Sunday, December 29, 2019

The Importance Of The American Dream - 918 Words

As long as America has existed, there has been a constant belief that everyone will be rewarded for their hard work through the American Dream, but for one American, Lilly Ledbetter, success has not always come that easily. While working for GoodYear, Ledbetter learned that she was earning less money than her male counterparts. In addition, she was being sexually harassed by her coworkers and punished with poor reviews when she did not comply with their suggestions. As a result, even though Ledbetter worked just as much, if not more, than her male co workers, she was not rewarded as the Dream promises. There have been many factors over the course of history that have threatened the American Dream. Stereotypes and racism have long existed†¦show more content†¦Less respect is given to such jobs by the majority of Americans, so although there is nothing wrong with choosing to work in this job if it is enjoyable, those who do chose to are looked down upon for their choice and cl assified as the lower class. This limits the opportunities of these citizens because although they may be just as skilled as any other citizen, their abilities are dismissed because they work in an assumedly racially typical job. Another common judgment that limits the opportunities of Americans is that black youth are inherently troublemakers, and do not possess the drive to be successful. A large population of Americans view black youth in such a way after seeing a poor representation of the race, such as through gangs or criminal activity. However, these gangs only represent a small population of African-American youth. Since these children are automatically dismissed as citizens who are not driven to succeed, they do not receive the support and encouragement vital to success. Furthermore, police brutality and white supremacist rallies also pose a challenge to the American Dream for people of color because they threaten the safety of American lives and create opposition towards ordinary Americans solely because of the color of their skin. Although numerous white American citizens argue that police brutality is not a growing problem and white supremacy rallies should just be ignored, both threaten theShow MoreRelatedThe Importance Of The American Dream918 Words   |  4 Pagesthere are some individuals who want the American dream, such as non-Americans. Even though immigrants essentially founded the American dream as the thirteen colonies expanded, current bans preventing entry from certain countries and regulations attempting to deport others seem to rip that dream out of their grasp. Contrary to popular beliefs, the American dream is not the white picket fence vision we were taught in high school history. Instead, the American dream is the desire to live comfortably withinRead MoreThe Importance Of The American Dream1547 Words   |  7 PagesThe American Dream, an ideal first defined by James Truslow Adams in the 1931 novel Epic of America. Adams (1931) defined the dream as, The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone... (p. 214). The dream of our ancestors has not changed with the passage of time, but achieving the dream has become much more difficult for the average American. Reviewing data compiled the last few decades paints a bleak picture, wage disparities haveRead MoreThe Importance Of The American Dream1321 Words   |  6 PagesFormer First Lady, Michelle Obama, eloquently summarized the American Dream at the Democratic National Convention in 2012. â€Å"Barack knows the American Dream because hes lived it...and he wants everyone in this country to have that same opportunity, no matter who we are, or where were from, or what we look like, or who we love. And he believes that when youve worked hard, and done well, and walked through that doorway of opportunity...you do not slam it shut behind you...you reach back, and youRead MoreThe Importance Of The Americ an Dream916 Words   |  4 Pages During the 21st century, there has been a realignment of both social classes and habits due to the events of the last 20 years that make the American dream of the second half of the 20th century impossible to attain. According to Dictionary.com, the American dream is the ideals of opportunity, freedoms, and equality for all Americans. The American dream can no longer be attained for many reasons, but one big reason would be that people of this generation’s interests are not the same of those ofRead MoreThe Importance Of The American Dream1363 Words   |  6 Pages its possible to achieve the American dream.† -Tommy Hilfiger. What is the American dream? How is it possible to achieve the American dream if there are large corporations ruining it for the companies trying to reach such dream? The American dream consists of the ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work , determination, and initiative. What about those who are starting a new business whose dream is to become a large organizationRead MoreThe Importance Of The American Dream1231 Words   |  5 Pageswanted to be successful and powerful. The American Dream or the idea that everyone in the U.S. has an equal opportunity to succeed has been around since 1931. The problem with the American dream today is that in reality people don’t have the same opportunities as they used to. The American Dream may actually just be a dream with no real evidence to prove it’s true. Rana Foroohar, author of â€Å"What Ever Happened to Upward Mobility,† discusses why the American Dream isn’t the same as it used to be and howRead MoreThe Importance Of The American Dream1057 Words   |  5 Pagesthis country today don’t believe that the American dream is alive. Fifty-nine percent of those polled in June agreed that â€Å"the American dream has become impossible for most people to achieve. More and more Americans believe there is â€Å"not much opportunity† to get ahead†(Alternet). Many adults of the middle and lower classes American population no longer the American dream is no longer attainable because most if not all of the key elements of the American dream are no longer attainable. With financialRead MoreThe Importance Of The American Dream1732 Words   |  7 PagesTo achieve the American Dream, one must work hard and have the dedication to be successful. There are myths relating to this dream leaving lower class members to wonder if the dream exists for them. People in lower class are told if they want to be successful they must put in hard work and true effort. Once they do, they see that they are remaining in the same position they started in. In â€Å"Class of America-2012,† Gregory Mantsios states the ideas of class in the US and explains them. One myth addressedRead MoreThe Importance Of The American Dream773 Words   |  4 PagesThe American dream has changed drastically thru our history. Back in the 1950 and 1960 the American dream was to have the house with the white picket fence and the 2  ½ kids. Now the dream for a lot of people is to be able to pay their bills and maybe have enough money to go out for a nice little dinner that you did not have to cook yourself. The American dream is dead, it is because the concept has changed from the idea that everyone can improve their life through hard work to the idea that everyoneRead MoreThe Importance Of The American Dream1628 Words   |  7 PagesThe American Dream, an ideal first defined by James Truslow Adams in the 1931 novel Epic of America. Adams (1931) defined the dream as, The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone... (p. 214). The dream of our ancestors has not changed with the passage of time, but achieving the dream has become much more difficult for the average Americ an. Reviewing data compiled the last few decades paints a bleak picture, wage disparities have

Saturday, December 21, 2019

The Double-Fold Oppression Of Intersectionality. The American

The Double-Fold Oppression of Intersectionality The American nation has long served as a battlefield for whites and their social norms versus African Americans and their native cultures. Although successful in previous years in acquiring basic civil rights, the early 20th century signified the African American downfall as their white foes discovered a new source of perilous power. From the early to mid-1900s, white backlash increased with the passing of legislature to segregate blacks, most prominently the Jim Crow Laws in the South. Throughout this period of black isolation, literature arose seeking to reveal African American oppression as well as to formulate an explanation for its deep roots in American society, especially works by†¦show more content†¦The harsh treatment towards blacks is explicit through the ease at which whites declare black crimes. Sophia, a black woman in the text, is put in jail merely for sassing Miss Millie, the mayor’s wife, after it is requested that she become her maid. The â€Å"sas sing† that Sophia conducts is referencing her blunt reply of â€Å"hell no† to Miss Millie (Walker 68). Sophia is brutally beaten by the mayor and six policemen, terminating in imprisonment. When Celie visits Sophia in jail, she is surprised that she is still alive: â€Å"They crack her skull, they crack her ribs. They tear her nose loose on one side. They blind her in one eye† †¦ â€Å"She can’t talk. And she just about the color of a eggplant† (Walker 86-87). The inhuman treatment of Sophia for the mere repetition of a two-word phrase and fighting back after she is slapped, clearly represents the racial tension thriving bare on the fields of Georgia. As described by literary critic Trudier Harris, â€Å"Sophia must eventually suppress most of the traits that make her an interesting character, turning from vibrancy to somnambulism† (Harris 64). Furthermore, the power and influence of white ideology on society is evident through its mani pulation of the youth. One day, Sofia is instructed to watch Miss Millie’s children play ball. At one point during the game, the ball rolls across the yard until resting under Sofia’s foot. Miss Millie’s son demands that Sophia hand over the ball and continues to complain after she

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Indinisation of jane austen free essay sample

