Human Nature in the Destructors Essay

Graham Greene had summarized the conflicts in a society through a representation of teenage children during the post-war era, in his famous short story, â€Å"The Destructors†. The setting of the story happened in blitzkrieg London after World War II ended. The characters are mainly teenage boys who had established a gang known as Wormsley Common gang. Their group religiously meets everyday beside the house of Mr. Thomas or Old Misery. The decision of the gang was made through voting. T or Trevor, the main character in the story, suggested that the gang should demolish Mr. Thomas’ house on the upcoming holiday. Mr. Thomas was an old man, who lived in a house that solely stand on an area that was bombed during the war. The group agreed and commenced their plan under the leadership of T. the story ended with the destruction of the house. The story reflects action and adventure, since the gang would do things that can be considered as daring, especially for their age. The story also has a mix of suspense, especially on the last part wherein Mr. Thomas had gone back home earlier than expected. Nevertheless, the short story is not merely a fiction made to entertain its readers rather, it reflects the factual realities observable during the period it pertains such as delinquency, war and human nature. This essay would analyze the story in connection to the delinquency and war which reveals human nature. Human nature would be discussed as something that is subjective and relative to the perspective and position of the individual in the society where he belongs. The story revolves around the actions of the Wormsley Common gang. As mentioned above, the group was predominantly young teenage boys. Every day they will engage themselves with folly, childish acts. As children going through the transition to adulthood, they are trying to find their own identity through joining groups. They express their authority or control over their decision through delinquent acts; such as sneaking free bus rides. One of the things that separate man from the rest of the living organisms in the planet was his capacity to control things. It is a part of being a human to seek dominance. The several instances of delinquency in the short story prove this point. The most prominent was the destruction of Mr. Thomas’ house. However, if all humans would try to dominate each other, chaos would result. Therefore laws are created in societies that seek to control human actions. In the story, Mike –the most childish character, was usually noisy or has a childlike attitude of opening his mouth when he heard something interesting or unbelievable. This behavior was controlled in the gang through the unwritten rule that a frog would be put down inside the mouth of noisy or open-mouthed members. The story also shows that humans have the capacity to choose or decide. Blackie could leave the group but he did not. He can express his disagreement but he chose to remain silent. Humans are naturally born with the ability to weigh circumstances with respect to situations. Man can choose whether to be good or evil. Most of Greene’s writings reflect the good and the evil side of man. The ethical weight of the action depends on the perspective used to judge the action. Breaking into someone else’s house is impolite and evil as rendered by the society, or at least by the society of London. However, in the perspective of the group, it is an expression of pride, dignity and courage. Mr. Thomas served as the representation of the adults during the period; he does not care what the children would do as long as their actions would not bother him. When he gave the boys some chocolates, the gang discussed and argued about why Mr. Thomas would give them something. The gang decided that it was a bribe. Mr. Thomas had accommodated T when he visited him. He even let him tour the house and explained the things he can’t understand. Nonetheless, it was T who had suggested the plan to destroy the house. Mr. Thomas had trusted T, at the end T locked him up. This illustrates the younger generation’s distrust to the adults. Why? Because it was the adults’ decisions, neglect and actions that led to their destitution. When they took everything away from Mr. Thomas, they left him as vulnerable and helpless as a child. They gave him some foods and a blanket to keep him comfortable as he waited for someone to open the door. When the door finally opened, he was amazed to find that the house he cherished was now only a pile of bricks and rubbles. The concepts of delinquency and war revealed that human nature is also subjective to individuals and relative to societies. As illustrated above, humans tend to judge an action from their own perspective. The living conditions and previous events shaped these perspectives. The distant atmosphere that surrounds T was caused by the events that led to their poverty. The childish acts of Mike were due to his young age. The just attitude displayed by Blackie when he opposed taking away things from Mr. Thomas’ house reflects that he was against theft. The humans’ ability to reason gave him the ability to judge. The fact that Blackie stole or got the hacksaw without permission showed a changed in perspective regarding right and wrong. The things that the society or the organization accepts were the right things while those that the society blames were wrong. Human nature was normally branded as either good or bad, depending on the human actions which were either right or wrong. Human nature, as can be reflected on the story was neither good nor evil. Someone perceived as evil by one person might be considered as good by another. People can be persuaded that humans are naturally good. If the society was not perverted, humans would not result to perverted actions. Humans can also be seen as naturally evil and the existence of laws can be justified as a means to prevent them from explicitly doing evil and promote harmony and security in the society. Like every human being, the characters in the story longs for a recognition. Humans would naturally form groups to be able to defend themselves and justify their actions through rules and laws. The gang would decide according to votes which gave everyone a chance to express himself. The conclusion of the votes determines the gang’s action. Whether it was mischief or simply a childish act, if the majority of gang agreed that it should be done, then it would be done. Everyone would do their best to achieve the set-goal. The story also highlights the fact that it is a human nature not to try the things that pains causes pain. For example, Mr. Thomas went home earlier than expected because of his rheumatism. Likewise, when Summers (one of the gang members) complained that they already done â€Å"enough†, T told him that he should not complain because he along with the others had voted in favor of the plan. It was natural for humans to do things that they like and stop doings things that they hate. Humans would naturally move away from something painful or uncomfortable while humans would naturally move towards the things that give them fun and comfort. The sense of belongingness and the various activities that the members of the gang experienced whenever they do an offending act reflect their adherence to the things that do not cause them pain. Humans would logically want the things that please or made them comfortable. Each member of the gang needs one another to get a sense of belongingness and create an identity. When Blackie asked T whether he hated Mr. Thomas, he perceived that T’s actions and decisions were out of personal interest. Mr. Thomas gave them chocolate to get rid of it. The driver looked help Mr. Thomas out of curiosity. Mike went to the house instead of the church, not simply to help but to be accepted and regarded as important. Blackie did not leave the gang because he wanted to take part on its success and glory. Common to all humans was their capacity to decide, contemplate and judge depending on their personal interest. Humans see things depending on how they perceived them. Every individual portrayed in the story would act according to their selfish interest. Humans were judge according to convention and thus, they act with respect to those conventions. The destruction of the house represents the power to destroy. Since the beginning of time, humans aspire for power and authority. Both of these gave humans the capacity to control things with respect to how he wanted things to be. The idea of destroying the house made T a leader. The actual destruction confirmed his authority. On the other hand, the destruction of the house undermines the power of Mr. Thomas. The greater society also works the same way. It was a power struggle to stay on the top. The destructors were the winners while the destructed was the loser. Good and evil depends on the position and situation of the person in between this spectrum. Good makes the person happy while evil gives him pain. Good benefits while evil takes away or weaken a person.

