Popul Vuh

There are many stories that talk about the creation of the earth and have been passed from generation to generation. However, each culture and each region has its own stories about the creation. They are unique in some way but still share the same themes that are universal to many civilizations. Almost all the themes talk about how we and everything on earth were created or how the universe and humanity developed. Two of the most popular creation stories are the Book of Genesis and the Popol Vuh.While the Genesis and Popol Vuh are different in the way God created iving things and their explanation of creation, their similarities are important because they tell us how everything come from and the people's belief in Gods. First of all, the Genesis creation myth is known as one part of the Hebrew Bible that explains how God created human and living things. Therefore, their entire traditional stories seem as the views of a monotheistic world, praising one, all-perfect deity.Genesis focus es mainly on the relationship between God and humans beings in the earth. While the Popol Vuh is one of the Maya creation stories and also showed the perspectives of a polytheistic culture, believing and living under various Gods. In this story, the Gods tried to create something that would praise them and thanks to them. In Genesis myth, God created man and woman to live and love each other. However, one strict rule that Gods did not want them to violate was not to eat an apple from the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden. Of every tree in the garden thou mayest freely eat: but one of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou halt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. † (Genesis 67). Meanwhile, in the Popol Vuh, Gods did not create human at first. Instead, they created animals first and then they created mud people and wood people secondly. Gods finally created humans who made from the corn and have the shape exactly like wha t human nowadays beings. Unfortunately, in both stories, the creation did not satisfy their creators. They did mistake and fail to meet the Gods' expectations.For the Genesis, Adam and Eve were nticed by a serpent and ate the fruit anyway even though they were warned before by the God. Feeling angry from their mistake, God forced them out of the Garden and began to be multiplied and full-filled in the earth. From another part of the Genesis, God was unhappy from what he created because the humans at that time were very greedy and did not follow God's expectations. Therefore, he created a great flood on the earth, destroying everything and killing everyone from this flood. â€Å"l will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth,†¦ or it repenteth me that I have made them. (Genesis 70). In contrast, in the Popol Vuh, when animals, mud people and wood people could not reach Gods ‘expectations because they did not praise the creators as they wanted them to do . Therefore, Gods made a flood to kill all the mud and wood people. â€Å"The manikins, woodcarvings were killed when the Heart of Sky devised a flood for them. † (Popol Vuh 82). While God in Genesis gave humans a second chance to live by saving life for Noah's family after destroying everything, Gods in Popol Vuh began to create the corn people after a flood to serve for their desire because they could praise the Gods and did everything that they wanted. as created and how it was ended. Gods in both stories created humans on the earth, gave them food and shelters but also destroyed humans by a great flood as a symbol of their anger when they failed to their expectations. One more similarity between two stories that all Gods were selfish and being scared when people gain too much knowledge. For example, in the Genesis, God did not want Adam and Eve at the forbidden fruit because they will know everything about the nature as the Gods were doing.While in the Popol Vuh, when the Gods saw the corn people were very intelligent and perfect after created, so they felt threatened by the corn people as they would be more powerful than them. miet they'll become as great as gods, unless they procreate, proliferate at the sowing, the dawning, unless they increase. † (Popol Vuh 85). In order to solve this problem, Gods took away some In conclusion, even though the Book of Genesis and the Popol Vuh were written by wo different cultures, they also have some similarities in general such as the creation of the flood and human's knowledge.However, their myths were also different in some way. For the Genesis, God Just wanted people to live happily and healthily on the earth while the Gods in the Popol Vuh stories want people to praise for their merit and keep their day together. Therefore, as we can see that the differences between two stories are very important because they showed us how different cultures and regions affect human's life and thinking about their cr eation.

Formative assessment Essay

â€Å"We use the general term assessment to refer to all those activities undertaken by teachers — and by their students in assessing themselves — that provide information to be used as feedback to modify teaching and learning activities. Such assessment becomes formative assessment when the evidence is actually used to adapt the teaching to meet student needs†. Black, P. & Wiliam, D. The purpose of the educational process focus on students’ learning, and when students use what has been taught in real life situations, then it can be said that the students are learning and that the objective is being achieved. But, can a test determine this in a classroom? Can I state that my students are learning based on a multiple choice test at the end of a unit? The answers of these questions may vary according to the type of teaching method a person uses. If this person uses a traditional teaching method that only seeks learners’ knowledge accumulation, then he or she could say â€Å"yes†. However, as times have changed and the ways in which people conceive the educational process have changed too, I consider that it is necessary to restate the way in which students are assessed and focus more on students’ performance in order to promote learning and involve them in their own learning process through the use of formative assessment rather than traditional or summative assessment whose aim lies on testing knowledge. Therefore, if a student takes a test and when he receives his score in terms of numbers or letters and he sees a bad grade, it can give him a negative emotional impact that could discourage him from continuing learning, and the next time he takes a test he will do it just for the sake of getting a good score. So, How about learning? Did it happen? In this situation my answer is an absolutely no! For the reasons above, it is important to apply a different assessment with a formative function that according to Nicol and Macfarlane-Dick (2005) aids learning by generating feedback information that is of benefit to students and to teachers. Feedback on performance, in class or on assignments, facilitates students to restructure their understanding/skills and build more powerful ideas and capabilities. This kind of assessment is called Formative assessment. With this form of assessment, teachers concentrate more on the how students learn and what they need to learn. Therefore, in this sort of assessment it is not only fill in the gaps with the correct words or match the sentences with the correct answer and you will get 5 points or an excellent grade, but let’s do this project, let’s carry out this task, how will you solve this problem? What do you think about this? And some other activities in which students can learn by doing. But most important of all, is that students receive a positive feedback about what to improve and change, to have a better performance in the upcoming assignments. As Shepard, (2008) states, what makes formative assessment formative is that it is immediately used to make adjustments so as to form new learning† Through the use of formative assessment students understand their own learning and develop appropriate strategies for learning to learn, also they build skills for peer – and self-assessment, and they get actively involved in their own learning process rather than merely absorbing information as in a traditional or summative assessment. Taking everything into consideration, it is my opinion that teachers focus more on students’ performance through the use formative assessment, so learners can develop the patterns of thoughts they need to achieve and be aware of their learning goals, and as students move forward in their learning, they can use personal knowledge to construct meaning, have skills of self-monitoring to realize that they don’t understand something, and have ways of deciding what to do next. Earl, Lorna. (2003). REFERENCES Black, P. & Wiliam, D. (1998). Inside the Black Box: Raising standards through classroom assessment, King’s College, London. Earl, Lorna. (2003). Assessment As Learning: Using classroom assessment to maximize student learning. Experts in assessment series, Corwin Press Inc. , Thousand Oaks, California. Nicol, David; Macfarlane-Dick, Debra (2005). Rethinking Formative Assessment in HE: a theoretical model and seven principles of good feedback practice. Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education. Shepard, Lorrie A. 2005. The Future of Assessment: Shaping Teaching and Learning, New York.

The Romantic Era

The Romantic era can be understood as the period which spurred the artistic sensibilities of individuals. By doing away with the established norms of conducting things, people were given a considerable stretch of freedom in expressing their innermost feelings and perceptions of their surrounding world. Not only were individuals granted with full access to their potentials with only their imagination to limit them, the Romantic era also â€Å"highlighted a great transformation of the society† (Lenneberg, 1994, p. 619). While individuals exploit the liberty to express their selves to the fullest extent, the various sectors of the society reaped rewarding benefits in various ways. For example, visual artists were not anymore confined by the boundaries set forth by the previous Classical period. Their artistic horizons grew and their artistic boundaries melted down.In terms of music, it can be said that the virtuosos gained exceptional popularity and social acceptance. Singers, pi anists and violinists, for examples, have exceeded the expectations of their audiences during their performances largely because they performed with such great passion and intensity. Part of the reason why the expectations of their audiences were exceeded is the fact that most of the pieces played were challenging, if not extremely difficult to master.The dawning of the Romantic era spawned a great deal of new art forms which were relatively unknown in earlier times. Symphonic poems and art songs are just some of the new artistic avenues introduced at the height of the Romantic period. It takes little effort to realize that, indeed, the rising of a new period would consequently usher in a new set of artistic forms. On the other hand, the opposite can be also true. That is, the realization of new artistic forms and styles in certain disciplines could also be reasons to the proliferation of the Romantic era.Experimentation was a key factor in the realization of these new artistic aven ues during the Romantic era. It can be said that, as people began to acquire more and more freedom, individuals became more accustomed to the thought and practice of transcending the works of their predecessors. Experimenting with what has already been established during the Classical period could have even been the pastime for most artists. In essence, the relative success of the Romantic era for the artists can be directly linked with the substantial increase in their liberty to practice their craft and master their skills.With the thought of experimenting, people especially artists of the Romantic era may have been constantly seeking their fantasies and reassuring that these fantasies come to life in their artistic works. Perhaps the artists during the Classical period were strongly delimited by the standards of the society during those times, which is why the manifestation of their fantasies rarely materialized although the waves of artistic fantasies ripple right through the ve ry hearts and minds of these artists.As an apparent result, artists grew more and more creative in ways unimaginable, at least in the context of the time during the Classical period. The increased abundance of creativity during the Romantic era paved the way for â€Å"the self-realization among individuals that not everything can be or should be categorized under the label formal† (Perkins, 1990, p. 131). In many ways, the Romantic period has substantially dissolved the formality of art. As creativity significantly erased the pre-established artistic frames upon which virtuosos showed little to no regard, the following eventually came at a steadily increasing pace, not only popularizing the term ‘Romantic’ but also establishing it as a great movement in the history of mankind.By the term itself—movement—one is already inclined to assume that the Romantic period is a sort of a period of transition in the development of man. From the formal boundaries to the full realization of humanity’s freedom, the many varied parts of the Romantic period may not have altogether been the end itself during the time. Rather, the Romantic period only served as a time to prepare man for the complete attainment of freedom, at least in terms of artistic freedom.Prior to the Romantic era, it can be said that the disciplines were formal and constructive of the way in which man should conduct his affairs. Everything was done in a more or less, or even in a precise uniform manner. Perhaps the artists during the Romantic era have found something in the Classical era which they frowned upon. What else could this ‘something’ be than the fact that the Classical era has been predominantly defined by the formal and uniform means of defining what is artistic or socially acceptable from what is not? Of course, the vastness of the Classical period can hardly be altogether defined by a single description precisely because there, too, are many different disciplines during that time. Yet to claim and argue that there is no factual difference between the Classical era and Romantic era is to entirely miss the point.Nevertheless, it is a hardly debatable thought that the Classical era is an era which can be easily differentiated from the Romantic era and vice versa. Apart from the fact that new art forms were introduced during the Romantic era, there was also the increasing response towards the realization of artistic and intellectual freedom. Lest one becomes confused, one should be reminded that the struggles to break from the coherent and limiting system during the Classical period were not as forceful and widespread as compared to those during the Romantic period. Perhaps there was no existing social stimulus to ignite the sensibilities of people at the height of the Classical period. Perhaps the efforts undertaken during those times were not forceful enough or lacked the momentum to instigate a widespread social change. Nonetheless, the Romantic era has made its significant mark in the history of humanity, and continues to do so even to this day.ReferencesLenneberg, H. (1994). Classic and Romantic: The First Usage of the Terms. The Musical Quarterly, 78(3), 619.Perkins, D. (1990). The Construction of â€Å"The Romantic Movement† as a Literary Classification. Nineteenth-Century Literature, 45(2), 131.