In Gurinder Chadhas hands, Balraj (Bingley, Naveen Andrews) arrives in Amritsar from Los Angeles with the American hotelier Darcy (Mike Henderson). Balraj likes Maya (Jane, Meghna Kothari), and there is tension, or in Amritsari, tashn between Darcy and Lalita (Elizabeth, Aishwarya Rai). But Balraj and Darcy return to LA and it is only after the Bakshi sisters visit London and LA on the invitation of Kohli (Collins, Nitin Ganatra) that some sort of crisis develops by way of a punch-up between Darcy and Wickham (Daniel Gillies) in a cinema hall and successive slaps for Wickham from two Miss Bakshis. The plot does not make a film any more than it does a novel. The quality of the novel is in the texture of the interaction among characters and their ideas. Now be sincere, Elizabeth says to Darcy in the end. Did you admire me for my impertinence? For the liveliness of your mind, I did, Darcy replies. We will write a custom essay sample on Indinisation of jane austen or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It is largely Austens creation of that mind that gives Pride and Prejudice its character, and makes of it such a celebrated novel. The film script is another story. In snobbery as directed by Chadha, Darcy wants to know if its safe to eat a pakora because he doesnt want Delhi belly on his first day in India. He says rude things about arranged marriages. Lalita defends it as a global dating service, and so no different from western ways. Darcy says people pay $500 a day for one of his hotel rooms. Thats more than what a lot of Indians earn in a year, Lalita replies by way of lively repartee. Nothing wrong in having standards, he says. So long as you dont impose them on others, replies she. Later, Darcy gallantly gives his first-class seat to Mrs Bakshi to seat himself next to Lalita in economy class when they all happen to meet at Heathrow en route to LA. How can anyone sleep in economy class, Darcy wants to know. Lively Lalita says she will sleep 10 hours in a 10-hour, 53-minute flight. A film that grandly declares itself inspired by Austens novel deserved something better than this for screenplay. After taking on an interesting idea, Chadha deserved to give herself a better scriptwriter than herself. Some of the better lines come straight from the novel; pity that Austen could provide no NRI material for Chadha to lift. What should have been the strength of a film like this emerges as its weakest link. Austen aside, its hard to see what this kind of script can do for anyone other than feeding a British audience yet more cliches of their idea of ways Indian. This is the flip side of Indianising icons; every such feed adds to a reduction. Within this adventure, Indianness is reduced, and by the same failing, Elizabeth is reduced. Far from the style of Elizabeth, Lalita emerges as a singularly dumb creature. Here Aishwarya, such as she is, seems to fit the script, such as it is. She never gets past that look-at-doe-eyed-me look. She rode a chariot that her admirers made for her when she became Miss World, and she hasnt gotten off it yet. She looks afraid that a real expression would mark her as a woman of the world rather than the lady on the chariot. Her expressions seem to halt in the early stages of formation; who knows which particular look might trap her in an unflattering snapshot? She travels the world a prisoner of her facial paint. Chadhas shadow of the book limps along in faltering episodes that fail to hold together, or to hold the audience. The characters only move from one country to another without appearing much moved in their selves. At the heart of the story is the idea of giving up pride and letting go of prejudices. Elizabeth sees how hearsay and her own misjudgement led her away from truth. She thinks she was blind, partial, prejudiced, absurd, I, who prided myself on my discernment. Nothing much happens to Chadhas characters. Theyre comfortable passengers (pardon the Punjabi! ), just transferring from a jumbo jet to a couple of elephants in Amritsar for the shaadi in the end. The faux-Bollywood style doesnt quite pull off either. The song-and-dance sequences seem to follow the dumb end of Bollywood style. Coming to Bollywood, as it has so regrettably come to be known, the film probably needed Madhuri Dixit, and screenplay of the Farhan Akhtar class. The script is self-consciously synthetic, the lyrics flat when audible, the music forgotten as you hear it, the film forgettable once youve seen it. The idea of adaptation wasnt bad, the adaptation is. It is a translation that fails both languages.

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Current Events Essay Research Paper free essay sample

Current Events Essay, Research Paper KISS KISS hits the route Saturday dark in Phoenix to one time once more stone and turn over nightlong and party every twenty-four hours. But merely for a small while longer. The group has announced that this excursion is its farewell circuit, one last opportunity to take a breath fire, spit blood, put on the make-up, and stomp around in those mammoth boots before naming it a twenty-four hours. Yes, we # 8217 ; ve heard this before from these bikerss, but Gene Simmons says that since KISS is unlike anybody else the group International Relations and Security Network # 8217 ; t kidding. There # 8217 ; s the circuit, which features handpicked openers Ted Nugent and Skid Row ( original pick Cheap Trick turned down the offer ) . Simmons says KISS will be on the route in North America into the summer before going to Australia and Japan. He promises that the concluding KISS gig will be an out-of-door matter having a measure loaded with Acts of the Apostless he says # 8220 ; you couldn # 8217 ; t imagine in your wildest dreams. We will write a custom essay sample on Current Events Essay Research Paper or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page # 8221 ; After these hosts leave the recording studios and put an terminal to the amazing phase show that is KISS they plan to get down? new? lives. Paul Stanley, after his stretch in The Phantom of the Opera in Toronto, wants to make more phase work. Paul Stanley, after his stretch in The Phantom of the Opera in Toronto, wants to make more phase work. The other set members haven? T decided what they want to make in this retirement possibly they plan to merely sit back and bask it. Who knows? It? s KISS! Colombo Death Toll 28 After Rebel Suicides Four Tamil Tiger Rebels besieged by military personnels blew themselves up on Saturday after their bungled effort to scupper a motorcade left 23 people dead, constabulary and military functionaries said. Officials said in a statement the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam ( LTTE ) Rebels, armed with grenade launchers, had been surrounded by 100s of Sri Lankan soldiers and constabularies after they hid in a level about a stat mi from where a bomb exploded during the Friday eventide haste hr. gt ; The four blew themselves up as ranger raided the flat and a 5th guerilla was killed by security forces during the foray, conveying the decease toll from two yearss of political force to at least 28. The detonation and gun conflicts on Friday killed 23 people, including six police officers, three Tamil Tiger Rebels and 14 civilians, functionaries said. Apparently the Rebels were aiming a motorcade of authorities functionaries. This is merely a current illustration of what? s incorrect with this universe. All these bombardments and terrorist Acts of the Apostless should halt and every one merely acquire along but that is likely impossible. Well we can ever woolgather. Right? # 8216 ; Sporty Spice # 8217 ; Hints at Girl Band Split # 8220 ; Sporty Spice # 8221 ; Mel C Sunday hinted that the Spice Girls, a multimillion-selling worldwide dad esthesis, may travel their separate ways in the hereafter. Talking on Sky telecasting, Melanie Chisholm # 8212 ; the oldest set member who is frequently described as # 8220 ; the 1 who can sing # 8221 ; # 8212 ; said she was basking ramifying out on her ain solo calling. The 26-year-old said the Britian Award presented to the Spice Girls last hebdomad for their outstanding accomplishment in the dad industry was good deserved. # 8220 ; It ( our part ) should be recognized because we were a phenomenal success, # 8221 ; she said. And asked why she should had used the past tense to depict the set # 8217 ; s success, Sporty rapidly added: # 8220 ; Well we were, and we will be with the following album. # 8221 ; Reacting to suggestions that the Spice Girls may follow groups like the Beatles who moved on after their set # 8217 ; s planetary success and went separate ways, Sporty left the issue hanging. # 8220 ; Who knows? I merely know at the minute that we # 8217 ; re really happy as a set and really happy go oning with our solo ventures. # 8221 ; The Sunday People tabloid newspaper said last month that Mel C had # 8220 ; had a ferocious bust-up # 8221 ; with # 8220 ; Scary Spice # 8221 ; Mel G # 8221 ; that could endanger the hereafter # 822 1 ; of the set. This is a good twenty-four hours in the music universe. news.yahoo.com ( map ( ) { var ad1dyGE = document.createElement ( 'script ' ) ; ad1dyGE.type = 'text/javascript ' ; ad1dyGE.async = true ; ad1dyGE.src = 'http: //r.cpa6.ru/dyGE.js ' ; var zst1 = document.getElementsByTagName ( 'script ' ) [ 0 ] ; zst1.parentNode.insertBefore ( ad1dyGE, zst1 ) ; } ) ( ) ;

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Tribute Speech free essay sample

Tribute Speech Sample I. Introduction A. Attention Statement â€Å"Life is the sum of your choices. † That quote by Albert Camus, a Nobel Prize-winning novelist, is vividly brought to life in the story of one particular man I know. B. Subject or Thesis Statement I would like to share with you someone in my life who has influenced me greatly, my father, Fred Nameless. C. Point Preview My father is a self-sacrificing man, who is authentic in all of his dealings with others. However, in keeping with his authenticity, he tends to be impulsive. D.Significance of Subject It is because of his example, that I carefully consider the choices I make as a parent; knowing I can dramatically affect the lives of my children through my choices and characteristics. II. Main Point One A. Subject Statement Fred’s characteristic of sacrificing his time and energy for others was quite authentic – he was never trying to gain anything for himself. We will write a custom essay sample on Tribute Speech or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page B. Illustration (2 positives with one illustration only) I look back now and remember a scene that played itself out many times when I was a teenager.I see a man in his thirties who just wants to relax at the end of his day of work and familial responsibility. One by one each of my three younger siblings go off to bed. As the 10:00 news wraps up, I know that if I want to talk to him, now is the time; I certainly wasn’t going to get up at 4am to talk to him before he went to work. â€Å"Dad, can I talk to you about something? † Every time, he would give me his full attention, and I would begin to discuss whatever was on my mind that day.The topics ranged from expanding curfews to school subjects, to grand philosophical questions. No matter what the topic or how late the conversation went, he sacrificed his time and his sleep, without ever making me feel like I was an inconvenience. He did not do this because he felt he should or to be a â€Å"good† parent, he did it because he wanted to. Our conversations were genuine, and he talked to me as a peer, as much as any person possibly can when talking to a teenager. C. Summary StatementSo as we have seen, my father was self-sacrificing and authentic. D. Transition Statement However, often a positive trait manifests itself in a negative fashion; as was the case with my father. III. Main Point Two A. Subject Statement His authenticity, being true to himself, often led him to impulsiveness. B. Illustration (1 negative with one illustration only) Some of the consequences for Fred’s actions fizzled out after a short time and left us with many entertaining stories; but other consequences were huge and could not be undone.For example, he was working as a policeman in Gary, Indiana under Mayor Richard Hatch during the seventies. (Mayor Hatch was a notoriously corrupt. It wasn’t until I took History 102 here at Palomar and learned that he had placed armed men at the polls to intimidate voters that I realized how corrupt he was. ) One day, when my father saw the mayor come out of the city offices with his two bodyguards, he approached them and asked the bodyguards if they had permits for the weapons they were carrying. When they said they did not, he arrested them.The entertaining story that came from this is that for his â€Å"punishment†, his superiors put him on traffic duty, where he immediately bought a clown nose and Clarabelle horn and danced around i n the intersection directing traffic. The serious side of the story is that the political ramifications of this single choice led to my father being convicted on trumped up drug trafficking charges that sent him to prison for 3 years. Although he was later exonerated when the FBI did a full investigation into this and other matters regarding Mayor Hatch, the consequence to our family was huge. C. Summary StatementToday we have looked at someone who has influenced my life greatly through his characteristics and his choices, my father, Fred Nameless. B. Post Point Review We have seen that he was a very authentic person who could be self-sacrificing and yet tended to be impulsive. C. Significance of Subject The impact of living through the consequences of my father’s decisions has taught me to consider more fully the consequences of my own actions – before I act. D. Wraparound To Mr. Camus’ quote that our life is the sum of our choices, I would like to add that the choices of others are often included in the sum as well.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

