Gentleman of the Jungle

In Kenyatta’s The Gentlemen of the Jungle, man renders space in his hut to elephant who seeks shelter from man. Man resorts to violence after elephant and the rest of the animals take advantage of his kindness. â€Å" my deer good man, will you please let me put my trunk inside your hut to keep it out of this torrential rain? ’’ asked the elephant, knowing very well that he needed more space than just what his trunk was going to occupy. Man invited elephant to put his trunk in, once invited, the elephant pushed his whole body into mans hut pushing man out of his hut â€Å"as there is not enough room for both of us, you can afford to remain in the rain while I am protecting my delicate skin from the hailstorm† said the elephant. Against the one tone beast man was helpless so he seeks the help of the King of the jungle, who deems the elephant to be just. With no one to turn to for justice, man resorts to violence. Under the pretence of civilizing Africa, colonial powers entered into Africa and brought tobacco whisky and religion, once in, they took gold silver and spice to nourish their land as did the elephant to protect its delicate skin. Colonial inhabitants like the Elephant were big and powerful. Against their gun powder and muskets, the sharpest African spear is blunt; they were more advanced in weaponry and larger in number since Africa was then divided into many little tribes. There are several reasons why colonizers explored the world. Although their motive for Africa is made known after the colossal damage they caused in Africa, their facade was the premise of making the world a better place for all to live. The colonizers of Africa needed resources to build the life of luxury they wanted, but they had a problem; they did not have enough resources in their land to live the lifestyle they wanted; hence the exploration. The Colonizers took more than they were offered by the Africans. Elephants are known to appear calm and docile, but can be very violent. An elephant is unpredictable and can turn on any one at any time, with a high probability of causing colossal damage to their surroundings. According to www. discovery. com, an elephant is â€Å"the beast which passes all others in wit and mind. † With this knowledge of elephant’s capability to outsmart man, one can argue that elephant intentionally asked for man’s help with the ulterior motive of taking what is rightfully man’s property. The hide of an elephant is very hard and can withstand any burden; hence why the elephant is referred to as a beast of burden. The scientific name for an elephant is pachyderms, which means thick-skinned animals. Elephant’s statement that his â€Å"skin is too delicate† is insulting, and condescending to man, considering the fact that an elephant’s hide is very rough and rugged; a characteristic that is quite opposite of the delicate skin of man. One can argue that this is an effort by the author to give the reader a glimpse of the attitude of colonizers towards Africans; the attitude of the African being inferior to the colonizers. Once in Africa, in this case, man’s hut, with the size and might of an elephant, the natural inhabitants of Africa were pushed out of their land. How then does one defend himself from a beast that weighs a ton, to whom do you ask for help if your cry for justice is suppressed with what is an unjust law? The African allowed the colonizers on to their land and the colonizers established their own law on the land of Africa to judge and dissolve disputes how they see fit. Another point that sparks my attention as a reader is Kenyatta’s choice of the members of the animal kingdom. Why the choice of the lion, buffalo, leopard, and hyena as the intruders of man’s hut, and the members of the ruling committee of this case. Why not a cat, a mouse, or any other domestic animals? To further investigate the nature of these animals, an in-depth research was done on the personalities of such animals. The head of the Judging committee, the Lion, is notorious for its greedy nature. Lions steal what is not rightfully theirs. It is in their nature to take advantage of weaker species whenever the opportunity presents itself. The hyena is by nature a scavenger. The spotted African hyena â€Å"features prominently in African mythology and folklore, where its portrayal varies from being a bringer of light, to a symbol of immorality and depravity. †(www. wikipedia. com) African folklore associates the hyena with immorality and depravity; this says a lot about the hyena in this story considering the fact that it was a member of the unjust rulers of the animal kingdom, and also an intruder to man’s hut which he built for himself. Hyenas are opportunistic and consistently fight with lions in the wild because they’d rather steal the lion’s food than hunt for themselves. The rhino is a bully. Most people view the rhino as a slow lumbering animal; however, they can turn 180 degrees at the blink of an eye and when necessary can run remarkably fast. The leopard operates with stealth, and is known to be the most secretive, shrewdest and elusive of the large carnivores. It is the strongest climber of the large cats and capable of killing prey larger than itself. All of the above named animals have tendencies to appear docile, but have great capabilities of doing damage. It is not like the nature of these animals to even co-exist together. However, in this story, they, like colonial powers unite and form an alliance against man, the African. Like the recurring theme of colonizers taking Africa’s wealth, the animal kingdom continues taking from man. The colonial powers, like the elephant had ulterior motives of taking what’s rightfully the property of man, the African. This constant power struggle and trend of injustice and disregard for the African caused the African to seek violence as the ultimate problem solver.

Cultural Enlightenment

They have access to large listening libraries, state-of-the-art recording studios, Instrumental combos, and regular master classes given by a variety of highly successful, working Jazz musicians. Graduates find work In a variety of settings as arrangers, ensemble directors, vocal coaches, recording engineers and producers, jingle singers, jazz artists, educators, theme-park and cruise-line entertainers, contemporary Christian singers, pop/rock singers, cabaret and club performers, back- p singers, and even arts administrators and managers.I thought about attending my first concert as an audience member, as I watched choir members Join their ranks. I was not sure what my reaction would be. Would I feel moved by the music? Would it put me in that fantastic trance of both energy and peace? As I watched the choir file on stage as part of their Vocal Jazz Ensemble Concert, I noticed many new faces mixed In with the familiar. I thought fondly back to my first weeks in the church choir as I was growing up. The music began before I knew If I was ready.After Just a few notes, though, I began to relax. I was still In the sanctuary. The experience was different. My nerves were running high, but the music still took me n TTS nana, Ana gently lea me to Tanat place AT Inner peace. Can song was an exploration of different texture and flavor of music. The music was introspective and thought provoking, bold and inspiring. Most importantly, the music was an escape. Music creates a wall of protection from those concerns. That is its power.I Joyously left the peaceful sanctuary so beautifully created by the choir on Friday night. Yet, I continue to hold that reminder of God's presence in my heart. It's a place I can go to when I need strength or peace. The music continues to live through this choir, and I know that their witness has inspired me. It is my hope and prayer that everyone who is a part of this wonderful process-director, choir members, and audience alike-will continue to carry this purpose and message with them. â€Å"The music lives! † Praise the LORD! [pick]

Article summary of Roschach Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Article summary of Roschach - Essay Example The findings of over 125 meta-analysis and 800 multimethod assessment studies have shown that psychological assessment instruments such as the Rorschach perform as effectively as any instrument used in the entire health services industry such as â€Å"electrocardiograms, mammography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), dental radiographs, Papanicolaou (Pap) smears, positron emission tomography (PET) scans, and serum cholesterol level testing†. This conclusion was arrived at after analyzing a comprehensive set of 144 validity coefficients for psychological and medical tests. The results of these tests were comparable to those obtained for finding the validity of intelligence scales and the Minnesota Multi-phasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). Hence the research scholars unanimously concur on the validity of the Rorschach, stating that they find no reason why this instrument should be criticized. Moreover, when one considers the contexts in which the Rorschach is usually used, then most criticisms directed against it don’t hold good. Hence conditional validity is a key area of research going forward.

Christianity Compared to Muslim Traditions Research Paper

Christianity Compared to Muslim Traditions - Research Paper Example In the year 1689 John Locke argued that no citizen of a state should be denied rights merely based on their religious beliefs. On the basis of this argument, a radical change spread across the Western nations, beginning in the New World and eventually into the European states towards a tolerance and level of acceptance that was intended to provide everyone the same opportunities without regard to their religious affiliation (Lewis and Churchill, 1). Bias, on the other hand, is a very different sort of experience and the bias that exists against other belief systems has been a driving force for the evil that men will do for thousands of years. In recent history two religions that have come into conflict based on political ideologies are those of Christianity and Islam where neither people fully understands the other. If looked at from an observational perspective, however, the religions are not that far apart in their beliefs or in the practice of those beliefs. While aspects of the I slamic and Christian religion are very far apart, the central ideas that hold each of the religions together are very similar in practice. Perspectives on Christianity Christianity encompasses a number of different denominations that all have small differences in the way in which they worship. Denominational differences primarily occurred during the time of the Reformation after Martin Luther took exception to the idea of selling forgiveness by the Catholic Church. The Christian religion has undergone a long list of changes from its beginning. The followers of Christ were originally rebels against a polytheistic society. After centuries of spreading the word, European followers were suddenly the oppressors creating wars and hosting invasive organizations like the Inquisition which judged and harmed. The organization of Christianity into a political system created a spiritual world with one foot in the secular as it began to function as members of state and as a center of wealth. Catholicism There about 900 million Catholics in the world today, which comprise about half of the Christian population. A Catholic church is headed by the clergy who are m ostly priests and bishops. There are ranks within the Church with the leader of the Church being the Pope. One of the more interesting practices of the Church is the event of electing a new Pope. As the Cardinals vote on electing a new Pope they will release black smoke form the chimney on days that they fail to vote in a new leader. On the final day that they choose a new Pope, the chimney will release white smoke, indicating to the masses that a new Pope has been elected (Penney 12). The most important celebration within the Catholic Church is the taking of the Eucharist. The Eucharist is Communion, which means that the individual has confessed their sins and is in a state of forgiveness, opening them to communication with God through sharing in a symbolic meal with Him. The worshiper takes in a wafer that symbolizes the bread which is the body of Christ and drinks wine, believing that this symbolizes the blood of Christ. This practice had many tribal communities that missionaries had approached and tried to teach the ways of Christian worship believing that Christians were cannibals (Jones 62). This practice, however, is intended to symbolizing becoming one with God through sharing of food and drink. As well, the worshiper becomes connected to the divine, thus the requirement for having cleared the conscious before participating. There are many symbolic rites that are conducted in the Catholic Church. The sign of the Cross is made when entering into a Church as the worshiper kneels before entering a pew. As well, this practice, called genuflecting, is also conducted when the worshipper leaves the pew. The worshiper has dipped their fingers into holy water before making the sign of the cross, creating a a symbolic washing of the heart before touching the head, solar plexus, left

