Nepenthes Rafflesiana trap structure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Nepenthes Rafflesiana trap structure - Essay Example Keywords: Nepenthes Rafflesiana, Pitcher trap Nepenthes Rafflesiana of genus Nepenthes which belong to the family of Nepenthaceae are one of the most famous carnivorous plants having pitcher traps (Slack & Gate, 2000). Nepenthes have a total of more than 100 species with the bulk of species populated along the islands of Borneo and Sumatra (Bonhomme et al., 2011). Nepenthes pitcher plants including Nepenthes Rafflesiana have also developed specific adaptations like all other carnivorous plants due to lack of nutrients. This nutrient deficiency is a result of the habitat in which these plants grow and they are mostly dependant on insect derived nitrogen (Gaume, Gorb & Rowe, 2002). As a result Nepenthes have these pitcher traps in order to catch and trap insects and then getting the nourishment by digestion and absorption. The structural architecture of the traps of Nepenthes Rafflesiana varies according to the geometry and surface features (Gaume et al., 2002). The pitcher trap is gen erally composed of three distinct parts (Gaume & Di Giusto, 2009). The three parts named as peristome, waxy zone and digestive zone are all involved in their respective functions of attention, capture and digestion. A lid known as operculum is present above the peristome. The lid prevents the rain water from accumulating inside the pitcher and thus helps to prevent nutrient loss. According to Di Guisto et al. (2010) Nepenthes Rafflesiana show heteroblastic development defined by pitcher dimorphism according to their growth and maturity. Terrestrial pitchers or lower pitchers are linked to the young species whereas the aerial or upper pitchers are associated with the mature and climbing life forms. The two pitchers thus also show different characteristics. While the aerial pitchers are elongated, shaped like a trumpet and greenish yellow in colour the terrestrial pitchers are more winged shaped, globular and reddish green in colour. Aerial pitchers have an approximate length of 3-12 inches while terrestrial pitchers are around 3-10 inches long. The pitcher traps mostly develop during summer. Although most leaves have a trap it is not a necessity that a leave must have a pitcher trap. Often due to lack of light, low humidity or difficulties in cultivation might cause a leaf to not develop a pitcher trap. The initial sign of pitcher formation is a swelling on the tendril of a recently formed leaf. Leading towards maturity this minute swelling becomes filled with air and the first sign of colouring appears on it. A few days after the variegation appears, the lid of the pitcher opens and they become operational. In a week time the walls of the pitcher strengthen and they finally become completely mature. The pitcher trap consists of a mouth and a body. A hard, glistening and rounded collar or rim makes up the mouth of the trap (Bauer and Federle, 2009). This rim is frequently furrowed with very apparent and obvious parallel ribs. Each and every rib ends inside the mouth in a very sharp downward direction. The angles created due to this downward pointing, house single nectar secreting glands between them. The body of these traps also varies from pitcher to pitcher. The body is more or less like a cylinder with a rounded base. The lower half of the body is often more bell shaped than the rest of

Tesco. Ligeher Essay Example for Free

Tesco. Ligeher Essay Opening: Hallo, Ladies and Gentleman Thank you for inviting me to speak at this conference. It is a pleasure for me to be here today at the London School of Economics and it is great to see so many business students at one place. Introduction: My name is Sir Alen Iverson and I am the PR assistant at Tesco, the largest British supermarket chain. And today I would like to talk a little about retail market general. How it has developed the last couple of years. And I talk about Tesco’s current problems and finally I will comment on the company’s efforts to solve them taking the changing consumer behavior into consideration. I expect my presentation will last about 30 to 45 minutes Feel free to ask any questions, speculations or something that you cannot understand you might have during my presentation. The world and the  retailing is different from what it used to be. People wants bigger things now and that is the reason why we need to gather all the stores in one place. Shopping malls are the new today. All the small convenience stores cannot compete with the big shopping malls where you have the oppurtunity to shop all what you want. Many consumers do not have the time to run around from one shop to another to find what they are looking after, therefore the consumers prefer to shop in one big shopping mall. An example of a very successful retail outlet is Tesco. Tesco is a supermarket which contain pretty much everything you need. Tesco is gathering information about their customers through a club card, so if the customers change their way of buying Tesco will be first to know it. But you cannot knpw everything.. As the most of you probably know, then Tesc o had some of our worst years in history. In Januar we came out with a profit warning showing that we have hadlower profits as expected. Tesco’s shares have fallen 20 % and it has an expected loss of the market value of 5 billion pound sterling. After Tesco ´s many successful years we have changed our boss, CEO Chief Terry Leahy who had been CEO from march 1997 until march 2011. He made Tesco expand so much, that some thought of him to be â€Å"too successful† and he was criticised a lot because of this. The critics thought that he had forgotten to tighten the economics, and to keep focus on our driver’s values, which is Quality and Service. The new CEO is Philip Clark who ´s expected to get Tesco back on the right track. He will obviously be facing a long and hard task. We had an ill-fated price drop, which means that we went from being a quality store, to a discount store. This also meant that we did not live up to our costumers expectations. The consequences of this was that we decided to drop 182 of our branches. Then we could reconnect with the costumers and change our corporate culture. Another way that we thought we could make this possible was by introducing the new private label called Every Day Value. This would give the customers a chance to buy quality products for a reasonable price. Further more we opened a few bakeries in our stores to give the customers a better experience. Then we made some further research on our products, by asking our costumers what they thought of them, referring to design and colours. It turned out that our costumers thought our colours to be â€Å"too hard†. A result of this research was that we added softer colours of course. We at Tesco have received a lot of complaints from our customers referring to the lack of employees to give a better service and empty shelves. Thats why we ´ve planed to employ twenty thousand extra employees. So far we ´ve managed to employ an estimated 8000 new employees to improve the service and to avoid the empty shelves. In the year 2007 Tesco founded Fresh Easy in the United States of America. But Tesco should have waited. It was a really bad timing. Fresh Easy failed to take off and you could probably blame it on financial crises. Therefore we decided to shut it down. To solved these problems we have invested 150 million pounds in online shopping, which mainly is for selling non-food products. Then we made an app for the use on your phone. This will make it possible for you to shop from your phone, and go straight down to our stores and pick up our products, which of course is ready to go. By doing these things and keeping on we can now all ready see that our sales has increased by 1,3% and we will keep on investing in the stores on the United Kingdom market with about 1 billion pounds. In Tesco, we have chosen to make it possible for our customers to become members of the shop chain. That gives our customers benefits every time they shop in our stores and create loyalty to Tesco. And at the same time memberships give useful information about the shoppers purchase patterns. The weekday is very stressful for many people, so we need to make it easier to do the daily shopping. One option could be to use Internet based shopping to help the customers save time. In times where the number of smartphones are increasing, a free application that enable users to easily order product from the stores with a few finger clicks, would help people to save time and use their spare time for other useful things. One problem when you are shopping in a retail store is that you might end up in a long line. Most people shop at the same time of the day, that is, when they are getting home from work. That creates problems with long lines at the cash disk. To prevent all that wast of time waiting in line, you could install small cash disks with self-service to make the payment much faster for the busy customers. We have already seen self-service cash disks but in Tesco we think that self-service cash disk will be a part of the future shopping to a much higher degree. Finally, let me sum up the main points of my presentation on this subject: * How the retail market, the world and us customers has changed. * Tesco terrible 12 months and how we will solve the problems * Ideas of shopping in the future – E-business, but still physical stores I believe that we at Tesco have done a great job so far. But there is still a long way to go. If we want to keep on being one of the biggest companies in the world we have to keep on focusing on the constant changing culture and behaviour of our costumers. Every one of you is different and you all have different desires. We will make Tesco just the right shop for you! Thank you for listening and again my name is Alen Iverson and I hope you liked or join my speech. Thank you! [ 1 ]. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shopping_mall [ 2 ]. http://www.tesco.com/ [ 3 ]. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesco_Clubcard and Tesco, Philip Clarke 1 (4:03) [ 4 ]. Tescos Terrible 12 Months [ 5 ]. Tescos Terrible 12 Months [ 6 ]. Tesco: Domestic Turnaround a Priority [ 7 ]. Tescos Terrible 12 Months [ 8 ]. Tescos Terrible 12 Months and Tesco: Domestic Turnaround a Priority [ 9 ]. Tesco: Domestic Turnaround a Priority [ 10 ]. Tesco: Domestic Turnaround a Priority [ 11 ]. Tesco, Philip Clarke 1 (4:03) and 2 (4:53) [ 12 ]. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2135553/The-self-service-checkout-The-site-new-middle-class-rebellion.html [ 13 ]. Tesco, Philip Clarke 1 (4:03) and 2 (4:53)