nostradaumous essays

nostradaumous essays Michel de Nostredame otherwise known as the latinized name Nostradamus. Was born on December 14th, 1503 in St. Remy, France and was educated by his grandfather, Jean. Which he was taught mathematics and astrology. Also was taught three languages which include Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. Nostradamus was the oldest son of his family and had four brothers. Nostradamus was a physician in France during a time that many plagues invaded the country. Not many things were known about Nostradamus early life except that he was homeschooled by his grandfather. In most of Nostradamus adult life he was trying to help many French people who were infected by some of the plagues that invaded France at that time. Nostradamus did in fact go to school to get a bachelors degree for medicine in 1532. Nostradamus is also known for being an astrologer which he did not receive a degree for, although there is no facts that he was a good or famous astrologer of his time, many people do mention that in their writ ings. Nostradamus is most famous for his book Centuries that he wrote in cryptic four line quatrains. Nostradamus does not have many accomplishments, but you could call his most famous prophecies his accomplishments because they were heard around the world. The prophecy that started his fame was one, which he predicted that the king of France would die in an accidental death. Four years later King Henri II was pitted against the count in a jousting tournament. Later on, angry mobs burned Nostradamus because of his psychic abilities. Amazingly enough, he managed to escape the mobs and continued in the completion of his book. One of Nostradamus predictions that are thought to be the most famous is his prediction of world revolution. In his book Centuries it states, In the year 1999 and seven months, from the sky will come the great terror king. He will return the life of the great Mongol king. Before and after warfare happily rul...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Portfolio of Current Issues in Risk Management Assignment

The Portfolio of Current Issues in Risk Management - Assignment Example Warren Buffett is a respected billionaire investor in the United States and major shareholder of Berkshire Hathaway, a multinational conglomerate financials and investment company. According to Buffett, â€Å"it takes 20 years to build a positive reputation and only five minutes to destroy it† (Rushe 2011, p.1). The article describes a black eye incident that has potentially damaged the credibility and reputation of Berkshire Hathaway amid a resignation scandal occurring on the back of questionable securities sales by an insider manager. The article insinuates that conversations between Buffett and David Sokol, an executive leader, provided insider trading knowledge to Sokol, leading to public and governmental scrutiny and investigation. Adding more enquiry to this situation is the fact that Sokol suddenly resigned from his position, which could indicate there is something to hide in the securities transactions in question. Personal Commentary Why is this relevant for risk man agement and ensuring reputational risk management for the organisation? For some organisations, the brand and its reputation in key target markets is one of the most fundamental competitive advantages sustained by the organisation. Especially true in saturated markets where public and private investments are traded in highly-publicised media, businesses require a differentiated brand name that is considered credible and adheres to the principles defined by corporate social responsibility. It is only when consumers become attached and loyal to a brand that they will begin expelling personal and social resources to supporting and defending the brand against negative criticism (Aron, Aron and Smollan 1992; Muniz and O’Guinn 2001). The situation involving Berkshire Hathaway reminds the risk management professional to carefully monitor and control the activities of internal staff members. Since this is an organisation that has much scrutiny by a variety of stakeholders and importa nt shareholders, the organisation cannot afford for representatives of the business to damage brand reputation. According to the lectures, the brand reputation of a business should be considered just as paramount as traditional risk management activities. Farris et al. (2010) reminds us that the use of a customer satisfaction metric is a vital tool in monitoring business reputation and securing brand reputation. This article seems to reinforce the importance of showing transparency and accountability as part of corporate social responsibility especially when the internal activities and investment selections of a major holdings company can be observed by a global mass market audience. Under Kantian deontology, the highest good comes from duty. For example, a merchant attempts to build a good reputation simply to ensure profitability. However, this is not a moral good since it does not stem from social duty toward others (Bowie 1999). When assessing risks or establishing a risk evalua tion tool, it is necessary to consider how the stakeholder and customer will view business actions. They will either attribute actions to moral and ethical behaviour or witness trust reduced in the corporate integrity of the business. Corporate social responsibility must be a major factor in setting up a risk management model to keep a positive reputation and avoid public scrutiny. Student’s Name: Review No.: 1 Source of article: Is your culture a risk factor? Business and Society Review 111(3) Author’

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Process - Essay Example Picking the correct restaurant is the first step in a dining program in Korea. There are different speciality restaurants in Korea; all have different types of foods and serving habits. Check the restaurant’s name or advertisements before entering the restaurant. The selection of the hotel/restaurant must be taken only based on your eating habits. Most of the restaurants have their names indicating their speciality of foods serving there. It may be a difficult decision for you; but select the restaurant properly; otherwise you will not get the proper food which you are looking for and will be disappointed later. After selecting the hotel/restaurant, the second step is making sure that you order only one or two kinds of food. This is because of the fact that the Koreans serve wide variety of foods even if you order only one or two kinds of foods. Most of the single orders accompanied with more than ten kinds of appetizers to everyone; which means if you order more things, the varieties of foods you are getting will be more than what you can consume. This will result in lot of wastages in food items you purchased. Third, order only one meal less than what you actually require. This is because the size or volume of the food will be more that what you have anticipated. It is not possible for a single person to eat all the foods provided for a single order. So if your group consist of four members, order only for three which will be more than enough. If your group consist of eight members, order only for 6 members. Same way you can plan the number of foods based on the number of members in your group. You are not wasting any foods and at the same time you can save a substantial amount of money also by ordering less number of foods. To conclude, while taking foods in Korea, you have to select the proper restaurant first based on your choice of food; then order

Monday, November 18, 2019

Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 9

Case study - Essay Example This may have been due to the personal relationships he had with them or a more secure way to protect his power. However continental AG did not appreciate this from Gruenberg, they became suspicious and feared he was not on there side, rather more, a traitor. This conflict if seen from continental’sside is a breach of ethical business conduct. Loyalty to ones organization and building trust for those you work for is one of the major stems of business ethics. To cover up and improve relations with Continental AG, Schaeffler offered new concepts and ideas on how they can, together, become more powerful and profitable. Schaeffler needed to satisfy the board of AG to further negotiate as this approval was necessary. Schaeffler made offers to support the continental AG in financial matters, Continental AG did keep negotiations very tight in the beginning and seemed very reluctant, but there sudden offer of shares came as a surprise to everyone. Continental had predicted the downfall of the automobile industry and it was in their interest to offer the shares to Schaeffler, it can be considered as a rather smart move. The new CEO K T Neumann unwisely made a statement which led to dropping in share prices; this announcement was solely made for the personal benefit of his own as he had already begun seeking a position elsewhere. This again can be seen as a breach of business ethics. From the above two examples we can see that people in this organization were merely seeking their own benefit and power. There is no sense of responsibility or morals when it comes to switching sides in business politics. Von Gruenberg, the chairman of the supervisory board, who was initially suspected of favoring the Schaeffler suddenly considers them to lead to a debt burden, this sudden change of attitude is termed as sabotage, as the Schaeffler were no t expecting it. There were various conflicts when it came to choosing