Developing Leadership Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Developing Leadership - Term Paper Example This means that training is necessary in developing leadership competencies (Conger, 1993). Every individual has the capacity to develop their own leadership skills. However, achieving this is not rosy and requires one to be focused, practical and persistent. These are illustrated using the leadership ideas and traits discussed hereunder. Leadership Ideas A good leader must have leadership ideas for an organization or business to succeed. This calls for responsibility which sometimes calls for one to piss people off according to Powell. Powell asserts that good leadership entails being responsible for the general welfare of the team. This means that not everybody will be pleased by all the decisions and actions of a leader. Sometimes, people get furious and angry with the leader for the decisions that they make (Powell, n.d.). In this respect, a leader should learn to act honorably. Powell compares getting everyone to like the leader’s stand with mediocrity. This means that, a s a leader, one will have to face tough decisions, avoid confrontation with people who are supposed to be confronted, and refrain from giving rewards based on performance since some workers may get upset. When a leader tries to impress everyone, he/she ends up annoying individuals who are the most creative and productive in the organization. Therefore, as a leader, one must sometimes piss people off under his leadership for the organization to succeed. Powell also cautions leaders to be wary of those under their leadership who stop engaging them in decision making or reporting problems. He notes that this is a sign of leadership failure (Powell, n.d.). As such, it is necessary for leaders to give room for communication and consultations by removing barrier that may hinder juniors from airing out their views. He goes ahead to assert that real leaders make themselves available and accessible. They also recognize the efforts and problems facing underlings since even they demand high st andards. Powell notes that creating a barrier in an organization does no good and leads to the organization’s failure. Therefore, a good leader should create an atmosphere where problem analysis overrides blame. Powell reveals that leaders should never be buffaloed by elites and experts (Powell, n.d.). This is because experts tend to posses more knowledge than judgment. Elites, on the other hand, become congenital to an extent that they create hemophiliacs that vanish with time. Therefore, an organization can perform well whether or not there are elites and experts in it. What matters is that, as a leader, one needs to be vigilant and proactive (Powell, n.d.). The other leadership idea found from Powell is that leaders should never be afraid of challenging the pros, even in their own backyard (Powell, n.d.). He notes that as a leader one needs to learn from those who support them, keenly monitor them, and seek them out as advisers and partners. He, however, cautions that even the pros may have leveled out in terms of their skills and learning. This means that leadership is not just being built on blind obedience to everyone, but good leadership promotes everyone’s evolution. Good leaders never ignore details. This means that they must remain vigilant all the times. In this regard, a good leader should ensure that all the activities of an organization are executed at the right time and in the precise way. Powel notes that good leadership also

Evaluation Of The Language Of Politics Book Essay

Evaluation Of The Language Of Politics Book - Essay Example The book gives various substantial examples of scholarly literature that maintain political languages' aspects as the most important element when using the language of politics. According to Michael, the influence on political thinking establishes politically naivety that closely establishes political philosophies and developments. Moreover, in the book, Michael argues that the importance of relevant language in politics is that it shapes various political views and beliefs that promote peaceful coexistence and development of philosophical, political ideas (Geis 5). The shaping of political factors using relevant language in politics promotes literacy levels among people in the society who embrace the importance of developments through the well-listened communicated language of politics. The book maintains that the use of scholarly literature evokes self-serving political leaders who know the interest of politics and language necessary in the society. Therefore, Michael gives various aspects associated with the shaping of politics as the importance of language used in politics that maintains societal literacy levels on politics as presented in the book, the language of Politics.The importance of the use of relevant language and politics engages aspects of political events and developments needed by experienced people in the society. Geis (4) argues that the use of appropriate language in a political field tolerates events that give meanings of languages with depicted developments.

The effects of aquaculture on bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops sp.) Essay

The effects of aquaculture on bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops sp.) ranging in Shark Bay, Western Australia - Essay Example of such a large number of single species, the interruption of the food chain, the activity of humans and the interference with migration patterns and appropriate safe places in which dolphins have traditionally hidden from predators, there have not been many studies conducted regarding the exact effect these types of farms have on local dolphin populations. The study looked at the activities of 11 female dolphins that have been subjects of studies since 1988. Because the areas of the oyster farm moved periodically throughout the study, researchers were able to compare dolphin activities at each stage of operation. The study was conducted by approaching dolphins as they were seen from a small boat and determining individuals by their dorsal fins. At the same time, the location of the boat was recorded by taking bearings on GPS devices or landmarks. These location points were then charted and compared to the oyster farm areas. The dolphins studied did show a significant decrease in usage of the areas used by the oyster farm, preferring to operate around the farm rather than in it or through it. The impact of this is decreased foraging sites for female dolphins, resulting in decreased eating, reproductive success and disruption in established social

Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 29

Management - Essay Example Therefore, it is important for Intel to have a proper understanding and interpretation of its external environment. The external environment comprises of the political, economic, socio-cultural, technological, legal and environment aspects (Penrose 60). The political aspects of the external environment relate to the fact that Intel is a multinational company that operates in different states. In effect, the political stability of the country determines the manner in which the company penetrates the market. Politics tend to have great influence on other aspects of the market such as policy and the economy. The ideology adopted by political players determines the direction in which the economy takes and the manner in which the company operates. Intel took over four years negotiating with the Vietnamese government to be allowed to operate in the country. The economic and technological aspects of the environment go to the financial capacity and competitiveness of the various states. The recent economic down turn greatly affected the company’s profitability and level of investment in innovation and new technology. The legal aspect of the environment affects the manner in which the company operates in the specific environment. Unf riendly policies limit the extent of the company’s operations. The porter’s five forces analysis framework interrogates the environment on five main areas. The competition, the substitutes, consumer bargaining power, supplier bargaining power and the intensity of the competition, are the fundamental aspects of the external environment. The technology market is increasingly expanding, and it allows companies to specialize in particular fields. Intel is one among the largest semiconductor chip makers. The chipset industry has a diverse structure that engages different inventors and producers. The competition is differentiated buy the customer loyalty and the legal boundaries that

Ethical Argument of The Omnivore's Dilemma Essay

Ethical Argument of The Omnivore's Dilemma - Essay Example k, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan has raised this issue as well, calling for an alternative to present day’s farming practices, when it comes to raising cattle for food. It is evident, that a change is, indeed, warranted, especially when it comes to the feedlot, and feeding of the cattle, because, as Pollan puts it, we â€Å"are what [we] eat eats too† (84). It would be, perhaps, best if we reverted to the old days of localized animal farming, where the cattle would be raised as close to their natural and evolutionary pattern as possible. The feedlots of today are not a modern inception; they came into being round about the time of the Second World War, when food had to be produced at a much cheaper and quicker way to feed the troops, while taking into account the lower number of men available for farming. While they were efficient for this purpose, they did not take into account the havoc the system may play on the various natural processes involved in cattle raising, both on the cattle and on the consumers thereof. First, animal farms were moved from main cities and cattle were displaced from â€Å"widely dispersed farms in places like Iowa to live in densely populated new animal cities† (Pollan 67), termed CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation). This creates problems on its own, as now the cattle waste that was once used to fertilize the farm goes to waste and ends up polluting the environment. Though, as it would later be explained, the manure of the cattle on CAFOs is no longer so tenable either. The calves that are born into the present animal farms are allowed their natural diet of mother’s milk and grass for only six months, after which they are taken away to the CAFO, to be fed an unnatural diet of â€Å"corn, for no other reason than it offers the cheapest calories around† (Pollan 68). Corn is not a natural food for the cattle, which results in many health problems for them; their stomachs do not digest corn well. Marvels of evolution,

Business Ethics and the Global Dimensions of Business Essay

Business Ethics and the Global Dimensions of Business - Essay Example Many businesses are targeting the real estate market of both India and China (Plunkett Research, 2011). The Asian markets are a great target, but the company has to select its location carefully and expand slowly to minimize business risk. I do not recommend a full expansion plan into Asia because they are a lot of countries in Asia that are extremely poor with a lack of economic resources. A country that must be an immediate target for the company is the island of Japan. Japan eight months ago was hit by the fourth biggest earthquake in the world’s history; a massive 8.9 richer scale earthquake (CountryWatch, 2011). As a construction company the firm can capitalize on the natural disaster to profit in the short and medium term. There should be plenty of construction projects in Japan for the next five years. The firm should seek a horizontal growth expansion plan. This plan works best if the country selects locations that have a high demand for the service the industry offers . Emerging economies typically have plenty of construction projects available since better infrastructure is needed to achieve social progress. Asia is the world’s largest continent with an area of 17.3 million square miles (CultureGrams, 2011). ... The two most practiced religions are Buddhism and Muslim. People in Asia are disciplined and believe in the common good of the group. Socialism is widely practice throughout Asia. The eastern economic region is one of the fastest growing regions in the world. Eastern Asia is composed of the following countries: 1. China 2. Japan 3. North Korea 4. South Korea 5. Mongolia 6. Taiwan China has been the fast growing economy during the past three decades reaching yearly GPD growth of approximately 9%. The income per capital in China is one the rise. In 2008 the real gross domestic product of China was $7,600. That number is relatively high since the prices of goods in China are similar to the prices Americans paid during the 1950’s. China is the most populated place in the world. XYZ could promote housing projects of very tall building in order to optimize their real estate capacity per square feet of land. The real estate markets in China are extremely favorable due to a rising mid dle class that is looking to upgrade their current living accommodations. India has also become a hotspot for business due to the high quality of labor at affordable prices (Plunkett Research, 2011). There are ethical issues that should be considered when entering the Asian markets. Corruption is widespread across many governments in Asia. Executives have to make tough decisions whether to participate in what would be considered unethical behavior in the United States due to the difference in business customers and overall cultural factors. Bribes are not considered the same in China than in the United States since Chinese culture on many instances accepts bribe as normal behavior of doing business. There is also the consideration of labor laws. Labor laws in many emerging economies