Womens role in the development of American consumer culture Essay

Womens role in the development of American consumer culture - Essay Example The business activities of the American women in the colonial period were oriented around the well-being of their home and family, so things like fashion were of tertiary importance to them. Unlike them, the modern American women get in fashion as soon as they reach adolescence. Modern American women smoke and drink in public, and embrace consumer culture. One way in which the role of women has significantly changed in the consumer culture in America since the colonial period is that women today have become the means of propagation of consumer culture both through consumption and through advertising. The ad of a new car is incomplete without a lady oozing sex appeal standing next to it in the poster. Women have become more of sexualized objects in the media unlike women of the colonial period. The sexual objectification is voluntarily portrayed in ads to draw increased attention of the consumers. Besides, gender equality and women empowerment have made women equally strong consumers today as

Critical Analysis of a curriculum model Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Critical Analysis of a curriculum model - Essay Example Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the Singapore Kindergarten Curriculum. The cultural, political and/ or theoretical constructs that underpin the curriculum, and the issues and debates therein will be investigated. All registered kindergartens in Singapore come under the purview of the Ministry of Education. Kindergartens cater to the needs of children aged between three and six years, with children aged three in nursery classes, and children four to six years of age in kindergarten (K1 and K2) classes. Class size may range from twenty to forty children (Lim, 1998). Preschool and kindergarten prepare the young child for admission to school at the age of seven years. In Singapore, the term ‘preschool’ includes both child care centres and kindergartens, available in both the private and public sectors. Preschool programmes are provided by numerous large organisations such as The People’s Action Party Community Foundation which organises up to 70% of the kindergarten classes for preschoolers, the People’s Association and the National Trade Union Congress (Lim, 1998). The range of settings include religious-based preschools such as those managed by churches, workplace child care centres, private kindergartens such as Montessori kindergarten, government-subsidised kindergartens, commercial organisation- or private-run facilities (Ling-Yin, 2006). Early years’ provision for education and care has been extremely diverse in Singapore until the formulation and implementation of the Ministry of Education’s Nurturing Early Learners: A Framework for a Kindergarten Curriculum in Singapore in 2003. Before introducing the new curriculum, in spite of the centralised management of the various forms of preschool settings by the Ministry of Education, the provision for early childhood remained extremely varied, differing according to the social strata, cultural group, family and parental needs. Because of the

Organized Crime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Organized Crime - Essay Example oods and services, including but not limited to gambling, prostitution, loan-sharking, narcotics, labor racketeering and other activities of the members of the organization’ (Mallory, 2006). There have been many famous gangsters who have run their crime syndicate with huge success and instilled fear and hatred in the mindset of the general public. But Al Capone of Chicago and Pablo Escobar of Columbia have been notorious for their violence ridden mass murders, rapid increase in their illegal activities and successful evasion of the law and legal network. Though both these criminals existed at different places and time, their modus operandi was quite similar and both were never actually tried for any of the cold blooded murders that they had committed through their henchmen. Despite the open knowledge of their organized crime by the state agencies, the law was always one step behind mainly because of their linkages and affiliations within the powerful political and legal arena which both of them deliberately cultivated. Al Capone was born on 1899 in Brooklyn and grew up in a neighborhood which was renowned for its unlawful activities. From the early age, he was involved into petty crimes and was member of two ‘kid gangs’, the Brooklyn Rippers and Forty Thieves Juniors (Al Capone,internet). He started on to his career in organized crime when he was employed as bouncer and bartender in Harvard Inn, run by the then notorious gangster Frankie Yale. After getting indicted in a murder case where he had killed two men in New York, he was released because of lack of evidence; he relocated to Chicago, along with his family and started working for John Torrio, another notorious gangster who was involved in bootlegging business. Capone gained the trust of his mentor and later became his partner. After Torrio moved from Chicago, Capone became the head of the ‘outfit’ and expanded and controlled the syndicate which was operating various gambling joints, brothels,

Proposed Tesco Store, Morning Lane, Hackney, London Essay

Proposed Tesco Store, Morning Lane, Hackney, London - Essay Example There will be space for eight other new shops, offices, restaurants and bars. There will be also further proposals, which include building 134 new homes, 414 car parking spaces, 252 cycle spaces and new improved pedestrian routes to and within the Tesco site including the landscaping and pavement widening in morning lane. These developments will have a major impact for the people living in that surrounding area and proper measures will be put to ensure the project is a success. This study will try to critically evaluate the retail, transport and environmental impact of the project. To achieve this proper planning have to be made and the right expert in the different fields that are being undertaken have to be consulted to achieve the desired objective. In addition, to that a detailed coordinated planning application was made which included the [preparation of retail impact assessment, planning statement, statement of community involvement. There was also coordination of the environme ntal statement, and the preparation of an impact assessment on the socio-economic impact and crime and safety (Broun, 2004, 37). The Role and Use of Evidence The use of evidence has been widely used in the planning of the proposed Tesco proposed project. The use of evidence in decision making involves integrating the best available research evidence with contextual factors including community preference, local issues, political preferences, and public health resources. The use of evidence can be applied in a range of decision-making that is at policy development, Implementation and evaluation. The benefits that can be achieved by the use of evidence as a source of information is the adoption of the most effective and cost efficient interventions, minimization of harm to the people and community as a whole and better infrastructure for the individuals and the communities. The evidence, which had been collected, has had major impact on the proposed project and have assisted in the pla nning, implementation and the evaluation of the Tesco project Transport Assessment A transport assessment report was prepared to assess the impact the project would on the transport sector and the community as a whole. An original transport assessment was submitted in 1999 on the site., but the application had some issues like for instance, the traffic queuing at the junction was considered to seriously detract from the character and the appearance of the high street/. There were other two applications, which were presented in 2003 with alternative access arrangements onto Bridge Street. Following consultations with the Highway Authority a supplementary transport assessment was produced to provide the additional information and analysis, this was submitted in the year 2004. There were further discussions with the Highway Authority and the representatives of the Local Plan Inquiry and amendments were made to the access of the road junctions, which now occupy the Bridge House Site. Th e Bridge House was to be demolished and replaced by a new building that was after discussions with the English Heritage. The assessment considered the access of important shopping centers, the trips that vehicles had to make to the store and the impact on the road networks, the walking and cycling abilities through the roads, public transport and for these to be achieved intensive consultations had to be made (Ganz, 2004, 400). According to the assessment, it was agreed that locating the

CASE ANALYSIS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

CASE ANALYSIS - Essay Example Competitors were now offering better services that included pool services and karaoke services. The company was not providing such services. Regulation encompasses the three levels of government, which includes the federal, provincial, and municipal levels. Regulation can influence the business environment through the increase or decrease of the tax rate that affects the cost of doing business. The economy conditions were perfect at the inception of the business but later in the business life, the economy was in recess but still the company managed to make more profits in spite of the prevailing conditions. The survival was because of the market niche the company had cut for itself in addition to the competitive advantage they enjoyed. At the beginning of the business, social interactions were limited to offline. Internet was not well accessible by individuals at the commencement of the business. However, as years went on internet was accessible by a majority and the advent of social networks resulted in the diversification of interactions from offline to online. Fork and dagger had not included social network advertisement as a form of marketing, something that the competitors embraced. Businesses affect natural factors through pollution, which can be through noise, water, or air. In effect, companies’ day-to-day operations can present an ongoing risk to the natural environment. To diminish the likelihood of harm to the environment, businesses need to reconsider certain natural environmental features in their overall plans. Fork and dagger long time existence in the market even after other competitors had closed shop was due to the strengths they had. The quality of service offered was exemplary as there were outstanding services provided by the staff over the years. Cable television at the inception was unavailable in the bars around Struan. Therefore, this

How to Ride a Bike Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

How to Ride a Bike - Essay Example When I started to learn how to ride a bike, I found out that this was not an easy thing to do. What was most instrumental at keeping me away from learning how to ride a bike was the fact that I had seen my neighbor, who was of my age; fall off from the bike and going astray. This was such a bad moment for me that made me realize it could be something that is filled with wrath and destruction. I understood that it would be a gigantic act on my part to make both ends meet, and to finally learn how to ride a bike, which would essentially mean going out of my way and exploring new heights of unattainable proportions. My conditioning was therefore dependent on how the neighbor fell off from the bike and broke her leg. She was hospitalized for a couple of days where she received 10 stitches on her ankle. I felt aggrieved for her and completely disapproved of the kids who rode a bike. I had decided for my own self that this was something that I could not do. However, things changed as I was given confidence by my peers. The learning came about when I realized that I need to ride a bike to enjoy my life’s domains and to get in close company with my friends. I saw that all of them were riding their respective bikes and going from one place to another. So I resolved to learn it in order to move ahead with my life. This helped me create a sense of fear that I was about to undergo something which was unique, completely novel and new for me. The positive reinforcement was in the manner that I could have gained the positives out of the related equations while the negative reinforcement came about with the fear that I had to live with, during the initial stages of the learning process of riding a bike. The positives and negatives had to be balanced with one another so that I could attain success within the relevant ranks. The element of reward and that of the punishment came out in the open for me to understand and contemplate with the passage of time. I realized that if I learnt to ride a bike, it would be a reward in its own right and if I feared as to how I would have done it, it would be a punishment for my entire life because I would then have to remember and recall that I was not ready and willing to take a risk at an important stage in my life, which is indeed the childhood. The mere fact that I would have to be walking while my other friends are riding their bikes is such a feeling that would keep haunting me back and forth, and hence the reward under such realms would be to move one step ahead and learn the basics related with riding a bike. Therefore, reward and punishment are significant pointers for my entirety as I aim to discern how riding a bike would change my respective courses of action and allow me to get a straight on idea with the learning that I will acquire all this while. It is important that a child should know the rewards and punishments before he decides to learn something new, either on his own or through assistance of others.

