Dante On Islam Essays (635 words) - Divine Comedy, Fiction

Dante On Islam Divine Retribution ( in Italian contrapasso) is clearly shown in canto 28 by showing the punishment of the sowers of schism and scandal in the 9th bolgia of circle 8. To begin this canto, Dante talks of the many wars in Puglia (southeastern Italy) and across the peninsula which have been known as the bloodiest. He does this to show that this 9th bolgia is far bloodier than these, and beyond description. Those in this bolgia are punished by having to walk a track where they are cut open and slashed, but their wounds heal only to be cut again. The father of the worldwide religion of Islam, Mahomet, is placed here, along with his follower, Ali. To illustrate the severity of the punishments to which these people are under, Dante uses the idea of blood and bones with decaying flesh. He states that the extent is incomprehensible, and cannot be captured by words, yet he says that if the bones and blood of the many wars that have plagued the peninsula of Italy could be piled up, they would not compare to the sight of the 9th bolgia. The punishment is extremely grotesque and demeaning as shown by the description of Mahomet as being "ripped open from his chin to where we fart. Between his legs his guts spilled out, with the heart and other vital parts, and the dirty sack that turns to *censored* whatever the mouth gulps down." The disgust that accompanies this description must be intended and it is no coincidence that is the father of the nation of Islam. With Mahomet and Ali are others which can be classified as being sowers of scandal as opposed to schism in the religious sense. They are the causes of wars, troubles, and many persons' discord and death. Some have their throats slits, others cut beyond recognition, and others have their arms chopped off. Bertran de Born, who counciled the young prince Henry to revolt against his father, King Henry II of England, is among those. With the young princes death, brought about the imprisonment of Bertran. He states that since his head is the home of his evil thoughts, and with his plan unfoiled, the decapitation of his head is fitting for the "perfect contrapasso." So he walks with his head in his hand swinging by his hair as if it were a lantern (again the notion of his head being the encasement of light and ideas). In a whole, the implications of classifying Mahomet and Ali in the this 9th bolgia lead one to think that Dante was making a conclusion on the entire religion itself. To say the least it is devastating and very narrow minded, but more importantly it shows the extent of disrespect shown by Dante on two levels: the fact that Mahomet and Ali are place so low in hell and are punished in such a disgusting place and manner; and that they are accompanied by such persons as those who are responsible for creating strife. This implies that they too can be classified as those who are instigators, which is patronizing for those who believe them to be prophets (Muslims do greatly outnumber Catholics). Therefor, in the sense of contrapasso, this placement of these religious leaders would be unjust, for, this is a worldwide religion, and no one on earth can state that they are sure of the ?true religion.' The more intelligent response would be that all religions must be respected, and not deemed frivolous or un-important. I say this not to directly criticize Dante solely, yet the idea of religious prejudice, which was still widely practiced by Catholics less that 50 years ago, and is still today. It is not just by Catholics, and no one is innocent. It is the incessant notion of religious supremacy that has come to be believed by so many,who will not accept the idea of the validity of other religions. It is the idea of conformity that yields prejudice. Bibliography Dante's Inferno, Canticle (Book) 1 of his Divine Comedy

