Bilbo Baggins Essays - The Hobbit, New Zealand Films, Free Essays

Bilbo Baggins Essays - The Hobbit, New Zealand Films, Free Essays Bilbo Baggins The book begins with Bilbo Baggins enjoying a pipe after breakfast. Th is is one of his favorite pleasures and he feels quite content in doing so. He is middle-aged, and resides in a clean warm burrow in the ground. One morning Gandalf, a wizard stops by to chat with Bilbo. He informs Bilbo that he is looking for someone to go on an adventure with him. Although Bilbo is tempted he declines, but not before inviting Gandalf for tea the next morning. The next day Bilbo hears his doorbell and he recalls inviting Gandalf for tea, but instead of the wizard at the door, there is a group of dwarves... thirteen in all. Thorin son of the dwarf king starts to outline a plan on how to regain the tr easure stolen by the dragon Smaug. Bilbo is shocked to realize these plans involve him! He then realizes that Gandalf has tricked him by inscribing on his doo r that he was a burglar seeking a job with lots of excitement. With all this talk of quests and glory Bilbo decides to join the party after all. Gandalf reveals a key and a map of their journey which ends at the Lon ely Mountain. It is there that the treasure of Thorin's ancestors are kept-guar ded by Smaug. The quest begins and the party meets at the Green Dragon Inn. From there they venture into the Lone-lands. As heavy rains begin to fall, Bilbo notice s that Gandalf is missing. When it starts to pour they stop to investigate a light. There Bilbo finds three trolls grumbling about food. Bilbo decides to live up to title of burglar and attempts to pick one of the trolls pocket. However they quickly capture him. The dwarfs see what's going on and try to save poor Bilbo... yet all of them except Thorin is caught. Thorin formulates a plan of freeing them but fails. Gandalf returns and occupies the trolls till dawn, then the turn into stone. They group take the two swords and a knife the trolls were carrying. The travelers come across the Secret Valley. There they stop at Elrond 's Last Homely House. Elrond tells them the only way to use the key that Thorin possesses is to wait where the thrush knocks and the setting sun will shine up on the keyhole. The next morning the group heads toward the Misty Mountains. A storm has caused them to seek shelter in a cave. The cave however turns out to be an entrance to the goblin kingdom. Once again the group is captured. Only Gandalf is free, and he slays the Goblin King, and once again free the party from impend ing doom. During the escape Bilbo is knocked unconscious and is left behind. He awakes to find himself power which makes it's wearer invisible - the ring which Bilbo found. Bilbo slips the ring upon his finger and disappears. He follows Gollum stealthily toward the entrance to the outside world. He then bounds over Gollu m's head to freedom. Outside he is reunited with his dwarf friends. Later they encounter Wargs (large savage wolves). The Wargs chase the party into the trees. High in the branches Gandalf uses a spell to turn the pine cones a fire, in order to drive the wolves away. However the plan backfires and the very trees they took refuge in are now ablaze! Luckily for them the king of the eagles spotted them. He and his eagles swooped out of the sky and whisked our adventures to safety. The eagles dropped them off near Mirkwood Forest. This is where they come across Beorn, a bear like man who can indeed change into a bear. He puts them up for the night and outfits them with supplies for th eir trip into Mirkwood. He also warns them not to stray from the path in the fo rest. When they are ready to enter the forest, Gandalf announces he will not be accompanying them in this part of the journey. The group feels lost without him but yet they press on. They come across a black river. It is here that Bombur, one of the Dwarves falls in and is thrust into a sleep from which he cannot awake. Food is scarce now and the hungry travelers are lured off the path by visions of elves feasting in the forest. To their surprize every time they announce their presence to the elves...they elves vanish! Once again Bilbo finds himself seperated from the group. He stops for a short nap and awakes to find himself

