Opinion on American Gothic Painting

I have seen this image, but don’t know the tittle. I have seen it in movies, cartoons, and parodies of the painting. The painting is a male and female who most likely live on farmland. The male is holding a pitchfork, both of them look very serious but looking in different directions. They may either be just posing for the painting or waiting for intruders to leave their property. The male and female look bothered with something, they are not happy. They are wearing old-fashioned clothes, very traditional American clothes. They look healthy but the male looks older than the female, maybe her father or an older husband at the time. They look like typical suburban American people at the time. The top of their house looks a little like a church but they are definitely farmers. The painting represents the typical American family/folk in a certain time period and area. The painting is famous because it’s the reality of suburban American life at that time, and this may be controversial. No one likes to hear/see the truth. I did not know the name of the painting so I googled, â€Å"famous American paintings†. It was the first photo that came up, so I clicked on it and found out the artist and the painting’s name. I googled the name of the painting and got many websites that have material on it. The artist’s name is Grant Wood native of Chicago. The painting is of a farmer and his daughter posing in posing in front of their house, whose window and tracery had an American gothic style, which inspired the name of the painting, â€Å"American Gothic†. The models were the artist’s sister and dentist. Wood was accused of creating in this work a satire on the intolerance and strictness that the limited nature of rural life can produce. He sold this painting to the Art institute in November of 1930.

Different type of games

Goldfish, padres, tuna, and speed are only but a mere portion of the hundreds of games that can be played with Just an ordinary deck of cards. Board games come in second place of popularity with the typical family home. Monopoly, chess, checkers, Clue, and newer games like 404: Law not found, and Smà ¶rgà ¥sbord are only but a few of the board games sizzling in the market. What family do you know that does not have a monopoly sitting around the house somewhere? From being placed In a drawer or neatly hidden Inside of a closet. Smà ¶rgà ¥sbord is a board game for friends, family and for the people who likes food.Players take on the role of aspiring chefs as they work their way around the board In search of fortunate success. The object of the game Is to be the first team of chefs to graduate from Rick's Culinary Academy! The losers†¦ Do the dishes! Board games proves their popularity and shows that this style of home entertainment will not go out without a fight. Outdoor game s comes In third place among the popular home games over the years. Basketball, softball, kickball, and touch football are played In almost every large backyard or vacant lot.Not only do outdoor games appeal to family bonding, but they also appeal to those who care about physical well-being. Staying physically fit while having fun sounds Like a great combination right? This category of games Is placed third for a reason. Outdoor games are currently at war with the present day technology, but will not give up so willingly. All three categories promote nothing but healthy competition among family members and friends. They provide a natural release of frustration, and also teaches the understanding of sportsmanship.Older players are reminded that how the game Is played Is the most Important thing to consider. While younger players learn to win and lose without the temper tantrums. Games played at home has remained popular for many years, and penthouse our technology gradually Increase, It will continue to remain popular for a long time to come. Different type of games By Commissaries somewhere? From being placed in a drawer or neatly hidden inside of a closet. Players take on the role of aspiring chefs as they work their way around the board in search of fortunate success.The object of the game is to be the first team of chefs to Outdoor games comes in third place among the popular home games over the years. Basketball, softball, kickball, and touch football are played in almost every large while having fun sounds like a great combination right? This category of games is All three categories promote nothing but healthy competition among family is played is the most important thing to consider. While younger players learn to win for many years, and penthouse our technology gradually increase, it will continue to

Reflect on the manner in which an musical artist(Mos Def) deals with Essay

Reflect on the manner in which an musical artist(Mos Def) deals with issues of identity or racism - Essay Example Born Dante Terrel Smith in 1973, Mos Def has also been called Mighty Mos Def, The Freaky Night Watchman, Boogie Man, Black Dante, Dante Beze, Pretty Flaco and Flaco Bey (wikipedia 2006) all in an effort to develop his identity. Urban Thermo Dynamics was his first group with his siblings. He began working solo in 1996 with De La Soul and da Bush Babees before his first single came out, Universal Magnetic. Working with Talib Kweli, he formed Black Star in 1998. His first solo album came out in 1999, Black on Both Sides, and his second, The New Danger, in 2004. Despite saying that he wasn’t â€Å"down with that commercial nonsense† and that he wouldn’t do an album with JayZ and RocAFella for that reason, he still made a commercial for General Motors that made his fans wonder. Still, Mos Def â€Å"keeps it real† with his fan-base by his ‘real’ lyrics and his excellent movie portrayals.

Write about the picture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 9

Write about the picture - Essay Example The colors are quite penetrating and forceful, particularly the white and the brown. There is not much of a contrast between the dark and light shades, the lines are blurred but very distinct. The viewers may have the feeling that they are observing a landscape, and the general impact is surreal. The impact of graphic closeness opposes the complicated strategies that were applied to the creation of the painting. Although this seems to be a hasty, spur-of-the-moment work, thorough analysis reveals that Vivian George perfected it in phases and picked and capitalized on her materials to highlight her imaginings and subtle meanings. As I look systematically at the painting, I am sometimes drawn to the light shades on the left, yet persistently returning to the center, where the whole image collapses into one indefinite appearance. This shift takes place mainly due to the contrast between the left and the right side, with the left side showing the few light touches. Most of the colors are vivid or quite saturated, and their contrast with one another also adds to the backward and forward movement of my eyes as I observe the details of the canvas. If the dark colors were not as saturated, greater emphasis would be on the left side of the canvas, it would hold greater ‘massâ⠂¬â„¢, and my eyes would focus at that side. Consequently, the composition of the painting would become uneven. The painting induces neither happiness nor sadness. The colors are intense, and pastel hues normally produce positive feelings, but I largely felt puzzled, and perhaps somewhat disordered. I would want to know more about the painting and the artist in order to understand the image. The colors are quite calm, and even the dark colors have lightness in them, yet the enclosing images show a natural landscape. Therefore, I believe this is what Vivian George is trying

Sport and Exercise Psychology 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Sport and Exercise Psychology 2 - Essay Example One of the most consistent findings within this vast research literature is the variability in well-being that people exhibit when they experience stressful life events. Constructs like vulnerability and resiliency reflect attempts to identify social, situational, and individual difference variables that either increase or decrease the likelihood that people will exhibit negative reactions to stressful events (Block & Block, 39–101, 2000; Compas, 393–403, 2000; Garmezy, 196–269, 2003; Kessler & McLeod, 620–631, 2003; Rutter, 389–395, 2000). Research on vulnerability and resiliency factors was stimulated in part by low and inconsistent relations between life events and outcome measures. Although statistically significant relations between negative life events and self-report measures of physical and psychological well-being have frequently been reported, seldom has more than 10–15% of the outcome variance been accounted for in studies using prospective designs. When objective outcome measures of physical well-being have been used, thereby eliminating the potential role of self-report biases, the amount of variance accounted for has shrunk to 1–5% (Rabkin & Streuning 389–395, 2004; Schroeder & Costa 389–395, 2003). Faced with a pattern of weak and inconsistent results, researchers have sought to identify psychosocial moderator variables that might affect the nature and magnitude of relations between life stress and well-being. Many studies have demonstrated that taking into account factors suc h as social support and certain personality variables results in stronger relations between life stress and both psychological and medical outcome measures (e.g., Barrera 389–395, 2002; Sarason, Sarason, Potter, & Antoni 389–395, 2003; Smith, Johnson, & Sarason, 188-235, 2003; Stone, Helder, & Schneider 389–395, 2002; Thoits

Federal and State Governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7500 words

Federal and State Governance - Essay Example An analysis of the nature of the crimes in both states provides may provide insights to the differences in policies. The incidence of violent crimes as well as recidivism in California is higher while Texas shows lesser recidivism and significant higher prison population. According to Kaplan and associates (2002), Texas' law shows greater inflexibility in the use of incarceration as a penal measure citing that the nature of crime in the state historical justifies the application of such measures. Given that the United States follows a federal system of government, each state is given the privilege to formulate and implement its own legal codes which include criminal justice programs. This is meant to allow individual states to develop criminal and penal statutes that correspond to individual or unique crime trends that may greatly differ from state to state (see Appendix A). There are times that policies and perspectives used differ between states depending on the perspectives, policies or by the nature of the crime committed (Pillsbury, 1989). This is not to imply that crime is one state is more acceptable in another and only a variance in the manner by which the act is assessed and addressed (Jones and Newburn, 2005). In such a system, federal statu... sure that independent criminal justice programs do not impair constitutional rights, contravene federal legislation or create conditions that will prevent equitable application of the law (Peak, 2006). In effect, though state perspectives and policies on crime and punishment may differ significantly, there are criteria or range of acceptability for the policies that each state is to implement. This also reinforces the order in policies and subsequently order in society as well. It should be noted as well, that though the criminal justice programs in California and Texas may differ significantly, they have a common purpose of preventing crime and victimization, maintaining order and security and supporting federal objectives and policies. Conflicts or inconsistency with federal policies or that of other states are also not designed to undermine another state's authority but rather are individual trends or modes in that state or the federal government's criminal justice program (Hepburn, 1986). Furthermore, the availability of channels to mitigate and resolve conflicts, federal courts including the U.S. Supreme Court, signify that there is states are a part of a system that has established operations and procedures to establishing order and even harmonize policies. Community Policing Community policing initiatives have gained support in an effort to develop greater social participation in securing communities. In general there has been indication that efforts have had a measure of success but Matthews and Pitts (2000) point out that sustaining such this outcome requires the development of long-tern programs. These programs range from the development of operations and procedures, establishment of channels of command and responsibility and public education. In a similar