Outlining for Writers Who Hate to Outline - Freewrite Store

Outlining for Writers Who Hate to Outline - Freewrite Store Cate Dean has been writing for far longer than she cares to admit. She has published over 40 books and novellas, and is best known for her paranormal series, The Claire Wiche Chronicles, as well as her cozy mystery series, The Maggie Mulgrew Mysteries. Outlining. It’s just a word – but, oh, can it leave you shaking in your chair, staring at a blank screen, sweat trickling down your back. I’ve been where you are – multiple times. Every time I read an article about outlining, I squelched the desperate cries of my pantser, and tried the latest technique. The result was always the same: wasted hours, and miserable failure. That failure would send me straight back to my pantsing ways, and my long, messy drafts. It was more work, but I was so much happier without the ball and chain of an outline. If you’ve spent any time on writer’s forums, or in any writing group, you know that the pantser vs. outliner battle has been long and fierce. Each side claims that their way is the best way, the only way. But – what if there was a third option? A way to outline that didn’t kill your creative spark, and actually improved your word count? Ah ha! Now I’ve got your attention. But I’m a Pantser! Outlining will ruin my creative process! I hear you. I had the same rally cry, the same reaction every time another â€Å"perfect† outline process was making the rounds. I was a pantser, for years. Like I said above, outlining never worked for me. After taking all that time, and writing out every detail of my world, my plot, and my characters, I was so sick of the story that I no longer wanted to write it. Sound familiar? If every attempt you’ve made to outline has been a time-sucking, creativity-sucking disaster, you’re nodding your head right now. You’re probably also ready to click to the next post, before I mention that evil word again. Give me another minute, before you run away. I’m here to tell you, as a former pantser, that there is a way to outline that won’t ruin your creative process. Quite the opposite, in fact. Let me tell you how I became an outline convert – for good. Why I started outlining - and why you should as well It was 2012, and I’d just self-published my first novella. I was nervous, excited, and ready to take the next step – writing the first book of a potential series. My biggest obstacle was working a 12-hour day, with only weekends and holidays to do any serious writing. As a pantser, I knew it would take me forever to get the first draft written, and even longer to clean it up enough to send to an editor. To add even more pressure, I gave an actual deadline to my new author friend, and now I had to meet that deadline. I had been reading about story structure, and discovered that even though I made stories up as I went along, I instinctively understood the flow of a story, and what needed to go where. I’ve been writing for a long time (since I was seven), and making up full-blown, multi-plot stories in my head for almost as long. I’ve literally had years of practice creating stories. So, I took that knowledge, and story structure, and started writing stuff down. My first effort was a long process. It included index cards, loads of notes, and a template that took days to fill out. The result was an outline that let me write my first book in three weeks. Yes, you read that right. It may have taken longer than I wanted to work out the logistics of the outline, but having all the pieces in place let me fly through the story. It was the first book of what is still my bestselling series, The Claire Wiche Chronicles. To say I was excited would be an understatement. I was flying – and I had a few people read that book, just to make sure I wasn’t imagining that I actually had a good story. As a side note, they were all reading a first draft. I literally typed the last paragraphs and sent it off, more scared than I’ve ever been in my life. If it had been a pre-outline first draft, I never would have let anyone see it – not until it had been through multiple editing passes. An outline from a former pantser Since that first experience, I’ve been honing and refining my outline, to make it fast, easy, and a pleasure to do. Never thought you’d see outline and pleasure in the same sentence, did you? What I use now is a quick, one page, bullet point outline, based on story structure. It takes me a couple of hours to fill out. Ready to give it a try? I call it my outline for outline-phobes – like me. This is what it looks like: inciting incident – (this is when something changes, aka when the story really starts) plot point 1 – (this is where you establish the story question – where the MC’s life changes forever) pinch point 1 – (the opposition pokes back) plot point 2 – (new information allows the MC to start acting instead of reacting – i.e. running around like a wild chicken) pinch point 2 – (the opposition strikes back – hard and ugly) plot point 3 – (this is the big push for the third act – normally, there’s no new info after this point, but this isn’t set in stone) black moment– (worst thing ever – stick your character in a tree, then light it on fire) resolution – (get them out of the tree – without a deus ex machina move) Not so scary, is it? To make the process even easier, create a template that you can use over and over. Then you just copy/paste it to the top of your document, every time you start a new story or book. Easy to reference, and you can delete or cross out a scene once you finish it. An extra tip: use each bullet point to create a chapter. I’ve been doing this with my last few books, and it really helps with both flow and not writing deadly long chapters. Don’t be hard on yourself when you first tackle this outline. Remember, I’ve been writing for years, and I usually have the whole story already in my head by the time I get to the actual outline. Take as long as you need, and understand that this will be a fluid document. You will be adding, changing, or moving things around as you get into the actual writing. That’s where the real fun begins. Watching your story come to life, discovering fun surprises along the way, and having a tight, exciting story will hook you. Before you know it, you won’t start a new story – you’ll start the outline for a new story. And there you have it – an outline that can actually be enjoyable. The power of this outline is that it leaves you plenty of room for creativity, maybe step off the story path. You’ll always have a map to find your way back. It will also streamline your writing, and as a bonus, it will probably add to your daily word count. Knowing where you’re headed in a story makes your imagination fly. Your fingers might just have a hard time keeping up. Outlining can be so overwhelming, especially for those of you who shudder at the memory of the convoluted, multi-level outlines you were forced to create in high school. My simple outline takes away all the fear, and puts back in all the fun. Do you have your own method of outlining that works for you? I’d love to hear about it! Please share with us in the comments. Now, go forth and outline your next opus with confidence. cheers, ~Cate       Cate Dean an author, a travel addict, and a rabid Anglophile.  She grew up losing herself in the wilds of fantasy worlds, and has had some of her own adventures while tromping through the UK, and a few other parts of the world.  A lover of all things supernatural, she infuses that love into her stories, giving them a unique edge.  When she's not writing, she loves cooking, scaring herself silly in the local cemeteries, and reading pretty much anything she can get her hands on.

Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Assignment - Essay Example At the end of the program, a gala was to be held, and the other competing schools-and in essence, companies-would gather for a competition to showcase what type of company they operated, how they operated and awards were up for grab for: The most profitable company. The best financially kept/managed company. Leadership award. The best overall company. Yes, visions can indeed be negative. In as far as visions are what we see as the situation in the future and this being the only drive necessitating changes towards realizing it, and in resting the job of creating the vision solely in the hands of â€Å"the leader† then certainly, visions can be negative. What is desirable is different from what is not desirable. Most firms focus on what they are to avoid rather what they aim to achieve (Senge 2006). The source of visions is primarily centered on the aims and preference of the particular individual generating it in lieu of the prevailing conditions in the operative environment. A leader that is cut off from the world can lead to development of visions that are impaired. The substance of that vision in particular can be extremely retrogressive and archaic as was the case in leaders such as Adolph Hitler. In the Company project, I was privileged to have worked on two fronts: Firstly, as a sales man and secondly as a human resource manager. It was ironic indeed, and rather vaguely clear to my fellow company members as to the excisions of my duties in both capacities. However, to me it was a chance to bring about the skills of adaptability-integrating both my outstanding leadership skills with my ability to work as part of the team (Woodcock 2007). A paradigm shift in my life occurred when I got the opportunity, shortly after the conclusion of the Company program, to form part of the team representing Kenya in an exchange program between Kenya and the Nederland. This opportunity opened my view on a lot of major aspects of my life, certainly culturally. The exch ange program introduced me to cultures of 3 European nations namely France, Belgium and the Nederland. My view of the world was immensely enriched, and the sight and first-hand experience of life in a developed society cannot be matched with any other in my life. I now understood what local policy makers meant with â€Å"development geared towards pushing the country into a developed nation†. Communication skill is certainly my strongest point. The ability to articulate thoughts, ideas and arguments in a manner that enriches discussions, induces and sustains action is by far my greatest asset. I believe strongly in the right of individuals over any matter; that one must speak up and rationally express their choice both in speech and in action. Historically, the very action of dissent has proved time and again as the driver of change. For where there is dissent, comes change; with change progress comes (Woodcock 2007). Again from a personal experience during the Company progra m, indeed both the shareholders and the executive board were against my dual role position. Claim that it would affect the performance of the team as a whole on either ends was my constant fear. Such difference in opinion and stiff resistant only served to strengthen my desire for the jobs. Clear explanations on how you plan to perform your duties, how they integrate with the overall team effort and providing a mechanism against which performance can be assessed