Investigating the empirical link between task-based interaction and acquisition

IntroductionThere are three chief parts of this essay. The first portion explains the basic thought or sum-up of the chapter, titled as â€Å"Investigating the empirical nexus between undertaking based interaction and acquisition† ( chapter 3 from the emended volume of Norris and Ortega 2006 ) . The 2nd portion of the chapter relates to, the analysis of some primary surveies, used in the above chapter or experimental surveies analyzed and discussed in the chapter. The 3rd portion of this essay explains task-based interaction ( theory discussed in the chapter ) and the practical deduction of Task based interaction for non-native linguistic communication scholars.Summary of the ChapterWhile some probes illustrate that, undertaking based interactions can ease acquisition of some lingual features, other 1s back up no such relationship. This chapter explains the primary aggregation of work on look intoing the nexus between task-based interaction and 2nd linguistic communication acq uisition. Long ( 1980 ) , for the first clip introduced, interaction hypothesis, by explicating the position that interaction between N S ( Native talker ) and N N S ( Non Native talker ) can be utile from assorted facets. Early research indicated three facets in which interaction can he helpful. First, interaction provides chances to negociate for comprehension, which enhances scholars input, ( Doughty & A ; Pica 1986 ; Gass & A ; Varonis 1985 ; Long 1983 ; Pica 1988 ; Pica and Doughty 1985 ) . Second, it helps learner to gauge the spread between their native linguistic communication and mark linguistic communication ( Schmidt 1990 ) . As mentioned above that, interaction helps in doing input comprehendible. This statement was farther supported by two major Surveies by ( Gas and Veronis 1994 ; Picca, immature and Doughty 1987 ) , they concluded that interactionally modified input ( input in which scholar are allowed to negociate for comprehension ) facilitate scholars in comparing with pre modified input ( input given in simplified manner ) . Long ( 1983 ) suggested that there could be at least â€Å"indirect insouciant relationship† between interaction and acquisition. Probe from Pica ( 1993 ) concluded that, two types of Tasks were extremely effectual, saber saw and information spread, because it involves all the scholars to interact. Surveies conducted by ( Ellis, Tanaka and Yamazaki 1995 ) , ( Mackey 1995 ) , ( Pica 1992 ) , ( Gas and Veronis 1994 ) , ( Young and Doughty 1987 ) exhaustively analyzed the relationship between interaction and 2nd linguistic communication acquisition. The consequences of their surveies were rather satisfactory in presuming the being of empirical nexus between task-based interaction and 2nd linguistic communication. This chapter exhaustively observed 14 relevant experimental surveies based on input interaction. All the surveies were selected from about 100 identified surveies during literature search.The basic factors considered for the choice of these surveies were clip of surveies ( 1980-2003 ) , age of participant in surveies ( 15-44 ) , surveies incorporating effectual Communication undertaking and surveies which contained undertakings that surrogate acquisition of specific grammatical and lexical characteristics. Entire figure of surveies analyzed were, ( n =14 ) , out of which, ( n =7 ) surveies were of English linguistic communication, ( n =4 ) surveies were of Spanish linguistic communication and ( n =3 ) surveies were of Nipponese linguistic communication. Majority of acquisition, ( 71 % ) took topographic point in university context. After analyzing the above surveies exhaustively, It was concluded that empirical nexus do be between undertaking based interaction and acquisition, farther research in this field was besides recommended at the terminal of the chapter. This is a good chapter, because it adds a batch to knowledge in applied linguistics. The contents in this chapter are the basic replies to empirical inquiries about 2nd linguistic communication acquisition and learning while nailing inquiry for future research ( Brown, 2002 ) . â€Å"Overall, the writers have managed to collocate a really good structures chapter on a subject of import to farther subject of applied linguistics† Ute Knoch, University of Auckland, New Zealand, on Linguist List 17.3578, 2006.PrimarySourcesfromChapterInteractionist theoretician considers linguistic communication acquisition as a outstanding facet of discourse or linguistic communication is learned through discourse. The survey of colloquial interaction and its relation to 2nd linguistic communication acquisition has been cardinal to research workers. Since 1980, a batch of research has been carried out in order to explore the being of phenomenal bond between undertaking based interaction and 2nd linguistic communication acquisition ( Gass ; Mackey and Pica: 1998 ) . Interaction hypothesis is derived from ( Hatch: 1978 ) , on the importance of conversation for the development of grammar. Long in 1980 revealed the importance of interaction in his celebrated hypothesis called â€Å"interaction hypothesis† . Since so many research workers have tried to research the connexion between interaction and 2nd linguistic communication acquisition.Interaction hypothesis in based on two major claims,Comprehensible input is necessary for 2nd linguistic communication acquisition.Negotiation in communicating brought alteration in the construction of interaction, which helps in doing input comprehendible.Rod Ellis ( 1999:3 ) explained interaction as, â€Å"the impersonal activity that arises during face to confront communication† . Interaction plays an of import function in linguistic communicatio n acquisition. It facilitates learner, to grok lingual characteristics of a linguistic communication and provides scholars to take the considerable sum of input harmonizing to their demand ( Long 1996 ) . In footings of input, as argued by ( Kreshan: 1985 ) that, comprehendible input plays an of import function in 2nd linguistic communication acquisition. However ( Gass: Meckey and Picca 1998 ) reported that ( Long 1985 ) himself pointed out that comprehendible input, in itself, was necessary but non sufficient to advance the acquisition procedure. Similarly, ( Swain 1985 ) , claims that, through the resulting interaction, scholars have chances to understand and utilize the linguistic communication that was non apprehensible ( comprehendible end product ) . Additionally, they may have more or different input and have more chances for end product. Since in early 1980 and subsequently on in 1996 Long`s account of â€Å"interaction hypothesis† , claimed that, common connexion between acquisition and interaction is widely accepted ( Gass, Mackey and Picca 1998 ) . Similarly, ( Gass 1997 ) examines the relationship of mechanism between communicating and acquisition. As was proposed by ( Long 1996:414 ) , â€Å"It is proposed that environmental parts to acquisition are meditated byselective attending and the scholars developing L2 processing capacity, and that these resources are brought together most usefully, although non entirely, during dialogue for meaning† . It indicates that Long`s chiefly accent is on interactive input ( input that is derived and comprehend through interaction ) . Long clarified that conversation between more competent scholar ( native talkers ) and less competent scholar ( non native talkers ) . The interaction which takes topographic point between less competent and more competent involves elucidation for significance, verification of message significance and comprehension cheques. Pica ( 1994 ) strengthened the importance of interaction hypothesis, by lucubrating the importance of â€Å"negotiated input† in three rule ways. First importance of negotiated input is that, it helps learner to have comprehendible input, which takes topographic point through alteration of address. Learner ‘s procedure input easilywhen breakdown in dialogue takes topographic point. Second Pica suggested that, during dialogue between less competent talker ( N N Ss ) and more competent talker ( N Ss ) , direct feedback to less competent talker is provided. Last Pica argued that dialogue aid scholars to modify their ain end product, in instance of any break down during dialogue procedure. On the contrary, experiment conducted by ( Gass & A ; Varonis ; 1994 ) with the aid of 16 scholars derived the consequences that sometimes dialogue for significance does non assist N Ss to grok N N Ss. Task based interaction has an everlasting deduction on linguistic communication acquisition. It provides scholar with input harmonizing to their demand. Learners interact and simplify significance for them with the aid of dialogue for better comprehension. Comprehension depends upon the scheme adopted by N N Ss in order to carry through the mark of dialogue. Since, in Task based interaction, chiefly the interaction takes topographic point through a â€Å"life like† undertaking, so task seems to be cardinal here. Similarly Bygate ; Skehan and Swain ( 2001 ) explains undertaking as â€Å"A undertaking is an activity which requires scholars to utilize linguistic communication, with accent on significance, to achieve an objective† . Research workers have explored two major inquiries in order to place the effectivity of undertakings.The affect of undertaking on linguistic communication comprehension.The consequence of undertaking on linguistic communication acquisition.Get downing with the survey conducted by, ( Mackey 1999 ) , which is based on the probe of two inquiries. The first inquiry considered, in this survey was ; whether interaction is straight related to acquisition? The 2nd inquiry was about the nature of conversation and degree of engagement in conversation. There exists a direct relation between larning and active engagement of scholars in assorted undertakings, the claim made by ( Mackey 1999 ) . Learners ‘ inactive engagement in interaction makes them unable to accomplish proficiency in 2nd linguistic communication as comparison to learner who participated actively. These two inquiries were analyzed profoundly in this survey. Undertakings used in this analysis were based on a specific standard, that isUndertaking required major and active engagement were used.Task provides contexts for the targeted constructions to happen.The interactive undertaking were chiefly, â€Å"story completion† , â€Å"picture sequencing† , â€Å"picture drawing† and â€Å"spotting out image differences† . These undertakings were designed with the aid of six, native talke rs. Native talkers were trained in the usage of â€Å"pre test† and â€Å"post test† stuff. The consequences clearly confirmed the anticipation that ; active engagement did ease development of 2nd linguistic communication. The ground was that of the cogency of the above undertakings used in interaction, which confirmed considerable development in linguistic communication acquisition. The undertaking based interaction seemed to hold high influence in 2nd linguistic communication acquisition. Similarly, the survey of ( Garcia and Asencion: 2001 ) analyzed two groups of pupils, comprised of 39 participants. This survey studies, the relationship between group interactions and inter linguistic communication development. Specifically, its relation to listening comprehension and the grammar signifiers production in mark linguistic communication. First the scholars took notes on a mini talk and so completed a text Reconstruction and listening comprehension trial. The two experimental groups were made as 18 and 21. The first group, ( experimental group n=18 ) interactively shared notes for five proceedingss in little groups while the 2nd one, ( control group n= 21 ) , did non interact, although pupils were allowed to analyze their notes for five proceedingss. While analysing the consequence, experimental group scored clearly higher than control group on the listening comprehension undertaking. There was important difference between two groups in footings of interaction, sum and types of L2 words used in joint building of cognition. This survey shows that interaction may hold an consequence on listening comprehension. Input was considered to be of two types ; pre modified input and interactionally modified input as is considered in following two surveies. Survey by ( Mackey & A ; Plilp 1998 ) examines the consequence of negotiated input on the production and development of inquiry signifiers in English as a 2nd linguistic communication. The survey was based on ( Long 1996 ) , claim in updated version of Interaction hypothesis sing negative feedback. Long suggested that expressed negative feedback, which occurs through interaction, may be one manner through which interaction can hold positive consequence. The survey explored the nexus between short term linguistic communication development and recast in linguistic communication conversation. The entire figure of participants in this survey were ( n=35 ) , along with ( n=5 ) native talkers. The participants were from novice and intermediate degree selected from intensive English linguistic communication categories. The native talkers were trained to transport out â€Å"role play† and were provided with reading, composing direction in footings of different undertakings. The survey was successful in footings of its premise. It was derived that recast truly assist in production of developmentally beforehand constructions. Comprehension seems, to be one of the of import factors in interaction. Learners without comprehension can non continue with the interaction. Two different sorts of linguistics environment are suggested by ( Pica ; immature and Doughty: 1987 ) . First, the input that has been modified or simplified, simplification may affect, repeat, limitation of common vocabulary or vocabulary with common or familiar points and so on. Second, doing contributing environment, or environment in which ample of chances for interaction between N Ss and N N Ss are appreciated. In such type of interaction both N Ss and N N Ss modify and reconstitute their interaction and derive significance based on common apprehension. The survey reported by ( Pica ; Young and Doughty: 1987 ) , included a type of undertaking ( listen to make undertaking ) in which scholars performed assorted actions on the footing of comprehension. This undertaking provided pupils with close apprehension, and new lingual characteristics can be easy adjusted with this undertaking. The N N Ss were supposed, to listen to native talkers and execute the action consequently. The native talkers gave description of everything and N N Ss performed the action as directed by N Ss. The chief action was the arrangement of specific points on a little board. This undertaking measured the degree of comprehension, by figure of points, which non native talkers selected and placed right. Two groups were made and first group was provided with pre modified input ( the NS was giving them waies and interaction or communicating was non allowed in this undertaking ) . The 2nd group were placed under status two. They performed the same undertaking but were allowed to interact or pass on in instance of any disagreement in comprehension. Through interaction, they seek verbal aid from the N Ss, whenever they felt any trouble during the arrangement of points on the board. Consequences of this survey provided empirical grounds for the fact that, interaction for dialogue of message between N S and N N S plays an of import function in comprehension. The consequences clearly indicated that interactionally adjusted input surpassed pre modified input ( 88 % vs 69 % ) . The ground is that, it involves interaction in signifier of communicating in conformity to common apprehension between N S and N N S. Listen to make undertakings are really helpful in supplying chances for comprehension and acquisition, Ellis ( 2003 ) . Similarly the experimental analysis of Ellis, Tanaka, and Yamazaki ( 1994 ) has employed the same technique and supported that, interaction facilitates acquisition of certain grammatical and lexical characteristics. The major probe in this survey was that of, the differential effects of â€Å"pre modified input† , â€Å"interactionally modified input† and â€Å"baseline input† on undertaking public presentation. In this survey multi factorial design and two dependent variables, that is, ( listening comprehension and vocabulary acquisition ) and two independent variables, that is, ( pre modified input and negotiated input ) were employed.Results derived from this survey clearly indicated that undertaking based interaction facilitates acquisition of specific grammatical characteristics. â€Å"The merely published survey to prove the consequence of negotiated interaction on comprehension is by Pica et al 1987 ) † . A listening undertaking was assigned to two groups of non native talkers: in one group the non-native talkers negotiated interaction with their native-speakers middlemans ; in the other group, non-native talkers could merely listen. Non-native talkers in the interaction status scored significantly higher on the hearing undertaking, therefore back uping the claim that accommodations, in the signifier of negotiated interaction facilitate comprehension. However the survey of ( Pica et al 1987 ) seems to supply assorted support between interaction and acquisition. An advantage seems to rule pre- modified input on negotiated interaction ( Loschky 1994 ) . The survey done by ( Loschky 1994 ) is based on, Longs suggestion, about the demand of â€Å"clear and direct test† of the accommodation to interaction hypothesis. This survey based on, or is the coalesced version of two major hypothesis, the first 1 is the celebrated input hypothesis ( one + 1 ) by ( Kreshan 1985 ) and 2nd one is related to Longs ‘ interaction hypothesis. Three of import inquiries were observed, with the aid of ( n=41 ) get downing flat scholars of Nipponese as a foreign Language. The of import points analyzed in this survey were ; what does precisely ease 2nd linguistic communication comprehension?Negotiated interaction or non interaction ( pre modified input ) ?Pre modified input or unmodified input/ interaction?If the figure of comprehension ( comprehendible input ) is greater, does it bespeak that the figure of acquisition will be greater?Grammatical characteristics were analysed through the aid of a thorough survey. Acquisition mark was made of Nip ponese vocabulary points and some sentence construction, that is, ( dual noun locative sentence constructions with station positional atoms ) . With the aid of pre trial the existing degree of the scholars were concluded, in the same manner station trial derived the grade of alteration in at that place larning. After a figure of experimental surveies consequences were derived. The experimental consequences derived from this experiment strengthened the research consequences derived by ( Pica et al 1987 ) and ( Gass and Varonis 1994 ) . Consequences indicated that, the degree of comprehension in â€Å"negotiated interaction group† was highest in comparing with the other two groups ( â€Å"Baseline input group† and â€Å"Pre modified input group† ) . The consequences besides suggested that ; â€Å"there is no correlativity between differences in minute to minute comprehension and additions in vocabulary acknowledgment & A ; acquisition of structures† . On th e footing of this experimental survey Loschky ( 1994 ) , suggested that undertaking based interaction does non ease grammatical characteristics in linguistic communication. Output hypothesis claims that â€Å" sometimes, under some conditions, end product facilitates 2nd linguistic communication acquisition in ways that are different signifier, or enhance, those of input † ( Swain and Lapkin, 1995, p. 371 ) . During the interaction between native and non native talker, â€Å"speakers made their inter linguistic communication vocalizations comprehendible when the native talker indicated trouble in understanding them† ( Pica 1988 ) . Apart from the importance of comprehendible input it is presumed that â€Å"comprehensible input† is non sufficient for 2nd linguistic communication acquisition, but that chances for the N N Sto achieve more mark like end product is besides necessary ( Swain, 1985 ) . During interaction native talkers ask for verification, elucidation and repeat of non comprehendible lingual characteristics. These patterns during interaction compel not native talkers to modify their end product, in order to do it comprehendible for native talker. Swain called such sort of end product as â€Å"pushed output† . The experimental analysis of ( Pica 1988 ) investigated, Swains` claim, labelled as â€Å"comprehensible output† . Interaction between a native talker and ten non native talkers of English were examined, in order to deduce, that how the non native talkers made their linguistic communication or vocalizations apprehensible, when the native talker show his or her inability to grok not native talker message. The basic concern of this probe is: whether non native talkers would merely reiterate or modify the produced vocalizations on petition of Native talkers. In this probe, there was less of grounds to corroborate the possibility of Swain` claim. Out of 87 possible cases of comprehendible end product in which native talkers requested verification, elucidation, or repeat of the non native talkers utterance merely 44 instances were found in which the non-native talker modified his or her end product and merely 13, grammatical alteration were involved. Pica 1988 expressed that non native talkers are non that much rich in colloquial context of mark linguistic communication to use native like alteration in their address. On other manus it was derived that native talkers modify the produced end product in order to clear up the significance for non native talkers. Similarly, ( Pica, Holliday, Lewis, and Morgenhaller 1989 ) , in another survey, observed the same phenomenon of comprehendible end product. Activities designed in this survey extremely needed interaction, that is, native and non native talker interaction. The consequences derived by this survey were same as of old one. Non native talker produced â€Å"comprehensible output† merely in response to six per centum of the native talker vocalizations. It can be concluded from the above treatment that there is a direct relation between undertaking based interaction and 2nd linguistic communication acquisition. Research workers such as Pica ( 1994 ) etc, have investigated interaction and acquisition link rather exhaustively. They concluded this phenomenon by analyzing and puting scholars of different educational background. They successfully derive the consequence that there exist a nexus between interaction and 2nd linguistic communication acquisition.Presents deductions for non native English linguistic communication learning methodological analysis.As mentioned earlier in the above portion, that â€Å"Interaction hypothesis is based on two of import premises. First, ( Kreshan 1980 ) â€Å"input hypothesis† which provinces that, subconscious procedure of acquisition is possible, when scholars are focused on significance and they obtain â€Å"comprehensible input† . Second, Hatch ( 1977 ) attack of â€Å"Discourse analysis† , which is about realistic discourse, or interaction between native kid and grownup scholar. The importance of interaction in linguistic communication acquisition can be exempted from the claim made by Allwright ( 1984 ) . He stated that, face to confront interaction in category room is the â€Å"fundamental fact of pedagogy† , and farther strengthened his claim by adding, that, â€Å"Everything that happens in the category room happens through face to confront interaction† . Undertakings are the primary instructional tools used in schoolroom room for interaction ( Dave and Jane Wiilis 2007 ) . Undertaking as defined by Ellis ( 2003 ) , involves any four accomplishments of the linguistic communication activities. Wholly, Receptive ( listening and reading ) and Productive ( talking and composing ) activities should be involved in undertakings. Interaction in linguistic communication schoolroom is really of import and disputing from assorted positions. It indirectly and someway straight involves instructor in most of the activities. In order to keep conversation in category pupils, instructor should set a batch of attempts in eliciting the involvement of pupils ( Dave and Jane Wiilis 2007 ) . Linguistic resources are the basic thing which learners deficiency at the initial phases while larning linguistic communication, in such state of affairs keeping conversation is really effortful on the portion of instructor ( Ellis 2003 ) . Teachers` function in undertaking based linguistic communication instruction is the same as of a manager. The two types of attack, that is, â€Å"focus on meaning† and â€Å"focus on form† are every bit of import in linguistic communication instruction. One is related to the right construction in linguistic communication, while the other one is related with the significance of the expressed sentences. Since undertaking based interaction is fundamentally linked communicating, it major focal point should be on significance. Interrupting communicating disturbs the natural flow of scholars. Assorted undertakings are recommended by many research workers in order to do larning affectional in schoolroom. Dave and Jane ( 2007 ) argued that Prediction undertakings ( foretelling future state of affairs in narrative or image ) are of import in order to assist scholars expect about an event with the aid of antecedently learned vocabulary. Pica ( 1994 ) emphasized on all those undertakings for linguistic communication scholars, which are extremely effectual in footings of engagement, that is, Jigsaw and information spread. Similarly Pica and Doughty ( 1986 ) favored the thought of information spread. Negotiation of intending dramas an of import function ; pupil should be encouraged to negociate for intending where they feel any trouble in comprehension. This phenomenon was observed by the survey of ( Mackey & A ; Plilp 1998 ) . Negotiation of significance occurs where most peculiar information is required for comprehension, or the scholars feel the demand of understanding the state of affairs right. Rost and Ross ( 1991 ) suggested three types of schemes for schoolroom interaction, that is, â€Å"Global questioning† , â€Å"Local questioning† and â€Å"Inferential strategies† , for elucidation of significance. Communicative competency is based on Yule ( 1996 ) which deals with the learner`s public presentation. It stated that Learners perform good, when they understand the undertaking. It should me mainly the duty of instructor to help pupil understanding undertaking about their public presentation. Wright ( 1987 ) emphasized on two basic things which should be included in undertaking, â€Å"Instructional questions† and â€Å"input data† . Communicative linguistic communication instruction is a learning methodological analysis which fundamentally aimed for the intent of communicating. Howatt ( 1984: 279 ) accent on the deduction of communicative attack by reasoning that â€Å"language is acquired through communicating. Freeman ( 1986: 123 ) explains that â€Å"when we communicate, we use the linguistic communication to carry through some maps, such as controversy, carrying, or assuring. Furthermore we carry out these maps within a societal context. Freeman ( 1986 ; 125 ) explains the experience of pupils within the context of communicative attack. Task like storytelling, vocals, dramatisation, function drama, image description, narrative narrating, games etc, were included in schoolroom in order to indulge scholars in communicating. As was suggested by Long ( 1994 ) â€Å"Life like† activities are conspicuously the portion of communicative linguistic communication instruction.

