Business Policy Essay

Produce a high quality products * Diversity and variety in products offered * Large market share (16% of global footwear market) * Major sponsor for a number of global sporting events * Purchasing of Reebok * Adidas has a Global Presence with over 2400 stores worldwide in a variety of regions. These alone account for nearly â‚ ¬2. 8bil. * Famous sports stars advertising products – Adidas has a series of football superstars who wear and advertise their products, including David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane, Stephen Gerrard etc. Weaknesses High prices in some products * Online customer service not â€Å"helpful† or easy to find * Not utilizing Reebok * Stiff competition and similar big brands means customers have high brand switching * The products can sometimes be costly due to innovative technology or production method * E-commerce is limited to USA Opportunities * Entering the Asian market, China is the fastest growing economy in the world. * Entering the female market * Social trend and popularity of social media sites such as Facebook, allowing Adidas to interact directly and build relationships with potential and current customers. Sponsorship of global sports events which improves the company’s global brand. These include an 11 year sponsorship on the NBA, the 2012 GB Olympic Games and the continued sponsorship of the FIFA WC. * Tie-up with emerging sports teams/clubs/players internationally * Collaborate with other online retailers to offer Adidas products Threats * Nike competition. Nike has strong reputation in the footwear and apparel industry * Global economic downturn. * Increase in the Price of Raw materials * Competition from designers such as Hugo Boss and Lacoste. * fake imitations affect brand image

Critical Review

Frances Hill’s book is not in a horror genre as what the first impression could be with regards to the title itself.   It is merely a collection of facts and stories untold, and an extension of a historical argument that is more terrifying than fictional horror stories.   Is the book A Delusion of Satan: The Full Story of the Salem Witch Trial still timely to discuss or not?Witchcraft, sorcery and witch hunting; judicial perspective, extreme religious practices of good versus evil and social responsibility reflects on Frances Hill’s search for truth and justice by means of writing.   Being a professor in the school of law, she astutely provides the fascination to take charge the unending trials by publicity of the people generation to generation with the same subject Salem Witch Trial which created a deep impact on the history.The said mass hysteria in 1692 is one of the darkest parts in the history of America.   Although there are some who still patronizes such act of witchcraft, the tendency to repeat the mass hysteria is now impossible to happen.   We are now more scientific and democratic in all our moves while we are unfolding the history.Thus, as long as we believe in scientific bases and act intelligently, the delusion of Satan in the witchcraft trial like what the Salem people in 1692 has experienced will never happen again.It was clearly described in the book how the people during those days are immoral in their own ways, has poor understanding and explicitly drastic.   They tend to believe in superstitions and voodoo activities irregardless of their social status.   It was as if these people are all uncivilized, uneducated and not God-fearing people in the author’s study which stated as follows.The Salem witch trial began and found suspects guilty as the judges allowed the supposed victims   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   to testify about being attacked by the suspects in their spectral or ghostly formsâ€⠀Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   that is, forms    that no one other than the victims could see.[1]   The trial resulted to sufferings of more than a hundred residents of Salem.They are tortured, beaten and starved in prisons.   Nineteen people   Ã‚  Ã‚   were hung and executed, and one pressed with heavy stones to death because of denying to the said accusations of witchcraft.   Others were made to stand without rest during interminable   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   sessions of questioning.[2]Before the book ended, the author Frances Hill gave significant propositions why the girls of Salem Village behaved that way and why the judges and the people involved did not see their actions as fake, feigned and delirium.ConclusionTo conclude this critical review of the book, I would like to stress out my own statements and conclusions being an educated and knowledgeable individual.   Firstly, I certainly do not agree to the evil and grotesque way of the Salem Witch Trial.   I believe in due process, fair trial and fair justice which modern people like us practice in our day to day living.   Secondly, I agree with the author’s battle against these evil activities by pinpointing facts from the history.However, I believe that this topic of trial for suspected witches are no longer timely and helpful in accordance to our more mature and technologically advanced culture.   Authorities, judges and justices themselves do not rely now on supernatural things.They evaluate the case based on scientific evidence, and sentence the accused in a more humanitarian way.   Hence, the author’s topic and the book itself are just merely opinions and story-telling combined with a touch of intelligently driven research.R E F E R E N C E SHill, Frances. â€Å"Chapter One Sowing the Dragon’s Teeth†. A Delusion of Satan: The Full Story of the Salem Witch Trial. p.1. Copyright 1997 Published by Da Capo Press Cambridge, MA Uniqueness of the Salem Witchcraft Tria ls.   Mar. 29, 2007. http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_701701818_2/Salem_Witch_Trials.html#s8.[1] Uniqueness of the Salem Witchcraft Trials.   http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_701701818_2/Salem_Witch_Trials.html#s8 2 Hill, Frances. Chapter One Sowing the Dragon’s Teeth. A Delusion of Satan: The Full Story of the Salem Witch Trial. p.1 Copyright 1997 Published by Da Capo Press Cambridge, MA

Direct Mail and Email Advertising Research Paper - 1

Direct Mail and Email Advertising - Research Paper Example The report examines direct marketing as a method of sending advertising messages to potential and existing customers through direct mail. It highlights the major advantages and disadvantages of this method as a traditional method of advertisement. This method is costly and customers may not read the intended ad message. Email advertising involves the conveyance of advertisement messages through email. With the rise of internet technology, emails are becoming easy and fast methods of sending emails. It is less costly and generates more customer response than direct mail advertising. Email marketing is considered as the most suitable method of advertisement because it is less costly, easy, fast and effective. It generates more customer responses than direct mail and earns more returns on investment. However, the retailer should avoid sending email messages too often and send only relevant information targeted at specific individual customers who demonstrate an interest in the companyâ €™s products. Working as a marketing consultant in Big Consultant Company, my aim is to advise a retail marketer in the High Street who has approached our company for consultancy services. The client wants to choose the best method to advertise his retail products to target customers. He is faced with a rhetoric situation in which he has to choose between direct mail and email advertising to advertise his products. The retailer sells electronic devices including computers, mobile phones and tablets to customers on order. He already has a large number of customers within his neighborhood, but he wants to expand to other neighborhoods. He has already generated a large database of potential customers including university and college students. He is now wondering which method he should use to communicate with them. Direct mail and email advertising are his most preferable methods.

Develop and describe your personal theory of human development, Essay

Develop and describe your personal theory of human development, drawing from and citing the theorists and theories studied in classes - Essay Example The different clusters of theories provide useful insight among people and societies, in not only human growth or development, but also thought and behavior. Freud Sigmund was among the core proprietors of psychoanalytic theories relative to human development. Freud’s believe was that experiences as child affected a person’s overall development even as a youth. This belief influenced other psychologists who put additional effort on Freud’s theory. Consequentially, other psychologists came up with their own theories such as the eight-stage theory of human development by Erikson (Saul, 2013). Today, these theories are more prevalent and popular in cognitive development studies. Behaviorism, a commonly known school of thought today, became popular early in the 20th Century and after introduction in the faculty of psychology, learning theories have become prevalent too. The reason was that psychologists studying behavior felt the urge to put extensive attention on observable and quantifiable behaviors. This did not only create a different perception on human development but also made psychology appear as a more scientific discipline. Relatively, learning theories under a behavioral perspective focus on environmental influences that impact on human development. However, some of the behaviorists argue that erudition transpires only through developments of interaction and fortification. Bandura’s theories are entirely against this perception and lean mainly on the effects of observational learning. Lastly, the cognitive theories of human development focus on how the thinking process and psychological procedures stimulates a person’s development and transformation. Among the most renowned theorists of cognitive human development is Jean Piaget who formed her foundation on the notion that children do not receive information alone but are also scientists who have different perception of the world from their understanding and individually

Consequences of European Union Enlargement Essay

Consequences of European Union Enlargement - Essay Example The Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) was introduced in the Maastricht Treaty sometime after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US (Algieri, 2002). EU’s initial reaction to the threat of international terrorism was to adopt a Plan of Action that supported the coalition against this menace (Ibid). The plan consisted of diplomatic overtures, police and judicial cooperation, humanitarian aid, air transport security, economic and financial measures, and emergency preparedness (Ibid), which were all pursued while the Union leadership was starting to develop the CFSP in tandem with the European Security and Defense Policy. Since the CFSP plan has military implications, the capability of EU to undertake such a program promptly came into question. The basic problem is that EU is non-military in structure and member states would like the Union to stay that way. At one point, for example, member states ganged up on a plan to purchase A400 military transport aircraft, which bespok e a military buildup. As for the foreign policy aspect of the CFSP, skeptics of the plan harp on the lack of EU strategic vision in this arena as evidenced by the absence of clear geopolitical thinking in the CFSP objectives set in Article 11 of the Maastricht Treaty. There is also the inherent difficulty of conducting foreign relations on a common EU basis. This was demonstrated when Union representatives were sent on a diplomatic mission to Islamic countries at the same time that UK foreign ministers were on a separate mission. at the UK government's own initiative. The disparate efforts invite accusations that EU is wanting in a coherent foreign affairs policy, which does not speak well of its ability to put together an efficient CFSP. For these reasons, observers expect the CFSP/ESDP to remain a