Dividend Policy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Dividend Policy - Case Study Example The 1970s was the decade of the two great oil price shocks (1973 and 1979/80) that were to have serious effects on the world's economies. It was also a decade when the major oil companies saw a decisive change in their old concessionary relationships. Like its major competitors, BP lost direct access to most of its supplies of OPEC oil as the OPEC countries took control of production and prices. The 1973 price explosion had a dramatic effect on demand. BP's oil sales started falling for the first time since 1952 (with the exception of 1957, the year of the Suez crisis). By 1978, sales had recovered somewhat; but then came the Iranian revolution and another major rise in the price of oil. In 1979, BP suffered further blows when its assets in Nigeria were nationalised and its supplies from Kuwait cut back. By 1980, its sales were down again. The entire oil industry was affected by the events of the 1970s. But thanks to BP's large investment programme in areas outside the Middle East, the company showed, as it had done in Iran in 1951 that it could survive. As noted, of key importance were the developments of its oilfield discoveries in the North Sea and Alaska. In the autumn of 1975, BP pumped ashore the first oil from the North Sea's UK sector when it brought the Forties field on stream. This field development was financed by a bank loan of 370 million, then the largest wholly-private bank advance ever arranged. At its peak, Forties produced half a million barrels a day, equivalent to one-quarter of the UK's daily oil requirement. Today, BP's other oil- and gas-producing countries include Abu Dhabi, Australia, Colombia, Norway and Papua New Guinea The spirit of enterprise continues (mid-1970s - today) Diversification and a new structure The upheavals of the 1970s led BP to conclude that it should broaden its activities so that it could operate in the future with more balanced sources of income. Accordingly, from the mid-1970s there was increased emphasis on diversification into new areas of activity. BP's entry into the nutrition business originated in the 1950s, when the company's French researchers began to develop a process for converting oil into protein. Although the process was later discarded, BP developed other interests in nutrition. From the mid-1970s, it became involved in animal feed, animal breeding and consumer foods and related products. As a result of the purchase in 1986 of the US company, Purina Mills, BP Nutrition became one of the world's largest feed millers. In 1990, it also took responsibility for BP's household cleaning and personal care products -- successors of the old detergents business. Another industry which BP entered in the mid-1970s was minerals. BP expanded its minerals interests considerably in 1980, when, in what was then the London stock market's largest-ever takeover bid, it bought Selection Trust, the British-based mining finance house. In the following year, Standard Oil

Post-Soviet Russia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Post-Soviet Russia - Essay Example The primordial president of the Russian Federation was Boris Yeltsin, a former member of the old Soviet Politburo who declared the moribund of the old Soviet-style regime. The reforms that he advocated pointed the country in the direction of democracy and a free-market economy. A small vested group and advisers took control from the debilitated president, and they ran the country as an oligarchy, granting themselves favors and inviting economic and political corruption. However, in spite of this development, a new constitution was put into place in 1993. The regular competitive elections have taken place since then. A new President, Vladimir Putin, was elected in 2000. Many observers believe that the influence of the oligarchy has declined since then. Modern Russia is a very changeable country. Russia has almost no empirical experience with democracy and a free market. In terms of administrative hierarchy, the Russian Federation is a constitutional democracy with three branches, executive, legislative, and judicial. In terms of procedure, however, the Russian Federation has a presidential form of government, which concentrates most authority in the president as the head of state. The head of state is Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin was elected on June 16, 1996 for a four-year term. There is no vice-president. In the event of the incapability of the president to perform the constitutional mandate, the head of the government, the Premier, succeeds the president. The Premier and Chairman of the Russian Federation Government, Viktor Stepanovich Chernomyrdin was appointed in December 1992 by the president. A First Deputy Premier and First Deputy Chairman of the Government assist the Premier. Russian politics is pluralistic. There are myriad numbers of political parties in Russia. The democratic and market reform oriented parties include: "Our Home Is Russia", the Yabloko Bloc, Russia's Democratic Choice Party, and Forward Russia. Traditional parties include: Congress of Russian Communities and "Women of Russia". Revisionist parties include: Communist Party of the Russian Federation, Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, the Agrarian Party, Power To the People and the Russian Communist Workers' Party. During the past five years the Russian government has taken substantial measures in converting to a market economy. The government performed a market reform program in January 1992. In the following three years, the government freed nearly all prices, cut defense spending, eliminated the old centralised distribution system, adopted a convertible currency and completed an ambitious voucher privatisation program in 1994. The government established private financial institutions, and decentralizing foreign trade. Within 1997, the transition to a market economy was nearly complete despite having many problems of irregular regulatory policy. In some areas, there were inadequate regulatory activity leading to monopoly practices and corruption. In other areas, there is excessive state interference in the economy leading to inefficiencies and corruption. It would be disappointment if the post-communist Russia, where the political stakes and human costs are incomparably

