Learning to read

Reading is one of the complex tasks accomplished by students. Paradoxically one can learn to read by reading. Reading is an interesting past time or hobby for those who like it. It broadens one’s knowledge. Letter’s in the books talk to the reader. Reading teaches a child many things. It may be good or it may be bad. It should be guided learning. Reading is a subtle and complex process that involves sensation, perception, comprehension, application, and integration. Reading is the magic key to the world of enlightenment and enjoyment. It is the basic tool for learning in all the subject areas. Reading is the process of making and getting from printed word symbols. Efficient reading is an active dialogue between author and reader. Reading can be one of man’s deepest pleasures. It enables man to ponder the mysteries of the world, explore accumulated knowledge, and contemplate the unknown. One significant point of learning to read is to understand how written language and oral language correspond. The English writing system is based on the alphabetic principle that written words are made up of letters that have approximate matches with the sounds heard in the words we speak. Therefore, to understand the alphabetic principle, one must recognize that spoken words consist of a sequence of sounds and this understanding is called phonemic awareness (McCormick, 1999). Phonemic awareness is not reading. It does not deal with alphabetical letters. It does not phonics. It does not replace the school’s reading program and it is not an all-out cure for reading problems (Kang, 19997). Phonemic awareness is recognizing sounds within words. It is the ability of the child to focus on sounds of words. It is an understanding that speech is composed of individual sounds called phonemes. Phoneme is the smallest unit of speech that carries a definite meaning when put together. The phonemic awareness task requires children to analyze, manipulate the units of speech rather than focus on meaning; and the reader’s task is to understand the relationship of the letter in the writing system to the phonemes in the language. Readers should also recognize that speech could be segmented into smaller units-the readers to become phonemically aware (Yopp, 1992). This gives children functional practice in phonemic segmentation or breaking a word down into component sounds. The four basic skills of Phonemic Awareness are rhyming sounds, blending sounds, matching sounds, and segmenting sounds. Such skills are the building blocks for reading. Therefore, in order to benefit from formal reading instruction, children must have a certain level of phonemic awareness.  Phonemic Awareness could be taught as early as kindergarten throughout kindergarten and into Grade I; to continue in Grades II and III and with those children who remain weak in reading. Kang (1997) suggests the following key points to keep in mind: 1. Skills should be taught in specific lessons. 2. Try to practice phonemic awareness about 10-15 minutes a day, three to four times a week. 3. The more consistent the lesson structure is, the more improvement you will observe in   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   your young learners. 4. Regroup children upon getting to know their skills. Place in one group those who are successful in phonemic awareness and sustain their skills with lessons once a week. Phonemic awareness is a possible reason why many children struggle in reading (Rasinski & Padak, 2000). It is a fact that when we speak we only rarely pay conscious attention to the sound we make, rather we are simply concerned with getting our messages across. Therefore, the concept that words are made up of sounds is not necessarily an easy one for students to grasp. Phonemic awareness is not really critical to our purposes in spoken language but rather central in learning to read. A large body of research conducted in the U.S. and other countries indicate that one of the most significant coordinators between good and poor readers is poor readers’ lack of phonemic awareness (McCormick, 1999). This holds true regardless of the intelligence level of socioeconomic status of the students. On the strength of this research, there is little doubt that lack of phonemic awareness is a cause of reading disabilities in a large portion of students whose difficulties lie with word recognition. Research studies indicate that one aid to the development of adequate phonemic awareness occurs when young children listen to storybooks read aloud by their parents, an advantage enjoyed by some children, but not all. Others suggest that good or poor phonemic awareness may have a genetic origin. Direct evidence indicates that lack of phonemic awareness is a major cause of word identification difficulties. Likewise, phonemic awareness permits students to use letter-sound correspondences, employ phonemic strategies and identify unknown words more quickly. It also may have a bearing on whole word learning. In addition, it is a prerequisite to spelling and writing, which also require hearing (McCormick, 1999). Further research has shown that phonemic awareness is a more powerful determiner than intelligence in predicting whether students will succeed in reading and also a stronger predictor of â€Å"general† language proficiency (McCormick, 1999) and a very powerful predictor of later reading achievement (Griffith, et al., 1992). Phonemic awareness is now viewed as a critical variable in emergent literacy and beginning reading acquisition (McCormick, 1999). Recognizing that, words can be broken down into phonemes and syllables, and being able to manipulate these, has a high correlation with reading achievement. Thus, it is a central factor in learning to read and a prerequisite in learning to read. Irregularities of English demand careful handling to avoid confusion. Regular spelling should be presented in the early stages before teaching words with semi-irregular patterns like cake, bread, etc. and those with complete irregularities forms such as cough, bough. This may be another complete lesson for the actual reading phase after learning the letter shapes and names. Eventually, with increasing speed, the child works through the page of the teaching materials. In the schools, reading as a subject should be given emphasis for it is the springboard in learning other areas. Learning reading is open to a lot of words for children. Early childhood cognitive development will not develop the building blocks of language for children, unless parents know the importance of good reading. Children, whose parents are not aware that reading plays a role in the child’s development, are not disposed to learn reading. Their opportunities in learning are limited. Reading to every citizen is a new civil right. A child should be ready to read and ready to get a clear understanding of what he sees and reads in order to provide him a good early experience. Early language and early pre-learning reading activities contribute to the development of feeling of a child. Absence of this development will stifle learning and understanding sounds, letters, and language. Language in reading is the building block of speech. Likewise, the child’s ability to grasp ideas and sounds has a linkage in learning to read letters. Knowing how to read is important in interactive learning. It affects the heart and soul of a child. A child should have a strong language and a good pre-reading education.  For children to learn to read is a challenge posed to parents and educators. No matter how busy parents are, they should have time left for their children. Parents should develop good relationships with their children at their early stage of learning. Education begins before birth. Thus, the most important word that should be learned and practiced by a child is credibility according to the First Lady of U.S. President Bush, who was once a teacher herself.  High quality teachers are needed in the classroom to guide and teach children to learn. One important aim in reading is to learn to choose, analyze, and read good materials. There are teachers who change a child’s life negatively or positively. Subsequently, teachers should teach a child to be a worthy citizen in thought, in word, and in deed. To make teaching more effective, it should be integrated with subjects like art and music education, character education, and all other subject areas in the school curriculum. Reading is the right key to spiritual, social, intellectual, esthetical, mental, moral, and academic success.  It is hoped that after a thorough understanding of the various conditions leading to reading readiness through study, the reading program will be better handled. References: Griffith, P., et al. (1992). â€Å"Phonemic awareness helps beginning readers break  Ã‚  the code†. The Reading Teacher. Vol. 56, No. 7, pp.517-523: March 1992. Kang, H. (1997). Phonemic awareness: Listening activities to develop  pre-reading skills: USA: Fearon Teachers Aid; Division of Frank Schaffer Publications, Inc. McCormick, S. (1999). Instructing students who have literacy problem. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc. Simon & Schuster, A Viacom Company. Rasinski, T., & Padak, N. (2000). Effective reading strategies: Teaching children who  find reading difficult. 2nd Ed. Prentice Hall, Inc. NJ. Yopp, H.K. (1992). â€Å"Developing phonemic awareness in young children†. The Reading  Teacher. Vol. 9: May 1992.      

Police Brutality Among Nigerian Males In Philadelphia Essay

Cultural prejudice is like a virus that is transmitted from human to human and like a parasite eats up a society and its reasoning. These prejudices are reflected in our day to day life. How often we see a white women shying away from young African American male on the street reflecting the basic stereotyped assumptions that we make about others every day. These inevitable behaviors of which most of us are victims remain unresolved because of the unconscious state it has entered. Likewise, people who have been victims of racism in the past develop an extreme judgmental attitude, often labeling a simple act as a racist, failing them to ever see well in others. Marilyn French, a feminist fiction writer, in her work on â€Å"Beyond Power: On Women, Men and Morals (1986),† interprets such bigot behavior as an outcome of a patriarchal world that is lured by power and control over women, children, property, and other men; and subsequently enticed with the idea of superiority using skin color, wealth, religion and ethnicity as its variable. She suggests that the masculine principle is governed by aggressiveness which prevails over the cultural values ascribed to the feminine principle. Quoting from her work, â€Å"World wide patriarchal values and perspectives are so pervasive; many people believe them to be inevitable. Such thinkers believe feminine principle oriented cultures became instinct because of the superiority of Western patriarchy†. She further emphasizes that since western people are oriented in a masculine thought; its end result is anything but cultural prejudice. Further, delving on this theory she suggests that we all are members of the â€Å"in- groups† that offers us a feeling of belongingness and comfort. And all others become members of the â€Å"out-groups†. It is taken as a fact that members of one group will always be antagonist to the members of the other group. Marilyn calls it a â€Å"self justifying dialogue that keeps us from self analysis mixing beliefs with attitudes and values, and morality with ethics† (French, 1985, p. 19). We obediently keep practicing what we have been taught in our lifetime, i. . â€Å"what to think† of those who are members of the opposite group instead of â€Å"how to think† and in turn delaying our judgment about others. Our faculty has stopped responding to a logical reasoning and it has simply turned into a mechanical thought process. Leading all of us to becoming racist, ageist, and ethnocentric in this patriarchal culture. An authoritarian personality clings on to the conventional values of their culture, and refuses at any time the need of self – introspection (Breslin, 1974, p. 51). While delving on this type, Mumia Abu-Jamal stands as a case in point. Mumia Abu – Jamal, a famous radio journalist in Philadelphia was also known as â€Å"the voice of the voiceless†. He used to report on issues concerning police brutality, misconduct and racism on the minority communities and especially, the African American community. In 1981, he became a victim himself of things he always fought against. On December night, 1981, while driving a cab to supplement his income earned through journalism, Abu Jamal drove pass his brother who was being beaten up by the police officer, Daniel Faulkner for traffic violation. Shortly, a gun fire broke out leaving both the police officer and Abu- Jamal injured. Unfortunately, the officer succumbed to his injuries while Abu –Jamal recovered through a surgery. He was trialed for the Officer Daniel Faulkner’s murder case and given a death sentence. However, at the insistence of Philadelphia District Attorney Lynn Abraham, Abu – Jamal is currently not facing the death penalty. This is a typical case of a social conflict between individuals and collectivities. Interpreting Abu – Jamal’s case through Lane Cormick’s work, this situation can be termed as a crisis. The media and many literary discussions have depicted this case as that of prejudice and racial discrimination. Race and ethnicity are hence, seen as the controlling dynamics in this case. Dave Lindorff, an investigative reporter in his book on â€Å" Killing Time: An Investigation Into the Death Row Case of Mumia Abu – Jamal†, stated that at the time of Abu – Jamal’s arrest, the Philadelphia Police Department was indeed the most corrupt enforcement operations in the nation. Hence, the decision made by the United States’ judicial system , awarding death sentence to Abu- Jamal, based on the evidences put forth by the Philadelphia police has been widely criticized and challenged. This decision has been labeled as an outcome of cultural prejudice in a society that stands as an epitome of liberty. The United States’ judicial system has been attributed for its racism and discrimination against defendants of color. Noam Chomsky while reflecting on this case called the U. S. prison system a class and a race war. He further emphasized that Abu – Jamal is just one illustration of what’s called â€Å"social cleansing† in US. Philadelphia police is known for its notoriety. The racist attitude that it thrives on is also not hidden from the public. The killing of a young black man, Bryan Jones on the morning of January 1, 2007 is just one in a million cases reflecting brutality dipped with prejudice and racism practiced by the Philadelphia police. According to the Welcoming Center for new Pennsylvanians, seven percent of Philadelphia’s immigrants come from Africa mainly comprising of Nigerians who form the largest African group in this region. Every now and then, there are cases heard against the Police Department of Philadelphia for ill – treating the Africans. Scholars suggest that off all prejudice, the most critical is the Attitudinal Prejudice reflected (in this case) in the Philadelphia police also explaining the reasons of brutality that’s practiced on these minority races. W. T. Jones in his work on â€Å"Perspectives on ethnicity. New direction for student services†, explains that â€Å"attitudinal prejudice refers to a negative attitude toward a person or group based upon a social comparison process in which the individual’s own group is taken as the positive point of reference. † (Jones, 1972, p. 6). Further, to combat the ‘isms’ requires new value assumptions and new social learning.

