervisor rates each subordinate by circling or checking the score that best describes his or her performance for each trait. In the end of marking manager or supervisor do the totals of the assigned values for the traits. (Dessler, 1999, p.156) The rater is given wide freedom in choosing a point, which is a threat to reliability and workability. 2.5.2 Alternation Ranking Method: Positioning employees from best to worst on a trait or traits is another appraisal option. Since it is usually easier to distinguish between the worst and best employees, an alternation ranking method is most popular. First, list all subordinates to be rated, and then cross out the names of any not known well enough to rank. Then, indicate the employee who is the highest on the characteristic being measured and also the one who is the lowest. Then choose the next highest and the next lowest, alternating between highest and lowest until all employees have been ranked. (Dessler, 1999, p.158) 2.5.3 Paired Comparison Method: The paired comparison method helps make the ranking method more precise. For every trait such as quantity of work, quality of work, and so on will be considered for appraisal for instant, top performer of quantity of work and top performer of quality of work will be pared. (Dessler, 1999, PP. 158-159) 2.5.4 Forced Choice Method (FCM): FCM intends to mitigate reliability problem of GRS by making scaling unknown to the rater. Here, the rater is served with some statements about a particular trait or performance factor. The rater is to choose a statement that best describes the employee. The rating is done by someone else. This is unworkable in larger organization. Both the rater and the ratee feel uncomfortable with FCM (Anderson, 1993, p.24) 2.5.5 Forced Distribution Method (FDM): The forced distribution method is similar to grading on a curve. With this method, manager places predetermined percentages of ratees into performance categories. FDM is a GRS or BARS scaling with a population distribution requirement. Usually it requires a normal distribution i.e. the lowest and the highest grade contain 10% of population each. The remaining 80% is distributed among others with highest distribution reserved for the mid-grade. FDM intends to minimize overrating. Yet it carries high probability of inequality in case of heterogeneous population. (Dessler, 1999, p.159) 2.5.6 Critical Incident Method: With this method, the supervisor keeps a log of positive and negative example (critical incidents) of a subordinates work-related behaviour. Every six months or so, supervisor and subordinate meet to discuss the latters performance, using the incidents as examples. There are several advantages of this method of which are as follows: It provides actual examples of good and poor performance the supervisor can use to explain the persons rating. It ensures that the manager or supervisor thinks about the subordinates appraisal all during the year. The rating does not just reflect the employees most recent performance. The list hopefully provides examples of what specifically the subordinate can do to eliminate any deficiencies. However, without some numerical rating, this method is not too useful for comparing employees or making salary decisions. (Baird, Beatty Schneier, 1982, pp.45-46) 2.5.7 Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale (BARS): A behaviourally anchored rating scale combines the benefits of narratives, critical incidents, and quantified scales, by anchoring a rating scale with specific examples of behavioural activities for good or bad performance. Its supporters say it gives more equitable appraisal than do the other tools we discussed. Although BARS scales still present performance on a continuum; they provide specific behavioral anchors to help clarify the meaning of the performance dimensions and help calibrate the raters definitions of what constitutes good and poor performance. Some supporters of behaviorally focused scales also claimed that they would remove unnecessary subjectivity (Latham Wexley, 1977). BARS is judged from a set of scales- one scale describes each job dimension, or broad types of duties, responsibilities, or activities of a job. Placed on a scale are a set of statements clarifying of worker behaviour on the particular job dimension. (Baird, Beatty Schneier, 1982, p.61). Rating dimension would vary according to the nature of the job- between six and nine seems quite common. For example one British study identified seven: Supervision of operators, scheduling and planning, technical troubleshooting, handling men, communications, administrative problems of wiring wire and dealing with other departments. BARC system has got substantial advantage it has some draw back as well such as time consuming and expensive. Some of them have identified ten dimension of performance. They are interpersonal relationships, organizing and planning, reactions to problems, reliability, communicating, adaptability, growth, productivity, quality of work and teaching. (Fletcher Williams, 1985, pp. 42-44) 2.5.8 Computerised and web-based performance appraisal: Many people who have got the charged for performance appraisal for their subordinates may not be able to do so particularly newly appointed supervisors. As they will take over new responsibilities so they may not be efficient in expressing themselves in writing about employee performance. Eventhough some of them have got the strength to do perfectly but still they may need some format for developing effective, useful employee performance appraisals. Computer software programs are making the performance appraisal system easier from many aspects such as writing a difficult employee performance appraisal. Management software that is commonly called MBA-ware, offers expert guidance in management issues that would cover from creating a business plan to writing employee policy manuals (Sprout, 1995). Some managers are looking for a develop technology to solve the problems that they are facing during performance appraisal. Current computer software programs allow the managers to make performance appraisal documents that are in complete format, professional in appearance, and easy to use in the performance appraisal system. Additionally, this software programs provide classification of job performances that will be counted for appraising and offer various pre-written descriptions of behaviors for each criteria. There are three leading programs for employee evaluation software that are Review Writer 1.0, Performance Now! 2.03, and Employee Appraiser 2.0 (Stewart, 1994; Robinson, 1994). There are some similar software programs in the market but it do not do the evaluation process that way the other three software work (D.W. Pratt, personal communication, July 24, 1996). These three leading software programs work step-by-step to evaluate employees performance. Managers input the employees information into the system, mark the job description and/or categories to be used, choose the correct written evaluations, and print it. (Spinks, Wells Meche, 1999, p.94) 2.5.9 Mixed Standard Scales: These scales are made to make the evaluation system reliable through confirming each individual rates, each scales rate and each rater rates and to minimize halo and leniency errors (Blanz Ghiselli, 1972). The idea of mixed standard scale has come from the logic of forced choice method. Halo and leniency errors could reduce if ratings are not made on a scale where statements come in an obvious order of merit hierarchy. Practical findings provide support to these hypotheses (Saal Landy, 1977). This scale is choosing three items for each performance dimension which are good, average and poor. 2.5.10 Management By Objectives (MBO) More than half of the organizations regularly used performance appraisals in the beginning of 1950s, compared with only 15 per cent immediately after World War II (Spriegel, 1962). They had ordinary, numerical system which was trait rating system. This system focuses on past actions to appraise people on the basis of a previously established set of dimensions (DeVries et al., 1981). Lots of employees who were being apprised by the manager were not happy due to the way of performance measuring system. Trait rating system did not develop the employees performance rather than there was clear indication for being sacked for low performers (Van Riper, 1958). It is mentionable that this rating system gave chance to managers to play the role of judge instead of employee development for achieving both the employees and the organizations goals (McGregor, 1957). Out come of the performance appraisal system was conflicting with present roles of managers and the achievement of organizational goa l thats why new thought was introduced after World War II to update performance appraisal systems (DeVries et al., 1981). Due to the limitations of performance appraisal systems in the 1950s which led to the development of new systems based on management by objectives (MBO) In theory, at least, Management by Objectives provided a clear and unambiguous framework for specifying and measuring employee performance. Labovitz and Baird have given some ideas about MBO that is: â€Å"MBO approach to managing people is a process of continually structuring expectations through mutual goal setting with subordinates, establishing action plans and target dates, reaching objectives and providing feedback. This is a way of managing subordinates that permits them to meet their personal needs for responsibility, freedom of action and recognition. At the same time the MBO approach provides a supervisor with an element of control, and change his or her role from police officer to colleague or coach.† (Baird, Beatty Schneier, 1982, pp.51-52). MBO is introduced in the management for improving performance, reducing role vagueness and redirecting effort to important organizational target. MBO system could be fit and work with any types of organization for planning process, a control technique and a form of individual performance appraisal. (Baird, Beatty Schneier, 1982, p.57). MBO has many positive sides but it has some limitations that we need to consider. The main issue that a company should consider first to implement MBO is the high level of management commitment and time frame to reorient the thinking of employees (Patten, 1977). Communication is the key to get a good out come and to prevent the complexity of the system from primary excitement that will lead into confusion and disillusionment, bring the result to an end with disinterest and failure. The purpose for the new system needs to be clearly recognized also, because while MBO is a useful tool for performance planning and feedback, it is not easily used for administrative decisions (DeVries et al., 1981). A high standard of job assessment and implication skills are needed to determine which performance dimensions to measure and the goal achievement standards to use. Primarily, the goals and objectives which are set likely to be easily quantified, easily achieved and not necessarily central to the job (Murphy Cleveland, 1995). Levinson (1970) found out an inclination for objective-setting measures such as sales dollars or number of units produced result in a lack of attention for less calculative aspects of job performance such as customer service and quality work. As a result this method will be ineffective if objectives are activity focused instead of output centered. There is also an inclination for managers to overlook the factors which are out of employees control, but which frequently affect goal fulfillment, leaving the employee responsible for goal completion inspite of external influences (Goodale, 1977). Managerial jobs are frequently measured in terms of unit, rather than i ndividual, an objective, which requires that individuals be held accountable for outcomes requiring interdependent employee efforts (Levinson, 1970; Schneier Beatty, 1978). These are some common errors associated with MBO (Kleber, 1972), but they help to illustrate the complexity of this performance appraisal method. Longenecker (1989) points to the common assumption that appraisals are often ‘political in nature, that their mechanisms for justifying decisions which have already been taken and disregard individual merit. This is particularly the case when performance related pay (PRP) is involved. As a student of International Human Resource Management, researcher wants to discuss about international perspective of performance appraisal system. Hofstede (1980) found that national culture is a factor to vary on value dimension between managers and employees. One of the value dimensions is individualism against collectivism. Individualism is such a thing where people show their action according to their individual preferences whereas collectivism is such a thing where people behaving as a member of a group. We can see the individualistic culture in western part and collective culture in eastern part of the world. (Taormina Gao, 2009, p.103) The inception of Human Resource Management (HRM) made the Human Capital as the most important strategic resource of an organization and thereby linked it with strategic vision, mission, values, and other processes of organization. Performance Management (PM) thus replaced traditional PA under HRM philosophy. Here, both the organization and employees are of equal concern. Performance management is seen by Armstrong and Baron (1998, p.37) as: â€Å"a means of aligning organizational and individual objectives to achieve organizational effectiveness.† Mohrman and Mohrman define PM as: â€Å"The practices through which work is defined and reviewed; through which capabilities are developed and through which rewards are distributed in an organization. Performance management may involve goal setting, employee selection and placement, compensation, performance appraisal, training and development and career management† (Mohrman and Mohrman, 1995, p.2). From above two definitions we can draw following generic features of PM: It integrates between individual and organizational goals and thereby creates a sense of belongingness in the employees; It views performance as a function of organizational environment i.e. culture, climate, flow of resource, critical external environmental factors, etc; It contributes towards a climate of open discussion between management and workers about all organizational aspects. It enables employees to identify their weaknesses as well as strengths and motivates them for superior performance. 2.6 Motivation and Performance Management: Motivation has multiplier effect on performance. A sound and legitimate appraisal system is a precondition of having a highly motivated workforce. Conversely, a flawed system might demotivate and demoralize the employees in a way that appraisal becomes a ritual and sometimes counterproductive. Milkovich Wigdor (1991, p.34) identify two essential functions of PM linking to motivation: a) it provides the basis for individuals to form beliefs about causal connections between their performance and pay; b) it indicates degree of association between individuals effort and performance. 2.7 Selection of