Social Interaction In Acquisition Of Second Languages English Language Essay

Social Interaction In Acquisition Of Second Languages English Language Essay Ever since the basic assumption endorsed in the seminal work of Hatch in the late 1970s that learners learn the structure of a language through interaction rather than learning grammar in order to interact (Gass, 2003: 224-255). The relationship between interaction and acquisition has been one of the core issues in second language acquisition (SLA) research. The reviewed done by Young (1999) has shown that interactional competence is clearly most applicable to explaining cross-cultural communication. It also provides a convenient framework for integrating studies of conversational phenomena within a broader context of interaction. As language usually related two four main domains: reading, writing, oral and listening. In order to practice the oral and listening, interaction is important. At the same time interaction can also assist the development of the second language acquisition. Second Language Acquisition (SLA) is the process by which people learn a second language in addition to their native language(s). Linguists have many different approaches towards the acquisition of the second language. In the past few decades, linguists were more focus on the cognitive aspects also known as the psycholinguistic which studies the internal factors of second language acquisition. However, more recent studies have redirected their attention to the external factors which refers to the sociolinguistic. Social interaction is one of the main focuses in the study of the sociolinguistic. Unlike second language acquisition, there are specific brain parts located in the left hemisphere take care of the first language acquisition. If we consider first language acquisition as a natural cognitive development, then second language acquisition will be more like a process of nurture. Since it is more a process of nurture than a natural cognitive development, the social factors will be the vital attribution in the acquisition. Importance of social interaction On the basis of extensive research, there was considerable agreement that the learning environment must include opportunities for learners to engage in meaningful social interaction with users of the second language if they are to discover the linguistic and sociolinguistic rules necessary for second-language comprehension and production (Pica, 1987). And this agreement is still applicable for todays second language learning. A very good example is that students who study abroad are usually more fluent and accurate in the second language they are using, as compare to their classmates in their own country. In fact, there are many examples of the learners who are able to communicate and use the language efficiently without any formal instructions. For example the Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia do not have formal instruction in Bahasa Malaysia but are able to function well in their workplace and the community. Their second language is acquired through the unsystematic social interaction with the broader society. The learner has access to the target language in the course of everyday communication or interaction with the environment. The sounds of the language are embedded in a relevant situational context and the learners job is to extract from this material the rules for the use of the language. This interaction allows him to start learning and learning in turn allows him to make progress in communication (Albakri, 2006). The question might be asked, why interaction is important to the second language acquisition. In order to answer that question we need to look at what is required to second language learning. First of all, we need to have input, with the input we will able to produce a response which also known as the output, feedback will be given according to the output. These three major components made up an interaction. The interaction approach attempts to account for learning through the learners exposure to language, production of language, and feedback on that production. A central claim resulting from a past research is that, though interaction may not be strictly necessary, it nevertheless constitutes the primary means by which language learners obtain data for language learning, not only because interaction is how most learners receive input, but also because the input obtained through interaction is more pragmatic and conducive to acquisition than input received in other ways (Gass Macke y 2007: 175-199). Interlanguage An important term used in the interaction approach of second language acquisition is interlanguage. Interlanguage is a emerging linguistic system that has been developed by a learner of a second language who has not become fully proficient yet but is approximating the target language. It often preserving some features of their first language, or over-generalizing target language rules in speaking or writing the target language and creating innovations. An interlanguage is basically a set of language created by the learner to engage the first language and the second language and it is usually based on the learners experiences with the second language. At a more theoretical level, there are also well-argued claims that the social interaction most relevant to interlanguage development is that in which learners and their correspondents share a need and desire to understand each other (Pica, 1987). There is also recent empirical evidence that such mutual understanding can be reached when the learner and interlocutor modify and restructure their interaction as a result of their requests for clarification or confirmation of each others input and checks on the comprehensibility of their own productions, this will be discussed more in the feedback section. When learners need to understand unfamiliar linguistic input or when required to produce a comprehensible message are opportunities to modify and restructure their interaction with their respondents until mutual comprehension is reached. That process enables learners to move beyond their current interlanguage receptive and expressive capacities and yet improve their second language. Another research investigates the type of interaction and the effects on the development of the interlanguage. It shows that certain kinds of interaction that the child engages in encourage faster and more complete development of features of his interlanguage than other kinds of interaction. A similar finding is reported by Shea (2003), who compares interactions between Japanese students studying at an American university and four different teachers. Shea reports that the Japanese students appear more proficient in English in conversations where they have equal access to the floor and take perspectives that are congruent with those taken by their teachers (Watanabe 2008). Input Input refers to the language that a learner is exposed to. In all approaches to second language acquisition, input is a vital component for learning in that it provides the evidence from which learners can form linguistic hypotheses. On the other hand, the information provided by the input illustrates what is possible within a language. Interaction makes learner see the differences between them and native speakers. Interaction itself also directs learners attention to something new, such as a new lexical item or grammatical construction, thus promoting the development of the L2. Input obtained via interaction has been conceptualized and researched in terms of comprehensible input, negotiation of meaning and comprehensible output by Krashen, Long and Swain (Gass, 2003: 224-255, Krashen, 1981). The interrelatedness of these three notions is concisely articulated in Longs revised version of the Interaction Hypothesis: the negotiation for meaning, and especially negotiation work that tri ggers interactional adjustments by the NS or more competent interlocutor, facilitates acquisition because it connects input, internal learner capacities, particularly selective attention, and output in productive ways (Tarone, 2009: 41-57). The process of turning input into intake has been described by Krashen as follows: First, learners understand a message using the not yet acquired L2 structure and somehow connect the form with its meaning. Second, learners must notice a difference between their current interlanguage competence and the second language form (Xu, 2010). As input of an interaction is just like the listening, it is important for learners to familiar with the phonetic of the second language. Language like French, which does not pronounce the why it looks like. Native speakers usually speak much faster than a learner can understand. It means that it is understandable if the sentence was written or spoken word by word. As many French learners have experienced, it is important for the learner to have more social interactions with the native speakers to get their ears used to the speed and dialect (for some language) of the second language. Output Swain observed the children in Canada which showed less native-like language. Swain hypothesized that what was lacking was sufficient opportunities for language use. She claimed that language production forces learners to move form comprehension to syntactic use of language. As many learners maybe experienced, there is a stage where the learner is too shy to produce an output. It may due to the afraid of making a wrong statement or convey a wrong message. The less the learner talk in the target language, the more shyness the will feel. That is why many Chinese students who take English as second language is excellent in the grammar and lexicon but can hardly talk to a native speaker fluently. Feedback There are two types of feedbacks: implicit and explicit. Explicit refers to correction and metalinguisitic explanations. Implicit feedback refers to confirmation checks (i.e. the sentence or specific word has been correctly heard), clarification requests (i.e. a request for clarify or repeat), and comprehension checks (i.e. an expression used to check the listener is understand or not). Explicit feedback often occurs during negotiation for meaning. Pica (1989) describes how negotiation contributes to the language learning process, suggesting that negotiation facilitates comprehension of L2 input and servers to draw learners attention to form-meaning relationships through processes of repetition, segmentation, and rewording. The research also claims that negotiation can draw learners attention to linguistic problems and proposes that initial steps in interlanguage development occur when learners notice mismatches between the input and their own organization of the target language (Gas s Mackey, 2007: 175-199). With feedbacks, both the native speakers and non-native speakers can adjust their language to a level where they can communicate efficiently. Other research have found that native speaker modifications are more frequent in two-way communication because conversation provides the native speaker with feedback from the learner and thus enables him to estimate the amount of adjustment required (Albakri, 2006). Social context and culture Learning a second language can be said of learning about another society and their culture. Language has been proven that has a great relationship with the society, culture and even history. In order to improve the second language proficiency, social context and culture have to be taken into the consideration. The best way of doing this is to interact with the native speakers. It was shown that speakers of any target language use different varieties of that language in the different social contexts in which it is spoken; a formal variety is appropriate in business meetings, while a vernacular variety is used with friends in a bar. So social context affects the social variety of the second language learners are exposed to. If learners are restricted to only one social context and need to learn varieties of second language that are spoken in other social context and need to learn varieties of second language that are spoken in other social contexts, their overall SLA can be affected. (Tarone, 2007). Culture is difficult to define, but it does not mean that the issue is not important in relation to the acquisition of a second language. Through interaction, learners are able to understand certain usage of the language. For example, in Japanese, you need to use a respectful way or tone and choice of words to talk to a senior or anyone who is socially above your status. It is different in some western countries and the language they used. We may not be sure what culture the learner acquires, but it is certainly different from the learners own culture and this difference is an important part of the learning experience (Regan 1998). Conclusion Social interaction, without any doubt, is important in second language acquisition. The learner receives input from his/her respondent and that input becomes intake when the learner processes the information internally. The learner than produces the output which in turn becomes the input for the respondent and he/she provides feedback to that input. And this process continues as conversation or communication and therefore enhances second language learning (Albakri, 2006). It is also important that, the interaction provide the chance of knowing the culture of the target language and raise the awareness of the social context of the target language, which will indeed promotes the development of the second language. On the other hand, social interaction encourages learners to use the language in a more pragmatic way, which is one of the main reason we learn a second language at first place. Word Count: 2188

