Federalism Questions

6AP US History Federalism Questions I. Answer the following questions as fully as possible. Use the Internet, The American Pageant, or other sources to find the answers. Also please list your sources for each question. 1. What were the major weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation? The Articles of Confederation were replaced by the Constitution at the Constitutional Conference in May 1787. Members of the Conference saw to replace the Articles because it was weak. The articles did not effectively unify the nation with a central government. No centralized government would lead to conflicts within and between states.Also Constitution had direct taxation, which would be a source of money for the government. There was no strong foreign policy either. 2. What were some of the key elements of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787? The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 was a very important law for the newly founded America. It gave all unclaimed land to the federal government. It allowed the governm ent to establish territories, which could become states after the area achieves a population of 60,000. Territories could also establish governments when their population of free white men was 5,000.The law also made waterways like the Mississippi and St. Lawrence rivers free for travel for United States Citizens. Religious freedom, habeas corpus and bans on cruel and unusual punishment were established. The northern Territories were also declared free of slavery. 3. Why was Shay’s Rebellion such a dangerous situation for the new USA? Shay’s Rebellion, an uprising of central and western Massachusetts farmers, started because the government did not pass laws that would forgive debt and print more money. The farmers needed this because the area was experiencing an economic crisis.Daniel Shays, a former member of the Continental Army led the cause. The cause was dangerous because so many people supported them. Citizens saw the rebels as the same as those who rebelled in t he Revolution. When the government squashed their movement, many people were discontented and other rebellions sprung up. 4. Why did the Constitution have a system of checks and balances? The Constitution had a system of checks and balances to keep the three branches in even power. If an unconstitutional law is being passed by congress the Judiciary Branch can stop it.The Judicial Branch can do the same for presidential acts. This would keep the power more evenly spread and allow more voices to be heard too. The checks could prevent dictatorial rule too. 5. Explain the 3/5 Compromise. How/why did this happen? The three-fifths Compromise was an agreement between the North and South met during the Philadelphia Convention of 1787. The law stated that three-fifths of the slave population would be counted for things such as how many House Representative a state would get and state tax distribution.The compromise was met because anti-slavery delegates wanted only free men to count, which would take power away from the South and pro-slavery delegates wanted every slave to count as a person. 6. Why did Alexander Hamilton welcome the Whiskey Rebellion? The Whiskey Rebellion was resilience against a tax on whiskey set forth by Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton established the tax to pay off the United States’ large debt. Small western farmers protested because the tax was more lenient on larger eastern distilleries.Soon, they rebelled and were quickly squashed by Washington’s newly formed administration. Hamilton welcomed the rebellion because he saw it as a test for the new government. The rebellion eventually also led to the formation of the Republican and Federalist Parties. 7. What was Alexander Hamilton’s view of the â€Å"masses† compared to Thomas Jefferson’s? 8. How did George Washington handle the issue of war between England and France? In 1792, after the French Revolution, the newly established French Republic went to war with al most all of Europe.Washington decided to remain neutral for the course of his term. This became hard because both countries begin seizing neutral trade ships and America was trying to maintain trade with both sides. 9. Why were the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions such a threat to the Federal Government? During John Adams’ Presidency, the Congress was almost all members of the Federalist Party. James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, who were trying to fight the Alien and Sedition Acts, could not influence Congress at all. They decided take their case to state legislatures and wrote resolutions to Kentucky and Virginia.The documents suggested that states had the power do declare laws unconstitutional, which was dangerous to the Federal Government. 10. Explain the XYZ affair. How did John Adams handle this event? The XYZ affair happened during John Adams’ service as president When Adams assumed his presidency, the French did not recognize him. Agents codenamed X, Y, and Z, demanded huge amounts of money for loans and bribery. Adams spoke to Congress and called for a navy which resulted in what is called the Quasi-War, an undeclared war that consisted of a few naval skirmishes in the Caribbean.The outcome of the war was that France would no longer attack U. S. trade vessels and United States neutrality. 11. How did the 2 party political system in American politics evolve? Sample AP questions. 12. â€Å"The Declaration of Independence issued a call for a democratic government of equal citizens that was rejected by the writers of the Constitution, who created an aristocratic government that benefited only the wealthy few. † Assess the validity of this statement. Issued on July 4, 1776 by the Constitutional Congress, the Declaration of Independence was a document that fervently called for equality for all citizens.On September 17, 1787, the Constitution was declared as the supreme law of the United States. The statement, â€Å"The Declaration of Independence issued a call for a democratic government of equal citizens that was rejected by the writers of the Constitution, who created an aristocratic government that benefited only the wealthy few,† is invalid because while the Constitution made for a more powerful federal government, officials were elected by the people, those officials’ terms were all terminal, and checks and balances were put into place.In the United States, all officials are elected by the citizen. Members of the government like the President, Congressmen, Representatives, Judges, Sheriffs, and City Officials are all decided by people in the community that they concern. Even though power is put onto a single person at some times, that individual was decided on by the people. While some officials like Supreme Court Judges and Cabinet Members are not decided by the people, they re decided by the President, who is elected by the people. The government officers who are elected by the masses, all se rve for finite terms. For example, Presidents serve four years until going up for re-election. At the time, there was no limit to how many terms a President can serve, but the people would decide that limit with their votes. Members of Congress, the House of Representatives and city officials all serve for various amounts of time before being put up to be re-elected.This means that new ideas and values can flow throughout the government and a dictatorial rule is impossible. The United States Government also has checks and balances to keep all three branches within equal power. The Legislative Branch has the power to impeach the President, approve federal Judges, and declare war, while the Executive Branch has the power to veto bills, appoint Supreme Court Judges, and the President is the Commander in Chief of the Military.The Judicial Branch can have Judicial review on both the Legislative and Executive Branches. These help evenly distribute the power more throughout government and keep one branch from taking too much control. With its election of officials by the people, finite serving terms for government officers, and checks and balances, the U. S. government established by the Constitution is far from an aristocracy.

Australian Aborigines and Their Complex Kinship Essay

Aborigines have a complex system in relation to their social and marriage laws, based on the grouping of people within their society. To understand the complexities of their social organization, consider it this way: divide it first into three main parts. The first part is the physical structuring of society in terms of numbers – family, horde and tribe. Second, the religious structuring based on beliefs and customs, totems and marriage laws. (Kinship, 2005) These beliefs divide people into sections and subsections, totemic groups and clans. Third, there is also a kinship system that gives a social structuring. The social structuring and kinship system can become very difficult to understand for non-Aboriginal people, but is a natural part of life for Aborigines, and its details vary from tribe to tribe. There are three main aspects of Aboriginal social structure. The first aspect is the geographical structuring of the society. A tribe of around 500 people is made up of bands of about ten to twenty people each. (Australian, 2012) They join together for day to day hunting and food gathering activities. Each band of people can be called a horde. Within each horde are a number of families. The second part is the religious and totemic structuring of the society. On a religious level the society in much of Australia is divided into two moieties. Within each moiety are significant animals, plants, or places, which are of a highly religious nature. Each person, as well as belonging to one or the other moiety, is also connected to one or more of these subjects, called totems. The third part of their social structuring is the relationships between people, otherwise the kinship system. The kinship system allows each person in Aboriginal society to be named in relation to one another. When Aborigines acknowledge an outsider into their group, they have to name that person in relation to themselves, to allow that person to fit into their society, because they need to have in their own minds the kinship relation of that person to themselves, and that person must have a defined social position. The value of a kinship system is that it structures people’s relationships, responsibilities and manners towards each other. This in turn defines such matters as, who they will have look after children if a parent dies, who can marry whom, who is accountable for another person’s debts and who will care for the sick, weak and old. The kinship system allows individual naming for up to 70 connection terms in some tribes. (Australian, 2012) It is the system where brothers of one’s father are also called, in one sense, father. Cousins may be called brother or sister. A person knows who their real mother and father are, but under kinship laws, they may have similar family obligations to their aunts and uncles, the same as they would to their mother and father, and this is shared. These groups are further described as tribes. In Australia, tribes are really language groups, made up of people sharing the same language, customs, and general laws. The people of a tribe share a common bond and in their own language, their word for man is often the word used for the name of the tribe. For example, in Arnhem Land, people are called Yolgnu because Yolgnu name for man. People from another tribe are outsiders, because a tribe is like a small country with its own language, some tribal groups also use the term nation to describe themselves, such as the Larrakeyah tribe around Darwin calling itself the Larrakeyah Nation. (Kinship, 2005) Tribes were generally not a war- making group and people generally use their moiety or clan name to describe themselves individually, rather than their tribal name. There were an estimated 500 Aboriginal tribes in Australia at the time of European settlement. Out of all of those tribes about 400 of them are still together. (Australian, 2012) Throughout Australia the moiety system divides all the members of a tribe into two groups. These two groups are based on a connection with certain animals, plants, or other pieces of their environment. (Kinship, 2005) When a person is born into one or the other group it does not change throughout their life. A person belonging to one moiety has to marry a person of the opposite moiety. This is called an exogamous system, meaning that marriage has to be external to the group. The clan is an important unit in Aboriginal society, having its own name, territory and is the land-owning unit. A clan is a group of about forty to fifty people with a common territory and totems and having their own group name. (Kinship, 2005) It consists of groups of extended families. Usually, men born into the clan remain in the clan territory. Not all members of a clan live on the clan territory. The sisters and daughters of one clan go to live on their husbands’ clan territory. A horde is an economic group that consists of a number of families who band together for hunting and food gathering activities. (Kinship, 2005) A horde is not a distinct group in the minds of Aborigines. Different members of these groups may be contained within the horde. At the main camp, the horde separates into family groups who each have their own camp fire and cook and eat separately. A family group can be quite large, consisting of a man and his wives, the children from each wife, and sometimes his parents or in-laws. A man often has from two to four wives, ranging from one to more than ten. Today, most men have just one wife. Aboriginal custom all over Australia bans a person from talking directly to their mother in law. This rule applies to both men and women talking to their mother in law. (Kinship, 2005) To allow this rule to work, communication took place by using a third person. When food was divided and shared around campfires, a mother in law had a small fire of her own separate to her son in law or daughter in law and their spouse. Her own daughter or son would chat and bring over some of the meat, or perhaps a grandchild would sit with her and act as messenger between herself and her daughter or son’s partner. This is completely different from my own society. A man having more than one wife is frowned upon, we do not need to name a person to welcome them into our lives and we can certainly speak with our mother in laws. Our society is not as strict as that of the Aboriginal when referring to our kinship. Our kinship does not affect behaviors in my own life. I do not need to hunt, garden or eat with other people. References â€Å"Australian Aborigine†. Encyclop? dia Britannica. Encyclop? dia Britannica Online. Encyclop? dia Britannica Inc. , 2012. Web. 11 Jun. 2012 . â€Å"Kinship and Skin Names†. Central Land Council. Central Land Council Inc. ,2005 http://www. clc. org. au/articles/info/aboriginal-kinship.