Grandparents raising their own Grandchildren Essay

Grandparents raising their own Grandchildren - Essay Example (Bold, M, Gladys J. Hildreth & Ronald A Fanning 1999) The socialization theory, like some other theories of social control, also holds that pro-social family processes like the house rules and the inherent attachment resulting from a family setting, do affect growing children's behaviour and character. The Group Socialization Theory states that children's peer groups affect the behavior and learning patterns of the children more than the influence exerted by their families or genetics. Social control in growing children can be said to operate through direct control, indirect control, satisfaction of needs, and internalized control. Direct control has to do with parental supervision and monitoring, while indirect control is the interaction of growing children's beliefs and attachment. For example, children will try not to jeopardize their family relationship by not disappointing their parents or grandparents. Growing children also seek for satisfaction of their needs, and if a child is not emotionally satisfied within the family, the child seeks intimacy and support from his peers. One important implication of this and other models is the timing of family management practices and how these affect later peer choices. Poor attachment, monitoring, and supervision in the preadolescent phase will surface later in an adolescent's choice of peers (Oxford, Harachi et al. 2001). According to Judith Harris, "the psychological characteristics a child is born with become permanently modified by the environment" (Harris 1995, p. 482) Some people are of the opinion that there are two main developments in the field of psychology as a whole that need to be better assimilated in socialization work. The first is the attack on the trait (or nature) theory, and it is argued that socialization research can survive this attack only if it becomes more concerned with structural developmental change in its dependent variables. Second, the impact of the "cognitive revolution" is assessed, and the paper argues that more attention must be given to the ways in which children process inputs from socialization agents, and developmental changes in processing capacities. Finally, it is urged that research attention must be focused on the conditions which sustain the effective performance of socialization agents. (http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED112283&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED112283) For many decades now, there has been an ongoing conjunctive effort to clearly distinguish between the roles of nature and nurture in human development, and this has eventually led to some of the most provocative discoveries and psychological advances in the twentieth century. In his book, Stephen Pinker noted that "for many decades psychologists have looked for the causes of individual differences in cognitive ability and in personality. The conventional wisdom has been that such traits are strongly influenced by parenting practices and role models." (Pinker, S.

Reflection and Improvement Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Reflection and Improvement - Assignment Example Leaders are seeking to transform their schools in order provide effective knowledge and education to the students (Joyner, Ben-Avie & Comer, 2004). The key conceptual framework would productively encompass the necessary cultural and structural change efforts. Moreover, effective conceptual framework can enhance significant pipeline development of leadership. However, major focus of this leadership process would be to improve the learning and teaching process. Learning Focused Leadership Learning focused leadership is another effective strategy that can enhance transformation of schools. Learning focused leadership comprises investment in instructional leadership, new working relations across and within levels, reinvention of leadership practice, persistent public focus on learning and evidence as a medium of leadership (Aguilera, 2008). The meaning of learning focused leadership is investing in individuals and positions across and within the schools. The primary objective of this lea rning focused leadership is instructional leadership. Conceptualizing leadership is more significant and effective among these two leadership styles. This leadership style generally focuses on effective learning process. Effective utilization of effective data and resources, and supreme engagement with the community has motivated me to adopt conceptualizing leadership strategy. Evaluation of Leadership Style There are several significances of conceptualizing leadership process. A teacher or a or a leader within the institution can enhance effective transformation of a school through the implementation of conceptualizing leadership process. Under this leadership style, the leader’s ability to offer a consistent and clear focus on learning for all the students would be considered as the central part of their job. Effective utilization of data and evidence can enhance instructional improvement. Moreover, this leadership style will help the leaders to align resources with the lea rning improvement goals. Under this process, the leaders generally try to reallocate their resources and develop incentives to meet specific instructional improvement goals. These construction roles help the leaders to focus on the improvement of learning process. The leaders seek to provide effective learning environment and seer knowledge to the students of the schools. At last, leaders focus on engaging community citizens, support providers and parents that can promote effective learning agenda. However, it is quite important to change the blueprint of education sector. The old traditional blue print is reducing the quality of education process and system. The conceptualization leadership process will help the leaders to transform the system of learning process of several schools and education institutions. Three ways to improve leadership style It is clear from above discussion that the education sector needs effective transformation process to meet social and cultural demand. T here are several ways to improve the leadership style. First of all, the educational leaders should become the transformation leaders to implement effective change process. Successful transformation leaders should avail three capabilities like think ahead, deliver within and lead across to adopt and practice an effective transformation process (Covey, 2012). Transformation leaders should think ahead in a school transformation pr

Child family relationships in Praise Essay Example for Free

Child family relationships in Praise Essay The connection between family members is bond as strong as Titanium and flexible as elastic, in fact many different poets represent their thoughts and emotions through their poems. Here, we are bestowed with two poems that are an accolade to the parents of two poets, by Grace Nichols, and Stephen Spender, with their poems Praise song for my mother and Childhood. The two poems contain a heavily nostalgic tone throughout the poems, through the use of this I have established that the poets are attempting to communicate their memories through the poems. Spender, though he titled the Poem My Parents has little obvious relation to the poem at face value other than the starting sentence of the first stanza My parents kept me from children who were rough where he almost has connotations of blaming them for separation from what they thought were lesser citizens, he tends to refer to the childhood he lived as a young boy who was bullied on his way to and from school. However when one delves deeper into the poem and attempts to read between the lines the reader can pick up a tone of blame, a tone of resentment and a tinge of sorrow! It would seem as though Spender, through his writing, is revealing his resentment towards his parents for isolating him from his peers, sheltering him from the real world and being overprotective! Maybe even snobbish as the poem also hints at the child being of a higher class than the rough children.  However in the poem Childhood the poet is not referring to his parents, but an Aunt of his own; it seems that Cornford is trying to portray the ignorance of his youth when he says in the opening line of the first stanza I used to think that grown-up people as grown-up is not a term used by one who is of middle age or in their teenage years. The poet doesnt seem to have that close a relationship with his great-aunt Etty by the way he described the elderly throughout the poem prior veins like small fat snakes . The poem also shows how the boy matures in time, by the end of the poem the reader can recognise that the poet now fully understands the process of age with the quote I knew that she was helplessly old. As I was helplessly young. My Parents, once you dig deep shows both how the parenting of middle class children could often lead to bullying as they planted the insinuation that the lower class children where not respectable or real people in a sense of dignity. The poet shows this through animal imagery ran in the street, feared more than tigers, they sprang out and finally Like dogs to bark at my world. It also shows that the author deep in his heart admired these boys for their carelessness and meshing with the world around them rather than himself who avoids such things, this is shown by the quote I longed to forgive them (which could also relate to his parents) but they never smiled:. Childhood is a lot more basic in its message, that being that the ignorance of youth often leads to their life being wasted on trivial things; what is quite surprising is how the author has used the flow of the poem to demonstrate the movement of time itself, by the time he has reached the end of the poem he had realised the facts of life, in that way he had matured from the childish ignorance that was portrayed in the initial stages of the poem. To state the obvious both poems have fewer similarities compared to other such poems, however both do relate to family and the young author or character attempting to get a grasp on the situation at hand whether it be why his parents are turning him into an apparent introvert to those at school which leads to bullying of him or the mystery of old age to a young child.

Identify the Individual at Risk of Skin Breakdown and Undertake the Appropriate Risk Assessment Essay Example for Free