Leadership The 9 Biggest Mistakes a Leader Can Make

Leadership The 9 Biggest Mistakes a Leader Can Make As part of an ActionCOACH work day last month, we viewed an enlightening video  on leadership mistakes put together by Harvard Business Publishing. Nine business leaders were asked what they considered the biggest mistake a leader can make. Their answers are very revealing. The video was created in August 2010, and when I think back to the news about business and government leaders over the past seven years, I can line up those successes and failures to one or more of the insights below. I can also see where I personally am succeeding and where I can use some improvement. Most of these leadership mistakes can be classified under the category of either hubris/arrogance or lack of integrity. I have summarized them for you here (Stylistic note: I chose to use the words and phraseology of each leader rather than be completely consistent with the structure of each answer. I hope you’ll forgive me this one time!) Which of these leadership errors speaks most to you? Bill George, Harvard Business School The biggest mistake you can make as a leader is to put your own self-interest in front of the interest of the organization you run. If you’re looking out for your own money, power, fame, and glory, that’s wrong. Leaders have a deep responsibility to all constituencies they represent – customers, employees, shareholders, etc. – to carry that responsibility out. Leadership is not about your own fame and glory. It’s a responsibility. Evan Wittenburg, Head of Global Leadership Development, Google, Inc. Betraying trust. If you break that one, nothing else will matter. Ellen Langer, Professor, Harvard University Being certain. When we confuse the stability of our mindset with the stability of the underlying phenomenon, we act as if we know. When you think you know, you don’t pay any attention any longer. Uncertainty should be the rule. Exploit the power in uncertainty. Andrew Pettigrew, Professor, Said Business School, University of Oxford Not living up to their values. Leaders who espouse values but don’t deliver them are very often found out, and rapidly turned over. Gianpiero Petriglieri, Affiliate Professor of Organizational Behavior, INSEAD Don’t be so overly enamored with your own vision that you lose capacity for self-doubt. Passion and purpose (positive traits) can sometimes turn into obsession. You become vulnerable if you lose the capacity to see consequences, to look at potential downfalls, other ways things can be, or voices you might be disenfranchising. Carl Sloane, Professor Emeritus, Harvard Business School Personal arrogance/hubris. Confusing the size or success of the enterprise with the individual’s persona. That creates greater social distance and power distance, which is demotivating for most organizations and people, and which increases the chance of making big mistakes. Jonathan Doochin, Leadership Institute at Harvard College Acting too fast. Executing before thinking through the issue. In corporate America and often government, you’re often drinking through a fire hose of issues, with little time to step back, evaluate, and reenter with vision. The best thing a leader can do is take a step back with their management team, seek advice, think it through, then move back to execution. This solves issues in the short term and is also good for long-term strategy. Scott Snook, Professor, Harvard Business School As humans, we’ll accept almost any leadership style as long as it’s consistent. We will sniff out two things: 1) when it’s all about the leader. It has to be about something larger than yourself. 2) not being authentic, consistent, predictable, or in integrity. Our greatest fear is when we have to ask, â€Å"Which one (personality) is coming in today?† Like Jekyll and Hyde. As long as there’s consistency, and it’s about something greater than the leader, we’ll respect that leader. Daisy Wademan Dowling, Executive Director, Leadership Development at Morgan Stanley Not being self-reflective. Not reviewing your own behavior, how to develop yourself, and how your behavior affects other people. You must be willing to hold a mirror to yourself and look at what effect your leadership is having on others. The worst leaders bulldoze forward, make mistakes and don’t look back, not learning as they go or being self-aware about how they’re affecting the people around them. While there are many more blunders a leader can make, it seems all of them fall under one of the leadership mistakes identified above. For instance, making a company all about making money, and losing sight of the underlying values is a mistake. I believe it falls under #1, #6, and probably #9 as well. The tendency toward focusing on money over all else is a sign of getting caught up in a game that ultimately is not satisfying to win. Mistakes are bound to be made. Working too hard to please others is also a mistake; it falls under #4 and #8. If you’re not following your inner compass, you won’t be consistent or trustworthy in sticking to your own values. The potential mistakes I want to focus on are consistency and following the values I espouse. Sometimes I am afraid I am being that Jekyll Hyde personality. I write so much about leadership to remind myself how to stay in integrity with my own vision of how I want to lead. I don’t always succeed, but I always do #9 – self-reflection! I’d love to hear your stories of your own leadership wins and failures, or how you see the leaders around you have succeeded or made mistakes in the areas above. Please share!

Child abuse research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Child abuse research paper - Essay Example The definition has expanded through the years as it came to cover physical injury to physical assault, neglect, emotional abuse, and coercive sexual activity. Statistics speaks about this grim situation: in 2002, 896,000 cases of child abuse and neglect were substantiated across 50 states and that according to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System, about 81% of these cases were perpetuated by parents. (Runyon et al. 2006, p. 23) These kinds of reports, however, do not necessarily reflect the actual incidence of child abuse because the figures may still be higher as many cases of abuse are still estimated to be unreported. The gravity of the situation is highlighted by the fact that child abuse is one of the five leading causes of childhood death in the United States today. (Mankiller 1999, p. 87) The answer is quite complicated to the question why parents abuse their children. There are several dimensions to the issue. For example, mothers are more prone to maltreat their children than fathers or that substance abuse contribute to the emergence of child abuse, among others. These variables, however underscore the need for effective intervention approaches to address the numerous issues in the subject. This paper will explore why treatment is important, how it is being carried out and how this strategy is more effective than punishment in addressing child abuse. In the treatment of parents involved in child abuse, it is important to consider the ecological issues that lead to the abuse. For example, is there unemployment in parents or a maltreatment in the childhood history of the parents? Also, the number of children in the family, the physical or developmental disabilities that are difficult to manage as well as other care giving responsibilities must be considered. It is important that in addressing the problem of child abuse, all parts of the family system issue must be treated. Particularly,