An Analysis of the Declaration of Independence

Analysis of the Declaration of Independence By understanding the time frame written in the Declaration of Independence, you can see its impact on the early American people and how they handle this famous sentence. In this article I will explain the basic idea included in the Declaration of Independence, the influence of the declaration on the American Revolutionary War, and the reason why the declaration is considered a radical document. These topics show the premise of the Declaration of Independence and are discussed and analyzed to explain why and how it was written. Analysis of the Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence was aimed at releasing colonists from King George's bondage. This document affects the cornerstone of the United States and is one of the most important documents in American history. The Declaration of Independence is the foundation of that country. But what Jefferson and other signers did not think about is this firmness and f irmness ... Do most of us want to know what inspiration for the Declaration of Independence is? Who did influence Thomas Jefferson, one of the great founders, or who created such an important document in American history. To truly understand what affects Thomas Jefferson, you must understand some of the people who motivated him when writing this document. Declaration of Independence - Declaration of Independence In May 1776, the Virginia Treaty of Williamsburg passed a resolution requiring that 13 United States colonies declare that the colonies are free and independent of the British royal family. At the 2nd Continental Congress, the resolution was passed and a committee of five people, led by Thomas Jefferson on 11th June 1776, was established to write the Declaration of Independence. - In his essay Evil and Almighty, Maggie built views that opposed the possibility of the existence of God with the characteristics of the main religion: Christianity, Islam and Judaism. These feature s are completely gentle that God is omnipotent, or evil, be able to stop the kindness of almighty, or want to destroy evil.

Based on recent events, discuss whether the stock markets are Essay - 1

Based on recent events, discuss whether the stock markets are efficient according to the EMH - Essay Example The investors will gain through selling their shares at a higher price than they bought them, thereby making a profit. In addition, they benefit from dividends realized by the company, though the value of dividend earned will depend on the number of shares that a person has. It’s not always that the investors benefit, they might experience losses when the share prices decrease. Shares are traded through share exchanges, which take the form of Over The Counter (OTC) or through listed exchanges.2 Efficient Market Hypothesis Companies, for a long time have been taking advantage of Efficient Market Hypothesis, which was developed in the early 1960’s by Professor Eugene Fama. This is a theory that shows how impossible it is for a person or a company to beat the market. It shows that when making selling or purchasing decisions, the value of available information is indispensable.3 It states the importance in three forms, the weak form, semi-strong form and the strong form. In the weak form, it’s said that the history of a company can be shown by the past prices. Some academicians however dispute this and say that the past outcomes of a company can never dictate the future. In the semi-strong form, the theory states that the prices not only show all past available information but can also predict and depict what the future will be like. In the strong form, it shows that prices can depict all information about a company, including the most private information, and will definitely affect the future. Investors can thus make their investment decisions depending on the information available.4 However, this theory does not stand to state that the information available is 100% certain about the future. It goes on to show that companies cannot overprice their shares or buy undervalued shares in an attempt to beat the market. New and available information is accessed by all and, people will therefore take any available chance and opportunity.4 However, rec ent happenings and events in the stock markets shows how efficient or not, the markets use the Efficient Market Hypothesis. There are cases of world’s most known investors withdrawing and selling their shares at an alarming rate. The case of Warren Buffet is a good example. He has been known to invest millions into shares in American companies, even where others were afraid of investing, and has reaped huge benefits from the investment.5 Recently, however, Buffet sold over 19 million shares he had in Johnson and Johnson, and more in Krafter foods. Others like John Paulson have also followed suit. Canada’s greatest technology firm, Research In Motion has not been spared either5. From 2009, its value has been dwindling at a rate that is hard to avoid. In the USA, it has experienced a 12% drop, all the way from 44% in 2007. In the Toronto Stock Exchange, it has experienced a 75% drop. 6 Its investors in the stock market are no longer interested in purchasing any more shar es. To them, it is not a risk worth taking. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has seen many of these changes. Companies are experiencing changes that they had not anticipated, which results to investors pulling out and selling their shares. These stock markets have not been able to steer away or take advantage of economic anomalies.7 The stock markets have been effective in utilizing the EMH. The investors had already had past information on what was to happen.

Problem Prevention Plan Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Problem Prevention Plan - Coursework Example Therefore, I have decided to include such rules for the classroom that will help me improve the behaviors of the children. Punctuality is the first rule, which I have developed for the children. In creating this rule, I consulted my senior teachers because they have much experience regarding students’ issues. I wanted to create this rule because when the students come late, they cannot pick the lessons efficiently creating problems for themselves. Therefore, in order to make them learn effectively, I have ordered them to come to the classroom within time. Next rule for the students is to learn their lessons within time. I took the students in confidence and educated them the importance of revision before implementing this rule. â€Å"Teachers who involve their children in the rule making process contend that students are more likely to follow them† (Davies, n.d.). When the students do not revise their lessons on the day they are delivered, it puts burden on them when the exams come. Therefore, in order to make students learn and revise their lessons daily and to reduce the course overload in exams, I implemented the rule to learn the lessons within time. Another rule for the students is to work in groups for some specific tasks. I discussed this rule with my senior teachers in order to get their viewpoints. Almost all teachers appreciated my decision. Group work not only promotes harmony among the students but also creates a task-oriented learning environment in the classroom. Therefore, in order to promote interactions among the students, I implemented the rule of group work for the students for some specific tasks. Another rule is to ensure discipline in the classroom. I implemented this rule after consulting my senior teachers and the principal. Weak discipline codes not only create problems for the whole classroom but also affect the behavioral development of the students.

Classification of Groups in Glee (Pilot) Assignment

Classification of Groups in Glee (Pilot) - Assignment Example For example, Phin’s mother is single but has a boyfriend who is friendly with her son and encourages him into realizing his potential. However, he separates from Phin’s mother leaving Phin to take of his mother alone. Eventually, he is forced to sell drugs in order to sustain his mother. In this group include teachers, trainers, and guitarists. One of the most notable characters in this category is Mr. Shu also known as Will. Through his determination and his belief in the school student’s he develops a choir and also helps some in unlocking their potential. For example, he helps Phin in realizing who he is and in embracing his singing abilities. He also helps in bringing together the choir as one and also makes them believe in themselves. Another notable adult is the principal whose command on other teachers is spectacular. Through his leadership, he is able to command everyone under him. He is also able to maintain law and order in the school. This group is made up of various students with the major ones being the singers and the dancers. The students are quite young and their interests are way different from the adult’s interests. However, one of the most notable aspects of this group is their talent either in basketball or in the choir. Some of them like Phin has dual talents meaning that they can sing as well as manage in other areas since Phil is also an important player. The only thing missing in this group is their love for education since they claim that they won’t make it past high school. However, from their enthusiasm, it is clear that most of these students are headed for bigger things than what they can see.  