Product Evaluation †Slenda Fat Burner Essay Example for Free

Product Evaluation – Slenda Fat Burner Essay Slenda Fat Burner is a product name distributed by Slenda Nutritional Weight Loss Systems, a company that aims to provide natural remedies for losing weight and keeping healthy. Slenda Nutritional Weight Loss Systems claims that the components of Slenda products are all-natural ingredients, thus providing for a safe and effective way to shed weight, enhance the performance of the digestive system, speed up metabolism, augment the formation of slim and slender muscles, and keep healthy by feeling energized. The ingredients used in manufacturing Slenda products are said to have come from different parts of the world to ensure the quality and effectiveness of the product and have undergone biological tests to guarantee not only weight loss but also overall wellbeing. These ingredients include Vitamin B6, Garcinia Cabogia, Guarana Extract, Citrus Auranthium, white willow bark, L-carnitine, Chromium picolinate, dandelion leaf, Uva Ursi, green tea, and cayenne powder. (Slenda, 2008a) Slenda Nutritional Weight Loss Systems manufacture and distribute Slenda Fat Burner. Apparently, two people who endorse and practice the use of natural medicine founded the company. One of their primary goals is to provide products that are made from fine natural ingredients and educate consumers about the positive effects and benefits from using their products. The Slenda Nutritional Weight Loss Systems products claim to be an important instrument to â€Å"lose excess weight and fat easily and healthily.† The company claims to be dedicated in conducting continued and thorough research and remain conscious about new innovations that allows the them to develop and enhance nutritional supplements that promotes the health and being of everyone. Slenda products include Slenda Supergreens, Slenda Supergreens with Ashwaganda, Slenda Carbo Block, and Slenda Vital Vitamins. (Slenda, 2008b) I found the product over the internet as I was searching for general wellness merchandises. I browsed through their main website, slendasystems.com, and read the facts, news, frequently asked questions, and other related pages in their website to gain knowledge about their products and their goals and objectives. However, I was not able to find credentials and other relevant information that would prove the legitimacy of the company. Looking through the website about the use of their products, they are advising their consumers to use all their products simultaneously for best results (Slenda, 2008b). If a consumer uses the product for a month, assuming that all Slenda products last for three months $150 for three months totals to $600 a year. However, if the consumer uses Slenda Fat Burner alone, then he would be spending $30 for three months, or $120 per year (Slenda, 2008c). The main website of Slenda does not divulge any information regarding the side effects of Slenda Fat Burner. It only claims that ‘it is a natural, safe and effective way to reduce body size and weight, without any jittery side effects!† (Slenda, 2008d) There are no testimonials and other warnings from books, peer-reviewed articles, etc. that can be found over the internet by using Slenda Fat Burner. However, it still has not been reviewed and approved by the Food and Drug Authority (Acu-Market, 2008). Slenda Fat Burner is even more frightening because there are no comments or testimonials about it. Perhaps nobody tried to use it. I would not recommend this product to a friend who wants to try using it. First, it is not FAD approved, and second, there is no guarantee that it is really effective in losing weight. It also suggests that exercise and proper diet is needed to be able to achieve best results (Slenda, 2008e), which is hilarious, because if you want to lose weight, you really need to exercise to burn fats and maintain proper diet for health and wellness. Just doing this two, exercising and having a proper diet are enough for people to lose weight. Resources Acu-Market. (2008). Fat Burner by Slenda (100 Capsules). Retrieved March 10, 2008, from Medical Technology Products, Inc. Website: http://www.acu-market.com/prodinfo.asp?number=58272 Slenda. (2008a). Introducing Slenda. Retrieved March 10, 2008, from Slenda Nutritional Weight   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Loss Systems. Website: http://www.slendasystems.com/home.htm Slenda. (2008b). About Slenda. Retrieved March 10, 2008, from Slenda Nutritional Weight Loss   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Systems. Website: http://www.slendasystems.com/about.htm Slenda. (2008c). The Slenda Range: Buy Online. Retrieved March 10, 2008, from Slenda   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Nutritional Weight Loss Systems. Website: http://www.slendasystems.com/products.htm Slenda. (2008d). Slenda Health. Retrieved March 10, 2008, from Slenda Nutritional Weight Loss   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Systems. Website: http://www.slendasystems.com/health.htm Slenda. (2008e). Questions Answered. Retrieved March 10, 2008, from Slenda Nutritional   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Weight Loss Systems. Website: http://www.slendasystems.com/faq.htm

A Family for Christmas by Linda Finlay

A Family for Christmas by Linda Finlay Summary: As a matter of fact, the author of this story entitled A Family for Christmas is written by Linda Finlay. In addition, the events take place in London in different places such as Mole Valley Mine and Buckland Manor as well as Somerset and Barnstaple. Moreover, the main characters in the story are represented in: Eliza who is the main one and a young girl whose age is fifteen. She lives with her family consisted of two brothers, her father and pregnant mother while her two sisters live in a different place where they work. They are called Izzie and Hester. Another basic character is Fay who is a kind old woman that takes care of Eliza after escaping from her house. Duncan the Druid is also another character. He is very kind to Eliza and he treats her with tenderness as well as always taking care of her. Two more characters are Rose and Ben, a married couple who have a baby named Joshua. Then, there is Grandmother Evangalina who is Roses mother. She represents the stereotype of the gra nd motherhood as she comes to her daughters marital house to see her grandson and looks after him. Regarding the events of the story, it talks about the young poor Eliza who feels rejected at her own house. Her mother is pregnant and tired because of the house work and her two brothers while her father is upset because his job at the mine where he works is going to be finished as there is no more copper. One night, he argues with Elizas mother and says something that makes Eliza decide to run away from the house. He believes that his daughter is useless and ugly because of her twisted foot and she will not be able to get married. After leaving the house, Eliza goes to her sister Izzie. However, Izzie tells her that she does not have the ability to let Eliza stay with her because she needs the job and she will be kicked out. So, Eliza leaves her sister and keeps moving in the snowy cold weather till she faints. When she wakes up, she finds herself in a warm bed surrounded by an old w oman and a giant man. She knows that their names are Fay and Druncan. They help her to recover from the fever she had. Both of them also treat her in a very good way and they offer her food and clothes. However, Fays best pigeon pet named Wooden dies leaving her sad and lonely. Therefore, Duncan asks Eliza to go back and help their neighbors Ben and Rose with their little baby Joshua. So, she goes and helps them in preparing for the festive named Wassail at the twelfth night of the month. Eliza spends there a great time and also dances with Duncan. She likes him so much and she feels close to him. Eliza stays at Bens till the arrival of Roses mother Evangalina. Thats when she goes back to stay with Fay. There, she learns how to prepare perfumes and potions as well as medicines since she used to collect flowers before running out of the house. After that, Fay sends her to get well education and training about perfumery in Follytown with the assistance of Mr. Charles Farrant and Madam e Simmons. Aty the factory there, Eliza is responsible for polishing the floor in addition to keeping the equipment clean. Then she must read all the notes prepared by Mr. Farrant in order to learn more about theories so that she could be able to prepare perfumes. After receiving her training, Mr. Cary who is a father of James, Elizas friend and colleague at the factory, takes her to work in his shop. At the shop, she starts selling perfumes and dealing with different customers. One day while she was at the shop, she finds the two owners named Nan and Grandfa Sam talking to someone. When she looks at this familiar body, she figures out that he is her father. He comes to tell her that her mother and one of her siblings died, so he wants Eliza to take her younger brother Luke so that she could take care of him. At the end of the story, Eliza finds herself surrounded by people whom she loves and without whom she cannot imagine her life. On Christmas night, she has dinner with her broth er Luke, James with whom she falls in love, Grandfa Sam and Nan. She finally feels happy as she gets herself a new family who respect and adore her. She also feels that life is getting better and better in order to make up for her. Analysis: According to my point of view, the best part in the story is when Fay and Duncan the Druid gives Eliza presents because of her birthday. Fays present is amazing as she offers Eliza a painting. When Eliza looks at it, she finds a beautiful woman and when she asks Fay about such woman, Fay replies that she drew her. Eliza becomes very happy but she gets even happier when Duncan gives her the box she lost in snow after leaving her house. Such box is very close to Elizas heart because her grandfather made it for her and she keeps everything she likes in it. So, when Duncan finds it and shows it to her, she is excited and thrilled. She thanks him and kisses him on his cheek. She loves him so much because he is kind and pure-hearted towards her. He also protects her when an old man comes to Fays house to take her in order to work with him as a maid. Duncan stops him and tells him that Eliza is a guest and she cannot work. Therefore, it seems that he treats her like a lady; something that s he was not used to when she was living with her family. Another part of the story which I liked is when James gives Eliza the new pairs of shoe that make her walk well. When she puts them on, she feels very happy as she finally can be able to walk properly like any other person. James tells her that these shoes were the new business of his father as James explains to him Elizas medical condition. Therefore, Mr. Carl designs them and then James gives them back to Eliza. After seeing Eliza wearing them, James is so delighted and tells her that she now can be treated as a princess because she deserves that. Thats why she likes and loves James because he is handsome and very tender with her. He also treats her like she is something important to him and that she deserves such respect from people. As a result, they both become together at the end of the story while having Christmas dinner with Nan, Luke and Grandfa Sam. The worst part of the story is when Eliza decides to leave her sister and does not have any idea where to go. She is lost, lonely, cold and hungry. She walks a lot of miles in the snow and bad weather. She is weak and thin and she cannot find any shelter till she faints. This is very difficult and very hard for such young girl to go through as the cruel words said by her father forced her to prove to escape in order to prove to herself that she is not useless. Thats what she manages to show at the end after succeeding in the training of perfumery as well as working in the shop. Finally, Duncan the Druid and Fay find her and take her to the old womans house so that she can rest and receive recovery from the fever. At the house, she is well treated as Fay gives her broth and food to eat well in order to get better. Duncan also respects her and deals with her with appreciation and honesty. In addition, Fay tells her that she is a beautiful lady and that she must not believe what her fat her told her because he could get angry sometimes and then becomes calm. Thats why Eliza loves both of them so much. On the other side, I learned from the book a lot of things. One of these things is the new words used by the author as she succeeds in describing the events perfectly through using a lot of vocabularies. Some of these words are: druid, moore, grin, blush, distilled and others. From the ideas discussed in this story are methods of education done by parents. For example, we can compare between the education received by Eliza from her father and the one she received by Fay and Duncan or by Grandfa Sam and Nan or even Ben and Rose. While she is at her house, her father always treats her like nothing and hates her existence because he feels that she is useless and thats why she escapes to find a better life. On the other side, other characters give her food, medications and clothes in order to make her look better and walk better as well as not making her feel that she is a disabled or that she is dependent on others. By receiving this good treatment, Eliza starts to feel that finally lif e begins to smile at her. As for what the author tries to teach us, she wants to tell the readers who are attracted to her story that they must treat others well and that they must show them respect and good manners. Because when we are kind and truly appreciate others, they will love us and teat us back with honor. Furthermore, we have to prove to people whom we love our feelings towards them through giving them gifts and presents. Besides, parents have to deal with their children well, listen to their complaints and not be afraid to show what they truly feel towards them. Finally, it seems that Linda wants to indicate in the story A Family for Christmas that we will reap what we sow. In other words when we exert our best efforts and when we dedicate our time at work in order to earn money, God compensates us for all the struggle we had to face and rewards us for our good work. In my opinion, I believe that the best character is Duncan as he is so sweet with Eliza and finds her the box made by her grandfather where she keeps all her favorite things. He also believes that she is kind and beautiful and that she is not useless or a loser. On the contrary, he thinks that she must take care of herself and gets dressed well to show to herself that she deserves to be happy and treated like a lady. So, it seems that Duncan is truly a gentleman who knows how to deal ladies well and how to show them respect. Finally, this book and the plot in it is different comparing to other books. In such story, Linda perfectly manages to grab the attention of readers as well as sharing thoughts with them. She also tries to discuss alt of ideas to see their reactions. She also depicts the characters perfectly using a lot of new words and voices so that readers will not feel bored. She also was able to talk about every single topic on which she wanted to focus in order to prove her excellence and ability to write stories that any other author is not willing to or does not have the audacity to write. Thats why this story is considered as one of the best stories any one could read. Recommendations: The story written by Linda Fay is truly an amazing one and I would definitely recommend it to all my friends and family members. When I read this book, I become really excited and fascinated about the main character Eliza and how a poor young girl like her has to deal with all these problems in order to have a good life. After deciding to leave her house in which she was brought up, she does not know where to go. If Fay and Duncan did not find her, she would die or live in streets with no shelter or food. In spite of the fact that the story could be long to many people, I really enjoy it as it is full of different incidents that attract my attention especially when Elizas father comes to see her after this long time or when Eliza has dinner with her new family at the end or even when James gives her the new shoes to enable her to walk well without feeling disabled or useless. On the other hand, the story is good for both adults and young kids because its themes represented in love, r espect, family and poverty are suitable for any age. Thats why parents can read it for their children or they can read it by themselves. Moreover, Linda is one of the greatest authors as she tries to do whatever it takes in order to prove her success and increase her fame around the world. Thats why the New York Times calls this story the years best book since it is full of fiction, adventure, emotions and romance. Linda also focuses on the important ties and bonds between the members of family and how these bonds can have an impact on the members. Throughout the whole story, Eliza tries to find herself a new family with whom she can live in peace and serenity and with whom she can feel secured and safe. Thats what obliges her to escape to get a new life away from poverty and cruelty. At the end, Linda puts a happy ending to her story in order to make her readers satisfied about what they read and to make them enjoy reading more and more of her books.