The Impact of the Tuberculosis Vaccine Essay -- Biology Medical Biomed

The Impact of the Tuberculosis Vaccine Abstract Tuberculosis is one of the most infectious diseases in the world. With almost one third of the world infected with this virus, people are striving to help prevent the spread of this disease (NIAID, 2001). One prevention technique for tuberculosis is the BCG (Bacillus of Calmette and Guerin) vaccine. In the early twentieth century Calmette and Guerin worked together to isolate a strain of the disease creating the first BCG vaccine. Throughout the century the scientists improved the BCG vaccine and today there are several different strains of the vaccine available. However, even today its full effects on the disease are unknown. The exploration of the effects of the vaccine, the best administration techniques, and who should be vaccinated continues. Throughout the Twentieth Century, Tuberculosis has impacted people around the world. While some countries see the impacts of tuberculosis less than others, the threat of this infectious disease looms across the horizon. Today, this organism affects one third of the population and is one of the most threatening of infectious diseases (NIAID, 2001). The BCG vaccine (Bacillus of Calmette and Guerin), is administrated in many high risk countries to combat the disease. Although scientists have improved the vaccine throughout the nineteenth century and the vaccine helps to combat some tuberculosis, its prevention is still far from perfect. The BCG vaccine is formed from a live strain of Mycobacterium bovis (WHO, 2005). The Mycobacterium bovis strain is taken from cows. It is a relative of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, which affects humans; however, Mycobacterium bovis affects cows and humans alike. Isolating a strain of this living organism... ...h. 7/25/2005: http://www.pedresearch.org/cgi/content/full/55/2/347 2. Fine, P. and Carneiro I. et al. (1999, November). Issues relating the use of BCG in immunization programmes. World Health Organization. 7/19/2005: http://www.who.int/vaccines-documents/DocsPDF99/www9943.pdf 3. Ginsberg A. (2001, January). Tuberculosis Vaccine. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. 7/19/2005: http://www.niaid.nih.gov/dmid/tuberculosis/tbvaccine.htm 4. Keep Kids Healthy. (2001, April). Tuberculosis in Children. Keep Kids Healthy. 7/21/2005: http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/welcome/infectionsguide/tuberculosis.html 5. WHO. (2005). BCG-the current vaccine for tuberculosis. World Health Organization. 7/25/2005: http://www.who.int/vaccine_research/diseases/tb/vaccine_development/bcg/en/print.html 6. Yancey, D. 2001. Tuberculosis. Brookfield: Twenty-First Century Books.