Proposal on Higher Education in Qatar Research Paper

Proposal on Higher Education in Qatar - Research Paper Example 1. Introduction Satellite campuses are normally planned to facilitate those who cannot visit the main campus because of the distance. Programs offered at these campuses offer access to higher education for learners who cannot go to traditional campus because of the travel time. It as well offers a cost-effective way to for students within nearby regions (Rovai et al, 2008). Satellite campuses in Qatar are developed to facilitate learners who cannot travel a long way from home for their education due to personal responsibilities, monetary restraints, and / or other issues. The accessibility of such campuses also boost higher schooling enrollment by non-conventional learners (Mohamed, 2005). Qatar foundation has adopted electronic communications technology to ease the functions of satellite campuses. Classes carried out in main campus can be broadcasted to other places by means of distance education, students in satellite campuses can browse library materials on the main campus by elec tronic means, and technology permits the institution to manage registration, enrollments, and monetary assistance dealings distantly. 1.1 Background and Significance Satellite campuses give a chance to learners to continue higher studies without the need of traveling far from their residences. They have been developed to offer financial incentive to a depressed region, and have provided access to students who would â€Å"otherwise not have had a university option† (Simonson et al, 2011). These learners are also from lesser financial status, maybe educationally underprivileged. They are no less worthy for a good quality learning experience than their associate students in city or main provincial campuses, where ‘economies of scale’ are feasible, amenities are well recognized and workforce is additionally skilled. Flexible deliverance via contemporary interactions in addition to information technology can productively sustain small and distant satellite campuses. 1 .2 Research Statement ‘To investigate Qatari students' preferences toward different higher education systems in Qatar’ 1.3 Research Questions 1. Why did students opt for satellite campus instead traditional campus? 2. Were the learning outcomes (assessed by grades and perceived level of learning) are different for satellite campus and traditional campus? 3. What is the perception of students about quality of education in satellite campus versus traditional campus? 2. Literature Review It has been the policy of Qatar Government during recent times to raise admission to higher education. Total numbers have increased; and a bigger percentage of school dropouts have taken admission again. There have been courses to aim at and support recognized justice groups. There have been actions taken to assess the access, involvement, achievement and maintenance of these factions of students in every higher education institute. When the expressions ‘flexible delivery’ as well as ‘flexible education’ initially linked with admired educational jargon, â€Å"they meant little more to many people than paper-based distance learning, like the correspondence courses which had been around for some decades, and the way many students had already earned their degrees†

History of Coca-Cola Essay Example for Free

History of Coca-Cola Essay Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines internationally. The Coca-Cola Company claims that the beverage is sold in more than 200 countries. [l] It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke (a registered trademark of The Coca- Cola Company in the United States since March 27, 1944). Originally intended as a patent medicine when it was invented in the late 19th century by John Pemberton, Coca-Cola was bought out by businessman Asa Griggs Candler, whose marketing tactics led Coke to its dominance of the world soft-drink market throughout the 20th century. The company produces concentrate, which is then sold to licensed Coca-Cola bottlers throughout the world. The bottlers, who hold territorially exclusive contracts with the company, produce finished product in cans and bottles from the concentrate in combination with filtered water and sweeteners. The bottlers then sell, distribute and erchandise Coca-Cola to retail stores and vending machines. Such bottlers include Coca-Cola Enterprises, which is the largest single Coca-Cola bottler in North America and western Europe. The Coca-Cola Company also sells concentrate for soda fountains to major restaurants and food service distributors. The Coca-Cola Company has, on occasion, introduced other cola drinks under the Coke brand name. The most common of these is Diet Coke, with others including Caffeine-Free Coca-Cola, Diet Coke Caffeine-Free, Coca-Cola Cherry, Coca-Cola Zero, Coca-Cola Vanilla, and special editions with lemon, lime or coffee. In response to consumer insistence on a more natural product, the company is in the process of phasing out E211, or sodium benzoate, the controversial additive used in Diet Coke and linked to DNA damage in yeast cells and hyperactivity in children. The company has stated that it plans to remove E211 from its other products, including Sprite and Oasis, as soon as a satisfactory alternative is found

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Essay Example for Free

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Essay 1. How do you  explain the Mariner’s killing of the albatross? I would describe the Mariner’s killing of the albatross as very ungrateful. If the albatross had not come along, the entire crew would have most likely died in the ice field. The Mariner was completely senseless in shooting the albatross; therefore, of course there was going to be very bad consequences. The consequences tend to be even worse than death at some points. The albatross did the Mariner and his crew a favor, by saving their lives, and the Mariner ungratefully shoots and kills his own savior. The lonely sailors treat the albatross like a person, a â€Å"Christian soul.† In Christian symbolism, Christ is sometimes metaphorically compared to a bird; hence, the albatross can be a symbol for Christ. Since the Mariner senselessly shot the albatross, he was persecuted, which is why the rest of his trip did not go very well. The poem describes the bird as a holy thing â€Å"hailed in God’s name.† The Mariner is like the Christian who commits sins, causing Christ to die on the cross. It’s God’s rules that Man should respect all of His creations; the albatross is part of God’s creations. In respecting the albatross, the Mariner would be respecting God himself. Furthermore, if the Mariner decided to respect God, and his creations, he may have had a better remainder of a trip. 2. One literary critic has said that the poem begins in despair and ends in hope. Telling the tale leaves the Mariner â€Å"free† for a time. Another critic has called the Mariner â€Å"the voice of experience that transcends what man can learn in space and time.† Discuss the validity of these ideas in relation to the poem as you understand it. Lastly, connect the theme of redemption to another literary work we have studied. 3. The idea of one’s life beginning in despair and ending in hope reflects the idea of redemption. The mariner begins the poem in despair and guilt after he has killed the sacred albatross. The guilt is present in both the natural and the super natural world and is clearly depicted in the albatross that hung around his neck. It is not until the mariner appreciates both nature and prayer that he has found the road to redemption. The mariner is condemned to a life in death situation placing him in a different world than everyone else. He teaches us through space and time in his new form of living. He learns from his sins and searches for the path of redemption. The Christian allegory shows the bridge between the idea of fate being chosen for you and the ability to redirect fate. Like in The Scarlett Letter, Hester Prynn was searching for redemption from the sin she committed. She was forced into another world in which no one could quite understand. She had to overcome the judgments of another society and achieve her redemption in which she found in the natural world, her house in the woods, and the supernatural world, he redemption with God. 4. One scholar believes the Wedding Guest is chosen because he represents â€Å"unsophisticated innocence preoccupied with pleasures of the moment in a universe of whose full dimensions and population he is quite ignorant.† As a result of hearing the Mariner’s tale, the Wedding Guest changes, becoming â€Å"a sadder and wiser man.† Of what has he been forlorn (deprived)? Address this criticism in light of your understanding of Coleridge’s narrative. I believe that the Wedding Guest becomes, in a sense, under the possession of the Mariner. The wedding-guest sat on a stone,/He cannot choose but hear;/And thus spake on that ancient man,/The bright-eyed mariner (Rime 1.17-20). The Mariner even refers to the guest as immature when he says that he â€Å"listens like a three years child.† After the Mariner’s story comes to an end, it is affirmed that the Wedding Guest has taken in knowledge that dramatically changes him as a human. He went like one that hath been stunned/And is of sense forlorn:/A sadder and a wiser man,/He rose the morrow morn (Rime 7.622-625). I believe that the Wedding Guest is the type of person who tends to take everything in his life for granted; hence, he wanted a change in his routine life. This story was one of the many instances that changed a person. I definitely see this as a point of reflection in his life, of what his life used to be. It can also be seen as a prevention to change his way of thinking before it becomes much too late.