XML Query Routing in P2P Systems | Paper Critique

XML Query Routing in P2P Systems | Paper Critique Critique on XML Query Routing in Structured P2P Systems (Leonidas Fegaras, Weimin He, Gowtham Das, David Levine) Rahul Rayineni The structured peer-to-peer network is a decentralized architecture which consists of large number of nodes that share data and resources with other nodes. They use a distributed hash table to determine the location of data. The nodes in structured P2P systems maintains a list of neighbors so that they from a overlay network in which lookup time for a key take logarithmic number of routing hops between peers. They offer better availability and scalability than unstructured P2P systems but the main difficulty in using these systems lies in data placement and query processing as queries are more complex. If the queries are not properly optimized routing and processing takes lot of time. This paper demonstrates about data placement, querying, and indexing large data repositories distributed over an existing DHT based P2P systems like pastry (Reference 4 and 6). According to Leonidas Fegaras, Weimen He, Gautam das, and David Levine, There are lot of earlier proposals like XPath lookup queries in P2P networks(Reference1) and Locating data sources in large Distributed Systems(reference 3) on indexing and querying XML data distributed data over a P2P network but there is no work reported on complex XML query processing with full text search that uses data synopses to selectively route queries to peers. The framework proposed in this paper is implemented on DHT-based P2P system Pastry (Reference 4 and 6). But this framework can be implemented on any P2P infrastructure. This frameworks works on summarized data namely structural synopsis and data synopsis for mapping XML queries. The high query routing precision, low data placement and low maintenance overheads are achieved through novel data synopses structures. This framework gives more accurate evaluation of textual and containment constraints in a query compared to bloom filters. The publishing process makes the documents available to other peers while unpublishing is removing the document by the owner. If the peer wants to update the document first it will unpublish the document and later publish it again to reflect the document updates. According to Leonidas Fegaras, Weimen He, Gautam Das, and David Levine, The XPath syntax is modified to add the predicate e ~ S, where e is an arbitrary XPath expression that returns true if at least from the sequence returned by e matches the search specification, S. A search specification is an IR-style Boolean keyword query that takes the form term | S1 and S2 | S1 or S2 | (S) where S, S1 and S2 are search specifications. A term is a keyword that must be present in the text of an element returned by the expression e. The label path of an XML document consists of child/attribute steps and can distinguish non-empty set of data nodes in the document. There are two types of data synopses used in this framework in which one is content synopses that contain structural summary nodes associated with bit matrices. The second one is positional filters which are bit vectors consists of internal structure summary nodes and their positions. To achieve good load balance with small number of nodes structural summary information and data synopsis are distributed over the existing P2P network. This framework is capable of finding all possible structural summaries applicable to the query with one DHT lookup. The content synopses consists of index terms along with their positions. Index terms are formed breaking the document in to simple terms. The position of the index term depends on the position of its begin/end tags. The position of the elements tag depends on the number of the begin and end tags preceding the elements. So index terms of a same element consists of same positional range. The positional bit vector consists of all the positions of the document. According to Leonidas Fegaras, Weimen He, Gautam Das, and David Levine, The search specification e ~ t1 and t2 for two terms t1 and t2 becomes true if and only if there is at least one document node returned by e that contains both terms. Using one-dimensional term bitmaps alone, such as bloom filters, and checking whether both the t1 and t2 bits are on, will give us a prohibitive number of false positives. The core operation in this framework is containments filtering, CF(F,V) which test element containment. Here F is positional filter and V is a bit vector. The output of the above function is new positional filter F. In the bit vector V, if there is at least one bit is on with in this range it copies all the bits in F to F. Data placement involves placing of structural summary and data synopsis. The structural summaries are routed to every peer using every different tag name. Thus, with a single DHT lookup we can able to find out all structural summaries matching the structural footprint of the query. The label path of data synopsis is used in placing it. Since Multiple documents consists of label path , the synopsis from these documents is placed at a single peer. Thus with single DHT look up we can locate all the documents. Query routing involves collecting and filtering documents all the way. The triples(peer, document, positional-filter) are used as communication between the peers. They contain id of a matching document and owner of the document along with the document positions. At each peer size of the list is reduced by removing the documents whose positional filter are zeroes. The network updates like node arrival, departure and failure are handled by novel methods when the node arrives the overlay network, it invokes the Pastry method notifyReady() and start sending and receiving messages. It receives all the information like structural summaries and data synopses from its predecessor. Similarly when a node decides to leave the network, it routes all its structural summaries and data synopses to its successor and leave the network. This can be done using one single message. When peer doesnt find a matching structural summary the predecessor node may be failed. In this case peer chooses another tagname and search request to other peers to find structural summary. The Id of the failed predecessor is used to check for the node failure. If the predecessor is failed it will abort the query and scan the list again for the documents and send a message to publisher to publish the data. The main advantage of this method it will abort only one query at a time and d ata synopsis is restored that is associated with the failed peer The closest work to this is done by L.Galanis, Y.Wang, S. R.Jeffery, and D.J.DeWitt. locating data sources in large distributed systems.(Reference 3). In this framework, the distributed indexing targets location of data sources which is different from the framework in this paper. The structural summaries are similar to the one that are presented in this paper. Here they use the tag name of the element that contain the text as search key which is contrary to the framework in this paper in which text was broken before indexing and label paths are used as keys. They dont address the indexing cost also. According to Leonidas Fegaras, Weimen He, Gautam Das, and David Levine, the framework proposed by Galanis (Reference 3) is more suitable for data-centric XML data rather than to document-centric ones, since the later may include large text portions inside specific tag names, which results to the routing of large parts of document to the same nodes. Another related framework is by A. Boni fati, Xpath Lookup Queries in P2P Networks. WIDM 2004. in which XML data fragments are indexed based on their path. The search key is the hash value of its path. This framework answer simple Xpath queries in one peer hop. The drawback of this framework is it requires additional hops to retrieve complex data fragment. Also this framework doesnt support XPath predicates. There are other distributed summaries for XML data like XSketch(Reference 5) which is used in selectivity estimation than in query routing. In the paper presented by J.M. Bremer and M. Gertz on distributing XML repositories (Reference 2), the structural summary is used as a global scheme to show how XML data are fragmented and distributed over the network. My opinion of this paper, it provides best framework for XML routing in structured P2P networks. The data synopsis and content synopsis used for indexing are better than regular bloom filters. The framework maps a query with full-text search into a distributed program that migrates from peer to peer. The index terms used in this framework are label paths which are better single tag names used in the previous frameworks for routing XML data. The containment filtering of this framework is efficient in addressing the containment relationships between predicates in a query. It can find all structural summaries of a query using one DHT lookup. It can handle complicated XPath queries using structural summaries. The network updates are handled effectively using novel methods which are very crucial in structured P2P networks. The data placement strategy gives load balancing in the system. The framework is easily scalable and it can be implemented on top of any existing P2P infrastructure. References A. Bonifati, et al. XPath Lookup Queries in P2P Networks. WIDM 2004. J.-M. Bremer and M. Gertz. On Distributing XML Repositories. WebDB 2003. L.Galanis, Y.Wang, S.R.Jeery, and D. J. DeWitt. Locating Data Sources in Large Distributed Systems. VLDB 2003. Pastry. http://freepastry .rice.edu/. N. Polyzotis and M. Garofalakis. Structure and Value Synopses for XML Data Graphs. VLDB 2002. A. Rowstron and P . Druschel. Pastry: Scalable, Distributed Object Location and Routing for Large-Scale Peer-to-Peer Systems. International Conference on Distributed Systems Platforms 2001. The Motorcycle Diaries | An Analysis The Motorcycle Diaries | An Analysis During these novels it can be seen how important is the background in there, whether historical background and social one were deeply connected in the way the plot was developed, creating contrast and reflection about that current time in both stories. Besides, even they were written in different years they are a critical informers about the lack of moral in the American society in the 20s and in the other hand, the economical situation in Latin-America -specifically in South America -; the poverty that took part during the 50s and in some way also modified thinking and performance of that society. In a very short review, The Motorcycle Diaries tells the trip of two friends the 29 years old Alberto Granado and the main and later revolutionary character the 23 years old Ernesto Che Guevara, both university students of medicine that travel from Argentina to Venezuela, go passing from Chile, Peru and Colombia. Here the criticism of the social injustices of exploited mine workers; persecuted communists, ostracized lepers, and the tattered descendants of a once-great Incan civilization are the main themes of the novel. Opposite to The Motorcycle Diaries, The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, tells the story of Jay Gatsby, the Buchanan Family and Nick Carraway, the narrator of the story. The novel shows how the American society of the 20s recreated in the New York city was unwrapped in an environment of luxury, individualism, shallowness and appearances, all reflected in each of the characters in the plot of the book and at the same time are part of what Fitzgerald always idolized and wanted to get for himself. However, it is very important to remember that both stories were written in order to show to the reader deep situations that Fitzgerald like Guevara were involved with, trying to face them and leave a moral maybe. According to Che Guevara this trip was not only another experience gained during youth but also made of him another completely person; in his spirit: The person who recognizes and polishes them, me, is no longer, at least Im not the person once was (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦). Our America with a capital A, has changed me more than I thought (Page 16). But what are the experiences that made of him a totally different person, as it was mentioned previously, the poverty of this continent, the one of he belonged and the political practices far away of the real needs of people changed his view of the life. According to Guevara the hospitality of Chile To meet in Chile means invite (to a house)à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ page 101 because in contrast with Argentina, Chile did not suffer the mix-up between Creoles and the Saxons that lived in the south in that country: creoles and Indians lived together in distances of each others. The lack of opportunities that Chilean people had for having a better life style was reflected and also how the community, reflection of society in general, disapproved the other people conditions coexisting in that way a kind of a mutual bitterness between the people who is a little bit better than the other one who lived in bad conditions, and the ones who are under the standard level of quality of life between the other people over their living conditions whose reproach them: and become a purely negative factor in the struggle for life, and consequently, a bitterness for healthy members of the community who resent their illness as if it were a personal insult to those who have to support them. (Page 70) Continuing in Chile and according to different issues that took part in the stay in this country; specifically in Valparaiso, they could find lots of social problems that the established government during that time did not solve, like the overcrowding and the almost inexistence of economical help for the community exposed in the following mention: is time that politicians and put less effort wasting time in the goddesses of their propaganda and more money, ( ), for solving the work in social profits. (Page 72). Moving forward in the story, the corruption, deceive, and the naivety of police and common citizens were involved each other. Moreover, placed in the North of Chile, Chuquicamata, they met a couple in the desert night who were communist, and where the men told them about the time he was in jail due to his political tendency; while the woman, his wife, followed him leaving their child with someone else until they got some money. This situation was particularly hard and sad for both Alberto and Che Guevara; for the last one added: (The couple) was the living image of proletariat in any place around the world (page 77) and according to Guevaras words being communist was considered like a sin while. That spirit produced the long for something better in the future, at least that was what the couple expected to get at the end, but is it worth putting your life in risk, in a work place where you can get a pulmonary disease and even dye, an leaving somebodys children alone just because of dreams? At this moment; at the beginning of the end, Granado and Guevara leave Chile for going on with their objectives at the north of this continent; and something else, even this is the goodbye of this long and narrow country Guevara keeps talking about the social differences evidenced and experienced by them and most of all, how the more powerful people in the history of this country, and in most of the countries for sure, applied his vigour over the rest of the common people immortalized in: the act of Valdivia represents the never deny effort of the men for achieving a place where to exert his irrefutable authority (page 85). Finally, some reflections written tell now the social situation of Chile, like he said in the whole South America and even worse. First of all the lack of awareness of health in everywhere, streets, hospitals and also in Chile existed low opportunities for working and the people; thereby, Chile showed a lower quality of life than Argentina, and no mattering those previous features of this isolated country, the life can be easily carry in the way people work hard and, of course, they do not belong to the communist party. While they were in Peru they could experienced that most of Peruvians believed that Argentina was like the land in which peoples dreams were made come true, and not only Peron was great but also Evita (Perons wife), where everything was good just because the Indians were not punished by the white man. Guevaras life, consciously or unconsciously, went around the pursuit of social justice, corruption and democracy. Since they started their journey and specifically when they arrived in Chile they were focused in different issues that embodied those moral behaviour in people and in the particular idiosyncrasy due to, nevertheless they went all over Chile, they could identified the cultural characteristics between southern and the more north people. And being in Peru they could be aware about their same life philosophy and ideals. However, some believes of those friends were not jut part or applicable in hierarchical relationships but also in the more typical important ones; between the community itself. When we kept on the route, the old Indian took off from his clothes a very appetizing corn and he offered it to us. Quickly we realized that he democratically divided into the same share out of the corn. (Page 115). In the same way, the emphasis of people who had been fired because of their political thinking, it is also an issue that must be not only for reader be aware of that but also Ernesto Guevara as itself and most of all to understand what was happening on that time; oppression against who were apposite to the government believes. Those situations were reflected in the couple of Chuquicamata and Puno a Peruvian indigenous who was expelled of the government due to the already mentioned facts. Summary from this fragment can be assumable during that decade South America was overwhelmed by the power of its leaders. Moreover, Punos words reflected about that current situation between the conqueror who have the nation and the forced ones who were trying to do their best in order to obtain what belongs(ed) to them; however, Guevara had interpreted those words like offensive to the Inca people: to themselves, so at that moment more than a potential Marxist el Che seemed an anarchist; against everything and everyone that subjugated to other, the Incas in this opportunity. At this moment, Guevara showed himself like a critical thinking person and at the same time a dreamer with clear aims for his life and for the other too. The Great Gatsby , like The Motorcycle Diaries, presented in its plot a social issue during the 20s, placed in America the story moved through the high society. The lack of values like honesty, friendship, loyalty, love, among many others is present into those peoples hearts. The well known American dream evoked the worst part of people for both the upper class and the recent one. But this is not just a fiction and successful story; whereby, the story itself was yet the reproduction of that society involved in individualism and shallowness. Therefore, that reality was embodied by Fitzgerald in this book. Throughout the story a big number of themes can be deeper developed. Every character is different to the other but all of them share the same behaviour, laying each other, being aware of appearances, and making the other pay for their own mistakes. Finally, whereas Gay Gatsby, the main character of the novel, it is important to focus on his personality and his life was developing since he worked to the rich man and then when he met Daisy and the goals in his life made them strong. After that, during the reunion with Daisy he showed for once one hundred percent honest and that proved the power of his dreams, which they came true partly but consequently, made of him a totally different person, ostentatious, layer and criminal and finally triggered his dead. For concluding, both novels are recognized by the whole globe, like inb Time Magazine on June the 14th of 1928 (page 5) due to his relation with the historical and social context in which both were written. The Motorcycle Diaries novel revealed the poverty in Latin American and in the other hand The Great Gatsby reflect the high American society before the Black Thursday in which the American dream was the symbolic icon of this society. Thereupon, some reflection can be drawing assuming that no matter how much money somebody have do not define what people are and there is plenty of evidence for that when Guevara told about the poor economical development in Latin America, however, he and Alberto could did their trip because the peoples help in most of the places they arrived. Opposite to that reality, Americas financial situation seemed good as well as the comfortable life for Americans, but if Guevara and company had decided do their journey to America they would certainly had to gi ve up to that odyssey, because people were not as generous as the one in the South. Expression totally opposite can be contrasted quickly, in order to understand the huge and deep feelings and thinking that separates our main characters. Expressions like proletariat and bourgeois page 125 can be easily found in the Latin American novel and that represented the social communist tendency of the writer. But in accordance to the social context of Fitzgerald novel, we can find lots of quotations which named luxury, fashionable, exuberant, money, and so on. So it can be easily to reader identify the environment in which this two celebrated plays were written. But as it was mentioned before, is it worth leave important thing away from you just for getting a dream?, or not just things but also people like leave your children them suffering in a place instead leave your dreams that make them suffering in a place where their dreams did not care at all. The best examples for each ones are the life in Valparaiso and Chuquica-mata. Or putted it in another way, is it worth to fight for a dream that maybe never would become real, until putting your life in danger, like Gay Gatsby did it with not worthwhile people like Daisy; and most of all, the characterization in Great Expectations suggests that money causes people unconsciously to isolate themselves from the rest of the world. Here you can reflect by yourself.