Parenting: Abuse and Neglect Essay

Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The solemn responsibility of being parents to a child is grave, and the consequences are immense should they fail in any of the areas of parenthood. On the contrary, when it comes to deliberately hurting a child, or causing damage to their psyche’ as a person, the term â€Å"failure† would not be adequate or appropriate to describe its effects. Whether abusing or neglecting a small person, studies reveal that the results are almost the same: the destructive effects are colossal and prevailing for almost all of the rest of the child’s life. This paper attempts to describe, explain and enumerate various factors that point to parental abuse and neglect. It argues that though neglect and abuse may not have the same exact results or degree to the child or victim, both exhibit dire outcomes in the overall functioning and existence of the life of the child. Problem Statement   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The following statements of the problem guide the direction of this study with the succeeding chapter providing the description towards these problem statements. Answers to the problems are incorporated in the analysis and discussion of the findings and results. Statement of the Problem What is parenting abuse? What is parenting neglect and the manners that parents show or demonstrate this negative aspect in a child’s life? What are the facts to consider regarding family factors, the victim, and the perpetrator on the problem? Methodology   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The researcher utilized the convenience and accessibility of the World Wide Web and/or the internet, other books and journals available to the researcher. III. Analysis and Discussion of Findings and Results of study Parenting Abuse.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As cited by Dr. Richard Gardner in the American Journal of Family Therapy (Gardner, 2002p.6), parental abuse may take many and varied forms. Some of them are subtle and may be very difficult to identify especially when proving them in the court of law. However, parental abuse occurs when a parent treats a child in a manner that results in physical injury, emotional or psychological harm, or anything that might cause the child to be exposed to serious threats such as deprivation of necessary parental benefits which eventually results in lifelong incapacity in the life of the child (Hay, Tom. 1997 in Whipple and Webster-Stratton, 1991). When the parent abuses his/her position of trust, that of being the child’s guardian and caregiver, the consequent result are maltreatment and exploitation. This is, basically, parenting abuse. Parental Neglect.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What is parenting neglect, and what are its manifestations or the manners that parents show or demonstrate this negative treatment of a child? Parental neglect is definitely a form of parental abuse. It is defined as a disregard of the fundamental responsibilities on the part of parent, or parents, to provide for the child’s emotional, psychological, and physical development. When parents fail to provide an atmosphere where a child can feel loved, wanted, and sheltered within home environment, parental neglect is taking place. If the parents are constantly physically unavailable, or physically present but inattentive to the child’s legitimate needs, they are essentially abandoning their primary duty as guardians. Although not easily identified as physical assault, parental neglect is equally serious and as damaging to a child ((Hay, Tom. 1997 in Rodgers, 1994, p. 14). Factors that Contribute to the Overall Set-up of Abuse.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Facts point to many factors that must be considered when dealing with parental abuse and neglect.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Family Factors. Child abuse happens anywhere in the population regardless of socio-economic status of the neighborhood. It occurs even when the family is religious or totally agnostic, or in families from culturally diverse backgrounds. Nonetheless, studies reveal the greater tendency for those coming from the lower economic echelon to experience neglect ((Hay, Tom. 1997 in Trocme et al., pp.  94-98).   There is a higher incidence too, for physical abuse (but not so much with emotional abuse) among the poverty stricken (Hay, Tom. 1997 in Jones and K. McCurdy, 1992, pp. 201-215). Unemployment in the family system is a contributor to stress which results to the likelihood of ill-treatment ((Hay, Tom. 1997 in Krishnan and Morrison, 1995, pp. 101-113).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Victim. As early as in prenatal stage, abuse can take place. If a pregnant mother is alcohol or drug user, it poses a real threat to the child in the womb. The tendency of the baby to be born with birth defects is very high and might cause retardation in physical or mental growth. The high threat that is posed to a child in the belly of a self-destructive mother cannot be underestimated. If perchance the child is successfully carried to its full term, damage has already been done by consistent substance abuse. The usual objects of abuse are children – preschoolers and infants (Hay, Tom. 1997 in Hegar et al., 1994, pp. 170-183). It might be that because children are naturally weak, they are predisposed to maltreatments, and are often overlooked by parents when arguing which at times culminate in aggression. As is always the case, children are the ultimate victims in abusive homes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Abuser. As often is the case, parents who are abusive were themselves abused in their childhood years. Many of this kind are not ready for family life. They get none or little enjoyment from their experience as parents. These tend to isolate themselves from their community and have a way of controlling their families which is unnatural. The way they manage their households is through authoritarian means. Experts noted that abusive parents are usually afraid to expose themselves or be vulnerable, and are emotionally weak and therefore unable to ask for help or support from social work organizations, or at least from concerned relatives (Hay, Tom. 1997 in Caliso and Milner, 1994, pp. 27-44). Conclusion and Recommendations   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Because of the increasing number of cases of child custody in courts, rules and regulations as to who will be the rightful custodian of the child in contest are several times expanded. The pros and cons of different sides of the issues are weighed carefully and from these amendments came the existing balancing of â€Å"tender-years presumption,† â€Å"best-interests-of-the-child presumption,† and the â€Å"joint-custodial concept.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is assumed that because mothers are female, and therefore naturally more doting to their children, they are viewed as inherently better than men when it comes to child-rearing. This is the presupposition under the tender-years presumption. And so, because of this heavy leaning of the law on the side of the mothers, the father seeking for the custody of his child must present convincing proofs to the court of the deficiencies on the part of the mother for the court to give some consideration in transferring to the father primary custodial status. Here enters the best-interests-of-the-child presumption. It ignores gender in custodial considerations. Instead, its focus is on the capacities of both parents in raising the child. Factors are carefully considered, especially those that relate to the child’s best interests. Often, fathers are on the advantageous side in this argument and have greater opportunity to secure primary custody status. The decade of 80’s has witnessed a burgeoning of child custody litigations and it was during this decade that the joint-custodial concept has become the prevailing trend in matters of child guardianship.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   While courts of law has become sharper, and should I say, fairer, in meting out its judgment on child custody, it nonetheless created unintentionally a problem resulting from the constant amending and polishing of regulations in child custodianship. Parents in disputes, have now learned (either one of them or both) to manipulate and program the child to become alienated to the other parent. Experts call this problem â€Å"Parental Alienation Syndrome.† A parent who has the upper hand learns to scheme and make the child hostile to the estranged spouse in order to enhance his/her position in the course of the proceedings. PAS is a childhood disorder and is the actual result of the parents’ battle over the child in the court. If the child becomes hostile to one of his/her parents and engages in active campaign of denigration against this parent, the likelihood is that this child has been the victim of programming (brainwashing) by the other parent. This is parental alienation syndrome. And it uses the child in the campaign of vilification of the target parent (Gardner, 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This is a pathetic scenario. Either of the parents definitely will finally win his/her case, but the one ending up to be the real loser is the child. Actually, the whole affair is itself an abuse of the child. Family is supposed to be a home and a place for children to grow healthy physically, emotionally, and intellectually. Home is not supposed to be a tug of war between parents where the rope being pulled is the child. Abuse and neglect should never become part of parenting styles. Reference Gardner, Richard. 2002. Parental Alienation Syndrome vs. Parental Alienation: Which diagnosis should evaluators use in child-custody disputes? The American Journal of Family Therapy, 30 (2): 93-115.New York:   Ã‚   Hay, Tom. 1997. 87 child abuse and neglect overview paper: in R.L. Hegar, S.J. Zuravin and J.G. Orme, â€Å"Factors    predicting severity of physical child abuse injury,†   Ã‚  Ã‚   Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 9(2), 1994, pp.    170-183. Accessed July 7, 2007 Hay, Tom. 1997. 87 child abuse and neglect overview paper: in E.E. Whipple and C. Webster-Stratton, â€Å"The role of parental   Ã‚   stress in physically abusive families,†   Ã‚  Ã‚   Child Abuse and Neglect, 15(3), 1991,pp.  279-291.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Accessed July 7, 2007   Ã‚   Hay, Tom. 1997. 87 child abuse and neglect overview paper: in K. Rodgers, â€Å"Wife assault: The findings of a    national survey,† Juristat Service Bulletin, Accessed July 7, 2007   Ã‚   Hay, Tom. 1997. 87 child abuse and neglect overview paper:in Trocme et al., supra note 6, pp.  94-98. Accessed   Ã‚   July 7,2007 Hay, Tom. 1997. 87 child abuse and neglect overview paper: in   Ã‚   D. Jones and K. McCurdy, â€Å"The links between   Ã‚   types of maltreatment and demographic characteristics    of children,’† Child Abuse and Neglect, 16(2), 1992, pp. 201-215. Accessed July 7, 2007 Hay, Tom. 1997. 87 child abuse and neglect overview paper: in V. Krishnan and K.B. Morrison, â€Å"An  ecological model of child maltreatment in a Canadian province,†   Ã‚   Child Abuse and Neglect, 19(1), 1995, pp. 101-113.    Accessed July 7, 2007   Ã‚   Hay, Tom. 1997. 87 child abuse and neglect overview paper: in J.A. Caliso and J.S. Milner, â€Å"Childhood physical    abuse, childhood social support and adult child abuse potential,† Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 9(1), 1994, pp. 27-44. Accessed July 7, 2007   