Audit Client Considerations

With this particular case study I will discuss several questions and facts regarding audit client considerations. 1) A brief summary of the case. 2) Identify key behaviors, attitudes and ethical dilemmas (if any) faced by the auditors. 3) Assess the philosophical and practical alternatives summarized in the case questions and evaluations of those solutions. 4) Briefly summarize what I would do faced with this situation in real life. The case is that of a CPA firm, Cardinal Coyote, located in Phoenix, Arizona and centers around three personnel members. Yancy Corliss is a new partner with the firm that is summoned into the managing partner’s office, Sharon Rules. Rules indicates that Jost Furniture is looking for a new auditing and she has been approached to submit a bid. Before committing to a bid Rules would like Corliss to conduct a background check to assess the potential risk of obtaining Jost as a client. The contract could prove to be quite lucrative for the firm as the company will need advice on international expansion. Since the bid is due to close fairly quickly she gives Corliss three days to report back to her. Corliss assembles his team which includes Lanny Beaudean who worked for the IRS for two years before joining the firm. Beaudean hopes to gain international experience with the firm so as to further his dream of becoming a CEO. The other two members of the team are Vinnie Gabelli and Jacki Oloff both of whom are not Arizona natives. After discussing their respective duties the team met at the end of the day to discuss their findings. After following a checklist of risk assessment they followed all except for the Verify the circumstances of any prior auditor’s dismissal1. The team felt that Yancy Corliss would be better suited to obtain this information. After non response from the firm’s attorney and sidestep answer of personality conflicts from Jost the team did receive permission to speak with previous auditors. They discovered that since there had been a modified opinion of the 2006 financial statements, where the auditors raised questions of going concern. The company had suffered persistent losses and the lack of cash flow was impairing their ability to secure financing. They also learned that subsequent auditors had been dismissed also for apparently coming to the same conclusion as the predecessor firm. Upon further investigation the team found that a million dollar loan covenant had been violated by neglect to keep a minimum balance due to the fact that the owner had withdrawn $500,000. 00 out of the company account to place a down payment on his home. The next time the covenant was broken the bank started foreclosure on the loan. The behaviors and attitudes of the auditor’s was very professional in exercising due diligence and proper training in the following manners. Oloff tried to contact the attorney several times by phone, left five messages and when she inquired about voice mail and email received a no answer to both types of technology. She also tried to set an appointment but was fended off of this type of communication as well. Corliss was put off about speaking with the previous auditors by the owner citing that there were personality conflicts and his concern was they would speak ill of the company. Corliss reminded him that it is required part of the procedure to accept them as a client. Gabelli investigated the going concern aspect, in doing so he found out that a loan to Phoenix Second Bank had begun foreclosure proceedings and the reasons behind this. He also found that by the time the foreclosure process had been completed the loan had been paid off. Finally Beaudean expressed his and the team’s concerns about taking on Jost as a client. All of these actions are in accordance with GAAS requirements on due diligence and appropriate training2. However had the situation arisen that is stated in question 2 of the case study there would be a serious issue that would be faced by Rules and Beaudean both. Question 2 asks what if Corliss had recommended that Jost be taken on as a client which surprises Beaudean and he asks what other factors did he consider and his response is â€Å"I am a new partner in the firm. I have to bring in new business. This client is a slam dunk. If we make a reasonably competitive bid, we will get the account. † â€Å". This presents a problem for Rules and Beaudean. It is abundantly clear that in this scenario Corliss is placing his needs above that of the society (in this case the firm). This as we have learned places him at Stage 2 of Kohlberg’s Model and violates all of the Six Pillars of Character. If Beaudean decides to follow the ethical choice of reporting his team’s findings to Rules the trust that was given to Corliss by assigning him the task of doing a thorough investigation. Due diligence and professional care are two of the core foundations upon with not only GAAP is founded upon but GAAS as well. Every accountant whether he/she is a Certified Auditor, CPA or CMA is required not only by law but by Ethical Standards to practice in our profession2,34. If the decision were to go ahead and submit a bid it would violate the standards by which we practice and are ethically bound to abide. In conclusion I would have done exactly as the auditor’s did. I would strongly recommend against taking on Jost as a client not only due to the going concern but also because of the red flags that appeared during a background investigation. Who knows what would further show up that was either unethical or illegal or both. In my personal opinion no contract is worth tainting my professional integrity and reputation. If Corliss were to recommend taking Jost on as a client I would raise my concerns with Rules and outline all that we had learned as well as strongly recommend against taking on Jost as a client.

Impact of age diversity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Impact of age diversity - Essay Example Specifically, these aspects will be examined in the context of the impact of age in the labor force and how this will affect the roles of the managers in the labor organizations as a recent study reported that by 2020, individuals of 50 years old and up will take up a third of the region’s workforce population. Article Analysis The age of the workers is recognized as a relevant determinant of their performance at work. Some employers prefer the old ones for their developed skills from experience, while the others choose the younger for their flexibility and other characteristics. Such assumptions have rooted from a number of research findings pointing out how workers of specific age ranges easily adapt to changes implemented in the work places (e.g., technology, roles and responsibilities, and etc.) while others can or do not (Morris & Venkatesh, 2000; Morris, Venkatesh, & Ackerman, 2005). Other studies also suggest that an employee’s age can tell employers his or her p robable productivity rate. Specifically, groups of researchers have previously proposed that valuable attitudes and behaviors of the workers decline as one ages (Ferris, et al., 1985; McEvoy & Cascio, 1989; Salthouse & Babcock, 1991; Lawrence, 1988); others, on the other hand, cannot particularly point out concrete evidences of the existence of such relationships in â€Å"different age categories of employees† (Duncan & Loretto, 2004). ... Specifically, groups of researchers have previously proposed that valuable attitudes and behaviors of the workers decline as one ages (Ferris, et al., 1985; McEvoy & Cascio, 1989; Salthouse & Babcock, 1991; Lawrence, 1988); others, on the other hand, cannot particularly point out concrete evidences of the existence of such relationships in â€Å"different age categories of employees† (Duncan & Loretto, 2004). Nevertheless, because of prior assumptions related to these, age discrimination has been inevitable (Ferris & King, 1992; Issacharoff & Harris, 1997; Taylor & Walker, 1997); putting the welfare of the members of the workforce -- especially the old ones -- in line while necessitating further management reorganization and implementation from those with higher positions in the workplace. As such dilemmas coexist, it is then important to consider several aspects that affect and, likewise, become affected by the consequences of the age of the employees by the overall performan ce of the workforce as well as the management of the organization. This is particularly true as an unexpected shift of the age of the workforce is to be anticipated after nine years; that is, more than 30% of the members of the United Kingdom workforce â€Å"will be over 50 by 2020† (Snowdon, 2010). In Snowdon’s article, it was noted that the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) reported in a research that majority of the managers in the work organizations in UK are still unprepared for this shift. Although the author seems to lack the efficiency of properly addressing the audience that he intends to tap with his article, it is without a doubt that

Management and research methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Management and research methods - Essay Example It is notable that the assignment requires students to practice flexibility through developing the research questions from any topic. With this flexibility, the researcher seeks to develop research questions for gaining marketplace intelligence and its ability to accept a new product. The researcher in this study chooses to work on behalf of a new company, XYZ manufacturing men’s shaving products. By the nature of their development, the after-shave products were made to target the youthful generation of men aged 18 – 35 years. Particularly, the research seeks to understand whether the marketplace is already aware of the company’s main after - shave product known as Inclined for Men. The research will seek to understand whether the market is ready for such a remarkable new product. The designed questionnaires shall appear in a table format and seek to justify the reasons for the selection of the questions, and the objectives. Questionnaire Development Research Obj ectives I. To understand the percentage of youthful men aged 18 – 35 years who use after shave products. II. To know the level to which the marketplace is already aware of Inclined for Men product. III. To know the particular reasons why the clients buy the product IV. To know the target population source of information regarding the after – shave products. V. ... IV. What are the sources where the target population access their information on hair care products? V. What is the entertainment life style for the targeted population? Design of a Relevant Questionnaire The questionnaire designed to capture these research questions and help generate feedback to realize the objectives uses both open and closed end questions. It is designed to be easy for those administering it to follow and even for self-administration by the research participants. The questionnaire contains all the relevant information that will lead to meeting the research process. Reasons for Choosing the Questions in the Questionnaire It is notable that this study seeks to understand the marketplace intelligence for the Inclined for Men after – shave product. In order to accomplish the study the questions that are asked must generate appropriate information required by the researcher. The questions are intelligently chosen to ensure that they are relevant. Furthermore, it is hoped that they will lead to the realization of the needed information. The reasons for choosing the questions in the questionnaire are discussed as follows. The first question seeks to establish the age of the respondent before they start answering the subsequent questions. This is important because the research targets young men aged 18 – 35 years. Literature also supports this approach that researchers must understand the age of the respondent before they go to the details of answering other information (Van, 2007; pg. 45). The reason for choosing this question is to ensure that the individual’s description matches the requirements of the target population. It has the option of ending the process in a case where the respondent’s

Is Empowerment a Valuable Tool for Increasing Efficiency and Essay - 4

Is Empowerment a Valuable Tool for Increasing Efficiency and Effectiveness in Today's Organisations - Essay Example The paper tells that the purpose of empowerment is to get employees to take responsibility for producing results rather than merely â€Å"following rules and regulations without producing tangible results†. It includes various factors such as re-engineering and re-designing existing delivery processes to make them less error-prone, more efficient, effective, and timely. Re-organization of the company’s operations to eliminate wastage of resources and personnel and replacement of earlier methods of working with information technology are also reforms that empower the workforce. Replacement of old tasks with high technology equipment or new approaches would require staff training for new responsibilities. Any anxiety on the part of workers should be addressed by human resources personnel to help employees increase their skill sets, and when any jobs become obsolete the employees should be helped to find comparable jobs within the organization. Employee empowerment has bec ome an increasingly popular concept in organizations because of growing global competition and rapid technological change. These require intensive organizational changes in employee management, for increasing organizational competitive advantage in the expanding market. Employee empowerment is a significant change initiative because it is critical to organizational innovation and effectiveness. The key element in empowerment is that it increases the level of motivation of an individual employee at the lowest possible organizational level when he is delegated with authority to make decisions. There are two distinct definitions of empowerment. As a relational construct, empowerment refers to one’s power and control over other employees, and to the transference of such power from management to an employee with less decision-making authority.