Business Analysis Project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business Analysis Project - Research Paper Example The company headquarters are at Irving in Texas and employs about 80,000 people (mbaknol.com, 2012). Exxon Mobil has been marked with a higher market value than any other publicly-traded company in the world. History: Exxon Mobil Corporation is a merger of Exxon and Mobil, two great oil industry titans in the past century. The historic background of these two companies is a notable one and heads back to 19th century, when these two companies were established. Standard Oil Company of New Jersey (Exxon) and Standard Oil Companies of New Jersey (Mobil) were formed from John D. Rockfeller’s Standard Oil Trust which was started in 1870. With the increase in oil resources and implementation of various advanced techniques, they emerged as greatest oil corporations and formed individual identities for each. They indeed created a great impact to the American economy in the past century. Even after the dissolution of Standard Oil Trust in 1911, they subsisted to expand and grew in terms of their production, refining and research, making them leading companies in the oil and gas industry. Since the end of the World War 2, the company expanded its market to more than 100 countries. The companies stayed separate for nearly 87 years, until they signed a definitive agreement that the two would merge and form a new company, namely, Exxon Mobil Corporation. ... Current Operations and Projects: Exxon Mobil involves in three major operations, mainly upstream, downstream and chemicals. Being the leading oil company in the world, Exxon Mobil has faced various ups and downs in the recent decades. For instance, In February 2010, Exxon Mobil reported $310.58 billion in revenue in fiscal year 2009. In fiscal year 2008, it reported $477.35 billion in revenue. (Taque, 2010). It is estimated that though there are rises in oil prices, there will be higher downstream revenue with the increasing demand for the energy resources among the developing countries. There was a decline in liquids production of the company which was subsequently compensated by the increase of the gas production. Exxon has come up with a discovery in the Gulf of Mexico in the past year and is beginning to work over the Julia deepwater fields in the future. The company has set up establishing new explorations in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Russian Arctic area. â€Å"More explora tion is expected to happen in the U.S. with the government selling leases in the GoM and granting licenses in Alaska.† (Forbes, 2012). Its major development project includes the Kashakan project at Kazakhstan and the West Qurna field which is showing a great progress. The gas output of the company has been greatly increased by the shale exploration in U.S. â€Å"Exxon is also a partner in the $15.7 billion Papua New Guinea LNG project in Australia†. (Forbes, 2012). With its ongoing projects at Iraq, Kazakhstan and LNG projects in Australia, the company’s output volume will favorably increase with its production. Exxon Mobil is currently conducting test runs at its new