Identify the Individual at Risk of Skin Breakdown and Undertake the Appropriate Risk Assessment Essay Upon arriving at the care home, I shut the door behind me, clocked in using my time card and signed the staff log book which is a requirement of the fire safety policy. Prior to starting my shift, I attended the hand over held in the staff office with closed doors to maintain confidentiality and privacy of the residents. The hand over gives me important changes in the residents health and social care needs, requirements and procedures that need implementing during the shift. One of the residents I usually care for is Mrs H who has just come back from a hospital admission. According to her care plan Mrs H was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Chronic Kidney Disease Stage 4 which are predisposing factors for pressure sores. She is bed bound, cannot weight bear and had just undergone Open Reduction and Internal Fixation (ORIF) for fracture on her left tibia fibula which left her immobilised. She is also incontinent of urine and faeces which are all predisposing factors to sore development. As one of her primary carer, I was assigned to carry out a risk assessment for skin breakdown with the use of the Waterlow Scale. I knocked on Mrs Hs room before entering as a sign of respect for her privacy and greeted her good morning. I asked how she is and she smiled which means she is fine as she has difficulty speaking. I asked her if she would like to have her bed bath and she said yes please. I informed her that I also need to carry out a risk assessment for skin breakdown to identify if she is at risk of developing a pressure sore. I explained the procedures that she will expect, the reasons behind these and I asked for her permission to carry on. She obliged by softly saying ok in a very low voice. Before starting the assessment, I gathered all the things that I need. I observed standard precautions for infection control by washing my hands with soap and water and drying them with disposable paper towels. I wore a disposable plastic apron and donned a pair of disposable gloves to prevent the spread and transfer of infection from one person to another. With the help of my colleague, I gently and carefully took off Mrs Hs night dress informing her every step that I make to make her aware and to encourage her cooperation. I kept it in yellow laundry bag as per organisational policy on infection control and prevention. I covered her body with bath towels to maintain her privacy and keep her warm. I washed her face and body with the use of disposable Mediwipes with soap and warm water. I dried her up using the towel to keep her from freezing. I took off her nappy pad and washed her private front part properly and dried her afterwards. Then I informed Mrs H that I need to turn her on her side so that I can wash and examine her back. With coordinated movements from my colleague, we gently and carefully turned her on her side, taking special care not to put any undue pressure on her bad leg to prevent any further injury. I examined her back side taking note of pressure points or bony prominences on her shoulders, sacrum, elbows, ankles and heels. Her skin on her shoulders, spine, elbows and heels look fine but there is a redness on her sacral area which feels hotter than other areas of her skin. I asked Mrs H if she feels any pain in her bottom and she said yes in a very low voice. On her left heel is an abrasion which she developed while she was in the hospital. I washed her back and her bottom gently and dried them up properly as excess moisture can aggravate her skin condition. I put her soiled nappy pad in a plastic bag to be disposed of in the clinical waste bag. I applied aqueous creme on her skin especially on bony prominences to prevent drying. I applied sudocrem on her sacral area to soothe and to protect and help heal her skin. I put on a clean nappy pad on her, put on clean clothes and positioned her on her right side to relieve the pressure on her sacral area, using cushions to make her comfortable. The nurse-in-charge came inside the room to check on her left heel wound and I asked her how to clean it and what dressing should I use for it. She said I can clean it with sterile water and sterile gauze, dry it up and apply Versiva dressing for protection as advised by the tissue viability nurse. I disposed of my gloves and donned on a clean pair. I washed Mrs H wound on her heel with sterile water and sterile gauze, dried it up and applied Versiva dressing. I put on a pressure relief cushion on her left foot to relieve pressure, kept it supported and in a comfortable position. I thanked Mrs H for her cooperation during the procedure. I informed her about the condition of her skin and reassured her that it is well taken care of. I disposed of my apron, gloves and soiled dressings in the plastic bag, tied it and disposed it in a clinical waste bag. I washed my hands with soap and water again and dried it up to prevent the spread of infection.