International Human Resource Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

International Human Resource - Essay Example However, the nature of their work and the type of organization they work for will determine how these common environmental factors are perceived - whether they are seen as positive or negative, threats or opportunities Over the last two decades there has been a profound shift in thinking about the role that people play in the success of the business, with a growing view that the management of people is a key organizational capability and one, which should be highly integrated with the strategic aims of the business. A cornerstone of this notion of International human resource management is the creation of linkage or integration between the overall strategic aims of the business and the human resource strategy and implementation Managers should keep informed about important factors and developments in both their external and internal environments. They can do this by constantly 'scanning' their environment, which is, by establishing and maintaining a network of contacts, maintaining good communication channels, keeping up-to-date in their field and monitoring important issues and activities. It is not necessary to be an expert on modern day business to know that there are few organizations entirely limited by national boundaries. The smallest independent entrepreneur in the UK will have office equipment made in Japan or the USA. At the level of large trading organizations, many of these companies operate across the globe or are the competition with the companies operating in that way. It is indeed impossible for most employing organizations to act as if their world was bounded by the national border of the country that is their home base. Across the world there is increasing extension of trading blocks, increasing development of internationally operating multinational corporations (MNC's), and increasing internationalization of business. International marketing is the performance of business activities designed to plan, price promote and direct the flow of the company's goods and services to consumers or users in more than one for a profit. (Cateora & Graham 10) A key factor in the increasing internationalism of employment is that there are cultural differences between nations. There are differences in national attitudes and value systems. International human resource strategies It is argued that all international organizations will have to develop international HRM policies and practices. This will manifestly not be easy. On the other hand, it will be crucial to the success of the international business. Schuler et al (1993:721) define the field as covering Human resource management issues, functions and policies and practices that result from the strategic activities of multinational enterprises and the impact on the international concerns and the impact on the international concerns and goals of those enterprises. Most international business employ both locals and expatriates; most have overall strategies and try to be culturally aware in each country; they aim to be successful in each location, and successful overall. If they are to achieve this they will need to have clearly thought out, well integrated human resource strategies that are part of , and contribute to , their overall international

Link Between Language Acquisition and Learning Disabilities Essay

Link Between Language Acquisition and Learning Disabilities - Essay Example Behavioral as well as public elements as well need mastery, together with expertise such as connecting, acting in response, and sustaining mutual relations with others. The nature and value of these communication abilities show a discrepancy and modify in due course for successful communicators. From the age of 1 year till 3 years, there is a broad deviation in the level of standard speech and language improvement. Even though the series of signs is expected, the precise timing of their attainment may differ from person to person. Receptive language expertise usually grows earlier than a kid’s capability to create logical expressions, words, and sentences. For a number of kids, the improvement of language skills continues in a standard order although at a sluggish rate than standard. This situation is known as a delay in language acquisition. On the contrary, other kids seem to pursue a different order of language acquisition, which is known as a â€Å"disorder of development † (Shipley & McAfee, 2008). Disorders of language acquisition may have an effect on communicative capabilities only or both communicative as well as receptive capabilities. For kids who have â€Å"normally developed nonverbal cognitive abilities† (Shipley & McAfee, 2008), language issues that are harsh and asserted during the nonexistence of apparent neurologic offense or hearing injury are known as specific language impairments. The occurrence of specific language impairments varies, but a rate of more or less 9 percent of school going kids is mentioned usually. Specific language impairment is more common in males as compared to females, with ratios between 3.7:1 and 5.7:1. The more conventional approximation probably applies to the common population. The point at which a pediatrician become worried regarding a kid’s language development and feels the necessity to as for additional assessment is not an insignificant issue when considering the occurrence of the t rouble as well as the â€Å"developmental sequelae† (Grassi & Barker, 2009) of language disorders. More or less, one third to half of kids having acute language acquisition problems at the age of 2 years carry on to have delays at the age of 3 years. In addition, 65 percent to 95 percent of preschoolers who have language setback and regular nonverbal aptitude keep on showing language troubles up to the age of 20 years after the preliminary analysis. Even though â€Å"average or above-average nonverbal cognitive ability is a good prognostic indicator among children who have specific language impairments† (Lipson & Wixson, 2010), this results on its own does not guarantee ultimate improvement of standard language acquisition. Besides, constant language problems, kids who have specific language impairments are affected in educational, communal, and psychosomatic areas. The sort of language setback seems to be linked with result. Kids who have talking and phonology problem s usually have an enhanced diagnosis as compared to those who have wider impairments of both creation as well as understanding of language. Even though view on the way of dealing with language and speech problems in young kids differs significantly, there are common guiding principles. Kids between the age bracket of one and a half and two years, whose language understanding as well as expression is delayed should be sent for and

Tourism Policy and Planning (answer 10 questions about York and Essay

Tourism Policy and Planning (answer 10 questions about York and sevilla) - Essay Example This is one the challenges that also faces the two cities in terms of tourist destination. Seville city has to make sure that tourism is managed and developed in such a manner that it is able to benefit the resident population, but is should not be involved in the urban environment deterioration but rather to its promotion. It should as well not supposed to become a financial burden to the local authority. York faces several challenges. The city is seen to be having a high poverty rate and this might have a great impact on tourism sector. 2) The tourist activity in both cities with no doubt is seen to be one of the fundamental pillars of cultural, social and economic progress of the city. There is forceful reality that has a broad effect on any of the civil life fields. For Seville, its advantage stems right from not only the artistic heritage and plentiful monumental of the city, but it is also seen in the other aspects which make up the tourist product (catering, recreation areas, housing, infrastructures and trade). While on the other hand, the competitiveness of York is in the international and domestic market that is based on the name which is known universally. Both cities have been recognized for several centuries by their singular character of heritage and celebrations that is seen to mark an authentic reference to several other cities that they tend to accede to privilege positions as the one that both cities enjoy. Over the past decade, on such a solid base, a tourist product structure that is of high quality and very effective in the housings, in the services, and in the tourist offer variety has been put up. But besides all these, tourism is seen to be a transcendental incident factor that is intangible and as crucial as the exterior projection, the city image, and, as a result, the world system position of the big cities. 3) For any city that has a mission of being at a better position in tourism sector, it is required to adopt a few accessibility levels basing on the demand needs. In this context, the cities, being among the big European cities, whereby their urban dimension do coexists with rural comforts, are currently among the best connected cities in Europe. For instance, Seville city which is characterized by efficient and very varied accessibility, it has not only turned into a touristic destination point but also into the Andalusia best port, because it is among the few Spanish cities that is efficiently communicated by air , sea, railroad and land. The roads of York city, is characterized by a network of regional scope highways and a renewed system of accesses to the city, that consists of rapid bypasses, that accurately connects all the neuralgic points of the surroundings and the city. But besides accessibility, the two cities have continued with investing in transport to incorporate a real tourism sustainable mobility policy in the cities based on the promotion of public transport and non-motorized transport (bic ycle and pedestrian). With the aim of reducing the private vehicles use, the surrounding traffic reduction and the network development of

An evaluation of the importance of communication for Inter Essay

An evaluation of the importance of communication for Inter professional practice for social workers. Specifically looking at Perth & Kinross Council (Scotland) - Essay Example One primary goal of the social worker is to close the opportunity gap between the rich and the poor by way of aiding individuals and families to have more control over their lives, and through the development of hope for the future. To be effective the inter-professional working context of social workers needs to communicate effectively and efficiently. For only by achieving a streamlined team-focused work environment can it be hoped that independence and resilience amongst the rest of the population will be promoted (Perth & Kinross Council, 2006). Without optimal communication structures between social workers, and their contemporaries in other disciplines, can a "person-focused" approach be truly implemented and an integrated social care system achieved. This dissertation aims to explore the perceptions of the importance of inter-professional communication among social workers in the Perth & Perth & Kinross Council (Scotland) district. Firstly, a review of literature supporting effective communication in the social care system will be presented. Secondly, the rational for this dissertation and the research question will be delivered. Next, the methodology for data collection and analysis to answer the resear ch question will be outlined. Finally, ethical considerations for this study will be detailed. A conclusion shall summarise the main points of the paper and demonstrate the importance of inter-professional communication for social workers. To achieve the goal of the comprehensive and effective use of the entire social service workforce, and to build capacity, develop confidence and trust at all levels of the social care system, it is necessary that dramatic shifts in the balance of power and control take place (Perth & Kinross Council Council, 2006). It is clear that inter-professional communication plays a significant role in the breaking down power imbalances and at establishing

Love at First Sight, Is There Such a Thing Essay Example for Free

Love at First Sight, Is There Such a Thing Essay What is common among the Hunger Games, Romeo and Juliet, Pokemon, 500 Days of Summer and The Vampire Diaries? They all have the trope of â€Å"love at first sight†Ã¢â‚¬â€Peeta instantly fell in love with Katniss when he heard her sing on the first day of school; Romeo fell in love with Juliet the first time he saw her; Brock fell in love with every pretty girl he saw; Tom fell in love with Summer at first sight in the office; and Stefan also had love at first sight with Elena. Love at first sight is the most widely used trope in literature and film. It is so common that most people mistake it as a reality. Why do I think that love at first sight is fictional? â€Å"Love is to be delighted by the happiness of another,† said Gottfried Leibniz. If what he said is true, then love at first sight is not really love. You can’t know the happiness of a person in an instant; you’ll have to be psychic to do that. To discover an individual’s happiness, one has to get to know him/her more. This can be achieved by spending time with that person—listening and understanding him/her. Another reason why love at first sight is fictional is infatuation. Love at first sight is just infatuation. Infatuation is not love because it is mere attraction and admiration while love is committing oneself to another because he/she cares for the other. Therefore, love at first sight is not love. Although it is not love, infatuation is inevitable when it comes to love relationships, because it gives you the courage to get to know someone, confess your feelings and move on to the â€Å"next level. † Even so, it does not guarantee love. It just gives it a â€Å"push. † There may be instances when people get infatuated with each other at first sight, then end up falling in love. This situation, according to them, is love at first sight. I think not. I think these instances are what you call infatuation that progressed into love. And these encounters don’t happen often. They are very rare. There is a bigger chance of you being infatuated, but as you get to know that person, you realize that he/she is not who you thought he/she was. We get infatuated all the time—when we see super good looking celebrities, appetizing foods, and such—but love, it only happens once, and it doesn’t happen in a blink of an eye, it develops. In the end, I think that love at first sight is not truly love, but infatuation. I find it so because, again, you can’t know someone’s happiness just by the mere sight of him. So, you can’t be delighted by his happiness. Although I believe that there is an innate romanticism attached to the thought of meeting someone, and having them hit enough emotional triggers immediately at first sight, I don’t think that it is love. It is infatuation—the first step towards love which can grow into a more mature love.