Effects of Organizational Culture on Police Decision Making Essay

This essay discusses the effects of the police organizational culture on a Police officer’s ability to make independent decisions. Every culture is composed of four elements: â€Å"values, norms, beliefs, and expressive symbols† (Peterson, 1979, p. 137). Each police officer is influenced by the police organizational culture during training. After graduation fro the police academy, the officer is influenced by the more experienced officers of the department. Research conducted by several authors has found that peer influence never ceases even after years of experience in the field. Throughout life, people change their point of views by the impact of the people they encounter and the structure of society. Although people initially joining the organization have the ability to use common sense and encompass a variety of values, cultural and religious beliefs, this soon changes after joining. Throughout history, unorthodox behavior has become an acceptable norm within society due to peer pressure, fear, and longing to become part of the police culture. Adolf Hitler became a famous man who ruled Germany by fear, which led to be one of the world’s prevalent tragedies (Wistricht, 1995). The police societies retain both negative and positive qualities in their social norms, principles and attitude. â€Å"In the field of police, the standard of the performance are based on occupational culture† (Manning, 1978). The negative characteristics of police cultures assumed by Jermier et al. (1991) are â€Å"militaristic, uniformed dress, rigid rank hierarchy of authority, unbending rules and authoritative command system,† (p. 173). The police culture teaches false, misleading ideas and norms to alter officer’s judgment, thoughts, associati... ... Frost, R. (1999). Mountain Interval. New York: Henry Holt and Company. Retrieved from http://www.bartleby.com/119/1.html Jermier, J. M., John, W. S., Fry, J. L., & Gaines, J. (1991, May 1991). Organizational Subcultures in a Soft Bureaucracy: Resistance Behind the Myth and Facade of an Official Culture. Organization Science, 2(2), 170-191. Manning, P. K. (1978). The police: Mandate strategies and appearances. (In P.K. Maning & J.V. Maanen ed.). Santa Monica, CA: Goodyear. Peterson, R. A. (1979). Revitalizing the Culture Concept. Annual Review of Sociology, 137-166. Sever, M. (2008, Feb ). Effects of Organizational Culture on Police Decision Making. Telemasp Bulletin, 15(1), p. 12. Retrieved from http://www.lemitonline.org/publications/telemasp/Pdf/volume%2015/vol15no1.pdf Wistricht, R. (1995). Who's Who In Nazi Germany (2 ed.). Routledge: Routledge.

How to Paint a Geometric Design :: Expository Process Essays

How to Paint a Geometric Design    Art has been a part of our lives since humans first roamed the earth, but each person's definition varies with personality and environment. Some prefer the realism of Da Vinci, while others enjoy the simplicity of Mondrian. The challenge is to revise these forms and integrate them together to create a beautiful work of art. With a good eye and steady hand, anyone can create a fun and interesting conversation piece for any room of the house, just by following some basic guidelines.    Before the actual process of painting can begin there are several things that must be done. First and foremost is the creation of a design. Each artist, of course, has their own preferences on how best to accomplish this. Some jot it all down on a diner napkin, while others painstakingly draw out their idea in an expensive sketch book. Whatever the materials, the elements of design must be present, and the more of these which are incorporated the better the final product will be. There are many elements of design, such as rhythm and form, but two of the most important are color and balance. Balance simply means that the shapes and lines within the image compliment each other. In other words, the design is fun to look at. Color is important because it determines the mood of the painting. Greyscale is often very dramatic, whereas warm hues can make the heart race and cool colors can ease the mind. Contrasting colors such as purple and yellow can also be fun to use since th ey create a conflict of emotion within the viewer.    Once a design has been decided upon and before the process can begin supplies must be obtained. The nearest M.J. Designs or Michael's will most likely have the necessay items, but Gardenridge can be a good source also. Now is the time to decide upon a canvas size as well as what type of paint will be used. The type and size of the painting are artist's prerogative, of course, but many prefer large, stretched canvases because they're easier and more fun to work with. As far as paint goes, acrylics are best for beginners, and although not exactly reasonable, they aren't as expensive as most.