State of Banking Before and After Financial Crisis

State of Banking Before and After Financial Crisis Introduction: Banks play a very important role in financial system. Most businesses have a need for a line of credit or other financing with a bank (Editorials, Street directory).  A stable financial system can help a nations economy grow steadily than it would in an unstable financial system. From loans to investments, financial institutions are exposed to all kinds of risks in the market. Risk is universal in the financial industry and everything that a financial institution does requires thorough Risk Management Practices (RMPs). The recent financial crisis has brought out the existing flaw in the banking system which probably no one had forecasted few years before. In the past, first the economy used to slowdown which would result in financial crisis but this time it is other way round. During the current financial crisis, banks and other financial institutions, particularly in the U.S, have collapsed which has resulted in slowdown of global economy. Research Question/Main Problem: This research will try and bring out the changes that have happened in operations of banking, over past 5-6 years, from huge profit making business to managing risks efficiently. Aim and Objective: The dissertation aims to look at the developments in banking sector in both, a developed and developing economy, so that the positive points from both the economies can be brought forward and negative points can be addressed and rectified. The study also aims to highlight some of the key reasons of financial crisis. It is very hard or rather impossible to imagine carrying out business in the absence of banks or financial system. Hence, it is very important to study and conduct a research about the crisis that have impacted the financial industry, so that some lessons can be learnt and in the future, and mistakes can be avoided. If the study is limited to one country, sample might not be large enough and hence the research looks at two different economies of the world (Heffernan, 1996). Therefore two countries i.e. UK and India have been selected for the study. It will help to identify how banks have managed their business during cyclical upturn, peak in crisis. The study also intends to highlight the trend of banking activities. And will also draw attention on how the proportion of risk has changed over the past years. Highlighting changes in key ratios will give a clear picture of what has happened and what can be expected in the future. It would be important to compare the balance sheets of some of the major banks of both the countries from the year 2004 till 2009 to check the percentage increase or decrease in their activities in order to come to a conclusion and provide suggestions/recommendations. Brief Literature Review: Since this study deals developments in banks and their performance over last few years, ratio analysis would be best suited for the study. These ratios are easily available on Bank-scope website (www.bankscope.com). These can also be cross checked from respective banks annual reports which are available on the internet. Heffernans (1996) study on performance of banks in 1980s indicated that some of the banks assets grew faster than nominal GDP, which means that banks were highly profitable. However, in late 1980s and 1990s there were asset quality problems in some of the large banks which had to write off non-performing portfolios. Because of which there was increased regulatory pressure and banks had to move towards fee-earning business i.e. securities underwriting and trading. It was during this time that international business was growing but was not profitable for banks because of high operating costs. However, banks found ways of reducing their costs by issuing their own CDs and introduce new products which were not capital intensive and resulted in fee income. Thus like other sectors, banks too used international trade and globalisation to increase their profits and diversify their risks. But, there have been one financial crisis in at least in every decade. Globalisation has been blamed for some of the previous financial crisis. There have been few economists who have argued that policies of the government resulted in the crisis and not technology. Asian crisis of 1997 is one such example (Krugman, 1998.). International organisations like WTO, World Bank, IMF promote globalisation and international trade for the development and welfare of under developed and developing economies. It has opened up global economy and countries like China and India have grown faster than expected. Globalisation has also reduced the sense of isolation which was felt before in developing countries. But in many countries, like the African nations, globalisation has not been be neficial or has not reached and hence most African nations remain underdeveloped (Stiglitz, 2002). Globalisation resulted in innovation of various risk reducing financial products and strategies like Futures, Options, Derivatives and Securitization. This study will help to understand how some of these products and strategies which were supposed to reduce risk, resulted in downfall of global economy. Sub-problems: The sub problems of this study are: Global economy before financial crisis – this will help to understand how banks were making huge profits; Economic and financial globalization and the expansion of world trade have brought substantial benefits to countries around the world (International Monetary Fund) What led to Crisis? this problem will help to realise what was happening in the banking world which went unnoticed till the time crisis hit some of the major banks; One of the key issue was the rising defaults on subprime mortgages in the US that triggered the global financial crisis (Subprime Fallout, Financial Times) Steps taken by international bodies like World Bank, WTO, UN, etc to rescue Global Economy – Though the most acute phase of the global financial crisis has passed, recovery remains fragile.   Persistent risks to economic health include high unemployment and low growth in developed countries and scarce international financing for developing countries. The poorest countries continue to need assistance to move beyond the crisis (Financial Crisis, World Bank report); World Bank is also expanding its cooperation with IMF, UN to promote inclusiveness, innovation, efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability (World Bank reform, World Bank). Since crisis in the USA impacted all major economies, rescue steps taken by some international organisations are important to take note of; Impact of financial crisis to UK Indian economy and steps taken by govt. central bank individually along the guidelines of Basel, bring out flaws if any. Bank of England and Reserve Bank of India have taken several steps to ensure that respective economies continue to grow and remain stable (BoE and RBI). Research Methodology: Punch (1998) has indicated that quantitative research is concerned with the collection and analysis of data in numeric form. It tends to emphasize relatively large scale and representative sets of data, and is often, falsely in our view, presented or perceived as being about the gathering of facts. Whereas qualitative research is concerned with collecting and analysing information in as many forms, mainly non-numeric, as possible. It tends to focus on as much detail as possible and aims to achieve depth rather than breadth. All qualitative research seeks understanding of data that are complex and need to be approached only in context (Morse et al, 2002). A correlation study, quantitative research method, examines the extent to which differences in one characteristic or variable are related to differences to one or more characteristics or variables. A correlation exists if, when one variable increases, another variable either increases or decreases in a somewhat predictable fashion. This study will collect numbers (data) that reflect specific measurements of the characteristics in question (Leedy, 2009). This type of study will be particularly useful for comparing ratios of different years and it will give out a clear picture of how operations of banks have changed over past few years. The good thing about this type of study is that the results are hard to manipulate as the data used would be a published data. Case study, qualitative research method,  refers to the collection and presentation of detailed information about a particular participant or small group, frequently including the accounts of subjects themselves. The case study is ideally suited to the needs and resources of the small-scale researcher (Loraine, et al. 2001). It is a form of qualitative descriptive research, which looks intensely at an individual or small participant pool, drawing conclusions only about that participant or group and only in that specific context. A case study researcher often begins to analyze the data during the data collection process (Leedy, 2009). As stated by Loraine B, et al. (2001) the drawbacks of case studies are: The very complexity of a case can make analysis difficult because of the holistic nature of the case study. The researcher needs to show connections between various events but not lose sight of the whole picture. While the contextualization of aspects of the case strengthen this form of research, it is difficult to know where context begins and ends. However the advantages of case studies are linked to their disadvantages, which are: They allow the researcher to show the complexity of social life and good case studies build on this to explore alternative meanings and interpretations. This study will be a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methodology. In the past, both studies, qualitative and quantitative, have been conducted in order to determine the main reasons of bank failures (Heffernan, 1996). Since the main research problem deals with key financial ratios, quantitative research method would address it the best. However, the sub problems of this topic would require qualitative research as they are more theoretical involving case studies and previous examples of bank failures to better understand what really went wrong and how things could have been avoided. This study will undertake qualitative research in the form of comparative case study because the study will be looking at various issues that have resulted in the downfall of banks and banking operations in respective countries. Data Collection and Analysis Data will be collected via secondary sources such as websites, annual reports of banks, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, Financial articles, Journals. The main quantitative analysis will be focused on the banking sector of the two countries and see if any trends or flaws can be highlighted. The data will be analyzed with the help of tables and graphs which would be explained. On the other hand qualitative analysis of comparative case studies will be mainly focused on sub problems which will lead the researcher in answering the main research problem. Conclusion/Potential Results This study might be able to bring out the current approach of banks towards various risks. The study might also be able to point put the best practices that are followed by the banks in the sample countries. The study will also try to point out flaws, if any, in the existing structure and operation of banks and recommend corrective steps. State of Banking Before and After Financial Crisis State of Banking Before and After Financial Crisis Introduction: Banks play a very important role in financial system. Most businesses have a need for a line of credit or other financing with a bank (Editorials, Street directory).  A stable financial system can help a nations economy grow steadily than it would in an unstable financial system. From loans to investments, financial institutions are exposed to all kinds of risks in the market. Risk is universal in the financial industry and everything that a financial institution does requires thorough Risk Management Practices (RMPs). The recent financial crisis has brought out the existing flaw in the banking system which probably no one had forecasted few years before. In the past, first the economy used to slowdown which would result in financial crisis but this time it is other way round. During the current financial crisis, banks and other financial institutions, particularly in the U.S, have collapsed which has resulted in slowdown of global economy. Research Question/Main Problem: This research will try and bring out the changes that have happened in operations of banking, over past 5-6 years, from huge profit making business to managing risks efficiently. Aim and Objective: The dissertation aims to look at the developments in banking sector in both, a developed and developing economy, so that the positive points from both the economies can be brought forward and negative points can be addressed and rectified. The study also aims to highlight some of the key reasons of financial crisis. It is very hard or rather impossible to imagine carrying out business in the absence of banks or financial system. Hence, it is very important to study and conduct a research about the crisis that have impacted the financial industry, so that some lessons can be learnt and in the future, and mistakes can be avoided. If the study is limited to one country, sample might not be large enough and hence the research looks at two different economies of the world (Heffernan, 1996). Therefore two countries i.e. UK and India have been selected for the study. It will help to identify how banks have managed their business during cyclical upturn, peak in crisis. The study also intends to highlight the trend of banking activities. And will also draw attention on how the proportion of risk has changed over the past years. Highlighting changes in key ratios will give a clear picture of what has happened and what can be expected in the future. It would be important to compare the balance sheets of some of the major banks of both the countries from the year 2004 till 2009 to check the percentage increase or decrease in their activities in order to come to a conclusion and provide suggestions/recommendations. Brief Literature Review: Since this study deals developments in banks and their performance over last few years, ratio analysis would be best suited for the study. These ratios are easily available on Bank-scope website (www.bankscope.com). These can also be cross checked from respective banks annual reports which are available on the internet. Heffernans (1996) study on performance of banks in 1980s indicated that some of the banks assets grew faster than nominal GDP, which means that banks were highly profitable. However, in late 1980s and 1990s there were asset quality problems in some of the large banks which had to write off non-performing portfolios. Because of which there was increased regulatory pressure and banks had to move towards fee-earning business i.e. securities underwriting and trading. It was during this time that international business was growing but was not profitable for banks because of high operating costs. However, banks found ways of reducing their costs by issuing their own CDs and introduce new products which were not capital intensive and resulted in fee income. Thus like other sectors, banks too used international trade and globalisation to increase their profits and diversify their risks. But, there have been one financial crisis in at least in every decade. Globalisation has been blamed for some of the previous financial crisis. There have been few economists who have argued that policies of the government resulted in the crisis and not technology. Asian crisis of 1997 is one such example (Krugman, 1998.). International organisations like WTO, World Bank, IMF promote globalisation and international trade for the development and welfare of under developed and developing economies. It has opened up global economy and countries like China and India have grown faster than expected. Globalisation has also reduced the sense of isolation which was felt before in developing countries. But in many countries, like the African nations, globalisation has not been be neficial or has not reached and hence most African nations remain underdeveloped (Stiglitz, 2002). Globalisation resulted in innovation of various risk reducing financial products and strategies like Futures, Options, Derivatives and Securitization. This study will help to understand how some of these products and strategies which were supposed to reduce risk, resulted in downfall of global economy. Sub-problems: The sub problems of this study are: Global economy before financial crisis – this will help to understand how banks were making huge profits; Economic and financial globalization and the expansion of world trade have brought substantial benefits to countries around the world (International Monetary Fund) What led to Crisis? this problem will help to realise what was happening in the banking world which went unnoticed till the time crisis hit some of the major banks; One of the key issue was the rising defaults on subprime mortgages in the US that triggered the global financial crisis (Subprime Fallout, Financial Times) Steps taken by international bodies like World Bank, WTO, UN, etc to rescue Global Economy – Though the most acute phase of the global financial crisis has passed, recovery remains fragile.   Persistent risks to economic health include high unemployment and low growth in developed countries and scarce international financing for developing countries. The poorest countries continue to need assistance to move beyond the crisis (Financial Crisis, World Bank report); World Bank is also expanding its cooperation with IMF, UN to promote inclusiveness, innovation, efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability (World Bank reform, World Bank). Since crisis in the USA impacted all major economies, rescue steps taken by some international organisations are important to take note of; Impact of financial crisis to UK Indian economy and steps taken by govt. central bank individually along the guidelines of Basel, bring out flaws if any. Bank of England and Reserve Bank of India have taken several steps to ensure that respective economies continue to grow and remain stable (BoE and RBI). Research Methodology: Punch (1998) has indicated that quantitative research is concerned with the collection and analysis of data in numeric form. It tends to emphasize relatively large scale and representative sets of data, and is often, falsely in our view, presented or perceived as being about the gathering of facts. Whereas qualitative research is concerned with collecting and analysing information in as many forms, mainly non-numeric, as possible. It tends to focus on as much detail as possible and aims to achieve depth rather than breadth. All qualitative research seeks understanding of data that are complex and need to be approached only in context (Morse et al, 2002). A correlation study, quantitative research method, examines the extent to which differences in one characteristic or variable are related to differences to one or more characteristics or variables. A correlation exists if, when one variable increases, another variable either increases or decreases in a somewhat predictable fashion. This study will collect numbers (data) that reflect specific measurements of the characteristics in question (Leedy, 2009). This type of study will be particularly useful for comparing ratios of different years and it will give out a clear picture of how operations of banks have changed over past few years. The good thing about this type of study is that the results are hard to manipulate as the data used would be a published data. Case study, qualitative research method,  refers to the collection and presentation of detailed information about a particular participant or small group, frequently including the accounts of subjects themselves. The case study is ideally suited to the needs and resources of the small-scale researcher (Loraine, et al. 2001). It is a form of qualitative descriptive research, which looks intensely at an individual or small participant pool, drawing conclusions only about that participant or group and only in that specific context. A case study researcher often begins to analyze the data during the data collection process (Leedy, 2009). As stated by Loraine B, et al. (2001) the drawbacks of case studies are: The very complexity of a case can make analysis difficult because of the holistic nature of the case study. The researcher needs to show connections between various events but not lose sight of the whole picture. While the contextualization of aspects of the case strengthen this form of research, it is difficult to know where context begins and ends. However the advantages of case studies are linked to their disadvantages, which are: They allow the researcher to show the complexity of social life and good case studies build on this to explore alternative meanings and interpretations. This study will be a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methodology. In the past, both studies, qualitative and quantitative, have been conducted in order to determine the main reasons of bank failures (Heffernan, 1996). Since the main research problem deals with key financial ratios, quantitative research method would address it the best. However, the sub problems of this topic would require qualitative research as they are more theoretical involving case studies and previous examples of bank failures to better understand what really went wrong and how things could have been avoided. This study will undertake qualitative research in the form of comparative case study because the study will be looking at various issues that have resulted in the downfall of banks and banking operations in respective countries. Data Collection and Analysis Data will be collected via secondary sources such as websites, annual reports of banks, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, Financial articles, Journals. The main quantitative analysis will be focused on the banking sector of the two countries and see if any trends or flaws can be highlighted. The data will be analyzed with the help of tables and graphs which would be explained. On the other hand qualitative analysis of comparative case studies will be mainly focused on sub problems which will lead the researcher in answering the main research problem. Conclusion/Potential Results This study might be able to bring out the current approach of banks towards various risks. The study might also be able to point put the best practices that are followed by the banks in the sample countries. The study will also try to point out flaws, if any, in the existing structure and operation of banks and recommend corrective steps.