Uberrimae Fides in Marine Insurance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Uberrimae Fides in Marine Insurance - Essay Example This has left the concerned authorities to critically analyze the nature, history, application and scope of Uberrima Fides in Marine Insurance. In broader terms Uberrima Fides is used to disclose all the material that is to be traded through marines. For instance, as per this law both the parties i.e. issuer and receiver has to mention all the peculiar details to the insurer in order to certify that the traded material does not violate any of the marine insurance laws. Furthermore, there is full duty to the facts and figures of the disclosed material because majority of the information about enclosed material is kept hidden by the two parties. However, under this law they are obliged to mention each and every detail of the materials enclosed3. A lot of goods including machines, plants, household or commercial products are transported either by land, sea or air4. This merchandize incurs some transportation cost commonly known as fright charges and the law which covers all the indemnit y or destruction of cargo is the Marine Insurance. The Marine Insurance companies either operating privately or in association with the government agencies have to make certain that the goods they are transporting are not violating the rules and regulations of the marine transportation through any means5. For this purpose they make use of Uberrima Fides in order to seek details of the disclosed material from the applicants of marine insurance. Though it seems very simple to mention details about the disclosed material from the insurer’s point of view, yet it is a very complex and highly law governing procedure which needs to be done under the obligations set by Uberrimae Fides6. The duty of Uberrima Fides in Marine Insurance The Duty of Uberrimae Fides in Marine Insurance was created hundreds of years back by the British Marine Forces in order to keep check and ascertain the insurance of transported material through marines. As per the Marine Law, vestigial insurance is used so as to define Uberrimae Fides7. Since insuring the risk of damage and destruction during the cargo transportation is a crucial matter and involves high level of complexities therefore historically Uberrima Fides were used to insure that highest standards of Good Faith are maintained between both the parties. Moreover, on the economic grounds Uberrimae Fides provides protection to the insurers through which they are no longer in danger due to insuring some poor or damageable material8. For instance, when centuries ago British Marines were used to allow transportation of goods through sea there was no law to certify the risks of damage and the associated agencies were forced to rely upon the information provided by the issuer of goods. Hence, if during the sail some damages occurred then insurer had to compensate those damages. Therefore it was found necessary to make laws in order to obtain peculiar information related to the goods to be transported9. Nature of Uberrima Fides The n ature of Uberrimae fides is of pre contractual duty. It is an obligatory procedure by which both the parties have to make certain that the good they are issuing or receiving through marine transportation will not incur unnecessary damages and compensations to the marine insurance companies10. Uberrimae Fides is functioned somewhat in the same way as the misrepresentation is operated in fraudulent