Site management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Site management - Assignment Example It will also discuss various management styles and techniques that would make better site performance. An architect’s obligation related to worksite safety arises out of his agreement with the owner. As in the case of a company auditor, an architect’s duties and responsibilities have to be clearly determined prior to the beginning of work through the preparation of a contract agreement. As Vidal points out, If the architect agrees with the owner to supervise the work continuously, he is responsible to avert defective and dangerous working conditions on-site. However, it is the basic duty of an architect to provide designs and specifications which are necessary to continue the project safely. While an architect designs structures in accordance with his client’s vision, he must enlighten the client regarding all possible elements of risk within that plan. In addition, the architect must suggest appropriate measures to eradicate the identified risk elements. An arch itect should visit the worksite periodically in order to ensure that operations are carried out adhering to the framed plan. Similarly, the client has to ensure that he/she has taken all mandatory precautions so as to build a safe worksite environment. During the course of project development, it is advisable for the client to arrange some periodical meetings with the architect and worksite manager who can give some useful information to the client regarding the safety levels of worksite environment. A safety engineer is responsible for ensuring the workplace safety. The primary duties of a safety engineer include implementation of safety programs, equipment inspection and maintenance, identification of potential hazards, and formulation of remedial strategies to prevent hazardous factors. An engineer can build a safety work place by improving fire protection techniques and equipment and machinery designs. A safety engineer must be well aware of many areas such as industrial health and safety laws, mechanics, engineering, chemistry, psychology, and other industrial processes in order to perform his duties efficiently. In order to assess whether a safety program would benefit the workplace environment, safety engineer must study the particular aspects of that workplace structure. The worksite managers are responsible for observing whether the proposed safety measures are implemented right way. In a huge workplace setting, there should be separate worksite managers for each workplace division. Since worksite managers get the opportunity to concentrate on a unit, they can personally observe each worker under their department, and it will contribute to the overall workplace safety maintenance. The worksite managers must report the safety engineers or the client if they see any dangerous workplace practices in their department. A quantity surveyor performs wide ranges of functions in an organization and his main duty is to deal with building costs. The quantity sur veyors must to be up to date with recent developments in building materials and techniques. They must be also aware of recent governmental regulations regarding worksite safety. In short, the coordinated and thoughtful activities of architect, engineer, client, worksite managers, and quantity surveyor would assist the company management to set a safe working environment. According to American Hospital Association (as cited in Ardell), the modern business sectors have identified the significance of wellness element in the

Marketing Principle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marketing Principle - Essay Example There has been an extension in this marketing mix adding more elements to it. 3 Ps have been added to this traditional marketing mix. These Ps are: Physical Layout: Initially the physical appearance of the production unit prepared in the factories were not given much significance but now as the customers purchase a product from the retail store their expectation with the presentation of the product has increased. Provision of Customer Service: In the heart of the modern service industry lays customer service. The firms that serve their customers will succeed in gaining their loyalty. The firms need to give their best shot whether it be listening to the customers queries on phones or interacting with them face to face. â€Å"Have a nice day† approach works better than the â€Å"I don’t care† attitude of the firm’s employees that come in contact with the customers. Processes: There are a lot of processes related to customer services that make the marketing e ffective for any organization. These processes may include handling the complaints received by the customers, identifying the needs and requirements of the customers and the processes related to handling of the orders. Now the extended marketing mix involves Place, price, product, promotion, physical layout, processes and Provision of customer service. 1.1 In the relation of the "product" elements of the marketing mix, say how "Tip Top Accessories" product can be developed to sustain competitive advantage. The firm must try to position its product quite effectively among its target market. It must first understand the demand and then accordingly set the price of its product. Product differentiation is another aspect that must be kept in mind in order to fix the price of the product. Making the product attractive helps firm gaining more customers. Tip Top Accessories must develop effective promotional strategies in order to communicate their objective to the customers. (Marketing the ory, 2013). 1.2 Explain how appropriate distribution policies can provide convenience for Tip Top Accessories’ customers. The distribution policies of Tip Top Accessories should directly be associated with its marketing mix. The firm can exhibit its objectives through different activities. Several activities related to distribution such as in-store demonstration of a product, distributing samples and other can be a source of delivering the objective of the firm to its consumers and it is also convenient for the customers to judge the product based on its different features. It is also useful for the firm to arrange giveaways and sell products at a low price for at the initial stage of the launch of a product it can be quite effective strategy for a firm (CHANNELS OF DISTRIBUTION, 2013). 1.3 Explain how prices for "tip Top Accessories" product should be set to achieve the organization’s profit and growth objectives, bearing in mind market conditions.   The price strat egy of Tip Top Accessories must be related to its strength. Low price and product differentiation can be the critical elements in maximizing the profit of Tip Top accessories. Tip Top pricing must be based on the level of differentiation it is providing in its products. The higher the differentiation the higher the price set by the firm. Customers are willing to pay higher price for the product whose features are different from those of others. There are often times when the sales revenue of the

Google's company acquisition and partnership Essay

Google's company acquisition and partnership - Essay Example Google Company has also licensed the platform that has helped limit control over activities that hardware makers do with android. Due to this control, the company has been able to produce androids with unique functions and features that satisfy customer needs (Lee, 2012). Partnership is a legal relationship by which companies formed through signing of an agreement carry on business as co-owners. Samsung and Google signed a ten-year partnership to license each other’s current patients and those filed in the future. As a result, Samsung will now be able to access the patents Google garnered as part of its $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola in the year 2011 (Glasby & Dickinson, 2014). There are various reasons as to why Google is in android takeover. Firstly, it is their growth strategy. Android demand has been increasing and due to this, Google Company will be in a position to develop their business by meeting needs of customers. Therefore, making profits that will enable them expand the business (MCmorris, 2005). Secondly, their acquisition will help them diversify their risks. The addition also helps in meeting customer needs by producing androids with unique features and functions. Android phones have also been on demand to replace iPhones. The replacement of this product would mean increasing sales of androids hence increasing profits. The result will help in the development of the firm and expansion of the company, as well as assist in familiarizing the company products with the consumers. The other primary reason for the acquisition is helping Google advertises their company. Since androids are globally used, adding Google apps may assist the organization to make product promotion feasible. Another crucial reason is the talented engineers in Android Company and their great technology. Google wanted the engineers to help in

Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834 - Essay Example The Poor Law Amendment of 1834 has been based upon three particular ideas that include Malthus' principles on population raise and resource decline, Ricardo's Iron Law of Wages and Bertham's doctrine on relaxation and perception over work1. These particular bases of the law's idealism leads towards a more important sense of clarity as to what the law was really for. However, since the law interests many critics as to how much applicable the law is in saving the welfare of the poor people in the society (Blaug 1964 p.122). The tests that were used to at least measure the different issues that are in consideration with the application of the law in the society to which it is practically made for includes the less eligibility and the workhouse test. (Boyer 1990p.55) From the measuring examination, the less eligibility test provided a result that only those who are really needy would be able to be considerably considerate on taking workhouse jobs. Believably, the process of inculcations about the major conditions of working in workhouses makes them less interesting even for the poor (Dakyns 2005 p. 49). The other test that has been done was that of the workhouse test. The workhouse test on the other hand gave out a different result pointing out that people who are poor enough move to areas that are ready to welcome them; areas where there seems to be more opportunities of employment. From these resu From these results, it could be found that the law could have been effective for implementation if the actual missions of its creation have been carried through (Lees 1998 p. 342). These missions or particular objectives could be noted as follows: To create a protective consideration on the values of the tax payers helping them to avoid the dilemma of paying too much in comparison to what they are actually making for a living. (Lees 1998 p. 341) To help the unemployed individuals in urban areas to be transferred to their rural origin to reduce scarcity of resources in the city. To ensure the level of consideration given to those who are to be transferred, creation of jobs [or better workhouses] in the rural areas is to be pursued. (Lees 1998 p. 341) These missions impose a larger scope of identity that makes a huge difference on the recognition of employment and acceptability in the human society. Basically, through this, the implication of better jobs and the creation of better work areas or workhouses could interest more to work both in the rural and the urban areas2. It is also through this mission that the inculcation of the role of the Parish groups in assisting individuals who have no jobs to be counselled and motivated to get jobs of their own has been addressed as an aggressive manner of propagating the belief that working is a must and that having a chance to feed one's self and one's family is more important than self praise or social recognition. True, the same as it was before, the human society of the past was less able to control the sense of recognizing the need to live than the need to be known; this has a same implicative effect in the society today. As the poor law amendment of 1834 was also noted for its attributes being based on utilitarianism, this law aims to provide the greater number of people the level of satisfaction and happiness that they deserve

Client Brief on AngliCare Australia Research Paper

Client Brief on AngliCare Australia - Research Paper Example (AngliCare 2011). AngliCare is a social welfare organization in Western Australia that provides specialized services to all people ranging from children to the aged, some including family relationship services, foster care, adoption, employment services, community housing and development, etc. AngliCare’s Internal Environment: SWOT Analysis Strengths: The strengths of AngliCare lies in the services they provide, ranging from care for the aged, youth services, family relationship services, disability and carer services, disaster recovery, etc. also, their complete inclusion is a very strong point in their favor, meaning their non judgmental and non discriminatory acceptance of people from all walks of life. Their main motto is to care and they spread this message to all they come across. AngliCare’s organizational and services structures can also be mentioned as one of its strengths. They are comprehensive and well drafted. Weakness: AngliCare is facing issues in its asp ects, such as with some of its events, the volunteers and op shops. They need to work on resolving these to ensure they are not overshadowed by other social welfare agencies. Opportunities: AngliCare covers almost every person from every walk of life who might be facing problems. However, they do not have programs specific to women and children who have faced abuse. Designing programs for women and children in this dire state will be really helpful. Also, they can consider expanding their services to under-developed and developing countries that do not have such programs in place and require such help. India for instance, does not have social welfare programs for its unemployed or disabled. A program like this might come in handy to help these people get on their feet and help reduce other social stigmas like beggary. Threats: Being a social welfare agency, AngliCare doesn’t really face threats as such from competition. Social welfare is based in the theme of care and their o nly objective is to ensure the welfare of their people. Their threats will mainly come into the picture in terms of lack of resources and volunteers. Also, when people try to scam the agency in exchange for the resources they provide, it will create a problem for the agency. AngliCare’s External Environment: Stakeholders and Competitors In case of AngliCare, corporate partnerships provide the opportunity for companies to contribute to its work in the community.  Their programs provide physical, financial, emotional and spiritual assistance to help people in need to break the cycle of hardship. They have Corporate Care partners who assist in various ways such as sponsorship of events, workplace giving via payroll deductions for employees, encouraging people to volunteer at any of their locations and encouraging people to support them in kind, that is, via means of food, clothes and other such necessities. AngliCare, being a social welfare agency, does not really face competi tion as such from other social welfare agencies. All these agencies are non profit based and run for the benefit of people, local or otherwise. They do not judge or discriminate against the people they help out. All are equal in the eyes of god and these agencies. AngliCare’s Macro Environment: PESTEL Analysis Political Factors: AngliCare is facing political issues when it comes to its schools’ programs. More and more State, National and Overseas charities are

See Assessment criteria below Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

See Assessment criteria below - Essay Example To what extent are they (in)compatible with each other? To what extent do their accounts reinforce, undermine, coincide with or complement each other? To what extent are their accounts (or might their accounts be) combinable into a superior (or at least a more comprehensive) account of these historical dimensions of human thought and understanding? To what extent do their respective insights and oversights help us better to understand or to resolve issues about the historical dimensions of human thought and understanding? Hegel and Heidegger were both eminent philosophers of their respective times: Hegel (1770-1831), the earlier of the two, belongs to the school of Idealism whereas Heidegger (1889-1976) was one of the main exponents of 20th century Existentialism. Hegel sees the development of Being as an infinite development cycle triggered by the intention of becoming something what it is not at present, and this perpetual chain of development is marked by a point of coincidence of being and non-being, which, when united, form a higher entity. The former entity is therefore combined, through the factors of being and non-being, in a higher synthesis of the two. The development of Being therefore consists of three stages: being is the thesis, non-being the antithesis, and the becoming is the synthesis. These stages are repeated ad infinitum so that the new Being is again tested by the non-being and achieves a still higher stage in the melding of thesis and antithesis to a new stage of becoming. Being is therefore in a constant state of flux, it is rebuilding itself ad infinitum to achieve higher stages of itself. The former stages of Being are not nullified but re=evaluated, so in the development of the human personality we pass from one stat e to another, constantly evaluating and developing our personality, passing from state to state without nullifying the previous state, which is constantly dividing and recomposing itself.

Quantitative research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Quantitative research - Essay Example On the other hand, the problem of the study is that persistent nursing shortages, in addition to, the worry about the quality of current health care emphasize the vital need to employ and retain a cadre of expert nurses in the nation’s hospitals. The researchers carried out an extensive literature review on the literature that supports the problem of the study. In addition, the study has mainly used primary sources, which provide evidence-based information for the investigation (Polit and Beck, 2008). However, the researcher used a number of information resources that are not up to date with some written 22 years before the time of the study. The researchers should have used latest literature, probably those published within 7 years or so. The literature review also provides a state-of-the-art blending of evidence with regard to the research problem, and it provides a substantial foundation for this study. In the study, the researchers have included a number of concepts, which they have adequately defined conceptually. The researchers have also included a conceptual framework, which is appropriate because it clearly defines the concepts of the study and the professional practice model that is suitable for the study. Although the researchers have not provided a conceptual map, it is justified because it could have served the purpose of the conceptual framework. The study included the following a set of three questions, which are explicitly stated. The questions sought to find out the baseline level of job satisfaction by nurses in a pediatric hospital with a conventional, hierarchical nursing administrative structure before the realization of an innovative professional practice model. It also sought to identify changes in job satisfaction that are associated with the execution of a fresh professional practice model whose emphasis is on participatory governance. The other question wanted to find out how the level of job satisfaction changes from the time o f submitting the Magnet recognition application to a year post submission in the chosen case. These questions are correctly worded with logical specification of the key variables and the study population. In addition, the questions are in tandem with the literature that the researchers reviewed and the conceptual framework that they provided. The researcher included a single hypothesis, which stated that the process of transforming the model of nursing control to participatory from top-down in order to attain Magnet recognition might be hectic and would be related with decreases in nurses’ satisfaction at work. The hypothesis is also suitable for the study because it clearly specifies key variables and it is consistent with the conceptual framework and the literature review (Polit and Beck, 2008). The study was cross-sectional, and it examined job satisfaction in a private pediatric, 282-bed hospital. The researcher conducted the study before, during, and directly after the a pplication for and achievement of a Magnet hospital position. It was during the time when nursing administrators, staff nurses, hospital nursing administrators, and nurse managers in cooperation developed a formal collective governance