The Internet And The Future Of Tv Essay -- Television TV

Imagine a day when you would be in total control of creating your own TV channel lineup. Instead of subscribing to a service from a cable, satellite or phone company that might offer you hundreds of channels you'll never watch, you would be able to select what you want and watch it on your own schedule. That day might not be so far away. Slowly but surely, content that's broadcast over cable networks and through satellite providers is being distributed through the public Internet. News.context What's new: A lot of the technology is in place to deliver TV content via the Internet, where content providers could bypass cable and satellite services and deliver programming directly to viewers. Bottom line: While content providers have no intention of giving up on traditional TV service, they are watching Internet TV developments carefully. Most are moving gingerly into the market, making sure digital rights issues are properly addressed, that they can maintain control over content once it's on the Web, and that there is adequate demand for the service. More stories on this topic In terms of the technology, all the elements are falling into place to deliver high-quality video from the Net directly to viewers in their living rooms. Software has been developed to ensure the quality of video distributed over the Net. And companies such as Microsoft and Cisco Systems' Linksys home division are developing products that enable Internet video to be viewed on TV sets instead of only on PC screens. Apple Computer, which has changed the music industry with its iPod music players and iTunes music store, is trying to do the same thing in the video market. Earlier this month it introduced an iPod that plays videos, and launch... ... Previous Next Comcast, the largest cable company in the United States, already provides an extensive library of on-demand movies. On Wednesday it announced it would provide an additional 250 movies every month to its digital cable customers at no extra charge. In total, Comcast customers will be able to select from about 800 movies each month. Comcast says that its video-on-demand programming is extremely popular. The company has already surpassed one billion total on-demand program views for the year, eclipsing last year's total of 567 million views. "The traditional TV market is not dead," said Kontiki's Sahadi. "Multiple models will evolve. Broadband penetration and improvements in digital rights management are helping push content providers to look toward the Web. But there will always be people who want to subscribe to a traditional television service."

WWI causes Essay -- World War 1 I One

History Term paper What one thing do you think caused WW1? There in fact were many causes of WW1. One of the causes was imperialism. There was jealousy between the countries because some had more colonies then others. The major countries did not trust each other or get along. They were worried about the build up of each others army. Each country had great pride and nationalism. By 1914 all major countries had taken sides against one another and formed alliances. The immediate cause of WW1 was the assignation of the heir to Austria-Hungary’s throne. At the beginning of the war all countries were enthusiastic about it especially Germany. The countries were divided onto sides like so; Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria. These countries were the central powers. There were also the allies who consisted of Great Britain and colonies, France and Russia. Others got involved eventually. Each country had their own strategy and their own strengths. For example: Great Britain had the strongest navy and Germany had the strongest military. Their strategies were different too, like Germany’s strategy failed because they under estimated Belgium’s army. The battle took longer then they thought. They originally were supposed to defeat Belgium and France quickly so they could fight Russia on the eastern front. Even though Germany’s war plan failed they still ended up dominating most of the war before the Americans arrived. It ended up to be a naval race of who could build their navy the quickest.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Russia first came into the war they were starting to dominate. They were going through a lot of trouble within their own country because they had a huge population and not enough resources because the land was frozen. The idea of the country going to war lit a certain spark and nationalism and pride through out the country. Russia going to war actually made them respect their leader Tsar Nicholas II. It was the first decision the Tsar made that the people agreed with. The first few battles they won and the word spread through out Russia and Europe that Russia’s army was unstoppable. This quickly changed and Russia started to loose everywhere. The Russian army started to get wiped out by the thousands. They were being defeated by Germany and other countries everywhere they went. A feeling of uncertainty grew through out the Russian people wh... ... to blame for the war. They believed the only way they can be safe from Germany is if they strip Germany for their wealth and armed forces. The allies made the Treaty of Versailles which stated: Germany pays thirty three billion to France, Belgium and Great Britain; they loose all colonies, loose land to create Poland and Alsace and Lorraine goes back to France. They are limited to an army of one hundred thousand along with no tanks, no u-boats and no airplanes. Germany is never to make an alliance or union with Austria. The Rhineland is to be a demilitarized zone and the French will take control of coal mines and rich industries of the Saar region.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When the war first started all countries were anxious to fight. When the Great War ended in 1918 no one wanted to think or even speak of war again. Millions of people were slaughtered and killed, people lost their friends and families. The war took longer then expected and by the end all countries were tired and worn out, had problems of their own and lost a lot of money and land that was put into the war. The countries agreed never to have a war again. Little did they know this was only the first one.

American Society for Training & Development: A Closer Look

Organizations exist for different purposes. There have been countless successful organizations but there were also equal numbers of unsuccessful ones. The American Society for Training & Development (ASTD) is clearly a successful organization. It is considered as the world’s largest association that is committed in workplace learning and performance professionals. Its members originate from different countries worldwide. ASTD is a committee organization which consists of a group of people who usually lead the whole organization. This type of organization, though it has a broad decision making, has a limited functional authority.The good thing on committee authority is that there is harmony between executives and co-workers. Even executives who have lesser experience can broaden their perspectives through active participation. Moreover, there is an assurance of continuity of committee functions. On the other hand, this type of organization is time consuming. Others also say tha t â€Å"committee is made up of the unfit selected by the unwilling to do the unnecessary. † There are also instances when the chairman is forced to make a decision when the committee members have difficulty arriving at a unified agreement.The responsibility is divided among the members and it seeks unanimous decisions. Committee organization is best used to represent interest groups, training, innovation and coordination of planning. The ASTD have the following services: they provide resources for the professionals, which are helpful for researches and publications. They also conduct conferences and expositions in different locations and facilitate the online communities. Aside from these, the ASTD offers programs and choices for careers. ASTD seeks to create a world that works better through exceptional learning and performance.They envision a world-wide leader in workplace learning and performance. Harrison says that leadership is really all about performance. In this case , wherein a 16-member team leads the members, the ASTD is spearheaded by designated leadership. The 16-member team takes responsibility for the whole members and drives them towards their goals. The designated leaders also think of how they will achieve these goals. One of the best things about what ASTD offers to its members is the wide array of resources from the marketplace that they can have access to.They have online environments where the members can gain access to resources such as articles, book summaries and reviews on topics ranging from management to trainings. Aside from these, there are also magazines, newsletters, research reports, Webpages and blogs. The organization also made way for the Training Fundamentals Community where the members can have access on different resources available and connect them to their peers who can help in developing training solutions for a particular organization.The ASTD also conduct conferences and expositions with world-renowned leaders as speakers. The members learn a lot of new things, whether theories or models, that they can adapt to their organization. This facilitates a better workplace learning and performance. The organization also offers exhibit and sponsorship opportunities for their training suppliers. It also offers many choices of certificates from education programs. ASTD also holds the Benchmarking Forum which offers opportunities to benchmark the practices and processes of the members.ASTD is clearly a place where a professional can be more professional. Their resources and programs will be the vehicle for an organization to achieve its success. Being a good leader or a professional means you follow principles that are good for the organization. You have to find ways on how to improve your skills and competencies. There will always be room for improvement to be able to lead the organization to that sweet success. REFERENCES http://www. astd. org/ASTD