Crazy Lanie :: essays research papers

Katie Lanie transferred to Seton Catholic high school during our junior year. Katie’s reason for leaving Carl Isle high school centered around one shadowy statement, â€Å"No one in that school understood me.† Katie said this to me almost every day and I produced only mixed reactions to her claim. I thought it would take more than a few short years of high school to completely understand a person. And frankly, not everyone cares about another’s problems, especially high school kids—most of them care about themselves and their status only. Sadly, I admit I fell into this group and didn’t get out until I found my appreciation for Katie. Throughout the year I kept Katie’s words in mind and they started to make sense.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Seton Catholic was a small high school, so it wasn’t too long before everyone knew â€Å"Crazy Lanie†. That’s the nickname the boys at school gave her. Katie’s physical appearance and loud-mouth intimidated the young Catholic school boys, but her oblivious attitude caused her to be unaware of this. Katie was very opinionated and spoke out in class on a daily basis. These habits were annoying when you were trying to learn, but they came in handy in our Economics class. There was one word that every Seton Catholic student used to describe the Economics teacher—torture. Then Katie came and turned that class around. Her first love is talking, then politics and current issues. So she talked up a storm in class, eventually strayed away from the subject at hand, and turned our class into a current issues debate team. A lot of us appreciated Katie’s unintentional deeds and some didn’t. One guy in particular who didn’ t take pleasure in Katie’s existence was Mike Reckliss. Mike was an on the edge type of guy who only cared about his motorcycle and class—that’s where he got most of his shut-eye. Katie, Mike, and I had Business Law together every day after lunch. By the time we got to class, Mike’s stomach was full and he was ready for his afternoon nap. But with Katie there, baby Mikey was a crabby pants. On one particular day, we were discussing a person’s rights to property. Our teacher explained that his neighbor’s tree branches were hanging over onto his property, so technically he was entitled to cut down the branches that extended beyond the property line. Before our teacher could finish his story about property, the light in Katie’s head turned on.

Laboratory Report on the Effect of Acid Rain

1. ProblemAccording to an article, Acid Rain, by Novi Meadows Elementary, acid rain occurs in many parts of the world, no matter the climate difference. It is harmful not only to non-living things but especially to living things. It can affect humans, sea life and forests. This is because when the surroundings become too acidic, some living things die, like fish. Acid rain is formed when the pH, which is the measurement of acidity and basicity, of water is lower than 5.6.In relation with this, the group would like to investigate the effect of acidity on different seed crops by varying the pH level of its surroundings.2. HypothesisThe amount of seed germination will decrease as the surrounding of the seeds gets lower pH level, or becomes more acidic.3. ProcedureThe effect of varying pH levels on the germination of three different seed crops, Triticum aestivum (Wheat), Phaseolus sp. (Mung Bean) and Zea mays (corn) were investigated. Each group counted 25 seeds and placed them in petri dishes. Next, 20ml of solution of desired pH level (1, 3, 5 and 7) were poured into the petri dishes containing the seeds. The seeds were then observed for seven days wherein morphological changes in the seeds were noted. At the end of seven days, the number of seeds germinated in the petri dish was counted and the percentage of seed germination was calculated. The data was then compared with the other groups.4. ResultsTable 1 below shows the data gathered from the experiment. From the table, it canTable 1. Percentage of seed germination of Triticum aestivum (Wheat), Phaseolus sp. (Mung Bean) and Zea mays (corn) in pH levels 1, 3, 5 and 7.pH level Percentage of seed germination Triticum aestivum(Wheat) Phaseolus sp.(Mung Bean) Zea maysbe seen that there was 0% seed germination for Triticum aestivum in pH levels 1, 3 and 5. This is because in highly acidic environments, the cells in the seed are unable to absorb the nutrients it needs to grow. In accordance with that, there was also 0% seed germination at pH level 1 for both Phaseolus sp. and Zea mays.At pH level 3, there was 12% seed germination for Phaseolus sp. and 4% for Zea mays. This means that the seeds of these plants can grow in semi-acidic environments. However, it can also be noted that at a less acidic environment, pH level 5, the percentage of germination for Phaseolus sp. and Zea mays increased to 60% and 12%, respectively. This probably means that the cells of the seeds of the two plants are able to absorb more nutrients in less acidic conditions.On the other hand, at pH 7, the seed germination of Phaseolus sp. and Zea mays decreased to 28% and 0%, respectively. Probably these two plants cannot properly absorb the nutrients needed in a neutral condition. Interestingly, though, it is only at this pH level that Triticum aestivum begins to germinate. This means that it is only at this point that the conditions for seed germination are favorable for the seed.According to the article, Soil Facts †“ It's What We Don't See That Counts, by FrostProof.com, different plants require different pH levels to properly absorb the water and nutrients it needs. This is probably the reason why the maximum percentage of seed germination for each plant was in varying pH levels: 16% at pH 7 for Triticum aestivum, 60% and 12% at pH 5 for Phaseolus sp. and Zea mays, respectively.5. ConclusionFrom the results of the experiment and as stated in the hypothesis, it was concluded that the amount of seed germination will decrease as the acidity of the surrounding increases. In relation to this, acid rain could inhibit the growth of plants especially if its acidity is too high.Works CitedFrostProof.com. â€Å"Soil Facts – It's What We Don't See That Counts.† FrostProof.com. 6 November 2007 Novi Meadows Elementary. â€Å"Acid Rain.† 2002. Oracle Education Foundation: ThinkQuest Library. 6 November 2007