Main functions of GO4IT Sports Essay Example for Free

Main functions of GO4IT Sports Essay * The company has a warehouse which supplies goods to shops as well as to sports teams by mail order * The company sells a wide range of sports goods in it shops this includes clothing, footwear and equipment for sports. * The shops also sell exercise equipment; however these large items are not kept in stock but are ordered from the supplier as required. * The company supplies match strips, to order, in team colours for different sports * The company supplies other team merchandise with team logo; these are supplied through a mail order service. * Sell sports trophies which can be engraved if required. * The company also supplies sports clothing in bulk to schools Different types of customers for GO4IT Sports The companys customers include: * Schools * Sports teams for all sports such as football, rugby, tennis, athletics and golf * General customers * The shops which are supplied by the companys warehouse Describe the functions of each section within the shops and Head Office, paying particular attention to Administration in shops and Human Resources in Head Office Functions of each section within the shops Administration * Each shop has a Branch Manager who has overall responsibility for the running of the shop. * The assistant manager and head of administration section report directly the branch manager. * The staff keeps account of the money taken through the EPOS terminals by comparing money received with EPOS records. * The administration staff produce and send correspondence from the shop as well as receiving correspondence. * Organise for a trophy to be engraved by contacting the local engraver. * Emailing weekly orders for goods to the warehouse * Producing confirmation purchase orders for goods and services * Checking invoices against goods received and work done and passing these to Head Office for payment Clothing sales * The clothing sales section has a clothing sales manager who the clothing sales staff and footwear sales staff report to. * Clothing Sales staff assist customers in choosing appropriate clothing and provide advice for those who wish to purchase clothing * The footwear sales staffs assist customers and provide advice for those who wish to purchase footwear. Equipment sales * The Equipment sales section has an Equipment sales manager. The general sales staff and specialist sales staff report to the Equipment sales manager. * The General sales staff operate the EPOS terminals, they scan the barcodes of every items during purchase and handing of receipts. * The Specialist sales staffs provide assistance and specialist advice and information for customers purchasing more advanced equipment. Functions within the Head Office * The Managing Director of GO4IT sports is responsible for all aspects of the day to day running of the business. The two directors which are: sales marketing director and the finance and administration director report to the managing director Sales and Marketing * The sales and marketing director is responsible for the mail order operation as well as advertising and promoting the business * A buying manager is responsible for locating the goods to be sold and negotiating contracts for their supply. * The buying manager ensures the right volume and type of goods are supplied at the right time to maximise profit. Finance and Administration * The Finance and Administration director is responsible for all other functions within the Head Office. This includes administration, Human Resources(HR) and finance * The Administration assistant, HR executive, chief accountant and ICT support executive report to the Finance and Administration director Finance * Keep records of all financial transactions on the head office server, including the income from sales for each shop and mail order, payments for goods purchased, payments for engraving contractors and staff wages. * Records are used to produce monthly and annual accounts for shareholders and Inland Revenue. * Generate VAT (value added tax) returns once a quarter for customs and excise. * Arrange for the amount due to be paid. Human Resource (HR) The functions of the HR Department are; * Staff recruitment and training * Place advertisements for staff * Send out and receive application forms * Organise interviews and provide contracts for successful applicants * Keeping standard personnel records on a database along with records of training courses attended by members of staff and any qualifications they obtain. * Determine what further training each staff member requires and how best to provide it * Book the member of staff on an external training course/ if many members require training organise for a trainer to deliver the course in house. Task1 Identify different types of supplier to the shops and warehouse and describe relationships between these suppliers and the departments/individuals within the company Warehouse Supplier What is supplied Who orders it How and when it is ordered Wholesaler Clothing and footwear Warehouse manager Order is made by fax once a month but can place special order by telephone if stocks of a particular item falls faster then expected Specialist manufacturers Sports equipment Buying Manager The buying manager negotiates contracts at the beginning of each season either by telephone or visit, for the supply of a certain quantity. Shops Supplier What is supplied Who orders it How and when it is ordered Local Engraver (external Contractor) Engraved Trophy Administration Assistant Administration Assistant telephones local engraver. The engraver collects the trophy from the shop with a confirmation purchase order detailing work the required. Warehouse Clothing and footwear Administration staff Branch manager hands an annotated stock list to Administration staff who e-mails warehouse Task 2 An analysis of the processes for recording sales in a shop and for mail order sales in Head Office. Shop Information Required * Product bar code or numerical code if bar code unreadable * Quantity bought * If sale is to be paid by credit card * If paying by cash the Amount to be tendered From where this is obtained and how it is captured * product code by barcode scanner * numerical code keyed in using a keypad * quantity keyed in by till operator * credit card yes/no keyed in The processing and calculations required * look up item in computer * display item name and price on screen * multiply price by quantity * if on sale, reduce total price by 50% * display total on screen * if credit card = yes, generate credit card receipt for signature The form and content of any output * on-screen / display message * paper till receipt * paper credit card receipt * Contains prices. items, sales items highlighted with words ON SALE, store address, time of sale, till operator name Mail Order in Head Office Information Required * Team details e.g. team name, name and address of contact person, the sport, the colour(s) and design of shirt/vest, position of logo e.g. VTL(vest top left), picture of team logo and team number * Product colour * Product quantity required * Product code * Colour code/ X is entered If a non standard colour * Size and number of colours in logo * Amount of deposit paid From where this is obtained and how it is captured * Team details from completed order form from a mail order brochure entered onto data screen on computer using input devices such as keyboard and mouse * Product colour from completed order form from a mail order brochure entered onto data screen on computer using input devices such as keyboard and mouse * Product quantity required from completed order form from a mail order brochure entered onto data screen on computer using input devices such as keyboard and mouse * Product code from completed order form from a mail order brochure entered onto data screen on computer using input devices such as keyboard and mouse * Colour code/ X is entered If a non standard colour from completed order form from a mail order brochure entered onto data screen on computer using input devices such as keyboard and mouse * Size and number of colours in logo from completed order form from a mail order brochure entered onto data screen on computer using input devices such as keyboard and mouse * Amount of deposit paid from completed order form from a mail order brochure entered onto data screen on computer using input devices such as keyboard and mouse * Team logo captured using a scanner and stand alone computer The processing and calculations required * look up item in computer * display item name and price on screen * Calculate price of embroidery by multiplying number of logos by price * multiply price by quantity * Calculate sub total if less than à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½100, à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½5 is added for postage and packaging * Calculate and add VAT to give total price The form and content of any output * on-screen / display message * Invoice * Contains prices. items, store address, store phone and fax number, date of sale, invoice number, team contact person details, sub total, VAT, total, Less deposit, total due. Task 3 Outlining the current ICT systems used by GO4IT Sports, in particular, Finance within Head Office and Administration within a Shop Administration within a shop * Each shop has a number of Electronic Point of Sales (EPOS) terminals with barcode readers and card readers. * Telephone connection to banking system * Small Local Area Network (LAN) of three computers * Laser Printer * Branch managers computer acts as a server * Dial up modem Software used includes * Word processing * Spreadsheet applications Finance within Head Office * Number of workstations * Local are network (LAN) * Single Server * Fast laser printer * Slower laser printer * Bar code reader * ISND line Software used includes * Word processing * Spreadsheet applications * Database management software * Stock control software Task 3 Analysing the purpose and operation of the main ICT systems used for sales in each shop and the ICT systems using within the warehouse Shops * Each shop has an EPOS terminal with barcode readers and card readers. Stock data is held on dedicated server connected to the EPOS terminals. * There is also a telephone connection to the banking system for authorisation of the card payments. * The barcode reader is used to scan the barcode of each item and the product code it contains is used to look the product description and price from stock database * When items are scanned total price is calculated. This includes the VAT, the system calculates the net value of the items, and all of this is printed on the receipt. * If customer pays by cash, member of staff enters the amount tendered; the EPOS terminal calculates the change due. This is printed on receipt and given to customer * If customer wishes to pay by credit or debit card the member of staff swipes the card through the card reader. The card details are checked by the banking system and if the transaction is approved an authorisation code is transmitted to the EPOS terminal. * The authorisation Code and card details and amount debited are printed on receipt which is handed to customer to sign with card and items purchased. Warehouse * Stand alone computer * Scanner * Computer controlled embroidery machine * Workstation * Laser printer * Stock control software has separate screens for incoming and outgoing goods. * All goods have a product code which is contained in a barcode. When goods arrive in the warehouse the barcode of each product is read and the quantity entered via the keyboard. * This data is used to update stock database. * For every order picked up the staff use the barcode reader to input the product code and the keyboard to enter the quantity removed from stock. These items are deducted from stock database. Task 3 Recommending and explaining improvements/ extensions to shop systems Methods for improving stock control and the re-ordering of stock, as well as integration of systems within GO4IT sports. * A dedicated server could be used instead of the branch managers computer acting as a server, if the branch managers computer crashes then that would leave the other computers stranded without a printer and no access to the internet. * ISDN connection would improve communication giving workers a faster connection to send e-mails internally. Dial up connections are not as reliable and are slower so information being sent will be limited due to connection speed of dial up. * There should be a centralised database put into place. This is where all the companys data is held in one place and the computers in the company are networked. This central database can be used by anyone within the company provided they have been given access through a password. This will be a very resourceful way of storing company data, as it will prevent the problem of data duplication. * Sales based ordering where automatic re-ordering takes place of goods from the warehouse using the sales information from the checkouts. * To increase the efficiency of communication between the supplier and GO4IT sports I would recommend the introduction of EDI (electronic data interchange); the system is similar to email and allows users to exchange invoices, delivery notes, orders and receipts over the telephone network. Security * Log in pages requiring a specific unique user name requiring a private password to track who logs on and off to restrict users Possible problems for suggested improvements * One of the problems that may arise is the finance to cover the costs for the installation of the systems in place. * Also addition of new feature will mean that staff are not familiar with it and training for staff will be required. Benefits of using new technology EDI Advantages * It is much faster, as work does not have to be printed, it is on the screen * The EDI system is easy to use and work can be sent off very easily * Information can be sent to other companies, in less then a few minutes instead of days. * The company can be linked up with their bank, suppliers and customers. * Will minimize the amount of paperwork and business can be transacted much faster and more efficiently then is possible through the normal post. Disadvantages * For EDI, computers are relied on, therefore if the systems go down; it will have a huge of affect on the company. * It is very costly for the installation of EDI * The organization has to research into which system would be best for the company Ecommerce Advantages * Majority of the work of GO4IT sports can be done just through the internet, making it much easier. * This would means a lot less people will have to be employed this will result in huge savings for the company as most transaction will be electronic. * Currently GO4IT sports uses a lot of time to get into contact with suppliers by using the telephone, which can be tedious due to the telephone being engaged; by using e-commerce orders could be automatically electronically sent straight to the suppliers. * Team contacts currently have to post the payment to the company, which is very time consuming and not very secure and with using ecommerce an electronic funds transfer could be made. * Promotion of the company can be improved as it is all online presentation of online advertising can be enhanced. * This will also enable the company to advertise their products online and also allow customers to purchase the products directly from the site using their debit/credit card. They can place the desired items in the virtual shopping trolley. The company can be fully based on the internet, making it easier for the company and also for customers. Disadvantages * A close relationship between the retailer and supplier is required in order for the system to work * Returning products online will prove to be difficult. The customer may be put off when these areas are taken into account. As the customer will question how to send the goods back to their source? Who pays for the return postage? Will the refund be paid? Will I be left with nothing? How long will it take? Compared to offline experience of returning goods to a shop and it is frustrating for the customer. * Privacy, security, payment, identity, contract. Many issues arise privacy of information, security of that information and payment details, whether or not payment details (eg credit card details) will be misused, identity theft, contract, and, whether we have one or not, what laws and legal jurisdiction apply. MIS(management information systems) For the Buying Manager I would recommend the following improvements: * MIS could produce an analysis of patterns of sales in the company * MIS would be able to identify peak production needs * What if type questions could be applied to different patterns of sales The features of the MIS system that could be used by the branch manager are: * Production costs can be based on raw material costs * MIS could be used to carry out analysis automatically * Results could be displayed in graphs which are easy to understand * Monthly graphs could be produced of price comparison with competitors goods or services resulting from regular market research. * Planning, directing, controlling and forecasting decisions. Both managers would benefit from the following points of the MIS system: * Warnings could be set if production costs exceed budget. * Warnings could be set if stocks fall below fixed level.