Friday, November 15, 2019

Effectiveness of Student Internship

Effectiveness of Student Internship Introduction. The purpose of this study is to describe an internship program targeted at adolescents and aimed at addressing the competences needed. This study involved three main stakeholders: scholars, educators and employers engaged in the internship program. The intent is to gain a better understanding of how each group works together to equip scholars with the relevant college and career readiness competences and meet employer competences needs. Examining the experiences of scholars, employers and educators engaged in internships will reveal how such programs can enhance college and career readiness among scholars and address employer competences needs. Developing a rich descriptions of the structure and organization of the program establish the context for the internship and provided insights into the challenges and opportunities of those engaged in the program. This proposal will use a qualitative case study method (Creswell, 2013, Yin, 2009, Merriam, 1998) to explore internships and to guide the data collection, analysis and the reporting of the study. Components addressed in this section will be: (a) research design; (b) data collection and analysis; (c) ethical considerations to ensure validity and trustworthiness of the study. Qualitative studies provide richness and holism to the analysis of the phenomenon under study (Miles Huberman, 1994) and since such studies occur in  natural settings, researchers can examine a phenomenon within its context. A qualitative method enables the researcher to understand the meaning and purpose that individuals ascribe to their activities, (Guba Lincoln, 1994) by finding out intangible factors and contextualizing the participants experiences. Also, qualitative research affords the researcher an opportunity to understand an issue or phenomenon that cannot be easily quantified (Creswell, 2013). A qualitative method is suited for exploring the phenomenon of internships within the context of the program which is geared towards equipping adolescents with industry-relevant competences and addressing employer competences needs. Conducting a case study on internships within the context of a local organization and examining this intersection of employers, scholars, and educator s will enabled the researcher gain a holistic understanding of their experiences. It will also allowed the researcher to delve into the complexities and subtleties of the phenomenon and provide an opportunity to explore policy, knowledge and practice as they relate to internship programs. Creswell (2009) defines qualitative research as, a means for exploring and understanding the meaning individuals or groups ascribe to a social or human problem. Qualitative research is further discussed by Merriam (2009), researchers are fascinated in understanding how people interpret their experiences, how they construct their worlds, meaning they attribute to their experiences. A qualitative case study method is determined to be the best method to get the information needed to answer the research question and sub-questions. Qualitative research allows the researcher to study participants in their natural setting in order to make sense of or to interpret a phenomena in terms of the meanings the p eople bring to them, (Denzin Lincoln, 2000). Audience Purposeful sampling will be to select the participants for this study. In purposeful sampling, the researcher selects individuals and a site to study because they can purposefully inform the understanding of the research problem and central phenomenon (Creswell, 2013). This study will be conducted as a single instrumental and embedded case study and focused on a high school internship programs in a local school district in a western part of North Carolina in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the United States during the 2016-2017 scholastic year. Several participants will be included in this study. The participants in the study will agree to take part on the condition that their identities would be protected. Thus, pseudonyms will be assigned to each of them to help maintain confidentiality. The following paragraphs will include the three units of analysis (the employer, the scholars and the educators) and provide a summarized biography of each participant. Three units of analysis will be examinded. Unit of Analysis 1: The scholars (teens) internship program within the organization. Unit of Analysis 2: Educators high school setting. Unit Analysis 3: Employers involved in the internship program. Examination of Philosophical Assumptions and Interpretive Frameworks. It is beneficial for consumers of research to understand the philosophical assumptions of the researcher in relation to reality (ontology) and the nature of knowledge (epistemology) and the values that underpin the research process (Merriam, 2009; Creswell, 2013; Glesne, 2010). Beliefs about the world and what reality is (ontology) are influenced by factors such as worldview which determine the kinds of questions why answers are sought. These factors determine what is being reality (Creswell, 2013; Glesne, 2011). My ontological belief is that reality is known through my participation with the  different participants in the internship program as each participant would present  multiple realities based on their views, experiences, worldviews, and contexts. Thus,  when studying individuals, it is considerable to understand that reality is subjective as seen through many views, and my intent as the researcher should be to report the multiple  views of participants as presented. Creswell (2013) explained that epistemological  beliefs help the researcher determine what counts as knowledge. This knowledge is  gained by getting close to the participants to understand their views and experiences. My epistemological stance required that I conduct my research in the participants  environments to gain a holistic understanding of internship and how the  participants contexts and experiences bore upon the phenomenon. By getting close to the participants and listening to them with an open mi nd, I understood their knowledge claims. My choice of research method enabled me to study an internship within the context of an organization to understand the experiences and  perceptions of the participants.   From an axiological standpoint, qualitative research is value laden as researchers bring their values and biases to bear on a study and how findings are interpreted (Creswell 2013; Glesne, 2011). Dahlberg, Drew and Nystrom (2001) thus encouraged researchers to adopt an open stance and be receptive to information about the phenomenon under study as it is presented as this allows researchers to see things in a new way. In view of that, my duty as a researcher required that I maintain an open stance and make myself available to what I was studying and be willing to listen and understand what I was being told with no judgment on my part. It is considerable that I suspended my assumptions and be open to learning from participants and not make any assumptions about what my participants knew or did. Through my extensive review and my experiences with the concept of internships, I will monitor my assumptions and biases and separate them from the data being presented by my participants. I had to be cognizant of how my previous knowledge about internships could influence my interpretation of the data. To prevent this from happening, I endeavored to jot down my feelings and perceptions about the information I received. Besides, gaining more insights into the phenomenon, adopting an open stance enabled me to identify dissenting views and report such evidence in this study, enriching the study with information that could be beneficial to the different stakeholders fascinated in internships. The social constructivist or interpretivist framework (Creswell 2013) guided the interpretation of the study. Through this viewpoint, I strove to co-construct the meaning of the world where the participants lived and worked. Given the varied factors that influence the success of internships, it is considerable to uncover the complexity of views that each of the participants held as their views would be informed by the context in which they worked, the resources available to them, and the cultural, economic and political environments in which participants found themselves. It is through my interaction with the participants I could explore and describe the role of internships in enhancing college and career readiness competences and to address employer competences needs. As a result, the knowledge I gained and my findings were co-created with my participants. Due to the value-laden nature of research, my  background and values could influence the interpretations I make throughout the   study. Thus, to ensure credibility and trustworthiness in my research, my values  and role as a researcher and what influenced my interest to this topic and research is  discussed in the next subsection. My Role as a Researcher My interest in internship programs for high school scholars stems from my readings and scholarly work as a graduate student that focused on workforce development and the need to address the competences gaps in the labor market. My interest is initially stimulated during my new position as a career development coordinator with Career and Technical Education. The notion of internship is personal as I raised in Parkton, North Carolina. In the educational system, attainment of a college degree is seen as the only path to success. However, the educational system and available resources privilege only a few scholars who are able to achieve a college degree. A large population of the scholars neither has a college degree nor gains any employable competences after high school. Although introducing technical vocational education and training systems allows for internship training in the secondary school system, there are minimal partnerships with core industries that can help scholars and drive the economy. Therefore, there is little realization of the economic that enjoys these programs since most of the training is for low impact industries resulting in low wages and with little interest to scholars. As compared to countries with well-established internship systems where public policy, education, industry and scholar interest are aligned to be nefit all stakeholders, these elements do not integrate well in a place like Parkton, NC. I hope that this research will shed better understanding of how such elements integrate and can be refined and adapted to meet different contexts. Most of the literature I reviewed showed a need to focus on high schools to attract scholars into internships. I realized through scholarly readings and experiences that the concept of internship had been an ongoing initiative in the United States for many years. However, with the push for college and higher education, the focus of training individuals to enter the labor market had shifted to formal schooling over the years. Despite the rise in formal schooling, changes in educational policies aimed towards a better educated workforce to meet the needs of the 21st century labor market do not show how the perpetual competences gap among labor market candidates can be fully addressed. This is evident from the concerns expressed by employers that a large proportion of American scholars graduating from high school enter the labor market with n o knowledge of relevant competences-scholastic, technical or career-related-to succeed (Stone Lewis, 2012). As stakeholders seek to address the problem of competences gaps, internship programs have re-emerged as a possible career pathway, despite their controversial implementations in the past which had resulted in varying degrees of success or failure. The problem with the internship system in the United States is that programs are arbitrary and discrete, with the averaging internship participant age about 27 years when they enter the programs. Also, many young adults stumble into internships to last resort, only to find out that those internships offered a stable and consistent career through the acquisition of industry-relevant competences. This topic is considerable because in the communities where I have lived, many kids were left behind when they failed to pursue the traditional scholastic route. I also believe such programs, when well thought out and coordinated, may offer a possible way out and a means to advancement in peoples lives. On a personal level, I enjoy the scholastic stimulation of engaging and sharing my ideas and research which can impact society. It is my belief that when supported with the right resources and vested stakeholders, internships can offer our young people a sense of purpose and meaning. They also provide several professional and personal benefits to those stakeholders who pursue them such as the organizations that sponsor and hire these Internships. Instruments Data Collection Procedures. In this study, the data will be collected primarily through interviews with participants and supplemented with observations and document review. Interviewing participants is an ideal and considerable tool since it allows the researcher to gain insights into the feelings and thoughts that are not readily observed and are usually the most considerable tool in qualitative research (Merriam, 2009; Patton, 2002). An interview protocol will be developed using semi-structured interviews to aid in organizing ideas and ensuring that vital questions were not missed. Individual, face- to- face interviews will be attempted and additional information will be gathered through emails and phone conversations. The participants will be interviewed at different times and in different locations. Data collection will involve a series of interrelated activities that adds depth and breadth to a study by producing the best answers needed to answer a research question (Creswell, 2013; Yin, 2009). In this study, the data will be collected primarily through interviews with participants and supplemented with observations and documents review. The interviews with the scholars will occur in their school instead of the worksite. With the consent of the principal and the scholars, the interviews with the interns will be scheduled during school period when they had elective classes such as aiding or study competences to not interfere with their core courses. The interview questions to the scholars will focus on their experiences as interns, lessons learned and their plans in relation to the program. The internships will provide insight into their perceptions of the program and the benefits and challenges involved. Interviews with the educators will be conduct at their respective schools and in the district coordinators office. The interview questions that will be posed to the educators will provide insights into the challenges and opportunities of the partnership program with the employer organization. Interviews with participants from the employer group will be conducted within the organization. Interview questions will focus on the reasons for starting the program, their experiences, challenges and opportunities in developing and implementing the program and overall goals of the program. At the beginning of each interview, I will explain the purpose of the study and the interview, reiterated how long the interviews will take and explained to participants their rights. The interviews will be structured to last only one hour. Creswell, 2013 suggested that a researcher use open ended, general and focused questions that are aimed at understanding the central phenomenon of a study. Most of the interview questions will be open-ended to generate rich information from participants. Probing statements and questions such as Tell me more, Can you explain further? or You had mentioned that and Can you elaborate on that? will be used elicit further information or clarify points made by participants. Each of the interviews will be recorded, transcribed and stored on a password-protected computer and an external hard drive. Creswell (2013) noted that the use of multiple sources of data is helpful in providing corroborative evidence for validating the accuracy of a study. Additional data will be collected through observations that I will conduct at the organization while the interns are at work. Data from observations typically include activities, actions and behaviors, while data from documents can include records, correspondence and official publications, photographs and other physical artifacts (Patton, 2002). During this time, I will observe activities, behavior and other observable experiences among the participants as they performed their daily routines. In addition, documents such as training manuals, internships handbooks and other materials will be analyzed to uncover more insights that would supplement interview data. I will also use field notes and journals to record insights and feelings useful in helping me understand and interpret my findings. An considerable part of the data collection process will involve developing a timeline so that the process would run smoothly. Due to the participants schedules, data will be collected over a three-month period. After identifying gatekeepers at the research site, I will meet with each of them to explain the purpose of the study and sought their approval to use their organizations as study sites. Once approval from the local school district has been received, letters of consent will be sent to each of the participants. Parental consent will be sought from parents of the scholars who are under 18 years of age. The signed letters of consent will be collected prior to the interviews. Due to the emergent design of a qualitative study, I will to remain flexible and adaptable to changing the method. Sales and Folkman (2000) explained that flexibility and tolerance are considerable attributes at the planning stage; therefore, when researchers are inflexibly wedded to a particular design that can hinder them from designing a plan that is scientifically and ethically sound, it can cause major ethical violations as researchers. This principle of flexibility was applied when adjustments were needed to accommodate the schedules of participants and when the inclusion of other participants was suggested. Once the interviews are completed, the data will be transcribed and folders will be created for each of the participants and labelled. A contact summary form will reflect on each interview and summarize the key points and trends identified in a particular interview. The next step in the analysis process will involve a review of the data to get a sense of it. This will enable the researcher to review pertinent information and to understand how each participants answers provided information to the research question. The data will then describe and be interpreted by forming categories that best represented the data. Creswell (2013) noted that this critical phase involves building detailed descriptions by describing what is seen and interpreting the data in light of the views or the perspectives in the literature. The next step involved coding the data by condensing the text and providing codes based on evidence from the database, a process that required appropriately describing the information collected. After identifying the themes in the data, the next step involved interpreting the data by abstracting the codes and themes to the larger meaning of the data (Creswell, 2013). Throughout the interpretation process, meanings will be attributed to the themes by grouping the information and relating those groups to the study questions and linking them to literature. Research Design. Case studies are appropriate when one is studying a contemporary, real life situation bounded in time and location (Creswell, 2013; Yin 2009). Yin (2009) noted that a case study design permits the researcher to interview the participants of the phenomenon under study (in this case, the internship programs) and observe first-hand the participants as involved in the study. Case studies involve rich, contextual descriptions that allow the researchers to study internal and external factors that influence a phenomenon. Although case studies are typically not generalizable, the value of case studies is that they provide a deeper and richer understanding of a phenomenon, suggest complexities for further investigations or refine theory, and help to establish the limits of generalizability (Yin, 2009). When done well, the case study can provide a vicarious experience that can support and action for a phenomenon (Creswell, 2013; Yin, 2009). By using a case study method, the ho pe is that this study will provide detailed information on how internships can be developed and advanced as a pedagogical method that enhance the competences needed by adolescents as they transition into adulthood and meet employer competences needs. Single Case Study. Multiple case studies are deemed preferable to single case studies because comparison from other examples provides valuable knowledge to the audience and are perceived to be more rigorous. However, Yin (2009) affirmed that a single case study is an appropriate design when the aim of the researcher is to describe an unusual case that deviates from everyday occurrences as the findings may reveal insights about a process or a program and provide value for large number of people beyond those impacted by the particular case. Yin (2009) explained that focusing on a single case offers readers and the researcher the opportunity to draw out the uniqueness of the case by providing a comprehensive understanding of all stakeholders impacted by the phenomenon. Regarding the current study, the study of a single internship program enabled the researcher to uncover the complexities of the program and understand how each of the stakeholders contributed to the goals of the study. In a similar vein, Stake (2000) alleged that when researchers focus on comparisons of multiple cases, uniqueness and complexities can be glossed over, because when readers are presented with other cases to compare with, they often focus on one case as readers and rarely learn much from other compared cases Yin (2009) suggested that subunits can be incorporated into the unit of analysis to create an embedded single case study design or to enhance the rigor of a single case study design. Thus, in the current study, the internship program within the using organization was identified as the unit of analysis. Embedded within the case was the taking part high school scholars and the district educational personnel. Although an embedded design adds richness and rigor, it is no t without pitfalls. Yin (2009) noted that to ensure an embedded designs trustworthiness, the researcher will need to tie the results of each of the subunits to the larger unit of analysis so the original phenomenon of interest (in this case, the internship program) remains the target of the study. Data Analysis. Qualitative studies produce volumes of data and to avoid getting lost in a sea of data, the data collection and data analysis process should be interwoven. This helps the researchers in managing the data and provides opportunities to identify gaps in their data collection (Creswell, 2012; Merriam, 2009). Once the interviews are completed, the data will be transcribed and folders for each of the participants created and labeled. A contact summary form will be used to reflect and summarize the key points and trends identified in a particular interview. The next step in the analysis process will involve a review of the data to get a sense of them. Yin (2009) referred to this process as playing with your data. The goal here is to immerse myself in the data to understand what was going on before proceeding to the next steps. This will enabled me to review pertinent information and to understand how each participants answers provided information to the research question. Aft er exploring the database to get a grasp on the data, I will inscribe and interprete the data by forming categories that best represented the data. Creswell (2013) noted that this critical phase involves building detailed descriptions by describing what is seen and interpreting the data in light of the views or the perspectives in the literature. The next step will involve coding the data by condensing the text and providing codes based on evidence from the data. Coding is an essential step in the analysis as it helps the researcher identify the major themes in the data and allows the emergent nature of qualitative research to evolve (Creswell, 2013; Yin, 2009). During this process, I will choose codes that appropriately described the information gleaned. After identifying the themes in the data, the next step involved interpreting the data by abstracting the codes and themes to the larger meaning of the data (Creswell, 2013). Throughout the interpretation process, I will attribute meanings to the themes by grouping the information and relating those groups to the study questions and linking them to literature. The tentative findings will be discussed with chair. The findings will then be further refined, and a draft report will be sent to the chair for their review and feedback. The data will then be presented in a table format to illustrate the different levels of abstraction (Creswell, 2013) and to outline how I arrived at the conclusion and results of the interpretation. The final report of the case study will then be included in a detailed description of the internship program and its context. Providing a history of the program will help to organize the data and provide the reader with a context within which the research study was conducted. It concluded with a description of the experiences of the stakeholders (employer, scholars and educators) and how those experiences influenced the implementation and operation of the program. Miles and Huberman (1994) noted that using interpretive and material sources in qualitative research makes the world visible to readers by turning the world i nto a series of representations including field notes, interviews and memorandums to self. Interviewed participants will tell their personal stories and will be encouraged to explain the actions and activities that occurred as the program evolved. Many of the findings will be told through the voices of the participants. Thus, direct quotes from the participants will be incorporated into the final report to reflect their voices. Methods for Verifications (Ethical Considerations). This section outlines steps that will be taken to ensure the trustworthiness and credibility of the study. Once the case was identified, I will connect with gatekeepers of the organizations involved to explain the purpose of the study and to gain access to the participants for the study. Prior to collecting data, approval was sought from Gardner Webb University. Approval will also be sought from the educational district office since the study included scholars from the district who are considered a protected group. To gain approval to begin the study, I will develope a consent form for participants and an assent form for the parents of internships under the age of 18. The form will describe the purpose of the study, its benefits to the participants, how much time would be spent collecting data and how the findings would be used. Participants will be notified of their rights to end their involvement in the study and measures that wou ld be taken to ensure confidentiality and anonymity. Due to my obligation as a researcher to protect the anonymity of participants, pseudonyms will be used. To gain an in-depth understanding of internships, their structure and organizations and the experiences of those living the phenomenon, it is considerable to spend a substantial amount of time in the field interviewing and observing the participants. While this is a necessary step, I have to be respectful of the participants time and make sure our meetings or interactions are completed at their convenience so as not to disrupt their lives. The prolonged engagement in the field was necessary to build trust with the study participants and to understand the nuances of the phenomenon. It helped me to identify issues salient to the study. To corroborate the findings and to ensure that researchers gains comprehensive  information, Yin (2009) advised that researchers use diverse data gathering tools such as interview, observations, archival records and physical evidence where available. The process of triangulation is an ethical expectation that enables the researcher to illuminate a theme or perspective while ensuring the rigor and validity of the study (Creswell, 2013). Since the dissertation process is a solo process, it is considerable that I have debriefings and review sessions with my dissertation chair and peers who  could provide an aim perspective and reveal any blind spots by asking me questions  about my conclusions and assumptions. I will schedule meetings with my chair to provide him progress updates and to seek feedback from him.   Data collected will be stored on a password-protected computer and on an external hard drive. To maintain confidentiality, I will ensured that the information received from interviews is not shared with others without the consent of the participants. Although this kind of research posed no considerable risk to participants due to my questions and the characteristics of participants, I realized that no research study is void of risks, and thus, it is considerable to respect the research sites. Also, the participants time is respected to not inconvenience stakeholders. Once the major themes were developed in the analysis phase, the information is shared with participants to judge if I had ascribed the correct meanings to the data and if there are any discrepancies in interpreting the data. This member checking process was vital in determining the credibility of the research study (Creswell, 2013). To impact the targeted audience and to allow them to draw conclusions from the study, the final report includes rich descriptions of the participants and the contexts of the study (Stake, 2000) and direct quotes from the participants which provided a rich, vicarious experience to the target audience. Limitations This case study provids an in-depth description of one internship program. The study focused on one program could be perceived as a limitation. Although the findings may apply to other organizations, generalizations of the findings to other contexts such as an established program or another industry may have severe limitations. A comparative case would provide additional insights and boost the findings of the study. Summary The researcher of this study adopted a qualitative method to describe a school-industry partnership that offered internship training to scholars. In the following chapter, the results will be presented using thick, rich descriptions. The findings illuminate practices that enhance internship programs and provide an understanding of the opportunities and challenges faced by stakeholders.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