Importance of Being Earnest Essay

The Importance of Being Earnest is a serious comedy about trivial matters The Importance of being Earnest is a play that satirizes the Victorian upper classes. In the play, Oscar Wide makes fun of the upper class in many ways. Most commonly, Wilde does this by using comic irony, humor, and witty statements. However, if we look deeper into the text, a lot of the trivial matters characters discuss have a serious side to them. Wilde uses these matters to satirize the Victorian upper even more. The seriousness of death is taken light-heartedly in the play. Rather than associating death with sadness and suffering and grief Jack and Algy portray death as a method of conveniently eliminating unwanted people, whether imaginary or not. When Algy confesses that Bunbury is â€Å"Quite Exploded† something comical arises – however, his amusing phrase also has some serious implications. Although at first the fact that Bunbury has exploded may be hilarious, it is also shocking to some of the characters in the play, as Bunbury was â€Å"supposed† to be very close to Algy. Furthermore, Algy talks about his death so lightly, that it makes it seem as if Algy couldn’t care less about losing a close friend. The worst part about the way Algy communicates Bunbury’s death, is that he never admits that Bunbury never existed and lies to all the characters who felt truly sorry for Bunbury. Jack also tells Algy, â€Å"If Gwendolen accepts me, I am going to kill my brother† because â€Å"Cecily is a little too much interested in him. † Another trivial moment is when Jack admits to smoking in front of Lady Bracknell. Lady Bracknell’s replies with: â€Å"Every man should have an occupation of some kind†. Although the audience may laugh at this moment, Wilde shows how the Victorian upper class had absolutely no work to do – and therefore categorized smoking as an occupation. Cucumber sandwiches also are also used to criticize the British upper classes. â€Å"No cucumber sandwiches! † shows the absurdness of the upper classes. The scene and dialog is certainly comical, however, it shows how dramatic and over- the –top the British upper class was. Moreover, in the Victorian Era, The Importance of Being Earnest was watched by middle classes as well was the upper class; the scene must have told the Middle classes a lot about the upper class, especially when they were dramatizing trivial matters like not having cucumber sandwiches. The Name â€Å"Earnest† is also very important in the play, as this too is an example of triviality and seriousness. Gwenolden states that her â€Å"ideal has always been to love some one of the name of Ernest†. Cecily says she pities â€Å"married woman whose husband is not called Ernest. † The name Earnest in itself is a very trivial thing. Although the name Earnest â€Å"inspires utter confidence† Wilde makes fun of the fact that both Jack and Algy are very unhonest men. A name does not define the person’s personality or values, however the triviality of the name Ernest is taken out of proportions and treated very seriously in the play. In conclusion, Wilde satirizes the Victorian upper class by making fun of their trivial matters that they treat seriously. Wilde almost swaps seriousness and triviality around so that serious issues are treated trivially and trivial issues are treated seriously. Although back in 19th Century the Victorian classes may have found the play hilarious, today we have a broader view and are able to understand Wilde’s message about the Victorian upper classes more. In fact, Wilde originally subtitled The Importance of Being Earnest â€Å"A Serious Comedy for Trivial People† but changed that to â€Å"A Trivial Comedy for Serious People†. – Isn’t that the same thing though?

How to Write an Acceptance Speech Essay Example

How to Write an Acceptance Speech Essay Example How to Write an Acceptance Speech Paper How to Write an Acceptance Speech Paper Before we begin talking about how to write an acceptance speech, let’s talk about what it basically is. Acceptance speeches are given by those people who have received an award of any kind like a degree or memento. If you are a person that is due to get an award for something then it is probably a good idea for you to learn how to write an acceptance speech. The reason why it is suggested that you pre-write an acceptance speech is because it is a lot more challenging than it seems. Why this is so is because you have to deliver a speech in a short amount of time which is captivating, original and witty too. This is why it is recommended that you write and rehearse your acceptance speech before the time comes when you have to go on stage and deliver it. Although acceptance speeches are written on different subjects, there are certain areas or rules that are same for all and you need to learn all of them. Â  First thing first, you need to thank the person who is presenting the award to you. You need to show gratitude and do it in a way that the presenter feels proud. It sometimes happens that the person who is supposed to receive is not present and so you have to receive it on their behalf, in such a case make sure to mention that you are speaking in reference to that person and not yourself. In all your life time, you will have seen at least one award ceremony right? Whether film, drama or music, if you have then you without doubt must have heard these celebrities speak of the people who have made this award possible. Well this is exactly what you need to do, you have to mention the names of all the people who were involved in the award. Don’t mention a long list of people but instead keep it short but focus on the larger group of people. Once you are done with all the thanking, mention how it is you reached to the point for which you got the award. You can talk about many different things and even teach a lesson or two in the process. Talk about the events that lead up to the place where you are and show that you were steadfast and untiring. The last thing to mention is the emotional value behind the award, remember to state that it is not just a trophy that is meant to go on a showcase but represents so much more.

History of the Australian Referendum during the 1967

History of the Australian Referendum during the 1967 Introduction The state of Australia before the referendum in 1967 was one related to a racist nation. During the year 1900, the British colonialists invaded Australia. To them, the nation was not habited and the aborigines, who lived in Australia, were part of the environment. The constitution that was drafted by the colonialists depicted high levels of inequalities (Crotty Roberts, 2009). The rights of the white settlers were highly upheld while those of the aborigines were diminishing.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on History of the Australian Referendum during the 1967 specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Discussion During the 1967 referendum, various parts of the Australian constitution were questioned and changed. The first part was the one that stated who the commonwealth laws should govern (Attwood Markus, 2007). The constitution stated that commonwealth laws were only made for the whites and not the aborigines. It, therefore, implied that the aborigines had no constitutional rights under the commonwealth laws. The other section was the part that stated who should be counted during the national census. According to the 1900 constitution, the aborigines were not counted. The section was altered to give the aboriginal community an opportunity to be counted as part of the Australian citizens. So many people fought for a change in the Australian constitution. This act took them more than 10 years. The year 1967 was a major turning point in Australia as most of the people came out to vote for the alteration of the constitution. More than 90 percent of the populace voted in favour of the changes. The referendum was a breakthrough for the aboriginal people, who were counted later as part of the Australian citizens during the country’s population census. In addition, the aborigines came under the commonwealth statutes as opposed to the state regulations. The new constitution therefore was pa ssed on August 1967. The outcome of the referendum was of great benefit to the aborigines. First, it assisted in the removal of the initial rules of the aborigine act of 1905 that gave chief guardian of aborigines power over all aborigines up to the age of 16. The power of this guardian was much higher than that of a parent to her own child. The guardian could take children away from their families as he wish. These children were taken to the home of the white settlers or to some separate hostels. The parents were not informed on the whereabouts of their children, who, sometimes, were being subjected to torture. This act created some form of trauma for both parents and children as it at times involved some brutality. After the referendum, this role was scrubbed and it was a relief to the aborigines. The chief guardian also had control of the adult populace of aborigines. They were to seek permission for marriage; they did not have freedom of movement or right to own property. The ch anges of 1967 assured them these rights (Mason, Hill Davis, 2007).Advertising Looking for essay on political culture? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The new constitution also granted the aboriginal people the right to be Australian citizens. This right will ensure that they are not controlled by the aborigine’s act of 1905. The breakthrough of 1967 gave them this chance. The 1905 aborigines act allowed the aboriginal people to apply to be citizens of Australia so that they cannot be controlled by the act. The situation of the aboriginal people was to be improved through giving the people access to education, equal employment opportunities and contribute to the economy (Goot Rowse, 2007). They were to face a panel, which will assess their qualification for citizenship. Once it is granted, the chief protector had the ability to snatch it when he feels like. The changes in the constitution than more than 90 pe rcent of the population voted for showed that Australian people were tired of the existing racial discrimination. The event was worth celebrating, as it is a show of social equality, power lying on the people and a choice against discrimination (Attwood, Markus Schilling, 1997). This occurrence did not do away with the nature of ruling that existed in Australia. The government of Australia in most times forgot to seek advice from the aborigines on the ruling of the country. Now, the aboriginal populace still have a shorter life expectancy as compared to their non-indigenous counterparts. According to statistics, it is evident that the challenges of poor health, housing, education and high rates of unemployment are the main challenges facing the aborigines (Crotty Roberts, 2008). Despite the fact that the 1967 referendum was a breakthrough for the aborigines, there are times when it is clear that Australian community is fighting the battle of addressing fully the needs of the abori gines. The only impeccable period that showed that the Australians were concerned with the interests of the aborigines was during the referendum. There has been a moment of silence since the change of the Australian constitution. The forms of inequalities carried out by the constitution in silence have made the Australian people to look back to the evils that existed before the 1967 referendum. Conclusion The 1967 referendum did not bring about the end to racial discrimination that was in existence in Australia. It led to an improvement in the relationship between the aborigines and the entire Australian nation. The legacy that arose from the referendum is to some extent the most enduring (Tungate, 2007). The relationship that developed between the state and federal government became that of putting blame on one another. References Attwood, B., Markus, A., Schilling, K. (1997). The 1967 referendum, or,  When Aborigines didnt get the vote. Canberra: Aboriginal Studies Press.Advert ising We will write a custom essay sample on History of the Australian Referendum during the 1967 specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Attwood, B., Markus, A. (2007). The 1967 referendum: race, power and the Australian  Constitution (2nd ed.). Canberra: Aboriginal Studies Press. Crotty, M., Roberts, D. (2008). Turning Points in Australian History. Sydney: University of NSW Press. Crotty, M., Roberts, D. (2009). Turning points in Australian history. Sydney, N.S.W.: UNSW Press. Goot, M., Rowse, T. (2007). Divided Nation ?: Indigenous affairs and the imagined  public. Carlton: Melbourne University Press. Mason, K., Hill, K., Davis, R. (2007). Celebrating Aboriginal rights?: 16  July 7 September 2007, Tony Albert [et al.]. North Ryde: Macquarie University. Tungate, M. (2007). Adland: a global history of advertising. London: Kogan Page.