International Legal English Certificate Test Of Writing English Language Essay

International Legal English Certificate Test Of Writing English Language Essay 1. Introduction This assignment evaluates the Test of Writing of the International Legal English Certificate (ILEC). ILEC is an examination produced by Cambridge ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) in collaboration with Translegal, a firm of lawyer-linguists. The target candidature for ILEC is legal professionals and law students, operating in the area of international commercial law, who need to demonstrate proof of their language proficiency in English. The assignment will first consider relevant issues for the development of tests for specific purposes and then examine validity aspects of the ILEC Writing paper in detail. (1) 1.1 Tests in Language for Specific Purposes Testing Language for Specific Purposes (LSP), such as a Test of English for the legal profession refers to language assessment in which the test content arises from an analysis of specific target language use situations: these often (but not always) correspond to the language needs of a particular occupational group. Devising LSP tests presents test developers with a number of issues, including the relationship of test specificity to test generalisability; the importance of ensuring authenticity of test content; the interaction between background content knowledge and language knowledge, and for some domains, the difficulty in gaining access to relevant information on the nature of language use in that domain. (2) 1.2 Specificity vs Generalisability LSP tests have often been directly contrasted with general purpose tests. This is now, however, generally acknowledged to be an oversimplification of the issue and there is growing consensus that tests do not fall into one grouping (specific purpose) or the other (general purpose), but that, in the words of Douglas (2000:1), there is a continuum of specificity from the very general to the very specific: all tests are devised for some purpose and fall at some point along the specificity spectrum. The concept of a spectrum or continuum of specificity raises the question of where on the continuum a test should be placed and the related issue of how generalisable the LSP test is intended to be. Generalisability is often held to decrease in proportion to the specificity of the test: the more specific a test (such as English for Air Traffic Controllers), the less possible to generalise from that to other language use situations. This is accepted as a fundamental issue in LSP, to which the re are no straightforward answers. (3) 1.3 Background content knowledge In general purpose language testing, background knowledge of topic or cultural content is viewed as a confounding variable, which should be minimised as it has the potential to lead to measurement error. For LSP tests, however, subject specific content is arguably a defining feature of the test. Nonetheless, the question of separability, that is, how to distinguish between language knowledge and specific background knowledge in analysing candidates results on a specific purpose language test, has been a recurring concern. Bachman and Palmer (1996) argued in relation to a test for trainee doctors, that it should be possible to control for background medical knowledge in interpretation of performance on a language test, by, for example, the administration of knowledge tests alongside the LSP test. The difficulty in assessing the extent of the test takers background knowledge and its interaction with language proficiency has been addressed by Clapham (1996) who concluded that background knowledge was undoubtedly a significant factor in the process of testing reading, but the extent varied with the specificity of the test and the language proficiency of the candidate. There has more recently been an acceptance that until more is known about how the mind deals cognitively with ability and knowledge, specific background knowledge and language performance need to be treated as being inextricably linked (Douglas 2000:39). (4) 1.4 Access to information on language use within the domain With an increase, in the second part of the 20th century, in the number of people needing to learn English for education, technology and commerce, the main drive behind the development of LSP was practical rather than theoretical. As a result, LSP itself may be said to have suffered from a lack of theoretical underpinning. A key analytical tool has been the use of Needs Analysis to assess the linguistic requirements of a particular target group. Some analyses resulted in long detailed lists of needs for which empirical verification was held to be lacking. Widdowson, for example, described many LSP Needs Analyses as being made up of observational lists with no basis in theory (Widdowson 1983:8). Alderson, Davies and others have raised similar concerns (Alderson 1988, Davies 1990, Skehan 1984). A further criticism of some needs analyses was that they lacked objectivity, were influenced by the ideological perceptions of the analysts (Robinson 1991:7) and took insufficient account of the students themselves. Nonetheless, assessment of language needs can still inform LSP course and test design. As Clapham has said, We now know that such analyses can become too detailed, and also paradoxically, too limited in scope. However, this does not mean that they areunnecessary (Clapham 1996:5). Analysis of texts and spoken discourse from particular target language use situations is important in revealing how the target language use (TLU) community communicates and disseminates information. The growth of corpus linguistics and the corresponding development of electronic databases of texts can help in enabling the identification of specific syntactic patterns and use of specific lexis among particular occupational groups or discourse communities. At present, however, there is a limited number of such corpora available and genre analysis plays an important role when considering communication between members of the occupational group or discourse community in question. According to Swales (1990), texts belonging to a particular genre share common features with regard to the organisation of information, rhetorical conventions and lexico-grammatical patterns which practitioners within that discourse community need to access and use in order to operate with any degree of effectiveness. Bhatia (1993) developed earlier work by Swales and has extensively researched language use in professional contexts, particularly discourse within business settings. Nonetheless, due to the confidential nature of the work done by some occupational groups (such as lawyers), access to texts from those domains may not be easily acquired. Swales (1996 cited in Flowerdew and Wan 2006) refers to such texts as occluded, genres to which access is normally denied to those outside the participating discourse community. One task for the test developer in such circumstances therefore lies in obtaining subject-specific assistance and advice. Bhatia (1993) reports on how the subject specialis t or specialist informant has played a role within LSP genre analysis. (5) 2. The ILEC Writing Test: considering the validity issues A copy of the ILEC Writing Test is attached in Appendix 1. The test will be evaluated according to its context, theory-based, scoring and consequential validity. (6) 2.1 Context Validity The term Content Validity was traditionally used to refer to the authenticity and content coverage of the task. Context Validity is now a more widely used term as it also takes into account the discoursal, social and cultural contexts as well as the linguistic content. Context validity in the case of writing tasks also relates to the particular performance conditions under which the operations required for task fulfilment are performed such as purpose of task, time available, length, specified addresses. (7) 2.1.1 Authenticity of task and content coverage Authenticity of task means that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the LSP test tasks should share critical features of tasks in the target language use situation of interest to the test takers (Douglas 2000:2). Bachman and Palmer (1996:23) describe a task as being relatively authentic à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ whose characteristics correspond to those of the Target Language Use (TLU) domain tasks and define authenticity as the degree of correspondence of the characteristics of a given language test task to the features of a TLU task (1996:23). In terms of the TLU situation, ILEC is a test of English in an international, commercial law context, the design of which is based on the following characteristics of the language environment of the target candidates: Areas of the law: law of associations; contract law; sale of goods; debtor-creditor law; commercial paper; employment law; intellectual property law; property law; remedies; civil procedure; administrative law; public international law; family law. Types of lawyer: lawyers practising (and law students who intend to practise) in a commercial law context with elements of international commercial business dealings. Types of environments that target lawyers work in: business law firms and other law firms with international dealings; in-house corporate counsel; governmental organisations; international organisations. Types of people that target lawyers must communicate with in English: other international lawyers; members of the international business community; governmental representatives; client form other countries. The choice of materials in the Writing Test is based on an analysis of the kinds of tasks that the target lawyers are likely to encounter in their working environment. (8) In a legal context, for example, a legal writing test must engage the test taker in writing tasks which are authentically representative of the situations they might plausibly encounter. The technical characteristics of language employed in a legal professional context has very specific features that lawyers operating in the field of law must control: There are lexical, semantic, syntactic, and even phonological characteristics of language peculiar to any field, and these characteristics allow for people in that field to speak and write more precisely about aspects of the field that outsiders sometimes find impenetrable (Douglas 2000:7). Interestingly, Douglas goes on to provide an example of legalise characterised by à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the arcane lexis, the convoluted syntax, the use of Latin terminology, and the interminable cross-references to previous laws and cases in legal texts (2000:8) as an example of the requirement for precise, specific purpose language. Clearly, such language has consciously evolved, developed by the legal fraternity enabling its members to dynamically engage with each other in an attempt to communicate effectively the exact meaning of the law. (9) A legal test also needs to identify and cover its relevant content domain. Coverage of the appropriate domains of language use is attained through the employment of relevant topics, tasks, text types and contexts. The domains, therefore, need to be specified with reference to the characteristics of the test taker, and to the characteristics of the relevant language use contexts. This is the case with the ILEC Writing paper. (10) 2.1.2 Interactional and Situational Authenticity As a general principle it is now argued that language tests should as far as is practicable place the same requirements on test takers as involved in writers responses to communicative settings in non-test real-life situations. The purpose for writing in this paradigm is essentially about communication rather than accuracy (Hyland 2002:8) emphasising validity, particularly the psychological reality of the task, rather than statistical reliability (ibid:230). These views on writing reflect a concern with authenticity which has been a dominant theme in recent years for adherents of a communicative testing approach as they attempt to develop tests that approximate to the reality of non-test language use (real life performance) (see Hawkey 2004, Morrow 1979, Weir 1993 and Weir 2003).The Real-Life (RL) approach (Bachman 1990:41) has proved useful as a means of guiding practical test development. It is most useful in situations in which the domain of language use is relatively homogeneous and identifiable (see OSullivan 2006 on the development of Cambridge Business English examinations). Its primary limitation, however, is that it cannot provide very much information about language ability and hence cannot demonstrate validity in the broadest sense. The RL approach has been regarded as encapsulating the notion of communicative testing as it seeks to develop tests that mirror the reality of non-test language use (real life performance). Its prime concerns are : the appearance or perception of the test and how this may effect test performance and test use (face validity) and; the accuracy with which test performance predicts non-test performance (predictive validity). A number of various attempts have been made to characterise communicative tests (Morrow 1979, Alderson 1981, Porter 1983). Weir (1988), however, points out, there are inherent problems involved in basing test specifications on empirical research and observes that: the more specific the tasks one identifies the less one can generalise from performance on its realisation in a test. The concern with situational authenticity requires writers to make use of texts, situational contexts, and tasks which simulate real-life without trying to replicate it exactly. The interactional authenticity (IA) approach is concerned with the extent to which test performance reflects language abilities. In other words, the concern is with construct validity. Bachman (1989) summarises the IA approach arguing that it encapsulates the essential characteristics of communicative language use by reflecting the interactive relationship that exists between the language user, the context and the discourse. The major consideration shifts from that of attempting to sample actual instances of non-test language use, to that of determining the most appropriate combination of test method characteristics. For Bachman, an interactionally authentic test involves the following: some language function in addition to that of demonstrating the test takers language knowledge; the test takers language knowledge; the test takers language schemata; the test takers meta-cognitive strategies. (11) 2.1.3 Purpose of task Task setting (such as Purpose, Response Format, Weighting, Known Criteria, Order of Items, Time Constraints) and Linguistic Demands (such as Channel, Discourse Mode, Text length, Writer-reader Relationship, etc.) are normally conveyed through the rubric/instructions supplied to the candidates. It is generally accepted that the presentation of information in the task rubric should be made as explicit as possible in terms of the production demands required of the test taker. (12) The writing task rubric must present candidates with clear, precise and unequivocal information regarding the purpose for completing the writing task and the target audience for it. This purpose should provide a reason for completing the task that goes beyond a ritual display of knowledge for assessment. It may well involve suspension of disbelief but having a clear and acceptable communicative purpose in mind is thought to enhance performance. The way the prompt is worded has been shown to affect what the candidate sees as the purpose of the task (Hamp Lyons 1991 and Moore and Morton 1999). For example a term like discuss is open to different interpretations unless further specified (see Evans 1988). (13) The ILEC Writing test gives a clear role to the candidate in each task (eg You are a lawyer representing Ms Sandra Meyer.) and a clear purpose and target audience for the task (eg Write a letter to Robert Woodly on behalf of your client, Ms Meyer. Write a memorandum to your colleague to brief him on the case.) (14) 2.1.4 Time Constraints In writing we are concerned with the time available for task completion: speed at which processing must take place; length of time available to write; whether it is an exam or hand in assignment, and the number of revisions/drafts allowed (process element). Outside of examination essays, in the real world, writing tasks would not necessarily be timed (although there is a case for speed writing in a working context on occasions especially in a legal or professional setting where deadlines must be met). Where time in the workplace is not of the essence, students would be allowed maximum opportunity and access to resources for demonstrating their writing abilities. However considerations such as time constraints and reliability issues make longer, processà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœoriented tests impractical in most situations. (15) Weir (2004) points out that the texts we get candidates to produce obviously have to be long enough for them to be scored in a valid manner. If we want to establish whether a student can organize a written product into a coherent whole, length is obviously a key factor. He notes that as regards an appropriate time for completion of productà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœoriented writing tasks in an actual examination setting, Jacobs et al. (1981:19), in their research on the Michigan Composition Test, found that a time allowance of thirty minutes probably gave most students enough time to produce an adequate sample of their writing ability for the purpose of assessment. (16) One might reasonably expect that time-restricted test tasks cannot represent what writers are capable of in normal written discourse where time constraints may be less limited. Kroll (1990:140-154) reports on research comparing timed classroom essays and essays written at home over a 10-14 day period. Contrary to what one might have expected the study indicated that, in general, time does not buy very much for students in either their control over syntax the distribution of specific language errors being remarkably similar in both or in their organisational skills. (17) In the case of ILEC, common tasks are presented to a candidature comprising both B2 and C1 candidates who must complete the test in 1 hour and 15 minutes. (18) 2.1.5 Text Length Text length potentially has an important effect in terms of what Weir (2005) calls the executive resources that will be called into play in cognitive processing. These resources are both linguistic and experiential and need to be as similar as possible to those made by equivalent tasks in real life language use for use to generalise from test performance to language use in the domain of interest. ILEC Writing comprises two tasks, one of between 120 and 180 words and one of between 200 and 250 words. (19) 2.2 Theory-based validity Theory-based validity involves collecting evidence through the piloting and trialling of a test before it is made available to candidates on the cognitive processing activated by the test tasks. (20) Theory-based validity of a test of writing is a function of how closely it represents the cognitive processing involved in performing the construct in real life. Weir (2005) details how establishing theory-based validity for a writing task involves producing evidence on the nature of the executive resources and executive processing activated by the task. Executive resources involve linguistic resources and content knowledge. Content knowledge may already be possessed by the candidate or might be available in information supplied through task input. The Executive process refers to cognitive processing and includes the procedures of goal setting, topic genre modifying, generating, organizing, translating and reviewing. (21) Planning relates to a number of stages in the writing process: macro-planning; organisation; micro planning (Field 2004). Macro-planning entails assembling a set of ideas and drawing upon world knowledge. The writer initially establishes what the goal of the piece of writing is to be. This includes consideration of the target readership, of the genre of the text (earlier experience as a reader may assist) and of style (level of formality). Grabe and Kaplan (1996) refer to this stage as Goal Setting. Goal setting involves setting goals and purposes, offering an initial draft of task representation and connecting context with verbal working memory (1996: 226). During the Organisation stage the writer provisionally organises the ideas, still in abstract form, a) in relation to the text as a whole and b) in relation to each other. The ideas are evaluated in terms of their relative importance, and decisions made as to their relative prominence in the text. The outcome may be a set of roug h notes. Grabe and Kaplan (1996:226) describe Organizing as grouping, categorizing ideas, establishing new concepts and putting ideas in suitable order. At the micro-planning level, the writer shifts to a different level and begins to plan conceptually at sentence and paragraph level. Throughout this stage, constant reference back to two sets of criteria is made: to decisions taken at earlier stages and to the manner in which the text has progressed so far. Account is taken of the overall goals of the text; of the organisational plan and the direction in which the text is currently tending; and of the content of the immediately preceding sentence or paragraph. At this stage, the writer needs to give consideration to whether an individual piece of information is or is not shared with the reader a) by virtue of shared world knowledge or b) as a result of earlier mention in the text. These processing procedures are described in detail by Hayes and Flower (1980), Bereiter Scardamalia ( 1987), and Grabe Kaplan (1996). (22) ILEC Writing tasks require candidates to undertake writing tasks which engage these processing abilities. The Needs Analysis revealed that correspondence between legal firms and and clients is a written form of communication frequently needed by professionals. Furthermore, correspondence is often in the form of a response to an earlier letter and includes reference both to this text and to other documents or texts, such as tax statements, procedural documents, company accounts. This reflects the concept of intertextuality as identified by Kristeva (1980:69); research by others (Flowerdew and Wan 2006) has confirmed the prevalence of the interaction between texts in the corporate world. To reflect the findings of the ILEC Needs Analysis 9see Appendix 2), one task on the Test of Writing requires candidates to draw on a previous text and compose a response to it with the use of notes. Composing the response requires the candidate to use a range of functions including clarifying, refutin g, requesting information, referring the target reader to other documentation. (23) 2.3 Scoring Validity Scoring Validity is linked directly to both context and theory-based validity and accounts for the extent to which test scores are based on appropriate criteria, exhibit consensual greement in their marking, are as free as possible from measurement error, stable over time, consistent in terms of their content sampling and engender confidence as reliable decision making indicators. (24) The assessment criteria for ILEC Writing (see Appendix 3 ) are based on those of a General English test at the same levels related to the CEFR. As Douglas points out: contrary to the cases of LSP test content and method, LSP assessment criteria have not usually been derived from an analysis of the TLU situation (Douglas 2001:174). In the same article, he goes on to make a case for basing LSP assessment criteria on an empirical analysis of the TLU situation. It is also the case with ILEC, that examiners for both the ILEC Writing and Speaking papers, are not required to have a background in Legal English*. It may be argued that this is a weakness in the underpinning scoring validity of the ILEC Writing paper as assessment by a subject specialist may differ from that of the layperson (ie general marker). (25) Jacobs et al. (1981:3) identify aspects of this relating to cognitive process and social interaction: The direct testing of writing emphasizes the communicative purpose of writing à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (it) utilizes the important intuitive, albeit subjective, resources of other participants in the communicative process the readers of written discourse, who must be the ultimate judges of the success or failure of the writers communicative efforts. If candidates self-assessments of their language abilities, or ratings of the candidate by teachers, subject specialists, or other informants (Alderson et al 1995) differs from that of the non-specialist Examiner, predictive validity may be compromised. (26) 2.4 Consequential Validity Messick (1989:18) argues that For a fully unified view of validity, it must à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ be recognised that the appropriateness, meaningfulness, and usefulness of score- based inferences depend * personal information from ILEC Writing subject staff as well on the social consequences of the testing. Therefore social values and social consequences cannot be ignored in considerations of validity. Consequential Validity relates to the way in which the implementation of a test can affect the interpretability of test scores; the practical consequences of the introduction of a test (McNamara 2000). Shohamy (1993:37) argues that Testers must begin to examine the consequences of the tests they develop à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ often à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ they do not find it necessary to observe the actual use of the test. Weir (2005) provides a comprehensive treatment of these key elements within the Socio-Cognitive Validation framework. (27) ILEC has achieved recognition by a number of different legal entities, including universities and law practices in 36 countries (see Appendix 4). Furthermore, the initial market research and viability study was administered to a number of stakeholders in the field including international and local law firms, large companies with their own legal departments; university law faculties and legal training providers and language schools. Although the exam fee may be considered to be costly which is arguably an implication of the social consequences of testing, it may be argued that within the domain of corporate/commercial law, the consequential validity in this respect is not unsound. (28) 3. Conclusion This assignment has examined the ILEC Test of Writing. The development of ILEC saw collaboration between assessment specialist and legal content specialists, with each bringing expertise to the process. This has arguably resulted in a test which authentically simulates the TLU situation and as a result, it may be concluded that the test is sound in terms of Context, Theory-based and Consequential validity. Where the test is arguably less strong is in the area of Scoring Validity (and the resulting impact the issue may be said to have on Consequential Validity), in the use of assessment criteria and examining personnel unrelated to the TLU and specific LSP domain. (29) Word Count: 4, 125