Crito Analysis Essay Example for Free

Crito Analysis Essay Rhetorical Question: â€Å"But my dear Crito, why should we pay so much attention to what ‘most people’ think? The reasonable people, who have more claim to be considered, will believe that the facts are exactly as they are† (906). Personification: â€Å"’Consider then, Socrates,’ the Laws would probably continue, ‘whether it is also true for us to say that what you are trying to do to us is not right†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬  (913). Plato’s â€Å"Crito† is one of the many tremendously influential pieces of literature produced in ancient Greece. It is a thought-provoking, philosophical discussion regarding the role of the individual within society, and how to treat injustice. As part of a series of imaginary dialogues between Socrates and other characters, â€Å"Crito† deals with the conflict Socrates is presented with, as he awaits execution. Crito, one of Socrates’ close friends, urges Socrates to escape prison while he still can. Crito offers several arguments to justify his escape, including the shame he would endure from the public for letting his friend die, and the poor example it would set for the children of Athens. However, Socrates carefully analyzes each of Crito’s arguments for escaping, and proves them invalid through logic and deductive reasoning. The passage, â€Å"But my dear Crito, why should we pay so much attention to what ‘most people’ think? The reasonable people, who have more claim to be considered, will believe that the facts are exactly as they are† (906), d emonstrates the method that Socrates uses to persuade. Socrates asks a rhetorical question to expose the silliness of the Crito’s worries. It represents the wisdom and morals of Socrates. Crito’s strongest argument is that Socrates would be promoting injustice by accepting his unfair sentence. However, Socrates disproves this point as well, by reasoning that he would be harming the Law by escaping death. Socrates, who has tried to live his life as justly and peacefully as possible, would be breaking every moral he ever lived by if he chose to turn against the law. He regards the Law higher than his own life. He sees the Law as a father to him; it has raised him, educated him, and allowed him to live a comfortable life. No matter how much he disagrees with its ways, he cannot bring himself to disobey it. Throughout Socrates’ discussions, he often has conversations with himself and the â€Å"Law†. Plato personifies the â€Å"Law† by giving it human-like qualities and speech; it is suggested that the Law can be hurt, and angry. He does this to distinguish it as a character that has feelings. For example, â€Å"’†¦you will leave this place, when you do, as the victim of a wrong done not by us, the Laws, but by your fellow men. But if you leave in that dishonorable way, returning wrong from wrong, and evil for evil, breaking your agreements with us, and injuring those whom you least ought to injure yourself, your country, and us ,- then you will face our anger†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (916), demonstrates the authority of the Law. Socrates suggests it is better to die a victim who has lived justly and killed unjustly, than to return the injustice and hurt the Laws. He states, â€Å"†¦it is never right to do a wrong or return a wrong or defend one’s sel f against injury by retaliation† (911), which exemplifies the belief that injustice cannot be treated with injustice. Socrates mentions an agreement being broken in this passage; this alludes to the belief that there is a social contract between the individual and government. Socrates reasons that when a citizen lives in Athens, he is indirectly supporting the laws and abiding them. The individual has a moral obligation to the government. While it is beneficial to challenge the government under some circumstances, one threatens the foundation of a stable society by breaking its laws. Socrates, who has lived 70 years of Athenian life, is content by living in accordance with this contract. He feels a state simply cannot exist if laws have no power. He firmly believes in the importance of strict laws, as he calls them the most precious achievement of human history. Besides, he reasons that a man of his age, with little life left to live, would lose his reputation by â€Å"clingi ng so greedily to life, at the price of violating the most stringent laws† (915). For all these reasons, â€Å"Crito† remains an influential piece that poses big questions and promotes critical thinking.