Austens Northanger Abbey and Hoggs Confessions of a Justified Sinner

The Uncanny Works of Austen's Northanger Abbey and Hogg's Confessions of a Justified Sinner  Ã‚   In order to discuss the literature of the uncanny we must first be able to define "uncanny", and trying to grasp a firm understanding of the term "uncanny" is problematic; since as accepted reference works such as the Oxford English Dictionary filter down into popular culture the meaning subtly alters, or becomes drawn towards only one aspect of what was originally a much broader definition. To illustrate this, the Oxford Complete Wordfinder, Reader's Digest (1999), defines: "uncanny adj. seemingly supernatural; mysterious * see EERIE" and my word-processor contributes: meanings for "uncanny" : weird; "Of a mysteriously strange and usually frightening nature" (Word 2002 Thesaurus, allegedly adapted from the Oxford Thesaurus and Roget's 2nd: The New Thesaurus.) The OED, the source from which both of these definitions ultimately are derived, takes its associations somewhat further, and there are decided connotations of the perilous and mystic: "mischievous, malicious ... not to be trusted ... associated with supernatural arts or powers ... dangerous, unsafe" (lecture handout notes), but even considering this it is difficult to come to a decisive, all-encompassing definition of what constitutes 'uncanny literature', because to be concerned with the unknown, the subject matter must by its very nature be imprecise. What is suggested becomes far more important than what is actually said. An excellent illustration of this is the work of that master of cosmic otherworldliness, H.P. Lovecraft. (Typical extract from an e-text of his short story, The Outsider: "I beheld in full, frightful vividness the inconceivable, indescribab... ...ssible engagement with the text, it is also an invited one, because a great deal of the value of the text lies in presenting an unsettling and subtle variation upon a known theme or situation. Mastery of the literary genre depends upon a clear knowledge not only of recurrent themes and styles of the form (which exist to be perpetuated in continually evolving manner, much more so than in other genres), but of human nature and the psychological triggers which create in readers a spirit of curiosity. One might think that such a device was inherent to any form of writing of any quality, and whilst this is true, there is a much more marked difference between formulaic uncanny and gothic fiction than that of other genres. Works Cited Confessions of a Justified Sinner, James Hogg, Everyman, 1998. Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen, Oxford World's Classics, 1998.

