Saturday, December 28, 2019

A List of Free Printable History Worksheets

Many different teaching approaches can bring history alive for your students. Add these printable history worksheets to your studies to reinforce your lessons and allow students to hone their knowledge of important historical events and people. President Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln PrintablesUse word searches, vocabulary quizzes, crossword puzzles, and coloring pages to help students learn about Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States. Activities also teach about the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial and the first lady from 1861 to 1865, Mary Todd Lincoln. Black History Month: Famous Firsts Black History Month PrintablesAt this link, teachers can find important background information about Black History Month in addition to worksheets and other activities focused on famous firsts among black Americans. The Famous Firsts Challenge, for example, has students match up a famous first for black Americans, such as the first African-American to go into space, with the correct name from a list of choices. Chinas Long and Ancient History Chinese History PrintablesWith a history spanning thousands of years, China is for many people the subject of a lifetime of study. While your students probably wont embark on such an endeavor, this link offers handouts to introduce your students to concepts related to Chinese culture and government. One handout also presents a number matching activity for students to learn how to count to 10 in Chinese. The American Civil War U.S. Civil War PrintablesAmericas Civil War might be the most studied and debated subject in U.S. history. Using the printables at this link, students can become more familiar with the names, places, and events that defined this crucial era for the American republic. Lewis and Clark and the American Frontier Lewis and Clark PrintablesExploration and expansion of the American frontier are essential elements to understanding the United States as a nation and a people. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were hired to explore the Louisiana Territory that President Thomas Jefferson bought from the French. With the activities and worksheets at this link, students learn more about issues related to Lewis and Clark and their travels. Medieval Times Medieval Era PrintablesThe medieval era is a fascinating time for many students, with tales of knights and jousting as well as political and religious intrigue. Among the activities at this link is a detailed coloring sheet for learning all about a suit of armor. Also included is Medieval Times Theme Paper on which students can write a story, poem or essay about the period. New Seven Wonders of the World New 7 Wonders of the World PrintablesWith an announcement in July 2007, the world was introduced to the New Seven Wonders of the World. The Pyramids of Giza, the oldest and only Ancient Wonder still standing, is included as an honorary candidate. The printables here teach students about the Pyramids and the others: the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal, Machu Picchu, Chichen Itza, Christ the Redeemer, the Colosseum, and Petra. American Revolutionary War Revolutionary War PrintablesBy learning about the Revolutionary War students discover the actions and principles of the nations founders. With the activities at this link, students gain a good overview of vocabulary and names related to the Revolution, as well as particular events, such as the Surrender of Cornwallis and Paul Reveres Ride. Womens History Month (March) Womens History Month PrintablesMarch in the United States is National Womens History Month, which recognizes and celebrates womens contributions to Americas history, society, and culture. The printables at this link introduce many important women with significant historical legacies whose names students might not immediately know. These worksheets and activities will heighten students appreciation for the role of women in U.S. history. World War II Historical Timeline WWII History PrintablesStudents will use and expand their knowledge of World War II to complete the activities at this link, which include a crossword puzzle; spelling, alphabetizing and vocabulary sheets; and coloring pages.

Friday, December 20, 2019

Each Year, More Than 100 Million Animals Including Rats,

Each year, more than 100 million animals including rats, mice, fish, cats, hamsters, and birds are killed in U.S. laboratories. The reasons behind the killings of these innocent animals are for biology lessons, medical training, drug, food, and cosmetics testing. Animals are used to test commercial products as well as scientific developments. Using animals to test the safety of products and in research has been a topic of debate for years and it will continue for many more years if it does not come to an end. Although humans sometimes benefit from successful animal research and testing. The deaths, pain, and suffering of these innocent animals are not worth the possibility of human benefits. Animals were not given the voice to speak out,†¦show more content†¦The stress of living their isolated lives have causes many of these animals to begin unseen behavior such as pulling out their hair, biting at their own skin, and inflicting pain upon themselves. These are not ideal cond itions for any living and breathing animal to go through. These animals not being able to taken for granted and are pushed to their limits of life, animal testing should be stopped because it violates the rights of animals. To explain more, testing of products on animals is no longer needed because viable alternatives are available. In vitro testing, are cellular tests that are done inside a test tube, for example, studying cell structures and the rate at which cells grown in a petri dish. This can produce more relevant results than animal testing because human cells can be used. Researchers have also developed a wide range of computer models that simulate human biology and the progression of diseases in a human body. These accurate computer models can predict the way that new drugs will react in the human body and replace the use of animals for testing. Lastly, we can get more accurate results with simply testing on humans. This is a method called â€Å"microdosing† it can provide vital information on the safety of an experimental drug and how the effects are on a smaller group or certiain population of humans prior to large amout of human trials. Volunteers are given an extremely small one-time drug dose, of the experimental drugShow MoreRelatedThe Minute Speech Against Animal Testing1053 Words   |  5 PagesMinute Speech against animal testing We should stop the use of animals for research and testing purposes. Animal research/testing refers to the use of non-human animals for testing or experimenting on. The use of animals for testing is used in the fields of: Biomedical research, security, evaluation, and education of a product. Every year animals are subject to experiments so painful and damaging that no one would ever do them on humans. Deciding whether or not to do animal testing is a tough choiceRead MoreAnimals in Medical Experiments Essay932 Words   |  4 PagesAnimal experimentation has been credited for the medicines made to assist diabetes, vaccines for smallpox, deep brain stimulation for parkinson’s disease, and many more along with millions of dollars spent on failed experiments, millions of animal deaths a year, misleading data and an overall bigger loss than gain. The main point of animal testing is to benefit the safety and overall health of humans, but testing on non humans to learn about humans doesn’t contribute to the cause. Humans have theRead MoreAnimal Testing And Its Morality1283 Words   |  6 PagesARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY Every year in the United States of America more than 100 million helpless animals will suffer and die from malicious chemical, drug, food, and cosmetics tests. Rabbits, Cats, birds, reptiles and amphibians are not covered by the minimal protections of the Animal Welfare Act, so they go unnoticed towards the millions of sufferers. Millions of rodents, birds, rabbits, primates, felines, canines, and other types of animals are locked inside barren cages in laboratories acrossRead MoreVivisection Essay example1710 Words   |  7 PagesEvery year in the USA about 70 million animals are experimented on (Monamy 34). Almost all these animals are euthanized after they are no longer needed. But I’m not going to focus on the moral aspect of this subject because that would be a never ending argument of opinions. After doing research I found that there are more important reasons why this practice should be modified. Our government’s dependence on vivisection should be toned dow n or totally replaced because it is misleading, its faultyRead MoreAnimal Testing Should Be Banned1263 Words   |  6 PagesAdult Education 19 May 2017 Animal Testing Should Be Banned Standard Number: 6.4.A Over 115 million animals are tested in laboratories throughout the United States each year. Typical animals included in these horrific tests include: cats, rats, dogs, rabbits, mice, monkeys, sheep, and birds. Researchers state that about 78,294 animals subjected to cosmetic and medicinal tests face severe pain (PETA, 2017). â€Å"Neither Federal nor state law prohibits the transfer of animals to laboratories; they onlyRead MoreEssay about Stop Animal Testing1631 Words   |  7 PagesThe Truth About Animal Experimentation Millions of animals are used in scientific and medical research, including mice, rats, rabbits, primates, cats, dogs and other animals. They are locked inside cold barren cages in laboratories across the country. Unfortunately all they can do is sit and wait in fear of the next terrifying and painful procedures that will be performed on them. More than 100 million animals every year suffer and dies in cruel chemical, drug, food and cosmeticRead MoreUse of Animals for Research1382 Words   |  6 PagesThe tension between animal rights and medical/cosmetic research is an extreme issue in today’s society. Every day millions of mice, rats, rabbits, primates, cats, dogs, and other animals are locked inside cold, barren cages in laboratories across the country. They languish in pain, ache with loneliness, and long to roam free and use their minds, but all they can do is sit and wait in fear of the next terrifying, painful procedure that will be performed on them next. Animal Research is a very wellRead MoreShould Animals Be Torture And Abused?1178 Words   |  5 PagesWhy should animals have to be torture and abused? Is it because they are not human? Is it because they are not capable of stopping us? Animal use for drug experimentation has sparked controversy around the world. So why are animals for harmful testing? Each year millions of animals such as mice, rats, rabbits, and primates suffer through excruciating amounts of physical and mental torture. In recent years, the use of these animals has been has been strictly criticized by numerous animal rights groupsRead MoreAnimals Is Inhumane, Ineffective, And Unethical1291 Words   |  6 PagesImagine your pet at home- whether it is a cat, dog, rabbit, or even a rat- being purposely infected with a disease, blinded, or given poison to observe how long a poison takes to kill the animal. This is a daily occurrence in the world. At a minimum, 100 million animals die each year due to experimentation- including dogs, cats, monkeys, sheep, and a variety of other animals. Is animal experimentation necessary? Whether it is for military or medical research, or even cosmetic testing, activists argueRead MoreAnimals Should Not Be Used For Biomedical Research1635 Words   |  7 PagesAnimals have been used from the beginning of time the ancient civilisa tions used animal testing to find answers to the unknown for example why do animals exist romans greeks simply dissected animals to have knowledge. Now days animals are used to understand basic human biology, so called â€Å"models† for studying human biology and disease. Improvements in human health, vaccines and medicines. Another type of animal use is for cosmetics. Even though people believe that biomedical research is a way