Cross-cultural differences on language learners

Cross-cultural differences on language learners Introduction In this article the authors tried to measure the impact of cross-cultural differences on language learners interpretation of imageable idioms. The definition of imageable idioms: ‘idioms that have associated conventional images (Lakoff 1987:447). The study reported in this article investigated whether these imageable idioms call up the same scene in the language learners mind as in the native speakers mind. Guessing the meaning of the figurative expressions such as Pass the hat around or Hang on someones sleeve appears not to be beyond the capacities of many language learners, even at lower-intermediate levels of proficiency. The authors hypothesize that idioms relating to a metaphoric theme (conceptual metaphors or source domains) that is more salient in the target culture will tend to be less easily ‘guessable to language learners that those relating to a metaphoric theme that is more or equally salient in the L1 culture. In the experiment 78 French-speaking university students were presented with the range of unfamiliar English imageable idioms and asked to ‘guess their meaning. Despite the absence of any contextual clues, about 35% of the participants responses overall were correct. The authors consider these data to offer (tentative) support to the hypothesis. Taking into account the conjectural results of the experiment I think the research should be more elaborated and improved to achieve cogent and convincing outcome of the project. Awareness of idioms extremely facilitates reading both printed media and fiction. Reasonable application of idioms makes speech more vivid, emotional, and significant. Behind these locutions there is a whole world, historical epoch, the mode of life, beliefs of the ancestors, and real events of the remote past. I chose this topic because I have always been interested in the idioms and phraseology as they reflect the culture and history of the language itself. It is a language through which we can connect to the mentality and lifestyle of the people of the target language, moreover, nature of thinking, universe, and perception of the world can be transferred. To know a language means to be able to feel value and depth of the culture and nation of the native speakers. SLA background to the article The problem of native language interference while learning a second language is one of the central issues of linguistics, psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics and SLA. During the process of learning a foreign language a learner can arbitrarily use earlier acquired languages as support, comparing and contrasting the phonetic, lexical, grammatical aspects of the mother and target language. In psychology interference is defined as transfer of skills, presenting as complex human psyche phenomenon, a process which allows a man to use in his acquired intellect and motoric activity upon absolutely new or relatively new circumstances. Psychologists established that formation of a separate skill is never independent; isolated process, it is influenced by and collaborated with the whole previous experience of a man. In other words, interference is interaction of skills where earlier acquired skills impact on establishment of new ones (Vereschyagin, 1976, 131). Basing on the stated above it is clear that during the process of second language acquisition the transfer of skills is founded on the usage of the past linguistic experience which is acquired command of a native language. Thus, communication skills formed at early childhood in certain way influence on second language acquisition. Communication skills transfer from the native language to a foreign language is spontaneous, unconscious process, hidden from direct observation and taking place independently from a speakers will or wish. From linguistic point of view the term ‘interference is used according to study an issue of languages contacting for notifying modifications which is observed in the learners speech as result of different language systems interaction. However, among linguists there is no total unanimity regarding language interference. However, today most linguists are convinced that the mother tongue can affect foreign-language learners. Linguists call this process of influence from the mother tongue transfer, which is also known as cross-linguistic influence. This process can occur in all aspects of language including the vocabulary, grammar and spelling. When transfer results in something correct because the rules of the first and the second language overlap, this is referred to as positive transfer. By contrast, when transfer results in something incorrect this is referred to as negative transfer, also known as interference (Dulay et al 1982:101). In this background section I will offer a more detailed discussion of the terms mentioned and present different researchers views concerning native language interference. I will also show how linguistic studies of interference have developed over time. Contrastive Analysis During the 1940s and 1950s most errors were ascribed to interference and consequently a major part of applied linguistic research was devoted to comparing the mother tongue and the target language in order to predict or explain the errors made by learners with particular linguistic backgrounds (Corder 1981:1). This approach was the first to elucidate the problems of interference and was referred to as contrastive analysis. Contrastive analysis influenced the field of applied linguistics and second language learning for over two decades. But eventually, many linguists abandoned contrastive analysis and adopted a more positive view of the role of the first language in second language acquisition (Dulay et al 1982:97). Yet, it is still important to understand this approach because it shaped so much early linguistic research and therefore underlies much current second language teaching methodology and material (Dulay et al 1982:97). Contrastive analysis assumed that a learners first language interferes with his or her acquisition of a second language, and that it therefore constitutes the major obstacle to successful mastery of the new language (Dulay et al 1982:97). Lightbown Spada give a similar explanation: Contrastive analysis hypothesis predicts that where there are similarities between the first and the second languages, the learner will acquire second language structures with ease; where there are differences, the learner will have difficulty (Lightbown Spada 1997:23). Comparing the mother tongue and the target language was considered useful for teachers, who could predict learner errors beforehand, and thus prevent them (Heny 1994:162). However, contrastive analysis was also criticised by those who considered it impossible to predict when the errors would be made. Furthermore, the errors which learners commonly made in class were not necessarily the ones predicted by contrastive analysis. There were errors that could not be explained simply by noting the differences between the languages involved, and sometimes the errors that a contrastive analysis did predict were not found in practice (Allwright Bailey 1991:83). Contrastive analysis was considered misleading as a basis for teaching, since it encouraged the idea that first language influence was the only thing that caused learners errors (Heny 1994:165). Further questioning of the relevance of contrastive analysis was the result of the classification of learners errors in studies that became known as error analyses (Odlin 1989:18). These kinds of studies were developed during the 1970s and involved a detailed description and analysis of the kinds of errors second language learners make. The goal of this research was to discover what learners really know about the language (Lightbown Spada 1997:55). The difference between these two methods was that error analysis did not set out to predict errors on the basis of interference from the native language. Rather, it sought to discover and describe the different kinds of errors in an effort to understand how learners acquire the foreign language. One of the main challenges for error analysts was to decide what category to assign a particular error to. For example, omitting an article in English may possibly be a case of simplification (see section 2.3) with a Spanish speaker but a case of transfer with a Korean speaker (Odlin 1989:19). Lightbown Spada (1997:55) also point out that error analysis was based on the theory that the speech of second language learners is a system in its own right, one which is rule governed and predictable and very much like the system of young first language learners. Transfer The concept of transfer is based on the idea that previous learning influences on subsequent learning. In language learning, this denotes that the patterns and forms of the native language are imposed on the second language (Gass, 1979). When these are identical of the two languages and the learner uses the first language in producing the second, positive transfer takes place. The result is a correct target language pattern or form. When they are different, using those of the mother tongue to produce the equivalent form or pattern in the target language causes negative transfer. The errors that result are called interference errors. During the 1950s and 1960s, interlingual transfer was considered to be the most significant factor in learning foreign language (Politzer, 1965). However, the paradigm shift that occurred in linguistics and psychology in the 1960s established a change of focus. The emergence of generative grammar and cognitive psychology created the new discipline of psycholinguistics. Language acquisition was no longer considered as a process of forming correct habits through repetition and reinforcement, but as the result of an innate language acquisition device which operates through a process of hypothesis testing (Chomsky, 1959). Due to transfer had been associated with the habit formation theory of language acquisition, the shift to generative grammar brought with it much less stress on interference and more stress on developmental processes, learning strategies, and the structure of the target language as sources of error (Richards, 1974). Second language acquisition came to be considered as a â€Å"creative construction† process rather than the transfer of habits from the native language to the target (Dulay Burt, 1975). Kellerman (1983) addressed the relationship between L1 knowledge and interpretation of the figurative use of the L2. His studies showed that the L1 plays a role in L2 idiom processing even though L2 learners are less likely to transfer L1 knowledge when they perceive the meaning as figurative. There is a large number of terms used in discussions of the influence of the native language on a second language. One of these terms is transfer, which is also known as cross-linguistic influence. Some researchers virtually denied the existence of language transfer and others have been sceptical about its importance. Yet there are also researchers who have argued for the importance of transfer and have gone so far as to consider it the paramount fact of second language acquisition (Odlin 1989:3). However, a more balanced perspective has emerged by now, in which the role of transfer is acknowledged and in which transfer is seen to interact with a host of other factors not yet fully understood (Odlin 1989:9). A definition of the term transfer is given by Gass Selinker (2001:66): â€Å"It is a term that was used extensively in the first half of the century and refers to the psychological process whereby prior knowledge is carried over into a new learning situation.† Odlin (1989:27) offers another definition of transfer for the context of applied linguistics: â€Å"Transfer is the influence resulting from similarities and differences between the target language and any other language that has been previously (and perhaps imperfectly) acquired.† However, Odlin (1989:28) also says that it is difficult to give a precise and correct definition of transfer as long as there is no existing adequate definition of language. While there are many definitions of transfer, the concept can be divided into positive and negative transfer. Both types of transfer refer to the automatic and subconscious use of old behaviour in new learning situations (Dulay et al 1982:101). Positive transfer results in correct performance because the new behaviour is the same, and as appropriate as, the old (Dulay et al 1982:101). According to Odlin (1989:36), the effects of positive transfer are only determinable through comparison of the success of groups with different native languages. Such comparison often shows that cross-linguistic similarities can produce positive transfer in several ways. Similarities between native language and target language vocabulary can reduce the time needed to develop good reading comprehension. Similarities between vowel systems can make the identification of vowel sounds easier. Similarities between writing systems can give learners a head start in reading and writing the target language. And s imilarities in syntactic structures can facilitate the acquisition of grammar. Learners speaking a language with a syntax similar to that of the target language tend to have less difficulty with, for example, articles, word order, and relative clauses (Odlin 1989:36). In contrast, negative transfer refers to those instances of transfer which result in errors because old, habitual behaviour is different from that to be learned (Dulay et al 1982:101). Negative transfer involves divergences from norms in the target language and it is often relatively easy to identify. Although negative transfer tends to be associated with production errors, there are other ways in which an individuals second language performance may differ from the behaviour of native speakers. Some examples of these are underproduction, overproduction and misinterpretation (Odlin 1989:37). The native language can influence the interpretation of target language messages, and sometimes that influence leads to learners inferring something very different from what speakers of the target language would infer. Misinterpretation may occur, for example, when native and target language word-order patterns or cultural assumptions differ (Odlin 1989:37). Gass Selinker (2001:68) consider the terms positive and negative transfer debatable. The question is whether transfer can be positive or negative at all: â€Å"The terms refer to the product, although the use implies a process. There is a process of transfer; there is not a negative or positive transfer.† Both Dulay et al (1982:101) and Heny (1994:164) are instead questioning how one can know exactly what is being transferred. Is it principles, word-patterns or sound? However, while it appears to be difficult to determine exactly what is being transferred, most linguists do agree that the mother tongue can affect learners English in several ways (Swan Smith 2001:11). Interlanguage The term interlanguage,introduced by Larry Selinker (1972), was coined in the belief that the language learners language was a sort of hybrid between his or her first language and the target language. The evidence of this was the large number of errors which could be ascribed to the process of transfer. But when second language acquisition researchers began to collect data from learners not receiving formal instruction, particularly children, the production of transfer errors was generally found to be quite small. Clearly interlanguage was not simply a hybrid language but had a developmental history of its own (Corder 1981:2). Some of the structures produced by the learners are to be found neither in their first language nor in the language they are learning, i.e. no native speaker of either language ever produces them (Malmkjà ¦r 2004:83). Lightbown Spada (1997:122) explain that interlanguage is systematic, but also dynamic and continually evolving as learners receive more input a nd revise their hypotheses about the second language. Culture and language Interconnection of languages and cultures, the necessity of their co-learning makes no doubts. Learning foreign languages as means of communication between representatives of different people and cultures must be inseparable with the world and culture of people, speaking these languages. In his sociocultural cognitive theory of development Leo Vygotsky, a great Russian psychologist, put culture and social factors into the central chain. The driving force of development, according to him, is external factors. It differs from most other social approaches in considering interaction as an essential power rather than as just a helpful condition for learning. In the foundation of his theory there three principles: the importance of culture, pivotal role of a language and interaction of a learner with an environment. The critique Thus, the authors of the reviewing article, Boers and Demecheleer, tried to gauge the impact of cross-cultural and cross-linguistic differences on language learners interpretation of imageable idioms, concluding with a set of guidelines to anticipate and remedy the comprehension problems of figurative expressions. First, the authors presented only brief classification of idioms regarding the determination the degree of semantic transparency of an idiom, different factors can influence, such as whether the idioms are non-decomposable, or reflect a common metaphoric theme, or are closely associated with a given metaphoric theme; there are idioms with a clear etymological origin as well as culture-specific grounding. Besides, idioms have certain specific features, such as: idioms are used as a one meaning unit in discourse; having holistic meaning, idioms are not created all over again in the discourse, but are retained and retrieved from the memory as ready word combinations; idioms have permanent content of their components. Moreover, idioms can be classified according to whether they contain a noun phrase denoting a person, subject or phenomenon: better half, chip of the old block, copy cat; or a verbal phrase, designating an action or a process: to keep the fall rolling, to catch someones eye, to hit the ceiling; attributive phrases, denoting features, qualities of a person or object: all thumbs, blue blood, proud as a peacock, armed to the teeth; adverbial phrases, specifying characteristics of an action or process: with flying colours, till Kingdom come, till the cows come home; modal phrases, denoting various attitude of a speaker towards a situation: its another pair of shoes, its not my cup of tea. Second, in the article there is lack of SLA theory considered. The authors do not specify any second language acquisition theory in particular, limiting with some remarks Further, for the experiment only 24 idioms were selected involving the imagery of hat, sleeves, ship and food. I subject that this amount of idioms is enough for the experiment as well as the imagery unlikely reflect the culture and traditions of the English people and their language. I would suggest including the following imagery that inherent to the English culture: bird, fish, horse, pig, such as: like a bird, a bird in the bush; a fish out of water, a loose fish; beat a dead horse, horse and horse; when pigs fly, buy a pig in a poke. Moreover, the selected idioms such as Hang up ones hat, Keep something under ones hat are old-fashioned and less used now. The authors included only idioms which did not have one-to-one equivalents in French. In order to assess the possible impact of cross-cultural differences on the ‘guessability of these idioms to French speakers, the authors called in the help five ‘blind judges, who were native speakers of English, and experienced EFL teachers. However, I suppose, to be confident that they have no one-to-one equivalent in the French language; these idioms have to be considered by French native speakers as well. However, the transferability of the idioms appears to be the major factor in learning a second language, as a learner can connect the knowledge of his native figurative language with the foreign one. The problem is cross-cultural differences. For example, it is very difficult to find one-to-one equivalent. During the experiment the participants were given about 20 minutes to try to guess the meaning of the selected idioms without contextual clues. Id like to point out that in real life we meet idioms in all forms of discourse: in conversations, lectures, movies, radio broadcasts, and television programmes. Thereby, I assume that the context will facilitate the comprehension, and giving idioms without any context is not natural. The results of the experiment were the following: almost 35% of the respondents answers were at least partially correct. The researchers concluded that the semantics of many idioms need not be tackled as arbitrary in language-learning contexts. Students can be encouraged to first try to decode imageable idioms independently. i.e. as a problem-solving task requiring a deeper level of cognitive processing, before resorting to the teacher or the dictionary for corroboration or falsification (Lennon 1998). A deep level of cognitive processing is known to be beneficial for long-term memory storage (Ellis 1994). Moreover, in common learning conditions idioms are given in a context, which facilitates comprehension considerably (Cooper 1999). The analysis of research methodology In their experiment the authors applied questionnaires. This type of data collection is the most widespread, first, because it is self-administered and can be given to a large groups of subjects at the same time, besides it is less expensive to administer that other procedures such as interviews. Second, since the same questionnaire is given to all subjects, the data are more uniform and standard, as well as since they are usually given to all subjects of the research at exactly the same time, the data are more accurate. And one more is not the least of the factors is anonymity; subjects tend to share information of a sensitive nature more easily. The research involved 78 French-speaking students of University of Brussels. The group was quite heterogeneous, and in general their level of English proficiency was intermediate. The participants were given twenty minutes to try to guess the meaning of the selected twelve idioms without contextual clues. In order to avoid a common problem of questionnaires as misunderstanding of questions themselves as well as the proper replies to the questions relevant to research in second language, as subjects very often have obstacles in reading and providing answers in L2, the participants were allowed to use the French language to present their ideas. Discussion The authors propose practical guidelines for the teachers whose learners encounter an unfamiliar idiom in a text, i.e. a strategy, involving six stages, to anticipate and remedy comprehension problems. Therewith it is pointed out that all six stages will always need to be passed through in practice, but can be taken as a checklist to remind teachers of the variables involved in idiom comprehension. Above all these stages the crucial point to my mind is resorting to contextual clues to infer the meaning of an idiom. It is necessary to persuade learners to comparison and correlation of language devices of contacting languages all the time when it can prevent the interference and make positive transfer. Linguistic competence suggests mastering of certain amount of formal knowledge connected with various language aspects: phonetic system, vocabulary, grammatical structure during their historical development and at the modern stage, as well as certain skills of application of these language means for different linguistic purposes, such as language analysis, including forms and meanings; analysis of special features of language units application separately and in context; comparison of various language phenomena at different periods of language development; consolidation or differentiation of language phenomena by a certain factor (factors); etymological analysis of a language unit, existing in a modern language system. The achievement of these goals facilitates the development of linguistically oriented thinking of the learners, namely ability to carry out linguistic analysis of various language phenomena and factors, single out the principal and secondary, draw a conclusion out of t he analysis results, generalize the received data, compare linguistic facts, classify them. Besides, taking into account â€Å"zone of proximal development† of L.S. Vygotsky, a Russian psychologist, which implies solving a problem with the assistance of an â€Å"expert†, who provides ‘scaffolding, and then internalizes the solution, the authors suggest to corroborate or falsify the learners hypotheses. If learners are on the right track, then offer further guidance towards the full interpretation. If they stay in the dark, then clarify the meaning of the idiom. Once the meaning of the idiom is established Boers and Demecheleer offer to invite the learners to ‘motivate it. This stage is meant to show the non-arbitrary nature of many figurative expressions. Various approaches can be tried. One can associate the idiom with a more vivid or concrete scene. For instance, Passing the hat around can be associated with the scene of someone collecting money for a street musician, Having something up ones sleeve can be linked with the scene of a magician performing tricks, which is a common source of verbal humour, can be a fruitful technique to paint more vivid pictures in the learners mind (Irujo 1986). On the whole, concreteness and vivid imagery facilitate the retention of novel vocabulary (Sokmen 1997). One can also try to lay bare ‘logic of a given idiom. For example, Kill two birds with one stone obviously means to take more advantages doing one thing. Evidently, not all imageable idioms lend themselves easily to such explanations, but the cognitive effort put into the brainstorming activity may nevertheless be beneficial for retention and language awareness. A complementary approach to ‘motivating idioms is to look for their possible etymological origin. The lions mouth, for example, has biblical origin, meaning a dangerous place; to carry coals to Newcastle implies to do useless things as Newcastle is the centre of the English coal industry. Finally, if the idiom exemplifies a metaphoric theme that is more salient in the target culture than in the learners culture, then raise the learners awareness of the cross-cultural variation. Though this particular article has not been responded, cited, or used in any research or writing, having looked through the recent studies, I can find that Boers and Demecheleers scope of work has developed into Another prominent approach of Conclusion Interaction of languages is all possible varieties of mutual influence, interpenetration of two or more languages and their dialects. Borrowing of different linguistic factors by a language from another, as well as results of language interaction I consider as an enrichment process. However, dominance and subjection cannot be avoided and in linguistic contacts there is no language equity, one of the languages always subdues another. Thus, learning a foreign language a man profits to look at the world from other, not usual, point of view. It is not without reason there is a proverb: â€Å"How many languages you know, so many times you are a man†.