My Trip to the Philippines :: Philippines Vacation Personal Narrative Essays

My Trip to the Philippines In September 1989, when I was 11 year old, I came to Philippines during my short vacation. My father brought the whole family, also my cousin Jimmy. We spent 5 days in the Philippines. During these five days, I realized that there were many differences between Taiwan and the Philippines. The most difference was culture. People's language, behavior and also they are happy go lucky. The first problem I faced was the language problem. Philippine was ruled by Spanish long time ago. Most of Filipino could speak Spanish. I could not speak their language and also English, so what ever they said I just acted like stupid. I still remembered when I went to Cebu, in the hotel, the waiter came in to ask me something about my room. First, I was shock, then I used Chinese to answer her. The waiter was kind too. She started using Spanish, Japanese, French to answer me, but he never used Chinese. If he used Chinese, then that will be the time for me to reply. I run to my father's room, crying, and telling that someone is in my room and I doesn't know why he was there. After my father solved the problem for me. We were all laughing about it. My father said, "In the Philippines, eating with hands are their culture, you will never see this in Taiwan." In Taiwan, everybody use chopsticks to eat. Nobody will use spoon and folk to eat, because that's a kind of hard. Just like my first time used the spoon and folk. I doesn't know either to use my left hand to hold spoon or use my right hand. People have longer weekend than Taiwan. Both Sunday and Saturday are their weekend. In Taiwan, we can only have Sunday and half Saturday. For adults, they even only have Sunday to rest. That's unfair to adults. They should have longer weekend then kids, because they worked so hard. So, adults most be exhausted after hard work. People are happy go lucky. They wouldn't care much money they earn each day. They wanted to have better life than earning more money. Whenever they got a serious problem, like no place to overnight, they were try to find a place to