Medical Marijuana Essay Example for Free

Medical Marijuana Essay â€Å"Marijuana is the finest anti-nausea medication known to science, and our leaders have lied about this consistently. [Arresting people for] medical marijuana is the most hideous example of government interference in the private lives of individuals. It’s an outrage within an outrage within an outrage†. Peter McWilliams Author and Advocate for Medical Marijuana Medical Marijuana has found its place once again as the medical plant that is recognized for its healing potential and properties. How the Government has suppressed its positive potential and healing powers for over 25 years. With the help from many patients, loved ones, research departments and advocate groups to get the Government’s attention to see and understand that the terminally ill and the sick should not be treated as common criminals. They are only trying to find some peace and serenity in their last days. The struggle and fight that has been going on for the last 25 years against the Government. The people were finally heard, with the legalization of Medical Marijuana. The Government wants to regulate everything for their own best interest, the positive effect of decriminalizing marijuana for the terminally ill and the positive economic benefits for our community. Cannabis Sativa, Marijuana, Weed, Herb, Mary Jane these are just a few names that this little 5 leaf plant goes by. How could this life saving and healing plant get such a bad reputation? When clearly it has nothing but positive powers, people all over the world have been using marijuana for thousands of years. Cannabis has been around since the Garden of Eden, it is even mentioned in the Bible. Yes in the Bible, in Exodus (30:22-23) â€Å"Holy anointing oil, as described in the original Hebrew version of the  recipe in Exodus (30:22-23), contained over six pounds of kaneh-bosem, a substance identified by respected etymologists, linguists, anthropologists, botanists and other researchers as cannabis, extracted into about six quarts of olive oil, along with a variety of other fragrant herbs. The ancient anointed ones were literally drenched in this potent mixture† (Bennett, 2010). â€Å"Marijuana proponents suggest that the recipe for the anointing oil passed from God to Mos es included Cannabis, or kaneh-bosem in Hebrew. They point to versions calling for fragrant cane, which they say was mistakenly changed to the plant calamus in the King James Version of the Bible† (Kari, 2011). Cannabis was good enough for God and Moses, then how come it is not good enough for us now? The United States Government wants to be in control and regulate everything we do as a United State Citizens. Marijuana was once considered a pharmaceutical medication used for a wide verity of reasons. In fact cannabis has a deep rooted history in what is now known as the United States of America. â€Å"Christopher Columbus brought Cannabis Sativa to America in 1492† (420 Milestone History Marijuana, (n.d.), 2010). â€Å"From 1000 to 1500, the use of marijuana spread further. In 1619, a law passed in Jamestown Virginia Colony, which required farmers to grow hemp. The French and British grew hemp in Colonies of Port Royal, Virginia, and Plymouth. Marijuana also became a major trade item between Central and South Asia during this time† (420 Milestone History Marijuana, (n.d.), 2010). The United States also had Presidents’ who grew cannabis. Yes Presidents’, â€Å"in Mount Vernon, George Washington grew hemp as his primary crop in 1797. Also Thomas Jefferson grew hemp as a secondary crop at Monticello. In 1840, medicines with a cannabis base were available in U.S. pharmacies. Hashish was available in Persian pharmacies† (420 Milestone History Marijuana, (n.d.), 2010). Therefore when did it become a crime to cultivate, possess, consume, and dispense marijuana? â€Å"In 1906, the Pure Food and Drug Act was passed in the U.S. and the Food and Drug Administration was formed. This was the first time drugs had any government oversight† (420 Milestone History Marijuana, (n.d.), 2010). â€Å"In 1930, The Federal Government gave control of illegal drugs to the Treasury Department, they created the Federal Bureau of Narcotics. Harry Anslinger a prohibitionist became the first commissioner  in 1930, he held that position until 1962. Anslinger declared war on drugs and effectively shaped America’s view’s and thought’s about marijuana† (420 Milestone History Marijuana, (n.d.), 2010). â€Å"October 2, 1937, Anslinger got Congress to enact the â€Å"Marihuana Tax Act†, which is to imposed registration and reporting requirements and a tax on the growers, sellers, and buyers of marijuana† (Eddy, 2010 p.2). In Eddy’s report he also writes that â€Å"Dr. William C. Woodward, legislative counsel of the American Medical Association (AMA), opposed the measure. In oral testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee, he stated that â€Å"there are evidently potentialities in the drug that should not be shut off by adverse legislation. The medical profession and pharmacologists should be left to develop the use of this drug as they see fit. Two Months later, in a letter to the Senate Finance Committee, he again argued against the act: â€Å"That there is no evidence, however, that the medicinal use of these drugs [cannabis and its preparations and derivatives] has caused or is causing cannabis addiction. As remedial agents they are used to an inconsiderable extent, and the obvious purpose and effect of this bill isto impose so many restrictions on their medicinal use as to prevent such use altogether. Since the medicinal use of cannabis has not caused and is not causing addiction, the prevention of the use of the drug for medicinal purposes can accomplish no good end whatsoever. How far it may serve to deprive the public of the benefits of a drug that on further research may prove to be of substantial value, it is important to foresee†. â€Å"Despite the AMA’s opposition, the â€Å"Marihuana Tax Act† was approved, causing all medicinal products containing marijuana to be withdrawn from the market and leading to marijuana’s removal† (Eddy, 2010 p.2). October 2, 1937, â€Å"On the very day the â€Å"Marihuana Tax Stamp Act† was passed; the FBI and Denver police raided the Lexington Hotel and arrested two people: Samuel R. Caldwell and Moses Baca. Three days later, Caldwell, a 58 year old unemployed laborer, became the first person in the U.S. to be convicted of selling of marijuana without a tax stamp. He was sentence to four years oof hard labor in Leavenworth Penitentiary. Presiding Judge J  Foster Symes, had previously stated that he considered Marijuana to be the worst of all narcotics and vowed to impose harsh sentences for violations of the â€Å"Marihuana Tax Act†. Caldwell was also fined $1,000 for the two marijuana cigarettes that were found in his possession. Baca, who was his customer, was found guilty of possession of Marijuana and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Both men served their full sentences. Caldwell died a year after his release† (420 Milestone History Marijuana, (n.d.), 2010). This is why that â€Å"we the people† stood up, banded together, and formed  Organizations. People became spokespersons, advocates, â€Å"a voice for the cause†. Take for example, Peter McWilliams. He is the man I quoted in the beginning. â€Å"Peter was a self-help author, who advocated for the legalization of marijuana. He wrote over 40 books including â€Å"How to survive the loss of love†, â€Å"Ain’t nobody’s business if I do†. Along with poetry and how to use microcomputers. In 1996, he was diagnosed with AIDS and non- Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Like so many patients suffering from cancer or AIDS, he had extreme difficulty on keeping down the drugs that controlled his illnesses. He began to smoke marijuana to control the drug-induced nausea. It saved his life† (US: The Life and Death of Peter McWilliams, 2002). â€Å"NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, was founded in 1970, as a nonprofit public-interest advocacy group whose mission is to end marijuana Prohibition† (Historical Timeline Medical Marijuana, (n.d.), 2011). â€Å"In 1971, President Nixon declared war on drugs. In 1972,The bipartisan Shafer Commission [National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse], appointed by President Nixon at the direction of Congress [and chaired by former Pennsylvania Governor Raymond Shafer], considered laws regarding marijuana and determined that personal use of marijuana should be decriminalized. Nixon rejected the recommendation, but over the  course of the 1970s, eleven states decriminalized marijuana and most others reduced their penalties (Busted: Americas War on Marijuana., 2010). Possession of marihuana for personal use would no longer be an offense, but marihuana possessed in public would remain contraband subject to summary seizure and forfeiture. Casual distribution of small amounts of marihuana for no remuneration, or insignificant remuneration not involving profit would no longer be an offense (Busted: Americas War on Marijuana., 2010). 1973,â€Å"The Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (BNND) and the Office of Drug Abuse Law Enforcement (ODALE) are merged to form the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)† (420 Milestone History Marijuana, (n.d.), 2010). In November, 1976, a Washington, DC man [Robert Randall] afflicted by glaucoma employed the little-used Common Law Doctrine of Necessity to defend himself against criminal charges of marijuana cultivation† (US v. Randall). â€Å"On November 24, 1976, federal Judge James Washington ruled Randalls use of Marijuana constituted a medical necessity, Judge Washington dismissed criminal charges against Randall. Concurrent with this judicial determination, federal agencies responding to a May, 1976 petition filed by Randall, began providing this patient with licit, FDA-approved access to government supplies of medical marijuana. Randall was the first American to receive marijuana for the treatment of a medical disorder† (National Institute on Drug Abuse [NIDA] 1998).  1978, â€Å"New Mexico passed the first state law recognizing the medical value of marijuana  [Controlled Substances Therapeutic Research Act]. Over the next few years, more than 30 states  passed similar legislation. (Scott, 1994). Voters in California [pass] a state medical  marijuana initiative in 1996. Known as Proposition 215(45 KB), it permits  patients and their primary caregivers, with a physicians recommendation, to pos sess and cultivate marijuana for the treatment of AIDS, cancer, muscular spasticity, migraines, and several other disorders; it also protects them from punishment if they recommend marijuana to their patients (Joy, PhD. Mack, 2011) The New England Journal of Medicine publishes an editorial written by Jerome P. Kassirer, MD, titled Federal Foolishness and Marijuana. The article states: Federal authorities should rescind their prohibition of the medicinal use of marijuana for seriously ill patients and allow physicians to decide which patients to treat. The government should change marijuanas status from that of a Schedule I drug (considered to be potentially addictive and with no current medical use) to that of a Schedule II drug (potentially addictive but with some accepted medical use) and regulate it accordingly† (Kassier, 1997). In January 2004, California passed SB 420, which states the guidelines for growing marijuana. Yes this bill also went through the court system. In May 2008, second district court of appeals ruling in Kelley case that the possession limits set by SB 420 violate the California Constitution because the voters approved Prop 215 can only be amended by the voters. With Prop 215 you can legally be in possession of marijuana and with SB 420 you can legally grow. This has drastically reduce crime in our cities and form a more productive society through its positive uses. In 2013, medical marijuana is a thriving and growing business for all those involved from the growers, to the â€Å"caregivers clubs† with their green cross symbols above their doors (yes like the Red Cross, but green) making it possible for the medical community, and the consumer to know they have found the right place. As of this date there is a total of 18 states and DC now known as Medical Marijuana States. With 11 more states pending legalization to legalize medical marijuana. Now legal for others to seek and receive this healing and lifesaving plant. Since the Government has allowed each state to listen to its people, and as it stands today marijuana is legal and available for all those who have a recommendation card. Now it is not a crime for the terminally ill and sick to gain access to the medication that they so greatly need to function on day-to-day bases. You might wonder, â€Å"How do I know so much or even care  about marijuana being legal†? I am also a member, because I have a recommendation card. I have had mine for about a year now. My doctor prescribed it for me when I told him I was depressed (over the death of my baby boy Marshall) and I did not want to take any manufactured manmade pill and have to worry about the side effects. Medical marijuana has done the trick for me, I take as need by my doctors’ direction. I have to say, that it has saved me. Also The Government, State and City get to collect the taxes and the dispensaries make their money and the clients get their much need lifesaving medication. Crime is down and people are employed, and the Government gets to have their say, but in the end â€Å"We the People† were finally heard, and this little plant is finally back where it belongs. To quote one of my favorite comedians: ~It’s not a war on drugs, it’s a war on personal freedom it’s what it is ok, Keep that in mind at all times. Thank you†~ ~ Bill Hicks~ References Bennett, C. (2010). Historical Timeline Medical Marijuana. Retrieved from http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceid=000143 Eddy, M. (2010). Medical Marijuana: Review and Analysis of Federal and State Policies.. Retrieved from Federation of American Scientist/Congressional Research and State Service Reports: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL33211.pdf Hicks, B. (1996). Lateralus (Album). Retrieved from Tool (Group) Joy, PhD., J., Mack, A. (2011). Marijuana as Medicine Beyond Controversy, 200. Retrieved from http://www.brainz.org/420-milestone-history-marijuana Kari, S. (2011). Historical Timeline Medical Marijuana. Retrieved from http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceid=000143 Kassier, J. P. (1997). Federal Foolishness and Marijuana. Retrieved from http://www.brainz.org/420-milestone-history-marijuana McWilliams, P. (1996). Quotes by Peter McWilliams: Finest Quotes. Retrieved from http://www.finestquotes.com/author_quotes_authors-Peter+McWilliams-page-0.html Scott, E. (1994). Marional: The Little Synthetic That Couldn’t. Retrieved from http://www.druglibrary.org/significate-legal-cases.htlm 420 Milestone History Marijuana, (n.d.). (2010). Retrieved from http://www.braniz.org/420-milestone-history-marijuana Busted: â€Å"America’s War on Marijuana. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org Historical Timeline Medical Marijuana, (n.d.). (2011). Retrieved from http://www.medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceid=000143 National Institute on Drug Abuse [NIDA]. (1998). Retrieved from Provision of Marijuana and Other Compound for Scientific Research Recommendations of the National Institute on Drug Abuse National Advisory Council, NIDA website US: The Life and Death of Peter McWilliams. (2002). Retrieved from http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n948/a03.html