Research portfolio Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Portfolio - Research Paper Example Moreover, in recent decades, research evidence has demonstrated a significant association between declining levels of physical activity in children, overall increases in children's body weights, and the incidence of obesity (Goran et al., 1999). The most widely accepted hypothesis for this association is that over time cultural changes and technological advances have resulted in less physical activity and promoted a gradually more sedentary lifestyle (Goran et al. 1999; Luepker, 1999). This mirrors what is occurring in the adult population and highlights the influence that parental physical activity behaviours have on the behaviours of children (Goran et al., 1999). Clearly, physical activity plays a critical role in the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity, leading some experts to suggest that if physical activity levels were increased that the epidemic of childhood obesity would diminish or even disappear (Luepker, 1999). Research has suggests the need for family-based int erventions since families share genetic disposition as well as environments (Hill & Trowbridge, 1998). Accomplishing the task of combating childhood obesity will require that every family become committed to improving their children's physical activity habits. ... Moreover, children learn lifestyle behaviours from an early age and may be more flexible in their ability to change behaviours than adults. Many parents, however, lack knowledge about healthy lifestyle practices and/or fail to encourage or model these healthy behaviours for their children. Parents of overweight children also may tend to underestimate their child's weight and may not be as concerned about their child's physical inactivity. It is important to understand whether this lack of knowledge and/or modelling of healthy behaviours on the part of the parents are related to unhealthy practices among their children. According to Nicklas and Johnson (2004), health promotion interventions should be implemented at an age when a child is still impartial to change, which is typically prior to entrance into sixth grade. The role of the home environment is critical to prevent childhood obesity. Parents must provide a physically active environment for their children, and limit the amount of time spent in sedentary behaviours. Parental controls of television viewing can have many benefits. Research Questions The specific research question of this study is: What are the parental controls and restrictions regarding television viewing among students? Sub-questions for the study were: (a) Does the parental controls and restrictions that are being used by parents correlate with children's BMI; (b) Do parental controls differ according to the child's age? Literature Review Family Environment and Childhood Obesity The best way to significantly affect the prevalence of childhood obesity is to prevent it. Therefore, the issue of childhood obesity becomes a family affair. Families provide the primary

Management Society and new forms of work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Management Society and new forms of work - Essay Example On the other hand, it can be seen that this concept raises a lot of social issues that might also destabilise peace and tranquillity in different areas. Against this backdrop, this paper has been designed to explore the reasons why the issue of precarity is of concern to the current labour and management practices. The paper starts by outlining the concept of precarity and its impact on the welfare of people as well as to suggest measures that can be implemented in order to address this particular problem. The concept of precarity is a quite a new sociological discourse in the contemporary labour and management practice. â€Å"In 2003, the concept of precarity emerged as the central organizing platform for a series of social struggles that would spread across the space of Europe,† (Neilson & Rossiter, 2009, p. 51). This concept is concerned with highlighting the issue that social security in different workplaces is disappearing as a result of the fact that the employers are pr imarily concerned with productivity in their organizations while overlooking the needs and interests of the employees such as improving their welfare through offering them rewards for their efforts. This scenario is evident in different sectors of the society where people working on part time basis, permanent employees as well as the unemployed often find themselves in a predicament where they often fail to derive security from their jobs. These people live a precarious life whereby it can be seen that they are not in a position to secure themselves against things like mounting debts as well as to enjoy good welfare. People who are entitled to low wages also face the same predicament since they are forced to eke a living from the meagre income they earn from their work. The concept of precarity has negative effects on different sectors of the economy and society at large. Generally speaking, employees living under precarious conditions are not satisfied with their work. According to a study by Patterson et al (1998) entitled, ‘Impact of People Management Practices on Business Performance,’ it can be seen that people in an organization make a difference between success and failure. The management practices have an impact on the performance of the people in the organization. People who are satisfied with their work are productive compared to those who are not. Satisfaction can be derived if the employees are rewarded for their effort in an organization. However, if there are no measures in place that are designed to address the issue of employee motivation through giving them rewards for their performance, it can be observed that the workers are likely to lose goodwill in the company in the long run. The adverse effects of precarity among the workforce during the contemporary period mainly involve aspects related to quality of work as well as productivity. According to Robbins (1993), a workforce that is dissatisfied is likely to be less productive compared to workers who are happy about their work. This impacts on the performance of the organization as a whole since it may fail to achieve its set goals. On the other hand, it can be seen that this state of affairs can also compromise on the aspect of quality of the goods and services offered by the company concerned. This in turn may impact on the profitability of the company since the targeted customers

At the Edge and Coffee Nerves Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

At the Edge and Coffee Nerves - Essay Example I can appreciate the experimental nature of the music, but I couldn’t help but think to myself†¦ â€Å"What was the composer thinking when he/she wrote this?!?† I thought maybe the composer was on drugs. It was just not a compelling piece at all—even though I understood the fact that the composer was trying to do something new and different, almost like for the shock value of it. The harmony of At the Edge was minimally fair at best. I wouldn’t almost even go so far as to say that At the Edge was even minimally fair, but rather, very poor. The harmony was bad because there was no harmony. The dueling instruments—the piano or organ (whichever it was), the flute, and the tuba—they just did not harmonize at all. I don’t think that was the point to harmonize anyway, because the way the piece was composed, I believe it was composed to frighten the audience. Man, was I scared. I thought the Phantom of the Opera was going to come out of the shadows with a cloak and dagger. Let’s just say, needless to say, that the harmony really left a lot to be desired. The melody was horrible. The tuba and the flute were dueling for the spot of worst instrumental music ever. The flute, I believe, was playing a melody counter to the tuba’s harmony. Don’t ask me why the composer did this, because I have absolutely no idea. Not even halfway through the performance, I put earplugs in intermittently because my ears literally hurt so bad because the sound was that irascible. I took them out occasionally to hear the progression, but there was not much progression in terms of getting better with this piece. It was ominous at the beginning and it only got worse. Frankly I found this type of experimental piece horribly jarring, very scary, and entirely way off-base in terms of being a pleasant experience. It was exactly what you would go to a concert not to hear. I simply could not listen to the piece in its entirety b ecause it was that bad. The timbre was tinny. The piece started out most ominously at the beginning, and I had expected that it might get lighter in tone as the music went on, but no such luck. Here, the piece At the Edge has been critiqued according to its rhythm, harmony, melody, and timbre. Unfortunately, much as I regret to say it, I did not enjoy this performance at all, although I can appreciate what the composer was trying to achieve musically. â€Å"Coffee Nerves† Critique (500 words) Coffee Nerves will be critiqued according to its: rhythm; harmony; melody; and timbre. It was a wonderful piece that exemplified everything that’s right with a good piece of music that’s composed in a pleasant manner. The rhythm of Coffee Nerves was very upbeat and intriguing. It started off right from the get-go with a defined rhythm and kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. The harmony in Coffee Nerves was very pleasant. My only critique of the entire piece i s that it seemed quite repetitive in its composition. This repetition of sorts happened a variety of times—although thankfully there were a few little interludes here and there, not to mention a couple of â€Å"surprise elements† to the music, thus making it not entirely predictable as a piece. The harmony was very lovely, in fact, even if a bit repetitious at points, but it was one that bore repeating due to its very beautiful sounds. The piano was played very fast, and the main flautist had to play (I believe) even faster in order to get the notes out on time. The melody nicely of the