Thursday, December 12, 2019

One flew over the Cuckoos Nest

Question: Describe about the Report for One flew over the Cuckoos Nest. Answer: Argument Presents a world that prevents revolt by labelling iconoclasts as mad In this article we are going to see why the argument above is proved right by the movie One flew Over The Cuckoos Nest. Does the movie really prove such a view? Yes, it does and an overview of the movie below would help us understand why! Storyline: The movie is adapted from a book of the same name, however there are significant departures from the books content. For instance, in the book Chief Bromden (Sampson) is a very important character whereas in the movie more importance is given to McMurphy (Jack Nicholson). This movie won all five top Academy awards for Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Director and Screenplay. (Ebert, 2003) This was the first instance of a movie winning all the top awards after It Happened One Night in 1934. The story opens with Randle Patrick McMurphy, who is supposedly the iconoclast, is sentenced to a short term prison sentence, however he wants to escape from the awful prison experience and therefore pretends to be mad so that he would be transferred to a mental asylum which he feels would be a more comfortable and smoother experience when compared to the prison. His experiences in confinement at the mental asylum are what the movie is about. The three dominant characters in the movie who keep the audience spellbound by their performance are, McMurphy, Chief Bromden and Nurse Ratched played by Jack Nicholson, Will Sampson and Louise Fletcher respectively. One flew over the Cuckoos Nest was one of the biggest hits of 1975. Analysis Insanity can be used as a political tool to manipulate victims. That is exactly what this movie portrays. People use this tool of insanity to hide in order to avoid responsibilities and label themselves deranged. This is what McMurphy questions. He sees the silent submission of people who are manipulated to stay under the control of the Big Nurse, which he objects to. McMurphys character is that of a rebellious man who believes in living life to the fullest without any restraint. He is a nonconformist and one who dares to challenge all authority. Unfortunately, to save himself from a few days of imprisonment he ends up in a special ward because of his pretence of being insane where Nurse Ratched is in charge. Nurse Ratched is a person who keeps everyone under her autocratic control in the ward. If anyone dares to mess with her she would either give them shock therapy, send them to the disturbed ward or get them lobotomised. She manipulates patients by stirring patients against each other and keeping them divided so that they didnt understand her plans of never letting them get alright and leave. Chief Bromden, meanwhile is pretending to be a deaf and dumb man in order to be left alone, to himself. He is befriended by McMurphy. The movie does not include any of his background history which the book addresses. He is shown as a war veteran and a paranoid schizophrenic! The iconoclast in the movie is obviously none other than McMurphy. He disregards every form of authority, unlike the rest of the patients in the ward. He is someone who defies rules and authority. He gambles, makes racist remarks, uses profane language and is incorrigible. He does not realise that he is being the focal point of Nurse Ratched and little does he know the extent of Nurse Ratcheds brutality. Throughout the whole time in the mental asylum McMurphy challenges the autocratic rule of Ratched. He would break ward rules, by among other things, holding basketball games in the hospital which was not allowed and as a result McMurphy gets into the bad books of Nurse Ratched. His rebellious attitude does not go down well with the Nurse who decides to retain McMurphy post his prison sentence. He gets wind of her plans from an older ward personnel and discovers that many people were being confined at the asylum as a result of Ratcheds dominance. These inmates were not exercising their personal will to leave even though legally they were entitled to leave after completion of their sentence. His rebellious nature is so infectious that the rest of the patients begin to follow his footsteps. In one instance, when his request to watch television in the ward is denied McMurphy still goes ahead and turns the television on. Upon seeing this, Nurse Ratched turns off the power connection to the television but this does not move McMurphy one bit. He continues staring at the blank screen which is followed by the rest of the inmates. He is warned that this kind of attitude can get him into a bad tiff with Ratched which can turn ugly. There are moments of awareness of Nurse Ratcheds gruesome behaviour which make McMurphy back off a bit, however, it does not last long. His iconoclastic behaviour begins to rub off on others and soon everyone in the ward start to feel challenged to get out of the Nurses tyranny and desire to be set free. Had it not been for McMurphy they would have probably lived a life of non revolt without any challenges and neither would they have experienced the joy of living life on the edge. In his final act of rebellion, McMurphy decides one night to get two prostitutes into the ward, he gets all the patients drunk and also breaks into the drug station. He coaxes Billy Bibbit, an inmate, into having sex with one of the prostitutes. The next day ends up becoming the most disastrous day in the life of the patients in the ward. Everyone in the ward is guilt tripped by Ratched and Billy Bibbit is manipulated by Nurse Ratched by threatening him that she was going to let his mother know about the previous nights incidents. McMurphy although totally aware of the mind games Ms. Ratched was capable of playing to get her way, underestimates the extent to which she would go to keep her inmates in check. What follows are a series of events that brings the movie to its climax. Billy Bibbit commits suicide out of shame of his mother getting to know about the previous nights affair. McMurphy loses his sanity on seeing Billy lying on the floor dead and he strangles Nurse Ratched in an attempt to kill her. Ms. Ratched who is rescued by ward personnel, then orders McMurphy to be taken upstairs to the lobotomy room and gets him lobotomised. When the Chief sees marks of stitches on McMurphys forehead, he realises that his dear friend Randle McMurphy has been lobotomised. He couldnt imagine seeing his effervescent friend lying like a dead vegetable all his life and hence decides to end his life by suffocating him to death with a pillow. Chief Bromden then takes his friend McMurphys advice, pulls off the heavy panel in the tub room, breaks open the windows and escapes into his freedom to Canada with the help of a Mexican guy he meets in the highway. (Kesey, n.d.) The movie although set in a mental asylum is reflective of the world view of how iconoclasts are seen as a threat to authority and are labelled as mad by the ones who wield authority. The people in charge will go to any extent to neutralise what they see as a threat even if it means having to conduct a lobotomy. However the movie also holds out hope that even as iconoclasts are lobotomised they inspire some at least to escape that very authority. (Gregory Shafer,2014) References Shafer,Gregory. Madness and Difference: Politicising insanity in Classical Literary Works. Volume 30, Issue1. https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2041context=lajm. Accessed 20th September, 2016. Kesey, Ken. One flew over the Cuckoos Nest. Character List.1975, https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/cuckoo/. Accessed 21st September, 2016. Kesey,Ken. One flew Over the Cuckoos Nest Summary. 1975, https://www.shmoop.com/one-flew-over-cuckoos-nest/summary.html. Accessed 21st September, 2016. Kesey, Ken. One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest Book Summary.1975, https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/o/one-flew-over-the-cuckoos-nest/book-summary. Accessed 21st September, 2016. KEsey, Ken. One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest . Analysis. 1975, https://www.enotes.com/topics/one-flew. Accessed 21st September, 2016. Ebert, Roger. One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest. Review. 2003. https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-one-flew-over-the-cuckoos-nest-1975. Accessed 21st September, 2016.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Is an Inspector Calls an example of a well

Is an Inspector Calls an example of a well-made play? Essay Not to have an hour play with months of time in it, not enough detail would be put in and it wouldnt be realistic, set and costumes would have to be changed as things change over time, and you dont always wear the same clothes all these time. An Inspector Calls follows these rules as the whole play is set on one evening. Space is that it should only be set in one scene, that the audience shouldnt have to imagine that you are anywhere else, and it also saves moving the scenery about, having only one place makes it stronger and more realistic. An Inspector calls is all set in the Birling household so this also follows this. Action is that there should only be one story line, An Inspector Calls follows this even though it has little braches off it the all join up along the same storyline. The Denouement is the final of the seven points. In a well-made play it is a time to see how much the characters have changed since the lessons that they have learnt during the play. It has to be plausible ending and not farfetched but let the viewers go home knowing exactly what happened. An Inspector Calls ending does not follow this rule, the ending is not plausible, and on the contrary it makes you think after. The ending to and Inspector calls isnt logical as to get a phone call at the end about a dead girl who drank some disinfectant just after someone had played a trick on them about that has a very small chance of actually happening. Inspector Goole represents the socialist, as Mr. Birling is a big capitalist, I think the Inspector comes round to show him the right way to think. Goole is a symbol for what is right and almost shows up Mr. Birlings views by using a dead girl who killed herself to show it. The ending isnt too far-fetched it is just confusing and also doesnt follow the rules of the denouement. Most of the characters havent learnt anything by the end of the play have not learnt their lessons that they have had through the play. As soon as they find out it wasnt real most of them completely forgot that what they did was wrong. Except Sheila and Eric who still feel great remorse for what they did, and are the only ones who actually learnt something from it. At the very end guilt comes back to all when they hear of another girls death. The audience also feels guilt it the Inspectors speech at the end before he leaves as he teaches that we must look out for other people. In conclusion I feel I cannot actually say it is a well-made play as it does not fill the whole criteria needed, though I find it is a very close call. I think it is almost a category of its own, not quite fitting into any just about because of one little thing wrong. An Inspector Calls show originality and creativity and will still be regarded by many as a very well made play.