Pervasive Developmental Disorders Essay

The pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs) represent a spectrum of difficulties in socialization, communication, and behavior. Autism is the best recognized and most frequently occurring form of a group of the PDDs. Because most of the research in areas related to communication has been done on autism, we will focus here on this particular PDD. However, we should be aware that autism is probably not the most common disorder on this spectrum. Other types of PDDs include Rett’s Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, Asperger’s Disorder, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, or PDDNOS (Twachtman-Cullen 1998). This work will also discuss the distinctive features of Asperger’s syndrome, which is believed to be genetically related to autism. Much of what can be said about certain features of autism and PDDNOS applies to other forms of non-autistic PDD. The goal of this research is to provide a framework for understanding cognitive development in children with PDDs. The study will cover criteria for early PDDs diagnosis. The best-known type of PDDs is autistic disorder (variously called autism or infantile autism). The symptoms of autistic disorder typically increase gradually through the child’s second year, reach a peak between 2 and 4 years of age, and then show some improvement. Young children with greater cognitive ability who receive very early intensive intervention may show dramatic improvement at this age, whereas those who are more impaired will make more modest changes. Persons with autistic disorder exhibit major deficits in their ability to relate to others. The child with autistic disorder often appears content to dwell in a separate world, showing little empathic interest in parents or siblings. Unlike the normally developing baby, the child with autistic disorder may not raise his arms to be picked up or may stiffen in protest when his parents try to cuddle him. The children’s lack of social interest may make some of these babies seem like â€Å"easy babies† because they do not seek parental attention, and appear content to remain in their cribs, watching a mobile or staring at their hands. As they get older, such lack of demandingness is recognized for the relative indifference it actually reflects. The child with autistic disorder may not seek others for comfort when she is hurt or upset, finding little consolation in the gentle words and hugs that are so important to other children. Not only do the children not ask for comfort, they typically are quite indifferent to other people’s distress and do not seem to share their joy. A sibling’s tears or a parent’s happiness may elicit no response from the child with autistic disorder. Children with autistic disorder show little interest in the domestic imitation that most children enjoy. For example, unlike the normally developing child, the child with autistic disorder usually does not use his miniature mower to cut the grass like mommy or pretend to shave while he watches daddy. This lack of interest in imitation interferes with one of the primary channels for learning by young children: their ability to model adult behaviors and master them through role play. Social play is one of the primary activities of childhood. A few simple toys can create the backdrop for long hours of companionship. The child with autistic disorder does not know how to join this kind of play, sometimes completely ignoring other children, or perhaps standing on the sidelines, not comprehending how to become part of the group. Not surprisingly, given the range of social deficits they exhibit, children with autistic disorder are very impaired in their ability to make childhood friends. Within the communication domain, impairments are present in a number of linguistic and nonverbal areas, the most fundamental of which are pragmatics and semantics (i. . , the social usage and explicit or implicit meaning of language and gestures). Although linguistic capability varies greatly across the spectrum (from a total absence of speech to highly sophisticated and erudite language), significant impairments in pragmatics and semantics are universal among individuals with PDDs. They communicate primarily to express needs, desires, and preferences, rather than to convey sincere interest in others, or to share exp eriences, excitement, and feelings. Even among those possessing highly sophisticated and complex language, compliments, words of empathy, and expressions of joy in the good fortune of others are very rare. There is little reciprocity, mutuality, or shared purpose in discussions. In addition, speech and gestural forms of communication are poorly integrated, often resulting in awkward and uncomfortable social interactions. Implicit, subtle, and indirect communications are neither used nor perceived. Expressive communication tends to be explicit, direct, and concrete. During discussions, persons with autism often fail to prepare their speaking partners for conversational transitions, new topics, or personal associations. This can result in digressive, circumstantial, and tangential comments and discussions. It would appear as though persons with autism assume that others are implicitly aware of their experiences, viewpoints, attitudes, and thoughts. The fashion in which these deficits are manifest is influenced by age, overall cognitive level, temperament, and the presence of sensory or physical limitations. In toddlers, for example, impaired pragmatics may be manifested by significant limitations in reciprocal eye contact, responsive smiling, joint attention (mutual sharing of interests and excitement), and social imitative play. In addition, socially directed facial expressions, instrumental and emphatic gestures, and modulation of speech prosody (intonation, cadence, and rate) are rarely used to complement speech, communicate feelings and attitudes, or moderate social discourse. Among preschool children, impairments in symbolic functioning (e. g. , language) are accompanied by serious limitations in pretense (e. g. ymbolic, imaginative, creative, and interactive play). Pragmatic impairments among adolescents with Asperger’s syndrome may be manifested by one-sided, pedantic discussions, with no attempt to involve speaking partners by acknowledging and integrating their experiences, ideas, and viewpoints into conversations. Sincere attempts by others to engage in reciprocal conversations may be met with a lack of acknowledgment, annoyance, and disinterest. Comments or questions that are â€Å"snuck in† by the listener may be experienced as rude interruptions, prompting the directive, â€Å"Wait! I’m not done talking yet† (Bernabei, Camaioni & Levi 1998). The result is a monologue or lecture that often includes abrupt changes of topic and the introduction of unexplained personal associations. This lack of conversational reciprocity suggests that persons with AS and high-functioning autism inherently assume that the listener is implicitly aware of their own experiences, viewpoints, and intent. Because the relaying of factual and concrete information is the primary goal of â€Å"social† dialog among those with ASD, the communication of subtle attitudes, viewpoints, and emotions (particularly secondary emotions, such as embarrassment, guilt, and envy) are largely irrelevant and superfluous. Therefore, emphatic gestures, informative facial expressions, and vocal modulation lack essential meaning for them. The result is that persons with autism generally disregard nonverbal cues and fail to incorporate them into their own discussions. Because this component of social communication often conveys essential information regarding feelings, attitudes, and opinions, an inability to identify, interpret, and produce nonverbal cues can have a highly detrimental effect on social interactions and relationships. Given these impairments, it is not surprising that verbal and nonverbal aspects of communication are poorly integrated, and that subtlety and nuance are rarely conveyed. Figurative and inferential language is another area of communication that is impaired in autism, largely due to a combination of deficits in abstract and conceptual thought, social reciprocity, and appreciation of the subtleties of social communication. Persons with ASD are highly literal and concrete in their language and thought processing, typically failing to understand metaphor, irony, sarcasm, and facetiousness. As a result, comments are often misinterpreted and discussions misunderstood. In addition, in an effort to remain true to the facts, comments and questions are often presented in an overly direct, straightforward, and â€Å"brutally honest† manner, lacking appropriate tact and sensitivity (Szatmari, Jones, Fisman, Tuff, Bartolucci, Mahoney 1995). This can cause embarrassment and distress for the listener and confusion for the speaker with AS. Both may become angry and resentful; the listener, because of emotional distress and perceived mistreatment; the speaker, because of the seemingly unjustifiable overreaction and a negative attitude displayed by the listener. From the perspective of the person with AS, the listener responded in a rude and ungrateful manner to comments that were intended to be informative, useful, and corrective. The emotional distress, embarrassment, and attack on self-esteem experienced by the listener are relatively foreign to the individual with autism. Interestingly, principles, rules, and codes of behavior can be interpreted in a highly concrete and rigid manner. This can result in insensitive and hurtful comments and behavior, because exceptions to the rule, adjustments to unexpected social contingencies, and appreciation for the spirit (not simply the letter) of the law are relatively foreign to those with autism. There is little awareness that rigid adherence to unavoidably flawed rules can result in a situation that is antithetical to the underlying intent of the rule itself. One of the dinning features of autism and Asperger’s syndrome is that of rigidity and inflexibility in response to minor change and transition in the environment and daily routines. This insistence on sameness and invariance can be highly impairing, because the precipitants of these reactions often are of little social significance and do not disturb the smooth functioning of the social world. It is as though persons with autism depend on these inanimate markers of space and time because the social priorities that typically direct schedules and routines have little meaning and significance for them. Asperger’s Syndrome has been associated with cognitive strength since Hans Asperger first described the disorder in the 1940s. When he wrote of children who sounded like â€Å"little professors,† Dr. Asperger (1944/1991) was describing not only their pedantic tone but also their cognitive abilities. The assumption of adequate cognitive skill was reiterated when the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) stated that individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome show â€Å"no clinically significant delay in cognitive development† (Willey 2001). Asperger’s syndrome (AS) was added as a new â€Å"official† diagnosis when DSMIV and ICD-10 were published. In the past, children with AS were sometimes referred to as having schizoid personality, or schizotypal personality, and PDD, NOS. It is now recognized as distinct from autism. AS differs from autism in a number of key ways: first, children with AS may not be detected as early because they may have no delays in language, or only mild delays. In fact, it is usually not until parents notice that their child’s use of language is unusual, or their child’s play is also unusual, that concern sets in. Unlike autism, where the vast majority of children also experience some degree of mental retardation, children (and adults) with AS are rarely mentally retarded although many have low-average intelligence. Children with AS are sometimes described as â€Å"active, but odd† – not avoiding others the way autistic children often do, but relating in a more narrow way, usually centering activity around their own needs and peculiar interests. In fact, having one or more areas of narrow, encompassing interest is highly characteristic of those with AS. Parents often ask whether AS is the same thing as â€Å"high-functioning autism. Research studies have addressed this question, and the answer is â€Å"no† (Fombonne, Simmons, Ford, Meltzer & Goodman 2001). One main difference is that children with AS tend to have fairly comparable verbal and nonverbal levels of intelligence, while higher functioning (that is, less cognitively impaired) autistic children tend to have nonverbal IQs that are markedly higher than their verbal IQs. Another key feature of AS is the presence of intense, preoccupying interests that generally are unusual in nature and highly restricted and narrow in scope and breadth. An impressive store of factual knowledge is accrued on relatively esoteric topics; however, this knowledge is rarely utilized for functional, socially meaningful purposes. Rather, factual knowledge is pursued for its own intrinsic value to the AS individual. In addition, children and adults with AS tend to be physically awkward, uncoordinated, and poor in judging visual-spatial perspective (often failing to maintain comfortable interpersonal space during social interactions). With regard to neuropsychological functioning, verbal abilities are generally much better developed than are nonverbal abilities (e. . , perceptualmotor, visual-spatial). In a majority of cases impairments are present in executive functions, including working memory, organization, and cognitive-set flexibility. Although children with AS are thought to show no general cognitive delay, there is actually a great deal of variability in the specific abilities of individuals. In spite of mass media suggestions that individuals with AS grow up to be scientists or software engineers, we do not yet have data to support this connection. For most children, the PDDs last a lifetime. Although early intervention for many young children with autistic disorder, Aspereger’s disorder, and PDDNOS has produced major developmental changes, the technology has not yet reached the point where the majority of children make the degree of change that allows them to blend imperceptibly into their peer group. As a result, although most children with PDDs benefit in important ways from treatment, many still become adults with PDDs or some significant residuals of PDDs. There are no details of what causes PDDs. There appears to be a genetic contribution to at least some kinds of autistic disorder. For example, Fragile X syndrome is a chromosomal disorder than long has been linked to mental retardation and more recently has been shown to be related to autistic disorder. This disorder gets its name from a narrowing near the end of the long arm of the X chromosome that sometimes makes the tip fragile. Fragile X syndrome shows an X-linked (sex gene-linked) recessive pattern of inheritance. As a result, this disorder typically is transmitted to boys by their mothers. Fragile X syndrome accounts for a small but significant number of boys diagnosed with autistic disorder. General support for the notion that the symptoms of autistic disorder reflect underlying physiological dysfunction comes from research showing that autistic disorder occurs more often than would be predicted by chance among children whose mothers had German measles during pregnancy, that these children experienced a higher than expected rate of problems during pregnancy or birth, and that they are at greater risk for seizures than other children. Findings such as these raise important questions about where in the brain abnormalities may occur and how these neurochemical, biochemical, or neurological factors may be linked specifically to the development of the language, social, affective, and behavioral symptoms that characterize autistic disorder and the other PDDs. The process of accurate diagnosis and classification is an essential endeavor in medicine, because it is key to ensuring validity and reliability, enabling etiological research, and identifying effective methods of treatment. Although ASDs are not medical illnesses in the classical sense, they do result from neurodevelopmental abnormalities that affect social, communicative, and behavioral functioning in fundamental ways. The autism is not a unitary condition with a single etiology, pathogenesis, clinical presentation, and treatment approach; rather, it is a group of related conditions that share many clinical features and underlying social-communicative impairments. The fundamental purpose of arriving at an accurate diagnosis is to promote meaningful research that will eventually lead to effective treatment and an ultimate cure. Accurate diagnosis also enables investigators, clinicians, educators, and parents to communicate clearly, effectively, and efficiently. Ideally, a valid and reliable diagnosis should convey a great deal of information about developmental strengths and weaknesses, short- and long-term prognosis, and treatments that are most likely to be effective. Both basic and applied research endeavors are enhanced by improvements in diagnosis and classification. During recent years, efforts have been made to identify ASD as early in life as possible, in order to begin implementing educational and treatment interventions; providing families with education, support, and community resources; and reducing the stress and anxiety families experience as a result of incorrect or misleading diagnoses. The importance of an early diagnosis is supported by findings of improved linguistic, cognitive, and adaptive functioning as a result of intensive early intervention. Studies have begun to appear in the research literature assessing the reliability and stability of autism diagnoses made during the early preschool years. Experienced clinical investigators have demonstrated that an accurate diagnosis of autism can be made in the second and third years of life. However, accuracy depends on the completion of a comprehensive, interdisciplinary assessment, one that includes the use of standardized diagnostic instruments in conjunction with clinical expertise. Nonetheless, even among experienced clinicians and investigators, false positive and false negative diagnoses are sometimes made. Investigators have begun to examine clinical variables that may be predictive of treatment response and general prognosis. For example, Handleman & Harris (2001) found that preschool children with autism who exhibited low baseline levels of social avoidance experienced significantly more social and linguistic progress than did their high-avoidance counterparts following 6 months of intensive incidental teaching and pivotal response training (provided in an inclusive setting). A complementary strategy for assessing the validity of AS is to examine the pattern of associated symptomatology. In this regard, a recent study investigated emotional and behavioral disturbance (psychopathology) in 4 to 18-year-olds with HFA and AS. The Developmental Behavior Checklist (DBC), an informant-based instrument completed by parents and teachers, was used to assess psychopathology. The DBC contains the following six subscales: disruptive, self-absorbed, communication disturbance, anxiety, antisocial, and autistic relating. Children and adolescents with AS exhibited high levels of psychopathology, particularly disruptive behavior, anxiety, and problems with social relationships. The best documented approach to the treatment of people with PDDs is a form of behavior therapy called applied behavior analysis. Since the mid-1960s, when Ivar Lovaas and his colleagues demonstrated that children with autism responded to carefully planned applied behavior analytic techniques, there has been extensive research on the use of these methods to treat the PDDs, especially for autistic disorder, Asperger’s disorder, and PDDNOS (Durand 1990). Three decades of research have contributed to the development of a substantial array of specific behavioral treatment techniques and of documentation to support the efficacy of these methods in treatment of PDDs. This research also has demonstrated the essential role that parents can play in the treatment of their children by providing consistency of intervention between home and school, or even in some cases as the child’s primary therapist.