Elephant the movie Essay -- essays research papers

Gus Van Sant’s Elephant was at once critically praised and denounced by both film reviewers and filmgoers alike. The cinematography takes you on a waltz throughout a seemingly typical day at an unnamed high school, stopping through the journey to focus on the stereotypes of school. The jock, the quirky artist, the cliqued girls, the skateboarder, they are all represented and representative of his film. Van Sant created a film, seemingly without a staunch opinion on the horrors of the Columbine shootings. The movie seems distanced from the actors and their actions: an unaware participant from the tranquil introduction to the gruesome climax. His seeming lack of a purpose, lack of a reason for the creation of this film, is exactly the impetus that drives its core meaning. The high school was as stereotyped and typical as possible, a campus where everyone swears they’ve visited once in their life. The visceral climax is at once both slowly built up to inevitability by the characterizations of the assailants, yet it also strikes the school suddenly and without warning. Van Sant’s film is a series of seeming contradictions and paradoxes that create the illusion that he has no stance on the Columbine shootings. His stance, however, is given away in the purposelessness of the film; the idyllic simplicity of the school, and its subsequent destruction, has no purpose. The Columbine massacre had no purpose. Gus Van Sant’s aestheticized school builds up a world that seems tangible to most students. He carries every right to create his own world and tear it back down. It is this beauty that he creates that makes the film so much more shocking when it ends. Aesthetic realism is the concept of accepting reality as unchangeable; therefore, one must find the beauty that is inherent in everyday life instead of attempting to create beauty. The idea is that aesthetic realism â€Å"sees all reality including the reality that is oneself, as the aesthetic oneness of opposites,† (Siegel). In other words, life is at once changing and the same. For example, someone is the same person when they wake up in the morning and the same person when they go to sleep at night. They haven’t changed. However, there have still changed as a person throughout the day, at least minutely. Change and stability both occur simultaneously. At the same time, Siegel states that it â€Å"sees the largest purpose o... ...e what can be easily related to; they wouldn’t be considered stereotypes otherwise. The beauty that is created during the first hour, which is denounced by Foundas as unrealistic, is subsequently destroyed in the climax. To create and destroy mediocrity would not be as stirring a rendition as Van Sant’s recreation of perfection coupled with his systematic disposal of it. Gus Van Sant has created a world of high school that has every stereotype. He manifests a sense of beauty in every shot he creates, with the slow arcing camera shots combined with the loving caricatures of the students. He finds the aesthetic realism in high school, the elegance inherent in aspects of campus life, and constructs a film around it. It is his own right to create his own view of high school, and while critics can disagree, they should not debase. The initial purposelessness should only be taken at face value; it is the lack of purpose in the beginning of the film that makes the lack of purpose in the massacre more obvious. There was no reasoning behind the Columbine shootings, they were a tragic occurrence that had little logic behind it. However, Van Sant’s film had purpose underneath its exterior.