Production Of Olive Oil Essay -- Foods Process Essays

Production Of Olive Oil INTRODUCTION Olive oil is a pale yellow to greenish oil extracted from the fruit of the European olive tree (Olea europaea L.), which originated in the Mediterranean area. The olive is originally native to the eastern Mediterranean region but the cultivated form is now grown throughout that area and in other parts of the world with Mediterranean-type climates. It hardens at refrigerator temperatures - around 10 degrees F. Today a market certainly exists for olive oil, since the U.S. imports about 35 million gallons each year. Interest in the health aspects of olive oil is expanding and increasing demand each year. Demand has increased over 20% each year for the last 5 years. California produces about 300,000 gallons of oil each year about half of that is sold each year as the gourmet treat classified as extra-virgin and sold from $10 to $40 per half-liter. Among global producers, Spain leads with more than 40% of world production, followed by Italy and Greece. Much of the Spanish crop is exported to Italy, where it is both consumed and repackaged for sale abroad as Italian olive oil. Different Grades Of Olive Oil Extra-virgin olive oil comes from the first pressing of the olives, contains no more than 0.8% acidity, and is judged to have a superior taste. There can be no refined oil in extra-virgin olive oil. Virgin olive oil with an acidity less than 2%, and judged to have a good taste. There can be no refined oil in virgin olive oil. Olive oil is a blend of virgin oil and refined virgin oil, containing at most 1% acidity. It commonly lacks a strong flavor. Olive-pomace oil is a blend of refined olive-pomace oil and possibly some virgin oil. It is fit for consumption, but it may not be c... ...etting a person or place apart for special work It is used in the ordination of priests and bishops, in the consecration of altars and churches, and, traditionally, in the anointing of monarchs at their coronation. To this day, Eastern Orthodox Christians use oil lamps in their churches and home prayer corners. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. http://www .wikipedia.org 2. http://www.olivetree.eat- online.net/frameoliveoil.htm 3. http://www.oliflix.com/eng/enviroment.htm 4. http://www.oliveoilsource.com/olive_recipes_.htm 5. Microsoft ® Encarta ® Encyclopedia 2002.  © 1993-2001 Microsoft Corporation. 6. Tous, J. and L. Ferguson. 1996. Mediterranean fruits, Progress in new crops. In: J. Janick (ed.), ASHS Press, Arlington, VA. p. 416-430 7. www.sfc.ucdavis.edu/research/olive.html 8. www.ucm.es/info/improliv/allgem.htm 9. http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/o1/oliveoil.asp

Creativity and Creative Learning in Young Children

CYPOP4 Promote Young Children’s physical activity and movement skills 1. 1 Physical activity is an essential component in children’s overall health and well being. Unfortunately some children are not as active as they should be to prevent harmful harmful short term and long term effects on their health. * Short term health Physical activity helps children to build muscle, develops the skeletal frame, develops the heart and lung function and also helps prevent obesity. Children who are active are likely to sleep better and longer and are less likely to develop infections such as colds and flu. * Long term healthPhysical activity in young children not only supports health in the short term but can also give children a positive attitude towards sport, playing outdoors and walking. It is important to start when the children are young as when they are older they lose interest in activity. If children are not sufficiently active they are more likely to become overweight or ob ese, this in turn is linked with serious diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancers. For girls, there is also the increased risk of developing osteoporosis later in life if they don’t take physical exercise. * Well beingAs well as providing short and long term benefits, physical activity is also important for children’s overall well being. If physical activity is taken outdoors, children will benefit from fresh air and a feeling of being in a free environment. Children can benefit emotionally and socially as they learn new skills and develop confidence playing with others The current guidelines for physical activity suggest that children should get a minimum of one hour a day. This can be through walking, play or structured activities. 1. 2 In order to achieve the physical skills required a mixture of movement skills need to be acquired in the right order.They include the following; * Hand – eye coordination Many activities require the hand and eye to work together. For example throwing a ball requires the brain to send the correct signal from the eyes to the hands to create the correct movements. * Foot-eye coordination Children have to learn to guide their feet. Kicking a ball or climbing stairs require this type of coordination * Balance Balance is a complicated skill. Although most of us take it for granted, the ability to balance is a skill that develops with age. These skills form and develop as part of the central nervous system in babies and young children.The Central nervous system is responsible for sending out signals from the brain to the rest of our body. Information is constantly collected from our body’s senses. The whole process is surprisingly quick allowing the body to take action against possible dangers. In babies and young children the central nervous system has to develop and mature. At first babies have to rely on the natural reflections they are born with until the central nervous system lear ns how to control their responses. The rate at which babies and children gain control over their bodies varies enormously.There are three key principles that underpin the gaining of this control; 1. Development follows a definite sequence Movements and control develop in a specific sequence which means babies cannot learn to walk before they can sit unsupported 2. Development starts with control of head movements and develops downwards and outwards Babies gain control over their head and top of their spine before the rest of the body. 3. Development starts with uncontrolled gross motor movements before becoming precise and refined Babies gain control over their arms before their hands and fingers.This is important to know before trying to teach a child to write. They will need to start with large letter types before learning to write letters in the correct size and form. We use our physical skills every day. The development of children’s skills gives them independence, over t ime they no longer need our help to feed them or get them dressed or move from one place to the next. This gives them confidence to learn because they are exploring. Children also use their new found skills to play together and play more challenging games. Physical skills also link to other aspects of children’s overall development.These are; * Emotional Development Builds children’s confidence. When they can do things for themselves they are more likely to gain confidence. They can do things how and when they want . They can also use physical skills to express themselves like paint, draw and dance. * Language Development Language develops when there are things to talk about. This is easier when children can do things themselves to explore and see things. It gives them a reason to talk. * Social Development Play with babies is active rather than language based. Children can join in when they have learned and developed their physical skills. Cognitive Development Most o f children’s learning is linked to practical activities. This requires movement skills. There are links between early physical movements and brain development. 2. 3 Natural outdoor environments include, fields, woodland, moors and beaches. For children they are a wonderful playground which change with each visit according to the changes in the weather and the season . Children should have access to these kind of environments so they can learn about nature. These kinds of environments encourage children to learn and practise new skills such as climbing up a tree or over a wall or fence.They may also enjoy running on the sand, making footprints and pictures in it. Natural environments may also be challenging for the children as the terrain will be different. It may be uneven to walk on. There may be pools for them to jump in or avoid and things to jump over. All these encourage confidence and better coordination. 3. 1 Although many children are naturally active it is important to think about creating a range of different opportunities for them to develop their physical skills. Planning their development is important. Observation is key to planning for young children.It needs to be the starting point so we can establish what the children enjoy doing and ensure we are planning opportunities appropriate to their development. Planning appropriately for children involves the following; * Time You need to plan sufficient time for the children’s activities. Some children learn at a slower pace so you need to allow for each individual to get enjoyment from the physical activity, while they are developing their new skills. * Balance of child initiated and adult initiated opportunities It is a requirement of the Early Years Foundation Stage that you allow enough opportunities of each during play activities.It is important as children need time to discover new skills for themselves and play in ways that interest them. * Interest Children need to be motivated in order to practise and develop their skills. It is important to look at what each child is interested in and develop from that so they are encouraged to learn and develop . Play is key for children’s development and learning so planning should be around their interests and how we can incorporate physical activity into this. * Developmentally appropriate Activities should be developmentally appropriate.So when planning you must allow for the fact some children have disabilities and special needs. Ensure you seek the correct guidance and support to enable all children to develop through physical activity. * Range of skills and movement It is important that all physical activities allow children to experience and practice a range of skills and movements. * Planning for non mobile babies Babies who are not yet mobile still need opportunities for physical activities. This might include a baby gym to encourage the baby to move their arms and legs, or grasping and shaking a rattle .Babies also need time lying on their front to encourage muscle development for when they learn to crawl. It is important to place objects where babies can reach and grab so they don’t become frustrated. We should also get on the floor and interact and play with the babies. In addition our plans also need to include actions we do ourselves which help babies enjoy movement. These include rocking, swinging, being held up high and bouncing. All these give babies a different view of the world and aid spatial awareness and rhythm. * Planning for toddlersToddlers enjoy exploring and practising their new found skills. They will need opportunities to walk and climb. Some resources toddlers will require to aid development are; * Books * Shape sorters * Sensory equipment such as water, sand and dough * Rocking horses * Sit and ride toys * Slides * Balls * Pushchairs * Planning for 3-5 year olds Most children this age will have fairly good coordination but they will need help developing their fine motor skills. They will also need varied support with their movement skills, which should be incorporated into their play whenever possible.Some adult led activities can be used to ensure that all children develop and range of movements and skills. Some equipment 3-5 year olds will need are; * Puzzles * Construction toys * Sand and water play * Dressing up and role play toys * Small world play * Climbing frames * Slide * Tricycles and scooters * Balls, hoops and cones * Fabrics * Pushchairs 3. 2 Once you have identified opportunities that will promote physical activity in the children you need to incorporate them into your plan.Your plan must; * Meet the individual movement skills needs of the children * Include activities that promote competence in movement skills * Encourage physical play To ensure these points are covered your plan should be based on observations you have carried out on the children. You may show in your plan, details of equipment, specific adult init iated and child initiated activities. The Early Years Foundation also states you show how each child is planned for. It is also good practice to include the child’s ideas when planning activities. They may have preferences to what activity or equipment they would like to use.You need to watch children carefully when implementing planned activities. Their reactions will let you know whether it is developmentally appropriate for them or not. They will also let you know if they find it interesting and sufficiently challenging for them. You should be ready to change, adapt or even abandon the activity if necessary. Being flexible and ready to change your plan according to the needs and interests of the children is essential. Children can be very creative and they may well change or adapt your planned activity to suit them.Some children are more confident than others and may find movement skills easier or be more confident taking risks. Other children will be hesitant and will nee d encouragement to go that step further. 4. 1 It is important to include physical activity into daily routines in order for children to gain skills and build stamina. Getting children used to physical activity as part of their every day lives will help them later on in life. It is also good practice for their independence. Working with parents so they are keeping the children active at home also helps.Children should also have outdoor play each day so they get used to the outside environment. Sources of physical activity in every day routines are; * Washing and drying up * Sweeping the floor and outdoor area * Pouring their own drinks * Preparing snacks * Walking up and down stairs * Tidying up * Dressing and undressing * Wiping tables * Hanging up coats * Walking to and from the setting In my setting we walk to school and back in the morning and afternoon. The children take off their coats and those that can reach hang them up. They take off their shoes and put them together.We hav e music time each day where the children can play the instruments and dance to the music and we go to the park or visit the local green where there are lots of trees and paths to walk on and there is a woodland area where we look for different animals, insects and birds. 5. 1 It is important for us to be aware of how effective our provision and practice is in supporting children’s physical activity. To be able to assess the effectiveness in your setting you should consider the following; * Observe and assess children’s participation and developmental progress Look at the children and observe them over a number of weeks.Consider how interested they have been in opportunities of physical activity and if they have made progress. * Gain direct feedback from children Children’s reactions can be verbal or non verbal. They may tell us if they have enjoyed an activity or not. Children who cannot speak will let you know with body language and expression. A child who has enjoyed an activity may become excited at seeing a photo of them doing the activity. In my setting I have a photo album which the children can access themselves to look at. I also get it from time to time and we look at the pictures together. Gain feedback from parents, colleagues and others Other people can see more objectively and give their thoughts about our settings and provisions. Parents also experience seeing their children in other situations and may be able to guide us on sufficiently challenging activities. In my setting I have daily chats with parents, I also have a facebook page they can look at and I provide regular parent surveys to get feedback from them. 5. 2 Feedback and information you gain should be used to identify areas for future development.In some settings this may mean altering the physical environment while others may need to change the types of activities and play opportunities. 5. 3 It is important to reflect on your own practice in order to make any imp rovements necessary. Some questions you could ask yourself are; * Do you act as a good role model? * Do you join in physical activities? * Do you observe children’s physical skills regularly? * How aware are you of the children’s expected development? * How do you adapt activities and play opportunities to meet the individual needs oof the children? How do you ensure both boys and girls enjoy physical activity? * How do you plan activities to ensure the children are engaged in a range of movement skills? * How do you ensure that there is sufficient challenge for the children? * How often are children able to play in a natural outdoor environment? Being honest with yourself is key to ensuring you are meeting the children’s developmental requirements. It’s no good thinking you do that or being pretty sure you are good at this. You have to be sure bin order to provide the best for your children.