Mystic Monk Coffee Essay

Introduction Mystic Monk coffee company is a cloistered monastic environment where monks from the Carmelite monastery of Clark, Wyoming spend their daily manual labour hours roasting coffee (Thompson, 2012, pg. 420). The monks are a religious sect of the Catholic church and are fully dedicated to their religious and spiritual side, which requires most of their daily hours, be spent praying or contemplating in silence; this leaves little time to spend on coffee roasting productions, especially due to the small population of monks that are able to live at the Carmelite monastery. There were many restrictions that the Carmelite monks faced with their coffee productions such as having restricted roasting capacity, inadequate land and partial workers. Father Daniel Mary, the prior of the Carmelite order, had a vision of expanding the small monastery of 13 monks, by creating a new Mount Carmel in the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming. There is a nearby location called the Irma Lake Ranch that would include a large house, caretaker house, guesthouse, a gothic church, a convent for Carmelite nuns, a hunting cabin and a dairy and horse barn; this would allow the monks to expand their opportunities, as well as expand their Carmelite monk residents (Thompson, 2012, pg. 421). This vision is everything that Father Daniel Mary ever dreamed, the only thing prohibiting the change, is that the Irma Lake Ranch will cost the monks $8.9 Million. The Mystic Monk coffee company only earns money based on their coffee sales (11% of revenues) and donations from private donators; the Carmelite monastery received a $250,000 donation which they can use at their discretion (Thompson, 2012, pg. 420,423). The following report will take a look at the options that are available to the Carmelite monks and what would be the most strategic plan that should be enforced in order for the monastery to be successful. External and Internal Analysis S.W.O.T. Analysis Strengths * Fair trade/ Organic Arabica beans * Variety of coffee flavors * Accessories (t-shirts, cups, CD’s) * Online shopping is available * Tea has been added to selection * Free labour/ No wages paid * Affordable/ reasonable retail price * Membership â€Å"coffee club† * Favors catholic market (large)| Weaknesses * Limited roasting capability (540 lbs/day) * Limited production due to worship * Cant expand due to limited land * Coffee is not a necessity (trend?) * Caffeine is highly addictive (health) * Purchase beans instead of growing * No business expertise/ experience * No absolute competitive advantage * Poor earnings (11% of revenues)| Opportunities * Expand availability into grocery stores * Collaborations (Keureg, Tassimo) * Other purposes (weight loss, bio fuel) * Increase advertisements * Expand into international market * Start a franchise * Open coffee shops (Starbucks, Tim’s)| Threats * Poor coffee growing season * Natural disaster/ weather * Eco nomic Conditions (recession) * Established competition (Folgers, nabob) * Others’ personal religious beliefs * Dependant on donations/ revenues| (Mystic Monk, n.d., pg. 1) Alternatives The Mystic Monk coffee company has to look at their options before they are able to make a decision regarding the continuation of their business. The two options that are available to the Carmelite monks at this point in time are: 1) stay at the current location of Clark, Wyoming, and continue operations as they are and use some donation money to purchase another roaster to help increase production or 2) see if the owners of Irma Lake Ranch would â€Å"gift† them a portion of the ranch without monetary repayment, as a donation, and they would pay the owners as a lease to own the remaining balance of the land, until a breakeven point has been reached. Discussion of Alternatives The first option is to stay at their current location to continue operations as they are. The advantages of choosing this option are: 1) retaining their donations and revenues to improve their current monastery, 2) there is little to no risk involved. The disadvantages of choosing this option are: 1) there is little opportunity to expand the Mystic Monk Company, 2) they cannot easily increase their Carmelite population. The second option is to move to a nearby area, which would involve purchasing the Irma Lake Ranch. The advantages of choosing this option are: 1) the Mystic Monk Coffee can increase production easily, 2) there is a large opportunity to expand, 3) the new Carmelite monastery would allow its population to double. The disadvantages of choosing this option are: 1) there is a tremendously high level of risk involved, 2) the owners may not gift the monks any land. Recommendation After evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative, a decision has been concluded that the most practical and strategic option would be to receive a portion of the Irma Lake Ranch, as a â€Å"gift† without monetary repayment, then pay the land owners on a lease to own schedule with the increased earnings projected from the new Mount Carmel location. This is the most logical selection if they want to expand and improve their Mystic monk coffee brand, as well as their community; the Carmelites will have no opportunity to grow or expand if they choose to stay where they are and continue on as they have been, as well as soon they will not be able to keep the supply at an adequate level to cover the demand for their products. The Carmelite monastery would have more financial opportunities available with this purchase, such as milk production from the dairy cows, horse rides on the trails through the forest, increased population to help roast and package the coffee. Also, the monks would have sufficient land to be capable of growing and producing their coffee beans without the need of suppliers, which in turn will decrease the cost of goods sold and drastically increase the Mystic Monk’s net profit margin from the current 11% of the sales revenue. The risk on this investment is exceptionally high, but if it is successful, the reward and pay off could be far greater than projected. Action Plan A realistic action plan must now be devised, to ensure that the previous decision is executed correctly, otherwise the Carmelite monks and the Mystic Monk coffee company will not be successful. The monastery is incapable of affording the Irma Lake Ranch with the funds that they currently have, including the $250,000 donation. The Mystic Monk coffee company should confront the current owners of the Irma Lake Ranch and see if they would be willing to â€Å"gift† them a portion of the property without monetary repayment, which could be considered a donation; the remaining balance owing on the land could be contracted as a lease or rent to own situation, where a breakeven point would be reached in a reasonable time frame. Also, because the property has been â€Å"gifted† to the Carmelite monks, they would be eligible to receive a tax break, which would significantly affect their financial status. The new property would be able to offer the monastery an opportunity to expand their brand by introducing tourism, sustainability and other financial opportunities. If the Mystic Monk coffee company decided that they would be capable or growing their own beans on the new land, they would be able to drastically cut costs on the cost of goods sold and eliminate suppliers, which in turn will increase their marginal earnings from the sales revenue. All of these new opportunities are realistic and show that the increased earnings would rapidly and effortlessly be able to pay off the remaining balance owing to the original Irma Lake Ranch owners. Conclusion In conclusion, the Mystic Monk coffee company has been successful with its entrance into the coffee market, however demands are increasing and new opportunities are being presented to the Carmelite monastery. If they wish to grow and expand their business and community, they are going to need to take the risk which is to relocate to a more practical location, ideally the Irma Lake Ranch. Irma Lake Ranch offers many new prospects to the Carmelite monks, which they would not be exposed to if they stay at their current location. This property can allow them to be independent from suppliers and venture into new venture projects such as introducing horse trail rides and milk from the dairy cows. Although the monks are a non-for-profit group, the sales revenue will mostly be paid to the original property owners until the principal amount is depleted, the rest of the money from earnings and donations will be put towards building, growing and maintaining the new Mount Carmel Monastery. References Mystic Monk Coffee | Buy Coffee Beans Online | Online Coffee Store. (n.d.). Mystic Monk Coffee | Buy Coffee Beans Online | Online Coffee Store. Retrieved January 24, 2013, from http://www.mysticmonkcoffee.com/store/storefront.php Thompson, A. A., Peteraf, M. A., Gamble, J. E., & III, A. S. (2012). Case 1. Crafting and Executing Strategy (18th Edition ed., pp. 420-424). New York: McGraw-Hill/ Irwin.