Evaluating Statements Made By Criminal Profiling Criminology Essay

Evaluating Statements Made By Criminal Profiling Criminology Essay The purpose of this essay is to critically evaluate the statement made by Hicks Sales in their paper on Criminal Profiling: Developing an Effective Science and Practice (2006) that Profilers have a substantial and sustained contribution to make to criminal investigations It is this authors opinion that the field of offender profiling, or criminal personality profiling is, put quite simply, educated guesswork and is not an exact science. However, in many criminal cases, typically those of a violent nature, it has proved useful to the authorities involved by providing a psychological glimpse of, or an insight to, the offender, or criminal mind that committed the offence. Prior to 1986, profiling was not in common usage by police forces in the UK and it was the first offender profile created in the UK by a professor of applied psychology at Surrey University, David Canter, in the case of the Railway Killer, John Duffy, that led to the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) setting up a special committee to discuss the results of the Duffy case. In that case, Professor Canter composed a psychological profile of the killer that was accurate on 13 out of the 17 points he made. This was hailed as a breakthrough in the psychological understanding of criminal behaviour and as a result of the special committee meeting a research project was established, led by Canter, to draw up a proper framework for criminal profiling. (Murder Casebook, 1991, p2681) Offender profiling should be understood to consist of a range of methods used to develop advice for investigators, based on the study of behaviour exhibited in the commission of crime(s) and the drawing of inferences about the offender(s). Association of Chief Police Officers policy on offender profiling from the University of Portsmouth Offender Profiling course handbook, p6 In further accordance with the ACPO guidelines on offender profiling for England Wales, it may be considered useful so long as the profile is treated with caution. This author suggests a created criminal profile should not be used to lead an investigation, but may support lines of enquiry relating to the investigation. As already mentioned, there have been many criminal cases resulting in convictions, in which offender profiling has proven useful as an investigative aid, but it should also be noted that there are some cases where an attempt at psychological profiling has proved more a hindrance to an investigation, either by diverting resources away from capturing the actual criminal or creating avenues of fruitless research. For example Richard Jewell as the US Olympic Park bombing suspect in 1996, and in the UK, again in 1996, the case against Colin Stagg in the Rachel Nickel murder. Both were suspected by law enforcement and subsequently treated badly by the media, as a direct result of offender profiles that had been created. Both Jewell and Stagg later successfully claimed monetary compensation from various media corporations that had cast aspersions on their involvement in the two cases cited. (http://medialibel.org/cases-conflicts/tv/jewell.html) and (http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/aug/13 /law) In the case of Colin Stagg, the use of deception and false pretences and a profile developed by Dr Paul Britton, at the time the head of the Trent Regional Forensic Psychology Service, resulted in evidence presented to the court being dismissed. Britton (1997, p537) himself has written; the notion of a psychological profile being admissible as proof of identity in any circumstances was redolent with considerable danger. Whilst the profile created by Britton may have accurately portrayed the type of person who could have committed this type of crime, it could not be used as evidence in a court of law that this is the person who committed the crime. Ormerod (1996) agrees, and states both that profiles should be treated as opinion and not as statement of fact, also he writes; Profile evidence generates great prejudice for the accused who possessed the stated characteristics, yet it is insufficiently probative to point to the accused as being the guilty man Referring back to Canters first psychological profile, accurate on 13 out of 17 points, again this appears to be an indication that offender profiling is not an exact science as his assertions were 76.47% accurate, certainly a good indicator but not proof beyond reasonable doubt. A scientific experiment should be reproducible, providing the same results regardless of the individual conducting the experiment. With offender profiling, differing results may be induced, or deduced, depending on the education, experience and knowledge of the person creating the profile. The UK Coals to Newcastle (CTN) project (1995), jointly developed by the London Metropolitan Police and the Home Office, aimed to provide operational assistance to law enforcement in the investigation of serious crimes, as well as attempt to develop offender profiling as a science. (Gudjonsson Copson, 1997) The main question asked by the CTN project was that of whether or not that profiling told an investigating officer only what he or she already knew, or if it could provide information that could assist with an investigation. The report did show that of the 184 instances covered by the project, 88 of them were dealt with by only two individuals, an academic psychologist and a clinical psychologist, both of whom had been accredited by the chief police officers committee. (Gudjonsson Copson, 1997). The qualifications held by profilers used by law enforcement tend to be in the fields of psychology and psychiatry, for example Dr Paul Britton specialised in psychopathology and sexual dysfunction and Professor David Canter in applied psychology, later developing the field of investigative psychology. (www.ia-ip.org) So, it is here, that this author feels that proof is presented, that education plays a vital and important role in the development of a profiler, especially if one is to be accredited for use by the police in the UK. Professor David Canter, in his paper on Offender profiling and criminal differentiation (2000), notes that there are some promising results shown in some areas of study and that these results are most likely to be of value to police investigations if the police officers are trained accordingly and that the methods described are utilized during the construction of the systems that can support the decision making process. It was Canters development of the Radex model (2000) that attempted to offer a different approach to classifying criminal behaviour by identifying dominant themes in behaviour rather than oversimplifying criminals into certain types. Figure 1 shows a general model for a radex as applied to criminal actions with, at its centre, actions that may be considered typical of all criminals and moving to the periphery, actions that are more specific. Figure 2 is a representation that attempts to distinguish the different qualities of behavioural science in criminal behaviour. The Radex model proved useful to Hodge (1998) and lent to the conclusion during her analysis of spatial patterns in serial murder that in crimes of extreme violence there is likely to be a substantial level of interpersonal interaction between victim and offender. Source: Canter (2000) Offender profiling and criminal differentiation It was Canter Heritages published study of rape in 1990 that first demonstrated the existence of a radial structure for crime and that using a multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) analysis by correlating the variables collected, they were able to represent these correlations in relation to each other allowing for trends, patterns and a behavioural salient analysis of criminal behaviour. This method of analysis may be described as inductive criminal profiling, in that the information gathered is from limited population samples and is not going to be specifically related to any one single case. Also, inductive profiles can be rather generalised and tend to be averaged from the data. Information is only collected from those offenders that have already been caught and this author notes; from those who agree to interview or answering a prepared questionnaire and those captured offenders that are actually capable of doing so. This would seem to indicate that there is going to be a possibility that those individuals with either no speech or understanding and certain social dysfunctional disorders may have difficulty comprehending the nature of the questioning and would therefore be unable to provide reliable answers. Also, there must be some consideration to the fact that they may not actually tell the truth. In addition, the most skilful and perhaps, most intelligent criminals that avoid being caught are not going to be included in the data set. As a result, information could be missing from the criminal profile. (Turvey, 2001) In contrast to inductive profiling, deductive offender profiling relies on the examination of scenes of crime, forensic evidence as well as behavioural motivation for criminal behaviour in relation to a single crime. This is the source for the many successful drama and crime shows on television and film, including Cracker, the CSI series, Criminal Minds and Silence of the Lambs, where, on TV, they usually solve the crime within the hour. This could possibly lead to a false impression in the public eye of just how effective and fast paced offender profiling really is. Deductive profiling takes time and relies on several aspects when the profile is created, such as the offenders emotional state during the offense, patterns of behaviour and personality characteristics at the crime scene as well as a study into the choice of the offenders victim, known as victimology. (Kocsis, 2006) In 1973, Howard Teten, Pat Mullany and Robert Ressler of the FBI used the then new criminal investigative analysis techniques to create a profile of a white, young, male, peeping tom with sexual and homicidal tendencies that led directly to the arrest of David Meirhofer for the abduction and murder of a seven year old girl. The 1978 FBI profile of the so-called Vampire of Sacramento, Richard Chase, was created following a study of the disorder of the crime scene, body type and mental temperament and concluded that the offender was disorganized, hed be unemployed, live alone, would be ethnically white, thin, undernourished and his mid-twenties. (Lerner Lerner, 2006) Deductive reasoning is useful in establishing a Modus Operandi (MO) and the signature of a particular criminal. Geberth (1996) defined both the MO and signature as being a dynamic method of operation that changes over time as the offender becomes more experienced and that the significant personal identifiers can distingui sh the nature of the offenders crime scenes and methodology respectively. The classification of offenders as being either organised or disorganised (Ressler et al, 1995) has been debated and Turvey (2001) dismisses this dichotomy of organised versus disorganised for several reasons, including that of psychopathy being a complex personality disorder and should not be assumed simply by the lack of psychotic behaviour or evidence. A disorganised crime scene could be the result of non-psychotic events, such as those created in domestic violence, anger-retaliatory offences, those that involve the use of controlled substances and those scenes that have been changed by the offender for the purpose of staging a crime or possibly as an anti-forensics exercise. Turvey further states that this false dichotomy as he describes it, does not take into account the fact that an offender may learn from their mistakes and/or successes and subsequently may develop and modify their criminal behaviour with experience. The 2004 study by Canter, Alison, Alison and Wentnik of serial killer behaviour through secondary sources showed that most offenders will exhibit, and the crime scene may reveal, a mix of both organised and disorganised characteristics. For example, whilst an attack may initially start as a premeditated organised assault, if it deteriorates or an unexpected event occurs, such as the inability to control a victim, it may lead to an escalation in the level of violence. It is also noted that Canter et al proposed the offenders emotional state, victim resistance and the fact that more than one offender is involved may create a different emergent patterns. The Behavioural Analysis Unit (BAU) of the American Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the result of the initial development by Howard Teten and Pat Mullany in 1969 to try and explain the actions and behavioural characteristics of violent offenders. Robert Ressler, who invented the term serial killer (Murder Casebook, p4311) was responsible for founding the National Center for Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC) and it is within this section of the FBI that the BAU is a component. Whilst popularised in the media, and specifically the current American CBS TV series, Criminal Minds, it is noted that, despite their appearance on TV and in film, there is no position with the title of Profiler within the FBI. (www.fbijobs.gov/114.asp) The FBI utilises this deductive style of profiling and appears to rely less on clinical psychology methodology than perhaps the British profilers do and has over time created a considerable knowledge base that is used to assist Federal, state, local and international law enforcement agencies. According to former FBI Special Agent Gregg McCrary, and contributing author to the Crime Classification Manual (1992), the FBI methodology is based upon investigators trying to collect information about the offender including the what was the antecedent, or trigger, for the events that took place, the method and manner of the victim and attack, information relating to the disposal, or not, of the victim as well as post-offence behaviour, such as being close to the investigation and contacting investigators or attempting to inject themselves in to proceedings. The FBI methodology for profiling violent crime is a four stage process beginning with the collection of data at the scene, forensic anal ysis and also coroner, autopsy and witness reports. Next, the methodology involves classifying and then reconstructing the crime through experienced observations about the MO, signature and motivation for the offence. This will include trying to ascertain why the offender chose this particular victim on this particular day, why they used the tools they did and also the whether the motivation for the crime was that of power reassurance or assertiveness or anger in a retaliatory or excitational way. That is to say, the observations raised will look to answer whether the offender could be a serial psychosexual sadistic killer or if the crime was one of passion or revenge. The final stage of the FBI methodology is that of creating the profile and this may well involve demographic information, educational background and intellectual functioning, family and personality characteristics, legal and arrest history, habits and social interests as well as any evidence in relation to the actual scene of the crime. (Shalev, 2010) Offender profiling and crime analysis can also be aided by profiling the geography of an area in which a crime was committed. Research by Holmes Holmes (2002) attempted to define crime scene locations as being either an encounter site, an attack site, a crime site or a victim and vehicle disposal site. This, when combined with information previously gathered, may give clues as to the residence of an offender and assist with creating the overall criminal profile. Rossmo (2000) had earlier defined geographic profiling as a methodology that can be used to identify locations connected to a series of crimes that may determine the most likely area of residence for an offender. In conclusion, the author would like to return to the assertion made at the beginning of this essay, that offender profiling is educated guesswork. It has been shown through this essay that education, as well as experience, or life education, plays a vital role when considering all aspects of creating a profile for the purposes of aiding a criminal investigation. Whether this education is that of a clinical, research or field based experience, it can bring with it valuable knowledge that can assist an investigation. Copson (1995) and Gudjonsson Copson (1997) asked respondents whether they thought that the advice supplied by profilers proved to operationally useful and 82.6% replied that it was. Although, when asked if the advice opened new lines of enquiry, 82.1% replied that it did not and only in 2.7% of cases did the profile lead to the actual identification of the offender. The author also stated that offender profiling is not an exact science and this has been demonstrated from Canters first profile being accurate to around 76% through to the Association of Chief Police Officers guidelines that offender profiling should be treated with caution and should be considered as one of many tools that can provide advice and lines of inquiry for the investigative team to follow. So, if offender profiling, as it is commonly known, is not an exact science, could it be that this field of study is an art form? If it is considered an art, then as Pablo Picasso said, Art is the elimination of the unnecessary. Perhaps there is a parallel that can be drawn between that statement from the famous artist and the subject of criminal profiling, in that, through being able to eliminate certain aspects of an offenders personality and behaviour and consider the alternatives, useful information may present itself. Therefore, it is this authors opinion that profilers will continue to make valid and sustained contributions to criminal investigations, whether it is substantial will very much depend upon the profiler tasked with the job and the type of offence committed.