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Enron Scandal Impact on Accounting Accounting has Essays - Economy

Enron Scandal: Impact on Accounting Accounting has been blamed for the losses sustained by Enron, as it allowed the company to hide details of its dealings from its investors, until the company's financial situation was so bad that the firm was forced to go bankrupt almost overnight. Enron's downfall has been characterised as "excessive interest by management in maintaining stock price or earnings trend through the use of unusually aggressive accounting practices." (Healy, 2003) As part of this, Enron used "mark-to-market accounting' for the energy trading business in the mid-1990s and used it on an unprecedented scale for its trading transactions." (Thomas, 2002) Under mark-to-market accounting practices, companies with outstanding derivative contracts or purchases on their balance sheets when accounts are being prepared must adjust them to "fair market value" (Thomas, 2002) As a result, predicted long term gains or losses on these contract are applied to the company's profit s immediately, similar to depreciation, or asset write downs. The main difficulty encountered when doing this for long-term futures contracts in energy markets is that "there are often no quoted prices upon which to base valuations. Companies having these types of derivative instruments are free to develop and use discretionary valuation models based on their own assumptions and methods, as Enron did." (Healy, 2003) Another accounting technique Enron used to hide significant debts was the use of special purpose entities (SPEs), which Enron took to "new heights of complexity and sophistication, capitalizing them with not only a variety of hard assets and liabilities, but also extremely complex derivative financial instruments, its own restricted stock, rights to acquire its stock and related liabilities." (Thomas, 2002) Enron also used these SPEs to hide details of assets which were excessively declining in value, thus avoiding having losses from asset write down and depreciat ion charges on the company books. This practice was applied to "certain overseas energy facilities, the broadband operation or stock in companies that had been spun off to the public." (Thomas, 2002) The accounting treatments around SPEs meant that the losses sustained on these asset write downs would not appear on Enron's accounts. Enron promised share issues to the investors in the SPEs to compensate them for taking these assets on but, as the value of the assets fell even further, Enron found itself unable to meet these commitments from share issues. These creative accounting techniques began to be suspected by investors in October 2001, when Enron several new businesses failed to perform as well as expected. Enron was hoping these new businesses would cover its losses on the SPEs but, in October 2001 the company was forced to announce a major series of write-downs of its own assets, including "after tax charges of $2.87 million for Azurix, the water business acquired in 1 998, $180 million for broadband investments and $544 million for other investments." (Healy, 2003) These write downs amounted to twenty two percent of the capital spent by Enron on developing its business between 1998 and 2000. In addition, Enron sold Portland General Corp., the electric power plant it had acquired in 1997, for $1.9 billion, at a loss of $1.1 billion over the acquisition price. (Healy, 2003) The losses incurred as a result of this caused investors to question whether Enron's strategy was feasible in the long tem, and in markets other than derivatives. In summary, whilst the accounting concepts and strategy underlying the gas derivatives trading was a reasonable attempt to produce value for investors, "extensions of this idea into other markets and international expansion were unsuccessful." (Healy, 2003) However, whilst the mark to market and SPE accounting techniques used by the company helped hide this fact from investors, the stock markets as a whole were guilty of "largely ignored red flags associated with Enron's spectacular reported performance" (Thomas, 2002). This aided and, in the eyes of the management at Enron, vindicated the company's expansion strategy by allowing Enron access to plenty of capital cheaply and easily. As such, accounting cannot be entirely blamed for the losses sustained by investors, as the investors themselves simply assumed that the value Enron appeared to be generating "would be sustained far into the future, despite little economic basis for such a projection."

Sunday, November 24, 2019

A Decade of Uneasy Peace essays

A Decade of Uneasy Peace essays World War II was the worst war that was fought in the 20th Century, and perhaps the worst war in the history of man. The loss of lives in World War II was a staggering 50-60 million dead (Mitchner, Tuffs Global Forces of the 20th Century 130). World War II also ushered in the era of nuclear weapons. How did this war come about, and could it have been prevented? War was inevitable in 1939 due to the resentment of the German people towards the Versailles Treaty, poverty resulting from the great depression, the policy of appeasement, and Axis aggression in the 1930s. The Treaty of Versailles was the major treaty ending military actions against Germany in World War I. The treaty was signed at the Palace of Versailles, near Paris, on June 28, 1919, and went into effect on January 10, 1920, following ratification by Germany and four of the Principal Allied and Associated Powers, Great Britain, France, Italy, and Japan (Mitchner, Tuffs Global Forces of the 20th Century 22). It was not ratified by the United States, which made a separate treaty of peace with Germany in 1921 incorporating much of the Treaty of Versailles by reference (Mitchner, Tuffs Global Forces of the 20th Century 42). The lesser Allied powers, except China, were also parties. Separate treaties of peace were made with Germanys allied, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Turkey (Mitchner, Tuffs Global Forces of the 20th Century 30). Instead of creating peace however, the Treaty of Versailles caused frustration and hatred (Elson 29). France felt that victory was not achieved, and deci ded to create more military alliances to seal off Germany. Italy felt cheated, because the spoils of war promised to her when Italy left the Triple Alliance to joined the Triple Entente in 1915 was not received. Germany felt the most betrayed, as all the wrongs in the war was pinned on her. This frustration would eventually lead to the popular support of Hitler (Elson 31). One of the poin...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Diversity in the Work Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Diversity in the Work Environment - Essay Example Diversity is the guide for innovative thinking, entrepreneurial spirit and new methods of building the communities. According to Abbasi, & Hollman (1991) that Diversity as a concept is one that welcomes numerous ways of thinking and expression as important business resources for the reason that those differences can create new and innovative product and service ideas and methods of problem solving. Carr-Ruffino, (1996) said that managing diversity is considered as planning and implementing business systems and practices to direct people so that the probable advantages of diversity are maximized while its probable disadvantages are minimized. Managing diversity well presents a unique advantage in a time when flexibility and creativity are keys to competitiveness. A business needs to be flexible and adjustable to attain new customer desires. We live in time where understanding diversity is becoming more vital than ever. The word diversity has assumed new significance all throughout the past few years. Diversity has turn out to be related with positive action programs and cultural or gender-based sensitivity training. Yet diverse does exactly explain these days a usual firm's workers, independent contractors and customers. In this situation, it merely describes reality. The diversity issues are now considered important and are projected to turn into even more essential in the future due to growing differences in the population. Businesses' need to focus on diversity and look for ways to develop into totally inclusive organizations for the reason that diversity has the potential of yielding greater productivity and competitive advantages. Diversity is an important competitive asset that cannot afford to overlook. Managing and valuing diversity is a key component of effective people management, which can develop workplace productivity. Demographic changes will necessitate organizations to review the management practices and extend new and creative approaches to mana ging people. Changes will enhance work performance and customer service. Operating in a global economy presents vital challenges to businesses. On the human resources side of the equation, assembling a diverse workforce can be component of an effective overall strategy to stay competitive and create more employee and customer loyalty. The diversity of workforce is a through reflection of the organization and the appreciation of the benefits a diverse workforce has to offer. Diversity recruiting is becoming more and more significant as the world turned into more global. At first, legal compliance was the main driver behind most diversity recruiting. It's essential to recruit diverse individuals not merely for the reason that numerous corporations must operate facilities at multiple locations around the globe, but also for the reason that they need diverse-thinking individuals to design products that will be in high demand in every major country. In a global economy, having a diverse workforce is no longer an alternative. It has developed into an absolute r equirement for victory in a global economy. Various organizations have established processes and procedures for

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Plants and human civilization Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Plants and human civilization - Research Paper Example The first farmers have mastered the ground and learned how to cultivate the first cereal crops. Large areas of forest were cut down and burned for obtaining the new agricultural fields. Thus whole ecosystems were destroyed. Deforestation in the Mediterranean, Asia Minor, Mesopotamia (in the areas of the ancient culture) caused the significant xerophytization and desertification of these areas. In Africa and India the decline of tropical forests has caused increasing the savannah areas; the same happened in South America. It was increased livestock development in the North America and Central Asia, especially in the areas of ancient culture near Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers. This phenomenon caused appearance and spread of the mobile sand dunes. In North America, deforestation caused erosion and emergence of vast areas which so-called bad land. Age of Discovery led to introduction and dissemination of new species, which sometimes rapidly spread in the new conditions. For example, Kudzu or Pueraria lobed (Pueraria lobata) is a plant with leaves that looks like wild grapes. Kudzu came from Japan and Southeast Asia. In 1876 this plant was imported to the South USA (Philadelphia) and presented as a fast growing plant, which effectively restore the soil erosion. Over a period of 50 years in the U.S.A., Kudzu was known as the grapevine that had swallowed the South. Pueraria lobed really has the ability to rapid growth. Thus this plant could reach 30 meters in length during 2 years. Kudzu engrosses everything on the way especially abandoned houses, cars, power lines, other trees and shrubs. The following unsuccessful species invasion is the importation of rabbits in Australia. In 1859 Thomas Austin, Australian farmer, said that the introduction of a few rabbits would not bring much harm, but would be just another source of meat for hunters. He has unleashed 24 rabbits, but to the end of the century the number of rabbits greatly increased, because there were no

Sunday, November 17, 2019

FINANCIAL REPORTING REPORT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

FINANCIAL REPORTING REPORT - Essay Example The year under review for this assignment is 2005. During the year 2005, Tesco has been able to generate a revenue target of 37.070 Billion pounds.(www.tescocorporate.com). The reason that we have chosen such a high turnover company is the fact that because of its size and significance in the UK economy, we believe its accounting policies and practices will reflect it therefore we have chosen this. Accounting standards require that they should be consistently applied and practiced. (Deliotte, 2008). Accounting Policies adapted by Tesco are according to the both international and national standards of accounting prevalent at the time. Tesco has prepared its accounting statements on Historical cost convention however there are some changes with respect to the Transitional disclosure requirements under FRS 17. Revenue recognitiation policy is as per the standards and whereas the stocks are valued at lowers of the cost or net realizable value. Fixed assets are recognized at the cost with depreciation being recorded at the straight line basis with clear segmentation of depreciation rates. Goodwill is amortized and capitalized according to the prevalent standards whereas fixed assets and goodwill are also under review for impairment under FRS 11. Segment reporting is one of the important accounting information for the investors especially within the context of international businesses. The increasing trends of businesses to have segments working all over the world and even within the country require that the information shall be contained in the financial statements according to the prevalent accounting standards. The value the segmental reporting carries to the shareholders is very important because it provide investors the necessary look into the performance of the various segments of the company. Since the company is a collection of various departments and segments and a synergic coherence of these segments creates success for the