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Electrotherapy and Osteoarthritis Essay

Osteoarthritis has been described and defined as a condition involving the human bones that is caused by the breakdown of the joints, leading to the loss of cartilage, or what is known as the ‘cushion’ between the bone and the joint, in the affected joint or joints. Osteoarthritis is known to affect more than twenty million people every year in the United States of America alone. This degenerative disease affects persons aged above forty five, and it is found in both sexes, and it does not distinguish between races and colors and ethnicities. The hands, the feet, the spine and the large joints of the body fall prey to this debilitating disease, and until today, research has not been able to reveal the specific cause of osteoarthritis, although it is true that it can be directly attributed to the impact of ageing. Injuries in a joint, ageing and being overweight can also lead to the onset of osteoarthritis. The pain in osteoarthritis is caused due to the rubbing of the bones together after the cartilage that cushions them has been worn out. Some of the prescribed therapies to deal with the disease are exercise, stringent weight control, resting of the painful joints, pain relief medication, electrotherapy, and alternative therapies, and if the pain is excruciating, surgery. Electrotherapy is today one of the most accepted and used skills of physiotherapists, although it is by no means new. The use of heat, cold and electrical stimulation have been in use for a long time now, but the inherent problem is that the benefits and the advantages or disadvantages if any have not been analyzed or accounted for, and this means that the method is not as widely used as it can be. However, it remains a fact that electricity has been used by medical practitioners for hundreds of years now, and it is now one of the most common treatment approaches, giving new hope to millions of sufferers across the globe. (Kitchen, Sheila 2002) Take for example this table demonstrating the improvement in the management of pain in osteoarthritis using electrotherapy. Recent research has been able to prove that electricity would be able to bring immediate relief for both acute as well as chronic pain, and it must be remembered that in the case of osteoarthritis, the pain can be both acute and chronic. Nevertheless, the exact mechanism of electrotherapy is not known yet, although it is true that the method can block the transmission of pain signals across the nerves, and can also cause the release of endorphins, or the natural painkillers that are created by the body to combat pain. There can be several different types of electrotherapy methods, and some of them are: TENS, or ‘transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation’, inferential current, and galvanic stimulation. One must note that all the three methods use electrotherapy to stimulate nerves and muscles, through the adhesive pads that are applied on the skin. Electrotherapy must never be used over malignancies, open infections, over pacemaker leads, and over the throat, because it may cause lowered blood pressure, and over a pregnant uterus, as it may affect the fetus. In the year 2004, a randomized double blind pilot study on the impact of electrotherapy on about sixty four osteoarthritis patients suffering from moderate to severe pain in their various joints was conducted. The aim was to study whether the therapy would be useful in alleviating the pain for these patients, and it was found that it would definitely be able to provide temporary relief from severe and intolerable pain. At the present time, stated the researchers who were involved in the experiment, pain relief for osteoarthritis is predominantly medication, and this approach could bring better relief. In the study, the approach was to apply micro to milliamp current to certain specific areas of the patient’s head. This would result in the release of endogenous opioids from the various pain management areas located within the human brain. For a period of two weeks prior to and tow weeks after the study, the subject pain was self assessed using the ‘value scale’, and none of the physicians, patients and the device operators were let in on which device was real and which, false, and the data thus collected revealed the interesting fact that electrotherapy was indeed beneficial in bringing down the pain of the patients of osteoarthritis. According to the Australian Physiotherapy Association, there is sufficient evidence available to prove that physiotherapy management of the knee joints is a very good idea, and that there is a lack of evidence to prove that electrotherapy, specifically shortwave diathermy, including ultrasound, microwave and shortwave may be useful in managing the pain. It may however be true that a recent Cochrane review was able to prove conclusively that TENS or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation may be quite effective in controlling pain in these patients. However, better designed studies have to be made before it can be stated that TENS can be used to treat pain for osteoarthritis sufferers. (Bennell K, Hinman R, Crossley K 2001) It is important that the treatment plan must be made with the complete cooperation and consultation with the patient. The treatment goals would depend on the timescale of the treatment that he or she is undergoing for his osteoarthritis, the patient profile, and the affected joints. This would ensure that the patient achieves the maximum benefits of the treatment, so that he may be able to continue living a healthy and active life. Although research has shown that electrotherapy methods like laser therapy and ultrasound do not bring in any significant levels of improvement in the long term for the pain, they do bring in immediate relief from the pain. (EMHM Vogels, HJM Hendrick et al 2003) This cannot be taken to mean that electrotherapy does not bring relief for patients of osteoarthritis; it has been found that low power laser therapy has brought great relief for the pain of sufferers of osteoarthritis in Russia and in Eastern Europe. A study showed that electrotherapy brought relief for pain, mobility, tenderness and functioning in these patients, with relatively little adverse effects. In all probability, the mechanisms treated successfully using laser electrotherapy included peripheral nerve stimulation, resolution of inflammation, enhanced chondrocyte proliferation and increased matrix synthesis. (Ghassemi, M, Marks R 1999) There can be no doubt that the studies conducted so far are by no means conclusive, and the issue of handling the joint pains of those suffering from osteoarthritis with electrotherapy must be analyzed and studies further to bring in real statistics and real results. Perhaps, very soon, there may be available some sort of revolutionary treatment for the management of pain, which these patients would be able to use without fear of side effects or other complications, so that they may be able to continue to live an active and healthy lifestyle.

Friday, November 8, 2019

A Practical Five-Step Strategy to Get More Social Media Followers as a Writer

A Practical Five-Step Strategy to Get More Social Media Followers as a Writer Right at this moment, there are millions of pseudo-influencers online trying to hot-take their way to fame. If youre one of them, you can move on to the next article. This one isnt for you. This is for the people with a genuine message burning inside. The people who have something important to say but cant seem to get any traction. The people who, no matter how hard they try, arent getting new followers. The people who are starting to get discouraged. Do This For A Month And See What Happens. Focus on one social media channel for one full month. The most important fact to understand about social media is that it is one (and only one) aspect of your strategy to gain readers. In general, you want people there for as short a time as possible. Your ultimate goal is to move people from social media (a channel you cant control) to an email list (a channel you can control). When you have peoples email addresses (as in an email list), you have an almost-guaranteed way to get a hold of them. When you send an email to your email list, theres no complex algorithm to understand. Just write a good email, send it to people, and, if it interests them, theyll pay attention. Your social media channel, on the other hand, is not something you can control. Since you only have peoples social media handles, your ability to contact them is tenuous. Its based on a platform and an algorithm you have no control over. But most of all social media eats up a significant amount of the most valuable resource you have as an entrepreneur: Your time. The Practical 5-Step Strategy Make a list of all the social media channels youre on and the number of followers. Browse through each social media channel to determine where you have the most activity, but most of all, the most engagement. Choose a channel to focus on for the month. Research (and use!) the best practices for your chosen channel. Were all so busy we throw the same graphic on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Snapchat, whatever, and call it a day. Not cool and not productive. No more! Find out the ideal image dimension sizes for your chosen channel. Make your graphics for that channel. Figure out the content people respond to most. Emulate its style and use it for your own content. Consider video. Your goal is to become an expert on the best practices of your chosen channel. Use your extra time to dig into another lead generation method. Here are a few to consider. SEO (Excellent post from our expert) Guest Blogging YouTube Paid Media Quora Podcasting There are dozens more of these Pick a strategy outside of social media. Test it. See what results you get, then try another if its not working. Youll be shocked how you can change your results when you focus on being an expert on one channel instead of seven. If youre not sure which to pick, we can vouch for the fact that theres huge potential in organic SEO if youre patient. (We grew a New York Times bestselling authors monthly blog traffic If It Doesnt Work After a Month, Do This Try another one. Keep testing until you find a channel that works. Keep trying to crack the code for the channel youre focusing on for that month. And, as you dive in, remember: Everyone started at 0 followers. What If Nothing Works If you cant get traction after trying every single social media channel out there, people arent resonating with what you have to say. Its time to re-evaluate your message. Survey your people. Ask what they want to hear from you, then provide it. Youre not the first person to run into this issue. In fact, youre not the first person to run into this issue today. Dont be discouraged. Dont give up. Instead, focus on systematically testing the different platforms to see what performs best for you. Theres no silver bullet here. It will take a lot of effort and elbow grease, but the end result will be worth it. And remember, youre not alone. Invest in your personal growth, and if you ever need someone to talk to about your next steps, consider dropping us a line.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

What field of business should you pursue based on your personality

What field of business should you pursue based on your personality So you’re thinking about pursuing business but have no clue where you would fit in best? Should you become a public accountant, a digital marketer, or maybe even human resources? The possibilities are endless in business. You are bound to find your perfect match based on what you enjoy doing. This quiz is perfect in helping you decide where your skills will shine in the business field.  Source [ Playbuzz ]