How Making My Book Available in Print Landed It In The Guardian

How Making My Book Available in Print Landed It In The Guardian How Making My Book Available in Print Landed It In "The Guardian" When Katja Meier set out to write  about the joys and challenges she encountered when running a refugee home in Tuscany, she had only planned to publish an ebook. Little did she know, her memoir had other (bigger) plans, that hinged on being available in print as well. This is how she found herself desperately searching for a typesetting solution in the middle of the night, with a launch date looming... Saved by the Reedsy Book EditorI discovered the Reedsy Book Editor late one night when desperately raking the internet for a solution to my haphazard typesetting attempt. I signed up for a free account immediately, started to upload the 23 chapters of my manuscript at midnight, and by 2 AM, I downloaded the print-ready PDF.It looked great but had one issue I couldn’t sort out myself: Across the Big Blue Sea includes an excerpt of a research article which focuses on little-known facts linked to human trafficking in Europe. I had the author’s permission to include the text but only if it was formatted differently from the rest of the book. Since the excerpt is several pages long, simply putting it in cursive wouldn’t do.I sent Reedsy an email at 3 AM, trying hard to come across as a calm, seasoned professional (and not as the freaked-out, first-time author who had set herself the wrong launch date). In the morning, I woke up to a message from Matt Cobb (Reedsy co-f ounder and designer), who promised to investigate the issue. And that very same week, I received a new version of my manuscript with the excerpt beautifully set apart in a sans-serif font and the comforting knowledge that I’d be able to make my launch date.From self-published memoir to Guardian â€Å"best summer book†Some things you can plan, others you can’t. I had sent an email to The Guardian’s book-reviewing team a couple of months before the book was published. Not surprisingly, especially for an indie author, I never heard back.Luckily, a few months earlier I had taken marketing advice from Jesse Finkelstein of pagetwostrategies.com and written to some of my favorite authors asking for endorsements. This is not an easy thing to do - it takes courage to ask time from authors who are probably already flooded with similar requests. But it's well worth asking, especially if you feel the author might be truly interested in the topic of your book.By seem ing-providence, at the same time that The Guardian wasn’t getting back to me, one of the writers I had contacted for endorsements wrote back and said she’d be happy to receive a copy (and four more followed suit!). Taiye Selasi, author of the wonderful Ghana Must Go, didn’t just write an insightful endorsement for me to use, she also remembered Across the Big Blue Sea when The Guardian asked her for her favorite books of the summer. And unknown to me, Taiye had already mentioned my book a few months before in The Guardian’s â€Å"Books That Made Me† series.I got lucky twice, and I’m afraid I’ll have to contradict Louis Pasteur’s famous quote here: it turns out that chance doesn’t just favor the prepared mind, it also favors the well-prepared book and the courageous author. (Hell, it takes guts to contact your favorite writers for endorsements)!Print is far from deadFrom the day the book was first published in February 20 17, I have been selling more print books than ebooks. I wouldn’t want to miss out on the ebook version - after all, I care about people who live in forlorn places without a reliable postal service. But my sales would look dire if it wasn’t for the print edition. Whatever retailer I look at, the paperback fares better.And when I meet the American students whose universities use Across the Big Blue Sea as a textbook for their study abroad programs in Italy, I’m each time surprised and honored anew that they travel with a print copy in their backpacks.Back to the Reedsy Book Editor once moreWith Italian and German translations in the pipeline, I’ll be back for a few night-time dates with the Reedsy Book Editor early next year (beware Matt, more desperate 3 AM emails coming your way). But being able to easily update my book proved useful and necessary for the already-published English edition too. I already updated the manuscript once to add two pages of end orsements at the beginning of the book. And while we’re working on the film adaptation of Across the Big Blue Sea, I’m planning to keep readers jour of the progress there too.But being able to amend the manuscript doesn’t just mean I can shamelessly brag about film rights and cool reviews in The Guardian: more importantly, I can update the information on how to support the migrant women mentioned in my book. And that is, after all, why I sat down to write it in the first place.How has publishing print copies of your book affected your publishing experience? Leave any thoughts or questions for Katja in the comments below!

National and International Ethics - Patent Rights Assignment

National and International Ethics - Patent Rights - Assignment Example 2. The Bayer should have actually not made any follow up whether its patent rights are being infringed. In this case, it was a matter of medical urgency and since the company was unable to meet the demand, it is ethical that they allow other players to come in. in this case, the Bayer should not have followed its own credo more than it seemingly did 3. It was ethical for the Bayer to threaten litigation against those thwarting its patent right. In this case, the company would have been coerced to allow other companies to manufacture similar drugs. In this case, it would have been unethical for Bayer to prevent other from manufacturing. 4. It was unethical for United States and Canada to change laws that contravenes the intellectual property rights of the Bayer Company. The best approach they would have used is to get into negotiations with the company so that they agree on the modality to solve the stalemate. As such, the two countries would have invoked the international ethical standards against the Bayer. 5. International Code of Ethics would have been the best channel to resolve this stalemate. In this case, the Bayer would have been requested to donate some of its patent right to other companies to manufacture the

Defining Territories in different regions Essay

Defining Territories in different regions - Essay Example certain types of clothes whereas others do not, for instance in most Arabian nations it is a requirement that women adorn in veils in a move to symbolize their status and religion. Finally, there are modern gulf cities such as Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait that evolved from colonial dependency into statehood (Commins, 2012). The essay will relay information on the four types of territories in addition to how they are marked and maintained. A continent such as Europe, the culture of a single city such as trade in addition to its population is most likely to become cosmopolitan and varied. Although hopelessly outweighed in matters regarding geopolitics, networked cities are normally in a better position of achieving and retaining astonishing power hence achieving independence in terms of nominal sovereignty (Hohenberg & Lees, 2002). This is similar in the case of gulf cities, for instance Bahrain. According to Kermeliotis (2010), just like any other nation in the gulf, Bahrain has its own territories. This is because the city has a global recognition for its tolerance and openness hence becoming the most liberal society in the region. Apart from having the lowest cost of living, it also boasts of being the first nation in the gulf to allow education for both boys and girls. The veiling territory is when a city comes up with measures on how its citizens ought to appear in public. Whereas some nations embrace veiling territories, others such as France and the US do not have it; instead, their dress code is normally termed secularism or westernization. Conversely, gender territories involve both male and female in which they ought to receive equal recognition. This is normally achievable through abolition of certain norms such as the urban planning that has gender dimensions whereby whereas men travel distance locations in search of employment while women are to stay at home and take care of the home and children (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2007). Due to the