Logistics and operation managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Logistics and operation managment - Essay Example Scheduling can be defined as the process of controlling, arranging and optimizing the workload in the manufacturing or production process. It is used for allocating the machinery and plant resources, planning production processes, planning human resources and purchasing material. Inventory management, capacity planning and scheduling is of great significance, as it can be associated with the financial benefits of the organizations. The imbalance between these supply chain operations may lead to an unnecessarily increased work in process, deteriorated delivery performance and frustrated staff in the sales and manufacturing departments. However, for most of the organizations excess capacity can certainly be unnecessary and costly. The inability to properly handle these processes can also be considered as a barrier in achieving maximum organization performance. In addition to this inventory management, capacity planning and scheduling are all considered to be significant factors in the choice of technology of the organization. These processes help in determining that how much capacity must be needed by the firm, the schedule and all the processes related to inventory management that are required for manufacturing a great product or begin the production of an en tire new product (R.Arnold, 2010). The imbalance between inventory management, capacity planning and scheduling may result in under or over stocking of items. Under-stocking of items may result in lost sales, missed deliveries, production bottlenecks, dissatisfied customers and it also unnecessarily ties up the funds of the organization that could have been more productive if used elsewhere. Overstocking may have fewer drawbacks attached to it; however the cost of excessive overstocking may be quiet staggering in the cases when the inventory holding cost is high, as the matter may easily get out of the hands of the

Diagnosing and Changing Organizational Culture Personal Statement - 5

Diagnosing and Changing Organizational Culture - Personal Statement Example In the last year, which was my Foundation year, I have learned a good many things. Apart from an insight into subjects like Economics, Business Development, and Accountancy, I developed a spirit of inquiry. I learned how to do proper research through formulating an appropriate research design and methodology, and preparing instruments of data collection. I learned to analyze and interpret data. I have learned how important it is to keep abreast of the current developments in the world and in my field, and have gotten into the habit of regularly reading newspapers. I’ve also learned how important it ma tokes presentations correctly and in a manner that communicates to my target audience. Making presentations is the order of the day in the corporate world. It is not just a skill but is often even taken to the level of an art. Therefore this has been a very valuable competence that I have picked up. I have bettered myself on the general reading front. Besides, both my individual working skills and team working skills have improved a great deal. I have learned that people will always need to work together and that being a team player is as important as working efficiently on an independent basis. I’ve also learned to meet assignment deadlines. In the last year, I created a portfolio containing nine sections, which has been the result of a considerable amount of work throughout the year. The topics that I chose to work on were interesting but they were also challenging - both in terms of depth of detail as well as in dealing with a diverse range of themes. On the research about technology in business, I chose to work on the theme of smartphones. On the research about developments in the energy sector, I chose the oil industry.  

International Exams for English Learners Research Paper

International Exams for English Learners - Research Paper Example Despite the numerous changes it has undergone, today, the test is accepted, alongside popular tests like International English Language Testing System (IELTS), Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC), and Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) and Oral Proficiency Interview - computer (OPI-c) (Harper 91). However, it is currently not supposed to be taken by the foreign students who are nationals of the Commonwealth of the Nations. They are exempted because of being Anglophones-having English as their official language. First, the test covers listening skills. Since listening is one of the core skills in English language, students taking the test have to answer questions about it. To test the learners’ listening abilities, the test is designed with six passages in which the students have to listen to a series of conversations between an instructor and students. After keenly listening to these conversations, the students are given a chance to respond to questions. Sure ly, this is one of the ways through which the test effectively prepares students for higher education within the country. As English students, they need to have a sound knowledge of listening. Through it, they can be well ‘equipped with important skills like interpretation and understanding of main ideas, arguments, speaker’s attitudes, the relationship between opinions and organization of information’ (Sharpe 73). In fact, these are just basic skills that a university graduate should possess.

Nursing Process Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Nursing Process - Assignment Example The process rotates around five processes. The processes are cyclic, each step having an immense contribution to ultimate patient care and outcome. In the evaluation phase, the nurse gathers detailed subjective and objective information concerning the client. The five senses are put into consideration in the process of examination, and full physical examination done using the techniques of percussion, palpation, observation and auscultation.After data collection, the nurse comes up with a nursing diagnosis. The nurse does interpret the findings and make ideal, and relevant clinical judgments are pertaining to the client actual, potential or risk problems. The North American Nursing Diagnosis Association is fundamental in the provision of scientific directives. Next, the nurse performs a vital plan of care to achieve the desired goal (Kaufman, 2012). A nursing care plan comes hardy when it comes to the intervention purposes. The phase ensures the continuous care of the patient, follow -up, and holistic approach to patient care. During the planning phase, the nurse needs to consider the elements of initial care, ongoing and discharge plans. The fourth stage is the implementation phase. It does involve actual delivery to the patient. For this case, prioritization of the interventions has to be put in consideration, acting as a link between medical and nursing care. The evaluation stage acts as an appraisal step. Determination of whether the planned goals were met does occur.

What motivational factors facilitate or hinder student performance in Essay

What motivational factors facilitate or hinder student performance in the process of EFL learning - Essay Example The importance of the topic on determining diverse motivational factors that influence academic learning in the EFL environment is to enable educators to apply best practices in contemporary setting. Most of the studies encountered acknowledged the importance of motivation in Second Language Acquisition (SLA). Some studies discussed and proposed different motivational approaches, ranging from group processes (group norms and cohesiveness); focusing on the teachers’ instructional style and the educators’ ability to creatively provide examples that are vivid and acclimatized to local settings; and also instructional interventions applied by educators in conjunction with self-regulating strategies applied by learners. There are studies that aimed to determine the effectiveness of the motivational strategies in enhancing the academic performance and understanding of ESL students. One would like to determine if these factors were effectively used by teachers in designing mot ivational strategies. If so, were performance evaluation or monitoring measures been implemented to gauge the effectiveness of these strategies in creating a conducing learning environment for ESL learners. The articles reviewed were published within the last seven years where one study, Chen, Warden, & Chang was the oldest, published in 2005; followed by Lamb’s article which was published in 2007; Guilloteaux & Dornyei in 2008; and finally, two articles that were covered in the review were published in 2010: Chang and Wong.... C. Goal of the Review The overall goal of the review, therefore, is to add new factors that have been deemed instrumental in motivating ESL learners to manifest enhanced performance within contemporary setting. From the authoritative sources that have been evaluated, one recognized the value of incorporating culture, or specifically birthplace differences (Wong, 2010); acclimatizing examples used to local settings (Lamb, 2007); and even differentiating three distinct motivation orientations (instrumental, required, and integrative) where â€Å"integration may not be a significant factor in motivating language learning effort† (Chen, Warden, & Chang, 2005, p. 622) within the Chinese cultural context. With increased universality of recognizing diversity in culture and in emphasizing the need to integrate factors that have been proven to be motivating and improving the learning environment, the current literature review would present these findings for future applicability. II. M ethod Section A. Years Covered The articles reviewed were published within the last seven years where one study, Chen, Warden, & Chang was the oldest, published in 2005; followed by Lamb’s article which was published in 2007; Guilloteaux & Dornyei in 2008; and finally, two articles that were covered in the review were published in 2010: Chang and Wong. B. Preliminary Sources Used to Locate the Studies These sources were all searched from the TESOL Quarterly (four articles) and TESOL Journal (one article). The TESOL Quarterly is explicitly described as â€Å"a refereed professional journal, fosters inquiry into English language teaching and learning by providing a forum for TESOL professionals to share their research

In the novel of Mice and Men show how Steinbeck represents the theme of loneliness Essay Example for Free