Effect Of Violent Television Programs On Children In The U.S Essay

In 1996, the federal government of the United States passed a law demanding that every television set from the size of 13 inches and above to be installed with a V chip to control content being watched by children. This move was inspired by the recognition of the impact that violent television programs were causing on the children (Centerwall 69). More recently, some senators in US lead the drive to the enactment of laws that would control broadcast of sex ad violence on TV. TV violence has been a matter of greater concern since it occupies much of the TV content programmed in the US today. Research shows that concern for behavioral effects began as early as the 1950s and 60s following the introduction and popularity of televisions in US. Currently, TV broadcasting has evolved a lot in US such that content is being broadcast without much concern for age rating, especially following increased access to TV the children. Violence can be from news programs or fictional entertainment programs. A 1995 article in the Journal of American Medical Association points out that television has detrimental impacts on the normal development of children due to the increase in physical aggressiveness and health concerns (Centerwall 644). Later, the American Psychological Association published a policy statement urging pediatricians to advise their clients to control TV viewing among their children to not more than 1 or 2 hours. Effects of physical aggressiveness have also been confirmed by the US National Institute of Mental Health. This has especially impacted negatively on the religious foundations of children since aggressiveness contrasts the fundamental principles of most religions. Children usually learn by imitating what they observe, hence if exposed to violent programs they tend to emulate the violent behaviors shown on the program. Two separate studies conducted among young inmates convicted of violent crime cases including rape, assault and homicide indicates that between 22 % and 34 % confessed to have been consciously inspired by the crime techniques leant from TV programs they used to watch (Nathanson 141). A number of these were from a strong religious background. Some 1990 data shows that children in US between the age of 2 and 5 years of age were spent about 27 hours of their time every week watching television most of which were had violent content. Although religious principles may guide behaviour to some extent, psychologists argue that children of such age are usually unable to differentiate fantasy ad facts when it comes to television and hence end up accepting and believing what they watch, this erodes their moral and religious believes with time. A study conducted for close to 22 years among US children of age 8 and addressing the correlation of this group to the severity of crime committed by the same at age 30, found out that viewing of violent content correlated highly positively to the nature and seriousness of crime most were convicted of at age 30: at a probability of 0. 05% (Brandon 1). This number is inclusive of religious children implying that violent programs introduce them gradually to crime. A study on 100 male crime convicts, whereby 65 of them had no past association with crime; were of same age, residence background and race and aged between age 10 and 14, shows that there was significant statistical relation between exposure to TV violence and violent behaviour in adults. This proves the finding that violence has great potential to shape the behavior of a child irrespective of religion. A poll conducted among adult Americans show that about 43 percent of Americans believe that contribution of TV violence to increasing violence in the society is high than any other factors. Given that most Americans are religious people and so are their children, it is apparent homicide is against their principles. However, there is the data that states that the per annum rate of white homicides in US increased by 92 recent from 1945’s 1. 3 homicides/ 100000 US white citizens to 2. 5 / 100000 in 1974 (Centerwall 646). TV violence has been the leading cause of religious negligence among most young US people as they are inspired by the reality of TV the set of religious principles. This is regarded as the effect of high market competitiveness driving TV companies to broadcast violence in a â€Å"fantasy† manner to generate mass audiences for advertising purposes. There is less concern for responsibility. Religious children have been victims of juvenile crime as pointed out by senators Kefauwer and Dodd regarding relation of TV programs to the increases in juvenile crime. A study by The Centre of Research on the Effect of Television indicates that young people usually become insensitive to pain or other activity that inflicts suffering on others especially in real life. This has been noted more specifically by church leaders as the most basic factor driving religious children used to violent TV shows to try out violent activity. This is because they tend to believe what they see is the real world. Children, including the religious as well perceive violence in such program as fantasy since they lack the ability to differentiate fantasy and reality at below age 8 (Wood, et al. 375). In this regard, most children also tend to believe that violence is the most appropriate means of getting what one wants as is depicted by their heroes. Children also grow fear of the world that they live in. This affects their self drive and may make them to apply the violent activity in self defense on being made to perceive the real world as bad. This is in contrast to what religion advocates for. This rate of influence is even more alarming given the fact that about 54% of children in America have access to a TV set in their bedroom with 44% (religious children included) confirming that they watch totally different subjects when not with their parents. Research from Michigan University notes that TV contributes to abut 10% of the violent witnessed among religious children. The American Psychological Association notes that children who watch a lot of violent TV shows have more tendency to show violent behaviors such as disobedience, arguing and striking out at playmates irrespective of religious background (Harrison and Joanne 93). The Kaiser Family Foundation argues that most religious children as well as the non-religious ones have come to accept violence as an alternative to solving life problems due to prolonged exposure to programs depicting the same on TV. According to the Center for Disease Control, US, violence among children who watch a lot of television is the topmost public health challenge with the influence of the same on murder rates increasing at rates more than population growth (American Academy of Pediatrics 1119). Violent television has also been associated with increased levels of blood pressure which is a contributing factor to aggressiveness. It is undeniable that TV affects negatively the behaviour f children and it is even worth noting that religious children are not spared unless with the intervention of seniors. Works Cited Centerwall, B. S. â€Å"Television and violent crime. † The Public Interest 111(1993): 56-77. Harrison, Karin, and Joanne Cantor. â€Å"Tales from the Screen: Enduring Fright Reactions to Scary Media. † Media Psychology 1. 2 (1999): 97–116. Nathanson, Amy J. , and Joanne, Cantor. â€Å"Children’s Fright Reactions to Television News. † Journal of Communication 46. 4 (1996): 139–152. Centerwall, B. S. â€Å"Exposure to television as a risk factor for violence. † American Journal of Epidemiology 129 (1989): 643-652. Wood, W, Wong, F. Y. , and Chachere, J. G. â€Å"Effects of media violence on viewers’ aggression in unconstrained social interaction. † Psychological Bulletin 109 (1991): 371-383. American Academy of Pediatrics. â€Å"Committee on Communications: Children, adolescents, and television. † Pediatrics 85(1990):1119-1120. Brandon, Centerwall S. â€Å"Television and Violence: The Scale of the Problem and Where to Go From Here† JAMA 267. 22 (1992). Retrieved August 3, 2010 from http://cursor. org/stories/television_and_violence. htm.