MGMT 670- STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

MGMT 670- STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT - Article Example It is a tool with a purpose to help an organization perform at its best, so strategic planning helps an organization to focus its energy and make sure that all members are working toward the same goals, to control whether the organization is going toward its goals in as straight manner as possible and to adjust the course for changes in internal and external circumstances. Strategic planning is thus an organized action to answer fundamental questions of what an organization is, what it does, why it does it in that way, and were it intends to be in the definite future. Strategic plan development is a process of answering a set of questions in a specific order to keep it focused and productive. (Porter, Michael E. , 1980) ) The planners must first examine current experience and situation, set and test assumptions to the best of their capabilities, they must obtain and include current information about the present and envision internal and external circumstances in which the organizatio n will be working in the future. Strategic planning involves preparing the best way to respond to changes in the environment, which are not known at the time of plan preparation, realistically, taking into account company’s resources and objectives. Strategic plan is a set of decisions of what to do, how to do it, and why to do it, in order of priority, meaning that it needs to set which decisions and actions are more important than others in order to reach the goals set. Strategic planing is a continuous process while strategic plan is a snapshot taken in various future points in time. Strategic planning is a tool of managing an organization just like hammer is a tool of reshaping a piece of metal into a horseshoe. Hammer does not make a horseshoe, a blacksmith does it applying his physical and mental power to it. In the same way manager uses strategic planning to lead an organization toward its desired goals. Strategical thinking is applied to strategical planning by manage ment to make it work for better performance of the organization. Strategic thinking is geared toward specific purpose of setting and achieving goals, being at all times mindful of internal and external circumstances that influence the purpose in order to creatively develop best responses to changes in those circumstances. The question that best supports strategic thinking would probably be: â€Å"Are we doing the right thing in the right way?†. If the answer becomes negative at any measurable moment corrective actions need to be taken. â€Å"Are we doing the right thing† would translate into measurable milestones toward set goals while â€Å"are we doing it the right way† would translate in being aligned with company’s mission, vision, values and objectives. (Porter, Michael E., 1980) For example, a fictitious merchant with a convoy of cargo ships and a goal of making the most income and reasonable profit in regular voyages from port to port from Shanghai , China via Sydney, Australia, Los Angeles, USA, Amsterdam, EU, Mumbai, India, Singapore,Singapore back to Shanghai China envisions that the company would capture 10% market share in trading commodities in each port. (Vancil, R.,1976) His objective is to make the biggest regularly modernized fleet that does not harm the

Communications Paper on Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Communications Paper on Media - Essay Example Newspapers also serve a surveillance purpose as they inform about what is going on. Through media, I also satisfy my social and psychological needs. This means media is a powerful tool for transmission of cultures and norms. I am able to be informed and learn about various norms and how I am expected to behave, as well. For instance watching television programs about other cultures makes me aware about them. I am also able to learn about their norms whether it is through print or visual media. Media is also utilized as an advertising tool. Media covers a wide audience making it a powerful tool for advertising and marketing. It is also used to influence the thoughts and needs of the society. Such form of media can be through propaganda whereby information is put out by an organization to promote a particular policy. From all these, the media serve as a gratification tool to the larger society since its survival is on the basis of satisfying the needs of a society (Gibson). 2. Costs sp ent on media Various media exist in our daily lives; therefore, costs are incurred when it comes to accessing media. To access the print media I have to purchase newspapers and magazines some of which are updated daily; thus, it makes sense to acquire them each new day. Print media are extremely important, but more expensive to access; thus, I spend more on it. For instance, to access academic materials, I have to purchase books, which are not easily available via the internet resource. Media is also important because communication and entertainment are a normal part of the day-to-day activities. Visual media are characterized by television and the internet. Costs are incurred in electricity bills and payment of internet subscription fees. When all costs are summed up it can be determined that a lot of money is directed on media in a given month. This can also be summarized by the fact that media consumptions occurs every day. 3. Description of a day without media A day without medi a is quite different since media had evolved to be a habit in my lifestyle. My first instinct in the morning was to check my phone, but I had to ignore the urge. Without media, I would not be in constant touch with others; thus I would not be able to know where I am needed and by whom. I will also find it hard to be informed about new developments around me. Because it felt like an addiction, I could not last a whole day without thinking about what I am missing. For instance, I could not be in contact with my friends and colleagues; thus, I would not be informed about how they are doing or if they have any information related to me. I would also tend to be scared at times because I was not certain about what I am supposed to do during the day. I could not read posters and information posted on notice boards; thus, I was not comfortable. Generally, I felt like I was in my own world since I was not able to access any new information that might influence me. Therefore, from morning to evening I was only making an appearance, but never really involved in anything constructive. By dawn, I felt I had lost a lot of opportunities. 4. What was learned From the experience on that day, I was able to learn and appreciate just how important media is to my daily activities. If I was given such a test, again it would be hard to try it because on that single day, I had missed on a lot. The urge to get information was quite big and I learned that I was

Answering the three uestions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Answering the three uestions - Essay Example Fourth, it fails to accommodate the changing needs of the company, the employees, and its customers. In addition, the employees are left to do much of their learning on an individual basis, and are left to find their own way of doing things. Employees feel less a part of the organization, and have less of a sense of value. In the case of Apex, it cost the company thousands of dollars in wasted steel. In a medical setting, an employee may not be updated on the most current laws and could place the company at risk for a lawsuit. In all cases, it results in inefficiency and a lowered standard of quality. Job descriptions are a critical part of a job training program, as they are the foundation that the job is built upon. A comprehensive job description tells the employee what is expected of them and what the position entails. It may elaborate on job requirements and special skills that may be needed. According to Erven, a good job description can, "help to sell jobs to recruits, develop training programs, motivate employees, make evaluation simpler, reduce turnover and reduce chances of litigation" (1). Training is more than just informing an employee how to do the job, or operate the machine.

Russia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Russia - Essay Example The site is beloved by Russians and visitors around the world; hence, making it a valuable example of a cultural landscape (Moscow.Info). From the observations, the Cathedral Square represents a rich cultural history of the Russian Republic. It symbolizes the rule of Tsarist. It was constructed by Ivan the Great. Additionally, the area acts as a center of power, coronation, and an assembly for the nobles, as well as different ceremonial rituals. The Kremlin wall is a vast enclosure of the buildings contained within the Kremlin. The wall creates an impression of a small city. The Grand Kremlin Palace hosts cultural performances from the Kremlin Ballet. The buildings in the Moscow Kremlin link the country to its legendary past (Geographia). The towers and domes of the St. Basil Cathedral have an important cultural history. At first, eight domes were constructed, representing the eight attacks on Kazan. The different colors and shapes of the cathedral are unique and unmatched anywhere in the world; thus, making it a cultural heritage of the Russian people. The bronze statue commemorates Dmitry Pozharsky and Kuzma Minin, who led a volunteer army against the Polish invasion in the 16th and 17th Century. From the above accounts, it is evident the St. Basil’s Cathedral is one of the cultural landscapes of Russia (Sacred-Destinations) The apartment blocks are unique; hence, they are part of the cultural landscape of the Russian Republic. The construction of these apartment blocks epitomizes the communal living advocated by the Soviet ideology (Obrazkova) The mosque is located in downtown St. Petersburg, and has a cultural and historical meaning to the Muslim community of Russia. The construction of the structure began in 1910; hence, the mosque has been in existence for more than 100 years (Admin). Cultural landscapes are of great importance to any country. They represent the identity of a people and the manner in which humankind co-existed in a given

Answering the three uestions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Answering the three uestions - Essay Example Fourth, it fails to accommodate the changing needs of the company, the employees, and its customers. In addition, the employees are left to do much of their learning on an individual basis, and are left to find their own way of doing things. Employees feel less a part of the organization, and have less of a sense of value. In the case of Apex, it cost the company thousands of dollars in wasted steel. In a medical setting, an employee may not be updated on the most current laws and could place the company at risk for a lawsuit. In all cases, it results in inefficiency and a lowered standard of quality. Job descriptions are a critical part of a job training program, as they are the foundation that the job is built upon. A comprehensive job description tells the employee what is expected of them and what the position entails. It may elaborate on job requirements and special skills that may be needed. According to Erven, a good job description can, "help to sell jobs to recruits, develop training programs, motivate employees, make evaluation simpler, reduce turnover and reduce chances of litigation" (1). Training is more than just informing an employee how to do the job, or operate the machine.