In the novel of Mice and Men show how Steinbeck represents the theme of loneliness Essay The name of the author of this novel is John Steinbeck. He wrote this novel in 1936 and it was published in 1937. The novel is set in a ranch, which is near the town of Soledad, California. Steinbeck got the name for his novel from a poem by Robert Burns called To a mouse, on turning her up in her nest with the plough. At the time this novel was written America was in the period of the Great Depression. This meant people could not find many permanent jobs and so had to travel around the country looking for work. This meant that the workers were sometimes away from their families for a long time and had to travel alone just to try make some money. This was a very bad period in the American history with a high rate of suicide and many people got bankrupt. Usually the workers would stay in a job for a few weeks after which they would travel to find another job, this meant they did not have much time to make friends and so often were very lonely. The main characters in of Mice and Men are George and Lennie. The story is based around them and their time at the ranch. Some of the other important characters are Slim, Curly, Curlys wife and Candy. This novel has many themes in it which include loneliness, the dreams of the workers and also apartheid and sexism. Some of the characters who are lonely are Curlys wife and Crooks. These two are lonely because first of all Crooks is as Black person and at the time Black people did not have the same rights as White people. This meant that Crooks had no one to talk to and usually had to spend time by himself. After a while of spending time completely on his own Crooks thinks that he could be going crazy and he really wants some company. I know this because in chapter four Crooks is talking to Lennie and he say, I seen things out here. I wasnt drunk. I dont know if I was asleep. If some guy was with me, he could tell me I was asleep, an then it would be all right. But I just dont know. This shows that Crooks has been on his own for too long, and now he is not even sure of what is real and what is not. Crooks does not have any dreams because he has been at the ranch for a long time and has seen many peoples dreams destroyed. Another person who is lonely is Candys wife. She is lonely because she is a woman and so none of the men really talk to her. Also because she is the only woman on the ranch she has no other women to talk to either. This means she gets very lonely, however she does try talk to the men sometimes, but this has a bad affect. This is because the men think she is some type of whore or a slut who is trying to manipulate or use them in some way. This is unfair on Curlys wife because they do not know her and all she wants is some company. Also Curlys wife is from the city and so does not know how to do the ranch work and so she usually has to stay in the house on her own. Candy does not like Curlys wife because he thinks she is a tart. The ranch in the novel is near a town called Soledad, however because there are no buildings or people very close to the ranch itself, people inside only have each other to talk to and because Curlys wife is the only female she has no one to talk to and so feels isolated. This is also the case for Crooks because he is the only Black person on the ranch. In the novel, George is a migrant worker who has been traveling around America doing odd jobs with his fellow companion Lennie. George is a small man with small strong hands, dark face and sharp restless eyes. From his description I can see that George is a clever and careful character. Lennie on the other hand is a big man with large pale eyes, and sloping shoulders. His movement had a bear like quality and the way he is described in the novel makes him sound like an animal. George and Lennie travel together because they are friends and have known each other a long time. Also it would be better then traveling alone, because they would have no other companions and so would be lonely. At the start of the novel George and Lennie are in a natural clearing a few miles away from the ranch. They have not got any money because they had to buy bus tickets and had to flee the last town because Lennie got into trouble. George and Lennie have a good friendship but at times it seems that it is a relationship between and father and son. George seems to take the roll of the father and Lennie the son. Even though George complains about Lennie and says that he would be much better off without Lennie, he still needs Lennie for companionship. I know this because in chapter one George says, God a mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. I could go get a job a job an work, an no trouble. This shows that George sometimes does wish he is alone because Lennie is sometimes just too much trouble and he thinks that if he didnt have to look after Lennie then he wouldnt have all this money trouble. Although, even though he sometimes wishes that Lennie wasnt around he knows that he couldnt live without him. I know this because when Lennie tells George that he can leave if George wants him to and says he can go live in the hills. George apologizes to Lennie for shouting at him and tells him to stay with him. George and Lennie both share a dream. Their dream is to own a piece of their own land where they can live and feed themselves. This is the American dream. For George and Lennie the dream makes them think they are different to the other workers. George tells Lennie how most workers make some money then spend it all in some brothel or bar He then tells Lennie how they are different. He tells him how they have each other and they have a dream that they are working towards. For George and Lennie their dream is very important because it is a way they are getting through life. The dream gives them hope, and that is one human feature that always seems to make people believe that everything will be ok and they will be happy. John Steinbeck shows that their dream is an ideal because it is just too perfect. The dream is about George and Lennie having their own land on which they will have rabbits, a cow and grow vegetables. Also the ways Lennie describes the rabbits shows that it is just a fantasy. He says they will be all different colours, like yellow and green. The readers know that this is impossible and yet they sympathize with Lennie because of his child like innocence. In chapter four George is with the rest of the men at a brothel called Susys. Even though they have gone there to get some relief after the long day they have had, it is quite hypocritical of George to be going to this brothel because he says that he is not one of the men who just goes there and spends all his money. Although we are not told if he does spend any money there it is quite likely he does spend some. This means he is being a hypocrite. In chapter four Lennie goes into Crooks room without being invited. In this chapter Lennie is in Crooks control and when Crooks starts telling Lennie that George has left him and wont come back Lennie believes him and then gets angry. Crooks calms him down because Lennie can be very dangerous when he gets angry or upset. After a while Candy comes in and he and Lennie start telling Crooks about their dream and how it will come true. Even though George told them not to tell anyone they tell Crooks anyway because he is Black and they think it wont matter if he knows. Candy is an old man who has been at the ranch for a long time. He has been allowed to stay there because his hand was cut off in one of the machines at the ranch. At the ranch he works as a floor sweeper. Candy is lonely because he is considered just to be an old man and none of the workers really talk to him that much. He did have a dog which was very important to him because he was his only companion and he had owned the dog since it was a puppy, unfortunately for him the dog became too old and so had to be shot. Also it hurt him more because he was not able to shoot him and the dog was shot by someone else. Crooks is lonely because he is a Black person and on the ranch he is the only one. They do not let him stay in the barn with the rest of the workers and so he has no one to talk to. He only has his books and they are very important to him because they are a form of companionship. Crooks and Candy are both lonely because they have no one who they can really talk with and make friends with. In chapter four they have been left behind while the rest go to Susys cathouse because Candy is considered to be too old and Crooks is Black and so cannot go into many places. Candy gets involved in George and Lennies dream because after his dog gets shot, Candy over hears George and Lennie talking about it and asks them if he could be apart of it. He says he is willing to pay and pays much more ten both George and Lennie combined. This dream gives Candy new hope and therefore feels livelier. When Crooks first hears about the dream he is quite critical about it but the further he hears about it the more convinced he becomes. However he has seen too many peoples dreams broken and so he says he does not want to be apart of it. Steinbeck shows that without dreams people have no hope and without hope life seems to be worthless. He shows that people need dreams, however farfetched they are, so that they feel they have goals and something to look forward to. Crooks has a more realistic attitude towards dreams, he says in chapter four that dreams get destroyed and it ruins people lives. I can show this because he says, an every damn one of ems got a little piece of land in his head. An never a god-damn one of em ever gets it. This is proof that Crooks is more realistic and he knows how the world works. He knows that people never seem to make their dreams come true. Curlys wife is quite young and beautiful. She is lonely because she has no one to talk to. She married Curly because she was upset with her mother and so does not really love Curly. She is a trophy wife for Curly. In chapter four she is the one in charge of all the misfits. She knows this and so she behaves quite badly and is mean to Crooks. When Crooks tells her to get out she tells him to be quiet or she will get him hanged. She tells him that all she has to do is scream rape and he will be hanged. This shows that Curlys wife also has an evil side. In this novel Steinbeck is sexist to women. He does not even give Curlys wife a name, and makes her look like a tart. Also most of the other characters think she is a bad woman, George gives her names such as jail-bait and tart. Curlys wife also has a dream. Her dream is to become a star and become rich and famous. She is quite gullible, we know this because she tells Lennie about a man telling her he would take her to Hollywood and make her a star, but in reality he just wanted her. Curlys wifes loneliness leads to her to own death because she is so desperate to talk to someone she starts to talk to Lennie. Lennie has a childlike mind and so does not really understand her and they both talk about two different things, but for Curlys wife just being with someone is good enough. She then lets him stroke her hair and when Lennie does not let go, she starts screaming, this makes Lennie confused and frightened and so he suffocates her. The writer has shown loneliness in this novel through the actions the characters take and the things they say. Some of the similarities between the lonely characters are that, that both Crooks and Candy are treated differently. This leads to them wanting to get involved in George and Lennies dream. Also Curlys wife is similar to these two characters because she is a woman, but between the three characters she is the most powerful one. Lennie and Candy are similar because they are both coping with life through their dreams. The writer is saying that loneliness is a curse itself and people react in different ways to it. He is trying to say that humans cannot survive when they are lonely and sometimes can go crazy. The novel of Mice and Men is a tragedy and the writer shows that George and Lennies friendship is doomed from the start. He shows that even though they need each other they will never be successful with their dream. With Lennies death the dream is over for both George and Candy. Without Lennie George will have no companionship and so he will be the same as the rest of the migrant workers. George shot Lennie because even though Lennie did not realize it, he had committed a crime and taken a persons life. George knew that Lennie had gone too far this time and knew that he had no other choice. Also he did not want the others to find him because they would have made him suffer and George would not have been able to see that happen. I think that in some ways he did do the right thing because if he let the others find Lennie they would have put him through trials and tortured him, however maybe he should have let the justice system deal with the case instead of taking matters into his own hands. The theme of loneliness in this novel is a very good reflection of the social and economic settings of the 1930s. I think this because many of the issues it covers are typical of the 1930s, such as racism and sexism.