The Effects of September 11 on US Economy :: September 11 Terrorism Essays

The Effects of September 11 on US Economy Since the horrific attacks on the United States on Sept 11th, the nation’s economy has greatly dropped into a recession, although the economy was already in trouble before Sept. 11th. Due to this incident and all the effects it has caused, it is right to blame this recession on the terrorist attacks of Sept 11th. Almost half of the states faced budget shortfalls for 2001 or 2002, which caused most peoples lives to change after the attacks. Even the U.S. economy effectively took a vacation for the rest of September. It fell greatly and caused multibillion dollar losses to many companies and industries around the nation. Some of these companies and industry were a great part in the turning wheel of the U.S. economy. (Sivy, n.pg.) Prior to Sept 11th, the slowed US economy still however showed good signs of growth. Some signs were that companies were producing products for stores at a higher rate to provide the customers with more and more choices to choose from. This undoubtedly helped the economy grow for a while. The nations production of American made products were on the move before the attacks but have still slowly bounced back as more and more people buy American made products. For North American Natural Gas, "prices weakness, and growth in domestic and import gas supply, and a strong position combined with the potential weakness in the US economy are likely to dampen US natural gas demand even further." (Khan, n.pg.)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It’s unclear how the attacks will affect the economic picture in most states, but in some places it’s already obvious. New York faces a very painful situation, and will need more federal help, even though federal spending has passed the $40 billion mark just in aid for these cities. States that depended on tourism for their income have greatly felt the impact of the recession. Places like Florida, Hawaii, Nevada, and California, are hurting as more and more people cancel vacations and stay close to home. Many people are still scared and skeptical to fly. That is also why many Airplane fares have risen since the staggering number of people purchase tickets to fly away. Many companies have filed bankruptcy and are stuck in the recession with billion dollar debts. (Theophanous, n.pg.) California’s economy also depends on tourism, the energy crisis cost the state $6 billion. And manufacturing states, like Ohio and Michigan, already hurt by the slowdown, are unsure when things will get better.

Essay --

Webster defines feminism as both "the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes" and "organized activity on the behalf of women's rights and interests" (Webster 418). Equality of the sexes (in terms of rights) and the furthering of women's rights are seemingly positive aspirations; yet people tend to describe feminism using negative terms, and feminism today has acquired a bad reputation. "Radical" and "extremists" are adjectives commonly applied to feminism as a whole, when, in truth, feminists who adopt extreme positions constitute the minority. Moreover, these "gender feminists," or "militant feminists," as many call them, although they receive the most public attention because of their aggressive tactics and high visibility, alienate people in broadcasting their views. Their goal, to create a "sentimental priesthood" that will achieve collective power and retribution as oppressed "victims" of a white-male supremacy, seems unreasonable (Himmelfarb 20). In contrast, "equity feminists," or "academic feminists," embrace the basic principles of feminism. They celebrate women's achievements, work for the individual rights of all women, and, as Christina Hoff Sommers aptly says, "want for women what they want for everyone, equal protection under the law" (Himmelfarb 20). Though not all feminists agree on how to reach this goal, most argue for a reasonable, realistic, and positive method. By contrasting the differing feminist ideas of writers like Adrienne Rich, Gertrude Himmelfarb, and Camille Paglia, one defines a winning brand of feminism: a philosophy founded on equity feminist ideology and dedicated to the achievement of social, political, economic, and intellectual reform. David Thomas and Camille Pag... ...minism by "constantly raising the stakes," and seeking "not mere reform or revision...but revolution" (Himmelfarb 20). In this way, they isolate themselves and lose support among both men and women for the entire feminist cause. John Ellis concludes that gender feminism "poisons relations between the sexes, and catapults into leadership roles in the women's movement angry, alienated women who divert that movement from the necessary task of exploring feasible changes" (74). People need to know that feminism, based on its essential ideals and goals, has broad appeal, and that they should not dismiss it because of a specific sector. They must look beyond the extremists to find a branch of feminism that welcomes all people and focuses on a positive and reasonable goal: a society that affords everyone the opportunity and right under the law to reach his or her potential.

Deception Point Page 77

â€Å"And you agreed.† â€Å"No, I refused! But an hour later, the administrator was back in my office-with the White House senior adviser!† â€Å"What!† Gabrielle looked astounded by this. â€Å"Marjorie Tench?† An awful creature, Harper thought, nodding. â€Å"She and the administrator sat me down and told me my mistake had quite literally put NASA and the President on the brink of total collapse. Ms. Tench told me about the senator's plans to privatize NASA. She told me I owed it to the President and space agency to make it all right. Then she told me how.† Gabrielle leaned forward. â€Å"Go on.† â€Å"Marjorie Tench informed me that the White House, by sheer good fortune, had intercepted strong geologic evidence that an enormous meteorite was buried in the Milne Ice Shelf. One of the biggest ever. A meteorite of that size would be a major find for NASA.† Gabrielle looked stunned. â€Å"Hold on, so you're saying someone already knew the meteorite was there before PODS discovered it?† â€Å"Yes. PODS had nothing to do with the discovery. The administrator knew the meteorite existed. He simply gave me the coordinates and told me to reposition PODS over the ice shelf and pretend PODS made the discovery.† â€Å"You're kidding me.† â€Å"That was my reaction when they asked me to participate in the sham. They refused to tell me how they'd found out the meteorite was there, but Ms. Tench insisted it didn't matter and that this was the ideal opportunity to salvage my PODS fiasco. If I could pretend the PODS satellite located the meteorite, then NASA could praise PODS as a much needed success and boost the President before the election.† Gabrielle was awestruck. â€Å"And of course you couldn't claim PODS had detected a meteorite until you'd announced that the PODS anomaly-detection software was up and running.† Harper nodded. â€Å"Hence the press conference lie. I was forced into it. Tench and the administrator were ruthless. They reminded me I'd let everyone down-the President had funded my PODS project, NASA had spent years on it, and now I'd ruined the whole thing with a programming blunder.† â€Å"So you agreed to help.† â€Å"I didn't have a choice. My career was essentially over if I didn't. And the reality was that if I hadn't muffed the software, PODS would have found that meteorite on its own. So, it seemed a small lie at the time. I rationalized it by telling myself that the software would be fixed in a few months when the space shuttle went up, so I would simply be announcing the fix a little early.† Gabrielle let out a whistle. â€Å"A tiny lie to take advantage of a meteoric opportunity.† Harper was feeling ill just talking about it. â€Å"So†¦ I did it. Following the administrator's orders, I held a press conference announcing that I'd found a work-around for my anomaly-detection software, I waited a few days, and then I repositioned PODS over the administrator's meteorite coordinates. Then, following the proper chain of command, I phoned the EOS director and reported that PODS had located a hard density anomaly in the Milne Ice Shelf. I gave him the coordinates and told him the anomaly appeared to be dense enough to be a meteorite. Excitedly, NASA sent a small team up to Milne to take some drill cores. That's when the operation got very hush-hush.† â€Å"So, you had no idea the meteorite had fossils until tonight?† â€Å"Nobody here did. We're all in shock. Now everyone is calling me a hero for finding proof of extraterrestrial bioforms, and I don't know what to say.† Gabrielle was silent a long moment, studying Harper with firm black eyes. â€Å"But if PODS didn't locate the meteorite in the ice, how did the administrator know the meteorite was there?† â€Å"Someone else found it first.† â€Å"Someone else? Who?† Harper sighed. â€Å"A Canadian geologist named Charles Brophy-a researcher on Ellesmere Island. Apparently he was doing geologic ice soundings on the Milne Ice Shelf when he by chance discovered the presence of what appeared to be a huge meteorite in the ice. He radioed it in, and NASA happened to intercept the transmission.† Gabrielle stared. â€Å"But isn't this Canadian furious that NASA is taking all the credit for the find?† â€Å"No,† Harper said, feeling a chill. â€Å"Conveniently, he's dead.† 91 Michael Tolland closed his eyes and listened to the drone of the G4 jet engine. He had given up trying to think anymore about the meteorite until they got back to Washington. The chondrules, according to Corky, were conclusive; the rock in the Milne Ice Shelf could only be a meteorite. Rachel had hoped to have a conclusive answer for William Pickering by the time they landed, but her thought experiments had run into a dead end with the chondrules. As suspicious as the meteorite evidence was, the meteorite appeared to be authentic. So be it. Rachel had obviously been shaken by the trauma in the ocean. Tolland was amazed, though, by her resilience. She was focused now on the issue at hand-trying to find a way to debunk or authenticate the meteorite, and trying to assess who had tried to kill them. For most of the trip, Rachel had been in the seat beside Tolland. He'd enjoyed talking to her, despite the trying circumstances. Several minutes ago, she'd headed back to the restroom, and now Tolland was surprised to find himself missing her beside him. He wondered how long it had been since he'd missed a woman's presence-a woman other than Celia. â€Å"Mr. Tolland?† Tolland glanced up. The pilot was sticking his head into the cabin. â€Å"You asked me to tell you when we were in telephone range of your ship? I can get you that connection if you want.† â€Å"Thanks.† Tolland made his way up the aisle. Inside the cockpit, Tolland placed a call to his crew. He wanted to let them know he would not be back for another day or two. Of course, he had no intention of telling them what trouble he'd run into. The phone rang several times, and Tolland was surprised to hear the ship's SHINCOM 2100 communications system pick up. The outgoing message was not the usual professional-sounding greeting but rather the rowdy voice of one of Tolland's crew, the onboard joker. â€Å"Hiya, hiya, this is the Goya,† the voice announced. â€Å"We're sorry nobody's here right now, but we've all been abducted by very large lice! Actually, we've taken temporary shore leave to celebrate Mike's huge night. Gosh, are we proud! You can leave your name and number, and maybe we'll be back tomorrow when we're sober. Ciao! Go, ET!† Tolland laughed, missing his crew already. Obviously they'd seen the press conference. He was glad they'd gone ashore; he'd abandoned them rather abruptly when the President called, and their sitting idle at sea was crazy. Although the message said everyone had gone ashore, Tolland had to assume they would not have left his ship unattended, particularly in the strong currents where it was now anchored. Tolland pressed the numeric code to play any internal voice mail messages they'd left for him. The line beeped once. One message. The voice was the same rowdy crewmember. â€Å"Hi Mike, hell of a show! If you're hearing this, you're probably checking your messages from some swanky White House party and wondering where the hell we are. Sorry we abandoned ship, buddy, but this was not a dry-celebration kind of night. Don't worry, we anchored her really good and left the porch light on. We're secretly hoping she gets pirated so you'll let NBC buy you that new boat! Just kidding, man. Don't worry, Xavia agreed to stay onboard and mind the fort. She said she preferred time alone to partying with a bunch of drunken fishmongers? Can you believe that?† Tolland chuckled, relieved to hear someone was aboard watching the ship. Xavia was responsible, definitely not the partying type. A respected marine geologist, Xavia had the reputation for speaking her mind with a caustic honesty.