The Comparison of Conrad Josephs Heart of Darkness and Ford Coppola A Essay

The Comparison of Conrad Josephs Heart of Darkness and Ford Coppola Apocalypse Now - Essay Example Unlike in the film, Marlow harboured no ill intentions towards Kurtz (Willard set out to kill Kurtz). He chose to honour Kurtz by delivering his letters to their specific recipients (Conrad 55). Coppola based his film in Vietnam during the war era, which contrasted the novels setting. Conrad's novel was set deep in the heart of Central Africas Congo. The contrast in the plot, main characters’ names and setting represent more obvious, overt differences between the novel and film. One can describe both Marlow and Willard as determined, focused individuals whereby unforeseen challenges did not deter them from their specific missions. The fact that they were both able to meet Kurtz attests to their extreme determination. For example, Marlow remained hopeful about his journey despite finding the ship assigned to him wrecked and in need of repairs, which were likely to take a long time whereas Willard persevered the volatile and brutal conditions present in Vietnam during the war (Coppola; Conrad 30). In addition, both characters held leadership positions; Marlow was the soon-to-be captain of the ship assigned to him by the Ivory Company whereas Willard served as a Captain in the US Army Special Operations unit. However, Willard and Marlow had contrasting personalities. Willard was more brutal whereby he exhibited psychotic behaviours that were inhumane; for example, he brutally murdered Kurtz with a machete and departed from the gruesome scene unremorseful. Despi te the fact that Willard was simply following orders, his choice of execution method and lack of sympathy indicated a heightened predisposition to engage in brutal, psychotic tendencies. On the other hand, Marlow was more compassionate, as he empathized with others; for example, he chose to lie about Kurtz’s last words when he delivered the letter to Kurtz’s widow who was distraught almost one year after her husband’s demise. In addition, he did not refuse to deliver Kurtz’s letters despite his disapproval of Kurtz’s lifestyle, which encompassed instilling fear among the barbaric native population who resorted to worshipping him.  