Arabs in the Media: Victim or Villain? Essay example -- Argumentative

Arabs in the Media: Victim or Villain?   Ã‚  Ã‚   For decades, the media portrayal of the Arab culture and Islam has contributed to a skewed public opinion in America. Looking closely at the news coverage concerning the Middle East and the United States, there is an inherent media bias against Arabs and Muslims as foreign threats to domestic security. Stephen Franklin argues that "Islamic nations are often portrayed in news reports as uniformly intolerant and anti-democratic" (Franklin 17). Unfortunately, such coverage has contributed to the public and government misconceptions of all Arabs and Muslims as terrorists. According to Fawaz Gerges, "terrorism has emerged as one of the most important political issues in the United States...[linking] it to Islamic militancy..." (Gerges 79). Moreover, the media's skewed depiction of the Arabs and Muslims has perpetuated countless stereotypes that undoubtedly affect the American opinion. These stereotypes and misconceptions of the Arabs and Muslims clearly indicate a media bias provoked by ignorance and ethnocentricity. The elite media's role in the portrayal of the Arab culture and Islam following the Oklahoma City bombing has had adetrimental effect on America's public opinion, investigation proceedings, and government action.    Once word of the Oklahoma City bombing reached the Associated Press and major American publications, journalists were quick to point the finger of guilt at Muslim fundamentalism. The Western perspective of the Middle East is a dark one. The Muslims are looked at as ruthless and barbaric people, inclined to kill and destroy. Steven Emerson, a so-called expert featured on CBS Evening News, "suggested that there [must] be some inherent cultural trait behind... ...people.virginia.edu/~sy5u/Bias.html    Works Cited Bazzi, Mohamad. "The Arab Menace", The Progressive. Vol 59, n8. August 1995. P40. Franklin, Stephen. "Covering the World of Muslims", Columbia Journalism Review. Vol 33, Iss 5. Jan 1995. p17 Gerges, Fawaz A. "Islam and Muslims in the Mind of America: Influences on the Making of US Policy", Journal of Palestine Studies. Vol XXVI, no2. Winter 1997, p68-77. Hernandez, Debra Gersh. "Religious Stereotyping By The Media", Editor & Publisher. Vol 117, Iss 36. 3 Sept 1994. p16-17. Lacayo, Richard. "How Safe is Safe?". Time. 1 May 1995. p68-72. Rosewicz, Barbara. "Terrorism Hits Home: US Building Bombed; Dead Include Children". The Wall Street Journal. 20 April 1995. A1, A6 . Thomas, Pierre and Ann Devroy. "Clinton Condemns 'Evil Cowards' for Blast". The Washington Post. 20 April 1995. A1, A24.