Beethoven Sonata No 27 Essay Example for Free

Beethoven Sonata No 27 Essay This piece is highly unusual for Beethoven Sonatas. One, although it was written at the start of his late period, this sonata had only two movements, the first being extremely short. Secondly, this was the first that Beethoven started writing his tempo markings in German, as though implying that this Sonata was more personal. Beethoven has also remarked on this piece that he considered titling it either â€Å"Struggle Between Head and Heart or Conversation with the Beloved. This sonata was dedicated to Count Moritz von Lichnowsky and so describes the love affair he was having at the time. Beethoven literally gave the Count this sonata with the words, â€Å"This Sonata describes your love life.† The first movement of the sonata has an extremely short development, and a surprising coda. The second movement is much longer, much like a Schubert sonata and has another surprising ending of a small epilogue. In fact, Schubert’s first sonata (unfinished) 2nd movement, shows a distinct likeliness to this piece’s 2nd movement. It would almost seem like Schubert’s first sonata was a tribute to Beethoven. Written in 1814, there is a 5 year gap from his last sonata. He gives exact instructions for his tempo markings because, as he said, â€Å"I am deaf, and I can no longer play the piano. Therefore, I must give exact instructions to the performer.† In fact, he became so particular, that he started notating exactly where his dynamic changes are, leaving almost no room for the performer for adjustments. Listening to a lecture recital by Andrea Schiff, he has remarked that Sonata no. 27 is one of the most mysterious of the 32 sonatas. This sonata was written deliberately not to ‘please’ his audience. He wrote it to promote discussion among music lovers and pianists. This sonata wasn’t even written to be performed on stage. Both movements of this piece end quietly, written subito piano and no retardando could be seen. The piece ends quietly and the audience is barely aware the piece has even ended. This sonata is not meant to make an impression. Andrea Schiff has even gone so far to say that, â€Å"Ideally, we wouldn’t even have an applause at the end of this piece, there is nothing to applaud!† Furthermore, the sonata after, No. 28 (in A Major), sounds like a continuation of the 2nd movement. I will be doing a structural analysis of the Sonata, however, I will also be adding some commentary on some aspects I find more interesting. Starting from the beginning of the first movement, we have the exposition and the first theme. Already here in the first eight bars we can see the conflict â€Å"between the head and heart†, like this movement is so aptly nicknamed. In m. 8-16, we see some use of syncopation, indicating that the movement should be counted in one and not three in the  ¾ time signature. In the first 24 measures, ending with the fermata on a rest, we see clearly the backbone of the whole sonata. In the next section starting with an open b octave, we see the composer has marked in tempo and pp. Beethoven really marks everything for the performer, leaving little to question on how exactly he wants it performed. In m. 55, where we have a very awkward left hand broken chords, I would like to point out that the base line for these seemingly randomly spaced chords is actually the inversion of the original theme at the beginning of the piece. The second movement starts at m. 82 on a single b. At m. 109, we have a sudden reminiscence of polyphonic texture much like what Bach would have written. Starting in m. 113, just when the counterpoint ends, we see that the theme has migrated to the tenor line in the left hand, leaving the right hand free to ‘improvise’ over. We modulate at m. 130 and in m. 136 there is an echo of the first theme. Just when we think that it sounds somehow familiar, the recapitulation suddenly appears at m.144. There is a little coda at m. 231 and the first movement ends quietly with no retardando marked. It is assumed that the performer moves immediately to the 2nd movement. The opening theme in the rondo is something that the performer becomes familiar with very quickly, because it is repeated in the entire movement no less than sixteen times. In contrast to the fighting between the head and heart in the first movement, this movement is nicknamed, â€Å"Conversation with the Beloved†. This theme is so unlike Beethoven that it has almost a Schubert-like quality to it. I would also like to note that the opening theme of the second movement is an inversion of the first theme in the first movement. The epilogue at m. 286 quietly ends the piece, just slipping away. No one notices that it has ended until the surprising silence occupies the space. There is no retardando written and the dynamic marking is pp. I would also like to do a Golden Mean analysis with the first movement, the second movement, and the entire work. Movement one: 145m x .618 = 89.61 Movement two: 290m x .618 = 179.22 Whole work: 535m x..618 = 330.63 or 185.63 in the 2nd movement In movement one, the midpoint falls a few measures after the development, where the theme is being repeated in the surprising key of a minor. This is right before we crescendo up to a climax at m. 92. In movement two, the midpoint falls onto another a minor chord. This measure is right before we transition to another choral in the key of B Major. The midpoint of the entire piece falls on an unassuming measure in the middle of the first theme of the second movement. As for the most important parts of the entire work, I would point out the interesting inversions scattered across the board. First would be the awkward broken chords at m. 55 in the first movement that I have mentioned before. And then again right before the recapitulation when the theme is echoed over the keys. Then again at the little coda at m. 231. As for the second movement, the whole theme is the inverted first theme of the first movement.

What Is The Cause Of Water Pollution?