Igniting Flammable Liquids with Cigarettes

Igniting Flammable Liquids with Cigarettes Cigarettes seem like a probable ignition source for flammable liquids. Cigarettes have been blamed for the cause of many fires, far more than they should. But Cigarettes are more than tobacco wrapped in paper. They are in fact carefully engineered to burn in a certain way Cigarettes vary considerably from brand to brand in their burning characteristics. Modern cigarettes contain an engineered chemistry of additives to control the burning rates and moisture content of the tobacco and paper and anyone who has been a smoker knows the fact that manufactured Cigarettes go on burning when not being puffed. This spares smokers the trouble of lighting up again unlike with rolled up cigarettes and Cigars where the smoker has to keep smoking for the combustion of the tobacco to remain lit. This is good for the cigarette companies and pays off in higher sales from cigarettes. So yes this does mean that a cigarette rolling off onto a mattress or into the crack of a sofa can smoulder undetected f or 30 to 40 minutes before bursting into flames. Smouldering is a form of flameless combustion which can occur in materials capable of charring. Smouldering can occur at very low oxygen concentrations then proceeds at a very slow rate before flaming occurs. This makes people understand the real hazard of manufactured cigarettes. But that is found out through the visual fact of witnessing a cigarette stay lit and burn. So people will believe most of what they see as fact, but when many people sit down in their local theatre to watch the latest Hollywood movie they usual see the spectacular visual effects of a character throwing a lit cigarette on to a puddle of fuel and watching a large fire ball appear before their eyes which causes an amazing explosion. Igniting puddles of petrol for example with cigarettes in movies is a common device. The character takes a few puffs and tosses the glowing cigarette in the puddle. Immediately the petrol ignites. But Experiments with flammable gases and vapours have shown that many of the most commonly-encountered substances, including methane and petrol vapour, were not ignited by a lighted cigarette[1] So Petrol vapour cannot normally be ignited by glowing cigarettes, a fact which has been verified by many experiments. Cigarettes are rather uncommon as the source of ignition for a successful structure fire. If they are set to ignite liquid flammables, they will almost certainly fail[2] This paper looks to answer why a lighted cigarette when tested against the ignition of common flammable vapours such as petrol fail but other more volatile liquids tested are capable of ignition. Previous work carried out on cigarette ignition, related research in this field of combustion and ignition of flammable gases and liquids will be studied and researched to give the author a better understanding of the fallacy that a lit cigarette can be a danger that can readily ignite flammable liquids or gases. But not to underestimate the potential danger of such an ignition source in circumstances where many factors can come together to form self sustained combustion. Flammable substances and liquids are used for a wide variety of purposes and are commonly found in the home. Petrol is the most common, but there are other flammable and combustible liquids and gases used Table shows other flammable liquids commonly found around the home Lighter fluid Oil Propane Butane Aerosol Cans Diesel fuel Wood preservatives Kerosene White spirits Flammable materials found in the gaseous form will burn whenever mixed with the proper amount of air and properly ignited. A flammable liquid in its liquid state will not burn. It will only ignite when the vapours from the liquid evaporate in air. All flammable liquids give off vapours that can ignite and burn when an ignition source is introduced. Flammable liquids require an initial energy input to produce an air/vapour mixture within the limits of flammability (niamh mc daid) Ignition is the transition from a nonreactive to a reactive state in which external actions lead to thermo chemical runaway followed by rapid transition to self sustained combustion The usual conditions for ignition are given by a 3t rule of thumb. The three Ts stand for: Temperature. Must be high enough to cause significant chemical reactions and/or pyrolysis Time. Must be long enough to allow the heat input to be absorbed by the reactants so that a runaway thermo chemical process can occur Turbulence. Must be high enough so that there is good mixing between fuel and oxidizer and heat can be transferred from the reacted media to the unreacted media (cite the book) Ignition will occur when the process of a rapid exothermic reaction is started, which then gains momentum and causes the fuel to undergo change. When a flammable liquid is poured or spilled on a surface it is the vapours that are actually ignited. Vapours from liquids are what directly support the flame. To understand how volatile certain flammable liquids are it is useful to be familiar with the terms used to describe their chemical properties. Vapour density This is a property of a vapour that predicts its behaviour when released in air. when calculating the vapour density of a liquid fuel the molecular weight of gas of the vapour by that of air in normal conditions. (approx 29) (niamh mc daid) Flash point The flash point is the lowest temperature at which a liquid fuel will produce a flammable vapour. A liquid fuel must be able to generate a vapour in sufficient quantity to reach that lower limit in air before it can burn. This flash point is measured in two different ways, first being a closed cup measurement and the latter being an open cup. Flammable ranges Petrol has a narrow flammable range. Thus petrol vapour mixed with air has a lower flammability limit of just over 1% and an upper limit of 6% by volume petrol vapour in air, at normally encountered temperatures. (hollyhead) Flammable range refers to the percentage of a flammable liquid in its gaseous state to air to create an explosive mixture. Mixtures of flammable vapours with air will combust only when they are within particular ranges of vapour/air concentration. Outside of these limits the fuel-air mixture is either too lean or too rich to ignite (niamh mc daid) This varies with different flammable liquids. Gasoline has a flammability range of 1.4 to 7.6 percent. This means it will ignite when there is 1.4 parts of gasoline mixed with 100 parts air Ignition temperatures This is the temperature at which a particular flammable liquid gives off vapours and evaporates in air and therefore can ignite. Gasoline will ignite when a heat source or electrical spark of at least 853 degrees comes in contact with it. Natural gas (methane) needs an ignition temperature of around 1000 degrees Auto-ignition temperature (AIT) This is the temperature at which a fuel will ignite on its own without any additional source of ignition. (Niamh mcdaid) Fires will occur because there is high temperature introduced to an area in which there is a fuel-air mixture within its flammability range. There are so atmospheric factors that affect the Auto-ignition temperature e.g. Oxygen levels in the area of the mixture. But so long as the heat energy can be transferred from the source to the fuel ignition fire may result Flammability In Hollyheads paper he mentions the flammability of certain liquids e.g., kerosene, white spirit and diesel oil, which are flammable liquids with flash point temperatures above normal ambient. So therefore, an ignition source has to ignite not only the flammable mixture of fuel vapour but to generate this mixture in the first place by heating the bulk liquid. (hollyhead) Cigarette Components Modern manufactured cigarette comprise of different components. The components combined can affect the performance of the cigarette including the emissions of toxicants. In British manufactured cigarettes the tobacco used is Virginia. There are two other main types used in commercial cigarettes which are Burley and Oriental.   Each has different characteristics.  These tobacco types will also vary depending on their variety, in what environment they are cultivated and how that cultivation is carried out. The paper around the tobacco of commercial cigarettes in modified in different brands. It can be more porous in some brands so that the amount of air passing through the paper affects the yield of a puff. The more air that can pass through the paper the more the smoke constituents passing through the cigarette are weakened which then result in lower yields of various smoke products. Just as Baker describes when a cigarette burns, thousands of products are formed. They are distrib uted between the gas phase and aerosol particles which make up smoke. (baker) Modern commercial cigarettes are made with a filter. The filter is different on most brands. The way the filter is designed can affect the amount of filtration. Different cigarette brands can regulate the taste and smoking experience. Introducing vents in the paper surrounding the filter end can allow for dilution of smoke in lighter branding cigarettes. The bigger the length results in longer fibres and also the materials used for the fibres all play a part in making a certain cigarette different from other brands in the market. Figure shows the different components of a manufactured cigarette, how smoke moves through the tobacco and filter and how air moves through the paper (bat) Cigarette Combustion Many of the components identified in tobacco have also been identified in its smoke because they transfer in part from tobacco to its smoke during the smoking process. Many other identified tobacco components are not found in smoke because they decompose during the smoking process. (cite tobacco book) There has been work carried out to measure the burning temperature of a cigarette particularly those by Dr Richard R Baker have provided fundamental knowledge about the combustion/pyrolysis processes during smouldering and puffing of a cigarette. Dr Richard R. Baker has established the distributions of combustion temperature, gas velocity and key smoke constituents inside a burning cigarette. These experiments have become the foundation for the study of cigarette combustion. Dr Barkers paper studied the process of thermo physical concurrencies inside and around a burning cigarette (barker) Figure 2 shows combustion of a cigarette when being smoked (bat) The formation of smoke from a burning cigarette depends on a series of mechanisms, including generation of products by pyrolysis and combustion, aerosol formation, and physical mass transfer and filtration processes. Each mechanism, and their interactions, has a profound effect on the levels of chemical constituents in tobacco smoke. An enormous amount of research has been done on these subjects over the last 50 years. (barker) Figure 2 describes the two types of burning that take place when the cigarette is puffed. There is also a natural smoulder occurring between the puffs by the smoker. There are two main regions at the tip on the coal, namely the combustion zone A and the pyrolysis and distillation zone B. Combustible vapours are produced in zone B prior to ignition in zone A. During puffing, air is drawn into the cigarette through the paper and at the paper bum line. When a smoker draws on a lit cigarette, the temperature of the cigarette coal rises rapidly from its resting smo uldering temperature of around 600  °C.   Peak puff  temperatures at the periphery of the coal can exceed 900  °C  during a 35 mL, 2-sec puff. The high temperature inside the coal causes an increase in the viscosity of the air flowing through and a concomitant increase in the resistance to the draw of air through the coal.   This effect forces air to be drawn primarily into the periphery of the coal around the paper burn line, which causes more complete combustion in this peripheral region.   The depletion of oxygen due to combustion results in the formation of a region immediately behind the coal where the temperatures remain high enough for thermal decomposition of tobacco (the pyrolysis/distillation zone).   Large amounts of volatile and semi-volatile smoke constituents are produced in this region. A small amount of air is drawn in along the tobacco rod through permeable cigarette paper and smoke temperature decreases rapidly to produce a supersaturated aerosol. The smoke thus formed during a puff is subjected to filtration by the remaining tobacco rod and cigarette filter, as well as dilution by any filter ventilation holes. Some proportion of the light gases (such as CO) will diffuse out of the highly permeable cigarette paper. The smoke that leaves the mouth end of the cigarette is called mainstream smoke.   Between puffs, hot smoke escapes from the top of the cigarette and forms the sidestream smoke. In the authors research for this paper the general opinion that cigarettes are the cause of fires is truthful, as there is no question that many fires are started by cigarettes and the careless smoker is usually the reason for the high number of fires originating from smoking cigarettes. Despite advances in the fire retardant foams in furnishings and mattresses, smoking in bed remains a threat to the safety of people. But it is a common occurrence to hear theories about how smoking caused a fire when the alleged ignition would not have been successful under certain circumstances. No one combustion parameter alone can be used to explain why gasoline (petrol) vapour and methane are not ignited by cigarettes whereas hydrogen and carbon disulphide are. In fact, the parameters themselves are inter-related and taken as a whole can express the propensity of a substance to react with oxygen to form combustion products. This is directly related to the ease with which chemical bonds are broken to lead to the formation of the more stable products of carbon dioxide and water, which result from the combustion of most of these fuels. hollyhead Recent tests by the ATF Fire research Laboratory involved contact of burning tobacco cigarettes of different brands with petrol vapour from a pool at room temperature. A total of 137 attempts were made using both smouldering and actively drawn puffs with no ignitions observed. De haan Tests have shown the oxygen levels in cigarettes in the vicinity of combustion to be very low and carbon dioxide levels to be very high, both factors reducing the chances of vapour ignition The conditions in the combustion zone of a cigarette, which is deficient in oxygen and rich in hydrogen and carbon dioxide, together with the rapid and efficient tobacco-oxy- preparation of the oxygen reaction conspire to allow only the most reactive of substances to be ignited, and result in flame propagation to the vapour air mixtures outside the cigarette coal. Repeated attempts to cause explosions by inserting a lit cigarette into an explosive fuel vapour-air mixture have resulted in failure over many experiments. Hollyhead The residence time of airborne vapours in the cigarette being puffed is so short that there is not enough time for any but the most reactive species to ignite. The fuel elements in a commercially manufactured cigarette is such that quenching distance of all but most reactive gases is not exceeded, suppressing any sustained ignition. Experimental evidence and consideration of the cigarette combustion process, alongside ignition parameters of substances, show that mixtures in air of petrol and methane are not ignited by a lighted cigarette. It is very likely, therefore, that many fires have been wrongly attributed to a lighted cigarette; such a cause fire can often be the refuge of the uninitiated No Smoking regimes at chemical plants, oil gas installations and indeed petrol filling stations is, therefore, not in vain. Although a cigarette may not be an immediate problem, the lighted match or cigarette lighter flame used to light it, certainly could Occasionally contaminates or faults from the manufacture of the cigarettes, may it be in the tobacco filling or paper can cause some brief tiny flames. Given the right conditions and such an atmosphere where there is a fault and a perfect fuel-air mixture. Such flames would be a suitable ignition source. So even though many tests have proved that it is virtually impossible for a lit cigarette or cigar to ignite most flammable vapours, this could ensure the ignition of a fire, explosion or both. In study for this paper the author came across a message board where a guy was irate at the fact he seen another person smoke a cigarette on the fore court of a filling station. To his dismay when confronting the person in question about the stupidity of his action he promptly got the reply that cigarettes dont lit petrol, I seen it on myth busters. Goes to show that what some people see on Television is believed as fact, just like in the Movies. Some things will never change[1] 1. www.wikilaw3k.org/forum. Cars-Transportation-Safety/Smoking-at-the-gas-pump. [cited 2010 4/11]; Available from: http://www.wikilaw3k.org/forum/Cars-Transportation-Safety/Smoking-at-the-gas-pump-345109.htm.