Those Who Desecrate the American Flag Need Not be Punished :: Argumentative Persuasive Argument Essays

Those Who Desecrate the American Flag Need Not be Punished In reality, flags are just fibers and dye. The fact is, like all symbols, it is not necessarily the fabric or the picture which provokes so much emotion in people. It’s the intangible idea that it represents. Controversy continually circles around symbols and how they are treated, respected, and destroyed. The flag of the United States of America is one such symbol that many associate with freedom; however, to others it carries greater political importance. Adding chaos to controversy, do we as a nation punish those who deny the symbol that gives them freedom to destroy it in the first place? Should the constitution be amended to prohibit the desecration of the flag? The measure is not how we treat those who support our government, but how we treat those who oppose it. Society constantly struggles to keep our Constitution broad enough to protect the rights of Americans, yet create a positive compass by which to live. The problem, however, is that by conforming to specific moral beliefs, such as desecration of the flag, we begin to create the environment much like the one George Orwell established in Animal Farm. In his book, the farm animals at first agree that all animals have equal rights. However, as the book develops, one powerful group manipulates these rights, the pigs . The slogan â€Å" All animals are equal† eventually becomes â€Å"more equal than others†. Just like the animals of the farm, our forefathers constructed a government that could please all people rights. Our forefathers know that if the Constitution were to survive, it must possess the ability to change and adapt to coming ages. To amend the constitution means that it doesn’t support all Americans and their beliefs. However, I don’t feel that our Constitution needs amending at all. Burning the American Flag is an act of speech which fosters Democracy. Without the freedom to destroy the flag and act out in disapproval, we as a countrymen would live single-mindedly.

Progress Leads to Success Essay -- Health, Mental Illness

Henry Ford stated, â€Å"Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is a progress, working together is success,† Ford’s quote applies to everything and everyone coming together in the beginning to make progress that leads into success, just like we need to do to help the mentally ill. Things need to change so that mentally ill individuals don’t hurt themselves or the people that surround them in society. The law and psychology need to work together to make stricter guidelines to prevent mentally stable people from manipulating the right’s we are giving to mentally ill people, also they need to treat mentally ill before crime happens, and lastly, the mentally ill should not be placed into prisons because of the more severe effects that will hurt them worse in the long run. Making a tougher mental capacity test would reduce the amount of liars that just rely on the insanity defense to get a lesser sentence. The law has already showed a good beginning in trying to stop perfectly stable people mentally from manipulating the right of the insanity offense the law has given to mentally ill who actually need it, â€Å"About one-fourth of the states have established a separate verdict of ‘Guilty but Mentally Ill’ (GBMI)†¦ The consequence of receiving GBMI is that the individual is convicted and given a criminal sentence. It is a verdict available to the jury when the conclusion is that the defendant committed the act charged but suffers from a mental disorder, however, not at the level necessary to meet the insanity offense,† (Torry 259-260) the law as a whole has clearly started to make little changes by making the GBMI but they still need to make more progress so people do not manipulate the system. For example, 35-year-old Terry Sturgis... ...uncertainty about life after prison, and inadequate health services† (187), by placing these types of people into prisons is doing nothing but make things worse. In conclusion the law and psychology need to do a better job working together so we can make the best outcome for everyone. Being mentally ill is not a bad thing, it is just a bad thing when you cannot control your urges: â€Å"It is a disorder that impairs the human mind and prevents distinguishing between actions that are right and wrong†¦They are brain disorders resulting in a diminishined capacity for coping with the demands of life† (Torry 255). By coming together we can make progress and make a success out of making stricter guildlines, treating mentally ill before crime happens, and placing them into institutions, not prisons. This success can be an overall positive thing for the individual and society.