Protest Movements essays

Protest Movements essays Inequality based on race and class appears to be elements of capitalist democracy common to American society throughout its history. Various womens and philanthropic organizations engaged in protest during the Great Depression and afterward, lobbying for reforms to aid the impoverished, children, and laborers. However, protest movements demonstrated a growing radicalism as the twentieth century unfolded. Labor protests often turned violent as unions and their representatives clashed with strikebreakers and even thugs paid by companies. The same was true with the Civil Rights protests that erupted during the 1960s. Militant groups like the Black Panthers and black leaders like Malcolm X promoted any means necessary to bring about justice and equality for African Americans, even if it meant violence. In contrast to these more violent and radical forms of protest, however, Martin Luther King Jr. adopted a form of non-violent protest modeled on Gandhis passive resistance that had h elped free India from British rule. In Why We Cant Wait, Martin Luther King Jr. provides an explanation of the origins of nonviolent protest and how it offers those who adhere to it in significant numbers the tools necessary to bring about social change. As King (12) asserts, the form of nonviolent protest that helped lead to the passage of the Civil Rights Act was one that was honed through various protests, Tested in Montgomery during the winter of 1955-56, and toughened throughout the South in the eight ensuing years, nonviolent resistance had become, by 1963, the logical force in the greatest mass-action crusade for freedom that has ever occurred. The Birmingham campaign resulted in King being sent to jail at one point, demonstrating that nonviolent resistance asks for sacrifice and commitment from those who adhere to it if it is to be effective. In contrast to Kings peaceful methods of protest, others like Ma...