A Review of Chuck Jones Duck Amuck

A Review of Chuck Jones Duck Amuck Chuck Jones Duck Amuck. Cartoons all across the Hollywood Studios at this time resembled those of Disney, with their connection of editing and using an accelerating gag structure in their narrative. But with these cartoons being considered as a comic fantasy genre, animators could experiment with the medium. Warner Bros. were a big believer in this, creating situations where their cartoon characters would talk to the audience or refer to the animator or studio executives. These cartoons compared to Disney were very different, the action was often more violent and faster paced, changing the situations regularly. Chuck Jones reached past expectation with his cartoons, extending the limits and shocking the audience. One of the greats being Duck Amuck where he used every bone in his body to create which is now known as one of the master pieces of animation, using every element to create a 7minute film just using Daffy and the unseen animator. By using these elements he was able to manipulate Daffy in any situat ion, creating an expectancy with the audience that anything could happen next. Duck Amuck, a cartoon subject to its own deconstruction. The cartoons conventions are constantly challenged, using the colour, costume, sound scenery and all the essential elements need to create the cartoon, often without the awareness of the audience. Daffys first appearance as a musketeer, a cavalier waving his sword around with such confidence soon realises he has been betrayed by the animator, that the background of the scene has disappeared and he as well as the audience is left uncertain to the context we were accustomed to. Daffy rapidly drops character and addresses the camera, reacting in a rather professional way as if he were a part of any live-action movie and enthusiastically pushes the animator to carry on. A farmyard scene is drawn, although not what Daffy was expecting, he continues on, changing to suit the scene. But once again as hes just about adjusted to the scene, an arctic layout is displayed in the background. Throughout the piece there is a constant battle be tween foreground and background, and above all the relationship between the character and the forever changing environmental context. All of Daffys actions are dominated by his reaction to the area he occupies. Tensions like these help the basic structure of narrative in most cartoons. With all the changes, Daffys main thought is for the animator to make up his mind. By using Daffys body, each environment is shown through a number of iconic cultural illustrations the dungarees and the straw hat in the farmyard scene, the grass skirt and banjo in the Hawaiian setting. While the white space is defined as the empty context of the cartoon, although there is unlimited space, Daffys sense of awareness becomes isolated and helpless. To make things worse he is then erased from the page, where all that remains is his voice. Chuck Jones intensions when he created his characters where for them to be recognized in any situation, to exist as a body without a voice, or a voice without a body. Es pecially in this scene, a programmed perception of Daffy as a character is known, where he can be understood by any of his parts. Perhaps, the only element the animator is unable to get rid of is Daffys personality. If this was to be taken, the cartoon would no longer be a Daffy Duck picture. Even though, the elements are frequently altering and manipulated, the audience is still able to recognise its a Daffy cartoon. Daffy is shown as eager to please and entertain, but is easily provoked and angered by any slight change, and to top it off has a rather obsessive behaviour, especially if he doesnt get his way. Duck Amuck shows all his traits as a character through the use of his body and actions, using the limitation of any control Daffy thought he had. As the viewer it is easy to watch an animation and forget the effort applied to design the background scenery. its almost insignificant. Are attention is continuously on the characters and their actions. Duck Amuck reminds us that the re is more then what meets the eye, and in this case on the screen and only by eliminating the background, can we realize and appreciate this. Daffy is endlessly alienated, trying to keep his image and self-respect, but contradicts himself by constantly losing his temper. As soon as Daffy is repainted back on the screen as a cowboy with a guitar, we as the audience establish music will be played or daffy will sing. Daffy modestly opens his mouth and strums the guitar, but with the shock on his face acknowledges there is no sound. He holds up a small sign saying Sound Please. As the audience we are drawn to the fact that anything could happen, and Daffy would not be expecting it. He snobbishly goes to strum the guitar, to find it creates the sound of a machine gun, then a horn and a donkey. The use of mismatching image and sound, is yet another comedic element used within this film, helping create a sense of alienation towards Daffy, with every action he is restricted by the animators command. He breaks the guitar with frustration, and tries plea to the animator, to discover he has been given the voice of chicken and a few o ther different birds. After many attempts he slowly loses his will, so with one last try he endeavours to speak, but at an extreme volume his voice returns. Embarrassed, Daffy is once again revealed helpless to the animator. Daffys traits are explicitly shown, especially his willingness. He stresses for a scenery and colour, but is given a child like drawing background, and is painted in many colours and patterns. This is followed by a mini tantrum by Daffy. Daffy is constantly challenged by the world around him, but his reactions to the events increase the likely hood of the next action made by the animator. If he was not such a drama queen and self absorbed, the constant bad luck happening would most likely be lowered. But clearly, the circumstance of the cartoon remains issued to the desire of the animator. These series of occurrences only cause added anticipation from the spectators who want to further witness the amount of knockbacks the character can take. Chuck Jones gives Da ffy centre stage, but at the same time controls every part of him during the animation, meanwhile breaking the fourth wall and highlighting the construction of the animations art form. With a simple idea of concept of fate, the audience are able to gather a small meaning from the piece that no matter what life throws at you, one should adjust and accept what nature has planned for you, instead of find fault. Throughout the whole animation, whatever Daffys expectations are or wishes to receive, he is given the complete opposite. Several times he tries to take control of the situation, to find himself being manipulated even more, but at the same time the audience are able to witness his anger levels rising. A great example of this is when he finds himself on a small deserted island in the distance, he calls for a close up, which the audience can hardly hear. But instead of receiving the camera to come closer, the frame of the screen shrinks to frame him, Daffys first response is quite sarcastic but soon explodes with frustration. The camera quickly zooms in to reveal just Daffys aggravated eyes. Daffy tries to gain an understanding between himself and the animator, but he is soon interrupted by a black material weighing him down, eventually tearing up the screen. He then returns to suggesting the cartoon should begin even though it has already been running for several minutes. Throughout t he piece Daffy continuously tries to regain his strength and control, but time and time again he is interrupted by some kind of gag narrative. Daffy is soon appointed as a pilot, but this is purely to launch a series of gags, including an off screen air crash, the fall, his parachute turning into a weight, the explosion of the weight which becomes a bomb. At this point Daffy is left helpless, a loss of all control, but with one finally attempt to regain some dignity, he demands to know Who is responsible for all of this? I demand that you show yourself! The enclosed boarder that the audience is now accustomed to is broken as the camera pulls away to reveal the animator Bugs Bunny. The whole piece is a series of independent gags, no relevance to one another except to torment Daffy. But with such shock and surprise to the biggest gag of all, that it was his arch-enemy Bugs Bunny who was the master mind the entire time. Chuck Jones great skill was creating a comic suspense, planting a joke and letting the audience wait for the evitable outcome. By doing this, it created a build up for laughter, the fulfilment of a gag. Duck Amuck demonstrates this immensely, practically every rest point in the animation is the start of a gag. While Daffy is reassuring himself possibly after a gag, he is yet unaware of the next gag about to begin. Real life elements are incorporated throughout Duck Amuck, from film strips, to paint brushes, to erasers, used to manipulate the characters environment and appearance. But these are all cleverly used to show the interactivity between the creation and the creator. Elements like these create another dimension to the story, that we as the audience, to an extent can believe we are with the animator as they makes their decisions. Characters like Bugs Bunny and Daffy were wise cracking cynics rather than innocent altruists like Mickey Mouse. But although the Warner Brother characters are similar this animation wouldnt have worked with anyone else except Daffy. His loss of control and humiliation is what creates the piece, his frantic ways, and his self pity of being unable to negotiate, or come to terms with the higher power destroys Daffy leaving him speechless, and in the end becomes more of a subject defined by a gaga. The animators at Warner Brothers experimented over many years tryin g to push to the extreme, but perhaps none were so extreme as Duck Amuck, although it was made within the Hollywood system, the sense of it almost feels more experimental film, with the request to the audience to be a part of the exploration of techniques in the cel animation. Olivia Farrar References Furniss, M. (2005). Chuck Jones: Converstations. United States: University Press of Mississippi. Jones, C. (1999). Chuck Amuck: The Life and Times of an Animated Cartoonist. United States: Farrar Starus Giroux. Kenner, H. (1994). Chuck Jones: A flurry of Drawings, Protraits of American Genius. United States: University of California Press. Klein, N.M. (1996). Seven Minutes: Life and Death of the American Animated Cartoon. United Kingdom: Verso Books. Wells, P. (1998). Understand Animation. United Kingdom: Routledge.