Brahman Is The Highest And Most Supreme Religion Essay

Brahman Is The Highest And Most Supreme Religion Essay Brahman is the highest and most supreme of all Hindu gods. It is the transcendent, immanent, infinite, unchanging, eternal reality. The Divine Ground that sums up all the being, space, time energy, matter and all within and beyond this universe. Brahams nature is described as impersonal, personal and transpersonal. Brahman, conceived from the Hindu verb brh, means infinity and greatness. Brahman was born from Brahma who is the creator, the source and the seed of all that is in this world. Brahman, due to his functions as the creator of all, is not allowed to have a lot of devotees and is thus unpopular among the Hindu pantheon since his wok demands attention, concentration and introversion. As there is no more creation, he lost his importance to other gods; Vishnu and Siva, of the Hindu trinity. He is said to be father of Manu, from whom all Hindus descended from. Brahman is the universal substrate or the absolute reality and should not be confused with Brahma, god and the creator. T hey say that Brahman cannot be known through material means, and we cannot be made to be conscious of it as he is our very own being and consciousness. Atman on the other hand refers to the true self of a person. Philosophically it is the soul either individually or globally. It could also b defined as the source o all the individual souls. It is the indistinguishable, unchanging and eternal essence. According to Hinduism, any mortal existence has an immortal aspect and this is always hidden within every created object and this includes man. Atman provides experience of the pleasures and pain of earthly life thus giving us reason to live and imparts divine possibilities and qualities. Atman being the silent partner and dweller within us and all our experiences and deeds, can only be felt when no other sensory activities impact the mind. This is attained through yoga. In Buddhism however, the cause of misery is ignorance which is a prime consequence of the belief that there exists an atman that is unchanging. Our soul or atman is identifiable readily with Brahmans greater soul. Buddhism In Buddhism, Anatta is the selfless idea of non-self. It means that everything perceived is not in the I or mine sense and thus one should not cling on to. It encourages people o develop a sense of willingness to let go at any time as these perceived objects become unnecessary to ones self. The rebirth doctrine should be well differentiated from the reincarnation theory which refers to the soul transmigration and its material rebirth invariable. Buddhism does not recognize the existence of an eternal or unchanging soul that emanates from divine essence. It is in sharp contrast to Hinduisms self awareness ideology of atman. According to Buddhism there is nothing that is fixed or permanent in our existence. Everything is subject to destruction and decay. No man should identify himself with any form or name but rather be aware of the continuous change process of becoming. In Japanese Buddhism, Satori means enlightenment. It is a surge o sudden individual enlightenment and/or awareness. It is coined from the Zen Buddhist culture and considered as the embarkation or earlier step towards nirvana. Satori can and is often juxtaposed to the term kensho meaning viewing ones nature and character. Satori however, is a deeper spiritual state than kensho. Being an intuitive experience, It has been described as a situation like waking up one day to find yourself with an extra pair of arms to later learn how to use them. Satori is commonly attained from personal experiences by the traditional use of koans like the collection found in the Gateless Gate. They are theoretical puzzles students use in assistance of Satori realization. It does not occur to individuals but rather all concept realization individuals included therein. The Zen Buddhist student need to prepare their minds first with rigorous study with koans and then meditation which clears their minds from all attachments to the physical existence. In many Japanese folktales, Satori was referred to as a mountain dwelling creature with the rare ability to read the human mind and thoughts. Thus the only way to defeat a Satori was to empty ones mind completely. This way it will run in fear, leave due to boredom or die. Confucianism Confucianism put much emphasis on filial piety. I is on of the most important virtues and should be held highly. It is defined as the respect for ones parents and ancestors. The Classic of Xiao, a Confucian book written during the 400 B.C. period in a conversation between Zeng Shen, a student and Confucius. Filial piety, in Chinese culture, is the fist and foremost virtue. These religious traditions were until recent years, been enforced by law at times. It is a form of ancestral worship and its avoidance was punishable by law. This virtue should be shown to both the dead and the living alike and is a respect that has over the years bee extended to cover other five forms; friend to friend, elder brother to younger brother, husband to wife, father to son and ruler to ruled. The respect for elders was held in high reverence in all these forms of relationships and the living stood as sons of the dead. This filial piety idea adversely influenced the legal system in china. The book of fil ial piety written in the third century is the major source of filial piety importance and it was attributed to Confucius as well as hi son. Li is a Chinese word that is extensively used in Confucianism. It meaning is rather vague but in most cases it is attached to the word ritual. I is just an abstract idea and not and object of definitive nature. It has also been described and translated s the morals, etiquette or customs. It is generally a collection of rules of proper and good behavior. It broadly deals with the entirely whole spectrum of the contacts and interaction with nature, material objects and other human beings. Confucius, in his discussions, encompasses diverse topics like governance, mourning, titles, drinking tea, and learning among other things. Li entails the norms of proper behavior socially taught to us by government officials, village elders or parents. The teachings encourage loyalty, god faith, righteousness, brotherliness and filial submission. The Li influence has guided public expectations and has enhanced the loyalty to the community superiors and elders. Religious impulse. Religion has always been there perhaps even longer than human beings. There was an understanding of a supernatural force showed by Neanderthals millions of years ago. The most common and weird thread among the various religions in the world is the impulse to worship a supernatural being or just generally something at that matter. Therefore, religious impulse can be defined universally as the urge to put faith in a form that is always beyond our perception and understanding. Even in our era, a time of technological and scientific advancements, a lot of people believe in the unknown. Religion therefore is the belief in supernatural powers that control our fate that is entitled to our obedience, respect and worship. In every great religion, three aspects are paramount; charity, faith and hope. These are the ethics, ritual and theology respectively. It should entail conservation of values and be a system that involves a world view, a philosophy and a code of ethics. Different religions have different characteristics however most features are similar in different religions and these are; specific rules of conduct, sense of community and family, ethics system, institutions that are well organized, supernatural belief and life after death, soul existence and sacred scriptures and writings. The factors and root causes that may lead people towards religious impulses are the fear of death and whatever is lying in wait beyond that. Also humans are a curious bunch and the mystery of their existence pushes them towards a spiritual angle. Since we are incapable of answering most of lifes questions, like the purpose of our lives and the immaterial or the spiritual part of us, it creates a belief towards religion as the best form of explanation. Finally one just feels the need of a spiritual conscience to the materialism of modern life. The nature of the divine varies in different religious settings. Hindus for example, often think of themselves as monothei sts worshiping various divine aspects and no various divinities. However, outsiders always see Hinduism as similar to faiths inclined to traditional polytheistic. Idealistic Religion Among the above religions, Confucianism is the most appealing while I find Hinduism the least appealing. Hinduism consists of so many beliefs with a lot of intertwined gods and goddesses. The caste system of classes is also unrealistic as all human bins should be equal and receive equal opportunities. For a very long time his has bee the factor that has served most disservice to he Hindu religion. The idea of recognizing inequalities based on the lineage, family and birth and stating it as the will of god is alarming. Though Confucianism has shortcomings as well, its ethics and morals have positive influence on the society as a whole. The teachings of Li and filial piety are greatly important especially to children growing up. It is common sense to respect and obey ones elders and putting that into law is a great way of ensuring a society with good and polite morals. It involved action internalization allowing one to be open to the sensations panoply of the experience. It maintains a healthy selflessness practices to oneself and as an example set to others. Personal approaches as well as the approaches of the at large demonstrates how these values are utilized in everything, the good and the bad, the detailed and the broad, the formlessness and the form. The rituals and practices in Confucianism are dynamic. These practices have been modified and revised in accordance to emerging societal beliefs. Though the practices are bound to change, the fundamental ideology remains the core of the religious beliefs.