Appropriate Needs Assessment For a Social Intervention Program

In the pre-planning stages of any social intervention project, a basic needs assessment of the target group or population should be conducted first to determine priority areas for intervention and draw up benchmark data and indicators for reference during planning, implementation, monitoring and post-implementation phases. Furthermore, according to Acosta et. al, â€Å"Conducting needs assessment research is a rational way to examine the effectiveness of social programs† (Acosta, 343). A needs assessment basically consists of several benchmark data gathering activities that would require collection of primary and secondary data and other forms of data gathering, like focused group discussions.   Some even require several or multi-level studies to come up with the benchmark results, like that of an assessment process conducted in the State of Pennsylvania. To quote: â€Å"The process was designed to use a seven-step procedure incorporating qualitative and quantitative data collection strategies† (Daly, 95).   Hence, depending on the needs and scope of an intended intervention, strategies for benchmark data gathering in establishing needs assessment output should be pre-designed. A needs assessment usually focus on a group of people or population in a given environment.   For example, the needs assessment from Pennsylvania stated focused on â€Å"Individuals with developmental disabilities who present challenging behaviors create significant issues for families and service delivery systems that provide support† (Daly, 95). How does one go about specifying the extent of a problem? The results of a needs assessment study identifies several opportunities for addressing the problem and gives an insight on how best to attack or implement the program to address the conflict or problem in a given population group in a specified environment.   There are strategies and methodologies by which the problems or needs for social intervention can be identified and addressed.   One such approach is the SWOT Analysis or the identification of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats present in the environment and in profiling all the stakeholders affected in the proposed or planned social intervention program. Elaborate on the difficulties associated with defining and identifying the targets of interventions. How might we describe the target populations of social interventions? Not one social intervention program can boast of a 100% foolproof plan that will ensure a definitive path for success or capture and identify for sure the appropriate beneficiaries of a social intervention project.   In every intended project, it has been a lesson in the past that planning should be bottom up and not the other way around.   Instead of a project identified and a benchmark study scheduled just to fit into the â€Å"prerequisite† for approval of the intervention program, the process should be reversed. One frequent mistake adapted by governments or non-profit organizations, in identifying target populations for a social intervention program. is having a â€Å"ready made program† and trying to find a beneficiary for the identified program.   The environment and community setting plus other nuances other than a pre-targeted population should be considered first, and then the intervention program, later to be identified in an appropriately processed needs assessment.   Otherwise, if the social intervention program has already been prescribed even before consulting what the target population needs and what the community or environmental setting dictates, then the intervention program has already failed even before it has begun. Works Cited: Acosta, O., and Toro, P. (2000). Let's Ask the Homeless People Themselves: A Needs Assessment Based on a Probability Sample of Adults. American Journal of Community Psychology, Vol. 28, 343. Daly, D., Kvarfordt, C., Malatchi, A., Shannon, P., Yoder, T. (2001).   Capacity for Statewide Implementation of Positive Behavior Supports: A Needs Assessment Strategy. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, Vol. 3, 95.   