The Most Important Element of Style :: Writing Style Styles Essays

The Most Important Element of Style I've collected numerous ideas from both Joseph William's book Style Toward Clarity and Grace and William Strunk and E.B. White's The Elements of Style. These books serve as reference guides to writers seeking guidance in improving their writing skills. I feel the text format of any writing is the most important element of style. The text layout in regards to style deals with font, size and contrast. The font makes the text. You are able to change the font to show importance or the use quotes. An example would be "bolding" an example. A normal font such as Times Roman can be used to for the body. However, a font such as Arial Black allows the text to stand out. Changes in size also have the same effect. These adjustments in the format of the text also creates a contrast in the writing. This allows the reader to easily identify the important points. I feel Strunk and White choose a design that is easy to read and sticks directly to the point. The reader is able to locate the issue and find the solution and an example to problem. The style issue is listed by number and bolded to stand out. An example of the same correct style issue is given in different versions. This allows the reader to apply such style to their own writings. These different topics are stated in bold to be easily read. T he guide gives the reader good examples to assist in their writings. This is important because the reader is searching for something particular and seeking a particular resolution. Providing an easy to read guide is extremely helpful. A guide that is easy to navigate decreases the stress often associated with writing. The ability to find things easy is always helpful. The layout in Williams’ text is not easy to read. The paragraphs often seem connected. The effect of text format to prefered reading is evident in this guide. Several of my classmates agreed that this guide was not as easily accessible as Strunk & White. These feelings were solely based upon the format of the text.

Examining a Business Failure – Tyco

Examining a Business Failure – Tyco Examining a Business Failure – Tyco Introduction This paper will describe how specific organizational behavior theories could have predicted the failure Tyco International (Tyco). This paper will discuss the contributions of leadership, management, and organizational structures to the organizational failure of Tyco. Organizational Behavior Organizational behavior is a field of study, meaning that it is a distinct area of expertise with a common body of knowledge.Organizational behavior studies three determinants of behavior in organizations: individuals, groups, and structure. In addition, organizational behavior applies the knowledge gained about individuals, groups, and the effect of structure on behavior in order to make organizations work more effectively. Organizational behavior is concerned with the study of what people do in an organization and how their behavior affects the organization’s performance (Robbins & Judge, 2 007).In the case of Tyco, the organizational behavior of the company in 2002 was unethical in nature. Tyco's former CEO Dennis Koslowski, former CFO Mark Swartz, and former General Counsel Mark Belnick were accused of giving themselves interest-free or very low interest loans (sometimes disguised as bonuses) that were never approved by the Tyco board or repaid. Some of these â€Å"loans† were part of a â€Å"Key Employee Loan† program the company offered. They were accused of selling their company stock without telling investors, which is a requirement under SEC rules.Koslowski, Swartz, and Belnick stole $600 million dollars from Tyco through their unapproved bonuses, loans, and extravagant â€Å"company† spending. Rumors of a $6,000 shower curtain, $2,000 trash can, and a $2 million dollar birthday party for Koslowski's wife in Italy are just a few examples of the misuse of company funds. As many as 40 Tyco executives took loans that were later â€Å"forgivenà ¢â‚¬  as part of Tyco's loan-forgiveness program, although it was said that many did not know they were doing anything wrong.Hush money was also paid to those the company feared would â€Å"rat out† Kozlowski. Essentially, they concealed their illegal actions by keeping them out of the accounting books and away from the eyes of shareholders and board members (http://money. howstuffworks. com/cooking-books9. htm). In an organizational world characterized by cutbacks, expectations of increasing worker productivity, and tough competition in the marketplace, it is not surprising that many employees feel pressured to cut corners, break rules, and engage in other forms of questionable practices.What constitutes good ethical behavior has never been clearly defined. Employees see people all around them engaging in unethical practices. (Robbins ; Judge, 2007). Leadership Failure The senior managers at Tyco failed as leaders. They forgot that leadership was about serving others and no t themselves. But it was also a failure of those who followed the leaders such as the corporate lawyers who failed in their duty to keep the leaders in check. Tyco lawyers wanted to please their bosses; instead they should have stepped in when corporate corruption was evident. Most of the people who became infamous for their misdeeds ; helip; were not evil people,† said William Lytton (general counsel for Tyco in 2002). As Lytton sees it, they lost sight of the cultural boundaries, blinded by their own career advancement goals. That is where the role of the corporate lawyer becomes critical. While it might prove difficult to stop bad things from happening, â€Å"Sometimes, you do need to just say no† (http://www. vermontlaw. edu/x7845. xml). Management FailureTyco’s top executives ignored their responsibilities to the laws governing corporate management; ignored responsibilities to their investors and ignored responsibilities to their employees. The planning and management strategies of these executives seem to have been more focused on personal gain than on the best interests of the company and its shareholders. As a result of their greed and fraudulent activities, the top executives at Tyco were indicted and convicted of fraud charges for improper accounting practices as well as unauthorized use of company funds for personal gain.One viewpoint on leadership is that it occurs only when people are influenced to do what is ethical and beneficial for the organization and themselves. This definition of leadership does not include influence attempts that are irrelevant or detrimental to followers, such as a leader’s attempts to gain personal benefits at the followers’ expense (Yukl, 2006). In the case of Tyco, when Ed Breen took over as CEO, he fired 290 of the 300 managers who were employed at Tyco during the Kozlowski era along with the other senior managers.He wanted to bring in new management and employees who would help build Tyco’s reputation up and create an ethical firm that consumers and shareholders could trust again. Organizational Failure While the organization was not solely to blame for Tyco’s failure, Tyco could have taken preventive measures which would have avoided this situation entirely, such as: o created codes of ethics to guide employees through ethical dilemmas o implemented policies for enforcing those codes create a corporate governance department and hire experienced professionals to ensure compliance with federal and state regulations are adhered to o offer seminars, workshops, and similar training programs to try to improve ethical behaviors Today’s manager needs to create an ethically healthy climate for his or her employees, where they can do their work productively and confront a minimal degree of ambiguity regarding what constitutes right and wrong behaviors.In upcoming chapters, we’ll discuss the kinds of actions managers can take to create an ethi cally healthy climate and help employees sort through ethically ambiguous situations. We’ll also present ethical-dilemma exercises at the end of each chapter that will allow you to think through ethical issues and assess how you would handle those (Robbins ; Judge, 2007). Summary In 2002, Tyco was controlled by unethical businessmen more interested in personal gain than creating a successful company that shareholders, employees and consumers could trust, respect and benefit from.They failed as leaders and managers; and as a result, made the organization as a whole suffer. They acquired businesses quickly, falsified accounting records, took out personal loans, withheld information from the public as well as shareholders, and caused the market share of the company to drop dramatically. All of this unethical business activity could have been avoided had an official corporate governance department been in place and a company code of ethics policy implemented.References Robbins, S . P. ; Judge, T. A. (2007). Organizational Behavior, Twelfth Edition: Prentice Hall. Obringer, L. (1998-2009). How Cooking the Books Works. http://money. howstuffworks. com/ cooking-books9. htm: HowStuffWorks, Inc. Staff Report (2008). Lessons of Tyco: Just Say No. http://www. vermontlaw. edu/x7845. xml: Vermont Law School. Yukl, G. (2006) Leadership in Organizations, Sixth Edition: Pearson Prentice Hall. ming

Fifth Business †Proof Mary Dempster Is a Saint for: Congregation for Causes of Saints Essay