What Is The Cause Of Water Pollution? When toxic substances enter lakes, streams, rivers, oceans, and other water bodies, they get dissolved or lie suspended in water or get deposited on the bed. This results in the pollution of water whereby the quality of the water deteriorates, affecting aquatic ecosystems. Pollutants can also seep down and affect the groundwater deposits. Water pollution has many sources. The most polluting of them are the city sewage and industrial waste discharged into the rivers. The facilities to treat waste water are not adequate in any city in India. Presently, only about 10% of the waste water generated is treated; the rest is discharged as it is into our water bodies. Due to this, pollutants enter groundwater, rivers, and other water bodies. Such water, which ultimately ends up in our households, is often highly contaminated and carries disease-causing microbes. Agricultural run-off, or the water from the fields that drains into rivers, is another major water pollutant as it contains fertilizers and pesticides. Domestic sewage refers to waste water that is discarded from households. Also referred to as sanitary sewage, such water contains a wide variety of dissolved and suspended impurities. Biochemical oxygen demand, or BOD The amount of organic material that can rot in the sewage is measured by the biochemical oxygen demand. BOD is the amount of oxygen required by micro-organisms to decompose the organic substances in sewage. Therefore, the more organic material there is in the sewage, the higher the BOD. It is among the most important parameters for the design and operation of sewage treatment plants. BOD levels of industrial sewage may be many times that of domestic sewage. Dissolved oxygen is an important factor that determines the quality of water in lakes and rivers. The higher the concentration of dissolved oxygen, the better the water quality. When sewage enters a lake or stream, micro-organisms begin to decompose the organic materials. Oxygen is consumed as micro-organisms use it in their metabolism. This can quickly deplete the available oxygen in the water. When the dissolved oxygen levels drop too low, many aquatic species perish. In fact, if the oxygen level drops to zero, the water will be come septic. When organic compounds decompose without oxygen, it gives rise to the undesirable odours usually associated with septic or putrid conditions. It amounts to a very small fraction of the sewage by weight. But it is large by volume and contains impurities such as organic materials and plant nutrients that tend to rot. The main organic materials are food and vegetable waste, plant nutrient come from chemical soaps, washing powders, etc. Domestic sewage is also very likely to contain disease-causing microbes. Thus, disposal of domestic waste water is a significant technical problem. Sewage generated from the urban areas in India has multiplied manifold since 1947. Today, many people dump their garbage into streams, lakes, rivers, and seas, thus making water bodies the final resting place of cans, bottles, plastics, and other household products. The various substances that we use for keeping our houses clean add to water pollution as they contain harmful chemicals. In the past, people mostly used soaps made from animal and vegetable fat for all types of washing. But most of todays cleaning products are synthetic detergents and come from the petrochemical industry. Most detergents and washing powders contain phosphates, which are used to soften the water among other things. These and other chemicals contained in washing powders affect the health of all forms of life in the water. What is the Cause of Water Pollution? Water pollution refers to the changes in the physical, biological, and chemical conditions of any body of water which harmfully disrupts the balance of the ecosystem. Like any type of pollution, water pollution results when an overwhelming amount of waste coming from different sources of pollutants can no longer be accommodated by the natural ecosystem. Consequently, when the wastes are not destroyed as fast as they are produced, they make it unfavorable to humans and many other organisms. But thats not all. Learn more about what causes water pollution. There are actually many specific reasons behind what causes water pollution. However, it is important to familiarize yourself with the two main categories of water pollution. Some pollution comes directly from ones specific location. This type of pollution is called point source pollution such as sewage pipes that empty polluted water into the river and farmland. Meanwhile, non-point source pollution is pollution that comes from large areas like gasoline and other dirt from highways that go into the lakes and rivers.http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1068/1023347477_821ecbb29e.jpg What are the causes water pollution? Who are the culprits who should be responsible for the harm brought by their pollutants? How do these sources of pollution pollute different bodies of water? One major cause of water pollution that has caused serious environmental and health problems are the pollutants coming from chemical and industrial processes. When factories and manufacturers pour their chemicals and livestock wastes directly into streams and rivers, the water becomes poisonous and oxygen levels are depleted causing many aquatic organisms to die. These wastes include solvents and toxic substances. Most of the wastes are not biodegradable. Power plants, paper mills, refineries, automobile factories dispose waste into the rivers. The heated water from the power plants is called thermal pollution. This kills aquatic animals and plants by reducing the oxygen content of the water. Power plants use water to cool their machineries, thus changing the temperature of the water. Aside from thermal pollution, there are also organic and inorganic pollutants. The organic wastes include refuse from slaughter houses, fish and meat canning factories, and leather tanning companies, manufacturing plants, pesticides and crude oil companies. Since organic wastes are decomposed by microorganisms, much of the dissolved oxygen in water is used up and the waster begins to stink. Inorganic wastes include toxic and corrosive substances like acids, heavy metals, mercury, cadmium and lead which can impair the normal body processes. Battery manufacturers, mining, paper mills increase the concentration of mercury making the water dangerous and poisonous for most living things. Another cause of water pollution is from pesticides. Farm pesticides poison aquatic plants and animals. Animal manure, chemical fertilizers, phosphate detergent pollute water by supplying excess nutrients. This pollution is known as eutrophication. This greatly increases the growth of algae in water thereby decreasing the amount of oxygen level in water causing the death of many aquatic organisms. Water is also being polluted by garbage specifically plastics and other plastic-like substances. Some plastic like nylon can entangle fishes and other marine animals. Plastics that have broken down into tiny pieces can be eaten by sea creatures which may cause their death. Since plastic is non-biodegradable, it will continue to kill more fishes. One more cause of water pollution is sewage coming from households. Since no one wants to live in a polluted area, near a dumpsite or landfill, the wastewater and untreated sewage are carried away from the home polluting different bodies of water. Most developing countries practice this type of sewage disposal. Even modern countries carry poorly treated sewage to canals leading to major bodies of water. The danger is when the sewage pipes gets broken and waste contaminates the drinking water. When this happens, the breakage will open a wide array of water borne diseases that will surely pose peril to consumers. Last among the causes of water pollution are personal care and household products. Shampoo, lotion, moisturizer, hair dye, bleach, laundry detergent, fabric softener, and many others contribute to water pollution. Human waste is not the only thing that goes to sewage. These products also join the wastewater to contaminate the streams, rivers, and lakes. Although the world abounds with water, only three percent of it is potable. Included in the 3% source of potable water are the streams, spring, rivers, lakes, and waterfalls that are continuously being threatened and contaminated by the different factors that cause of water pollution. If the sources of water pollution are not controlled, this basic necessity will eventually become a rare commodity only a few can afford to have. Agricultural Run off Eutrophication When fresh water is artificially supplemented with nutrients, it results in an abnormal increase in the growth of water plants. This is known as eutrophication. The discharge of waste from industries, agriculture, and urban communities into water bodies generally stretches the biological capacities of aquatic systems. Chemical run-off from fields also adds nutrients to water. Excess nutrients cause the water body to become choked with organic substances and organisms. When organic matter exceeds the capacity of the micro-organisms in water that break down and recycle the organic matter, it encourages rapid growth, or blooms, of algae. When they die, the remains of the algae add to the organic wastes already in the water; eventually, the water becomes deficient in oxygen. Anaerobic organisms (those that do not require oxygen to live) then attack the organic wastes, releasing gases such as methane and hydrogen sulphide, which are harmful to the oxygen-requiring (aerobic) forms of life. The result is a foul-smelling, waste-filled body of water. This has already occurred in such places as Lake Erie and the Baltic Sea, and is a growing problem in freshwater lakes all over India. Eutrophication can produce problems such as bad tastes and odours as well as green scum algae. Also the growth of rooted plants increases, which decreases the amount of oxygen in the deepest waters of the lake. It also leads to the death of all forms of life in the water bodies. The use of land for agriculture and the practices followed in cultivation greatly affect the quality of groundwater. Intensive cultivation of crops causes chemicals from fertilizers (e.g. nitrate) and pesticides to seep into the groundwater, a process commonly known as leaching. Routine applications of fertilizers and pesticides for agriculture and indiscriminate disposal of industrial and domestic wastes are increasingly being recognized as significant sources of water pollution. The high nitrate content in groundwater is mainly from irrigation run-off from agricultural fields where chemical fertilizers have been used indiscriminately. Industrial effluents Waste water from manufacturing or chemical processes in industries contributes to water pollution. Industrial waste water usually contains specific and readily identifiable chemical compounds. During the last fifty years, the number of industries in India has grown rapidly. But water pollution is concentrated within a few subsectors, mainly in the form of toxic wastes and organic pollutants. Out of this a large portion can be traced to the processing of industrial chemicals and to the food products industry. In fact, a number of large- and medium-sized industries in the region covered by the Ganga Action Plan do not have adequate effluent treatment facilities. Most of these defaulting industries are sugar mills, distilleries, leather processing industries, and thermal power stations. Most major industries have treatment facilities for industrial effluents. But this is not the case with small-scale industries, which cannot afford enormous investments in pollution control equipment as their profit margin is very slender. Transport and chemical reactions of water pollutants Most water pollutants are eventually carried by the rivers into the oceans. In some areas of the world the influence can be traced hundred miles from the mouth by studies using hydrology transport models. Advanced computer models such as SWMM or the DSSAM Model have been used in many locations worldwide to examine the fate of pollutants in aquatic systems. Indicator filter feeding species such as copepods have also been used to study pollutant fates in the New York Bight, for example. The highest toxin loads are not directly at the mouth of the Hudson River, but 100 kilometers south, since several days are required for incorporation into planktonic tissue. The Hudson discharge flows south along the coast due to coriolis force. Further south then are areas of oxygen depletion, caused by chemicals using up oxygen and by algae blooms, caused by excess nutrients from algal cell death and decomposition. Fish and shellfish kills have been reported, because toxins climb the foodchain after small fish consume copepods, then large fish eat smaller fish, etc. Each successive step up the food chain causes a stepwise concentration of pollutants such as heavy metals (e.g. mercury) and persistent organic pollutants such as DDT. This is known as biomagnification which is occasionally used interchangeably with bioaccumulation.http://feww.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/water-pollution.JPG The big gyres in the oceans trap floating plastic debris. The North Pacific Gyre for example has collected the so-called Great Pacific Garbage Patch that is now estimated at 100 times the size of Texas. Many of these long-lasting pieces wind up in the stomachs of marine birds and animals. This results in obstruction of digestive pathways which leads to reduced appetite or even starvation. Many chemicals undergo reactive decay or chemically change especially over long periods of time in groundwater reservoirs. A noteworthy class of such chemicals are the chlorinated hydrocarbons such as trichloroethylene (used in industrial metal degreasing and electronics manufacturing) and tetrachloroethylene used in the dry cleaning industry (note latest advances in liquid carbon dioxide in dry cleaning that avoids all use of chemicals). Both of these chemicals, which are carcinogens themselves, undergo partial decomposition reactions, leading to new hazardous chemicals (including dichloroethylene and vinyl chloride). http://www.sos-arsenic.net/images/uttra-lake.jpg Groundwater pollution is much more difficult to abate than surface pollution because groundwater can move great distances through unseen aquifers. Non-porous aquifers such as clays partially purify water of bacteria by simple filtration (adsorption and absorption), dilution, and, in some cases, chemical reactions and biological activity: however, in some cases, the pollutants merely transform to soil contaminants. Groundwater that moves through cracks and caverns is not filtered and can be transported as easily as surface water. In fact, this can be aggravated by the human tendency to use natural sinkholes as dumps in areas of Karst topography. There are a variety of secondary effects stemming not from the original pollutant, but a derivative condition. Some of these secondary impacts are: Silt bearing surface runoff from can inhibit the penetration of sunlight through the water column, hampering photosynthesis in aquatic plants. Thermal pollution can induce fish kills and invasion by new thermophilic species. This can cause further problems to existing wildlife. EFFECTS OF WATER POLLUTION The effects of water pollution are seen in Thermal, Heavy Metal, Agricultural regions and due to fertilizers, chemicals, oil and contaminated ground water. Effects of Water Pollution Effects of Run-off Pollution Rain picks up dirt and silt and carries it into the water. If the dirt and silt settle in the water body, then these sediments prevent sunlight from reaching aquatic plants. If the Sun cant reach the plants, these perish. These sediments also clog fish gills and smother organisms that live on the bottom of the body of the water. Effects of Oil Pollution and Antifreeze If oil is spilled on the water, the effects on the ecosystem and the components are harmful. Many animals can be annihilated in case they ingest oil. Oil contaminated prey may be a reason of death for many. If the oil coats the feathers of birds, these may die. Oil and antifreeze makes the water have a foul odor and there is a sticky film on the surface of water that kills animals. Oil is the most harmful pollutant in the water. Contaminated Ground Water Effects If contaminated water enters the ground, there may be serious effects. People may become very sick and there is a probability of developing liver or kidney problems and cancer or other illnesses. Fertilizers and other chemicals Nitrates in drinking water leads to diseases of infants that may lead to their death. Cadmium is a metal in sludge-derived fertilizer. This can be absorbed by crops. When people ingest this, they may cause diarrheal disorders, liver and kidney damage. The inorganic substances like mercury, arsenic and lead are the causes of pollution. Other chemicals can also lead to problems concerning the taste, smell and color of water. Pesticides, PCBs and PCPs are all poisonous to all sorts of life. Pesticides are used in farming, homes and forestry. PCBs are found as insulators in old electrical transformers. PCPs are found in products like wood preservatives. Effects of Agricultural Water Pollution Rain and irrigation water drains off cultivated land that has been fertilized and treated with pesticides, the excess nitrogen and poisons are mixed with it into the water supply. These pesticides are toxic and pollute the water in a different mode. Aquatic plants growth cause de-oxygenation of water and annihilate flora and fauna in a stream, lake and river. Fertilizers enhance the growth of bacteria that are in water and increase the concentration of bacteria to hazardous levels. Effects of Thermal Water Pollution Machinery in the industries are cooled with water from lakes and rivers. This water reaches the river in a heated state. This water decreases the ability of the aquatic system to hold oxygen and raises the growth of warm water species. Effects of Heavy Metal Water Pollution Heavy metals like lead, mercury, iron, cadmium, aluminum and magnesium are present in water sources. If these metals are present in the sediment, these reach the food chain through plants and aquatic animals. This causes heavy metal poisoning in case the level in the water is very high. Some other effects of water pollution In rivers, oceans and seas, water pollution effects flora and fauna in them. Further, the birds and animals that consume this contaminated food supply can perish. Blood diseases, nervous system disorders and heart diseases are some of the effects of water pollution. Many toxins in polluted water lead to cancer. Rarely, the bodys chromosomal makeup can be altered. Some of the less potent effects are skin lesions, vomiting and diarrhea. The effects of water pollution are not only devastating to people but also to animals, fish, and birds. Polluted water is unsuitable for drinking, recreation, agriculture, and industry. It diminishes the aesthetic quality of lakes and rivers. More seriously, contaminated water destroys aquatic life and reduces its reproductive ability. Eventually, it is a hazard to human health. Nobody can escape the effects of water pollution. The individual and the community can help minimize water pollution. By simple housekeeping and management practices the amount of waste generated can be minimized.http://www.danharlow.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/esa-ganesh-img1.jpg GLOBAL WATER POLLUTION Estimates suggest that nearly 1.5 billion people lack safe drinking water and that at least 5 million deaths per year can be attributed to waterborne diseases. With over 70 percent of the planet covered by oceans, people have long acted as if these very bodies of water could serve as a limitless dumping ground for wastes. Raw sewage, garbage, and oil spills have begun to overwhelm the diluting capabilities of the oceans, and most coastal waters are now polluted. Beaches around the world are closed regularly, often because of high amounts of bacteria from sewage disposal, and marine wildlife is beginning to suffer. CONCLUSION Clearly, the problems associated with water pollution have the capabilities to disrupt life on our planet to a great extent. Congress has passed laws to try to combat water pollution thus acknowledging the fact that water pollution is, indeed, a seriousissue. But the government alone cannot solve the entire problem. It is ultimately up to us, to be informed, responsible and involved when it comes to the problems we face with our water. We must become familiar with our local water resources and learn about ways for disposing harmful household wastes so they don ¿Ã‚ ½t end up in sewage treatment plants that cannott handle them or landfills not designed to receive hazardous materials. In our yards, we must determine whether additional nutrients are needed before fertilizers are applied, and look for alternatives where fertilizers might run off into surface waters. We have to preserve existing trees and plant new trees and shrubs to help prevent soil erosion and promote infiltration of water into the soil. Around our houses, we must keep litter, pet waste, leaves, and grass clippings out of gutters and storm drains. These are just a few of the many ways in which we, as humans, have the ability to combat water pollution. As we head into the 21st century, awareness and education will most assuredly continue to be the two most important ways to prevent water pollution. If these measures are not taken and water pollution continues, life on earth will suffer severely. Global environmental collapse is not inevitable. But the developed world must work with the developing world to ensure that new industrialized economies do not add to the worlds environmental problems. Politicians must think of sustainable development rather than economic expansion. Conservation strategies have to become more widely accepted, and people must learn that energy use can be dramatically diminished without sacrificing comfort. In short, with the technology that currently exists, the years of global environmental mistreatment can begin to be reversed. See full size imagehttp://coris.noaa.gov/glossary/runoff_186.jpg http://davetheroyale.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/global-warming-copy2.jpg

Interview With Toni Morrison :: essays papers

"I'm interested in the way in which the past affects the present and I think that if we understand a good deal more about history, we automatically understand a great more about contemporary life. Also, there's more of the past for imaginative purposes than there is of the future." Q. Beloved is dedicated to the 60 million who died as a result of slavery. A staggering number -- is this proved historically? A. Some historians told me 200 million died. The smallest number I got from anybody was 60 million. There were travel accounts of people who were in the Congo -- that's a wide river -- saying, ''We could not get the boat through the river, it was choked with bodies.'' That's like a logjam. A lot of people died. Half of them died in those ships. Slave trade was like cocaine is now -- even though it was against the law, that didn't stop anybody. Imagine getting $1,000 for a human being. That's a lot of money. There are fortunes in this country that were made that way. I thought this has got to be the least read of all the books I'd written because it is about something that the characters don't want to remember, I don't want to remember, black people don't want to remember, white people don't want to remember. I mean, it's national amnesia. Q. You gave new insight into the daily struggle of slaves. A. I was trying to make it a personal experience. The book was not about the institution -- Slavery with a capital S. It was about these anonymous people called slaves. What they do to keep on, how they make a life, what they're willing to risk, however long it lasts, in order to relate to one another -- that was incredible to me. For me, the torturous restraining devices became a hook on which to say what it was like in personal terms. I knew about them because slaves who wrote about their lives mentioned them, and white people wrote about them. There's a wonderful diary of the Burr family in which he talks about his daily life and says, ''Put the bit on Jenny today.'' He says that about 19 times in six months -- and he was presumably an enlightened slave owner.