Robert Wrights Article the Evolution Of Despair :: essays research papers fc

Robert Wright's Article "The Evolution of Despair" Robert Wright is the science writer for Time Magazine. Because he writes for this popular magazine, he enjoys the attention of many readers who look to him to provide them with the latest news from the scientific community. After reading The Evolution of Despair, an article written by Wright, I came under the impression that he is both reporter and commentator, but not explicitly so. Wright utilizes a variety of rhetorical tools to establish trust and confidence in his readers, thereupon interjecting his own opinions without arousing suspicion. The article's first paragraph is a perfect example of how a writer can establish intimacy with his reader. The following example demonstrates Wright's use of first person and emotional appeal: "Whether burdened by an overwhelming flurry of daily commitments or stifled by a sense of social isolation; whether mired for hours in a sense of life's pointlessness or beset for days by unresolved anxiety; whether deprived by long workweeks from quality time with offspring or drowning in quantity time with them – whatever the source of stress, we at times get the feeling that modern life isn't what we were designed for" (1). Everyone, at some point, has experienced the feelings that Wright describes. And with the pronoun ‘we' Wright tells his readers, ‘Yes, I have been through the same things.' This sort of statement is like a token of good will. The readers feel that Wright understands their plight and thus are more likely to listen to what he has to say. With this trust established, Wright moves on to the task of building confidence in his readers. He lives up to his title of science writer by providing various statistics ("As of 1993, 37% of Americans felt they could trust most people, down from 58% in 1960" (4).) and reporting the findings of numerous professors and scientists ("The anthropo-logist Phillip Walker has studied the bones of more than 5,000 children from hundreds of preindustrial cultures, dating back to 4,000 B.C." (2).). This serves a three-fold purpose: 1) to give credibility to the article, 2) to provide subject matter on which Wright can comment, and 3) to indirectly establish the moral character of Wright. On this last point, explicit endorsement of Wright by these respected authorities is absent and unnecessary. The mere appearance of support from these sources is sufficient enough to suggest the validity of his views. Wright's persuasive approach is a method that an aspiring orator might adopt. Instead of the written word, this article might be presented orally. It is no difficult task to imagine Wright standing before a podium, addressing a

North and South and Hard Times Essay -- Dickens Hard Times Essays

North and South and Hard Times       In   "Industrial" H Sussman states that "one of the most significant shifts created   by industrialism" was that of the "separation of the workplace from the home".   This "shift" created "new gender roles" with the "husband as breadwinner [and   the] wife as childcare giver" and led ultimately to the "19th century   ideology of the two separate spheres -   the masculine public sphere of work [and]   the private female sphere of domesticity". Is, however, this "shift" one which   Elizabeth Gaskell in North and South and Charles Dickens in Hard Times not only reflect but one which they endorse?    If the public   sphere is masculine then the opening chapters of HardTimes immediately confronts us with this masculinity in the form of Gradgrind. The   opening line of the novel, "Now what I want is facts", is assertive and   authorative, the masculine manifestation of public speech. The demand for facts   can be articulated by Gradgrind and responded to in the appropriate terms   by Bitzer, who too, is part of this masculine world, and who can therefore   clinically define a horse. Sissy Jupe however, in the face of such assertiveness   is unable to react in any terms other than being inarticulate and "alarmed".   Dickens however does not share Gradgrind's demands for the masculine "fact".   In writing Hard Times Dickens drew heavily from the criticism of   industrial society in Thomas Carlyle's essay "Signs of the Times". In this essay   Carlyle condemned a society where: "Not only the external and physical alone is... managed by machinery, but the internal and spiritual also". This is the idea   that the competitive, masculine, business sphere has permeated into the private   sphere,... ...ard times but reflections of deeply   divided ones.    BIBLIOGRAPHY:    North and   South, Elizabeth   Gaskell, Penguin Classics (1995).    Hard   Times, Charles Dickens,   Oxford World Classics (1998).    "Signs of the   Times", Thomas Carlyle, Thomas Carlyle: Selected Writings , Penguin   Classics (1971)    "Industrial",   H Sussman in A Companion to Victorian Literature and Culture, ed. Herbet   F. Tucker (1999).    "The   Industrial Novels", Raymond Williams in Culture and Society (1958).    "What must   not be said: North and South and the problem of women's work", Catherine   Barnes Stevenson.    "The Domestic   Sphere in the Victorian Age", Bonnie G. Smith in Changing Lives.    Charles   Dickens: The Critical Heritage ed. Phillip Collins.    Elizabeth   Gaskell: The Critical Heritage ed. Angus Fasson.

Queen Elizabeth I Essay

The play ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ was written by William Shakespeare in 1594. From the theme and context of the play, I can conclude that it was probably written for a wedding. It would be similar to the epithalamion written at weddings at this time, but a more elaborate version. Many of the lines rhyme and it all has the feel of poetry: some beautiful and some seeming supernatural and spell-like. It canvasses all aspects of marriage through plot, characters and symbolism, touching on both light and dark areas. The tragic side is shown more through references that actually spelling it out; Pyramus and Thisby is one example of a union which ended in catastrophe. However, despite this, the main idea of marriage is perceived as harmonious; all is shown in a ‘comic’ frame, with a humorous touch and a happy ending. This would be an appropriate feel for a wedding play because it gives the concept of marriage an idyllic feel, telling the newlyweds what they want to hear: that marriage is a good idea. If you search the play in depth, you will find that not only is it about the union of people in a marriage, but also about the unity of opposing forces in nature and bringing harmony from chaos. It is also, in an even broader sense, about the Elizabethan ideals about God and the universe. To clarify exactly what these ideals were and how ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ defines them, I must start at the beginning with the story of Adam and Eve. Elizabethans believed in everything fitting into its natural place. After studying the sky, they thought the universe was made up of spheres, one containing the stars, one containing planets and so on. They thought the Earth was at the centre of the universe; the spheres they believed in were a way of dealing with the fact that different bodies in the sky moved in different ways. It was thought that these spheres made the world harmonious, but humans couldn’t see the true beauty of it because of Adam and Eve. The legend goes that Eve was tempted by the serpent and ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. This, apparently, caused the whole human race to fall from God’s grace. Now, the relevance of this to ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and the theme of marriage is that when this happened, it meant man kind could not the ‘music’ of the spheres; they were only told by God that everything had its place. Even the evil in the world has a reason for being there. Humans cannot see quite how everything fits in because of their sin. They do not fully understand why some things happened because they can’t see the ‘big picture’. This was illustrated by the ‘Great Chain of Being’. God came at the top of this chain, with angels under Him. Then came nature (represented by Oberon and Titania), people (shown in all the human characters), and below them animals, plants and rocks. Humans came between animals and Angels, a relationship personified by Bottom. He is a typical human, not very bright or beautiful, but just a normal working class person. He then has a link with both the animal and angel world; he is turned into an ass and he has a relationship with Titania. This establishes the link between animals, angles and humans, and also tells you about the human nature. They are always trying to find something greater that themselves (for example fairies or angels) but to the greater beings, they must look as animals do to us – far beneath them and having little or no brains. Also exhibiting the same way of thinking was the fact that men came above women in the category of humans. If you were to sum up the play with one idea, this is the single idea addressed most eloquently. Many events in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ suggest the superiority of men, through the media of imagery, plot and characters, which will be tackled later. The Elizabethan idea of the cosmos is also addressed by the union of opposites connected with marriage. Their idea of the universe is that everything joins together perfectly and everything has its place. Things which may not seem to have a purpose will have been created by God for a reason; we just don’t know what that is. The prime example is the joining of a man and a woman in marriage. It may seem to make more sense to join two women or two men, as these will have more in common, but this play is trying to say a little of both the male and female persona is needed to make the match united. They are like opposite forces, but marriage brings them together. It is as is they have only half of the qualities needed to bring harmony and they must be brought together in marriage to make a ‘whole’. The same is also being expressed through the union of other opposite forces. There are many contrasting pairs which link hand in hand in this play: night and day; sleeping and waking; supernatural and mortal; discord and harmony; passion and reason; and ultimately female and male. These pairs are all the exact opposite of each other; and yet Shakespeare is presenting the notion that we need each half of the pair to make the world harmonious.