In today’s world, a saint is a very difficult thing to come across; however I believe to have found the perfect candidate for canonization. Her name is Mary Dempster. I believe that the miracles of this woman are real, and not just coincidental, due to her unstable state of mind. Mary was married to a Baptist Parson, named Amasa Dempster in a little village called Deptford. While Mary was carrying her unborn son in her womb, she was hit in the back of the head with a snowball concealing a fairly large rock. The impact of the hit had caused her to go to into labor. Both her and her premature son had fought for their lives. The result of the stress that was put on her, and the immense head trauma caused by the snowball, the poor woman had gone simple. The simplicity of this woman is why I believe why these miracles are real, and are not fabricated or coincidental. Mary’s first miracle was the conversion of the tramp named Joel Surgeoner. Before having met Mary, the man had constantly wandered, committed crimes, and constantly caused trouble. After his interaction with Mary, he said that the way she had given herself to him had inspired him. It had changed him completely. I have met this man, and have seen the charity that he had started, Lifeline Mission. Their goal is to help the needy. He said that the charity was inspired by his generous encounter with Mary Dempster that had turned him to a life of good. The second miracle that Mary performed was raising my twelve year old brother, Willie from the dead. Willie had been sick for quite some time, and it was my turn to watch and take care of him. When I went to go check on him, he was nonresponsive, had no detectable pulse, and when I held a mirror to his nose, the mirror did not fog with breath. Willie was dead. To this day, I still don’t know why my first impulse was to find Mary, but I did. I ran to her, and then with her across the entire village, and when we came back to the room, she simply said his name, stirred him a little, and he had awoken. Mary Dempster had awoken Willie from the dead. The final miracle performed by Mary Dempster is when she appeared to me in Passchendale during the time of the war. I was trapped behind enemy lines, and I was injured and could no longer move. There was a fireball coming at me, and I was sure that I was going to die. Before I became unconscious, the last thing that I saw was the face of Mary Dempster on the Madonna figure. Months later, I awoke in a care facility, and I was alive. I truly believe that it was mary Dempster who had saved me. At the end of this brief, I have included a picture of Willie during the war, as a soldier, proof he had not died at the age of 12. I have included a statement of the recollection of events of that night from Joel Sturgeoner, as well as the picture of the Madonna statue in Passchendale. It is my sincerest hope that you would consider Mary Dempster of Deptford to be a candidate for canonization. My sincerest thanks, Dunstan Ramsay Testimony of Joel Surgeoner: â€Å"The night we last met, I was crazy. I’d tumbled off the freight in the jungle by Deptford and found a fire and seven fellows around it, and they had stew – somebody’d got a rabbit and it was in a pail over the fire with some carrots. Ever eat that? It’s awful, but I wanted some, and after a lot of nastiness they said I could have some after they’d had what they wanted of me. My manhood just couldn’t stand it, and I left them. They laughed at me and said I’d be back when I got good and hungry. Then I met this woman, wandering by herself. I knew she was a town woman. Women tramps are very rare; too much sense, I guess. She was clean and looked like an angel to me, but I threatened her and asked her for money. She hadn’t any; then I grabbed her. She wasn’t much afraid and asked what I wanted. I told her in tramp’s language, and I could see she didn’t understand, but when I started o push her down and grab at her clothes she said, ‘Why are you so rough? ’ and then I started to cry. She held my head to her breast and talked nicely to me, and I cried worse, but the strange thing is I still wanted her. As if only that would put me right, you see? That’s what I said to her. And do you know what she said? She said ‘You may if you promise not to be rough. ’ So I did, and that was when you p eople came hunting her. When I look back now, it’s a wonder that it wasn’t all over with me that moment. But it wasn’t. No, it was glory come into my life. It was as if I had gone right into Hell and through the worst of the fire, and come on a clear, pure pool where I could wash and be clean. I was locked in by my deafness, so I didn’t know much of what was said, but I could see it was a terrible situation for her, and there was nothing I could do. They turned me loose the next morning, and I ran out of that town laughing and shouting like the man who was delivered from devils by Our Lord. As I had been, you see. He worked through that woman, and she is a blessed saint, for what she did for me – I mean it as to say it was a miracle. †

Economy of Russia Essay

Russia as a country has transformed significantly since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The economy has changed from a globally-isolated, centrally-planned economy to a more globally-integrated market based economy. The economy of Russia has gone through fluctuations since then to emerge as the eight largest by its purchasing power parity (PPP) in 2009 estimates (CIA, 2010). The Russian economy is largely dependent on the export of raw materials and natural resources, specifically oil and gas. Other resources include precious minerals, fishing, and agriculture. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia has undergone two major economic crises. They are the 1998 Russian Financial Crisis and the 2008 Russian Financial Crisis which was a part of the 2008 Global Economic Crisis. This article will examine the performance of the Russian economy after the two crises. In addition, the article will evaluate the current performance of the economy of Russia. The 1998 Russian Economic Crisis After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia undertook major economic reforms to transform its economy closed centrally planned socialist economy into a capitalistic market economy. According to the CIA Factbook, the most notable economic reforms in the 1990s were the privatization of enterprises that belonged to the state and the removal of Soviet price controls. The CIA notes further that the rapid privatization of the state enterprises (except in defense and energy related sectors) essentially handed over the enterprises to a few politically connected individuals popularly referred to as ‘the Russian oligarchs’ making equity ownership concentrated to a few. It was during this time that Pinto, Gurvich, and Ulatov noted that the country was plagued with corruption, financial manipulations, and capital looting (capital flight). In 1997, the Asian Financial Crisis began and this led to the fall in commodity prices. As the crisis spread economies heavily dependent on exports were highly affected. Russia’s economy being heavily dependent on world prices was hit hard. Pinto et al point out that the exchange rate of the ruble against the foreign currency was artificially fixed and the subsequent fiscal deficit accelerated the crisis. During the Asian Financial Crisis, the demand for oil and minerals declined and this affected the foreign currency reserves for the country. Poor management of the situation such as Russia’s Central Bank maintenance of the Ruble within a narrow range in the middle of the crisis by using the available foreign reserves made the situation worse. The poor measures resulted in the investors pulling off and inflation rising to over 80 per cent. The bail out offered by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank did not help the situation. Several banks closed and the government debt increased considerably. The 2008 Russian Economic Crisis The Russian economic crisis of 2008 was an extension of the global economic crisis 2008-2009. A report prepared by the World Bank pointed out that although the Russian economy was better prepared to withstand the financial crisis, its dependence on export of limited commodities made it succumb to the crisis. According to the report, the crisis caused a decrease in capital flows as investors withdrew across the world markets, the credit crunch affected the banking system in Russia, the decrease in demand for oil eroded the fiscal and foreign reserves of the country, and the stock market suffered from the uncertainty of demand for oil (4). The International Monetary Fund noted that anti-crisis measures such as the states guarantee on loans to support the banking sector, the cutting of the interest rate by the Russian Central Bank, and the states support for the housing and car manufacturing helped in managing the crisis. Recession of the Russian economy slowed down and the economy has shown positive signs for recovery although slower than before the crisis. After going through the 1998 economic crisis, Russia undertook some policy and structural reforms with aim of cushioning the Russian economy against such a crisis as well as promoting economic growth and development. The structural reforms were necessary to create regulatory and institutional conditions for business and reduce the administrative risks. Some of the measures that were taken to counter the crisis, according to the World Bank (18- ) include devaluation of the ruble, cash infusion in to the market, tax reforms, privatization, and review of international trade policy. When the ruble was devalued, there was a sudden increase in the price of imported commodities but the move benefited the local industries and they were able to pay off their debts. The local enterprises also benefited from the cash infusion by the state, which in turn led to an increase in the demand for Russian commodities and services. The tax reforms were aimed at creating an enabling environment to stimulate the resumption of economic growth by reducing the tax burden. The reforms were aimed at corporate profit tax, VAT, and the removal of tax privileges that were not justified. The privatization process identified corporations that were to be privatized in 1999 and others in 2000. The international trade policy required reviewing to take into account the devalued ruble and the fluctuating price and demand for oil and raw materials. The Russian government also introduced the stabilization fund to hedge against the fluctuating international oil prices. The recovery from the crisis was however accelerated by the rise in international demand and price of oil. The Russian economy had fallen due to decrease in demand for oil and when the demand rose, the economy started to recover. 2008 Economic Crisis The government of Russia undertook intervention measures to manage the recent economic crisis and ensure that the country was on the way back to economic growth that had been achieved prior to the crisis. Some of the measures taken by the government were injecting funds and supporting the market. The government also offered bail outs for local corporations that relied heavily on foreign investment and hence highly susceptible to the changes in the global market. In addition, the government undertook further tax measures that saw the profit tax reduced to enable the corporations to remain operational. The government lifted import tariffs on industrial equipments to enable the rejuvenation of the affected companies. In a similar scenario to the 1998 crisis, the comeback of the Russian economy occurred after the increase in the international demand for oil. Current Russian Economic Status and Future Prospects According to the IMF, the economy of Russia has recovered from decline but is yet to recover to the levels that it had achieved prior to the crisis. The IMF projects that the Russian economy will 3. 6 per cent in 2010 up from a low of negative 7. 5 per cent. Russian economy is highly susceptible to economic crises due to its overdependence on the commodity markets. This has been evident from the two economic crises that have hit the country since the fall of the Soviet Union. Therefore, for the Russian economy to grow and cushion itself against the fluctuating international prices for commodities there is an urgent need to diversify the composition of the economy. The government of Russia has already taken measures such as investing in the information sector and has risen to become the world third largest software exporter as well as outsourcing. In addition, the government has encouraged the development of agriculture and manufacturing industry through technological and organizational modernization. The agriculture has improved with Russia becoming a net grain exporter rather than a net grain importer as was the case a few years ago. The economic reforms that have been undertaken by the Russian government have the ability to promote the development of a stable economy in the future. Russia is set to gain from the structural reforms that have been instituted and with the vast richness in natural resources and economic diversification, the Russian economy is set to grow and stabilize. References Pinto, B, Gurvich, E and Ulatov, S. â€Å"Lessons from the Russian Crisis of 1998 and Recovery† The World Bank. 2004 â€Å"Russia† CIA World Factbook. 28 April, 2010. 11 May, 2010. â€Å"Russian Federation† The International Monetary Fund. N. d 11 May 2010. < http://www. imf. org/external/country/rus/rr/> â€Å"Russian Federation† The World Bank. 2010. 11 May 2010. < http://web. worldbank. org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/ECAEXT/RUSSIANFEDERATIONEXTN/0, menuPK: 305605~pagePK: 141159~piPK: 141110~theSitePK: 305600, 00. html>