Banana Peeling as an Alternative Shoe Polish Essay

ii.Abstract We all know that our country today is suffering from crisis. That was the reason why we want to launch this study, since shoe polish now a days is very needed and is costly, we want to produce a more cheaper and efficient shoe polish to use. This project determines the possibility of the variety of banana peelings as shoe polish cream. Then it was compared to the commercial shoe polish in terms of effectiveness using the acceptability test. And this test resulted that banana peelings had no significant difference to commercial shoe polish. We therefore conclude that banana peelings showed potential to be an alternative shoe polish. iii. Acknowledgement This investigatory project would never been realized without the financial support, effort and unselfish assistance of the people who willingly helped the researchers .In due recognition of all those who contributed to the success of this study, the researchers extend their deep gratitude and heartfelt appreciation to the following: First of all, our almighty God, the creator and savior who give life, good health, wisdom and guidance to finish this investigatory project. Ms. Roneth Edullantes, our subject teacher and Ms. Rhea Niere, who gives support and guidance to make this study successful. Lastly, to our parents for the financial assistance and guidance to the researchers to make this project successful. I. Title: Banana Peeling as an Alternative Shoe Polish II. Rationale: We all know that our country today is suffering from crisis. That was the reason why we want to launch this study, since shoe polish now a days is very needed and is costly, we want to produce a more cheaper and efficient shoe polish to use. Shoe polish is used to shine, to maintain the appearance and to sustain the quality of the shoes. Various substances have been used as shoe polish for hundreds of years, starting with natural substances such as wax and tallow. Modern polish formulate were introduced early in the 20th century and some products from that era are still in use today. Today, shoe polish is usually made from a mix of natural and synthetic materials, including naphtha, turpentine, dyes, and gum Arabic, using straightforward chemical engineering processes. Shoe polish can be toxic, and, if misused, can stain skin. Based on the information in the written articles, banana peels can be used to shine shoes so we researchers decided to come up with the study of making a shoe polish out of banana peelings. Banana is the common name for a fruit and also the herbaceous plants of the genus Musa which produce the commonly eaten fruit. They are cultivated primarily for their fruit, and to a lesser extent for the production of fibre and as ornamental plants. Statement of the Problem: The researchers would like to know if the peelings of the banana can be made as a shoe polish and have the same result as the synthetic shoe polish. Hypothesis: We will use the peelings of the banana as shoe polish since bananas contain a key ingredient found in commercial shoe polishes – potassium. Significance of the study: This study is significant because it is a great way to reduce waste and you can have polished shoes without damaging your health or the environment, leaving behind zero packaging waste. III. Review of Related Literature and Studies: Since medieval times, dubbin, a waxy product, was used to soften and waterproof leather; however, it did not impart shine. It was made from natural wax, oil, soda ash and tallow. As leather with a high natural veneer became popular in the eighteenth century, a high glossy finish became important, particularly on shoes and boots. In most cases, a variety of homemade polishes were used to provide this finish, often with lanolin or beeswax as a base. In the nineteenth century, many forms of shoe polish became available, yet were rarely referred to as shoe polish or boot polish. Instead, they were often called blacking (especially when mixed with lampblack), or simply continued to be referred to as dubbin. Tallow, an animal by-product, was used to manufacture a simple form of shoe polish at this time. Chicago, Illinois, where 82% of the meat consumed in the United States was processed in the stock yards, became a major shoe polish producing area for this reason. (Sajulan, 2008) Shoe polish can be toxic. In Los Angeles and most other places, shoe polish is disallowed in the regular trash. It must be disposed of as a hazardous material, because it often contains materials like naphtha and turpentine. V. Procedure For the shoe without the kiwi; this is what we will do: First, we will peel the banana. We will take the fruit out and eat it, but we must make sure we keep the skin. Secondly, using the inner lining of the banana skin, we will begin to rub it all over the shoe, just as we would if we were using polish. Lastly, buff it. Once we have wiped the banana skin over the shoe, we will buff it up with a soft cloth. As for the other pair with Kiwi; this is what we will do: First, we will brush the shoe good, cleaning it of any dust or dirt. With the rag wrapped tightly around the first two fingers, we will apply the polish in small, tight swirls. After applying it all over the shoe, wait for it to dry. When the shoe polish have already dried, buff it with a soft cloth. VI. Time Table We will make our project this Saturday since it’s a weekend and it’s the perfect time to do the project. The schedule in making the project is attainable since the task of making it is quite simple, so it won’t take up too much of our time. VII. Budget VIII. Proponents The people who proposed this project is Hannah Gabrielle Doncillo and Anne Mariae Dalocanog from Gr.8 Counsel

A Research Study of Teenage Pregnancy Through the Years

Pregnancy often occurs in young women between the ages of 13 and 19. In 1939, a case where a 5-year-old child, Lina Medina, was recorded as being the mother as the youngest child in history was recorded. The data gathered to support the above topics includes qualitative and quantitative information. A qualitative way is to understand phenomena, answer questions, and explore problems. These data are from neighboring countries and developing countries, including information from schools and hospitals. For decades, the idea of ​​teens pregnancy has influenced the policy. The study cited by Zachry (2005) found that teenage pregnancy records are called epidemic or uncontrollable by the media when the birthrate of the population was actually the lowest in decades . Zachary is a study conducted by Luker in 1996 and reveals that the relationship between teenage pregnancy, poverty education and poverty is a strong belief in the United States. Formulation of policy Factors that c ause teen pregnancy around Capricorn in Limpopo Province Teen pregnancy refers to pregnancy of women under 19 years of age. It is common among young people who are disadvantaged and young people with low expectations for education and employment markets. Since young people may be afraid to look for such information, they may lack knowledge to master traditional preventive methods. The aim of the research was to determine the factors that led to teenage pregnancy in the village of Capri province in Limpopo province. Teen pregnancies are defined as unwanted pregnancies during puberty. According to an American obstetrician and gynecologist, about 750,000 people are pregnant between the ages of 15 and 19, but many teenagers do not think they will get pregnant if they do sexual activity. During adolescence, adolescents often feel pressured to interact with friends and make friends with their colleagues. Often, these teenagers have allowed them to influence their decision to love their fr iends, even if they do not fully understand the behavior-related effects. Adolescent sexuality is a way to show calm and maturity, but in some cases, the final result is unexpected teenage pregnancy. The Caesar Family Foundation reports that more than 29% of pregnant adolescents feel pressured to have sex, and 33% of teenagers say that sex is not ready . To refuse

Detail the basic features of government in the American colonies. What Essay

Detail the basic features of government in the American colonies. What were the major similarities and differences between the government of the mother country and that of the colonies - Essay Example The legislature was elected by franchise much like the English system which lacked universal suffrage (Murrin 57-9). The colonies had a council that was comprised of twelve members who were appointed as the governor’s principal advisors. This system is similar to the England system of council of ministers all of whom served at the pleasure of the governor and prime minister respectively. Just like in England some of the councilors would be appointed to the council due to their office for instance justice and military heads. Like in England, appointment to the council took into consideration the various interest groups (Ubelohde 45-9). The council performed similar functions to the House of Lords in that its approval was necessary in order for laws originating from the legislature to become law. Unlike ion England however, most councilors were not remunerated since they were allowed to continue pursuing their primary professions. The legislative assembly usually referred to as an Assembly of Freemen was elected by free men who had property which was in most instances land. The setting of government policy issues such as taxation and budgeting was a function of the legislature just as was the case in England (Murrin 154-9). Membership into the legislative assembly was strictly for white men that had property. Since land was abundant and almost every white man had land, most white men had voting rights. Since the system of government was very similar to the English system, conflicts were just as common. There were many conflicts between the governor and his council and the Assembly of Freemen just like the incessant conflicts between the House of Lords and the Monarchy and the House of Commons in England. The governor just like the monarch had absolute power and authority and could not be impeached. The Assembly of the Freemen, just like the House of Commons with the Magna Carter, also appealed to inalienable