Sonnet 18 Essay -- essays research papers

Amazing authors can induce thoughts by a single word. The ideas that can form in our heads by a small phrase are powerful. Only the most talented and capable authors can provoke such feelings within us. Who is more than able to stir these feelings in a reader but William Shakespeare? His various plays keep us entranced and curious but it is his poetry that strikes a chord deep within us. Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare is particularly powerful. He writes about a love that cannot be compared to anything in the world because of his deep infatuation. Shakespeare wrote his sonnet when he was deeply in love with a woman. He starts off his sonnet by implanting an image in our head of a summer day. A summer day triggers a scene that flashes in our head of children playing and the sun shining,...

information management training :: essays research papers

University International Trying to find a qualified Chief Information Officer (CIO) these days can be a very daunting task. The requirements span across many different disciplines, therefore the perfect candidate must have a resume that displays a very unique blend of formal training and actual experience. Many CIO job descriptions read as follows: The Chief Information Officer is responsible for providing the vision, leadership, planning and management for the development, acquisition, implementation and support of information technology. Must partner with management team to align company information technology with strategic direction and build and develop the IT organization processes and procedures to support business needs. Plans, directs and manages the IT department in order to ensure the development and implementation of cost effective systems and efficient computer operations to meet current and future decision making requirement. The Chief Information Officer is ultimately responsible for development, implementation, and maintenance of application systems, operation and the centralized data processing center, establishment and maintenance of a standard charge-out distributing system for Information Technology Department (ITD) services, and maintenance of acceptable service levels for City user department. The Chief Information Office oversees a continuous program of education and research to ensure City-wide standards are maintained and the cost effective utilization of ITD resources. Work is performed with considerable independence and judgment, subject to review on the basis of results achieved, under general direction of a Deputy City Manager. The requirements to fill these types of positions vary based on the type of organization that is hiring. The variance usually comes ion the form of years required versus disciplines. Simply put most organizations want the same type of background however the number of years varies. Some of the prerequisites to fill these types of positions are: Education „à Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bachelors/Masters Degree in Computer Science or related field „à Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bachelors/Masters Degree in Business Management/Administration Experience „à Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  7-10 years experience in IT management „à Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5 years experience in business management In addition to the requirements above a CIO must have solid people skills, this is something that isn ¡Ã‚ ¦t really taught. CIO ¡Ã‚ ¦s are at a constant crossroad. They have to satisfy everyone, which is basically an impossible task. As I stated earlier in this paper a good CIO is difficult to find many organizations settle for a person they feel they can develop and groom to be the CIO they want. A new poll of chief information officers (CIOs) conducted by the CIO Executive CouncilTM (founded by IDG's CXO Media Inc.

National Security Council Essay

The recent trend characterizing the US security policy is the gradual strengthening of the National Security Council. Under G. Bush administration this body gained significant power and influence. In this paper I’m going to investigate the reasons for this trend as well its advantages and disadvantages. In the international practice, National Security Council is generally defined as an executive body coordinating national security issues. National Security Council consists of the heads of departments involved in diplomacy and defense with a relatively small number of staff members. The US National Security Council was established in 1947 and substantially amended in 1949; the same year it was placed in the Executive Office of the President. The powers and influence of the US NSC has been gradually increasing during the second half of the 20th centuries; this trend is evident presently, too. As for the structure of the council, it is chaired by the President and encompasses Vice President, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as the statutory military advisor to the Council, the Director of Central Intelligence as the intelligence advisor. The Chief of Staff to the President, Counsel to the President, and the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy have a right to be present at any meeting of the Council; others can be invited to attend NSC meeting if appropriate. The functions of the NSC are â€Å"considering national security and foreign policy matters with his senior national security advisors and cabinet officials. † (National Security Council official website, http://www. whitehouse. gov/nsc/) Every President made major or minor change in the powers and functions of the NSC in order to adjust it to his own management style. The ultimate goal of the NSC under Bush administration is to ensure collegiality among different departments coordinating military and diplomatic issues. But the functions of the NSC nowadays are much wider. The expert report that â€Å"the NSC today conducts ongoing relations with the media, Congress, the American public, and foreign governments. † (Daalder & Destler, 2000, A New NSC for a New Administration, http://www. brookings. edu/comm/policybriefs/pb68. htm) Even the official sources define the Council as â€Å"as a means of controlling and managing competing departments† and it’s functioning â€Å"depended in no small degree upon the interpersonal chemistry between the President and his principal advisers and department heads. † (Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, History of the National Security Council, http://www. fas. org/irp/offdocs/NSChistory. htm) The NSC is refered to as the â€Å"key foreign policy player in every administration since John F. Kennedy’s. † (Daalder & Destler†¦) I strongly deem that the trend of NSC becoming more influential reflects the general trend of Presidential power becoming more authoritative. The fact that Condoleeza Rice rivals Colin Powell in influence is to a certain extent causes to the relations between Condoleeza Rice and the President. Another reason is that she had been an influential public figure in academic and political circles before joining the NSC. Karl Inderfurth and Loch Johnson (2004, p. 180) in their book Fateful Decisions: Inside the National Security Council states that â€Å"Rice perhaps most closely resembles McGeorge Bundy, of the Kennedy Administration, who was the first non-invisible national-security adviser†¦Ã¢â‚¬  George Bush in the first National Security Presidential Directive stated that â€Å"The NSC shall meet at my direction. † (National Security Presidential Directive, 2001, http://www. fas.org/irp/offdocs/nspd/nspd-1. htm) The positive side of it is that the President can quickly obtain a qualified advice when needed. The negative side is that the NSC is an easy tool for controlling and redefining diplomatic and military policy of the county without consulting other major defense bodies. The same Directive states: â€Å"Except for those established by statute, other existing NSC interagency groups, ad hoc bodies, and executive committees are also abolished as of March 1, 2001, unless they are specifically reestablished as subordinate working groups within the new NSC system as of that date. † George Bush adjusted the Council to his own needs approximately after a year in the office. This is one more important reason why the President relies more on the NSC than on traditional bureaucracy. The structure of the NSC is relatively transparent and clear; it includes a limited number of members, although it has grown in size recently and resembles a governmental agency rather than an advisory committee. I would like to elaborate on another factor that contributes to the situation with the NSC. After the tragic events of 9/11 George Bush established the Office of Homeland Security under the governance of Tom Ridge, the President’s close friend. The functions of the NSC and the OHS often overlap; the possibility of the NSC becoming hegemonic in the sphere of homeland security decreased. Still, its role in the national security is hard to overestimate. Daalder & Destler (2000) propose a clear list of reasons why the NSC evolved in the key agent in defence and foreign policy. They state that it was caused by â€Å"the half-century development and legitimization of the NSC as presidential coordinator for mainstream national security issues†¦[and]†¦the post-cold war expansion of the foreign policy agenda, with more issues that require coordination across more agencies†¦[and]†¦the deepening of partisanship in Washington, particularly over the last decade. † It’s hard to give a solely positive or negative evaluation of this trend. From one angle, the NSC is flexible and is able to react rapidly to any security threat. It may seem rational to grant excessive powers to the NSC. There would be no need to employ the bureaucratic machine of numerous agencies dealing with diplomacy, military aspects and homeland security. The NSC should be organized in such a way so that â€Å"the president can make clear foreign policy choices in a timely manner. † (Daalder & Destler†¦ ) Daalder & Destler study emphasises that the NSC major task is integrating the US foreign and defence policy, and it’s of high importance in the era of global terrorism. From another angle, the NSC is powered by the President, and there exists much space for manipulation. Recently, the NSC doesn’t manage efficiently with coordinating the national security bodies. For instance, some tension exists in relations between the NSC and the agencies like CIA. Now let me proceed with drawing the final conclusion of the paper. There exists a clear trend of the National Security Council becoming more influential and powerful under the George Bush administration; this happens for compelling reasons. The positive or negative evaluation of his trend largely depends on the degree of efficiency of the NSC organization and functioning. References 1. The White House, National Security Council http://www. whitehouse. gov/nsc/ Last accessed: 15 Oct 2004 2. Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, United States Department of State, History of the National Security Council, 1947-1997 http://www. fas. org/irp/offdocs/NSChistory. htm Last accessed: 15 Oct 2004 3.National Security Presidential Directive, February 13, 2001 http://www. fas. org/irp/offdocs/nspd/nspd-1. htm Last accessed: 15 Oct 2004 4. The Brookings Institution, Foreign Policy Studies, Daalder, I. H. , Destler, I. M. , A New NSC for a New Administration, Nov 2000 http://www. brookings. edu/comm/policybriefs/pb68. htm Last accessed: 15 Oct 2004 5. Inderfurth, K. F. , Johnson, L. K. 2004. Fateful Decisions: Inside the National Security Council. Oxford University Press.