Horseracing Idioms in Politics

Horseracing Idioms in Politics Horseracing Idioms in Politics Horseracing Idioms in Politics By Maeve Maddox A reader asks about my use of the verb place in a recent post: In your The Oxford Short List 2015 article the second paragraph reads In this post, I’ll take a look at eight other words that placed in Oxford’s annual list of frequently used English words and phrases.† Is that construction correct, or wouldnt the verb tense were be missing between that placed? The reader is thinking of place as a transitive verb meaning â€Å"to put† or â€Å"to set,† as in this example of passive voice: â€Å"The books were placed carefully on the shelf.† I was using place with the following meaning: place intransitive verb: to achieve a particular final position in a race or other competition. In British horseracing, â€Å"to place† means to finish a race in any of the first three (occasionally four) positions, especially other than first.† In North American usage, â€Å"to place† is to finish second. Here’s an example of this figurative usage from the 2000 presidential race: They were playing to win; they werent playing to place, Gore spokesman Chris Lehane said. This is not win, place and show. This is winner and loser. Horseracing idioms are especially popular in political campaigning. Here are some more examples, with explanations: After a strong performance in this week’s Democratic presidential debate, Hillary Clinton has reclaimed some of the ground she’d lost to Senator Bernie Sanders over the summer, leaving the two in a statistical dead heat in New Hampshire Dead heat noun: Two or more horses finishing in an exact tie at the wire. Time to prune the Republican presidential field to the top six Field noun: The horses entered in a race. The Republican Front Runner is a Huge Fan of Michael Moore Front runner noun: A horse that usually leads (or tries to lead) the field for as far as it can. Mayoral race in home stretch Homestretch noun: The part of a racetrack between the last turn and the finish line Mikva wins by a nose in 10th District Nose  noun: The smallest advantage a horse can win by. In England, the term is â€Å"a short head.†Ã‚   Two more scratched from 28th ward race Scratch verb: to be taken out of a race. Whichever candidate proves the better stretch runner, the barrage from the other side will continue through until Election Day.    Stretch runner noun: a horse that picks up speed late in a race and finishes fast. Silvestros tout Trump from their rooftop Tout noun: a person who gives tips on racehorses, usually with expectation of some personal reward in return. Tout verb: to praise particular horses and to predict winners. The verb has become especially popular with headline writers as a synonym for recommend or extol in a variety of contexts. Researchers Tout Possible Breakthrough on Curing Peanut Allergies Republican presidential hopefuls tout big government as the cure for terror Scientists tout ‘fish toxin’ as potential cancer cure New study touts huge gas hike toll roads to ease traffic congestion in GTHA Judges Tout Program Helping Victims of Domestic Violence Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Whimsical WordsDeck the HallsWhat’s the Best Way to Refer to a Romantic Partner?

Meaning, Origin, and Uses of Gringo

Meaning, Origin, and Uses of 'Gringo' So someone calls you a gringo or gringa. Should you feel insulted? It depends. Nearly always referring to foreigners in a Spanish-speaking country, gringo is one of those words whose precise meaning, and often its emotional quality, can vary with geography and context. Yes, it can be and often is an insult. But it can also be a term of affection or neutral. And the word has been used long enough outside of Spanish-speaking areas that it is listed in English dictionaries, spelled and pronounced essentially the same in both languages. Origin of Gringo The etymology or origin of the Spanish word is uncertain, although it is likely to have come from griego, the word for Greek. In Spanish, as in English, it has long been common to refer to an unintelligible language as Greek. (Think Its Greek to me or ​Habla en griego.) So over time, griegos apparent variant, gringo, came to refer to a foreign language and to foreigners in general. The first known written English use of the word was in 1849 by an explorer. One bit of folk etymology about gringo is that it originated in Mexico during the Mexican-American war because Americans would sing the song Green Grow the Lilies. As the word originated in Spain long before there was a Spanish-speaking Mexico, there is no truth to this urban legend. In fact, at one time, the word in Spain was often used to refer specifically to the Irish. And according to a 1787 dictionary, it often referred to someone who spoke Spanish poorly. Related Words In both English and Spanish, gringa is used to refer to a female (or, in Spanish, as a feminine adjective). In Spanish, the term Gringolandia is sometimes used to refer to the United States. Gringolandia can also refer to the tourist zones of some Spanish-speaking countries, especially those areas where many Americans congregate. Another related word is engringarse, to act like a gringo. Although the word appears in dictionaries, it doesnt appear to have much actual use. How the Meaning of Gringo Varies In English, the term gringo is often used to refer to an American or British person visiting Spain or Latin America. In Spanish-speaking countries, its use is more complex with its meaning, at least its emotional meaning, depending to a great extent on its context. Probably more often than not, gringo is a term of contempt used to refer to foreigners, especially Americans and sometimes the British. However, it can also be used with foreign friends as a term of affection. One translation sometimes given for the term is Yankee, a term that sometimes is neutral but also can be used contemptuously (as in Yankee, go home!). The dictionary of the Real Academia Espaà ±ola offers these definitions, which can vary according to the geography of where the word is used: Foreigner, especially one who speaks English, and in general one who speaks a language that isnt Spanish.As an adjective, to refer to a foreign language.A resident of the United States (definition used in Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela).Native of England (definition used in Uruguay).Native of Russia (definition used in Uruguay).A person with white skin and blond hair (definition used in Bolivia, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Peru).An unintelligible language.

12 domain of culture Family Diversity and Size Essay

12 domain of culture Family Diversity and Size - Essay Example For example, universally, individuals can attest that a family comprise of a father, mother, sons and daughters. Moreover, love is the bond that links a family (Collins & Jordan, 2009). The diverse nature of a family is further, defined by how the family is developed by individuals who are not necessarily liked by blood. Through this diversity, the families form part of the cultural domain. For example, cultural domain qualifies families such as aboriginal, blended, same-sex parenting and adoption as family diversities. This comes about since the important relations in a family that are the relationship between partners and relationship between parents and children are available (Smith & Riley, 2011). Cultural domain stipulates that a family diversity can be achieved through the universal nature in which individuals agree on the essence of a family. Essentially, a family comprises individuals linked by blood; however, family diversity is also common in situations in which families are developed through families such as aboriginal, blended, same-sex parenting and