Friday, November 15, 2019

Analysis of the Liberian Conflict

Analysis of the Liberian Conflict Background to this Conflict Analysis The Liberian conflict began in 1979 with civil unrest and ended in 2003 with the forced exile of the then president Charles Taylor. During this 24years period, Liberia has had a number of significant turning points: two regime-changing coups (1980 and 1990) and with them the assassination of 2 presidents, two civil wars, the first in 1989 90, the second from 1997 2003, and two elections, 1985 and 1997. The period was marred with systemic violence and human rights violations which resulted in the death of 150 250,000 people and 1.5 million people displaced (FRTRCLDP, 2009: 3) this is startling given a pre-war population of 2.8 million. However, if we examine the period from the rice riots of 1979 and the 1980 coup we find a steady escalation in direct violence starting from that period. Furthermore there is substantial evidence of structural violence in pre-79 Liberia. The means of financing the regimes of Charles Taylor, Samuel Doe and the True Whig Party, from 1979 to 2003 were very different during reign (Reno 1999,pp102 103 ), but nevertheless the political, hierarchical structures endured throughout this time, albeit with different leaders. This continued to allow a ruling elite to exploit the subjugated masses as it had done for the previous century. Furthermore, the lack of loyalty towards Taylor, by the wealthy elite, is comparable to the lack of support for Does administration, by the same elite, during Does final years in office. The similarities between Taylors reign, the Doe era and the period of rule prior to 1979 demonstrate a cyclical nature to the conflict. Therefore, unless the period under review in this conflict analysis is based around one of the turning points noted above, the selection of a time is almost arbitrary if chosen during this period. Furthermore, if one tries to analyse the conflict at the time of the first civil war or post 1990, the discourse leads to an examination of the conflict and structures during Does rule, and ultimately, this leads to an analysis of the societal structures and conflict potential prior to the 1979/80 uprising. In order to provide a time frame for evaluation, this analysis will focus on the period of 1979 1989 because what comes thereafter is very much a product of what came before. Conflict Analyses The aim of a conflict analysis is to provide a better understanding of the causes and drivers of a given conflict. Several leading development agencies have designed conflict analysis tools to help them to better target their development work and to ensure that they do not aggravate a conflict situation through that development. A summary of few prominent conflict analyses can be found at Appendix 2 Methodology The aim of this conflict analysis is to gain an understanding of the root causes and manifestations of violence in Liberia over the period 1979 1990, in particular focusing at the country level. The analysis will also identify and analyse sub-national, regional and international actors that affected the conflict. The DfID Strategic Conflict Assessment consists of three parts: Conflict Analysis; Analysis of responses to the conflict; Strategies and options for dealing with the situation; The Conflict Analysis Framework of the assessment examines the following areas: Table 1 DfID Conflict Analysis Framework Conflict Analysis (i) Structures (ii) Actors (iii) Dynamics Analysis of long term factors underlying conflict: Security Economic Political Social Analysis of conflict actors: Interests Relations Capacities Peace agendas Incentives Analysis of: Long term trends of conflict Triggers for increased violence Capacities for managing conflict Likely future conflict scenarios (Great Britain, DfID, p10, Table 1). The DfID framework provides a tool which is easily transferable to analyse the Liberian conflict within the parameters set. A secondary aim of this analysis is to see whether we can shed any light on the greed versus grievance debate and to help assess the predominance of one set of motivating factors over the other in the case of the Liberian conflict. Greed and grievance The principle greed arguments focus on the economic benefit that might motivate an individual, or group, to fight and then continue fighting (Mac Ginty 2006: 69) Three pre-conditions, have been identified, by Collier, as conflict catalysts in greed based theories. These are access to primary commodities, the proportion of young men in society and the amount of education available (Collier 2000, 93). Collier goes so far as to rank the importance of these factors but does not suggest that all three need to be present at the same time. Grievance theories of conflict emphasise arguments of ideology, ethnicity, human needs and inter-group competition (Mac Ginty 2006: 71). Idoelogy and ethnicity are often used by the layperson in explaining conflict causation, but a fuller analysis often identifies these as sustaining a conflict rather than initiating it, leaders might use ethno-religious calls to ‘rally the troops, but this is often not the underlying cause (Barash and Webel, 2002: 15) . Based on statistical research, Collier argues (2000: 96) that grievance theories of conflict causation â€Å"are so unimportant† compared to the prevalence of greed based motives, that, â€Å"grievance based explanations of civil war are so seriously wrong†. However, he does admit that that under the right circumstances (such as following and economic slump) grievances motives can be explained. Structures Societies that are socially fractionalised along ethnic or religious divides are significantly less prone to conflict (Collier, 2000: 98). Social division in Liberia lay between 17 groups (FRTRCLDP 2009: 51). The first group consists of the original settlers from the US freed slaves who arrived in Liberia in 1822, this group were known as the Americo-Liberians; together with the Caribbean freed slaves they constituted 5% of the population. The remaining groups were formed from 16 separate indigenous tribal groups. There were further splits along religious lines. The US settlers brought with them Christianity which spread amongst the population. Liberia also had an Islamic population from the African-Arabic slavers of the 16th and 17th centuries. By 1980, this provided a blend of approximately 40% Christian, 20% Muslim, 20% indigenous religions (and a number of individuals practicing some form of hybrid religion). According to the hypothesis, Liberia would be very unlikely to collapse into civil war due to its non-homogeneous nature. This was in fact the case rprio to the arrival of the Americo-liberians; A study by Olukujo (as cited in the FRTRCLDP 2009: 51) notes that for hundreds of years the 16 tribes had lived in relative peace with â€Å"intermarriage, modern education and westernised Christianity, Islam and other foreign influences† blurring tribal ethnicity. Furthermore, each family had a family head and each village a council of elders who would resolve conflicts. However, when analysing the Liberian political and economic structures prior to 1980, we find that it is difficult to untangle the two strands; this is because the Liberian system was very hierarchical with a ruling elite and a proletariat; there was limited, if any middle class. The establishment of the Liberian political system, in the 18th century, was based on a US constitutional model (Outram, 1999: 164) with a Senate and a House of representatives. However, only the Americo-Liberians were allowed to vote. The political elite passed laws which kept the indigenous people subjugated, both politically and economically, Evidence of this self-perpetuation can be seen in the fact that the True Whig Party was the only political party that held officer from 1877 until the coup in 1980, even the previous President, President Tubman, remained in office for an unbroken period of 37 years. It is very unlikely that the True Whig Party would have been voted out prior to the coup, as the indigenous population did not have the right to vote, until a constitutional change in 1984. Therefore those who had political positions were also either economically power or financially well connected. Those without money or power were subjugated by this ruling elite known as a patron-client relationship (Outram, 1999: 165). The President had a significant amount of power vested in him, as both the Chief of State and Head of Government. President Tubman consolidated power in his position, just as Doe did 10 years later, and both following unsuccessful coups. So the evidence suggests that the ruling elite in society were able to exploit self interest and so were motivated by greed. We shall now turn our attention to the motives of the subjugated. When a rebel organisation has the potential to gain sufficient size that the prospect of a conflict has a realistic chance of success, then individuals will be more likely to bond together for grievance based reasons (Collier, 2000: 99). So, if Liberia is viewed through the lens of the masses, then the society is much less divided; with split of 95% indigenous population to 5% ruling elite (FRTRCLDP 2009: 5). This allows us to evaluate the grievance theory model due to Liberias homogenous nature and therefore its propensity to civil war for grievance reasons. The following lists examples of laws that were passed that demonstrate the lack of rights tahts wereexperienceed by the indigenous people REFERNCES!!!! Examples of the laws passed by the government included: the 1864 Ports of Entry Act, which restricted foreign trade with indigenous people, the indigenous werent granted citizenship until 1904. In 1926 the government leased 1 million acres of land to the firestone company, land which was inhabited, they then conscripted local labour for the company and other neighbouring countries. In 1931the Government of Liberia was requested to defend its position over allegations from the League of Nations of svaling the indigenous population. . Economic 1864 passed laws baning trade Political US constitiional arrangement Single party from1877, Political eltie Social Access to education forced adoption referred to as barbarians no tribal problems Unification attempts but more for popular support context of the regional issues at the time. Indeed when Samuel Doe rose to power in the 1980 coup he did so onthe back of a wave of local grievances. Dynamics Manifestation of Violence Defintion of direct and structural Violence, definition of peace and conflict Comparison or 1985 Vs 1955 Structural: no right to vote, land taken away, human salvery and conscript labour, not even citizens til 1904 Quotes form TRC Ref topdown and bottom up Mac ginty p 77, 3rd feature of conflict†¦.. Corruption Issues regarding money and support for wealthy elite Issues of 23 million to release Ellen and the 400m in aid. Table 2 Comparison of Violence Pre 1980 Post 1980 †¢ Ruling Elite (Americo Liberian) †¢ No right to vote for masses †¢ Power vested in the President †¢ President is Chief of State and Head of Government †¢ Army used as security †¢ Suppression of uprising 1955 †¢ Huge personal financial incentives to stay in power foreign investment †¢ NO Ethnic tensions (Olukoju 2006) †¢ Ruling Elite (Krahn tribe) †¢ No Right to vote for the masses Voting overturned †¢ Political structure remains the same †¢ Power vested in the President †¢ Army used as security †¢ Harsh suppression of coup by Gen Quiwonkpa 2985 †¢ Huge financial incentives to stay in power †¢ Escalation of Structural violence and direct violence †¢ Inter-ethnic fighting †¢ Corruption increases as a survival mechanism Conclusion Violence escalation table The following table summarises the level of violence during the period and notes the factors that sustain or escalate the violence. Table 3 Violence Manifestation Violence Manifestation and Explanation Initiation †¢ ‘Colonial structures and exploitation in Liberia lead to → Localised grievances and structural violence, Create opportunities for Sustainment †¢ Individual actors greed → nepotism to galvanise own support → fractionalisation leads to ethno-tribalism †¢ No structural change takes place → continued marginalisation / HR violations Which creates: Escalation †¢ Further grievances which fuel the conflict → Direct Violence as a survival mechanism ‘Poverty and lack of opportunity, intensified by the war have helped promote the attractiveness of fighting as a means of survival (Atkinson, 1997) The story of Liberia between 1979 and 1990 is one of action, inaction and reaction: action by the proletariat and ruling governments (pre and post 1979), inaction by the international community and reaction by regional actors to the. The violence during this period escalated from societal structural violence in 1979 to overt direct violence against the civilian population and opposition groups in 1990. This resulted in an increase of displaced persons, frustrating neighbouring countries threatening to de-stabilised the region. The actions by regional countries coupled with the frustrations of the masses provided the circumstances which could lead to a second coup, and the first civil war in 1989. The DfID Conflict Analysis Framework provides a useful tool with which to analyse a protracted conflict such as Liberia. By examining the structures and dynamics in play at both national and local levels it has been possible to see that the Liberian conflict shows signs of greed and grievance motivations with each playing off the other. The ruling elite motivated by the prospects of substantial wealth and pursuing a desperate attempt to hold onto power, and grievance by the oppressed masses with little prospect of anything better unless they rise up and rebel against the elite. Epilogue The greed and grievance cycle, as discussed in the background to this analysis continued to play out during Charles Taylors reign. Taylor has suggested that his motives for staging a coup had been to force regime change of a brutal dictatorship (Ref). That might have been his altruistic outward cry, indeed â€Å"narratives of grievance play much better with this [the international] community than narratives of greed.† (Collier, 2000: 92). It is clear now that Taylors coup was heavily supported internationally, and regionally (Ref). What is also evident now is that within the first 6 months of Taylors charge for Monrovia, he had not only gained control of 90% of the country, but had also amassed a personal wealth of USD 3.6million. It is also estimated that during the period 1991 1994, Taylor had a personal income of USD 420 450 million per year (REF). In this context it of difficult to see how greed rather than grievance was not his motivating factor. The economics of a war torn society, (particularly one which has an abundance of extremely profitable primary commodities) has an ability to sustain conflict. Once the shackles of a oppressive regime are unable to control the population, the rise of strongmen and warlords is possible . Then, fuelled, by the potential of substantial wealth, they will strive to keep the inferno of conflict burning. Conflict Analyses The World Bank Conflict Analysis Framework. This uses 6 variables (social and ethnic relations, governance and political institutions, human rights/security, economic structure and performance, environmental and natural resources and external factors) which are analysed against given criteria. These are graded and then linked to their impact on the conflict and on the countrys poverty level. This framework allows for the extraction of underlying causes and the opportunities for conflict. The US AID Conflict Assessment Framework focuses on Means, Motives and Opportunities and also includes regional and international factors. The framework therefore allows for a holistic approach and also provides an understanding of the prevalence of greed or grievance agendas in conflict zones. Like the World Bank conflict analysis it highlights causes and opportunities for conflict. The Department For International Development (DfID) Strategic Conflict Assessment (Great Britain, DfID) is a tool that was developed by DfID to assess: risks of negative effects of conflict on programmes; risks of programmes or policies exacerbating conflict; opportunities to improve the effectiveness of development interventions in contributing to conflict prevention and reduction. The assessment criteria allow the assessment to focus on programmes or projects, or at a strategic level on a country or region (Great Britain, DfID, p6).