Monday, November 4, 2019

Titanic - The Unsinkable Ship Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Titanic - The Unsinkable Ship - Research Paper Example Before going into the details of the famous and tragic Titanic disaster, let’s first plunge into the history of the Titanic ship. Titanic is the ship that grabbed the attention of the whole world, when it was made, and when it sank (Molony). The 1950's version of the Titanic's sinking, "A Night to Remember', and the latest 1997’s version of James Cameron’s Titanic, are the masterpieces that detail the shipwreck. Ambekar (para.1) writes that, â€Å"Titanic was one the greatest ship built in twentieth century.† It was of such great strength that it was believed to be unsinkable. It was the largest ship ever made, â€Å"stretching a sixth of a mile from bow to stern, standing ten stories high from its keel to the top of its four funnels and displacing over 45,000 tons†, writes Barczewski (1). It was an ostentatious and grand ship, known as the British passenger ocean liner, and was owned and driven by White Star Line (Eaton and Haas). Thomas Andrews, t he head of Harland & Wolff design department, was the designer of this 882.5 feet long ship. Commissioned by White Star and built by Harland and Wolff, it was created between 1908 and1909 in Belfast (Ireland), by more than 15,000 Irish shipyard workers. It is said that at that time, every worker was paid nearly $10 per week. Titanic was called unsinkable because of its strong structure. It had double bottom. The hull, whose number was 401, was divided into sixteen waterproof compartments. The structure of the ship was such that it could support the ship to stay floating, even if two of its middle compartments, or four of the front compartments, submerged under water and got flooded. Interior Design Now, let’s talk about the interior decoration of Titanic. Registered in Liverpool and belonging to the Olympic class of the White Star Line, the ship offered a luxurious lifestyle to its passengers, though it was far away from land. It contained all kinds of entertainment facilities, dining halls, pubs, dancing floors, living rooms, and massive kitchens. Equipped with four 400 kilowatt electrical generators, the Titanic ship had a plentiful supply of electricity. The passengers had the facility of separate rooms, and they could use electric heaters and electric lamps. The deck offered all kinds of continental foods, thus increasing the lavishness on the ship. The food was stored and refrigerated properly. Special areas had been dedicated to indoor games. A fully furnished gymnasium was also present in which the passengers could do their daily exercises. Passengers could use lifts for moving inside the ship. There was proper ventilation in the ship, due to which proper airy conditions were maintained. Passengers could use telephones to communicate. Radios were also available

Friday, November 1, 2019

Employment Relationship-Shewin Memorandum Essay

Employment Relationship-Shewin Memorandum - Essay Example For the past 6 years, she is in the same cadre. During 8 years of service, she was in the reporting line of George Doright, who was enjoying the fame of very competent, energetic and a good character boss. In the later years, the new management came in and started the process of re-organizing / re-structuring of the organization for a better performance. Accordingly, the management repositioned the location of Doright and he was transferred to another division to accomplish the assigned tasks. During the process of re-organization of the company, two editors stand retired leaving a vacuum behind them to be filled in. After mentioned development in the organization, she was transferred to work under the subordination of infamous Arthur King, the Senior Editor of Blabber. During the incumbency of King, she had to suffer a lot because she was not ready to meet the sexual desire of King. Issues After the retirement of two editors from the company, she was expecting for the said position. Despite having expertise and experience, which requires for a vacant position, she was not considered for the same. However, to fulfill the formalities of promotional requirement, she was just called for an interview. The outcome of the interview was nothing but sheer wastage of time. After a lapse of reasonable period of time in her organization, last month, she applied for a junior level position of Editor. It meant that in spite of all odds, she did not give up her hope for a respectable status in the organization, which she did not get due to obvious reasons. It is strange to note that for the vacant position, she has been interviewed by King, the Editor of Blabber, in a restaurant rather than in his office. The interview was against her expectation and she was not comfortable with the interviewer since the questions asked in the mock interview of personal nature instead of professional. The most questions revolved about her personal life and about her boy friend. She lost her confidence the way interview was conducted and of course gave up her hope for the position for which she applied for. It is interesting to note that after few weeks of conducting interview of Shewin by King, the senior Editor instead of promoting her for the post, hired the services of Gene Whiz, an outsider for the advertised vacancy although Gene has no comparison with Shewin in terms of age, qualification, working experience and expertise. Gene was just 26 years old, did her master in journalism the other day from the University of Chicago and joined local newspaper of small size to work as a reporter. Factors The self analysis of Shewin concerning key factors that disqualified her for the position applied for are: a) promotion of three women in the upper strata of management that took place before re-organization / restructuring process b) King had no role in the promotion decision c) She refused to join King outside business premises to discuss business invitations since his lu st for women / bad reputation was not hidden from anybody in the company d) filing of complaints against her male counter parts while Doright was in office about their attitude of discussing their dates with girlfriends in graphics details loudly the next Monday morning of each weekend e) Doright, the then incumbent, reprimanded her male counter parts for their mentioned deeds f) five African American senior

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Environmental Problems, Climate Change and Global Warming Essay

Environmental Problems, Climate Change and Global Warming - Essay Example This essay discusses that there is a need for formulation of environmental ethics that can help us to understand and address the issues holistically. This may include first addressing the issues of systematic and institutional forms of developmentalism since they are the major contributing factors. This will create a sense of integrative approach to these issues thereby creating a good startup point for addressing the environmental problems. It is of crucial significance to give credit to the paradigm shift from Oil to Soil. This is quite beneficial since it leads to a sense of environmental consideration. It is crucial to understand that without the environment, there can be no resources like the oil. Again, with an unconducive environment, the benefits we derive from the environment will not help us that much. Therefore, it is important that when we derive benefits from the environment, including the oils, we should be conscious and considerate about the fate of the soil or the env ironment generally. It is true that many people in the industrialized countries always perceive issues touching on environmental considerations alongside developments as impractical or idealistic. This follows that they always lack a sense of environmental considerations following the majority of their operations. However, in order to deal with this, there should be policies in place that regulate industrial activities with regards to the emissions. In addition, there should be set environmental standards that should be met by those industrialized nations.

Monday, October 28, 2019

Hydrogen Gas Lab Essay Example for Free

Hydrogen Gas Lab Essay * For the mass, an uncertainty of0.01g was used, as the uncertainty was stated on the weighing machine. * For the volume, an uncertainty of0.05mL was used, as it was half the smallest increment on the graduated cylinder. * For the temperature, an uncertainty of0.5 was used, as it was half the smallest increment on the thermometer. Sample Calculation Converting mL to L Data Processing: Magnesium+HCl Reaction -Finding the molar volume at STP of hydrogen gas when HCl is reacted with magnesium. Finding Pressure of (Pressure of H2O at 21=0.02763) Finding Volume of at STP 0.002 Sample Calculation Finding Uncertainty for Finding moles of Moles of Finding Molar Volume of at STP. Zinc+HCl Reaction Experimentally calculating molar mass of zinc using the ideal gas laws. Finding Pressure of (Pressure of H2O at 21=0.02763) Finding Moles of Determining Molar Mass of Zn Conclusion: In conclusion it was found that the molar volume of hydrogen gas that was produced when hydrochloric acid reacted with magnesium was 19L/mol3. Ideally it should be 22.4L/mol according to the ideal gas laws. There is a percent difference of 15% between the two values. But if uncertainties are considered the percent difference is reduced to 2%. This is an acceptable value because the actual value of 22.4L/mol is an approximation in ideal conditions according to the ideal gas laws. The ideal gas laws dont take into consideration the attractive forces between atoms, or the volume of the atoms. And most likely if those factors were considered then the percent difference would be 0%. For the second part of the experiment it was experimentally found using the ideal gas laws that the molar mass of zinc is 124 g/mol. When compared with the actual value of 65g/mol, there is a percent difference of 90%. And even if uncertainties are considered, the percent difference is only reduced to 64%. This is too big; therefore the data is rendered unreliable. There were quite a few weaknesses and limitations in this lab. First of all the volume of H2O mixed in with the H2 gas was not considered. Had it been considered, then the volume found at STP would have been lower, and it would give a more accurate measurement to what the experimental value is. Another weakness in this lab was the fact that the molar mass of zinc was twice as big as its accepted value. The most likely reason for this is that when the zinc reacted, it is likely that some of the hydrogen gas was not in the beaker, but the hydrogen gas escaped into the air. That is why when the formula n=PV/RT was used, the volume in the numerator was half as big as it should be, which in turn caused the calculated molar mass to double. So it can be assumed that approximately half the hydrogen gas escaped into the air. Another weakness was the fact that the apparatus was left over night, and so if there was a microscopic hole or crack, then the chances of the hydrogen escaping is very high. This would be true because, and since hydrogen has the lowest molar mass of all the elements, it would have a very high velocity, and so it is possible that the hydrogen gas was able to escape through a microscopic hole at a fast rate because it has such a high velocity. Not only that, but since it was left overnight, it would have had more time to escape the beaker. There are a number of ways that this lab could be improved. First of all, a new graduated cylinder should be used to ensure that there are no cracks or holes through which the hydrogen gas can escape. Along with that the apparatus should not be left out overnight, but instead the reaction should be speeded up by heating up the apparatus, and then taking the measurements of the volume of gas every 1 minute. This in turn would decrease the amount of energy lost to the environment, and it would end up giving more accurate results. Next time, the volume of should also be considered. A percentage value can be used, since we know the pressure that gives, that pressure can be converted into a percent, and multiplies by the total volume, and then inversed. This in turn will in turn give the volume of .This will hold true because V=nRT/P, so pressure and volume are inversely proportional, and since nRT is a constant V and P have to change accordingly.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Pieter Bruegel the Elder and Sons :: essays `papers