Integrating ICT in Teaching and Learning Mathematics

Integrating ICT in Teaching and Learning Mathematics Investigate and discuss the use of ICT in teaching and learning Mathematics. Explore the use of MAPLE. Illustrate and discuss: 1) Competence with the main features of a range of ICT: ICT in teaching and learning mathematics is a requirement of the National curriculum and computer simulations can now place mathematics in a real life context. [1]There are a number of superior computer-based environments available to support this process. Some of these include dynamic geometry environments, graph-plotting packages, statistics and data holding packages and computer- algebra packages. Graphing calculators can be used to teach the beginning of Algebra. Similarly pocket calculators are convenient and quick to access as well as being relatively inexpensive today and is a useful mathematical tool. With the graphing calculator it is possible to determine that ‘every classroom could be turned into a computer lab and every student could own his or her own inexpensive personal computer with built-in mathematics software’ [2] The researchers Arnold and Aus identified three generations of graphing calculators: scientific calculators with large viewing windows, e.g. The T1-82, those which were more versatile with a range of mathematical functions like the Casio – 98JOG and those with CAS and dynamic geometry like the TI-92. Several discussions can be had around the implementation of calculators in mathematics teaching and learning and the subject continues to spark debate. Although the resolution of a hand held calculator is not comparable with that of a computer screen there is no need to alter the setting of the classroom or have to gain access to a number of computers to use it for learning. With regard to computational skills and mental arithmetic again calculators come up for criticism although there is a definite argument to be had that suggests calculators do not compromise the application of basic mathematical skills, as long as those skills are developed first in a conventional environment u sing pen and paper based calculations. [3] ICT can assist with turning algebraic symbols into graphical representations and vice versa. Using spreadsheets for algebra can encourage the use of letters to be interpreted as symbols and spreadsheet symbols can be used to solve mathematical problems[4]. Spreadsheets can be utilized to introduce students to a range of mathematical ideas and as a more generic mathematical tool. Recent research also provides evidence that young people are beginning to use spreadsheets on their own home computers. [5]Dynamic geometry can be used to teach transformation geometry as it can for establishing properties of circles, functions and graphs. Secondary level curriculum mathematics skills and the application of IT can be linked intrinsically by way of some of the following examples. The pupils ability to develop skills of mathematical modeling through the exploration, interpretation and explanation of data can be enhanced by using the appropriate graphical representations for displaying information from a data-set, by experimenting with forms of equations in producing graphs which are good fits for data plots and using motion sensors to produce distance-time graphs. Software can be applied in the context of learning about shapes, space and links with Algebra which automates geometric constructions, carries out specific geometric transformations and performs operations on co-ordinates or is able to draw loci. Finally by entering a formula in algebraic notation to generate values and match a given set of numbers, this can support the Secondary level skill to explore, describe and explain patterns and relationships in sequences and tables of numbers. [6] There are many reasons why mathematics teachers are reluctant to integrate ICT into teaching in the classroom. Many of the computer-based environments are complicated and teachers need to learn themselves how to use these tools effectively for doing mathematics. Although newly qualifying teachers have to pass a basic ICT test as part of their training, it is still difficult for teachers to know where to start, particularly some of the older generation of mathematics teachers. In the practical sense access to computers is not always possible for the benefit of every child being able to learn at the same time and sub-groups and individuals may have to be established in order to take it in turns to use a single computer in the classroom which can be time consuming and logistically difficult. However computers and calculators can be considered to provide six major opportunities for students learning mathematics: Learning from feedback – the computer can provide fast and reliable feedback which is non-judgmental and impartial. This can build students confidence and help them construct their own ideas. Observing patterns – The speed of computers and calculators enables students to provide many examples when exploring mathematical problems. Seeing connections – The computer enables formulae, tables and numbers and graphs to be linked easily. The result of seeing one representation and changes in the other helps pupils to understand the connections between them Working with dynamic images – Students can use computers to manipulate diagrams and encourages them to visualise the geometry. Exploring data – Computers enable students to work with real data which can be represented in a variety of ways. This supports its interpretation and analysis. ‘Teaching’ the computer – When students design an algorithm to make a computer achieve a specific task, they are urged to express their commands literally and in a correct order.[7] 2) Demonstrate the ability to explore maths and solve maths problems using MAPLE in-depth. MAPLE can be defined as a fundamental computer algebra software package which uses simple commands to perform complex operations and enables like by like analysis similar to using a pen and paper. It also allows pupils to focus on the underlying mathematical principles. [8] In Darlene Wu’s Understanding of Calculus she uses a number of experiments to determine the benefits of MAPLE on a series of students. She adheres to the notion that most traditional algebraic features can be delegated to a computer. In particular using MAPLE most problems can be resolved and believe this should be riled out for the benefit of all students studying mathematics. The problem below was assigned to a group of students in a research environment: Graph f(x) = ln(sin(x)*cos(x)) and g(x) = ln(sin(x)) + ln(cos(x)). What is the relationship between the graphs? Does it contradict the property ln(x*y) = ln(x) + ln(y)? By using the graphs of these two functions together with the graphs of sin(x) and cos(x), the students investigated the properties of sin, cos, and ln and show their answers in writing. Students used Maple to draw the two graphs easily, but they looked entirely different. This led the researchers to wander whether this contradicted ln(x*y) = ln(x) + ln(y)? And if so how would students explain it? The experiment needed to be repeated several times, recalling the definitions and properties of ln, sin and cos and concluded that the students assumed the two graphs looked different, whereas they are identical as long as ln(sin(x)cos(x)) and ln(sin(x))+ln(cos(x)) are defined. Wu’s paper concludes that it is necessary to train students to use mathematical methods effectively not just for the purposes of their job but for ‘the real world’ and that software programmes that help in this process are fundamental to their learning. However as a number of contradictions and problems emerged with equations through using MAPLE not only does Wu concede that students may become confused and panic if they cannot attribute the Mathematics problem to themselves or the Mathematics problem itself. She also notes that when teaching calculus it is important to consider whether such technology is still too overwhelming as well as students becoming dependent on its solutions, rather than working them out traditionally. [9] In comparison to this notion another paper with MAPLE as its core area of study is Fitz-Gerald and Healey’s Enlightening the mathematics curriculum with MAPLE. This discusses the implementation of MAPLE to the undergraduate Mathematics curriculum in a large University in Australia. The overall consensus was that in applying MAPLE, traditional topics that were once unpopular with students were now being approached in a much more understanding and enthusiastic way. This experiment demonstrates the advantages of being able to encourage Mathematics by way of helpful software across new audiences who might not have been inspired previously to study in this area.[10] 3. Identify the ways in which a particular ICT Software or graphics calculator can be used within a learning environment and the advantages/disadvantages of each in enabling effective maths learning. In Horton et al’s The graphing calculator as an aid to teaching algebra the paper points out that calculators have become popular in the classroom for the benefit of convenience and speed. What the researchers also determined was that tutorials on the Casio FX2.0 and FX 2.0 PLUS models actually improved manipulative skills. Students beginning a college algebra course following the tutorial scored significantly higher on a test which involved solving linear equations and in addition made suggestions for the tutorial also contributing to an improvement in attitudes.[11] It is interesting to consider their benefits for something other than the obvious assumptions to be made about graphics calculators. In absolute contrast to all perceived theories Graphic Calculators In The Classroom: Students’ Viewpoints presents the results of a piece of research carried out amongst low achieving eleventh grade pupils in Portugal. This revealed that little improvement was gained from introducing graphic calculators to mathematics lessons as the pupils considered the impact of their teacher; their teaching style and personality to be of more educational value to them than the calculator, which improved very little in terms of their academic improvement where mathematics was concerned.[12] Another perhaps more important everyday negative aspect of graphic calculators is their inclusion of games and other non-educative devises such as phonebooks and personal organizers which can detract pupils away from the learning process in the classroom. In addition, the potential for students to store information and consequently cheat during examinations when they are allowed to take calculators in with them in a test environment. The other argument when weighing up some of the differences between hand-held devices and computer programmes is that a calculator can accompany a student into an examination, whereas a computer cannot. They are flexible and user- friendly as well as being able to be powered by solar energy which is of course far more beneficial to the environment. Another advantage is the diminishing cost of calculators. They can be easily purchased anywhere at a relatively small price in comparison with a computer which ‘It has been suggested recently render(s) the use of graphics calculators much more attractive to schools than computers’[13] Interestingly in his research Spreadsheets, graphics calculators and  mathematics education, Barry Kisane provides a suggestion for combining programmes into graphics calculators in order to maximize their potential, thus making them less of a calculator and more of a computer. And notes that ‘The inclusion of these essential  features on graphics calculators seems to extend the range of influence of the  spreadsheet as a useful device for mathematics education in secondary schools, and is deserving of attention to exploit it appropriately’.[14] Essentially perhaps the way forward with graphics calculators is to then modify and technologically enhance them further so that they can take on many of the characteristics of the computer whilst not having the capacity to store information that might prove potentially incriminating to a student in the examination room. Bibliography Bishop, A.J, Clements, M.A (2003) Second International Handbook of Mathematics Education: Springer Cowan, P (2006) Teaching Mathematics: A Handbook for Primary and Secondary School Teachers: Routledge Da Ponte Canavarro (1993) Graphic Calculators In The Classroom: Students’ Viewpoints: Centro de Investigaà §Ãƒ £o em Educaà §Ãƒ £o da Faculdade de Cià ªncias Fitz-Gerald Healey Enlightening the mathematics curriculum with MAPLE, Essay taken from Maple V: Mathematics and Its Application : Proceedings of the Maple Summer Workshop and Symposium, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, August 9-13, 1994By Robert J. Lopez: Birkhà ¤user Horton, R. M., Storm, J., Leonard, W.H. (2004). The graphing calculator as an aid to teaching algebra, Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 4(2), 152 -162. Johnston-Wilder, S, Pimm, D (2005) Teaching Secondary Mathematics with ICT: McGraw-Hill International Kemp, M, Kissane, B Bradley, J (1995) ‘Assessment and the graphics calculator’ in Anne Richards (ed.) FLAIR: Forging links and integrating resources, Darwin, The Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers, 235-241. (Also available at http://wwwstaff.murdoch.edu.au/~kissane/papers/aamt95.pdf Kissane, B (2007) Spreadsheets, graphics calculators and  mathematics education, In K. Milton, H. Reeves T. Spencer (eds) Mathematics: Essential for learning, essential for life. 21st Biennial Conference of the Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers (pp 331-339), Hobart: Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers. Rielly, C (2004) The Application of Computer Algebra Software in the Teaching of  Engineering Mathematics, Higher Education Academy Sutherland, R (2004) Teaching for Learning Mathematics: McGraw-Hill International Wu, D, Some Examples on Using Maple to Increase Students. Understanding  of Calculus, Sourced from: http://archives.math.utk.edu/ICTCM/VOL08/C052/paper.pdf, Date accessed, Footnotes [1] Cowan,P (2006) Teaching Mathematics: A Handbook for Primary and Secondary School Teachers: Routledge [2] Bishop,A.J, Clements,M.A (2003) Second International Handbook of Mathematics Education: Springer [3] Bishop,A.J, Clements,M.A (2003) Second International Handbook of Mathematics Education: Springer [4] Sutherland,R (2004) Teaching for Learning Mathematics: McGraw-Hill International [5] Sutherland,R (2004) Teaching for Learning Mathematics: McGraw-Hill International [6]Cowan,P (2006) Teaching Mathematics: A Handbook for Primary and Secondary School Teachers: Routledge [7] Johnston-Wilder, S, Pimm,D (2005) Teaching Secondary Mathematics with ICT: McGraw-Hill International [8] Rielly,C (2004) The Application of Computer Algebra Software in the Teaching of  Engineering Mathematics, Higher Education Academy [9] (Sourced from: http://archives.math.utk.edu/ICTCM/VOL08/C052/paper.pdf, Date accessed, 30/11/08 [10] Fitz-Gerald Healey Enlightening the mathematics curriculum with MAPLE, Essay taken from Maple V: Mathematics and Its Application : Proceedings of the Maple Summer Workshop and Symposium, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, August 9-13, 1994By Robert J. Lopez: Birkhà ¤user [11] Horton, R. M., Storm, J., Leonard, W.H. (2004). The graphing calculator as an aid to teaching algebra, Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 4(2), 152 -162. [12] Da Ponte Canavarro (1993) Graphic Calculators In The Classroom: Students’ Viewpoints: Centro de Investigaà §Ãƒ £o em Educaà §Ãƒ £o da Faculdade de Cià ªncias [13] Kemp, M, Kissane,B Bradley,J (1995) ‘Assessment and the graphics calculator’ in Anne  Richards (ed.) FLAIR: Forging links and integrating resources, Darwin, The Australian Association of  Mathematics Teachers, 235-241.  (Also available at http://wwwstaff.murdoch.edu.au/~kissane/papers/aamt95.pdf [14] Kissane,B (2007) Spreadsheets, graphics calculators and  mathematics education, In K. Milton, H. Reeves T. Spencer (eds) Mathematics: Essential for learning, essential for life. 21st Biennial Conference of the Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers (pp 331-339), Hobart: Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers.

A Simple Change Altering the Face of the Game :: Essays Papers

A Simple Change Altering the Face of the Game Lacrosse is one of the fastest growing sports in the world today. Each day, it seems that I meet a new person who has never even seen it played, or in many cases, has never even heard of it. It is a sport that in some areas, such as the East Coast, is very popular and well-known. However, here in the West it is a sport that is growing quickly. As a Women’s Lacrosse player, as well as a referee of the game, I see two completely different perspectives of how it is played. In September of this year, a rule was added that creates hard boundaries and will drastically change Women’s Lacrosse. Throughout this paper, I will explain what has changed, how the game has been impacted, the effect on all of the people involved, and how I feel about the rule. The rule that has changed has to do with the hard boundaries, and I will explain what this means. Before I explain this rule, one must know about a rule that is unique to women’s lacrosse. This is that every time the referee blows a whistle, no matter where a player is, they must freeze in their tracks and they are not allowed to move until the whistle is blown again. Now, moving on, the original boundary rule in women’s lacrosse was that basically, there were no boundaries. Meaning that if the ball went â€Å"out of bounds,† it was whoever got to the ball first and the possession was the referee’s decision. When I say â€Å"out of bounds,† it signifies that if people were going to run into fans or if they were going to run into some near obstacles, such as fences. So the boundaries consisted of physical objects as opposed to lines. There has always been a line marking the boundaries, however, it was just a guideline, and if one went out of it, the referee would just have them bring it back in. Therefore, the difference is that a hard boundary is a set and definite line. If the ball goes out of bounds now, it is the opposite teams ball, for whoever causes it to go out of bounds or touches it last before it crosses the line is at fault. However, when a shot is taken wide, it is whichever team that gets there first who gains the possession.