The Return: Midnight Chapter 21

Someone was still knocking on Stefan's door. â€Å"It's a woodpecker,†Elena said when she could speak. â€Å"They knock, don't they?† â€Å"On doors inside houses?†Stefan said dazedly. â€Å"Ignore it and it wil go away.† A moment later the knocking resumed. Elena moaned, â€Å"I don't believe this.† Stefan whispered, â€Å"Do you want me to bring you its head? Unattached from its neck, I mean?† Elena considered. As the knocking continued, she was getting more worried and less confused. â€Å"Better see if it is a bird, I guess,†she said. Stefan rol ed away from her, somehow got on his jeans, and went reeling to the door. In spite of herself, Elena pitied whoever was on the other side. The knocking started again. Stefan reached the door and nearly wrenched it off its hinges. â€Å"What the – â€Å"He stopped, suddenly moderating his voice. â€Å"Mrs. Flowers?† â€Å"Yes,†Mrs. Flowers said, deliberately not seeing Elena, who was wearing a sheet and directly in her line of vision. â€Å"It's poor dear Meredith,†Mrs. Flowers said. â€Å"She's in such a state, and she says she has to see you now, Stefan.† Elena's mind switched tracks as suddenly and smoothly as a train. Meredith? In a state? Demanding to see Stefan, even if, as Elena was sure she must have, Mrs. Flowers had delicately indicated just how†¦busy Stefan was at the moment? Her mind was Stillsolidly linked with Stefan's. He said, â€Å"Thank you, Mrs. Flowers. I'l be down in just a moment.† Elena, who was slipping into her clothes as fast as she could, while crouching on the far side of the bed, added a telepathic suggestion. â€Å"Maybe you could make her a nice cup of tea – I mean, a cup of tea,†Stefan added. â€Å"Yes, dear, what a good idea,†Mrs. Flowers said gently. â€Å"And if you should see Elena, perhaps you could say that dear Meredith is asking for her, too?† â€Å"We wil ,†Stefan said automatical y. Then he turned around and hastily shut the door. Elena gave him time to put his shirt and shoes on, and then they both hurried down to the kitchen, where Meredith was not having a nice cup of tea, but pacing around like a caged leopard. Stefan began, â€Å"What's – â€Å" â€Å"I'l tel you what's wrong, Stefan Salvatore! No – you tel me! You were in my mind before, so you must know. You must have been able to see – to tel – about me.† Elena was Stillmindlocked with Stefan. She felt his dismay. â€Å"To tel what about you?†he asked gently, pul ing out a chair at the kitchen table so Meredith could sit. The very simple act of sitting down, of pausing to respond to civility, seemed to calm Meredith slightly. But StillElena could feel her fear and pain like the taste of a steel sword on her tongue. Meredith accepted a hug and became a little calmer yet. A little more herself and less like a caged animal. But the struggle was so visceral and so clear within her that Elena couldn't bear to leave her, even when Mrs. Flowers deposited four mugs of tea around the table and took another chair Stefan offered. Then Stefan sat down. He knew Elena would stand or sit or share a chair with Meredith, but whatever it was, she would be the one to decide. Mrs. Flowers was gently stirring honey into her mug of tea and then passing the honey along to Stefan who gave it to Elena who put just the little bit that Meredith liked into Meredith's mug and stirred it gently, too. The ordinary, civilized sounds of two spoons quietly clinking seemed to relax Meredith Stillfurther. She took the mug Elena gave her and sipped, then drank thirstily. Elena could feel Stefan's mental sigh of relief as Meredith floated down another few levels. He politely sipped his own tea, which was hot but not burning hot and made from natural y sweet berries and herbs. â€Å"It's good,†Meredith said. She was almost a human now. â€Å"Thank you, Mrs. Flowers.† Elena felt lighter. She relaxed enough to pul over her own cup of tea and squeeze lots of honey in and stir it and take a gulp. Good! Calming down tea! That's chamomile and cucumber, Stefan told her. â€Å"Chamomile and cucumber,†Elena said, nodding wisely, â€Å"for calming down.†And then she blushed, for Mrs. Flowers's bright smile had knowledge in it. Elena hastily drank more tea and watched Meredith have more tea and everything began to feel almost al right. Meredith was completely Meredith now, not some fierce animal. Elena squeezed her friend's hand tightly. There was just one problem. Humans were less frightening than beasts but they could cry. Now Meredith, who never wept, was shaking and tears were dripping into the tea. â€Å"You know what morcillo is, right?†she asked Elena at last. Elena nodded hesitantly. â€Å"We had it sometimes in stew at your house?†she said. â€Å"And for tapas?†Elena had grown up with the blood sausage as a meal or a snack at her friend's house, and she was used to the bite-sized pieces as a delicious food only Mrs. Sulez made. Elena felt Stefan's heart sinking. She looked back and forth from him to Meredith. â€Å"It turns out my mother didn't always make it,†Meredith said, looking at Stefan now. â€Å"And my parents had a very good reason for changing my birthday.† â€Å"Just tel it al ,†Stefan suggested softly. And then Elena felt something she hadn't before. A surge, like a wave – a long gentle swell that spoke right into the center of Meredith's brain. It said: Just tell it and be calm. No anger. No fear. But it wasn't telepathy. Meredith felt the thought in her blood and bones, but didn't hear it with her ears. It was Influence. Before Elena could brain her beloved Stefan with her mug for using Influence on one of her friends, Stefan said, just to her, Meredith's hurting, feeling scared and angry. She has reason to, but she needs peace. I probably won't be able to hold her anyway, but I'll try. Meredith wiped her eyes. â€Å"It turns out that nothing was like what I thought happened – that night when I was three.†She described what her parents had told her, about everything that Klaus had done. Tel ing the story, even quietly, was undoing al the calming influences that had helped Meredith maintain herself. She was beginning to shake again. Before Elena could grab her, she was up and striding around the room. â€Å"He laughed and said that I'd need blood every week – animal blood – or I'd die. I didn't need much. Just a tablespoon or two. And my poor mother didn't want to lose another child. She did what he told her to. But what happens if I have more blood, Stefan? What happens if I drink yours?† Stefan was thinking, desperately trying to see if in al his years of experience he'd come across anything like this. Meanwhile he answered the easy part. â€Å"If you drank enough of my blood you'd become a vampire. But so would anyone. With you – Well, it might take less. So don't let any vampire trick you into blood exchange. Once might be enough.† â€Å"So I'm not a vampire? Now? Not any kind? Are there different kinds?† Stefan answered seriously. â€Å"I've never heard of ‘different kinds'of vampires in my life, except for Old Ones. I can tel you that you don't have a vampire's aura. What about your teeth? Can you make your canines sharp? Usual y it's best to test over human flesh. Not your own.† Elena promptly stuck out her arm, wrist vein-side up. Meredith, eyes closed in concentration, made a great effort, which Elena felt through Stefan. Then Meredith opened her eyes, mouth also open for a dental inspection. Elena stared at her canines. They looked a little bit sharp, but so did anybody's, didn't they? Careful y Elena reached a fingertip in. She touched one of Meredith's canines. Tiny pinch. Startled, Elena pul ed back. She stared at her finger where a very smal drop of blood was well ing up. Everyone watched it, mesmerized. Then Elena's mouth said without pausing to consult her brain, â€Å"You have kitten teeth.† The next moment Meredith had brushed Elena aside and was pacing wildly al around the kitchen. â€Å"I won't be one! I won't be! I'm a hunter-slayer, not a vampire! I'l kill myself if I'm a vampire!†She was deadly serious. Elena felt Stefan feeling it, the quick thrust of the stave between her ribs and into the heart. She would go on the Internet to find the right area. Ironwood and white ash piercing her heart, Stilling it forever†¦sealing off the evil that was Meredith Sulez. Be calm! Be calm! Stefan's Influence flooded into her. Meredith was not calm. â€Å"But before that I have to kil my brother.†She flung down a photograph on Mrs. Flowers's kitchen table. â€Å"It turns out that Klaus or someone has been sending these since Cristian was four – on my real birthday. For years! And in every picture you could see his vampire teeth. Not ‘kitten teeth.'And then they stopped coming when I was about ten. But they had shown him growing up! With pointed teeth! And last year this one came.† Elena leaped for the photo, but it was closer to Stefan and he was faster. He stared in astonishment. â€Å"Growing up?†he said. She could feel how shaken he was – and how envious. No one had given him that option. Elena looked at the pacing Meredith and around at Stefan. â€Å"But it's impossible, isn't it?†she said. â€Å"I thought that if you were bitten, that was it, right? You never got any older – or bigger.† â€Å"That's what I thought too. But Klaus was an Old One and who knows what they can do?†Stefan answered. Damon will be furious when he finds out, Elena told Stefan privately, reaching for the picture even though she'd already seen it through Stefan's eyes. Damon was very bitter about Stefan's height advantage – about anyone's height advantage. Elena brought the picture to Mrs. Flowers and looked at it with her. It showed an extremely handsome boy, with hair that was just Meredith's dark color. He looked like Meredith in his facial structure and olive skin. He was wearing a motorcycle jacket and gloves, but no helmet, and he was laughing merrily with a ful set of very white teeth. You could easily see that the canines were long and pointed. Elena looked back and forth from Meredith to the picture. The only difference she could see was that this boy's eyes seemed lighter. Everything else screamed â€Å"twins.† â€Å"First I kil him,†Meredith repeated tiredly. â€Å"Then I kil myself.†She stumbled back to the table and sat, almost knocking over her chair. Elena hovered near her, snatching two mugs from the table, to prevent Meredith's clumsy arm from sweeping them to the floor. Meredith†¦clumsy! Elena had never seen Meredith ungraceful or clumsy before. It was frightening. Was it somehow due to being – at least partly – a vampire? The kitten teeth? Elena turned apprehensive eyes on Stefan, felt Stefan's own bewilderment. Then both of them, without consultation, turned to look at Mrs. Flowers. She gave them an apologetic little-old-lady smile. â€Å"Gotta kil †¦find him, kil him†¦first,†Meredith was whispering as her dark head lowered to the table, to the pil ow of her arms. â€Å"Find him†¦where? Grandpa†¦where? Cristian†¦my brother†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Elena listened silently until there was only soft breathing to be heard. â€Å"You drugged her?†she whispered to Mrs. Flowers. â€Å"It was what Ma ma thought best. She's a strong, healthy girl. It won't harm her to sleep from now through the night. Because I'm sorry to tel you, but we have another problem right now.† Elena glanced at Stefan, saw fear dawning on his face, and demanded, â€Å"What?†Absolutely nothing was coming through their link. He'd shut it down. Elena turned to Mrs. Flowers. â€Å"What?† â€Å"I'm very worried about dear Matt.† â€Å"Matt,†agreed Stefan, looking around the table as if to show that Matt wasn't there. He was trying to protect Elena from the chil s racing through him. At first Elena wasn't alarmed. â€Å"I know where he might be,†she said brightly. She was remembering stories that Matt had told of being in Fel ‘s Church while she and the others had been in the Dark Dimension. â€Å"Dr. Alpert's place. Or out with her, making the rounds of home visits.† Mrs. Flowers shook her head, her expression bleak. â€Å"I'm afraid not, Elena dear. Sophia – Dr. Alpert – cal ed me and told me she was taking Matt's mother, your own family, and several other people with her and escaping Fel ‘s Church entirely. And I don't blame her a bit – but Matt wasn't one of those going. She said he meant to stay and fight. That was around twelve thirty.† Elena's eyes automatical y went to the kitchen clock. Horror shot through her, flipping her stomach and reverberating out to her fingertips. The clock said 4:35 – 4:35 P.M.! But that had to be wrong. She and Stefan had only joined minds a few minutes ago. Meredith's rage hadn't lasted that long. This was impossible! â€Å"That clock – it's not right!†She appealed to Mrs. Flowers, but heard at the same time Stefan's telepathic voice, It's the mind-blending. I didn't want to rush. But I was lost in it too – it's not your fault, Elena! â€Å"It is my fault,†Elena snapped back aloud. â€Å"I never meant to forget about my friends for the entire afternoon! And Matt – Matt would never scare us by keeping us waiting for his cal ! I should have cal ed him! I shouldn't have been – â€Å"She looked at Stefan with unhappy eyes. The only thing burning inside her right now was the shame of failing Matt. â€Å"I did cal his mobile number,†Mrs. Flowers said very gently. â€Å"Ma ma advised me to do so, al the way back at half past twelve. But he didn't answer. I've cal ed every hour since. Ma ma won't say more than that it's time we looked into things directly.† Elena ran to Mrs. Flowers and wept on the soft cambric lacework at the old woman's neck. â€Å"You did our job for us,†she said. â€Å"Thank you. But now we have to go and find him.† She whirled on Stefan. â€Å"Can you put Meredith in the first-floor bedroom? Just take off her shoes and put her on top of the covers. Mrs. Flowers, if you're going to be alone here, we'l leave Saber and Talon to take care of you. Then we'l keep in touch by mobile. And we'l search every house in Fel ‘s Church – but I guess we should go to the thicket first†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Wait, Elena my dear.†Mrs. Flowers had her eyes shut. Elena waited, shifting impatiently from one foot to the other. Stefan was just returning from putting Meredith in the front room. Suddenly, Mrs. Flowers smiled, eyes Stillshut. â€Å"Ma ma says she wil do her utmost for you two, since you are so devoted to your friend. She says that Matt is not anywhere in Fel ‘s Church. And she says, take the dog, Saber. The falcon wil watch over Meredith while we are away.†Mrs. Flowers's eyes opened. â€Å"Although we might plaster her window and door with Post-it Notes,†she said, â€Å"just to make sure.† â€Å"No,†Elena said flatly. â€Å"I'm sorry, but I won't leave Meredith and you on your own with only a bird for protection. We'l take you both with us, covered in amulets if you like, and then we can take both animals, too. Back in the Dark Dimension, they worked together when Bloddeuwedd was trying to kil us.† â€Å"Al right,†Stefan said at once, knowing Elena well enough to realize that a half-hour-long argument could ensue and Elena would never be moved an inch from her position. Mrs. Flowers must have known it too, for she rose, also immediately, and went to get ready. Stefan carried Meredith out to her car. Elena gave a tiny whistle for Saber, who was instantly underfoot, seeming bigger than ever, and she raced him up the stairs to Matt's room. It was disappointingly clean – but Elena fished a pair of briefs from between bed and wal . She gave these to Saber to delight in, but found she couldn't stand Still. Final y, she ran up to Stefan's room, snatched her diary from under the mattress, and began scribbling. Dear Diary, I don't know what to do. Matt has disappeared. Damon has taken Bonnie to the Dark Dimension – but is he taking care of her? There's no way to know. We don't have any way to open a Gate ourselves and go after them. I'm afraid Stefan will kill Damon, and if something – anything – has happened to Bonnie, I'll want to kill him too. Oh, God, what a mess! And Meredith†¦of all people, Meredith turns out to have more secrets than all of us combined. All Stefan and I can do is hold each other and pray. We've been fighting Shinichi so long! I feel as if the end is coming soon†¦and I'm afraid. â€Å"Elena!†Stefan's shout came from below. â€Å"We're al ready!† Elena quickly stuffed the diary back under the mattress. She found Saber waiting on the stairs, and fol owed him down, running. Mrs. Flowers had two overcoats covered in amulets. Outside, a long whistle from Stefan was met by an answering keeeeeeee from above and Elena saw a smal dark body circling against the white-streaked August sky. â€Å"She understands,†Stefan said briefly, and took the driver's seat of the car. Elena got into the backseat behind him, and Mrs. Flowers into the front passenger seat. Since Stefan had buckled up Meredith into the middle of the backseat, this left Saber a window to put his panting head through. â€Å"Now,†Stefan said, over the purring of the engine, â€Å"where are we going, exactly?†

East Meets West: Which is the Better Car?