How to Conjugate the Verb Vedere in Italian

How to Conjugate the Verb Vedere in Italian Vedere Can Be Defined As To seeTo look atTo meetTo visitTo consultTo go overTo checkTo find outTo grasp What to Know About â€Å" Vedere† It’s an irregular verb, so it doesn’t follow the typical -ere verb ending pattern.It’s a transitive verb, so it takes a direct object.The infinito is â€Å"vedere.†The participio passato is â€Å"visto.†The gerund form is â€Å"vedendo.†The past gerund form is â€Å"avendo visto.† Indicativo/Indicative Il presente io vedo noi vediamo tu vedi voi vedete lui, lei, Lei vede essi, Loro vedono Ad esempio: Ti vedo bene. - You look good.Dalla sua finestra si vede il mare. - From her window you can see the sea. Il passato prossimo io ho visto noi abbiamo visto tu hai visto voi avete visto lui, lei, Lei, ha visto essi, Loro hanno visto Ad esempio: Ho visto Giulia al bar. - I saw Giulia at the cafe.Questo film l’abbiamo gi visto. - We have already seen this movie. L’imperfetto io vedevo noi vedevamo tu vedevi voi vedevate lui, lei, Lei vedeva essi, Loro vedevano Ad esempio: Lui vedeva il mondo come un posto magico. - He saw the world as a magical place.Col sole in faccia non vedevo niente. - With the sun in my face I couldn’t see anything. Il trapassato prossimo io avevo visto noi avevamo visto tu avevi visto voi avevate visto lui, lei, Lei aveva visto essi, Loro avevano visto Ad esempio: Non avevo mai visto uno struzzo prima d’ora. - I had never seen an ostrich before now.Vi avevo visti insieme in piazza. - I had seen you together in the middle of the square. Il passato remoto io vidi noi vedemmo tu vedesti voi vedeste lui, lei, Lei vide essi, Loro videro Ad esempio: La vide e si innamorà ² subito, era un colpo di fulmine! - He saw her and fell in love right away, it was love at first sight!Quel Natale i bambini videro per la prima volta Babbo Natale! - On that Christmas, the children saw Santa Claus for the first time! Il trapassato remoto io ebbi visto noi avemmo visto tu avesti visto voi aveste visto lui, lei, Lei ebbe visto essi, Loro ebbero visto TIP: This tense is rarely used, so don’t worry too much about mastering it. You’ll find it in very sophisticated writing. Il futuro semplice io vedr noi vedremo tu vedrai voi vedrete lui, lei, Lei vedr essi, Loro vedranno Ad esempio: Chi vivr, vedr. - Who will live, will see. (Figuratively: time will tell) Il futuro anteriore io avr visto noi avremo visto tu avrai visto voi avrete visto lui, lei, Lei avr visto essi, Loro avranno visto Ad esempio: Mi avrai visto nella zona. - You must have seen me around the neighborhood. Congiuntivo/Subjunctive Il presente che io veda che noi vediamo che tu veda che voi vediate che lui, lei, Lei veda che essi, Loro vedano Ad esempio: È importante che non ci veda insieme. - It’s important that she doesn’t see us together.Assicurati che vedano bene! - Make sure they can see clearly! Il passato io abbia visto noi abbiamo visto tu abbia visto voi abbiate visto lui, lei, egli abbia visto essi, Loro abbiano visto Ad esempio: Sembra che tu abbia visto una fantasma. - It seems like you saw a ghost. L’imperfetto io vedessi noi vedessimo tu vedessi voi vedeste lui, lei, egli vedesse essi, Loro vedessero Ad esempio: Vorrei che tu vedessi questo panorama. - I wish that you could see this view.Se i nonni vedessero come sei cresciuto! - If grandpas could see how grown up you are! Il trapassato prossimo io avessi visto noi avessimo visto tu avessi visto voi aveste visto lui, lei, Lei avesse visto essi, Loro avessero visto Ad esempio: Se ti avessi visto, sarei rimasto. - If I had seen you, I would have stayed.Se avessi visto il cartello non mi saresti venuto addosso! - If you had seen the sign you wouldn’t have crushed into me! Condizionale/Conditional Il presente io vedrei noi vedremmo tu vedresti voi vedreste lui, lei, Lei vedrebbe essi, Loro vedrebbero Ad esempio: Se ti desseha dato una possibilit, vedrebbe che sei un uomo fantastico. - If she gave you a chance, she would see that you’re a fantastic guy. Il passato io avrei visto noi avremmo visto tu avresti visto voi avreste visto lui, lei, egli avrebbe visto essi, Loro avrebbero visto Ad esempio: Ti ho detto che l’avrei visto. - I told you that I would see him.Se foste venuti avreste visto uno spettacolo indimenticabile! - If you came you would have seen an unforgettable show!

Assignment Listening SKILLS Video Project Essay

Assignment Listening SKILLS Video Project - Essay Example I ventured to analyze myself in the video critically through four key listening skills of Non-verbal Communication, Verbal Communication, Questioning for Understanding, and Paraphrasing. The very first quality of an effective listener is to create a comfortable environment for the speaker. In this context, I employed non-verbal elements such as body posture, body language, and facial expressions in many ways. In the journal ("Developing Effective Communication Skills", the author states how important it is for the speaker and listener to be in the same posture, that is, sitting or standing (2009). I use this strategy by ensuring both of us were sitting and facing each other and my eyes were at the same level with him. I also made sure there was the right amount of space between us with no tangible barriers like furniture, and my hands were not crossed or clasped behind my neck . All these conveyed to Jimmy a sense of comfort and ease rather than a feeling of hostility or guarded behavior from my side. However, it would have been more ideal to have a warmer environment. I constantly made eye contact and at 1:57, I leaned forward to represent understanding and interes t through my body posture. In order to avoid blank expressions, at points 00:58 and 1:09, I smiled at Jimmy or changed my facial or physical expressions as he did. This is as known as the mirroring technique where I match his physical gestures. Dr. Walker says â€Å"Mirroring someone’s expressions and gestures indicates that you are in step with them† (2009). Another effective skill I used is to nod and emit vocal sounds such as ‘mmm’ and ‘ahan’ during the first minute to demonstrate I was listening and to help him on overcome his hesitation. I took care to not move around too much so as not to distract Jimmy. I kept in mind to smile and laugh at the right time such as at 1:25

Management Information Systems in Cross-Border Shipment Term Paper

Management Information Systems in Cross-Border Shipment - Term Paper Example e in trade in areas where crossing borders is relatively easy and where products are significantly cheaper in one place than another, often because of significant variations in taxation levels on goods. When you talk to a person living in the U.S., they only think of cross-border shipping is between U.S. to Mexico or Canada, in reality that is not the sole case. It actually consists of international flows of trade to other countries. Through all of these transactions across foreign borders there have been regulations on trade to govern both parties involved, basically making it an even playing field. When moving shipments into and out of Canada, what you dont know can hurt you. Specialized logistics providers can help you capitalize on opportunities, ensure compliance, and keep you safe from harm. Canada is currently the United States largest trading partner, with $616 billion in total goods moving between the two countries during 2012, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (Inbound Logistics 2013). But crossing even a peaceful border such as the one between the United States and Canada is growing more complex as regulations mount—some call it the "thickening" of the border (Inbound Logistics 2013). That complexity has many U.S. shippers turning to third-party logistics (3PL) providers, carriers, and customs brokers with the experience and infrastructure to make moving goods into, out of, and within Canada as seamless as possible. Teaming with an expert staff goes a long way in ensuring importers and exporters follow the correct regulations, file the ri ght paperwork, meet deadlines, and entrust cargo to a compliant carrier (Inbound Logistics 2013). Shippers must complete all this preparation at least two hours before a truck arrives at the port or face costly delays and risk extra steps that promise to stall shipments even longer. Efficient border crossing is all about working in advance. Having broken down the issues surrounding the