Linguistics and Language Essay

What will be covered in this class? †¢ How do we produce and recognize speech? †¢ How do we perceive words, letters, and sentences? †¢ How do we learn and recall information from texts? †¢ How can we improve texts to make them easier to understand? †¢ How does the brain function to process language? †¢ What are the causes and effects of reading disabilities? †¢ Is there language in other species? Central themes in psycholinguistics 1) What knowledge of language is needed for us to use language? Tacit (implicit) knowledge vs. Explicit knowledge  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ tacit: knowledge of how to perform something, but not aware of full rules †¢ explicit: knowledge of the processes of mechanisms in performing that thing 2) What cognitive processes are involved in the ordinary use of language? How do we understand a lecture, read a book, hold a conversation? Cognitive processes: perception, memory, thinking, learning Some definitions of basic components of language: Semantics: The meaning of words and sentences Syntax: The grammatical arrangement of words in a sentence or phrase Phonology: The sound pattern of language Pragmatics: How language is used in a social context  Examples from psycholinguistics Parsing garden path sentences The novice accepted the deal before he had a chance to check his finances, which put him in a state of conflict when he realized he had a straight flush. 1) The defendant examined by the lawyer turned out to be unreliable 2). The evidence examined by the lawyer turned out to be unreliable The process of parsing is the process of making decisions The effect of prior knowledge on comprehension The procedure is actually quite simple. First you arrange things into different groups. Of course, one pile may be sufficient depending on how much there is to do. If you have to go somewhere else due to lack of facilities, that is the next step; otherwise you are pretty well set. It is important not to overdo things. That is, it is better to do too few things at once than too many. In the short run this may not seem important, but complications can easily arise. A mistake can be expensive as well. At first the whole procedure will seem complicated. Soon, however, it will become just another facet of life. It is difficult to foresee any end to the necessity for this task in the immediate future, but then one never can tell. After the procedure is completed, one arranges the materials into different groups again. Then they can be put into their appropriate places. Eventually they will be used once more, and the whole cycle will then have to be repeated. However, that is part of life. Bransford & Johnson, 1973 Recall: No context: 2. 8 idea units out of a maximum of 18 Context afterwards: 2. 7 idea units Context before: 5. 8 idea units Child language development How many words do you know? Hint: Dictionary has about: 450,000 entries Test high school graduates: How many words do they know? About 45,000 english words About 60,000 including names and foreign words. The average six year old knows about 13,000 words. Learning about 10 words per day since age 1. (One every 90 minutes) How much do we have to teach children to learn language? Do you have to teach a child to walk? Is it the same way of learning a language? My teacher holded the baby rabbits and we patted them I eated my dinner A brief history of psycholinguistics Wilhem Wundt (early 1900s) Interest in mental processes of language production †¢ Sentence as the primary unit of language †¢ Speech production is the transformation of complete thought processes into sequentially organized speech segments. Behaviorism (1920s-1950s) †¢ Rejected the focus on mental processes †¢ Measurement based on objective behavior (primarily in lab animals) †¢ How does experience (reward and punishment) shape behavior? B. F. Skinner: Children learn language through shaping (correction of speech errors) Associative chain theory: A sentence consists of a chain of associations between individual words in the sentence What’s wrong with the behaviorist approach? Noam Chomsky (1950s – present) 1) Colorless green ideas sleep furiously 2) Furiously sleep ideas green colorless. 3) George picked up the baby. 4) George picked the baby up. Almost every sentence uttered is a new combination of words The Poverty of stimulus argument: There is not enough information in the language samples given to children to account for the richnes and complexity of children’s language The pattern of development is not based on parental speech but on innate language knowledge Linguistic Diversity vs. Linguistic Universals Linguistic diversity There appears to be a lot of diversity among languages Even within languages there is diversity When are two languages different? We speak the same language if we can understand each other  Exceptions: Norwegian and Swedish Cantonese and Mandarin Dialects within languages: The myth of pure language How/why do languages change? Why does there seem to be a â€Å"correct† English? Members of the dominant (most powerful) sub-culture tend to speak one dialect and may punish those who do not Linguistic Chauvinism Belief that one’s own language/dialect is the best of all possible languages Black English Vernacular (BEV) Study by William Labov Interviewed African-American street youth You know, like some people say if you’re good an’ sh*t, your spirit goin’ t’heaven . . . ‘n if you bad, your spirit goin’ to hell. Well, bullsh*t! Your spirit goin’ to hell anyway, good or bad. [Why? ] Why? I’ll tell you why. ‘Cause, you see, doesn’ nobody really know that it’s a God, y’know, ‘cause I mean I have seen black gods, white gods, all color gods, and don’t nobody know it’s really a God. An’ when they be sayin’ if you good, you goin’ t’heaven, tha’s bullsh*t, ‘cause you ain’t goin’ to no heaven, ‘cause it ain’t no heaven for you to go to. †¢ Place holders: â€Å"There† vs. â€Å"It† in the copula †¢ Copula: â€Å"Is†, â€Å"Was† optional †¢ Negatives: â€Å"You ain’t goin’ to no heaven†. BEV just as linguistically complex as Standard American English We don’t see/understand the complexity in other languages Moral: All languages seem to permit as wide range of expressions as others Linguistic Universals What is in common with all languages? Sentences are built from words based on the same physiological processes †¢ All languages have words †¢ All humans have ways of making sounds. †¢ Languages tend to use a small set of phonemic sounds †¢ Phoneme: The minimal unit of sound that contributes to meaning How many phonemes in a language? †¢ English: 40 phonemes †¢ Range: Polynesian 11 to Khoisan 141. Discreteness Messages in human language (e. g. speech sounds) are made up of units of which there is a discrete (limited) number Arbitrariness The relationship between meaningful elements in language and their denotation is independent of any physical resemblance between the two. Words do not have to look or sound like what they describe Openness †¢ New linguistic messages are created freely and easily †¢ Languages are not constrained in a way so that there are a limited number of messages that can be created. †¢ Linguistic Productivity: The ability to understand and create an unlimited number of sentences. The question studied by psycholinguists is â€Å"how to characterize and account for the creativity to construct and create an infinite number of sentences given the limited capabilities of the human brain† Duality of Patterning Language involves relating two different kinds of patterns or forms of representation †¢ A phonological system †¢ A semantic system These two systems use very different types of codes, although there is a phonological representation for each item in the semantic system Phrase structure Information on how a sentence is grouped into phrases. The quiet boy ate the red apple A set of Phrase Structure rules: PS 1 S (sentence) ————-> NP + VP PS 2 NP (noun phrase)————-> det + (adj) + N PS 3 VP (verb phrase) ————-> V +NP PS 4 N (noun) ————-> boy, dog, man, book PS 5 V (verb) ————-> ate, broke, kissed PS 6 adj (adjective ————-> quiet, red, happy, wormy PS 7 det (determiner) ————-> a, the We use â€Å"lexical-insertion rules† to put words into the structure. Phrase-structure rules provide a good account of phrase-structure ambiguity. They are broiling hens Morphology Morphology is the component of grammar that builds words out of units of meaning (morphemes) A morpheme is the smallest meaningful unit of language How many morphemes? bird firetruck undereducated unmicrowaveability Insights from American Sign Language (ASL) Unlike speech, signs are expressed in visual or spatial form Do a lot of the same grammatical concepts hold? Arbitrariness ASL possesses iconicity signs can represent objects or actions to which they refer. However, the degree of iconicity has declined over the years Duality of Patterning signs are composed of smaller elements that are meaningless Example: 3 parameters †¢ 19 values of hand configuration. †¢ 12 values of place of articulation †¢ 24 values of movements Meaningless patterns can be combined in various ways to from ASL signs. What about â€Å"openness† and â€Å"discreteness† within ASL? Transformational Grammar (Chomsky 1950s) Language: an infinite set of well-formed sentences Grammar: A finite set of rules that generates sentences in the language How do we know that a grammar is a good theory of language? Three criteria: Observational Adequacy: A grammar is observationally adequate if it generates all acceptable sequences and no unacceptable sequences. Descriptive adequacy: A grammar must also explain how a sentence relates to other sentences that are similar & opposite in meaning. The ball was caught by John John caught the ball The ball was not caught by John Explanatory adequacy It is possible for multiple grammars to attain observational and descriptive adequacy. Which is the correct/best one? Children learning language are presented with many samples of language and must determine the grammar from these samples. There must be some innate language constraints that help children determine the correct grammar. There exist Linguistic Universals that are common to all languages. The fact that there are similarities in languages is based on the fact that languages are determined by the nature of the mental structures and processes which characterize human beings A Grammar must explain the role of linguistic universals in language acquisition Deep and Surface structure Deep structure: The structure of the sentence that conveys the meaning of the sentence. Surface Structure: The superficial arrangement of constituents Deep structure ambiguity: A single surface structure that is based on two different deep structures Flying planes can be dangerous. Phrase structure rules would not be able to account for the differences in meaning Sentences can have similar phrase structure, although their underlying structure is different: John is easy to please John is eager to please Sentences can different surface structure, but similar deep structure Arlene played the tuba The tuba was played by Arlene Transformational Grammar A two part process to derive a sentence 1) Use Phrase-structure rules to generate the underlying tree structure (deep structure) 2) Apply a sequence of transformational rules to the deep  structure to generate the surface structure of the sentence Transformations occur by adding, deleting or moving constituents John phoned up the woman John phoned the woman up Phrase structure approach: Two different rules VP –> V + (particle) + NP VP –> V + NP + (particle) Each sentence is derived separately, using different phrase structure rules. Transformational grammar approach: One rule V + particle + NP –> V + NP + particle John phoned up the interesting woman John phoned the interesting woman up John phoned up the woman with the curly hair John phoned the woman with the curly hair up. Restrictions on transformations The particle-movement transformation can not be applied to pronouns John called them up *John called up them Example 2: Passive transformation NP1 + V + NP2 –> NP2 + be + V + en + by + NP1 Arlene played the tuba The tuba was played by Arlene Psychological Reality of Transformational Grammar If using language is a process of converting the deep structure to the surface structure, then the number of transformation rules applied should affect how long it takes to process a sentence. However, experiments do not consistently show that this holds true Current theories of grammar Lexical-Function Grammar  Made up of three components: a constituent structure, a functional structure, and lexical entries Constituent Structure: Similar to phrase structure Functional Structure: All the information needed for semantic interpretation John told Mary to leave Bill Predicate tell (subj, obj, V-comp) Tense Past Subj John Obj Mary V-comp predicate leave subj Mary obj Bill Lexical Entries Lexical entries contain information about: †¢ the forms of the word †¢ the kinds of sentences into which they fit, †¢ arguments and semantic roles Mary kissed John John was kissed by Mary Entry for â€Å"kiss† includes underlying semantic structure  kiss: (agent, patient). Forms of the word kiss: agent = subject: patient = object (be) kiss: agent=object: patient = subject Major significance of LFG Most of the explanation of how we process language is based on the lexicon (where we store information about words) . Government-Binding Theory or Universal Grammar Chomsky’s view of innate grammatical mechanisms. In GB theory, grammar is modular. Grammar due to interaction of several independent subsystems, or modules. Each module is fairly simple and performs part of the task But all modules interact in order to constrain the rules made by the other modules in the grammar. Implications We all inherit a universal grammar that can be set to different parameter values. These parameter values correspond to different languages. As we get experience with a language, we acquire these parameter values, and thus the language upon which it is based. Research methods in Psycholinguistics How do we observe, collect information on phenomena related to psycholinguistics? Naturalistic Observation Observing information in a non-experimental setting Slips of the tongue Phonological switching: Crushing blow –> Blushing crow semantic replacements: blond eyes for blond hair. Language Acquisition The use of language over time Data from naturalistic observation Rich, but hard to analyze Controlled experiments Goal: test an empirical hypothesis Hypothesis: A chapter will be easier to understand if each section starts with a summary of what will be said. Independent Variable: Variable that is manipulated to test the hypothesis. Dependent Variable: Variable representing the behavior we want to measure Control Variables: Other variables we need to control in order to see the effect of the independent variable Subjects: Who is going to participate in the experiment? Analysis: How do we know if there are differences bewteen the two chapters? The Human Information Processing System What psychological mechanisms are involved in using language? The Sensory store Processes incoming information from the environment †¢ Individual sensory stores for each sense †¢ Information retained for a short duration The visual sensory store Experiments by Sperling (1960) X M R K C N J P V F L B The partial report technique Auditory sensory store Experiment by Darwin, Turvey & Crowder (1972) 3 digits or letters auditorally presented to each ear and center at the same time. What is the use of the sensory store? It maintains information long enough so that we can do additional processing to it. Working memory or short term memory (STM) STM used to describe the fact that it holds information for a short time, while working memory refers to the processing capacity. STM works as a temporary holding place for intermediate decisions. Limited in size. Chunking Working memory: there is a limited amount of processing capacity that you can use as you perform a problem Long term memory Knowledge of how to do things, things we have learned, grammar rules, personal memories. All knowledge that is not active. Information that becomes active is retrieved from LTM and put in STM. Anything we learn is first processed in STM and some of it is put into LTM Episodic vs. Semantic Memory distinction Semantic memory †¢ Organized knowledge of words, concepts, symbols and objects. motor skills, general knowledge, spatial knowledge , social skills. †¢ All information is organized semantically, but not tagged based on when it was learned. Episodic memory †¢ Holds traces of events specific time and place. †¢ Memory of personal experiences. Interaction between semantic and episodic memory. What does the organization of the information processing system have to do with language processing? Pattern Recognition Parsing/understanding sentences in working memory This is a long sentence and yet somehow you can keep it all in working memory The organization of Long Term Memory That cat plays really cool jazz Serial vs. Parallel Processing Serial processing: One process working at a time Parallel Processing: Multiple processes working at a time In a serial model of language processing, individual modules would work one at a time to process the information. A parallel model would say that the processes happen at the same time. Parallel models as neurally inspired models of cognitive processes Top-Down vs. Bottom-Up processing Cognitive processing occurs at levels Bottom-up processing is done in such a way that all processing occurs starting from the lowest level processes and proceeds onto the higher level processes Higher level processes do not influence any of the processing done at the lower levels Top down processing: Information at the higher levels influences processing at the lower levels. Advantages and disadvantages of Top-Down processing Automatic vs. Controlled processes We have a limited amount of processes that we can do at a time. Controlled processing: Processes that require a substantial amount of cognitive processing. Automatic processing: Processes that do not require a substantial amount of cognitive processing. The role of practice in automatic processing The Stroop effect Putting it all together: Cognitive processes in action The novice accepted the deal before he had a chance to check his finances, which put him in a state of conflict when he realized he had a straight flush. The Internal Lexicon How are words stored? What are they made up of? How are word related to each other? How do we use them? Internal lexicon The representation of words in long term memory Lexical Access: How do we activate the meanings of words? Aspects of Meaning Reference: The relationship between words and things in the world Things in the world are referents of a word My dog has fleas My dog is from Mars But not all reference can be mapped to concrete things Abstract words: Love, Justice, Equality Non existent objects: Unicorn, Martians Meaning is not restricted to the real world, but also imaginary worlds Sense: The relationship of a word with other words in the language Student at NMSU vs. Undergraduate at NMSU Synonymy (same meaning) Car Automobile Antonymy (opposite meaning) Happy Sad Incompatibility (do the words contradict each other? ) John is happy vs. John is sad Hyponymy (are they part of the same class? ) A dog is an animal, Bowser is a dog, Denotation vs. Connotation Denotation: The objective meaning of the word Connotation: The aspect of the meaning beyond its explicit meaning Bachelor Spinster Hungry Starving The Mental Representation of Meaning The representation of the meaning of a word is based on the semantic features of that word. We acquire the meaning of a word by learning its semantic features Children make semantic mistakes Verbs of possession. We understand more than the meaning, we have knowledge of the relations between these words sold vs. paid give vs. receive lose vs. find Prototypes: Some members of a category are better instances of the category than others Apple vs. pomegranate What makes a prototype? More central semantic features What type of dog is a prototypical dog What are the features of it? We are faster at retrieving prototypes of a category than other members of the category Semantic Networks. Words can be represented as an interconnected network of sense relations †¢ Each word is a particular node †¢ Connections among nodes represent semantic relationships Mental models: A model/understanding of how the world works and how pieces of textual information fits in with it. John is sitting in a chair. That chair is on a table. The table is blue and round. John has red hair. The structure of the Internal Lexicon How do these pieces of semantic information relate to each other? Semantic verification task An A is a B An apple is a fruit A robin is a bird A robin is an animal A dog has teeth  A fish has gills A fish has feathers An apple has teeth NMSU is in New Mexico Harvard is in California Use time on verification tasks to map out the structure of the lexicon. Models of the Lexicon Collins and Quillian Hierarchical Network model Lexical entries stored in a hierarchy, with features attached to the lexical entries Representation permits cognitive economy Testing the model Sentence Verification time Robins eat worms 1310 msecs Robins have feathers 1380 msecs Robins have skin 1470 msecs A category size effect: Subjects do an intersection search Problems with Collins and Quillian model . 1) Effect may be due to frequency of association 2) Assumption that all lexical entries at the same level are equal The Typicality Effect Which is a more typical bird? Ostrich or Robin. A whale is a fish vs. A horse is a fish Major conclusions of the model: 1) If a fact about a concept is frequently encountered, it will be stored with that concept even if it could be inferred from a more distant concept. 2) The more frequently encountered a fact about a concept is, the more strongly that fact will be associated with the concept. And the more strongly associated with a concept facts are, the more rapidly they are verified. 3) Verifying facts that are not directly stored with a concept but that must be inferred takes a relatively long time. Spreading Activation Models (Collins & Loftus) †¢ Words represented in lexicon as a network of relationships †¢ Organization is a web of interconnected nodes in which connections can represent: categorical relations degree of association typicality Retrieval of information †¢ Spreading activation †¢ Limited amount of activation to spread †¢ Verification times depend on closeness of two concepts in a network Context effect in spreading activation models Present either: Murder is a crime or Libel is a crime Then get verification time for Robbery is a crime Subjects faster when they see Murder than Libel. Why? Advantages of Collins and Loftus model †¢ Recognizes diversity of information in a semantic network †¢ Captures complexity of our semantic representation †¢ Consistent with results from priming studies Lexical Access What factors are involved in retrieving information from the lexicon? Semantic Priming Meyer & Schvaneveldt (1971) Lexical Decision Task Prime Target Time Nurse Butter 940 msecs Bread Butter 855 msecs Evidence for associative spreading activation. Ratcliff and McKoon (1981) Subjects study and memorize The doctor hated the book Task: â€Å"Was this word from the sentence you memorized? † Prime Target Time None Book 667 msecs Doctor Book 624 msecs Word Frequency Does word frequency play a role in lexical access? Lexical Decision Task: gambastya, revery, voitle, chard, wefe, cratily, decoy, puldow, raflot, oriole, vuluble, booble, chalt, awry, signet, trave, crock, cryptic, ewe, himpola mulvow, governor, bless, tuglety, gare, relief, ruftily, history, pindle, develop, gardot, norve, busy, effort, garvola, match,sard, pleasant, coin, maisle. Lexical Decision is dependent on word frequency Eyemovement studies: Subjects spend about 80 msecs longer fixating on low-frequency words than high-frequency words Morphological Structure So we strip off the prefixes and suffixes of a word for lexical access? Decision = Decide + ion Lexical Decision Tasks: Prime Target Time Nurse Butter 940 msecs Bread Butter 855 msecs Evidence for associative spreading activation Ratcliff and McKoon (1981) Subjects study and memorize The doctor hated the book Task: â€Å"Was this word from the sentence you memorized? † Prime Target Time None Book 667 msecs Doctor Book 624 msecs Word Frequency Does word frequency play a role in lexical access? Lexical Decision Task: gambastya, revery, voitle, chard, wefe, cratily, decoy, puldow, raflot, oriole, vuluble, booble, chalt, awry, signet, trave, crock, cryptic, ewe, himpola mulvow, governor, bless, tuglety, gare, relief, ruftily, history, pindle, develop, gardot, norve, busy, effort, garvola, match,sard, pleasant, coin, maisle. Lexical Decision is dependent on word frequency Eyemovement studies: Subjects spend about 80 msecs longer fixating on low-frequency words than high-frequency words Morphological Structure So we strip off the prefixes and suffixes of a word for lexical access? Decision = Decide + ion Lexical Decision Tasks: Presented subjects with a sequence of words to study Examined the probability of recognizing words over 14 days Performance systematically decays over time Negatively accelerated decay. Bahrick (1984) Student’s retention of spanish-english vocabulary items from 0 to 50 years Power law of decay Review on the internal lexicon Aspects of meaning: Reference and Sense Denotation and Connotation What is the mental representation of meaning? Models of the Lexicon Hierarchical Network Model Spreading Activation Model What factors are involved in retrieving information from the lexicon? Semantic Priming Word Frequency Morphological Structure Lexical Ambiguity Retention of lexical items.