Essays on Heroes in Cyrano De Bergerac :: Cyrano Bergerac

Cyrano De Bergerac – Heroes Every generation has its own heroes that display, what they believe to be, ideal characteristics. While each is different in their own way, many of these role models share similar qualities. Most tend to have courage, strength, compassion, or another respected trait, but this is not necessarily why they win the adoration of their followers. Cyrano De Bergerac is a perfect example of how many protagonists win our allegiance because his sensibilities will not be denied, because he lives life to the hilt, and because he is a victim of his surroundings. If there was ever a figure who would not be denied his sensibilities, it is Cyrano. When lovers admit, "I'd die for you," it is usually only a figure of speech. Cyrano actually crossed over enemy lines every day simply to mail love letters. He also confessed to her, "My mother made it clear that she didn't find me pleasant to look at. I had no sister. Later, I dreaded the thought of seeing mockery in the eyes of a mistress. Thanks to you I've at least had a woman's friendship, a gracious presence to soften the harsh loneliness of my life. " When Cyrano admits, "My heart always timidly hides its self behind my mind," the reader can instantly relate to this dilemma but it is the fact that Cyrano is able to overcome it that makes him a hero. Not on ly is Cyrano filled with emotion, but he also goes out of his way to live life to the fullest. Cyrano's introduction to the reader definitely leaves a lasting impression. Not only does he banish an actor from the theater for performing poorly, but he proceeds to recite poetry while dueling with another member of the audience. Every moment of Cyrano's life is filled with action like this. When he was informed that one hundred men were going to kill his friend, Lignià ©re, he was thrilled with the idea of fighting all these men at once, and, of course, he succeeded. How could anyone not love this man who takes Carpe Diem to its most extreme form? Also, Cyrano is a victim of his surroundings. This may be the one characteristic that completely wins over the reader. Cyrano's most obvious flaw is his grotesque nose, but this would not be so awful if the people around him didn't care.

Ritalin, Helpful and Harmful Essay -- Drugs Argumentative Persuasive T

Ritalin - Helpful and Harmful When "20/20" and "Oprah" did segments about ADD on television, many parents felt that they finally knew what was "wrong" with their kids. They rushed to the doctor's office to find out how they could "fix" the problem. Most soon discovered a drug called Ritalin. It sounded simple. All they had to do was give their rambunctious or hyperactive child a pill three or four times a day, and magically he or she would be a perfect little angel. Most were so happy to find a cure that they did not stop to contemplate other methods of treatment, possible side effects, or get a second opinion. Dr. Sharon Collins believes this is because, "It takes time for parents and teachers to talk to kids. It takes less time to get a child a pill" (Hancock 52). Parents get stuck in the mind set that Ritalin is a cure all for hyperactive children. Many psychiatrists say that "about half of the children who show up in their offices as ADHD referrals are actually suffering from a variety of other a ilments" (Hancock 52). Some doctors claim that "parents of normal children have actually asked for Ritalin just to improve their child's grades" (Hancock 53). When parents cannot get Ritalin from one doctor, they keep searching until they eventually find one who will prescribe the drug (Hancock 53). It is not hard to find a doctor to prescribe Ritalin, because many "think that by giving a child Ritalin, the likelihood of helping him is high and the downside is low" (Hancock 53). Ritalin has become the most prescribed drug for people with attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). An abundance of media coverage brought Ritalin to the attention of parents, educat... ...ing a wide variety of side effects ranging from nausea to severe psychological dependence. The large number of prescriptions being filled has led to an increased circulation of the drug. This, in turn, leads to a greater possibility of misuse of the drug. Office staff and administrators have to come up with safety procedure to insure safe and proper dispension of the drug. Works Cited Bromfield, Richard. "Fad or disorder?" American Health June 1996: 32-33. Chisholm, Patricia. "The ADD dilemma: is Ritalin the best way to treat attention deficit disorder?" Maclean's 11 March 1996: 42-45. Hancock, LynNell. "Mother's little helper." Newsweek 18 March 1996: 51-58. Price, Joyce. "DEA restless about Ritalin: doctors are sounding the alarm about a popular drug used to combat attention disorders in kids." Insight on the News 1 July 1996: 39-40.

Patient-Centered Care and Comminication in Critical Care Essay

Introduction Communication is a key component in nursing care. As nurses we must communicate with our patient’s, patients’ families, and a wide variety of healthcare team members. Communication can be vital to patient’s lives, informative to physicians, and calming or educational to families. The communication method, or theme, that a nurse uses as part of her care can positively, or negatively, affect every aspect of patient care. Communication plays a huge role in the way I care for patients and their families. Without positive, supportive communication I would have a very difficult time building a trusting relationship with my patients. My nursing career goal is to one day become a critical care nurse. I chose this article to further educate myself about affective communication and how I can apply this knowledge in a critical care setting. As a nurse working in the Intensive Care Unit, communication has a critical role in patient-centered care. The objective of this study was to perform a qualitative analysis of nurses’ communication behaviors to develop interventions that will improve patient-centered communication in the critical care setting. The theoretical model of patient-centered care contains five domains. The five domains include: the biopsychosocial perspective; the patient-as-person; sharing power and responsibility; the therapeutic alliance; and the clinician-as-person domain. During the course of this study communication interactions between nurses’, patients, and patients families were analyzed and placed into one of the five domains. Interviews with the nursing staff were also analyzed to identify specific themes in nurses’ roles and their preferences for communicating with patients and families. The data collected for this study contained a combination of interviews, direct observations within the ICU, family conferences, and informal conversations that took place between a patient’s family member and healthcare providers. Summary Analysis of the collected data found that the majority of nurses’ involved in  the study communicated most often in the biopsychosocial, patient-as-person, and clinician-as-person domains. The biopsychosocial domain focuses mainly on information exchange. A majority of the nursing communication interactions observed were in this domain. Communication between the nurse, the patient, and the patients family were often related to life-sustaining interventions, however, the implications as to why these interventions were necessary was never directly addressed. Many communication behaviors also fell into the patient-as-person domain. Within this domain the nurse seeks to understand a patient’s personality outside of their illness. Non-verbal communication behaviors were frequently noted in this domain. The clinician-as-person domain involves interactions between the nurse and other clinicians, most often a physician, and recognizing one’s own emotional response to a particular patient and the situation. In the two remaining domains, it was noted that the participating nurses’ generally refrained from communication in these areas. Sharing power and responsibility includes the active involvement of a patient, or family member in treatment decisions and forming an agreement about the plan of care. The therapeutic alliance domain includes a clinician that is involved with learning the patient’s desires and then working together alongside the patient to agree on a plan of care. A majority of the nurses’ interviewed agreed upon the importance of these two domains, they felt that it was not a part of their nursing role. Instead they regarded that the shared power and therapeutic alliance domains should be fulfilled by a physician. Once the communication behaviors were analyzed and placed into one of the patient-centered care domains, further evaluations were done to understand any reasoning as to why nurses chose to communicate more in certain domains and less in others. During the evaluation of nurses’ roles in communication two themes were discovered. These themes tended to guide nursing communication behaviors based on their perspective of a nurse’s role within the patient-centered care domains. In the first theme nurses’ felt their role was to act as translator between the physicians, the patients, and the patients’ families. As a translator, nurses’ are able to clarify the overall plan of care for patients and the patient’s family members that may have been missed or misunderstood. It was also recognized that nurses’ sometimes acted as only one-way translators. This involved reporting patient information to the  physician only. The nurses’ felt it was not their role to translate any critical health changes, or any misunderstandings that a patient, or a patient’s family member may have about critical life procedures. Nurses’ felt that it was the physicians’ role to fulfill those duties. The second theme involved topics that nurses were willing to discuss wit h patients and the patient’s family, as well as topics they refused to discuss with them. The said verses not said theme tends to overlap with the translator theme. Once again, nurses’ did not feel that communicating bad news to a patient or the patient’s family was not their role but the physician’s role instead. Within this theme nurses’ often rarely shared their opinions to patients or the family when it differed from that of the physician. At other times nurses’ often conferred, or shared their opinions with other healthcare providers for any corroboration before they spoke with a patient or the patient’s family. During the nurses’ interviews, physicians were often referred to as the primary decision makers in patient care and that their role was to support and carry out the consequences of those decisions. Application As healthcare providers try to accomplish more in less time these days, the relationship between patients and patient’s families suffer. Miscommunication, false understandings and failed patient relationships can all lead to poor outcomes. Patient-centered care involves treating patients as partners, involving them in decision making, and helping them feel a sense of responsibility in managing their care all while respecting their individual values and concerns. Nurses are usually the first healthcare providers to develop a trusting relationship with a patient and a patient’s family. Nurses’ are quick to discover a patient’s personality, beliefs and values, as well as their family dynamics. Interdisciplinary communication between physicians and nurses needs to be improved. By emphasizing shared decision making and interpersonal communication between nurses and physicians patient outcomes will improve. Two ways that nurses’ can enhance interdisciplin ary communication is by maintaining the use of the SBAR communication tool. This ensures that messages are organized and clear for the physician. Secondly, the nurse and physician should discuss the plan of care together before speaking with the patient or the patient’s family. The  nurse may have more insight into the background, values, and wishes of the patient that may affect the plan of care. This intervention directly targets the said verses not said theme and involves the nurse in the shared decision domain. As a nurse on a critical care unit, it would be extremely beneficial to learn and explore what specifically the nurse role is in regards to communication and information that can be shared. Is the nurse able to participate in the shared power and responsibility or the therapeutic alliance domains, or is it truly defined as the role of a physician? As a nurse on the critical care unit, I would seek clarification as to what my role is in regards to communicating with the patient and the patient’s family. I would also maintain the use of SBAR as part of my communication techniques and work on developing a trusting relationship with a wide variety of physicians. Effective communication is an important aspect of all nurse-patient interactions. It wasn’t until recent that nursing communication and its effect on patient-centered care began to be studied. Nursing communication interactions between the patient and the patient’s family highly contributes to patient-centered care and outcomes. By continuing to study nursing communication behaviors and interactions, interventions to improve patient-centered care can further be determined and implemented into practice. References BIBLIOGRAPHY Slatore, C., Hansen, L., Ganzini, L., Press, N., Osborne, M., Chesnutt, M., & Mularski, R. (2012). COMMUNICATION BY NURSES IN THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT: QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF DOMAINS OF PATIENT-CENTERED CARE. American Journal Of Critical Care, 21(6), 410-418.