The argument has always been like this: Which is the better car? Both the Japanese and American Cars have their respective advantages in design and usability. However, the argument herewith will constantly consider the kind of lifestyle people have, given the global financial crisis.According to an article in the Daily Fuel Economy Tip website, there has been other crisis that triggered the need for more efficient cars. During 1973 and 1979, gas and energy crisis had hit consumers. This, the article suggested, called for alternatives, which is through obtaining foreign cars. With that, this essay shall focus on the reliability, gas consumption, gas mileage and economic impact of these car categories.In the Long RunAccording to automobile enthusiasts, Japanese cars are more reliable than other cars. Japanese cars don’t just break down in the middle of the highway. It suggests that the Japanese cars make use of sturdier parts.The car would not need major repairs. However, in the case that the car would need any repairs, the spare parts are actually very accessible and affordable. Given the number of units there are on the streets, the amount of parts will not be harder to find.Another article mentioned that Japanese cars are even easier to modify for a better performance. Although in certain regions, it is illegal to enhance a car’s power and speed if it would only be used on the highway. But Japanese cars are already driver friendly that any modifications made on the car are simply to satisfy the need for speed.On the other hand, owning an American car may lead to a difficult search for parts that are less costly, like second hand parts. Brand new parts are going to be expensive and buying one will just be the beginning once other parts start to malfunction as well. It can become too costly in the long run. Cars are not just leisure accessories. They are a primary means of transportation. Japanese cars tend to be more dependable.Gas ConsumptionAcco rding to the sources, Japanese cars are preferred due to its efficiency in consuming gas. With the price hike of almost every product open to mass consumers, gasoline for cars are not different. Gas rates have gone up and down, and the instability has caused consumers to be mindful of their expenses.In the past, people have taken their cars to their offices and back home, or cab rides despite the short distances. Today, they have resorted to taking long walks and trains. However, cutting down expenses are not always the best option. With the need to work harder, there are employees who would have to work farther from their homes. Cars will be a very important tool in their work.Drawing a criterion for the best car will have to be considered, and the amount of gas to be used will have to be on the top of the list. There will be times wherein one would require a car for everyday travelling purposes. But one should be wise in gathering options: speed and power or usability?Meanwhile, t here are also hybrid cars by Japanese auto companies. This further cut down the costs while considering the effect of burnt gas on the environment. The car might still be running on gas, but it would not use as much. Hybrid cars make use of alternative gases, which are less costly and less harmful to the environment. Â  

Standard Lesson Plan Format for ESL Teachers

Standard Lesson Plan Format for ESL Teachers Teaching English, like teaching any subject, requires lesson plans. Many books and curricula provide advice on teaching English learning materials. However, most ESL teachers like to mix up their classes by providing their own  lesson plans and activities. Sometimes, teachers are required to create their own lesson plans when teaching ESL or EFL at international institutions that are scattered throughout the world. Develop your own lesson plans and activities by using a basic template. Standard Lesson Plan Format Generally speaking, a lesson plan has four specific parts. These can be repeated throughout the lesson, but its important to follow the outline: Warm-upPresentFocus on specificsUsage in a wider context Warm-Up   Use a warm-up to get the brain thinking in the right direction. The warm-up should include the target grammar/function for the lesson. Here are a few ideas: Ask small talk questions about the weekend for a lesson on the simple past.Discuss a hypothetical situation for a lesson focusing on conditionals.Challenge students to describe others in class when working towards building descriptive vocabulary.   Presentation The presentation focus on  the learning objectives of the lesson. This is the teacher-guided section of the lesson. You might: Explain grammar at the whiteboard.Show a short video to introduce a topic of discussion.Present new vocabulary, making sure to provide lots of  contexts.Present written work for a class discussion of structure. Controlled Practice Controlled practice allows for close observation to gauge whether the learning objectives are understood. Controlled practice activities include:​ Gap-fill exercises on tense conjugation.Complete-the-sentence exercises to encourage specifically-written formulas.Reading and listening comprehension activities.Language function practice on specific activities such as apologizing, negotiating, and thanking. Free Practice Free practice allows students to take control of their own language learning. These activities should encourage students to explore language with activities such as: Class debatesCreating role-plays and acting them out for othersGames focusing on communication skillsEssay writing During the free practice section, take note of common mistakes. Use feedback to help everyone, rather than focus on individual students.   This lesson plan format is popular for many reasons, including: Students have a number of chances to learn a concept through various means.Students have plenty of time to practice.Teachers can give detailed instruction, or students can deduce structures and learning points through practice.The standard lesson plan format provides structure.The lesson provides for variation over the course of 60 to 90 minutes.This lesson plan format moves from teacher-centered to student-centered learning. Variations on the Lesson Plan Format Theme In order to keep this standard lesson plan format from becoming boring, it is important to remember that there are a number of variations that can be applied to the various segments of the lesson plan format. Warm-up:  Students might arrive late, tired, stressed or otherwise distracted to class. In order to get their attention, its best to open with a warm-up activity. The warm-up can be as simple as telling a short story or asking students questions. The warm-up can also be a more thought-out activity, such as playing a song in the background or drawing an elaborate picture on the board. While its fine to start a lesson with a simple How are you, its much better to tie your warm-up into the theme of the lesson. Presentation: The presentation can take a variety of forms. Your presentation should be clear and straightforward to help students understand new grammar and forms. Here are a few suggestions on how to present new materials to the class: Reading selectionSoliciting students knowledge about a specific pointTeacher-centered explanationListening selectionShort videoStudent presentation The presentation should include the main meat of the lesson. For example, If you are working on phrasal verbs, make the presentation by reading something thats peppered with phrasal verbs. Controlled practice: This  section of the lesson provides students with direct feedback on their comprehension of the task at hand. Generally, a controlled practice involves some type of exercise.  Ã‚  Controlled practice should help the student focus on the main task and provide them with feedback - either from the teacher or the other students. Free practice: This integrates the focus structure, vocabulary, and functional words and phrases into students overall language use. Free practice exercises often encourage students to use the target language structures in: Small group discussionsWritten work (paragraphs and essays)Listening comprehension practiceGames The most important aspect of free practice is that students should be encouraged to integrate language learned into larger structures. This requires more of a stand-off approach to teaching. Its often useful to circulate around the room and take notes. Students should be allowed to make more mistakes during this part of the lesson. Utilizing Feedback Feedback allows students to check their understanding of the lessons topic and can be done quickly at the end of the class by asking students questions about the target structures. Another approach is to have students discuss the target structures in small groups, once again giving students the chance to improve understanding on their own. In general, it is important to use this lesson plan format to facilitate students English learning. The more opportunities for student-centered learning, the more students acquire language skills for themselves.

Homophobia in children The harm it can cause Professor Ramos Blog

Homophobia in children The harm it can cause Homophobia is not a phobia most people are born with, it is taught through morals of parents and how they grew up. In recent years homophobia has been dwindling down with the recent laws past that make gay marriage legal in the states. However, it is still a very big factor within the school system. Many children are afraid to come out as gay or Bi because of the repercussions they can face due to their peers bullying them. In a report by Jamie Ducharme for Time magazine, Jamie tells of the unfortunate tale of a Nine-year-old boy’s death by suicide because he was bullied for coming out as gay. His mother had approached the childs classmates about the issue when Jamel Miles, the Nine-year-old classmate, had first come out as gay. Jamel had first come out as gay over the summer to his family, so as the new school year had started he was facing a significant amount of bullying from his classmates. Jamel is one of many children and teenagers who had faced a tragic end due to bullying. Children and teens who identify and a sexual minority such as any of the LGBT pronouns have an increased percentage of committing suicide because of the increased amount of bullying. In a study done by Nationwide Childrens Hospital and John Ackerman, a clinical psychologist and the prevention coordinator for the Center for Suicide Prevention it was uncovered that â€Å"An estimated 34% of gay, lesbian or bisexual kids face bullying at school, which may make them especially susceptible to suicidal behavior†(Ackerman). It was also found that an estimated 40% of high school students who identified as LGBT had considered suicide due to excessive bullying and ridicule. While we are far from ending homophobia we can definitely address the issue with suicide prevention. The school system should react faster to occasions such as Jamels and many others by punishing the bully for their actions rather than brushing it off. Suicide prevention can be talk about in schools, as well as how bullying could truly affect someone. It can bring that person to the thought and possibility of suicide. link:  http://time.com/5379876/denver-9-year-old-suicide-bullying/ Discussion questions: 1. What are your thoughts about this situation? 2. What can we do as parents to prevent this from happening in the future? Group: Aidan Littleton, Xenia Jimenez,  Daniel chittenden

The book of Nightmare By Galway Kinnell Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The book of Nightmare By Galway Kinnell - Essay Example The book contains ten poems. It is possible to single out two poems which reveal the main themes articulated in the book: â€Å"Under the Maud Moon† and â€Å"Little Sleep’s-Head Sprouting Hair in the Moonlight†. â€Å"Under the Maud Moon† is the first poem presented in the book. It is possible to regard the poem as an introductory one. Kinnell starts depicting one of his frightening worlds and in the very end of the poem he states that the book is the book of nightmares which many people still would like to read because the real world is full of nightmares and there is no escape from them. The only way to handle with one’s nightmares (as suggested by Kinnell) is to understand that there are people who can always help. It is important to point out that the poet uses very evocative language. Metaphors, similes, allusions serve to create a very special atmosphere of dark and gloomy world. More so, it is possible to state that the poem has a definite m agic color. Of course, black color prevails in the first poem of the book: â€Å"black ashes, black stones† and a black bear (Kinnel 3). Even the time is colorful since even â€Å"a moment, turns blue as coal† (Kinnell 6). Admittedly, such images and colorfulness help Kinnell create the world of nightmares. The other poem which is also representative is â€Å"Little Sleep’s-Head Sprouting Hair in the Moonlight†. The poem appears in the middle of the book and it also reveals the world of nightmares which frighten a little child. In this poem the poet contemplates on people’s life which is cyclical. Kinnell tries to comfort his child who â€Å"scream[s], waking from a nightmare† (49). He depicts the images from nightmares and then thinks of the real life stating that everything passes. The poet claims that any nightmare ceases to exist when there is someone who can support a person. Kinnell emphasizes the great power of love which is stronger than any nightmare. This poem reveals the major idea of the entire book: any nightmare can be defeated since there is always somebody who can help. In spite of the fact that the poems considered above are the most representative another poem deserves as much attention. The poem â€Å"The Dead Shall Be Raised Incorruptible† is slightly different from the rest of the poems presented in the book. It is not different stylistically. Like all the poems in the book it is full of bright similes and metaphors. However, it is possible to state that it is more emotional and it is more realistic. The poem appears in the middle of the book. It does not depict some non-existing world of someone’s nightmares, but reveals the major vices of the contemporary society. The poem is very personal and it seems it is a kind of confession and self-reflection. The poet stipulates his ideas about the world around him: â€Å"I, Christian man, groan out this testament of my last will† (Kin nell 42). The poem is really impressive since it proves that the most frightening â€Å"nightmares† happen in the real world because of the imperfect nature of a human being. In conclusion, it is possible to point out that the book is a must-read for all young people. Kinnell wanted to depict the world of nightmares and he managed to do it. Many people are likely to be impressed by the book. In the first place, the reader will plunge in the world of a talented poet. The reader will understand that apart