Reflective Essay On Learning Skills And Employment Education Essay

Reflective Essay On Learning Skills And Employment Education Essay Introduction After a long summer of fun and unemployment, it was finally time to get back to the real world. No more endless free time, it was time to get my brain working for something productive. I enrolled in a bachelor in software development, I was always fascinated by computers and being able to modifying it was always a dream for me. And what a surprise it was for me when I saw in my time table that I had a course called Academic Skills for Business, what is it? Im going to be software developer, why do I need it? After attending two lectures, I began taking interest in it, it made me see thing that I never thought of before. And then the assignment dropped. 2Â  500 Word, I dont even know if I carry that much vocabulary, but I saw it as a challenge. It will help me develop my writing skills and language, and its a great ways to analyze my progress through this course, maybe if I have some free time I will do it for my other courses. First chapter of the course, that describes the skills that employers look for In General and what skills we gain as a student. From what I understood there are five skills that are needed to be employed in a high level of responsibility job: Communication, human relations, work survival, leadership and research and planning. A good manager needs to acquire good relations with his subordinate, in order to motivate them; he should be able to take good initiative after analysing all the resource available and fight for his ideas to survive in the organisation. I already had a general idea of what employer where looking for but I was neglecting the human relation aspect, however it turns out to be the most important one. In order to get to the top ladder of an organisation, I need to work out my communication skill, which means getting the appropriate feedback, negotiating, perceiving nonverbal messages, interviewing. And to enforce my work survival by initiating new ideas, meeting goals and accepting responsibility. In order to fulfil my desire of success, I need to make changes in my life, and thats what distinguishes an adult form a teenager, the ability to make changes in your behaviours to adapt to the requirement of the society. The road to rich cant be made without compromises, if it isnt then the success wont be as tasty as if I had put effort and made sacrifice for it. Thankfully some of these skills will be developed thanks to high school. High school allow student to reinforce some technical skills that can be transferred to work. The most important one is the ability to meet deadlines, and i know what Im talking about, been one of the laziest person in the word, I had to catch up or I will be left alone, and planning was the solution to my laziness and lack of organisation ( I will go more in depth in the according section). It allows to develop writing skills with assignments like this one or the communication aspect, answer are more structured and feedback more centred to the subject. It also allow to work in a team, get a touch of the dynamic of a group, get of feel of group brainstorming and its draw backs. Time Management Here comes my black beast, hell for a lazy person like me. I always tried to manage my time but without success, I tried post-it, dairy, phone application but I always fail. Never used a method more than three consecutive day, I always give up so quickly, always postponing what I had to the day before for the next day, its just a mean cycle. But now things are more serious, the British system gives away to students a lot of time away from class but they assume that we are responsible enough to manage ours time wisely. But the draw backs for lazy students like me are huge, its an automatic fail if there is no adaptation to the system. So here is my challenge for this year: managing my time as wisely as possible. And thanks to this assignment, I realize that I have failed again, here I am 3 days before the dead line and I only wrote 1/3 of the essay earlier this day, counting each word and realizing how I could have done this work before with a simple planning. I was there when the sli des of this chapter were projected; I can still remember all advises that our teachers gave to us like setting goals, prioritizing assignments, make a weekly planning. Great ideas, I was even advising other students with the same strategies but I didnt apply it for myself, which is completely useless. Now here I am, facing my responsibility once again. This time I have to make BIG changes in my behavior, this nonchalance cant be supported anymore or It will automatically lead me to failure and thats not an option I was planning for my future. Starting from today, I will not use only one method for managing my time, but I will use all of them, I will try by any mean to keep a daily list of what have to do and plan for what I should do all the week that follow. Actions are the seed of fate deeds grow into destiny. Â  Harry S Truman. Its time to man up, all successful people achieved their dream by setting goal and fighting as much as possible to achieve them and even to go beyond , they put all their energy into it, and they are human being just like us. Mea culpa but here come the power of the human being, the ability to learn from their mistake and to adapt accordingly. When I first read the assignment I thought it was just another paper work but it reveal that I had more writing skill as I thought I had and looking back at what I did from the beginning of the semester made me realize that I evolved somehow , gain some maturity and with an anger of success and motivation. Creativity skills brainstorming Next lesson was creativity skills brainstorming, before attending this class I already had a good idea about it. But after couple of slides, I realized that my definition of brainstorming was vague compared to the one projected on the screen. This new definition distinguished brainstorming in too types: Individual Brainstorming and Group brainstorming. I always thought that brainstorming was a group activity, but I actually disagree in this statement -When you brainstorm on your own you will tend to produce a wider range of ideas than with group brainstorming (slides from chapter 3)-, when brainstorming is done lonely, it create a tighter range. First not having an external point of view narrow the ideas that could have emerged during a session, an external analysis create a judgment of an idea and opens the door to new opportunity that couldnt be founded lonely; however by brainstorming individually you can get more specific detail and draw a good image of the situation. Creative thinking is not a talent; it is a skill that can be learnt. It empowers people by adding strength to their natural abilities which improves teamwork, productivity and where appropriate profits.(Edward de Bono) Brainstorming reinforce team work, dealing whit other schoolmates, we worked on a presentation about internet security and privacy for this course. It was an amazing experience; we applied the Simplex process after finding our subject. We began our first brainstorming session by finding the problem using trigger question like: what informational resources are we going to use? On what should we focus our research? How are we going to divide the tasks? How can we do a good presentation? The next meeting, after gathering as much relevant information as possible, we shared our result to let everyone aware of the content of the presentation, the main idea was to make a team work and not to just let everyone work on his own or it will create an heterogenic presentation. And we arise more questions about the planning and preparing the framework of our slides. The next time we met, we finalized the slides of our presentation and started preparing to face the audience. Hopefully no problem oc curred between the group and a nice atmosphere was created, I allowed us to get more familiar with each other and a better understanding of others point of view and way of thinking. Finally when the day of the presentation came, it was time for action, some of us were a little bit frighten and anxious but it all collapsed when the show began. It all went smoothly, we were mastering our research and audience, most of them werent aware of the content we were exposing, so we kept their attention for the whole hour. I really enjoyed this experience and Im ready to do as much possible team work using a structured method like the simplex process. Decision tree and Statistics A decision tree is a tree in which each branch node represents a choice between a number of alternatives, and each leaf node represents a classification or decision. In decision analysis, a decision tree can be used to visually and explicitly represent decisions and decision making. In data mining, a decision tree describes data but not decisions; rather the resulting classification tree can be an input for decision making. This page deals with decision trees in data mining. Data mining approaches to my course name database analysis and design, I read a book about it and found it really interesting because it deals with economic situation and that rimes with money. I was planning on continuing my studies threw the database analysis area and I will be dealing with decision tree a lot, so having a first look of it in my first years of college get me a quick touch to it.For example, we might have a decision tree to help a financial institution decide whether a person should be offered a loan: http://www.cse.unsw.edu.au/%7Ebillw/cs9414/notes/ml/06prop/id3/dtree.gif Expected monetary value is a value based on probability that factors in all possible monetary outcomes of a given situation. The value is reached by multiplying the percentage of each possibility occurring by the monetary loss or gain associated with that outcome. At that point all of those values, positive and negative, are combined to reach the expected monetary value. This calculation is a valuable tool for those tasked with making a decision involving several possible outcomes, as it represents the most statistically accurate estimation of the eventual result. In order to calculate the EMV of a situation you should follow these steps: Define the alternative actions you are choosing from. These are labeled a1-ai. Define the states of nature which the is variable that will affect the various outcomes of a. These are labeled s1-sj. Set up a payoff table. List a1-ai as the columns and s1-sj as the rows. Fill in the values for each a and s option. Each value is the expected payoff for that occurrence (hence the name payoff table). Determine the probability for each s value. Find the EMV for each a value. Use the formula EMV(ai) = (s1 X ai) + + (sj X ai) Another notion was introduced: descriptive statistics. Basically it was some new math calculation like the average, the mean, the mode, the median, the range and the interange. Most of these feature have been familiar with me because I did some applied math to economy, however I had a blur vision of the bias until I start overdoing exercises about it at home. Then we continued on measure of variation, introducing the variance, the standard of deviation and variance of uncertainty. Conclusion Here we are, after 2 months of courses , I learn a lot threw these course and enjoyed myself attending it, writing this reflective essay really help me put thing into retrospective. My technical ability for the course is more than average and I intend to keep practicing to survival in this jungle called university. I found some energy to fight back and overcome this nonchalance that that keep me avoiding important thing and not managing my time wisely. Its time to act now. Finally, I still have hard time to believe I finally did it, just few words before the gargantuan milestone of 2Â  500 words, never thought I would have finish it in time and having fun doing it. It reveals writing skills that I never tough existed and learning so much about myself during the process. Putting everything on the paper helps you to draw a perfect picture of a period of time which helps you modifying your weakness and evaluating your evolution. Thank you for the reading; it was a pleasure to write it.