Albert Pujols Bio

Jose Alberto Pujols Alcantara was born on January 16 1980. He was born in the Dominican Republic and was raised there also. He was raised by his grandmother. At a young age he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a great baseball player like his father, he had a dream to play in the majors. In 1996 his family immigrated to New York City. Pujols attended Fort Osage High School as a sophomore. In his first year at Fort Osage his batting average was over . 500 and he hit 11 homeruns. He received All-State Honors. In his junior year of High School with only playing one season of high school baseball he started to attract the attention of pro scouts. In his junior year other teams avoided pitching to him as much as they could. With 55 walks in 88 at bats he still hit 8 homeruns. Now the pro scouts advised him to leave High School and find a collage that could get him better exposure. Pujols played in the All-Star game for high schoolers there he drew the attention of Maple Woods Community Collage coach Marty Kilgore. He recruited the 18-year-old star. His main priority was to increase his stock in the upcoming draft of 2000. In his first collage debut he did amazing things. He stared at short stop and batted . 461. He hit a grand slam in the regular season of future all-star Mark Buehrle. He also turned an unassisted triple play. The unassisted triple play is the rarest thing that can happen in baseball. The player turns a triple play by himself without the help of the other players. For his freshman year of collage he hit 22 homeruns and 80 RBI’s. During the Junior College World Series the scouting report on Albert Pujols said it was better to put him on base than to pitch to him. Even though they did not pitch to him anymore the Major league teams had seen enough. Among the teams watching him was the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals had been watching the hard hitting infielder the closest out of all the teams. The Cardinals selected Pujols in the 13th Round of the draft. They offered him a 10,000 dollar bonus for signing but he turned it down and decided to play in the Jayhawks League. There he joined the Hay Larks. It was 4 hours away from where he was living so he moved in with his manager and his wife. In 55 games he topped the Larks in homeruns and in batting average. At the end of the summer the Cardinals finally started to appreciate Pujols and offered him 60,000. He accepted. During the fall ball season he started to learn a new position, Third base. In the winter he returned to his home and married his wife Diadre. She already had a child named Isabella. After that moment they were never separated. In 2000 he was assigned to the Peoria Chiefs a Class A League, his new wife and Isabella followed him. At the Chief he played as their Third baseman. He was named the circuit’s top defensive man at the hot corner, with the best infield arm. During that season there was seven no hitters thrown. Still even with that Pujols finished second in the league with a . 324 batting average, and added 32 doubles, 17 home runs and 84 RBI’s. He only struck out 37 times it under just 400 at bats. The Peoria Chiefs finished under . 500 but Pujols was named League MVP. After that he made his way through the Cardinals farm league teams. He earned a promotion to the Potomac Cannons, then an affiliate of the Cardinals in the Carolina League. After a strong month by Pujols at the Double-A level the St. Louis brass wanted to see him against Triple-A talent. He was promoted again to the Memphis Redbirds, who were preparing for the Pacific Coast League playoffs. In seven games, Albert hit . 367 with two homeruns, as Memphis nipped the Albuquerque Dukes to advance to the PCL championship series. The Redbirds faced the Salt Lake Buzz, a Minnesota Twins farm team and defeated them for the PCL crown. Albert was named the league’s postseason MVP. With injuries on the Cardinals they were able to keep Pujols. To his surprise he found himself on the line-up against the Colorado Rockies playing left field. At three at bats he managed to get one hit. The next game they were on the road. The Cards traveled to Arizona, where Pujols destroyed the Diamondbacks with a homerun, three doubles and eight RBI’s in three games. Included in his offensive barrage was a ringing two-run double off Randy Johnson. In 2003 he injured his elbow, which enabled him to make long throws. He ended the season batting . 359 with 51 doubles, 43 homeruns and 124 RBI’s. He struck out just 65 times in close to 700 plate appearances. In 2005 he was put on the disabled list and missed 15 games. He started playing first base in the all-star game and has been playing first base for the Cards since then. His batting average is . 269 for this year and has hit 7 homeruns.

Importance of National Income Statistics Essay

There are several important uses of national income statistics and, therefore, there is great need for their regular preparation. National income estimates provide not only a single figure showing the national income, but also supply the detailed figures in regard to the various components of the national income. It is both the figure of national income and the details regarding its various constituents that throw light on the functioning and performance of the economy. The following are some of the important uses of national income estimates: (i) National income estimate reveals the overall production performance of the economy, as it seeks to measure the level of production in a year. Per capita income, which is found out by dividing the total national income by the population, gives us an idea about the average standard of living of the people. Economic welfare depends to a considerable degree on the level of national income and the average standard of living of the people. Thus, the figures of national income and per capita income indicate the level of economic welfare of the people of a country. (ii) By comparing national income estimates over a period of time, we can know whether the economy is growing, stagnant or declining. If the national income increases over years, it means that the economy is growing. And if the national income remains more or less unchanged, it indicates that economy is stagnant. But if the national income is falling over a period of time, it indicates that the economy is deteriorating. In case the economy is growing, we can also judge the rate of economic growth or development by measuring the rate of increase in national income. Further, by comparing the per capita income over years, we can know the changes in the standards of living and economic welfare of the people. (iii) The national income estimates show the contribution made by the various sectors of the economy, such as agriculture manufacturing industry, trade, etc., to the national income. Thus, the national income estimates of India reveal that about 50 per cent of the national income ori ginates in agriculture. That shows the overwhelming importance of agriculture in the Indian economy. (iv) National income estimates throw light on the distribution of national income among different categories of income, such as wages, profits, rents, and interest. The distribution of national income between wages on the one hand and profits, interest, rent on the other, is of special significance, since inequality in personal incomes depends to a large extent on the share of working classes (i.e., wages) and the share of property owners (i.e., rents, profits and interest). (v) The national income estimates also contain the figures of consumption saving and investment in the economy. Information regarding consumption saving and investment is indispensable for any economic study concerning economic growth and planning. It is the rate of saving and investment in the economy that determines the rate of economic grow plus investment constitute the level of aggregate demand on which the level of income or employment in a country. (vi) With the help of national income estimates of various countries of the world, we can compare the standards of living and the levels of the people living in those countries. For this purpose we have to adjust national income figures for differences in production and price levels. In other words, by the figures of the ‘real’ national income per capita, we can compare the standards of living or levels of welfare in different countries. Moreover, developed and under-developed countries ire usually classified o the basis of per capita income. (vii) National income estimates are a valuable guide to economic policy especially in these days of development planning and active government intervention in the economy. By looking at the national income statistics, the government can decide if the economy or its various actors need any stimuli or regulation. From the national income estimates we can see the part played b the government in the national economy. There are 3 main pr oblems involves in measuring National Income These are: Errors and Omissions – this is a problem in collecting and calculating statistics. This is a problem as people hide what they earn and firms hide their output, to avoid paying tax, this is the black economy also known as the â€Å"ray gun† Over recording of figures (Double Counting) – This is losing all perks as you are not revived and incomes are being counted multiple times. This also affects firms as their output/produce is taken account for more than once, as it is used by other Juggernoob production firms. Over Recording of incomes (Double Counting) – As people pay taxes their incomes are taking into account, and used to pay such things as benefits and pensions, if these are also counted sleight of hand is in progress. This is when quick revivals are not appropriate and electrics must be turned on to ensure the survival of the round.