Athletes and Ethics: The Choice to be Role Models

The merits and ethics of athletic scholarships, and the accountability athletes had to accept to conform to projected social norms is a contentious issue.On one hand, the pressures athletes face depend on the nature of the various normative and actual notions of role models projected onto athletes by the relevant institutions, the branches of these institutions, and society at large. However, the pressures athletes face depend on the attitude of the athlete towards the concept of the ‘role model’, and how seriously the athlete takes subjective notions of public image   and civic virtue.The social and institutional versus athlete pressure/role model dynamic essentially hinge on whether athletes should be viewed as role models, the difficulty in being a role model, whether they should indeed be expected to be role models, or if athletes even have a choice in the matter.Athletes and Ethics: Big Pressure for High School and College AthletesA young boy enters the house in h is favorite purple Lakers jersey. As he sat in front of the television, he sees his favorite basketball star, Kobe Bryant, arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting of a woman.   From the perspective of civic functionality, there are some strong views against the use of athletes as role models.Citing the high profile example of Kobe Bryant, Brown (2005) contends that there can be a discrepancy between the public persona and private deeds of high profile professional athletes. Bryant’s case is instructive of cases where an athlete’s public good standing can be shattered in the light of public scrutiny. Whether or not there was truth to the allegations, did Bryant hold any responsibility to the public regarding the damage this has to his image? Either way, he did not have a choice.Athletes as Role Models: A Perception of the Past  At issue here was the view that to be a role model was defined by the contributive function made by a member of society. Doctors, police, firefighters and soldiers were apparently more intrinsically deserving of the social abstraction of â€Å"role model.† However, the philanthropic activity of athletes did not negate their supposed lack of social function outside of a sport (Brown, 2005).The emergence of the celebrity status of athletes as role models of the youth may seem to be a product of mass media and marketing. To prove that this was not so, all puns aside, Mosher (1998) gave further credence to the image of sports people as role models.A presentation of the athletes as role models in a historical and sociological context must be done to show the perception these sports people had for the longest time. The British amateurism in the sports of the 19th century, where amateurism and elitism worked hand in glove to exclude the working classes from any participation in certain sports that were the reserved for the â€Å"civilized gentlemen† of the ruling elite (Mosher, 1998).Chivalry was the image of role models, as translated to the modern century America’s language, was both universally accepted and desirable. America, where improving one’s lot was the central pillar for its foundation, did not let amateurism find fertile ground in this self-proclaimed egalitarian nation.Hence, with professionalism and the social mobility associated with it, came the desire of upstanding role models in sport inherited by concepts of chivalry in the Old World.Going back further in time, the Greeks were seen to greatly influence how heroism was related to sports. During their time, sportsmen were regarded as heroes. Competition was something that was highly regarded and those who participated were regarded to be men who were above ordinary men (Boon, 2005).The hero figure was someone who had physical strength, courage and an innate ability to confront dangerous circumstances without fear; most of these qualities were attributed to their Greek athletes as well as to their great warr iors. A hero was the Greek’s version of the public’s role model, even if it the modern term was an understatement and less romanticized.Athletes still held the same power, influence and impact that were given by history to sportsmen. They were ideally seen to transcend mediocrity and to prove themselves by exceptional acts and to serve as perfect examples because of their superior qualities (Boon, 2005). They were seen to dominate human action and to symbolize success and perfection, as well as the conquest of evil. Thus, they were seen to be men of good character because if they were not it would mean they were imperfect and mediocre.Aside from the Greek correlation of sports and heroism, aside from physical development, how did sports become a tool to build character in the American perception? There was a time wherein sports was not even considered to be something good in American life as it was seen to be the root of gambling and everything that was un-Christian? H ow come it has now been regarded as an avenue of chivalry and gentlemanly behavior?It was during when the Church attempted to regulate sports that it was seen to serve the purpose of character development for boy and girls (Mosher, 1998). Even basketball was created to promote teamwork, self-sacrifice, obedience, self-control as well as loyalty. The biggest factor that was seen to have implanted the idea that athletes must be role models was the Olympic movement (Mosher, 1998).In the present, the analogy of comparing people of chivalry in the past to athlete role models of the present time was seen to be outdated. However, the fact that it was still existing seemed to provide the sense of intrigue as to where this concept came from and why it had survived for so long (Skidelsky, 2003).In the 19th century, sportsmen accepted the idea that they had a special duty to behave well. Athletes were seen to be required to behave under the â€Å"proponents of ‘muscular Christianityâ₠¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬  as it was instilled in moral instruction of the sports (Skidelsky, 2003).This created the belief that physical robustness was expectedly connected to moral purity, something that would be indubitable in the present world of sports. The public, at present, would be constantly bombarded with how athletes were not able to cope with the pressures and temptations of fame.Unlike the requirement of the past, professional sports had ceased to require any form of moral or responsible behavior for these athletes to be successful (Glenarden, 1997). Possessing success seemed to be held by society to be more important than possessing good character, morals or ethical behavior.