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Early Jazz Essay -- essays research papers

Early History of Jazz   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jazz is a style of music that began and has been revolutionized within the United States. Jazz music first appeared in the city of New Orleans and eventually moved onto Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, and New York City. Jazz unites different elements of African, African- American, religious, brass brand, and blues style of music. The music of Jazz, and its changes through the years, is now a form of music that is known and respected throughout this nation and the world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jazz music is a blending of both black and white tradition and heritages. New Orleans was the center of many different ethnicities, such as French, Spanish, American, and African American, which resulted in a city with a unique blend of individuals. New Orleans became a significant center of culture in the mid to late 1800’s. It is believed that jazz was largely influenced from African slaves who were brought over in the 1800’s, who did not have their native instruments, had to make due with what they could find in their new home of the southern United States. On arrival in America, they were exposed to western musical styles that include harmonies, tonal sounds, along with unique beats and rhythms. This resulted in a raw version of what we know as Jazz. Some components of early jazz are still found in the many modern forms of music such as soul and reggae.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ragtime, considered to be the earliest type of jazz, was introduced in the very late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Also, ragtime was considered one of the most decorative and popular styles of music. Ragtime can best be described as a solo instrument style, usually consisting of a piano. As a means of income, many early Ragtime musicians would produce and sell their own music and have them published onto piano rolls in which they could be played in perosonally owned pianos. These piano rolls allow a new and large group of individuals to be exposed to the sounds of ragtime. Multiple moderns forms of music have derived form original ragtime including rhythm and blues.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the most influential ragtime musician and entertainer was Scott Joplin. Scott Joplin was born in Texarkana, Texas on November 24, 1868. Through his talent on the piano and as a composer, he is generally known as the â€Å"King... ...to turn the corner with bop. Bop groups were much smaller than swing bands and included improvised solos, rhythmic complexity, and unpredictable forms. It was a bit of a revolution for jazz.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There were several individuals who played key roles in the bebop and progressive jazz era. Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, and Dizzy Gillespie are just a few of the top jazz artist of the decade. Dizzy Gillespie, who was born in South Carolina in 1917, had an amazing talent, and by the age of 20 he was already touring with major bands. He helped bebop really emerge. Bebop was a type a jazz that was more robust and difficult to play. Overall, bebop still remains the stepping stone into multiple new forms of jazz.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion, I believe that the early history of jazz is vital in really understanding the complexity and beauty of jazz as a whole. Jazz, being a native form of music within the United States along with it many changes in the 1900’s, has significantly influenced American culture and its development through the years. Jazz remains an influential facet in the world of music and it is enjoyable to know where it came from.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Prose Appreciation “The Fly” By Katherine Mansfield Essay

â€Å"The Fly† by Katherine Mansfield is a short story which focuses on the trials and tribulations faced by those who lost relatives in World War One. Many who lost family and friends in the war struggled for years with grief, while others accepted the shortcomings and managed to overcome it. Everyone faced their own challenges, and everyone overcame them different ways, or in some cases not at all. Katherine Mansfield is one of many people who lost relatives in the war. She herself lost her brother in WW1 like Mr. Woodifield and the boss did. She wrote this story because she felt like she was a victim of helplessness and darkness, struggling with grief and also struggling with the Tuberculosis treatment she was going through at the time. This relates to the story because the boss felt like he was on his own after the death of his son, â€Å"Ever since his birth the boss had worked at building up this business for him; it had no other meaning if it was not for the boy.† He felt like he had no reason to do anything, like he was helpless and in the dark. The theme ‘time is a great healer’ fits these thoughts, because no matter what the boss might think, over time he is slowly getting over the death of his son even though he said â€Å"Time, he declared then, he had told everybody, could make no difference.† Six years have passed since the death of their sons, and Mr. Woodifield has overcome his grief, and has forgotten about his son, needing the help of whisky to remember that his daughters visited his grave. The boss however, believes that he is still wrought with grief, when in fact he has overcome it. He can no longer cry when his son is mentioned, and he can no longer use the photograph on the wall to force the emotions of grief on him. He forgets about his son, and that indicates that perhaps he is over his grief more than he would like to think. Time has healed him, and made it so he can no longer grieve as he used to. Mr. Woodifield is the one who forces the boss to come to terms with his feelings. He is si mply visiting his old friend and employer, when he recalls that he had something to tell him, however he could not remember what it was. Feeling pity for the man who is â€Å"on his last pins,† the boss offers him a drink of whisky to help recall his memories, which Mr. Woodifield is successful in doing. However the memories are not pleasant ones for the boss. Mr. Woodifield informs him that his daughters went to  visit his son Reggie’s grave, and happened to see the boss’ son there. They remark that the graves are well-kept and very nice. This brings up memories that the boss didn’t want to remember, and as soon as Mr. Woodifield had left, he asks his messenger to let no one bother him for a half hour. During this time the boss attempts to recall his feelings of grief for his son, and failing to do that he turns to the photograph, hoping that will help. A fly however falls into his inkwell and forces his attention towards it, coincidentally making him once again forget his son. He focuses on the fly and helps it out, then watching as it cleans itself. He decides that he will test the fly , and proceeds to drop ink onto it. On the fourth drop the fly gives in, and the boss throws it away, just as he did with his memories of his son, which â€Å"For the life of him he could not remember.† Similes play a part in making the reader understand the story. For example when describing Mr. Woodifield using the simile â€Å"He peered out of the great, green leather arm-chair by his friend, the boss’s desk, as a baby peers out of its pram,† gives you the impression that Mr. Woodifield is perhaps getting on in age, and yet is still curious about everything that goes on around him. Another example is when Katherine talks about grief saying â€Å"we cling to our last pleasures as the tree clings to its last leaves,† meaning that the boss refused to let go of the grief, even though subconsciously he had already done so. The use of the metaphor â€Å"The day had come when Macey had handed him the telegram that brought the whole place crashing about his head,† forces the reader to imag ine the boss’ feelings and reaction when he got the news about his son. He was devastated, and the metaphor used really enforces the point. To further enforce the point of devastation and grief, imagery is used. The two major ones are the fly and the boss himself, however there is also the photograph on the wall. The boss represents all those who have lost someone in the terrible war, yet they kept a faà §ade of being strong, and being the leader when in public, and when in private they were grieving their loved ones. He is a symbol of authority and power, keeping control when needed. The fly symbolizes those who lost their lives in the war. The young men who were shipped off to fight for their country, and who were getting more and more worn out the more years the war went on for. It symbolizes the constant struggle they had to deal with, and eventually they couldn’t handle it no more. Eventually the last inkblot killed the fly, just  as the last year of war killed a lot of the remaining young men and their innocence. The photo, while not mentioned as much, represents the innocence the young men had, and then lost in their first year of war. The things they had to do and see robbed them of the boyish innocence they went in with. â€Å"The expression was unnatural. It was cold, even stern-looking.† They all were changed by the horrendous happenings that they had to bear witness too. Overall this story sends out a message that everyone has their own way to grieve and everyone will spend different amounts of time doing so. Eventually however time will heal even the worst feelings of grief, and that is why I liked this story. It shows that no matter what things will get better one day. Things will get better, even if you don’t believe it ever will. Others should read this story, because at some time in their lives, they will have to face a challenge, and this story will remind them that time will help. They won’t overcome it straight away, but with time, they will get better. Just like Mr. Woodifield, and even the boss did.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Litmus Paper and the Litmus Test