The History of advertising and Brand Promotion Assignment

The History of advertising and Brand Promotion - Assignment Example The contribution of universal creative studios, Rowling and Warner Brothers have been successful in creating a brand in Harry Potter through branded entertainment (Thomas, Chris, & Semenik, 2012). Through various advertising and promotional channels, and partnerships the partners have made Harry Potter both a product and a brand. Potter’s marketers are continuing to keep the brand going through cross-promotional partnerships. Cross-promotional strategy and brand recognition sustain the success of the Potter brand. Coca Cola’s â€Å"Timely refreshment† ad fits in the designer era. This is because the ad appeals to the social class and conscious value for time management. Designer labels and social class-consciousness were some of the characteristics of the designer era ads. The calving Klein ad â€Å"fits in the e-revolution era because it includes a technological appeal of the current generation. The ad displays a woman wearing the latest design clothes. The diet coke ad was developed in 2002, so it is supposed to fit in the e-revolution era. However, it does not display the public consumption status of the designer era. A home improvement ad called â€Å"the perfect daughter† by Fahrenheit DDB in Lima Peru shows the problem a dad face on a trip to Promart. The ad is appealing to women because it tugs into viewers emotions. The family approach in the ad will attract female consumers. An automotive ad for Fiat 500L â€Å"The Motherhood† appeals to women because it explores the concept of motherhood, which, is core to women’s emotions. The ad will attract consumers because it targets the female niche. Budweiser â€Å"puppy love† ad was appealing to women as it shows a woman expressing moments of tenderness on a puppy. This would attract women consumers to these

Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 4

Research - Essay Example rchers, strict regulation and imposition of hefty fines is necessary in order to prevent drivers from driving under the influence of marijuana and reduce frequent road accidents henceforth. The paper seeks to justify whether marijuana causes driving impairments and road accidents among the users. There is evidence that marijuana seeds were inhaled at ritual braziers in Romania at ancient burial sites. There was similar evidence at northwestern Xinjiang, China where marijuana seeds and leaf-fragments were found close to an old 2800 year’s mummified shaman. Cannabis was mainly consumed by the Chinese for spiritual purposes. The drug was used to assist in relaxation during their ritual meditations. The drug was commonly used in India by the Hindus and Nepal long ago as a herb. The psychoactive property of the drug was found by the Assyrians through the Aryans. Cannabis was used for spiritual ceremonies during the qunubu which is probably the origin of cannabis word. Marijuana can be smoked through its dry leaves, seeds, flowers or stems. In modern times, marijuana can be consumed through edibles like cookies, brownies or lollipops. It can also be inhaled through vaporizer or even brewed as tea. It affects the body organs, immune and nervous system when consumed (Gupta Para 7). THC being the major component of marijuana causes slow coordination between body organs which contributes to the cause of accidents among the drivers. THC causes acute mental and physical effects on the driver. Marijuana has been reported to cause physical effects like reduction of reaction-time and motor coordination during driving. It also leads to mental effects like judgment impairments and increases in risky behaviors. It also noted that the marijuana users can face confusions, hearing and space perceptions no matter how confident they may feel, which can contribute to false judgments (Nesbit Para 6). By confirmation through a study on how accidents and deaths arise, the researchers

Claude Monet Water Lilies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Claude Monet Water Lilies - Essay Example I could feel my heart beat quicken as I inched forward in line for my ticket, anticipating what I would see, how it would affect me, and how I would be changed in some way, as we all are, by seeing to what heights the soul of man can rise. As I entered the building and was captured by the walls of glass, modern, clean white lines of the galleries, the large public works of art throughout the building, with works hung on staircase landings (of all places!) and from the ceilings, meant to show how accessible and functional the modern works could be. I was drawn into one exhibit, on the second floor, though, that featured an exhibition of the French impressionist artist Claude Monet, entitled â€Å"Monet’s Water Lilies.† I was drawn into a room where three 20-foot paintings, his masterpieces of his study of Water Lilies, were hung in harmonious and dramatic style. The works were placed next to and across from each other, with their gigantic canvases echoing what Monet saw over many days and months in his garden in Giverny. At first glance, the works were a muted collection of simplicity, but the more I studied the works, the more I was overwhelmed at their aspects of color, the juxtaposition of the works, and the overwhelming sense of permanence I felt when sitting among these works. I was drawn into their immense size, wealth of subtle colors and scale of proportions that reflected the various moods created by light, water, sky, and nature, as they all worked together to create a sense of serenity and eternal feeling. It slowed me down to a point to where I had to sit and observe, and allow myself to see the detail throughout each painting. The simplicity yet complexity of the works drew me to them and left a permanence in my mind’s eye. The fact that they were located in a room which seemed built especially for these large works, allowed them to be seen as a reflection of each other, in a way enhanced the experience for me. As I observed, I noticed more and more layers of paint on the works, which showed a tremendous amount of effort that went into the work. Done in impressionist pastels, with a study of a pond dotted with reflections of water lilies, poppies, sky, grasses, and trees, reminded me that the more we look at even the most simplistic things, the more complex they are. The simplicity is reminiscent of the style of Japanese art with a harmonious relationship between man and nature, with each complementing each other. In this case, there were no men or human structures in the paintings, as we were meant to be the human element of the works, and almost become part of the painting, as we are filled with a sense of serenity, color, nature, and calmness. The muted lighting, subtle colors, reflections of sky--and of ourselves- allows the viewer to become part of that Giverny landscape-- part of Monet’s eternal world. The pure simplicity of the works, but the hidden complexity of the brush strokes, depth and layer of colors, echoes the haiku of the Japanese poet, Matsuo Basho. As with Monet, his haiku are simple on the surface, but the artist draws the observer in with hidden complexities and depth of meaning and complexity of nature and human existence. As Monet uses the stroke of a brush to reveal his emotional depth and feeling, Bashu uses the written word to paint his canvas of emotion and searching of the human soul. Simplicity means complexity in both artists’

International Politics on the World Stage Essay

International Politics on the World Stage - Essay Example The Iranian President's victory also a hardliner seems to reflect on my theory that what US seems to do is rather being counter productive and is winning more supporters for these hardliners. The Muslim brotherhoods popularity and victory is another example of the growing challenges. As theory in governance for the Middle East clearly shows that not one of the Middle Eastern states except Turkey and Israel is democratically ruled. The mode of extremism started right after the soviets invaded Afghanistan and the Americans led by the CIA in collaboration with states such as Pakistan and various warlords labeled the conflict as jihad calling on the Muslims who wished to fight for the new world a fight against the evil they said was communism. As the soviets were defeated and retreated in 1988 and as the Americans left these people who were religiously fervent began to settle in these areas branding their own version of Islam by enforcing the Shariah law. These people with weapons began to settle in their respective countries countering threats from their various governments, with no democracy in these middle eastern states new recruits seemed to fill in to these camps as unemployment and poverty was on the rise while as they saw the Americans as the enemy who had occupied the holy land of Mecca led by a Saudi billionaire fugitive who fought alongside the CIA before launched a whole scale war against the Americans in general leading to first the blowing up of US embassies to USS Cole disaster to the September 11 terror attacks on new York and Washington. What we see is a world where various circles claim it to be a clash of civilization where the ever growing insurgent activities in Iraq and other parts of the create an unholy environment for the Muslims in general. The Palestinian conflict remains the bone of contention between the west and not only amongst the Islamic Middle Eastern nations but the whole Islamic world to. The inhabitance of Israel of evacuating t he land it occupied in 1967 war and to a two state solution where the Palestinians and Israelis can live peacefully side by side is a distant dream away as Israelis refuse to give up control over Jerusalem which is sacred to both parties. While under patronage of UN a solution can be formed which can be acceptable to both parties where the Israelis have to leave the settlements in the west bank, while having the joint custody of Jerusalem under a UN peacekeeping umbrella guarding the new frontier laid between the leaning wall and the Al-Aqsa mosque. UNs incapability in solving the international conflicts fuelling in Palestine, Kashmir and Chechnya seems to give a rise in extremist activity as they see no hope from this world body to make a decision for their regard. Except for passing resolutions accustomed on a piece of paper this body hasn't taken any constructive decision in solving any of the conflicts regard. While the importance will be restored once as UN takes proactive measures in countering these tactics by ensuring that no innocent person is harmed especially by state form of terrorism which in return gives rise to a struggle with the force of the gun labeled as terrorism in the west as the person affected

WZH-MIT-Essay1-3-0920-ec Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

WZH-MIT-Essay1-3-0920-ec - Essay Example I didn’t care to listen and accredit the much valued experience of my subordinates. A daily non-interactive reporting system was scheduled with scarce chance of consultation and negotiation. I didn’t recognize that in the trial to be an effective ‘authoritative’ leader, I turned my self to be a mere ‘authoritarian’ leader. As the interaction factor was lacking, there was no space for a healthy debate and no disagreement was expressed on the decisions made. I was also hesitant in taking help from subordinates even though I lacked the expertise in many of the technical and practical issues. Rather than looking for some wise capacity building ideas, I tried to masquerade my lack of knowledge with the authority I had, resulting in doubtful decisions. Things started to back fire as these decisions proved wrong and even led to the rejection of goods by clients. On this development, my supervisor intervened privately and we had a detailed discussion on my setbacks .He pointed out my drawbacks, and gently advised me on the qualities a good leader should have. In this process, I observed an ideal leader in him, as he heard and understood me, was inspiring and had respect for my thoughts and observations. Well blended with his experience, the discussion pointed out the lacking factors in the team and the leader. I realized the need of being more mature in leadership and collaborative team work. From there on, I ensured to accredit the experience of my team members and devised an effective communication with them. The morning meeting continued, but in a collective way discussing the issues and scopes, resulting in final plans to be put into practice. I made it a routine that each staff was heard to .The team was inspired to be bold in innovations, taking care of the quality standards. Subsequently, I developed integrity by improvising my technical understanding. All the required resources were ensured to the