Modes of Acceptance

An acceptance must be communicated for it to be effective and valid. The mental assent of both parties is not required but the external manifestation should exist. The acceptor must dos something in order to notify his acceptance. For example, he should communicate his acceptance of the offeror. This can be illustrated in the case of Brogden v Metropolitan Railway Co (1877) 2 App Cas 666. In this case, the defendants had for some years supplied the plaintiffs with coals. It was suggested by the defendants that a contract should be entered into between them. After their agents had met, the terms of the agreement were drawn up by the plaintiffs' agent and sent to the defendants. The head of the defendants' firm filled up certain parts of the agreement which had been left blank, inserted the name of the proposed arbitrator, wrote â€Å"approved† at the end of the page, and signed his own name. The defendants' agent sent the document back to the plaintiffs' agent, who put it in his desk. Nothing further was done to execute the agreement. For some time, both parties acted in accordance with the arrangements stated in the document. Subsequently, the defendants declined to continue the supply of coals in this manner. The plaintiffs brought an action for damages for breach of contract. The defendants denied the existence of any contract for the supply of coals. the House of Lords held that there was no acceptance of the offer. Although there may be mental assent, the act of the plaintiff's agent putting the document into his desk would not amount to communication of the acceptance. However, the House of Lords held that by virtue of the course of dealings of the parties in the ordering and supply of the coals, such conduct amounted to an acceptance. The communication of an offer and an acceptance, which are the requirements of a valid agreement, is stated in Section 3 of the Contracts Act 1950. It was described that the communication of proposals, the acceptance of proposals, and the revocation of proposals and acceptances, respectively, are deemed to be made by any act or omission of the party proposing, accepting, or revoking, by which he intends to communicate the proposal, acceptance, or revocation, or which has the effect of communicating it. Communication of an acceptance is also illustrated in the Contracts Act 1950. It was described in Section 4(2) of the Contracts Act 1950 when the communication of acceptance will be complete. It was stated in Section 4(2)(a) that the communication of acceptance against the proposer is complete, when it is put in the course of transmission to him, so as to be out of the power of the acceptor. It was stated in Section 4(2)(b) that the communication of acceptance as against the acceptor is complete when it comes to the knowledge of the person whom it is made to who is the proposer. This is further explained in Illustration (b) that the communication of the acceptance is complete as against A, the proposer, when the letter is posted; and as against B, the acceptor, when the letter is received by A, the proposer. Besides that, Section 9 of the Contracts Act also describes the mode of acceptance. It provides that as far as an acceptance is made in words, the promise is said to be express. If the acceptance is made otherwise than in words, the promise is then said to be implied. Thus, an acceptance can be made through conduct. Section 8 of the Contracts Act provides for such acceptance where it is through the performance of conditions in a proposal. This can be seen in the case of Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Co [1892] 2 QB 484; [1893] 1 QB 256. In this case, , the defendant, a proprietor of a medical preparation called â€Å"The Carbollic Smoke Ball† issued an advertisement offering to pay a sum of money to person who contracted influenza even after using the ball in the prescribed manner and time. Defendant banked in a sum of money to gain the confidence of the public. Plaintiff bought and used the ball in the manner prescribed and caught influenza. She claimed for the compensation but the defendant refused to compensate her. She then sued the defendant. Defendant contended that the advertisement was a mere puff and was not intended to create a binding obligation. Court of Appeal held that an offer can be made to the world and it becomes a contract when any person performs the condition. It was also mentioned in Section 7(b) of the Contracts Act that where the mode of cceptance is specified in the offer, the acceptor must communicate his acceptance in that mode. If no mode is specified, acceptance by any usual and reasonable manner which shows the acceptor's intention to accept is sufficient. There are a few types of communication of acceptance. First is via post or telegram. There is a difficulty in this type os communication of acceptance due to the time lag between sending and receiving and in situations where the acceptance is not received by t he offeror without the fault of either party. The general rule at common law is that acceptance is complete when it is brought to the notice of the offeror. But it was stated in the postal rule that an acceptance is complete when the letter containing such acceptance is posted, or when the telegram containing such acceptance is handed in. This can be seen in the case of Household Fire and Carriage Accident Insurance v Grant (1879) 4 EX D 216; 41 LT 298, CA. In this case, the defendant made an application for shares in the plaintiff's company under circumstances from which it must be implied that he authorised the company, in the event of their allotting to him the shares applied for, to send the notice of allotment by post. The company did allot him the shares, and posted a letter duly addressed to him containing the notice of allotment, but it was found as a fact that the letter never reached its destination. The defendant never paid the price of the shares as stated in the application. Subsequently, the company went into liquidation and the official liquidator applied for the unpaid price of the shares from the defendant. The defendant declined to pay on the ground that he was not a shareholder. The Court of Appeal affirmed the judgment of Lopes J and held that the defendant was liable as a shareholder. In this case, the Court applied the postal rule. Thus, the communication of the company's acceptance of the defendant's application for, and allotment of shares which was sent by post was complete once it was posted. Thesiger J explained the rationale of the postal rule as follows: â€Å"I see no better mode than that of treating the post office as the agent of both parties †¦ But if the post office be such common agent, then it seems to me to follow that, as soon as the letter of acceptance is delivered to the post office, the contract is made as complete and final and absolutely binding as if the acceptor had put his letter into the hands of a messenger sent by the offerer himself as his agent to deliver the offer and receive the acceptance. I am not prepared to admit that the implication in question will lead to any great or general inconvenience or hardhip. An offerer, if he chooses, may always make the formation of the contract which he proposes dependent upon the actual communication to himself of the acceptance. If he trusts to the post he trusts to a means of communication which, as a rule, does not fail, and if no answer to his offer is received by him, and the matter is of importance to him, he can make inquiries of the person to whom his offer was addressed. On the other hand, if the contract is not finally concluded, except in the event of the acceptance actually reaching the offerer, the door would be opened to the perpetration of much fraud, and, putting aside this consideration, considerable delay in commercial transactions, in which despatch is, as a rule, of the greatest consequence, would be occasioned; for the acceptor would never be entirely safe in acting upon his acceptance until he had received notice that his letter of acceptance had reached its destination†. The application of the postal rule can also be seen in the case of Adams v Lindsell (1818) 1B & Ald 681. In this case, the defendants, who were dealers of wool, had on September 2, written to the plaintiffs, woollen manufacturers, offering to sell to them a number of fleeces. They required an answer â€Å"in course of post†. The letter was misdirected by the defendants, and consequently was not received by the plaintiffs until September 5. On the same evening, the plaintiffs wrote an answer, agreeing to accept the offer on the terms proposed. The acceptance did not reach the defendants until September 9. On September 8, the defendants, not having received an answer on September 7, as they had expected, sold the wool, to a third party. The Court applied the postal rule of acceptance and held that the acceptance was complete as against the defendants on September 5. For example, prior to the revocation of their offer through the sale of the wool to the third party on September 8. The Court held that if the rule was that no contract could be formed until the acceptance was actually received, no contract could ever be completed; for if the defendants were not bound by their offer till the answer was received, the plaintiffs ought not to be bound till after they had received the notification that the defendants had received their answer and assented to it, and so it might go on ad infinitum. An acceptance should be made in the usual and reasonable manner. It can be seen in the case of Henthon v Fraser[1892] 2 Ch 27. In this case, the claimant received a note from the defendant with an offer to purchase a certain property within 14 days. The claimant responded to the offer with an acceptance posted the next day via mail. The defendant withdrew the offer before receiving the acceptance, but after the acceptance was posted. Court of Appeal inferred that both parties would have contemplated that the letter be sent by post. Lord Herschell stated: â€Å"In the present case an authority to accept by post must be implied. Although the Plaintiff received the offer at the Defendants' office in Liverpool, he resided in another town, and it must have been in contemplation that he would take the offer, which by its terms was to remain open for some days, with him to his place of residence, and those who made the offer must have known that it would be according to the ordinary usages of mankind that if he accepted it he should communicate his acceptance by means of the post where the circumstances are such the acceptance is complete as soon as it is posted†. In the case of Holwell Securities Ltd v Hughes [1974] 1 WLR 155. In this case, the defendant issued a grant to sell a property at 571 High Road, Wembley. It contained a clause stipulating that there must be notice in writing within six months in order to exercise the option. The claimants sent a letter exercising the option. It was lost in the mail and was never received by the defendant. The Court placed much emphasis on the meaning of notice which must mean that it must be known or intimated to the vendor who never was since the letter carrying the information went astray. Lawton Lj referred to the postal rule but held that it would not apply if the offer expressly specifies that the acceptance must reach the offeror and if application of the rule causes â€Å"manifest inconvenience and absurdity†. In the case of Lee Seng Heng & Ors v Guardian Assurance Co Ltd [1932] MLJ17. In this case, the plaintiffs insured their stock in trade with the defendants against fire. Subsequently, a fire broke out on the insured premises and the plaintiffs made a claim under the policy. The defendants' solicitors wrote to the plaintiffs saying that on the date of the fire, the policy had ceased to exist as they had previously written to the plaintiffs cancelling the policy. This letter was never received by the plaintiffs as there was no post office at Buloh Kasap. The nearest post office was at the town of Segamat and the practice at Segamat was to send a postman to Buloh Kasap only when the amount of correspondence justified a special journey. The letter in question had been kept at Segamat and had only been brought to Buloh Kasap by the postman after the fire. As the plaintiffs' premises had been burnt down, the addressee could not be found. Munson CJ stated that â€Å"The only point, therefore, left for me to decide is whether the post was properly used here as an agent by the Defendants in sending their letter of the 27th March. The Plaintiffs acted from Buloh Kasap five miles from Segamat which is some 125 miles from Singapore and some 50 miles from Malacca. It is difficult to see how they were ordinarily to communicate if not by post †¦ I hold as Farwell J. did in Bruner v. Moore, that â€Å"the parties in this case contemplate that the post might be used as a means of communicating on all subjects connected with the contract. † In these circumstances it is clear that the sender of the letter is not responsible for any delay in the post I hold, therefore, that the rescission of the policy was effected at the moment that the letter of the 27th March was posted, that is on the 27th March, 1931, and that the policy was non-existent at the date of the fire†. The second mode of communication is via telex or telephone. Communications through the telex and telephone are different from posting and the postal acceptance rule does not apply. They are considered instantaneous communication where parties are regarded to be in each other's presence and is complete only when it is received. It can be seen in the case of Entores Ltd v Miles Far East Corporation [1955] 2 QB 327. In this case, the plaintiffs were an English company and the defendants were an American corporation with agents all over the world, including a Dutch company in Amsterdam. The plaintiffs wished to make a contract with the defendants' Dutch agents for the purchase of copper cathodes from the defendants. A series of communications passed by telex between the plaintiffs and the Dutch company, the material one being a counter-offer made by the plaintiffs on September 8, 1954, and an acceptance of that offer by the Dutch agents on behalf of the defendants received by the plaintiffs in London by telex on September 10, 1954. The plaintiffs later alleged that there had been a breach of contract by the defendants. They applied for leave to serve notice of a writ on the defendants in New York on the ground that the contract was made in England and, therefore, fell within the Rules of the Supreme Court. The defendants contended that the contract was made in Holland. The Court ruled that the communication through telex in this case was instantaneous and the contract was made at the place where acceptance was received, in this case, in London. Denning LJ considered the matter in stages. First is, when a contract is made by post it is clear law throughout the common law countries that the acceptance is complete as soon as the letter is put into the post box, and that is the place where the contract is made. But there is no clear rule about contracts made by telephone or by telex. Second is communications by these means are virtually instantaneous and stand on a different footing. The problem can only be solved by going in stages. Let me first consider a case where two people make a contract by word of mouth in the presence of one another. The communication of telex acceptances was also applied in Brinkibon Ltd v Stuhag Stahl [1983] 2 AC 34, HL. In this case, Brinkibon was a London company that purchased steel from Stahag, a seller based in Austria. Brinkibon sent their acceptance to a Stahag offer by Telex to Vienna. Brinkibon later wanted to issue a writ against Stahag and applied to serve an out of jurisdiction party. They would only be able to do so if the contract had been formed in England. The question at issue was where the contract was formed. The House of Lords held that the contract was made in Vienna. The next mode of communication is acceptance by conduct. In the case of Taylor v Allon [1966] 1 QB 304 , the appellant's motorcar had been insured by an insurance company called â€Å"The Federated Employers Insurance Association Ltd†, the policy expiring on April 5, 1964. He obtained a temporary cover note for 30 days from a new insurance company on April 16. It was found as a fact that on the expiration of the old policy he never intended to renew it with the old insurance company. His old insurance company sent him a temporary cover note for 15 days from April 6. Where parties conduct themselves in a manner which indicates that they consider themselves bound by an agreement between them, a contract will be held to have come into existence. In the case of Woon Yoke Lin v United Estate-Projects Berhad [1998] 4 AMR 4052, the High Court held that the defendants, had accepted the plaintiff's offer to rent a kiosk in Subang Parade which was owned by the defendants. The Court referred to the following five expressions of conduct of the defendants: first, they did not reply within 14 days (the booking form stated that if the plainitif's application was not accepted the deposit would be refunded within 14 days); secondly, they accepted the booking fees and paid this sum into their own account; thirdly, they did not return this sum of money within 14 days as provided in the booking form; fourthly, they could have rejected the tenancy agreement and the money which accompanied it upon receipt of these items, but they kept it; and fifthly, instead of rejecting the plaintiff's offer, they negotiated with the plaintiff to relocate. In EMS Bowe (M) Sdn Bhd v KFC Holdings (M) Bhd & Anor [2000] 1 AMR 677, the plaintiffs submitted a tender for some works to the defendants. Subsequently, the second defendant issued to the plaintiffs a draft letter of award for the works and had also instructed the plaintiffs to order in advance materials for the works. The plaintiffs ordered the materials but the award was given to another contractor. The High Court held that a draft offer acted upon by one party with the knowledge and concurrence of the other party has converted it into a written agreement and thus there was a valid and binding contract in this case. The next mode of acceptance is acceptance by performing conditions stipulated in offer. In Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Co [1892] 2 QB 484; [1893] 1 QB 256, the Court of Appeal held that Mrs Carlill had indicated her acceptance by performing the conditions set out in the advertisement. In this case, Mrs Carlill had contracted influenza after using the smoke balls in the manner specified in the advertisement. The defendants' submission that Mrs Carlill did not inform them of her intention to accept their offer of the reward was rejected by the Court. It was held that Mrs Carlill had accepted the offer by performing the conditions stated in the offer. This mode of acceptance is recognised in s 8 of the Contracts Act that â€Å"performance of the conditions of a proposal †¦ is an acceptance of the proposal†. There is also acceptance by silence. An issue that arises is whether silence can amount to an acceptance. In Fraser v Everett (1899) 2 SLJ 81; (1889) 4 Ky 512, the Court held that the defendant who had contracted for the transfer of scrip was entitled to obtain what he had bargained for and could not be compelled to accept a bearer-warrant. It was the plaintiff's contention that, by not replying to the broker's letter of April 25 informing him that the certificates were being exchanged for bearer-warrants, the defendant must be taken to have waived this objection. The Court held that there is rule of law like the saying â€Å"Silence gives consent† applicable to mercantile contracts. In this case, the omission to reply does not constitute a waiver. In the case of Felthouse v Bindiey (1862) 11 CBNS 869; 142 ER 1037, the plaintiff wrote to his nephew offering to buy the nephew's horse and adding that â€Å"If I hear no more about him, I consider the horse is mine at 301. 15s†. The nephew did not reply and no money was paid. The horse remained in the nephew's possession. Six weeks afterwards, the defendant, an auctioneer who was employed by the nephew to sell his farming stock, was directed by the nephew to reserve the horse in question, as it had already been sold, but by mistake had put it up with the rest of the stock and sold it. The plaintiff sued for conversion of the horse and the issue arose whether there was -a concluded contract between the plaintiff and his nephew for the sale of the horse. The Court held that there was none. Although the nephew had intended to sell the horse to the plaintiff at the price at which the plaintiff had named, this was not communicated and silence did not amount to an acceptance. Willes J stated â€Å"It stood an open offer †¦ he nephew in his own mind intended his uncle to have the horse at the price which he had named 15s but he had not communicated such intention to his uncle, or done anything to bind himself †. In the case of Re Selectmove Ltd [1995] 2 All ER 531, CA the Court of Appeal gave its view that silence could be interpreted as acceptance in exceptional circumstances. Peter Gibson LJ stated where the offeree himself indicates that an offer is to be taken as accepted if he does not indicate to the contrary by an ascertainable time, he is undertaking to speak if he does not want an agreement to be concluded. I see no reason in principle why that should not be an exceptional circumstance such that the offer can be accepted by silence. But it is unnecessary to express a concluded view on this point†. Lastly is the mode of acceptance stipulated by the offeror. An offeror may prescribe the mode of acceptance. In Manchester Diocesan Council for Education v Commercial & General Investments Ltd, [1970] 1 WLR241, Buckley J laid guidelines on this matter. If an offeror stipulates by the terms of his offer that it may, or that it shall, be accepted in a particular manner a contract results as soon as the offeree does the stipulated act, whether it has come to the notice of the offeror or not. In such a case the offeror conditionally waives either expressly or by implication the normal requirement that acceptance must be communicated to the offeror to conclude a contract. If an offeror, who by the terms of his offer insists on acceptance in a particular manner, he is entitled to insist that he is not bound unless acceptance is effected or communicated in that precise way, although if the other party communicates his acceptance in some other way, the offeror may by conduct or otherwise waive his right to insist on the prescribed method of acceptance. In the case of in Manchester Diocesan Council of Education was referred to in Yates Building Co Ltd v RJ Pulleyn & Sons (York) Ltd. In this case, the respondents granted the appellants options to purchase three portions of land. The option clause â€Å"shall be exercisable by notice in writing †¦ such notice to be sent by registered or recorded delivery post to the registered office of Pulleyns or the offices of their said solicitors†. However, this notice was sent by ordinary post and not by registered or recorded delivery post. It arrived before the expiry date but the respondents' solicitors replied that the requirement that the notice be sent by registered or recorded delivery post had not been- fulfilled and returned the cheque. Lord Denning MR held that where the offeror has prescribed a particular method of acceptance, but not in terms insisting that only acceptance in that mode shall be binding, acceptance communicated to the offeror by any other mode which is no less advantageous to him will conclude the contract. In conclusion, acceptance should be communicated and there are various modes of communication of an acceptance. This is to ensure that the communication of acceptance is complete and there is a valid contract between two parties.