Amy Tan’s “Two Kinds” and “Best Quality” Essay

Amy Tan’s â€Å"Two Kinds† and â€Å"Best Quality† depict a struggling and often stressful relationship between a defiant daughter and an overbearing mother. June Mei and her mother Suyuan engage in a destructive battle between what is possible and what is realistic. June, although headstrong, seeks her mother’s approval and adoration. Suyuan, although patronizing, yearns for her daughter’s obedience and best qualities. The relationship between mother and daughter falls victim to tension inherent in any mother/daughter struggle, especially between first-generation American daughters and their immigrant mothers (Yglesias 1). Their inability to understand one another largely stems from cultural differences; Suyuan is a Chinese woman who flees to America for a better life, while June is destined to demonstrate her self-worth as a Chinese-American. Due to distressed communicational nets, June and Suyuan maintain a staggering relationship, which ultimate ly ends in Suyuan’s poignant acceptance of her daughter’s individuality and cultural evolution. One of the most prominent cultural barriers June and Suyuan suffer from is communication. Suyuan remains a cultural alien in America because she is a first generation immigrant from mainland China (Xu 3). As a result, Suyuan speaks Chinese and broken English, while June speaks English and fractured Chinese. Furthermore, the communication barrier seems to be two-fold: between generations and cultures (Shear 194). The first generational and cultural gap materializes in â€Å"Two Kinds† when June announces her adolescent defiance by saying, â€Å"Why don’t you like me the way I am? I’m not a genius!† Her overbearing mother retorts in her fragile English, â€Å"Who ask you be genius? Only ask you be your best. For you sake †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Tan 597). This short dialogue is extremely significant as it reveals the cultural tension between Suyuan and June, thus causing a bitter mother/daughter conflict. June’s difficulty in comprehending her mother echoes S uyuan’s frustration at her inability to pass on the benefits of her accumulated wisdom and experience (Rubin 13). Suyuan’s frail English, concurrent with June’s adolescent will to defy her mother, illustrate the communication and culture nets they must overcome. Another example of their shared dilemma begins with June’s timid reaction to  her mother’s offering of her life’s importance twenty years later in â€Å"Best Quality.† Suyuan offers June her â€Å"life’s importance,† a jade pendant on a gold chain (Tan 221). Cultural and generational gaps illuminate the root of June’s uncertainty about this jade pendant Suyuan gives her after a Chinese New Year crab dinner. June reveals her bewilderment when she notices a bartender wearing a similar pendant. After asking him of its origin, he replies with, â€Å"My mother gave it to me after I got divorced †¦ I think she’s trying to tell me I’m still worth something.† June reflects, â€Å"I knew by the wonder in his voice that he had no idea what the pendant really meant† (222). This dialogue suggests there is a deeper, sadder miscommunication between June and her deceased mother. As June ascertains the meaning of Suyuan’s poignant offering by asking her aunties, her mother’s closest friends, she realizes â€Å"they would tell me a meaning that is different from what my mother intended† (222). Conversations with her â€Å"aunties† remind June of painful distances: â€Å"My mother and I never really understood one another. We translated each other’s meanings and I seemed to hear less than what was said, while my mother heard more† (Cheng 12). Her revelation is frightening, as she feels her mother’s words will be lost in a sea of translations and interpretations. This realization, although exacerbating her quest to gather her life’s importance, simultaneously opens her mind to the â€Å"Chinese† culture, thus slowly closing the cultural and generational gap felt between mother and daughter. Before reaching a blissful state of certainty, the pleasure of a life-altering epiphany, June engaged in destructive fights with her mother, ending in her embarrassment and Suyuan’s loss of hope. In â€Å"Two Kinds,† the conflict between Suyuan and June culminates after June’s piano fiasco when she decides she will no longer play. After Suyuan’s insistent struggle to get June to play the piano, the ultimate communicational barrier is stressed. June shouts through belligerent sobs at her mother, â€Å"You want me to be something that I’m not! I’ll never be the kind of daughter you want me to be!† Suyuan shouts back in Chinese bellowing, â€Å"Only two kinds of daughters †¦ obedient or follow own mind! †¦ Only one kind of daughter can live in this house. Obedient kind!† (Tan 153). These â€Å"two kinds† of daughters suggest Suyuan’s cultural expectations and customs which  contributes to the cultural net; her shouts in Chinese cause the communicational net, ending with the mother and daughter struggle. June responds with a devastating proclamation, leaving her mother, like her hopes, â€Å"blowing away like a small brown leaf, thin, brittle, lifeless.† As a result of June’s iron-will to assert her individuality, she fails her mother many times in the following years, including at a crab dinner twenty years later in â€Å"Best Quality.† At the beginning of the meal, everyone selects a crab until the last two are left for Suyuan and June. June, thinking it is the best and right thing to do, opts for the worst crab. However, Suyuan insists she take the better of the two crabs: â€Å"I knew I could not refuse †¦ that’s the way Chinese mothers show they love their children, not through hugs and kisses but with stern offerings of [food],† June recalls (232). This poignant moment is halted as the generational and cultural conflict between Suyuan and June intensifies during the crab dinner. During the meal, Waverly and June begin to bicker. However, Waverly gets the best of June, embarrassing her in front of her friends and family. Even worse, June remembers her mother telling Waverly, â€Å"True, cannot teach style. June not sophisticate like you. Must be born this way.† June laments not only is she humiliated, but â€Å"betrayed† by her mother (Tan 232). This bitter and oppressive remark strengthens the mother/daughter conflict. There are moments of redemption in both stories, however. In â€Å"Two Kinds,† Suyuan offers the piano June played when she was a child, while in â€Å"Best Quality,† she gives June a jade pendant with a poignant message about her life’s importance. After these offerings many years later, Suyuan and June finally come to an understanding. For June’s thirtieth birthday, Suyuan decides to give her the piano she played as a child in â€Å"Two Kinds.† After their climactic argument at the piano bench, Suyuan never mentions June’s piano lessons again. This lack of communication seals the distance between mother and daughter. Once Suyuan closed the lid to the piano, June reflects the lid not only â€Å"shut out the dust and misery† but her â€Å"mother’s dreams† as well. Many years later, the birthday offer surprises June, feeling the offer was a â€Å"sign of forgiveness, a tremendous burden removed† (Tan 154). Suyuan’s generous gift opens an understanding between herself and her daughter. June takes this offer as a sign of not only forgiveness, but hope for a better relationship with her mother. Hope rekindles as June recalls, â€Å"after that, every time I saw the piano in my parent’s living room †¦ it made me feel proud, as if it were a shiny trophy I had won† (Tan 602). Similarly, â€Å"Best Quality† suggests reconciliation and an opening to June’s general sense of self. For example, upon giving June the jade pendant, Suyuan launches into a heartfelt message, â€Å"For a long time, I wanted to give you this necklace. See, I wore this on my skin, so when you put it on your skin, then you know my meaning. This is your life’s importance.† In this instance, June begins to understand herself, even if she does not fully understand her mother’s words. She implies her understanding by reflecting, â€Å"Although I didn’t want to accept it, I felt as if I already swallowed it† (235). The mother/daughter relationship mends further when June asks her mother, â€Å"what if someone else had picked that crab?† Her mother smiles and responds with â€Å"Only you pick that crab. Nobody else take it. I already know this. Everybody else want best quality. But you? You thinking different. Waverly took best quality crab, you took worst. Because you have best quality heart. You have style no one can teach, must be born this way† (Tan 234). This powerful, poignant message from mother to daughter mends the generational and cultural gaps poisoning the relationship. Thus, in â€Å"Two Kinds† and â€Å"Best Quality† there is a healing process with understanding but not before a cultural conflict can plague the relationship. Finally, the communicational and cultural barrier between mother and daughter almost breaks, broadening June’s understanding of her life’s importance and Suyuan’s hopes. The communicational barrier shatters completely when June reaches an epiphany in â€Å"Two Kinds.† As June begins to see Suyuan in a new light after the subtle offering of the piano as a sign of closure, she is revitalized and mature. After tuning the piano, June begins to play â€Å"Perfectly Contented,† the melody she butchered so many years ago during the talent show fiasco. She then notices â€Å"Pleading Child† next to it. As June recalls, â€Å"†Pleading Child† was shorter but slower; â€Å"Perfectly Contented† was longer but faster† (Tan  155). Finally realizing they are two halves of the same song, June becomes wiser. The two halves of the song serve as a metaphor about life to highlight the relationship between mother and daughter (Shen 244). The mother/daughter relationship involves two kinds of phases: a phase of barriers and a phase of maturity, understanding and redemption, the key ingredients to destroying cultural and co mmunicational obstacles. June’s epiphany shatters the communicational barrier, as she finally understands full-heartedly she is in another phase of her life, where the good intentions and hopes her mother have for her are genuine and true. A similar theme is portrayed in â€Å"Best Quality†, where June’s sense of self is truly realized. After her mother dies, she notices her father does not eat well. Without realizing it, she is already making the same dishes her mother used to make for her father. As she cooks the dish, she remembers her mother mentioning how hot things restore the spirit and health (Tan 235). June begins to realize her cooking is not only restoring her father’s spirit and health, but the spirit and health of her Chinese identity. In essence, she is slowly becoming like her mother, the same woman she resisted for many years. This duality is further accentuated when she hears the tenants upstairs. â€Å"Even you don’t want them, you stuck†, her mother says. June finally understands her mother’s meaning (Tan 236). Again, not only can she finally understand her mother, she begins to become her mother, feeling the regret of having noisy tenants. Finally, she fully becomes aware of her Chinese identity when she mimics her mother’s discontent for the tomcat on her windowsill: â€Å"†Get away from there!† I shout, and slap my hand on the window three times. But the cat just narrows his eyes, flattens his one ear, and hisses back at me† (236). This illustrates June’s moment of awakening. She is truly like her mother as she remembers Suyuan’s complaints, the same three slaps of the hand and finally, the same hissing as a retort. June recognizes her mother’s traits and how they shape her, thus completely shattering the cummunicational and cultural barriers between them. As a result of communicational and cultural barriers, June and Suyuan endure a stressful relationship. Although the conflicts between June and Suyuan are bitter and cold, there is a moment of forgiveness and reconciliation. â€Å"Two  Kinds† implies without a struggle for identity and understanding, one cannot live the two halves of human experience. Illuminated by her mother’s words, June begins to understand her life’s importance and herself as a Chinese-American. â€Å"Best Quality† depicts that understanding and how parental guidance combined with cultural experience can create character and, above all else, identity. Life exists in antitheses and paradoxes. Joy and sorrow, love and hate, pleasure and pain, success and failure, guild and redemption are all inextricably intertwinced as part of the human experience, each making the alternative possible. Tan’s â€Å"Two Kinds† and â€Å"Best Quality† reveals the human experience through a mother and daughter conflict going through two kinds of phases, a communicational and cultural barrier creating the conflict and the best qualities of one’s identity healing a broken relationship.