Claude Monet Water Lilies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Claude Monet Water Lilies - Essay Example I could feel my heart beat quicken as I inched forward in line for my ticket, anticipating what I would see, how it would affect me, and how I would be changed in some way, as we all are, by seeing to what heights the soul of man can rise. As I entered the building and was captured by the walls of glass, modern, clean white lines of the galleries, the large public works of art throughout the building, with works hung on staircase landings (of all places!) and from the ceilings, meant to show how accessible and functional the modern works could be. I was drawn into one exhibit, on the second floor, though, that featured an exhibition of the French impressionist artist Claude Monet, entitled â€Å"Monet’s Water Lilies.† I was drawn into a room where three 20-foot paintings, his masterpieces of his study of Water Lilies, were hung in harmonious and dramatic style. The works were placed next to and across from each other, with their gigantic canvases echoing what Monet saw over many days and months in his garden in Giverny. At first glance, the works were a muted collection of simplicity, but the more I studied the works, the more I was overwhelmed at their aspects of color, the juxtaposition of the works, and the overwhelming sense of permanence I felt when sitting among these works. I was drawn into their immense size, wealth of subtle colors and scale of proportions that reflected the various moods created by light, water, sky, and nature, as they all worked together to create a sense of serenity and eternal feeling. It slowed me down to a point to where I had to sit and observe, and allow myself to see the detail throughout each painting. The simplicity yet complexity of the works drew me to them and left a permanence in my mind’s eye. The fact that they were located in a room which seemed built especially for these large works, allowed them to be seen as a reflection of each other, in a way enhanced the experience for me. As I observed, I noticed more and more layers of paint on the works, which showed a tremendous amount of effort that went into the work. Done in impressionist pastels, with a study of a pond dotted with reflections of water lilies, poppies, sky, grasses, and trees, reminded me that the more we look at even the most simplistic things, the more complex they are. The simplicity is reminiscent of the style of Japanese art with a harmonious relationship between man and nature, with each complementing each other. In this case, there were no men or human structures in the paintings, as we were meant to be the human element of the works, and almost become part of the painting, as we are filled with a sense of serenity, color, nature, and calmness. The muted lighting, subtle colors, reflections of sky--and of ourselves- allows the viewer to become part of that Giverny landscape-- part of Monet’s eternal world. The pure simplicity of the works, but the hidden complexity of the brush strokes, depth and layer of colors, echoes the haiku of the Japanese poet, Matsuo Basho. As with Monet, his haiku are simple on the surface, but the artist draws the observer in with hidden complexities and depth of meaning and complexity of nature and human existence. As Monet uses the stroke of a brush to reveal his emotional depth and feeling, Bashu uses the written word to paint his canvas of emotion and searching of the human soul. Simplicity means complexity in both artists’

WZH-MIT-Essay1-3-0920-ec Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

WZH-MIT-Essay1-3-0920-ec - Essay Example I didn’t care to listen and accredit the much valued experience of my subordinates. A daily non-interactive reporting system was scheduled with scarce chance of consultation and negotiation. I didn’t recognize that in the trial to be an effective ‘authoritative’ leader, I turned my self to be a mere ‘authoritarian’ leader. As the interaction factor was lacking, there was no space for a healthy debate and no disagreement was expressed on the decisions made. I was also hesitant in taking help from subordinates even though I lacked the expertise in many of the technical and practical issues. Rather than looking for some wise capacity building ideas, I tried to masquerade my lack of knowledge with the authority I had, resulting in doubtful decisions. Things started to back fire as these decisions proved wrong and even led to the rejection of goods by clients. On this development, my supervisor intervened privately and we had a detailed discussion on my setbacks .He pointed out my drawbacks, and gently advised me on the qualities a good leader should have. In this process, I observed an ideal leader in him, as he heard and understood me, was inspiring and had respect for my thoughts and observations. Well blended with his experience, the discussion pointed out the lacking factors in the team and the leader. I realized the need of being more mature in leadership and collaborative team work. From there on, I ensured to accredit the experience of my team members and devised an effective communication with them. The morning meeting continued, but in a collective way discussing the issues and scopes, resulting in final plans to be put into practice. I made it a routine that each staff was heard to .The team was inspired to be bold in innovations, taking care of the quality standards. Subsequently, I developed integrity by improvising my technical understanding. All the required resources were ensured to the

When Choosing a Career Path Essay Example for Free

When Choosing a Career Path Essay The first step that students can use to choose the career that is right for them is to take a career test. One of the most popular of these tests is known as the Holland Scale. It has six different category areas that students are attracted to such as investigative, social, or artistic. Based on these different areas, students can explore careers based on their interests (Joanna Saison). Evaluate Strengths and Skills When a student has figured out the general idea of his or her career path, the next step in the process is for them to evaluate and find out what their strengths and skills are. These are known as transferable skills (Joanna Saison)[1]. Examples of some of these skills are management and leadership skills, oral and written communication, public speaking or computer literacy (Joanna Saison)[2]. Develop Skills and Experience The authors in the article cited above also mention that if a person discovers that they lack the skills and experience needed for their chosen career field, there are several steps that they can take to gain the skills and experience necessary. First of all, a person who is employed can investigate to find out if they can get trained on the job. They can also look to find out if there are ways to be involved in projects that help to develop skills (Joanna Saison). Students also have access to resources in their community to develop their skills and experience. Chambers of Commerce in their area or state job development programs is a few of the resources that are available (Joanna Saison). Students are also able to increase their skills and experience by being involved with volunteer work or internships. The benefit of an internship is that you are able to work with people in your chosen career field (Joanna Saison). Some fields or industries have specific educational requirements and skills. An example of this would be that if a student is planning on getting into the education field, an education degree would be required. A few more options available to students are that they can take night classes or become involved with school on a part time basis (Joanna Saison). Other Factors Involved in Choosing a Career The previous section covered some of the more obvious factors involved for students trying to figure out a career path that is right for them. This next section discusses and analyzes some other factors that may be involved in choosing the right career. Are you an Introvert or Extrovert? If a student is an introvert, they will be spending much of their time alone. On the other hand, if a student is an extrovert, they will do very well in social interactions (Factors to Consider When Choosing a Career)[3]. Goals and Rewards a Person is Looking For Based on the article cited above, another factor that students may want to take into consideration is what goals and rewards they consider important for themselves. Stated another way, this can also mean what is more valued by the individual person. The author states that â€Å"some people desire to help others directly, while others seek independence and autonomy.† (Factors to Consider When Choosing a Career)[4] Career Resources for Students and Teachers The objective of this report up to this point has been to assist students on how to find career related information. The next section is going to discuss how to choose the right career using a government source. The Bureau of Labor Statistics website contains a section that lists career resources that are designed for use by teachers and students. It is located at http://www.bls.gov/audience/students.htm. Once a student is at that page, they would then need to click on this link. This section gives students access to over 60 occupations by interest or subject area. In addition, students can find out what tasks of their chosen occupation are, how to prepare for that occupation, what kind of salary they can expect and the job outlook for their chosen occupation (U. B. Statistics). Upon clicking on the hyperlink documented above, a student will discover that there is another page that groups job titles based on the skill. This means that those careers that use reading as the main skill are classified into their separate category and those jobs that use math as a main skill are grouped into that category. For example, if a student had the desire to choose a career where managing money is important, they would click on the words managing money (B. o. Statistics, What Do you Like?) To further expand on this vast topic, as an example, let us consider if a student wanted to choose one of the careers associated with managing money. The careers listed are Accountant, Financial Analyst, Loan Officer, Bookkeeping Clerk, and Real Estate Agent. If for instance, a student wanted to pursue a career as an accountant, they would click that job title when they go to the following source: (B. o. Statistics, Accountant) Upon clicking on the job title accountant, the student would then discover that there are several different types of accountants. There are public accountants, management accountants, government accountants and internal auditors listed as job titles (B. o. Statistics, Accountant)[5]. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the majority of accountants have a college degree in accounting. If however, a student had a desire to be a public accountant, they would be required to take a special test. Upon successfully passing that test, the student would get a certification. They would then need to get a license from the state in which they reside. As of May 2008, the average salary for accountants and auditors was $65,840 (B. o. Statistics, Accountant)[6]. A student can access information about another career by following the process of steps described above.