Litmus Paper and the Litmus Test You can make paper test strips to determine the pH of an aqueous solution by treating filter paper with any of the common pH indicators. One of the first indicators used for this purpose was litmus. Litmus paper is paper that has been treated with a specific indicator- a mixture of 10-15 natural dyes obtained from lichens (mainly Roccella tinctoria) that turns red in response to acidic conditions (pH 7). When the pH is neutral (pH 7) then the dye is purple. History The first known use of litmus was around 1300 CE by Spanish alchemist Arnaldus de Villa Nova. The blue dye has been extracted from lichens since the 16th century. The word litmus comes from the old Norse word for to dye or color. While all litmus paper acts as pH paper, the opposite is not true. Its incorrect to refer to all pH paper as litmus paper. Fast Facts: Litmus Paper Litmus paper is a type of pH paper made by treating paper with natural dyes from lichens.The litmus test is performed by placing a small drop of sample onto the colored paper.Usually, litmus paper is either red or blue. Red paper turns blue when the pH is alkaline, while blue paper turns red when the pH turns acidic.While litmus paper is most often used to test the pH of liquids, it can be used to test gases if the paper is dampened with distilled water before exposure to the gas. Litmus Test To perform the test, place a drop of liquid sample on a small strip of paper or dip a piece of litmus paper in a small specimen of the sample. Ideally, you dont dip litmus paper in an entire container of a chemical; the dye could contaminate a potentially valuable sample. The litmus test is a quick method of determining whether a liquid or gaseous solution is acidic or basic (alkaline.) The test can be performed using litmus paper or an aqueous solution containing litmus dye. Initially, litmus paper is either red or blue. The blue paper changes to red, indicating acidity somewhere between the pH range of 4.5 to 8.3. (Note, however, that 8.3 is alkaline.)  Red litmus paper can indicate alkalinity with a change to blue. In general, litmus paper is red below a pH of 4.5 and blue above a pH of 8.3. If the paper turns purple, this indicates the pH is near neutral. Red paper that does not change color indicates the sample is an acid. Blue paper that does not change color indicates the sample is a base. Remember, acids and bases refer only to aqueous (water-based) solutions, so pH paper wont change color in non-aqueous liquids, such as vegetable oil. Litmus paper may be dampened with distilled water to give a color change for a gaseous sample. Gases change the color of the entire litmus strip since the whole surface is exposed. Neutral gases, such as oxygen and nitrogen, do not change the color of the pH paper. Litmus paper that has changed from red to blue can be reused as blue litmus paper. Paper that has changed from blue to red can be reused as red litmus paper. Limitations The litmus test is quick and simple, but it suffers a few limitations. First, its not an accurate indicator of pH. It does not yield a numerical pH value. Instead, it roughly indicates whether a sample is an acid or a base. Second, the paper can change colors for other reasons besides an acid-base reaction. For example, blue litmus paper turns white in chlorine gas. This color change is due to bleaching of the dye from hypochlorite ions, not acidity/basicity. Alternatives to Litmus Paper Litmus paper is handy as a general acid-base indicator, but you can get much more specific results if you use an indicator that has a more narrow test range or that offers a wider color range. Red cabbage juice, for example, changes color in response to pH all the way from red (pH 2) through blue at neutral pH to greenish-yellow at pH 12, plus you are more likely to find cabbage at the local grocery store than lichen. The dyes orcein  and azolitmin yield results comparable to those of litmus paper.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

The Middle Ages essays

The Middle Ages essays The Roman Empire geographically established the original concept of a European boundary. With all of it's great achievements likee civil law, politics and literature, the collective willpower of the Roman Empire would eventually degrade over time and give way to new ideas andd influences. The empire of Rome did not fall- it fizzled. The Western Roman Empire gave way to the Middle Ages around 476, when the Barbarian,, Odoacer, overthrew the emperor Romulus Augustulus. Other historians give the year 410, when Alaric, king of the Visigoths, sacked Rome. Still,, others say about 500 or even later. In any event this early medieval period is often referred to as the Dark Ages because of the apparent collapse off Greco Roman culture. During this time their was no effective government and no sense of state, just small autonomous tribes and peasantt communities. Local life was isolated, fragmented, dreary, illiterate and superstitious.. For various reasons, Germanic people to the North had long desired to expand into Roman territories perhaps because of pressures from overpopulation, wars, or food shortages. These Barbarians were semi-nomadic tribes led by warrior chiefs. They advanced forcefully against the Empire in the fourth century as the strength and determination of the Roman Empire was being degraded by political decay, civil war, economic problems and social decadence. Various Barbarians such as the Ostrogoth, Vandals, Lombards, Franks, Angles, Saxons and other tribes overcame a disintegrating Roman Empire. The advanced systems of Roman law, culture and government gave way to crude forms of Barbarians. These invaders lacked the ability to continue the achievements in art, literature, and engineering. However, these invaders also brought with them new ideas and traditions that changed Roman culture to a more diverse and defused culture which altered the course and development for later Eu...

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Vibration Training Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Vibration Training - Coursework Example These efforts led to the development of vibration platforms and whole body vibration technology as a solution (History of Whole Body Vibration). Vibration training is a technology and not a device. The device employed is the vibration platform. In whole body vibration training vibration platforms are used and the individual stands, sits, or lies prone on the vibration platform, depending on how and for what are the objectives in the use of the technology. The frequency and the strength of the vibrations can be adjusted for achieving different ends. The individual holds the required position on the vibrating platform, which may be in the standing on one foot or squatting with knees fully bent and so on for a selected period of time, like sixty seconds. Vibration training is thus a simple means for achieving certain desired health parameters in individuals (Whole body vibration training). Evidence from studies of individuals exposed to vibration effects show that there are a host of possible beneficial as well as destructive effects. Summarizing these effects is that every biological system and subsystem of the human body can possibly be affected by vibration input, as is seen from chronic exposure to vibrations at the wrokplace. Given that gravity works in the verticular direction, exercising in the verticular direction causes verticular expansion and contraction of all the major organs in human body, the abdominal cavity and the muscles in the body. These movements can provide the beneficial effect of stimulating growth plates, improving blood circulation, activating the lymph system, eliminating cellulite and enhancing muscle strength. This is the basis for the posit that controlled exposure to vibrations could have beneficial impacts (Mester et al, 1999). The medical use of vibration training is derived from the possibility of vibration training being beneficial in strengthening muscles, enhancing bone

Friday, November 1, 2019

Marine Nature Conservation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Marine Nature Conservation - Essay Example As the report declares the consultation proposal seeks to address a number of areas in an attempt to provide a comprehensive framework for marine conservation and providing a situation where the various demands made upon the environment can be managed more effectively as part of a concerted effort to encourage sustainability against a backdrop of the increasing demands that are being made on our seas and its resources. The five areas, which the proposals concentrate upon, are fisheries management, planning, activity licensing, improving marine nature conservation and the setting up of a new marine management organisation. The purpose of this report concentrates the studies on the improvement of marine nature conservation, with reference to the other factors if and where relevant. This essay stresses that there are four main areas where the proposals for the Marine Bill are considering the way forward in terms of the imposition of relevant laws or regulations, with particular relevance to marine nature conservation. The response to the Review of Marine Nature Conservation, Safeguarding Sea Life, identified some key areas that needed to be addressed by government. These included stopping the decline and attacks upon the biodiversity in the environment, in a way that would create recovery of these areas; provide more support for ecosystems and sites for conservation of marine species, especially those most in danger; improve water quality and endeavour to reduce the impact of man’s impact upon it.