McNeill, P (1990) Research Methods, Routledge, and Bryman, A (2001) Social Research Methods, Oxford – Reviewed

Social inquiry is the act of ‘inquiring' into human society. The method of ‘inquiring' varies. The factors which are taken in to account of which method to adopt to ‘inquire' can be influenced by a number of factors. A certain type of inquiry could be used due to the inquirer's past experiences of a certain method, his/hers preferences, cost, availability of sources are to name but a few. I intend to examine Social Research Methods written by Alan Bryman and Research Methods written by Patrick McNeill. Both refer to the various methods available to one in order to inquire about human society. The two books are similar in that they both put forward ideas and theories related to the selected methods they want to discuss. McNeill's book is broken down into six short chapters, which has an informative introductory chapter into why we have research methods in sociology. At the beginning he provides the reader with a brief history of social research which is helpful as it explains why the ‘inquiry' stage is very important. The 1960's began to saw changes in sociology which was to â€Å"encourage survey style of social research and move towards participant observation.† There is a clear, logical progression through the chapters. They begin at a basic level and then slowly build upon points. Therefore, it caters for anyone new to the subject who can follow it through with little difficulty. For example, in chapter one, it is rudimentary for McNeill's to ask in the first sentence, â€Å"What is Sociology?† This illustrates that McNeill has written the book, trying to accommodate for individuals without the presumption that the reader has prior knowledge of the subject of sociology. The book is laid out so that it has a number of sub-headings which breaks down the text making it easier to read and allow time for the reader to ‘digest' the information. This is a good quality because it makes sure the reader is feeling they are understanding what is being written and also feeling comfortable and confident enough to carry on. It is liked that McNeill has made reading the book interactive by giving the reader a number of ‘activities' to complete at the end of each chapter. This is a very good idea as it consolidates what the reader has read so far. McNeill states that there are three important concepts that are used throughout the book: reliability, validity and representativeness. This allows the reader to remain focused as McNeill has pointed out what is essential. The book discusses a range of processes including Ethnography also known as Participant Observation in chapter four. The use of examples such Taylor (1984) and his infamous a covert study of the London Underworld makes what the author say believable. Too much fiction can make readers reject the book. The book is organised so that any difficult or complex topics/issues featured are provided with relevant â€Å"Furthering reading†. For example, â€Å"The next best thing is to read about a community study. I recommend Stacey's books (1960 and 1975), and those by Grans (1962 and 1967). The latter have more humour.† This allows the reader to further their knowledge. This is what differentiates this book from other books. This type of book is helpful to students in circumstances where they need to do research. McNeill uses diagrams to explain key points which are vital to aid the readers understanding. For example, Fig 7, explains the relationship between choice of topic and the research method. McNeill goes into further detail by breaking down the stages of research. This is helpful to anybody i.e. students studying sociology. ‘A' Level sociology students even to members if the public who want to learn about social research. McNeill uses a number of references to support the various pros and cons for each research method. For example, McNeill questions â€Å"How can sociologists use official statistics?† McNeill states that â€Å"†¦sociologists take these statistics at their face value and use them as ready-made source of data for their research. They are cheap, readily available, cover a long time-span, and are comprehensive in their coverage of social life. They maybe the only source of data on the topic in question.† He also provides a balanced and objective argument – â€Å"However, there are many problems. Since the statistics are collected for administrative rather than sociological purposes definitions and classifications made are often unsuitable†. This gives the reader a better appreciation for each method. McNeill helps the reader assess which method of inquiry is good. The aim of Brymans book is to bridge the gap between theory and methods in social research. He states that it is the â€Å"introduction to the study and implementation of social research methods.† When writing the book, Bryman had two readers in mind – (i) Undergraduates. The research methods, the use of British examples whenever possible and appropriate. (ii)-Undergraduates who are wanting to conduct research projects. Bryman wanted to write a book that would be â€Å"helping students make informal decisions about doing their research†. He would explore the uses and limitations in order to help with students any hesitations. We can appraise Bryman's structure of the book because it is clear, accessible style with an in-depth understanding of the subject. This is clearly demonstrated through the initial layout of the book as it has two parts; Part one: Issues and Part Two: Methods used in social research. The book is divided into four parts. The first part has two chapters introducing the natural science approach as an appropriate framework for the study of society. This would comprise social surveys, case studies and experimental research. These first two chapters would apply the building blocks for the rest of the book The second part has ten chapters based on quantitative research methods including sampling, design of questionnaire, structured observations. The third part has eight chapters with a strong overview of the nature of qualitative research, including ethnography/participant observation and the analysis of this method. Finally, the fourth part has five chapters which take the reader beyond quantitative and qualitative. The physical characteristics of the book are one of the concerns some readers have when deciding on choosing a book to read. McNeill's book is of ‘reasonable' size as it does not look overwhelming which would put off potential readers. In comparison, Bryman's book is literally twice as large and as heavy and because it is considerably larger, this may come across as a daunting read. I believe it is not designed for a reader who is new to the subject, although it doesn't expect students to have any prior knowledge of the subject. The written text is clear, using a standard type and font size twelve, making it easier on the eye. The language is claimed to be â€Å"well written, comprehensive and authoritative†. Contrary to this view, the language has been described to be severely convoluted. Throughout the book, it is laid out so that on each page, the text is broken into two columns. This gives the allusion that there is less to read. In contrast, Brymans book is very colourful using red, blue and green which grab the potential reader's attention. This is intelligently done as it makes the book look aesthetically pleasing and attractive. Though, it is believed the book is that multifaceted it requires ‘colour' to attract a reader to it! A weakness that proves to be a problem throughout the book is that Bryman reiterates and labours his points further than needed. For example, trying to explain Interpretivism in the main text. However, Bryman then reviews this in his ‘summary key points' in â€Å"Box 1.9 What is Interpretivism†. This is too much for students because it is time consuming. In contrast, McNeill's book is more succinct. The book has a number of ‘Special Features', including Boxes, a Readers Guide which is a route map of what is to follow. Key Points mentioning any significant points to make a note of. Similarly, McNeill's book, there are revision questions which test the readers understanding and finally a glossary which has the definitions of central terms. The abbreviations page was very supportive because it enabled the reader to familiarise themselves with the subject matter. At the beginning of each chapter there is a contents of page, thus making it very easy to refer to. The books adhere to all the commonalities of a ‘normal' book. Bryman strongly advocates the use of example; â€Å"examples, examples, examples†. Though it can be argued that this goes onto much more detail than is required. Hence, the reader begins to lose focus on the content. Bryman clearly states the advantages and disadvantages of research methods. For example, â€Å"Open Questions†, the advantages mean â€Å"respondents can answer in their own terms. They are not forced to answer in the same terms as those foisted on them by the closed answers†. However, the drawbacks mean â€Å"they are time consuming for interviewers to administer. Interviewees are likely to talk for longer than is usually the case with a comparable closed question† Brymans book would be useful for someone who is seriously interested in obtaining a full and detailed analysis of methods. This is excellent if you like illustrative books. Bryman is targeting the type of reader which enjoys detail. A positive point about the book is that it has questions at the end of chapters allowing the reader to engage in empirical work. I don't like Brymans book because it is focused for 2nd year and 3rd year students and even for them it is sometimes hard to grasp what the author is trying to say. In contrast, McNeill's book is very helpful because you are able to find something out, quite quickly and also understand it with little difficulty. I believe that both books are very helpful and do fill a gap in the literature. Overall, I found both books to be very helpful as they successfully enabled students to learn how to do social inquiry. They outline the advantages and disadvantages to various methods. Although this is a good point but sometimes this can overwhelm the reader. On the other hand, a reader should be well informed. Though, each book is tailored to the potential readers as discussed earlier.