Erik Eriksons Eight Psychosocial Stages

Erik Eriksons Eight Psychosocial Stages This paper explores the developmental attributes physically, cognitively and socially of two children, one male and one female, ages five and ten, respectively. This writer will identify the socio-economic status (SEC), age, gender, ethnic background, and family demographics of each of these children. The two children this writer has chosen come from similar living situations (i.e. they both live with single mothers), but have vast differences in their physical, cognitive, and social development. This paper will examine Erik Eriksons Eight Psychosocial Stages as explained by Dacey, Fiore, Travers (2009) in an effort to explain the noticeable differences in the two children that this writer has chosen to observe. These two children were chosen because they are both being raised in a single parent household, which is something that this writer can relate to, as this writer is a single mother. This writer will also explore the Cognitive Development Approach theories of Jean Piaget and A lbert Banduras Social Cognitive Learning in an attempt to further explain the significant differences in these two children. Childhood Observation Theories on Human Development Many psychologists have different perspectives when it comes to analyzing theories on human development. For the purposes of these observations, this writer has chosen to take a closer look at the views of three well known psychologists. The psychological theories of development that this paper will explore are the theories of Erik Erikson, Jean Piaget, and Albert Bandura. First, this writer will discuss Erik Erikson and his Psychosocial Theory of Development. It is a widely accepted belief that, Erik Erikson was the chief proponent of a psychosocial theory of development (2009). This writer believes that Erikson had a great understanding of the human life process. Erik Erikson is best known for his ideas on Stages of Psychosocial Development and Identity Crisis. Erikson broke down the progression of human life into a series of eight stages, each of these stages being marked by a crisis that must be resolved so that the individual can move on to the next stage. It makes perfect sense that everyone should overcome a crisis in order to successfully move on to the next stage in their life. In a seminal work, Erikson used the term crisis as a developmental term that is a time of increased vulnerability and heightened potential (Erikson, 1968). Erikson also contributed to our understanding of personality as it developed and shaped over the course of the li fespan. While we must combine the theories of many psychologists in order to understand the development of humans through the lifespan, Erik Eriksons views on development seem to be the ones with which most people can closely relate. Now, we will move our attention to Jean Piaget, a man who was well ahead of his time. It has been said that, Jean Piaget was among the first researchers to study normal intellectual development (2009). Jean Piaget is credited as being one of the most significant psychologists of the twentieth century. Piaget focused his attention on the roles that cognitive mechanisms play in development. Piagets Stages of Cognitive Development consist of four stages: Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete operational, and Formal operational. Piagets first stage is the Sensorimotor stage, which lasts from birth to about two years of age. During the Sensorimotor stage, the infant uses senses and motor abilities to understand the world, beginning with reflexes and ending with complex combinations of Sensorimotor skills (http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/piaget.html). Piagets second stage of Cognitive Development is the Preoperational stage, which lasts from two to seven years of age. It is during this st age that children are able to make use of symbols and rapid growth of language occurs. The third stage of Piagets Cognitive Development is the Concrete operational stage, which lasts from seven to eleven years of age. In this stage, the child can reason about physical objects. The final stage of Piagets Cognitive Development is the Formal operational stage, which occurs from eleven years of age and up. During the Cognitive Development stage, Piaget believed that abstract thinking leads to reasoning with more complex symbols. In this stage we become increasingly competent of adult-style thinking (http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/piaget.html). Lastly, the writer would like to discuss Albert Bandura and Social Cognitive Learning. Banduras Social Cognitive Learning theory suggests that people learn from one another, via observation, imitation, and modeling. For instance, The theory has often been called a bridge between behaviorist and cognitive learning theories because it encompasses attention, memory, and motivation (http://www.learning-theories.com/social-learning-theory-bandura.html). As Bandura and Walters (1963) noted, children often do not do what adults tell them to do but rather what they see adults do, hence learning by observation. There is much to be gained in the area of Social Cognitive Learning by observing others. That is, By observing others, children may acquire new responses, including socially appropriate behaviors (2009). Banduras term for observational learning is modeling. In order for effective modeling to take place, there are four conditions that must be present; these conditions include attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation. That is, Social learning theory explains human behavior in terms of continuous reciprocal interaction between cognitive, behavioral, and environmental influences (http://www.learning-theories.com/social-learning-theory-bandura.html). Discussion This writer will begin by describing the subjects of her observations. For this exercise, the researcher used her son, Aidan, and, Samantha, the daughter of her friend, both of which she has known since birth. Aidan is a 5-year-old, white male with no siblings. He is raised in a single parent household and has no contact with his father. Aidan and his mother live in a very large house with the subjects grandfather on several acres of farm land. Aidan has extensive contact with his grandfather, aunts, uncles, cousins, and close family friends that are considered family. Up until recently, Aidan also had extremely close contact and a wonderfully close relationship with his grandmother and great-grandfather, both of whom have passed away within the last two years. In classifying the socio-economic status from which Aidan comes, this writer would describe it as a middle class socio-economic status. Aidan also attends private school with a very small class size. Thus he is privy to more o ne-on-one contact with his teacher, which is something that may not be available to children attending public schools. The second subject that the writer observed is, Samantha, who is a 10-year-old girl, with one male sibling (age 4). She is being raised by her single mother and has never had any contact with her father. Samantha lives in a lower-middle class neighborhood with her mother and younger brother. Before moving into her current home, Samantha grew up in an income based housing complex. Samanthas mother works full time in order to support her two children. Because of her mothers busy work schedule, Samantha spends most of her time with her maternal grandparents. Samantha is of a lower socio-economic status than the other subject of this paper, attends public school and seems to have a hard time socializing with her classmates and teachers. She also appears to struggle with anger issues and has a rather severe lack of self-confidence. Given the observations on the subjects above, the writer will now explore the developmental theories of Erik Erikson, Jean Piaget, and Albert Bandura, respectively. First we will begin with Erik Erikson and his Psychosocial Theories of Development. Aidan, the researchers first subject, appears to be on track with all of Eriksons Psychosocial Stages, within his age range. For instance, In Ericksons first stage, which is by far the most important, infants should develop a sense of basic trust (2009). In Aidans case, this stage was successfully completed due to him being on a set schedule and being surrounded by warmth, care, consistency, and discipline. Though he faced a multitude of health problems during this phase of his development, the love and warmth that was bestowed upon him enabled him to successfully complete Erik Eriksons first stage. Eriksons second Psychosocial stage, Autonomy versus shame and doubt, takes place during early childhood and is focused on children developing a greater sense of personal control (http://psychology.about.com/od/psychosocialtheories/a/psychosocial.htm). Important events associated with this stage of Psychosocial Development include gaining more control over food choices, children wanting to dress themselves and choose their own clothing, toilet training, and control of ones body functions. Aidan was very insistent about doing these things during this phase of his development. Interestingly enough, he displayed some of these behaviors during Ericksons first stage of Psychosocial Development. For example, Aidan was potty trained by the time he was 18 months old, chose his own clothes, and began trying to dress himself. This brings us to Eriksons third stage of Psychosocial Development, Initiative versus Guilt. This phase takes place during the preschool/nursery school years and is marked by children beginning to assert their power and control over the world by directing play and other social interaction (http://psychology.abo ut.com/od/psychosocialtheories/a/psychosocial_2.htm). Manipulation of surroundings are prevalent in this stage of a childs development, as they are building on the ability to control themselves, children now acquire some influence over others in the family (2009). This is the phase of development that Aidan is in currently, and he is definitely an assertive little boy who likes to direct play and be in charge. Aidan can be manipulative in certain situations, such as, if mommy says no, he will immediately go ask his granddaddy. Overall, this researcher feels that Aidan has successfully completed all of Erik Eriksons Psychosocial stages thus far. Now, we will discuss the researchers second subject, Samantha. Upon the researchers observations, Samantha was unsuccessful in completing the Basic trust versus mistrust phase. This writer believes that this may be due to caregivers who were inconsistent, emotionally unavailable, or rejecting. The afore mentioned variables could very well have contributed to feelings of mistrust in Samantha as an infant. With that stated, Failure to develop trust will result in fear and a belief that the world is inconsistent and unpredictable (http://psychology.about.com/od/psychosocialtheories/a/psychosocial.htm). Samanthas mother had her at a very young age and may have been ready to deal with the complete change of life that comes with bringing a child into the world. Because of the unsuccessful completion of this first and most important stage in Samanthas development, she exhibited signs of inadequacy and self-doubt during the Autonomy versus Shame, Doubt phase, thus meaning that she was unsucc essful in completing the second stage as well. When Samantha reached the third stage of Eriksons Psychosocial Theory of Development, there seemed to be a marked improvement in her behavior, however she still displayed characteristics of a child who was very hard to deal with. It was at this time that she was enrolled in a stable preschool where she remained until it was time for her to start kindergarten. This researcher believes that this was probably the stability that Samantha was longing for and so desperately needed. Before being enrolled in preschool, it was not uncommon for her to be subjected to her mothers various relationships, which often were unsuccessful. Since Samantha has never had a father, she always became easily attached to these various men. This leads this researcher to believe that this may be an underlying reason for Samanthas lack of trust and inability to fit in with others. At this point, Samantha has now moved into Eriksons fourth stage of Psychosocial The ory of Development, Industry Inferiority. For instance, Children expand their horizons beyond the family and begin to explore the neighborhood (2009). In Samanthas case, she can best be described as a recluse. From the moment she gets home from school, she doesnt emerge from her room until it is dinnertime. This researcher feels that this is certainly not a healthy environment, as there is no communication between mother and daughter. At times, Samantha seems to be very resentful of her mother. In this researchers opinion, Samantha has not successfully completed any of Erik Eriksons Psychosocial Stages of Development thus far. The writer will now explore Jean Piagets Stages of Cognitive Development. As stated earlier, Jean Piaget believed that cognitive development means that we form more sophisticated cognitive structures as we pass through four stages: the Sensorimotor, the Preoperational, the Concrete operational, and the Formal operational (2009). The Sensorimotor stage, which begins at birth and goes to about 2 years of age, is marked by an infants ability to use their bodies to form cognitive structures. The researchers first subject, Aidan, had various complications that required physical and occupational therapy, as well as neck surgery all before two years of age. Due to these complications, he was somewhat delayed in moving from the Sensorimotor stage to the Preoperational stage. Once he got all of the physical and occupational therapies and neck surgery behind him, he rapidly moved into the Preoperational stage. During this stage, children ages 2 to 7 years, are able to make use of symbols and t here is a rapid growth in language. Aidan, being the researchers son, was taught sign language from three months of age until he was about 2 years old. The reasoning for this was so that he would be able to communicate with others before he was able to talk, but when the time for rapid growth in language came, Aidan preferred to use sign language over verbalization. After a few talks and much encouragement, Aidan soon began to chatter away. Samantha, the writers second subject, flourished throughout the Sensorimotor stage and Preoperational stage. She was a very active little girl with a great imagination and amazing verbal skills. It is the Concrete operational stage that Samantha struggles with. It is during this stage that accommodation occurs. Accommodation is Piagets term to describe the manner by which cognitive structures change (2009). Samantha seems to be unable to make rational judgments, which in turn causes her to be very manipulative. This researcher believes that this goes back to a very lax parenting style in which Samantha is treated as more of a burden than the gift that she is. The final theory to be discussed is Albert Banduras Social Cognitive Learning Theory. Simply stated, Bandura believed that we obtain information from observing other people, things, and events (2009). Bandura stresses the importance of modeling in observational learning. In Aidans case, he has been surrounded by the positive influence of modeling. He is a polite, however sometimes rambunctious little boy who knows how to use his manners. Children are like sponges, always observing and soaking up everything around them. This can sometimes lead to bad behaviors or socially appropriate behaviors. In Samanthas case, she is a product of her surroundings. This researcher believes that due to her stressful home life, Samantha only knows to act out in order to get attention. The unfortunate things about this is that the attention she gains from acting out is never the attention she desperately needs.