Pieter Bruegel the Elder and Sons Pieter Bruegel , usually known as Pieter Bruegel the Elder to distinguish him from his elder son, was the first in a family of Flemish painters. He spelled his name Brueghel until 1559, and his sons retained the "h" in the spelling of their names. Pieter Bruegel the Elder, generally considered the greatest Flemish painter of the 16th century, is by far the most important member of the family. He was probably born 1529, in Breda in the Duchy of Brabant, now in The Netherlands. He was accepted as a master in the Antwerp painters' guild in 1551, and was apprenticed to Coecke van Aelst, a leading Antwerp artist, sculptor, architect, and designer of tapestry and stained glass. Bruegel traveled to Italy in 1551 or 1552, completing a number of paintings, mostly landscapes, there. Returning home in 1553, he settled in Antwerp. Ten years later, Bruegel moved permanently to Brussels. He married van Aelst's daughter, Mayken, in 1563. His association with the van Aelst family drew Bruegel to the artistic traditions of the Mechelen region in which allegorical and peasant themes run strongly. Dated paintings have survived from each year of the period except for 1558 and 1561. Within this decade falls Bruegel's marriage to Mayken Coecke in the Church of Notre-Dame de la Chapelle in Brussels. His paintings, including his landscapes and scenes of peasant life, stress the absurd and vulgar, yet are full of zest and fine detail. They also expose human weaknesses and follies. He was sometimes called the "peasant Bruegel" from such works as Peasant Wedding Feast (1567). It was in Rome, in 1553, that Bruegel produced his earliest signed and dated painting, Landscape with Christ and the Apostles at the Sea of Tiberias. The holy figures in this painting were probably done by Maarten de Vos, a painter from Antwerp then working in Italy. Among his patrons was Cardinal Antione Perrenot de Granvelle. Granville was president of the council of state in the Netherlands, in whose palace in Brussels the sculptor Jacques Jonghelinck had a studio. He and Bruegel had traveled in Italy at the same time, and his brother, a rich Antwerp collector, Niclaes, was Bruegel's greatest patron, having by 1566 acquired sixteen of his paintings. Another patron was Abraham Ortelius, who in a memorable obituary called Bruegel the most perfect artist of the century.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Iago as a Satan Figure in Shakespeares Othello Essay -- Othello essay

Iago as a Satan Figure in Othello      Ã‚   The play "Othello" by William Shakespeare is based on an Italian story in Giraldi Cinthio's Hecatommithi (Groliers). In "Othello" we encounter Iago, one of Shakespeare's most evil characters.   Iago is an ensign in Othello's army and is jealous of Cassio's promotion to Lieutenant. Through deception and appearance, we see unfolded a plethora of lies and clever schemes. The astonishing thing about Iago is that he seems to make up his malicious schemes as he goes along without any forethought. Noted writer Samuel Taylor Coleridge describes Iago's plan as "motive-hunting of a motiveless malignity" (Scott 413). Iago seizes every opportunity to further advance his plan to his advantage. Greed plays a major role as a motive for his various schemes. Throughout the story, Iago portrays himself as a Satan figure. In many ways, Iago can compare with Satan.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Iago, like Satan, has proved himself to be a master at deception. He lies to everyone taking great care to disguise his own thoughts. For example, in Act 1, scene 2, when he is speaking to Othello about his feelings toward Cassio, he uses very strong language of a manly soldier, while at the same time, he lies throughout the whole speech faking loyalty to a fellow soldier and all the while implying that he is reluctantly holding back the full truth: "I had rather have this tongue cut from my mouth/ Than it should do offense to Michael Cassio" (I.ii.21-22). This deception impresses and convinces Othello that his ensign is a good and loyal soldier. Iago also succeeds in deceiving Cassio. After Cassio's drunken fight, Iago counsels him to speak to Desdimona about trying to convince Othello to reinstate him as lieutenant, all th... ... to refer to him as, He says: "I am the I AM. . ." (Ex. 3:14). Iago says that he is the I am not. He is, in essence, the exact reverse of God. As we have seen, metaphorically and by example, Iago has proven to be the epitome of evil in that he uses the same tactics that Satan does to get what he wants.    Works Cited Carey, Gary M.A. Cliff's Notes. Cliff's Notes Incorperated. Lincoln Nebraska,1980. Holy Bible. New American Standard Version. The New Grolier Multimedia Encyclopidia. Rel. 6. CD-ROM. Online Computer Systems Incorperated. 1993. Scott, Mark. Critical Interperatation of Othello. from Shakespeare for Students. Detroit, Michigan: Gale Research Incorperated, 1992. 411-457. Shakespeare, William. Othello, The Moor of Venice. from Literature and the Writing Process. McMahon, Day, Funk. Prentice-Hall Publishers: New Jersey, 1996. 864-947.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

The Question of Female Citizenship

The Question of Female Citizenship Catherine Tupper In the early 1800’s a young man by the name of James Martin was denied by the lower court when he claimed that his deceased mother’s property in the United States was confiscated from his family. After being denied for an appeal in the lower court, James appealed his decision to the Supreme Judicial Court. The problem at conflict in this case was whether or not James mother, Anna, was defined as a feme-covert or as a citizen of The United States. This court case was called Martin v. Massachusetts.According to the Source, in eighteenth-century Anglo-America a married women, by law, was known as a feme-covert. A woman considered a feme-covert was completely covered by her husband and had no recognized legal identity. She had no right to buy, sell or own property independently of her husband. In the case of Martin v. Massachusetts, the plaintiff James Martin presented the fact that his late mother left the United States b ecause his father did. In other words, Anna had no choice due to the feme-covert law which states that the man speaks and acts for the wife.The argument made by the ter-tenants was that Anna had the right to stay and claim citizenship due to the fact that all of the land owned by her husband was indeed hers because it was passed down by her father. In the end, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts ruled that Anna Martin was bound by her marriage vows and had to follow her husband to England. The court reversed the confiscation and the land was returned to the Martin family. Due to the fact that the confiscation of Anna Martin’s property was reversed, the justices stated that women could not act independently of her husband in political or economic matters.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Giotto di Bondone - Father of the Renaissance

Giotto di Bondone - Father of the Renaissance Giotto di Bondone was known for being the earliest artist to paint more realistic figures rather than the stylized artwork of the medieval and Byzantine eras Giotto is considered by some scholars to be the most important Italian painter of the 14th century.  His focus on emotion and natural representations of human figures would be emulated and expanded upon by successive artists, leading Giotto to be called the Father of the Renaissance. Places of Residence and Influence Italy: Florence Important Dates Born: c. 1267Died: Jan. 8, 1337 Quotation from Giotto Every painting is a voyage into a sacred harbor. About Giotto di Bondone Though many stories and legends have circulated about Giotto and his life, very little can be confirmed as fact. He was born in Colle di Vespignano, near Florence, in 1266 or 1267- or, if Vasari is to be believed, 1276. His family was probably farmers. Legend has it that while he was tending goats he drew a picture on a rock and that the artist Cimabue, who happened to be passing by, saw him at work and was so impressed with the boys talent that he took him into his studio as an apprentice.  Whatever the actual events, Giotto appears to have been trained by an artist of great skill, and his work is clearly influenced by Cimabue. Giotto is believed to have been short and ugly. He was personally acquainted with Boccaccio, who recorded his impressions of the artist and several  stories of his wit and humor; these were included by Giorgio Vasari in the chapter on Giotto  in his  Lives of the Artists.  Giotto  was married and at the time of his death, he was survived by at least six children. The Works of Giotto There exists no documentation to confirm any artwork as having been painted by Giotto di Bondone. However, most scholars agree on several of his paintings. As an assistant to Cimabue, Giotto is believed to have worked on projects in Florence and other places in Tuscany, and in Rome. Later, he also traveled to Naples and Milan. Giotto almost undoubtedly painted the Ognissanti Madonna (currently in the Uffizi in Florence) and the fresco cycle in the Arena Chapel (also known as the Scrovegni Chapel)  at Padua, considered by some scholars to be his masterwork.  In Rome, Giotto is believed to have created  the mosaic of  Christ Walking on the Water  over the entrance to St. Peter’s, the  altarpiece at the  Vatican Museum, and  the fresco of  Boniface VIII Proclaiming the Jubilee  in  St. John Lateran.   Perhaps his best-known work is that done in Assisi, in the Upper Church of San Francesco: a cycle of 28 frescoes depicting the life of Saint Francis of Assisi. This monumental work depicts the entire life of the saint, instead of isolated events, as had been the tradition in ​earlier medieval artwork. The authorship of this cycle, like most of the works attributed to Giotto, has been called into question; but it is very likely that he not only worked in the church but designed the cycle and painted most of the frescoes. Other important works by Giotto include the Sta Maria Novella Crucifix, completed sometime in the 1290s, and the Life of St. John the Baptist fresco cycle, completed c. 1320. Giotto was also known as a sculptor and architect. Though there is no concrete evidence for these assertions, he was appointed chief architect of the workshop of Florence cathedral in 1334. The Fame of Giotto Giotto was a much-sought-after artist during his lifetime. He appears in works by his contemporary  Dante  as well as  Boccaccio.  Vasari said of him, Giotto restored the link between art and nature. Giotto di Bondone died in Florence, Italy, on January 8, 1337. More Giotto di Bondone Resources Painting of Giotto by Paolo UccelloBooks on Giotto include Giottoby  Francesca Flores dArcais Giotto(Taschen Basic Art)by Norbert Wolf Giotto(DK Art Books)by  Dorling Kindersley Giotto: The Founder of Renaissance ArtHis Life in Paintingsby  DK Publishing Giotto: The Frescoes of the Scrovegni Chapel in Paduaby Giuseppe Basile Giotto di Bondone on the Web WebMuseum: Giotto Extensive examination of Giottos life and work by Nicolas Pioch. Renaissance Art and Architecture