Crafty madness Essay

Hamlet’s situation in the play concerning family and love for Ophelia is obviously going to affect him, however the term madness has been questioned as too dramatic and perhaps a more accurate condition to describe Hamlet’s behaviour is melancholic behaviour. Melancholic behaviour is a condition causing emotional insanity accompanied by extreme depression. Many incidents and speeches of Hamlet are similar to melancholic behaviour: King: † Was not like madness. There’s something in his soul, O’er which his melancholy sits on brood.† (Act 3, Scene 1) Although this term is not commonly used these days, in the past and still in Shakespeare’s period melancholic behaviour was a recognised condition. Further support that melancholic behaviour was commonly termed in the 16th century comes from Timothy Bright’s: ‘Treatise of Melancholy’ (1586): † The perturbations of melancholy are for the most part sad and fearful†¦as distrust, doubt, diffidence or despair sometimes furious and sometimes merry in appearance, through a kind of sardonic and false laughter as the humour is disposed that procureth these diversions.† Therefore not only would Shakespeare be familiar with this behaviour but the audience of the time would also identify it. This condition could be identified by symptoms Hamlet shows for example, Hamlet with good reason displays suits of woe, he sighs and his: ‘dejected ‘haviour of the visage’ (Act 1, scene 2) In particular after Hamlet has spoken to his father’s ghost he begins to feel paranoid, he even distrusts the ghost at first not only that but the purity of Ophelia and his own inability to act. Other relevant symptoms include the fury towards his Mother because of her marriage and his sardonic joking with the players from ‘The Murder of Gonzago’ and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. The theory of melancholic behaviour is suggestible and rational especially as it was a recognised condition at the time the play was written, however, it doesn’t explain enough of Hamlet’s behaviour or the language, which is used to portray it. In some parts of the play Hamlet talks to other characters and appears to be ‘mad’ when he is obviously not. For example in Act 2, scene 2 Hamlet seems to patronize Polonius by answering his questions in a way he is clearly in control of: Polonius: â€Å"Do you know me my Lord?† Hamlet: â€Å"Excellent well, you are a fishmonger,† Hamlet obviously knows Polonius, but as Polonius has asked him this question as if he were mad Hamlet answers as if he were mad, but clearly just to humour him. This is supported by Hamlet’s statement as Polonius leaves the room: â€Å"These tedious old fools† (Line 219) Hamlet also taunts Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and leads them astray by what they realise as, â€Å"Crafty madness†. To add to this the way in which Hamlet expresses his feelings to his Mother all suggest his behaviour and the way he talks to people isn’t madness but excuse to act how he feels and speak his mind in a court where no one speaks the truth. This style of Hamlet’s is allusively presented in his language which also through his ‘madness’ is allowed to be more rich and creative rather than aristocratic like the other characters. Hamlet uses many proverbial sayings and puns in the play. The authenticity of Hamlet’s madness is a mystery that cannot be solved, this is perhaps why the play is enjoyed by the audience so much, the huge sense of mystery and uncertainty surrounding Hamlet’s madness is a main attraction of the play. It is possible that Hamlet is suffering from madness of some sort as my essay suggests perhaps ‘melancholic behaviour’, or the anger and jealousy Hamlet feels is just too much for him to conceal. However it is also possible that Hamlet’s behaviour is ‘madness’ put on by himself, there is evidence to support this theory as everyone in the play who states that Hamlet is mad has like himself got reason to imply this. Hamlet has stated that he would consider putting on an ‘antic disposition’ as a disguise to conceal his revenge plot against Claudius. It is also a very significant point that the play of Hamlet is not a true story and consequently Hamlet is not a real character/personality in real life, therefore Shakespeare was able to present him and make him seem however, he wished to. It is possible and likely that Shakespeare intended to present Hamlet’s madness in this ambiguous way giving almost equal reason for Hamlet to be genuinely mad as there is for him to be ‘acting mad.’

How Students Can Improve Their Self-Discipline and Time Management Skills

IntroductionTime management, although its term may be a misnomer, is about managing your time with a focus on achievement: of doing and completing those things which you want to do and which need doing. (Adair, J., Thomas, N. 2004, p.4). A good time management strategy can be accompanied by a range of techniques in managing time when accomplishing a certain task or goals within a due date. There are many types of students around the world ranging from preschooler to full time studies to working adults, including myself, studying part time courses. Students tend to procrastinate and get distracted from focusing their work. Therefore, it is important for students to manage their time well and train their self-discipline since young to stay focus in their studies. In this essay, we will be focusing and applying suggestions outlined by Adair, John (1987) and Masterton, Alisa (1997) to discuss more on how students can improve their self-discipline and time management skills. John Adair â €“ Time ManagementOther than being organized or efficient, John Adair believes that time management should be goal-driven and results-oriented. There are ten principles of time management as outlined by John Adair as follows; Develop a sense of personal timeIt is important for us as a student to understand and analyses how to spend and improve the time available to us as the first step to change. Students can keep a record of their time spent such as daily time log and then review it after a few days. By doing this, it will help the students to understand how they have responded to various tasks at different times of the day and may adjust or improve accordingly to their needs. In fact, students will get a much better feeling such as the feeling of satisfaction for the way they spend their time.As mentioned in Adair, J., Thomas, N. (2004, p.9), students are to ensure the followings in order for them to improve the use of time:Your time is spent according to a clear idea of your priorities and main responsibilities.You isolate the unimportant and ruthlessly prune out unnecessary or unproductive activities.You combine any ‘free’ time (i.e. free from meetings or other people’s demands) to create meaningful and usable time of your own.Tasks are simplified where others would not be  adversely affected.You are not doing tasks which could be performed by others.An example of time log:Source: Adair, J., Thomas, N. (2004, p.8) Identifying long-term goalsIt may be worth for students to ponder and identifying their long-term goals as it provides them with a sense of purpose and direction to achieve. Any potential conflicts can also be recognized during this process. For instance: †¢What do we want to be in 3 or 5 years’ time?What strengths and weaknesses do we have?How can we improve?Walt Goodridge provides 5-steps approach which can be put into use for students to set up their goals:Step 1: Find your ‘Why’It is crucial to understand the reason when doing certain things.Step 2: Write your goals downThis motivates students to work for their goals.Step 3: Quantify your goalsStudents should avoid doubts or creating fuzzy goals. They should bespecific when setting out goals.Step 4: Break them downIt will be much easier and manageable for students, especially those who love to procrastinate, to accomplish their goals by breaking down them into smaller parts.Step 5: Develop a strategyStudents should prioritize their task by working out a plan to accomplish their desire goals.Make middle-term plansMiddle-term plans can be seen as operational plan which may help students to achieve their long term-goals by setting out: who? What? When? Where? How? And Why? Adair, J. has set out an acronym to set targets which are known as S.M.A.R.T.Specific – the target must be clear and unambiguousMeasurable – a concrete criteria is needed for measuring the progress in achieving the target Attainable  œ it emphasizes the importance of targets that are realistic and attainable Relevant – the target must be in alignment with other targets whether it is worthwhile or right time etc. Time bound – the target to be set within a time frame, for instance, a target date, to help students to focus their efforts in completing their task before the due date. Planning the dayAdair, J (2004) also emphasizes that the golden rule is to shape the plan an outline for each day by listing the various components. This can help students to categorize and prioritize in relation to the urgency and importance task accordingly. Students need to understand and distinguish ‘important’ and ‘urgent’ term accordingly. Important activities have a result which leads to the achievement of students goals while urgent activities require immediate attention which often associated with the achievement of someone else’s goals. Student may use below Time Management Matrix which is a useful tool to set their priorities.Time Management MatrixSource: Adair, J., Thomas, N. (2004, p.14) Students may face difficulties in juggling with so many responsibilities. Therefore, students should also include in their systems for identifying what must be done today, should be done today and what might be done today (Adair, J., Thomas, N. 2004, p.15) Make best use of your timeThere are certain times where students are more productive than other times. Therefore, it is a must to know which of the quality times students are mentally alert and consistent in performing their task. Breaks in between will also help students to work in concentrated burst. However, students should not take this opportunity to procrastinate in between. Organize office workStudents will need a convenient place to study that is free from distractions in order to be able to focus better. It is also prudent for students to avoid on spending so much time reading which can be easily forgotten.There fore, it is encouraged for students to follow the following steps:Step 1: Shape your environmentAs mentioned earlier, it is important to have a convenient environment to study. There are many things which can distract students from doing their work diligently. Therefore, students have to find ways to overcome these challenges and manage their self-discipline.Step 2: Establishing a daily routineIt would be much easier once the students have created a routine to manage their plans. This may thus help to avoid procrastination and improve self-discipline. Manage meetings effectivelyIt is encouraged for students to prepare well in advance before attending to any workshops or classes to enable them to have a clearer idea on the concepts that are relevant to that particular workshop and thus being able to contribute to the discussion. Delegate effectivelyIn students’ context, it may be a principle which is indirectly in relation to getting others to take some of their workload to en able them to have more time to study. For instance, a working student may request the boss to delegate some of the work responsibilities to someone else so that he/she can leave work at reasonable time to study at home. This may increase the opportunity for students to have more free time to study. Make use of committed timeStudents can make use of their available time more effectively to increase their achievement level. This can be done by doing productive activities to schedule alongside which have to be committed to other activities in their daily routines or during waiting time and travel time. For instance, student may use the opportunity of the long lunch break by reading through some of the lectures or articles. Manage your healthIt is vital for students to look after their energy and stamina levels as time management is about ensuring that they maximize their available time wisely. This is to ensure that students do not suffer any time deprivation through illness of mind or body. In other words, it is important for students to have a well-balanced life.Bad management in both time and stress can push either of them out of control. Students are therefore encouraged to keep themselves healthy and stress-free during their break times by doing certain activities which will helps to clear their mind.Alisa Masterton – Time ManagementOther than Adair’s (1987) list of ten principles for better time management, Alisa Masterton (1997) also outlines a similar list which may assist students as follows: PlanningPlanning helps student to have an overview of the needs to be done with given due date in order for them to accomplish or achieve certain task.PriortisingStudents tend to start prioritizing on tasks that appear urgent however are actually which are not the most important ones. Therefore, it is prudent for them to do things that are of equally important. No time wastingStudents should avoid doing things that are not important to prevent themselv es from wasting any unnecessary time.Learning to say no  Students must avoid from doing task or taking on tasks which does not fit them in. For instance, when they became too pre-occupied and stressed with their own workload, they may not be able to do things effectively.Controlling paperworkIt is important to be organized to avoid missing datelines, losing important things which may lead to waste of time in searching for missing items.The diary as a toolHaving a diary may help students to keep track of what needs to be done with the given due date in relation to the plan and priorities which has been set out.ConclusionFrom time to time, students may face problems in doing their task efficiently and effectively. The main challenges are procrastination and distraction or even having trapped of perfectionism which may hinder the chances to success and thus results in failure. Students who practice good time management skills is often that they are more productive, having more energy to achieve  their task or goals, feeling less stress, having the ability in getting more things done. Both Adair’s (1987) and Masterton’s (1997) time management techniques are helpful for students to manage their time well. Students can balance their time management strategy that works best to be more effectively, productive and thus improve their self-discipline.