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

CASE STUDY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

CASE STUDY - Essay Example Typically, a client that is very serious about purchasing a new product, a new line, or a development package is usually going to be on time to the meeting and show the salesperson as much respect as possible in hopes that they can ease down the price of the products with their charm and good will. At 10:20am another non-verbal clue took place when another salesperson that was Andrews’ competitor walked into the office for a 10:30am appointment. Not only was the buyer for Skaggs Manufacturing tardy for their meeting, but she already had another salesperson scheduled for an immediate meeting right after Andrews. Gillespie also showed many counts of blatant disrespect toward Andrews. For one, there was a 10 minute period where she was discussing a tennis match for that day with the secretary instead of concentrating on who was there for a scheduled appointment. Finally, as Andrews began to speak with Gillespie in her office she gave him no attention, no eye contact and was focused on reading letters from her desk instead of what he had to say. The final sign of disrespect came when she answered the phone in the middle of their meeting and began talking with her husband for another 10 minutes until she finally saw the frustration on Andrews’ face. Each of these non- verbal clues was blatant hints that Andrews was not going to be able to earn the business of Skaggs Manufacturing that morning and he had definitely wasted his time. If I was John Andrews, I would have likely performed many of the same behaviors that he did. He kept calm during many different frustrating events where he was being blatantly ignored and disrespected by the buyer for Skaggs Manufacturing. Still, his job is to sell the product, so it is important to maintain an aura of professionalism and do his best to earn the customer’s business. Unfortunately, he was never able to actually give a sales pitch

Monday, October 28, 2019

Tutorial School Essay Example for Free

Tutorial School Essay To most students, exams are detestable because they suffer greatly whenever an exam comes. Undeniably, examinations play such an important role in education of Hong Kong that they make students usually bury themselves among their books and notes during examinations. One way that students used to deal with exam is attending tutorial school. In recent years, tutorial schools have become popular among secondary school students. More and more students have been attending tutorial classes; even some of them have already gotten satisfactory results in their schools. One can easily find his/her friends and classmates joining tutorial class. We can also easily detect the great numbers of advertisements of the large-scale tutorial schools in the streets, televisions and magazines. In fact, is there a great trend in attending tutorial classes for secondary school students? Are these tutorial classes really beneficial to the students who have joined them? It will be interesting to study all these issues about the recent trend of attending tutorial classes. The objectives of this project are as follows: 1) to find out the reasons that make students go to tutorial schools 2) to see the effectiveness of attending tutorial classes 3) to distinguish whether this phenomenon is related to the mode of nowadays education system 2 Chapter 2 Methodology 2. 1 Choice of method Quantitative method was adopted for this project. A questionnaire was designed and issued to secondary students (From 1 to 7) through the internet and 66 samples were collected since it was convenient to set up questionnaires on net. 2. 2 Classification of the studying target In Hong Kong, the most popular kinds of tutorial course can be classified as private tutorial school, individual tutorial teachers and tutorial class held by school. For the last type, it is usually free of charge and for the purpose of helping those students with poor academic result or putting more focus on students who get good academic result. For this project, I intend to focus more on the first two kinds of tutorial courses since the third kind is usually arranged by the school and the purpose of which is not for making money. Also, whether joining its tutorial class is not decided by students. 2. 3 Target group For this project, all secondary school students will be my target groups because the condition of receiving tutoring among them is more common than that among primary school students, according to a research1, conducted in 2005 by Professor Bray from Hong Kong University, had shown that nearly 50% of primary and lower secondary students receive tutoring while at upper secondary the proportion students receiving tutoring is about 70%. The results of Form 4 to Form 7 students can especially be used in the part to investigate whether this phenomenon is related to the mode of nowadays education system. 1 Private Supplementary Tutoring: Comparative Perspectives on Patterns and Implications,2005 3 2. 4 Questions asked The questions asked were mainly related to the following areas: 1) The general information about the respondents, for example, which Form the respondents belong to, whether they have received tutoring, etc. 2) The reasons of attending tutorial classes, for example, the pressure from parents, following friends decision, and the self-orientated necessity, etc. 3) Some information about attending tutorial schools, for example, which types of tutorial class the respondents joined, how much they pay for receive tutoring per month, etc. 4) The factors concerned when choosing the tutorial school, for example, the popularity, following friends choice, the academic background of tutorial teachers, etc. 5) To what extend going to tutorial classes is effective, for example, it really helps them to get the knowledge, or it helps them to get good result only, etc. 6) The factors that stop students from attending tutorial classes. 7) The possible problems created by this phenomenon, for example, becoming not attentive in classes, time consuming, unfairness between poor and rich students, etc. 2. 5 Problems faced and solutions A few limitations about Internet questionnaires were predicted and observed; fortunately, most of them can be solved. Firstly, although writing the questionnaires in English would be more convenient for me to record down the findings, some respondents might find it difficult to understand the direct meanings of the questions and thus provided the false answers. Secondly, respondents, without seeing them directly, could do the questionnaires repeatedly and thus manipulated the results. Thirdly, respondents might lose temper if the questionnaires were time-consuming and troublesome to finish. As a result, they did the questionnaires playfully, without filling in the correct answers. Lastly, only a few options provided might not be enough to cover all the possibilities of the answers. In response to the above limitations, some improvements have been made as the followings. Firstly, the questionnaire was written in Chinese, which is the most familiar language to the respondents so that they could understand clearly of what the questions were asking. The results also show that all respondents could follow my instructions as none of them answer the questions that they didnt need, for example, respondents who receive tutoring dont need to answer Q15. 4 Secondly, I choose to produce the questionnaire in a website (www. my3q. com) where detection of the source of the received questionnaire form was possible so that if people did the questionnaire repeatedly, I would know. Thirdly, the questionnaire after amendment was only including 15 questions, while all questions are to the point. So that the respondents could fill in the questionnaires within a minute and at the same time I could get enough data I need. Lastly, I have included more options in the questionnaire, and if respondents still have other comments that are not included, they could choose the option â€Å"other†. I believe the proportion of choosing other will be small that not enough to influence the results. 5 Chapter 3 Literature review. There was mainly one previous research, which I could find and had been used to compare with the results of my findings. The research, â€Å"Private Supplementary Tutoring: Comparative Perspectives on Patterns and Implications†, was conducted by Professor Bray in Hong Kong University last year to investigate the Governments current policies on tutoring, the impact of tutoring on mainstream schooling and the society, such as the household expenditure, social equalities and mental development of children, etc. He investigated about 700 primary and secondary school students and found that nearly 50% of primary and lower secondary students receive tutoring; and at upper secondary the proportion is about 70%. Using this ratio, there are 500,000 primary and secondary students receiving tutoring. Professor Bray also found that the condition of joining tutorial class in Hong Kong is more serious than those of our neighboring countries, such as Japan and Korea. The reasons behind discovered were due to schools in Hong Kong usually focus on students academic results, and Hong Kong labor market as well as getting a place in University are very competitive, causing students to join tutorial class. However, Professor Bray pointed out the tutorial classes will cause adversely impacts on mainstream schooling, for example students receiving tutoring became less attentive in class, and influence students’ mental development. He also pointed out that the Government was not doing enough to prevent the existence of unqualified tutors. However, the survey had mainly focused on the reasons and impacts of attending tutorial classes, but less on the effectiveness of receiving tutoring and discussion of whether receiving tutoring is related to the mode of nowadays education system. Therefore, in this project, besides looking at the former 2 areas and comparing them with Professor Brays results, I had also investigated about latter 2 areas to provide some new information about the existing situation. 6 Chapter 4 Findings and Analysis 4. 1 General information of the questionnaire I posted the questionnaires in the Internet on 7/8/2006 and collected them on 24/8/2006. The respondents added up to a total of 66. 4. 2 Details of the results Analysis on the 3 kinds of tutoring Popularity of the 3 kinds of tutoring among different forms: From the above data, 10 of the respondents who received tutoring have received 1 to 1 tutoring, 17 of them have attended small-scale tutorial school and 21 of them have attended large-scale tutorial school. It shows that large-scale tutorial school has the biggest proportion of pupils to choose attending among the 3 choices. Moreover, the chart shows the relationship between the kinds of tutoring and the forms of respondents: The lower forms tend to attend 1 to 1 tutoring, while the higher forms trend to attend small-scale tutorial school and large-scale tutorial school. 7 Reasons for choosing different kinds of tutoring: According to Chart 4. 2, the main reason that respondents of all three kinds of tutoring will consider when choosing a tutor/tutorial class is â€Å"The recommendation of their friends or classmates†, where 34 respondents had chosen this item. As a contrast to Chart 4. 8 which shows that not much respondents will be influenced by friends or classmates to receive tutoring, Chart 4. 2 shows that 69% (34/48) of respondents will consider the recommendation of their friends or classmates when choosing a tutor/ tutorial school. It shows that the influence of peers will be more likely to appear only after respondents had made a decision to receive tutoring. On the other hand, besides the item â€Å"Others†, which none of the respondents had chosen the items that chosen by the least respondents of different kinds of tutoring are also different. For respondents receiving 1 to 1 tutoring and small scale tutoring, most likely they wont consider the item â€Å"results in public exam of students who received tutoring there† and â€Å"the advertisement of that tutor/tutorial school†. It is probably because of the insufficient of information and students usually are hard to know the results in public exam of students who received tutoring in l to l tutoring and small scale tutorial schools, and because there are not much advertisements that made by them. Therefore, respondents that consider these two factors important will not choose these two forms of tutoring. For respondents receiving large scale tutoring, most likely they wont consider the items â€Å"the convenience of location† and â€Å"The qualification of tutors†. It may due to the reasons that large scale tutorial schools cannot be found everywhere and respondents usually have to bear a transportation cost when going to them. Furthermore, the large scale tutorial schools will not advertise themselves about qualification of their tutors. Therefore, respondents consider these factors important will not choose this form of tutoring. 8 Effectiveness of the 3 kinds of tutoring: Major benefits Receiving tutoring in large scale school, most respondents can know the skills to answer questions, while receiving 1 to 1 tutoring and small scale tutorial school, most respondents get the knowledge. Generally speaking, 63% (31/48) of respondents can know well in answering questions after receiving tutoring, and at the same time 57% (28/48) of respondents can get the knowledge from receiving tutoring of all 3 kinds of tutoring. It shows that many tutors can teach their students the knowledge as well as the skills in answering questions. Only 4 respondents feel that they can get nothing helps from receiving tutoring and 2 respondents dont know what receiving tutoring helps them. It also shows that a few respondents will still receive tutoring even though they think it is helpless or they dont recognize what it helps. It should be due to the reason that among them, 5 of their tutorial fees are less than $200 per month and all of them are receiving tutoring for less than 5 hours per week. Receiving tutoring is not a financial burden to their family and doesnt influence their daily activities, so they continue. 9 Other benefits The above chart shows the advantages of receiving tutoring to students performance in lesson. As shown in Chart 4. 4, most respondents believe that the main changes of their attitude are â€Å"understand the lessons than before† and â€Å"remain unchanged†, which made up of 41. 6% (20/48) and 35. 4% (17/48) of the tutoring-portion. On the other hand, only 1 respondent say that he/she â€Å"becomes more concentrate than before† and 3 respondents say they â€Å"become less concentrate than before†. This result indicating that a higher portion of students are able to understand their lessons than before also echoes with Chart 4. 9 which states that 57% (28/48) of respondents can also get the knowledge from receiving tutoring. But this is also one of the possible reasons affecting a few students concentration in classes. 10. Shortages Respondents of all 3 kinds of tutoring most likely are unsatisfied with the expensive tutorial fee. The respondents receiving large scale tutoring are most likely to have the chance of raising questions, and this phenomenon is not commonly found among the other 2 kinds of tutoring. Small scale tutoring is the one that have the most of its students (29%) feeling no defects, while none of respondents receiving 1 to 1 tutoring think that there are no defects. On the other hand, 1 respondent thinks that the things taught are too simple. However, he/she also thinks that he/she still dont quite understand the contents of the books. The tutor may be teaching those things that the respondent already understood instead of going though those parts the respondent found difficult. Another possible reason is that the tutor is not able to answer the questions of the respondent. This reason is more possible because the respondent is receiving 1 to 1 tutoring, which is supposed to be easier to ask questions. Effectiveness in terms of the actual academic result. In general, respondents academic result is slightly improved after receiving tuition, especially for those who attend large scale tutoring. 11 Analysis on nowadays education systems The above chart shows that the number of respondents attending tutorial class is 2. 7 times of those not attending tutorial class. For Form 1-3, 12 of them are attending tutorial course while 9 of them are not. The percentage for Forml-3 respondents to attending tutorial classes over the total Form l-3 respondents is about 57%. For Form 4-5, 19 of them are attending tutorial course while 6 of them are not. The percentage for Form 4-5 respondents to attending tutorial classes over the total Form 4-5 respondents is about 76%. For Form 6-7, 17 of them are attending tutorial course while 3 of them are not. The percentage for Form 6-7 respondents to attending tutorial classes over the total Form 6-7 respondents is about 85%. From the above data, the comparison of percentages of difference groups shows that the group Form 6-7 is having the biggest proportion of students attending tutorial school and group Form 4-5 also have more percentage of students receiving tutoring than Form l-3. The higher the forms, the more the students receive tutoring. The result is the same as the one of Professor Brays research. The chart reflects some problems of the nowadays education system. 12 1) Pressure of attending public exams Students themselves view their academic result important and especially for Form 4-7, who have to attend the public exams. Therefore, 32 and 13 of them have attended tutorial schools for the reason â€Å"To improve their academic result† and â€Å"To maintain their academic result†. Not only respondents, their parents will also request them to attend tutorial class, but the influence of the parents to respondents of Form 6-7 will decrease. It shows the failure of the Government to promote â€Å"studying is not for mark†, as the traditional thinking that â€Å"academic result is very important† is still built in peoples heart firmly. 2) Lacking of trust to school teachers 33% (16/48) of students think that the tutors teaching method better than the school teachers. One possible reason for that might be because the tutors are more likely to be humor and can use more interesting way to present the knowledge to students. Another chart, Chart 4. 13, also shows that only 2% (l/48) of respondents that dont receive tutoring because he/she thinks that the school teachers are good enough. Although this result doesnt show whether respondents think that the school teachers are not good enough to teach them knowledge or not good enough to teach them examination skills, it still can indicate that respondents lack trust towards their school teachers. 3) Spoon-fed Education More than half of the respondents (26/48) receiving tutoring in order to look for skills to answer questions, especially for Form 4-5 and Form 6-7, which have 58% (11/19) and 64% +(11/17) of them attend tutorial school for this reason. It shows that the format of examination is not changing and people can get the trick to perform better in it. By face-to-face contact, students can ask questions more easily and the tutors can have more interaction between themselves and their students. On the other hand, receiving tutoring by video can also be viewed as a kind of â€Å"spoon-fed education†. Chart 4. 9 shows that 73% (35/48) of respondents think that receiving tutoring by face-to-face contact is better. Back to Chart 4. 5, 31% (15/48) of respondents think that there is too little time for students to raise questions when receiving tutoring. Both Chart 4. 9 and Chart 4. 5 suggest that general respondents desire two-ways teaching than single-way teaching actually. 13 Other Education Problems 1) Unbalance between studying and extra curricular activities: Chart 4. 10 shows that more than half (62. 5%) of the respondents usually receive tutoring less than 5 hours per week. It indicates that attending tutorial class consumes not much time too many respondents. However, Chart 4. 11 shows that nearly half of the respondents will have less time for activities other than studying. Are most of the respondents, saying that they have less time for activities other than studying, receiving tutoring more than 10 hours per week? Are most of the respondents, saying that they dont have less time for activities other than studying, receiving tutoring less than 10 hours per week? 14 The table declared 3S below shows that the answers for both questions above are: No. Table4. 1 (Combining Chart 4. 10 and Chart 4. 11): 15 hours 1 (33%) 2 (67%) Yes No After combining the two charts, I found that more than 50% of the respondents said they have less time for extra curricular activities, even though they receive tutoring less than or equal to 10 hours per week. At the same time, more than 65% of the respondents said they dont have less time for extra curricular activities, even they receive tutoring more than or equal to 10 hours per week. These suggest that how much time spending on receiving tutoring might not have direct relationship with affecting the time for having extra curricular activities. The contradicting result for more than 50% of respondents receiving tutoring less than 10 hours per week but having less time for extra curricular activities may due to the reason that although receive tutoring only a few hours per week, traveling to attend tutorial class takes time, or revision and homework are assigned by the tutors, or they choose to sacrifice the time for having extra curricular activities first when they have to receive tutoring. While the contradicting result for more than 60% of respondents receiving tutoring more than 10 hours per week but not having less time for extra curricular activities may due to the reason that these data are collected by a few number of respondents, that might not be able to reflect the general condition. In short, the result shows that it is quite unbalanced between studying and extra curricular activities for respondents. Some students may put too much time on studying and they may sacrifice their time for extra curricular activities (e. g.nearly 50% of the respondents have less time for activities other than studying after receiving tutoring). They may not have an all-round and well-balanced development. 15 2) Heavy financial burden to family and Unfairness between the rich and poor: From Chart 4. 11, most respondents usually pay more than $800 for the tutorial fee per month. It is the same as the results of the Census Statistics Department found in 04/052. According to the Census Statistics Department, the average monthly expenditure on tuition is $1069, $879 and $828 of students of lower secondary, upper secondary and preparatory course respectively. Chart4. tt shows that the tutorial fee of the respondents is mostly bore by then-parents, which would become a financial burden of their family. None of them receive tutoring freely. Besides, only one respondent will pay the tutorial fee by himself/herself, using the money he/she got from his/her part-time job. This may affect his/her studies and health if he/she put too much time on doing part-time job. Fortunately, most respondents dont need to do so. As mentioned before, receiving tutoring may become a financial burden to the family and most respondents of not receiving tutoring because of the expensive tutorial fees. Even for those who receive tutoring, 63% (30/48) of them said the tutorial fee is expensive. This may create the unfairness between the rich and the poor that only those who can afford can receive tutoring. 16 Chapter 5 Conclusion Unlike what the impression of the general public, attending tutorial schools are not only teaching skills for students to tackle the examinations. Other than that, it can also provide quite a lot of benefits to students, such as getting the knowledge and having more confidence, as well as providing benefits to school, because students are able to understand the lessons better. It can be viewed as a useful assisting tool for teaching students besides the normal school. However, the trend that more and more students received tutoring reflects some problems about the existing education system as well as creating some new problems. The existing education system is emphasizing too much on the academic results and making students have a wrong attitude that the most important thing is to get high score. Besides, the spoon-feeding way of teaching used makes students not encourage to have critical thinking. Yet, it is fortunate to find that general respondents desire 2-ways interaction actually. To change peoples traditional thinking of getting high score is the most important is still a long way to go. It is hoped that the government can promote to the society that the importance to learn the knowledge is as same important as, if not more than, getting the marks, and also getting high score is not the only way to reach success. On the other hand, changing the traditional teaching method may be one of the solutions. Students interest in learning will be aroused and students can develop critical thinking instead of just receiving what have been told, by using 2-ways interaction. Teachers can also try to have a more interesting way to teach, for example, using real life examples to explain the difficult theories in books 17 Reflection After completing this study, I have a better understanding of the reasons for and impact on teenagers who attend tutorial classes. Unlike many people’s suspicion of the benefits of tutorial classes, the survey results indicated how the positive impact of tutorial classes attracted students. However, there may be a need to collect more data to further reveal the relationships between the traditional teaching methods in schools and the trend of attending tutorial classes. (Word count: 3797) 18 Chapter 6 Bibliography 1. ‘Private Supplementary Tutoring: Implications’, Mark Bray, 2005 Comparative Perspectives on Patterns and 2. Latest 2004/05-based Consumer Price Indices, Census Statistics Department, 2005 3. Youth Opinion Polls No34 Students and Private Tuition, Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups (HKFYG), May 1996 4. , * · , *  ·1994  · 5.  ·1992 6. 2000 19 Appendix Questionnaire 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Marks awarded and Comments: Title: Stage III: Marks Comments: Is attending tutorial classes a new trend? 5-6 The candidate is able to explain how s/he discerns the research direction with the knowledge basis from the literature review. Furthermore, analytical skills are demonstrated by the manipulation and integration of data to enrich the findings from the survey. Though the candidate is able to put forward suggestions with reference to the findings, s/he does not justify well the conclusion by employing and analyzing the data. There is a sweeping argument of relating the trend of attending tutorial classes to the spoon-feeding education system. Also, one of the enquiry questions, â€Å"Is there a trend in attending tutorial classes for secondary school students†, is not addressed in the study. 32